Seeing Hoshimi Miyabi hesitate for a long time without making a decision, Tsukishiro Yanagi noticed a change. On that face, which usually maintained a faint, expressionless demeanor, the brows had begun to knit together slightly due to her hesitation.
Don't look down on just a slight furrow of the brows. This was, in fact, already a massive fluctuation in expression for Hoshimi Miyabi.
Having spent this period of time together, Tsukishiro Yanagi had gained a certain understanding of her personality. Upon seeing her expression, she couldn't help but sigh once again. No longer continuing to forcefully persuade her to give up directly, Tsukishiro Yanagi relented, choosing to take another step back.
She said with some helplessness, "Then let's verify one last one. If this one still yields no results, how about you give up on investigating the subsequent intelligence, Chief?"
Hearing this, although the expression on her face didn't change much, Hoshimi Miyabi's originally somewhat lost eyes lit up in an instant. Even her slightly furrowed brows relaxed in that moment. She nodded seriously without hesitation, agreeing to the plan Tsukishiro Yanagi proposed.
"Okay," Hoshimi Miyabi said, nodding earnestly.
Directly asking her to give up would, after all, make her feel a bit unwilling. Verifying one last rumor would not only confirm whether New Eridu really didn't have that many crises, but it would also serve as a form of closure for all that training she had done over such a long time. This was indeed the best method under the current circumstances.
The voice fell. Just as Hoshimi Miyabi prepared to flash out of the Hollow Special Operations Section 6 office to set off on her exploration just like before, Tsukishiro Yanagi's sudden words interrupted her movement once again.
"But!"
Tsukishiro Yanagi, who was prepared this time, reached out with quick eyes and hands to hold her down before Hoshimi Miyabi could leave, speaking up in advance to interrupt: "But this time, I'm going with you."
Hearing this, Hoshimi Miyabi, feeling it was somewhat sudden, couldn't help but freeze for a moment. Her movement, originally prepared to leave directly, also slowed down immediately. After reacting to what Tsukishiro Yanagi had said, although she didn't quite understand why she suddenly chose to follow along this time, Hoshimi Miyabi had no intention of refuting or questioning.
She simply nodded. Maintaining her faint expression, she agreed seriously, "Okay."
Seeing Hoshimi Miyabi agree, a relieved Tsukishiro Yanagi took the initiative to open the website again. She flipped to the grotesquery that had just started circulating in the past two days—an incomparably massive white alien flying saucer with two wings flying in the sky.
Wherever it passed, it was like a typhoon crossing the border. From time to time, everything in an area would be razed to the ground by an incomparably powerful force, leaving only the bare earth behind.
According to the original poster, this was a legendary mysterious alien flying saucer coming to New Eridu to suck away everything in that area, and then use those things to conduct secret research. And their ultimate goal was to conquer all of New Eridu!
The location was only noted as being within a certain district, but the specific spot was very erratic. At the same time, a slightly blurry photo was attached to the post. But even if it was very blurry, in the photo, a white, large fluffy ball floating in the air looked extremely conspicuous against the backdrop of the blue sky.
Just then, Soukaku, who had been circling around Asaba Harumasa while he lay on his desk, had at some point leaned in close to the two of them. She peeked around, observing the content of the information on the screen.
During this period, as the boss, Hoshimi Miyabi had been investigating outside all the time. Tsukishiro Yanagi, and Asaba Harumasa who usually loved to play with her, had also been busy due to the aftermath cleanup and various corresponding reports. They didn't have any free time to keep her company.
But for the sensible Soukaku, this was all understandable. What really made her feel a bit downcast was seeing everyone who had always been so good to her being so busy. Every time Soukaku wanted to offer help, she would always discover that whether it was cleanup work involving dealing with different people, or the work of compiling various reports that needed to be submitted, there were no matters she could help with.
Soukaku was very clear on this. Attempting to help with these few things relying on her own abilities would only make her more of a hindrance and make the situation worse. Although Big Sis Yanagi and Harumasa wouldn't blame her for this, it instead made her want to share the burden even more.
Her greatest use was this incredibly powerful strength of the Oni race that could fan everything away! She couldn't help with other things, but combat was different! And this time, an investigation mission where she could actually help had finally appeared; she couldn't let it go!
But after leaning in closer and looking at the photo in front of her, Soukaku subconsciously whispered, "Su... Super big marshmallow!"
