The man mumbled a few place names, then finally passed out, completely unconscious.
Quietly repeating the place names to herself, Yuria turned to Kaishoku Shugaku. The latter had already dragged the man into a nearby alley and half-covered his body with some discarded items.
"Looks like things really did go smoothly today."
Kaishoku Shugaku spoke casually, pointing at her own head.
"I memorized that part too. No wonder Divine Gate never found the Shepherds."
"Right. Who would've thought the Shepherds were hiding in the middle of a busy district?"
Yuria recognized the place names the man had mentioned. They were places Miko had taken her to after she became Takeda Mie's apprentice.
It was there that someone had first entrusted her with a task: concealing the true identity of a high school girl named Yotsuya Miko.
That strange person had made her own mistake the price for their first meeting, then asked Yuria to do three things for her.
She had already completed the first two. As for the third...
"The third condition: get along with Yurikawa Hana. Give her food and she'll be happy."
The woman's words echoed soundlessly in Yuria's ears, making her lose herself in thought.
She wasn't stupid. After spending so much time with that girl, she understood what Miko had been trying to do.
Of course. How could someone as godlike as her fail to see how desperately Yuria longed for a real friend, or how lonely she was? Rather than making amends for her own mistake, that gesture had been meant to help Yuria become part of their little group.
There was no reason behind it. It was simply an act of kindness—pure kindness.
But... it was precisely that kindness that made Yuria feel so keenly how pathetic she was. Even friendship was something