As the first light of morning stretched across the village fields, Kana arrived at their usual training spot. Boris was already there, stretching exaggeratedly like he’d been waiting for hours.

  “Beat you here,” he said with a grin, flexing his arms like a performer on stage.

  Kana rolled her eyes. “You always say that.”

  What caught her off guard, though, was Suri. She stood off to the side, arms crossed, squinting as if trying to read something written across Kana’s face.

  “Kana,” Suri said, her voice unusually flat. “Do you have something to tell me?”

  Kana blinked. “To tell you?”

  She hesitated, mind flipping through possibilities like a deck of cards.

  “It’s not your birthday today… right?”

  Suri’s expression didn’t change. “Really?”

  Kana scratched the back of her head, uncomfortable under the weight of that stare. “I don’t think I forgot anything.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply—just started jogging. Let the wind take her thoughts. First lap done, she slowed down and glanced at Suri again.

  “Not going to summon your skill today?” Kana asked, a little too casually.

  Suri didn’t answer. She just kept standing there, still and silent, her arms folded tighter now.

  What’s with her? Kana wondered as she pushed off into the next lap. Her mind circled as fast as her legs did.

  Did I miss something? Mom’s birthday? No, that’s next month. A village event? No announcements. Then what?

  By the fifth lap, she looped back to Boris, who had slowed to a walk, panting like an overworked mule.

  Kana smirked. “Tired already?”

  “I let you win today,” he puffed. “Getting tired of seeing you cry when you lose.”

  His words were sharp, but his grin was soft. Same old Boris.

  Most of the other kids had already left. Just the two of them now. Well—two, and an absence.

  Suri’s summon was nowhere to be seen. A flicker of realization crossed Kana’s mind, but it didn’t land yet—just passed through like a shadow behind a curtain.

  Something was off.

  And she still didn’t know what it was.

  ……

  “Did you two get into a fight?” Suri’s mother asked, Her eyes flicked between the girls—both unusually silent.

  “No,” Kana said quickly.

  “Yes, Mom,” Suri answered at the same time.

  Suri’s mother raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. “Well, you two work it out. I’ve got to go.”

  She left in a rush, apron still on, door clicking shut behind her.

  “Take care, Auntie,” Kana called, forcing a smile. The silence returned immediately after.

  Suri didn’t smile back. She just kept watching Kana while casually biting into a slice of bread. Her gaze didn’t waver—not once.

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  “You’re really not going to tell me?” Suri asked again, tone softer now, but no less pointed.

  Kana shifted in her seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Suri exhaled through her nose and set the slice of bread down.

  “Alright then. Stand up. Look at your shadow.”

  Kana frowned but obeyed. She stepped into the center of the room where the sunlight cast her silhouette across the floor.

  For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

  Then, with a subtle ripple, her shadow twitched.

  Kana’s breath caught.

  From the edge of it, something moved. Darkness peeled upward and folded into a loose shape—humanoid, fluid, shifting through hues like light through stained glass.

  Suri’s summon!

  “I knew you were sneaking around,” Suri said flatly. “So I let my skill follow you.”

  The figure twitched again, then sank back into Kana’s shadow like ink returning to water.

  “You… you can do that?” Kana whispered, eyes wide.

  “Don’t change the topic,” Suri said, voice suddenly sharp. “Or I’ll tell your mother.”

  Kana winced.

  “Alright,” she said. “I was testing something… last night.”

  Suri folded her arms. “In a dungeon? Kana, it’s forbidden for us to go there. You know that. You could have tested your skills on wild animals. Or trained with the adults.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “So why risk it?”

  Kana looked at the floor for a long moment. Then, slowly, she spoke.

  “I’ll tell you. But you have to promise me something first.”

  Suri tilted her head. “What?”

  “Don’t tell anyone. Not even to our moms.”

  “Secret between us?” Suri giggled, going back to her usual demeanor. “Sounds fun!”

  ……..

  Kana did her best to explain—about levels, experience, and how defeating monsters somehow made her stronger and it was the reason she defeated Boris earlier. She spoke in a serious tone, glancing at the closed door, unsure of how much even she believed. That was like a game system structured and she didn’t know where the knowledge came from.

  Suri stared at her, chewing a slice of fruit.

  “Well… I got the gist,” she said. “Kill things, get stronger. Simple enough.”

  Kana gave her a skeptical look. “It’s not that simple. I don’t even know why it’s happening. Or why the voice in my head speaks a language no one else here knows.”

  Suri shrugged, unconcerned. “So? I think it’s cool.”

  Kana blinked. “You think going alone in a dungeon is cool?”

  Suri grinned. “Depends on the story you tell afterward.”

  Kana groaned and rubbed her face. “Anyway… I’m planning to go back tonight. I’ll pass by Aldo’s and see if he can fix my bow. Or maybe get a better one.”

  Suri leaned forward. “Good. Let me know when. I’m tagging along.”

  Kana froze. “What? In the dungeon? No. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’ll stay hidden,” Suri said casually, already waving away the objection. “Besides, my skill might be useful.”

  “You’re not even listening to me.”

  “I am. I just don’t care.” Suri smiled sweetly. “Or should I tell our moms what you’ve been up to?”

  Kana gave her a long, weary stare. “Blackmail? Really?”

  Suri winked.

  “Fine,” Kana said, defeated. “But if I say we flee, we flee. Understood?”

  “Understood Mom.” Suri teased.

  “And you’d better keep up better if you begin to run with us in the early morning. I’m not dragging you back if you collapse halfway.”

  Suri stood and dusted off her hands. “I won’t need to.”

  Kana raised an eyebrow—then blinked as her shadow rippled. The strange, shifting humanoid emerged again, smooth as liquid, and with surprising gentleness, it lifted Suri up into its arms like she weighed nothing.

  Suri crossed her arms smugly. “My skill can run faster than you.”

  Kana frowned. “That’s cheating.”

  “Resourcefulness,” Suri corrected. “You should try it sometime.”

  Kana muttered under her breath. “Right. What a cheat.”

  But even as she said it, a small smile tugged at her lips.

  After that Kana asked Suri to copy her status in a blank note, make it an exact copy as much as she could though it took Suri a few hours to finish.

  [Name: Suri]

  [Class: Illusionist]

  [Level: 1]

  [Title:None]

  [Stats: Str:4 Agi:4 Int:12 HP:10/10 Mana: 310/325]

  [Skills: Illusion Call, Greater Mana Manipulation(inherited)]