Shirogane approached Kaito with his sword.
(It's over… I'm going to die…) he thought, as his vision blurred.
"That's enough, Shirogane."
Kaito heard Yume's voice say those words.
"What do you mean by 'that's enough'?"
For a moment, silence fell. Then Yume answered:
"If you killed him, it wouldn't bring you satisfaction… What you really want is for him to suffer for disrespecting you, am I wrong?"
Shirogane reflected on her words, then lowered his weapon into his own shadow. A smile crossed his face.
"You're right. Kaito, I'll spare you. Go on living—knowing that if we meet again, I'll kill you."
Kaito, now exhausted, watched as Shirogane summoned his spirit and vanished into thin air.
"Let's go, Yume. We leave for Shinkase in two days."
Yume lowered her gaze and nodded. Her expression was filled with resignation and sadness.
Kaito noticed it. (Y-Yume…?)
Right after that thought, he lost consciousness. Kaito had been defeated.
While unconscious, Shirogane's words haunted him.
"Kaito, I'll spare you. Go on living—knowing that if we meet again, I'll kill you."
Those words, together with Yume's gaze, echoed through his mind.
"SHIROGANEEEE!!"
The cry burst out as Kaito shot up in bed, breathing hard. His chest burned.
"You're finally awake, kid."
A familiar voice came from the bedside. Still dazed, Kaito turned his head.
"Old man…? What happened?"
He looked around, his eyes wide.
"The inn? How did I get back here?"
"Relax, I brought you back," the bartender replied with a tired smile.
"I don't get it… How did you know where I was?"
The bartender raised an eyebrow.
"You're kidding, right? The whole city saw that blue beam of light tear through the sky!"
Kaito stayed silent.
(Was that attack so powerful it drew a crowd?)
"The whole town gathered near the warehouse. The destruction… it was something else. I found you there. Couldn't believe my eyes."
Then he added, looking worried:
"Kaito, what happened? And where's Yume?"
Kaito hesitated, then told him everything. He explained the fight with Shirogane, Yume's betrayal, and even her strange expression.
"So that's what she meant back then…"
Kaito didn't understand.
"What are you talking about?"
The bartender shook his head.
"Sorry… you couldn't have known. But maybe it's time you did. I'll tell you everything."
He closed his eyes, letting a distant memory rise.
It was a cold evening, and rain poured down over the city.
He had just closed the inn when, from the window of his room, he saw a figure collapse onto the wet asphalt. His heart jumped.
(Damn, something's happened!) he thought, grabbing an umbrella and rushing into the night.
As he got closer, he saw a young girl, her body bruised and unconscious.
"I can't leave her out here."
He picked her up and brought her into one of the inn's rooms. Her body was ice-cold and trembling violently, writhing in pain. He spent the whole night tending to her, trying to ease her suffering.
She only regained consciousness at dawn. Her eyes opened slowly, pupils slightly dilated.
"Miss, you're awake! How do you—"
A sudden punch struck him in the stomach. The bartender staggered back and fell to the ground, groaning as he held his side.
"Who the hell are you?! Where am I?!"
The girl had sprung to her feet, panting and glaring with distrust.
"Easy, easy! I'm not going to hurt you."
Yume looked around, and her breathing slowly calmed.
"Are you okay? I saw you collapse last night and brought you to my inn," said the bartender, getting back on his feet.
She stared at him, then finally spoke.
"Th… thank you," she said, her voice still doubtful.
The bartender returned to the present as Kaito, visibly shaken, tried to hide his emotions.
"What happened next?" he asked.
"Well, after that, I decided to let her stay until she recovered."
"So if she's still here… does that mean she's not well yet?"
The old man hesitated, then answered:
"You're wrong. She chose to stay… She had nowhere else to go, so I offered her a job."
His mind drifted again to another memory.
It was early morning, six months after Yume had arrived. Sunlight spilled gently through the inn's windows.
The owner came down the stairs and saw her at the counter, arranging the bottles.
"Good morning, Yume."
"Good morning, Mr. Hauromi," she replied with a smile.
The two began tidying up for opening.
Yume noticed something.
"Mr. Hauromi, we're missing a bottle of red wine," she said, pointing to the empty spot.
"You're right, I'll grab one."
He opened the basement door and headed down the stairs. It was dark, with shelves divided by wine type.
"There it is," he said, spotting the bottle.
He climbed the step ladder and reached out, but suddenly his legs gave out. He fell to the ground, dragging several bottles with him that shattered on the floor.
The crash was so loud that Yume heard it upstairs. She rushed down.
"Mr. Hauromi, are you—"
She froze when she saw him on the ground, a large gash on his head.
"Yume… please… call an ambulance," he said weakly.
But she didn't move.
"Yume, what are you doing?!"
She said nothing.
Beside her appeared a small spirit with wings, antennae, a dress made of leaves, and wide eyes.
Suddenly, the wound vanished.
"Yume… you're a spirit wielder!"
The bartender came back to the present.
Kaito was more shocked than ever.
"So Yume's a spirit wielder too?"
The old man looked at him and answered:
"Yes, she is. After that, we talked. I never asked her what had happened that night—I didn't want to reopen the wounds."
He paused, his voice heavy.
"But after what I saw, I couldn't ignore it. She told me she'd been running from a man who'd stop at nothing to claim her power."
Kaito understood immediately.
"She meant Shirogane."
The bartender lowered his gaze, clenching his fists.
"I think so too… She probably didn't want to drag me into it. And now…"
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Sorry, kid… I need a moment."
He stood and walked out of the room.
Kaito was left alone, lost in thought. But suddenly, something became painfully clear.
"Shirogane made her bring me to that warehouse… she never meant to kill me. That's why she stopped him."
Then another realization hit him.
"If she betrayed Shirogane by running away… he might come after her now."
Clenching his fists, he whispered through gritted teeth:
"Idiot… you should've let me die… You're such an idiot!"