[News from this station: yesterday morning, an Altered User attack occurred in Guangzheng District. At present, there are no reported casualties...]
[...]
[Strong anomalous-state reactions were discovered on the male corpse... Citizens are urged to take note: recently, under no circumstances should you go out at night.]
[...]
Another peaceful day.
Aside from the usual Altered User attacks on the morning news, and the usual... advice not to go out late at night.
The television station's wording had changed from "as much as possible" to "under no circumstances."
Other than that... the "Eye of Insight" cult, which Kujo Ryuko had described as crazed as a swarm of insects and troublesome as a bone-deep affliction, still hadn't managed to stir up any trouble.
It was as if a stone had sunk into the sea.
Su Youzi stared at her own bright-red eyes in the mirror.
Through the mirror, she seemed to see another person.
Su Youzi and Soga Toyura were twin sisters.
When they were very, very young... Su Youzi could even sense what was in Soga Toyura's heart.
As a transmigrator, Su Youzi naturally assumed that her ability was some kind of telepathy.
And naturally... deep down, she developed the desire to protect Soga Toyura as if she were protecting her little sister.
She had once wondered whether she might be the protagonist.
But later... Su Youzi discovered that the person standing beneath the spotlight and attracting everyone's attention wasn't her.
It was her elder sister, Soga Toyura.
The person who needed protection wasn't Soga Toyura. It was her.
To be honest, that wasn't really a problem.
Su Youzi was sincerely happy that Soga Toyura was so powerful.
Being a good-for-nothing who lived off the Soga Family, and a well-behaved little sister in front of Soga Toyura, wasn't unacceptable.
But... what she couldn't accept was how completely contrary to Soga Toyura's dazzling prominence her own existence was—so dim it seemed as though it might be extinguished.
And—
Soga Toyura's heart was gradually closing itself off to her, while her attitude grew increasingly cold.
Even when their eyes met, Soga Toyura would immediately look away, as if Su Youzi were some walking source of contamination.
That was harder for Su Youzi to accept than any other blow.
In the end... Su Youzi chose to leave the Soga Family.
She hadn't had much to hold on to in the Soga Family anyway.
Her mother had already passed away when she gave birth to Su Youzi and Soga Toyura.
As for her father... to be honest, Su Youzi had only seen him a few times.
Her few memories of those meetings were all of him struggling to hold himself back so he wouldn't vent his rage on her.
He must have loved their mother dearly.
So... he must have hated Su Youzi as well.
Su Youzi didn't blame him, but... she couldn't possibly like him either.
She blinked, gathering up all the thoughts in her heart.
Su Youzi put on her trench coat.
The girl was wearing an off-white, wide-lapel boat-neck sweater today.
Unlike Soga Toyura's impoverished figure, so flat that even a Shenzhou tablet would sigh at the sight, her little sister Su Youzi had an unexpectedly excellent figure.
Su Youzi could already imagine it—in the training hall,
when she took off her trench coat and raised her arms, causing the sweater's wide collar to slide down her shoulders, exactly how stiff Little Rabbit's cowlick would become with a little pop.
That would definitely be fun.
She had always been this mean-spirited.
With the corners of her lips curling slightly upward, Su Youzi opened the door to her dormitory.
Then... she saw someone unexpected.
A woman stood there with her black-and-red jacket hanging open.
Under the jacket was a fairly ordinary dark-gray top.
Only... the top was too long at the hem.
And the hot pants were too short.
It looked as if the woman were wearing nothing beneath the top but black stockings, leaving the graceful lines of her long, straight legs on full display.
Su Youzi couldn't help looking a few extra times.
Her scarlet eyes seemed somewhat tired, and Kujo Ryuko forced out a faint smile at Su Youzi.
"Good morning, Youzi."
"Good morning, Senior Kujo." Su Youzi bowed respectfully to Kujo Ryuko.
Although she already knew full well that beneath the woman's seemingly sadistic exterior was actually an extreme masochist,
Su Youzi was still meticulous about showing the respect normally due to a senior.
That way, she could keep Kujo Ryuko's favor from suddenly skyrocketing and triggering a series of dangerous events, while slowly planting the ideas that "Su Youzi is my junior" and "she's my underclassman" in Kujo Ryuko's mind.
Then... when she was bullied by her underclassman, the taboos, shame, and humiliation blooming in that proud woman's heart would blossom into even more gorgeous flowers.
"Did Senior Kujo just get back?" Su Youzi asked with concern, looking at the fatigue that Kujo Ryuko couldn't hide from her scarlet eyes.
"Go take a bath, get some proper rest, and sleep for a while."
The cooldown for Nurture had already finished.
Su Youzi had even prepared to let Kujo Ryuko relax both body and mind before getting a good night's sleep.
"No need—" Kujo Ryuko shook her head. "I'm just a little tired."
"Youzi..."
"Were you planning to go to the training hall?"
"Perfect. I'll go with you."
She took a deep look at the soft outfit on the girl before her.
For some reason... Kujo Ryuko suddenly found herself not wanting Su Youzi to go instruct the Young Lady of the Saotome Family.
Su Youzi didn't refuse.
She merely withdrew her hand from Nurture in silence.
Forget it... I'll let Kujo Ryuko relax properly when we get back tonight.
After accumulating for so many days,
Su Youzi's ability had successfully advanced to Level.8—Reverse Logic Hand. Her next breakthrough would require at least another week of accumulation.
She wasn't particularly desperate for one or two more Combat Records.
What a shame—
Regardless of an operative's abilities, only one Combat Record could be used at a time.
Otherwise... Su Youzi would have liked to let Kujo Ryuko or Teacher Unohana relax properly.
On the way to the training hall, Kujo Ryuko chatted with Su Youzi about their recent discoveries.
Regarding the headphones from Manifest Manufacturing, the Fourth Action Department had already found some leads.
They believed it wouldn't be long before they tracked down the hideout of the local Eye of Insight cult.
There was also... the string of various "accidents" that had recently occurred throughout the city.
Inspired by Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi,
the Fourth Action Department had indeed found another common point among the corpses, besides the strong anomalous-state reactions—
they were all members of the Eye of Insight.
In other words...
There was another group of people, or perhaps another person, in this city hunting down members of the Eye of Insight cult.
Su Youzi lightly bit her lip.
The answer in her heart grew increasingly clear.
Before long, Su Youzi and Kujo Ryuko arrived at the entrance to the training hall on campus.
From a distance... Little Rabbit came bounding toward Su Youzi in short hops.
But—
Besides Little Rabbit, the figure of another girl also made Su Youzi look intrigued.
A black-haired girl nervously twisted her small hands.
Trembling, she bowed deeply to Su Youzi. "You..."
"Elder Sister Yuzu."
—Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.
She doesn't want to see that demon again?
No!
She does.
Before you continue