In a dark, freezing world, Yukina Himeragi curled up into herself, feeling a strange pain spreading through every part of her body. It was not the ordinary pain of an injury, but a dull, gnawing ache, as if something inside her were constantly chewing through her flesh and blood.
As the light in that dark world grew dimmer and the temperature kept dropping, the aching throughout her body gradually began to fade.
But as that eerie pain weakened, something else came with it. In Yukina Himeragi's perception, her limbs were slowly losing all sensation and control.
Cold, darkness, numbness. This was torture in the truest sense.
She could not even escape it by falling asleep. Yukina Himeragi was completely awake, yet cut off from the outside world, able to feel nothing but the cold and see nothing but darkness.
There was no point trying to keep track of time. With her senses numbed, she could no longer perceive anything beyond herself. The only thing she could do now was struggle to keep her mind from breaking.
...
Such a familiar warmth.
Whether only a few seconds had passed, a few minutes, or even a few days, this was the first thing Yukina Himeragi had felt besides the cold.
The moment that warmth appeared, feeling began to return to her limbs.
She was still weak, and her eyes still could not see anything, but Yukina Himeragi still moved toward the source of that warmth.
It was her only hope of survival now. No matter what was waiting ahead, she had to follow it. She could not imagine how much longer she would be able to endure if she returned to that previous state.
She did not know how long she had followed that warmth when, at last, a faint light appeared within the endless darkness.
Looking toward it, Yukina Himeragi vaguely made out a figure, and that figure was...
"Cid-senpai?"
With his sharp hearing, Cid caught the weak voice from his back, so faint it was almost inaudible.
He paused for a moment and looked back, meeting Yukina Himeragi's still-drowsy eyes. Then he turned toward Sayaka Kirasaka, who had not yet noticed that Yukina Himeragi was awake, and spoke softly.
"Kirasaka, Yukina's awake."
Hearing that, Sayaka Kirasaka immediately turned to look at Yukina Himeragi on Cid's back. Seeing that she really was awake, even if she still looked completely drained, Sayaka stepped forward with visible relief.
"Yukina, you're finally awake."
Yukina Himeragi did not answer her at once. Still looking half-asleep, she glanced around in confusion.
"Senpai... Sayaka? Where are we? Why can't I move?"
"Relax. Your whole body is just paralyzed, so you've lost your sense of the outside world. To be exact, you can still move your head."
Cid pinched Yukina Himeragi's cheek, and when she showed no sign of feeling pain, he decided to tell her the truth.
"So I really lost my senses... Then where are we now?"
"At the base of the terrorists who kidnapped you. We just got you out."
"Oh... Wait, Sayaka, why is Senpai here?!"
As if only now realizing how unusual it was for him to be here, Yukina Himeragi turned to Sayaka Kirasaka and demanded an explanation.
She could understand why Sayaka Kirasaka was here. Given their friendship, if their positions had been reversed and she had been the one to escape, she would have infiltrated this place to try and save Sayaka too.
But Cid being here made no sense to her. This had nothing to do with him, so why was he here?
"Uh..."
The question made Sayaka Kirasaka freeze, her expression stiffening as she failed to think of any answer.
At the time, she had only been focused on grabbing hold of Cid, her one and only lifeline. She had never stopped to think about how she was going to explain any of this to Yukina Himeragi afterward.
According to her deal with Cid, she had to keep his true strength a secret from Yukina Himeragi in exchange for his help.
But that created another problem. If she could not reveal Cid's hidden strength, then from Yukina Himeragi's point of view, Sayaka Kirasaka would look like a terrible person who had tricked a kind Senpai into coming here as cannon fodder just to save her.
Keeping the secret came first, but Sayaka Kirasaka did not want Yukina Himeragi to hate her either, so she found herself stuck in an impossible position.
"I was the one who asked Kirasaka to bring me here. One of my friends was taken by these terrorists too, and I came to rescue her."
