Two days had passed sihe battle that night.

  Though the city seemed normal on the surface, somethi different.

  After the i, I began to realize ohing: this ied world was darker than it appeared on the surfabsp;

  The frequent murder cases, Witches living in the shadows of society unnoticed, and the fact that Witches couldn’t be killed in the Omnion World.

  I didn’t know why, but there was a certain rule that made them invincible in their own world.

  And that meant the only way to kill a Witch was in the Real World.

  In this world.

  Amidst all of that, I also learned a fact that troubled me.

  Azami Yuki—the female version of myself—was the only Indepe Witch to ever exist.

  So, why did she lower her rank? And what caused her rank to drop?

  And most importantly—why was she trying so hard to hide all of this from me?

  Even though I realized that I might mean nothing to her, and perhaps she only saw me as someone from nowhere who needed help, we had lived together for quite some time. Couldn’t that have fostered some trust between us?

  That day, I decided to ask her directly.

  When I returo the apartment, Azami was sitting on the sofa, reading a thick book whose title I didn’t reize.

  I stood in front of her, took a deep breath, and said, “Azami, I want to ask you something.”

  She closed her book calmly. “Hmm? About what?”

  I looked into her eyes.

  “Why did you lower your own rank?”

  She paused for a moment.

  Then, she smiled. “Why are you suddenly ied in that?”

  I frowned. “I’ve been ied for a while, but you never really answered.”

  Azami sighed, then stood up from the sofa.

  “Yuki, this isn’t something you o think about,” she said, as if it really wasn’t important to me.

  I ched my fists. Why was she always like this?

  “What do you mean it’s not something I o think about?” I asked, my voice rising slightly.

  Azami looked at me, then suddenly smiled.

  “Isn’t it better if you don’t know?”

  I frowned. “Why?”

  Azami walked past me toward the kit, ign me pletely.

  “Azami, I’m serious!”

  She stopped for a moment, then spoke without turning around.

  “Yuki. I’m serious too,” her tone was cold.

  I fell silent.

  Why was she so closed off about this?

  What was she really hiding?

  I followed her to the kit.

  “If you don’t want to answer about your rank, at least answer another question.”

  She opehe cupboard and took out a cup. “What question?”

  I stared at her babsp;

  “Why am I here?”

  Her hand paused for a moment before she reached for the kettle.

  I tinued.

  “From all the events that have happeo me since I moved to this ied world, I know this isn’t an act. I know there’s a reason why I ended up in this world. And I also know… you know the reason, don’t you, Azami?”

  She remained silent.

  “Azami, I’m not stupid. I’ve noticed how you always avoid my questions. You always ge the subject, and I’m sure—you’re hiding something from me.”

  She finally turned around.

  Her face was still calm, but there was something in her eyes that I couldn’t expin.

  “…If I said, ‘I called you here,’ would you believe me?” she said, her gaze cold as she looked at me as if she had just revealed a fact that wasn’t very important to her.

  I tensed.

  “…What?”

  Azami smiled faintly.

  “But I won’t expin the reason,” she said before sippiea casually.

  I stared at her in disbelief.

  So… she really did brio this world?

  I felt my blood run cold.

  Why couldn’t she expin the reason?

  I ched my fists. “Azami, please. I o know.”

  She set her cup oable, then walked closer. Without me realizing it, I stepped back as if trying to escape from her, and I kept stepping batil my back finally hit the wall behind me.

  Before I could react further—she was already in front of me—pinning me in a kabedon position—too close.

  She looked directly into my eyes and said softly,

  “Yuki, you o stop asking.”

  I swallowed hard.

  Not because I was scared, but because I could feel something behind her words.

  Azami roteg me from something.

  But what?

  Before I could ask further, she stepped bad smiled faintly.

  “Well, are you hungry? I’m going to cook.”

  I could only stand still.

  She had successfully ged the subject again.

  But this time…

  I wouldn’t stop until I found out the truth.