Kaito stared motionless at his opponent on the floor.
The crystals scattered across the office began to vibrate; the sound of shattering glass echoed through the room.
"If the crystals are disappearing, that means..." He stepped back a few paces from Serika, shrugging off his jacket—now in tatters—and remaining in nothing but his shirt.
"You may have been my enemy, but I can't say I didn't understand the feeling that drove you." He bent down beside her. "Here." He covered her body with his jacket as he pulled the wakizashi from the girl's chest, still embedded.
He stood up and headed for the exit, when a few centimeters from his foot he noticed an old framed photograph on the floor.
"It must have fallen here when I struck the desk," he murmured, bending to pick it up.
His face went white. "Damn it!" He let the photo slip from his hands and took off running toward Yume.
The photograph showed the Fuyumi family years earlier; among the faces Kaito immediately recognized Kagura.
At the same time, at the White Place, the auction had finally reached the fourth lot.
"Alright, next item, step forward!" announced Chizuro, her voice crackling with enthusiasm as the bidders' excitement flared.
Yume rose from her seat and moved calmly to put her plan into motion.
Although the hall was brilliantly lit, no one paid her any attention: every gaze was captured by the magnetic figure of Chizuro Fuyumi.
With silent steps, Yume walked down the side stairs, blending into the shadows that ran along the edges of the hall.
The murmur and excited voices of the bidders covered her every footfall.
She reached the back of the stalls, where a heavy dark curtain marked the entrance to the stage.
Taking a deep breath, she slipped behind the curtain and disappeared into the shadow.
She walked only a few seconds before her eyes fell on the door leading to the warehouse. She bent slightly and crept toward it.
A few meters away, Chizuro was still busy hammering down the fourth item, unaware of her presence.
Carefully, Yume grasped the handle and turned it slowly, entering the room. She straightened immediately, her gaze sweeping every direction.
"What kind of place is this...?" she murmured, stopping dead.
The room was vast. Shelves arranged in neat rows held cages and cases, each one containing people or objects.
The dim light, the chill of the room, and the oppressive silence gave the place the air of a prison.
Yume made her way among the sections until she came across a hundred cages housing men and women.
At her appearance, the prisoners recoiled as far back as they could in their cages. They did not shout: there was no need. One only had to look into their eyes and at their trembling hands to understand the terror they felt.
"Have you come to get us? Is it our turn?" asked a man, looking at her with a gaze that showed no fear. Unlike the others, he seemed resigned for some time.
"You're wrong. I'm here to get you all out—every last one."
A ripple of disbelief swept through the warehouse.
"Get us out?" some murmured, incredulous.
The man who had spoken stiffened, eyes wide. "You really want to free us? Why?" he asked, clutching the bars of his cage.
"No one deserves such imprisonment." Yume's voice was steady, her look resolute, without hesitation.
She stepped forward. "Now, move away from the bars."
The girl concentrated. "Appear, Sylpha."
From the shadow at her feet, a luminous figure slowly materialized.
The prisoners couldn't believe what they were seeing. "She's a spirit wielder!" some exclaimed.
The spirit rose and hovered beside Yume. "Yume, I am ready," the spirit said in a sweet voice, settling on her shoulder.
"How do you intend to free us? Does that spirit give you some super strength or something?" the man asked.
Yume smiled. "Don't worry."
"Come on, Yume," Sylpha said, rising into the air.
Spiritual energy flowed from Yume's hands. The cage began to change slowly: the rust vanished and the bars swung open on their own until they were nothing more than an open metal shell, unbound.
Silence fell across the warehouse.
"Did I really do it?" Yume whispered, looking at Sylpha.
"You were very good," the spirit replied with a smile.
From the back of the cage, the young man stepped out. "I can't believe it... I'm out!" He looked at his hands as if to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
He gratefully took the girl's hands. "Thank you... truly. May I know your name?" he asked.
"Her name is Yume." The voice came from the darker area of the room.
The man turned sharply. Yume raised her head toward the shadowier section of the warehouse. From that shadow emerged the hooded girl who had been helping Chizuro.
The atmosphere grew suddenly heavier.
"Oh no! Oh no!" cried a prisoner, drawing Yume's attention.
"Why is she screaming?" Yume asked the man, turning to him.
"You don't understand..." he ground out through his teeth, a drop of sweat running down his face. "She is not an ordinary guard... she is Chizuro Fuyumi's daughter."
The man stared at the figure before them. "She is Kagura Fuyumi."
Meanwhile, outside the warehouse, on the stage, Chizuro prepared to make an announcement.
"I am glad the auction is entertaining you," she said to the audience. "How about we add an extra show this time?" she asked, waiting for a response.
"An extra show?" a woman asked, puzzled.
"At this moment, in the Tenshō Tower, there are two intruders." Two holographic schematics flickered above the hall.
One showed Kaito running toward the White Place. The other captured what was happening in the warehouse.
"But I saw those two!" the man with whom Kaito had argued in the elevator stood up.
Watching the holograms closely, Chizuro snapped her fingers and smiled. "They're... skilled types." She displayed the recording of Kaito against the elite team.
"How about I show you how the Fuyumi family will handle these people!?"
The audience erupted, their excitement inflamed by the announcement.
"Let the show begin!" Chizuro said, smiling, once again satisfied.