"Why do we have to be in Mode: Ghost?" Mana asked, sulking with puffed cheeks as she crossed her arms, her semi-transparent form floating beside Tyler like a little spirit companion.

"Sorry, Mana..." Tyler rubbed his temples, eyes half-closed as if trying to recall something from a dream. "I don’t remember anything. But... I can feel my consciousness is getting repaired. It’s like small fragments of memory are returning, piece by piece. I’ll get everything back soon, I promise. Also..." He hesitated, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "I accidentally had some intimate relationship with Yumina. I’m not sure how she’ll react after she finds out I’m male. So... let’s keep that a secret for a while, alright?"

Mana blinked, then tilted her head, her glowing blue hair rippling like water. "Alright..." she said reluctantly, then pouted again. "But still, Mana don’t think that’s an accident. You don’t just accidentally sleep with a girl, even if you lost your memory —and even after your gender changed!"

"Eh..." Tyler sighed, glancing away. "I get it. Looks like I’m a big playboy then..."

Mana snorted, floating upside down lazily. "You are! You totally are! You’re handsome, a billionaire, a genius, a playboy, the best array master and you also know how to cajole girls into your bed like some charming rogue!"

Tyler frowned slightly. "Wait, I don’t have a girlfriend?"

Mana straightened herself and placed her hands on her hips, smirking. "Exactly. That’s the biggest reason you’re so annoying. You never wanted to start a real relationship with anyone. You kinda enjoy that playboy lifestyle—flirting, teasing, but never committing. Just rail them and leave them. Well it’s not like, they are against it . But still, Yeah, you’re the worst."

"...Ouch," Tyler muttered under his breath.

Mana floated closer, her expression softening a bit. "Do you like Yumina?"

Tyler went quiet for a moment. The question hung in the air, heavier than it seemed. "I do like her," he said finally, his tone calm but thoughtful. "But if you mean romantically... I’m not sure. She already has someone she likes. What happened between her and Tyla was... an accident. She let it slide because we were both girls at the time."

"Even if you lost your memory," Mana murmured softly, "Tyler is still..."

"Still what?" Tyler looked at her curiously.

Mana grinned mischievously. "Still male Mathilda."

"Huh?" Tyler blinked. "Who’s Mathilda?"

Mana laughed. "She’s you— but the female version."

"So she’s basically Tyla?" Tyler tilted his head in confusion.

"Exactly. Mathilda, Tyla... same thing," Mana giggled.

At that moment, the two were inside a cozy little home within a pocket dimension – Not Tyler’s pocket dimension. The air shimmered faintly, and furniture made of wood and silver arrays glowed faintly in the corners.

This particular pocket dimension belonged to Zuzia. According to Mana, Tyler had created multiple pocket dimension pearls using the copper pot and distributed them among the girls to use as storage devices. Even the ship had one embedded into its structure, allowing it to hold supplies, resources, and even living quarters within it.

"Zuzia asked me to switch off the pocket dimension," Tyler said, picking up the tea from the table, "What was that for? And how exactly do I switch it off?"

"Huh?" Mana tilted her head, then suddenly remembered. "Oh, right! It’s because pocket dimension pearls can’t exist inside another pocket dimension. You have to at least close the door to this one first."

She demonstrated by taking out a small pearl from her cleavage —it looked plain and unassuming, like an ordinary white bead, but it pulsed faintly with hidden power.

"Like this," she said, pressing her thumb on it. The space around them shimmered slightly before returning to normal.

"Ohhh... So you can’t take anything out from it as long as we’re inside another one," Tyler said, examining the pearl with fascination.

"Yep!" Mana nodded. "Also, you have dozens of them inside your main pocket dimension."

Tyler smiled faintly. "Unfortunately, mine merged with the World Tree Seed and entered my consciousness. It’s stuck in there now."

Mana blinked in surprise, then placed a finger on her chin. "Hmm... that explains it. It must be rebuilding your consciousness from the inside, repairing everything you lost. That’s why you’re feeling fragments of memory returning."

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "That’s what I thought too. It feels like something ancient is weaving itself back together in my mind."

Mana floated around him, her spiritual form glowing slightly brighter now. "Alright, alright... I’ll stop bothering you. So, what do you want to do now?"

"Let’s switch to Mode: Ghost," Tyler said.

