In an underground passage in Mato, a familiar figure moved at a slow, unhurried pace, softly humming a tune. Her eyes were closed, one hand resting behind her back, as if she were strolling through a place she knew by heart.
The person—no, not entirely a person—was the same Humanoid Shuuki that had attacked Kyouka and her team. She licked her lips and swallowed a Peach whole without chewing, the fruit disappearing in a single motion as she stepped into a hidden village.
This village lay concealed beneath the surface at the outer edge of Mato. It was home to numerous women, all of whom shared the same physical mutation as her. Each one was a half-Shuuki, caught between being a human and being not.
"Ahhh, how euphoric it feels knowing my beautiful, beloved sister is here in Mato," she giggled, her voice light and almost giddy. She clasped her hands together, hopping from one foot to the other as she spun in a playful dance.
The identity of their attacker was none other than Yuko's long-missing older sister, Wakura Aoba—now unfortunately transformed into a Humanoid Shuuki.
When she escaped her battle against the Seventh Unit, something had already stirred within her. The moment she saw Yuko in her slave form up close, a certainty took hold. As she fled, the realization struck with absolute clarity. It was her. Her younger sister.
She never doubted it, not even for a second. Her instincts as an older sister had always been sharp, and they had never once led her astray.
Leaving Yuko behind had become one of Aoba's greatest regrets since the day she was taken to Mato. Though much of her humanity had already slipped away, the love she carried for her only sister had never diminished. Not even by a fraction. It burned just as fiercely as it always had, a steady flame anchored deep within her heart.
Now that she knew reunion was possible, that they could stand together again as family, her joy was beyond measure. No instrument could quantify it, no scale could contain it. If such a thing existed, it would shatter under the weight of her happiness, soaring past the digit of 9,000, perhaps even approaching infinity and beyond.
"It's Aoba-nee!"
"Oh, you're right. It really is Aoba-nee!"
"Yo, nice to see you two getting along."
"Asuka."
"Rei."
Two half-Shuuki approached her and their faces were bright with excitement as they ran up. Aoba's lips curled into a playful smile as she lifted her hand and met theirs in an enthusiastic high five before slipping easily into casual conversation. Without breaking stride, she continued walking toward her original destination.
"See you later," Aoba said with a wink.
"Take care!" Asuka and Rei called after her, beaming as they waved.
Leaving the two to their own business, Aoba leapt onto a nearby rock formation. She landed lightly on both feet at its peak, drawing in a slow breath as she allowed herself a brief moment to relax. She wasn't alone. Two women were already there, seated comfortably as if they had been waiting for her.
"You sure took your time, Aoba-nee."
"Well, a woman taking her time can be a beautiful thing in its own right."
The smaller of the two flashed a cheeky grin, while the taller one let out a soft chuckle, idly twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.
"I'll just make it up to you, Koko. Naon." Aoba responded.
Like Aoba, both Naon and Koko still retained faces that resembled their former human selves. Yet their other features told a different story. Their hands, feet, and teeth were sharper, and a single horn rose from each of their foreheads, marking the inescapable presence of their nonhuman nature.
Koko, petite in stature, had a small, delicate frame that gave her a cute appearance. Her short hair framed her face neatly, accentuating her playful expression. In contrast, Naon stood much taller, her figure more mature and striking. She carried herself with a quiet confidence, her beauty refined, her silhouette full and unmistakably voluptuous.
"So, what is it you wanted to tell us?" Naon asked, resting her cheek against her palm.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm curious too," Koko chimed in. She sprang up and climbed the nearest Peach tree with ease, perching on a branch before hooking her legs around it. Dangling upside down, she swayed slightly as she fixed her gaze on Aoba.
"I'll get to that." Aoba snapped her fingers, instantly drawing their full attention.
She began recounting everything from the start. Even though the two already knew bits and pieces about the fight she had gotten herself into, Aoba laid it all out to give them the full picture. It had begun with that strange sensation, a sudden, persistent tingling in her head that urged her forward. At the time, she had followed it without question, convinced it meant something.
It did.
That feeling had led her straight to Yuko.
What she had brushed off as instinct turned out to be a real blessing in disguise. Now she knew for certain. Yuko was within reach. All it would take was the right push.
Aoba exhaled softly before speaking again, her tone turning firm.
"So I'll make this clear. I need both of your help to get her out of that bastard Defense Force's grasp."
She closed one eye and clasped her hands together, leaning forward slightly as she spoke. Despite her strength, she knew better than to rely on it alone. More hands meant better odds, and this was not something she intended to fail.
Seeing her like that, earnest and almost pleading, Naon and Koko exchanged a long, silent glance. The air between them stilled for a moment before smiles slowly spread across their faces.
"Who are we to refuse a request from you, Aoba-nee?" Koko laughed as she dropped lightly from the tree. "Come on, you've helped me more times than I can count. I'd say yes even if you didn't ask."
"Same here," Naon added with a nod. "You've always been there for us without expecting anything in return. If I sat this one out, I'd just be embarrassing myself."
Aoba's expression softened. "Does that mea—"
"Of course we're in," Koko cut in with a grin.
Naon let out a small, amused breath before continuing, her voice warm. "An older sister reuniting with her younger sibling after so long… It already sounds like a beautiful story. The personification of beauty like myself would never pass up the chance to witness something like that with my own eyes."
Aoba's face broke into the widest smile she could muster. Without hesitation, she lunged forward and pulled both of them into a tight embrace. Naon accepted it with ease, barely shifting from her spot, but Koko was another story entirely.
