You Glare at Me? Then I'll Glare at You Too!

Why had she become Yae Sakura?

Why had she transmigrated to the world of Terra?

Why did she have a system that had just been unlocked?

Why was she planning a prison break with a Cautus girl she had only just met, inside a Lungmen Guard Department holding cell?

Hoshino knew none of the answers.

She only vaguely remembered what had happened before bed. Honkai Impact 3rd was open on her computer, Arknights was running on her phone, and after taking a shower, she had been impatiently blow-drying her hair. The roar of the hair dryer drowned out everything, while her damp black hair fragmented her view into disconnected pieces.

She had only clicked the left mouse button once.

In an instant, it was as though even the world had receded from Hoshino.

Then she fell from the sky.

Everything had happened in a flash. Hoshino had practically been swept along by the torrent of fate, shoved by invisible hands into this holding cell, brought completely passively before Rope, and then immediately given the mission to protect her.

She was someone who believed in [gravity].

People meeting and parting, the development of every relationship—it was all fate at work.

Of course, unlocking a fully upgraded weapon and brightening a grayed-out weapon slot was killing two birds with one stone. That made it even better.

Hoshino took Rope's hand.

Her slender fingers touched the slightly cool leather glove. Even through that layer, Hoshino could feel that the hand she held was soft, incredibly nimble, and capable of slipping money from someone's pocket without them noticing.

"Mm—"

Rope seemed to have been squeezed a little too hard.

Something was off.

These hands did not belong to some pampered rich girl. They were hands that often gripped something and swung it in combat—simple and powerful.

Could it be... when this girl had pulled out that steel bar and crossed blades with the terrifying Constable Ch'en, it had not been because Ch'en pulled back in time? Had they actually struck each other for real?

"Who... exactly are you?"

"I am merely an ordinary and unremarkable miko."

Hoshino spoke in Yae Sakura's uniquely gentle voice. Her pink hair spilled beneath the lights, and her face was bathed in the holding cell's distinctive, harsh warm glow. Flies and mosquitoes danced wildly in the light, while the miko stood above Rope, gripping both her hands with a force like iron pincers.

"What I excel at most is protecting others. I will make sure you leave safely, so please leave it to me."

"That hurts!"

Rope, who never wanted to draw attention to herself, cried out in pain for perhaps the first time ever.

It was clear Hoshino had genuinely hurt her.

She hurriedly let go.

"Seriously, don't tell me you're the type who likes girls? I don't want to get dragged into that sort of thing. I just want to earn money quietly."

"Besides, if anyone's taking someone out of here, it should be me taking you. Why has it suddenly become the other way around?"

Rope asked in confusion.

Opening the holding cell's lock was as familiar to her as opening a refrigerator and taking out the cheese inside.

Her pale violet rabbit ears perked up alertly. Rope did not rush to open the door. Instead, she carefully listened to the sounds outside. Obvious confusion flickered across her brows as she muttered under her breath.

"Why is it so quiet? Something's wrong."

Rope said doubtfully.

During her days scraping by in the slums, Rope had often gone in and out of the Lungmen Guard Department. She and its officers had long developed a certain degree of mutual understanding.

After all, everyone was just trying to survive.

The officers also knew that Miss Rope was incapable of any truly heinous crime. Every minor crime she committed was for the sake of survival. Even if they caught her and sent her to prison for reform, she would return to her old trade after getting out. Her life was as unchanging as a plant's.

Rope had her own tricks for escaping the Guard Department.

Those tricks were built upon the unspoken understanding between both sides.

But now, that understanding seemed to have changed ever so slightly. Under the influence of irresistible forces, the balance had quietly been broken.

Rope quietly pushed open the door.

Normally, there would be three or four officers here. As long as she kept to their blind spots, Rope could retrieve her whip and leave calmly.

But now, it was completely different.

The corridor was dim and gloomy.

There was no one there. It was so silent, it felt dead.

Rope muttered uneasily to herself and quietly circled around. Her gaze traveled down the corridor, and in the swaying yellow light, she saw that composed figure. A mountain-like majesty instantly filled the entire hallway, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. She instinctively wanted to step back, only to discover that she could not move at all.

Rope had been locked onto.

Locked onto by that majesty so intense it seemed almost tangible. Even Rope's strong little heart could not stop pounding. Warm blood rushed through her veins, and her blood pressure surged to a dangerous threshold.

"Constable Ch'en?"

What had gotten into the Guard Department? She was just a petty thief. Was this really necessary?

The stifling atmosphere plunged straight to freezing point.

She looked at Constable Ch'en across the corridor. The latter held an unsheathed longsword with both hands, suppressing all of her killing intent within its scabbard. Only the faintest trace leaked out, yet it was like a berserk dragon breaking free of its restraints.

Rope noticed that the space between herself and Constable Ch'en was not entirely empty.

A blade was embedded in the middle of the corridor.

It appeared to be a newly forged longsword, made by melting steel on the spot. Its smooth, bright silver surface reflected the light from across the hall, while half the blade remained hidden in shadow. It was clearly a disposable item—a plain, unadorned steel bar.

What did this mean?

A duel to the death?

But this was the Guard Department! Was there no justice? No law?!

Just as Rope stood there in shock, someone she had not expected stepped out from behind her. Hoshino shook her head as she stared at the situation before them, suddenly understanding why the mission was called "Rescue and Protect Rope."

To be fair, she really did need protecting.

Hoshino began walking forward at a measured pace.

Her cyan-blue dragon tail lightly tapped against the floor, making dull thuds that seemed to strike directly against Rope's heart.

Hoshino herself was not worried in the slightest. The facts had proven that the Yae Sakura: Gyakushin Miko Battlesuit came with a swordsmanship mastery buff. As long as she held a slender katana, she could wield it with effortless freedom. Every move followed proper form, carrying the bearing of a grandmaster.

This was probably some kind of test. They had even deliberately placed a sword between them. If Ch'en truly wanted to take someone's life, she would not go through so much trouble.

Hoshino walked forward slowly, treating that majesty as though it were nothing.

She gently drew the blade.

A smooth arc of light swept forth, carving a perfect circle through the air.

The blade's length, weight, and balance instantly emerged with absolute clarity in Hoshino's mind. A perfect set of techniques surfaced in her heart: beginning from her enemy's moves, countering each move as it came, doing whatever she pleased with calm ease, just like the Dugu Nine Swords from a novel.

This was the essence of Yae Sakura's [My Style].

Or, more simply, Eight Random Slashes.

Hoshino began gathering her momentum.

The same invisible pressure instantly formed a head-on clash, and in a daze, it seemed as though a burning fox appeared behind Hoshino.

Ch'en blinked.

What was this supposed to mean?

Judging by the little girl's astonishing stance just now, shouldn't she have been eager to charge in?

Why had she suddenly started glaring at her?

Fine. You glare at me, then I'll glare at you too.