Mana froze, blushing faintly. "Mode: Ghost? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I need to move around without drawing attention. My male form might cause... complications, especially if Yumina find out too soon."

Mana puffed her cheeks again, muttering, "Just... don’t do anything weird. You do know Mana is the one that feels everything when we merge, right?"

Tyler raised an eyebrow, pretending to be clueless. "Oh really?"

Mana’s face turned crimson. "Mana is serious! Don’t pleasure yourself! Mana is the one who ends up feeling it!"

Tyler couldn’t help but chuckle. "Alright, alright, I won’t."

Mana huffed, crossing her arms. "You better not, or Mana release the Ghost Mode and Scissors fight will turn into Sword fight.. no wait – that’s gay... sword vs Scissor fight?"

Mana tilted her head a little in confusion.

Then, she slowly floated toward him. Her glowing form began to dissolve into faint mist and entered Tyler’s body through his chest. His breath hitched as a surge of energy rushed through him. His body shimmered, reshaping— his hair lengthened, his chest and hips softened, and his face regained the delicate beauty of a woman.

In a moment, Tyler was gone.

And Tyla stood in his place once again.

The transformation left a faint glow lingering in the air. Tyla looked down at her now-feminine hands, flexing her fingers slowly. "Every time this happens, it feels strange," she whispered softly. "Like my body remembers something my mind doesn’t."

Inside her consciousness, Mana’s voice echoed teasingly, "Well, technically, that’s because your real body is in a hybrid state now. When Mana merge with you, it just adapts to mana’s proportion. So congratulations —you’re Mana again."

Tyla sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You’re enjoying this way too much."

"Maybe~" Mana sang teasingly from within Tyler’s body, her voice echoing softly inside his mind. "But hey, you look cute again. And besides, how does it feel when a person enters you?"

"You pervert," Tyla snapped, her cheeks turning crimson.

Mana giggled mischievously. "Hmph... you’ve entered Mana many times yourself."

"I didn’t even let a ghost go..." Tyla groaned dramatically, covering her face with both hands. "Oh no, am I a certified gooner now?"

Mana burst out laughing, her voice ringing like soft bells inside Tyla’s head. "Wow, But Mana kind of like Tyla more than Tyler. You’re way easier to tease. That Tyler always acted all high and mighty — little bit of arrogance without even realizing it."

"Maybe..." Tyla said, exhaling a deep sigh. "Maybe Tyler was confident because he had unlimited supplies."

She slowly walked toward the mirror on the wall. Her reflection shimmered faintly under the light. The woman in the mirror was striking—long silver hair cascading over her shoulders, eyes glowing faintly with mana, and an aura that felt neither mortal nor divine. She was a perfect blend of Mana’s spirit and Tyler’s human essence— calm yet radiant, powerful yet gentle.

"Still..." Tyla whispered, brushing her fingers across the glass as if to make sure it was real. "It feels odd being both of us at once."

"That’s because we are both," Mana murmured softly from within. Her tone turned serious, almost tender. "Your consciousness and mine are intertwined. But you also have another form waiting to be awakened —Mode: Dragon."

Tyla blinked, startled. "Mode: Dragon? Do I turn into Dragon?"

"Kind of," Mana said, "You have Dragon Blood inside you."

Tyla tilted her head, thoughtful. "Should I merge with Zuzia, then?"

Mana paused, intrigued. "Huh? That’s... actually a great suggestion. We never tried it. She’s like my contracted beast, right? Maybe that’ll help unlock something. Since she’s spiritually linked to you, merging might actually turn you into dragon. It could work. Let’s try that out later when you’re ready."

Tyla nodded slowly. "That’s cool and all but..." She trailed off, looking awkward.

Mana’s curiosity piqued. "But what?"

Tyla hesitated for a moment before blurting, "Who’s the one who came up with these names? ’Mode: Ghost,’ ’Mode: Dragon’—they all sound so chūnibyō..."

There was a brief silence before Mana let out a long sigh. "Unfortunately," she said, deadpan, "it’s you. You are the culprit. Every dramatic, over-the-top name came from your own brilliant yet embarrassing mind."

Tyla froze, then facepalmed. "I should’ve known. I really was a cringy genius."

Mana chuckled warmly. "Oh, you still are. But don’t worry, Mana kind of like that about you."

Tyla stared at her glowing reflection and smiled faintly. "Maybe being both of us, Tyla and Tyler, isn’t so bad after all."