"SHUT UP!!"
The girl - Himeko's scream burst like thunder in a clear sky, making the little girl flinch and curl into herself in fear.
"You still dare deny it?! After everything, you still lie?!"
She jabbed her finger behind the trembling girl.
Kyouno—watching tensely—followed her gaze instinctively.
There, lying on the dusty ground, was a strange object: a bright pink bag with an unusual shape.
Its material was soft yet firm, like leather, but glossier. A few scratches and specks of dust marred its surface—it had clearly just been thrown or wrestled over.
"You still dare to deny it now?!"
Pointing at it, the girl spoke up, her voice growing increasingly impatient.
"That's clearly my bag! I lost it days ago and couldn't find it anywhere.
Then today, you show up wearing it around like it's yours!"
"If you didn't steal it, then what?? Did it grow legs and walk to you on its own?!"
The small girl trembled, her voice shaky, barely louder than a breeze in a storm.
"No… that bag… my papa bought it for me… I… I didn't steal anything…"
Her words faded, growing weaker with each syllable.
A moment of silence passed, but not out of sympathy.
Then, the group of children behind Himeko burst into shrill laughter, their jeers echoing down the street like knives laced with poison.
"Hahaha.....did you hear what she just said? Her dad bought it for her!"
"Her dad? That drunkard who's always wasted?!"
"Haha, I'm dying...She probably didn't even know this bag is from an insanely expensive brand when she stole it!"
"Of course she doesn't! What would a filthy little beggar know about luxury stuff?"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Their laughter poured out like a flood, each cruel note stabbing straight into the small girl's trembling heart.
Under the weight of their ridicule, she lowered her head even more, clenched her hands tightly, and bit her lip until it turned pale, as if even she was starting to doubt the truth of her own words.
"U… u… ah—!"
A weak cry escaped the little girl's throat as a sudden sharp pain shot through the top of her head.
Right after the chorus of mocking laughter, Himeko suddenly grabbed the girl's hair and yanked it upward violently, forcing her lowered face to look up.
That small, delicate face was now forced to meet eyes filled with disgust—cold, scornful, and as frigid as ice.
The little girl's whole body trembled, her pupils quivering as if on the verge of shattering.
Tears that had been brimming at the corners of her eyes now remained only through sheer willpower.
"A filthy, penniless rat like you still has the nerve to lie?You think your drunkard of a father could afford a school bag like this? If it's not stolen, then what is it?"
"And if he stole it, how is that any different from you being a thief too?"
Himeko's voice was razor-sharp, every word laced with venom, each syllable striking the little girl's dignity like a hammer.
"Your father's trash, and so are you—just another dirty, thieving rat!"
"If that's the kind of life you're from, then what's the point of even trying to go to school?"
Those words—so cruel they were barely human—shattered what little strength the girl had left.
The tears she had fought to hold back now fell freely, soaking her cheeks, red and swollen from the two earlier slaps.
It was a pain not just of the body, but one that crushed the soul, wrapping around her tender heart until it could barely breathe.
And nearby, Kyouno clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, faint veins rising on her forehead.
As for the accusation of theft the children had thrown at the girl—
Admittedly, the bag did look expensive, its luxury far out of place on the worn, ragged figure of the girl.
To an outsider, even just a glance would be enough to arrive at a simple conclusion:
"A filthy beggar, clearly stole it out of jealousy."
But Kyouno didn't believe that.
Not out of stubbornness, and not out of naïveté.
During her visits to the villages at the foot of the mountains, Kyouno had long grown accustomed to petty theft.
More than once, she had witnessed people sneaking off with sacks of food or small belongings stolen straight from the villagers' hands.
The way they moved, slinking about, eyes darting, hands quick and twitchy—
It all reeked of greed, cowardice, and disgrace so palpable it made one want to look away.
But... when compared to the image of that little girl—
A small, trembling figure curled up in the middle of the crowd, eyes quivering, too afraid to look up, her thin hands clutching each other tightly as if trying to hold onto the last bit of warmth in this filthy, cold world—
No. They were nothing alike.
