Kimiko hoisted herself through the open window, landing softly inside the mansion. She straightened, brushing off her clothes, and took a moment to look around.

“Wow,” she muttered. “And here I thought I lived in a big house…”

The inside was just as grand as she’d imagined—maybe even more. Dim lighting cast long shadows across the marble floors, and the sheer size of the place made her uneasy. It was eerily quiet, the kind of quiet that made it easy to get lost.

Keeping low, she started moving, peeking through hallways and up the grand staircase. The more she wandered, the more she wondered how she was supposed to find Zane in this massive place.

Then she heard his voice.

“So, if I wanted a snack, how would that work? Do you guys have an evil chef that prepares it, or are you handling that too?”

Kimiko peeked over a railing and spotted him walking beside a tall, dark-haired man—Kaito. Zane, to her absolute disbelief, looked relaxed. Completely at ease, like he wasn’t being held hostage in a villain’s mansion.

How is he this calm? she thought.

Kaito didn’t respond, but Zane kept talking. “Oh, I see how it is. First you’re a tour guide, now you’re a chef, too? Man, you’re so cool. But, you y’know, you could talk a little more.”

Still nothing.

Kimiko followed them as they entered the kitchen. She stayed low, creeping behind a counter while Zane’s voice continued filling the room. At this point, it sounded less like a conversation and more like a monologue.

''I mean, seriously—I’ve been carrying this whole conversation like it’s open mic night. At this point, I might let you hit just to get a reaction. You know? I am that desperate.”

Kaito grabbed a glass and filled it with water, completely ignoring him.

Zane sighed dramatically. “Man, this is rough. I feel like I’m talking to a wall—”

He paused. Over Kaito’s shoulder, he saw Kimiko creeping in. She had a pan in her hands, raising it as she got closer.

Zane, catching on, kept talking. “And the worst part is, I know you can talk. You just won’t. Like, at this point, I’d settle for a grunt or something, just to let me know you have a soul.”

Kaito reached for something on the counter.

Zane smirked. “Actually, better idea—how about we discuss your backstory? You know, because you totally scream person with a dark past.”

Kimiko got into position.

Zane clapped his hands. “Alright! So let’s start with your childhood—”

Kaito suddenly spoke. “Is your friend going to want snacks too?”

Kimiko froze.

Oh, crap—

Before she could process how he’d noticed her, she swung the pan anyway, slamming it into Kaito’s head—

—or at least, she tried.

The pan bent against him like it had just hit a wall. Kaito didn’t even flinch.

He turned to face her completely.

Zane groaned. “Nice job, Miss Smart Pants. Not only did you fail to knock him out, but you also ruined my chances of making a new friend.”

He flicked his wrist, black lightning crackling to life around his fingers. “Guess I’ll have to make up for that—”

Zane fired a bolt straight at Kaito—

—but Kaito grabbed Kimiko and ducked down, dodging the attack entirely.

The lightning bolt struck the oven with a sharp crack, sparks flying as the metal hissed and blackened as flames flickered to life inside.

The fire alarm blared through the kitchen, its shrill wail echoing off the high ceilings. Zane winced. “Well, that’s one way to heat things up—”

Kimiko, now held against Kaito’s side, went stiff. “Hey! You could’ve hit me with that!”

Zane shrugged. “But I didn’t.”

Before she could have shot back, Kaito snapped his fingers. Extinguishing the flames in an instant and launching both Zane and Kimiko backward into opposite walls with a heavy thud.

The alarm still wailed. Zane groaned from where he was sprawled. “Okay, note to self—don’t mess with this guy.”

As they were getting up, Kaito stared down at them, arms crossed.

“Behave.”

Kaito dusted off his hands, his expression neutral. “I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said evenly. “As long as you don’t act stupid, I won’t have a reason to.”

Kimiko narrowed her eyes. “Then let us go.”

Kaito tilted his head slightly, his gaze shifting to her. “You can leave anytime.” His focus sharpened on Zane. “But he stays here for now.”

Kimiko clenched her fists, glancing at Zane, who was still sitting on the floor, watching the exchange like it was some mildly interesting debate show.

