Kibishi's POV

  "A fairy? Like... those fairies in those cssic stories?" Tao asks.

  "U-um... pretty... much?" Yosei answered hesitantly.

  "Huh? What's with the pauses?" I tilted my head.

  "Mm... well. I'll be frank here. Being a fairy isn't... all that it's cut out to be." Yosei ughed nervously.

  "Why not?" Tao raised her brows in shock.

  "... Wait. Does it have to do with your core or dream?" I raised my left palm.

  "...." Yosei folded her arms and looked away. "I don't want to tell you."

  "Huh?" I blinked.

  "I said I don't want to tell you," Yosei announced to me.

  "...Hu—" I almost yelled at Yosei, but realized that doing that would cause a scene. Also, I had no right to be acting out for no reason.

  If Yosei didn't want to talk about it, then I couldn't force her to do that.

  Yet, for some reason, I reacted to yelling the minute Yosei said that she wouldn't tell me anything.

  But I mean, Kuma and Kujira did the same thing, and I respected them. Why couldn't I do the same with Yosei?

  Maybe it was the way she said it that ticked me off? But no, even then, I wouldn't have reacted quickly like that. It was so strange.

  "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." I said honestly and then looked at the table in confliction.

  Man, what was with me tonight?

  I couldn't keep doing this to Yosei and the other girls.

  "Are you okay, Kibi?" Kuma asked me with concern.

  "H-hmm?" I raised my head and looked at Kuma. "Y-Yeah, I am. I'm just gathering my thoughts again."

  "I see." Kuma's brows raised with a small smile. "Honestly, you and Yosei need to focus and stop spacing out like that."

  Fair enough.

  I nodded to myself. My actions would still nag me, but I could live with that.

  "I'm sorry for the interruptions. Please, continue." I gave Yosei a warm smile. That made her react and smile back at me.

  "It's fine. I'm the one who wasn't professional enough to answer correctly." Yosei admitted.

  Huh. So, even leaders could admit their actions as well.

  "But like I mentioned before, I can't say. It's due to how personal it is to me. And I'm not comfortable saying it in front of a lot of people."

  Yosei rested her palms on the table.

  "Now then!" Yosei suddenly had this childish smile spreading across her face.

  "As you may know, there are many fairy tales that have fairies in them! And since the pattern thus far is pretty easy to follow, I, too, have the creativity to do whatever I want!"

  "Hmm..." Tao pced her hand under her chin.

  "Wait, so, are all supernaturals like that?" I scratched my head.

  "Not really. But we were the lucky ones to have such freedom!" Yosei responded with a finger wag.

  "So where are the others?" Tao stroked her chin.

  "Most of them give up on fighting altogether and live out their lives as normal humans. Some got lost during missions, and some died. It's hard to keep up these days since they like to be hidden." Mato added in while scratching his left eye.

  "What? They're not fighting with us?" Tao looked conflicted.

  "Nah, they don't think it's worth it. Plus, there's another possibility to find more out there, but rarely. You two were the exceptions, though." Kuma expine,d then started to hum away.

  "I still don't get how you guys managed to find us." I leaned forward and put my hands together.

  "That's cssified." The Founder suddenly spoke up.

  "Really? Still? After all the troubles we've been through?" I called out The Founder.

  "So what? You got a pce that you can call home, food, drink, and even a warm bed. Knowing everything isn't part of the hospitality." The Founder bluntly stated.

  "That's...!"

  That was so stupid! But I couldn't say this out loud since it might cause trouble. But still, it didn't make any sense at all. Why still hide the reason for finding us? Even if Kuma noticed us during the breakout, she still knew our names and that we were supernaturals.

  But if The Founder wouldn't say anything, then there was nothing I could do about that.

  "Fine," I shook my head in disappointment.

  I supposed trust wasn't in the dictionary for being the leader of an organization, huh?

  And he said that he was interested in me. It was more like he was interested to have Tao and me work for him through and through.

  "At any rate, please continue, Yosei." The Founder said after saying all of that. He was really a man without any kindness in his words. I knew being a leader meant to be tough and hold no special feelings for anyone, but there was a line to be drawn, you know.

  "Sure..." Yosei looked away. She seemed to be feeling sorry for me.

  She then turned serious.

  "Anyway, being a Fairy supernatural isn't all fun and games. Since there's limitless possibilities as a Fairy, that means the limit is your imagination and your training. Luckily, I got both, so I'm in no way worried about not being able to get out of a sticky situation."

  Yosei then closed her eyes and raised her index finger.

  "However. There's a cost to this if I don't do the preparation right. Well, that'll soon be an aftermath once I finish the first yer mission."

  "What do you mean?" Tao leaned back on her chair.

  "I mean that I almost figured out the rules like the back of my hand. Once I imply the things I need to get it done, those costs will be an afterthought!"

  Yosei cheerfully cpped her hands together.

  "What?!" Everyone shouted at the same time.

  "Indeed, indeed! Kuma is almost there as well! Hehe! We'll revolutionize the ways of the Supernaturals! There's nothing that could rival us now!" Yosei gave a pyful wink.

