Outside a luxurious villa in Cupido Town, a car pulled up to a stop.
The door swung open, and Akashi stepped out, holding Shiho's small hand.
The female driver remained in the car, her expression vacant, before shifting gears and driving away.
She had no idea what had just happened.
Because she had been hypnotized.
Akashi's mastery over the Lv2 hypnosis technique had reached a level of absolute precision.
The process was simple.
At the moment of hypnosis, he only needed to issue a command—something as small as an instruction to halt a simple action, like buttoning a coat.
From that point on, the target was under his complete control.
And before the hypnosis ended, a final command would erase their entire memory of the event.
By the time the effect wore off, they wouldn't recall a single thing.
A flawless deception.
More than just an art form— it was a weapon.
With this ability, there was no need for elaborate escape plans.
He simply found a random driver on the street, took control, and had them drive him and Shiho out of the organization's reach.
The result?
No trails. No witnesses.
No matter how thoroughly the organization investigated, they would never be able to trace how Shiho escaped.
It was the perfect, airtight plan.
And yet—
Shiho, who had watched the entire process.
Still, she didn't find anything particularly strange about it.
To her, it just looked like Akashi had prearranged the driver in advance.
Instead, her mind was focused on something else entirely.
For the past few minutes, she had been secretly staring at Akashi's back.
Her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Her thoughts raced.
Where was the bandage?
The mysterious bandage he used to manipulate reality itself—
Where was he hiding it?
She had been watching carefully, but no matter how hard she looked—she couldn't find it.
Unfortunately for her, she never would.
Because the moment Akashi stopped using his bandage manipulation ability—
It ceased to exist.
Just like that—gone.
Shiho frowned.
Before she could dwell on it further, Akashi pressed his hand against the villa's fingerprint lock.
A soft beep sounded, and the door clicked open.
The two of them stepped inside.
This wasn't just any safe house—
It was registered under Akashi's name.
They were completely secure.
The same villa where he had brought Akemi after her rescue.
Akashi exhaled in relief and turned toward Shiho.
"Alright, we're safe now."
He gestured toward her damp clothes.
"Take off your coat—it's soaked through. You'll catch a cold."
But instead of complying, Shiho instinctively clutched the fabric tightly.
Her expression was wary.
Akashi sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Seriously? With that flat figure of yours, what is there to be so self-conscious about?"
His tone was dry.
"I'm not some lolicon, you know."
Shiho let out a huff.
"Who knows? You might be a pervert."
Her voice was flat but sharp.
The irony of being called a pervert in a loli voice was not lost on Akashi.
He groaned and gently shoved her toward the bathroom.
"Enough nonsense. Go take a shower—you stink."
His voice carried zero patience.
"I'll leave some clothes outside the door for you. Hurry up."
Shiho's eyes widened slightly.
That statement—
Clothes.
Pre-prepared.
Kid-sized.
Her mind whirled.
How did he know?
How did he know she would end up in this childlike form?
APT-X was a top-secret experimental drug. Even within the organization, only a handful of people knew about its true effects.
So how could Akashi possibly be aware that she would shrink instead of die?
Her suspicions deepened—
But before she could question him further, the scent of her own body hit her.
…Yeah.
She really did stink.
With a small scowl, she pushed past him and disappeared into the bathroom.
The sound of running water soon filled the villa.
Meanwhile, Akashi grabbed a fresh set of clothes for himself and headed to the bathroom next door.
But of course—boys shower fast.
A quick rinse, a bit of soap, and he was done.
A few moments later, he emerged—refreshed and back to his usual self.
A brand-new little succubus shota.
After toweling off his hair, he made his way to the villa's safe.
It was time to handle the money.
With a swift motion, he unlocked the safe and opened his item grid.
From within—
He pulled out one billion yen.
The sheer volume of cash was staggering.
Neatly stacked bundles of bills filled the room as he carefully transported them into the safe.
Meanwhile—
Shiho had finished her shower.
Wrapped in a towel, she stepped out, her damp hair clinging to her cheeks.
She had changed into the small clothes Akashi had provided.
And yet—her mind was restless.
The stress of the escape still clung to her.
Even though she was physically safe—
She felt uneasy.
And that unease only worsened when she realized—
Akashi was nowhere in sight.
Her heart pounded slightly.
Her body tensed.
The moment she couldn't see him—
Panic crept in.
She quickly scanned the room.
And when she finally spotted him—near the safe, handling the money—
Only then did she let out a small breath.
But she didn't understand why.
