After finally clearing every doubt from his mind and chasing away the intrusive thoughts Kagura had planted during their roleplay, Hakuto's day with his mother flies by in a blink.

After lunch at the luxury restaurant Cordesol Meat, they take a quiet walk along the panoramic path of the Ashiya Rock Garden.

As they walk, Hakuto is overwhelmed by a storm of memories tied to this place, still scarred by the battle nearly a year ago against Frank—the ogre minion of Velshekar—and Ana Garroza, a fight in which Chantal nearly lost her life.

But not all memories are bitter.

That night was also the night when Rika finally unlocked her powers, accepted her nature as a succubus, and gave in to her deepest desires with Hakuto—her Soulmate.

Those are memories he obviously keeps to himself and never shares with Misaki.

In truth, she knows almost nothing about what Hakuto is involved in, and he makes sure not to tell her.

He doesn't want her to worry.

They have dinner at a mountain hut at the end of the panoramic trail before returning… to Misaki's home.

Hakuto had expected they would stay in a hotel, but no.

He is surprised—not so much by the intimacy of the arrangement, but by the gossip neighbors might spread if they saw a respected woman like Professor Yuunami returning home in the middle of the night with a boy less than half her age.

That certainly wouldn't help her career or reputation.

It's clear that Misaki is prepared to reveal the truth about her bond with Hakuto, should it ever become necessary to silence malicious rumors.

Hakuto is not surprised by the incredible luxury of the villa where his mother lives.

After all, one look at the car she drives was enough to understand that money is the least of her concerns.

«HESPARC must pay really well if just a few years working for them was enough to let you afford all this,» Hakuto says, staring in awe at the surroundings.

«Yes, the pay wasn't bad, though the salary of a simple head researcher like I was is nothing compared to that of a Monster Reaper. Not to mention the HESPARC Directors,» Misaki replies with a faintly bitter smile.

Hakuto can hear in her tone a barb aimed at Shin—former Director of HESPARC Japan—who ended up broke despite his massive salary over the years.

~Where the hell did my father waste all that money he earned… I just hope not on cigarettes…~

A warm shower follows—first Misaki, then Hakuto.

They never see each other naked, and afterward they go to bed.

Since Misaki's house isn't set up for guests, she suggests they all sleep in her bed—the double one.

Hakuto offers to take the couch to avoid misunderstandings, but Misaki insists.

«We already shared a bed that night in the hotel, remember? So what's wrong if a son sleeps next to his mother? Now that you've gotten rid of that doubt and know you don't feel… ehm, certain things for me, why should it be a problem?»

«Because a seventeen-year-old boy doesn't sleep with his parents anymore. That's something you do when you're afraid of the dark, and I'm not a kid anymore…»

«Normally, yes. But because of my stupidity and selfishness, I couldn't enjoy sleeping next to my little boy like every mother does. I'd like to make up for that lost time—even though my little boy isn't so little anymore.»

In the end, Hakuto gives in to Misaki's persistence.

He wears only shorts, she a light nightgown, and they fall asleep back to back.

By the next morning, Hakuto's flight back to Rome is waiting—departure scheduled right after lunch.

Misaki will drive him to Kobe Airport, but first, Hakuto wants to visit his dear friend Itsu, who has been worrying him lately.

Not because of anything specific, but because for nearly a week Itsu has been completely unreachable.

No calls answered, no messages replied to, no call-backs.

Something clearly happened.

Hakuto hopes it's just something trivial, like a broken phone.

But his worry grows when he arrives at Itsu's small apartment and finds it completely overturned, with no trace of him anywhere.

He even asks one of the neighbors, an old woman living in the apartment right next door.

«Oh, yes… poor boy, I wonder what terrible things must have happened to him… it all goes back six days. As always, I was watching the rerun of El Suspiro de Valmara in my armchair when I heard dreadful screams from young Itsu's apartment. Believe me, young man, I spent my life working in a hospital and I've seen and heard a lot, but never anything as frightening and heartbreaking as the cries I heard from his mouth, I can assure you. And then… there was more. A flash of fuchsia light lit up everything for several seconds, and then… both the light and the screams vanished at the same time. I immediately called the police, but when they arrived, they found the apartment in shambles and the poor boy had vanished without a trace—gone into thin air. Poor thing—he was such a good boy, I hope nothing bad happened to him…»

Her words plant more doubts than fears in Hakuto.

~If there had been a real fight, not a single brick of this building would still be standing. So what the hell happened? Itsu… what the hell did you do?~

«This situation really doesn't sit well with me…» Hakuto mutters, sitting on the couch in Itsu's living room.

He scans the place for clues, any trace that could reveal what happened—something only someone aware of the supernatural forces of this world could notice.

After several minutes of searching, he finds exactly what he was looking for.

Small fragments of something glass-like scattered on the floor.

~From the shape, the object must have been spherical originally… a red orb… could it be the item Akashi asked me to give to Itsu?! It has to be. And now that I think of it… six days ago was exactly when the news broke about the submergence of Iceland. They even reported witnesses seeing fuchsia flashes in the sky. Could Itsu be involved?! No, impossible… And yet, I'm certain the two events are connected—it's too big a coincidence otherwise. Fuchsia flashes… the same color as the energy released by the Eye of the Fallen-One. But what does Itsu have to do with that power? Damn it, I feel so close to the answer, but the plane to Rome won't wait for me, and killing Velshekar takes priority over everything else~

At that exact moment, Hakuto's phone rings—it's Misaki.

She's been waiting for him for almost half an hour in the car, ready to drive him back to Kobe.