From nightfall until dawn, Hoshimi Miyabi had pursued the Black Phaga for six straight hours.
No matter how many times she severed its limbs, the creature always managed to flap its wings and escape the battlefield. It would dart into the vast Hollow, devour an Ethereal, and fully regenerate before Miyabi could catch up again.
"This thing… it's getting stronger."
Brushing the sparks from her coat, Miyabi came to a stop and watched the Black Phaga's retreating silhouette disappear into the distance, muttering to herself.
In their most recent clash, the Black Phaga had even learned to wield Nether Flames. It had coated its palms in those flames, and when Miyabi sliced off its arm, the severed limb still flew forward on momentum, slapping against her clothes.
"Section Chief! Section Chief! Finally caught up to you!"
A bright, girlish voice called out from behind. Miyabi turned to see Soukaku staggering over, gasping for breath as she leaned on her iron banner for support.
Soukaku bent slightly forward, both elbows resting on her knees. After catching her breath for a while, she opened one eye and complained, "Section Chief, you two run way too fast! We can't keep up!"
"That fast?"
Miyabi paused, suddenly struck by a thought. She raised a hand to her chin, lost in consideration.
Soukaku, oblivious to her musings, slid down to sit against the nearby wall and began fanning herself rapidly. "Of course! Harumasa, Yanagi, and I were all lagging behind. We didn't even have time to form an encirclement before the Black Phaga escaped again."
"No wonder. I hadn't realized."
Miyabi released her chin and sheathed her blade.
To her, the Black Phaga wasn't as powerful as Nineveh, but it made for an excellent training target—fast, durable, and offering deeply satisfying feedback. Beating it was far more enjoyable than spending hours hacking away at Nineveh's impenetrable defense.
She had gotten so absorbed in the rhythm of battle that she'd forgotten how much faster she truly was; the creature's speed wasn't much compared to hers, but to most others, it was already beyond reach.
"Let's go. Regroup and return. We'll reassess after we get back."
Miyabi turned and headed downstairs, with Soukaku quickly scrambling to follow.
...
The second day of the weekend was, of course, still a weekend. New Eridu's education system hadn't yet gone so far as to secretly steal the last day of rest.
Early that morning, Phaga brought steaming bowls of noodles to the table. Ruby was the first to grab hers, clutching her chopsticks with both hands, eyes sparkling with excitement as she eagerly shoveled noodles into her mouth.
Yes, Ruby.
Even though her best friend had made her jealous the day before by bragging about Phaga's amazing cooking, Ruby couldn't resist. By the next morning, she was up before dawn—beating even the breakfast shop owner to it—all just for a taste of his noodles.
She wanted to see for herself how good Phaga's cooking really was.
But the moment the noodles were set in front of her, she was completely won over. Even though the heat made her tongue tingle, it didn't slow her down in the slightest.
Ellen sat beside her, resting her chin on one hand, watching with the fond amusement of someone observing a particularly silly child. She teased,
"Didn't you just gorge yourself at the hot pot place last night? You could barely walk home—Phaga and I had to carry you! And now, just a few hours later, you've digested everything already?"
"Slow down. Don't eat so fast—you're going to burn your tongue."
Ruby, however, was too focused on the noodles. She puffed out her cheeks, sticking out her tongue and panting heavily before finally catching her breath.
"Hot pot digests fast! And noodles don't taste good once they're cold. Besides..."
Relaxing, she turned to look Ellen up and down, her lips curling into a sly, catlike grin. "I think someone who forgot to change out of her pajamas just to eat noodles sooner doesn't have the right to lecture me!"
Ellen froze, glancing down. Sure enough, she was still in her blue-and-white shark-print pajamas, her little shark hood still resting on her head. She'd forgotten to change again.
Thankfully, Ruby hadn't looked under the table—or she would've noticed Ellen wasn't even wearing slippers.
Ten pale, round toes stiffened in realization, suddenly aware of their exposure. They curled like a shy kitten hiding from view.
Okay, hide them. Don't let Ruby see.
Once she was sure they were safely tucked away, Ellen blurted out defensively,
"It's not because I wanted to eat noodles sooner!"
Her face flushed pink. She hesitated, struggling to speak, then stammered out, "I-I-it's just… I mean, wearing pajamas at home is totally normal, okay?!"
"Oh, really?"
Ruby smirked and leaned back in her chair, her tone dripping with playful sarcasm. "Then is it also normal for someone to wear a sleep cap on her tail while eating?"
What?!
Ellen's heart jumped. She whipped around—
And sure enough, her tail swayed innocently behind her chair, a little blue nightcap still perched right on the tip, completely oblivious to the mortifying situation its owner was in.
Oh no! I was so worried about hiding my feet that I forgot about the sleep cap on my tail!
Ruby leaned over, half of her body pressing close to Ellen, voice playful and teasing. "Oh~ Ellen is so thoughtful! You didn't want the chef to feel sad if no one tasted his food, so you rushed downstairs without even taking off your sleep cap. What a sweet~ girl~ you are~!"
Ellen's cheeks flared red. Her lips pressed tight, and her usual calm demeanor melted under the sudden wave of embarrassment. Her gaze shimmered faintly, and her small pink fists clenched under the table.
Completely unaware, Ruby tilted back in her chair, wrapping an arm around Ellen's waist as she leaned closer, grinning like a mischievous imp.
"Hmm, I wonder if that nice boy Phaga appreciates you like this? Has he ever rubbed that tail oil on you to keep it soft? When you sleep on your stomach and your tail knocks the blanket off, does he tuck you back in?"
"And does he ever... um—ow!"
Ruby yelped as something smacked her forehead hard. She stumbled back, clutching her head and looking up at Phaga with tearful eyes.
"Don't look at me like that. Think about what you were just saying."
Phaga sighed, untying his cooking apron as he sat down beside Ellen, giving Ruby an exasperated look. "Ellen's composure is paper-thin as it is, and you had to go and tease her."
"If I hadn't stepped in, you'd have poked through that paper yourself. And if the little shark inside Ailian broke loose, she'd probably tear you apart."
"Ehehe..."
Ruby scratched the back of her head sheepishly, sneaking a glance at Ellen.
But the glare Ellen shot her was fierce enough to make her flinch. Even with her face still flushed, there was a definite hint of danger beneath the embarrassment.
Phaga was right—if Ruby pushed her too far, Ellen really would hit her!