Quasi-Spirit Hii Hibiki

Neighboring World

Tenth Domain

Qian Huanyue had never ventured this deeply into this place before.

She had originally thought this was where Spirits slept, but there was actually somewhere this interesting here.

The buildings were also very similar to those in the Real World, except this place looked somewhat empty.

Kurumi looked around with slight surprise.

"My, this is rather unexpected."

"Yes, Kurumi," Qian Huanyue said, looking up at the buildings on one side. "So many people—oh, no, so many Quasi-Spirits."

There were far more of them than there were Spirits.

One Quasi-Spirit noticed them and, without hesitation, summoned [Nameless Angel] in an attempt to attack Qian Huanyue's kidneys.

"...?"

First-Meeting Kurumi ruthlessly took down that Quasi-Spirit with her gun.

Were Quasi-Spirits capable of picking fights with Spirits these days?

But this time, she would not helplessly let the other party get hurt like last time.

After knocking down the Quasi-Spirit, Kurumi closed one eye and theatrically blew on her gun.

"My, Quasi-Spirits seem especially aggressive." Kurumi frowned slightly, looking rather displeased.

Attacking without any reason whatsoever was simply awful.

Qian Huanyue lowered [Seraph of Thousand Blades], yawned, and gave Kurumi a wink~

"Thanks, Kurumi."

"...My." Kurumi was briefly taken aback, then revealed an unexpectedly adorable smile. "Huanyue-chan, be more careful. Don't run into something like last time again."

Why bring that up now?

Stop talking already!!!!

Qian Huanyue covered her face as if embarrassed, but she could not keep it up for long. She awkwardly said, "Bad Kurumi! Shut up!"

"Hehehe—" Kurumi chuckled behind her hand.

"San-san, do you feel it too?"

Qian Huanyue summoned her Angel again, but this time it did not take the form of a sword. Instead, it became a gun like Kurumi's, and she wore an expression that seemed to say, This is easier to use.

"It feels like even the flow of spiritual power in my body, even my Angel, has become much easier to control."

Unless there was some other need, [Seraph of Thousand Blades] would only maintain its sword form, occasionally taking on other cute forms.

Kurumi studied the silver-white handgun with interest. "My, would you like me to guide you, Huanyue-chan?"

"Then—" Qian Huanyue gave a sly smile and pressed her palms together.

"Help me, Lady Kurumi the Third."

That sudden gesture made even Kurumi freeze for a moment. Then she could not help laughing. "My, my, how could I possibly refuse such a sincere request?"

She elegantly walked behind Qian Huanyue and gently held the hand gripping the gun. "First, your stance should be like this..."

"Relax your wrist,"

"Keep your eyes aligned with the sights,"

"Keep your breathing steady..." Though she was not as seasoned as her original body, the clone's marksmanship was still not to be underestimated.

Just as Kurumi was seriously instructing her, Qian Huanyue suddenly seemed to notice something. She turned her gun to the side and pulled the trigger—

"Bang!"

A streak of silver light struck the distant grass with precision. A Quasi-Spirit had been hiding there, secretly watching them.

"All right, come out."

A silver-haired Quasi-Spirit girl timidly crawled out from the side, her face full of surrender.

"Eek—! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

I shouldn't have secretly watched from here out of curiosity! I absolutely didn't mean any harm!

Please don't kill me! I... I'm useful."

The Quasi-Spirit girl looked so timid, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, that she seemed thoroughly cowed.

Qian Huanyue felt that if this went on, the girl would soon be kneeling in dogeza—an even more exaggerated kind.

In short, she looked incredibly weak, like a Quasi-Spirit who might not even be able to beat AST.

Qian Huanyue revealed an especially wicked smile and pressed the Angel-formed gun against the girl's forehead. "Then how will you prove that you're harmless, little one?"

After all, compared to Spirits, Quasi-Spirits were especially small in every sense. Qian Huanyue thought calling her little one was perfectly fine.

"I-I know all the passages in this domain!" the girl hurriedly said, nervously twisting her hands together. "I can also lead you around those dangerous areas!"

"..."

"Dangerous?" Qian Huanyue pressed a finger to her lips and smiled with curved brows. "With me here, I'm the most dangerous thing in this place."

There was a teasing arrogance in Qian Huanyue's words, and her gun remained aimed at the silver-haired Quasi-Spirit.

"Ugh...!" The Quasi-Spirit girl shuddered at those words, tears swirling in her eyes.

"Y-Yes! You're right!

You're the most dangerous one! So... so please let me guide you,

and help you avoid those... those clueless people who might disturb you!"

Kurumi watched quietly from the side, a knowing smile at the corner of her lips. She seemed to appreciate the "villain" role Huanyue was playing at the moment.

Suddenly—

"My..." Kurumi fell silent for a moment, then slightly widened her eyes as though she had discovered something novel.

"[Zafkiel](Zafkiel)"

A massive golden clock appeared behind Kurumi.

This was her Angel.

But the surprising thing was that this Kurumi was a clone.

This Angel should have belonged exclusively to the original body.

Clones could use a portion of the Angel's power, but it had always been incomplete.

Was this the difference between the Real World and the Neighboring World?

Kurumi chuckled and leaned close to the Quasi-Spirit, taking her hand amid the girl's frightened yet unresisting gaze.

"[Tenth Bullet](Yud)"

Its core ability was to convey the past memories of the target it struck.

Under the Quasi-Spirit girl's astonished gaze, Kurumi pulled the trigger at her own temple.

"I see..." Kurumi released her hand, understanding gleaming in her mismatched eyes as she smiled. "This Quasi-Spirit lady can be trusted for now."

Qian Huanyue nodded. "Then do you have enough spiritual power, Kurumi?"

"My, Huanyue-chan, I still haven't used up the portion you gave me last time."

"That's good. You can 'eat' my spiritual power whenever you want." Qian Huanyue lowered [Seraph of Thousand Blades], which had taken the form of a handgun.

Seeing the Quasi-Spirit's frightened expression as she wanted to move but did not dare to—

"Pfft!" She laughed softly, and the silver-white handgun in her hand scattered into specks of light. "All right, I won't scare you anymore. Now then, lead the way..."

Qian Huanyue paused, then added, "Oh, right. I'm Qian Huanyue, and this is Kurumi Tokisaki. What's your name?"

"Hii... Hii Hibiki..." The Quasi-Spirit girl looked terrified.

"Okay." Qian Huanyue was in an excellent mood. "I'll call you Hibiki, then. You can call me Huanyue, Huanyue-chan, or whatever you like. Call me whatever feels right."

"Mm-hm! Yes." Hii Hibiki immediately answered on reflex.