The headquarters of Funeral Parlor—also the internal base of Roppongi Fort—was built like a cylindrical structure composed of several floors. Its surface was decorated in a dark golden tone, giving off a simple yet antique sense of elegance. Surrounding the area were bookshelves filled with vast collections of books, numbering in the hundreds. Judging from its layout, its original purpose wasn't hard to guess—it had once been a large library.
Not only that, there were also areas resembling a hotel toward the rear, convenient for members to reside in. It was an excellent location for establishing a base, and as the leader, Gai had done exactly that.
...
At this moment, Hare had already been set down by the Shogun. She timidly hid behind her, following the man ahead as he pushed open the doors and led them into the building.
"Mio... do you and Inori come here often?"
She asked softly to the woman in front of her.
"No. I have only come here recently. Inori has stayed here longer."
She replied.
"Oh..."
She glanced at the pink-haired girl walking expressionlessly on the other side and let out a small sigh.
These past few days had truly been turbulent... witnessing that scene, being captured by GHQ, escaping from prison, and then being brought to the so-called 'terrorists' base. Thinking about it now, it all felt surreal, like a dream. Just moments ago, she had still been living an ordinary life as a high school girl.
The four of them entered the main control room, instantly drawing everyone's attention. Most gazes fell on Gai, while a few examined Hare behind the Shogun, causing her to instinctively shrink her neck like a startled kitten.
"Gai..."
Sextant, who had arrived earlier, walked up to him and greeted him.
"Everyone's here, right? Anyone missing?"
Gai glanced around at the people on all floors and asked.
"Mm... there were no casualties in the previous operation. Everyone is present."
Sextant adjusted the monocle over his right eye.
"I see. What about Kido?"
He asked.
"He hasn't woken up yet. It may be due to the impact of extracting his Void. There are no signs of him regaining consciousness for now."
Sextant shook his head regretfully.
"Did I pull too hard?"
Inori asked.
"No... that depends on the individual's constitution. It has nothing to do with force. In essence, 'extraction' is just a visualization. The true explanation is that the Void genome resonates with the Void particles in the human body, attracting each other and drawing it out."
It wasn't as if her hand had literally entered his body, so he dismissed her concern.
"I see."
Gai murmured.
"...?"
However, the Shogun noticed that the man's forehead was covered in cold sweat. His complexion was pale, and he even seemed weak, his speech carrying a hint of breathlessness.
...What's wrong with him? Is he sick? Or something else?
"Are you alright?"
She asked out of concern.
"I'm fine... just a bit tired. Nothing serious."
Gai wiped the sweat from his forehead and deliberately turned away from her line of sight before stepping forward again to face everyone. Sextant, standing beside him, looked at him with a complicated expression.
...
Seeing this, she did not ask further. She glanced at Hare behind her. The girl, who was half a head shorter, met her gaze for a brief moment. Instantly, her face flushed again, and a faint shimmer appeared in her eyes before she shyly looked away.
"...What is it?"
She asked gently.
"N-Nothing..."
Hare shook her head softly, then slowly leaned against her back, discreetly inhaling her scent.
...
Seeing her like this, the Shogun did not move away. She allowed the girl to lean on her. She knew that at this moment, she was the girl's only support, and she would not let her down.
"Let me introduce the people behind me. Mio and Inori need no introduction... as for her—Hare... due to certain circumstances, I plan to temporarily assign her as a new member of Funeral Parlor."
Perhaps noticing the number of gazes directed at Hare, Gai briefly explained her situation to everyone.
...
Hare did not object... she no longer cared. Having already been thrown into prison, nothing that followed would surprise her. She had no expectation of returning to her ordinary life—that was likely impossible. All she could do was stay by the woman in front of her. Everything in the past was over. She had to keep moving forward.
"Wait."
The Shogun frowned slightly and interrupted him.
"What is it, Mio?"
Gai looked at her.
"Hare is an ordinary person. She cannot risk her life like you all do."
She objected.
"I know. That's why she's only a 'temporary' new member, isn't she? Right now, the situation is volatile, and she still risks being captured again. Let her stay here for now. As for what she can do... we'll decide later."
Gai replied.
...
She did not argue further and allowed him to continue.
