At the same time, in a supermarket located quite far from Raizen High School.
In front of a row of meat freezers, a long silver-haired woman stood quietly.
Her clothes were simple—a cream long-sleeved blouse, a dark knee-length skirt, and a shopping bag hanging from her arm.
Elegant, calm, blending into the modern surroundings… though the air of authority around her was still difficult to ignore.
In both hands, Morgan held two different packs of meat.
Her gaze was sharp.
Not the look of someone unsure about ingredients—but like a queen evaluating two soldiers before sending them to the battlefield.
Her fingers lightly touched each plastic package.
"The fiber structure is neat."
"The fat distribution is stable. Not excessive."
She weighed them briefly in her hands.
"This density will produce more balanced energy."
Then she chose one without hesitation and placed it into the cart.
"High protein. Adequate fat. More efficient."
Morgan closed the freezer door calmly and stepped toward the seasoning aisle.
Mid-step, her gaze happened to catch sight of someone else.
A pale blue-haired woman with a sleepy expression was walking slowly not far from her.
Beside the woman, a small girl with long, wavy blue hair walked along while hugging a white rabbit hand puppet.
A large hat covered her head, and her dress was neat and sweet.
Yoshino Himekawa.
Morgan paused for a fraction of a second.
Her eyes narrowed slightly—not in caution, but in… interest.
As though she had found a small piece of entertainment in an unexpected place.
She recalled Gabriel's explanation.
Beings like that were called Spirits.
"The sleepy-looking one… not bad," Morgan thought calmly. "Even if only half."
But she said nothing.
Without changing her expression, Morgan continued walking toward the seasoning shelves, as if the brief encounter had been no more than passing wind.
On the other side, Reine suddenly stopped.
Her half-lidded eyes slowly turned toward Morgan's retreating back.
"…Is something wrong, Reine-san?" Yoshino asked softly.
Reine blinked once, then lowered herself slightly to Yoshino's level. Her hand rose, gently patting the little girl's head over her hat.
"It's nothing," she said gently.
Yet her gaze briefly shifted again in Morgan's direction.
Silent.
Measuring.
***
Night draped over Tengu City, a beautiful moon hanging in a starless sky.
Beneath it lay an abandoned district, ruined buildings standing in silence, roads overgrown with wild grass—a place clearly long deserted and never renovated.
On the rooftop of a five-story building, Gabriel—under the persona of Ash—smiled in satisfaction.
Before him stood a piano, elegant and pristine, starkly out of place amid the surrounding ruins. Wherever it had come from, it had clearly been "forcibly borrowed" and positioned with precise care.
"Perfect placement," Gabriel murmured.
Without hesitation, he sat at the piano bench, both hands hovering above the keys.
He took a deep breath.
Then suddenly, he let out a small burp.
He paused for a moment. The burp reminded him of Morgan's cooking he had eaten before coming here.
"Fay's cooking is truly delicious," he muttered flatly. "I even went back for five plates. And I'm not Tohka or Artoria."
After a moment, he drew in another long breath and slowly exhaled.
Then he pressed the A key, moved up to C, then to D to affirm the opening tone.
The melody began to flow slowly—quiet, sharp, elegant—like something walking the line between will and fate.
Not music meant to entertain, nor to be heard by crowds. This was music that sounded as if it belonged to someone who had already stood above everything.
Note after note rolled onward, spreading into the night air of the empty district, echoing off broken walls and shattered floors before dissolving into the starless sky.
What Gabriel played now was Treachery, Aizen's theme.
As he played, a thought briefly crossed his mind—if there were even a single listener, the atmosphere would be perfect.
But he didn't expect much. Even with the Hōgyoku embedded in his body, he wasn't the type of figure constantly saved by dramatic coincidence.
Still, he was more than satisfied with the atmosphere he had built on his own. His eyes were closed, a faint smile on his lips, fingers continuing their dance across the keys.
Even without an audience, it didn't matter.
At the very least, the world could still hear the music played by the pale mist.
Not long after, his senses caught something—a presence approaching, carrying both Ki and Mana.
Gabriel slowly opened his eyes, yet his playing did not stop.
From the shadows behind a building, a woman stepped out. A gothic dress adorned her figure, her heterochromatic eyes—crimson and a golden clock—glinting faintly.
No mistake.
Kurumi Tokisaki.
"Kihihi~" she giggled lightly. "I've only just arrived in this country after a long journey… and what do I find? A mysterious musician in a place like this?"
Her words lingered in the air, blending with the cold flow of the melody.
"The situation is romantic," she continued, tilting her head, "but the music… is far too cold."
The final note at last faded completely.
A few seconds of silence passed.
