The fan had stopped rotating, it was probably broken. Oda wanted to get up from his bed, he wanted to do something, but what that something was eluded him. He did not know how to feel about the events of the past few days, he did not know how to feel about Alice. After that incident in the alleyway, he had spoken to Evelina and the two of them had decided that it would probably be for the best if Alice stayed with her for the time being. She had detailed that she would rent a hotel room for the two of them for now, although Oda wanted to protest against it given the situation he did not feel like he had the energy to do so. But it wasn’t like he would never be given another chance to confront the bright-haired girl again as they had exchanged phone numbers after the strange incident. Although Oda wanted to take Alice back to the hospital given the condition her body was in, the girl herself had been strongly against the idea. Not being in a position where he felt like he had the right to speak up, Alice having run away from his home and all, Oda had simply accepted the decision and kept his head low.

He reached for a pack of nearby cigarettes, there were several on the table next to his bed, as he opened it Oda was disappointed as the sight that greeted him was that of emptiness. Letting out a disappointed sigh, he rummaged through the packages one after another but despite their sheer number he was unable to find a single intact cigarette. He got up and went into the kitchen, rummaging through various boxes and drawers in search of some much needed nicotine. But despite his efforts, Oda found nothing. He even got so desperate that he ended up looking under his bed, but all he found was dust and an old manga book which was unusual. Oda did not read a lot of manga, and he certainly didn't read this type of manga, its cover depicting a girl with cherry pink hair and a similarly colored dress. Its name was Magical Girl-something something, Oda didn't look that carefully because he wasn't that interested in the first case and it probably belonged to Alice, its reason for being here merely being that it was forgotten when she left. How it ended up under his bed, however, remained a mystery.

Oda picked up the book and placed it on a nearby counter; he didn’t want to lose it in case he were to receive an opportunity to give it back to Alice. He felt hungry, as he was about to head to the kitchen to get himself another unhealthy snack of some sort his movements were interrupted as a sharp buzzing suddenly filled the apartment. The first thought that came to mind was that Alice had returned, but as he looked through the peephole what he saw was an unknown man with white hair. Before he could even begin to think about whether letting this man in or not was the right choice, the person on the other side of the door began speaking to him, “Hey, my name is Mifuyu, a friend of Jonathan. You know the guy you used to stay with in the hospital, can I come inside, we need to talk for a moment.”

Not really knowing how to react to that, Oda would be quiet for a moment until he realized how awkward the whole situation was and let the man inside, he wasn't very intimidating after all. The casually clothed man greeted Oda with a handshake as soon as he got inside the small apartment, “My name is Mifuyu, although my friends call me Mii.” Oda would be slow to respond, “The name is Oda, Kaguri Oda.” and ended up introducing himself like he was some sort of secret agent.

It was not long until Oda realized just how dirty his apartment was, although Alice didn’t seem to mind it he became severely self aware as he noticed just how neat the person in front of him really was, although he had long hair, it was well brushed and his casual yet seemingly expensive clothes were completely foreign to stains or tears, something that couldn’t be said about Oda’s clothing. Oda was given little time to think about the kind of appearance he must have been giving this stranger, however, as it seemed like Mifuyu was capable of reading his very thoughts. “Perhaps you would prefer it if we spoke somewhere else?”

This was exactly the excuse Oda needed to get out of this awkward situation and he accepted it without a second thought. “Yeah, that would be better, just give me a second to get ready first.” Mifuyu would nod, and his white hair would follow with his head as it moved up and down. “I’ll be outside when you're ready.” With those words he disappeared outside into the cool winter air, although December was just around the corner there was still no snow, when Oda had changed into a better set of clothes the sun had already begun setting, making Mifuyu's hair appear more golden than white as he leaned against a single barren tree that had been planted outside the apartment complex untold years ago.

The moment he saw Oda come out of the concrete building he would lead the way to a rather small club located on the fourth floor of another apartment complex. To get there they had to walk for several minutes, during which Mifuyu took the opportunity to ask various questions to learn more about Oda, Oda tried to ask a few questions in return but had a hard time doing so given just how frequent Mifuyu inquired him about various tidbits of information. Once they got to the bar he was given a moment of respite as Mifuyu spoke to the older lady that acted as the place's bartender. The club had a color scheme that mainly consisted of red and black, although a few traces of golden color could be seen here and there within the small locale. Despite its luxurious appearance, the place was barren, the only one inside apart from the two of them and the bartender being an older man who sat alone in a corner.

Mifuyu instructed Oda to take a seat before ordering two soft drinks, a moment or two later, he joined him at the dark-wooden table. It would be quite hard for the other two to hear what they were talking about from where they were sitting, the white haired man across from Oda was the one who started speaking first. “I think it's time I got straight to the point, two days ago you came across Alice and Evelina in an backalley by chance. Would you mind recalling what you saw there?” Oda had no idea how the strange man knew about either Alice or Evelinas existence in the first place, much less how he knew that they had been in that alley that day or that Oda had seen them when that happened, but he was now in a situation where he couldn’t deny it. He leaned back, making it clear that this was a subject that he would prefer not to talk about. “Well, truth be told, I myself do not really know what I saw that day.” Mifuyu was quick to respond “That is the most common reaction, after all, most people would never imagine the existence of people capable of the supernatural in our world.”

