Chapter 30

"This..."

Faced with Hibiki Tachibana's invitation, Raye first put on a hesitant look, then discreetly tapped her tablet with a finger where no one would notice.

Ding-dong.

Immediately afterward, the phone Raye had placed inside her black clothes chimed with a message notification.

"Ah, I got a text... Hmm, sorry, Hibiki, I'm afraid I won't have the chance. Christina and I have something urgent to do, so I need to leave now."

Then, right in front of Hibiki Tachibana, Raye took out her phone. After looking at its contents, she frowned slightly before declining Hibiki's invitation.

The entire sequence of actions was smooth and natural.

"Something urgent, huh? Then it can't be helped. Ruse, you should go ahead."

Hibiki Tachibana did not find anything strange about it. She was only a little disappointed that she could not enjoy the hot springs with this unfamiliar girl she had gotten along with so well.

"Mm, then I'll be leaving first."

Raye said so with a smile. Then she slung the guitar case she had brought onto her back and naturally walked out of the changing room.

"..."

Beyond the changing room was the hot spring inn's front desk. From here, Raye could still hear a burst of hearty laughter coming from the men's changing room on the other side.

Without stopping, Raye smiled and walked straight out through the hot spring inn's main entrance at a normal pace.

Perhaps because it was already time for office workers to get off work, the hot spring street was more crowded than when she had arrived. People streamed back and forth, making it feel somewhat congested.

Phew, this way, I've left the danger zone without exposing my identity.

As she walked down the crowded street, Raye raised the hand that was not holding the guitar case to her cheek and began lightly tracing circles over it.

My face feels a little sore. Is it because I haven't made an expression like that in a long time, so I'm not used to it?

As Raye thought this, her expression returned to its usual blankness under the massage of her fingers.

The identity of "Ruse" is no longer under suspicion. Next, as long as I find Chris and leave this hot spring street with her, I can give it a try.

Raye relieved the discomfort in her face while considering what she needed to do next.

I remember Chris was in that store... Mm, there she is.

Since she had been keeping an eye on Chris's situation earlier, it did not take Raye long to find her chatting cheerfully with the cashier.

What is she even talking about with them? Forget it, it doesn't matter. I need to hurry. It'll be troublesome if Second Division's team-building trip ends before I'm ready.

With that thought, Raye pushed open the convenience store's door and turned her gaze toward Chris.

P.S. Good night.

Chapter 52: The Battle Begins (4k)

In the hot spring inn's changing room, after Raye left, Hibiki Tachibana had lost the person she had been talking to and was now idly eating snacks such as cookies on a bench.

"Ah, wait, damn it! I think I forgot to ask Ruse for her contact information."

The bored Hibiki Tachibana suddenly realized.

Because "Ruse" had left so quickly, it was only several minutes after she was gone that Hibiki remembered she seemed to have forgotten to exchange contact information with the girl she had enjoyed talking to so much.

"Damn it, I was hoping I could become friends with Ruse."

Hibiki thought regretfully. Troubled, she turned her sadness into appetite and casually grabbed a handful of snacks from the bag, stuffing them into her mouth until her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's.

"Nom nom. I hope I'll have another chance to meet Ruse."

Hibiki thought this as she chewed the food in her mouth.

"Oh my, who is Ruse? What are you talking about, Hibiki? Could it be that, while I wasn't looking, you fell in love with someone at first sight? Tsk."

Just as Hibiki was fretting, a mature woman's voice full of teasing suddenly sounded by her ear. Soon afterward, she felt a warm sucking sensation on the outer rim of her ear.

"Mmph, mmph—gulp! Ms. Sakurai, don't tease me like that!"

Startled by the sudden stimulation, Hibiki immediately covered her mouth and jumped to her feet. After swallowing the food that had nearly sprayed from her mouth, she complained somewhat resentfully to the culprit behind it all.

"Hehe, Hibiki, you're really adorable. I really want to get you before anyone else does, hmm."

Ryouko Sakurai, who had suddenly appeared beside Hibiki, spoke to her in a regretful tone.

"Please allow me to refuse!"

Hibiki firmly rejected Ryouko's suggestion.

"Waaah, does Hibiki hate me that much? Even in the hot spring, I only wanted to check how you were developing... Sob sob."