Instantly, tears (drool) unproductively began to flow from the corners of her mouth. Immediately using her sleeve to wipe away the saliva flowing from the corner of her mouth as a cover, Soukaku, who now had something new in mind besides her original determination to help, immediately had her eyes light up.
Raising her hand to volunteer, she said, "Boss! Big Sis Yanagi! Me, me, me! Can I go along too!!!"
Regarding Soukaku volunteering, Hoshimi Miyabi naturally felt there was no problem. After all, as a member of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, Soukaku, just like Tsukishiro Yanagi, had the right to choose to participate in missions herself. Although this wasn't a mission in the true sense, but rather an independent investigation.
But as long as someone she trusted wanted to participate, there was no reason to refuse. Still maintaining her original faint expression, just as Hoshimi Miyabi prepared to nod directly and agree, she was blocked by Tsukishiro Yanagi.
Looking at Soukaku in front of her, Tsukishiro Yanagi, who was long familiar with Soukaku's nature, heard her initial quiet mutter and saw the drool still unconsciously flowing from the corner of her mouth. She subconsciously felt that Soukaku was likely just purely craving food.
Bending her waist slightly, she first rubbed her head, then said gently in the tone she usually used to coax her to behave: "Be a good girl, Soukaku. If you're hungry, eat some snacks first and wait here peacefully for us to come back. If you want to eat marshmallows, how about I bring you some when I return?"
"Mmh mmh mmh..."
Feeling the gentle stroking on top of her head and hearing Tsukishiro Yanagi's words, Soukaku's first reaction was to want to agree immediately. But just as she was about to nod subconsciously, she suddenly realized something was wrong. Very quickly, she reacted again and immediately began to shake her head violently.
At the same time, she said, "No, no, Big Sis Yanagi! I'm not hungry, I really want to help!!"
Recalling Tsukishiro Yanagi's busyness during this period, Soukaku said with incomparable firmness, "Although I can't help with things in other aspects, I definitely have no problem when it comes to combat!!! I want to contribute my strength for you guys too!"
Seeing her so serious, Tsukishiro Yanagi, who originally thought she was just purely craving food, also realized she might have misunderstood Soukaku's intentions. Coupled with the fact that due to being busy lately, she indeed hadn't kept Soukaku company properly.
Realizing that the busyness of this period had somewhat neglected Soukaku's feelings, Tsukishiro Yanagi no longer tried to stop her. Anyway, it was likely fake; she would just treat it as compensation for neglecting Soukaku during this time and taking Soukaku out to relax.
Thus, regarding this grotesquery, all members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, except for Asaba Harumasa, moved out.
Meanwhile.
Asaba Harumasa, who had been lying on the table constantly lowering his own sense of presence, was desperately suppressing the corners of his mouth that couldn't help but curl up.
"No... I can't laugh yet, I have to hold it in... I win once they completely leave the office! Thirty-five seconds. Declare victory in another thirty-five seconds!"
As Asaba Harumasa observed the movements of the other three in the office through the gap in his arms, very quickly, the three of them, having grabbed their weapons specifically, left the Hollow Special Operations Section 6 office together.
Only after everyone had left and walked far away did Asaba Harumasa immediately lift his head. Looking at the empty office in front of him, an incomparably flamboyant smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
He couldn't help but say loudly, "Tsukishiro, I won!"
Although his previous twenty-one consecutive leave requests hadn't been approved a single time because only Tsukishiro Yanagi was there, it was different now. With only himself left in the entire Hollow Special Operations Section 6 office, the new task could completely be fudged over using the method that he was the only one guarding the entire Section 6.
And the method Tsukishiro Yanagi proposed earlier of going together, while agonizing over how to make her subsequent persuasion more convincing, had also perfectly achieved its effect. At the same time, because Tsukishiro Yanagi went along with the investigation the Chief and the others were conducting now, it would inevitably be more appropriate for Tsukishiro Yanagi, as the accompanying person, to write the subsequent report as well.
And in a situation where it was only him, no one would be staring at him. Even Soukaku, the only one he needed to take care of, had noticed the investigation mission Hoshimi Miyabi and Tsukishiro Yanagi were preparing to conduct under his hints. This successfully made the final job of babysitting that he needed to be responsible for disappear as well.
