She Will Be the Hope of the Next Era

It felt as though a warm current flowed through every limb and bone.

[Ding--]

[Received nurture material cost compensation.]

["Beginner Combat Record"*2.]

[...]

[Received nurture material cost compensation.]

["Beginner Combat Record"*2.]

[...]

Watching the Little Rabbit beside her bite down hard on her lower lip, nearly collapsing, Su Youzi gently took the girl's hand.

Their fingers intertwined.

In the end, Su Youzi still couldn't bring herself to select "Cultivate" for Yamabuki Nanako, who looked like an elementary school student from a neighboring country.

Even though she knew Yamabuki Nanako was actually around the same age as Teacher Unohana Chiyo.

But... Yamabuki Nanako's build just looked far too criminal.

It would have been one thing if this were a game.

But in reality... just imagining Yamabuki Nanako's knees knocking together as she fell into a duck-sitting position, mist clouding her pale blue eyes—

That almost criminal sense of guilt was something Su Youzi couldn't accept.

It was only one less "Beginner Combat Record."

It was nothing.

It definitely wasn't because... Su Youzi had seen that Yamabuki Nanako's favorability in "Operator Cultivation" was only 5 (Unfamiliar).

If she selected "Cultivate" directly, she might even have to pay extra.

But speaking of favorability... Su Youzi glanced at the "Operator Cultivation" interface.

Su Youzi suddenly felt that Teacher Unohana Chiyo's Chibi Figure on the "Operator Cultivation" interface seemed to have undergone some subtle change.

Even the little red hearts representing operator favorability had changed color, as though they had lit up.

They looked exactly like the favorability hearts of that Soga Toyura.

As if they had been activated.

Even the Little Rabbit, whose favorability toward her had nearly reached 60 points of "Dependence," still had the same ordinary red heart as before.

Yet... Teacher Unohana Chiyo, whose favorability toward her was only 41 points of "Fondness," had a changed heart color.

When had that happened?

Su Youzi wasn't sure herself.

Though she called it a color change, the difference was actually extremely slight.

Su Youzi wasn't even entirely sure whether Teacher Unohana Chiyo's favorability heart had always looked like this.

It was like thinking about the studying she had done the night before during an exam.

The more she thought about it, the more muddled she became.

It felt as if both possibilities were right, yet both also seemed wrong.

Still... it wasn't a bad thing.

Su Youzi looked at Teacher Unohana Chiyo's Chibi Figure in "Operator Cultivation," strange bubbles constantly popping above its head, then looked at Teacher Unohana Chiyo beside her, whose eyes shimmered with emotion.

Perhaps through Teacher Unohana Chiyo... she could get some idea of what exactly was going on with Soga Toyura.

That woman... couldn't really be some closet sister-con, could she?

Su Youzi found it hard to imagine Soga Toyura, who always treated her with coldness, distance, disgust, and even hatred on the surface, secretly being someone who couldn't sleep without hugging a life-sized body pillow of her sister.

Too weird.

It was seriously too weird.

Could someone really become twisted like that?

If she was a Human Wrench, then Soga Toyura was probably a Human Pretzel.

An absurdly hilarious feeling welled up inside her.

For some reason... Su Youzi thought it actually suited her pretty well.

"The Investigation Department people have arrived." Yamabuki Nanako, who had been rapidly typing something onto a pale blue light screen, suddenly looked up.

"But..." Yamabuki Nanako hesitated.

"The people the Investigation Department sent this time... are from the Fourth Executive Department."

Upon hearing Yamabuki Nanako's words, Saion Sagara's expression abruptly turned cold.

Frowning, she looked toward Unohana Chiyo. "Go lead them and assist with the investigation."

"Assist with whatever should be assisted with."

"Refuse any unreasonable demands."

"Even if they want to take Sakai Miho away, refuse any unreasonable demands all the same."

"Huiqun Garden... is not a place where the Executive Department's dogs can run wild."

Watching Saion Sagara sigh, Unohana Chiyo nodded. "I understand, Director."

She led Su Youzi and Saotome Yukina out of the laboratory.

