Leaving the Tokyo Metropolitan Investigation Bureau's Second Affiliated Hospital, Su Yuzu found that her impression of that devastatingly, almost brazenly alluring woman had already begun to blur at the edges.
Girls liked pretty girls, sure.
But it was a simple, uncomplicated sort of appreciation — the same pleasure one might take in anything beautiful. It hadn't reached the point where every gorgeous woman she laid eyes on was immediately flagged as a plot-critical character destined to appear in the game, with a little «targetable» tag slapped on her.
She was just a woman with an incredible figure.
As for figures — her own little Mihou Sakai simply hadn't fully bloomed yet.
But once the Mihou Sakai with [Perfect Execution] finally did bloom — her looks would surely put that woman's dazzling beauty to shame.
Besides — the way little Mihou Sakai's admiration was so completely unaffected, so utterly unguarded, paired with that endearingly obedient manner of hers... Su Yuzu adored it beyond all reason.
If one were to discuss other contenders.
The little rabbit and Ms. Unohana Chiyo were every bit her equal in their own right. They simply had a more slender frame, which made them look less statuesque than that woman or Mihou Sakai — that was all.
As for Soga Yura... Soga Yura was an exception unto herself.
Beautiful girls had never been in short supply around Su Yuzu. When they all gathered together in a group, passersby would sometimes mistake them for professional models on a street shoot.
[Beep — beep — beep —]
[You have a new message. Please check your inbox.]
The sender was Ms. Unohana Chiyo. She had something she needed to speak with Su Yuzu about.
The message didn't specify what it was — only a request for Yuzu to come to the laboratory inside Keigunen Private Academy's central training hall.
Probably nothing important.
Su Yuzu opened [Operator Development] and stole a quiet glance at Ms. Unohana Chiyo's status. She didn't look to be in any particular hurry.
In that case, Yuzu saw no reason to rush. She simply took the train back to school at a leisurely pace.
From the Investigation Bureau's Second Affiliated Hospital to Keigunen Private Academy, it was only about twenty minutes by Tokyu Toyoko Line.
If she rode Behemoth directly, she could probably make it back in under ten minutes. The drawback, of course, would be Behemoth's obscenely high activation fee — plus the speeding and restricted-vehicle-in-city-limits tickets that were practically guaranteed to follow.
Since Ms. Unohana Chiyo hadn't said it was urgent, Su Yuzu took her sweet time and trundled back to Keigunen Private Academy by train.
Ever since Dai Ling had put clip after clip of Su Yuzu's chance encounters with Feng Ke up on the internet, she'd had the constant sensation of eyes following her wherever she went.
Alongside the near-fanatical adoration that came with something like celebrity, there were also the wide, starry eyes of young girls looking up at her with unconcealed longing.
Su Yuzu could only find the most out-of-the-way corner seat available. She watched the scenery blur past the window and passed the time trying to calculate the train's exact speed.
By the time she finally returned to Keigunen Private Academy, a good half hour had slipped by.
On the way, she'd made a brief detour to the commercial street and restocked from her favorite crepe vendor — strawberry cream crepes and apple pie.
The little rabbit's Favorability Gifts worked on any girl, and worked well.
There were very few girls who could say no to sweets.
Unless they were on a diet.
As for the apple pie — she'd save it to feed to the little cat next time she went to see her. Perfect.
Passing through the outer perimeter of the central training hall, Su Yuzu walked straight into the laboratory at its center.
Aside from Ms. Unohana Chiyo, Director Saionji Sagara and Yamabuki Nanako were both there as well.
"Is something the matter, Chiyo-sensei?"
Su Yuzu watched Ms. Unohana Chiyo's face bloom into that soft, warm smile the moment she caught sight of her. She returned it with a smile of her own, greeted the woman, then turned with perfect formality to give Director Saionji and Yamabuki Nanako a proper salute.
Her best guess was that it had something to do with the little cat — or with herself. They probably wanted her to cooperate with some kind of examination.
But... it wasn't quite what Su Yuzu had expected.
Unohana Chiyo gave a small, quiet shake of her head and glanced toward Saionji Sagara at her side. "It's Director Saionji who wanted to see you."
"Director Saionji?" Su Yuzu looked toward Saionji Sagara.
She couldn't imagine what the Director might want with her. Under normal circumstances, if the Assault Department's current top operative needed to hear something from its director, Saionji Sagara would simply push it through the department's notification system. No need for anything this elaborate — let alone routing a message through Ms. Unohana Chiyo.
Saionji Sagara looked at the girl, her brow furrowed slightly, the smile she managed only barely pleasant. "Yuzu..."
"Have you ever heard of the Great Battle from seventeen years ago?"
Su Yuzu blinked — then nodded.
Seventeen years ago was a very particular point in time. There was only one battle it could refer to.
That would be the fight between Kujou Iruka — The Abyss of Eternal Smiles, the legendary former Tiger of the Empire — and the Saintess of the Holy Royal Court, Saint Michael.
The story went that Kujou Iruka had come bearing down from the direction of Chiba with overwhelming force. The Empire had thrown everything it had at her, paid an immeasurable price in blood, and still could not stop her advance.
Just as Kujou Iruka's erosion domain was on the verge of reaching the boundary of the Tokyo metropolitan area — the Saintess, Saint Michael, who happened to be visiting Tokyo at the time, stepped forward.
The two clashed in the dead of night.
To claw back the odds in her favor, Saint Michael had gone so far as to shatter her own wings — permanently sacrificing her Word of Command. And in doing so, she had managed to hold Kujou Iruka back, keeping her outside the city's walls.
They said that after the battle ended, the sky over Tokyo glowed as bright as high noon for three full days and nights.
"The Word of Command that Saint Michael left behind is, in truth, a rule of considerable force," Saionji Sagara said.
"And it is precisely because of that rule that Kujou Iruka has been unable to deploy her erosion domain anywhere within Tokyo.
"Beyond that — as a secondary effect, even ordinary Aberrants find themselves unable to move freely within the Tokyo metropolitan area."
"Huh?" Su Yuzu suddenly blinked.
Wait — did the Director actually believe that?
Tokyo's defensive line was practically getting punched full of holes by Aberrants on a regular basis.
A stealth-capable Aberrant like the little cat, in particular, moved through Tokyo like she was coming home. There was even apple pie and an adorable owner here that she couldn't get back wherever she came from.
Saionji Sagara had clearly read the girl's expression. She looked a touch embarrassed herself.
"We've been wondering about that too," she admitted.
"Has Saint Michael's power been gradually weakening? Or is something else at work?"
"So... we launched a joint research effort — with several university laboratories and specialists from the Investigation Bureau."
"And in the end —"
"We uncovered a terrifying truth."
"The sacred radiance is being slowly torn apart. It is on the verge of collapse."
"The sky over Tokyo... may be about to change — for good."
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