The white-eyed man leaned closer to Oda “But… you have been shaken awake from that illusion, no longer obvious to the fact that superhumans walk amongst us.” The blonde looked at the white-clad man like he had just confessed to a murder, although perhaps with a bit more confusion than fear. “I myself happen to be one of those gifted, strength, speed and endurance, all beyond what a normal human would ever hope of achieving is nothing but the baseline for this condition.” Oda’s eyes widened, he believed that he had experienced that superhuman strength himself first hand, remembering his encounter with that black-haired youngster a few weeks ago. He could still feel a faint pain in his leg from that time, “Hmph, surely there must be some sort of logical explanation. What are you gonna say next, that you can read my mind as well?” He said remembering how keenly the man had read him back at his apartment.

“Not really, although I do possess a special skill of sorts that allows me to see more than most. For example, I can tell that you have placed your house keys in his right pocket.” Oda was first psyched out about this, but realized quickly that was where most people had their keys. While it wasn’t conclusive proof, the blonde started getting the feeling that the man before him was little more than a faker, someone who claimed to be beyond their true capabilities. It was not much dissimilar to how magicians put up magic shows really. Deciding to respond to him, a slight grin was visible on Oda’s face as he spoke. “Well, I think that you have your keys in your right pocket as well, after all that is the norm-”

But before Oda could finish his sentence he was interrupted by Mifuyu as the white-haired man continued speaking. “Also, in your left pocket you have your lighter. Black is it? If I’m not wrong, it’s from America, Lockhart even. Fancy stuff.” Taken aback by that statement, which was completely true, Oda’s mind stormed for possible reasons for how Mifuyu could know that, had he been watching him for some time? Maybe he peeked into Oda’s apartment while he was changing and saw the lighter, no, that couldn’t have been possible as Oda had changed in his bedroom where the curtains had been pulled down. Eventually, he had to settle for the conclusion that he would be unable to come up with a logical explanation for what had just happened.

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“Well, let's say I do believe you, what are you gonna say next? That there are dragons and demons hiding in the land, unknown to the public?” Now that someone else confirmed the reality of what he had seen and felt that day, making it clear to Oda that it was no dream but in fact reality, his mind had opened to the concept of the supernatural. He was intrigued by it, as anyone would be, what had previously just been fairy tales and fantasies had the potential to turn into reality. At the same time, Oda himself realized that he was not blessed with any supernatural powers and therefore came to the logical conclusion that Mifuyu was merely talking with him as a way to get to Alice, the source of the phenomena. It was painful, to know that he wasn’t actually wanted but merely a stepping stone, still Oda didn’t want to seem stupid so he said out loud what was spelled on the wall. “You want to meet Alice, right?”

“Ehh?” It seemed as if Oda’s hunch was off, given the both surprised and offended look that Mifuyu was displaying. “You think I’m just using you to get to her.” He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head backwards until his white hair looked like a river descending from his head, a head whose eyes were firmly focused on the patterned ceiling. After about a moment, he looked Oda dead in the eye and said; “I think that you don’t see yourself as a special person, but Oda, if there is one piece of advice that I can give to you it is this; believe in yourself. A little bit of confidence can go a long way. That is something that took me 300 years to learn.” At first the blonde did not truly understand what Mifuyu was trying to say, but several seconds later he realized the man, who had just stood up from his chair, had claimed to be several hundred years old, a figure of history. The implication of that, what he must have lived through, flashed so vividly through Oda’s mind that he barely noticed as the ancient man left the bar.

It was not until the door closed shut that he realized what had just happened and blindly rushed out into the cool evening in an attempt to gather a glimpse of the strange man who he had just spoken to. But alas, his attempt was in vain as all that met him was a chill wind that brushed against his bare chin.

Mifuyu's white sneakers trampled upon a dirty newspaper that someone had dropped on the busy street, despite the fact that most people were already home from work in this central part of Pandemonium there were always people on and about. Some were workers that went home later than most, some had been working overtime for various reasons, some were out and about for personal reasons while others simply wanted to find something enjoyable to spend their time on.

In this crowd Mifuyu was just like anybody else, no one knew the things that he had lived through or just how special he really was. If he were to say all that out loud, the people who heard him would assume he was either a madman or a liar, no one knew about the truly strange and supernatural that existed within this world. He was completely fine with that, after all, Mifuyu didn’t see himself as the type of person that would blindly chase after fame. Still, it was amazing, the amount of people that had special powers just like him and chose to live integrated in society, hiding their unnatural might in favor of an ordinary life. For example, a young man, no older than twenty years old with light blue hair walked past him and as he did, Mifuyu could feel the supernatural aura he emitted. Even to those who possessed the same type of power as he did feeling another's aura was near impossible, something which took him almost a hundred years to truly grasp.

