On the train the next day—
How should one describe the atmosphere? No one wanted to speak, and only she, caught between the two of them, felt a bit awkward.
"..."
As always, Inori stood in front of her, shielding her from the crowded carriage.
"...///"
Meanwhile, although Hare would also instinctively protect her, the girl had her head lowered, her face flushed, not daring to look at her.
"So?"
Inori lifted her gaze and asked her bluntly.
"What?"
She snapped out of it and tilted her head in confusion.
"What happened last night?"
Inori asked. Her voice was soft as ever, with no obvious emotion, but she could tell that the other girl wasn't angry. That was a relief...
"Mm...///"
Hare's face turned even redder, as if she wanted to shrink into herself, her grip on the handle tightening.
"Nothing really happened..."
She glanced at the blushing Hare and sighed inwardly, speaking up to explain on her behalf.
"Then why did I wake up and see Hare hugging a completely naked Mio while sleeping?"
Inori tilted her head, deliberately glancing at the embarrassed girl beside her.
"Mm~!"
Hare's body trembled, clearly stung by that look.
"Completely naked? Wasn't I still wearing a bra?"
The Shogun protested slightly, sounding a bit aggrieved.
"That's basically the same. What more do you want? With that kind of position, you two looked quite... heated."
A faint mischievous smile appeared on Inori's lips as she glanced at them.
"N-no, that's not it~!///"
The next second, Hare instinctively raised her voice in protest. Probably because of embarrassment, her voice trembled slightly.
(...?) ×N
This immediately drew the attention of the surrounding passengers. Everyone looked over in confusion, making her feel socially dead.
"...!///"
She quickly turned her face away and lowered her head to avoid their gazes. Only after everyone looked away did she finally let out a relieved breath.
"Haa... it's not like that, Inori..."
She instinctively glanced at the purple-haired woman beside her.
"...Do you want me to explain?"
The Shogun subtly hid her slightly flushed earlobes beneath her hair and asked in a low voice.
"No need, Mio. I'll do it..."
Even at a time like this, Mio was still thinking of her... as expected, she was so gentle. Warmth filled her heart again.
"...I'm listening."
Inori replied simply.
In truth, she wasn't jealous. She was just curious about what had happened during the night—why Hare had suddenly ended up in their bed, and why Mio had been in such a state. It was a bit too strange.
A few minutes later—
"I see... that makes sense. I have nightmares sometimes too... but I don't go visiting other people's rooms like Hare does."
Inori said in understanding.
"Mm... sorry..."
Hare lowered her head and apologized softly.
"It's fine... you don't need to apologize. If you're scared in the future, just come over. After all, you live alone, don't you?"
The Shogun shook her head and spoke gently.
"Mm~ yeah///"
Hare's face flushed as she nodded with a happy expression.
"Then next time, I'll go sleep in Hare's room so I don't disturb you two—"
Inori glanced at them and smoothly made room.
"I-I already said it's not like that, Inori!///"
Hare raised her voice again, exhausted!
(...?) ×N
Everyone looked over once more.
"Haa..."
She felt tired even before school had started... the Shogun sighed inwardly.
And so, the dull train ride to school passed amid this strange conversation between the three of them—
...
During the break after the first class, the Shogun was called out of the classroom by Inori. Although she was summoned, she had actually intended to find her as well—they had important business to take care of.
That's right—searching for the person Gai mentioned last night... someone who had witnessed the battle between Funeral Parlor and GHQ. According to the information, the person was a student at Tennoz High School, but their exact identity was unknown. Most likely, it was the one they had previously tracked down, involved in a drug deal... code-named "Sugar."
As for how to find them—that would be through identifying their Void. Even so, it was still like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if they knew the form of the Void, searching through so many students in the school was still a massive task. Fortunately, that guy didn't seem to have set a time limit.
"Is it really okay, Inori...?"
Sitting beside her with their knees drawn up, hidden behind a wall at the far end of the school skybridge, the Shogun glanced at her with concern.
"Mm... it's fine. I can do it."
Inori's expression remained calm, but upon hearing her concern, she showed a faint, gentle smile, her tone confident.
She rarely saw Inori hesitate. She was always decisive like this. Perhaps that was something she, as a warrior, admired.
