Far away in the neighboring city, even in broad daylight, the ruins of Naimu General Hospital were deathly silent.
It was an abandoned site on the outskirts of town, a place few people ever passed by. But today, this usually forgotten ruin had a visitor.
The newcomer was a stylish, well-dressed office-lady-type beauty. Her figure was slender and tall, yet the curves of her ample chest and hips were especially eye-catching.
Silky black hair framed her elegant aura, making her look irresistibly charming at a glance.
Her name was Kato Hiromi, and she had come here as a trainee reporter to investigate.
"Phew~~ I'm not expecting some huge scoop. Even just writing a 'ruins exploration' piece is good enough."
Walking toward the deserted ruins of Naimu General Hospital, passion lit up Hiromi's face.
As an intern, she wanted to accomplish something she could proudly hand in, but results weren't so easy to come by, and she didn't want to fabricate fake news just to chase clicks.
Raised by a single mother, Hiromi wanted to achieve something her mom could be proud of. However, the road to becoming a full-fledged reporter was a difficult one.
More than one person had hinted she should use her looks to cozy up to her superiors, but Hiromi refused. She wanted to succeed on the strength of her own abilities.
So she dug through the latest urban legends until she found the rumors about the Naimu General Hospital ruins. They said aliens had appeared here—that was a viral talking point if she'd ever heard one.
Of course, Hiromi didn't believe it at all. So she planned to use this investigation to publish a piece "exposing the truth."
"People have been talking about this place a lot online lately. I should get a decent number of views, at least."
Adjusting her grip on the camera in her hands, Hiromi strode forward.
[Sis! Don't go in there!!]
A faint, ethereal voice echoed in the air.
Up ahead—where Hiromi could not see—a girl bearing a seven-tenths resemblance to her frantically waved both arms.
She wore a white one-piece dress; her youthful body was full of life, slender yet shapely, with graceful curves.
She wasn't as voluptuous and seductive as Mio and the others, but her gentle contours were still clearly defined. Her straight bangs and bob cut lent her an even calmer, more tranquil air.
Right now, however, that delicate, pretty face was filled with panic. She was Hiromi's younger sister, Megumi Kato.
But after she entered high school, Megumi had discovered a serious problem. She had been forgotten.
More accurately, her existence could no longer be perceived by others. No one could see her body or hear her voice. Her older sister and her mother had forgotten her too.
Over time, Megumi had grown used to living like that; in a way, there wasn't anything particularly "wrong" with it anymore.
When she learned today that her sister was coming to Naimu General Hospital, Megumi followed.
Perhaps because she herself could not be observed, Megumi was able to see the "aliens" lurking within the ruins, staring at her sister.
Watching her sister walk straight into the wolf's den, she was desperate to stop her. But even if she stuck out a foot to trip Hiromi, she was completely ignored.
After barely managing to delay her sister for more than ten minutes, Megumi realized Hiromi was going to head into Naimu General Hospital no matter what.
Exhausted, Megumi accepted she couldn't physically stop her and started to think. And then she remembered a flyer she'd seen posted by the side of the road.
When she actually pulled out her phone, Megumi hesitated for a few seconds. It wasn't like she'd never dialed the number from that flyer before but every time she called, the person on the other end couldn't hear her voice.
After trying again and again, Megumi had given up.
"No… I have to try one more time. I… I don't have any other options left." Anxiously chasing after her sister, Megumi dialed as she ran.
But this time, when Takumi answered, the shock on Megumi's face was obvious. He heard her voice!
Realizing she had been heard filled Megumi with wild joy, and she opened her mouth, wanting to keep talking.
But when she saw the aliens drawing closer to her sister, Megumi had no choice but to urge him to come, fast.
After hanging up, Megumi sprinted forward. She had to stop those aliens before the exorcist arrived!
Completely unaware that her little sister had been protecting her all along, Hiromi casually snapped a few photos of the place.
"What a creepy spot… Good thing I picked daytime to come. If it were at night, I'd be scared half to death."
Looking at the dust, broken boards, and trash littering the floor, Hiromi felt genuinely relieved.
If she'd come here at night, this would have been nightmare fuel.
"I honestly don't get why this place ended up with rumors about UFOs and aliens. It feels way more like it should be a haunted spot instead."
Muttering to herself seemed to give her heart a bit of comfort.
She stared at the pitch-black corridor ahead and hesitated for several seconds.
"I'll just go up and take a couple shots from the rooftop, then get the hell out of this haunted dump."
Exhaling slowly, Hiromi started forward.
The moment she stepped into the dark corridor, she raised her flashlight and shined it ahead.
And there, right in front of her, stood three men in suits with stiff, unmoving faces, their heads and necks fused into a single cylindrical block.
"What the hell? Come on, this is way too much. Are you supposed to be ghosts or aliens!?"
A thousand thoughts flashed through Hiromi's mind in an instant, but she didn't say a word.
Her body moved first. Driven by pure terror, she spun around and bolted for the exit.
A moment later, the three Serpo Aliens moved as well.
Like rabid strays, they lunged after Hiromi with twisted, grotesque movements, intent on capturing her on the spot.
As an ordinary human, Hiromi's speed was nothing compared to the three Serpo Aliens. In less than half a second, they had already caught up.
"Big sis!!" Frantic, Megumi tried to stick out her leg to trip the Serpo Aliens.
But the instant she sent them tumbling, the three of them dropped to all fours and crawled along the ground.
She couldn't stop them—she couldn't stop them at all!!
Face gone paper-white, Megumi watched helplessly as everything unfolded in front of her.
Just as the three Serpo Aliens' large hands reached out, a magic circle bloomed beneath Megumi's feet. A teleportation array sprang up around Hiromi, enveloping her and erecting a forcefield barrier.
Bang, bang, bang!!!
The three Serpo Aliens were instantly repelled by the barrier, flung several meters back before they barely managed to steady themselves.
"Mm?!" x3
They stared in confusion at Hiromi, who had collapsed to the floor, the stiffness of their features somehow leaking a trace of bewilderment.
Under the stunned gazes of both Megumi and Hiromi, the figures of Takumi, Yukino, and Asia emerged from the teleportation circle.
"Coming in hot right from the start, huh… Miss, were you the one who made that call?"
Scanning the Serpo Aliens with a glance, Takumi looked down at Hiromi, who was sitting on the ground in front of him.
Facing the handsome young man who had suddenly appeared, Hiromi almost burst into tears of relief on the spot.
....
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