The One Called Lily

The streets were unusually quiet that evening.

Dim yellow streetlights flickered softly across the empty roads while the distant sound of passing
trains echoed somewhere beyond the city buildings.

Yuka continued walking calmly after leaving the station.

But he already knew.

Someone was following him.

His expression remained unchanged as he quietly continued forward without increasing his pace.

A narrow turn appeared ahead.

Without hesitation, Yuka stepped into the alley and disappeared from sight.

Several seconds later—

Erika arrived at the same corner.

“Huh…?”
She quickly looked around after turning into the street.

But nobody was there.

The alley remained completely empty.

Cold wind passed through the narrow road, causing nearby posters and hanging wires to rustle
softly.

“He was literally here a second ago…”

A confused expression slowly appeared on her face.

What Erika failed to notice—

Was the figure silently standing above her on the rooftop.

Yuka calmly stared down at her from the shadows, his dark hair moving slightly with the night
breeze.

His crimson eyes quietly observed her for several moments before she eventually sighed and
began walking away.

Only after she disappeared from sight did Yuka quietly leave the rooftop.

Later that night—

The world had fallen asleep.

Moonlight entered softly through the curtains of Yuka’s room while the ticking sound of the clock
echoed quietly through the silence.

Yuka slowly stood up from his bed.

A crimson portal opened before him.

Without hesitation—

He stepped through.

The cold metallic atmosphere of the hidden spaceship welcomed him once again.

Blue lights glowed across the massive interior while countless screens displayed reports, locations,
and mysterious Yaksha sightings from around the world.

But the moment Yuka entered—

He froze slightly.

Near one of the massive shelves—

Yumi stood on top of Eve’s shoulders while both of them struggled to grab a book from the highest
shelf.

“Just a little more—”

“I’m trying!”

The moment they noticed Yuka—

Both panicked instantly.

“Aah—!”

They immediately lost balance and crashed onto the floor together.

“Oww…”

Yuka simply stared at them silently.

No emotion.

No reaction.

Only silence.

Then—

He calmly walked toward a nearby control panel and pressed a button.

With a soft mechanical sound, the entire shelf slowly lowered itself.

Yumi and Eve froze in embarrassment.

Yuka casually grabbed the book they had been trying to reach and handed it toward Eve.

“…Here.”

After giving her the book, he quietly began walking away.

The large library doors automatically opened as he entered deeper into the room.

Yumi and Eve silently stared at him.

“…He could’ve done that from the beginning,” Eve whispered quietly.

Yumi sighed.

“At least he helped…”

After calming down, the two girls slowly opened the book.

Inside were countless photographs and records.

Different places.

Different locations.

And beside each image—

Numbers.

Some were small.

Some reached over fifty.

But one image immediately caught their attention.

A cherry blossom tree.

The same tree from the forest.

Beside the image—

The number “1” had been written in red ink.

Yumi and Eve immediately remembered that horrifying night.

The Yaksha.

Eve being possessed.

Yuka fighting beneath the moonlight.

“…This probably means Yaksha numbers,” Eve muttered quietly.

“But then… why is this one written in red?”

Both exchanged confused looks.

After hesitating briefly, they decided to ask Yuka directly.

They slowly approached the library doors and knocked before entering.

Inside, Yuka sat alone beneath dim blue lights while quietly reading another book.

The atmosphere felt strangely peaceful.

The moment they entered—

He immediately closed the book.

Yumi showed him the page.

“What does this red ‘1’ mean?”

Yuka silently stared at the image for several seconds.

“…You don’t need to know.”

His cold answer instantly killed the conversation.

Neither Yumi nor Eve spoke again.

They quietly left the library.

The automatic doors slowly closed behind them.

Silence returned once more.

Yuka lowered his eyes toward the book in his hands.

“…Maybe I said too much.”

After sitting silently for several moments, he closed the book and stood up.

When he exited the library again—

He saw Yumi and Eve quietly sitting together at a nearby table.

The atmosphere felt awkward.

Yuka slowly walked toward them.

“…Maybe I was too harsh earlier.”

Both girls looked up at him in shock.

“I’m sorry.”

Complete silence.

Neither Yumi nor Eve could even process what they had just heard.

Yuka apologizing felt almost impossible.

But before either of them could respond—

He had already walked away toward another room.

Inside the room—

Multiple screens covered the walls while glowing code rapidly moved across computer monitors.

Yuka quietly sat down and began typing.

The soft humming of machines echoed throughout the room.

Beside him stood a large glass capsule.

Inside it rested a glowing blue ore floating peacefully at the center.

Yuka rolled his chair backward toward the capsule—

But suddenly—

THUD.

“Oof…”

The chair slipped awkwardly beneath him, causing him to fall directly onto the floor.

Several seconds of silence passed.

Then—

He slowly stood back up as if nothing had happened.

Not far away stood a humanoid machine.

Silver hair mixed with soft pink rested around its shoulders while its body remained completely
inactive.

Yuka carefully removed the glowing ore from the capsule and inserted it into the machine’s chest.

The room instantly lit up.

Blue energy spread throughout the machine’s body.

Yuka returned to his computer and activated the system.

For several moments—

Nothing happened.

Then—

The machine’s eyes slowly opened.

A soft mechanical voice echoed throughout the room.

“Required master name as password.”

Yuka calmly replied:

“Name: Yuka.”

A brief pause followed.

Then—

“Access granted.”

The machine slowly sat upright.

Its silver-pink hair reflected beneath the glowing blue lights while its artificial eyes quietly focused
on Yuka.

“…Hello.”

Its voice sounded calm.

“What will I be called?”

A brief silence filled the room.

“And what is my purpose?”

Yuka quietly stared at the machine for several moments before finally speaking.

“Your name is Lily.”

The machine softly repeated:

“…Lily.”

Yuka turned toward the glowing screens behind him.

“And your job…”

His voice remained calm.

“…is to protect and follow my commands.”

The blue lights of the spaceship reflected quietly across Lily’s eyes as she silently continued staring
toward the one who created her.