Upon hearing Hibiki's rejection, Ryouko Sakurai immediately raised one hand to the corner of her eye and struck a pose of utter heartbreak, as though she had suffered some enormous grievance.

"Haha, so you're done soaking, Ms. Sakurai? Where's Ms. Kazanari?"

Now that she was somewhat used to Ryouko's antics, Hibiki could basically choose to selectively ignore certain things the other woman did.

"Mm, Hibiki, you've become boring."

Having failed to get the reaction she wanted, Ryouko Sakurai stopped making those exaggerated gestures. She settled back onto the changing room bench and picked up the glasses she had left there, their lenses dampened by the mist, wiping them a few times.

"As for Tsubasa, she said she wanted to soak for a little longer. Ahh, young people really do have it good. They can soak for so long. An old woman like me can barely stand it after only a little while."

Ryouko Sakurai put on her cleaned glasses as she answered Hibiki's earlier question.

"Is that so? Then, Ms. Sakurai, I'll go soak now too."

After hearing Ryouko Sakurai's words, Hibiki thought for a moment before deciding to enjoy the hot spring she had not finished soaking in earlier.

"Go on, go on. Really, Hibiki, you're just too easily embarrassed. Look at Tsubasa—she doesn't avoid me at all. If you ask me, Hibiki, you should let me examine your body more often. Then you won't be embarrassed when something similar happens in the future."

Ryouko Sakurai waved her hand, while her words continued to express her usual enthusiasm.

"Th-That won't be necessary, Ms. Sakurai. I think I'm fine as I am. All right, I'm going to the hot spring now. Goodbye!"

Listening to Ryouko Sakurai's outrageous words, Hibiki's speed in preparing her bathing supplies instantly rose to another level. She quickly got herself ready, passed through the curtain, and headed for the hot spring.

"Sometimes, Ms. Sakurai's enthusiasm really is a bit much. Ah, I can see Ms. Kazanari."

After arriving at the hot spring, Hibiki quickly spotted Tsubasa Kazanari's tall, cool figure within the hot spring water, surrounded by dense steam.

"Ms. Kazanari—"

Hibiki called out, but the other girl seemed to be doing something and did not notice her.

"Hmm, what is Ms. Kazanari doing?"

Hibiki was somewhat puzzled when she received no response.

Before long, she tied up her hair and stepped into the hot spring one step at a time, intending to see what Tsubasa Kazanari was doing.

"Ms. Kazanari... Huh? Is she training?"

Once she drew close enough that the steam could no longer obscure her vision, Hibiki saw Tsubasa Kazanari's posture.

At that moment, Tsubasa Kazanari was kneeling perfectly straight in the hot spring, her eyes lightly closed. Like a sharp sword sheathed in its scabbard, the posture inevitably reminded Hibiki of the samurai training she had seen in anime.

"This is the mindset of always being on the battlefield, Tachibana. As a sword, even if this place appears peaceful and serene, I cannot allow my martial readiness to slacken. Only then can I be worthy of being called a defender."

After Hibiki approached, Tsubasa Kazanari finally noticed her presence. She opened her eyes and replied to Hibiki like this.

"Ahaha, Ms. Kazanari, you're really strict with yourself."

Hibiki laughed awkwardly, then turned around and found a spot by the edge of the hot spring near Tsubasa Kazanari, leaning against it as she stopped.

Although Hibiki did not quite understand why Tsubasa Kazanari had to remain so tense while relaxing in a hot spring, usually, all she needed to do at times like this was smile.

"Phew—"

No longer paying attention to the statue-like Tsubasa Kazanari beside her, Hibiki completely relaxed her body in the hot spring.

Over the past half month, although the number of Noise had decreased greatly compared with before, Hibiki still had to take part in simulated training. Combined with having fled for her life from a group of strangers attacking her yesterday, she had actually accumulated quite a bit of fatigue.

In the warm waters of the hot spring, that exhaustion was completely released. Hibiki felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, as though her entire body had become clear and unburdened.

"As expected, soaking in a hot spring really is so relaxing."

Hibiki, already completely captivated by the hot spring, thought this.

"Next time I get the chance, I should come try this with Miku too."

