“...................”

“.....................”

“The silence is killing me…” thought Diavolo.

Sixth day after the attack and the third day after Diavolo had returned consciousness.

There, on the hospital bed, the boy lay reading a rather interesting story book. Among the things Shin had brought the previous day was a detective novel written by an author named Hizron S. Ophir.

It’s about a man, Ronald Cooper, struggling to survive in a world where basically everybody are talented Raze users. Because he is weak in manipulating Raze, his only other option was to ingest a hefty amount of information and use it in order to make a living. In the end, thanks to his smarts, he ended up in the detective business, where he solves numerous cases and mysteries on demand or out of curiosity.

Although he is weak in Raze, the type, or ‘flavour’, of his own Raze is quite unique. Because of this, he could take the help of many unique tools and crystals, which he would often place in layer after layer on top of one another to yield desired uses, to solve those mysteries in creative and, at times, controversial ways.

Diavolo was already a mystery genre fan, and this particular piece really tickled his curiosity. He had been engrossed in the first volume ever since Shin and Hannah had left the previous day.

Similarly so, he was also reading it the following day. In the quiet cabin, under the gentle rays of the Sun, where he lay reading, his pace was interrupted by the door knocking.

“Come in,” he called out, and entered a very familiar face.

It was the girl for whom the whole incident was about: Suzume Shiro.

“Ah, so it was her shift today…” he thought.

Seeing that the look on Diavolo’s face was much brighter compared to when she last saw him, her face lit up with joy. The unrestrained relief and happiness expressed on her face made her look incredibly charming and made Diavolo’s heart skip a beat. Just why was this girl so feared by others??!

However, in the next moment Suzume’s expression turned solemn and depressed. Even if Diavolo had told her to not worry too much about him and that he had no regrets, it was somewhat difficult for her to fully accept it, it seems; was what he thought.

But on Suzume’s side, she was actually thinking about other things. She was contemplating on what her sister had told her. About how fate would’ve gotten him involved with this case even if she hadn’t laid a hand on him.

If she hadn’t, she might’ve been taken away by now; and in the future, when he met them, he would still have to fight. Even if she tried preparing him early, he suffered these injuries, then what would’ve happened if she hadn’t?! The very thought scared her.

“What’s wrong? Come on in.”

“Eh? A-ah, sorry! I was spacing out,” closing the door behind her, she walked further in, “What book is that?”

“Mysteries of Ronald Cooper. A detective novel.”

“Ah yes, I know about that! It’s quite famous!” she reached inside her handbag and brought something out, “Actually, I also brought a book of mine. I’ll also be reading beside you. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?”

“Got it.”

That was how it went, but…

After half an hour had passed, Diavolo couldn’t take a silence anymore. It was agonizing. In fact, ever since she entered the room, he couldn’t get as engrossed as before. He felt that weird tugging feeling inside him and found himself frequently glancing at her. Occasionally, he thought he noticed Suzume glancing at him as well. Was she also unable to focus? No, she definitely turned a couple of pages.

Regardless, if this continued, Diavolo felt like he would go wrinkled within the next few hours.

“Do...do you like that book?”

“E-eh! Ah, no… I mean, I do like it, but it’s not like my favorite or anything.”

“I-I see…” and after a moment of silence, “W-what’s it about?”

“This particular book is a fantasy novel. I pick anything I find interesting.”

“I see… Fantasy, huh… how’re you liking it so far?”

“Honestly, I don’t really know how to appraise it. It kind of feels all over the place at times. Like, you’re going through the story normally, and then suddenly an entirely new character pops up with abilities that seem to follow an independent logic. I understand that all abilities are based off of a set of core logic, but…

Let’s say you’re reading a non-fantasy novel. Since you already have a set of restrictions placed, it makes the reader try to figure out what might happen next. If it happens according to what the reader predicted, it feels rewarding, as if the reader was able to see how the author was thinking. Conversely, if it does not occur how the reader thought, it’s often done in a creative way, and you can feel your mind expanding horizons. You think, ‘Ohh! So this can also be handled like that!’

But in a fantasy novel, almost anything could happen. No matter how much you try to foresee, it’s only up to a surface level. It kind of feels like I wasted my time trying to predict the outcome.”

Diavolo was stunned. He didn’t think someone could talk about the fantasy genre like that. That too from someone who wasn’t even a fan of it. He had always thought fantasy stories were meant to simply enjoy as you go. Just cruise along the wave of the story and not bother about the details.

