Anomaly in the Prophecy

Miyo walked through the shopping mall alone, carrying two shopping bags. She was humming as she wandered from store to store, with a completely carefree expression.

People occasionally glanced at her not because she was behaving strangely, but because her unusual appearance and naturally elegant presence drew attention wherever she went.

Miyo didn't seem to notice.

She stopped in front of a clothing store window. A beautiful dress caught her attention.

I wonder if this style would look good on me.

She tilted her head. Maybe I should ask Chi-nee.

Pulling out her phone, she snapped a quick picture and sent it to Chitose.

---

Bzzzt.

Chitose's phone vibrated on the table, but she didn’t notice it. It was a busy afternoon for Chitose; the noise of the sewing machine kept her contained in her own world.

The room was filled with rolls of fabric, threads, ribbons, buttons, and lace. Beside her workstation lies an illustration of the gothic dress, and black-and-dark-violet color scheme, pinned to the board.

"Make sure you don't ruin the seam..." she murmured, as she carefully drags the fabric under the needle.

Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack.

"Perfect!" She smiled.

On the floor beside her, Kazuha was playing with scraps of cloth. With a quick shake of his head, a piece of fabric flew across the room. Kazuha immediately pounced.

Thump!

Chitose didn't even look. "Kazu-kun, don't make too much noise."

The dog stopped, looked at her, and then slowly picked up another piece of cloth, nudging it forward.

Clack-clack-clack.

Chitose returned to her stitching, glancing periodically at the design board.

"Black lace beneath the layered skirt... and silver embroidery here. This is going to look elegantly cute."

Kazuha’s tail began wagging. Chitose noticed, turning to him with a raised brow.

"Kazu-kun! What do you think?"

Kazuha tilted his head. Chitose nodded confidently.

"Exactly. I knew you'd agree."

She paused.

"Where were we again?"

"The lace," Kazuha’s silent stare seemed to say.

"Oh, right."

Clack-clack-clack.

Lost in passion, Chitose completely lost track of time. She didn't notice her phone buzzing on the desk. She didn't notice the bright afternoon slowly darkening into twilight.

Ding-dong.

Kazuha's ears instantly perked up. Chitose didn't react.

Ding-dong.

The dog looked toward the door, then back at Chitose. The machine was so loud.

Ding-dong.

Finally, Chitose stopped. "Hmm?"

She looked up at the wall clock, and her eyes widened.

“It’s already 7 pm!?”

Ding-dong.

"A visitor?"

Kazuha stood, his tail wagging. Chitose cut the thread and stood up, smoothing her skirt.

"Who could it be?"

She walked over and unlocked the door. "Yes—"

The moment she pulled it open, she was surprised. It was her father standing in the hallway, smiling and holding a plastic bag.

"It's dinner time! It's been a while. How's my daughter doing?"

Chitose blinked, her brain stalling.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see my daughter, and I brought some food." He raised the bag higher.

Chitose stared at him, suddenly remembering.

Oh. It's been a long time since Dad visited.

She stepped aside and didn’t hesitate. "Come in."

Her father stepped into the apartment, his eyes widening at the sea of fabric scraps scattered on the floor.

He chuckled. "You've been so busy."

"Very." Chitose closed the door behind him.

Her father paused, his smile faltering.

"...What was that!? You have a dog!?"

Chitose's blood ran cold.

Kazu-kun!

She had spent the entire afternoon making the dress. She had forgotten to hide Kazuha. She even forgot that Kazuha was supposed to be a secret.

Standing right in the center of the living room was a large White Akita Inu, staring directly at her father.

Silence filled the room.

Her father stared at Kazuha; Kazuha stared at her father; Chitose stared at both of them; Completely paralyzed.

Kazuha's tail gave a slow, cheerful wag.

Her father slowly pointed a finger.

"Chi."

"Yes, Papa?"

"Why is there a large dog in your apartment? I thought your building didn't allow pets."

Chitose's mind went completely blank. "I..."

Her father narrowed his eyes. "Is he an Akita Inu?"

"Yes."

"That's a big one."

"Very big."

"Is he yours?"

Before Chitose could tell a lie, Kazuha trotted forward, closing the distance. Her father instinctively crouched slightly. "Come here, boy."

