He smiled as they soared higher. The wind rushed past them, whipping Aiko's hair around as they climbed ever higher. Then, suddenly, he bent vertically and shot forward, slicing through the sky.

An airplane was passing by, flying slowly. Raito zipped past its side, almost brushing it. A little boy on board spotted him. Their eyes met, and Raito waved. The boy waved back excitedly.

"Mom! Come see! There's someone flying!" the boy shouted.

The mother looked, but by the time she tried to focus, the figure was gone. Even if anyone had caught a glimpse, they wouldn't have been able to tell it was a human—just a blur moving impossibly fast.

The pilot caught a brief glimpse and exclaimed, "What the hell was that?!" He gripped the controls tightly. A few tense minutes later, the plane landed safely.

Raito slowed and descended, landing with a small crash. Boom—the impact cracked a small patch of the ground.

Aiko, still hugging him tightly, gasped. "Wow… that was amazing! You can actually fly like that. What rank are you?"

"Rank C… last time I checked," Raito replied calmly.

Aiko's eyes widened. "That's impossible! Rank C? Flying like that… you must be A—or maybe S!"

Raito didn't answer immediately. Then he turned to her, a serious look in his eyes. "Tell me… do you know anything about a System? Something called a System? Maybe you can check your stats?"

"System? What's that?" Aiko asked.

"I just read about it in a book," Raito said.

"Good. Looks like not every hunter is capable of this. I wasn't sure if I was the only one. I have a System to check my stats, an Inventory Box, and even a Hunter Domain," raito thought.

"Hey, Aiko," Raito said quietly. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What's going on? Did something happen?" Aiko asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Please," Raito said, looking serious. "Can you tell all your classmates not to say anything about me—to anyone?"

Aiko smiled faintly. "You don't have to worry. I already did. When they told me what happened, I warned them not to tell anyone. I wanted to meet you myself and confirm it was true."

Raito exhaled softly, relieved.

"But… some of them were injured," Aiko added sadly. "We're still going to meet up tomorrow, but not everyone's in good shape."

Raito nodded silently and opened the door. They both stepped inside.

Aiko went straight to the small kitchen and began preparing a meal. Raito sat down, lost in thought.

She already told them… that's good. But still… that offer from Jiro—it's too good to ignore. It could change everything.

He stared at the floor, his mind drifting back. When I was around seven, my dad used to take me to his business yard. It wasn't much, but he taught me something that stuck for life: never reject an opportunity that can make things better. As long as it isn't wrong… don't turn it down.

Aiko returned, carrying two steaming bowls of noodles. "Hey—you're lost in thought again," she said, setting the bowls on the bed.

Raito didn't respond right away.

"Here," Aiko said, tapping the side of his bowl playfully. "It's getting cold."

Raito blinked, snapping back to reality. "Ah… thanks," he said, picking up his chopsticks.

He started eating silently, the warmth of the noodles grounding him in the moment—yet his mind was still elsewhere, replaying the choice ahead.

The following day, Raito woke up, got dressed, and stepped out. He bought a new TV and brought it back to his house, placing it carefully in his room.

"Wow, this TV is expensive," Aiko said, watching him.

Raito shrugged. "Well, it seems like I'm doing something right now. Ever since my power manifested, I've been… making some money."

Aiko tilted her head curiously. "I'm guessing it has something to do with slaying monsters? Since you won't tell me exactly what you do."

"Maybe," Raito admitted. "The money comes from someone who sold the monster cores I collected and gave me the proceeds."

Aiko smiled. "Wow, you're lucky. After everything that happened, this really made my day. And yesterday, after you told me your power manifested, I was really happy."

Then Raito asked, "Hey… are you meeting up with your classmates today?"

Aiko glanced at him. "No. Didn't you see the news? It's advising people to stay indoors. But you can still go out if you want. The monsters are gone now. Some houses were destroyed, but repairs have started, and the Hunters Association has already cleaned the streets."

"But I'll be going out today, so go see someone," Raito said.

"Okay, fine," Aiko replied.

"And if things work out for me, the job really pays well. Maybe you can take a vacation and rest. You once said that would be your best gift," Raito added.

"I actually want a vacation… a yacht vacation. But where are you going to find the kind of money to actually make that happen?" Aiko asked.

Raito smirked. "No need to talk. You'll see soon enough."

He smiled at her, then glanced at the clock. It was 1 p.m.

Raito picked up his phone, slipped on his blue hoodie, and walked out of his apartment.

"Shadow Phase: Activated."

A soft glow appeared across his face.

[Skill Activated: Shadow Phase]

User is now invisible.

"Flight: Activate."

Instantly, he lifted off the ground, completely unseen.

He pulled out the card Jiro had given him. "I know the general area… but not the exact house," he muttered.

Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he shot forward, flying at full velocity toward the address on the card.

After a few minutes, Raito slowly descended, landing quietly while scanning the area to see if anyone was watching. There were a few people around, but barely anyone. He decided to approach the back of the house, moving through the narrow space between the two properties.

He deactivated Shadow Phase and stepped out, finally seeing the old mansion up close. The house was enormous, with massive gates that towered above him.

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