Act 2, Scene 6
-"You don't have to go that far, there are some over here," The murderer calls out as I return to myself.
…It's short again. Is this another scenario like the Minotaur's labyrinth? I still don't know what happened back then, and now…
"-Arima, this guy's an enemy," I say. "He's got Mystic Eyes that'll kill you instantly, so- no matter what, don't let him touch you, no matter what weapon he's using."
"Hey, hey…" Suddenly, the aisle splits, cracking along some kind of invisible seam, and the murderer steps forward over the avalanche of cup noodles. "I'm not too used to being recognized." He's standing there, in calm confidence, a gravy-coated plastic knife still his only weapon. "How did you hear about me? I'm sure I left no survivors up to this point, unless… Have you paid some kind of visit to that 'other place'?"
"...I don't understand, but I'll trust you, Flugel," Arima says, removing her glasses.
"Hmm? Hey, you're pretty good looking - you wouldn't happen to be Tohno, would you? You've got a better figure than Akiha in some areas, but-" He starts to say - and then Arima explodes towards him.
I barely have a chance to respond, but- [Emergency Reinforcement] - I can at least provide a boost in speed!
He's already moving before her attack - but this time, she sees through it, and her elbow strike shifts into a downward fist smash that connects to shatter his plastic knife.
"-Oh? You read my movements? I really must be rusty…" The man says, practically gliding backwards out of Arima's follow-up attacks.
"Who are you!?" Arima shouts. "I remember that name - that witch, Akiha, who stole my Onii-chan! So tell me, how do you know-!?" As she screams, the serial killer's unflappable persona vanishes, as his eyes go wide and he freezes - and Arima's fist crashes into his face, sending him crashing through two rows of chips.
"Wait, wait, time out!" He shouts as she leaps towards him in an elbow drop, which he barely rolls out of the way of. "Miyako!? You're Arima Miyako!?"
"And what does it change if I am!?" She replies, raising her leg in preparation to smash it down into his face. "You're going to answer-!"
"Wow, you've really grown up, huh?" The killer says as he catches it before she can complete the attack, pushing her backwards into a backflip as he rises to his feet. "But that move's still way too slow… also, I don't really approve of using kicks if you're wearing a skirt, even if you have got tights on underneath."
"-You!" She shouts, getting ready to strike again. "Who are you!?"
"Good grief, I guess I don't have room to talk about failing to recognize people, but…" He sighs. "We've met plenty of times before, you know? Well, I was wearing a panda costume at the time, though."
"-Eh?" Arima freezes, her eyes going wide. "Panda… sensei…?"
"Let this be a lesson to you not to talk to strange perverts in the park," He says with a wry chuckle. "They might turn out to be criminals, after all… well, in this case, it worked out well for you. Finding out it was Miyako totally killed my libido. I'm no Hikaru Genji, after all."
…Wait, I'm not following at all.
"N-no! Panda-sensei was kind, and trustworthy! He taught me the very foundations of Bajiquan, so there's no way he can be some kind of… weird convenience store killer!" Arima shouts childishly. Okay, so if I'm following, she learned martial arts from… a guy in a panda costume, who may or may not be this deranged killer?
"I'll let this be my last lesson, student - a kind exterior doesn't mean someone isn't hiding a nasty secret," He says. "That might even be the case for the brother you admire so much."
"No!" She shouts. "Onii-chan was always there for me, when I tore the tatami mats in the dojo, or when I got in fights with my friends! He's nothing like you!"
"Pfffft…" The murderer snorts. "Come on, you don't even remember what his face looked like, do you?"
Arima is tellingly silent.
"But, does this mean that…" I trail off as those eyes fall upon me - and then, with another laugh, he sheaths his knife.
"Looking at you closer… this really is one big Souya reunion, huh?" He asks. "Relax, I don't want to hurt you either. The other Chaldea staff summoned here, on the other hand…"
"-Then, I'll fight you," Arima says. "Even if you are Panda-sensei… I won't just let you kill people and say nothing!"
"Hmmm… That decisiveness is good," He says. "-Alright, I'll tell you something nice. The Tohno are a clan with the blood of Oni. Of course, the Arima are only a branch family - and unlike the Kishima, they have even thinner blood than the main branch. Under normal circumstances, you don't have any chance of awakening - but in a place like this, well… rumors become reality, don't they? Of course, my family, the Nanaya, are demon hunters… so if you invert, I'll cut you down, even if it leaves me feeling like Hikaru Genji."
"-Akiha!" Arima shouts. "What about that brother-stealing witch? Is she an oni too!?"
"...Seriously, what's this witch business?" Nanaya mutters. "...But yeah, she's a real once in a generation talent. I really wish I'd had the chance to kill her."
"I knew it!" Arima says. "That red hair… those golden eyes! From the moment I saw her, even before she started cackling and casting spells, I knew Akiha couldn't be a human!"