  "Well, I wouldn't say nothing. There's this strange rumor about an entity that can challenge all of the supernaturals in the world, but—that concept is simply impossible for it to have one." Kuma joked as she y on the table in a zy way.

  "What concept?" I asked with my brows raised.

  "Oh, something like reaching divine realms after certain conditions. I heard that is still closer to possibility than the other silly thing!" Kujira added with a smile.

  "It's a concept that no humans can do since we're still alive! The closest thing you'll have is being Hades!" Kuma joked around and folded her arms so that her head could rest on them.

  "Like Hades? Wait... do you mean-?"

  "Ah, I don't mean to disturb you, Tao, but I think Mato wanted to say something, right?" Yosei interrupted Tao and then turned to Mato.

  "..." Mato remained silent.

  "Hmm? Mato?" Kuma slowly raised her head.

  "..." Mato breathed in and then breathed out.

  "Hey, why are you silent?" Kujira questioned as sweat began to appear.

  Mato slowly raised his eyelids a little above halfway, and his smile disappeared from his lips.

  "I'm sorry to break this to you guys, but... the impossible isn't really impossible. Since we're living in these dark times, there are also rules that aren't meant to be broken, but were."

  Mato then looked at me intensely.

  Wait, why the serious look?

  Mato then looked at the group.

  "Firstly, I would like to thank Akuma for saving Kibishi and Taoreta. Without that, none of us would've discovered the impossibility of such a concept."

  "Huh? What are you talking about?" Kuma slowly lowered her eyelids.

  "..." Mato slowly looked at me.

  "... Kibishi. Tell me something. What's your most important impact in your life?"

  "The most important impact?" I muttered Mato's words.

  What did that have to do with anything?

  But if I had to guess...

  "...Being able to survive—no. Being able to save Tao's life from such a tragedy." I answered honestly.

  I mean, I was thankful for being able to survive such a horrible fate, but still, nothing came close to the day that I managed to protect Tao from such a horrible attack from that creature back in the day.

  "Can you tell us more?" Mato said sternly.

  "...Well. I lost both of my parents and never got to see my sister after she ran away. I think... I think we went to look for her, but then that horrible tragedy happened."

  I looked at the table as I could feel the pain rising up.

  "I doubt my sister survived it either, since I couldn't find her myself. But then I saw a body on the ground that seemed to be breathing with life. It wasn't my sister's, but a friend I knew from young. That friend was Tao."

  Yeah, that was pretty much the gist of things.

  What had happened before in my childhood had been blurred after dying in that red city that was painted by blood. I could try to remember it, but that in itself would cause me pain and regret for not being able to save anyone in my family.

  And... I suppose that was why I got clingy to Tao for the most part.

  That and I couldn't stop thinking about her, how I couldn't stop looking, how I couldn't stop smiling, getting mad, and even getting sad when it came to her.

  All of this time, Tao was the reason why I always wanted to step up to the pte and be the person I am today.

  "Please pay attention, Kibishi. There's no time to be spacing out." Mato said in a deep and serious tone.

  "W-wha?! I-I'm sorry!" I nodded as I tensed up.

  "How did you survive?" Mato asked.

  "Well, I didn't think I would, to be honest. At the time, I wanted to at least save Tao from an attack that could've killed her."

  "Did it leave anything behind? Like a scar or even a wound?" Mato suggested.

  "Well, yeah. The wound is healed, but the scars remain."

  "From the back?" Mato asked.

  "And the front also." I corrected him.

  "...I see." Mato nodded.

  He then folded his arms.

  "I'll be frank here, Kibishi. Do you feel accustomed to the darkness whenever you're sleeping? Are you afraid of it? Or is it comforting?"

  "Huh? Well... I wouldn't say I'm afraid of... the dark. I've been through worse." I held my chin when I answered that.

  I then saw the girls' expressions changing slowly. From smiling to a hint of concern.

  "Did you ever think about your life ending somehow?" Mato asked me with her brows lowering.

  "Well... I don't think about it too much. If it ends, then it ends. After all, I—"

  ...Huh?

  Wait, why wasn't I afraid of death?

  I mean, sure, I got afraid about certain things, but my own death wasn't one of them.

  And I did think about it, but instead of fear, it gave me peace from time to time. The only regret was that I might die before Tao if I did something too stupid or reckless as usual.

  Maybe it was due to the past trauma that the concept of death didn't bother me so much.

  "That confirms it." Mato then opened a project screen.

  "Kibishi. Your supernatural ability that matches the very being of you..."

  Then—

  Swipe!

  Everyone gasped in shock.

  A picture of a hooded figure with many, MANY weapons behind its back, with many people following it, appeared on the screen.

  "... Is the concept of death. In other words... you're the Grim Reaper supernatural, Kibishi. The concept of the impossibility... being possible." Mato deepened his tone further.

  "The... concept... of death?" My eyes shook in surprise when I whispered that.

  I'm... I'm the supernatural of death?