The air was still thick with the scent of blood and smoke when Kaito opened his eyes.
Not from a battlefield.
But from the kitchen.
He sat up on the couch, wincing. Every muscle screamed in protest, as if they'd filed a class-action lawsuit against his entire existence. His face was bandaged, his arm in a sling, and a holographic message floated above him.
[SYSTEM RECOVERY COMPLETE — 84% VITALITY RESTORED]
[PARTNER LINK STABLE: AYASHIROGANE (UR)]
[TOWER FLOOR 1 CLEARED]
[YOU MAY NOW... ENJOY A GODDAMN BREAK.]
"Good morning, Mr. Lazyass," came a familiar icy voice from the kitchen.
Kaito blinked. Aya Shirogane—UR Rank, goddess of destruction, terrifying beauty, and currently his… wife by system standards—was standing at the stove. Wearing his hoodie.
He rubbed his eyes. "Am I… dead?"
Aya turned, spatula in hand. "No. But you will be if you comment on the eggs."
"…What's wrong with the eggs?"
She scowled. "Nothing! I followed a YouTube tutorial. And a Japanese chef's blog. And some ancient samurai philosophy about breakfast!"
"You put soy sauce in scrambled eggs again, didn't you?"
"It's umami-enhanced!"
Kaito grinned. Despite the soreness, despite the chaos and death they had survived, he felt… oddly happy.
---
The apartment was a mess—half destroyed by their earlier skirmishes, patched together with emergency system nanobots. A few Awakened couples had already moved into the tower apartments provided by the System. Aya had insisted on staying in Kaito's shabby place. Said it was "good for building mental toughness." Kaito suspected she just liked bullying him in his natural habitat.
He limped into the kitchen, where Aya had laid out a questionable breakfast spread: burnt toast, oddly-colored eggs, and what might have been tea. Maybe.
"So…" he began, sitting across from her. "What now? We beat the floor boss, nearly died, and you saved me from becoming monster sushi."
Aya stirred her tea with unnecessary force. "We rest. Regroup. Then train. We only have a year until the second floor opens."
"Right," he muttered. "Just a year. Easy."
They sat in silence. A rare moment of peace.
Then she sniffed.
"…Is that you?"
Kaito blinked. "What?"
"You stink. Like death. And socks."
"I fought a boss that was literally made of molten despair. I think I'm allowed to stink!"
Aya pinched her nose. "Permission denied."
---
After breakfast (which he survived), Kaito collapsed onto his bed—his half, obviously. The other half was protected by an invisible barrier that he'd learned to respect after being shocked thrice.
Aya hovered nearby. "You're not sleeping in those clothes."
"I'm injured."
"You're gross."
"Can you at least look away?"
"No."
"…You're a demon."
"I'm your demon."
They locked eyes.
Then, unexpectedly, she smirked.
"Hey, Kaito."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks… for not dying."
He blinked. Aya Shirogane—the ice queen, tower-destroying UR-ranked powerhouse—was thanking him?
"I didn't plan to," he said, voice soft.
She looked away, suddenly flustered. "Just don't make it a habit."
---
Later that evening, Kaito woke up to a strange sensation—warmth.
He cracked an eye open.
Aya was curled up next to him on the edge of the bed, fast asleep.
Still in his hoodie.
Still clutching her katana like a plushie.
And somehow, her hand had found his.
He smiled faintly. "Queen of my nightmares," he whispered. "And dreams."
---
Scene Shift — System Lounge Café, Day 3 Post-Boss Fight
A new Awakened couple barged into the café where Aya and Kaito were sipping coffee (or in Kaito's case, pretending to sip to avoid Aya's cooking).
The new guy, cocky and loud, pointed at Kaito. "Yo! You're the masked freak from the battle, right?"
Aya's eye twitched.
Kaito sipped his coffee slowly. "Nope."
"But you had the same sword, the same voice—"
"Must be a fanboy," Kaito said. "I have that effect."
Aya raised a brow. "You do?"
"Yeah. I'm very… inspirational."
"Mm. Sure."
The other couple wandered off, confused.
Kaito leaned back, relieved. No one could know who he really was—not yet.
Aya leaned in. "You're not very good at lying."
He chuckled. "But you won't tell them, right?"
Aya studied him for a moment, then smiled—soft, warm.
"No," she said. "Your secret's safe. For now."
---
Later That Night
As they walked home, the city lights flickered with System updates. Global rankings, Awakened leaderboards, training invites.
But Aya wasn't looking at the holograms.
She was looking at him.
"Kaito."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you save me back there?" she asked quietly.
"You're my partner."
"That's not an answer."
He stopped walking. Looked at her.
"Because I wanted to."
Aya looked down. "Even if you had to break the rules?"
Kaito smiled. "The rules didn't save us. We saved us."
She hesitated.
Then stepped closer.
Very close.
And kissed him—quick, awkward, a little off-center—but real.
When she pulled away, her face was flushed.
"Just... for the record," she said, "I only did that because the System said married couples get stat boosts when—"
"You kissed me for stats?!"
"Do you want me to kiss you for love instead?!"
He grinned, laughing. "Kiss me for comedy."
She rolled her eyes—and kissed him again.
---
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: PAIR BOND STRENGTHENED
[Aya Shirogane & Kaito Yamada – Rank: UR + ??? | Compatibility: 73% → 91%]
[Stat Bonus Activated: +15% Speed, +12% Mana Sync]
[New Skill Unlocked: Couple Technique – Dual Phantom Dash]
[Warning: Do NOT attempt while arguing.]
---
End of Chapter 12