Chapter 15 – “Faith”

Mira sat alone midnight at a quiet bar, the neon lights casting a faint glow against the window beside her. A half-empty glass of whiskey rested in her hand, her third for the night. She wasn't afraid—not of the hour, nor the dangers lurking in the city's shadows. She was strong. Her weapon was stashed safely in the car outside, and anyone foolish enough to try something would regret it.

But even the strongest have their breaking point.

She stared into her drink, the ice clinking softly as she swirled it. Her thoughts wandered—back to Takumi. From the very first mission when she was told to keep an eye on him, to the moments she scolded him, trained him, laughed with him. Somewhere along the way, without even realizing it… she had fallen for him.

And now he was gone.

Just like Yuki, her heart was shattered. But unlike Yuki, she didn't have the luxury of breaking down in front of others. She had to stay composed. For Edenfall. For everyone.

So she faked it.

"Takumi… I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice soft and broken. Her eyes stared forward, empty—lost in memories that no longer had a future.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. Ayato.

She stared at the name for a second before picking up.

"Mira? Where are you? It's time. We're retrieving Takumi's body," Ayato said gently.

She took a breath, her voice flat, drained.

"Do it without me, brother. I… I can't see him right now. It's too much. Too much sadness."

A pause.

"Bye."

She ended the call before he could respond and let the silence take over again.

Even Edenfall's strongest assassin could fall apart.

She had fallen asleep at the bar, slumped in the booth until morning. Fortunately, no one had bothered her throughout the night.

As the sun rose and the light crept in through the dusty windows, Mira stirred and checked her phone. Dozens of missed calls and messages from Ayato filled the screen.

One message stood out:

"Urgent. Come back to HQ. You have to see this."

Her brows furrowed. Still groggy, she dialed Ayato.

"What's so urgent?" she asked flatly.

"Where are you?" Ayato's voice came through, laced with concern. "I was worried… I didn't want to think the worst."

"How bad?" she replied, tone still tired.

"I thought... maybe Takumi's death pushed you too far. That you might..." he hesitated, "…do something reckless."

"No, nothing like that," she muttered. "Takumi gave his life for someone he loved. I'm not about to waste mine. If anything, I'll honor him by doing the same—when the time comes."

Ayato sighed with relief. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Now that you know I'm alive, what's so urgent? Your messages sounded serious."

"It's about Takumi," Ayato said cautiously. "You weren't there last night for the actual burial, right?"

"I told you—I couldn't do it. I went to the morning ceremony, that was enough. I couldn't bring myself to see him again."

"Well… that's the problem. We didn't bury him last night. We couldn't."

"What?" Mira's voice sharpened. "Why? Is Edenfall planning something? Just let him rest!"

"That's why I need you to come," Ayato said, his tone tense. "I can't explain it over the phone. You have to see it with your own eyes."

Mira was silent for a moment before finally replying, "Alright. I'm on my way."

After ending the call with Ayato, Mira sighed and muttered to herself as she grabbed her jacket and prepared to leave the bar.

"Hah… this must be one of Ayato's weird ideas again. Probably made some heartfelt request to Takamura-dono," she said, shaking her head. "I already told him I couldn't see Takumi right now… and yet he still insisted they wait for me."

"Heh… once again, I'm sorry, Takumi. Because of me, your rest had to wait." Mira smiled faintly, but her eyes betrayed the sorrow she carried.

Her second time attending his farewell.

Mira finally arrived at Edenfall HQ. As she stepped through the doors, Ayato was already waiting for her in the front hall.

"There you are!" Ayato said with relief, ruffling his younger sister's hair.

"Stop it—you're embarrassing me," she muttered, brushing his hand off.

"Let me guess… you requested Takamura-dono to postpone Takumi's burial until I got here, didn't you? I told you I couldn't handle seeing him again."

"Wait, wait—it's not like that," Ayato said quickly, raising his hands. "Just hold on until we get down there. I can't explain it here."

The two entered the lift, the doors sliding shut behind them as it began descending toward the underground level.

"This better be serious," Mira muttered. "If I find out you delayed Takumi's rest over some dumb plan, I swear I'll kick you in the face. Do you realize how long he's already waited?"

"Whoa, whoa, easy!" Ayato chuckled nervously. "It's not my plan. And it's definitely not dumb. Master ordered it."

"What?" Mira blinked. "You mean Takamura-dono told you to wait?"

"Yeah," Ayato nodded. "He told us to postpone the burial."

"That doesn't make sense..." Mira frowned. "Yesterday, he was the one pushing for an immediate burial. He looked devastated. Now you're telling me he's part of this nonsense too?" She clenched her fists. "Ayato, if you dragged him into one of your ridiculous schemes, I will knock you out."

Ayato gave her a sheepish grin. "Just wait a little longer. You'll understand, when you see it yourself."

The elevator chimed softly as it reached the underground level.

