Hidden In Darkness: Kusanagi Part 1

Chapter 8: The Vampire and the Host

Perspective change: Kikuri Shimada
About 10 mins earlier...
Kurou then left, without giving me an explanation. I knew he must had his reasons, but I was still worried for him as I walked among the crowd of students to the courtyard. However, the more I walked, the more I worry about Kurou. I then made up my mind. I quickly turned around and head to where Kurou went.
"Which way did he go?" I wondered to myself.
He was already out of my sight. I thought back to determine where he could have gone. I recalled Kurou looking at the west wing's rooftops with a strange expression. It must had been where he was going. Why he went to the burning area was beyond me at the time. However, it was not the time for me to think about why he went there. I knew that if he spotted me, he would just chase me away and tell me to go to where everyone was. I then took the nearest stairs down a floor and followed my way to the west wing. As I climbed up the huge flight of stairs, smoke began to appear which only got thicker and thicker the more I climbed. It was nearly suffocating for me, but I continued on while placing my palm on mouth. Eventually, I found myself out of the stairwell and found an open door. When I got out, I noticed that there was no smoke in the area, which seemed really strange. Perhaps it was due to some alien electrical surge? Or a supernatural entity? Maybe it was in one of those '7 school mysteries' sort of thing? I asked myself. Suddenly, as I was lost in thought, I found something unbelievable, something that looked like a vampire of some sort, was attacking Shizuka and Kurou. However, both of them had weapons to defend with. Shizuka had daggers, and Kurou had a katana. I hid myself and watched from a far. It was like a scene in a shonen manga, where the high school student protagonist was fighting a monster. I nibbled on my fingernails as I tried to comprehend what was happening. Although in the inside, I felt it was kind of cool. Suddenly I heard a sharp scream. I quickly turned my eyes back to the action and I was immediately stricken by fear. Kurou was sprawled on the floor, groaning in pain, he had a knife, plunged into his body. A cloaked man stood next to him and Shizuka was too far away to help. The man pulled it out and prepared to strike down. He really was going to kill Kurou. No matter how scared or confused I was, I could not just stand there and see my precious friend be killed. Instinctively, I dashed out I cover,
"Kurou-kun!" I yelled out to him.
Both the man and Kurou glanced at me in surprise.
My sudden appearance bought me enough time to save Kurou. I pushed the man out of the way and both of us fell onto the floor.
"Kikuri-chan! What are you doing here!? Get out of here now!" Kurou yelled at me.
I ignored what Kurou was telling me and stood up. I found a metal pipe lying in debris near my feet. I picked it up and tried to fend off the man. The man picked up his knife and targeted me. He slowly walked around me, as though he was trying to determine what I would do. Shizuka and the vampire seemed to had already noticed me, but we're too preoccupied with fighting each other.
"You have to get...argh...out of here..." Kurou said in a weaker voice.
It seemed that his wound was already taking its toll.
"But...but you're hurt bad! I can't just leave you here!" I said to him.
"You have no idea...what these people are capable off... You...argh...have to run." Kurou pleaded.
Suddenly, the man charged at me with the knife. I reacted and swung the lead pipe. Fortunately, I hit the man's hand and the knife slid onto the floor. The man uttered not a single word and simply held onto his wrist. It seemed my attack accidently dislocated it. Suddenly, the man had his other palm faced it front of me. An orb of red generated in his hand. I already knew it was dangerous the moment I saw it. As the orb was thrown at me, Kurou begged for me to run.
"Get out of here! Now! You'll seriously die if it hits you!" Kurou pleaded.
However I stood my ground. My stance was firm and I held the metal pipe like a sword. I looked upon my snowflake necklace that I carried around with me and I began I remembered everything that Kurou had done for me.
"No. You've always helped me ever since we were kids, because I was weak. Even if I'm scared or completely clueless of what is going on..." I said as the orb was reaching me.
"I don't want to be a burden! I don't want to be useless! I don't want my friends to die!"
Suddenly, my necklace vanished into nothingness and a wall of blue light appeared in front of me to stop the attack. Was it from someone? I wondered to myself. I looked up and realised it was actually a shield. There was an avatar of a knight made of the same blue light wielding the shield. Upon closer inspection, I found something even more bizarre. The blue light was from my own body. It was then I realised, I was the one who summoned the knight! The knight and the shield began to become more solid, revealing its white armor and visor. It also wielded a rapier on his other hand. The knight did not speak at all. It simply stared at the cloaked man, as though waiting for instructions. Suddenly, the vampire that was fighting Shizuka earlier appeared before the man and looked at me suspiciously.
