In the dead of night, a time suited to hunting, a girl in a moon-white kimono surveyed everything around her with icy eyes.
Although she had intended to change into something easier to move in, she had been unable to resist her family's goodwill and had gone out in this classical, demure attire instead.
For that very reason, even beneath the streetlights, Shiki Ryougi still seemed out of place. Compared with the somewhat dated streets, a simply decorated Japanese-style room would have suited her outfit far better.
Not that Shiki Ryougi was paying any attention to that now.
She tightened her hold on the object in the long cloth bag against her chest and tilted her head rather cutely. Looking at the strange stone by the roadside, which even had a fence around it and vaguely resembled a kneeling human, a trace of confusion appeared on her frostily beautiful face.
Although she could hardly claim to know Mifune City very well, she would not have forgotten a stretch of road she had walked down just that morning so quickly. Had this stone been brought here today? If this was a government beautification project, it was rather too strange...
Just as Shiki Ryougi was about to focus her eyes, a familiar greeting came from beside her.
"Hey, Shiki."
Although, technically, they had formally met less than two days ago, Roland waved naturally and approached her as though greeting an old friend.
As he passed the stone, he casually waved at it too.
"Hey, Araya Souren."
"Your handiwork again?"
The girl's tone was more a statement than a question.
"Relax, there's no danger whatsoever. I just found the people of Mifune City an old friend. Besides, how could this count as torture?"
Roland spoke dismissively.
"With his own skills, he could never