"No, isn't that Kohak- ahhhh I just figured it out…" Nanaya mumbles as his smirk falls away into a frown for the first time. "What the hell is that woman doing…?"
"-But, Panda-sensei, don't think I'll forgive you with that!" Arima says. "You might be a criminal… but I won't let you add to your crimes any further! I've already surpassed the bajiquan you showed me, so- face me, teacher!"
"Alright - show me how much you've grown, Miyako-chan," He says, and I blink for a moment. It's the honorific that finally pinged my memory.
…No, no, they're way too different. The Miyako-chan of my elementary school days must have grown up into an upbeat airhead Street Fighter character. There's no possible way that two of the Four Heavenly Playground Kings peaked in elementary school. Besides, her last name was… what was it…? It had to be Chinese, right? And despite my weird fixation on Tokyo Ghoul earlier, Arima is a super normal Japanese surname. Yeah, I'm convinced.
As I get lost thinking about stupid things, the two begin their rampage through the already ruined corner store, knocking over shelves this way and that as I quickly retreat behind the checkout counter.
But then, there was that display earlier… and even if she has got perfect attendance, how are her actual grades? It couldn't be that she's just dressing like a serious student while failing all her classes, right?
Fists connect with each other over and over as each fighter fails to secure a decisive blow. The Tengu from before held overwhelming power, but Nanaya's ability is clearly based in skill. And, of course, as practitioners of the same style, they understand each other's movements- which means it will come down to this.
"[Emergency Reinforcement]," I boost Arima's strength to the fullest of my ability as her elbow connects, and his guard finally breaks. The elbow rotates into a shoulder tackle, which spins into another elbow, an extended arm, slamming Nanaya against the wall, which bounces him into an uppercut that launches him to strike the ceiling. Arima leaps up to meet him on the rebound with a high kick - and he vanishes.
"[Flash Blade-" His voice intones from somewhere.
But, Arima Miyako understands this technique. He taught it to her, and she made use of it just earlier tonight.
Arima's kick connects with 'something' and casts it down towards the ground beneath her - and then, landing feet first on Nanaya's hastily raised guard, his arms giving a loud cracking noise, she backflips, landing in front of him as he struggles to rise with two broken arms - and she raises a single leg in a dramatic motion, bringing it down with finality. "[Ultimate Final Techniiiiique]!"
…Silence falls. Arima is left there, the corner store in ruins, as she stands above the broken body of her teacher. Finally, she speaks.
"...Why?" She asks.
"Hah…" Nanaya wheezes - he's dying. His chest has been completely caved in, blood bursting out beneath him from the force of Arima's last blow. "What… do you mean?"
"You really are… Panda-sensei, so… why aren't you a good person!?" She screams, as tears start to fall from her eyes.
"...You really are still just a kid, huh?" Nanaya whispers. "-I'm just a rumor. The 'me' of those days had Tohno Shiki to restrain him - I'm just a dead man, the instincts of half of a soul. But… still… I couldn't be more proud."
And then, he melts away, not in a cloud of golden dust, but into a cloud of shadows.
And thus, the murderer who attacks all who awaken him will exit the stage.
***
The Prop Room
"Heh… so that's how it is. Using me as a cleanup crew for Francois Prelati and then disposing of me," Nanaya Shiki says with a sigh. "Not that it would have worked if I had just offed Natsuki Subaru first. That's my fault, I guess."
He rises to his feet, and strolls idly up to the place where Tezcatlipoca sits enthroned upon a tower of books.
"Yo. Welcome back, Nanaya. Did you have fun?" 'She' says with a grin.
"There's not really a 'back' here, since the me that you spoke to before was the authentic Nanaya Shiki," the killer says. "-Still what's with the new appearance? Are you trying to provoke me? I draw the line at kids."
"We both know you don't have any such qualms," Tezcatlipoca replies, grinning. "If you want to slice this body to pieces, you can be my guest. You'll make a great Tezcatlipoca, after all."
"No, there's no point in that," Nanaya replies. "-I'll give you these eyes again, so hurry up and send me back. I've got to give that playwright a piece of my mind."
"Sure. I'll throw in Peperoncino's rayshift compatibility as a bonus, since those eyes are so valuable," She says.
"That's not any use to me," Nanaya says. "I'm going to disappear the moment my 'master' does. Give it to Miyako-chan instead, since she'll need it if she's going to keep working with Chaldea."
"Got it. Should I tell her who paid for it this time?" The Aztec god asks, smirking.
"No, there's no need for that," Nanaya says, glancing around as his eyes dim to a dull silver. "The exit's this way, right?"
"Yeah. A guy like you won't have any trouble with the trials, but try not to interfere with Daybit's. I've invested a lot in him."
The demon hunter simply waves wordlessly as he starts to walk away.
"Oh, wait, I almost forgot," The Aztec god calls out. "These eyes… I'll pass them back if you can take care of something for me."
"...I'm listening."