Arata walked calmly through the illuminated pathways of I-Island, his hands resting casually inside the pockets of his hoodie as his eyes quietly observed everything around him.
The island was alive with movement, lights glowing from every direction while machines hummed softly in the distance. Scientists, tourists, and engineers walked past him, each engrossed in their own world, yet Arata paid attention to none of them directly.
'Map the layout… identify entry points… locate the central power grid…'
As he approached the main building of I-Island, his pace slowed just slightly, almost unnoticeable to anyone around him.
The towering structure stood like the heart of the entire island, its metallic surface reflecting the city lights as if it were alive.
Without drawing any attention, Arata reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of plain glasses. They looked completely ordinary, something any student could own. He removed his invisibility mask glasses and replaced them with these.
For a brief moment, he simply stood there, gazing at the building.
Then he pressed a small button near the frame.
A faint glow spread across the lenses.
The glasses activated silently, scanning the entire structure in front of him. Invisible waves passed through the building as layers of information began forming inside the device—interior mapping, structural design, room placements, pathways.
'Good… record everything…'
Within seconds, the entire interior of the building had been scanned and stored.
Arata removed the glasses and placed them back in his pocket before wearing his invisibility mask glasses again. He turned around, ready to leave—but stopped.
Something felt… wrong.
A subtle disturbance in the air.
A movement that didn't belong.
His eyes instinctively lifted upward.
And what he saw made him freeze in place.
A white hooded figure was falling from one of the upper floors of the main building.
Arata's eyes widened slightly.
'That's… what… the 50th floor?'
The figure was dropping rapidly, the distance enough to kill an ordinary person instantly. For a brief second, Arata wondered if it was someone attempting suicide—but then the figure moved.
In mid-air, the hooded person pulled out what looked like a simple stick. It began to glow faintly before transforming into a high-tech pogo stick.
The person landed.
The impact should have shattered bones.
Instead, the pogo stick absorbed everything effortlessly, compressing the force before releasing it upward.
The figure bounced.
Once.
Twice.
Then repeatedly, each jump covering a massive distance as they moved away from the building in quick succession.
Arata remained still for a moment, watching the direction they disappeared toward.
"What… the hell…?" he muttered under his breath.
His gaze shifted between the building and the path the figure had taken.
'Someone infiltrated the main building… and escaped like that? Who even…?'
Curiosity flared within him.
Without hesitation, he turned and slipped into a nearby alleyway. Making sure no one was watching, he removed his glasses. The frame twisted and reshaped itself into the familiar Invisibility Demon Mask.
He placed it over his face.
His body vanished instantly.
At the same time, he activated his telekinesis glove. A faint blue aura wrapped around him as he lifted off the ground and moved silently through the air, following the direction the hooded figure had taken.
As he traveled, the landscape beneath him shifted. The crowded streets gave way to quieter paths, and soon the sound of waves reached his ears.
The beach.
He slowed down as he arrived, hovering quietly as he spotted the hooded figure once again.
The person landed on the sand and pressed a button on the pogo stick. The device glowed brightly before collapsing inward, shrinking into a compact form until it became a wristband.
Arata narrowed his eyes slightly.
'Nanotech… same principle as my gloves.'
He observed carefully, maintaining his invisibility.
Then, the hooded figure reached up and pulled down the hood.
Blonde hair flowed out, catching the soft glow of the moonlight. Her blue eyes reflected the ocean's shimmer, and her face held an almost unreal innocence.
Arata froze.
For a moment, he simply stared.
'…What…?'
His thoughts slowed, his usually sharp mind going blank as he found himself unable to look away.
Technically, if he combined his past life and current one, he would be over thirty years old. But Arata had long decided that his past life meant nothing here. He had died without ever experiencing love, without ever even understanding it.
And now—'…Is this… love at first sight?'
The thought came unbidden, surprising even him.
He immediately shook his head and lightly slapped his own cheek.
'Idiot. Get a grip. She's thirteen. Same as this body. Don't even think about it… not now… not until she's at least eighteen.'
His expression hardened again as he forced his emotions back under control.
The girl—around his age—opened her bag and began taking out various components. One by one, she assembled them together with practiced hands until the shape of the object became clear.
A sniper rifle.
Arata's eyes sharpened with interest.
She inserted a cylindrical container filled with blue liquid into a chamber connected to the weapon, then lifted it and aimed at a nearby rock.
She pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
Silence filled the air.
Arata observed quietly, his mind already moving.
'Failed activation… energy mismatch? Or pressure imbalance…?'
But then, something clicked in his head.
An idea.
A method.
A way to use this situation.
Meanwhile, the girl frowned as she inspected the weapon.
'Come on… what am I doing wrong!?'
Arata slowly descended behind her, deactivating his invisibility mask back into its glasses form just before his feet touched the sand.
Now visible, he stood a few steps away, appearing as nothing more than a normal boy—black short hair, blue eyes, glasses, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans.
He looked at her calmly.
Then spoke.
"Perhaps I can help."