Half a year later.
Deep within a shrine in the forest at the height of summer, a girl knelt quietly in the center of the worship hall. She wore a dark blue sailor uniform, her figure slender and delicate. Her exquisite face was stern and solemn, yet her eyes shone with sharp brilliance.
At that moment, the girl looked somewhat puzzled.
"Kagami Island?"
"That's right, Kishō Yukina."
The calm, steady voice coming from behind the curtain made the girl instinctively tense up.
"According to the original schedule, you still needed four more months of training before earning the qualifications of a Sword Shaman. However, circumstances have changed—anyway, take a look at this first."
As the speaker talked, a paper butterfly flew through a gap in the curtain, landed in Kishō Yukina's hand, and transformed into a photograph.
The girl took the photo and examined it closely. It showed a girl with long white hair who looked about the same age as her. She wore a black robe and a pointed witch-like hat, with a calm and gentle smile on her face.
"This photograph is...?"
"Her name is Aka Airi. Have you heard of her?"
"No."
Yukina shook her head. She was certain she had never heard that name before, though the person in the photograph did seem vaguely familiar.
"Then what about the 'Silver Witch'?"
"Ah..."
Upon hearing that title, Kishō Yukina immediately understood. Though she was still an apprentice, she knew a little about the famous Demon Hunters in Japan, especially the Silver Witch. Rumor had it that she had become a Demon Hunter at the age of twelve with a speed ordinary people could not imagine, and had remained quite active ever since. For anyone aspiring to become a Demon Hunter, she was someone impossible to ignore.
"Kishō