Rumble—!
A muffled thunderclap tore across the sky outside the window. A flash of blinding light swept through a certain girl's bedroom, and the heavy sound jolted the girl—who had been sleeping with a furrowed brow—awake in an instant.
"No—!"
Already trapped in some kind of nightmare, the girl's eyes snapped open. With an instinctive cry, she bolted upright from beneath the covers in panic.
"Haa... haa...!"
Sitting up, Hare clutched her chest, her face pale as she gasped for breath, as if something had been chasing her in her dream, leaving her nearly suffocated.
Lowering her gaze, she took a moment to steady herself. Then she looked around at her surroundings—it was her own bedroom. Though dim, it still carried a familiar atmosphere. Only—
She reached up and touched her forehead, discovering it was already drenched in cold sweat. Her pajamas were soaked, clinging damply to her body, and her hair stuck messily to her skin.
"Haa... a nightmare..."
She murmured hoarsely, then let out a long breath, forcing her body to relax.
Rumble—
Another thunderclap sounded. Her body trembled as she instinctively turned toward the window, hidden behind the curtains. She crawled over and pulled them open just a crack.
"It's raining..."
Watching the droplets sliding down the glass, she murmured absentmindedly.
Rustle—
She drew the curtains shut again, plunging the faintly lit room back into darkness.
Leaning against the headboard, she pulled the blanket up and hugged her knees, curling in on herself as if trying to shrink away.
"... "
Recalling the words she had overheard from the two of them earlier, she hugged herself tighter, unease and fear creeping into her chest.
"How could this be...? Why?"
Her voice trembled as she buried her face between her knees, beginning to sob softly.
Why was she like this?
She understood better than anyone.
To be precise... the story should go back to two nights ago—
...
Two days earlier, evening—
After school, she had specially bought some ingredients, planning to have dinner together at home with the two next door. After putting everything away, she was about to wash the pot and start cooking, but after a moment's thought, she changed her shoes and stepped out, stopping in front of the neighboring door.
Beep—!
She pressed the doorbell.
"... "
She stood there silently, waiting for someone to answer. But after a long while, there was no response.
"...Huh?"
Frowning in confusion, she pressed the bell again.
Beep—!
Another stretch of waiting... and still nothing.
"...?"
She froze, then slowly leaned her ear against the door, listening for any sound inside. There was none—only silence. No footsteps approached in response to the bell.
"Mio? Inori?"
Knock, knock—
She knocked and raised her voice slightly as she called out, but the result was the same as before.
"That's strange... not home?"
She muttered under her breath.
That shouldn't be the case.
Even though Inori often went out, Mio was always at home. Every time she came over, she would see her. So what was going on today?
"...Haa."
Letting out a sigh, she glanced at the sky, which was already darkening. It was getting late... where had the two of them gone? This was the first time neither of them was home. The sudden change left her feeling oddly unsettled.
Maybe they had just gone out for a bit and would be back soon.
She comforted herself like that, then slowly turned and returned to her own apartment.
Click—!
Closing the door behind her, she looked at the living room. The excitement she'd felt earlier had been doused, as if cold water had been poured over her. She didn't even feel hungry anymore.
Thinking they would be back soon, she didn't start cooking right away. Instead, she sat on the sofa, quietly watching time pass. The TV in front of her was turned down low so she could hear the neighboring door. But after a long day at school, fatigue took over, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep sitting there.
She slept until eight. After waking, she listened again for any sound next door—still nothing.
"Haa... I should just eat."
With a sigh, she got up, still groggy from sleep, and warmed up a simple meal for herself. Sitting at the low table on the rug, she ate a few bites absentmindedly. The fresh ingredients she had bought remained untouched, left off to the side.
She didn't even know how she finished eating. She only knew that from time to time, she would glance at the clock. The sound of the TV faded into the background as she occasionally strained her ears toward the neighboring room.
After finishing, she washed the dishes, took off her apron, and sat back down at the low table. The TV had already finished its program. She looked at the clock—it was almost ten.
"...They still haven't come back..."
She murmured unconsciously.
Another half hour passed.
Ten thirty—
Just as she was about to go take a bath, she suddenly stopped. Looking toward the neighboring apartment, her hand slowly clenched into a fist. Pressing her lips together, as if making up her mind, she turned, slipped on her shoes at the entryway, and stepped out once more, heading back to the door next door.
"Haa..."
It was completely dark now. Without any movement, everything around her was steeped in dimness. Facing the silent security door, she exhaled, raising her hand to press the bell—only then noticing that her hand was trembling.
Beep—!
The bell rang, but inside there was still only dead silence.
So they really weren't back...
Her unease deepened. She didn't know why—clearly, it might just be that they came back late, that nothing had happened—but she couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety.
