Mimic Weave.

As the door to the room closed behind Grandmaster Vellian, Kyoji turned his gaze toward Butler James.

"Care to tell me how you got acquainted with a Grandmaster? Not just that, but even got him to revere you like that?" he asked calmly.

"Well," Butler James shrugged, "it just happened. Got acquainted, and well…" he replied, staring at Kyoji with eyes that seemed to say you know the rest, as if Kyoji already understood, as if he had expected this question.

"You and your mystery," Kyoji muttered in an emotionless tone before shifting his gaze away.

A few moments later, Grandmaster Vellian returned, this time pushing in a clothes rack filled with ten or more pieces of clothing, all perfectly lined up.

"Is this for me?" Kyoji asked.

Without even trying them on, he could tell the clothes were big—way too big for him.

While he did need larger clothes since his body had been growing, he wasn't expecting this big. It was excessive.

As if sensing Kyoji's thoughts, Grandmaster Vellian began to explain. "Yes, they're for you. Perfectly suited, in fact. Each piece is made using Arachsilk, a fabric woven from the web of a Voidweaver—one of the mutants owned by the House of Stellan."

"Oh," Kyoji muttered.

Owning a mutant wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

While experimenting on them was highly illegal, owning one or a few wasn't—so long as the owner had the means to control them and prevent damage. After all, mutants couldn't be truly tamed.

This exception existed because some mutants were more valuable alive than dead. Since mutants came in all shapes and forms after mutating, it was hard to find one that fit a specific purpose each time. So if someone managed to capture one that had exactly what they needed, keeping it alive was simply better—just like the House of Stellan had done.

What remained unclear to Kyoji was the nature of this "Arachsilk." Grandmaster Vellian hadn't explained further.

Maybe that was because some things were better shown than explained, as Grandmaster Vellian gestured for him to come try it on.

Still skeptical about the oversized clothing, Kyoji stepped forward.

"You'll need to remove your clothes. The fabric needs to make contact with your skin to work," Grandmaster Vellian instructed.

Kyoji's brows furrowed immediately at those words.

There was absolutely no way he was going to strip naked in front of these two old men.

As if reading his mind, Grandmaster Vellian chuckled.

"You don't need to strip completely. Just the top will do."

"Makes sense," Kyoji muttered, his voice low and distant.

He slipped off his jacket, then unbuttoned his crisp white shirt, letting it fall to the floor without care. His now-toned torso was revealed, marked with faint scars—quiet reminders of his near-death escape.

Trophies, maybe... but fleeting ones.

In a world where even pain heals too fast, proof of survival fades before it can be honored.

Without wasting time, Kyoji reached out to the rack and picked up a white shirt.

It felt strange in his hand—not what he had expected at all.

The texture wasn't like any fabric he had touched before. It had a special feel—something Kyoji could only describe in one word: luxury.

It was smooth. Crisp. Refined.

Without delay, Kyoji began putting it on.

At first glance, anyone could tell the shirt was at least twice his size—maybe even more.

But what did they say? Trust the process.

Putting it on felt the same as wearing any other shirt, just a much bigger one this time.

But just as he slid both hands through the sleeves and reached for the buttons, something strange happened.

A sudden jolt ran through his body—as if the fabric was alive, communicating with him.

Then, the button he was about to fasten flew out of his fingers, pulled away as if something invisible had yanked it—like a magnet finding something it had been waiting for.

Click! Click!

The subtle, crisp sound of the buttons clicking into place echoed in the room.

Right after that, Kyoji felt a tingling sensation spread across his skin. It was like millions of nano-sized needles lightly pricking him—not painful or uncomfortable, just... strange. An unnatural sensation.

Then, something even stranger happened. The oversized shirt, which had been at least twice his size, began to retract. Slowly at first, then more noticeably, until in a few seconds, it had adjusted perfectly to his size.

"Nice," Kyoji muttered, clearly impressed. "Is this the Arachsilk's ability?" he asked.

"Yes," Grandmaster Vellian said, eyes glowing with pride, a spark lighting up his face. "It's very durable, yet extremely elastic. It can stretch and retract many times its original size, which makes it perfect for you," he said with a wide smile.

Kyoji even noticed the man sneaking a glance toward Butler James—like a child quietly looking for their parent's approval after showing off a drawing.

But James didn't react at all. His eyes were still locked on Kyoji, face calm and unreadable. He didn't look impressed, nor unimpressed—just... studying.

"Are the other clothes made from the same fabric?" Kyoji asked, shifting his attention to the rest of the outfits on the rack.

"Yes, all of them," Vellian replied proudly.

"Oh," Kyoji muttered as he looked through the rest of the clothes.

Well, looks like the oversized sizes wouldn't be a problem after all.

"Oh, I also have this for you," Grandmaster Vellian added. With a single hand gesture, a new fabric materialized in his hand.

It was a simple white fabric, but its appearance made it feel like it had been woven from the soft light of the moon itself.

"This is called Mimic Weave," Grandmaster Vellian explained. "It's my latest creation. I combined Arachsilk with a special supplementary material that allows it to shift forms."

"Oh," Kyoji muttered again, brows slightly furrowed as he studied the fabric closely.

With just one look, he could tell this wasn't ordinary. It was plain, sure, but the subtle shimmer and the feeling it gave off... it screamed of something more—something extraordinary.

"Here, try it on," Grandmaster Vellian said, stretching his arm toward him.

Kyoji stared at the fabric for a few seconds, then reached out and took it from his hand.

The feel of it was just as it looked. Smooth—very smooth—and cold.

Not the kind of cold from a freezer, but more like something that had been left outside on a rainy night. It was also extremely light—so light it almost felt weightless in his hand.

"Nice," Kyoji muttered again, clearly impressed.

As someone who had spent over a decade researching mutant blood, he understood how difficult it was to create something extraordinary. It took insane effort, time, energy, and most importantly, a lot of failure. It could destroy a person's confidence if they weren't mentally strong.

So, seeing something this well-crafted, he couldn't help but appreciate the effort behind it. But he still had to try it first to be sure.

"So, how do I wear this?" Kyoji asked.

"Just like any other piece of clothing. Wrap it around your body and then think of the kind of outfit you want it to become. That's when the magic happens," Vellian replied with a proud smile.

Kyoji followed his instructions. First, he removed the white shirt he had on. The moment it came off, it returned to its original large size. Then, he wrapped the new fabric around his exposed torso.

Just like before, he felt that strange tingling sensation—millions of tiny needles touching his skin.

The feeling didn't last long, and a few moments later, the fabric clung snugly to his body, waiting for his command.

Kyoji didn't hesitate either. He began visualizing a white shirt just like the one he had taken off, and in the next moment, the seemingly plain fabric began to shift—morphing until it turned into a white shirt.

Extraordinary. Kyoji was impressed.

"Great, right?" Grandmaster Vellian asked, clearly excited to hear Kyoji's thoughts.

"Yes, it's quite nice," Kyoji replied in his usual distant tone. "The fabric... it all just feels right. I thought it would remain light because of how it felt in my hands, but with one thought, it changes completely."

"That's because of how it's crafted," Grandmaster Vellian explained. "The secondary material used was taken from a shape-shifting mutant. We managed to infuse part of its trait into the fabric. Though, it's still in its early stage of development, so there are a few issues here and there," he added.