Kazuha approached, gave a sniff at her father's hand, and then leaned his head heavily against his palm. Her father's expression instantly melted.

"Haha. Friendly, aren't you?" He scratched Kazuha behind the ears.

Chitose watched with a racing heart. "Papa... don't get too attached."

"Why?"

"Because..." Chitose scrambled for a lifeline. "He's not actually mine."

"Then whose dog is he?"

Chitose froze. Kazuha looked back at her, his expression almost looking amused.

"I mean, he's... a friend's," Chitose squeaked out.

"A friend?"

"Yes, a friend."

"What's his name?"

Chitose panicked, locking her eyes with Kuzuha. "Zuzu."

Kazuha's ears perked up at the sound.

Her father smiled. "Zuzu? That's a cute name."

Chitose exhaled and let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah."

Her father stood up, dusting off his hands. "Well, I suppose your friend trusts you enough"

"Definitely."

Kazuha wagged his tail again while Chitose desperately avoided eye contact, whispering internally: I'm so sorry, Kazu-kun.

Luckily, her father's attention shifted to the sewing table. "So, this is the dress you're working on?"

"Oh!" She jumped at the distraction, diving back toward her workspace. "Yes! This is the design."

He pats her head as his expression softened. "You've always loved making clothes."

"I really do." She held the fabric swatch against the sketch. "Dark violet and black. There's going to be lace beneath the skirt, and silver embroidery right here."

Her father nodded. "Your mother would have liked this."

Chitose smiled softly. "Yeah. I think so too."

---

Her father brought some unexpected news.

“Oh, by the way, I don’t want to ruin the mood, but the police have an update regarding Kazuha’s grave.”

“Update!?”

“The police discovered a bouquet on the grave, very similar to your bouquet at your wedding.

She remembered the bouquet she left on the grave.

Oh no…

Have you been to the cemetery? Before the incident.

She quickly gets into a lie.

“Yes, I’ve been there, I placed the bouquet and live. And the grave remained untouched as I went.”

“I see… Would you mind if I personally search your rooms?”

“Sure! But what’s happening, Papa?”

During his career, he had encountered strange cases involving missing bodies, suspicious deaths, and people attempting to keep the remains of someone they had loved.

Her father lowers his head.

“I’ll be honest with you, as your father and I, and I’m sorry in advance, but the police didn’t have any idea who was going to take his body out of his grave.”

“Am I the suspect?”

He’s keeping his head low.

“I understand, Papa, go on and search around the room.”

He searched the whole room and the possible hiding spots of the body. And she goes back to Chitose, lowering his head.

“I knew you didn’t have anything to take his body; you didn’t even have gardening tools or possible tools to dig a grave, I’m so sorry…”

The atmosphere was so awkward that it made Chitose feel guilty.

“Papa, please stop. You didn’t do anything wrong; it was your job.”

He’s keeping his head low.

---

Meanwhile, in the prophets' mansion, everyone was restless, trying to figure out the situation of the new Harbinger.

"So, the Harbinger has begun to understand her authority," Shiizaa said, leaning against the central table. "She begins to judge demons according to the balance."

Juriasu frowned, crossing his arms. "She has no right to judge anyone. The Harbinger of the Equilibrium isn't supposed to decide who deserves to live. She is supposed to maintain the balance."

Reona tapped her fingers against her arm. "Recently, she sent two demons back to Hell. Do we know what they did?"

"Not exactly," Shiizaa replied. "But according to our information, they consumed Left-Behind."

Juriasu's expression was surprised. "A Left-Behind!?"

Nao nodded quietly. "It was a human memory compressed after death. Those demons consume the compressed energy of a person's humanity, but not just humanity, it’s their person’s identity"

"So, she eliminated a person's remaining existence, even though they're already dead?"

Reona asked, surprised.

"Not quite," Nao said, looking down. "The memories remain in someone’s memory like their love once. The demons don't simply consume memories; they absorb them. And sometimes... they gain the ability to shapeshift into those people."

Umi's eyes narrowed. "Then they are still demons, wearing stolen human existence?"

