For some reason, as they walked towards the clothing store, Shinji Kitahara felt that the atmosphere of their group was somewhat different from usual.
Eclipse, who was never very talkative to begin with, was one thing, but Tachyon hadn't made a sound this entire time either. Even the usually cheerful Teio hadn't said much, her steps lacking their typical lightness.
And if one looked closely, they would notice that Teio and Tachyon were constantly staring at each other.
Tachyon was smiling, her expression no different from usual. But although Teio's smile also looked about the same as always, there was a clear look of vigilance in her eyes.
Shinji pinched his chin and thought for a moment, a guess forming in his mind.
Has their relationship gotten a little better?
I mean, think about it. In the past, these two little girls would start glaring at each other the moment they met. And if they got too close, they would pull some small pranks from time to time. While they wouldn't get into a fight, their relationship was certainly not good.
But today, not only were they not at each other's throats, but they hadn't even bickered. This was a vast improvement from before. In a way, it should count as their relationship getting better... right?
As he was thinking this, Shinji's steps faltered for a moment.
Don't misunderstand. It wasn't that he thought there was a problem with his guess, but simply that he felt a sense of being watched.
One, two, three... a total of five gazes, and all from horse girls.
Eclipse noticed his abnormality and turned to look at him. After seeing him make a few quiet hand gestures, she was taken aback for a moment, then gave a slight nod, her eyes gradually turning cold.
Tachyon and Teio were still focused on each other and didn't notice Shinji's strange behavior. By the time they did, the crowd around them had thinned considerably, and the path ahead was even more secluded.
Teio, who had never been to the clothing store before, was fine, but Tachyon, who had been there once, quickly realized something was wrong and looked at Shinji with confusion.
"I say, Mr. Guinea Pig, this isn't the right way, is it?"
Then she noticed that Shinji's behavior was a bit off.
His expression was tense, his steps flustered, and there was an unconcealable worry in his eyes. After she asked her question, he cautiously scanned the surroundings. Only after seeing no suspicious figures did he lower his voice and speak.
"Keep your voice down. We're being followed. Let's go, quickly."
Being followed?
Tachyon and Teio were both stunned for a moment, then reacted differently.
Tachyon subconsciously reached into her pocket and gripped the cold potion inside. But in the next second, a trace of doubt rose in her heart. Wait, if we're being followed, shouldn't we head towards a crowded place? Why are we going into a secluded alley? And isn't he a very capable fighter?
Teio, on the other hand, subconsciously took out her phone, wanting to contact Symboli Rudolf. But perhaps because they were in a secluded alley, the signal here was not good. Neither messages nor calls could get through.
In silence and confusion, the group quickened their pace, weaving through the shadows on the backside of the bustling city. A few minutes later, after twisting and turning through a dozen intersections, they finally shook off the shadows following them.
If all went well, they just needed to turn one more corner to get back to the bustling street. They could even see the glow reflected from the neon signs of the shops on the street from the corner ahead.
But at this moment, with the sound of footsteps, three horse girls wearing ski masks and with their jackets tied around their waists to hide their tails walked out from the intersection, each holding a steel pipe as thick as a thumb.
Upon their appearance, Shinji's group stopped in their tracks.
Tachyon's and Teio's expressions grew solemn, while Shinji's face turned pale, his lips pressed tightly together, unable to say a word.
But it wasn't over.
After the three horse girls blocked the exit, footsteps were heard from behind them. Four similarly dressed horse girls emerged, the gazes under their masks not looking very friendly.
"Um, ladies," Shinji forced a smile. "We can talk this out. Can we not resort to violence?"
The leading horse girl snorted, her gaze sweeping over the four of them with contempt. Then, without any further nonsense, she waved her hand and, suppressing her voice, gave the order.
"Get them. Cripple them."
The sound of footsteps came from the front and back at the same time.
Tachyon frowned and took out an orange potion that sparkled with a mesmerizing color from her pocket.
Teio put away her phone, her fists clenching slightly, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
But before they could make a move, a pair of hands covered their eyes.
Then, Shinji's voice sounded, filled with pity.
"Don't look."
This sudden obstruction stunned them for a moment. By the time they reacted, the hands were already gone, and they could see the scene in the alley again.
And after seeing it clearly, a chill rose from the bottom of their hearts and climbed up their spines.
Blood was splattered everywhere.
The horse girls who had been so menacingly surrounding them just now were all lying on the ground. Their injuries varied. Some seemed to have been hit hard in the abdomen and were now curled up on the ground like shrimp, vomiting. Some seemed to have been knocked unconscious and were lying on the ground, their condition unknown. And some had been directly slammed headfirst into the adjacent wall, becoming motionless ornaments.
The only thing they had in common was that their injuries were all quite severe. Their bodies were twisted to varying degrees, as if they had been torn apart by some monster with immense force. Blood dripped from the pale, splintered bones protruding from their wounds.
Eclipse stood among the seven horse girls. She picked them up and threw them into a pile like garbage.
Her expression was as calm as ever. In fact, she even looked to be in a slightly better mood. There was no blood on her, but it might have been because she was wearing all black, so the bloodstains weren't obvious.
Gulp.
A swallowing sound was heard.
"Um, Trainer-san, this is..."
"Eclipse and I had a tough time in the past. She learned a few fighting tricks."
After a casual explanation, Shinji walked over, found a horse girl who was still conscious, and squatted down with a sigh.
"Black Forest?"
The other person's pupils dilated for an instant, and then she immediately denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, that makes things difficult..."
Although he was basically certain of their identity, if they insisted on denying it, he didn't seem to have any way to deal with it. After all, this was a big city, and he was a trainer from Tracen. A street fight was already a vicious incident. If he resorted to torture for interrogation, it would be even more serious. Once it got out, getting fired would be a small matter, but the reputation of Tracen would surely be damaged.
Although he didn't really care if Tracen's reputation was damaged, the problem was that their goal from the beginning had been very clear: to shake the legitimacy of Tracen in every possible way. He didn't want to play into their hands.
Just then, Tachyon walked over, extended her hand, and handed him a bottle of pale green potion.
Shinji's brows raised a little. "What's this?"
Tachyon blinked and said with a smile, "Just a very ordinary potion that makes people tell only the truth for a period of time."
Hearing her words, Shinji remembered that she did seem to have created such a potion before, and it seemed to have caused an incident...
Wait a minute.
After taking the potion, just as he was about to pour it into the mouth of the terrified horse girl, Shinji suddenly noticed a blind spot.
"Wait, why are you carrying this kind of thing with you?" he asked, looking straight at Tachyon.
Faced with his gaze, Tachyon gently turned her head away, her eyes drifting, her ponytail behind her swaying gently.
"Ah, why indeed? I'm not quite sure myself..."
"Don't tell me you've been looking for a chance to pour this stuff into my mouth?"
"Ahahaha, Mr. Guinea Pig, how could that be? You're thinking too much..."
Shinji Kitahara: "..."
"Eclipse, Teio, hold her down. I'm going to stuff this potion into her mouth and see if she's lying."
-------
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