Having fled Litchi's clinic, Tsubaki ran desperately through the lower city, surrounded by air mixed with seithr and dimness that didn't seem right for midday. Above her head, countless artificial lights and neon signs that had been on all day passed by.
She would leave Orient Town and go through the park and warehouse district, then climb the stairs to the next level. After crossing the main street to the opposite side, she would go through the bridge, take the ritual lift, and go even higher.
If she contacted them while running, she might be able to meet up with a Librarium cart on a middle level. If she could catch it, she could get to the branch quickly, but if she couldn't arrange it, she would have to take shuttles.
Tsubaki desperately tried to recall the structure and map of Kagutsuchi that she had memorized in the magic ship.
How long would it take to get from here to the top-level branch? What was the shortest time, and what was the longest? She didn't have the shuttle timetable in her head. There would probably be plenty of shuttles going to the upper levels, but there probably wouldn't be many in the lower levels.
As she ran, Tsubaki bit her lip. Why? Why did it feel like this? She couldn't shake the feeling that she had to meet Naru quickly, as if something bad would happen if she didn't.
Why... it's obvious, isn't it...
The bitterness in her mouth was probably due to regret. She had known the reason for her premonition for a long time. She should have remembered it long ago.
Because Naru... the woman she had always watched over, had acted strangely just before she disappeared.
The Novus Orbis Librarium branch in Akitsu, the Hierarchical City, was attacked by the "Grim Reaper." The news quickly reached the NOL headquarters, and all the recorded information related to the "Grim Reaper" was analyzed.
The approximate appearance of the heinous criminal who had attacked the NOL branches in various places was identified the day after the analysis began. Three days after the analysis began, the Intelligence Department traced the name "Grim Reaper."
The information was quickly compiled into a document and delivered to each division. Of course, a report was also submitted to the fourth division, and that day, Tsubaki visited the division commander's office with several documents, including a report on the "Grim Reaper."
"Excuse me." Waiting for the voice to respond to her knock, Tsubaki opened the door and entered the room.
The first thing she noticed was the temperature of the room. The corridor separated by a single door was not so cold, but Naru's office had always been chilly lately. She wasn't changing the special air conditioning, and when Tsubaki asked Naru about it, she said she didn't feel any change in temperature at all.
Tsubaki was the only one who was concerned, and she thought maybe she had been a little under the weather for a while. Thinking that way again today, as she had the previous day, Tsubaki walked at a steady pace to the desk where Naru was sitting.
"Good morning, Kisaragi. This is the morning report. First, the location of the division commander's meeting three days from now has been changed. Then there's a report and request regarding the renovation of the training facility. The contents are a summary of what has been submitted so far, so there are no significant changes. Please read through the request and sign it. And then this..." While briefly explaining the contents, Tsubaki placed one report after another on Naru's desk.
Naru watched her silently, leaning on her cheek with a light grip. Her sharp, cold, yet beautiful green eyes seemed to be focused somewhere far away, and it was doubtful whether she was looking at the documents that had been handed to her.
Concerned by Naru's lack of response, even after she had placed several documents, Tsubaki asked with a caring softness, instead of her usual businesslike tone.
"Major? Are you alright? If you're not feeling well..."
"There's nothing wrong. Continue." The only reply was a cold voice and words, just like her gaze.
"Y-yes, sorry." Tsubaki tightened her lips before moving on to the next document.
How many times had she had this exchange? Just as she had become concerned about the temperature of the room, Naru's attitude had also been causing Tsubaki to worry lately.
As the room grew colder, so too did Naru's attitude seem to grow colder. She had never been a hot-blooded type, and she was rather calm and collected. Many people described her as cold. But Naru's recent behavior was different from that coldness. It was as if something was gradually eroding at the very core of her, and she was shutting herself up in a cold place.
In the past, she had been expressionless in formal situations, but she had responded when she greeted her in the morning. She would give her a nod of approval when she explained documents, and when she was tired, she would sometimes confide in Tsubaki. She would occasionally complain about things she didn't like, or smile wryly at Tsubaki's nagging. And very rarely, she would even smile at her.
But now, Naru didn't show any of that. The human warmth she once had seemed to be fading day by day, and every time she noticed it, anxiety built up in Tsubaki's heart.
But she couldn't do anything about it, and was left feeling frustrated, having no choice but to carry out the work that had been assigned to her.
"... This is the last one. We've received new information about the 'Grim Reaper,' who has been destroying the Library's branches." Tsubaki took the last stack of documents still in her arms and handed them over while speaking.
Naru didn't even lift her head. She was only facing the paper she had placed earlier, so she seemed to recognize it. However, it didn't look like she was reading the text.
"This is completely new information, but the 'Grim Reaper's' appearance and name have been confirmed. Regarding his appearance, it seems he's a man with white hair wearing a red coat. The shape of the rumored 'Azure Grimoire' is still unknown, but it seems that he possesses a large sword."
The document had a printout of the video recording used for analysis. Due to the seithr and the shock from the explosion in the branch's basement, the data was quite damaged, and although they had attempted restoration, the video was quite blurry. Moreover, it only showed the figure from behind.
But the white hair, red coat, and the striking features of those eyes were clearly visible. Incidentally, it seemed to be a tall man with a well-built physique.
"Then the Intelligence Department looked into the name. The 'Grim Reaper's' name is Haru the Bloodedge. We don't know if it's his real name, but according to intelligence, it seems he calls himself that..."
Tsubaki trailed off halfway through. Lifting her gaze from the document, she saw that Naru had suddenly stood up from her chair. She placed both hands on the desk, her eyes widening significantly from the cold indifference she had shown a moment ago.