Seeing Sayaka Kirasaka struggling, Cid spoke up on his own and got her out of the situation.
"Senpai, you..."
Yukina Himeragi started to warn him about doing something so dangerous, but the words caught in her throat halfway through. Her expression shifted a few times before she finally let out a sigh.
"Never mind. If it's you, Senpai, then I guess it's not surprising. Actually, this really is just like you."
Hearing that, Cid stopped in his tracks, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"No, wait. What is that supposed to mean? Why do you sound like you understand me better than I do? And what do you mean, 'if it's me, it's not surprising'? Are you saying I'm weird?"
"But Cid-senpai, you really are that kind of hopelessly nice person. Didn't you risk your life to save me before too?"
"You're overthinking it..."
Standing off to the side, Sayaka Kirasaka watched the two of them with a strange look on her face. She knew Cid's real strength. The so-called life-threatening danger Yukina Himeragi was talking about probably existed only in Yukina's imagination.
"By the way... Senpai, is your friend a woman with long black hair and crimson eyes?"
"Huh? Yukina, you've seen her?"
"Yeah."
Remembering the woman from earlier, Yukina Himeragi nodded.
"Then do you know where she is now? Honestly, this place is way too complicated. I've gone in circles a few times already and still haven't found where she's being held."
"I don't know, but she left something with me and said it would help me find her. She told me to use it to find her later, then escape together with her."
"What is it? Can you show me?"
"Sure. It's in my pocket."
With Yukina Himeragi's permission, Cid slipped a hand into her pocket. After feeling around for a moment, he pulled out a hard object about half the size of his palm.
He held the object in his hand, giving it a tap—it looked like some kind of electronic component.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Mogwai."
A mechanical, electronic voice suddenly came from the small device, making Cid and Sayaka Kirasaka exchange startled glances.
"Mogwai, I'm Cid. We're here to rescue—"
"Yeah, I know, I know. You're the helpers the young lady specifically asked for. You're going to rescue her now, right?"
"…Right."
"Point the camera forward. I'll compare it to the path the young lady just took. Just follow that route."
As he spoke, a route appeared on one side of the device in Cid's hand.
With a free guide available, there was no need to search every corner manually. Cid felt relieved to take it easy and followed the route Mogwai indicated.
"Hey, you're not seriously going to try and save her, are you?"
Hurrying to catch up beside him and seeing Yukina Himeragi looking completely drained, Sayaka Kirasaka leaned close to Cid's ear, lowering her voice as she whispered.
"Yeah. Is there a problem with that?"
Glancing back over his shoulder, Cid lowered his voice as well, replying to her.
"Of course there's a problem. It's wrong to stand by and watch someone die, but Yukina's been poisoned. We don't have time to save a stranger."
Her voice was soft, but the quickening pace of her words revealed her growing anxiety.
"Do you remember the group of Therianthropes that led us here earlier? The woman they kidnapped is actually my friend."
Cid withdrew his gaze and explained,
"…I'm sorry, I didn't know about your relationship with her."
After a brief pause, Sayaka Kirasaka's eyes shifted guiltily to the side.
Putting herself in his shoes, she reasoned that if someone could be called a friend by Cid—a man so cold and ruthless, possibly the mastermind behind it all—then the bond between that person and him must be similar to the one she shared with Yukina. Both would see the other as indispensable.
If anyone dared tell her to give up on saving Yukina Himeragi, she would strike them without hesitation.
"Aren't you going to save your friend? I won't be a burden. Leave Yukina to me. I'll find the antidote myself, and then I'll come back for you."
She reached out to support Yukina Himeragi on Cid's back. Sayaka Kirasaka felt she had to shoulder the responsibility of saving her; it made more sense to deal with Cid afterward, once Yukina was safe.
Cid simply shook his head and shrugged, responding in a tone that was half-indifferent, half-reassuring.
"It's fine. We're friends, but we're not really that close."
Hearing this, Sayaka Kirasaka froze, stunned.
