In front of the gate, Shouta gazed blankly up at the sky. The azure moon and crimson moon—two moons lined up in the night sky. He recalled that sight, the first thing he'd witnessed since arriving in this world. Honestly, it still felt like he was dreaming. The earth beneath his feet was solid, the grass smelled green, and it was undoubtedly real, yet. On his lap, a white ball of fluff swayed gently. Mofumofu—that's what Shouta called this creature—was trembling slightly. The microscopic vibrations transmitted through his fingertips. It was strange how just having this calmed him down. "Things'll work out somehow," Shouta murmured to himself. But truthfully, he had absolutely no basis for that optimism. When he tried to organize the problems, his head ached. He had no spirit certificate. Not a single Sedra silver coin. No lodging. No food. Zero acquaintances. When he'd shown this gatekeeper a Japanese point card, the man had looked bewildered and said, "Please leave." Shouta understood now that reaction was only natural. The gatekeeper of Haze—this waystation town positioned in the center of the Midra Plain—had stopped even looking at Shouta. He leaned against the wall, spear in hand, gazing into the distance. Whether he'd judged "this guy's harmless" or simply gotten bored, Shouta couldn't tell. Shouta lifted Mofumofu slightly, bringing it to face level. "What do you think I should do?" he asked. Naturally, there was no answer. The ball of fluff simply vibrated faintly. Then, footsteps sounded from behind. The rhythm was oddly regular for someone walking a night road. Leather shoes, a steady pace. Shouta turned around. A figure emerged in the orange light cast by the gate's torch. Silver hair hung loosely gathered at the back. A large leather bag on one shoulder, two cylindrical cases tucked under an arm, a cloth pouch at the waist bulging with contents. The atmosphere of a traveler returning from an expedition. Slightly shorter than Shouta. The gait showed fatigue, yet the spine remained oddly straight. The figure glanced at Shouta's face for just a moment. Then the gaze shifted directly to his lap. And stopped there. (Ah... they're looking at Mofumofu, not me.) Shouta felt something complicated stir inside. The person—with aquamarine eyes that held a clear light—walked past Shouta as if he weren't there, quickening pace slightly. Walking straight toward the gatekeeper. "I'm Luna, a researcher from the Canalis Life Spirit Academy. My survey documentation was submitted last month," she said in a calm, quiet voice. The gatekeeper frowned. "We were expecting two tonight?" "I'm bringing a survey cooperation partner. Wandering Mediation Bureau Operations Regulations, Article Forty-Seven, Section Two—for survey-purpose entry, the registered researcher's companion is permitted entry under the researcher's personal guarantee," Luna continued matter-of-factly. "Would you like me to produce the regulation book?" she asked. The gatekeeper paused, then pulled out a thick manual. He flipped through the pages with rustling sounds. Shouta stood up without thinking, watching Luna's profile from beside him. Luna wasn't looking at Shouta. She waited quietly, eyes on the gatekeeper's regulation book. After a moment, the gatekeeper said, "...Please proceed." Shouta hurried after Luna through the gate. After walking about twenty paces on the stone pavement, Shouta drew level with Luna. "Um, you just casually lied back there, didn't you?" he said. Luna glanced at him sideways. "The regulation text is accurate. Whether you're a survey cooperation partner is still under consideration," she replied. "Under consideration?" Shouta asked. "More precisely, you're at the stage of being a person who possibly possesses the survey target," Luna said. Even as she spoke, her gaze drifted again to Shouta's chest. She was looking at Mofumofu. Shouta felt indescribable, but managed to offer thanks. "Well... thank you. You really helped me out." Luna didn't respond to that. The town of Haze had considerable activity even at night. As befitted a waystation, travelers were scattered about. The street lights weren't torches but round stones emitting pale blue light—spirit-infused luminescent stones, Luna would explain later—placed at regular intervals, casting the entire town in a soft glow. The smell of dried vegetables mixed with the aroma of roasting meat drifting from some tavern. Shouta's stomach made a small sound. "Have you eaten?" Luna asked. Shouta answered honestly. "No." "Do you have lodging?" "No. And no money either." Luna fell silent for a moment. Then she said, "The Red Anchor Tavern—a cheap bar where adventurers gather—if you don't mind, I can arrange a place. We need to talk," and began walking without hesitation. Shouta followed, still holding Mofumofu. ◆ Inside the Red Anchor Tavern, the smell of tobacco and cheap ale filled the air. The ceiling was low, tables packed densely together. Several large men who looked like adventurers were making a ruckus at a table in the back. Shouta and Luna sat facing each other at a corner of the counter. When Shouta tried to place Mofumofu directly on the wooden table, Luna's hand moved quietly. She withdrew a cloth from her bag, unfolded it carefully, and spread it on the table. "Spirit-fiber hair absorbs external dirt easily. Placing it directly on a hard surface damages the fur," she said. "Oh, sorry," Shouta said, placing Mofumofu on the cloth. Luna stared at Mofumofu intently. Her aquamarine eyes held a quiet light. That's a researcher's face, Shouta thought. "Is this a wild individual?" Luna asked. "Wild... I'm not sure, but I found it on the plain. Or rather, it came toward me," Shouta replied. "The fur color is white. Still in the pre-adult stage," Luna observed. Luna began speaking. Her tone shifted slightly. The voice of someone explaining, Shouta sensed. "Mofumofu—the formal name is a type of spirit-responsive