—
Deep beneath the rebuilt Tokyo—far below the surface, deeper than even the Syndicate's last reach—metal clicked softly. A long-abandoned chamber, once sealed by gods and forgotten by men, began to stir.
The spark Hoshiro left behind… was watching.
It flickered inside a containment sphere, swirling with blue and crimson strands—his aura, fractured, yet alive.
But something else had joined it.
From the rift, during the final collapse, a sliver of the *Idea* had survived.
And now… it was learning.
Absorbing.
Evolving.
—
Back above, Hoshiro walked the streets in daylight. A group of school kids laughed and pointed, whispering about "The Masked Guardian." He gave them a small wave and kept walking.
Beside him, Ayame handed him a sweet bun. "You really think we're done?"
"No." He took a bite. "But I think we've earned a moment."
—
That moment shattered five hours later.
Kazuki burst into the ramen shop, breathless. "It's back. Something's *mimicking* your energy."
Ayame stood instantly. "How is that possible?"
Hoshiro's eyes narrowed.
"Because not all echoes fade. Some… become *answers*."
—
Far underground, the sphere cracked.
From the smoke stepped a figure—masked, glowing faintly.
It looked just like Hoshiro.But it smiled… wrong.
—