"Next, Mio and Inori. I believe you are all aware of their abilities. From now on, all operations will revolve around them."
Gai gestured toward the Shogun and Inori beside her.
"...!" ×N
Everyone immediately began whispering among themselves.
"This is an order."
He added, and only then did they quiet down.
"In addition, we have obtained Kenji Kido, making it possible to carry out our biggest objective—the 'Leukocyte Capture Operation.'"
...Leukocyte?
Hearing this unfamiliar term, the Shogun felt a trace of confusion. What kind of term was that? Still, she did not interrupt him again.
After speaking, Gai walked to the main control console and tapped a few keys.
Beep beep—!
The numerous screens displayed before everyone simultaneously filled with dense files.
"Based on different situations, there are 145 operational patterns. Memorize them all before the operation. No mistakes allowed!"
He turned and issued the command.
"How much time?"
Argo, on the second floor, asked.
"Three days. If you can't do it, don't participate."
Gai replied coldly.
"—!" ×N
The group erupted into murmurs again, clearly troubled by such a short time frame.
"Gai... we just completed an operation. Everyone is exhausted. At least give them time to rest."
Sextant spoke on behalf of everyone.
"I see. Then take tonight to rest. Continue tomorrow. And... don't forget why we're here. This isn't a place for sleeping all day. Our purpose is resistance."
"As for... Hare."
He looked at the girl who had been hiding behind the Shogun the entire time.
"Mm... y-yes."
Hare trembled slightly and responded softly.
"You don't need to participate in this operation... just stay by Mio's side."
"...Okay."
Hare replied quietly, feeling a sense of relief.
Being able to stay by Mio's side was enough... she asked for nothing more.
...
Around nine in the evening, in one of the lodging rooms inside Roppongi Fort—
The Shogun had not changed her clothes and was still wearing that casual dark dress. Her strapped high heels had already been removed and placed neatly beside the bed. At this moment, she lay on her stomach, propping up her face with one hand while occasionally using her fingertips to swipe across the screen, browsing through content on her terminal.
Freed from the restraint of her shoes after an entire day, her black-stockinged feet were exposed to the air. Lying prone on the bed, the tops of her feet rested against the mattress, loosely intertwined. Occasionally, she would lift her calves into the air, crossing them back and forth. The graceful lines of her slender legs became even more alluring under such movements, subtly revealing a hint of girlish charm in her demeanor.
...
Hare sat quietly at the edge of the bed without making a sound, her gaze lowered as she stared at the floor in a slight daze. From time to time, she could hear the person behind her softly humming a traditional tune with that pleasant voice. Aside from the humming and the faint sound of the terminal being scrolled, there was nothing else.
...?
The Shogun snapped out of the information on her terminal and noticed the quiet girl sitting at the edge of the bed. Tilting her head, she glanced at her back. A thoughtful glint flickered in her violet eyes before she gently reached out and poked her waist.
...
Hare came back to her senses and slowly turned to look at her.
"Why not come up?"
The woman asked softly.
"...Mm."
Hare obediently removed her small leather shoes. Just as she was about to climb onto the bed, she realized that her clothes were somewhat dirty. After everything that had happened today, her school uniform was already stained. So she simply took off her outer jacket, revealing the white shirt and red ribbon underneath.
After a moment's thought, she untied the ribbon as well, loosening the collar at her neck and exposing her fair collarbone. Then she slowly climbed onto the bed, moved closer to the woman, hugged her knees, and leaned against the headboard while looking at her.
"Sorry..."
Seeing the girl sitting with her knees hugged, she softly apologized.
"Eh? Why is Mio... apologizing?"
Hare asked in confusion.
"Dragging you into all of this... was my negligence."
She said.
"No, it's not. This is... all my own doing. It has nothing to do with you, Mio..."
Acting on her own, going to Roppongi—this entire chain of events... had all started because of her.
"But... you went there because you were worried about us—"
The Shogun refuted, feeling guilty.
"Mio... you can't say that."
Hare reached out and held her hand.
"...?"
She looked up at her in confusion.
"You shouldn't take all the blame onto yourself. Saying things like 'it's my fault because I was worried about you'... don't you think that's a bit heartless? Don't just be gentle to others—be gentle to yourself too, okay?"
"Hare..."