As he took a detour from the main street towards his destination the number of people that he passed declined sharply, until Mifuyu was practically alone outside a rather expensive hotel. It was small in size, having just over a dozen rooms but it was popular with rich foreigners that visited the city. But those people who strew money wherever they walked was not the reason for why he was here, he was here to meet with a certain girl that happened to be staying here for the time being thanks to one of her friends. That girl was Alice Yuki.

Alice looked at the girl in front of her, she was scantily clad, only wearing a pair of jeans and a bra as she laid down on the white blanket. Her multi-colored hair covered her back as she mindlessly flipped through the pages of a manga that she had already read a few weeks ago. Alice sat a bit further up on the bed with her legs crossed, the hotel room they shared for the moment wasn't particularly large but made up for it with expensive furnishing. It was a temporary arrangement Evelina had made, given her parents wealth it was nothing but natural that some money would end up in her possession. Alice, on the other hand, had never owned anything more than the few items she could fit in her meager backpack, her life at the orphanage being one of modesty at the very most. In a way, the two girls were complete contrasts with one having grown up in a rich household with loving parents and the other in a cold and uncaring collective.

Alice could not help but feel jealousy when she gazed upon Evelinas visage, in terms of womanly charm she was completely outmatched by the rich girl, someone who had had everything else in life handed to her on a silver plate. The bed the two of them were now lying on were easily large enough to house both of their bodies at the same time, which meant that even if there was some distance between the two it wasn’t hard for Alice to increase it as she leaned back towards the wall. Evelina picked up on this movement and quickly discerned Alice’s state of mind. She followed Alice’s movement and asked “What is troubling you?” She assumed that the black haired girl was worried about Maru-Maru. The monstrous woman could attack them at any time, but Evelina wasn’t worried about that, with her and Alice’s newfound but uncontrollable powers she was certain that they would be able to fend her off somehow.

“I-I don’t know.” Alice felt terrible, she recalled the time at the orphanage, not long after she had first been placed there she had come across a pink teddy bear. The bear belonged to another girl, but Alice wanted it for herself so badly, so badly that she would even be willing to commit a sin to get it. Alice watched the other girl from afar and after less than a week she found the perfect opportunity to snatch the teddy bear and hid it under her bed. The other girl was crying her eyes out when she came back just to notice her beloved teddy to be gone. Alice felt bad for her but her desire to keep the teddy for herself kept her from giving it back, it was weird that she would recall such a distant memory, the years that had passed since that day were so many that she no longer felt anything when recalling it. No triumph, no guilt, no remorse, nothing.

Alice assumed that was natural, after all emotions faded from memories over time and all that remained was the facts of the situation. It was a bad thing to do, but she was a mere child at the time, not capable of greater reasoning. Alice suddenly felt an urge to hug Evelina, she could feel her arms twitch but managed to suppress that impulse. She did not suppress the urge well enough, however, as Evelina picked up on her body language easily and hugged Alice before she had a chance to react. She held her tightly, tightly enough to make the black haired girl let out a faint whimper from the sudden contact. She was shocked at first and a bit embarrassed, but she didn’t dislike it.

Just as Mifuyu was about to open the glass door to the hotel he heard a familiar sound from behind him, engraved in his brain even though he hadn't heard that kind of sound for at least a hundred years. That was understandable though, as the soft sound of a sheathed katana hitting its owner's leg as he walked was quiet enough to escape all but the keenest of ears. Mifuyu quickly turned around, as if he was shocked awake from a dream and not before now had he experienced reality, he could see, in the distance, an unfamiliar figure carrying a very familiar item and walking away from him. Despite how crowded the streets were at the moment, nobody seemed to mind the brown haired man carrying a deadly weapon around. Even with the kind of skill Mifuyu possessed, the distance between the two was too great for him to get a look at the man's face and before he had a chance to react the mysterious man disappeared in the crowd.

Not being able to decide whether to chase after the mysterious man or confront Alice cost Mifuyu valuable seconds before he eventually decided that chasing after this mysterious stranger was the better thing to do, Alice was probably not going anywhere anytime soon. As soon as his feet began moving he ran through the crowd as quickly as he could without appearing superhuman, as he moved through the busy streets of the city, he kept catching glimpses of the stranger that was always just out of reach for his supernatural vision. Eventually, as dawn turned to night Mifuyu caught up with the strange figure, the two of them were at opposite ends of a wooden bridge granting passage over a small river that flowed through the town. It was an off-shot of the greater river that split Pandemonium in two and this particular bridge in question was located in a small park, although a few planks had been replaced here and there, the wooden bridge looked mostly rotten and murky, hinting at the fact that few people ever used it.

The black sky above was pierced only by the solemn moon which spread blue moonlight on the world below. The man who stood facing away from Mifuyu appeared to have pitch black hair in the current lightning. He turned around and as he did Mifuyu would recognize a face that he hadn’t seen in a long time, no, a face he hadn’t seen in almost four hundred years. “I suppose this will do for a reunion.” countless thoughts swirled through Mifuyu’s head as he heard those words.