March 21st, 3:45 PM.
The car slowly entered the parking lot. After the vehicle came to a stop, Yukinoshita Haruno glanced sideways toward the passenger seat. Her younger sister, Yukinoshita Yukino.
"You can stop here; I can walk the rest of the way by myself."
Yukinoshita Yukino adjusted the bag on her shoulder and looked out the window toward the alley directly across. From this vantage point, she could clearly see the roadside sign of the Lycoris Café standing right in the middle of the alley's entrance.
"Yukino."
Haruno called out suddenly.
Yukino, who had just opened the car door, stopped in her tracks and slightly turned her head, her tone cold and aloof.
"Is there something else?"
"Is it about transferring to Toyosaki Academy? Or about moving into the apartment?"
Haruno, sitting in the driver's seat, looked at the windshield, inhaled deeply a few times, then said, "If you can't manage, you can come back home..."
Before Haruno finished, Yukino cut in sharply, "You seem to have forgotten something."
"Eh?" Haruno was taken aback.
Yukino drew in a deep breath, then once again met her sister's eyes. This was the first time this year that their gazes locked directly.
"We are enemies."
Yukino's tone was icy as she emphasized it.
The family tradition of the Yukinoshita clan was to establish enemies, defeat enemies, surpass enemies, and by doing so to constantly transcend oneself. Among the Yukinoshita family, as sisters, the two were natural rivals when it came to inheritance rights. This was a deliberate environment cultivated by Mrs. Yukinoshita or perhaps simply a family custom passed down.
"Undoubtedly, in past competitions, I lost to you, sister. That is why I proposed living away from home during high school, and mother agreed without hesitation."
In other words, Yukino admitted her defeat to Haruno in the family's succession rights.
Compared to the sociable, always prioritizing the Yukinoshita family's interests Haruno, Yukino was socially awkward, often dressing prickly like a hedgehog in social situations—a complete failure in the family's eyes.
"But now, the place I'm going to is no longer within the Yukinoshita family's sphere of influence."
The Yukinoshita family's established sphere was the political world—the county council, landowner gentry, and the construction business forces of Chiba Prefecture.
But Yukino clearly understood that where she was headed was a path fraught with constant life-threatening dangers, off the family's established route but with a far higher growth ceiling.
This was the only opportunity she saw to overtake the older sister and Haruno, whom she had already lost to.
Compared to the Hotogi Shrine, SDS was far superior. The shrine also fell under the Yukinoshita family's influence, and Yukino was not naive. She knew Hotogi Shirayuki was closer to Haruno, not to her.
Hence, that day, she chose to join SDS.
Hearing Yukino's firm tone, although Haruno also wished the same, discomfort weighed on her mind.
"Yukino, you're so harsh... At this rate, you'll become just like Mom~"
Seeing Haruno's playful smile, Yukino frowned slightly.
"No, I don't want to become like her... No, that's not important."
She glanced at Haruno, opened the car door, and stepped out while grabbing her backpack.
"In any case, this is where you can drop me off. The rest of the matters, you don't need to worry about and aren't your responsibility."
But Haruno, behind Yukino, seemed to completely ignore her words, waving her hand and calling out.
"Remember to check in every two hours~"
"If you're harassed, be sure to use pepper spray to defend yourself. After all, Yukino, you're so adorable~~"
"Annoying," Yukino murmured softly, quickening her pace and leaving Haruno's sight.
"Welcome!!"
In a pale red kimono, Chisato Nishikigi greeted her warmly.
"What would you like to drink... oh!! Isn't that Yukino?"
Upon seeing the breathtakingly beautiful girl at the door, Chisato enthusiastically stepped forward and grabbed Yukino's hand.
"By the clock, it really is your check-in time. This afternoon, I was worried you might be late, but luckily you arrived right on time."
"Um..." Yukino, never quite comfortable with Chisato's overly enthusiastic style no matter how many times they met, felt a bit uneasy. "Is Luo Shu here?"
"He's training with Takina in the practice area. Should I take you to see him?"
Chisato released Yukino's hand, pointed toward the prep kitchen, and smiled slyly.
"Seeing you come over, I bet Luo Shu will be very happy too."
"Thanks for your help." Yukino formally bowed to Chisato, her senior.
"Mizuki, I'll take Yukino to see Luo Shu. Can you manage things here?"
"Ten minutes." Nakahara Mizuki, busy in the kitchen, didn't even look up.
"Ah! Got it! I'll hurry back to help."
"Quick, quick!"
Chisato trotted behind Yukino and gently pushed her forward.
"O-okay." Yukino continued being gently nudged onward.
Before long, the two passed through the kitchen to the corridor behind, then descended via the stairs to the basement.
Shortly after, Yukino arrived at the entrance to the underground training ground, guided by Chisato.
Before she even reached it, the unmistakable sounds of gunfire exploded—bang! bang!—like ceremonial firecrackers.
"What's that?"
"Oh? That sound is the M240's 7.62mm bullets. They're really going all out."
Hearing this, Yukino peered through the door Chisato had just opened into the training hall.
What met her eyes was a space the size of a soccer field.
Inside, Inoue Takina held a light machine gun single-handedly, expressionless behind goggles, unfazed by recoil as she repeatedly pulled the trigger.
Bright orange muzzle flashes burst from the gun's barrel, frantically sweeping toward Luo Shu's location.
Seeing this, Yukino's pupils contracted violently as she shouted:
"Danger!!"
But at that moment, indigo flames spread out, like mist rising around Luo Shu.
The bullets piercing through the mist and through Luo Shu's body made clear thuds on the ground but caused no effect to him.
"He... turned into mist..."
Yukino couldn't help but open her mouth slightly in surprise.
Is this the abnormal world?
This is what they call a sorcerer's ability?
Questions bubbled up in her heart, and instinctively she looked to Chisato, whom she regarded as an industry insider, hoping for an explanation.
Yet when she turned her head, she saw Chisato's equally shocked face.
"No way, right?"
"Plainly standing there, and the machine gun sweeps don't even work?"
Perhaps hearing their voices, Luo Shu, wielding the mist flame construct illusions, stopped moving and said to the opposite Takina Inoue:
"You can stop, Takina."
"Understood."
Takina glanced curiously at Luo Shu, whose body bore no visible wounds, feeling a twinge of envy.
Though she had also taken the Adjuster medicine, Luo Shu's current strength was clearly beyond anything the medicine alone could explain.
"Wow!!"
Chisato rushed over to Luo Shu's side as Takina ceased firing, patting his shoulders and waist excitedly.
"He's solid! Oh my god, an actual body! How did you dodge those bullets?"
"That's absolutely incredible!"
Luo Shu glanced at the lively Chisato with a helpless bite of his lip, then looked at Yukino and smiled slightly.
"Looks like you've made your choice."
"Are you ready to enter the abnormal world?"
Hearing this, Yukino fell silent for a moment, then lifted her head and met Luo Shu's gaze directly.
"I'm ready."
Luo Shu's face broke into a smile full of meaning upon hearing her unwavering voice.
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