Chapter 2 | The Voice of the Cat’s Heart

In Japan, it seems customary to call a sunny break during the rainy season “May sunshine.”

On that mid-June day, the rain stopped in the afternoon, and the gray rainclouds that had been hanging over slowly drifted away.

What caught my eye was the intense sunlight, so bright it felt like it dyed everything white. The sky above revealed a clear, vibrant blue for the first time in a while.

“…I see. Once the rainy season ends, summer will be here.”

I squinted at the dazzling afternoon sunlight and cast my gaze downward to the turquoise blue sky reflected in a puddle. Another season in this country, one I was yet to know, was about to unfold.

While walking along the school route by the riverbank’s embankment, I heard the quick sound of shoes splashing through puddles approaching from behind.

Turning around, I saw Asahi Hina, with her light purple backpack, jogging toward me.

“Phew… wait up, Anya!”

“Asahi? It’s rare to run into you on the way home.”

“Yeah, just a little something today. Since we’re here, wanna go shopping together?”

“Got it.”

Usually, Asahi takes care of shopping on her way home. Today, I joined her, and we headed to the biggest supermarket in the area.

“Since there’s two of us to carry stuff today, let’s stock up for tomorrow too!”

We bought more fresh food and daily necessities than usual at the supermarket and started our way back to the apartment.

From this direction, the shortest route was cutting through the nearby park. As we approached the park’s entrance, I noticed a girl waving at us.

“A-chan!”

“Oh, a school friend—Anya, I’ll catch up in a sec, so go ahead, okay?”

Asahi waved back and dashed toward the corner about fifteen meters ahead where the girl on a bicycle waited. Following her words, I entered the park and strolled along the walkway toward home.

The park bench, where the golden afternoon sunlight mingled with cool blue shadows, came into view. That’s when I noticed someone sitting there.

(That woman—)

Honey-blonde hair glimmered in the slanting sunlight. Even just sitting there, she exuded an elegant, glamorous aura… an American woman I’d seen before as a customer at Matsuneko Tei.

The blonde woman was holding a collared cat on her lap.

Its round, chubby face and sturdy build reminded me a bit of Piroshki. The cat’s silver fur, accented with black tiger stripes on its limbs and swirling marble patterns on its back, was striking. If I recalled correctly, it was an American Shorthair.

“Oh my. We meet again, cute little shop clerk.”

She greeted me as if it were a happy coincidence, but I couldn’t help feeling wary.

I don’t believe in coincidences. When something happens twice, there’s always a reason. Which meant there was a chance this woman had been waiting here for me.

There wasn’t a single hint of danger in the woman’s demeanor as she held the cat. But I knew better than to trust appearances.

In the underworld, hiding one’s true nature is as natural as breathing. After all, I hadn’t realized Akira’s true identity as an assassin for quite a while.

“Who… are you?”

I stopped about two meters away and asked quietly.

“My name is Rosalie Fairchild—but for now, you may call me Pem blade, the eldest sister of Gaia.”

Her entire body was relaxed, down to her fingertips, yet ready to spring into action with peak agility at any moment. My nerves were honed to a razor’s edge, cool as ice, prepared to counter any move this woman, who called herself Pem blade, might make.

She simply wore a soft smile, devoid of any hostility or fighting spirit.

And yet, she likely knew I’d shifted into high alert. That only deepened the sense of her unfathomable depth.

The silver-furred cat leaned into her touch, its sapphire-blue eyes fixed on me.

Those round, curious, and beautiful eyes almost made my heart calm, threatening to melt away my tension.

Could this be part of Pem blade’s strategy…?

If so, this woman, a master of cats, might be a more formidable opponent than I’d ever faced. To think she’d exploit my weakness like this—

“Oh, there you are! What’re you doing, Anya?”

At that moment, Asahi’s voice approached from behind.

This was bad. If this woman was an assassin sent for me and a fight broke out here, Asahi, a civilian, could get caught in the crossfire.

“Asahi!”

I turned to warn her not to come closer, to alert her to the danger—

“Hawaaaaaah!”

A bizarre creature’s cry echoed from ahead.

Reflexively, I spun back to see Pem blade rising from the bench, still holding the cat.

But she was clearly not in a normal state.

Her face and entire body were flushed an unnatural red, practically sweating. Her pupils were dilated like a cat’s, sparkling as if countless stars shimmered within them.

Her body trembled faintly, her behavior downright erratic. The elegance and aura of strength she’d exuded earlier were gone without a trace.

Strangest of all was her half-open mouth, slack and unguarded.

An excessive amount of saliva seemed ready to spill from her lips, as if she were starving and had just been presented with her favorite food—

Pem blade’s gaze was locked straight ahead. But it felt like her focus wasn’t on me standing before her but fixed on something behind me.

“What’s wrong, Anya?”

Asahi caught up to us, tilting her head in confusion. I didn’t know how to respond.

“…Tch, that absolutely adorable young lady… who might she be?” Her voice trembled pitifully, as if she were mustering every ounce of willpower to ask. Bewildered by the stark contrast to her earlier composure, I answered.

“She’s a girl living with me due to certain circumstances.”

“P-Pardon my intrusion, but… what grade… how old is she…?”

Pem blade swallowed hard, as if confirming something of utmost importance.

“? Fifth grade, ten years old.”

“F-Fifth grade…! T-Ten years old…!”

For some reason, Pem blade’s face lit up in a trance-like expression, and she staggered backward. I could’ve sworn I saw a hint of a nosebleed beneath the hand covering her mouth. Her erratic behavior was beyond excessive.

“Anya’s friend? —Oh, hi! I’m Munakata Asahi.”

Noticing Pem blade, Asahi gave a polite greeting. Her face lit up when she saw the cat nestled in the blonde woman’s arms.

“Oh! An American Shorthair! So cute~”

“You’re the cute one.”

I thought I heard Pem blade mutter something incomprehensible over Asahi’s words. Her face, still flushed as if she had a fever, gazed at Asahi with mysteriously sparkling, teary eyes.

“…What was that?”

“N-Nothing at all… Well then, I’ll take my leave. I look forward to seeing you again, Asahi-san, Anna-san.”

