Moments before Kuro found him, the sun had already begun to set behind the mountains.
Meanwhile, in Hikari's room, the atmosphere was very different. The girl who had lost to Aoi in their duel couldn't stop thinking about the humiliation she had suffered in front of the whole class. While her face showed calm indifference, her thoughts were far from peaceful.
Hikari sat on her bed, eyes fixed on Ren, who lay motionless on her desk. She had managed to steal him while Aoi wasn't looking, and now it was her chance to investigate the puppet she had seen in action.
"What's your secret, little puppet?" she muttered, touching Ren's fabric, trying to sense any magic that might reveal the source of his power.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Reina—the girl who had spoken with Aoi earlier—walked in with a casual air, as if she had no real intention of getting involved.
"Still obsessing over that thing?" Reina asked as she took a seat next to Hikari, showing little interest in what was going on.
Hikari looked up, flashing an arrogant smile.
"I'm investigating. That puppet isn't normal. There's something special about it, I can feel it. Aoi must be hiding it for a reason."
Reina raised an eyebrow, eyeing Hikari with a slightly mocking smile.
"What, are you jealous? Because Aoi beat you and you can't handle it?" Reina said, not bothering to hide the teasing in her voice.
Hikari stiffened for a moment but quickly regained her composure.
"That has nothing to do with it!" she snapped, her voice louder than she intended. "Aoi won, but that doesn't mean she's better than me. She just… got lucky."
Reina stared at her for a moment and then shrugged.
"Sure, sure. Though honestly, I don't think you're this interested in the puppet purely for academic reasons." She smirked. "Could it be you're just jealous that Aoi can control it, and you can't?"
Hikari stood up abruptly, her face flushed with anger—but before she could say anything, Reina raised a hand.
"Don't mind me. I just think you're really obsessed with that puppet, and I'm not sure why."
Hikari tried to ignore her, but deep down, she knew Reina had a point. The defeat had been humiliating, and all she wanted now was to prove she could be better than Aoi. If she could control that puppet, she'd have something to show for it. But there was something else, something that bothered her even more—the feeling that Aoi had been hiding more than she let on.
"I just want to find out what it does," Hikari muttered, looking again at Ren, who still appeared lifeless.
At that moment, Ren's consciousness began to stir, as if he had sensed Hikari's presence. Though he couldn't move, his mind was fully alert.
"What's going on?! How did I end up here?! Aoi!" he thought in panic.
But like before, his body refused to respond, and he remained still, silently hoping someone would intervene.
Reina watched everything in silence, though inside she wondered how far Hikari would go to get what she wanted. Still, she seemed to be enjoying the tension in the room.
End of Chapter 11