[Several Hours Earlier - Aratsu Port]
Lenah's Perspective, after Horikita unintentionally sprinted away.
Touko rushes towards me, her silver tail lashing behind her with agitation.
"Lenah, where's Kita?!" Touko exclaims.
She doesn't wait for an answer, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.
"She was right here! And then she just—vanished! I couldn't even track her movement! Me! How could I lose sight of her?!"
"I know," I reply, my gaze fixed on the direction Horikita disappeared.
This is strange. I didn't expect her to just… *vanish* like that.
(I can't sense her ki anymore.)
No—that's not right.
Touko grabs my left arm with an iron grip.
"What do you mean, 'you know'?" Touko demands, her voice sharp with disbelief.
"Lenah, this isn't like Kita. She wouldn't just abandon us!"
"No," I agree, turning my violet eyes back to her.
"She wouldn't."
"How can you be so calm?!"
"Kita is gone! What if she's hurt? What if those… those *things* from the Ruin World got to her?" Touko's grip on my arm tightens, her concern bleeding into genuine fear.
Her silver tail lashes wildly.
"Touko. Calm yourself," I tell her with a firm voice.
"Panicking will not help Horikita."
"But—!"
I close my eyes, cutting off Touko before she can speak. The noise of the port fades.
I track the disruption—where Horikita's ki vanished. Not a fade. A severance. Instant. Clean. Brutal. The energy still carries the scar.
It leads northeast, toward—
Multiple noises reach my ears, approaching us.
"We have company," I say, and the pressure on my arm vanishes.
"Ara, ara," Touko says softly, a predatory smile playing on her lips.
"Sounds like some unwelcome guests are trying to interrupt our little search party."
"I'll make this quick."
After letting go of my arm,
Touko dashes towards the source of the noise with a feral grin.
"Don't fall too far behind~"
I watch Touko vanish into the ruined streets of Fukuoka.
A dull ache throbs in my arm where her grip had been.
I barely register the pain before a familiar thought burns through my mind.
(Hmph. What a handful), Ignis says in my mind.
(She's always so reckless, acting like she can just charge in without thinking. You should rein her in, Lenah, before she gets herself—and us—killed. She almost cracked the bone with that stunt; her demonic energy is still untamed, for all her 'perfect control' claims.)
I am aware. Touko acts on impulse, especially when Horikita is involved.
I flex my fingers, testing the ache in my arm. And her strength has... accelerated. More than I anticipated.
A faint heat presses against my hip; Igni's is clearly annoyed, even from inside the scabbard.
(Don't go soft on me, Lenah. 'Accelerated'? She's a demon. Demonic energy, no matter how 'perfectly controlled,' is volatile. You should've just blasted her like you did the other creatures. That would've gotten her attention without any sentimental theatrics.)
I sigh internally. That wouldn't have been productive, Ignis. She is worried about Horikita, and a display of force would only escalate the situation.
(Hmph. As if a 'calm discussion' ever works with her.)
(You two are alike, you know. Both obsessed with that girl. It's almost... sickening.)
I choose to ignore her last comment, and run after Touko.
By the time I arrive, the battle is already over.
In a graveyard of wires and shattered limbs, Touko stands with a savage grin, her silver tail swishing with the smug satisfaction of a cat that's just finished playing with its prey.
"Took you long enough, Lenah~"
"Did you get lost?"
I stop beside her, looking over the destroyed machines.
"No,"
"I was assessing the environment."
"Right, right," Touko says, waving a dismissive hand.
"Anyway, they were everywhere. Like bugs. Reminded me of the useless Lava Skitterers back home. Always running around and making noise, but they weren't strong. Not really. Just… annoying."
I kneel, examining one of the shattered machines.
This one is mostly intact. Its black, arachnid-like body is unsettling.
The remnants of a glowing red eye stare blankly at nothing.
I notice an auto-cannon integrated into its top...
My brow furrows. A mechanical construct… using a cannon. These aren't the same. Not like the simple corruptions I've encountered before.
(These are new), Ignis states, her mental voice sharper, less sarcastic.
(They don't feel like raw corruption. More… tools. Animated by it, certainly, but built.)
Touko sighs impatiently, tapping her foot.
"Analysis complete, Professor Lenah?" Touko asks, her tone layered with mock respect.
"They're just more junk to be smashed. The real problem is that Kita's still out there. So? Which direction are we smashing next?"
I nod, rising from the ground without acknowledging her taunt.
"This is occupied territory." My gaze locks onto the northeast.
"Horikita is beyond our senses, but the trace of her ki's severance leads to Kitakyushu City. That is our destination."
I turn and walk away, my thoughts already moving to the next steps.
"Follow me," I say to Touko, and dash towards the fastest route to Kitakyushu City.
"Finally~!" Touko calls out, a hint of genuine excitement in her voice as she follows my lead.
The corrupted machines are a threat, but my student is alone, possibly injured, and vulnerable.
My mind races, considering the possibilities. If these machines are new, then whoever controls them is also new—and potentially more dangerous.
The distance between Fukuoka and Kitakyushu City is significant, roughly 60 kilometers, but I can cover it quickly.
Let's go, Ignis.
I stop suppressing my Ki, allowing my full strength to flow through me, boosting my speed.
(About time, Lenah. Don't tell me you were actually considering taking a leisurely stroll.)
I ignore Ignis's comment, focusing solely on the path ahead.
The wind rushes past me, pulling at my kimono, but I barely notice. Every fiber of my being is focused on reaching Horikita, on ensuring her safety.
Behind me, Touko's steps are light and fast, keeping pace with ease.
But▬There's something wrong with Touko's Ki.
it's… fluctuating. Erratic. It spikes and dips, like a force at war with itself.
Her demonic energy feels… restless. It doesn't affect her physical performance—if anything, it seems to be boosting it, but the instability is a cause for concern.
I slow my pace slightly, turning my head to glance at her.
"Touko," I say, my voice cutting through the rush of the wind.
"Is everything alright?"
"Hm? Of course, Onee-chan's always fine~" Touko replies, her grin a little too wide, a touch of forced cheerfulness in her tone.
"Just enjoying the sprint. You're pretty fast when you actually try, Lenah."
Her silver tail, however, twitches rapidly behind her, belying her cheerful tone.
"I see."
I decide not to press her further for now. An argument on the move helps no one, and confronting her while she's running on adrenaline and worry would only make her defensive. It wouldn't be productive.
My priority is finding Horikita. But I'll keep an eye on her.