Why did she feel this way?
She had never relied on anyone before.
She had never needed to.
So why—
Why did the thought of being alone suddenly feel terrifying?
Following the dim light, Shiho padded barefoot across the floor, her small frame moving cautiously through the villa.
Her steps led her to the master bedroom.
And there—
She saw it.
Stacks of money.
Akashi stood in front of the open safe, methodically transporting bundles of cash.
Shiho's eyes widened.
Her astonishment was evident as she blurted out,
"Where did you get all this money? Did you rob a bank?"
Akashi smirked, not even pausing as he continued stacking bills.
"Bingo. A bank was robbed—
But it wasn't me."
He turned his gaze toward her.
"It was your sister."
Shiho froze.
For a moment, she thought she had misheard him.
"My sister? That's impossible! She would never do something like this!"
Her voice shook with disbelief.
Akemi had always been a beacon of kindness and grace in Shiho's life.
To even suggest that she would commit such a crime—
It made no sense.
But as Shiho stared at Akashi, searching for any hint of a joke—
She realized.
He wasn't kidding.
Akashi let out a small sigh.
Now he understood—
Shiho had been completely kept in the dark.
The organization had hidden everything from her.
She didn't even know what had happened to Akemi.
With that, Akashi began to explain.
He told her everything—
The betrayal.
After he was purged, Akemi had been cornered by Gin and Vodka.
They had lured her in with false promises—
Convincing her to rob a billion yen from the bank in exchange for Shiho's safety.
And then—
They went back on their word.
Gin had planned to kill her.
Had it not been for Akashi stepping in at the last second—
Akemi wouldn't have survived.
Halfway through his explanation, Shiho's eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Her small hands clenched into fists.
It was all because of her.
If it weren't for her, her sister would have never been forced into such a desperate situation.
A wave of guilt crashed over her.
But at the same time—
Relief.
Her sister was safe.
That was all that mattered now.
Without hesitation, Shiho grabbed Akashi's hand.
"Call her. Now."
Her voice was firm.
"I need to tell her I'm okay."
There was no room for argument.
Akashi sighed, but he didn't refuse.
With a flick of his wrist, he dialed the number.
The phone barely rang twice before Akemi picked up.
Her voice was sharp—laced with irritation.
"Oh? So you still remember how to call me?"
There was a pause.
"It's been three days, Akashi! Three! Not a single phone call! I thought you had completely forgotten about me!"
The second the line connected—
Shiho snatched the phone out of his hands.
And the moment she heard that voice—
Her entire body tensed.
This voice…
It's really my sister.
But—
Something felt off.
The Akemi she remembered was gentle.
Warm.
But this voice—this playful, teasing tone—
It was almost as if—
She was acting like some lovestruck girl.
And then—
Shiho's expression darkened.
She turned, her cold, piercing gaze locking onto Akashi.
Something had definitely happened between them.
Something strange.
And she didn't like it.
Akashi, sensing the shift in atmosphere, quickly snatched the phone back and switched to video call mode.
The screen flickered—
And on the other end, Akemi's face appeared.
She was dressed as a waitress, clearly in the middle of work.
Without wasting a second, Akashi got straight to the point.
"Akemi, I have Shiho."
His voice was calm but firm.
"There was a bit of an… accident. She's a little smaller now. But she's safe."
He turned the phone toward Shiho.
"You two talk."
The moment Akemi saw her sister, her entire demeanor shifted.
The teasing tone vanished—
Replaced with pure, overwhelming relief.
"Shiho?! Is that really you?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I knew it. I knew Akashi could do it…"
A deep breath.
Her eyes glistened.
"If our parents knew you escaped the organization, they'd be so happy. This is… this is wonderful."
Tears welled up in her eyes—but she smiled.
On the other end of the screen, Shiho remained quiet.
Her fingers trembled as she gripped the phone.
For the first time in what felt like forever—
She was seeing her sister's face.
Hearing her voice.
A lump formed in her throat.
There were a thousand things she wanted to say.
And yet—
For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
There was something between Akashi and Akemi.
Something unspoken.
But now wasn't the time to interrogate them.
Pushing her suspicions aside, Shiho turned away from Akashi.
She needed a moment alone.
As she walked to a quieter corner of the room, she held the phone close and poured her heart out to her sister.
Akashi, meanwhile, simply shook his head.
Emotional moments weren't really his thing.
He turned back to the safe, resuming his work.
There was still one billion yen to store away.
And after that— he still had time to go down to the weapons arsenal under the utility room.