One Above All

Chapter 22: The Path to Be Forged.

Yuna was leaving the office and heading to the parking lot when her eyes caught Kishibe's car approaching and searching for a free spot. She simply rolled her eyes, thankful that she was too busy with a meeting to have to deal with him.

She set off towards her own car and got in with all the things she had in her hands, documents of utmost importance concealed in thin envelopes ready to be presented at the Tokyo Public Security offices and eventually transmitted to the rest of the country's offices.

However, as she organized her belongings, she noticed something that didn't match the items she would typically carry. Unbeknownst to her, she had taken the library book she had snatched from Takahashi's hands.

With a tired sigh, she forced herself out of her car and returned to the library. She had always been responsible with things that needed to be returned eventually, and this was just a mistake caused by her distraction. No matter, she just had to put this back in its proper place; no one here could afford to lose a book, especially not one as important as this.

Of course, almost no one outside this office was aware of how important this book was. Inside, only she and Makima knew, and she highly doubted Takahashi could understand its true significance.

On her way, she barely noticed Kishibe and Quanxi getting out of the car and walking in the same direction as her. The doctor simply ignored them and focused on her own path. If they were curious about why she entered and exited her own vehicle, they didn't express it and kept a safe distance from her.

No one wanted to talk.

And there was no need to.

Yuna was the first to pass the reception, and when she reached the first containment cells, she noticed with interest that none of the devils were making any noise, not as they normally would in the presence of humans.

When she had gone through here before, there had been noise, screams of rage and lamentations about wanting to get out, the usual.

But not now.

'Hm' she paused for a moment to examine this strange phenomenon. She quickly dismissed the idea that the devils had escaped, so they had their personal reasons for staying quiet. But that didn't make it any less curious.

She was already reaching the door when she heard the other door at the far end behind her opening; maybe another day she would take a closer look at whatever was happening to these devils, but for now, she needed to return this book quickly and get out of here.

"Oh no, it's happening again, Quanxi, I'll protect your rear, don't worry" Kishibe barely heard himself say before closing the door and leaving that place.

Kishibe earned another smack from his companion. "I thought you stopped making those kinds of jokes when you turned thirty."

"No... Do you want me to continue?"

"Only if you want to die from blows."

"Good point... But let me think about it in more detail."

Kishibe couldn't think of anything before one of his demons voiced their frustration.

"Damn it, this disgusting feeling of oppression all over my being is returning, someone stop it!"

'Hmm?'

"It's just like the first time... something is changing in the atmosphere, making me feel subject to the ominous influence of a mysterious, additional, and unknown feeling, and power looming over this place."

'Mmm' Kishibe's features tensed again. His instincts were telling him that this probably had something to do with a certain demon girl who also resided in this place.