"Who the hell are you?" The vampire questioned me in an intimidating voice.
Shizuka joined Kurou and me and rushed by our side.
"Kikuri-chan? What is..." Shizuka began to ask.
Kurou and Shizuka seemed to be as confused as I was. However, as if the knight was talking to me telepathically, a name kept uttering itself in my mind.
"Kres...nik?"
"Kresnik? Tch! It doesn't matter, you all are still scum to me!" The vampire said.
"Kikuri-chan, do you know how to use that thing?" Shizuka asked in a calm manner.
"I think so... It's like it is responding to my thoughts." I answered.
"Alright. I know you must have a lot of questions. But right now, I need your help in this." Shizuka stated.
I had no idea what was happening. However, I knew I had to trust my friends. With this new power, whatever it was, I could help. I will no longer be a burden for Kurou. It was my turn to help!
"Die!" The vampire screamed at us.
The vampire raised its claws and charged a giant sphere of red energy, similar to that the cloaked man used earlier. However, it was much bigger than before. The sphere came straight at us with great velocity. The giant avatar known as Kresnik, immediately blocks the attack once I wanted it to. The shield absorbed the attack and turned from white to glowing blue. Shizuka used that moment as an opportunity to strike. All of a sudden, electricity charged within Shizuka's body and launched a beam of lightning at the vampire. Initially I was shocked and worried, how could she withstand electricity in her body? I wondered to myself. However, she seemed fine so I did not question it, just like everything that was happening. The vampire attempted to escape from the attack. However, its arm was struck with the lightning attack and was electrocuted. It was my turn to attack. I commanded Kresnik to attack the vampire using the rapier. The shield's glowing colour faded away and was transfered into the rapier. Kresnik dashed and thrusted the rapier right at the vampire. However, the vampire grabbed it using its claws and kicked Kresnik in the abdomen. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in mine and I was thrown about a metre away. It seemed that I feel the same pain that Kresnik does. Shizuka suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind to catch me.
"Haha! You are obviously an amateur! Your strange power surprised me at first. But now, I know I have nothing to fear." The vampire spoke.
The vampire charged its red energy again. However, it was no longer shaped as an orb, but as a spear. The vampire grinned maliciously as he aimed it at us. Shizuka pulled out her daggers, which magically transformed into a bow. However, before any of them could fire, a lone bullet came out of nowhere and struck the vampire's hand. The spear of energy dissipated as the vampire gripped onto his hand in pain.
"Arrrgh! The fu..."
Suddenly, another bullet came out of nowhere and forced the vampire to dodge it. All of us averted our eyes to the direction of the shot. I expected something like a sniper to be the cause of it. However, I was completely wrong. In the air, a cute little girl with long silver hair, was hovering in the air using jets attached to her feet, and was holding a rifle. The appearance of such a mechanical looking girl only left me in a deeper confusion than that that I was already in.
"That android... What do you think you're doing!? Kozu!" The vampire questioned the girl.
The girl responded by shooting another bullet from her rifle. The vampire once again dodged the bullet. However, the girl's gun began to firing rapidly, forcing the monster to retreat back. It was then left with no room to run. The girl's arm suddenly turned into a laser beam type of gun.
"I'll get you for..."
A giant beam was then fired, which travelled in a blink of an eye. The beam completely annihilated the vampire. It did not even had time to scream before its body was turned into nothing but dust in the air. It even chipped off part of the building in the process.I felt a little bad for what happened to it, but at least everything was over.
"Huh?"
I scanned my surroundings to find the cloaked man that was there a second ago. However, it seemed that he escaped during the chaos. That problem would have to wait, there was something more important I had to do.
"Kurou-kun! Are you okay?" I asked as I ran towards him.
Kurou was still conscious. However, blood was still escaping from his wound. I hated the sight of blood, but it was no time to think about it.
"Oh my god! You're...you're bleeding! We have to take you to the sick bay! No... The hospital! Shizuka-san! We have to..."
"It's alright. I'm fine. The knife didn't hit anything serious. And the pain in subsiding..."Kurou assured to me as he got back up.
