The moment the ice crystals hit her face, Kanae Kocho thought her life was really going to end there.
This isn't the first time.
Four years ago, also in the Eternal Paradise Faith, she had felt the same chill in front of this white-haired, colorful-eyed man.
It seeps into the muscles from the skin, into the bones from the muscles, and into the soul from the bones.
She didn't have time to think much then. The knife broke, her breathing stopped, and her consciousness, like a punctured bubble, silently deflated until nothing remained.
When I woke up again, four years had passed. My sister was crying. The black-haired, golden-eyed man stood under the cherry blossom tree and said, "I just like to tell the truth."
She thought she had a second chance.
She thought she could make up for the time she had missed.
She thought she could watch Shinobu continue to grow up, watch Kanao learn to laugh, and watch her former comrades-in-arms continue to move forward.
But now.
Ice crystals surged in again, the chill seeped into my bones once more, and my breath froze in my throat once more.
History is repeating itself.
But she was still powerless to do anything.
"Elder sister--"
Shinobu Kocho's voice rang in her ears, tinged with sobs, filled with despair, and with that kind of heart-wrenching pain she knew all too well—the kind that comes from losing a loved one.
Kanae wanted to turn back, wanted to tell her sister to run, to leave her behind, and wanted to shield her from the deadly ice crystals with her own body, just like four years ago.
But her body wouldn't cooperate.
My hands and feet are stiff, my joints are frozen, and my blood is like a frozen river, the Unassailable in my veins.
I can only hear sounds.
All that could be heard was her sister's crying, Kanao's silence, and the demon's soft, chanting-like whispers.
"I will savor it properly. I won't let you suffer too much."
Then, everything disappeared.
It was not death, but a stillness more complete than darkness.
The ice crystals hovered in mid-air, those sharp, gleaming crystals less than One Punch Man's distance from her face.
They hung there, the Unassailable, as if nailed to a crack in time by something.
Doma's smile froze on his face.
His colorful eyes were still open, the pupils reflecting the light of ice crystals, but his body the Unassailable, like a portrait frozen in time.
The wind has stopped.
Even the air seemed to stop.
The world's colors faded, like a faded old photograph, everything was covered with a gray-white filter.
Only one person was still moving.
Higashino Makoto.
He emerged from the shadows of the main hall, his pace neither fast nor slow, as if he were strolling in his own Garden.
His long, silver hair swayed gently behind him.
In this still world, even his hair seemed to move faster than anything else.
He walked up to Kanae Kocho, stopped, and looked down at her.
There was no anxiety, no anger, not even any extraneous emotion in those golden eyes. They were as calm as a stagnant pool, yet as deep as if they could devour everything.
Can you still speak?
His voice echoed in the still world, so clear it seemed to be etched directly into her mind.
Kanae Kocho's lips trembled slightly.
"... able."
His voice was hoarse and weak, but he could definitely speak.
Higashino Makoto nodded and then walked up to Shinobu Kocho.
"And you?"
"Able..."
Shinobu Kocho's voice was choked with sobs, filled with fear, and tinged with a bewildered confusion.
Higashino Makoto then walked up to Kanao Tsuyuri.
"You?"
Kanao Tsuyuri didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
Her body was completely immobile; only her purple eyes could still move, and Higashino Makoto's face was reflected in her pupils.
"Very good."
Higashino Makoto turned around, clapped his hands lightly, and paced back and forth in front of the three of them a few times.
Their pace was leisurely, their posture casual, as if they were taking a stroll rather than standing on a battlefield where Time Stop.
You still owe me a favor.
He spoke, his tone flat, showing no sign of regret.
"It would be such a shame if he died."
Kanae Kocho closed her eyes, then opened them again.
"Mr. Higashino... what is this?"
"This is magic--"
Higashino Makoto stopped and looked at her.
His lips moved slightly, as if he was carefully choosing his words.
"Time Stop can bring everything to a standstill except for the caster."
He paused.
"Of course, I could also render you immobile, but that wouldn't be fun."
"Boring?"
Shinobu Kocho's voice sharpened, carrying a hint of suppressed anger.
"We're dying, and you're saying it's meaningless?"
She knew her anger was wrong and pointless, after all, the other party had already advised them, but she still couldn't calm down.
Or rather, in the face of death, no one can truly remain calm.
"I said it's meaningless because I don't want you to die."
Higashino Makoto walked back to her, squatted down, and looked her in the eye.
Those golden eyes were so close, Shinobu Kocho could see her own reflection in them.
A disheveled, wounded, and tear-blurred reflection.
"I hate trouble. Reviving you is troublesome, saving you is troublesome, but saving you is easier."
"Why?"
"If you die, I'll have to find other tour guides, but saving you only requires a flick of my finger."
He stretched out his right hand and waved it in front of Shinobu Kocho.
"Hmm... one finger is enough."
Shinobu Kocho looked at him and remained silent for a long time.
So... you're saving us?
"I'm negotiating with you."
Higashino Makoto stood up, took a step back, and crossed his arms.
"You still owe me favors. Once you die, those favors are gone. Although I don't like it, I generally agree with the principle that debts are settled upon death."
"However, I'm giving you the right to choose."
He held up one finger.
"First, once you're eaten by the Doma, your debts are settled. I won't ask you for payment anymore, and don't even think about resurrecting you. Go report to Heaven or Hell. I'll have to find a new guide."
Shinobu Kocho's lips trembled.
Kanae Kocho closed her eyes.
Kanao Tsuyuri didn't speak, but her fingers gently caressed the hilt of her Nichirin Blade.
That was her habit when she was nervous, and it didn't disappear even in a world where Time Stop.
Higashino Makoto raised his second finger.
"Secondly, you sell yourselves to me. From this day forward, you are mine, your lives are mine, your time is mine, and you will do whatever I ask of you. As payment—"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Doma's frozen figure.
"--I'll kill him for you."
The hall fell silent.
"In that case, you'll become mine. Don't go rushing to your deaths anymore. I don't want to do business at a loss."