Then—
Clap… clap… clap…
Kurumi's applause sounded softly, rhythmic, as though she were appreciating a performance only she could fully understand.
"A wonderful performance, Pianist-san."
Gabriel rose from the piano bench with calm, practiced grace—like someone accustomed to standing on a stage.
He turned to face the girl in black and gave an elegant bow, a performer's greeting after the curtain falls.
The night air did not stir.
As if the piano's last note hadn't truly died, only changed into something inaudible.
Kurumi did not speak right away.
Her gaze traced Gabriel from head to toe, like someone examining a clock whose mechanism she did not recognize.
"…Strange," she murmured softly.
Her heel clicked once against the ground as she stepped closer.
"That music did not ask to be understood."
Her smile was thin.
"Nor did it try to touch anyone's heart."
Her eyes glimmered faintly.
"It was the music of someone who does not stand within the world… but outside it."
Silence lingered.
Gabriel did not step back or tense. His gaze beneath his bangs remained calm, like the surface of water too deep to reflect its bottom.
"It's a melody that doesn't seek meaning," he said quietly. "It only depicts a state… when everything begins to look the same."
Kurumi fell silent for a fraction of a second.
Then her soft laughter came again—quieter, lower.
"Kihihi… how frightening."
Not a teasing tone.
A curious one.
"Usually, notes like that belong only to those who have stopped taking sides."
She turned slowly, her black dress rustling softly.
"Very well, Pianist-san… I will remember you."
Her shoulder tilted slightly as she glanced back.
"Let's meet again. Good night."
Her steps continued.
Her shadow stretched long, then dissolved into the dark as though the night swallowed her whole.
And after she left—the silence that remained no longer felt empty.
But rather… like a stage that knew the next curtain would soon rise.
***
Almost at the same time, far from the abandoned district.
On the balcony of a house, Morgan sat calmly in a wooden chair. In her right hand was a cup of warm tea, thin steam still rising into the night air.
Her cold blue gaze was directed at the silent street below.
She took a sip, then closed her eyes briefly.
"Entering someone's home without permission," she said flatly after swallowing, "are Spirits in this world not taught manners? And… have you finished observing me?"
At the side of the balcony, only two steps away, the air rippled faintly.
Space distorted.
From that rift emerged a humanoid figure, its body covered in visual interference like glitches on a broken screen, making its true form impossible for ordinary humans to perceive.
But not for Morgan.
Nor for eyes capable of seeing through layers of reality.
Behind the distortion, she clearly saw the woman she had encountered earlier at the supermarket.
Reine.
"I apologize for my rude action," Reine's voice came out distorted, as if passing through multiple layers of space.
Morgan set her teacup down on the small table beside her chair.
Her legs crossed neatly as she turned her head slightly.
"So…" she said softly, letting the word hang for a moment, "what is your purpose in meeting me?"
Silence.
"I can see you're not the type who enjoys small talk," Reine replied calmly. "Good. I don't intend to stay long either."
Silence returned, thin but taut.
"Who are you?" Reine finally asked.
A faint smile appeared on Morgan's lips, almost like someone who had just heard something amusing.
"You approach me," she said gently yet coldly, "crossing spatial boundaries, peering from behind reality… just to ask my name?"
"Ah…" Reine responded evenly. "In that case, allow me to add one more question. What is your purpose in this world? You are not from here. Just like the man who appeared yesterday."
Morgan's brow furrowed slightly. Not out of offense—more like someone correcting a calculation.
"You ask quite a lot," she said flatly. "But there is only one thing I can be certain of. Whatever your plans are… they have nothing to do with me. Nor with him."
The distortion around Reine's body rippled softly.
"I see…" she murmured. "Then my suspicion was correct. You two are indeed connected."
A brief silence.
"Very well. For now, I will take your words at face value." Her voice remained gentle, devoid of clear emotion. "Good night. And apologies for intruding on your time."
In a single blink, her figure vanished.
The spatial ripples faded, and the balcony returned to silence as if nothing had happened.
Morgan picked up her teacup again and took a slow sip.
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"The tea has gone cold," she murmured.
She set the cup back down on the small table.
"And it seems that foolish child's assumption was incorrect." Her tone remained smooth. "There is always someone trespassing into another's domain without permission."
She rose slowly, her house dress rustling softly in the night breeze.
"Later… when he returns," she continued gently, "I will speak to him about this."
Her tone was calm. Cold.
Yet beneath it lay something unspoken—a warning that did not even need to be voiced.
___
Author's Note:
So… how was Morgan's meeting with Reine in your opinion? I kept my promise—there are lots of character interactions happening at the same time.
Ehehe~ please support me, give me all your power stones, leave a comment, and share your favorite character list!! ✨✨✨