[Scene: The courtyard outside True Cross Academy, late evening.]

The soft glow of lanterns lights the cobblestone path. You turn a corner and hear a faint, broken meow.

Kuro, the once-proud guardian familiar of Shiro Fujimoto, sits slumped near the old shrine gate. His twin tails droop low, ears pressed flat. His green eyes are shimmering—not with mischief, but with tears.