Looking at the slightly shy Mirai, Chen Yu smiled. "You look much livelier now. Tsukasa will be happy, Mirai."
At the mention of her brother's name, Mirai immediately perked up. "My brother? Do you mean my brother?"
"Yes, your brother, Tsukasa. You can't see him right now, but you'll be able to in a month at most," Chen Yu said, patting Mirai's head.
Mirai felt the touch on her head. It felt so familiar...
"Let's go. Let's try to get there before midnight," Chen Yu told the two girls.
"Okay," Mirai replied softly.
For some reason, she felt that Chen Yu was very familiar, though she couldn't explain why.
Suika held Mirai's hand and followed behind Chen Yu.
Since they were heading back, Chen Yu gathered the wolf pelts, entrails, and teeth he had collected earlier, bundled them together, and took them along.
But at the sight of the bloody entrails and carcasses, Mirai immediately hid behind Suika.
Only after Chen Yu had walked some distance away did Mirai finally move her feet and follow him.
The three barely spoke on the return journey, and with nothing else to do along the way, they reached their destination around one in the morning.
Because it was dark and Chen Yu's clothes were stained with blood, Ginro mistook his arrival for an enemy attack.
Seeing Ginro scrambling about inside, Chen Yu considered testing the results of their training.
"Don't make a sound." After reassuring Suika and Mirai, he set his bundle aside, raised his Long Spear, and advanced.
"What is he going to do?" Mirai asked Suika.
"Maybe another test?" Suika guessed, remembering that Chen Yu had used the word "test" before.
"A test?" Mirai looked utterly confused.
Knowing they now had an Electric Light, Chen Yu first cut its wire.
The