Faith took a deep breath and glanced at Caroline, who had barely made it in time. He should have been happy to have reinforcements, but something wasn't right. How did she get here? This was supposed to be a closed arena thanks to the barrier of light that was set up by his opponent. From the moment Wish escaped up till now, the boy had faced a long battle that spread across many hours throughout the night. The only reason he had to endure such a long encounter was that there wasn't a way out, so how did Caroline breach the barrier?

Taking the brunette's hand, Faith slowly stood up again and leaned his body onto Caroline's shoulder to keep his balance. He was growing short of breath, and he didn't know how much longer his consciousness would last. What was causing this? He glanced at the tall woman with green hair who stood on the other side of the arena. She was a doctor with a refined aura; it was hard to imagine she would turn out to be such an overwhelming opponent. That said, he was certain she hadn't landed any attack that could cause this condition, and if she could, why did she wait this long to do it?

"Wait, don't move." Faith spoke the moment Caroline gave a step forward.

As he gave out his order, Noa gave a step forward instead, moving closer to the pair. There was something that stood out about the way Noa fought. She had very powerful and sudden attacks, but none of them were visible to the human eye. Furthermore, despite her entrance earlier, Caroline wasn't in the best state to fight. A lot of her major injuries had been healed, but her fight with Raiko had still taken a toll on her.

The brunette slightly turned around to look at Faith. Did he have a plan in mind?

"Five seconds." The black-haired boy didn't retract his order even as Noa's walking changed into a sprint. "Don't move for five seconds."

A lot of the parameters behind this long fight had suddenly changed. It was time to update his understanding of the situation. After all, just as Mirage had access to Phantasmagoria, and how Wish had unlocked the power of Starlight Burst, Faith too, had access to a unique Velvet Burst. A power he liked to rely on more than he wanted to admit.

Eschatology.

The start and the end of the world. Every action anyone took, every movement in the canvas, they all created a world that reflected in his eyes. The moment this ability activated, he gained absolute access to the data for everything around him in a radius of fifteen meters.

The trajectory of any attack coming his way, the trajectory of his own attacks, even the items in the pockets of those who stepped into his domain, it was all converted to data and transmitted to him. At times, it could look like thin, digital-like lines of action that showed the trajectory of attacks to him. At times, it was numbers and formulas that wouldn't mean anything to anyone else. At times it was colors and shapes. From the exact force behind each attack to the resulting damage they would make, he could see it all. The world that was revealed for him was absolute.

With this ability, he could know exactly how many intruders stepped into a lonely restaurant while hiding under a table. Maybe he could use it to escape a shootout in the middle of total darkness and make it out completely unscathed. Maybe he could use it to storm into a castle and fight multiple attackers coming to him at once, as well as being able to move across a maze of deadly light generated by an irregular beast. Maybe he could even use it to see through the changes Phantasmagoria made to the layers of the world.

【Under the domain of Eschatology, a disgusting miasma with a violet tint swirled from within his body, but there was no trigger in sight for what caused it. Moreover, it was clearly spreading across Caroline as well.】

Looking at the brunette, she stood next to him with her fists clenched. Was her body going through as much pain as his right now? Was she affected by this attack when she stepped into the barrier?

【As for the barrier itself, it had excessively bright energy swirling around it. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, and oddly enough, there was no opening in sight. How did Caroline get in? 】

For now, avoiding the doctor's next attack was crucial. He couldn't let Caroline move because it was impossible to see where Noa's attack would hit without the power of Eschatology. Had it been anyone else but Faith, they would have been defeated a long time ago.

【Up till now, Noa had been surging with unusual energy tinted in a silver glow. It was terrifying and ruthless. As the next line of action revealed itself, something drastically changed. Noa wasn't going to shoot another mysterious attack; she was going for a direct punch straight towards the center of Caroline's body.】

Faith placed his hand on Caroline's arm and pushed her away from the doctor's line of attack.

【Yet, in a heartbeat, the silver glow around Noa changed to a blinding, golden one that enveloped everything. It even made the barrier pale in comparison.】

The next second, the doctor's fist sunk into Faith's gut at full force. He was sent flying against the barrier with a single, massive attack. As his back hit the wall of light, he could faintly notice Caroline getting hit with the same attack immediately afterward.

There was no coming back from that. His consciousness flickered in and out. Even if he had an absolute vision of the battlefield, it didn't matter if he couldn't react in time. It was the same reason why he couldn't overpower Wish even if he could predict her movements.