He awkwardly smiled, “But isn’t that supposed to be the fun part of fantasy novels? Unrestrained creativity. Some stories can have more restrictions than others but, depending on the restrictions the authors try to figure out a way to save the main characters, right?

As long as the author stays within the boundaries of the restrictions he placed, it isn’t that different from the others you read, is what I think. It’s simply the degree of freedom the author has.”

“You think so? But when I am presented with an outcome that’s completely different from anything I had thought, it doesn’t feel all that rewarding though. It all just feels...kind of convenient. As if the author wanted the characters to follow specific routes and so he put characters into it to make them follow that route, without putting much thought into it.”

Diavolo was at a loss, “Uh… I don’t think that’s what the author wanted you to think, thought. Like, there are probably fantasy novels out there that go really deep, but many of them I've viewed as such where you simply have to cruise along. For example… Ah! When you bought this book, what did you think of?”

“Hmm? Well, it was quite colourful and the characters looked cheerful.”

“See! That should’ve been the first clue! It wasn’t really supposed to be a piece where you look at the details. It was meant for readers in a lighthearted mood. If you want to relax and enjoy something, you would like a series where the characters overcome hurdles without experiencing severe problems, rather than characters falling into situations where you are forced to think into any detail that could have an effect later!

It was meant to be a show where readers would look past certain conveniences just for the sake of enjoying their journey.”

Suzume put her hand on her chin, “Hmm, I see… when you put it that way, I guess it makes sense. Basically, it’s not meant to be a strenuous guessing game, but a relaxing outing in the beach…”

“Well, I guess you could think of it that way…”

“Thank you, Diavolo-kun. I learnt something nice today.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not anything big, ehehe!” he raised his palm.

In his mind, however, he was scratching his head. Although he was able to convince Suzume, just why was he trying to defend it? He wasn’t even a fan of the genre.

Looking at the hand he just raised, he remembered something important. The previous day, Hannah had raised the roof because of the burn, so he didn’t get the chance to ask her.

Diavolo absolutely needed to know how to control his flames. Although his weapon seems to be able to absorb it before it causes harm, doesn’t change the fact that he’s still an amateur. Besides, it’s not like he’ll have his weapon with him at all times. And who knows? Maybe the weapon actually has a limit to how much it can absorb. If that time comes, he’ll really be in a pinch.

There was no point in growing stronger if he can’t even make that strength obey him. It was simply a basic rule.

“Um… Suzume. I had a question. I couldn’t ask Hannah yesterday, so I was wondering if you could.”

“What is it? Ask away.”

“You remember the first time I released my Material Raze? And how it was burning off my own flesh?”

“Ah, yes! And then right in the next day, you fought Claude Brandt. That was really amazing! After only using Material Raze once, without even any intermediate training session, you were able to overcome that problem. I initially thought you were using some kind of trickery, but then you used your flames against the next set of assailants too, and I was convinced!”

“No no no no no, stop right there! That’s a misunderstanding. You were right at first!” Diavolo explained, “I actually did use a trick for that fight. It was a spur of the moment thought. Since I couldn’t control the flames for a prolonged time, I tried using short bursts. The strength was moderately large, but the timing was just short enough that it didn’t get to burn me. It was just my luck that it turned out so well.

As for the next battle, try to remember that I didn’t even use Material Raze until my sword awakened. And even then I couldn’t really control it. I just impulsively used it and lamented because of the blunder, but it turned out that the sword was absorbing the flames before any damage could occur.”

Suzume glanced at the sword to his side, “I see… So what Hannah said was true...”

“Hmm? You talked with Hannah?”

Suzume giggled, “Yes, we exchanged numbers later on the day you recovered your senses. After she returned home yesterday, she called and complained all about how reckless you and Shin are. About how you burnt yourself during practice. Honestly, it was quite cute. I wish I could see her expressions during that time.”

Diavolo bitterly smiled and scratched his cheek with one finger.

“She really does worry a lot, doesn’t she? When I heard all of it, I didn’t think of it to be too serious. You know, even experts can make a mistake here and there, right? And although you were talented, you were still a beginner, so a mistake wasn’t unnatural. But to think that it wasn’t just a mistake, but you actually had trouble is…”

“Right, so that’s the gist of it. You have any idea on how I can fix it? A hint will do, too.”

“Hmm… let’s see…” she closed her book and put her hand on her chin. After a short while of thinking, “I suppose it might be because you’re releasing your Material Raze right near your nerve endings rather than over your skin.”

