Faintly burning incense filled the air as Watari walked deeper into the orphanage.

  The quiet murmur of voices, the distant sound of ughter—it was familiar.

  Too familiar.

  And then—

  “Big Bro Watari!!”

  A small blur shot toward him, nearly knocking him off bance as a tiny pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

  He let out a small chuckle, instinctively ruffling the kid’s hair.

  “Damn, didn’t even get to take two steps in before you guys tackled me.”

  More voices joined in, excited, eager.

  The kids flooded around him.

  “You were gone forever!”

  “Did you get stronger?”

  “Did you fight bad guys?!”

  “Are you secretly a superhero now?”

  “Where’s your girlfriend?!!”

  Watari smirked, crouching down to their level.

  “You guys wouldn’t even believe the stuff I’ve been up to.”

  “Tell us, tell us!”

  He exhaled, shaking his head.

  “Alright, alright, but I can’t go into all the details. Let’s just say… I’ve been dealing with some crazy stuff tely.”

  The kids leaned in, eyes wide.

  “Like what?!”

  “Did you go on an adventure?!”

  “Did you fight a dragon?”

  Watari grinned.

  “Something like that.”

  The questions kept coming, and for a few minutes—just a few minutes—it was almost normal.

  The weight on his shoulders, the mission, the war outside these walls—it all faded into the background as he let the kids be kids.

  But then—

  “Big Bro Watari, you gotta be safe!”

  The smallest one tugged at his sleeve, looking up at him with wide, concerned eyes.

  “You better keep coming home.”

  A small silence fell over the group.

  The excitement from earlier quieted into something softer.

  Watari smiled, ruffling the kid’s hair again.

  “You guys know I’ll always come back.”

  The words left his mouth so easily.

  So naturally.

  Like a promise.

  But even as he said them, a part of him—a deep, quiet part of him—wasn’t sure if it was a promise he could keep.

  ?

  He stood up, inhaling deeply.

  “Alright, I gotta go check in on Mary. You guys be good, alright?”

  They all nodded, stepping aside as he walked toward the hallway.

  The second Watari stepped into the dimly lit room, his chest tightened.

  Mary looked bad.

  Much worse than the st time he was here.

  The sheets swallowed her frail frame, her skin pale, eyes sunken.

  It wasn’t just sickness—it was like life itself was slipping out of her inch by inch.

  His throat felt dry.

  Slowly, he moved forward, lowering himself beside the bed.

  His hand found hers, cold and delicate in his grip.

  For a moment, he just stared.

  “I hate this.”

  Mary—who had always been the strongest in the room, the one holding everything together, the one who had fought for this pce—was now barely holding on.

  He exhaled, forcing himself to speak.

  “You know, I came here thinking I was gonna have to tell you everything… but now that I’m here, I don’t even know where to start.”

  His voice was low, steady, but underneath it—there was something raw.

  “I’ve been fighting monsters, Mary. Real ones. The kind that don’t just hide under beds. The kind that build empires.”

  He shook his head.

  “And somehow, I got wrapped up in all of it. I’ve been in pces I never should’ve survived. I’ve seen things I wish I could forget. But I kept pushing forward, because—”

  He stopped himself.

  Because why?

  Because it was the right thing to do?

  Because he had to?

  No.

  Because of them.

  Because of the kids.

  Because of Mary.

  Because of Ren.

  Because of Yumi.

  Because of everyone he cared about.

  Mary’s fingers twitched slightly in his grip.

  Then—

  A sharp tug.

  Watari barely had time to react before she yanked him closer, her voice suddenly a weak but urgent whisper.

  “It was her.”

  A pause—a shallow breath, barely holding on.

  “Chizuru did this to me.”

  Watari’s body stiffened.

  Mary’s breath was ragged, her grip weak, but she still clung onto him with everything she had left.

  “Make it end.”

  His brows furrowed.

  “Mary, I—”

  Her voice trembled, her fingers tightening.

  “Please. Just… end it for me.”

  Watari felt something twist inside him.

  He shook his head, his voice barely above a breath.

  “Don’t worry. I’m here to stop her.”

  He held her hand tighter.

  “I am gonna make it end.”

  A creak.

  His eyes snapped to the door.

  And there—standing in the doorway, that ever-present, too-perfect smile on her lips—

  Chizuru.

  She stepped forward, her tone light, amused, like she was walking into a room untouched by death.

  “Oh my, how dramatic.”

  CUT TO BLACK.