Dodging my question, Pem blade turned on her heel and left. It was a remarkably swift exit.

Asahi, slightly stunned, watched the woman’s retreating figure.

“…”

I began to wonder if my initial instincts had been wrong.

At first, I’d sensed she might be someone from the same blood-soaked, murderous underworld I knew so well.

But the moment she saw Asahi, her demeanor collapsed into something utterly unhinged—frankly, a complete mess. My image of her shattered in an instant.

I couldn’t believe that was an act. If her drastic change was calculated, that would be terrifying in its own right… but to me, it seemed nothing but genuine.

“She was a beautiful lady, huh? Like a Hollywood actress.”

“Her identity’s still a mystery, but… shall we head home, Asahi?”

A peculiar but seemingly harmless American. That was the impression Pem blade left, despite the lingering questions.

But at that moment, a faint unease brushed against my back like a stray breeze.

(She said…)

Something she’d said as she left snagged in my mind.

I hadn’t given her my name, and Asahi had only called me Anya in her presence. Yet Pem blade had called me by my real name, Anna.

Of course, someone knowledgeable about Russian names could deduce it from a nickname. This alone wasn’t enough to draw conclusions.

I glanced once more in the direction Pem blade had gone.

The blonde foreigner and her silver-furred cat were nowhere to be seen.

That afternoon, after the long rains had lifted, I, Rosalie Fairchild, also known as Pem blade, was preparing for the arrival of my target.

I’d received a report fifty-two minutes ago from Deino—my “sister”—linked to U.S. military satellites monitoring the ground, that Russian Assassin Girl, Anna Gratskaya, had passed through the gates of Toribane Girls’ High School. Apparently, she was taking a different route home than usual.

I analyzed the route between her current location and her home, pinpointing this Hiyodori Bridge Park as the optimal rendezvous point.

I sat on a bench along the park’s walkway connecting the east and west sides, stroking the head and back of my dear cat, Sylvie, who was basking happily in the rare sunlight, waiting for the moment.

The groundwork had already been laid at the cat café Matsuneko Tei the other day.

A second meeting with a striking foreigner in such a short time would surely make even the densest target sense something significant. It should provoke her to reveal her true nature and potential, hidden behind her usual caution.

In our world, where life and death shift by the second, and in a modern age where everything is networked, roundabout probing is pointless. I wanted conclusions swiftly, smartly, and elegantly.

My goal wasn’t to engage the target in combat, but in negotiations, it was crucial to demonstrate that we, the American CIA, held the upper hand, fully grasping her every move with our vast organizational power.

If Anna proved to be a bit hot-headed, I wouldn’t mind a light spar to show her the gap in our abilities. Sometimes, a whip speaks louder than words.

“Here she comes, Anna-san.”

As expected, the target followed my calculated route and appeared in the park.

Now, it was time to enter a one-on-one negotiation stage as planned—but then.

“Oh, there you are! What’re you doing, Anya?”

I thought I heard a zakyuuuun sound somewhere.

The heavenly sound of my heart being pierced by an invisible bullet of love.

In that moment, my vision… my very soul was consumed by a blinding white light. No, it was purified.

An angel had descended.

This angel, instead of white wings, wore a light purple backpack.

I, shamefully, forgot my mission entirely.

My one and only weakness, if I may say so, is that when I fall in love, all my thoughts grind to a halt.

However, my targets of affection are limited to beautiful girls under twelve.

Thus, the odds of falling into such a trap are low. But the lovely, sweet angel before me was perfectly in my strike zone.

Her lustrous, pristine black hair made me swoon just imagining its silky touch. Her almond-shaped eyes weren’t just beautiful—they radiated strength of will. Like black pearls glimmering at the bottom of a southern sea, they drew in my soul. Truly, the mystery of the East.

Her delicate, fragile limbs and slender body, free of unsightly fat, with faintly visible ribs, were perfectly balanced, as if crafted by a god.

Most precious of all was the fleeting, sacred glow that would never return… the budding, almost imperceptible curves of a girl’s—no, no, my thoughts are glitching!

Who was this transcendent beauty who appeared out of nowhere, and what was she to Anna, my target…?

My entire mind was consumed by a single desire to know.

“Anya’s friend? —Oh, hi! I’m Munakata Asahi.”

Asahi, meaning Rising Sun. A name perfectly suited for an angel from the land of the rising sun.

The destructive power of the words “fifth grade” hit me hard. I desperately held back a nosebleed from the overwhelming excitement. My chaotic brain looped like a virus-riddled program.

The investigation into the target’s background was supposed to be complete.

The owner of the 3LDK apartment she lived in was a Japanese woman named Munakata Yogiri, with no prior connection to the target. A clean civilian with no history of military or espionage activities, and no traces of illegal financial dealings. Thus, her ties to the underworld were deemed negligible.

The only notable detail was that Yogiri was remarried, her former husband a Russian who died in an accident abroad. But that was long before the target’s birth, with no apparent causal link.

The target being a second-year student at Toribane Girls’ High School was also confirmed, placing her outside my strike zone. There was no risk of a honey trap derailing my mission.

Thus, Asahi-san’s appearance was a completely unforeseen accident.

If Asahi-san were three years older, there’d be no issue. But I’d been critically struck in my weak spot.

Desperately regaining my composure, I chose a tactical retreat. Pretending calm, I reluctantly pulled away from Anna-san and her companions.

“Oh, what a cruel fate… to think I’d fall in love in this far eastern land.”

In a suite at the most prestigious hotel in the prefectural capital, thirty minutes by car from the target’s town.

Back at my headquarters, I calmed my nerves with an Irish coffee laced with whiskey and heavy cream.

Unless I could quell this burning love, regaining my full capabilities as an agent would be difficult.

For now, I had no choice but to entrust the mission to my elite subordinates… my soul sisters.

“I’m counting on you… Enyo-san, Persis-san.”

After sending the message, I let out another heated sigh into the night, holding my smartphone.

Sylvie, lounging on a fluffy feather pillow on the bed, yawned as if exasperated by me.

That night, after meeting the strange foreigner, it was time for my usual bath with Munakata Asahi.

“Come to think of it, it’s been almost three months since you came to stay. Is it okay not to go back home?”

