Before the Storm

The scent of freshly ground coffee greeted Rei and Aoi as they pushed open the door of the machiya.

Rei froze on the threshold.

Kuzunoha was in his kitchen, pouring hot water over ground coffee with the precision of a tea ceremony. Behind her, four familiar silhouettes were seated around the low table in the living room.

“Ah, you’re finally here.”
The white fox flashed them a radiant smile.
“I took the liberty of making coffee. Grand Cru coffee. Yours was barely drinkable, Rei-chan.”

Rei blinked, still in shock.

“How did you— my protection talismans—”

“Effective. Don’t worry.” Kuzunoha waved a hand dismissively.
“But against a major yokai, that’s like trying to stop a tsunami with an umbrella.”

She gestured elegantly toward the living room, as if inviting them into her own home.

“Come in, come in. We have guests.”

Aoi exchanged a look with Rei. Through the Resonance, she felt his mix of irritation and resignation. Some battles weren’t worth fighting.

They stepped inside.

Yuki, Akane, Ren, and Tsubasa were there, sitting on cushions as if they had been waiting for hours. Exhausted. Marked—but alive.

“How are you feeling?” Aoi asked as she sat down.

“Better,” Yuki replied. “Thanks to you.”

Kuzunoha handed out cups of coffee with the grace of a perfect hostess, then sat down herself, folding her legs beneath her.

“You didn’t kill the little digital nekomata,” she said bluntly.
“The bond between her and our four survivors is still active. Weak—but still there.”

Rei tensed.

“We couldn’t—”

“I’m not criticizing.” Kuzunoha sipped her coffee. “On the contrary.”

Rei pulled out his smartphone. The screen lit up, revealing Nekomata_Hikari’s avatar. Her feline ears were flattened back, her two tails motionless—a posture that didn’t suit her at all.

“I…” Hikari’s voice was hesitant, stripped of its usual lightness.
“I hurt you. All of you. I amplified your pain. I used you to feed the ōyurei.”

Silence.

“I was a hardcore mid-boss,” she continued, forcing a smile that never reached her violet eyes.
“And I’m really sorry.”

Tsubasa was the first to react. He leaned toward the phone, his expression unreadable.

“You possessed me. You almost turned me into a murderer.”

Hikari lowered her eyes.

“I know.”

“And now you want us to forgive you?”

“No.” Her voice was steady despite the sadness.
“I just… want to help.”

The silence stretched. Then Yuki took the phone and placed it at the center of the table, screen facing up.

“We’re all victims of Kageyama,” she said softly.
“You too. That doesn’t erase what you did, but…” She shrugged.
“We won’t win this by holding onto grudges.”

Akane nodded. Ren did too, after a moment’s hesitation.

Tsubasa let out a long sigh, then muttered:

“Yeah, well. Welcome to the team, I guess.”

On the screen, Hikari’s tails began to sway gently again.

“Thank you. I… thank you.”

Kuzunoha clapped her hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Touching. Truly. Now let’s talk strategy.”
She swirled her coffee in her cup.
“Your initial plan—using the four idols to create a counter-frequency—was bold. But doomed to fail.”

Rei frowned.

“With Hikari, everything changes.” Kuzunoha smiled, her pink eyes glowing with a calculating light.
“She lives inside the network. Every screen in Tokyo is an extension of her. If she sings with the four idols…”

“She could amplify the counter-frequency,” Aoi finished, suddenly understanding.

“Exactly.” Kuzunoha nodded.
“Hikari will position herself on the giant screens in Shinjuku. When the four sing, she’ll turn their voices into a spiritual wave capable of covering all of Tokyo.”

Hikari animated on the screen.

“I can synchronize every screen in the city. Turn Tokyo into a massive amplifier.”
Her tails twitched with excitement.
“Our raid boss is going to hurt.”

“And Aoi and I take on Kageyama and his ōyurei,” Rei added.

Kuzunoha looked at him for a long moment.

“While the counter-frequency weakens the ōyurei, you strike at the source.”

“And if that’s not enough?” Yuki’s voice was tight.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Rei and Aoi looked at each other. The Resonance pulsed between them, carrying words they didn’t need to speak. They had already had this conversation—without voices—somewhere between the abandoned theater and this kitchen.

“If that’s not enough,” Aoi said slowly, “we’ll make the Resonance explode.”

Kuzunoha raised an eyebrow—the only sign of surprise she allowed herself.

“Full fusion,” Rei clarified. “We release everything. All at once.”

“You realize what that means?” Kuzunoha’s voice lost its usual lightness.
“A complete, voluntary fusion… I’d like to see the result. At best, you transcend. You become something new. No longer Rei. No longer Aoi. Something else.”

“And at worst?” Yuki asked, even though her tone suggested she already knew.

“At worst, they vanish. Death, mutual absorption, dissolution…” Kuzunoha shrugged.
“No one really knows. What’s certain is that there will be no going back.”

The weight of those words fell over the room.

Akane stared at Rei and Aoi with shining eyes. Ren looked away. Tsubasa clenched his fists on his knees. Yuki discreetly wiped away a tear.

On the screen, Hikari was silent for once.

“We know,” Aoi said gently. “And we accept it.”

She felt Rei’s hand find hers beneath the table. Warm. Solid.

Kuzunoha watched them for a long moment, her pink eyes unreadable. Then a smile curved her lips—not mocking this time, almost respectful.

“You two are truly fascinating.”

She stood, smoothing her kimono.

“Very well. Heroes, I suggest you rest before—”

She stopped.

Aoi had felt something. A wave of heat rising in her chest, gentle at first, then stronger and stronger. As if someone had lit a fire beneath her skin.

“Aoi?” Rei’s voice was worried. “Are you okay?”

She tried to answer, but the words died in her throat. The heat spread, devouring, consuming. Her hands trembled. Her vision blurred at the edges.

“I…”

The fever exploded.

Aoi collapsed.

“AOI!”

She felt Rei’s arms around her, catching her before she hit the floor. Through the Resonance, his panic crashed into her like a tidal wave—raw, brutal, terrifying.

“What’s happening?!” His voice was unrecognizable, shattered by fear.
“Kuzunoha! What’s happening to her?!”

Hands on her forehead. Kuzunoha’s voice, distant and grave.

“A spiritual fever. One of the effects of the Resonance. Her humanity is resisting…”

The words blurred. The heat swallowed her, carried her far from the machiya, far from Tokyo, far from everything.

Rei’s memories poured into her like a flood.

“Aoi!” Rei’s hands on her face, shaking, desperate.
“Stay with me!”

She wanted to answer him. To tell him she was fine. That everything would be fine.

But the fever was taking her, and she no longer had the strength to fight.

The last thing she heard before sinking was Rei’s voice, broken by a fear she had never known in him:

“Stay with me. Please. Stay with me.”

Then the darkness swallowed her whole.