"Th-then that's good..."
Mrs. Ozawa looked plaintive, but a glimmer of light had returned to her eyes.
Seeing that Mrs. Ozawa was trembling and could barely walk, Amamiya Natsuki simply carried her on his back. Then he and Ryuzaki Mom headed back to the internet café together.
Night fell quietly.
Rain pattered through the night.
In the cold, silent city, a girl with waist-length black hair and an indifferent expression walked soundlessly through the streets.
"Hmm?"
The black-haired girl suddenly stopped and listened. From the rain and mist ahead came a familiar voice, faint and indistinct:
"...Miko, do you remember that summer in our second year of middle school, when we secretly watched that videotape together?"
Otherworld Miko: None Above or Below Can Compare to Me
"...Miko, do you remember that summer in our second year of middle school, when we secretly watched that videotape together?"
A familiar, indistinct voice drifted through the cold rain and mist.
The black-haired girl abruptly stopped. In the next instant, she vanished.
A moment later.
An indifferent-looking girl with long black hair stared at the loudspeaker beneath the eaves nearby, her eyes widening slightly.
"That voice... It can't be mistaken... But Natsuki clearly already..."
On the girl's face, as if nothing could stir her emotions anymore, a rare trace of nervousness and excitement appeared.
"Phew..."
She took a deep breath.
The black-haired girl warily scanned her surroundings. Only after confirming there were no traps did she step into the light.
Her face finally came into clear view.
It was Miko.
She walked beneath the eaves and picked up the loudspeaker. Listening to the familiar voice coming from it, Miko looked a little dazed.
"Who could it be... Is this a prank?"
"If it is a prank..."
Miko bit her lower lip. Her black hair