Not even close.
Right now, as she watched the trembling child surrounded by a ring of cruelty, buried in mocking laughter and arrogant glares—
As she witnessed the brutal contrast between the glamorous, haughty children and the dirt-stained, tattered girl, Kyouno's heart felt like it was being crushed, every beat heavy and strained, as if it would shatter unless she did something.
That feeling again.
From the very first moment she saw the silhouette of the little girl in the distance, the same wrenching, haunting sensation returned, that piercing emotion carved deep into her soul, as if it had happened before.
A pain so familiar it hurt, even though she was merely an observer.
That tight, suffocating pain in her chest… it was just like when her sister fell, just like that moment she could no longer feel the warm flow of magic from her mom.
Even though, clearly, this girl was a stranger.
And yet — the emotions she felt tore through her as if the two of them had once been deeply connected.
No, it was more than that.
It felt like this pain was her own to bear.
This feeling wasn't just sorrow, it was so visceral, so overwhelming, that it convinced her she was the one being forced to lift her head, to endure the merciless stares surrounding her.
She wanted to run over, to pull that tiny figure away from the cruel circle, away from the wall of scorn enclosing her.
But… what could she do?
Wasn't she now nothing more than a blurred figure in this dreamlike vision? A being as intangible as a shadow?
Then… was all she could do simply stand there, helpless, and watch the girl suffer?
At that exact moment—
"Thud!"
The small girl, who had been grabbed by the hair, was suddenly shoved down, thrown hard onto the cold, filthy ground.
Brutal. Utterly merciless.
She looked up — only to meet the scornful, disdainful eyes of the children, especially Himeko, eyes that looked at her as if she were something vile and disgusting.
"Filth like you — letting you walk away today would be no different than setting a tumor loose on society. So why don't we just…"
A cold, cruel smirk curled on Himeko's lips.
"…break your filthy little hands, so you'll never try to steal again."
Her voice rang out once more, frigid and merciless.
Then, from within the group of children, a burly boy with a thuggish face stepped forward, eyes lighting up with a perverse glee — like someone just handed authority.
"Leave this to me, Miss.
Dealing with trash like this is my specialty.
Once her hands are broken, she won't ever dare touch your stuff again."
As he spoke, he cracked his knuckles. The sound echoed — loud and chilling.
The little girl's face turned ghostly pale. Her lips trembled. Her tiny body shrank inward, as if trying to disappear into thin air.
It looked like she wanted to run.
But her legs had gone limp, too weak to move.
"No… please… no…"
The choked, whimpering sobs spilled out weakly, filled with panic and despair.
But even hearing those cries, the passersby only turned away coldly, silently walking off, as if no one wanted to get involved with children's affairs.
Kyouno, however, upon hearing that heart-wrenching crying, felt her entire body tremble violently.
And then, as if driven by instinct — she rushed forward.
"Wind Strike!!!"
Her voice rang out, carrying both fury and heartbreak.
A primal, instinctive scream, for deep down, she knew: in this dream-that-wasn't-a-dream, she wasn't supposed to be able to do anything at all.
But it was a desperate urge — to protect, to shield.
Yet—
Just as her words ended, from the palm of her hand, a powerful burst of wind suddenly exploded forth.
A swirling gale, like a launched cannon, shot straight toward the boy.
In an instant, under everyone's stunned gaze, the wind strike hit, slamming into his body and sending the burly boy flying through the air.
"Thud!!"
A heavy thud resounded as his body was thrown, slamming hard into the ground.
Silence.....
No one dared breathe. No one could grasp what had just happened.
Even Kyouno — now standing protectively in front of the little girl — was completely stunned by what she'd just done.
And when she turned around—
There, she saw the small girl's tear-filled, beautiful eyes looking up in wide-eyed amazement.
And those eyes...Were looking directly at her ?!
A clear gaze. Not glazed over. Not confused.
"!!!!!"
"You… you can see me?!"
Kyouno's voice broke out, trembling.
Full of disbelief.
....