"Then what?" Akira pressed, feeling the knot tightening in his chest.

"Then they'll see anomalies," Ayaka said carefully. "Nothing they can identify, but enough to flag you as... abnormal. And in the current climate, with SPIU sniffing around, that's the last thing you want."

Akira ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I doubt they'll go that far, though. I mean, specialised tests like that are entirely too expensive for a school to pay for. Those kinds of comprehensive spectral analyses are performed only when there's a medical problem they're having difficulty diagnosing or when they need to confirm a specific diagnosis. So it's very unlikely they'd shell out that much money just because Kenji made some accusations."

"That's true," Ayaka conceded, leaning against the balcony railing. The night breeze caught her silver hair as she considered his point. "A typical school wouldn't authorise that level of testing just for a performance-enhancing drug screening. They'd stick to standard blood panels and urine tests. Basic stuff."

"Exactly. So I'm probably just worried for nothing," Akira said, though saying it aloud didn't actually make him feel better.

"Probably," Ayaka agreed. But there was something in the way she said it… a hesitation, a wariness that made it clear she wasn't as confident as she pretended to be.

They stood in silence for a moment, the sounds of the city muffled in the distance. A cool breeze carried the faint scent of jasmine from the garden below.

"But just to be safe," Ayaka finally said, "I'm going to suggest something. For the next thirty-six to forty-eight hours, till the test, you stay completely dormant. No essence usage whatsoever, no physical exertion that might spike your supernatural markers either."

Akira turned to face her. "Forty-eight hours? That's cutting it close to the test."

"Which is exactly why it matters," Ayaka explained. "Your body needs time to metabolise the excess essence you've been channelling. Standard tests might not catch anything, but if there are any lingering supernatural traces in your bloodstream, they could theoretically be flagged as anomalies. We want your system as clean and normal as possible when they draw blood."

"And if something happens during those forty-eight hours?" Akira asked the question that had been gnawing at him. "If a Gate opens? If something comes through?"

Ayaka's jaw tightened. Her crimson eyes locked with his, and for the first time, he saw genuine concern there… something that went deeper than protective instinct. It was fear.

"Then we hope it's small," she said quietly. "A minor Gate, nothing that requires your full power to handle. And we hope I can manage it on my own."

"You," Akira repeated. "Alone. Against whatever comes through."

"If necessary, yes." Ayaka pushed off from the railing, standing tall despite what she was proposing. "I've handled situations before you awakened, Akira. I can do it again for forty-eight hours if needed."

"Ayaka…"

"This is non-negotiable," she cut him off. "Your discovery would be far worse than a minor incident. If SPIU gets wind of what you are, you don't need a soothsayer to tell you all that can happen."

The weight of those words settled over him like concrete. He'd known it intellectually, but hearing it stated so bluntly, with such finality, made it real in a way theoretical dangers couldn't.

"Okay," Akira said finally. "Forty-eight hours. Complete dormancy. No essence, minimal physical activity."

"And no," Ayaka added pointedly, her red eyes narrowing slightly, "getting yourself worked up emotionally or physically either. Stress and arousal spike your markers just as much as active essence use. Stay calm. Stay controlled."

Akira felt heat creep up his neck. "That's... specific."

"I'm being thorough." A faint smirk crossed her face, the familiar Ayaka returning for just a moment. "Besides, I've been around you long enough to know how easily you get yourself into… situations. I'm just covering bases."

"Fair point," he admitted.

They stood together on the balcony.

Below them, the world continued, unaware of the supernatural danger that lurked just beyond perception, unaware of the delicate balance they were maintaining.

"If you need anything during those forty-eight hours," Ayaka said as she turned to head back inside, "anything at all, you come to me. No hesitation. Understood?"

"Understood."

She paused at the sliding glass door, looking back at him. "And Akira? Try to actually get some sleep tonight. You'll need it."

"I'll try," he said, though they both knew how unlikely that was

—

Akira stared at the ceiling of his room. Just forty-eight hours of complete dormancy, and he'd be in the clear. It should have been simple, except it wasn't.

"Dormancy, darling?" Ai's voice broke the silence, dripping with disdain. "That's like putting a Ferrari in a shed. We've been operating at peak performance, and now you want to just... sit in neutral?"

"It's precautionary," Akira replied mentally, rolling out of bed.

"Yes, but you're still fundamentally altered. Your entire physiology has changed. Sitting still won't mask that."

"Ayaka said it would help reduce any supernatural markers in my blood, and like I said, it's precautionary."

"Ayaka is being cautious because she's frightened." Ai's tone shifted to almost contempt. "That's fine for her. But for you? This is beneath you. You've tasted power, strength, speed beyond mortal limits. Now you want to pretend to be ordinary for forty-eight hours?"

Akira rubbed his face in frustration. "What choice do I have? I'm trying to minimise exposure. You know what happens next."

"Yes, yes, catastrophic exposure, blah blah. But think about what could happen during those forty-eight hours. What if a Gate opens? What if something attacks this household? And you're sitting here, deliberately weakened, like a sitting duck."

"Ayaka can handle it."

"No offense, but Ayaka can only do so much. One serious situation, and she'll need backup. Your backup. But you'll be dormant, useless, playing human."

Despite Ai's protests ringing in his ears, sleep refused to come. Akira gave up around eleven-thirty and decided a soak in the hot tub on the balcony would help him relax. The warm water and cool night air might be exactly what he needed.

He slipped into the tub wearing only swim shorts, sighing as the heat enveloped his tense muscles. The night was clear, stars scattered across the sky like diamonds. For a moment, the stress melted away.

"Can't sleep either?"

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