I brought up something that had been on my mind, prompted by something Akira had once mentioned.

“What’s that, all formal all of a sudden?”

Sitting across from me in the bathtub, surrounded by steam.

Asahi furrowed her brow suspiciously through the white vapor.

“No, I just thought… you must have family matters or obligations.”

“It’s fine. I’m always in touch with Mom, and I stop by home after school when I need to.”

A small splash sounded in the steam. Asahi dipped the lower half of her face into the water, leaving only her nose and eyes visible, staring up at me.

“I see.”

If she said it was fine, there wasn’t much more to say.

Come to think of it, Asahi always acted perfectly normal when she was with me. She never looked troubled or distressed.

“I mean, if I left, you’d be in trouble, right, Anya?”

Asahi, who’d been playing with bubbles from her breath, lifted her face from the water to say that. Her bath-flushed face wore a mischievous grin.

“So, what if I said I wanted to go home tomorrow?”

She said it in a teasing tone. I considered it seriously.

Parting with Asahi—yes, that day would surely come eventually.

Our cohabitation was a temporary arrangement, balanced on a delicate thread. It wouldn’t be strange for it to end suddenly for some reason.

We weren’t family; no matter how close we grew, we were still strangers. That fact existed independently of my attachment to this life. If Asahi made that choice, I’d have to respect it.

“What’s to do? I, a stranger, have no reason to stop you.”

As I answered, Asahi stared at my face for a moment.

I couldn’t read her thoughts from her expression.

“Kidding! Geez, Anya, you always take things so seriously—time to shampoo!”

Asahi laughed brightly and climbed out of the tub first.

The rainy sky was covered in gray clouds again, and the rain that started last night continued relentlessly outside the window.

During lunch break, I, Anna Gratskaya, ate with my classmates as usual, our desks pushed together.

The lunch Asahi packed for me was a sandwich with salty spam, sliced raw onions, and scrambled eggs. Simple ingredients, yet deliciously satisfying.

Across from me, Kohana ate her bento quietly, unusually silent and distracted. She didn’t seem to have much appetite either.

“What’s up, Kohana? You seem out of it today. Not joining the conversation much.”

It wasn’t just me who noticed; Takesato Eri, sipping a smoothie next to me, seemed to pick up on it too.

“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

“Kohacchi, wanna bet I can guess? You’re thinking about someone you like, right?”

Umeda Sayaka, sitting next to Kohana, grinned meaningfully.

“Huh?”

“And that someone’s me, right? Come on, fess up!”

Sayaka pulled Kohana into a hug, pressing their heads together and bursting into laughter. Kohana, tickled, shrank back, laughing too.

“We’re eating, Umechan!”

“No way, absolutely not. Even if I were a guy, I probably couldn’t see you as a girl, Ume.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Eri, you’ve got no eye for women!”

Smiling wryly at the usual Ume-Take banter, Kohana glanced at the rain-streaked window.

“It might’ve been my imagination, but… this morning, I thought I heard a kitten meowing near the back of the temple I always pass by. It was really faint, so I’m not even sure I heard it.”

Her unexpected reply made Sayaka, who’d been joking, turn serious.

“I was in a rush not to be late, so I didn’t check, but… what if it was an abandoned kitten or one separated from its mother?”

“Oh, so that’s what’s been eating at you?”

“Yeah… I kinda regret not looking more closely, even if it meant being late.”

“You love cats, don’t you, Kohana? Gonna rescue it if you find it?”

Listening to their conversation, I put my empty lunchbox back in my bag.

“Kohana, tell me where that was. I’ll go check before lunch break ends.”

“Huh, Anya, you will?”

I nodded.

If it was a weakened kitten, the rain stealing its body heat could be dangerous. If it needed rescuing, sooner was better.

“If I can’t find it, we’ll assume it was your imagination and let it go. Holding onto that kind of regret isn’t good.”

My thoughts were partly influenced by hearing about Mo-san at Kohana’s house the other day.

Kohana was my friend. I didn’t want her to spend her days weighed down by painful thoughts, and I genuinely wanted to help if I could.

“…Thanks, Anya. I’ll come with you.”

My words seemed to solidify Kohana’s resolve. She packed her bento and stood.

“Seriously, you’re going out now? It’s pouring!”

“Yeah… I want to clear this up.”

“Alright, off you go. Why not skip afternoon classes while you’re at it?”

Kohana and I left through the school’s back gate, umbrellas up, and started walking through the rain.

The gray, misty scenery was eerily quiet, with only the sound of rain on our umbrellas and Kohana’s breathing beside me.

We reached the temple, a few minutes’ walk from Toribane Girls’ High School, and entered its cemetery grounds.

Peering into the depths of the shrubbery, I strained my ears. But the relentless patter of rain drowned out all other sounds in a watery haze.

It reminded me of a time when tear gas blinded me, forcing me to face an enemy relying solely on hearing. Pinpointing their position from faint footsteps and breaths, I managed to take down the pursuers and survive.

My ears, sharpened by such battles, wouldn’t miss even the smallest sound amidst the rain.

“—There, Kohana.”

I caught a faint, weak meow from the ten o’clock direction. As I headed toward it, Kohana hurried to follow.

Behind the gravestone, there was a concrete wall marking the cemetery’s boundary. Between the wall and the grave, weeds grew wild in an empty patch of land.

“Ah—”

At the spot we looked down upon, there was a single tiny cat.

Its body was almost entirely white, with only its short tail marked by black and brown patterns. It crouched on the grass, letting out a hoarse mew that sounded more like a puppy’s whimper. Both eyelids were sealed shut, glued together by a mass of eye gunk. Dried, hardened snot crusted its face, and it stayed perfectly still, unmoving.

No, it was probably too weak to move at all. Even through its matted fur, its bones jutted out, sharp and knobby. There wasn’t a trace of the round, catlike form you’d expect. The moment I saw it, I could see tears welling up in Kohana’s eyes.

“Anya, wait here. I’m gonna run to the convenience store nearby and grab a towel.”

As Kohana dashed off, I checked the cat’s condition again.

It was definitely frail, but its fur was dry, with little sign of being soaked by the rain.