"Sorry about that, I should have realized earlier." Noa sighed. "But I'm not going to keep fighting someone who has been poisoned; go to sleep for a bit."

Hearing Noa's words, something clicked before he passed out. It was back when he first met Eri outside the castle.

"Not only that. He was trying to poison you. Or at least, he used the restaurant to do that to other people before to "purify" them ahead of time." Eri shrugged. "You didn't actually eat any of his food did you-?"

Even though Eri had warned them about this, they never got themselves checked in the end. After all, they never ate the food the old man prepared. Did that bastard poison all the ingredients in the kitchen from the start? Either way, it was too late to question it now.

☆

What just happened? The black-haired boy opened his eyes again. Where was he? The growing dizziness stopped him from even attempting to try using Eschatology to scan the room. Maybe it was okay to stay like this for a little longer. The soft mattress against his back was pulling him in, and the warmth of the blanket was too relaxing. Come to think of it, how long had it been since he slept on a proper bed? Not even once since he got to this city.

He adjusted his body to the side but was jolted awake sooner than he had hoped for. Someone was lying in the same bed next to him, under the same blanket.

A pair of pink lips entered his eye-sight. Caroline slept peacefully, almost like nothing bad had ever happened. Seeing her soft skin and being able to hear her breathing from so up close, Faith couldn't shake the feeling he had just seen something he was never meant to. Even though he found her presence annoying for the most part, at a time like this, then maybe...

Faith's breathing then halted for a split second as Caroline's eyes were staring right at his with no warning. His first reaction?

"Get the hell out!!"

"Tch." Still half-asleep, the brunette didn't hesitate to retaliate. She reached for the pillow under Faith's head, swept it out, and turned to the side, facing away while still hugging the pillow. "I'm going back to sleep."

"You have your own pillow! Give me that back!!" "I refuse!! It's mine now!!"

Caroline clung to the pillow as Faith reached out for it, trying to claim it back. In the midst of the struggle, both fell down the bed and onto the cold floor, completely missing the knock on the door seconds prior.

"Are you awake now? Good, then let's–" The doctor couldn't finish her sentence, she simply stared blankly at the girl who sat on top of a black haired boy, the position didn't seem appropriate in any way. "Can you not do this in someone else's house?!"

"No!!" "That's not it!!"

Faith and Caroline's denial fell on deaf ears. Noa cracked her knuckles; maybe the punch from earlier wasn't enough.

☆

"You expect me to believe you were just fighting over a pillow?" Noa crossed her arms, looking down at the pair who now sat on wooden chairs, placed against the wall. "What are you? Four?!"

"She started it!!!" Faith was quick to blame Caroline, who stuck out her tongue and looked away.

Noa sighed in disbelief. Was this the same fearsome warrior that engaged her in combat last night?

"Either way." The green-haired woman glanced at her watch. "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

"Are you really asking that after coming out of nowhere and attacking us–!!" Faith stood up, only to realize his body was surprisingly light.

"Calm down." Noa pushed Faith's shoulder, forcing him back into the chair. "I couldn't let someone who caused strange phenomena go just like that. It may be normal for you or me, but you don't really meet people that can bend the laws of nature every day, do you?"

Caroline looked at Faith and then at Noa. She was completely lost, just as a normal person with normal human limits should.

"Besides, wasn't it fun?" Noa smiled. "I didn't mean to mess around so much, but you don't meet someone who can keep up with me on this side of the world often. Fights like these aren't so bad every once in a while."

"Tch." Faith wasn't amused. He had given it his all, but the way the fight ended made it clear that she was just playing around the entire time. There was nothing stopping her from ending the fight in an instant if she got serious. That said, there was something very important he was about to forget. "Wait!! You destroyed my bike!!"

"Relax. Once Liz comes back, I'll have her fix it for you."

"You better!! You know what? I'm not going away until I get it back." The black-haired boy declared stubbornly as he crossed his legs, making himself comfortable.

"Good, good. I could use some help back at the restaurant anyway." Noa took off her long doctor coat. Taking a closer look at the white clothes she wore underneath, she looked more like a professional chef now.

"By the way," Faith wondered. "What happened to the blond guy that was with us back then?"

"Was he your friend? Either way, I have no idea. He just ran away once the barrier came down, and I had no reason to stop him."