"Do you remember the rules of Void?"
Just in case, she asked again.
Under her gaze, Inori slowly raised the back of her hand, looking at the mark that gradually appeared, as if recalling something.
"Mm... First, Voids can only be drawn from people under the age of 17."
"Second, the target of extraction will lose their memory before and after the extraction. This is due to the impact caused by releasing the memory region containing the Void factor."
Her soft yet slightly cold voice filled the air as she recited the rules with ease. At the same time, dreamlike silver threads began to spread around them. Her crimson eyes faintly glowed, and the mark on her hand lit up.
"The type of Void is... bandages."
Inori murmured.
"...Mm."
She nodded, then peeked out. A classmate was about to pass over the skybridge—a boy. She didn't remember his name, but she recognized his face. They would start with their own class, then move on to others.
This was the skybridge, a connection between buildings—somewhat conspicuous. They would act when he approached.
After exchanging a glance with Inori, she stepped out and walked up to him.
"Excuse me..."
She softened her tone slightly and called out in a friendly manner.
"Mm~! Y-yes///"
The boy, seeing the beautiful girl suddenly appear before him, blushed instinctively and stiffened. Th-this seemed to be the transfer student from their class, right? As expected, she was so pretty~!!
His eyes were completely fixed on her—especially the tear mole at the corner of her eye, and those amethyst-like pupils. Her slender, graceful figure was perfectly outlined by the school uniform, drawing him in as if by some kind of magic.
"..."
...Am I really that charming? Isn't this a bit exaggerated?
Seeing how he stared at her so intently, the Shogun couldn't help but doubt herself inwardly...
But on the surface, she simply smiled at him.
"Excuse me, could you come with me for a moment? I've just transferred here and I'm not very familiar with the campus. Would you mind showing me around?"
She lightly touched her arm, her voice gentle and pleasant, subtly hinting as she spoke. At the same time, her violet eyes lowered slightly toward the ground, giving her an unexpectedly fragile, vulnerable air that stirred a sense of protectiveness.
"Mm~! O-okay~?!"
As if bewitched, the boy immediately followed her along, practically starry-eyed.
"Thank you for your help..."
She replied politely before turning and leading him toward the corner, exchanging a glance with Inori. The boy followed along, but—
"Um... Raiden—!!!"
Tap—
Before he could react, Inori, who had been waiting, suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him forcefully into the corner. Void particles spread across her body as she thrust her hand straight into his chest without hesitation!
"Ugh—AHHH!!!"
A hollow like an alternate space opened instantly in his chest. Silver threads surged out, gathering into her palm. The pain was so intense that his eyes rolled back.
That intense?
Watching from the side, the Shogun's lips twitched slightly.
"No, it's just that I used more force when pulling it out."
It was unclear whether Inori was slightly displeased by the way he had been staring at the Shogun.
"He'll be fine, right?"
She asked.
"It's fine. It has nothing to do with how much force is used. A Void is a manifestation of a person's psyche—their soul. As long as it isn't damaged, there's no danger."
Inori replied. As she spoke, she fully extracted the Void. It was small, shaped like—
A cup?
A silver cup... who knew what it was for. Maybe it was completely useless.
Thud!
The boy collapsed against the wall in a rather comical manner, unconscious with his mouth hanging open.
"Looks like it's not him."
She let out a breath. All that effort for nothing.
"Mm..."
Whoosh!
Inori nodded, then let the cup dissolve back into silver threads that flowed into his body.
"Let's go. He'll wake up soon."
"Mm..."
Tap, tap— ×2
They propped him up against the wall before leaving the area.
As they walked, Inori glanced at the beauty beside her, a certain emotion flickering in her eyes...
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The Shogun asked, puzzled.
"Nothing. I just think you're quite skilled at this, Shogun..."
Inori said meaningfully.
"Haa... what a silly question. I'm just helping you complete your mission. Next time, you do it."
The Shogun shot her an annoyed glance.
"Hehe, okay~"
Inori replied indulgently.
Meanwhile...
"...Hm? Huh? Yawn~ Why did I fall asleep here?"
After waking up, the boy looked around in confusion, rubbing his eyes as he muttered.