Dialogue with the Spirits of the Skin
A Mystical Beauty Saga

Season 1 – When the Moon Descends: The Tale of the Loquat Spirit

Episode 13: Epilogue – The Guided Land

—Kyoto. Night in the laboratory.

Having emerged from recovery within Zeku,
Kodama Takano leaned back into a chair,
his body still weighted with exhaustion.

His silver hair was slightly disheveled,
his fingertips still cold.
At his chest, the vial of Shisui swayed faintly,
sustaining the dim flame of his weary life.

A single deep breath.
The sound revealed his healing was not yet complete.

—Then.

The air in the room softened.
From between shelves lined with medicine bottles and glassware,
a subtle sweetness drifted.
Moist leaves. A trace of wind.
And behind it—
the fragrance of loquat blossoms blooming in winter.

A white, smoke-like light shimmered,
weaving itself into shape within the warped air.
Neither entirely a girl,
nor wholly a grown woman—
but something in between.

The spirit of the loquat floated gently, smiling.

“My, you’ve withered, haven’t you?
Fufufu…”

Her voice was teasing, tinged with allure.
Yet beneath it lay a note of tenderness.

Takano, still heavy with fatigue, sat upright to face her.

“I’ve only answered.
When beauty clouds, people lose their way.
My role is to clear it once more.”

The spirit chuckled softly.
“Fufu… yes, you truly are that kind of man.”

Light gathered around her,
and her tone grew solemn.

“But your path has only just begun…
You already know, don’t you?
You’ve felt the next guidance.
The one you are to meet next—
is the Black Bean.”

“…Black soy.”

“Yes.
Patient, slow to respond,
yet unyielding at its core.
Because it knows light,
it can endure the darkness.”

Takano’s eyes narrowed.
“…Where is it?”

“Northward.
An ancient land where sea and snow meet.
There, at the bottom of spring,
a hidden strength of microbes lies asleep.”

Her voice began to fade,
yet the sweet fragrance lingered in the lab.

“You’ve answered well,
beyond even expectation.
Which is why…
what awaits you next will be larger, stranger,
and more mysterious.”

With that final whisper,
the light dissolved into nothing.

For a time, Takano sat motionless,
his hand resting on the Shisui at his chest.
The chill of the glass seemed to announce the journey ahead.

Beyond the window, Kyoto’s night sky.
From a distant northern wind came a hint of melting snow.

“…Kanazawa, then.”

He rose quietly.
And in his back was the steady weight of resolve.

End of Season 1.
To be continued in Season 2.

Author｜Yusui

Illustrations｜Created with Midjourney AI (Art direction by Beauty Saga Studio)
Production & Editing｜Beauty Saga Studio
Publisher & Operations｜Reason Lab Inc.
Special Thanks｜LBH Corp.
With their technical cooperation in raw material and bulk manufacturing, this story gained its “tactility” and “scent.”

© 2025 Beauty Saga Studio / Reason Lab Inc. All rights reserved.
When story gives birth to reality. — Beauty Saga Studio

*The products that appear in this saga are composed based on the actual development background and the permission of the manufacturing and sales business.