The two pistols floated out of the case on their own.
They positioned themselves in front of little Kairo.
Kairo had never seen firearms before—let alone ones that could talk and think.
But instead of fear, all he felt was deep curiosity.
Elcrist, the white pistol with bluish streaks—cold, logical—felt something strange for the first time: she felt seen.
Wielders of Remembrances, like Hayashi, were able to perceive the energy of nature—what Orion had once described as the Quarium of a living being.
But for artificial ones, it was a different story.
They didn't possess a clear or defined Quarium like a tree or a human. Which is why they were impossible to perceive.
And yet… Kairo had done it—at just six years old.
"You're talking weapons!" little Kaiaba exclaimed.
The two pistols turned slowly toward each other, as if exchanging a glance. Then Twisty, the black one, burst out laughing with wild hysteria.
"Hahaha, weapons or not, kid—we're so much more than that!" she vibrated flamboyantly.
"We're Regalie, the very first ones ever created!"
"Such theatrics, sister. Be less arrogant," Elcrist interjected calmly. "May I remind you that we were labeled defective and dangerous? Prototypes discarded by the creator."
"Oh, again with that story? Sure, we were never upgraded like those dull Regalie that came after us—but you can't deny we were the blueprint for them all!" Twisty retorted proudly.
The two began to bicker spiritedly. The dojo was cool, and before little Kairo, the two sentient pistols started arguing like siblings.
Kairo laughed—heartily—watching the scene unfold.
"You're really funny, ahaha!"
Twisty whipped around. "What did you just say, you little brat? I'll put a hole in your forehead!" she threatened, flaring up.
But Elcrist bumped her.
"Stop it, sister. He's just a child."
"Child, my butt! He insulted us, aristocratic pain-in-the-ass!" Twisty snapped.
"And you're vulgar," Elcrist replied coldly.
Kairo couldn't stop laughing, but then—
Cliiin, Cliin.
A soft bell echoed through the room.
The pistols fell silent.
Kairo turned.
The air had grown colder. But the tension was electric.
One petal floated down.
Then another.
Then a third.
And they multiplied.
Kairo had no idea what was happening—but behind him, facing the two pistols, came a voice.
Deep. Calm.
Yet soaked in ancestral power.
"You two… shouldn't you be tucked inside your case and silent when guests are present?"
Kairo spun around.
There he was.
Tall. Draped in a snowy-white kimono, the same patterns etched into his blade's sheath.
A pungent scent of tobacco lingered in the air, wafting from his ornate pipe.
A sheathed katana with a pink scabbard rested at his waist.
Two large fox ears perked from his head.
It was him.
Shiranui the Doomed Fox .
"S-Shiranui! W-What a pleasant surprise, hehe," Twisty stammered nervously.
"Why do you always do whatever you want? You know you're not supposed to show yourselves when Hayashi has guests," the spirit scolded the two Regalie firmly.
Kairo swallowed, inhaled, and stepped forward.
Before Elcrist could speak, young Kaiaba raised his voice.
"It was my fault! I shouldn't have looked around without Sensei's permission!"
Shiranui froze.
He slowly turned to look at the small child with his icy, ancient gaze.
He stared deeply into Kairo's soul—those cold, arctic-blue eyes.
Kairo trembled, but refused to avert his eyes.
"You can see me? Even though I'm cloaking my presence?" the fox spirit asked, shocked.
A long silence followed.
Then, Shiranui took a single step forward…
Reaching out his clawed hand toward the boy—
And something no one expected happened.
A crimson and a blue glow ignited behind the spirit's back.
With blinding speed, two figures appeared between Kairo and Shiranui.
Both had raven-black hair.
One wore a gothic outfit—black mini-skirt, fishnet stockings, corset, and crimson embroidery.
The other wore a white corset dress, sheer stockings, and blue accents—like a porcelain doll.
Each one wielded a pistol.
The black one held the black weapon.
The white one held the white weapon.
Both pointed directly at Shiranui.
They looked as though they had stepped out of a fairy tale.
One like a vampiress.
The other, a regal princess.
Identical in height, build, and style—yet their eyes were different.
The dark one's were crimson—filled with malice, mischief, and madness.
The white one's were cobalt—cold, detached… tinged with sadness.
"What the hell do you two think you're doing?!" Shiranui barked. "This child saw us. He must be told. I must erase his memory—for his safety! You understand that, don't you, you stupid artificial engrams?!"
"You. Will. Not. Touch. Him." said the girl in white, her voice firm and ethereal.
"She's right, fox-face!" added the girl in black. "You're not laying a paw on the first person who ever saw us. No way we're watching this kid through a box—it's boring! Back off, overgrown mutt, or I'll PUT A HOLE IN YOUR HEAD!"
"Twisty, my dear sister, could you please show some class for once?" Elcrist sighed, keeping her pistol aimed at the spirit.
Shiranui took a final drag from his pipe, then dropped it to the floor.
His voice turned deadly.
"You two know the protocol… So either step aside, or—"
He unsheathed his katana halfway. A silent threat.
"Or what, you stupid mutt?" Twisty clicked the safety off her pistol.
Elcrist followed.
Kairo was sweating now.
"What the hell is happening…?" he muttered.
The tension was suffocating.
Twisty and Elcrist's fingers tensed on their triggers.
Shiranui was poised to strike.
Until—
"That's ENOUGH."
A voice silenced everything.
All heads turned toward the entrance.
It was Hayashi.
"You," he pointed at Shiranui. "Leave. I'll handle my student."
Then he turned to the two girls.
"And you two—back in the box. Now. Before I change my mind."
No one hesitated.
Shiranui bowed his head and vanished into falling petals—but not before stealing one last glance at Kairo.
The twin girls shimmered, reverting into spheres of light, floating gently back into their respective pistols.
The case closed itself.
Silence.
Kairo smiled nervously as Hayashi approached him with firm steps.
"You and I need to talk," he said, turning away toward the garden.
Kairo sighed and glanced back one last time at the storage room.
Then followed his master.
But one question kept spinning in his mind.
"What the hell just happened?"