The Faceless spoke with an air of nonchalance, but Hino Kaoru’s expression grew increasingly grim.
“In the end, you’re just looking down on me. Fine. You will regret your choice!” Hino Kaoru gritted her teeth.
Simultaneously, roaring flames ignited along her sword, radiating a heat so intense it felt more scorching than standing under the harshest, most blazing sun.
Her power-up was finally complete.
At that moment, a bird’s cry echoed through the sewer. A massive Flame Bird materialized above the sword in Hino Kaoru’s grasp. Its colossal form nearly filled the entire sewer, and the temperature it radiated caused the filthy water below to boil.
As the Flame Bird took shape, Hino Kaoru, sweat beading on her forehead, wasted no time. She swung her sword down through the air towards The Faceless, and the Flame Bird lunged in tandem, carrying a billowing inferno that seemed capable of incinerating everything in its path.
But the scene that followed made Hino Kaoru’s pupils contract sharply. She almost thought she was seeing things.
Just as with the previous Flame Birds she had shattered, The Faceless swung her scythe with the same effortless grace, cleaving this Flame Bird—built up to its absolute limit—causing it to burst apart on the spot.
The giant Flame Bird dissolved into a shower of countless sparks scattering in all directions. Those embers framed The Faceless’s figure, making her seem impossibly colossal at that moment.
Hino Kaoru stared blankly ahead, nearly convinced she was hallucinating.
This Flame Bird should have been vastly different from the ones before. So why… why was the outcome not the slightest bit different?
Hino Kaoru couldn’t understand. She couldn’t fathom it at all, and even less could she accept it.
The Faceless slowly approached, her voice utterly flat as she said, “I have felt your strongest attack. So, can you take an attack of mine that isn’t even considered that strong?”
With those words, a cold glint flashed before Hino Kaoru’s eyes.
It was the last image in her field of vision.
…
Inside the café.
Izumi Shirayuki had returned. Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, she said, “Ah, you probably won’t believe this, but I was just…”
She was making an excuse for her long absence, a pretext naturally meant for Tsukiyomi Ruri’s ears, since Mizuhashi Yuzuki and Inoue Keiko both understood the real situation.
Tsukiyomi Ruri nodded. “So that’s what happened. I’m glad you’re back. Your coffee’s gone cold. Want to order another?”
“Absolutely, absolutely.” Izumi Shirayuki promptly flagged down a waiter to order a fresh cup.
At the same time, she signaled to Mizuhashi Yuzuki and Inoue Keiko, indicating her search had once again been fruitless. This left both Mizuhashi Yuzuki and Inoue Keiko feeling somewhat regretful.
But just then, Mizuhashi Yuzuki’s smartphone vibrated.
Picking it up, she saw a message from The Faceless, the very person who had helped her before. She immediately angled her body away so Tsukiyomi Ruri couldn’t see the screen.
Tsukiyomi Ruri, playing along perfectly, rested her chin on one hand and gazed out the window.
Reassured, Mizuhashi Yuzuki opened the incoming message to read it.
The Faceless: “I just finished off Hino Kaoru, the Leader of the Flame Bird Corps. You handle the cleanup.”
Mizuhashi Yuzuki: “???”
The Leader of the Flame Bird Corps?
Mizuhashi Yuzuki was completely dumbfounded. Wasn’t this their target they’d been trying to bait? They’d spent half the day fishing without catching anything, and the target had died somewhere else?
The Faceless sent another message: “Back when I killed Kiryoki, someone from the Flame Bird Group showed up to interfere, as you know. So I held a grudge against the Flame Bird Group. When the opportunity arose, I dealt with their leader. Go dispose of her body for me.”
Mizuhashi Yuzuki snapped back to her senses and quickly replied, “Yes, yes, my Lady. Understood.”
Even after replying, she still felt a bit dazed.
Glancing at Tsukiyomi Ruri, who was still looking out the window, Mizuhashi Yuzuki discreetly sent messages to both Izumi Shirayuki and Inoue Keiko.
Seeing the message from Mizuhashi Yuzuki, Izumi Shirayuki and Inoue Keiko immediately knew it was related to the Reincarnator matter. They composedly opened and read it.
But upon seeing the content, their expressions also froze for a moment.
‘She’s just dead? Then what was everything we did today for?’
Inoue Keiko didn’t know what to say.
But the most speechless was naturally Izumi Shirayuki. She had deliberately made herself a solitary target multiple times to bait the enemy. Recalling those actions now, she felt rather foolish…
‘Wait, Hino Kaoru? Hino Kaoru?’
Suddenly, Izumi Shirayuki noticed another issue. Her eyes widened, and she almost lost control of her expression.
This Hino Kaoru… was she the same one she’d seen at the hot spring inn?
Seeing Izumi Shirayuki’s sudden, intense reaction, Mizuhashi Yuzuki and Inoue Keiko were bewildered. Neither had heard of Hino Kaoru, so naturally they didn’t understand her behavior.
Under the table, Mizuhashi Yuzuki secretly nudged Izumi Shirayuki with her foot, finally snapping her back to reality.
Izumi Shirayuki took a deep breath, suppressing her shock, and then sent a message: “This Faceless person… she killed someone just for that reason?”
“It seems so. I find her terrifying,” Mizuhashi Yuzuki replied.
“I get chills just looking at her, too. She’s the type who’d slaughter an entire family over a single disagreement, right? Yuzuki, don’t get too involved with an existence like that.” Inoue Keiko’s fear was palpable even through her text.
Truthfully, Mizuhashi Yuzuki was also somewhat afraid. She nodded solemnly.
But she quickly sent another message: “She told me to go handle the body, though. I have to make a trip later.”
“Will disposing of the corpse be a hassle for you? If so, just give me the location, and I’ll take care of it. I can dispose of it easily,” Izumi Shirayuki offered.
She could freeze a person solid and then shatter them. Broken down into ice particles, nothing would remain.
Mizuhashi Yuzuki naturally had no objections. To dispose of a body, she would need special tools; it was far less convenient for her than for Izumi Shirayuki.
And so, the matter of the Flame Bird Group was concluded.
Although the process had been somewhat convoluted, at least the outcome was favorable. This allowed everyone to relax and meant they no longer needed to stay at the Mental Hospital.
Just then, everyone’s smartphones buzzed with a notification, including Tsukiyomi Ruri’s.
Picking up her phone, Tsukiyomi Ruri saw it was a mass text from the school. It stated that the school’s safety issue had been resolved and instructed students to prepare to return to class the day after tomorrow.
This message allowed Izumi Shirayuki and the others to shift their conversation from the Reincarnator topic back to daily life, enabling Tsukiyomi Ruri to join in.
During the discussion, Izumi Shirayuki excused herself under the pretext of using the restroom. She used that opportunity to go and deal with Hino Kaoru’s body.
The process left Izumi Shirayuki with complicated feelings. It was indeed the same Hino Kaoru she had met before. She never imagined the leader of the Flame Bird Corps had once been so close to her.
Thinking about Hino Kaoru’s personality, Izumi Shirayuki could now guess the origins of the various incidents at the Spring Mountain Hot Spring Inn.
“The lilies bloomed, and then they withered.” On her way back to the café, Izumi Shirayuki murmured a soft sigh.
