I paused, thinking for a moment, then sighed and turned to her. "Yeah… I changed my mind. I don't want magic anymore."

She groaned dramatically, pulling away and throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Not like that! Come onnn~ be serious!"

I couldn't help but smirk a little at her reaction, despite how drained I felt. "Fine, fine. But I don't feel different. No sudden urges to float, no lightning bolts from my fingers, no glowing auras. Nothing."

Ayami squinted at me, leaning closer as if she were inspecting me for hidden powers. "Hmmm… maybe you're a late bloomer. Or maybe the ritual didn't fully kick in yet. Sometimes it takes a while for these things to manifest."

"So I might wake up one day accidentally exploding something?"

She grinned mischievously. "Exactly! Isn't that exciting?"

I just gave her a flat look, which only made her laugh. "Relax, Hikaru. If anything weird happens, I'm here to help. Or at least, I'll watch and take notes."

"Comforting," I replied dryly.

Ayami's smile softened, and before I could react, she suddenly transformed. In a blink of an eye, her body shrank, fur sprouted, and within seconds, she was a small, fluffy cat, sitting comfortably on my lap. Her bright eyes blinked up at me, and she nuzzled my chest with a soft purr.

I blinked in surprise, staring at the little cat now in my lap. "Ayami…? Is this another trick?"

She let out a soft meow, rubbing her head against me in an almost affectionate manner, clearly trying to comfort me. Her warmth and the gentle purring had an oddly calming effect on my tense nerves.

"You're—you're really doing this?" I asked, still trying to process what was happening.

The cat version of Ayami tilted her head, giving me a look that said, "Of course I am." Then, she nuzzled my hand and curled up in my lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I sighed, reaching down to stroke her soft fur, trying to ignore the swirl of thoughts in my mind. "I don't know how you can be so calm about all this. Everything's a mess, and you're just… purring on my lap."

She gave a contented meow, almost as if she was saying, "That's because you need to relax."

I let out a breath, and for a moment, I just sat there, letting the unexpected comfort of the cat's presence ease the tension in my chest. "Fine, I guess I can't argue with that. You're not exactly wrong."

Ayami, now fully content, curled up even tighter on my lap. "See? Sometimes you just need a little warmth." Her purring continued.

***

I walked out of Ayami's apartment, my mind still spinning from everything that had just happened. The cold evening air bit at my skin, but it did little to clear the fog in my head. My footsteps were slow as I made my way home, the weight of the day's events heavy on me. I needed time to think, but with so many questions swirling in my mind, it felt impossible to focus.

As I walked down the sidewalk, I spotted a familiar figure by a vending machine. It was Sakura, casually dressed in a sweater, her glasses fixed on the drink options in front of her, deep in thought. She hadn't noticed me yet.

I approached quietly, and once I was close enough, I called out, "You here?"

Sakura jumped, her body tensing as she turned to face me. Her eyes widened when she saw me standing there, and she let out a soft, startled laugh. "Oh, hey, Hikaru! You scared me."

"Sorry," I said, my voice distant, still caught up in the whirlwind of everything. "I didn't expect to run into you here."

She smiled, but there was a hint of concern in her expression, like she could sense something was off. "I was just trying to decide which drink to get..." Her gaze flickered from the machine to my shirt, then back to me. "You didn't go home yet?" she asked, curiosity in her voice.

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"Ah, yeah... just came from somewhere," I said, standing next to her, my gaze fixed on the vending machine.

Sakura glanced at me sideways before looking back at the machine. "Do you want to eat ramen?"

"Hm?"

"Oh! Uh, if you don't want to, it's fine!"

"...Ramen sounds good, it's cold anyway. Any recommendations?"

"I know a place! Come on!"

I nodded, following her as she turned and started walking down the street. The cold air felt sharper now, but the thought of warm ramen made it easier to ignore.

Sakura led me to a small, cozy restaurant tucked between two larger buildings. The warm glow from inside was inviting, and as we stepped through the door, the rich scent of broth and spices immediately hit me.

"We're here!" Sakura said with a smile, waving to the staff as we were shown to a corner table.

