But [Izayoi] laughed at my expectations.
She crossed her blades, deflecting the strike with a slippery twist—
Bending her body like a contortionist, she barely avoided the sword—
And melted back into the shadows before hitting the ground.
“Tch…!”
Rui clicked her tongue in frustration. Even if she’d failed to land a hit, she’d still protected the children when no one else could—
Wait.
For [Utsurugi Rui], missing that strike was unthinkable.
—She’s still not at full strength…!
Still, she’d held her ground despite overwhelming odds.
Despite being on the receiving end of an overwhelmingly disadvantageous surprise attack, successfully withstanding the initial phase should have been a significant achievement.
The first strike was mine. The second, Hinata-chan’s. The last, Rui’s.
I was nothing special, but those two were monsters in reaction speed.
But no matter how well we defended, we were still at a disadvantage.
Sooner or later, the relentless attacks would break through.
I glanced at the [Moon] door—barely fifteen meters away.
Making up my mind, I ran.
“Onii-san…!?”
Hinata-chan’s scream echoed, drawing everyone’s attention to me.
Which meant— They left an opening.
On the opposite side of where all eyes were turned— A shadow twitched where the angels weren’t looking.
I was the only one who saw it.
“────”
The upper body that emerged— Locked eyes with me.
Dull, gray, hollow eyes—
Filled with madness. I pointed.
“THERE!”
Rui reacted instantly. Twin blades shot out from both directions—
But the narrow hallway limited their trajectories.
Before the swords could reach, [Izayoi] was already gone.
Meanwhile, I reached the [Moon] door.
One of the fluffy angels, probably thinking I’d lost it, tried to stop me—
“Excuse me.”
Slipping past her, I raised my leg—
《Separation》 Target: [Moon] door (and wall).
You can’t separate a door from its handle—
they’re part of the same object.
But a door and its frame? Totally different.
A metallic screech rang out as the hinges strained—
Just as my kick connected.
《Separation》 Target: Myself and the [Moon] door.
With a deafening crash, half the massive door—easily twice my height—went flying.
“……Huh?”
The sister beside me let out a dumbfounded noise.
Sure, it looked flashy, but all I did was kick a loosened hinge with all my strength.
Any guy could’ve done it.
……Okay, fine, it was flashy.
But the real problem was my excuse:
“I—I kicked it too hard and broke it…!”
The sheer absurdity of that line left the angels (who presumably used this door daily) stunned. The kids, meanwhile, stared at me with sparkling eyes.
This might be pushing it, but— We didn’t have time to worry.
The Exias quickly snapped back to reality and began ushering the children inside.
“Th-Thank you…”
The fluffy sister bowed nervously,
her cheeks faintly pink.
“N-No, I’m the one who acted recklessly…”
I smiled back—
Just as [Izayoi] lunged from the remaining door’s shadow.
Her target? Me.
“You… love being the center of attention, huh?”
She raised both arms—
“—But you’re in my way.”
An angel slammed into her at blinding speed, gauntlet-first— Sending her petite body crashing back through the doorway.
……Yeah, she’s pissed.
“Onii-san.”
“Y-Yes!?”
“No more reckless moves. ……It’s dangerous, okay?”
Hinata-chan glanced at the fluffy sister for confirmation—who nodded frantically.
After a brief pause, Hinata-chan turned forward again.
Ahead was the hall with the confessionals.
Isana-san’s group seemed to have taken a different corridor—they were nowhere in sight.
Except for— [Izayoi], who had just been sent flying.
Standing in the center of the room, she crossed her daggers in front of her.
I’d seen her block that steel punch with my own eyes, so I wasn’t surprised.
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“Hmmmm… This isn’t going well.”
She tilted her head.
“I heard the last attack left you guys weakened… But I guess that’s not the whole story. That [Gouki the Brute] was a loudmouthed idiot, but he was strong. If some brat took him down, maybe you’re not all pushovers… Annoying.”
Izayoi kept kicking the floor restlessly while muttering to herself.