"Um. Boss? Can I ask a question?" Caroline raised her hand, and Faith glanced back at her. "Wasn't this supposed to be an enemy? Should we really be taking it easy right now?"

"Hm."

Just in case, the boy ran a quick scan using Eschatology. There was no aggressive intent and no form of attack coming their way. As long as he remained alert, she shouldn't be able to hurt them so easily.

"It's fine."

Caroline shrugged. It's not like she had any personal score to settle against this person.

"Anyway, take these." Noa hurled two small bottles after looking into a pile of pills inside a box on her shelf. "You were poisoned, you know? It was a really strong poison, so I couldn't heal it in one go. Those bottles have three pills, they should be enough to fully detox you once you are done with that dosage. Don't forget about it though, I'm not healing you for free again."

"Is it a good idea to take random pills from a stranger?" Caroline examined the tiny bottle in her hands. Her choices after arriving at this city may not have been the best.

"It's fine... I think."

Running a scan with Eschatology didn't show any negative effect coming from the pills at all. Thinking about it, he should have scanned the food at the restaurant, to begin with. To think a small mistake was about to cost him so much.

"Relax."

Noa handed Caroline a card from inside her pocket. It was a business card that read "Dr. Noa Caelum," along with the address for her clinic. The card had an official stamp from a major health organization, so at least it looked legitimate.

"Let's go." Noa opened the door leading deeper into her house. "Liz doesn't seem to be back yet, so get ready to get busy."

"How bad can it be? Not like anyone will show up."

"Right." Noa looked at Faith. "If you are new to the city you've only been to the blue district, haven't you? If so, I don't blame you if you are confused. Well, I'll just let you see for yourself."

Noa's evil smile didn't sit right with him. Not like he had agreed to help at the restaurant anyway, but Faith had a bad feeling about this.

As he stepped out of the house together with Caroline and Noa, Faith's phone began vibrating from inside his pocket. Usually, he would have ignored it, but with everything that happened lately, it didn't hurt to check.

"Heyyy!! Looks like I got caught up in a liiiiittle bit of trouble, so I'll leave May's request to you! Make sure to bring Eri back safely!!"

After reading Wish's message, Faith had to use every last bit of willpower not to crush his phone with his hands.

"Where is Eri?" The boy turned around, glancing at Caroline.

"Oh." If she remembered correctly, she saw her sleeping on a bed next to hers when she first woke up. "Isn't she... in this house?"

"You mean this girl?"

Noa walked down a corridor and opened the door to the room next door. A young girl with black hair and red highlights slept peacefully on top of the bed. She didn't seem like she would wake up any time soon.

Faith sighed in relief after confirming she was still alive. "What even happened here?"

"Don't look at me. That's what I'd like to know." Noa shrugged. "For now, this girl should be safe here, but just in case."

After pushing Faith and Caroline out of the room, Noa placed the palm of her hand against the closed door.

Skeptical, Faith's hand was reaching for the handle of his gun inside his pocket as he scanned Noa's actions.

【A torrent of blue energy spread across the room like water and solidified like a wall. It was clear that there was no way for anyone to enter that room unless they were able to overpower Noa.】

It was clear that Eri would be safe here.

"Let's let her rest. There is a small fridge and a microwave in that room if she wakes up and gets hungry, but I think she'll still be out cold for a while. While we are at it, can you at least tell me what happened? Especially you," Noa glared at Caroline. "This is the second time I had to heal you."

"Is it?" The brunette tilted her head and shrugged as she followed them out of the house. "We went to a restaurant; there was an earthquake so we got trapped, went into the hole that opened in the floor, found some weird TV screens in a facility, and then had to fight this... glitchy? ...person? who could control electricity. Then I woke up in this house, opened a door, and saw you fighting boss."

Noa simply locked the door to her house without saying a word and then looked at Faith.

"You?"

"Uh. A suspicious man told us to catch a thief at a place called Electrocenter. The earthquake happened, and I had to fight an angel-shaped mass of electricity together with an idiot. That's why the plaza was wrecked."

"Uh-huh." Noa nodded. "Of course, everything makes sense now."

"It does?!" Faith and Caroline both asked in unison.

"Of course it doesn't!!!" Noa didn't even know where to start. None of that made sense in any way, but the fact that she had to deal with a lot of injured people out of the blue was still true. "And that restaurant is my restaurant!!! You know what? Let's hurry!!"

