The moon blinked behind drifting clouds, and deep in the woods near the cave—he watched.
Eyes yellow like the sun—but colder than night—cut through the dark. He stood just out of reach of the orb's fading light. Cloaked in shadows. Hidden from the warmth of fire and friends.
Only his voice broke the silence.
"…Papa needs a new pet."
Morning came, bleeding gold through the trees.
The group had sat on a small bench just outside the cave. Farl lay, her breathing slow but steady. Mira checked her temperature with the back of her hand, frowning faintly.
"She's stable… for now."
"But is she cured?" Vivi asked, crouching beside the fire.
"Will she go savage again?" Mira added, glancing to Reika.
"Is she even… done transforming?" Vivi muttered.
Kairo flared.
"Okay, enough with the hounding," he snapped, standing between them and Farl. "She doesn't need an inquisition right now—she needs rest."
Mira blinked.
Reika raised an eyebrow.
Vivi stared at him blankly.
Then—
From down the dirt path near the Academy gates, a cheery ding ding ding echoed toward them.
A small white cart rolled into view, painted with faded rainbows and little smiley cones. A man pushed it slowly, smiling wide, his hat tilted low.
"Who…?" Reika started.
"Ice cream…?" Mira tilted her head.
The man stopped before them. His grin didn't move.
His eyes were yellow.
Not warm.
Not kind.
Cold.
"Fresh ice cream," he said smoothly. "New flavor. One-of-a-kind. Wouldn't recommend skipping it."
Reika narrowed his eyes. "We're good."
Vivi stepped forward, "Yeah, we're kinda full on 'trauma' right now."
But the man didn't move.
His voice turned syrupy. "You sure? Just a bite. Especially her"—he nodded at Farl—"looks like she could use something… cold."
Reika stepped forward.
But Kairo beat him to it.
The white-haired boy was suddenly nose-to-nose with the vendor.
"Leave my cousin alone," Kairo said coolly. "Or I'll shove your head into a place far colder than your ice cream box."
Silence.
The vendor blinked once.
Then slowly turned and rolled the cart away, muttering under his breath in a language none of them understood.
The group stood frozen.
Then—
"…Cousin?!" Mira, Vivi, and Reika said at once.
Kairo shrugged. "Yeah. What, you thought she was my girlfriend?"
He smirked and stretched. "Pfft. I'm not a ladies' man like you, Reika."
Reika raised his arms in triumph, laughing. "He admits it!"
Mira and Vivi gave each other side-eyes, then both quietly pouted.
Far ahead, the ice cream man's grin faded. He opened his cart.
Inside, the cold deepened—not ice, but darkness.
He whispered something.
The box glowed.
The tubs of ice cream twitched.
And one… nodded.
He plunged his hand inside—his ren poured in like syrup.
The cart shuddered.
Ice burst upward—a massive claw formed.
Then teeth.
Then a 10-foot tall gelato-shaped abomination, its waffle cone jaw snapping open with an ear-splitting roar.
Mira blinked. "…The hell is that?!"
"Is that a—" Vivi dodged a swing, "—GIANT ICE CREAM MONSTER?!"
Reika cracked his neck. "Well, I did skip breakfast."
The beast slammed its fists down. Kairo dodged, hurling ice shards of his own to intercept. Mira spun her orb, sending pulses of pure light to blast chunks off its body.
Vivi leapt in front of Farl, throwing down smoke pellets and dagger spells like confetti.
"I swear," she growled, "I was gonna nap today."
Reika charged forward, drawing his blade—not flashy, not glowing—just precise.
The girls paused as Reika ducked under a swinging cone-arm, slid on one knee, and sliced clean through a chunk of the beast's leg. The thing howled.
"…He is cool," Mira muttered, cheeks pink.
Vivi crossed her arms. "Whatever. I could do that."
"You didn't," Mira grinned, floating up with her orb and blasting the beast again.
Kairo sighed as he launched a spear of frost. "You're both hopeless."
The ice cream monster reared up—massive, wobbling, shrieking—and lunged again.
Reika jumped.
One leap.
Spun mid-air, and with a flash of silver—
SLASH.
He landed behind the creature.
The monster paused.
Then collapsed into a heap of melted cream and shattered cone.
Silence.
Then—
"Okay," Vivi huffed, brushing hair from her face. "I'll admit it. That was kinda hot."
