"Listen carefully," Kotone said, lowering her voice. "If what we're dealing with are Tengu, then the situation is more complicated than you think. They're not simple anomalies. They're intelligent and have mastered ancient sorcery. It's a slower and weaker system than our modern sorcery, yes, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous—especially when they attack in a coordinated manner."
"Coordinated?" Miyu asked.
"They live in colonies," Kotone continued, a trace of concern in her eyes. "A standard village can have anywhere between forty and a hundred individuals. Physically, they're not very strong, but they specialize in overwhelming their enemies through numbers and mobility... Normally, they're roughly around D-rank."
"A hundred?" Mochi stopped walking, her smile disappearing. "That's... quite a lot. I can't imagine fighting that many."
"Exactly," Kotone replied. "I propose a tactical retreat so we can inform the adults and return with reinforcements."
Mochi clenched her fists as she looked toward the summit. "We don't have time, shorty. Mari has been missing for six days. We need to investigate. If things get ugly, we'll leave, but I'm not turning my back on that girl now after coming this far."
Miyu nodded gently and placed a hand on Kotone's shoulder.
"Mochi's right. We'll only go a little farther. We're not going to fight them—we're just going to observe without being discovered."
Kotone didn't look very convinced, but she eventually agreed.
They continued onward, this time being extremely careful not to be seen.
As they rounded a rocky outcrop, all three girls were left breathless.
The landscape had become completely vertical.
Weathered rope bridges swayed in the wind, connecting sheer cliffs. Stairways carved directly into the rock climbed upward, and dark wooden temples seemed to sprout from the mountainsides like birds' nests.
It was an impressive sight.
But there was a problem.
Absolute silence.
"There's nothing," Mochi whispered. "I can't hear anything at all."
"That's impossible," Kotone murmured, scanning the area with her senses. "A colony this size could easily house sixty individuals."
They decided to proceed cautiously.
They entered what appeared to be the main dwelling, a circular structure suspended above the abyss.
Inside were black feathers scattered across the floor, wooden cooking utensils, and traditional Japanese clothing—simple kimonos and sandals—neatly arranged in place.
However, when Kotone ran a finger across a table, she lifted a thick layer of dust.
"This place has been abandoned for months, maybe years," Kotone said, looking at a robe that began to fall apart at her touch. "But Mr. Yoshida said the disappearances were recent."
Mochi kicked a basket, sending nothing but more dust into the air.
"If the Tengu left... then who—or what—is taking people?" she asked. "The houses are intact. There are no signs of a struggle. It's as if they simply... vanished."
They searched every corner of the place but found nothing.
Leaving the village behind, they continued along the path, but they were unable to go much farther.
The sun was sinking below the horizon, painting the rocks in a warm orange glow. From this point onward, the terrain changed drastically. With no trees left to shelter them, the three girls felt tiny on the exposed mountainside.
"There's no point in continuing like this," Kotone said, wiping the sweat from her forehead with an irritated gesture. "If we keep going, we'll be easy targets. There's nothing to hide us here—they'll spot us from far away. I propose a strategic retreat. We'll inform the adults and come back."
Mochi didn't respond.
Her cat ears twitched as if searching for something. She stood frozen, her gaze fixed on the empty sky.
"Mochi? What's wrong now?" Miyu asked, noticing the tension in her companion's shoulders.
"I can hear something..." Mochi whispered.
A sharp whistling sound, like an arrow slicing through the wind, began echoing through the cliffs.
The noise was growing louder at a terrifying speed.
Siiiiiiiii...
That was when she realized what it was.
"Kotone, move!" Mochi roared.
Kotone barely had time to blink before she felt Mochi slam into her shoulder.
The shove was so forceful that the girl went tumbling across the rocky ground, letting out an indignant cry.
"What the hell is wrong with yo—?!"
The words caught in her throat.
A black blur—a massive form of feathers and claws—plunged from the sky like a meteor.
It was a Tengu.
Its talons, originally aimed at Kotone's neck, instead closed around Mochi's shoulders.
Everything happened in a single second.
The Tengu beat its wings with tremendous force, kicking up a cloud of dust, and using the momentum of its dive, launched itself back into the air.
"MOCHI!" Miyu screamed, reaching out toward the empty sky.