Faith and Caroline were forced to keep up with Noa's pace as she started walking faster. Looking at the soft sunlight that blended with the trees, it was hard to believe that a major fight between a hero and a mastermind was about to start somewhere else in the city.

"Since I went and talked." Faith knew he had to use this chance. "I want some information in exchange."

"Shoot it."

"We heard about a "day of the end" prophecy and some sort of curse in the city."

"You know, I always thought that name was too long. Can we call it something else?" Caroline interrupted.

"Shh!" Faith wasn't about to let go of this chance.

"Anyway!" Caroline ignored the boy. "I'm curious too! What can you tell us about the finale?"

"That's not fair! I also wanted to think of names–!"

"Shh! Boss, let's let Noa talk!"

"Just making sure..." Noa's footsteps came to a sudden halt. As she turned around, the air around her turned cold, and the world was covered in absolute silence. "Does the name Elaitea mean anything to you?"

Faith and Caroline shook their heads in confusion.

"Okay." Noa sighed, blowing away all the sudden tension in the atmosphere. "So I take it you don't know much about this world because you are from the outside too, but you don't come from the same outside as me. Let's leave it at that."

As confusing as Noa's words were, it still clicked for Faith somewhat. He was raised under very irregular circumstances, and up till a few years ago, he never had any real contact with the outside world. For most of his life, he didn't even know there was an outside world to begin with.

"Then, are you familiar with the name Procella?"

"Storm?" Faith could only translate what looked like a Latin word to him, but aside from that, it didn't ring any bells.

"Okay. Let's go about, five or six years back? Something like that. You know those stations that try to look for messages from outer space. You'll find one regardless of where you come from. All it picks up is some odd noises, but never anything important."

"And then Aliens attacked?!" Caroline was quick to jump the gun. "I've seen a movie like this before!!"

"Don't be absurd." Faith crossed his arms. "It was ghosts."

"What would ghosts have to do with a tower that picks up signals from outer space?!" Caroline was quick to object.

"Was it a tower? Either way, didn't you know? Ghosts tend to use electric devices to communicate; it wouldn't be too out there if they used the tower's equipment."

"N-No. No!!" The green-haired woman cracked her neck. "It wasn't ghosts, but the tower did receive a signal from outer space, doesn't mean it was aliens either. Usually, the signals it picked up didn't mean anything, but this time researchers were able to figure out a very clear message. It was as follows:"

Hearing about researchers made some part, deep inside Faith's heart crumple up. Either way, he was interested in what Noa had to say.

As a gust of wind ran by, Noa spoke out the message that reached the world on that day:

"On the night of the New Year, don't look at the moon. Procella."

Faith scratched his head. It sounded just like something a certain idiot would say.

"Eh? Isn't that time window odd?" Caroline was the first one to point this out.

"Right?" Noa agreed. "For starters, what part of the world would be affected? Some places would reach the new years much sooner, wouldn't they? When and where would the moon be dangerous?"

"Sounds like a prank to me." Faith's conclusion was simple.

"A lot of people thought the same, but some took it seriously. The message only arrived a few weeks before the new year, those were some really heated weeks. If you went online, believers were going all out against deniers. Some were quick to joke about it, some took advantage of those who worried for profit, and there was even a group dedicated to look at the moon on that day no matter what!!"

"And... did anything happen in the end?"

"Sure did, the world ended."

"Okay, you are just messing with us now." Faith sighed.

"Listen, it did and didn't end. I'm not joking! Once some eastern countries entered the new year, there was a bright glow in the skies, spread into seven colors, think of it like a giant, multi-colored aurora borealis rather than a rainbow. I don't think it had anything to do with the moon, though. But immediately after, the world was hit with seven major natural disasters, one after the other, all in different places, all just as brutal and destructive."

"That timing sounds hard to believe." Faith murmured, while Caroline couldn't help but think of the earthquake they experienced a day ago.

"If you told anyone you fought an esper last night, would they believe you?"

"You are an esper?!" "Weren't you an alchemist?!"

"Damn." Noa clicked her tongue. "Forget that, the alchemist is Liz anyway, I'm just learning a bit from her."

Leaning in closer, Caroline pulled on the doctor's cheeks while glaring into her eyes. "Can you read minds?!"