Mira coughed. "Agreed."
Reika turned, confused. "What?"
Kairo groaned. "Please don't feed his ego."
The melted remains of the ice cream monster hissed, oozing across the ground like syrup.
"Please tell me it's dead," Vivi said, panting.
Kairo poked it with his blade. "Feels dead."
Mira lowered her orb, her breath slowing. "That was… intense."
Reika sheathed his weapon, stepping forward with a nod. "We'll need to report this—"
KRSHHHHHHHH!!
The remains shook. The earth quaked.
And then—a blast of frozen mist shot into the air.
Out of the slush, the monster rose again, taller, thicker, meaner—now at least twenty feet tall, with triple-decker shoulders and sprinkles for armor. Its roar sounded like a brain freeze screaming.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Vivi yelled.
"I knew this was cursed dairy!" Kairo shouted, already jumping back.
The beast charged.
They fought again. This time harder. Every hit they landed only caused the creature to grow. Now it was twenty-five feet tall. Then thirty. A swirling, living sundae of chaos.
"Why won't this thing DIE?" Mira yelled as her light blasts only stunned it.
Kairo tossed a blade of frost that barely chipped a sprinkle. "What is this? Boss raid on legs?!"
Then—suddenly—
A sound cut through the air.
Hoooooooooowl.
They turned.
Farl.
She was standing. Awake. Eyes glowing faintly blue.
"…I want some," she said in a low voice. "Ice cream."
Reika blinked. "Farl?"
Then she leapt, howling again, her body shifting for just a moment—a flash of claw, fur, and fang—and then she bit into the monster's arm and tore off a giant chunk.
CHOMP.
"…Hmmm. Tasty," she said with a bright smile.
The group stared.
"…Did she just—?" Vivi whispered.
"She ATE the damn thing," Kairo said, eyes wide.
Reika looked somewhere between shocked and disturbed.
Mira stepped forward, her hand on her orb. Her face turned serious.
"There's only one way to stop this thing."
Everyone looked at her.
"I'm going in."
Reika stepped toward her. "Wait, Mira—"
"Buy me time," she said, tying her hair back.
Reika grinned. "You got it, Glowbug."
Mira froze. Turned completely pink.
"…You named me?"
Reika just winked.
Flustered, Mira leapt forward, blasting herself into the air with a beam of light, flipping gracefully into the monster's gaping maw.
"...Did she just jump into the thing's mouth?" Vivi asked.
"Yes," Kairo said flatly. "Yes, she did."
Inside, Mira summoned all her heat spells, focusing them into a single orb. Her Ren glowed dangerously bright. The monster began to thrash.
Outside, it started… melting.
Chunks of cone and cream fell like snow. It screeched, twisting, bubbling from the inside.
BOOM.
It exploded in a puff of sugary mist and rainbow steam.
Silence.
"…What just happened?" Vivi asked.
"I don't know," Reika said, blinking.
Kairo shrugged. "If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's: don't question a victory."
Suddenly—
"AAAHHHHHHH—!"
Mira was falling from above, unconscious from the energy drain.
Without hesitation, Reika jumped, catching her midair like a scene from a dream. Her hair brushed his face, her skin warm against his chest.
She opened her eyes weakly, looking into his.
"…T-Take me home," she whispered.
He nodded, then turned to the others.
Reika mouthed the words: "Clean it up."
Then he leapt, bounding from rooftop to rooftop with Mira in his arms like a fairytale gone wrong.
Behind him:
Kairo: "Seriously?! You left us with the cleanup?!"
Vivi: "I don't do dairy!"
Kairo again: "That mess smells like expired milk and disappointment!"
---
At Mira's house…
Reika laid her gently on the couch, but as he moved to stand up—
Her hand caught his.
"…You can leave me now, My Little Flame," she said with a small smile.
Reika blinked, stunned. "Wait—you're not asleep?"
She grinned. "I'm exhausted, not unconscious."
"But you—how do you still have energy?" he asked.
Mira blushed slightly, curling her fingers into his.
"I just… wanted to get away from Vivi and the guys. Wanted to be alone with you."
She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around him in a soft hug.
"…Thank you for catching me."
Reika's eyes shimmered pink. He felt something… warm. Different. He didn't pull away.
He hugged her back.