The reason was clear soon enough. A vinyl umbrella, spread open, lay on the grass, shielding the kitten from the rain. Had some passerby left it there?

Kohana returned in a few minutes. She gently lifted the kitten, wrapping it in the bath towel she’d bought, then tucked the bundled cat into a convenience store plastic bag.

“Grandpa said he’d bring the car, so I’m taking this little one to the vet right away. I’ll stop by home first, so tell Eri and the others I said hi.”

“Got it.”

I picked up the vinyl umbrella that had been protecting the cat from the rain and folded it. As I did, a faint whiff of vanilla essence brushed my nose. It seemed to linger on the umbrella’s handle.

“Oh, that smells nice… Maybe it’s perfume from whoever left the umbrella?”

“It’s been raining since morning. Without this umbrella, the kitten might not have made it.”

“They must’ve been a kind person who loves cats, huh?”

Kohana’s expression softened. The lingering weight from the morning seemed to lift, and her relief was palpable. Now, it was up to the kitten’s will to survive.

I parted ways with Kohana and headed back to school. Fifth period had already started, but after explaining the situation, I got a light warning and took my seat. Kohana, who’d dropped the kitten off at home, arrived in class about thirty minutes later than me.

By afternoon, the rain had stopped, and rays of sunlight peeked through thinning clouds for the first time since yesterday.

When the final bell rang for homeroom, the classroom filled with the carefree energy of students ready to head home.

Kohana, who’d been reading a message from her mom, looked up from her smartphone screen with a bright smile.

“They said the kitten’s blood tests came back clear of any major illnesses. The eye gunk’s pretty bad, and it’s weak, so it’ll take time to recover, but still.”

“Good to hear. If its life’s safe, that’s what matters.”

We headed toward the shoe lockers through the crowded hallway filled with students leaving for the day. That’s when I sensed something unusual.

From up ahead, I could hear the excited chatter of students.

“Whoa, total gyaru vibes… Is she someone’s friend? What school’s she from?”

“That uniform—could it be from an American school? Kinda cosplay-ish, but super hot!”

“She’s gorgeous, total eye candy. That style just looks way cooler on her than on Japanese girls, right?”

A crowd had gathered near the entrance. At its center stood a girl in boots, surrounded by curious students forming a ring.

She was a tall foreigner with long, vibrant signal-red hair. She looked a bit older than me, maybe eighteen or nineteen.

Her glamorous figure was accentuated by a boldly open-collared, uniform-style blouse and tie. Her gingham-check skirt was daringly short, barely covering her toned hips. Her healthy, wheat-colored skin and large green eyes gave off a bold, energetic vibe.

Amid the sea of stares, the girl, who’d been idly gazing at the sky with a bored expression, suddenly noticed me. Her glossy, lip-glossed lips curved into a smirk.

“Oh, finally found ya!”

The girl strode toward me with long, confident steps, closing the distance in an instant. That familiar scent of vanilla essence wafted softly to my nose.

“You’re Anya-chin, right? Anna Gratskaya, straight outta Irkutsk, Siberia.”

And just like that, she lobbed a lightning-fast, straight pitch with disarming ease.

Like circuits connecting in an instant, everything clicked into place.

Irkutsk—the location of the organization I’d escaped from. She already knew I’d been part of it.

That woman who called herself Pem blade before—she was from the underworld, someone who knew my past. And this red-haired girl was her ally. I’d been caught in some unknown current long before I realized it.

“Who are you?”

“Oh, my bad, jumping in like that. Just call me Enyo, ’kay?”

To my silent stare, the girl introduced herself in fluent, playful Japanese.

Enyo. In Greek mythology, it’s the name of an immortal witch meaning “strife.”

She’s the younger sister of Pem blade, the witch of “evil,” and together with another sister, they’re known as the Graeae.

I’d looked into Pem blade’s name last night and stumbled across this lore.

If these women were likening themselves to the three witch sisters, the Graeae, then there was likely at least one more—either Deino or Persis, depending on the myth.

“Um… Enyo-san, is that right? Could it be… you’re the one who left the umbrella for that stray kitten at the temple?”

Kohana, standing beside me, looked up at Enyo and joined the conversation. Indeed, the vanilla scent on that umbrella matched the one drifting from the girl in front of us.

Enyo’s long-lashed green eyes blinked in surprise before turning to Kohana.

“Yeah, that was me, but…?”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

Kohana suddenly grabbed Enyo’s hands with both of hers.

“Wha—hold up—”

“Because of that umbrella, we got the kitten to the vet in time. So, thank you!”

Kohana’s face lit up with a radiant glow.

It wasn’t like she was literally shining, but her smile was so dazzling I couldn’t help but want to look away. Maybe that’s just the instinct of someone like me, who’s lived in the shadows.

Enyo, on the other hand, seemed frozen in place, caught off guard by Kohana’s pure, unfiltered gratitude.

“Uh, it’s not a big deal… Just a whim, y’know? Nothing worth thanking me over.”

“No way. Even if it was a whim, it was still your kindness that saved that kitten.”

Enyo tried to brush it off coolly, but Kohana’s enthusiasm didn’t waver. Faced with that flower-like smile, Enyo gave a wry grin, as if surrendering.

“Anya-chin’s friend?”

“Oh, yes! I’m Matsukaze Kohana.”

“Got it, Kohana-chi, huh? But, like, I just left an umbrella and called it a day, right? That’s not really saving it.”

“But if it wasn’t for that umbrella…”

“That cat was filthy and half-dead, and taking it to a vet sounded like a hassle. I only did it ‘cause I didn’t wanna feel like crap later for ignoring it. It’s just selfish ‘kindness,’ y’know? Totally different from the real deal like you, Kohana-chi. So, the one who saved that cat was you, not me.”

“Hmm, but still…”

“Nope, convo’s done! Let’s talk about something fun instead. What’s your favorite Häagen-Dazs flavor?”

Enyo grabbed Kohana’s hands tightly with both of hers. This time, it was Kohana’s turn to blush shyly.

Watching the two of them banter with smiles, I felt a strange sensation stir in my chest.

It wasn’t outright discomfort or pain, but a vague, suffocating unease. Anxiety, maybe—or something closer to impatience.

