"Dead men, in a situation like this, your survival is not permitted."
Whoosh!
The blond man called Gai vaulted over the high platform and landed smoothly before the crowd. Without the slightest concern, he stepped past the man who had already been electrocuted into a charred corpse. His gaze deliberately swept over the miserable sight. His brows furrowed briefly, then relaxed as if nothing had happened. He cast a subtle glance at the purple-haired woman still holding the robot.
Does this woman carry some kind of automatic defensive weapon? The electromagnetic pulse type?
Otherwise there's no way he'd be injured that badly...
Even so, he did not immediately speak to the Shogun. Instead, he ignored her for the moment and walked straight up to the lead delinquent.
"Ugh!"
The man had already been frightened by his boss' death. Now, seeing the local leader no one dared provoke, he instinctively took several steps back.
"You're already dead."
The blond man spoke coldly to the panicked thug before him.
"..."
The Shogun remained completely unmoved, silently watching him put on his act.
"D-Don't push your luck!!! You people!!!"
Another thug, unable to endure the humiliation, suddenly roared. He pulled a folding knife from his waist and lunged toward the blond man's back!!
"!"
Gai's eyes flicked over him. With a swift turn, he seized the man's arm and twisted hard.
Clack!
"Aaaagh!!"
The arm dislocated instantly. Gai wrenched it behind his back and drove a knee into the man's abdomen, dropping him to the ground!
"All together!!!"
"Aaah!!" ×N
The next second, everyone rushed him at once.
But the blond man clearly had professional combat training. Against these half-baked thugs, he was more than capable. In less than half a minute, he dealt with the surrounding attackers cleanly. Several were beaten so badly they bled. The small knife he had taken was casually plunged into one man's thigh before he kicked him down the staircase. The body tumbled downward, and it was unclear whether the man was dead or alive.
From beginning to end, the Shogun did not move. She simply stood quietly at the center, narrowing her eyes in boredom as she listened to the surrounding screams. From time to time, bodies flew past her, stirring her bangs in the wind.
The last remaining thug tried to flee, but the blond man flashed in front of him. A flurry of rapid punches struck the man's chest with precision. The force was so great that his back bulged outward. Several dull thuds echoed in the air.
"Aaagh!!!"
The thug staggered backward—only to crash straight into the Shogun, who had been watching the spectacle.
"..."
Seeing his massive body about to slam into her, she merely frowned. A faint, dreamlike violet lightning flared around her once more.
Crackle—crackle!!!
The lightning engulfed the thug's entire body.
"AAAAAHHH!!!!"
Thud~!
He was instantly charred black, collapsing into a heap of scorched flesh. His face was no longer distinguishable—just a lump of burned meat.
Thanks to her, this so-called battle finally came to an end.
"...?"
She turned her gaze toward the blond man standing nearby and staring at her. His eyes were filled with scrutiny. She paid him little mind. He walked toward her, wiping the blood from his hands. The members of his organization—Funeral Parlor, if she remembered correctly—followed and surrounded her.
She took the opportunity to glance around casually. The members ranged from men to women, young to old. There were even children who looked under fifteen, and girls of high school age. It hardly resembled a formal army. Then again, if it were official, they wouldn't be labeled rebels.
Truly, thanks to Kokomi, she had become somewhat sensitive whenever she heard the word "rebels."
"...A high school student?"
The blond man carefully examined her face and her casual dress, then asked coldly.
"...I never attended school."
She replied just as coldly, though the content was somewhat absurd.
"Is that so... What did you just do?"
He pointed at the charred corpse on the ground.
"...Very simple. I merely looked at him."
She answered casually.
"Don't toy with me..."
His tone turned colder.
"Toy with you? Heh... I'm not that idle."
If I weren't looking for Inori's whereabouts, I wouldn't bother coming to this wretched place of yours.
She complained inwardly.
"...Tsugumi."
