But despite her broken arm, Shiki Ryougi didn't care at all. She continued her forward sprint, catching Fujino Asagami off guard.
Fujino fired her Mystic Eyes of Distortion wildly.
In the process of dodging, Shiki's blade missed its mark slightly, only grazing the skin on Fujino's neck. Though the wound wasn't deep, it was enough to cause Fujino a sharp, stinging pain.
Shiki escaped once more.
A lunatic... Fujino thought, stunned. She never expected Shiki to fight with such disregard for her own life. Fear began to take root in her heart, turning into cowardice.
Shiki, meanwhile—despite her broken left arm and a face pale from blood loss—continued to move through the obstacles as if nothing were wrong.
"...You're a maniac!" Fujino couldn't help but scream.
Shiki suddenly stopped running. Holding her knife in her right hand, she walked straight toward Fujino.
"Heh! I finally see it! ...Invisible things are hard to see with the naked eye, but you've overused them! I can see them clearly now!" Shiki laughed excitedly. "Your line of sight is a double spiral of green and red! What beautiful eyes!"
"Ridiculous!" Fujino fired her Mystic Eyes again.
Crack—
The next second, Shiki gave a light flick of her hand, directly "cutting" the distortion apart. To be precise, she had eliminated the distortion itself.
How is this possible... Fujino panicked. She fired her eyes frantically, but Shiki cut through every single one.
"Are you a ghost? How are you doing this?" Fujino clutched her head and shrieked.
"All things have a death—including the air, the will, and even time! Since there is a beginning, there must be an end! My eyes can see the death of all things; just like yours, they are special!" Shiki covered one eye, a crazed smile spreading across her face. "What are your Mystic Eyes to me? I'll show you I can kill even a God!"
"Hahaha!"
"You're insane!" Fujino cried out in terror.
--------
At that moment, Circe—watching from a distance—sensed the anomaly. If the battle continued, the scales of victory would surely tilt toward Shiki. Mentally, Fujino had already admitted defeat.
Helplessly, in order to complete the task Haruka Kasugano had given her, Circe had to intervene. Like a phantom, she appeared behind Fujino and instantly activated [High-Speed Divine Words], firing magic bullets as fast as a machine gun to replace Fujino's attacks against Shiki.
Shiki never expected a third-party ambush; she was still fully focused on cutting the distortions.
Thwack—
Shiki's shoulder was pierced by Circe's magic bullet.
"How..." Shiki was stunned. The magic bullet was as fast as lightning; she couldn't even tell if it was Fujino's attack or something else. However, since it came from Fujino's direction, she wondered if Fujino's eyes had evolved.
Seeing Shiki suddenly wounded, Fujino didn't overthink it. She increased her output, determined to strike Shiki down. Seeing the situation turn south, Shiki chose to retreat.
"Don't run, you crazy woman!" Fujino's athletic ability was average at best; she lost her trail after a few steps and stayed behind to curse.
Shiki didn't care. With a broken left arm and a pierced right shoulder, her lips had turned blue. Excessive blood loss made her consciousness fade. She didn't know how long she ran or where she went; it was pitch black, and she couldn't see the path ahead.
Finally, she dialed a number on her phone.
"Hello... Haruka Kasugano... come get me..."
After speaking, Shiki collapsed to the ground. Two seconds later, Haruka Kasugano and Circe appeared beside her like ghosts.
"Did I hit her too hard? I hope I didn't hurt your 'sister' too much," Circe murmured, covering her mouth with a worried expression.
"It's fine. I'll handle the rest. You head back."
Looking at the fallen, wounded Shiki, the corners of Haruka Kasugano's mouth curled into a sinister arc.
--------
Shiki Ryougi slowly woke up. She felt warm all over, as if something gentle was stroking her body and healing her pain. She snapped her eyes open and found herself sitting on Haruka Kasugano's lap—and they were both completely naked.
It was the first time Shiki had been seen by a man without clothes, let alone in such an intimate, skin-to-skin position. Her face flushed a deep crimson, like a ripe apple.
"You—"
Just as she was about to question him, Haruka Kasugano shouted, "There's no time!"
"My medical arts aren't enough! I can't heal your arm, and I can't even save your life! I'm currently using a secret technique just to keep you hanging on, but my mana is almost exhausted! What should I do?"
Haruka Kasugano feigned a look of extreme distress, fooling Shiki completely. Shiki only felt intense pain and a spinning head; she had no way of judging the truth of his words. Was he really keeping me alive? She couldn't tell.
"I can't do it anymore! I'm sorry! I can't just watch you die. I have to use my other secret technique!" Haruka Kasugano shouted with resolve.
"What?" Shiki asked, confused.
"I will sacrifice my 'innocence' to activate the Holy Miracle Medical Art and change your fate against the heavens!" Haruka Kasugano cried out.
"Wait... ah—"
Before Shiki could agree, Haruka Kasugano had already initiated the so-called "secret technique." Feeling the pain of her "deflowering," Shiki was momentarily speechless.
It hurts...
Even more than when my arm was snapped...
---------
Shiki realized she was in her own apartment. Since she had no hobbies, the room was empty and vast, containing only a single bed. Haruka Kasugano and her were on that very bed. Their position could only be described as the character "Upper".
Shiki had no strength to move; she could only let Haruka Kasugano keep her on his lap. Feeling the warmth from his skin against her, she couldn't help but feel shy. She had never interacted with a boy this way before. Though she didn't hate Haruka Kasugano, her first instinct was still to resist such intimacy.
But due to the blood loss, her shattered left arm, and her pierced right shoulder, she struggled even to stay conscious, let alone push him away. In fact, the only reason she was still awake seemed to be the green light coming from Haruka Kasugano's hand.
This green light... so warm...
"I can't do it anymore! I'm sorry! I have to sacrifice my innocence and use the Holy Miracle Medical Art to save you!"
Wait... what does that mean?
Is it like those medieval nuns who moved miracles with their chastity to save the dying? He can do that too?
No, that's not the point... Does he mean he has to do 'that' with me to save me?
No... I haven't—
"AH!!!"
Before Shiki could get a word out, she was breached by Haruka Kasugano.
It hurts...
It hurts more than when Fujino snapped my arm... Why is there something this painful in the world?
Japan's sex education is thorough; students learn these hidden facts in elementary and middle school. Theoretical knowledge wasn't new to her. But... didn't those books say this was supposed to be pleasurable? Didn't perverts go crazy for this feeling and bully girls every day?
Why... does it hurt this much...
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
For the first time, Shiki Ryougi cried because of pain. Tough since childhood and trained in Kendo, she had a high pain tolerance. But this sensation made the "superwoman" cry like a truly aggrieved little girl.
"Ah... ugh... hmph..."
Between her heavy injuries and the new pain, Shiki could no longer think. She only wanted this dark time to pass quickly. As Haruka Kasugano's "secret medical treatment" proceeded, Shiki felt hotter and hotter. The pain in her body began to fade.
Is his secret technique actually working? Even down there... it doesn't hurt anymore...
In reality, Haruka Kasugano had no such "secret technique." He was completely lying to her.