Enyo, who came from the same dark world as my past, was now chatting warmly with Kohana, a resident of the everyday life I now lived.

I chalked it up to a defensive instinct.

“Enyo. You came here to see me, didn’t you?”

Unable to stand by any longer, I finally cut in between them.

Enyo turned to me, flashing a knowing grin, as if she’d sensed something. That smile, for some reason, felt like a jab to my chest.

“Yup, you’re right. Wanna head up to the roof since the rain’s stopped?”

“…Fine.”

“Catch ya later, Kohana-chi!”

Enyo winked at Kohana before turning and heading up the stairs.

I followed her but glanced back once. Seeing Kohana’s puzzled expression as she looked up at me, that uneasy feeling crept back.

“Sorry, I need to talk to Enyo about some old business. It shouldn’t take long, so feel free to head home if you want.”

“Oh, she’s your acquaintance? Okay, I’ll wait here then.”

I nodded to Kohana, who waved cheerfully, before turning my gaze back to Enyo’s retreating figure.

The clunk of her boots echoed as we reached the door to the rooftop.

A lukewarm breeze, heavy with post-rain humidity, swept in. Enyo and I passed through the door one after the other, stepping onto the rooftop dotted with puddles.

Under a sky scattered with clouds, I faced the visitor head-on.

Enyo’s red hair fluttered in the strong afternoon breeze, her expression one of amused curiosity as she studied me.

“I’ll cut to the chase. Tell me your affiliation and why you’re approaching me.”

No preamble needed—I went straight for the jugular, my voice sharp, leaving no room for lies or evasion.

“Affiliation’s the CIA, paramilitary division, to be precise. Mission objective: recruiting you, Anna-chin.”

“…Recruiting?”

The CIA, of all things, caught me off guard, but her next words were even more baffling.

“Yup. Straight-up question—wanna join our team, the Graeae, and work with us? We’ve got deep pockets and solid backing for protection. You’re on the run from some nasty organization, right?”

Enyo laid out her pitch in a casual, relaxed tone, with no hint of malice or deception.

But my answer was already set in stone.

“I refuse. I’m never going back to that dark world.”

To reclaim the emotions I’d lost as a person, to live an ordinary life with the cat—

That wish, entrusted to me by Yuki, had become my life’s mission.

Days of blood and slaughter were behind me. If living means moving toward the future, then my past has no place in it.

“Figured you’d say that!”

Enyo’s lips curled into a playful smile. Her green eyes glinted with a mischievous spark as she looked at me.

“But here’s the thing—it’s not really up to you, Anna-chin. It’s Pem-nee who decides.”

“Don’t act like you call the shots. Bring Pem blade here. I’ll settle this with her directly.”

“Oh, Pem-nee’s kinda… dealing with a bad flare-up of her ‘condition’ right now, so she’s cooling off. I’m here as her stand-in, but I suck at negotiating. As my codename suggests, I’m more about getting physical.”

Enyo’s probing attitude was starting to grate on my nerves.

“If you’re her proxy, then you’ll do. I’ve got Kohana waiting downstairs—let’s end this quick. Make your move.”

“Huh, didn’t peg you as the aggressive type.”

Despite my provocation, Enyo’s reaction didn’t change.

“Or… are you just jealous?”

Her next words hit me like a bolt from the blue.

My mind went blank. If it was a bluff to throw me off, it worked perfectly.

But Enyo didn’t move, just kept watching me with that amused look.

“…What are you talking about?”

“Back there, when Kohana-chi and I were hitting it off, you were getting all possessive, right? I’m super sensitive to people’s stares, so I totally felt it. She’s cute and seems like such a sweetheart, doesn’t she?”

Enyo threw another sharp, direct jab, catching me off balance.

Her words sounded like a joke, but… they froze my heart in an instant.

Not logic, but emotion, was reacting to what she said.

“…Jealous? Possessive? Me?”

“Oh, you didn’t even realize? Wow, Anna-chin, you’re super pure too. I’m kinda into both you and Kohana-chi now.”

While Enyo laughed carelessly, I was being forced to confront my own feelings.

I thought back to just a few minutes ago, downstairs.

Watching Kohana talk happily with Enyo, a dark emotion had spread through my chest, like an ink stain.

The happier Kohana seemed, the more that feeling grew. When Enyo grabbed Kohana’s hands, it hit me with a suffocating pain.

I’d thought it was my instincts warning me of danger to Kohana… but could it really have been just jealousy over how close they were getting?

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve never felt anything like that.”

The moment I blurted it out, my words turned into a bullet aimed at myself.

The shock hit me like a shot to the heart, leaving me stunned.

The old me didn’t even have emotions like jealousy or possessiveness. Years of mind control had cut me off from all feelings, including those.

So it made sense that I wouldn’t recognize this new emotion sprouting inside me, right?

“Oh, really? So… if I asked Kohana-chi out on a date, you’d be cool with that?”

“Wha—”

Enyo’s wildly out-of-place comeback left me speechless.

“See, you just made a face like you hate the idea. You don’t want me, someone you just met, to steal Kohana-chi, do you?”

I tried to argue, but no words came out.

Did that mean my emotions were agreeing with her? My mind was a mess, and I couldn’t even understand my own heart.

“Shut up. I’ve already told you I won’t join you. This conversation’s over.”

“Sure, that topic’s done, but the question of who gets Kohana-chi is still on the table, right?”

With a gleeful smile, Enyo casually stepped closer.

“You don’t wanna keep Kohana-chi waiting too long, do you? How about a quick game to settle it? Winner gets to ask her out on a date.”

The word “game” triggered my instincts.

Enyo stopped just inches away, her face close enough to feel her presence. The sweet scent of vanilla essence made my heart race.

“That’s a ridiculous joke.”

“Oh, it’s a joke to you, Anna-chin? Guess that means I’m the one who’s serious about Kohana-chi.”

I knew it was a stupid taunt, but some part of me couldn’t resist. I met Enyo’s gaze head-on.

“Fine, I’ll end this. If I win, you stay away from me and Kohana.”

“Sweet, that’s the spirit! How about this game?”