Whoosh...
"—!"
Startled by a faint sound, she instinctively pressed herself against the door, clutching her chest as she froze. Listening carefully, she realized it was the wind. Slowly, she edged along the wall and peeked around—one of the windows wasn't fully closed, and the curtain occasionally fluttered, revealing a corner.
"Haa... M-Mio... are you there?"
Her voice trembled slightly. Reaching out, she pushed the window open and pulled aside the curtain, peering into the pitch-black interior.
"...E-excuse me..."
Murmuring softly at the open window, she gathered her courage and carefully climbed up along the sill. Sitting on it, she let her legs dangle inside. Just as she was about to drop down, she paused, then slipped off her shoes one by one, holding them in her hand, and stepped into the dark room in her socks.
"Mio? Inori?"
She called again, then moved slowly, afraid of stepping on anything. Relying on memory, she turned on the bedroom light and then the living room light.
The space brightened instantly, easing her tension slightly. She searched around—neither of them was there.
"Where did you two go...?"
Her voice carried a trace of grievance.
Tap...
At that moment, she felt something under her foot. Startled, she looked down. Lifting her toes, she saw a distinct patch of crimson liquid on the floor.
"!"
Her heart trembled. She shook her head and quickly touched it with her fingertip, bringing it to her nose. A metallic scent.
"Th-this is... b-blood?"
She whispered shakily. In that instant, her heart seemed to freeze even as it pounded wildly.
Mio... Inori!
The bloodstains trailed all the way toward the bedroom. Pale-faced, she followed them, finding traces leading up to the bed.
She checked around but found nothing. However, as she looked about, she noticed a computer in standby mode. Pausing, she moved the mouse.
Whirr—
The system hummed to life. The screen lit up, showing the last interface—a digital map. Street names were clearly marked, and a glowing point blinked at a certain location, like a guide.
"...Huh? Roppongi? The quarantine zone?! Gene... drugs?"
Her pupils shrank.
Why would their computer have this kind of information?
The unease in her heart deepened.
No... something was wrong. The two of them must have gotten involved in something. Otherwise, they wouldn't be this late returning.
But...
She glanced at the screen, pressed her lips together, then took out her phone and snapped a photo. Afterward, she shut down the computer, turned off the lights, closed the window properly, and left through the front door.
Had Mio and Inori gone to Roppongi? That place was dangerous... why would they go there?
After that, she barely slept the entire night.
Restless, uneasy, her thoughts were filled with it. Her ears strained constantly for any sound next door. Only when dawn was near did she finally drift into a shallow, hazy sleep.
...
Having only slept for a few hours, she woke up early in the morning with a foggy mind. Her whole body felt weak and sore... she knew she had no energy left, and she still had school today. Gritting her teeth, she changed into her uniform and planned to make a simple breakfast.
The TV remained on, as always. The morning news began right on schedule...
[Good morning, listeners. We will now begin a special report on last night's late-night news. In the Roppongi area—]
"...?!"
Hearing the topic mentioned on TV, she froze, then picked up the remote and turned up the volume.
[In the Roppongi area, a serious terrorist attack occurred late last night. GHQ responded, but due to the terrorists' extremely rapid actions, nearby areas suffered severe damage, and the military sustained massive losses.]
She slowly stepped closer, staring at the images of the attack displayed on the screen... artillery fire, wreckage, censored corpses, and the remains of mechs.
She covered her mouth and staggered back a few steps. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
"...Mio... Inori..."
The worry in her heart swelled uncontrollably, erupting the moment she saw the report.
A wave of fear surged through her—had something happened to them?!
She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time, not even noticing that it was already past the time for school.
"...!"
In the end, as if making up her mind, she suddenly stood up. Taking out her phone, she pulled up the photo of the map she had taken earlier. Steadying her trembling hands, she exhaled, rushed to the entryway, changed into her uniform shoes, and ran out, following the map's guidance.
After about an hour and a half, she finally made her way cautiously to the outskirts of the Roppongi quarantine zone. Her heart was pounding violently. She was afraid, but she didn't retreat. She knew this was a strictly forbidden area for outsiders—if discovered, she would at best be detained and punished. But for the two of them, she pushed forward regardless.
Hiding in the shadows, she slowly advanced through the ruins, her hands unconsciously clasped in front of her chest, her movements stiff and restrained...
Bang!
"Ah—!"
A muffled sound in the distance made her cry out softly in fright. Swallowing, she carefully peeked toward the source of the noise. And the moment she saw it—she froze.
Before her eyes, streaks of violet light, like thunder itself, flashed continuously. Wherever it passed, the GHQ soldiers were instantly cut down, unable to react. There wasn't even time to see blood—they simply dissolved into particles and vanished into the air.
