The woman gritted her teeth, her composure cracking. "What are you talking about? I just shot her. I saw her body—"
Hikaru interrupted her with a smirk. "No. What you saw was a manifestation of the Doublefication Alter Phenomena. Right now, you're standing in the mirror world, a reflection of the real one. Ayami is in the real world, where time has been stopped. What you killed… wasn't her."
Her eyes narrowed, her grip on the weapon tightening. "Mirror world? You're spouting nonsense."
Hikaru tilted his head, his calm demeanor unwavering. "Oh, it's very real. The mirror world and the real world are connected yet separate—two universes mirroring one another. Actions here may ripple into the real world, but the outcomes… are not always what they seem."
The woman raised her weapon and fired at him, a burst of energy hurtling toward Hikaru. The shot passed through his chest, but his body rippled like smoke before vanishing entirely.
"What the—?!" she shouted, looking around in panic.
Hikaru's voice echoed from all directions now, as though the very air carried his words. "You're still not listening. What you just shot was another illusion. I'm not standing where you think I am."
The woman spun in circles, her frustration mounting. "Show yourself!"
But Hikaru's disembodied voice continued, calm and measured. "You've entered a world where perception is everything, where the lines between reality and illusion blur. The real Ayami sits safely in the real world, untouched, while time there remains frozen. And you… you're trapped here with me."
Her breath quickened as her surroundings began to distort—the walls of the alley shimmering, bending like ripples on water. She aimed her weapon in every direction, her confidence crumbling under the weight of Hikaru's words and the reality she couldn't comprehend.
"Now," Hikaru's voice said, cold and deliberate, "tell me… why are you after Ayami?"
The masked woman's breathing quickened as panic set in. Her finger squeezed the trigger, firing shots wildly in every direction. The crackling energy from her weapon illuminated the distorted walls of the alley, but there was nothing—no Hikaru, no Ayami, just empty, shifting shadows.
Her frustration boiled over. "Show yourself!" she screamed, her voice echoing unnaturally through the mirror world.
But there was no answer, only the eerie stillness that seemed to creep closer with every passing second. Slowly, she began to notice the environment changing. The snow beneath her feet faded, replaced by the smooth, sterile tiles of a mall floor. The air felt heavier, almost suffocating, and the lively sounds of people and chatter were eerily absent.
She stopped firing, her weapon shaking slightly in her hands as realization dawned. She was alone.
The once-crowded food court was now deserted. Tables and chairs stood untouched, some still overturned from the earlier commotion, but there was no sign of life. No movement, no voices—just an oppressive silence. The mall, which should have been bustling with activity, now felt like an empty shell, as if the very essence of life had been drained from it.
Her grip tightened on her weapon as she scanned the area, her heart pounding in her chest. "What… what is this?" she muttered, her voice trembling.
Hikaru's voice echoed once again, calm yet disorienting as it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. "You're starting to understand, aren't you? This isn't the real world. It's the mirror world—a place that reflects reality but isn't bound by its rules."
She spun around, trying to pinpoint the source of his voice. "Stop playing games and face me, coward!"
Hikaru's chuckle reverberated through the empty space, sending chills down her spine. "Games? You're the one who brought this fight to us, yet you don't even understand the battlefield. Pathetic."
The woman gritted her teeth, trying to steady herself. "You think you're so clever, hiding like this. But you can't keep this up forever."
The woman's weapon began to morph in her hands, the cold, metallic surface twisting and reshaping itself. She watched in horror as it transformed into a delicate sakura flower, its soft pink petals drifting off and scattering into the air. Her grip faltered, and the now harmless flower slipped from her trembling fingers.
"What… is this?!" she stammered, stumbling backward, her voice thick with confusion and fear.
Above her, the sky shimmered and shifted. The swirling clouds parted, revealing an enormous, distorted image of Hikaru's face. His expression was calm but unnervingly focused, his eyes radiating, commanding power. The entire mirror world seemed to tremble under his presence.
The woman fell to her knees, her confidence completely shattered. "No… this can't be real…!" she whispered as the ground beneath her cracked, fragments of the mirror world seemingly dissolving into an endless abyss.
And then, reality snapped back.
The cold air of the alley returned. The distorted mirror world faded away, leaving behind the stillness of the real one. The woman was now on her knees, her weapon clutched loosely in her hands. Her once-defiant gaze was now blank, her body trembling as if she had just awoken from a nightmare. Hikaru stood a few feet away, his stance calm but his expression unreadable.
Ayami, back in her human form, stepped forward cautiously, her golden eyes narrowing as she surveyed the scene. "What did you do to her?" she asked, her tone both curious and wary. Her gaze flicked to the woman, taking note of her paralyzed state.
"Hypnotized her," Hikaru replied coolly, his voice carrying an unfamiliar edge. "I pulled her mind into the mirror world, and now her real body is paralyzed."
Ayami frowned, crossing her arms. "Since when could you do that?"
Hikaru turned to her, his expression shifting slightly. "I'm not the Hikaru you know. I'm… another Hikaru."
Ayami's eyes widened slightly, her golden gaze sharpening. Another… so it's that, she thought but said nothing aloud.
"So, 'another Hikaru,'" she finally said, her voice tinged with suspicion. "What are you going to do with her?"
"She'll wake up in three hours," he explained matter-of-factly. "She's only doing this because she was offered money to kill you. The gods have put a bounty on your head, Ayami."
Ayami stiffened. "A bounty? And how exactly do you know that?"
"Because I do," he replied cryptically. "Just repeat what I said when the time comes."
Before Ayami could question further, Hikaru's body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Ayami sighed, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "What is that, a hint?" She shook her head, then glanced down at the unconscious woman. "Well, let's put her somewhere safe..."
***
It was dark, and I slowly realized I had been asleep. I opened my eyes, my surroundings unfamiliar. I was lying in a bed, and as I shifted, I noticed Ayami sitting on the other side, her golden eyes watching me intently.
"Ayami...?" I murmured, still trying to gather my bearings.
"Oh, Hikaru," she replied, her voice soft. "How do you feel?"
I blinked, confused. "What...?"
"Just rest a little longer," she said, her voice a little gentler. "Do you want a drink?"
I nodded slowly, still trying to process everything that had just happened. My head felt heavy, and my body was disoriented as I sat up, attempting to piece together the events that led me here.
Ayami stood up and moved toward the small table beside the bed, pouring a drink from a glass pitcher. The liquid was a pale, almost translucent blue. "Here," she said, handing it to me with a faint smile. "It should help clear your head."
I hesitated for a moment before taking the glass. My throat was dry, and the thirst was enough to make me drink it in one go. The liquid was sweet and cooling, instantly soothing the parched feeling in my throat. As I set the empty glass down, I glanced at Ayami.
"Where... are we?" I asked, looking around. The room was dimly lit, with soft shadows stretching across the walls, but it didn't look like any place I recognized.
"My bedroom."
"Eh? What happened to that girl...?"
"You took care of it. She's on the other side now. I tied her up. Another of you said I should make her an ally."
Another of me... oh, the Mirror Man!? When did I switch bodies with him!? I thought.
To Be Continue.