Enyo held out her open left hand.

“We hold our hands close, just barely not touching, and get ready. The moment we shake hands, that’s the start. First one to touch the other’s body with their free hand wins.”

A reflex game, then. Simple rules, clear outcome.

“Understood.”

I extended my open left hand, holding it a few centimeters from Enyo’s palm.

“Ready—”

I steadied my breathing, relaxing the muscles from my back to my shoulders. My eyes scanned Enyo’s entire body, ready to catch any hint of movement.

Our hands touched. Without hesitation, we gripped each other’s.

“GO!”

Slap.

By the time I felt the light tap on my temple, the game was already over.

“…What?”

“Oops, did you let your guard down?”

Enyo’s green eyes sparkled as she waved her right hand teasingly in front of me.

Our left hands were still clasped tightly, meaning the game had started fairly. The simple truth was that Enyo had landed the first hit.

Before I could even react, her right hand had already reached my face.

A cold sweat broke out, soaking my back.

“…Seems like it. One more time, with the other hand.”

“Sure thing.”

This time, we raised our right hands, keeping them a few centimeters apart.

“Ready—”

Every nerve in my body sharpened to peak focus. I studied Enyo’s tanned skin, tracking every muscle twitch beneath it.

“GO!”

Our right hands clasped.

Time seemed to surge forward in a flash of light, then freeze solid.

In that stretched, slow-motion-like moment of heightened focus…

(No way—)

I saw despair in Enyo’s left hand, already nearing my neck.

In a fraction of a second, her terrifying speed had begun. In a realm of spinal reflexes faster than conscious thought, Enyo had outpaced me twice, despite my full alertness.

(This speed… is she a beast?!)

Enyo’s green eyes blazed before me, her pupils dilated like a nocturnal predator’s in the dark.

My reflexes, honed by years of brutal training, were something I’d always trusted in.

But Enyo’s speed—no, her feral velocity—was on a level I couldn’t even compete with. She was a born monster, surpassing the limits of human training.

I was going to lose—that thought sparked my body into action, moving beyond conscious control.

I twisted our clasped right hands, aiming to snap her wrist joint. Enyo reacted, twisting her body to escape the lock. I launched a backward right kick in the direction of her movement.

A sharp thwack rang out as the impact hit, and time resumed.

My counter-kick stopped just beside Enyo’s face. Her own palm, turned outward, blocked the space between my school shoe and her temple.

Her left hand had shifted into a perfect guard in an instant.

“Ow! Kicks are cheating, Anna-chin!”

Enyo shook her reddened palm, pouting in protest.

“Sorry… I lost.”

The result was clear. Worse, I’d resorted to a desperate, rule-breaking counterattack. As a warrior, it was a disgrace.

“Alrighty! As the winner, I’m using my prize to order you, Anna-chin, to ask Kohana-chi out on a date!”

The bitter sting of defeat vanished in an instant, blown away by Enyo’s words.

Beaming, she pointed at me dramatically and declared it.

“…What? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“That last move—you went all out ’cause you didn’t wanna lose for Kohana-chi’s sake, right? If you’re that serious, I’m totally rooting for you!”

Enyo was all grins, while I was utterly bewildered.

Why my body had moved in that moment—I didn’t even know myself.

“No, I didn’t mean it like—”

Wham! My shoulders were slapped hard, jolting my heart.

Stunned, I felt Enyo’s hands on my shoulders as she leaned in close. The thick, sweet scent enveloped me, and I couldn’t help myself but swallow hard.

“No whining, girl! Be honest with your feelings!”

“…”

Her attitude, as if cheering up a close friend, didn’t seem at all like that of a CIA operative. The beastly glint in her eyes from earlier was completely gone, and her green eyes sparkled with an almost innocent charm.

“Right now, Anna-chin might be that girl’s best friend… but if you let your guard down, Kohana-cchi might just end up with someone else as her number one, you know?”

And then, Enyo’s whisper in my ear hit me like a bomb going off. The dim, murky emotion I’d only just acknowledged began to tighten my chest, making it hard to breathe.

“Alrighty, it’s a promise then! Say hi to Kohana-cchi for me!”

Enyo waved her hand and dashed toward the fence on the opposite side of the rooftop’s tower.

With a single leap, she grabbed the top of the chain-link fence. In the next moment, to my disbelief, she vaulted over it and launched herself into the empty air.

The school courtyard was about twenty meters below. It seemed like nothing short of a suicide jump, but at that moment, the roar of rotors echoed, and a large drone swooped in. She latched onto it mid-air, securing her weight to a harness dangling from the craft.

The remotely piloted aircraft, moving with UFO-like erratic maneuvers, vanished into the distance. It seemed Enyo had backup watching her every move.

“…What a one-sided woman.”

Left in the wake of Enyo’s storm, I could only stand there, dumbfounded.

True to her word, Kohana was waiting for me at the school’s entrance. She seemed curious about why Enyo hadn’t come down with me, but I managed to dodge the question with some vague explanation.

We walked side by side along the rain-soaked riverbank path toward the station.

It was the usual route home, but today felt a little different. I couldn’t help but be hyper-aware of Kohana walking next to me.

(She told me to ask her on a date…)

Naturally, I’d never had the experience of hanging out with a friend one-on-one. It was just like that time with the parfait recipe. Being told to do something I had no clue about only left me bewildered.

There was a frustration in letting Enyo’s provocation get to me. But at the same time, the bombshell she’d whispered before leaving was pushing me forward.

(Hang out… but where? To do what?)

When I circled back to the basics, a memory flashed in my mind like divine inspiration—a conversation with Asahi Hina. The promise we’d put off for so long, to go have fun in Tokyo together.

“Kohana, have you ever been to Tokyo?”

“Huh? Nope, never. It’s got this kinda scary vibe, like it’s a whole different world from back home.”

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. Then I steeled my resolve.

“This Saturday… want to go hang out together?”

I blurted it out, keeping my eyes forward. I could feel Kohana’s gaze on my profile, and my heart, which I thought I’d calmed, started racing wildly.

“To Tokyo? With Anya?”

“Uh… well, not just the two of us, of course. Asahi’s coming too.”

