In Edenfall's medical room, what she had only dared to believe became reality—Takumi had returned from the dead. Overwhelmed with emotion, Mira couldn't hold back any longer. She leaned in and kissed him.
After Mira kissed Takumi—his first kiss, ever— he blinked in surprise, his voice soft and confused.
"Mira-san…?"
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she turned her eyes away.
"Thank you, Takumi…" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
But before either could say more, Takumi's legs gave way and he collapsed into her arms.
"Takumi?! Takumi!" Mira cried, holding him close as his eyes fluttered shut.
They laid him back on the bed in a rush. Reika quickly moved to check him, while Mira, Raizen, and Ayato stood anxiously around.
"His body's still lacking critical nutrition," Reika explained. "I've given him infusions of vitamins and minerals, but it seems his regeneration drained every last reserve. Or…" She paused with a teasing smirk. "Or maybe he just passed out from the shock of you kissing him, Mira-chan."
"Eh?! N-No way, I—I didn't mean to… I mean, maybe? I don't know… I was just so happy to see him standing again," Mira stammered, flustered.
The room filled with soft laughter at Mira's flustered honesty.
"I only came by to check on him," Reika continued, "but he surprised me too. Already standing, asking questions non-stop… so I called Takamura-dono to come." Reika paused, then added, "The last thing he remembers is sitting on the bridge railing. After that… he just woke up here."
Raizen narrowed his eyes slightly. "So, how did he survive medically?"
Reika nodded and explained, "From what I can tell, at the brink of death, his brain shut down non-essential functions and redirected every available resource to healing his fatal wound. Normally, that wouldn't be possible. But with the phenomenon we now call 'Limit Break'... or maybe 'Evolution'… it makes sense."
She continued, "That's why when we canceled his funeral and hooked him to life support, his regeneration went faster."
"So… his brain saved him, instinctively?" Raizen asked.
"It seems that way, sir," Reika confirmed
Raizen sighed with a slight smile. "It's good news. For now, Reika, keep monitoring him."
"Yes, sir," she replied.
He turned to Ayato. "Status update?"
"Chaos, master," Ayato replied. "Japan's better off than most, but still a mess. The United Nations has officially confirmed the New World Order."
"The speech from Antonio Callahan… the what we called 'Breachers' planning to cross Antarctica," Raizen muttered. "We'll discuss this in tomorrow's meeting."
"Takamura-dono," Mira interjected softly, "will Edenfall be joining the breach?"
"I can't answer that yet. We're still waiting on responses from the other Edenfall HQs," he said. "I'll talk more tomorrow. If possible, I want Takumi present too—so please, Mira, stay by his side."
"Y-Yes, sir," Mira replied.
Raizen nodded and made his way out. "Good night, everyone."
"Phew… I'm tired too. The world's changing, people coming back from the dead… wild stuff," Utsushi said with a half-laugh as he out. "Anyway, see you all tomorrow."
Then Reika turned to Ayato with a grin. "Ayato-kun, dinner with me? Let Mira have a quiet night with her boyfriend."
"Ah—uh—about that…" Ayato fumbled, caught off guard.
"Wait, Reika-san, what about Takumi?" Mira asked, concerned.
"He'll be fine," Reika reassured her. "He just needs rest. The infusions will do their job. You stay with him, Mira-chan… and let me borrow your brother for a while."
She winked as she tugged Ayato along.
"See you, Mira-chan~ Now, Ayato, what should we eat?"
"Uh… sushi, maybe? Night, Mira-chan…"
The room finally quieted. Late into the night, Mira sat beside Takumi, her head resting near his arm, her hand gently wrapped around his.
A gentle smile played on her lips, full of joy and relief. Just seeing him alive was enough.
Then, in a faint whisper, Takumi mumbled in his sleep "…Yuki-chan…"
Mira froze. Her smile wavered—but didn't break.
Even now, he was thinking of her, Mira's chest tightened.
Her love, remained in unreturned.
She closed her eyes and held his hand just a little tighter.
"…I'll make sure you two meet again, Takumi," she whispered, voice soft but certain.
Early morning, Mira sat quietly beside the bed, gently holding Takumi's hand as he slept. A tray with warm breakfast sat on the table—real food for once, instead of the usual vitamins and infusions he'd been fed until now.
"Good morning, Miss Asahiro~," came a teasing voice from the doorway.
Mira flinched slightly, turning to see Reika step in with a clipboard on her hand.
"E-eh? G-Good morning, Reika-san! And—it's Kurasaki. That name was only for missions…" Mira mumbled, already blushing.
Reika smirked. "Sure, sure. But you really do give off wife energy right now, so calling you that just feels right."
