Kazuma returned home from training with a body that felt as if it had just been destroyed. Every muscle throbbed dully, as though today's training had truly drained every bit of strength he possessed. The moment he reached his room, he did not even do the small routines he usually did.
He simply dropped himself onto the bed.
His body collapsed onto the soft mattress without even changing his clothes or turning on the room light. The accumulated fatigue left him with no energy to do anything else.
He had also already eaten at Yamazaki's place before going home, so there was no reason for him to get up and go to the kitchen again. His stomach was full, his body was wrecked, and his head felt heavy.
There was only one thing he wanted right now—sleep.
But before his consciousness completely sank, his mind returned to one thing that kept spinning inside his head.
Mind Control.
The technique felt extremely suitable for his current condition.
His peach blessing ability was strongly oriented toward emotion. If his emotions wavered, then his power would react as well. That was why he tried to be careful in every conversation or situation that could potentially trigger his feelings.
Often he forced himself to focus on only one thing—his breathing, his footsteps, or the sounds around him—so that his mind would remain stable.
That method slowly helped, but not without consequences.
Some of his friends had begun to notice the change in his behavior.
Kazuma, who used to be the loudest in the group, had now become much quieter. He listened more than he spoke, and he paid more attention to his surroundings rather than getting involved in casual conversations.
Sometimes he even had to ignore a few friends so that his mind would not be dragged into unnecessary emotions.
He stared at the ceiling of his room in silence.
"It's been three months…" he murmured softly.
Since that day—since the incident at the Russian airport—his life had completely changed.
He trained his body relentlessly, learned how to control his emotions, and lived with a vigilance that never truly disappeared.
But there was one thing that still lingered in his mind.
"And there's still no sign from the Yggdrasil organization."
Kazuma tilted his head slightly on the pillow.
All this time he had always thought that someday they would come looking for him. After all, he was the only man who possessed the power of the peach blessing without losing his sanity.
At least that was what Omar Bradley had said in that video.
But until now nothing had happened.
That slowly caused doubt to appear in his mind.
"Do they really exist?"
Kazuma began questioning everything.
Those thoughts spun in his head until fatigue finally overwhelmed them all.
His eyelids grew heavier.
Not long after, his consciousness sank into a deep sleep—
KRIIIIING!
The loud ringing of a phone suddenly shattered the silence of the room.
Kazuma jolted awake. He fumbled around the table beside the bed with half-closed eyes before finally finding his phone that continued to vibrate.
With a lazy motion, he answered the call.
Someone calling at an hour like this was almost always the same person.
Takeshi.
Kazuma had not even fully opened his eyes when he spoke.
"Yawm~ Takeshi, if you're calling to make me listen to your gundam again I'll hang up."
But instead of the enthusiastic voice he usually heard, what came from the other side was the sound of a restrained cough.
"Uhuk… Kazuma."
His voice sounded weak—even as if he were enduring pain.
Kazuma woke up completely.
His eyes opened wide, his drowsiness disappearing instantly.
"Takeshi? Hey, what happened to you!!"
For a few seconds there was no answer.
Then—
"Waah, this is quite a pleasant reunion. Kazuma-san!!"
The voice that answered him was clearly not Takeshi.
It was a girl's voice.
Kazuma immediately recognized it.
That light, slightly teasing, and confident tone was not easy to forget.
Kazuma's eyebrows slowly furrowed.
'Isn't this…'
Tenma Aoi.
A female student from the economics faculty who had previously tried to flirt with him in a very aggressive way.
The girl's voice sounded relaxed from the other side of the phone—too relaxed for a situation that clearly felt wrong.
Kazuma sat upright on his bed.
"Wait… why do you have Takeshi's phone?"
He could feel something unpleasant beginning to rise in his chest.
On the other side, Aoi let out a small laugh.
Her laughter sounded light, but somehow it felt like someone enjoying a game.
"You really are a good friend."
She paused for a moment before continuing cheerfully.
"You worry so quickly."
Kazuma gripped his phone a little tighter.
"Where is Takeshi?"
Several seconds of silence passed.
Then a faint sound was heard—like someone holding their breath from pain.
"Ka… Kazuma…"
Takeshi's voice was heard again, much weaker than before.
Kazuma felt his heart beating faster.
And Aoi… was still laughing softly behind that voice.
'Psychopath, this bitch!'
Kazuma cursed inwardly.
It was almost certain that Aoi was using her peach blessing to pressure or force Takeshi. It would not be difficult for someone with that kind of power to subdue an ordinary man.
Was this because he had rejected her the last time?
That thought made his jaw tighten.