In my growing panic, my tone came out sounding like an excuse. My sense of composure had gone completely AWOL.

“Sure, sounds fun!”

Despite my anxiety, Kohana’s response was a bright smile and an enthusiastic reply.

I let out a sigh of relief. The tension I’d felt, even more intense than during my showdown with Enyo, finally began to ease.

“Anya, is there somewhere you want to go?”

“Uh, no… not really. I just remembered Asahi saying she wanted to go to Tokyo for a while now.”

I ended up using Asahi’s name as a convenient shield. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was dodging something.

“Hmm… Tokyo, huh…”

As we walked along the rain-dampened path, Kohana murmured as if recalling something.

“Oh, I saw this gourmet special on TV the other day. There’s this crepe shop in Harajuku that looked super cute and delicious.”

“Crepes, huh… got it.”

I mentally jotted down crepes in my head while imagining the yet-unseen sights of Tokyo.

“Oh!”

Suddenly, Kohana’s cheerful voice rang out, and her footsteps stopped.

Her gaze was fixed on the rain-cleared sky.

“Look, Anya! Over there!”

She grinned innocently, pointing her index finger toward the dimming southern sky.

Following her gesture, I looked up and saw a radiant bridge of seven colors arcing across the sky.

“It’s so pretty!”

Just as Kohana’s delighted words suggested, it was breathtakingly beautiful and grand—yet it felt so distant, almost unattainable.

To me, right now, Kohana’s presence beside me felt far closer than the rainbow in the sky.

Thinking about her made my chest ache strangely. It forced me to confront the fragile, insignificant part of myself that trembled at the thought of someone else.

The shadowy, aimless emotion Enyo’s appearance had forced me to recognize… I wished I could’ve stayed ignorant of it forever. But I’d already come face-to-face with it.

Under the rainbow watching over the rain-cleared dusk, on the path home.

Kohana and I walked side by side, our blue shadows swaying gently on the puddles beneath us.

Nine o’clock at night. The starry sky peeked faintly through gaps in the clouds, a glossy, matte black.

On the wide riverbank, the sound of shoes crunching grass approached from beneath the iron bridge, where the hum of passing cars echoed overhead.

The figure that appeared was a tall girl in a black hooded parka.

She wore a ferocious-looking heavy metal band T-shirt, denim hot pants, and sneakers on bare feet. Multiple piercings in her right ear glinted under the streetlights.

Beneath her fluorescent green and pink streaked bangs, a sharp gaze pierced forward.

“You the one who dragged me out to this middle-of-nowhere dump?”

Before the girl—Heifeng, the assassin—stood another girl waiting under the bridge.

She, too, had black hair and wore all black, but her vibe was entirely different.

Her elegant yet decadent gothic fashion featured cross motifs, reminiscent of mourning attire, with a long-skirted dress. Her neatly trimmed short bob and the eyepatch covering her left eye were striking.

“Indeed, that would be me. You may call me Persis. I’ve gone to the trouble of inviting you, Heifeng-sama, to join our independent CIA paramilitary team, Gaia.”

Persis delivered her formal greeting with a graceful bow. In response, Heifeng spat on the ground in disgust.

“I don’t give a damn about your schemes. The only reason I’m here is ’cause you claim to know where that damn white-haired maid is.”

The message Heifeng received from Gaia detailed her precise profile and recent activities—the death of her employer in Tokyo and the fact that she’d fought a Russian girl involved in that assassination.

It also included Gaia’s intent to form exclusive contracts with both parties. That was why this town, where the Russian girl reportedly lived, was chosen as the meeting point.

“Of course, we have no objections to arranging a meeting with Anna Gratskaya-sama. However, we hope to welcome both of you as teammates for future collaboration. We’d rather you didn’t start killing each other over past grudges. So, we’re asking to proceed step-by-step to confirm your intentions.”

“Don’t get it twisted. I ain’t after her for revenge. It’s the other assassin she was working with that I want.”

Heifeng’s eyes flared with murderous intent. She took a deep breath, as if chewing on her inner regret.

“I’m gonna make the one who killed my boss pay. That’s why I even bothered showing up to your shitty invitation. Now tell me where that damn maid is, eyepatch hag.”

As Heifeng ranted, Persis, who’d been listening with a blank expression, let out a deep sigh.

“Haa… I really drew the short straw this time. Getting stuck with a pathetic loser like you already tanked my motivation, but to think you’re a trashy woman with manners worse than a filthy mutt—”

Though her tone retained a veneer of politeness, her voice had shifted entirely, dripping with unconcealed disdain and contempt.

A vein bulged on Heifeng’s forehead. She gritted her teeth, barely swallowing her rage. She’d resolved to act cautiously until she got the information she needed.

Marjorie Wong, the Hong Kong mafia woman, wasn’t just Heifeng’s boss—she was the older lover Heifeng had entrusted her heart to amidst her brutal, blood-soaked days.

But she was dead. Heifeng’s mistake, getting caught up in a personal fight and leaving her guard post, had allowed an assassin to take her out. That regret still tormented Heifeng, months later.

That’s why, no matter the humiliation, she’d endure it until she could exact revenge on the other assassin who killed her lover—Heifeng swore this to herself.

“Listen up, you garbage-souled, loser bitch. The moment you caught the eye of us, backed by Uncle Sam, you had no choices or negotiating rights to begin with. Be grateful and lick the boots of me and my sisters, you pathetic wretch—”

Persis’s right cheek was grazed by a fist that sliced through the air.

A second ago, that fist had been aimed straight at her face. Persis dodged with a hair’s-breadth head-slip, faint smoke rising from her skin due to the friction.

“Tch… I was gonna play nice ’til I got the info I needed, but oh well, what’s done is done~”

The distance between them had been about five meters. But with a single kick, Heifeng obliterated that gap, her explosive step-in and speed beyond ordinary.

After swinging her fist, Heifeng used the momentum to spin like a tornado, quickly facing Persis, who’d sidestepped to create distance.

“Good grief. Short-tempered, thoughtless, and too dim to even analyze her own strength… You’re nothing but a useless mutt, unfit for any purpose.”

