In a room that had once been a storeroom—now tidied and converted into Eirin's bedroom—the remnants of its past lingered subtly.
Though originally designed for storage, the space had been constructed as a proper room when Eientei was first built.
But with Veyron and Kaguya rarely hosting visitors (zero until now), the spare guest rooms quickly devolved into dumping grounds for assorted clutter.
The sliding door to the balcony was open.
Bathed in the cold, silvery moonlight, two old friends who hadn't seen each other in the nine years since Kaguya's exile sat across from each other at a low table, chatting casually.
"You're still stuck in that same gloomy state of affairs, huh…"
Kaguya shook her head, unimpressed after hearing Eirin describe the changes—or rather, the lack thereof—in the Lunar Capital over the past nine years.
"Sometimes I honestly wonder, even if humanity on Earth reaches the point of landing on the moon in a thousand years or so, under the 'wise rule' of this person, the Lunar Capital would still be exactly the same as it is now."
"…It's not entirely her fault," Eirin said with a sigh, trying to defend her old lunar comrade. "To keep that pure land untouched despite the changing times is no small feat."
"It's only thanks to her insight—seeing the inevitable decline of the Age of Gods coming early and setting everything up on the moon before the other lunar deities even realized what was happening."
As for Kaguya calling that person "this person," while calling Veyron "Father" in such a warm, familiar tone…
Eirin, who had spent plenty of time watching Kaguya and Veyron live like father and daughter, really couldn't find any fault with Veyron.
Sure, their relationship had started as a kind of agreement or pact.
But over the years, Veyron had treated Kaguya with nothing but sincerity.
Otherwise, when she first reunited with him earlier that day, her very first words wouldn't have been thanking him for taking care of Kaguya.
The same couldn't be said for the other one…
Creating Kaguya had been a calculated move—she was meant to be a tool. And really, could you expect a divine being to feel anything toward a tool?
If she really had that much humanity, beings like Kaguya, Toyohime, and Yorihime wouldn't have even been created in the first place.
You reap what you sow. Simple as that.
So when it came to the way Kaguya distinguished between the two figures, Eirin just pretended she didn't hear anything.
"Anyway, what about you?"
She steered the conversation back to Kaguya. "You seem to be getting more and more used to life down here on Earth."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Kaguya smiled and raised a brow. "Besides, isn't this the result you were hoping for, Eirin?
"If it weren't for your help, with how the Lunar Capital sees the surface world, I wouldn't have had the chance to get interested in it in the first place."
"Who knows?" Eirin replied vaguely.
"All right, fine, let's drop that topic."
Kaguya didn't press the issue and instead nodded toward Veyron's room. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be leaving my father in your care, Eirin."
"If there's really some hidden danger in his body, I'll do everything I can," Eirin replied, this time without hesitation.
Led by Kaguya, Veyron arrived in Eirin's room.
"Start by telling me the basics of your ability," Eirin said. "You can skip anything you don't want to share, but you have to explain two things clearly—"
"Why you think using your ability might be dangerous to you, and what kind of danger it could cause."
Veyron cleared his throat and began by explaining the concept of the Gene Lock.
A power that awakens dormant potential through obsession—unlocking hidden strength from deep within the genes.
The risk? The more frequently you unlock it, the higher the chance of gene-level collapse.
After hearing his explanation, Eirin went silent for a moment, thinking. Then she followed up with a few more questions to clarify some vague points.
Veyron answered everything one by one.
Once the Q&A ended, Eirin organized her thoughts—she had a rough idea of what she was dealing with now.
Of course, a direction alone wasn't enough.
"Don't resist… I'm going to run a full diagnostic first."
As she spoke, she formed a hand seal.
A bright full moon rose into the air, bathing the room in a gentle, glowing light.
Veyron immediately felt a pulling sensation.
Thanks to Eirin's warning, he didn't resist it.
The next moment, he found himself standing in a courtyard—but it wasn't the courtyard of Eientei.
Instead, it was a traditional bamboo-wood residence that felt much older.
It also wasn't daytime anymore.
He looked up and saw a brilliant Milky Way stretching across the sky, with a full moon identical to the one Eirin had summoned, floating among countless stars.
"This is Eirin's spell: The World Within a Jar," Kaguya explained. "Those who master this technique can create a portable space. If your understanding is deep enough, like Eirin's, you can even carry an entire world around with you!"
"…That's insane." Veyron was stunned.
"Don't listen to her exaggerations."
Eirin shot Kaguya a look that hovered between scolding and amusement before turning back to Veyron. "No matter how convincing an illusion may seem, it can never replace reality."
"Try to leave this bamboo forest or fly beyond its borders, and you'll find only void. Even here, the outside world's influence still seeps in."
If that weren't the case, her old friend wouldn't have had to risk getting assimilated by the moon just to build the Lunar Capital up there.
And the Age of Gods wouldn't have faded away either—every god clan has some version of this kind of technique. If they could all just hide away in pocket worlds, they could've partied on forever.
So basically, this bamboo forest and the house inside it were real.