“1, 2, 3, smile!” The photographer took a few snaps, but no one was smiling in the photos except Henrietta. Her father was frowning, her sister Jeanne and Beatrice had emotionless faces, and Kino looked very uncomfortable.

“You looked constipated,” Henrietta mentioned.

“I-I’m so sorry!”

Kino couldn’t look at her father. That’s the very man he’s still indebted with a huge amount of money, the one who threatens their family. There are still a few months to pay off his debt, but seeing how tyrannic he looks, it’s like he’s asking for it now.

I’m glad Rie took after her mom’s features.

“You…” The girl Beatrice murmured. Kino looked down and met her eyes cold and purple as the night, concealing her natural silver orbs. “Are you done playing god?”

A deafening silence took over. Her voice was tiny yet she sounds like an adult. Kino and everyone else around Beatrice gave her a confusing look. They didn’t expect a kid aged around 10-12 years old would say something as creepy as that.

Playing god?

“E-Eh?”

“Hahaha!” Loki started laughing, his tone sounding as if encouraging others to do the same to ease the sinister chills. Aria, Duke, and Maxwell followed, looking like fools at the back. “T-That’s very f-frightening for a little girl to say! R-Right, Kino? H-Hahaha!”

But Kino couldn’t laugh with them. The little girl is a wraith, spreading a weird aura, moving and talking like a grown-up. His instincts were right. There was something he should be wary of this kid. Henrietta’s father mentioned she’s a family friend he found outside the school.

What is she doing around this place?

His eyes met Henrietta’s. There were those meaningful stares again, trying to analyze his thoughts.

“H-Hey, Kino! It’s almost time for our reservation! How about we go now?” He has to treat Loki to a delicious meal for breaking the awkward atmosphere that started to circulate.

“Y-Yeah! We should!” He tried to grab Reno’s hand behind him, but the boy was already in front of Beatrice. His eyes were full of genuine curiosity towards someone as pretty as her, who was in the same age range as him. He was trying to communicate with her through sign language, asking her to play with him someday. The little girl looked confused as hell.

Kino turned his head to Henrietta to get things moving. He couldn’t stay there anymore and he felt bad. “I’m sorry but we’ll get going now. C-Congratulations to us! I-I’ll see you soon?”

She rolled her eyes at his awkwardness. There’s no saving this guy. “Call me.”

Her father at the back was clenching his jaw, probably trying to stop himself from murdering Kino on the spot for getting too close to his daughter while owing him a huge amount of money. “I-It was nice to m-meet you again, Mr. Heinrich! Miss Jeanne and… Miss Beatrice…”

Beatrice flashed him a sweet smile. From a dull creepy-looking child, she transformed into a whole other person. A tricky scheme that could deceive anybody. She waved her hand to her new ‘friend,’ then met with Kino’s eyes. “You too, Mr. Rosen.”

“CHEERS!” Kino hit his apple juice glass against their cold beers. They saved a reservation in a hot pot restaurant to celebrate his graduation. He remains the youngest member of the Parker Team. Realizing it, he’ll be 19 in a few months.

“Hey! Why didn’t you invite your girlfriend?” Loki nudged him with his shoulder, cheeks were burning red. The guy gets wasted easily.

“I told you she’s not my girlfriend. She’ll celebrate with her family.”

“Okayyy! No need to be mad about it! She isn’t your type?”

“We’re friends.” He stuffed Loki’s mouth with a dumpling to shut him up. It was already dark, and Reno beside him was already sleepy, yet he keeps swallowing food to stay awake.

Kino couldn’t eat anymore, so he was just watching everyone silently. His mind went back to the words of Beatrice. The question came out of nowhere, and the way she talked tells him she knows something that he should know as well.

Am I done playing god, she asked. Ever since I’ve become Magnus’ vessel, I never wished to be god. Does she know something about me? Who is she?

“Thanks for today! See you at work, Kino!”

“Have a good night, Kino! And little dude!”