That violet light moved toward a group of mechs. She couldn't tell what it did, but a second later, they were all destroyed. The surrounding soldiers were flung through the air by some invisible force, crashing straight into nearby buildings. What followed was a brutal slaughter.
Witnessing this, the girl's face turned pale. She covered her mouth and slowly backed away until her back hit the wall.
The fear in her heart reached its peak. She admitted that, at this moment, she wanted to run—and she did.
She knew she had already reached her limit just by coming here. She couldn't go any further. Absolutely not.
Tap, tap—
"Haa... haa..."
Panting, she ran back the way she came, never noticing the figure hidden in the corner.
"...?"
Seeing her hurried retreat, the figure frowned slightly, surprise flashing across his face.
"...Ouma?"
The voice belonged to a young man.
...
Rumble—
Another thunderclap echoed through the sky, pulling her out of her memories and back to reality. She looked at the rain pouring outside the window, sighing softly as she wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.
"Did I... cause trouble?"
She murmured quietly.
Whoosh...
She tried to return to bed, closing her eyes in an attempt to sleep again. However... no matter what she did, she couldn't fall asleep. Each flash of lightning and rumble of thunder made her body tremble. Strange... she had never been afraid of storms before.
Thinking back to what the two of them had said earlier...
That meant... the violet light she saw back then was actually... Mio?
Mio... k-killed people?
Or... a terrorist? Was Inori one too?
Huh...?
She pressed her lips together, her feelings conflicted.
Even so... it still didn't feel real. Mio was so gentle...
But she also knew what GHQ truly was. They weren't good people. If Mio had done that, there must have been a reason.
She couldn't judge things so simply...
Strangely, although she had been afraid of that violet lightning before, now that she knew who it was, that fear had faded.
Rumble—
"Uwa—"
Still, the occasional thunderclap frightened her. Shaking her head, she made up her mind. Sitting up, she hugged her pillow, glanced toward the neighboring apartment, her eyes flashing with resolve. She opened her door and ran out into the heavy rain, still in her pajamas, heading straight for the door next door. Enduring the cold, she pressed the doorbell.
Beep—!
Perhaps the shadow of that earlier night still lingered—after pressing the bell, she couldn't help but worry that no one would answer again.
But this time...
Tap... tap...
In less than half a minute, footsteps approached from inside. Even through the rain, they were clearly audible.
Click...
The door opened, revealing a beautiful woman with long hair, also dressed in pajamas.
"M-Mio..."
Shivering from the cold, she gave a faint smile.
"Hare... what are—! Get inside, quickly!"
Seeing the soaked girl, Mio's eyes widened. She immediately pulled her inside, shut the door, and without a word, wrapped her in a tight embrace, using her own body heat to warm her, her hands rubbing up and down her arms.
"Mm..."
Hare narrowed her eyes, enjoying the warmth. Her tension melted away.
As expected... Mio was still Mio. Gentle, kind.
"...What are you doing out there in this rain?"
There was a hint of reproach in Mio's voice.
"I... I couldn't sleep... I had a nightmare..."
She replied softly, her voice trembling.
"Come here..."
After hearing that, the Shogun said nothing more. She took her hand and led her into the bedroom. Since Inori was still asleep, she moved quietly, but efficiently. Taking a towel, she gently dried her hair. Fortunately, she hadn't been outside for long—her skin wasn't completely soaked, only her pajamas were damp.
"Mio... I'm sorry..."
She apologized instinctively in a small voice.
"Shh... it's fine..."
The other woman raised a finger to her lips, speaking just as softly.
The next second, Hare was about to sneeze.
"Haa—ahh..."
Pff—
Before she could make too much noise, the Shogun swiftly pulled her into her chest, muffling the sound so it wouldn't wake Inori.
(Get in bed.)
She took off her own sleepwear and had Hare change into it, letting her slip under the covers first. Then she climbed in afterward, lying on the outside, with Hare protected in the middle—Inori on the other side. Though it was a double bed, it was large enough for all three of them.
(Are you still cold?)
Looking at the girl who had instinctively curled into the blanket, she asked softly.
(No... it's so comfortable. So warm.)
As she spoke, Hare leaned closer, wrapping her arms around Mio's waist, burying her face against her chest.
(Mio, are you okay like this?)
Noticing her state of undress, she asked with concern.
(It's fine. I'm still wearing a bra. As long as you're not cold.)
She smiled gently.
"... "
Hare felt her nose sting.
(Go to sleep. I get scared of nightmares too. If we stay together like this, we won't be afraid.)
Holding her, Mio gently stroked her hair, murmuring softly.
(Mm... together...)
So gentle... so warm... it pulled her in completely.
Mio.
I really do still... like you after all.
This is... bad.