"Right," Shiizaa agreed. “In addition, when demons arrive in the human world, they look like humans with horns, wings, and tails like our Imp. As they consume negative energy, they take forms depending on the energy they consume the most. And consuming the Left-Behind is the final stage: they gain humanity as they consume them, then they slowly start to become human with limitless abilities, same as the angels, but they consume positive energy, then Left-Behind. Making these two distinct entities a world imbalance.

Reona leaned back. "So, they are both breaking the rules of Equilibrium and Ouroboros. Question: Was destroying them necessary?"

"Perhaps? We didn’t have much knowledge about the Equilibrium. All I know is Harbinger must keep the world in balance."

Shiizaa murmured, turning her gaze toward Nao.

"Can we ask you to look into it? Can you see what happened?"

Nao nodded. "Sure."

She closed her eyes. The serpent marking across her forehead began to glow, the head curling to bite its own tail in a continuous loop of self-consumption. Nao's breathing slowed.

She saw a quiet cemetery, a woman, a dog, a book, and a library.

Nao suddenly snapped her eyes open, gasping softly.

Shiizaa leaned forward. "What is it?"

Nao touched her glowing forehead. “I don’t understand."

"What do you mean?" Reona asked.

"I can't see it clearly. I'll try once more."

Nao closed her eyes again. The serpent starts consuming itself again. When she opened her eyes this time, her voice was laced with unease.

"It feels... like this has already happened."

Silence fell over the room. Umi stared at her. "Already happened? What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Nao whispered, shaking her head. "I don't have a clear vision. It feels like I'm looking at something that has already happened... and something that hasn't happened yet."

Shiizaa's expression tightened. "Well, that's your ability to see the past, present, and future."

"I know," Nao murmured, rubbing her temples. "I've never felt anything quite like this before."

Reona offered a reassuring look. "Maybe you're just exhausted?"

"Maybe. Maybe I need some rest."

BANG!

The heavy double doors flew open.

"Gooooooood evening!!!"

Everyone jumped as Miyo entered the room, blinking at the tense expressions around the table.

"Huh!? What's with all the long faces?"

“I thought we were being attacked!” Jei was still shaking.

Shiizaa's smile instantly. "Have a seat, my lady."

Miyo brightened immediately, walking over to drop her bags. "Okay!" She sat beside Shiizaa and began unpacking. "Shiizaa, I brought your favorite cookies!"

Shiizaa's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you, my lady."

"For Reona..." Miyo handed over a boxed card game.

Reona stared at it. "Whoa. How do we play these?"

"I'll teach you later!" Miyo grinned, moving down the line. "For Jei, new trendy skincare! And for Nao, the vendor said premium tea helps you stay focused. For Umi, a water-based bamboo essential oil for your humidifier."

Finally, Miyo walked up to Juriasu and handed him a small wrapped item. "And for you..."

Juriasu unwrapped it, his eyes going wide. "No way! The keychain from that anime we watched together? I couldn't find this anywhere!"

Miyo laughed. "Neither could I, so I had one custom-made."

Returning to her seat, Miyo clapped her hands together. "Okay! Now... tell me what happened with the Harbinger."

As Shiizaa began to brief her, Nao looked down quietly at her teacup.

I still don't understand what's happening, Nao thought, feeling the faint warmth of the serpent marking beneath her hair. I saw the Harbinger repeatedly receive the Grimoire...

Just then, her phone buzzed with an incoming email notification. She glanced at the screen:

"I'm sorry to send you a late design update, Ms. Morizuki, but here is the final concept for your Gothic dress. Currently, I'm starting to work on the physical piece. I will send another update soon."

Nao smiled softly as she examined the sketch. She nudged Miyo gently, turning the screen toward her.

"Miyo, look at this. Dark violet and black. It's cute and elegant, isn't it?"

Miyo's eyes sparkled. "Whoa! That is going to look so beautiful on you."

“By the way, everyone, I met a person with a huge dog, it was a white Akita Inu. I pet it, and as soon as I do, I feel so wrong; the dog is so mysterious. It feels like the soul is not compatible with the dog. I’m kind of worried about the owner and the dog's soul because it might act differently in the future. It might act differently or weirdly, or it might consume the soul and become a dog completely.”

Everyone was surprised by the details.

“You met the Harbinger!?” Reona was shocked.