I let a sigh of relief. Kurou was not danger. However, the girl that saved us was still lingering about. The girl levitated to the school ceiling and began walking towards us. I wanted to thank her, but Shizuka suddenly stopped me.
"Titania, correct? What are you doing here?" Shizuka questioned the girl.
From her words and expression, I could tell that the girl could either be a friend or foe. I got back on my feet and picked up my metal pipe 'weapon' just in case she was hostile.
"Subjects identity confirmed. Yugao Shizuka. Narukami Kurou. Unknown subject has been detected. Requesting identity." The girl said
It seemed as though she was referring to me.
"Um...Shimada Kikuri." I answered the girl in a weary voice.
"Searching database. Identity confirmed. Teen idol under the alias, Kikuri-hime. Currently companions with the other two subjects. Evaluation complete. Subject is not hostile. Saving to memory." The girl said in a mechanical voice.
It did not seem that she was our enemy. I glanced at Shizuka and Kurou for them to tell me what to do. They silently signaled me to keep my guard up just in case. Suddenly, a small camera-like device extended out of the girl's back which started to show a hologram of a middle aged man. He was wearing a black business suit and had large black-framed glasses. At that point, I was a hundred percent sure she was a machine. It was amazing! An actual robot that looks human. I thought they only existed in sci-fi shows. I was both amazed, but confused at the same time. What was going on? I wondered. Was it an alien robot? Or an escape government project? I decided to stop thinking too much before I got even more confused.
"Kibishi-san?" Shizuka said to the hologram of the man.
"I see you and Narukami are fine. I have reprogrammed this android for our use. I've sent her up here after I sensed an anomaly at your school. What exactly happened?." The man known as Kibishi, said in a strict and serious tone.
"I see. Since the android is here, could you help take Kurou to safety?" Shizuka asked.
"Yes. That would be best. Titania, bring the boy to the Yugao residence." The man ordered the the girl
"Understood." The girl responded.
She then picked up Kurou with a strength disproportionate to her own body size with a princess hold. I found it shocking to see such a small girl being able to carry Kurou like that, even if she was machine.
"Ow! Take it easy..." Kurou groaned painfully,
It seemed that Kurou's injury was still plaguing him. Hopefully, he will get healed quickly. As the girl activated her jets and wings and flew away. I turned to Shizuka, eager for an explanation about everything that happened. Shizuka noticed my expression and knew what I wanted to ask. She explained to me everything, demons, magic, how Kurou became involved. I did not interrupt Shizuka and simply listened to everything, eyes wide and ears opened. I would not have believed any of it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.
"I see. It all makes sense now..." I muttered to myself.
"I apologize for keeping this a secret, despite the fact we are friends..." Shizuka said apologetically.
"Huh? Oh! It's no problem! This was something that would have been better to be kept a secret about! Like boys with magazines and scientists with cloning experimen..."
I took a glance at Shizuka. Her face was the usual expressionless. However, her eyes told me that I was beginning to speak out of point. So I quickly refrained myself from speaking any further.
"Sorry, I was getting off point, wasn't I?"
"It's...alright. Anyway, I'm glad you understand." Shizuka said with a small smile on her face.
"Let's go to my house. I'm sure my father would want to speak with you." Shizuka suggested.
"Alright. Kurou-kun is there too, right? I also want to see if he is okay. By the way, what about the damages in the school?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it. The police will get it covered. Oh, and about Shiro-kun and Chihiro-san..."
I knew immediately what Shizuka will say next. It was commonly shown in shonen anime and manga revolving the main protagonist keeping a secret from his friends about his secret second life, like that anime involving shinigamis and masked monsters.
"I know. I won't tell them. Come on, let's go!"
So we went off, that was the day where I said goodbye to my normal, high school life. But with this new power to protect my friends, I might be okay with it.
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Perspective Change: Kurou Narukami
The room, or space, was pitch black. No light entered in the place. No doorways, holes, anything. Where was I? What was that place? No answers were given to me at the time. In such situation, I would usually shout out for someone in a panic. However, I felt at peace for some reason. As though it was a dream, then it hit me.
"Could this be...."
I pinched myself on the arm. As I expected, no pain.
"So it is a dream, but why haven't I woke up? What is this place?" I asked myself.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the space. The voice seemed to be muffled, I could not even determined the gender of the person speaking.
"The world is useless. It's filled with nothing but people who only care about themselves. Don't you agree?"