Then, Hibiki spread her arms and reclined against the slippery edge nearby in an even more comfortable posture.

"What a beautiful night sky."

Once she lay back, Hibiki shifted her gaze toward the sky. Night had already fallen, darkness completely shrouding the land. The only sources of light were the few dim celestial bodies hanging in the sky.

"Hmm, is that the moon?"

As Hibiki aimlessly gazed up at the night sky, she suddenly noticed that the luminous disk usually hanging in the pitch-black sky seemed especially bright today.

"Ms. Kazanari, look. The moon seems really bright tonight."

Finding it interesting, Hibiki immediately sat up, wanting to share her discovery with Tsubasa Kazanari beside her. After all, it was rare to see such a bright moon.

"The moon? What are you talking about, Tachibana? Isn't tonight a new moon? Where would a moon come from at a time like this?"

However, faced with Hibiki's enthusiastic sharing, Tsubasa Kazanari opened her eyes in confusion and asked this in return.

"Haha, Ms. Kazanari, maybe you've been too busy with work and got the date wrong. How could tonight possibly be a new moon? Look, isn't there such a huge, bright moon in the sky?"

In the face of Tsubasa Kazanari's doubt, Hibiki said with a smile.

Thinking Ms. Kazanari might have forgotten the date due to being too busy with work, she used her hand to point out the "moon" she had just seen.

"That's impossible. I confirm the date every day. I can't have gotten it wrong. Tachibana, perhaps you mistook something else for the moon. Point it out to me and let me see."

Tsubasa Kazanari was certain she had not made a mistake. She had carefully checked the timing of their team-building trip, so there could be no error. Thus, following Hibiki's gesture, she prepared to see what Hibiki had mistaken for the moon.

"There, there! That one! Ms. Kazanari, look. At a time like this, what else could something glowing in the sky be besides a full moon?"

Hibiki was somewhat unconvinced. Pointing at the light source shining in their direction through the mist, she spoke to Tsubasa Kazanari.

"It could also be something like a very large airship."

As she spoke, Tsubasa Kazanari turned her gaze toward the place Hibiki had indicated. Very quickly, she saw the true form of the object Hibiki had called the moon.

Then...

"..."

Tsubasa Kazanari abruptly fell into a long silence. Her expression continuously changed, as though she were confirming and comparing something.

"Ms. Kazanari?"

Hibiki could not understand why Tsubasa Kazanari had suddenly fallen silent the moment she saw the "moon" Hibiki had pointed out.

"Prepare for battle, Tachibana! That thing is an enemy weapon, not a moon at all!"

Just as Hibiki was feeling confused, Tsubasa Kazanari suddenly shouted this at her.

"Huh? What? An enemy? That moon?"

Hibiki had not yet figured out what was happening. How could the moon be an enemy?

"There's no time to explain, Tachibana! Hurry and—watch out!"

Tsubasa Kazanari noticed that the glowing object in the distance, clearly visible even through the thick mist, suddenly emitted an intense burst of yellow light. Reflexively, she threw herself over Hibiki beside her.

"Ms. Kazanari? Aah—"

The instant after Tsubasa Kazanari knocked Hibiki down, a violent explosion suddenly erupted where they had been. The shockwave blasted half the hot spring's water into the surrounding area.

"Cough, cough. Tachibana, are you all right?"

In an open area nearby, Tsubasa Kazanari cleared her throat, which felt irritated from the impact, then immediately asked about Hibiki's condition.

"Ms. Kazanari, I'm fine, but what was that attack just now?"

Soon, Hibiki's energetic voice sounded out. It showed that she was all right, while also asking Tsubasa Kazanari a question.

She did not understand how she had been comfortably using the hot spring to relieve her fatigue just moments earlier, only to suddenly be attacked by someone from who knew where.

"Phew. Tachibana, look at that 'moon,' and you'll understand."

After standing up and letting out a breath, Tsubasa Kazanari spoke like this, pointing toward the "moon" Hibiki had discovered earlier.

"The moon?"

At Tsubasa Kazanari's prompt, Hibiki immediately looked once more at the thing she had been convinced was the moon.

"That is... What is that thing? A UFO? Or some kind of mutated Noise?"