I sat down, feeling a bit more at ease. "This place looks pretty good."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites. You'll love it," she replied, sliding into the seat across from me.

A waiter came by shortly after, handing us menus. I glanced at the options, my mind still swirling with the events earlier, but the cozy atmosphere helped calm my nerves.

"Hikaru-san, what do you want to order?"

"Something normal."

Sakura looked at me, her glasses focusing on my eyes. "What was it? Isn't everything normal?"

I glanced at her glasses, noticing my reflection staring back at me. "You know, just a usual ramen—" That's when I realized the people around us were gone.

My eyes widened.

But unbeknownst to Sakura, she continued to scan the menu, muttering, "Umm... yeah, I think I'll take the usual ramen too... like the common people buy." She then looked up to search for the waitress, but froze when she noticed, "Wait... where is everyone?"

I didn't answer right away, my mind racing. Without warning, I reached up and touched the edge of her glasses. The world around us shifted as I activated the reflection of my mirror world.

Sakura blinked, looking around in confusion. "Hikaru-san...?"

I stood up, my steps quiet as I moved toward the door of the store, peering outside. The street was completely empty—no people, no cars—just an eerie stillness. I turned back to face Sakura, who was still processing everything but managed to stay composed.

"Sakura-san..." I began, my voice a little shakier than I intended. "Do you remember what I said on the rooftop?"

She looked up at me, her brow furrowing slightly. "What about it?"

"You believe in magic, right?"

She blinked, a hint of confusion still clouding her eyes. "That... what about it?"

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Let me tell you a secret... I can travel to the mirror world. I think I might have mentioned it before, but I just... forgot to tell you the details. And now, here we are." I gestured around us, the strange, silent world. "This is an exact replica of the real world... but there's no one here. Not a single living creature."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she stood up slowly, looking around in disbelief. "Wait, you mean... we're in some kind of... alternate world?"

I nodded. "Exactly. It's a place I can access through reflections, and right now, we're trapped in it. There's no one, no life, just... us."

"Oh no... then how do we get back?"

"Don't worry, it's easy. We just need to go through another mirror," I said, trying to reassure her. "But... how about we grab some food while we're here?" I glanced at the ramen kitchen, where there was plenty of stuff we could use to make our own.

"But it's... not good."

"It won't affect the real world," I said, grinning. "Come on, let's make some ramen for ourselves."

Sakura hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "What if there's someone... or what if we suddenly come back to the real world!?"

I gave her a reassuring smile, trying to ease her worries. "No chance. Trust me, we're fine. Besides, the mirror world is just a reflection. Nothing here can harm us. Come on, let's make the ramen."

She glanced around one last time, clearly not entirely convinced, but then sighed and nodded. "Alright... if you say so."

I led the way to the kitchen, the strange stillness of the world pressing in around us. The sounds of the kitchen were oddly comforting, and as we started preparing the ramen, it felt almost like normal—just two people hanging out, making food.

As the water boiled and the ingredients came together, the eerie atmosphere started to fade into the background, replaced by the simple task of cooking.

Sakura's eyes widened as she frantically looked around the kitchen. "Wait, wait, wait! Hikaru-san! How are we going to make the exact ramen here?!"

I paused, scratching my head. "Uh..." I muttered, scanning the shelves and counters for anything that could help us. "There might be a recipe here, let's just... figure it out."

I started rifling through the drawers and cabinets, hoping to find something that could guide us. Sakura followed, still looking skeptical but willing to help.

After a moment of searching, I found an old cookbook tucked between some other items on the counter. I opened it, flipping through the pages until I found a ramen recipe. "Aha! Here it is."

Sakura leaned in to take a look, her expression slightly more relieved. "That's... convenient," she said, almost with a touch of humor.

"Yeah, looks like we can just follow this." I grabbed the ingredients, starting to lay them out on the counter. "Don't worry, it'll be just like the real thing."

Sakura chuckled a bit, shaking her head. "I didn't think I'd be cooking in some weird mirror world today."

"Well," I said, smiling, "it's the perfect time to try new things."

To Be Continue.