As the darkness receded, the stage of the Grand Opera House came into view.
A lone figure stood beneath the dim lights, clad in a pristine black suit, moving in a formal waltz with an invisible partner. His steps were precise, almost reverent. He glided to the right, then to the left, before slowly spinning back toward the center of the stage.
The dance ended in a poised tableau: one hand raised as though cradling a partner's head, his face inclined close, intimate and deliberate.
Then, he turned.
His gaze locked directly toward the point of view. Toward the readers.
Kiss X Reaper
Chapter 4: A sadistic threat
Makoto walked ahead, his steps unhurried, cane tapping softly against the floor. Yukie followed just behind him. Neither spoke.
Yukie remained visibly alert, her gaze constantly shifting, measuring corners, tracing shadows, and reading the space with caution. With her power sealed, her senses were dulled, forcing her to rely on observation alone.
Makoto came to an abrupt halt.
"The presence of Dark Energy has… dissipated far too quickly," he said in a low, measured tone. "It seems the intruder took notice of our awareness."
"Hm." Yukie acknowledged softly, eyes closed.
"Or perhaps-" Makoto continued, his voice steady, "-what we sensed was merely a trace. A different hue of Dark Energy altogether."
His gaze lowered.
Below them, among the rows of seats, a lone woman sat.
She clapped slowly, gently, her palms meeting in an unhurried rhythm, as though applauding a performance that no longer existed.
Yukie's eyes widened slightly. She turned her head at once.
"I did not sense her…!"
she thought.
The woman then suddenly tilted her head upward.
Her gaze locked onto the two instantly.
Brown hair framed her face, and a flowing yellow dress draped her figure with an air of quiet nobility. Her features were striking elegant, almost regal. From beneath the balcony, she looked up at them, her neck bent at an unnatural angle, eyes fixed without hesitation.
A faint smile formed on her lips.
She was no longer clapping.
She was watching them.
"Oh- Mr. Shirogane. I did not notice your presence earlier," the woman said brightly.
"And it appears you have another guest with you as well. Good evening to you both."
She applauded softly, the sound light and whimsical, echoing faintly through the empty hall.
Tilting her head forward, she closed her eyes for a brief moment as she stepped into the center of the aisle.
With delicate fingers, she lifted the sides of her skirt and bowed with practiced elegance. When she straightened, her gaze returned to Makoto and Yukie.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance on such a fine evening," she said quietly yet clearly enough to reach them.
Yukie narrowed her eyes slightly. A bead of sweat traced down the side of her temple, her expression tightening with unease.
"My senses are dulled… yet something here is undeniably amiss..."
she thought.
Makoto remained still, his gaze steady from the second-floor balcony.
"What business brings you to the Opera House at this hour, milady?" he asked calmly.
"There are no scheduled performances, and the Grand Theater Encore remains two months away. Do tell what you are, doing here?"
"Well, um… nothing of particular note,"
she began.
Then--
"I am... Searching for someone."
Her voice cut through the air.
In an instant, she stood between Makoto and Yukie's lines of sight as though she moved beyond their notice. The hem of her dress trailed behind her like a living shadow. Her eyes gleamed sharply, her smile curving with an intensity that felt disturbingly focused.
The atmosphere seemed to slow, tighten.
"Someone who was meant to be…" she leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper,
"-put down."
A faint chuckle escaped her lips.
Makoto's eyes shifted to her at once, sharp and assessing.
Beside him, Yukie had just begun to turn her head toward the woman--
And the tension hung, unbroken.
"She's fast…"
Yukie's gaze remained locked on the woman in yellow.
"I saw her accelerate toward us before either of us could even react…"
Her jaw tightened.
"There has been no decline in my physical senses, yet, my spiritual perception…"
A faint click of irritation echoed in her thoughts.
"Tch."
"Oh- my apologies."
The woman's voice chimed lightly.
She now stood between them, having already put several feet of distance behind her approach, close enough to be threatening, yet casual enough to mock it. She turned slowly, eyes shimmering with a timid yellow glow as her index finger rested beneath her lips, feigning innocence.
"How rude of me~"
She completed her turn, head tilted gently to the side, eyes closed as if in playful embarrassment.
"Vasilisa Kira," she said sweetly.
"At your presence. Hehe~"
Her eyes snapped open, sharp, fierce, unmistakably predatory.
Yukie and Makoto remained still.
A bead of sweat traced down the side of Yukie's face, her eyes widened slightly, lips parted in silent alarm. Makoto, in contrast, showed nothing- his expression unreadable, attention razor-focused.
"Unfortunately," Vasilisa continued lightly, "I am required to complete my duty as efficiently as possible. So-"
Her hand moved.
A golden folding fan slid smoothly into her grasp--
--and in the same instant, she lunged.
Her body blurred forward, closing the distance with terrifying speed. Yukie's eyes widened fully, her body too physically constrained to respond in time as Vasilisa bore down on her, smile widening with each step closer.
The moment felt stretched,
as if time itself stood on the brink.
Makoto sighed.
Then--
--! His cane intercepted the strike.
In a blink, he stood between them, posture firm, cane locked against Vasilisa's swing. The impact rang sharply through the hall.
Yukie froze behind him- surprised, unmistakably so
"You…"
Her voice slipped out before she could stop it.
Makoto did not turn.
Vasilisa pressed forward, attempting to force him back, but he did not yield an inch.
"You're quite the fellow," Makoto said calmly, eyes fixed on her,
"to attempt something like this."
Vasilia lowered her head, her face hidden in shadow as their clash remained locked in stalemate.
"Let us settle this matter fairly, shall-"
Her head snapped up.
"Got…chu."
She smiled faintly-
and with closed eyes.
"Divine Spell: Ambience Blink."
Vasilisa's voice dropped to a near whisper.
In response, dark yellow beams of light erupted from beneath the floor, surging upward in spiraling columns. They coiled around both her and Makoto, wrapping them in rotating bands of light that twisted violently, like a whirlpool pulled into vertical form.
The rotation intensified, faster, and tighter.
The beams compressed inward, thinning as they collapsed toward the center until--
--flash.
A single, narrow pillar of light remained for just a heartbeat.
Then it vanished.
Silence returned to the Opera House.
Yukie stood alone where she had been left behind, the empty space before her still humming faintly with residual energy.
Makoto and Vasilia were gone.
"A divine spell..." Yukie whispered in a quiet surprise.