"Aoba-nee… my back—"
"Oh, sorry. I got a little carried away."
Koko managed a strained complaint, her words coming out in a stutter as Aoba finally released her. Aoba gave her a sheepish smile and patted her shoulder in apology, while Naon, clearly amused, reached over and gave Koko a quick pinch on the butt. The jolt made her snap upright in an instant.
"Hey—!"
Naon only laughed.
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Later that day, the hidden village came alive under the glow of a large fire. The residents had gathered together, forming a loose circle around the flames. Koko and several of the others danced playfully, their movements light and carefree, while the rest sat nearby, eating and clapping in rhythm to create a rough but lively beat.
Off to the side, Aoba and Naon leaned against the cavern wall, watching the scene unfold in comfortable silence.
"They really know how to enjoy themselves," Aoba remarked.
Naon nodded, gently swaying her head to the beat. "It's a lot better than spending every day drowning in sadness."
As Aoba watched the flames flicker and dance, her gaze lingered, drawn into their glow. The fire stirred something in her, pulling old memories to the surface.
She remembered the moment she was first cast into Mato. The chaos. The fear. Running through that nightmarish landscape with Shuuki closing in from every direction. Survival had been the only thing on her mind. In desperation, she ate a Peach without hesitation.
It granted her wish to live. But the cost had been immediate.
Mato's miasma twisted the power within her, driving it into a violent frenzy. What followed was agony unlike anything she had ever known. Her body warped, reshaped against her will, each moment dragging her further away from the person she used to be. By the time it ended, she had become something else entirely. A half-Shuuki.
And yet, she endured.
Through sheer force of will, she clung to herself, refusing to let her mind slip away. Her body had changed beyond recognition, but her consciousness, her sense of self, remained intact.
That was the only thing she had managed to save.
Not long after gaining control over her new power, she met Naon and Koko. Then came the others, more women like them, each one bearing the same cursed transformation. Unlike Aoba, many of them struggled to hold on. Their minds wavered, weighed down by despair, anger, and grief.
Aoba stepped forward when no one else would. She became their anchor, guiding them, pulling them back whenever they threatened to fall deeper into darkness.
"Naon."
"Mm? Did you call me?"
Aoba's eyes remained fixed on the fire, her voice low but steady. "I swear… we'll destroy those bastards who did this to you."
"… "
Naon lowered her head slightly. A faint smile touched her lips, gentle yet tinged with something heavier. She didn't need an explanation. She knew exactly who Aoba was referring to.
The Onmyou Agency.
A research organization devoted to studying Peaches and Mato. Progress was their only priority, and they pursued it without hesitation, no matter the cost. No matter who they had to use.
Naon had been one of their victims.
Once, she had been one of Japan's top models. Her beauty, her career, her life—all of it had been taken in an instant. An accident had placed her in Mato, and like Aoba, she had chosen not to consume a Peach immediately.
She had hoped to use it later and preserve her youth.
That choice cost her everything.
When the Shuuki came and the Defense Force failed to reach her in time, she was forced to eat the Peach just to survive. Its power spiraled out of control almost instantly. She lost consciousness before she could even comprehend what was happening.
When she awoke, she was no longer free.
She found herself surrounded by women dressed in miko garments, their expressions unreadable. At their center stood an elderly woman.
"Please, cooperate with us," the elderly woman said calmly, kneeling in seiza as she bowed, her forehead nearly touching the wooden floor. "That way, it will benefit not only us, but the world as a whole."
It sounded polite. Respectful, even.
They gave Naon just enough to survive. Food, shelter, the bare minimum to keep her alive. Nothing more. To them, she wasn't a person. She was a specimen.
A tool.
With no strength to resist, she had no choice but to comply. Every day blurred into the next, each one dictated by their demands. Tests, observations, orders she couldn't refuse. They studied her, pushed her, used her.
And all the while, she endured it in silence, stripped of both freedom and will.
It was only after her abilities fully awakened that Naon found her chance. With newfound clarity, she broke free from the facility that had caged her. Not just for herself, but for the others as well. Those who had suffered alongside her, trapped in the same helpless state, were finally given a way out.
"No matter what, I have nothing but hostility toward the Defense Force," Naon muttered, her expression darkening as her anger simmered beneath the surface. "They'll pay for what they did to me… and to everyone else."
Aoba reached out and gave her a light tap on the back, her posture relaxed as she silently let Naon vent. She didn't interrupt. She didn't need to. Some emotions were better released than restrained.
After a moment, Aoba's tone shifted, her brows knitting slightly as another thought surfaced.
"…That Kamen Rider guy… and that woman I met. What are they?"
Even now, she couldn't shake the memory of that brief encounter. The man in the suit, the presence he carried, and the woman beside him. They were different. Completely unlike any Human or Shuuki she had come across in Mato.
They didn't feel the same.
They didn't even smell the same.
It was unsettling in a way she couldn't quite explain. Their power, whatever it was, didn't seem to come from Peaches. It was something else entirely. Something unfamiliar.
Aoba exhaled slowly, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice. "I might've… gone a bit too far last time. Threatening them like that."
She clicked her tongue softly. There was no excuse for it. She had let herself get carried away, and now she had to accept the consequences. If they crossed paths again, there was a strong chance it wouldn't end in words.
Still, a part of her remained curious.
From what she could tell, they didn't seem tied to the government or any official force. They moved freely, almost like outsiders just passing through Mato for their own reasons.
And that made them all the more unpredictable.