Just as everyone aboard the Fraxinus held their breath for Shido's reckless yet brave "hero saving the beauty."
And were even subtly anticipating what would happen next, the situation on the screen took a sharp turn for the worse!
A blond hoodlum arrogantly shoved Shido, and another thug swung his fist directly at Shido's face! Shido closed his eyes, bracing himself—
"Oh no!" Kotori cried out, nearly jumping out of her Commander's chair.
However, the expected scene of Shido being knocked to the ground did not occur.
Instead, there was a blue figure, quick as lightning!
Phoenix-in Chinatsu, who had been standing behind Shido and seemingly "startled," moved the instant the thug threw his punch!
Her movement was concise, precise, and vicious, without a single wasted motion!
Her slender waist dipped slightly, and her right fist shot out like a cannonball, tracing a fierce upward arc—
"BAM!!"
An incredibly powerful, solid uppercut struck the chin with pinpoint accuracy!
Accompanied by a scream so brief it was almost missed, the burly thug was lifted clear off his feet by the blow.
He flew backward a short distance, then crashed heavily onto the ground like a broken sack of rags, instantly knocked unconscious.
Time seemed to freeze on the Fraxinus bridge.
On the main screen was Chinatsu's calm posture as she slowly withdrew her fist and casually shook her wrist, along with the look of satisfaction on her face that seemed to say, "Finally, some peace and quiet."
Beside her were the dumbfounded Shido and the two remaining terrified thugs.
Dead silence.
Three seconds of absolute silence, as if even the low hum of the equipment had been swallowed up.
"Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh—!!!"
The first to break the silence, as always, was Vice Commander Kyohei Kannazuki.
He sprang from his seat as if struck by an electric current, hands held high, his face flushed with near-fanatical excitement, and he shrieked in an operatic voice:
"Behold! Gentlemen! Look upon this unparalleled aesthetic! This perfect fusion of violence and elegance! This scorching magma hidden beneath a layer of ice and snow! The moment our Holy Child faced danger, the divine power of love compelled her to unleash such a sacred strike! Is that a mere fist? No! It is the Hammer of Love! It is the Ode to Protection! It is..."
"BAM! BAM! BAM!"
This time, it wasn't just folders flying; it was every not-so-important object Kotori could grab, accurately striking Kannazuki and physically interrupting his subsequent, increasingly perverted remarks.
"SHUT. YOUR. MOUTH! Pervert!"
Kotori gritted her teeth, but her gaze was utterly fixed on the screen; she even forgot to chew the candy in her mouth.
She stared intently at Chinatsu, her eyes filled with disbelief and profound confusion.
"...She punched an adult male clear across the floor?! Are you kidding me! That physical conditioning... that technique for generating power... Does she possess this kind of strength using only her body, without manifesting her spirit dress or Angel?!"
"R-report!" Kanmoto's voice trembled slightly as he rapidly typed on the keyboard, pulling up the recently captured data.
"Target Chinatsu, muscle group explosive power reading at the moment of the punch... far exceeds the base output of the standard AST Realizer unit! Motion capture analysis... skill proficiency is rated 'Master Level'! This... this absolutely cannot be something a normal Spirit would know!"
"Furthermore," Shiizaki added, his voice dry, "after completing the attack, her physiological indicators showed only an extremely brief fluctuation before quickly returning to normal. The emotional analysis module feedback... indicates a strong sense of 'release' and'satisfaction,' rather than panic or fear. She... she enjoyed that?"
As if to confirm Shiizaki's analysis, Chinatsu in the footage glanced at the unconscious thug on the ground and his two terrified accomplices, then suddenly grabbed the wrist of the still-stunned Shido and hissed, "Stop spacing out, run!"
Her tone contained no alarm; instead, it held a kind of... excitement, like someone who had successfully committed mischief and was eager to flee the scene?
The two of them began running hand-in-hand across the screen, darting through the morning streets.
Through Shido's occasional backward glances and the roadside surveillance cameras, it was clearly visible that Chinatsu, being pulled along, showed no fatigue or fear.
Instead, an irrepressible smile of thrill and satisfaction played on the corner of her lips!
Her icy blue eyes sparkled as she ran, as if that single punch had released some kind of pent-up frustration she had been carrying since the morning!
"Enjoyment... she really is enjoying this!"
Kotori looked at Chinatsu's expression—as if she had just finished an amusing game—and felt her worldview shatter.
"This wasn't forced self-defense... this was purely... venting frustration?! And dragging Shido along to experience the thrill of a street escape as a bonus?"
She vigorously rubbed her temples, feeling that the situation had completely exceeded all initial expectations.
"Everyone..." Kotori's voice held a trace of exhaustion and a much deeper desire for investigation.
"Re-evaluate Target Phoenix-in Chinatsu! Danger level is temporarily marked as 'Unknown (High)'! Her behavioral patterns, psychological state, physical abilities... everything is questionable!"
"Commander, this means that even without using any Spirit power, she possesses extremely high physical destructive power and self-defense capabilities. All previous 'accidental physical contact' or 'protective' capture strategies we devised need to be reassessed for effectiveness and safety."
Reine: "...A normal date mishap will likely not be enough to make her feel dependent. We need a higher-level 'incident,' or we must approach this from the perspective of emotion and ideology."
Kotori looked at the two figures on the screen, who had finally stopped to catch their breath, though the atmosphere between them had become subtly strained, especially the blue-haired girl who looked refreshed, as if she had just finished a morning workout.
"This date... seems far more 'interesting' than we anticipated. Continue close monitoring! I want to see just how many more'surprises' this 'overpowered' transfer student can bring us next!"
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