"Uh, Major Kisaragi?" Something seemed off. Thinking that, Tsubaki called out to her hesitantly.
As if drawn by her voice, Naru slowly, eerily slowly, lifted her head. She looked at her with disbelief, as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"What did you just say?"
"Eh...? Oh, Haru the Bloodedge?" Tsubaki answered reflexively, and she immediately regretted it.
Naru's eyes changed color.
Her eyes, which had been as cold and thin as ice, devoid of emotion, suddenly turned as dark as ink.
"Haru the Bloodedge... Haru..." Naru repeated the name. As if to confirm the sound and form of the name, she repeated it over and over again.
It was already an uncanny sight. Her low, warm, and stifled voice trembled ominously. Her pale lips trembled, and soon the trembling caused Naru's thin shoulders to vibrate rhythmically.
"Fuhaha!" The trembling turned into laughter. A chill ran down Tsubaki's spine, and's laughter grew steadily louder. "Hahahahahahahaha!"
Along with the tingling, numb air in the room, Tsubaki froze solid.
Naru was laughing. She laughed with her mouth wide open, her voice echoing loudly.
Tsubaki had never seen her like that before. Even though she had been watching her since she was a child, she had never once laughed with such a terrifying demeanor.
"Major N... Kisaragi?" Tsukaki stammered, unable to continue.
But Naru didn't look at her. She was looking at the "Grim Reaper" document that Tsubaki was holding.
Naru's sudden, strange laughter, which seemed like it would never end, finally receded into the depths of her being like a convulsion. Yet she still appeared delighted, her shoulders shaking in quiet, subtle spasms, before finally looking at Tsubaki.
But it was no longer the Naru that Tsubaki knew. Her eyes were somehow vacant, and her smiling lips were terribly cruel. Her hand, encased in a white glove, swayed gently in the air, reaching out to Tsubaki. Her cold green eyes looked at her with a cruel color.
"Give me the documents."
"Ah... y-yes."
Hesitantly handing over the stack of papers clipped together, Naru snatched the documents as if her gesture was too slow for her liking.
She stared at the first page, which displayed a still shot from the footage of the Grim Reaper. Naru twisted her lips into a cruelly beautiful smile, as if she were lost in a blissful trance.
"Ah… hahaha, I finally found you… right here… kukukukukuku…"
Why was she laughing? What kind of emotion was clouding those once clear and noble eyes? Why was the beautiful face she had admired so much contorted in such ecstasy? Why was she so terrified of her?
Tsubaki stared at Naru, her face pale and lifeless, desperately trying to hold back her trembling. She didn't even know why she was trying to hold back.
"Naru… Sister."
Did she hear her call? Or did she perhaps remember the presence she had forgotten?
Without looking at her, Naru waved her hand as if shooing away a dog.
"Lieutenant Yayoi, you've worked hard. That's enough. Get out." A flat, emotionless voice, unlike the cold one she had used before. It was as though even addressing her was a bothersome task. Tsubaki's nose twitched. She took a shaky step back. She pursed her lips and hugged the thick notebook, the only thing left in her chest after she had let go of all the documents.
She was on duty, and the person in front of her was her superior. What she had said was an order.
"Understood. Call me if you need anything. ... Excuse me." She said, and then forced her feet to take steady steps as she left Naru's office.
Just before she closed the door, she heard Naru's voice.
"Finally… I can finally meet you... brother."
As soon as the words reached Tsubaki's ears, the door closed heavily. She couldn't think about who the "brother" was that the woman she called "Naru-nee" was talking about. As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, she hurried away from the spot.
As she reached the outskirts of Orient Town, gray clouds covered the sky. Without time to worry about the weather, Tsubaki crossed a small park with grass and passed in front of a lonely, rusty streetlight. It was around where she had encountered the Red Devil of Sector Seven yesterday.
But she had no time to dwell on that.
Naru... I'm so sorry...
At that moment, when she saw Naru acting so strangely in her office, she shouldn't have left. She shouldn't have left her alone. She should have stayed by her side no matter how harshly she treated her or how much she insulted her. If she had tried to abandon her position and leave the NOL, she should have physically stopped her.
If she had, Naru wouldn't have been pursued by the intelligence department or herself, and she wouldn't have been accused of treason. Tsubaki wouldn't have had to search for her alone in distant Kagutsuchi. She wouldn't have been running, gasping for air under the crushing weight of uncertainty.
If this were the usual "Naru Kisaragi" she knew, she wouldn't be tormented by such overwhelming anxiety. But the current Naru was different. Because she was close to her, she should have known something was wrong.
I turned away from Naru-nee. I was afraid of her. I didn't want to be scolded or disliked, and because of such trivial reasons, I turned my back on her and ignored her...
She didn't want to understand what she had seen. She turned away from Naru's ecstatic reaction to the name Haru the Bloodedge. She wanted to pretend she hadn't seen it.
She wanted to believe that everything was as usual, and that this was just a result of a series of unexpected events. She wanted to think that there was some serious reason why Naru had left the NOL on her own accord. But that wasn't the case.
I'm so sorry... I'll go right away. I may not be able to do anything, and I may be nothing more than a stranger to Naru-nee now, but... what should I do if I do nothing and things turn irreparably worse?
What if Naru was killed by the "Grim Reaper"? What if Naru killed someone from the Librarium? What if Naru was killed as a traitor?
Ah, ah. An endless anxiety choked Tsubaki's neck. It urged her feet to hurry, but her body couldn't keep up.
Had she ever hated her slow feet so much? With her chest heaving with each breath, she swallowed her dry saliva and dragged her tears to the corners of her eyes, running as hard as she could.
Even though it wasn't raining, the sky seemed ready to cry.