I stood in the exact same karaoke building, but now within the mirror world. The shattered glass from the real world had formed into jagged shards around me, rising from the ground like frozen spikes.

Carefully, I picked up one of the larger glass shards, its surface reflecting the snowy street outside. I started walking toward the center of the empty, mirrored street, stopping at the exact spot where I remembered the samurai standing.

I slowly raised the shard in front of my face, angling it just right to peer into the real world.

"There he is…" I muttered under my breath. My eyes locked onto the samurai, katana raised high, ready to strike.

"I just need to… take the katana…" My voice was barely a whisper.

Without hesitation, I reached my hand through the glass, breaking the barrier between the mirror world and reality.

***

In the real world, the samurai’s grip tightened on his katana, preparing to bring it down with deadly force. But suddenly—

"Huh?"

His swing halted mid-air.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowing in confusion. A hand, seemingly appearing from thin air, gripped the blade of his katana, stopping it cold.

***

Meanwhile, inside the karaoke lounge, chaos erupted.

"H-Hey! Where did Hikaru go?!" Risa’s voice cracked with panic as she frantically looked around.

"He—he just disappeared!"

Risa turned to Sakura, who stood frozen, staring at the shattered glass on the floor.

Sakura’s expression was tense, her eyes focused. She didn’t say much, but deep down, she knew exactly where Hikaru had gone.

The mirror world.

But right now… she couldn't explain that.

The samurai gritted his teeth, yanking his katana with a sharp pull. The mysterious hand that had gripped his blade slipped away, vanishing into thin air as if it had never been there.

"Tch…" He narrowed his eyes, scanning the area, confused and visibly frustrated. "What… was that?"

But there was nothing—no enemy, no explanation.

***

Back in the mirror world, I slowly pulled my hand back through the glass shard, the cold surface rippling briefly like water before returning to solid form.

I let out a shaky breath, my reflection staring back at me from the jagged glass.

It worked…

I could see the real world clearly through the shard. The samurai was still standing in the snow-covered street, wary now, glancing around with suspicion.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

But Ayami-san…

I turned the glass slightly, my eyes locking onto her puma form. She was crouched low in the snow, chest rising and falling as she caught her breath, eyes still locked on the samurai.

If I can distract him again… maybe she can fight back.

I tightened my grip on the glass shard, heart pounding.

I just need the right moment.

Ayami narrowed her eyes, still catching her breath. A hand… but whose? The confusion flickered across her feline features for only a second.

Then—

PLAK!

A sharp slap echoed through the snowy street.

The samurai's head jerked to the side, his cheek stinging from the sudden strike. He stumbled back a step, blinking in disbelief.

"Kh—!?" He snapped his gaze around, furious. "Is that your ally, Ayami…?" His grip tightened on the katana, knuckles white with frustration.

Ayami’s sharp eyes glinted, a smirk creeping onto her feline face.

"No idea," she growled, claws digging into the snow. "But it looks like you’ve got two enemies now."

Without wasting another second, Ayami lunged forward, her powerful legs propelling her through the snow as she aimed straight for the samurai.

The samurai snarled in frustration, raising his katana high, the blade glinting against the snow as he prepared to swing at Ayami. "Don't be so foolish!" he bellowed, his voice filled with fury.

But just as his strike was about to land—

Thrust!

Out of nowhere, a hand emerged from thin air, stopping right in front of his face. Two fingers extended jabbing directly into his eyes.

"Aghhhhhh!"

The samurai howled in pain, stumbling backward as his free hand clutched at his face. His katana wavered in his grip, the strike completely disrupted.

Ayami skidded to a stop, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. She quickly shook it off, taking full advantage of the samurai’s disoriented state.

"Looks like you've got more to worry about than just me," she quipped before lunging at him again, her claws aiming straight for his exposed side.

Ayami didn’t waste a second.

Slash!

Swipe!

Claw!

She unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes, her powerful claws slashing through the air with lethal precision. The samurai stumbled backward, barely managing to block some of the blows with his katana, but his movements were sluggish after being blinded.

"Damn you—!" he growled, swinging wildly in desperation, but Ayami easily dodged, her feline agility making her movements fluid and unpredictable.

Meanwhile, inside the karaoke building, chaos erupted.

"Ahhh! It’s coming this way!" someone screamed.

The patrons, gripped by fear, began to panic. Tables and chairs toppled over as people scrambled for safety, pushing and shoving to get away from the shattered windows.

"Get inside the rooms! Lock the doors!" the karaoke staff shouted, trying to guide everyone into the private booths.

Risa and Sakura were caught in the middle of the chaos.

Risa grabbed Sakura’s arm, her eyes wide with fear. "Come on! Let’s hide!"

Sakura hesitated, glancing at the broken glass where Hikaru had vanished. Hikaru-san… what are you doing? she thought, but Risa pulled her along, and they dashed into one of the karaoke rooms, slamming the door behind them.

Outside, the snowy street was a battlefield.

Ayami’s onslaught forced the samurai to his knees, blood dripping from fresh gashes along his arms. He growled, gritting his teeth, but Ayami loomed over him.

"You're finished," she snarled, ready to strike the final blow.

As Ayami slowly shifted back into her human form, a hand suddenly appeared out of thin air, reaching out to her and waving slightly.

Is that... Hikaru-kun? she wondered, eyeing the hand cautiously.

Hesitating for only a moment, she reached out and grabbed it.

In an instant, the hand yanked her forcefully, pulling her into another world.

The snowy battlefield vanished, replaced by the cold, silent reflection of the mirror world.

"You okay?!" I asked, relieved to see her, but I had pulled her too hard—

Thud!

Ayami tumbled onto the snowy ground with a soft groan.

"Ugh..." she winced, slowly pushing herself up.

I scratched the back of my head, awkwardly avoiding her glare. "Uh... sorry. Didn’t mean to pull you that hard."

Ayami sighed, brushing the snow off her clothes. "You really need to work on your timing."

Instead of getting mad, Ayami smiled softly. "I'm glad you helped me... but how did you manage to pull off that move?"

"Uh... well," I scratched the back of my head, feeling a bit awkward. "I kinda figured out that if I stare into a mirror or any reflection while I'm in the mirror world, I can watch the real world… like it's playing right in front of me."

Ayami’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "...I see."

There was a brief pause before I spoke again, my curiosity getting the better of me. "But... who was that samurai guy?"

To Be Continue.