Facing Heifeng, who’d crouched for a follow-up attack, Persis showed no sign of panic, sneering coldly. A shark-like, predatory grin spread across her pale, bloodless face.

“That said, this is exactly the flow I wanted. Recruiting a second-rate like you was always a joke to me. If I dispose of you as a failed negotiation, my sisters will surely forgive me, won’t they?”

“Keep yapping, you piece of shit!”

Kicking off the ground fiercely, Heifeng lunged again. Her forward-leaning charge was like a fired bullet.

“Good grief, isn’t there a limit to how unoriginal you can be?”

No matter how confident she was in her speed, it was a recklessly straightforward attack. Especially since Persis had effortlessly dodged her surprise strike earlier. Her scorn wasn’t unwarranted.

But the moment Heifeng entered striking range, her body veered sharply to the side, darting into Persis’s blind spot on the left, where her eyepatch covered.

“—!”

Her overconfident taunts and brute-force aggression had been a setup for this moment. A trump card’s greatest effect comes from keeping it hidden until the critical strike.

At the same time, the distance closed into Heifeng’s fist range.

Her left fist, swung with centrifugal force, carried unbelievable speed despite its wide arc. The reckless abandon, risking her own shoulder joint, was Heifeng’s unique weapon.

The swift sidestep and powerful hook locked onto Persis’s right side, where her attention had been drawn left. It struck its target unerringly from the outside.

A dull thud of bone clashing echoed. But it was the creak of Persis’s right elbow, raised just in time to block.

“You damn gorilla…!”

Though she’d protected her ribs and liver, the unexpected impact twisted Persis’s face. The heavy blow shook her core, forcibly throwing off her balance.

“—Gotcha.”

The sensation of sinking her fangs into her prey’s flesh sparked a primal clarity in Heifeng’s eyes, narrowing sharply.

“SHAAAORAAAAA!!”

And so began a breathless barrage, a tornado-like onslaught that overwhelmed everything.

From here, her opponent was doomed to be swept away like a small boat in a storm.

Normally, blindly hammering a guarded opponent would only exhaust the attacker. But for Heifeng, with her exceptional stamina and core strength, that wasn’t the case.

Her brutal strategy was to keep pummeling, guard or no guard, until her opponent crumbled. Heifeng’s signature pattern, embodying raw violence, had firmly ensnared Persis.

To escape this trap, one typically had two options: overpower with greater force or counter with skillful redirection.

But the method chosen by the eyepatched agent was neither.

A flash of light and a shockwave erupted between Heifeng and Persis.

It was an explosion.

The blast came from Persis’s forearm—or rather, a small explosive hidden under her clothing. She had multiple such devices rigged on her body, which she could detonate at will.

The explosives were tiny, incapable of causing significant damage. But for emergency evasion in situations like this, they were highly effective.

“Tch—cheap tricks!”

Blinded by the sudden blast and flash, Heifeng still pursued Persis, who’d escaped with a backstep. The one advancing always had the speed advantage over the one retreating.

“—That’s why I call you a mutt.”

But a trap laced with malice awaited.

As Persis threw herself backward, planting one hand on the ground, an upward kick from a low angle pierced Heifeng’s torso—a technique seen in Japanese taido or Brazilian capoeira.

Heifeng had anticipated a counter trap and pressed forward regardless, accelerating to break through it like a beast tearing apart its prey.

Her acceleration threw off the counter’s timing, halving the kick’s power. Plus, Heifeng’s tempered body gave her a durability advantage.

Even if she took a hit unguarded, she was confident she could overpower her opponent with momentum alone. All that was left was to pin her down and rain iron fists to finish the job.

That was her certainty in that moment.

“Gah…!?”

A sudden, piercing pain froze Heifeng in place.

It was an old injury from her fight with Anna Gratskaya months ago—a rib that hadn’t fully healed. By some twist of fate, Persis’s kick had struck that exact spot.

The barely healed wound cracked anew under the fresh blow. As Heifeng dropped to one knee, a follow-up kick exploded against her face.

Blood spurting from her nose, Heifeng collapsed. Persis slithered atop her, straddling her body. Gritting her teeth against the searing pain in her ribs, Heifeng tried to shove her off and spring up.

Persis caught Heifeng’s right arm, clamping it between her legs as she fell backward. The moment Persis’s back hit the ground, Heifeng’s elbow joint made a sickening crack.

“GAAAAHHH!?”

Heifeng screamed in agony, writhing as her right arm was shattered in an armbar.

“Well, that’s one arm down. What’s next?”

Persis licked her lips with a red tongue, her sadistic smile dripping with twisted pleasure.

“You bastard…!”

As Heifeng glared up from below, a merciless elbow smashed into her face. Her right hand’s fingers were grabbed, and two were snapped at once.

Persis looked down at the writhing, screaming Heifeng with a satisfied sigh.

“Well, I’m not into animal cruelty, so shall we put this mutt out of her misery?”

From under her clothes, she drew a bowie knife, its blade glinting coldly in the night.

But the next moment, Persis released the blade. A sudden impact had knocked it from her hand.

“—!?”

Persis whipped around toward the darkness, crouching like a beast.

It wasn’t gunfire. Someone had thrown a pebble from the riverbank’s slope.

She strained her eyes but saw no one. The darkness in the sparse streetlights’ blind spots was deep, hiding whoever was there.

The silent stones were hard to dodge in the dark, thrown with enough force to cause serious harm by someone skilled. Being visible to the enemy while unable to see them was a clear disadvantage.

Dodging the second stone was pure luck. Persis rolled across the grass, turning her back to the stones and darting back under the bridge. Leaning against cover, she shouted toward the slope.

“I don’t know who you are, but you’ll regret getting involved.”

Naturally, there was no reply. Stepping out from under the bridge to where Heifeng lay would invite more stones. Persis chose to avoid pointless combat, retreating through the bridge to the other side.

The thought of that mutt—Heifeng—being doted on by her revered ‘sister’ Pem blade filled Persis with jealous rage. This failed negotiation was, in a way, exactly what she wanted.

Recalling the pig-like squeals she’d forced from Heifeng, Persis smirked with sadistic pleasure, vanishing into the night.

And so, the witches began to move—stirring storms into daily life, altering the fates of those around them.