The aftermath of the revival was a strange, muted affair. The adrenaline of the fight had evaporated, leaving behind a residue of shock, confusion, and a thousand unspoken questions. Aira, now sitting up fully, clutched her chest. There was no wound, no blood, not even a tear in her uniform, but she could feel a phantom ache, a memory of the fatal blow. More than that, she felt a new warmth spreading through her veins, an energy that was foreign but not unwelcome. It felt… sad, but also fiercely protective.
Okarun was trying to explain what happened in a frantic, jumbled mess of words involving yokai, auras, and reincarnation, which only served to deepen Aira's confusion. Momo, ever the pragmatist, was doing a quick scan of the area, her psychic senses ensuring no other threats were lurking in the shadows. Her eyes, however, kept flicking over to Rei.
He hadn't moved. He stood by the hole he'd blasted in the wall, a solitary figure silhouetted against the fading afternoon light. His face was a blank slate, his eyes distant. The overwhelming power he had unleashed was gone, replaced by that same profound, lonely aura Momo had sensed in the park, only now it was a hundred times stronger. He had saved them, controlled a battle against a powerful yokai with terrifying ease, and then stood by as Aira died. He had urged them to trust the yokai, and it had worked. He was a walking contradiction, and it made him the most dangerous person in the room.
"We need to get out of here," Momo said, her voice cutting through Okarun's rambling. "This place isn't safe."
Her statement hung in the air, and all three of them turned to look at Rei. He was the unknown variable, the ghost who had suddenly shown his hand.
Rei finally seemed to return to himself. He blinked, his focus shifting from some internal landscape to the three students staring at him. He looked at Aira, at the life and new power humming within her, and a flicker of something—relief, maybe?—crossed his features before being quickly suppressed.
He gave a curt nod. "She's right. Let's go." He turned and started walking toward the exit without another word, as if he expected them to follow.
The walk out of the school grounds was thick with tension. Okarun and Momo flanked Aira, who was still unsteady on her feet, her mind reeling. Rei walked a few paces ahead, his back ramrod straight, creating a clear and deliberate distance between himself and the rest of the group.
"So," Okarun began, his voice a loud whisper. "Are we not going to talk about the elephant in the room? The giant, Beam-blasting, scary mask-wearing?"
"Not here," Momo hissed back, her eyes darting around nervously. "We'll go to my place. Grandma can... help." She wasn't sure if she meant help with Aira or help with understanding Rei. Probably both.
They reached the Ayase residence as dusk began to settle, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The traditional Japanese house, with its warding talismans and serene garden, felt like a sanctuary after the chaos of the abandoned building. As they stepped through the gate, Rei paused, his senses tingling as he passed through the spiritual barrier. It felt like walking through a cool, clean waterfall.
Seiko was waiting for them on the veranda, a cup of tea in her hand and an all-knowing look on her face. "You're late for dinner," she said, her gaze sweeping over the four of them. "And you've brought home another stray. This one feels… complicated." Her sharp eyes lingered on Rei.
They gathered in the living room, the atmosphere of a principal's office after a school-wide food fight. Aira was checked over by Seiko, who confirmed the presence of a powerful, albeit benevolent, yokai aura now fused with her soul. Okarun recounted the events with his usual breathless enthusiasm, while Momo filled in the gaps with more coherent, tactical details. Throughout the entire story, Rei sat silently, his hands resting on his knees, his expression unreadable.
When they finished, all eyes turned to him. Seiko took a long, slow sip of her tea. "A Spiritual mask," she said, her voice casual, as if she were discussing the weather. "Dual-wielding pistols that fire Beam. An impressive amount of spiritual pressure, even when you're trying to hide it. You're not from around here, are you, boy?"
Rei met her gaze. He had expected this. Seiko was no fool. "No," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Who are you?" Momo asked, her patience finally snapping. "What are you? You knew what that yokai was going to do, didn't you? You knew it could save her."
The direct accusation hung in the air. He had known. He had let Aira die because he knew she would be brought back. The cold, calculated logic of it sounded monstrous when laid bare.
"Yes," he said simply. There was no point in lying.
Aira flinched, her hand flying to her chest. Okarun looked horrified.
"I didn't have a choice," Rei continued, his voice still quiet, but now laced with a raw, defensive edge. "There are… rules. Fates. Things that are supposed to happen. I tried to stop it, and it happened anyway. My intervention changed nothing except how it played out."
"That's a load of crap!" Momo shot back. "You stood there! You could have stopped it!"
"And what would have happened then?" Rei countered, his eyes flashing with a sudden fire. "The yokai would have been destroyed, and Aira would have remained dead. Is that the outcome you wanted? I made a choice. The only one that ended with her still breathing."
His words hit home, silencing Momo's protests. He was right. In the horrifying calculus of their supernatural world, he had chosen the only path that led to this outcome. It was a cold, pragmatic choice, but it was the one that had worked.
A heavy silence descended once more. Aira stared at Rei, her fear now mixed with a bewildering cocktail of other emotions. He had let her die, but he had also orchestrated her survival. He had appeared like a monster to save her from another one. He was an enigma, a puzzle she couldn't begin to solve.
Seiko placed her teacup down with a soft click, the sound breaking the tension. "Well," she said with a wry smile. "This is certainly more interesting than my afternoon soap operas. It seems we have a new player in the game." She looked directly at Rei, her eyes sharp and assessing. "You can stay for dinner. We have a lot to talk about."