Epilogue.

Four months after the military base raid.

Yuto walked through the hallway with a plastic bag in hand. When he reached the door to Division X’s hall, it opened automatically.

“Ah—sick oni-chan is back!” 

Little Hina rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

“Come on, Hina. It’s Yuto oni-chan,” Hana corrected, stretching as she did yoga in the corner.

Yuto set the plastic bag down on a nearby desk and began handing out coffee.

At that moment, Chihiro entered through the door, with a small cat cradled in her arms.

Himari, Hana, and little Hina all rushed toward her at once.

Only Bruno and Yuto stayed behind, watching quietly.

“So cute!” Hana shouted, smiling weirdly.

“I’ve always wanted a cat!” Himari exclaimed.

Little Hina jumped up and down...“Chihiro onee-chan, let me see!”

Chihiro knelt and gently handed the cat to her.

“Does it have a name?” Himari asked.

“No. I picked it up while I was on the surface.”

“Ehh? Chihiro-chan, you went to the surface?” Hana asked, hugging her.

“Hana, no—” Chihiro briefly protested, but Hana had already begun tickling her armpit...“It was only a routine check!”

“Kaito! Chihiro onee-chan!” Little Hina shouted. “I gave it a name!”

“Wow, Hina. That’s a nice name,” Himari said, clapping her hands...

Yuto’s eyes widened...

Suddenly, it all came rushing back—the promise he had made to Kaito...

To rescue his little sister.

He had forgotten.

Slowly, he walked up to Chihiro and tapped her shoulder...

“When I was brought in… um, did you happen to find any pictures of a girl in my pockets?” he asked quietly.

"I think we did,” Chihiro replied with her hands on her chin.

“Is there a problem? Was she your sister?”

“No,” Yuto said quietly. “I promised her brother I’d find her if I got out of the university. But it’s been nine months… and I completely forgot.”

Yuto slapped his forehead...“She’s probably dead.”

“No, no, no—we rescued her!” Chihiro waved her hands frantically.

“Eh—really? When?”

Chihiro paused, for a moment thinking—then Hana shouted from behind...

“Chihiro-chan! Is it that girl and her classmates we rescued from Aoki High School nine months ago?”

“Nine months?” Yuto exclaimed.

“Yes,” Chihiro said. “She even joined Division 7.”

"Do you want to see her," Chihiro added.

Yuto hesitated for a moment, swallowing his saliva, before answering,

"Sure."

Chihiro handed the cat’s leash to little Hina...

“Chihiro nee-chan, where are you going?”

“Nowhere." Chihiro smiled. "Just wait here—we’ll be back.” 

Yuto, Hana, and Chihiro left the division X hall.

The walk was silent until they reached Division 7’s large door.

Chihiro waved her hands, and a hologram of the division captain appeared...

“Akeno, I’m at the door—open up,” Chihiro said, before the hologram faded.

Seconds later, the door opened, and Yuto, Hana, and Chihiro entered...

“Akeno, Is Mika around?” Chihiro asked the Division 7 captain.

“No, but I can call her. Is something wrong?”

“No. A friend of her brother is here to see her,” Hana added.

“Oh, okay.” The Division Captain waved her hand, and the hologram of Kaito’s little sister appeared...“Mika, where are you right now?”

“I’m at the cafeteria, Captain Akeno. Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that someone is here looking for you. He says he’s a friend of your brother.”

The moment the Division 7 captain said that, the hologram faded.

And in a matter of seconds…

The entrance door opened, and Kaito’s little sister ran in, her eyes watery, panting for breath.

“Captain, who is he?” Mika asked.

Yuto stepped forward slowly...

“You said you’re my brother’s friend, right?” Mika asked rapidly...“Where is he? Is he alive? Is he hiding? Did you get separated?”

Yuto kept quiet, looking at her, before he finally spoke...

“He told me to tell you he’s sorry.” Yuto inhaled, then exhaled. “and that he loves you so much.”

In that moment, Mika fell to the ground, crying.

Hana, Chihiro, Akeno, and everyone else in Division 7 who were nearby rushed over and hugged her. She momentarily cried in their arms.

Yuto stood there and sighed. He felt a relief in his chest—but at what cost...

Moments later, Mika had finally stopped crying and walked up to Yuto, who was standing near the entrance.

“U-um…” She rubbed her hands together.

“Yuto… Yuto Sato,” he said gently. He immediately noticed she was having trouble communicating with him.

“Oh… Yuto,” she stammered.

“How did my brother die?”

Yuto’s eyes widened. His mouth parted, but no words came out.

Mika looked down, biting her lips. “I see,” she said, smiling at Yuto... 

“Thank you. At least he didn’t turn into one of them.”

She hugged him tightly...

“Really...thank you.”

“Mika,” Captain Akeno softly called out to her.

“I’m fine,” Mika replied, smiling. “I won’t cry again.”

Then Yuto bowed and left, while Chihiro and Hana followed as they walked back to their division x hall.

“Yuto, are you okay?” Hana broke the silence.

“I would be lying if I said the memories don’t hurt,” Yuto sighed as they stopped in front of their division hall.

“Yuto,” Chihiro whispered.

“But…” Yuto swallowed back his words. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Sure, sure?” Hana teased him, trying to ease the mood.

Yuto gave her an unimpressed look...

Hana laughed and hugged him tightly.

“So much for my revenge…” Yuto murmured to himself.

“Hana, you’re always so touchy with Yuto,” Chihiro said playfully.

Then the three of them entered back into their division.

“Captain Chihiro, welcome back!”

“Ahh—sick oni-nee-chan!”

(For context, read Chapter 12.)