Behind her, I could hear the children trembling at her bizarre behavior.
The angels weren’t attacking during this opening because having her visible was better than letting her disappear into shadows again.
I’d noticed some angels whispering communications during our earlier standoff.
Even without functioning surveillance cameras, headquarters must be aware of the situation by now.
Completely ignoring our intentions, slowly pointed at me.
Hinata-chan quickly stepped between us.
“You… You’re so lucky. Handsome face, full of initiative, always in the spotlight…? And you too.”
Her finger lowered slightly, now aimed at Hinata-chan.
“But—”
Just as we heightened our guard,
the woman suddenly looked past us.
“The real star of the show… is you.”
There stood Rui Utsurugi.
“How unfair… You just naturally draw everyone’s eyes… Flying through the sky so conspicuously, not like me who can only hide in shadows… I was watching earlier too, conducting and all… Don’t you think that’s too much attention?”
Rui’s beautiful face darkened at the presumptuous remarks.
“How annoying.”
“────”
The beautiful conductor’s blunt dismissal made [Izayoi]’s eyes widen.
“…Ah. Yeah. I’ll make sure your death is spectacular. Crucified for all to see. Just decided. That should get plenty of attention…!”
With a mad grin, the killer melted into the shadows.
The angels immediately started herding the children.
“Everyone! Run to the center!”
A wise decision. With elevators disabled and no escape route, clustering in the center was our best option.
The children frantically obeyed, gathering together.
As I moved to join them, someone tugged my sleeve.
Thinking it was Tsukumo, I looked down to find one of the trio –
“You are …… ”
the quiet-looking girl,
her face deathly pale.
“She’s… She’s gone… Arika’s gone…”
“Arika… the other girl?”
She nodded fearfully.
Behind her, the boy called Yu wore the same desperate expression.
The remaining one must be their lively friend.
“Any idea where she went?”
The quiet girl answered with tears in her eyes:
“We had a fight in the cathedral earlier… and then…”
Oh… That.
For some reason, visions of hell flashed through my mind with uncomfortable familiarity.
Just as I started overthinking—
“I’ll go to the cathedral.”
“!?”
The sudden voice startled everyone, even its owner.
Turning, I saw Rui standing with a stern expression.
“Utsurugi-san, what are you—”
“No time to explain. I can fly across.”
This last part was directed at Yu and the others.
She smiled reassuringly before looking toward the balcony,
then exchanged nods with Hinata-chan who’d been listening nearby.
“Leave [Izayoi] to me.”
“Right. Be careful, Hina.”
Maintaining vigilance, Rui floated up.
The instant [Izayoi] emerged from shadows,
Rui ignored her and shot toward the balcony at full speed.
As [Izayoi]’s attention followed her—
“Our business isn’t finished…?”
—Hinata-chan closed the distance.
This time, [Izayoi] didn’t retreat into shadows but engaged the Angel of Acceleration in direct combat.
Even in [Watayume]’s first chapter, Hinata could hold her own against this killer.
Now stronger than her original counterpart, she wouldn’t lose easily.
Yet… I couldn’t shake a bad feeling.
Why attack now?
How did she even infiltrate headquarters this far?
The unanswered questions unsettled me.
As the only one with original story knowledge,
this incongruity couldn’t be ignored.
With limited information, I might never grasp the full picture—
but recognizing the dissonance was enough.
One thought consumed me:
—Could the weakened Rui handle unexpected dangers alone?
The idea of someone like me—who got wrecked by Rui last time—doubting her almost made me laugh.
But strength didn’t matter here.
Only whether I wanted to help my oshi, my oshi character.
“Ha…!”
“Tch, damn brat…!”
Hinata-chan prevailed in their exchange.
[Izayoi] landed on a pillar, blending into its shadow.
Seeing Hinata’s advantage, the angels focused on protecting the children.
Most kids now watched the fight like it was some hero show.
This area seemed secure.
I turned to the balcony—
beyond it lay the [Moon Tower].
The [Sky Corridor] spanned about fifty meters… Within my range.
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