“Meaning?” he had a confused expression.

“Here, give me your hands. I’ll show you something.”

After she faced him, Diavolo extended his hands towards her. She gently held her own palms right below his hands and looked down at them. Noticing how the self inflicted burns from the previous day had already basically healed, she mentally sighed in relief. It’s as if every time she witnessed Diavolo’s inhumane healing speed, some thought in her head became more and more concrete. She increasingly became more convinced about something.

“If it’s this amount, I might just manage without going berserk…” she thought to herself.

Thinking so, she released her aura from both hands. From her left, energy was enveloping her entire hand, passing around and somewhat through Diavolo’s hand and rising up a small height until it vanished. From her right hand, a faint energy ball had appeared, floating right above Diavolo’s palm, like a candle flame.

“What do you feel?” Suzume asked.

“Hmm? Well, I can feel the energy passing around my right hand, but compared to that, the ball over my left, I barely even feel anything.”

“Exactly,” Suzume cut off her energy output and sat properly again, “Raze is energy coming from a different dimension, so it might’ve not occurred to you since Hannah was teaching Natura. Although both Natura and Raze utilize this factor, it’s actually more important in the case of Raze.”

“What is?”

“When you call over energy from your soul, the energy actually passes through very little gaps in the fabric of space. The gaps are actually everywhere, but they simply aren’t prominent on a macroscopic scale.”

Diavolo tilted his head in confusion, “So, then…?”

“You might not get some of the details I’m about to say, but as long as you get the gist and it helps, it’s all fine.

Your sensory and motor nerves are an extension of your brain that help you receive environmental information and act accordingly. Usually, when it comes to your limbs, your range of senses reach up to your skin. So it makes sense if people end up releasing their energy somewhere around that region.

But in reality, it doesn’t even have to be that case. All you need is proper awareness of the space around you to allow yourself to eject energy out from that point in space, through a gap.

The ability to call the energy from the soul is already built into your head, so the only thing your brain needs is spatial information, where the energy can come out from. It’s your sensory nerves that give your brain that information. So as long as you can grasp that feeling of your surroundings, you can bring out Raze from anywhere within that region.

In fact, your motor nerves don’t even need to be put into the equation. It’s only task, in this case, is to move your body to allow further perception of space by the sensory nerves.

Spatial perception is strongest right near the sensory nerves, and till now, as long as you dealt with Pure Raze, that was perfectly fine. Since it’s just energy, it wouldn’t cause any problems since it is ejected out of the body immediately.

But if you assimilate the energy into material particles, in your case, fire, it causes major problems. The reason why you couldn’t feel anything on your left hand was because I was releasing the energy from the space directly above your hand rather than from my own hand.

So, as long you can expand your perception of the space to just above your skin, you should be safe.”

Diavolo folded his arms and pondered, “Basically, I just need to feel my surroundings and imagine the energy is coming out from there instead of my own body, right?”

“That’s right. With this, one of the factors has been cleared.”

“Eh? There’s more?” he gave an openly startled expression.

“That’s right. If you don’t wish to needlessly burn yourself again, listen properly, okay?

When calling forth Raze, two things need to be specified: position and propulsion. We’ve already covered the position bit. For propulsion, you could think of it as the direction where the energy goes right after it appears in our world.

All things have a position and momentum. If you don’t specify which way the energy will go when it emerges from above your skin, chances are some of them will actually be aimed towards your skin instead. So you’ll still end up burning yourself.

You need to make sure you actually point its direction outwards when you call it.”

“Ugh! So many things to keep in mind at once, I think my head’s gonna explode!” he clawed onto his hair.

“Well this is just the finer theories behind it. You will only need in for the beginning, but when you get a feel for it, it’ll come down to...well, the feeling!”

“Hmm!” Diavolo heavily nodded, “I’ll try it! I’ll try it out right now!” and clenched his fists.

“Try small at first… maybe the tip of your finger.”

“Got it,” saying so, he raised a finger in front of himself and focused on it.

“The area around the finger, huh…” his eyebrows twitched as several seconds passed. Moments later, his finger was brimming with energy, much like how his body was enveloped with Raze the first time he showed Hannah.

“No, no, that’s wrong, Diavolo-kun! You’re focussing your energy into your fingers! You’re supposed to focus on the space around the finger and bring energy from there!”