"I can't!!!" Noa pushed Caroline away. "Anyway!! The Procella event. Disasters did happen, and the structure of this world took a huge hit as a result. Some powerful countries ceased to exist, some weaker countries got more powerful, some gained even more power, some joined forces, a headache all over the place really. Glint City is just a result of that. Either way, as you can imagine, an insane amount of people tried to imitate the Procella message, and world end prophecies popped up everywhere. The one you are talking about is probably another one in the pile. It probably spread here fast because of what Glint City is."

"What Glint City is...?"

"Well. Looks like that can wait." Noa changed the topic. "We are here, and there's no time. Whatever electricity-using bastard I find in my restaurant, I'm going to destroy them."

"You can't just cut off there, tell me more about the city!!"

"If you want more information, earn it. Perform well today, and I'll think about it."

Usually, Faith would have tried to intimidate the other person for information, but he wasn't about to fight someone like this again. Playing along with this restaurant farce was easier. Either way, no one was going to show up.

Looking at the red car parked just outside the restaurant. Caroline had no doubt, this was the same place where she was trapped alongside Ryuusei and Eri. Come to think of it, where was Ryuusei right now? Had he made it out of that place in one piece too?

"I did hear about the opening in the ground from Liz. I hope the damage isn't that bad." Noa talked to herself as she unlocked the door to the restaurant, but as soon as she walked in, there wasn't a trace of damage.

"Huh?" Caroline tilted her head. Did she dream about what happened? No, there's no way.

"Was it really here?" Noa kneeled down, pressing the palm of her hand against the floor. Nothing was out of place.

"Yeah, it was right here, you couldn't even cross to the other side, that's why we had to go down."

"There is supposed to be a facility underground, right?" Faith confirmed, and Caroline nodded.

"Let's see then." Faith sighed, standing at the center of the restaurant. Focusing, he ran a scan of the area with Eschatology, but... "There's nothing there. Just solid ground, all filled up. It doesn't look like there was anything here either."

"You... Can you actually see what's below just by standing there?" Noa tried to measure the extent of Faith's ability. She did have some suspicions after he could dodge her attacks.

"You have a star-shaped gem in your left pocket, and a black cellphone covered with a silver case."

"That's creepy, don't do that again!!" Noa snapped. "You can't see through clothes, can you? Otherwise, I'll kill you right here!!"

"I'm not interested enough to check."

Somehow Noa was both relieved and irritated.

"Oh! Oh! What about me?" Caroline approached him. "Are you interested enough to–?"

"I couldn't care less!!" Faith shoved her away.

☆

"Do we really need all these ingredients?" Faith looked at the vast array of ingredients spread across the kitchen. It was clearly excessive.

"Silence." A response came right away. "You almost set my kitchen on fire!! And that's all you have to say?!"

"I didn't... mean to..." The boy didn't have a proper comeback.

"Caroline here will help me out in the kitchen, you go out there and reflect on what you did! What are you waiting for? Go!!"

Somehow, once Noa stood in the kitchen, she became scarier than the Noa he faced in combat. Maybe it was best to get out of here while he still could.

Looking at Caroline who waved goodbye, he shut the kitchen door behind him and rested his arms on the counter.

Even though Noa said to welcome guests, who would even show up in a city like this–? Huh? There was someone sitting by one of the tables already.

When did this person get here? They hadn't been in the kitchen for too long. At first glance, her outfit is what stood out the most for Faith. He couldn't tell if it was part of some fashion trend he didn't know about, or whether it was a cosplayer, but her long and fancy dress was eye-catching with its dark black color. Not to mention, there was an odd, metallic ring in front of her chest, connecting to small prism on top of her collar. To top it all off, there was a large horn attached to the end of a crown with black flowers. If it wasn't for the flowers, one would have thought that the horn was real.

It seems like Faith had spent longer examining the strange girl than he realized. She had now noticed his presence and was staring right at him.

The girl waved at him and then signaled for him to get closer. With nothing to lose, he decided to approach her, maybe this time he could finally meet a regular citizen that wasn't involved with any dangerous group.

"Now that's a new face." The girl smiled at him, signaling at him to sit down on the empty chair across hers. "We don't get too many visitors lately, so I was pleasantly surprised."

"I can imagine." Judging by what he had seen of the city so far, Faith couldn't find a single reason why someone would want to come here. "And you are?"

