Dragging her bloody leg along, Musujime Awaki slowly left the solitary-confinement cell.
The other cells were locked. She couldn't get her companions out of them. And even if she did try to forcibly break them out, the upper classes of Academy City might just make them disappear.
Even if she had gotten Block out of the way, the fundamental problem remained. She hadn't been able to change the fact that someone held her companions' lives in their grasp.
But Musujime heard a voice from behind say, "I always trusted you." It came from the small window installed in the cell door used to pass meals through. She had heard one of her companions speaking from that mail slot-like opening. He said he trusted her. He said he had been right to trust her. There was relief in his voice. Relief because she had saved his life and because she had come running for his sake.
Musujime Awaki remained motionless for a bit.
Finally, she slowly opened her mouth. But no words came. Her lips were quavering even more than she thought. Even so, she slowly put together her words.
It took a long time, but she finally got a couple of words out.
But that was all they needed.
"Are you done?" asked Tsuchimikado.
Musujime pushed him aside with one hand and headed for the staircase out.
They exited the building and found Accelerator and Unabara Mitsuki. Because they had all fought in their own battlefields, not one of them was unscathed. Even so, the four members of Group joined together once more.
Musujime said nothing.
Looking at her, Tsuchimikado spoke in a bored-sounding voice.
"Well, let's return to the darkness."