So. Even though he didn't succeed in asking for leave, in a practical sense, there was already no difference from a successful leave request! Suddenly clenching his fist, the corners of Asaba Harumasa's mouth couldn't help but hook upwards.
"Just as planned!!!"
After a lapse of seven days, until the Chief and the others came back from their investigation, finally no one could stop him from slacking off properly! What truly terrifies me is this talent of mine for slacking off!!!
Meanwhile.
Riding in the dedicated field vehicle of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, the three quickly arrived at one of the locations indicated in that article. At the same time, it was also the position released by the latest person who claimed to have witnessed it.
However, upon getting out of the car, the three immediately discovered some differences from the intelligence. That was: this area was now much emptier than the content in the photos from before.
Whether it was the abandoned cargo containers that had once piled up, or the broken building debris that served as factory materials... everything, except for integral structures like the buildings themselves, had disappeared without a trace. Even the ground, which normally hadn't been cleaned for a long time, looked as if it were polished and brand new.
This instantly made Tsukishiro Yanagi, who had done a background check on this place on the way, keenly perceive that something was wrong. Although she had come with Hoshimi Miyabi initially with the complete mindset of debunking a fake, after discovering there might really be a situation, she immediately threw the original thoughts of debunking and going on a picnic excursion to the back of her mind.
Her expression also instantly became serious. Squatting down, her fingers lightly brushed across the ground. When she lifted them to check, her black gloves were not stained with any dust. The clean and tidy site looked as if there were no problems.
But the problem lay precisely here. Having no problem was, on the contrary, the biggest problem.
Because according to the data found, the factories in this area had already turned into a completely abandoned state since the raw materials disappeared after the Fall of the Old Capital. For so many years, there had been no records of maintenance or upkeep. Never.
Yet the ground of a factory area abandoned for many years was now so clean there wasn't even floating dust. This simply did not conform to logic. If it wasn't a site deliberately prepared by that poster for exploration to gain traffic and fame, then this time... could it be they had really encountered a true grotesquery?
Could there really be some aliens sucking away the things in this area? The question was, what would aliens pick up this trash for? No, that's not right.
Tsukishiro Yanagi, who had never thought there would actually be a problem, pressed her forehead with her fingers, pulling her momentarily chaotic thoughts back to the right track. Aliens and such were indeed too absurd. That she actually considered the rationality of aliens existing for a split second—it was simply as if she had been infected by the Chief.
Taking a deep breath, Tsukishiro Yanagi steadied her mind and quickly entered work mode, looking at the traces on the ground and in various places around them once again. Very quickly, she discovered a clue.
In the surroundings of this area, taking her current position as the center, beneath all the sturdy buildings still standing around them, on the side facing the center... under the corners of the walls, there were residues of debris and dust.
Aside from this, there was no residue of unknown liquids. Likewise, there were no water stains left after a water flow dried up. Coupled with the traces on the ground that looked like diffusion caused by massive wind pressure...
Tsukishiro Yanagi already had a judgment in her heart regarding the method that caused all this. she looked toward Hoshimi Miyabi at the side, who was standing motionless with her eyes closed as if resting her mind, with only her ears twitching slightly unconsciously from time to time.
She said, "Be careful, Chief! This isn't something that so-called suction can achieve; this is a condition caused by extremely high-intensity high-pressure airflow. If that so-called white fluff ball in the sky really exists, then its attack is likely not some so-called suction, but spewing out high-pressure airflow! The thing capable of causing a situation like this right now isn't simple!"
Hoshimi Miyabi, who was at the side, opened her eyes which had been closed all along upon hearing this. Her flat expression involuntarily revealed a touch of gravity visible to the naked eye. Yes, gravity.
Even in that battle that once allowed her to take the position of Void Hunter, Hoshimi Miyabi had never revealed a grave expression. It was to the point where Tsukishiro Yanagi felt there were no combat-related matters that could stump her. But now, a grave expression had appeared on her face in the true sense.
This instantly made Tsukishiro Yanagi, who saw this scene, involuntarily feel her heart tighten.
She saw Hoshimi Miyabi slowly speak: "Yanagi, mission situation change. We no longer need to be vigilant against the target in the original intelligence."
As her voice fell, Hoshimi Miyabi's hand had already unconsciously rested on the scabbard at her waist, Wuwei poised in the sheath, ready to strike.
"Because there is another unknown existence currently hunting it. And this hunt is already about to end."
____
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