It seemed that the voice was speaking to me.
"What are you talking about? That isn't true. There are many people who help others in the world."
"Hah! Don't joke with me! Those so called, 'selfless' people are no different. They only do so because they want to boost their ego! So they won't be left alone in the world! Face it, there is no such thing as true selflessness. When the time comes, they will abandon and betray you. Such a world should be damned!" The voice responded with hostility.
"You're wrong!" I shouted back.
"... I thought we were the same, but you're just like everyone else. Then again, it's only the beginning and someday, you'll understand. For now, begone!"
And then the dream ended.
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"Wah!"
I shot out of the futon. I remembered that I lost consciousness shortly after Titania picked me up. She must had placed me in the room. However, as I searched the room, I found a girl with spectacles and braided hair sitting next to me, stunned. Probably because I suddenly shot out of the bed. I saw an open medical kit and found bandages covering where my wound was. She must had been the one that healed me.
"Sorry, thanks for healing me...."
"Oh. Don't worry about it." The girl said, snapping out of her stunned state.
"You must be Kusanagi's user, Narukami Kurou. Correct? My name is Nobunaga Kotori. I'm Masakado's second in command."
Masakado. I believed it was the paperbag wearing leader of the Morimoto family. I had not seen him for quite a while.
"Narukami Kurou. It's nice to meet you." I greeted and shook her hand.
"I've never seen you around here before."
"Ah yes, I'm more into evaluation than actual combat, so I usually just stay at the Toya Hill Shrine with Miyamaru-sama. I'm only here because the leaders are having an important meeting. I had to attend as well." Nobunaga explained.
"And if you're wondering why I was tending your wounds...Hinata-san is not here and I was the only one available, so I took the liberty in healing your wounds." She added on.
"I see, thank you."
"Noko-chan! Over here! Over here!" Masakado's voice came from the other room.
"And of course he only calls when he needs me... Well, I'll see you around, kid."
Nobunaga stood up and walked off to the next room. It was a little strange how he called me a kid, I was pretty sure she was about my age. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming over to the room I was in. They were Shizuka and Kikuri.
"Kurou-kun! Are you alright!?" Kikuri asked as she ran towards my side.
"I'm fine. Nobunaga-san managed to tend to my wounds."
Suddenly, Shizuka's eyes widened when I mentioned Nobunaga.
"You mean Nobunaga Kotori?"
I nodded. Shizuka then placed her fingers on her chin as though she was thinking.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"She only comes here with Masakado during emergencies. I wonder what is going on..."
"I see. By the way, Kikuri-chan, how did you summon that thing..."
Kikuri explained that she never had such a power and it was a surprise to her as well. Shizuka elaborated on it, stating that Kikuri awakened her Origin.
"Origin? What is that?" Kikuri asked.
"Origin is the hidden magical power that rest in oneself. Your's seems to be the ability to summon that avatar." Shizuka stated.
"Really!? How was I able to do that!?"
"There are cases where people awakened to their hidden power without much explanation. Perhaps you are one of those people." Shizuka suggested.
"In any case, we should go report to my father. Have you recovered enough?" Shizuka asked me.
I took another look at my wound. Strangely, I did not feel any pain whatsoever. To be sure, I removed the bandages and discovered the wound had completely healed. Must had been some sort of magic that Nobunaga used. Kikuri seemed to be as surprise as I was.
"Yeah, I'm fine now" I assured to Shizuka.
We got out to the corridors and headed to the next room.
"Father, may I come in?" Shizuka politely asked from outside of the door.
"Yes, I was about to call out for you." Yugao stated from the inside.
We stepped into the room. It the small room, Masakado sat on the floor in a comfortable position with Nobunaga standing next to him. Kibishi was also there, standing at the other corner and next to him was Titania, who was standing near motionless. Shizuka briefly explained what happened at the school.
"I see, so your friend has awakened to her Origin. Shimada-san, was it? Did you name it?" Yugao asked.
"Erm... I...think it's name was Kresnik, sir." Kikuri answered, trying to be as formal as possible.
"Haha, stand down, soldier. There is no need to be so stiff..." Yugao joked, leaving Kikuri to blush in embarrassment.
"However, things are looking bad at our end I'm afraid. Tohru-san, has finished looking in the android database. Could you explain what you found, Tohru-san?" Yugao asked.