The girl took a sip from a fancy cup placed on top of the table. Did Noa put that there? Faith was certain all the tables were supposed to be empty. Her bright, green eyes then made direct contact with Faith's. Looking at her from up close, she looked really young, at most, she was probably around five years older than Faith. Moreover, her long, red curls only accentuated her outfit even more.

"I don't think it matters." She smiled at him. The tone of her voice was soft and sweet despite her words. "A conversation between two strangers that may not meet each other again. Isn't it more fun that way?"

"Fair enough."

Sincerely, Faith didn't hate the idea. He wasn't keen on standing out or telling anyone who he was, this kind of approach was refreshing in its own way.

"While I have you here, there's something I'd like to ask." The girl opened her purse. Had Faith bothered to run a scan here, he would have seen the chipped bones, with traces of fresh blood that lay at the bottom.

"If you have a request then–" It was never a bad time to get new potential customers for Anything Scarlet, but he wasn't allowed to finish talking.

"I'm not sure I'd call it that." The girl held an old and rusty silver ring. It seemed to be missing a stone, and Faith could only wonder if she had taken it straight out of the garbage.

"Can I have your hand for a moment? I want to see if this fits."

"Why?"

"Please?"

The boy glared at her skeptically. The only thing stopping him from giving out a rude answer was May's advice. If he wanted to defeat Wish, he had to get closer to the citizens. If this stupid request got him closer to defeating Wish in any way, maybe he should play along with this girl a little longer, but...

"I don't think I–"

"Please?"

The small hint of desperation in her voice was irritating. Just to make sure, Faith ran a scan focusing on the ring, but he couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary with it.

"Fine."

Overjoyed, the girl took hold of Faith's right hand. There was something disturbing by the sensation of her fingertips but the boy wasn't certain why that was. For now, he stared carefully while the girl held his ring finger, moving the rusty accesory closer and closer.

"Boss!" The door to the kitchen opened, and Caroline stood by the entrance. "Come here for a moment, Noa needs some extra help! Fast!!"

"R-Right." He pulled his hand away, he knew that Noa wasn't messing around. More than anything, it was a good excuse to get out of this. "Give me a moment."

Excusing himself, he walked away from the table and back into the kitchen.

"That's too bad." The tall, red-haired girl spoke to herself. Putting the ring back into her purse. "I hope you don't regret it soon."

By the time Faith walked back into the restaurant, the girl was already long gone.

★Fragment of times past ~ A Red Light in a Faint World

Somewhere in the world at a different point in time, the sound of an alarm clock resounded in a lonely house. It didn't take long for a young girl to stop the clock and jump out of her bed. After all, she was so excited she couldn't sleep; there was no need for an alarm!

The girl with long, red hair, stared at her own reflection in the mirror next to her bed. Celeste had turned 15 years old less than a week ago, and now, it was time for her first day of high school.

It may have been an important day for some, but it may have not meant anything to others. To Celeste, it was the time for a new beginning.

Walking downstairs, it seemed like her parents had already left for work since earlier in the morning, leaving a pack of food in the fridge that she could microwave. It was just another morning, the usual.

After getting ready and putting everything she needed in her school bag, Celeste finally changed into her uniform. It was a black and white uniform with a long ribbon around her neck and a long, black skirt. It wasn't anything special, but it was the first time she got to try new clothes in a while.

She smiled to herself, adjusting her hair in front of the mirror. It was time to get rid of those boring old braids and let her long hair loose. It was time to get rid of those old glasses and change into contacts! Had she been able to afford it, she would have loved to try some makeup as well.

It's not like she was waiting to meet anyone special at the school, it's not like she had any friends either. Living her life in isolation was something so normal, she wouldn't even question it anymore. But this is exactly why this day was important, she could be a brand new person, meet brand new people, experience new things altogether! This was the chance to turn her black and white life into a bright and rosy red!

Not long after, she left her house and cheerfully walked down the street, humming a song to herself. She wondered what kind of people she would meet, and how to approach them. Maybe she could even meet someone she would fall in love with; she had only ever seen other couples from afar, but it's not like she didn't want to experience that kind of thing. Thinking of all the possibilities made her warm and fuzzy inside.

But this is when she encountered the first bump in her road. After several minutes, she realized she wasn't too familiar with her surroundings. The buildings next to her, the shops spread around this street, she had never seen them before.

It's true that this was the first time she went to this particular school, a place she had only visited once with her parents. She was certain this was the way but she started to have her doubts. Was she lost?

