The clock read somewhere between three and four in the morning, a good while before the first light of dawn would break.
Someone stealthily cracked open the bedroom door and slipped out without a sound.
Natsume Sonoko was immediately met with the sight of Mori Kogoro, dead to the world on the office sofa, his snoring reverberating through the entire room.
As for Conan, he was squeezed uncomfortably into a corner of the same sofa, eyes shut fast in sleep. But judging by the constantly shifting expressions on his face, he seemed to be trapped in a nightmare.
'Well, looks like everyone's fine, at least.'
A flicker of relief warmed Natsume Sonoko's heart. She hesitated on the spot for a moment before quietly sneaking back into her own room.
On a building not far from the Mori Detective Agency, two figures slumped listlessly against the low parapet lining the rooftop edge, looking as though they'd been thoroughly roughed up.
"Is this... the pinnacle of the world's combat power?" one wheezed, a hand pressed to his chest as if struggling to breathe. Even leaning against the wall offered him little sense of security.
"Fewer than twenty Saints exist in the world. To think we'd have the... fortune of encountering one of them today."
The two men in suits exchanged a look, the reality of it seeming to dawn on them with a sense of awe.
They had recognized her instantly. Saint Kanzaki Kaori, former magician of the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church, a being powerful enough to pacify an entire city single-handedly.
"So, you two are actually from the police department?"
Emerging smoothly from the dark backdrop, the first thing one noticed was her striking, waist-length black hair.
Kanzaki Kaori, holding her sheathed shikomizue, stood at the highest point of the roof, looking down at the two weakened suits.
"Correct. Here's my identification. We're on a mission," said one of the men, his face scarred, giving him a fiercely intimidating appearance. He pushed himself up using the wall and produced a badge from his pocket.
"We have various collaborations with the Amakusa-Style Church; we're not enemies. And please don't misunderstand, Miss Kanzaki," the other man chimed in.
"Our purpose here tonight was actually to act as bodyguards." To show he meant no harm, he dropped the oddly-shaped weapon in his hand to the ground.
Kanzaki Kaori's eyes flickered, catching the discarded weapon in her peripheral vision. She slid her own blade back into its sheath and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, seemingly accepting their explanation.
Then, just like that, she melted back into the shadows, disappearing into the vast moonlit night.
"She's finally gone. She looks like a high school student, but the pressure she exudes... it's like facing a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex."
"Talk about rude. She beats us up like this and doesn't even offer an apology."
"Keep your voice down! But... it's been five or six minutes. She should really be gone by now, right?"
Just as they were muttering their complaints, their attention snapped simultaneously towards the Mori Detective Agency.
Right where their gazes met, several strange figures had appeared around the perimeter of the agency. Visible, mutated organs began to sprout from their bodies.
The leader of this group was almost entirely encased in these grotesque growths, the twisted biological matter covering large portions of his body like armor, contorting his form into something straight out of a horror film.
"Oh, hell. We almost forgot that Miss Natsume has left the magic circle's area of effect."
That millennium-old magic circle didn't just create a separate dimension; it also repelled those nearby who weren't under its magical control.
The more people were controlled by the spell, the stronger this repelling effect became, serving as a powerful concealment mechanism, not unlike a certain well-known Muggle-Repelling Charm.
The reason this ritual remained so secret, even beyond official cover-ups, largely hinged on this built-in mechanism of the circle itself.
"This is a major problem now."
No time for talk. Their actions were decisive. Gritting their teeth against their injuries, they leaped from the great height.
Their weapons, functioning like suction cups, adhered to the glass exterior of the building. Letting gravity do most of the work, they scaled down the face of the building in a rapid descent, reaching the ground in little more than ten seconds.
"Saito, you handle the small fry. I'll take the big one," the scar-faced man, apparently the senior of the two, barked out the orders during their swift descent.
His expression turned deadly serious. Then, like an unbridled stallion, he shot forward, his speed rivaling world-record sprints.