Her eyes flickered slightly. Then she lowered her gaze with a complicated expression, looking at the bedsheets, her lips pressed together.
"Mio... my worry back then was my own matter. It had nothing to do with you. So... don't take the blame onto yourself. This is all my own doing. The reason I'm here now is because of that. And also..."
Fwoosh~
Hare slowly stretched out the legs she had been hugging, then wrapped her arms around the Shogun's head, letting it rest on her lap. The Shogun did not resist. She slightly adjusted her legs, following her intention and resting on them.
"Today, if it weren't for you, Mio... I might never have seen the light of day again. I would have become a prisoner, or even an experimental subject, tormented by them... and in the end, I might have died... or worse... lived a fate worse than death."
"That won't happen... don't think like that."
The woman lying on her lap lightly pinched her thigh. It didn't hurt, but it tickled a little.
"Mm... it won't. Because I have you, Mio. With that, what is there for me to complain about? And I have even less reason to blame the person who saved my life, right? Mio?"
She gently stroked the woman's face resting on her lap as she asked.
"...Bandage."
The Shogun murmured with her eyes closed.
"Eh?"
Hare was taken aback.
"So it really is a 'bandage.'"
She smiled faintly with her eyes still closed.
"Mio...?"
Hare was still confused. Bandage? Was it something related to that Void they mentioned before?
"A bandage that wraps around wounds, isolating them from everything outside. Within that warmth, like an embrace, it heals the heart—gentle and flowing like water."
With her eyes closed, she leaned against the girl's thigh and murmured softly, as if lost in thought. If Hare had a Vision, it would surely be of water—so gentle, like flowing water.
"...///"
For some reason, Hare's face gradually flushed as she listened. Though it was about a bandage, it somehow felt like she was being described. That feeling, reaching deep into her soul, was unmistakable.
"You know? You're just like a bandage... but you're also very fragile, easily hurt... as if you might shatter at the slightest touch."
Thinking of how delicate her Void had been—light as paper, fragile, yet filled with warmth everywhere.
Fwoosh~
After speaking, the Shogun wrapped her arms around the girl's waist, turning onto her side so that her face rested against her abdomen, drawing them even closer.
"Mm~///"
Hare's body trembled, her face turning bright red as her heart pounded wildly.
This clingy affection... that overwhelming tenderness—it was too much for her to handle. It was completely unfair, Mio///!
"I... don't quite understand what you meant, Mio, but... I won't leave you, okay? Mio... don't worry."
She stroked the woman's head, comforting her softly like an older sister.
Click—!
At that moment, the door suddenly opened from the outside. Hearing it, Hare instinctively wanted to pull away, but when she looked at the woman on her lap, she couldn't bring herself to do it. So she remained frozen in that intimate position, utterly embarrassed.
...
The Shogun, however, did not move.
...
Inori paused at the sight of the scene on the bed, then seemed to think for a moment.
"Am I interrupting?"
She asked.
"Eh? N-No... we're just—///"
Hare immediately waved her hands, her face flushed.
"I see. That's good."
Inori didn't dwell on it and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. She removed her coat and hung it on the wall rack.
"How is it, Inori?"
The Shogun, still resting on Hare's lap, asked in a muffled voice.
"There are no spare rooms left. It's full."
Inori stopped and turned to answer.
"In that case—Hare... would you mind sharing a room with us?"
The Shogun narrowed her eyes slightly and looked up at the girl as she asked.
"Eh? Mm... I-I don't mind...///"
Though she said so, the blush on Hare's face had already betrayed her.
The bed in this room wasn't as large as the one at her home, but it was still big enough for three people. In fact, it was just right.
"What's wrong? Afraid there won't be enough space to 'do things' at night? Then I'll sleep on the floor~?"
Inori smirked slightly, teasing her—a rare sight of her being playful.
"T-That's not it at all///~! Honestly... stop teasing me, Inori."
Hare immediately protested, blushing as she subconsciously glanced at the woman on her lap before turning away and puffing her cheeks.
"Then I'll sleep on the floor? You and Inori share the bed?"
The Shogun asked again.
"Ugh—it's not about the number of people... let's just all sleep together."
Hare sighed.
"..." ×2
The two exchanged a glance before agreeing.