The rain in the city didn’t just fall; it felt like a deliberate attempt by the heavens to dampen the very soul of the metropolis. Yuuta Togashi, huddled under a transparent convenience store umbrella, sighed as he navigated the neon-slicked sidewalks. He just wanted to get home, eat some instant ramen, and forget the embarrassing "Dark Flame Master" scribbles he’d found in his old middle school notebook earlier that day. Then, the world shifted.
"Halt, traveler," she commanded, her voice surprisingly small but filled with an inexplicable gravity. "The boundary lines have been compromised. To step further is to invite the wrath of the unseen."
He sighed, the weight of his umbrella feeling a little lighter. "Fine, 'Wicked Lord Shingan.' If the boundary is closed, is there a... detour? One that doesn't involve being consumed by the Void?"
As Yuuta approached, the figure’s head snapped toward him. Her golden-yellow eye narrowed with a terrifying intensity.
"Got it," Yuuta said, walking past her. "Thanks for the warning."
Yuuta froze, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. Not because he was afraid of a magical threat, but because the "Dark Flame Master" inside him recognized a kindred spirit—one he was trying desperately to bury. "Uh, look, I’m just trying to get to the station. Is there a parade or something?"
Yuuta’s heart skipped. She couldn't know. It’s just a coincidence. "I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just a normal high schooler."
A sudden gust of wind caught her umbrella, nearly turning it inside out. She stumbled, her cool exterior cracking for a split second as she scrambled to regain her footing. In that moment of vulnerability, Yuuta didn't see an omen of doom—he saw a girl who was just as lonely and imaginative as he used to be.