“Eh?! I-I see…” he mumbled as he cut off the output. It’s a good thing Suzume warned him when she did. If she waited a few more seconds, Diavolo wouldn’t have gone to the next stage and converted the Pure Raze into Material Raze, “It’s more difficult than it sounds like…”

“That’s because you were used to Raze from the very beginning, right? It isn’t uncommon. To be honest, someone of your age displaying such caliber is considered a genius on its own,” she put her hand on her chin again, “It this respect, I’d say Natura users have a slight edge over you.”

“Meaning?”

“Natura users use the energy from their surroundings, which means that they’re trained to have a keen sense of their environment right from the get go. Adding to the fact that basically anybody can use Natura, it is often the first thing that is trained. Afterwards, if one wishes to shift to Raze, they have a better chance in adapting to it.”

“In other words… I have to go through the Natura training, huh?”

“I suppose so…”

Diavolo pondered on the thought. Natura. The thing that Shin and Yukio have been diligently training from the first day. Until the test day, he too thought he had been training Natura, but it turned out to be Raze. And judging by how people reacted to it, he thought it was a pretty big feat. He also subconsciously thought he had an edge over the others. But now it’s backfiring on him.

Diavolo sarcastically laughed, “How ironic. Everybody thought I was some genius who went leaps and bounds ahead, but it turns out I can’t even do the most basic of the basics that they can do.”

He slightly felt pathetic. Among his peers, he was probably getting the most spotlight. He was aware of it, but he didn’t give it any thought. He didn’t bother. He simply did what he felt was right.

But now that it reality hit him, he felt like laughing. The person who stood out the most is the same person who needs to start from scratch.

“No, don’t think of it like that! You yourself didn’t know that you were using Raze at first, right? Then it just can’t be helped. You just need to take some time to learn it, that’s all.”

With no reply, Diavolo removed the sheet off his body and placed his feet on the floor.

“Where are you going?” asked a concerned Suzume.

“I just need some air…” he said as he put pressure on his palms to lift himself up, realizing just then that this was Suzume and not Shin, “Umm…” he awkwardly smiled, “You won’t hold me back, right?”

After the storm that razed the cabin the previous day, Diavolo was slightly traumatised. He still didn’t think much of his wound, but he realized just how much others did. They ‘absolutely’ wanted to keep him bedridden until he’s completely healed. Knowing so, he was inclined to ask if Suzume was fine with him walking around. Or worse, he was worried that she might tell Hannah.

“Eh? No, I don’t really mind if you really want to, but… how does your injury feel?”

Diavolo held his core, “It actually feels kinda itchy...and fragile if I try to stretch too much. But other than that, I just feel groggy.”

“I see… It’s okay, then. I’ll help you there.”

Placing his arm over her shoulders, Suzume carefully helped Diavolo up and walked up to the rooftop. This time, there was no sneaking done. They simply walked casually and nobody said a thing. It seemed that Shin had overreacted the previous day.

Once they reached their destination, Diavolo retracted his arm back and took a deep breath.

“When you’re cooped up in a small room, such weather feels really refreshing, doesn’t it?” Suzume asked, smiling.

“Yeah…”

A few seconds later, “Oh, I seem to have company today!” they heard a voice from the side.

Looking towards the source, they saw a man emerging from the fluttering laundry. The tapping noises as he trotted with his walking aid had finally turned audible as he approached closer to the pair.

He had short, messy hair, appeared to be somewhat middle-aged with wrinkles starting to appear, and a recently unshaved face. One of his legs was plastered, which made it obvious what sort of patient he was.

“Came to get some air too?” he asked merrily.

His wide smile made Diavolo feel very welcomed. The man was probably longing for someone to talk to. Judging by the vigor in his tone, he guessed the man to have been quite fit a person; but his current lean self was probably a deterioration of health due to all the bedrest.

“Yes. Sitting around isn’t really my strong point,” Diavolo politely replied.

“Hmm! That’s good! Young people should be full of vigor! I wish my son felt the same way. He’s too hooked into those digital games or what not.”

“Ehehe…”

The man faced the same direction Diavolo had been and leaned against his walking stick. Looking back towards the pair, he asked, “I haven’t seen your faces here before. New?”

“Ah, yes. It’s been about a week.”

“A week, huh… Is it a disease? Or some sort of injury?” he casually asked.

“An injury,” Diavolo replied, and unbuttoned the lower end of his t-shirt.

“Whoa, abdominal injury?! What have you been doing? Did you get into a fight?”

“Well…” he re-buttoned himself, “...Something like that.”