Gai's lips curled slightly with interest at her attitude. He called over the purple-haired girl beside him.
"Okay~"
The girl named Tsugumi walked over with an instrument in hand.
"Sorry, big sis~ I'm just going to scan you for a bit~?"
She winked before raising the device and sweeping it from head to toe.
"The result?"
Gai asked.
"Mm—how strange... There's no electronic equipment on her. Ah... aside from Fyu-Neru, but..."
"What?"
Gai looked at her.
"Uh... there's a thin layer of electric particles surrounding her body. It's very odd."
Tsugumi frowned, resting her chin on her hand as she analyzed the display.
"Electric particles?"
Gai instinctively glanced at the charred corpse again.
"..."
Hearing that, the Shogun sighed inwardly. With a faint hum, she dispersed the remaining electric particles around her.
"Ah! They're gone now!"
Tsugumi exclaimed as she saw the readings vanish.
"...Woman, who exactly are you?"
Gai frowned and asked coldly.
"My affairs are not important."
She closed her eyes, offering no further explanation.
"Your affairs—!"
"Where is she?"
She cut him off and asked sharply.
"...She?"
Gai was momentarily stunned. Then he noticed the Fyu-Neru she was holding and understood. Yet confusion lingered—why was Fyu-Neru in her hands? Hadn't it always stayed by Inori Yuzuriha's side?
"What about the woman who was with it?"
He countered.
"Please do not answer a question with another question."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her tone carrying faint reproach.
"..."
Gai fell silent. The others exchanged glances, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
"You're here for Inori?"
Gai finally sighed and spoke again.
"Correct. Where is she?"
"She isn't here."
He shook his head.
"A lie."
A trace of dangerous violet light flickered in her eyes as she spoke in a low voice.
"It's the truth. I'm not lying."
He answered calmly.
"You are Funeral Parlor?"
She asked.
"We are."
"Inori Yuzuriha is a member of Funeral Parlor, and yet you do not know where she is now?"
Her tone sharpened in accusation.
"..." ×N
Silence fell over the group.
"Heh... whatever happens to Funeral Parlor is our business. What does it have to do with a little brat like you?! Huh?!"
The blond man with the spiky hair—Argo—snorted irritably. Why was this brat turning the tables and interrogating them? It irritated him immensely.
"Haa... what a foolish question. I am her friend. Why should I not ask? Besides, I am speaking to your leader. What concern is it of yours?"
She turned her violet-glowing eyes toward the spiky-haired man in the distance, fixing him with a sharp glare.
"Ugh! You... just who exactly are you—?!"
Argo faltered under her pressure, his voice hitching before he ground his teeth to retort.
"Argo, that's enough."
Gai stopped him. He was wary. He could tell the woman before him was no ordinary person. It would be unwise to underestimate her.
"Gai! Tch..."
Argo turned his head away unwillingly.
"Um... let's not get so heated, you two..."
Tsugumi gave an awkward laugh, attempting to smooth things over.
"You said you're friends with Inori?"
Gai asked.
"Correct. We live together. At first I didn't even know she was part of your rebel group. But last night she returned home covered in wounds. I treated her injuries. By morning, she was gone."
She briefly recounted what had happened.
"This robot—Fyu-Neru, was it? It guided me to the address displayed on it, which led me here. And now you tell me you have no idea where she is?"
Her voice grew colder again. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Though he was much taller and she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his eyes, her presence was not suppressed in the slightest. If anything, it gradually pressed back against him.
"..."
Gai frowned as he looked at her. Those rare, amethyst-like eyes almost drew him in for a moment, but he quickly pulled himself out of it. He sighed. She was not lying—he could tell. And Inori had once mentioned having a roommate. Was it this woman?
"Unfortunately, you misunderstand. She truly isn't here. We do not know her current whereabouts either."
He answered evenly.
"You abandoned her?"
The Shogun narrowed her eyes and asked dangerously.