Kaito frowned slightly, something off settling into his gut. “Would you tell me how you got in?”

Kimiko shrugged, crossing her arms. “Oh, you know. I’m just going to tell you.”

Kaito’s expression didn’t change, but his voice carried a sharper edge. “Did you close the window?”

Kimiko froze. “…How did you know?”

Kaito didn’t answer. He spun on his heel and strode toward the kitchen door, yanking it open. The hallway beyond was no longer empty. A pale mist coiled along the floor, moving like it had a mind of its own.

Kimiko and Zane scrambled to their feet. Kimiko was the first to see it. “Uh… That’s not normal.”

Zane joined her at the doorway, squinting at the sight. “Hey, Kaito, does this place usually come with… indoor fog?”

The mist curled toward Kaito’s feet. He stepped back swiftly, raising a hand. A brief pulse of energy rippled from his palm, disrupting the mist for a moment, but it thickened again just as quickly.

Zane frowned. “Uh, is mist supposed to do that?”

Kaito’s shoulders tensed. “No.” His voice was calm, but there was a new urgency in it. “Run.”

The mist surged forward.

Kimiko grabbed Zane’s wrist. “You heard the man. Run!”

They bolted, Kaito clapping his hands together, releasing a shockwave, blasting the mist back, clearing a path. He rushed after them, navigating the halls.

Zane, keeping pace, threw a glance back. “So, this mist thing—what’s the deal? Is it haunted? Did Akira install a supervillain fog machine? Because if this is for ‘evil ambiance,’ I gotta say, solid commitment.”

Kimiko huffed. “Less talking, more running!”

Kaito ignored both of them, eyes scanning ahead. But the mist was moving faster, curling up from the floors, creeping in from the walls no matter which way they turned, the mist was always ahead of them.

Zane exhaled sharply. “Wow. It’s almost like we’re being cornered or something.”

Kimiko shot him a look. “Really? You think?”

Kaito didn’t acknowledge their remarks. His eyes flickered between the possible routes.

The mist swirled, twisting into delicate tendrils that reached toward them like silent, seeking fingers.

Kimiko shivered. “I don’t like this.”

Zane frowned, watching the mist drift toward his shoes. “Yeah, I’d vote we leave, but—uh—” He gestured in every direction. “Exit’s kinda fogged up.”

A slow, melodic chuckle echoed softly through the thickened air.

Kimiko stiffened. “That… didn’t come from any of us, right?”

Zane gulped. “Kaito, do you secretly have a feminine, echo-y laugh? ‘Cause if so, now’s the time to confess.”

Kaito’s expression remained unreadable. He tightened his stance, ready to act.

The mist curled closer.

Then, something changed.

Kimiko slowed slightly, her breath steadying. A strange warmth settled into her limbs.

“Hm?” She blinked lazily. “Feels… kinda nice.”

Kaito shot her a sharp glance. “Stay awake.”

Kimiko wobbled slightly. Her lips curved into a soft smile.

The fog curled higher, wrapping around their legs.

Kimiko’s voice softened, dreamy. “She’s beautiful.”

Zane’s stomach twisted. “Who?”

“The woman in the mist,” Kimiko murmured, her half-lidded gaze following the mist’s graceful movements. “Someone like this… They wouldn’t be a brute. It’s too elegant.”

Zane’s pulse quickened.

“Kimiko, stay with me!” He reached for her, but his limbs felt heavier. His own breath slowed, thoughts blurring at the edges.

Kimiko’s lips parted slightly.

“She’s… calling me.”

Zane’s instincts screamed at him.

But the mist had already wrapped around his mind. His vision blurred.

Kimiko’s head dipped forward slightly.

“It almost reminds me of…” she whispered.

Then she collapsed.

Zane’s vision darkened. His knees buckled.

The last thing he saw before his body gave in was the mist swallowing them whole.

Kaito, however, remained standing.

His breath steadied. His muscles tensed. The mist clawed at his senses, tried to pull him under—but he was used to this. His body instinctively adjusted, resisting the haze that clouded his mind.