“That won’t do, young man. Even if getting into fights every now and then is okay, letting it escalate into such an injury isn’t good, you know? When you meet the person again, patch things up, okay?”

“I… don’t think that’s possible…” he said in a glum voice.

A question mark appeared over the man’s head.

“A few days ago, did you notice a huge fire pillar in that direction? We were actually the source of that…”

The man took a moment, “...You’re kidding!! That thing was your doing?!! Holy--! Even at such an age, such great power! The last time I saw one of those was probably that genius Rose Head. That guy was too out of this world!”

Diavolo simply smiled awkwardly. He didn’t know how to think of that.

“Wait… Hold on a second…” something seemed to have clicked in the man’s head and he placed his free hand on his forehead, thinking deeply. Diavolo couldn’t clearly notice, but his pupils were probably dashing about here and there while he did so.

“Boy… are you perhaps related to Young Mistress Rose?”

“You mean Hannah, right? Yes, she’s my friend.”

“A-cha~~!!” the man put his palm on his face, “I probably stepped into something I shouldn’t have!” he lamented, “Boy, I don’t know what background you’re from, but would you mind keeping trouble away from this old man?”

“No, I wouldn’t do such a thing as--”

“Even if you don’t, it’s better as a precaution. I’m just a regular worker who maintains and fixes the electricity lines. Our family has been moderately well off, but with my current injury, I worry about that…”

“I see… I’m sorry if I’ve made you needlessly worry yourself,” Diavolo sincerely apologized.

“No, it’s fine…”

It was quite odd for Diavolo to be so polite like this. Ever since he came to Derdalf, he did not care if people were accidentally offended by his actions. He was suspicious of almost everyone. It was possible that after spending a month here, he had warmed up.

But if he wanted, he could’ve easily suspected the man to be a henchman of Hisao, in the guise of a patient. After all, he happened to meet him on the same day when Suzume was to take care of him rather than any other day.

He was injured and did not have his weapon with him. Neither his friends nor Suzume’s sister were here either. Diavolo did not know if this Hisao was the kind of person who bothered about attacking in a hospital or didn’t care at all. It was a situation that could be easily misunderstood based on how Diavolo’s thought processes worked.

But that was not the case. That was also not the reason Diavolo wanted to be polite to him. Diavolo felt like this man had some resemblance to Shin. Lively and easy to talk to. It might sound counter-intuitive since he’s incredibly casual with Shin, but it was the degree of unfamiliarity coupled with the ‘Shin vibe’ that made him feel like not wanting to offend him.

He thought back to his past and realized he had actually treated Shin delicately at first too. But because of Shin’s personality and their day to day interactions, all walls broke and they quickly became very intimate.

A fleeting thought asked, ‘Would Shin be like this when he grows up?’

It was quite likely that if Diavolo spent more time with this man, he might become almost as friendly with him as he was with Shin, but the man had already just closed off further involvement.

Diavolo mumbled, “Electricity…” and thought about Shin again. “Is Mister perhaps of the Plasma attribute?” he asked with curiosity.

But the man’s expression turned sad. Staring down at the floor, he answered, “No. From a very young age, my Natura capabilities have been lower than average. I’m just a defective human being living in a small world. Not just that, but I also heal slowly.

I was trying my best to compensate by building up strength and being careful, but it ended up like this. It’s already been over two months, and I can’t do anything about it… I’m a really useless person, aren’t I?”

“That’s not true!” Suzume intervened, “Your body being that way is something you can’t help with. Other than that, you’re doing your best, aren’t you? It’s just another setback. Right now, what you have to do is make sure you don’t simply give up because of the long time you’ve been here. Your family needs you. That’s why… make sure you get back home and greet them with open arms.”

The man stood silent, staring blankly at Suzume. He then chuckled and rubbed his nose, “Oh, man. To think that I’m being comforted by children. I’ve fallen quite a bit, huh? Alright, I got it!” he clenched his fist, “If I don’t follow through what you said, I can’t really call myself a man-- no, an adult, right?”

Saying so he regained some spirit in his eyes. He seemed to have reestablished his objectives and decided upon something. Good, was what Diavolo thought. That’s for the better.

During that exchange, Diavolo was also pondering on another thought.

Right in front of him, was someone who was below average as a person on very fundamental aspects. Forget Raze, the man wasn’t even able to control Natura properly. Worse still, his slow regenerative properties were forcing him to stay hospitalized more than what was required. Even if he was so unlucky, he had still tried his best to make a living. Even in such a predicament, he had been trying to hold onto hope. He just needed a push to get his spirit back.

