"Onii-chan… I was so worried about you... If something happened to you… I—I don't know how I'd go on…"
Hiyori's voice trembled, nearly breaking into sobs. She sat quietly by the hospital bed, holding a warm towel in her small hands as she gently wiped the sweat from my forehead. Her fingers were shaking, ever so slightly—as though all the emotions she'd bottled up were rushing to the surface now that I'd opened my eyes.
"You're the only one I can rely on..."
Her eyes were red, glistening with tears. A painful tightness gripped my chest. I'd tried to act strong and composed, but seeing this fragile side of her… made me realize how reckless I'd been.
I forced a soft smile, trying to ease the heavy air around us.
"I'm fine, Hiyori-chan. Tough as an ox, remember?" I squinted dramatically, pretending to be totally fine—even though my body was still aching all over.
"Pfft… You're always like this." Hiyori shook her head gently, letting out a small laugh, even as tears clung to her lashes.
Suddenly, a teasing voice chimed in from the bed next to mine:
"Who's this? Your girlfriend, Shinrai-san?"
I turned my head. Arisawa Misaki was leaning casually against the wall, her long hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes softly lit beneath the morning glow. Her tone carried a playful edge, lightening the mood in the room.
"N-No, no! You've got it wrong. This is my little sister—Shinrai Hiyori," I said quickly, waving my hand to dismiss the misunderstanding.
Then I turned to Hiyori and introduced Misaki with a respectful tone:
"And this is the person who saved me yesterday. She ended up in the hospital too because of it. Her name's Arisawa Misaki."
Hearing that, Hiyori stood and bowed politely, her voice soft and sincere:
"I see… Thank you so much for helping my brother."
Misaki casually waved her hand, as if brushing off the gratitude.
"Raise your head," she said in her usual calm voice—but this time, there was a slight chill to it. "I just happened to run into him while tracking my target. I helped out along the way. Guess he got lucky."
Her words were indifferent, but her eyes—when they met mine—weren't cold at all.
I nodded slowly, my voice deep with sincerity.
"Thank you, Arisawa-san. Really."
"Don't mention it," she said with a small smile. But the smile didn't bring comfort. Behind her gaze… I saw something shadowed. Something painful.
Her eyes had darkened—as if some long-buried memory had stirred deep within her.
"You were tracking him?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. Something told me there was a much deeper story behind her actions.
Misaki lowered her head. Her long black hair fell forward, veiling part of her face. Her voice came out in a low murmur—yet every word struck like a dagger.
"My family… was killed by that thing. When I wasn't home."
The air in the room thickened. It felt like all the sound had been sucked away, leaving a heavy silence in its place.
I froze. My lighthearted questions, my casual curiosity—suddenly felt painfully shallow.
"…I'm sorry," I whispered, unable to meet her eyes. "I shouldn't have asked."
Misaki shook her head slightly.
"It's fine," she said softly. "You remember that village on the news a few days ago? The one where a massacre happened? Over a hundred survivors left…"
I nodded, eyes darkening in thought.
"Yeah… that was Kagerimura, wasn't it? The name alone gives me chills…"
"Right." Her voice dipped lower, heavy with memories no one ever wants to revisit.
A quiet hush settled over the room. I said nothing. Hiyori stirred her bowl of porridge in silence. She must've sensed the weight pressing over us all.
"And so…" Misaki continued, her voice laced now with something else—something that sounded like guilt. "I started searching for him. I didn't know exactly where he'd gone… but I came to Yokohama and began looking. Honestly, I didn't even know what I was doing anymore. I just knew one thing… I had to find him—no matter what it took."
My brows furrowed in shock. Her recklessness… was beyond anything I'd imagined. She had hunted down a rogue R-AGI completely on her own—without any data, any tracking system?
"Wait—" I blinked, stunned. "You mean… you had no idea where he was, and still just… went out looking?"
At the same time, Hiyori was carefully feeding me a spoonful of porridge. I spoke between bites, the warmth of the food doing little to anchor my scattered thoughts.
"Yeah," Misaki replied with a wry smile, bitter as it was faint. "I was furious. I'd completely lost control. Every ounce of reason and planning was swallowed by my emotions. All I knew was—if I stayed still, I'd go insane."
She gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, then went on:
"But then… he appeared. Right there in Alley No. 7, just a block from here. Out of all the alleys in this massive city… we crossed paths there." Her voice dropped again. "That… wasn't coincidence."
Misaki's gaze shifted, landing on the window behind me. The morning breeze drifted in gently, tousling her long black hair. The light cast a soft glow over her pale skin, and I found myself staring at her without realizing.
"This is… fate," she whispered.
Just three words. But they stirred something deep in my chest.
The infirmary fell into a silence rich with feeling. Though none of us spoke it aloud, both Hiyori and I could sense it clearly—this was only a brief pause. A fragile stillness before everything spiraled into chaos. The quiet glimmer of peace before the storm.
I took a long breath and muttered, my tone heavier now:
"So… you're really that lucky, huh? To just stumble across him… fight to the death… and actually win."
I stared at her, trying to read the truth behind it all. But deep down, I already knew—this wasn't luck. This was the product of fierce determination… forged in grief and an unrelenting thirst for justice.
"Feeling satisfied now?" I tilted my head, flashing a light smile—half in jest, even as countless questions still churned inside me.
"…I suppose," Misaki murmured. Her voice suddenly dipped, shadowed—like a passing cloud crossing a sunlit sky. "But… I have a bad feeling about what's coming."
Just a fleeting comment.But it sent chills down my spine.
A bad feeling—from someone who had taken down an R‑AGI? That wasn't something to take lightly.
Before I could ask further, Hiyori—still innocent and full of curiosity—turned toward Misaki, eyes wide:
"Hey, can I ask something?" she said, pointing at Misaki. "You mean you're that strong? You beat an R‑AGI all by yourself—without any weapons?!"
Her voice was sparkling with awe, like she was staring at a superhero pulled straight from a manga. She shot me a glance, then turned back to Misaki, words tumbling out like machine-gun fire:
"How did you do it? I mean, that kind of power—was that even real? How'd you crush that giant robot like it was just a soda can!?"
I nodded slightly, bracing myself against the bedframe. Even after witnessing it with my own eyes, even knowing it wasn't a dream...
"Yeah… she's right," I added, my tone turning serious. "I saw it with my own eyes—but still… can you explain it?"
A heavy silence fell over us. It was as if the room had suddenly gone still, every sound swallowed whole.
I locked eyes with her and asked quietly:
"Who… are you, really?"
The air thickened. Even though the AC was on and the ceiling fan spun steadily, the room felt like it was closing in, wrapped in invisible pressure.
The ticking of the wall clock echoed endlessly in my mind.
Both Hiyori and I held our breath, eyes fixed on the girl with the long black hair—sitting there as if everything we'd just asked were mere whispers lost in the wind.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a sharp glow across her face, highlighting her quiet strength… and the mysterious aura surrounding her.
She didn't answer.
But I could feel it—Whatever answer she gave us next…
Would change everything.