"Ah… ah…"
In Tenguu City, after finishing a daytime date and parting ways with Itsuka Shidou and Yatogami Tohka, Tokisaki Kurumi walked alone under the setting sun, letting out such strange sounds — as if she were suppressing her inner desire.
"Not yet… I have to endure a little longer. After all, opportunities like this are rare — I still want to enjoy a bit more of school life's fun."
Muttering softly to herself, she twirled gracefully on the spot, her movements like a dance.
"Hehe… this pleasure must be saved for last."
Then—just as Kurumi was imagining her next move, she suddenly bumped into someone.
"Oh my?"
Taking two steps back to steady herself, she looked toward the direction of impact.
"Tokisaki Kurumi, since when have you become so careless?"
The person she bumped into was none other than Tenki Sanluo, who had just quietly manifested into Tenguu City.
"Oh my, it's Miss Tenki. My apologies."
Kurumi quickly recovered from her brief surprise, putting on her charming smile and bowing slightly.
"Answer me. Why were you so careless?"
Tenki Sanluo narrowed her eyes, staring sharply at Kurumi.
This wasn't the first time she had manifested in this world — but unlike before, she didn't immediately begin a massacre.
On one hand, mindlessly crushing weaklings and repeating the same process had become far too dull. Besides, she had just run into Kurumi, who for some reason seemed distracted. Sanluo decided that rather than start killing and alerting everyone, it might be better to hide her presence and observe the situation.
On the other hand, she had noticed that every time she manifested, her stay in this world was too short — she couldn't kill many people before being forced back. She suspected it might be because of overusing her spiritual power and angelic abilities. So this time, she planned to refrain from using either unless absolutely necessary, to test how long she could remain here.
"My, my, Miss Tenki, you're still as fierce as ever."
Kurumi waved dismissively and said nonchalantly, "I came to this city to finally become one with the person I long for."
"Him? Become one?"
Tenki Sanluo frowned. She hated these kinds of riddle-like phrases.
"Yes, it's for him that I'm enjoying this rare school life here in Tenguu City."
Sanluo had read about things like "school" and "campus life" in her previous existence, but she didn't quite understand what they had to do with Kurumi's mysterious "him."
Before she could ask, however, a few shady men emerged from a nearby alley and surrounded the two of them. Each had an indecent grin plastered on his face.
"Oh?"
"Tch."
Kurumi tilted her head in mock surprise, while Sanluo merely looked annoyed — these lowlifes had interrupted her line of questioning.
"Hey, ladies. It's a bit dangerous to be chatting around at this hour, don't you think?"
One of the men stepped closer, his fingers twitching as he advanced toward them.
"Both of you are real beauties. The one in black's a bit tall, but that's fine by me."
"So, how about it? What are your names, pretty girls? Wanna hang out with us?"
The group leered at them, their eyes crawling up and down the two women's figures.
"Hmph… creatures who think with their lower halves," Sanluo sneered inwardly. These kinds of scum weren't even worth killing.
Not that it mattered — Tokisaki Kurumi was hardly someone who'd take this quietly.
"Oh my, my dear gentlemen, could it be… that you want to have your way with me?"
Kurumi said with a seductive smile, lifting her skirt ever so slightly.
"Eh?"
The men froze for a second, then burst into raucous laughter.
"Damn, she's bold!"
"Hahaha! Even better — saves us the trouble of sweet-talking. You like this too, huh?"
Sanluo didn't intervene; she simply stepped aside to lean against a railing, content to watch the show. She already knew how this would end.
"Oh my, how about we move somewhere… a little more private?"
With that, Kurumi led the men into a nearby alley.
Moments later—
"AAAHHHHHHHH!"
Their screams echoed through the alleyway, then abruptly stopped.
"Hehe… normally, trash like that wouldn't even be worth devouring. But what can I do? There's a main course waiting for me soon, so I need to warm up my tongue a bit."
Kurumi's tone was filled with a twisted kind of delight.
"Bon appétit."
And with that, the screams vanished completely.
"Ah, so that's what she meant by 'become one,'" Sanluo mused.
Having once been a man herself, when she first heard Kurumi say "become one" — paired with that lovestruck expression — Sanluo naturally assumed it was the other meaning of the word. But clearly, it was the first one — to consume.
Just as Sanluo was about to question her further, a sudden strange sensation rippled through her body, making her frown.
She'd felt something similar before while dealing with AST, but this time, the pressure was far stronger.
"Someone's coming… and they're using a special mech suit?"
Kurumi sensed it too. It wasn't her first time feeling that particular presence.
That unique aura — unmistakable. It could only be that woman who claimed to have killed her hundreds of times.
"Tch, looks like I was a step too late."
As if to confirm their thoughts, a figure appeared before Kurumi — a girl with blue ponytail hair, looking like a middle-schooler.
She wore a light-colored hoodie and skirt — ordinary enough at first glance — but the aura radiating from her was sharp, like a predator that had spotted its prey.
"You're at it again, eating people without restraint, aren't you? Nightmare."
As she spoke, her eyes flicked toward Sanluo, who was still leaning against the railing.
She didn't know why, but her combat instincts screamed that this black-clad woman was not someone she should provoke.
"Oh my, if I recall correctly — you're Takamiya Mana, aren't you?"
Kurumi tilted her head with a teasing smile.
"So you remember my name — congratulations. But hearing you say it so casually makes me sick. Especially from you!"
Mana huffed coldly through her nose.
"Oh, a classic case of enemies meeting again, hmm?"
Sanluo still didn't move.
From what she could tell, this Mana girl wasn't after her, and while she was stronger than AST soldiers, she was still barely a match for Sanluo herself.
Besides, this Kurumi wasn't even her true body — just a clone. If the real Kurumi wasn't showing up, why should she bother?
"My, how rude of me."
Kurumi bowed lightly in apology.
Sanluo tapped the railing beside her. "Kurumi — stretch out your hand. The clone will do."
No sooner had she spoken than a familiar shadow appeared on the ground beside her, a pale hand emerging from it.
So, Kurumi really hadn't been fighting seriously.
"This Tenguu City seems quite interesting," Sanluo said softly. "Here — I'll leave a portion of my spiritual power as a token. That way, next time I manifest, I can return here directly."
As Mana and Kurumi's clone faced off, Sanluo conjured a small, swirling mass of black-red energy in her palm — delicate as a goblet of fine wine — and handed it to the pale hand.
"Of course, you can try absorbing it too… if you manage to survive."
It wasn't an empty threat — it was a clear warning.
The hand silently accepted the energy and sank back into the shadow, vanishing completely.
Having left her token behind, Sanluo saw no more reason to stay.
With one smooth motion, she vaulted over the railing — and disappeared into the night.