There were actually people as unfortunate as this. This struck Diavolo quite hard since he was basically a stark contrast to the man. Although he didn’t know how to control Natura, he had already advanced to Raze which was known to be more difficult than Natura. And of course, there’s also his higher than average regenerative properties.

He was so blessed, yet just because he experienced a minor setback, he was getting depressed. How pathetic. All he has to do is practice the fundamentals again, right? Compared to this man, what he needed to do was a joke. He could actually do something about it!

Thinking so, he recovered himself. But it was not that simple.

The current Diavolo was not someone to be influenced like this so easily by an unknown person. It was only on the surface that those thoughts occurred, but underneath, in his subconscious, unbeknownst to even him, there was also another reason at play.

From the very beginning, this man had resembled Shin. Because of this, he had subconsciously thought, what if Shin had become unable to use Natura any further all of a sudden? And if Shin also suffered a grave injury, wouldn’t he also be disabled for a prolonged time? It was not like he also had super fast healing.

He didn’t even want to imagine the consequences for that. If in any world, such a thing was possible, he would have to shoulder the responsibility for protecting him. No, he would willingly shoulder all the hardship for him. He absolutely did not want to witness that scenario.

At the moment, the world was too full of unknowns for them. Just the other day, he witnessed someone creating water out of nothing. The optimum way to minimize mishaps would of course be for both of them, no, all of them to improve as quickly as possible. But who knows what could happen?

His mind was now refreshed and brought back into gear. He slapped his palms on his cheeks and brought himself back to reality. Taking a deep breath, he quickly started to stretch and do light warmups without any warning.

With every extra millimeter of stretching, he could feel a bunch of fibers tearing. He felt tickled and itchy, occasional pricks, but no real pain.

“Ah! Diavolo-kun, your wound!” yelped a concerned Suzume.

“I’m already fine. This is nothing,” did a few more stretches, “Meeting this man kind of got me in a good mood,” and smiled.

“Well that’s harsh,” the man giggled.

“No, don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean your misfortune. Your patience and strong will brought up my spirits. To be honest, I was actually feeling down about something. But because of you, I realized something. Glad I got to meet you today,” and walking towards the man, “I’m Diavolo. Diavolo Signore,” he extended his hand for a shake.

“No, I should be the one saying that. I’m just a disabled lonely man who was slowly being driven into a corner. Talking with you guys really gave me encouragement,” he received the shake, “Gregory Leomane.”

“Hope we get to meet each other again in the future, Mr. Gregory.”

“Same here. Next time, I won’t be in this pathetic state, okay? I’ll show you that this rugged man can also have a cool side!” he gave a wide smile and winked.

“Hehe! Looking forward to that!”

Watching this scene, Suzume also couldn’t help but smile at it.

“By the way, is Mr. Gregory here alone?” she added in, “Didn’t you come here with an aid or someone?”

“Actually,” Gregory put his finger on his lips, “I snuck up here, hehe! If anybody saw me, I’d be dragged back in bed. But I guess I should return now. They’d flip if they didn’t find me in the cabin,” he started to stagger towards the door.

“If that’s the case,” Diavolo said, “Suzume! Help him back, okay? With his leg like that, it must’ve been really hard sneaking here,” and then sat cross-legged on the floor, “I’ll stay here a bit longer and practice.”

“Ho~? Is that really okay, Diavolo my boy? Sending your girlfriend off with another man like that all alone?” he teased, giving a mischievous look.

“W-we aren’t dating!” the two of them said in unison, flustered. They then glanced at each other and looked back away, blushing.

“Ehehe! Must be nice being young, eh?” Gregory giggled, “Ah well. Young miss, I shall be in your care, then. Guide me through!”

“Y-yes…” and the two walked away, leaving Diavolo behind.

Sitting there in the gradually cooling breeze, the boy cleared up his mind and raised his finger. No more distractions, no more Raze. All he tried to do was concentrate on how and what his finger was feeling at the moment.

Whenever his concentration broke a little, he would retract his finger and focus on deep breaths, immersing himself in the feeling of his environment. Diavolo was finally doing what he had never even needed to do for all his time back in Cosmic Island: meditating.

He might’ve experienced a setback just now, but it was from then on, that in the future, Diavolo’s growth rate would once again undergo an increased leap, once he overcame it.