organism—grows through contact with humans. The fur color changes from white to pale gold, then to deeper gold. Yours remains white. It's an individual that's barely coexisted with anyone yet," she said. "Coexisted?" Shouta asked. "Spirit resonance. Mofumofu reacts to human emotions by vibrating its body hair microscopically. That vibration soothes the anxiety and sadness of the person it touches. You must have felt it," Luna explained. Shouta's gaze fell on Mofumofu. That first night on the plain when he'd held it. The sensation of something crushing him slowly dissolving away. "...I felt it," he said. "That's resonance vibration. The mechanism isn't fully understood yet. That's one reason I'm researching it," Luna continued. "How many Mofumofu are there now?" Shouta asked. Luna's expression hardened slightly. "Wild individuals are estimated at two hundred or fewer. Most of their habitat was lost during the Ash War a hundred years ago—a war where spirit was militarized for large-scale scorched-earth tactics, literally turning parts of the continent to ash. The numbers haven't increased since," she said. Shouta listened silently. Two hundred or fewer. That's practically an endangered species, he thought. At that moment, a server brought water and bread. Shouta reached for his wallet to pay. Incidentally, Shouta's wallet contained several Japanese paper bills and some coins. Beyond that, he had only one Sedra silver coin he'd found on the road since arriving in this world. "Um, is this enough?" Shouta asked, producing one silver coin. Luna spoke quietly. "Water and bread cost one fen—one-tenth of a Sedra. If you give one Sedra silver coin, you'll receive nine fen in change." "So this is enough. Good," Shouta said. "It's enough, but," Luna continued, "how much spirit content does that silver coin you're holding have?" "...Um," Shouta hesitated. "Currency without spirit content has no actual exchange rate. Sedra silver coins circulate because, in addition to the silver's intrinsic value, spirit is cast into them. If your coin is legitimate, there's no problem. However, those other paper pieces you have—" Luna's gaze shifted to the Japanese bills in Shouta's hand. "What are those?" "Japanese... money," Shouta said. "No place called Japan exists on this continent," Luna stated. "I know," Shouta replied. "Then, does that paper contain spirit?" Luna asked. Shouta held the bill up to the light. In the Red Anchor's dim illumination, watermarks were visible. "I can't see spirit. I don't have spirit-sensing ability," Shouta said. "You can't see it. Because you lack spirit-sensing ability," Luna confirmed. "So I'm stuck with counterfeit currency perception for the rest of my life?" Shouta muttered. Luna paused before responding. "Even without sensing ability, you can distinguish counterfeits by checking the weight and engravings on Sedra coins. The presence or absence of sensing ability isn't directly related to poverty," she said. "Are you... comforting me?" Shouta asked. "I'm stating facts," Luna replied. Shouta laughed weakly. He took a bite of bread. It was hard. But it had a wheat aroma and wasn't bad. Given his hunger, half of it disappeared in no time. Luna watched Mofumofu quietly. Her profile maintained that observational expression from before. She's someone who doesn't show much emotion, Shouta thought. Yet somehow, it didn't feel unpleasant. "Can I ask something?" Shouta lowered his voice slightly. "Mofumofu right now—they're either kept privately by nobility or traded on black markets, right? Those are the only two options?" he asked. "That's correct. There's no legitimate distribution framework. There's no commercial law regulation regarding spirit-responsive organism trading, so it's effectively a legal vacuum," Luna confirmed. Shouta paused, bread still in hand, thinking. "...Couldn't that become a business?" he asked. Luna's movements stopped for just an instant. Shouta didn't notice. But Luna's right eyebrow moved slightly. Just a few millimeters. The reflexive negation of a researcher, and in the solitude of research conducted alone for seven years, a tremor at the arrival of a question never heard before. "Protect them, raise them, mediate them. Make that a business. If there's not a single merchant doing this—neither private nobility nor black market—then that's a gap, isn't it?" Shouta continued. Silence stretched out. Shouta began thinking it was impossible after all. It was reckless, certainly. He'd been in this world less than a day. One Sedra coin. No spirit certificate. No foundation whatsoever. Just as his shoulders began to drop, Luna spoke. "That's absurd," she said. A beat. "But it might be interesting," she added. That single "but" straightened Shouta's spine. Luna continued, her gaze still on Mofumofu. "If you exploit the legal vacuum in spirit-responsive organism trading, even the Ironpyrite Merchant Consortium—which monopolizes nearly all commerce on Verdia Continent and is known for pressuring new entrants—would have difficulty moving directly. However, the possibility of them attacking you as unlicensed commerce is high. Have you considered that risk?" "I haven't. I'm starting to now," Shouta said. Luna's eyes narrowed slightly. She might have smiled. It was impossible to tell. "May I confirm the resonance vibration? As research data," Luna asked. "Go ahead," Shouta said. Luna reached out. Shouta moved his hand simultaneously to check Mofumofu's position. Their fingertips overlapped. Contact lasting less than a second. Luna withdrew her hand quietly. As Shouta started to apologize, Luna spoke first. "I'll record the fur color changes. Currently pure white. Resonance vibration response intensity is above standard," she said. She pulled out a record book and wrote something down quickly. (Why did my heart skip like that?) Shouta couldn't process it and returned his gaze to Mofumofu. At that moment, Mof