High above Nagasaki, the night air howled between the two angels.
Yúzé's flight was faltering now. His black wings beat unevenly, jagged and heavy. Sweat rolled down his wrinkled face, dripping into the air as he struggled to keep altitude. Whatever power he had used, it had drained him almost dry.
Hayato narrowed his eyes. The shotgun in his grip felt heavier than ever, the wind battering against it each time he tried to aim. At this height, with the turbulence of flapping wings, a shot would scatter uselessly.
"Tch. Worthless up here."
He let the shotgun fade into sparks of light. In its place, a long katana manifested, its blade gleaming white against the dark.
Hayato paused in midair, wings spread wide. Then he pumped them once, twice—hard. The sudden gust propelled him forward with explosive speed, the air itself crackling around him.
"Seppuku Taifū!" he roared.
The katana sliced clean through the night. In an instant, its edge carved across Yúzé's left wing.
The old man cried out, his form jerking as the wing tore apart in a spray of black feathers. His body tilted, balance broken. With no strength left to hold himself, Yúzé began to plummet, spinning helplessly toward the rooftops below.
Hayato shot after him, wind rushing against his face. He caught the old man by the collar mid-fall, yanking him upward with a grunt. "Not letting you off that easy, old-timer."
With a sharp twist, Hayato angled his wings and dropped, slamming Yúzé down hard onto the nearest rooftop. The impact rattled the tiles, a burst of dust rising as the villain hit with a dull thud.
Hayato hovered above him, katana in hand, his chest heaving.
"End of the line."
Hayato landed lightly beside Yúzé's crumpled form, katana gleaming faintly in the moonlight. The old man groaned, clutching at his ruined wing as he writhed on the tiles.
"I'll be honest," Hayato said, catching his breath. "I'm not a man of violence either." He leaned the blade against his shoulder with a casual tilt. "But compared to me? You're pretty weak."
Yúzé coughed, his voice ragged. "P-please… I'll tell you anything. Anything you want. Just… spare me…"
Before Hayato could respond, the air shifted as frost swept across the rooftop. Nabi descended gracefully, her black hair stirring in the wind. She folded her wings with a sharp snap, icy-blue eyes flicking between them.
"I heard you," she said dryly. "That little shout midair. Some… 'special move.'"
Hayato stiffened, his face heating. "H-hey, don't make it sound lame. I—yeah, I gave it a name. So what?"
Nabi raised a brow. "So you're one of those guys."
He pointed his katana at her in mock offense. "There's nothing wrong with being an otaku, okay? It's cool. Style points matter."
For a heartbeat, Nabi's lips curved in the faintest smile. "…Maybe so."
But she quickly shook her head, her expression sharpening again. She stepped forward, gaze locking on Yúzé. "Enough banter. We need answers."
Hayato sighed, lowering his blade but keeping it ready. "…Right. You heard the lady. Start talking."
Yúzé trembled under their eyes, sweat and blood mingling on his face. "Fine… I'll tell you… everything."
Yúzé groaned, wings mangled, his face twisted in pain. "If… if I tell you anything, you must promise to spare me. Let me go."
Hayato exhaled through his nose, twirling the katana once before dismissing it. In its place, he raised his hands lightly. "Fine. I promise to spare you."
Relief flooded Yúzé's features. His shoulders sagged as though the weight of death had been lifted.
Nabi wasn't so easily swayed. She stepped closer, frost curling around her arms. "Where is the girl?"
Yúzé licked his lips nervously. "I—I don't know. The Witch decides that. Once they're gone, they're gone."
Nabi's eyes narrowed. "Then what do you know about this Witch?"
"Not much," he admitted quickly, his voice quivering.
Hayato's jaw tightened. "Not good enough." With a flick of his hand, a shotgun manifested, barrel gleaming in the moonlight as he leveled it squarely at Yúzé's forehead.
Yúzé's breath caught. "W-wait! You promised! We had a deal!"
Hayato tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Yeah, well… I'm not exactly a good angel, am I?"
The old man's eyes bulged with fear. "Wait—wait! I know something else!" he blurted out.
Hayato paused, finger tense on the trigger. "Talk."
"I've been tracking my employer. The Witch. She… she works at St. Mary's High School. Southwest Nagasaki. I don't know what she does there, but I've seen her. More than once."
Nabi's voice sharpened. "What does she look like?"
Yúzé grimaced, shaking his head. "She cursed me. I forget everything about her when she isn't in front of me. Her face, her clothes… it all vanishes."
Hayato narrowed his eyes. "Then how do you still know where she works?"
"Because it's only her I forget," Yúzé hissed. "Not the environment. Not the school. I remember the place—just not her."
Hayato and Nabi exchanged a glance. Finally, Nabi gave a single, cold nod. "Fine."
Yúzé's wings twitched, faintly glowing as feathers slowly regrew. He lifted his head, the relief returning. "Good. Good. Then… is that enough? Have I done my part?"
Hayato lowered the shotgun and smiled. "Yeah. You've done your end of the deal."
Yúzé exhaled shakily until Hayato added, "But she wasn't part of the deal." He nodded toward Nabi with a smirk.
Yúzé's blood ran cold. His eyes widened as he tried to scramble back. "W-wait! No—!"
Nabi raised her hand, her blizzard bursting forth with merciless force. But before the frost struck, her voice cut through the night like a bell:
"I hope a demon like you has a terrible time in hell."
The storm swallowed him. Frost engulfed him instantly. His desperate hands lifted, trying to shield himself, but the ice spread too fast, locking his body in a crystalline shell.
Within seconds, Yúzé was a frozen statue, mouth open in a silent plea. A sharp crack split through him. The ice shattered, his body crumbling into shards that dissolved into mist, just like the monster before.
Nabi lowered her arm, her expression unreadable.
Hovering above, Hayato let out a long breath, shotgun fading into sparks. Well… guess for him… hell really did freeze over.