"Very well. When you two defeated the android, it's memory was nearly wiped. However, I managed to recover some of it. It is true that the android was created by the EXALT."
EXALT was a special international organization that dealt with supernatural activities like demons. Usually, they should be on our side, but the fact that they attacked us meant something was wrong.
"Not only that, the one responsible for its creation was, Morshige Kozu."
Then, there was a deadly silence in the air. I remembered that Kudlak mentioned him earlier. However, I had no idea who he was, neither did Kikuri. Whoever, Shizuka and the rest seemed to know about that man.
"I thought that man was...." Shizuka began.
"We thought so too. But I confirmed it truly was him. How he survived, we do not know. But there are more pressing matters." Kibishi stated.
"His goals... Correct?" Shizuka asked.
Kibishi simply nodded.
"Who is Morshige Kozu?" I asked them.
"That man, betrayed us and nearly destroyed Imuroda for his own personal gain. That's all you need to know..." Kibishi stated with anger in his voice.
Suddenly, Yugao began to speak up,
"Anyways, I talked with Satoshi, he also informed us that Tsubasa Noriko, leader of EXALT was also missing and that the World Magus Society could not trace EXALT's movements."
Shizuka's eyes widened in shock. Unsurprising, considering an international organization went missing.
"And Oni-san said this? I see. Does this mean Morshige-san somehow took control of EXALT?" Shizuka asked.
"That's the theory! Little one!" Masakado answered before anyone could answer in an enthusiastic voice.
"Ah hem.... Now that we are have all caught up. I would like to present a strategy to capture the vampire. He might give us some information." Nobunaga announced.
"After much research, I discovered Kudlak's energy in the Tansei shopping district. We can't pinpoint the exact location, we'll search from there. Titania and I will be coming along to give you guys backup. I'll give you guys support while Titania will create a barrier to prevent the vampire from escaping."
It was then I recalled that Titania used that ability on Shizuka and me when we first encountered her. Nobunaga also stated that we should set out immediately as our time is limited. As Shizuka and I were dismissed, I noticed Kikuri with us. She just gained powers and did not really need to be with us. It would be dangerous for her.
"Kikuri-chan, this is dangerous so... If you want to...
"I'm...I'm coming too!" Kikuri suddenly said to us.
"I'm sure I got this power for a reason, so don't try to stop me from coming with!" Kikuri stated with determination in her voice.
"Listen, I know how dangerous this is, and I can't just allow you to throw yourself into danger." I told her strictly, hoping she would just drop it and forget all of it happened.
"What about you!? You were risking your life out there before I even knew about it!  You're still going out there now, and expect me to not do anything? I'm coming! And that's that."
I knew that I would not be able to talk her out of it any longer, and she was making me feel like a hypocrite. I simply sighed and nodded, allowing her to be part of the team.
"Alright, but don't go to far from us. " I instructed her,
Kikuri just nodded and smiled, happy to help us.
"I see. Now that you'll be joining us, take these." Yugao said.
He passed on a small saber and a crest.
"A weapon just in case, and the crest is a sort of license. I'll leave you under their care..."
"Okay. Thank you, sir." Kikuri politely thanked and bowed before we left.
The five of us, including Nobunaga and Titania were sent off to the town. Titania lead the way, as though the coordinates were in her head, though my guess probably was not far off. The android hid her mechanical body under a yellow one-piece dress as she walked among the crowd of people. According to Nobunaga, it was Yuzuki and Miya who picked the clothing for the android. Although the clothes were meant as a disguise, it seemed to make her stand out more. Not as much as Kikuri's 'ultimate disguise', thankfully. I had some doubts in the plan, such as the reason the demon was still there or why it had yet to escape. However, the reason should not matter as long as it made the work easier.
"Target in the area. Precise location unknown." Titania stated.
The place we were at was the shopping district. There were many people walking about, it would be difficult to determine who was the host. If we went out and walk around aimlessly to find the host, he might discover us and escape.
"Okay. Before we go out there, we need to see if there are any clues." Nobunaga suggested.
"You are right. That would be best." Shizuka supported her view.
"You guys are right! But, what clues are there?" Kikuri asked.
The four of us went to a deep thought. Titania simply stood motionlessly, as though she was awaiting a command. Suddenly, Shizuka remembered something.
"I remember something peculiar. I sensed the host on the third level of the school and then I tracked him to the rooftop." Shizuka said.
