"Yami-kun, do you know what this stone is?"
Utaha held the faintly glowing stone in her palm, her elegant face betraying just a hint of curiosity.
Yami shook his head. "Not exactly. But… maybe we can test it. Utaha, let me see yours."
"…Fine."
She handed it over without hesitation.
The moment his fingers closed around the stone, a pulse of white light flared.
[Ding! Obtained D-rank meme: Windwalk. Would you like to fuse it?]
As expected.
"No."
Yami refused without pause. This was Utaha's reward, and he wasn't shameless enough to snatch it for himself.
But the system prompt gave him a thought. Can I… fuse it to someone else?
[Ding! Please select a fusion target!]
"…Oh?" Yami's eyes narrowed in surprise. "So it really works."
Without hesitation, he chose Utaha.
The milky-white light dissolved into her chest.
"Wha—"
Utaha blinked, startled, but she didn't flinch. Since it came from Yami, she didn't feel fear.
"You'll understand soon enough," he said calmly.
"…?"
Her body tingled, her legs suddenly brimming with restless energy. An urge welled up inside her, and before she realized it—her feet moved.
"Eh?"
A blur shot across the rooftop.
Eriri rubbed her eyes in disbelief. "Wait—huh!?"
In the blink of an eye, Utaha had vanished from her side and reappeared at the rooftop door. Her hair swayed as if mocking the very concept of distance.
Eriri gawked. "N-No way… I wasn't imagining that, right? You really just—teleported!?"
Utaha looked down at her own legs, amazement spreading across her face. "This is… incredible! My body feels so light, like I could keep running forever."
Yami smiled faintly. "That's the power of the stone. You've awakened a memetic ability called Windwalk. In short… a super-speed technique."
Utaha's lips curled into a rare, genuine smile as she dashed back to him in a blur, stopping gracefully at his side.
"Amazing… Yami-kun, didn't you say these stones only worked inside the virtual world? Yet I can clearly use it here."
He smirked. "That's because I'm special."
"Super… superpowers! I-I want them too, Yami-kun!"
Eriri shoved her stone into his hands, her face burning with eagerness.
"Alright, let's see."
Yami touched the smooth surface. Another burst of white light shimmered.
[Ding! Obtained D-rank meme: Light Wings. Would you like to fuse it?]
"…Oh?" His brows lifted. "That name sounds interesting."
"What is it? What did it say!?" Eriri leaned closer, eyes full of nervous anticipation. If Utaha got powers, then she wanted them too—something that would let her stand beside Yami.
Yami gave her a faint smile. "You'll find out in a second."
He placed a hand on her forehead. A warm light coursed through her body.
"—Ah!"
A sudden force surged inside her chest, bursting outward.
Whoooosh!
A gust of wind whipped across the rooftop. Eriri screamed as her vision tilted violently.
"Waaaahhh!!"
Utaha looked up, eyes widening. "She's… flying!?"
From Eriri's back, wings of pure light spread wide, flapping with awkward rhythm as they lifted her skyward.
"Ehh!? I-I'm really flying! Yami-kun, look, look!"
She beamed down at him, waving frantically—only for Yami to rest his chin in his hand, nodding thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I see it. Pure white."
"…Eh?"
It took her a few seconds to realize what he meant.
Her skirt.
"Hey—HEY HEY HEY!!!"
From Yami's angle, it was the perfect view. Eriri shrieked, clutching at her hem, which immediately ruined her balance.
"Waaa—!"
She plummeted.
But Yami stepped in calmly, catching her against his chest before she could hit the ground.
Flushed to her ears, Eriri buried her face into him, trembling with embarrassment.
Utaha smirked, resting her cheek on her hand. "Fitting, really. Her ability's wings, yet all she managed to do was flap around like a clumsy angel."
"…Shut up!" Eriri snapped, refusing to lift her head.
Yami only smiled. "Still, not bad. Both of you awakened useful powers. Whether speed or flight, it all comes down to how you develop them."
His eyes narrowed slightly. Unlike me. I can absorb power through magic stones, evolve through memes, grow endlessly. But for them… it'll take effort, practice.
"Ring, ring, ring—!"
The school bell cut through the rooftop air.
Yami straightened. "We'll stop here for now. We can talk more about the virtual world later. Ella—return and keep watch."
"Yes, Master."
The undead girl nodded obediently before dissolving back into the shadows of his dungeon.
With that, Yami led Utaha and Eriri off the rooftop, the door closing behind them.
…
A few seconds later, the door creaked open again.
A figure stepped quietly inside. A girl. She scanned the empty rooftop with sharp eyes, memorized the faint traces of light lingering in the air, and then closed the door silently.
…
LycoReco Café
Tap tap tap tap.
In a quiet corner seat, a woman typed on her laptop, her sharp gaze skimming through lines of data. News clippings. Death reports. Blurry photos of creatures that didn't belong to this world.
"Your coffee."
Takina set the cup down.
"Mm. Just leave it."
The woman gave a curt nod, eyes never leaving the screen.
Takina returned backstage, where Mizuki glanced up at her.
"…What is it?"
Takina lowered her voice. "That woman is investigating Yami-kun."
Mizuki's brows furrowed. "Investigating…?"
Takina's gaze hardened. "I saw her notebook. Screenshots of unknown monsters. Articles about sudden deaths. And…"
She hesitated. "There was a photo. Unidentified. Listed separately. But… it was him."
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