"W-wife?! Reika-san, please don't tease me like that…" Mira's face turned bright red.
"Haha, okay, okay. Let me check on our miracle boy."
Reika walked over to Takumi and began her examination, smoothly detaching the now-empty infusion line and shutting down the life support systems. "These aren't needed anymore," she murmured to herself.
As she checked his vitals, she lifted his arm to inspect it. Her fingers lightly pressed along his biceps and triceps.
Mira leaned in slightly, confused as Reika massaging his arm.
"Hm? Look at this, Mira-chan… I think his arm's gotten bigger. I didn't notice before—I guess I stopped paying attention after its fully regenerated."
"Um… maybe? I-I'm not sure…" Mira replied nervously.
Reika gave her a sly look. "Really? You're the one who's been at his side all this time. You didn't notice?"
"Of course n-no! I haven't been—doing anything weird to his body or anything!" Mira stammered, completely flustered.
"Haha! I'm just messing with you." Reika laughed as she finished her notes. "Anyway, his condition looks stable now. I'll report this to Takamura-dono."
She winked before heading out. "See ya, Mira-chan~"
Minutes later, Takumi slowly opened his eyes, the ceiling coming into focus. His gaze shifted to the side—Mira was sitting beside him, eyes wide as she noticed he was awake.
"Ta-Takumi-kun…?" she whispered.
"Ah… good morning, Mira-san," he greeted softly, his voice still weak.
"Morning… Takumi-kun," she replied with a smile, visibly relieved. "How do you feel? Yesterday you fainted. Reika-san said your body was still weak, but she checked you again just a few minutes ago—said you're stable now."
She leaned forward a little, more serious. "But you need to eat. You're not getting nutrients through infusion anymore."
She reached for a tray nearby. "I brought you breakfast—real food this time. And don't forget the vitamins from Reika-san."
"Thank you, Mira-san."
Takumi slowly began eating, Mira helping him peel some fruit. She stayed by his side until he'd finished.
After a pause, Mira asked, "Takumi-kun… did Takamura-dono tell you what's happening outside?"
He sipped from the glass of water and set it down. "Not in detail… but he said things are getting worse?"
"They are." She nodded, then added, "If you feel well enough, Takamura-dono would like you to join today's meeting."
"I think I can manage," Takumi said, looking down at himself. "I can't stay like this. If the world's falling apart out there… I want to protect her even more."
"…You mean Yuki Hanazawa, right?"
Takumi looked up. "Mira-san… you knew her?"
"Yes. I actually got close to her," Mira said softly. "Back at the mortuary, I met her. I introduced myself as Mira Asahiro—your relative—to help arrange your funeral."
She paused, her expression turning somber. "Yuki-chan… she was more broken than I was. Day after day with her, I invited her to help sort through your things at your apartment. She learned more about you from that. She kept convincing herself you were still beside her, It gave her strength."
Mira looked away, her voice cracking slightly. "She believed carrying two lives now—her own, and the one you gave her that night. That's why she's trying so hard to be strong… to protect both." A tear dripped down her cheek—she hadn't even noticed.
She took a quiet breath, steadying her voice. "That's why… you need to see her. I'll go with you. I'll help explain everything."
Takumi looked at her softly, his voice low. "Thank you, Mira-san… for being there for her when she was down."
Before she could react, his hand reached out gently, wiping the tear from her cheek.
Mira's face flushed, eyes darting away. "A-anyway… you should get ready for the meeting."
"Yeah…" Takumi nodded, then carefully tried to stand.
Mira instinctively stepped in. "Can you? Where are you going? I'll help."
"It's okay, Mira-san. I just need to go to the bathroom. I can manage."
"Ah—Be careful then…"
"I will." Takumi walked slowly toward the bathroom, his steps a bit unsteady.
Just before closing the door, he turned back and smiled. Mira, still standing there, smiled softly in return.
Inside the bathroom, Takumi stepped under the shower, letting the warm water run down his body. As steam filled the mirror, he wiped it and paused.
His reflection caught him off guard—his frame was leaner, his chest and arms more defined, a faint six-pack showing on his stomach.
"…What happened to me?" he muttered.
Then his gaze shifted to his face. He squinted slightly—then blinked.
"…Wait." He took a step back from the mirror. "I can see clearly? Without glasses?"
He stared at himself, baffled. "Is this… from Edenfall's experiments or something?"
That night, Cycle of Golden Age began—elevating the standard of all living beings. At the same time, in the heat of battle, Takumi pushed beyond his limits.
On brink of death, with the last of his energy, his brain instinctively shut down his body, redirecting everything toward regenerating his limbs and healing fatal wounds.
Evolved—into the future.