Kazuma took a slow breath, trying to keep his emotions stable. He could not allow anger to take over—at least not now.
"What do you want?"
The question came out in a flat tone, although anger was clearly hidden beneath it.
On the other side of the phone, Aoi laughed again.
The laughter sounded light, almost like someone enjoying a private joke.
"Straight to the point, huh."
Her voice sounded pleased.
Kazuma could imagine the girl's expression without even seeing her—a faint smile with a condescending gaze.
For Aoi, this situation was clearly a game.
The answer had actually been obvious from the beginning.
She wanted Kazuma.
Kazuma's previous rejection had wounded her pride. In a world where the norms had already reversed like now, a woman—especially a woman with a peach blessing—was not accustomed to being rejected by an ordinary man.
Especially by someone who, in many people's eyes, was just a man without any special value.
In her mind, Kazuma should have felt honored.
Even grateful.
That she, a woman with power, was willing to bother approaching him.
But Kazuma had rejected her.
Aoi's high pride could not accept that.
And that small wound to her pride slowly turned into justification for the actions she was taking now.
On the other side of the phone, Aoi finally spoke again.
"Kazuma-san…"
Her tone sounded almost sweet.
"Of course I want to meet you."
She paused briefly before continuing,
"And coincidentally… your friend is here with me."
A faint scraping sound was heard—like someone being forced to move.
Then Takeshi's restrained voice was heard again.
Kazuma gripped his phone tighter.
He restrained his emotions with difficulty, remembering the Mind Control technique Yamazaki had taught him. He instantly became calm.
Kazuma finally spoke again with a voice far calmer than what he actually felt.
"Where are you?"
On the other side, Aoi laughed softly again—as if enjoying a game that was now completely in her hands.
"Just guess."
Her tone was light, almost like someone teasing an old friend. But to Kazuma, that voice felt like it was stabbing his nerves.
"Tenma-san! Don't joke around. If you're doing this just to get my attention, then don't drag Takeshi into this problem!"
Kazuma's voice hardened. He was still trying to maintain control, but his patience was starting to thin.
A few seconds of silence followed his words.
Then—
"SHUT UP!"
Aoi's shout exploded from the end of the phone.
Her tone changed drastically, full of emotions that were almost out of control.
"I'm doing this because you ignored me!"
Kazuma could hear her breathing heavily, as if her anger had just burst out.
"How dare an ordinary man… ignore me!"
Those words were filled with undisguised contempt.
In the current world, the position of men was indeed far below women who possessed the peach blessing. Many of them grew up with the belief that their attention was something that should be received with gratitude.
Rejection, especially from a powerless man, was considered an insult.
And clearly, Aoi was the type of person who had never been used to accepting rejection.
Kazuma closed his eyes for a moment, holding a long breath before finally speaking again.
"Okay… so where are you now? We can talk about this properly. Let Takeshi go."
He was still trying to take the most peaceful path. After all, if the situation turned into violence, Kazuma still felt it was inappropriate to raise his hand against a girl.
"Find me yourself!"
Aoi snapped sharply. Her tone was filled with anger that had not yet subsided from the earlier rejection.
Click.
The phone call was abruptly cut off.
"Oi!"
Kazuma immediately tried calling back, but the call only ended with an unanswered ringing tone. He tried again. And again.
Still no response.
"Haah… what else can I do."
He let out a long sigh before turning toward the table. The laptop that was still there was quickly opened, then his phone was connected with a data cable. Kazuma was not a cyber security expert, but he understood the basics—especially simple things they often used during club activities.
A few seconds later the laptop screen lit up fully.
His mind worked quickly.
'Takeshi still has that application… most likely he hasn't deleted it.'
The location tracking application they had once installed together.
Back then they installed it when doing outdoor activities—mountain climbing or camping in the forest—as a precaution in case one of them got lost or had an accident. In the wild, anything could happen.
Kazuma opened the website connected to the application system, then entered Takeshi's phone number into the search column.
A few seconds later a coordinate point appeared on the digital map.
His eyes narrowed.
Shibuya Prefecture.
An apartment complex.
"…So that's where."
Kazuma immediately closed the laptop without wasting time. He grabbed his phone, quickly put on a jacket, then took the motorcycle key from the small table near the door.
A few seconds later he was already descending the house stairs.
The engine of his father's KLX roared roughly as soon as he turned the ignition key. The motorcycle had not been used for a long time before Kazuma finally started riding it again in the past few months.
But now was not the time for nostalgia.
Kazuma twisted the throttle.
The motorcycle shot out of the house yard, cutting through the night streets of Tokyo at full speed.