Before he knew it, it was time to go. Sir Maxwell brought his car to bring Loki, Aria, and Duke home. Loki was the drunkest. The vice-captain offered a ride to the Rosen siblings too, but the car was already full and they live in the opposite part of Itaport so Kino refused the invitation.

“Please, take care!” He watched the car leave until it disappeared from sight. “Come on, Reno. Let’s go home.”

“Hm-mm!” Reno nodded. His eyes softened. Reno could hear him now using the hearing aids he got from his recent paycheck. He was the happiest to hear the world for the first time. Reno almost got a pair when their parents were still alive, but despite having plenty of income, the majority of it went to their father’s gambling addiction. Kino loves him still—both of their parents, and he knows they are happy for their youngest to hear the sound of this world, even if it’s scary sometimes.

The siblings walked their way to the station. It’s almost summer yet the air is still cold. From a distance, he noticed a silhouette of a little girl in pigtails standing in the middle of the sidewalk. They stopped in their tracks. He thinks he knows who it was.

“Hmm!” Reno pointed the silhouette out.

The shadow moved fast and did a left turn in an alley. There they got a glimpse of what she was wearing. A red dress.

It’s her!

“F-Friend!”

Should I follow her? But why? What is she doing here? The way she stood, it was like she wanted me to follow her. Why?

“No, Reno. We’re going home.” They shouldn’t. His instinct tells him that Beatrice is bad news. He can’t risk himself sticking his nose in whatever her business is when he’s with his little brother.

“B-But…” But Reno wouldn’t listen. His shoulders sighed in defeat. It seems he grew a liking towards Beatrice in a short span of time. If Kino remembered correctly, Beatrice looked similar to one of the fictional characters on the TV they used to watch during the afternoon. Sailor Meow.

“RENO!” Reno suddenly escaped from his grasp to run in the direction Beatrice went. He was surprisingly fast. Kino followed after him full of fear and panic. “RENO!”

It was a long dark alley of undone construction. All he could think of was Reno’s safety. He didn’t have any second thoughts to awaken 25% of his body to the sides of his eyes, arms, and limbs to chase him faster. Using his foresight ability, he’ll find Reno in a dark wide box-shaped area cornered by old apartment buildings in the next 20 seconds. By 30 seconds, Beatrice would appear a few distances from him, holding what seems to be a scythe she summoned from a smaller red gate similar to Gates that wraiths use.

Horror filled Kino's eyes. He gritted his teeth and sprinted faster against gravity until he reached the place.

He couldn’t believe what he saw.

“BEATRICE!”

Kino charged a surprise attack toward Beatrice. Reno remained frozen standing on the cold ground as he watched his new friend aim her weapon in his direction when his brother suddenly appeared from the corner to save him.

Shit!

Kino missed a punch much to his surprise. He was about to use his foresight ability all over again when he saw an upcoming attack from his peripheral vision. Everything happened so fast. He managed to armor himself with another 25% awakening but the sharp scythe glistening in gold and red still took the toll of a hit to his neck. The strike was so unexpectedly strong that he stumbled sideways so hard that his face cracked the ground on impact.

Fuck! Fuck!

“Bro-ther!”

Kino could hear Reno’s cries, but the sinister laugh from the girl drowned out his small voice.

“Do you really think you can use your foresight ability against me? YOU FRAUD!” Beatrice sounded very angry.

He glanced at her. She was floating in the air like a ghost lady in a red dress holding a giant scythe in hand. Like him, she controls her awakening appearance by the side of her face, forearms, and legs. She’s unbelievably strong for her size.

“Who are you?” Kino gritted his teeth.

An evil grin pursed the little girl’s lips. “I’m glad the impostor asked. I am Princess Beatrice Laetitia Clothilde Everhart. First princess of the Everhart Empire and the only sister of Magnus Everhart! I stepped into this world to extract his power from a swindler!”

Magnus’ family?

Beatrice Everhart started swinging her scythe behind her. From the looks of it, she’s a skillful user. “But in order to do that, I need to kill you first, Kino Rosen!”