Ayanokoji knelt in the mud, tracing a faint indentation. "Height approximately $140$cm. Female. Based on stride length, she was moving at a full sprint."
"How could you possibly know that from a smudge in the dirt?" Ram asked, her voice trembling with a mix of exhaustion and suspicion. To her, it was just a mess; to him, it was a biological signature.
"Human height is generally seven times the length of the foot," Ayanokoji explained tonelessly. "Accounting for boot thickness, she matches the profile of the girl, Meili. Furthermore, she stopped here—where the Mabeast tracks converge. She didn't get eaten; she mounted one of them and rode into the forest."
"Controlling Mabeasts..." Ram's eyes burned with renewed fury. "She's in there. I'm going after her!"
"Pointless," Ayanokoji said. "She had a head start of several hours. You have no tracking skills, and the terrain is optimized for her assets, not yours." He narrowed his eyes, pivoting to his real objective: information. "Unless, of course, you have a way to see through walls and trees?"
"I can use Clairvoyance to synchronize with the vision of compatible creatures," Ram snapped, desperate to prove she had the means to hunt. "And my wind magic can clear any path!"
Good, Ayanokoji thought. Her Clairvoyance requires a biological medium. As long as I stay clear of 'compatible creatures,' I remain invisible to her.
Back at the ANHS Coffee Shop (Real World)
The bell chimed as Ayanokoji and Horikita entered. The usual chatter died down to a strained whisper.
"That's him."
"The guy from Class D... he's terrifying."
"Look at his eyes. They're exactly the same as in the video."
Ayanokoji ignored the stares, sitting in a corner. Across from him, Horikita Suzune looked at him with an intensity that could cut glass. Her student terminal sat on the table, still playing the "Otherworld" feed—an anomaly that defied technology.
"I'm buying the coffee, so I expect the truth," Horikita said. "In your eyes... am I really just a tool?"
"It's just a video, Horikita. I've told you ten times today," Ayanokoji replied, giving a practiced, weary shrug. Inside, he felt a faint sense of annoyance. The video was exposing his "Future Self," and while he would never admit it, the "Tool" monologue was exactly how he viewed the girl sitting across from him.
"Swear it," she demanded.
"I swear it," Ayanokoji said, raising a hand. To him, an oath was just vibrations in the air. It cost nothing and yielded social stability.
Horikita's shoulders relaxed slightly. She went to get the coffee, leaving Ayanokoji to feel the weight of the room. People weren't just curious anymore; they were afraid. He had spent months trying to be a "background character," only for a trans-dimensional broadcast to turn him into the school's most visible predator.
Back in the Screen: The Forest Edge
"If you go in and die, Rem stays dead," Ayanokoji said, leaning on the logic of utility. "The most efficient move is to inform Roswaal about the broken barrier. If the village is razed because you were off playing vigilante, the manor loses its supply line. Roswaal's reputation as a Lord would be destroyed. Do you want your Master to fail because of your impulsiveness?"
He knew Ram's weakness: her absolute devotion to Roswaal.
Ram bit her lip so hard it bled. The conflict between her heart and her duty played out across her face. Finally, she bowed her head. "I understand. We return to the manor."
By sunset, they reached the house. Emilia ran out to meet them, her face etched with worry. Roswaal stood on the balcony, his clown-like face unreadable in the twilight.
"The barrier is down, Master," Ram reported. "It was the girl, Meili. She controls Mabeasts."
"A Mabeast-user, hm? How... intriguing~" Roswaal's eyes flickered toward Ayanokoji. "And what do you suggest, Lord Kiyotaka?"
"Repair the barrier tonight," Ayanokoji said. "The darkness favors the monsters. We conduct a formal sweep tomorrow morning when the light is in our favor. It is the only logical choice."
"A reliable man indeed," Roswaal chirped. He stepped off the balcony, launching himself into the air like a streak of light to fix the stones.
Ram sat by the window, staring blankly at the darkening forest. She looked hollow, her fire spent.
"Kiyotaka, we should go comfort her," Emilia whispered, her heart breaking for the maid.
"No," Ayanokoji said, his voice flat and final. "There is no point. Comforting her won't fix the barrier or find the girl. It's a waste of time."
He turned and walked away, leaving a stunned Emilia behind. He had work to do—he needed to prepare for a hunt where the prey was a child, and the stakes were his own survival.