Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

Hana――Mishuku Hana has always been a girl who is obsessed with "other people's belongings".

When she was in kindergarten.

She was jealous of her friend's dolls and would borrow them to play with when her friend was away. However, soon after, she was found out and a big fight broke out.

On the other time, when she saw her friend's lunch box, it looked so delicious that she begged her friend to exchange side dishes every day.

Once she entered elementary school, Hana's interest shifted from mere possessions to human relationships.

She was strongly interested in girls who were liked by everyone or who were always close to a certain person. In such cases, she attached herself to them and followed them around. To the point where nothing else mattered.

As a result, there were many times when she was isolated from others, but even so, Hana's personality did not go away. 

And her interest in Fukami Maria started out as "other person's interest".

This person is popular, liked and loved by everyone. While paying attention to this person, she noticed the person beside her, Maria.

It seems that she is the target's favorite.

So, Hana approaches Maria as a means of gaining access to this popular person.

However, after becoming friends and talking with her, she became more interested in Maria herself than the target. She had a doll-like beauty, a beautiful voice, but most of all, she had a special kind of spirit.

Fukami Maria doesn't let anyone in her heart.

It's not that she doesn't get along well with others, or that she is isolated in class. But her heart always seemed to be lonely.

In a real sense, she never really belongs to anyone.

She had no interest in anyone but herself, and that made Hana want to keep her all to herself.

「Stay with me, please. Maria-chan」

And one day, Hana told Maria that.

It was a light promise between kids, but Hana was serious. But at the same time, Maria had no need to know how serious she was.

「I'm sorry」

Maria casually declined.

When Hana asked her why, she quietly said.

「Because you can't be my Master」

Hana didn't understand the meaning of the word "Master" at the time, but she knew that she had been rejected.

Being rejected made her feelings burn even stronger.

Hana kept on trying to get Maria. She wanted her desperately. She didn't care what the other children thought of her.

But then her parents died.

That event changed Hana's world forever.

Her relatives fought over Hana's future and her inheritance, and she heard adults yelling at each other over and over again. Even as a child, she knew that they were discussing "taking something that belongs to someone else".

Then she realized.

（Yeah, I should have taken it）

Steal what she wants. It's stupid to borrow it, or just envy it, or try so hard to be around it. Just take it from someone who has it.

That's when her ability, [Looting], was born.

With the emergence of this ability of high rank certainty, the conflict between relatives changed from the struggle for inheritance to the struggle for Hana. At that time, a wealthy family in Tokyo took notice of Hana and offered to adopt her.

The relatives quickly agreed to the offer, and Hana became "Mishuku Hana".

The new parents demanded only one thing of Hana: that she attend a school for training [Lost Items]. Hana agreed, and after graduating from middle school, she went to Shibahou Academy.

She did not use her abilities, and kept it to herself as much as possible.

In order to use it effectively at the most critical moment. To take what she really wanted.

...And then, she appeared in front of Hana again.

Fukami Maria, she had moved into the school as a C-rank [Lost Item].

Then, Hana thought, "This is it".

And using every means at her disposal, she decides to make Maria hers.

She followed her and gathered information with the help of her informant, Maisaka Shuu. However, when she found out about Izumi Chihiro, she felt like going crazy with anger and jealousy.

That Fukami Maria is letting such a dull man sleep in the same room with her?

In other words, she gave her all to that guy?

It's unforgivable.

She must dominate Maria and humiliate that man at the same time.

So, Hana decides and carries out her plan. She took Chihiro's mind-reading ability and demanded Maria in exchange for it.

The plan worked.

Only a few days after she approached Chihiro, Maria contacted her herself.

The chances of it being a trap are slim to none.

She had been watching Maria and the others as closely as she could, but there was no sign of collusion between them. At least Izumi Chihiro was seriously upset and resentful of Hana.

Relieved, she went to Maria's apartment.