As Mira and Ayato arrived, they made their way to the room where Takumi lay. The moment Mira stepped inside and caught a glimpse of him, her eyes immediately turned away.

On the bed, his body rested beneath a blanket, the faint trace of a smile still frozen on his face.

"Takumi…" Mira whispered, but she kept her gaze on the floor, unable to bear the sight.

"Now what?" she asked, forcing composure as she turned to Ayato.

"Wait until Master gets here," he replied softly.

Moments later, Raizen Takamura entered the room, accompanied by Dr. Reika Morikawa.

"Takamura-dono, you summoned me?" Mira asked, keeping her voice steady. "May I ask why Takumi's burial has been delayed?"

"Yes, Mira. But first, let me explain. Something strange happened last night after we retrieved his body," Raizen said calmly.

"Reika, go ahead," he added with a nod.

Dr. Reika stepped forward with a coy smile. "Well, I spent the entire night with Takumi-kun," she purred teasingly.

Mira's eyes narrowed. "You—! This woman—!"

Reika was the head doctor of Edenfall, known for her brilliance… and her unnerving obsession with beautiful male bodies. Takumi, with his physique, was no exception to her desires.

"Wait, Mira-chan. Just look for yourself," Reika said, peeling back the blanket.

"Whoa—not all of him, Reika-chan!" Ayato shouted, instinctively covering his eyes with a hand.

"What are you doing?!" Mira snapped, flinching away and turning red. "If you don't show some respect to Takumi's body, I swear—!"

"Sorry, sorry," Reika giggled, adjusting the blanket. "Got carried away. His lower half's covered again."

Raizen let out a quiet sigh at Reika's behavior before speaking.

"Mira," he said, his tone shifting to something more serious. "Now, take a look."

eluctantly, Mira turned her head. Her breath caught.

Her eyes widened as she took in what she was seeing—something that shouldn't be possible.

"This… what does this mean?" she whispered, stunned.

Witnessing the impossible.

Mira stood frozen as she looked down at Takumi. His lower half remained covered by a blanket, but what was visible left her stunned.

The wounds from slashes and blunt force trauma—injuries that should have marked the final moments of his life—were fading. Slowly but surely, his body was healing. Most shockingly, his left arm, once severed, was now regenerating, already grown back to the wrist.

"I-It's impossible…" Mira whispered, eyes wide. "Reika-san, what does this mean?"

Reika folded her arms, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "As you can see, his body is healing itself. His heart hasn't resumed beating yet... but this?" She gestured toward the regenerating limb. "This body is far from dead."

"On the day you reported him KIA… you said his arm was gone, right?" Reika asked, still in disbelief.

Ayato stepped in. "Yeah. But when I picked him up, his arm had already started growing back. Slowly... but it was happening."

Mira turned to him, voice tense. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ayato scratched the back of his head. "Honestly? Even if you saw it yourself, would you have believed me?"

Mira's lips trembled. Tears welled in her eyes. She rushed to Takumi's side, falling to her knees and hugging him tightly.

"Takumi… Takumi! Please… are you in there? Answer me!" she cried, her voice breaking as the tears fell freely.

Reika chuckled lightly. "Well, well… guess I'm not the only one who finds him irresistible."

"Reika, please," Raizen said with a sigh, clearly used to her antics. "Let's keep this professional."

"Mira," Raizen continued, voice low and serious. "I don't want to give you false hope. As Reika said, he has no heartbeat. He's still… gone."

"But he's regenerating!" Mira insisted. "His body—he's fighting! I know it… I know he's still in there!"

"For now, let your boyfriend rest, Mira-chan," Reika teased, raising a brow. "We don't know what he'll become if he fully regenerates."

"Thank you, Reika-san," Mira said, wiping her eyes. "I don't know what you're doing or how this is possible—but if there's any way I can help bring him back—"

"Oh, don't thank me," Reika said, shrugging. "I'm not doing anything. This regeneration? It's all him. He's healing on his own. Frankly, I'm just as confused as you are. But I'll keep a close eye on him once he's fully recovered."

The flicker of hope that had sparked in Mira's chest began to burn brighter. The weight pressing on her chest felt a little lighter, like the world wasn't so dark anymore.

"But don't get too excited just yet," Ayato warned gently. "Even Reika-chan has no idea what's really going on. We need time to observe."

"I understand," Mira said, her voice steadier now. "If there's anything I can do to help… anything at all—just say it, Reika-san."

"Anything, hmm?" Reika smirked. "How about letting me date your brother then, Mira-chan?"

"What?" Mira blinked. "If you want Ayato, that's your business."

Ayato's soul nearly left his body. "Hiiiii… she's terrifying…" he thought, trying to look calm on the outside.

"Anyway," Raizen interjected firmly, "Mira, this stays between us. No one connected to Takumi up there can know about this. We observe only. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Mira replied with a nod. "I'll keep it quiet." 

Glimpse of hope.