She started to fear the worse, what if this made her be late for her first day? Growing more scared, she fastened her pace, only to come to a halt once her head hit an electricity pole, forcing her to fall backward.

"Ow... this is the worst." She placed her hands over her hurt forehead. She had to be more careful. She took a deep breath and glared at the floor, only to realize there was something there. A bright, silver ring with a shinning red stone.

She picked up the ring and frantically looked around. Did someone drop this here? The ring looked insanely expensive, maybe it could even help pay up her family's debt. That said, she didn't like the idea of keeping something that wasn't hers, but there was no one else around.

Was it okay for her to keep this ring? If so! Maybe it was a good luck omen! A good thing was happening on a special day!

Overtaken by optimism, she was actually able to find the road to her new school, and she was able to make it just in time too!

Celeste nervously entered her new classroom. Seeing so many new faces was more nerve-wracking than she expected. It seemed like a lot of people were already good friends with each other too, could she really approach them like this?

For now, she made it her mission to choose a sit at the very corner of the room. A place where she wasn't the center of attention was always comfortable, and having the window next to her was a nice bonus.

As she took a deep breath, trying to relax, someone called out to her.

"Hey!"

The girl who sat next to her was looking her way. Her shiny blue eyes, and her short blonde hair were incredibly pretty. Celeste thought this was the kind of person who would be popular with everyone for sure, and this person was talking to her now?!

"That ring you have there is so pretty!! Can I take a closer look?"

Celeste nodded nervously, letting the girl see the ring in her hand. Was it a good idea to wear it after all?

"Thank you!" The girl smiled, taking a sudden grasp of Celeste's hand. "I'm Alice, by the way, and you?"

☆

"Okay! We are ready!" Noa triumphantly placed her hands on her hips.

Faith already knew Noa was something else, but this went beyond his expectations. It was like looking at an insanely large buffet in a five-star restaurant. The smell of the food alone desperately made him want to sneak in a bite.

"Do... do we really need this much food?" The boy was beyond skeptical at this point.

"Let's make this simple." Noa walked out of the kitchen and the other two followed. "Faith, you greet the guests and take their orders. Caroline, you serve them and deliver the food to their tables. If you have any questions, I'll be in the kitchen."

"Sure." Faith agreed right away. The restaurant still looked completely empty, so it's not like he had to do much, and if he got something out of this, there wasn't much to lose.

"Okay! Get ready! We are opening now!!" Noa walked towards the main door, removing the lock and leaving the entrance wide-open.

"?" Faith brought a hand to his chin. They are only opening now? Was that door always locked? Then how did that girl from earlier–?

But this wasn't the time to think. The moment the doors opened, a stampede of people stormed the restaurant.

"You have to be kidding me!!!!" Faith's eyes opened wide. "Wasn't this city a ghost town?!"

"W-We have to serve this many people?" She might have been a super-part timer, but Caroline was seriously contemplating running away.

"That's why I told you, you'll see!" Noa had an evil smile on her face. She had really been waiting to see their reactions. "Now, if you excuse me, I'll go prepare the next batch of food. I'm counting on you to do your job!"

The next few hours were painful in more ways than one. Most of the people at the restaurant were everyday, normal people for the most part. There was an abundance of people in suits, likely stopping by before going to their office. There were surprisingly a handful of rude people, but there were many nice and patient people as well.

The scariest part was that as soon as a table in the restaurant became empty, it would be full of new customers in the blink of an eye. It was a hectic morning. There were broken plates, yelling, errors in the orders, scoldings from Noa, some fights with a few customers even broke out once Faith lost his patience.

Thankfully, once they were nearing an hour before noon, things started to quiet down little by little.

The black-haired boy walked by the entrance. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked to see if anyone else would come, and in fact, there was one final person approaching.

Unlike all the previous customers, this person seemed to be hurt, as they had trouble walking, but were quick to make it to the entrance.

A girl with short, brown hair and a long white coat leaned against the frame of the door. She was breathing heavily and couldn't move her left arm. As Caroline stood behind them and saw who the person approaching was, she was quick to hide her face behind the nearest empty plate she could find.

"Are you okay...?" Faith was wary of approaching her.

"It's fine, please call Noa–"

At that moment, both froze upon making eye contact. After not seeing each other for so long, their appearances had drastically changed, but the look in their eyes was the same as always.

"You can't be serious," Mirage muttered under breath. She had walked right into the person she least wanted to see.