A slow, melodic chuckle drifted through the mist.

“Mm... And here I was, hoping you'd keep our last farewell a little more final.”

His jaw tightened. His stance subtly shifted. His breathing remained steady.

A silhouette emerged, stepping forward as though the mist itself had shaped her into existence.

Lan-Xia.

Her long red hair cascaded over her shoulders, strands lifting slightly as if caressed by the mist. A mischievous smile curved her lips, her half-lidded eyes locked onto him like a predator sizing up its prey.

Her fan rested lightly in one hand, partially open.

“You should have kept your promise,” she mused, tilting her head. “Would’ve saved me the trouble.”

Kaito exhaled through his nose, unmoving.

“Let me explain.”

Lan-Xia chuckled, stepping closer. With every movement, the mist curled protectively around her.

“It is a little late for that, don’t you think, dear?”

And then—she was gone.

The mist collapsed inward.

Kaito barely shifted his weight before the first strike came.

A whisper of motion, fast and precise.

He pivoted sharply, the cold kiss of steel grazing his throat, missing by a breath.

Then—another attack. Then a third. Each one from a different angle.

He moved on instinct alone. The mist robbed him of sight and stole every natural advantage. His lungs burned. His muscles ached.

“Tsk, tsk, Kaito… You’re so tense.”

Her voice drifted through the fog, everywhere and nowhere at once.

Kaito slid back, grounding himself. “Calm down.”

Then—he struck.

A shockwave detonated outward. The sheer force blasted the mist apart for a single breath—long enough to see her.

Lan-Xia stood just beyond his reach, untouched.

She smiled.

“Mmm, you still have the spirit… I like that.”

The mist surged forward and pressed him down.

Heavy. Thick. Poisonous.

Kaito’s breath slowed. His limbs grew heavier. His heartbeat faltered. The air itself turned to lead in his lungs.

Lan-Xia giggled softly, her voice dangerously close to his ear.

“You always did have a bad habit of holding back, darling…”

Kaito moved, but he was slower. A blade slipped through his guard, carving a shallow line across his ribs.

The sting registered immediately.

Then—heat.

A slow, acrid burn seeped into his skin, curling through his veins like fire. The most around him have turned into poison.

Then his power surged.

A deep pulse radiated from his core, snapping through his muscles like a tightening coil. His veins cooled. His heartbeat steadied, forcing his body into balance.

The suffocation faded. The weight lifted. The numbness disappeared.

And he countered.

His hand shot forward. Caught her wrist mid-strike.

Then, with brutal force, he slammed her into the ground.

The floor shattered.

Lan-Xia let out a soft gasp, then… laughed.

“Ohhh, Kaito… So forceful.”

The mist darkened.

It swallowed them whole.

Kaito’s grip tightened as he pinned Lan-Xia to the ground, his knee pressing into her wrist to keep her blade at bay. The impact had cracked the floor beneath them, dust and splinters rising in the thickened mist.

Lan-Xia, despite being restrained, only smiled. A slow, sultry curve of her lips.

Then—the air shifted.

A sudden wave of heat pulsed through the mist. The chill that had numbed the room moments ago gave way to an oppressive warmth, the very air growing heavy. Kaito’s skin prickled as he felt it—the mist itself was changing.

He didn’t hesitate. “You won’t do it.”

Lan-Xia tilted her head, eyes gleaming with amusement. “Are you sure about that?”

The temperature spiked. The mist around them shimmered, wavering as invisible energy pulsed through it. Kaito’s muscles tensed, every instinct screaming at him to brace for the inevitable. If she ignited the gas in the air, the entire mansion could go up in flames.

Kaito’s muscles coiled, ready to brace for the explosion—

But then… something felt off.

The temperature spiked, but the mist didn’t combust. It wavered.

Kaito’s eyes narrowed. She’s not going to ignite it.

It was never about the explosion.

He turned sharply—too late. The mist collapsed inward, swallowing her whole.

And when it cleared—

Zane and Kimiko were gone.

A faint whisper echoed through the air.

“Until next time, darling.”