"B-but weren't you just—"
"We're two of a kind. That friend of mine holds about the same place in my heart as Yukina Himeragi—the kind of person whose death or separation would be a bit sad, but that's it.
So in a way, you don't really need to ask me for help. Even if I hadn't run into you, if I'd seen that friend of mine getting kidnapped along the way, I'd probably still have come to rescue them.
And if I'd realized Yukina was here while rescuing them, I wouldn't have minded taking her along too."
Sayaka Kirasaka's mouth fell open in shock.
Ignoring her, Cid continued following the route displayed on the device. When they reached the halfway point, he suddenly stopped.
Sayaka Kirasaka, a little puzzled by his abrupt halt but not thinking much of it, took a long stride forward to pass him. Halfway there, Cid raised a hand to stop her, pressed against the wall, and leaned in to listen at the corner ahead.
Sayaka Kirasaka wasn't foolish. Seeing his movements, she realized something was off and pressed herself against the wall alongside him.
"Clack… clack… clack…"
Faint but scattered footsteps echoed from the corner.
"There are about fifteen of them. Likely unarmed, but we can't rule out guns, so I suggest we avoid them…"
Having estimated their numbers, Sayaka Kirasaka was about to suggest bypassing them. With Yukina awake, that meant Cid's combat power was sealed. Alone, she lacked the confidence to take down the entire group without using her spells.
Before she could finish, Cid placed a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off.
[Don't chicken out. Go in.]
Meeting his gaze and understanding his intent, Sayaka Kirasaka's expression twisted.
[Are you serious? We're infiltrating. If a group this size disappears, it won't go unnoticed. Haven't we been avoiding anyone we've encountered so far?]
The footsteps grew closer. Sayaka Kirasaka dared not speak and could only convey her doubts with her eyes.
[Don't be afraid. Silently eliminating everyone is exactly what you, as an assassin, excel at, isn't it?]
[You've got some misunderstanding about assassins!]
[Is that a problem? Tsk, you're hopeless.]
[Do you even realize what you're saying!?]
[Forget it. You've been enhanced. Go!]
Before Sayaka Kirasaka could question whether she had misread him, a sudden surge of power within her silenced her.
[So you've got this kind of ability after all!]
[Go! And leave one alive!]
Cid, losing patience with her nagging, darkened his expression and kicked Sayaka Kirasaka forcefully.
"Enemies!"
The Therianthropes weren't blind. Leading the charge, Gardos shouted and pulled Asagi Aiba in front of him. Those behind reached for weapons at their waists, while the front group advanced toward Sayaka Kirasaka.
Recovering from the kick, Sayaka steadied herself. Hearing the shouts and realizing she had been spotted, her face grew grim. With no choice, she braced herself, swung her greatsword, and charged.
"Roar…"
The three leading Therianthropes roared, their fur bristling, bodies swelling in size, and eyes gleaming bloodthirstily as their fists struck toward her.
"Whoosh!"
The sound of steel slicing through flesh rang out. The three Therianthropes were cut in half at the waist. Sayaka's figure appeared behind them as if she had teleported, leaping toward Gardos.
This power… it might just work.
Amazed by her own strength, she accelerated mid-air.
Her speed was immense. She closed in within seconds, but the Therianthropes drew their guns faster.
Seeing one finger on a trigger, knowing she couldn't allow a shot to alert the others, she ignored Asagi Aiba's safety, drew three cursed arrows from her inner thigh, channeled her Spiritual Energy, and hurled them with her bare hands.
Even without a bow, enhanced by her strengthened arms, the cursed arrows flew with near-teleportation speed over the Therianthropes behind.
The next instant, the arrows triggered simultaneously, unleashing a massive surge of electricity.
The Therianthropes collapsed under the shock, their firearms dropping beside them.
Watching this, Gardos turned to see Sayaka Kirasaka already charging at them, his face twisted in horror.
...
Hiding behind a wall, Cid peeked out as the sounds of battle faded.