"Okay, but what does that mean?" I asked.
"The third level at the time were filled with students. That would mean the host must had been a person who can pass through the crowd without suspicion..."
"Ah! I get it! That means the host must be either a teacher or a student!" Kikuri said.
"Exactly. Another thing is what the demon said to me when I got there..." Shizuka added on.
Curiosity began biting me.
"What did it said?" I asked.
"It said, 'I finally got you, away from that regalia user.'. This would imply the demon had been keeping an eye on us. We can assume that the host is someone we know, or at least someone who can be near us without raising suspicion." Shizuka said
"He had been keeping an eye on you guys! I've never would have suspected that!" Kikuri exclaimed.
"I see. That was most helpful. We are looking for either a teacher or a student. One that can get close to you without suspicion." Nobunaga began.
"That should narrow down our list. Let's go before..."
Just as Nobunaga was suggesting the next course to take, I saw someone approaching us. I quickly alerted the rest of the group as the person came closer towards us, so we quickly stopped or discussion. I recognized her when she got close, it was Chihiro Kizuha, wearing a long sleeve blouse.
"Oh! I thought it was you guys... Hmm? Who is they?" Chihiro asked referring to Titania.
"She is my cousin. Visiting here for today." Shizuka lied without even a hint of hesitation.
Such an ability was certainly quite impressive.
"Yoho! It's nice to meet you! I'm Yugao Shinohara!" Nobunaga suddenly blurted out without any sign of hesitation.
Shizuka was not the only one exceptional in deceit. Although, the line seemed really unnecessary, and why did she need to fake her name and tone?
"Cool! Name's Kizuha Chihiro. By the by, what happened at school today?" Chihiro asked.
"Huh? Chihiro-san? You weren't there?" I asked.
"Well, I was errm... late..." Chihiro claimed in embarrassment.
I remembered that I did not see her on the way to school. I guessed what she said was true.
"Why were you late? Don't tell me you visited Shiro or something..."
"Tch!" Chihiro groaned.
"I know you just said 'tch'! So you did! Come on, you can't just waste school hours on visiting him."
"Shut up! What do you know? Anyway, I'm going shopping, see you guys later!" Chihiro said in an irritated manner and walked off.
"Wow, Chihiro-chan has a thing for Shiro-kun, doesn't she?" Kikuri asked.
After that short conversation, we decided to separate and look for the host. The whole place was even more lively than before, hopefully, it would convince the host not to attack us in broad daylight again. There were a few people we met, our teacher, Mayoto, the captain of the baseball team, and a few classmates. It was nearly impossible to find him. A few moments later, all three of us gathered back to where Titania was, I was tasked to make sure no one suspicious person left the area. Our search yielded no result, however, Shizuka seemed to be unsure about something.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just that, with everything we've done. We can't find him." Shizuka stated.
"Yeah! My legs are killing me!" Kikuri cried out.
As everyone was complaining, I noticed Nobunaga and Titania were awfully quiet. Titania was scanning the area while Nobunaga placed her hand on chin, mimicking detectives seen on television shows.
"No. There's one more. We met her earlier. Remember?" Nobunaga informed us
However, Shizuka's eyes began to light up.
"'Her', how could I be so blind..." Shizuka muttered to herself.
Both of us stared at her with anticipation, eager for her to elaborate further.
"We all assumed the host was a male, but there is no prove of that. Plus, you managed to injure the host's wrist before, right? And do you recall Chihiro-san having unusually long sleeves?"
I already knew what Shizuka was implying, and it was adding up. Though I did not want to believe it, it would make sense. She was our close friend, she was a student at the school. However, she claimed she was not in school and visited Shiro, unless... I pulled out my cell phone and dialed his number. When I asked him...
"Chihiro-chan? She visited me, but it was like an hour before school started so I'm pretty sure she should had arrived at school really early." Shiro stated.
I quickly bid him farewell and placed my phone back in my pocket.
"Chihiro-chan!? It seems unbelievable, but it makes sense..." Kikuri hesitantly said.
"In any case, we should confront her. Titania, follow us, don't attack unless we say so." Nobunaga ordered the android.
"Affirmative."
All of us knew what we had I do. Without a moment of hesitation, we turned and ran back into the shopping district. Was it truly her? How did it happened? I would not know the answers to these questions until confronted her.
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