"Understood," the man named Saitou clenched his jaw, following close behind, his eyes filled with grim determination.
The scarred suit swung his weapon. In just a few strides, it transformed, morphing into a crimson dragon-like streak of energy that crossed dozens of meters in an instant, slamming into the leader whose body was sheathed in mutated armor.
Meanwhile, another figure scaling the agency's outer wall suddenly froze. A blade flashed across its neck. Under its terrified gaze, a foot kicked out, sending it plummeting from its perch.
Having fumbled her way back into her room, Natsume Sonoko sat down on her futon, feeling a bit bored.
Strangely, she now felt wide awake, all traces of sleepiness gone.
It was the twelfth day since she'd left Academy City, but in reality, nearly two, almost three months had passed for her. And now, only three days remained until her scheduled return.
A sense of restless anxiety began to creep over Natsume Sonoko. She stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside—a series of thuds and crashes that sounded like a full-blown fight.
Sonoko slowly started to get up, intending to see what was happening, when a shadow fell across her window.
"What in the world...?"
She looked up, dumbfounded, as a grotesque-looking creature scrambled past her window. Their eyes met for a split second.
"Target sight—"
The creature's words were cut short as a leather shoe came down on its head from above, stomping it down and out of view.
Through the windowpane, Sonoko stared in shock at the sudden appearance of a man in a suit—a style of suit she felt she'd seen somewhere before.
She hurried over to the window and discovered that a full-scale brawl had broken out outside.
The noise was tremendous. Uncle Mori and Conan were undoubtedly woken up, and lights were starting to flick on in the nearby buildings.
"What's going on out there? Who's fighting this early in the morning?!" The grumpy roar of Mori Kogoro, rudely awakened, came from the office.
Then came the sound of shattering glass. Conan, who had just thrown his clothes on, tensed, his body going rigid. He immediately sprinted towards Natsume Sonoko's room.
"It's coming from Sonoko-neechan's room!" Conan yelled, alerting the still-grouchy Mori.
Mori Kogoro jolted into action. Not even bothering to change out of his pajamas, he rushed after Conan.
He had promised to see Natsume Sonoko safely back to Academy City. He absolutely could not let her come to harm.
Mori Ran emerged from her room just then, meeting Conan and her father at Sonoko's door.
The door to Sonoko's room was unlocked. They burst in and were met with a floor littered with glass shards.
"Dammit! Where's Sonoko?" Mori Kogoro's face was etched with panic.
He ignored the dangerous glass covering the floor, rushing to the window to look out, only to yelp as shards dug into his bare feet, drawing specks of blood.
"Sonoko-neechan... she's over there, I think," Conan, whose observation skills were always sharp, carefully picked his way across the glass and pointed towards a spot outside.
"Don't be ridiculous, that's mid-air!" Mori started to complain, but his head turned to follow Conan's direction nonetheless.
"Dad, the flashlight is here!" Mori Ran found a high-power flashlight in a corner and shone it into the darkness outside.
The powerful beam sliced through the night, a sliver of light illuminating Natsume Sonoko's face. An expression of clear irritation was etched on her features, her brows knitted together in a surprisingly authoritative glare.
She was suspended in the air, holding some inexplicable pose. Noticing the flashlight beam, she turned her head and saw Uncle Mori and the others at the broken window.
The authoritative look instantly vanished, replaced by a deep blush spreading across her cheeks.
Floating beside her, encased from the shoulders down in a thick layer of ice, was a snarling, grotesque man. He was dangerous—Sonoko had felt the need to take extra precautions.
Tentacle-like growths had suddenly sprouted from his body, easily punching two holes in her small room.
While this didn't bother Sonoko much personally, she idly worried that Conan might have to deal with a leaky ceiling later.
Thankfully, her instantaneous reaction speed far outstripped his attack. Otherwise, a single strike like that could have easily killed an ordinary person.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.