After leaving the laboratory, the Little Rabbit, who had only just recovered a little, asked Unohana Chiyo in a weak voice.

"Teacher Unohana..."

"That Fourth Department thing..."

Unohana Chiyo stopped walking. "The Fourth Department of the Investigation Department..."

"It is a very special division."

"They are actually completely independent of the Investigation Department, and even retain absolute independence within the Empire."

"They have nothing to do with money or political power."

"They do not act for profit."

"They do not act for authority."

"The Fourth Department of the Investigation Department has only one target: Altered Users."

"Isn't that a good thing?" the Little Rabbit replied instinctively.

Unohana Chiyo suddenly turned around.

The softness on her face vanished in an instant. That inorganic... terrifying pressure made the Little Rabbit feel as though a pitch-black gun barrel had been pressed against her forehead.

Cold sweat soaked through her back.

If she hadn't still been holding Senior Youzi's hand, Saotome Yukina felt she really would have collapsed onto the floor.

"Are you scared already?" Unohana Chiyo looked at the Little Rabbit whose hand Little Youzi held.

For some reason~

Perhaps it was another drizzling "blessing" from that bitch, the Goddess of Destiny.

She just suddenly wanted to scare her.

"N-No! I was just startled, that's all."

"Teacher would never hurt me."

Hearing Saotome Yukina's words, Su Youzi tightened her grip on the girl's hand. This was her Little Rabbit.

Unohana Chiyo also resumed that gentle, warm smile.

She reached out and patted Saotome Yukina's cheek.

"The Fourth Department people..."

"Are even scarier than Teacher."

"Their target truly is Altered Users."

"But... anyone who might have anything to do with an Altered User will be arrested and interrogated by them..."

"They are a pack of complete lunatics."

"But Saotome and Little Youzi needn't worry."

"This is Huiqun Garden."

"They... can't do anything here."

Inside the laboratory, Yamabuki Nanako and Saion Sagara watched the girls leave with Unohana Chiyo.

Until the laboratory doors slammed shut.

Only then did Saion Sagara walk toward the silvery-white mechanical arm at the side.

She extended her hand into the force field.

And touched the dark purple feather twisted into the shape of a pretzel.

A terrifying Calamity Aura erupted almost instantly.

Even with layer after layer of force fields blocking it, Yamabuki Nanako still dropped onto the floor with a thump. "That is..."

"The one Chiyo brought back back then...?"

"Yes." Saion Sagara nodded and released her hand.

The black-purple Calamity Aura, like a receding tide, slowly withdrew.

"Kujo Iruka..."

"No—"

"It is a feather from the Empress, the Sixth Sequence Altered User known as the Abyss of Eternal Smile."

She looked toward the closed laboratory doors.

Her expression was grave, incredibly grave, with even... the faintest trace of sorrow.

Line after line of Su Youzi's profile appeared before her.

A comedic Rule-based Ability that could only bend things?

What a joke.

An "ordinary" high school girl who had not even formally entered a Sequence had forcibly bent the Calamity Crystal of a Sixth Sequence Altered User.

"She will be the hope of the next era."

[Record--]

[The eighth currently observed...]

[Bzzzt... the seventh Rule-based Ability.]

[Its ability is temporarily designated as--]

[Reverse Logic Hand.]

[Test subject—Soga Youzi possesses a conceptual-level "Bend" ability.]

[Test targets include... a derivative crystal of a First Sequence Altered User, a derivative crystal of a Sixth Sequence Altered User, multiple pieces of Lachiram Metal, and the body of a Second Sequence metal-type Ability User.]

[Altered User body—untested.]

[Calamity Beast body—untested.]

[Test results...]

[Other than the body of the Second Sequence metal-type Ability User, all test targets were "twisted."]

[Hypothesis...]

[The seventh Rule-based Ability, "Reverse Logic Hand," possesses the ability to twist all nonliving objects.]

[Unable to affect the human body—"uncertain"...]

[Danger Level: EX.]

[Confidentiality Level: EX.]

[Recorders: Yamabuki Nanako, Saion Sagara.]