Shi's fingers tightened and loosened on her book as she breathed, her nervousness still causing her tiny frame to shudder. Kazumi liked her name? But it wasn't real, even if she didn't know that why did she like it? Shi would always be Shi. Number Four. So why would anyone like a name that wasn't real? Regardless, her crimson eyes remained on the taller girl for a few moments, before they traveled downwards and fixed on the ground. It wasn't too much further...

And then Kazumi asked about her book.

Conflict filled Shi's mind. Someone was interested in her book. She felt some small amount of excitement at the prospect, her adoration of reading making the idea of someone wanting to know what she read a pleasant prospect. But then... she'd have to try and talk to her, wouldn't she...?

After some fidgeting and silence, Shi figured out a solution. Slowly, blushing, she raised her book and turned it until the front cover faced Kazumi. On the cover, a girl with pink hair and eyes in a white-and pink, frilled dress struck a pose with a rapier, sporting a cat-eared headband and a cat sitting on shoulder. Beneath the girl was the words 'Cat Panic'.

Shi stopped in her tracks shortly afterwards, realizing they'd arrived. Her current home was small, probably one of the smaller homes in Rokuro. It wasn't exactly the nicest, either, dully colored and looking rather shabby. It served entirely as a safehouse, though it wouldn't be easy to tell such a fact by looking at it.

Naganeru Aryū, Trainee Onmyouji

---

Aryū's relaxation at the park was cut short by some blond woman making a small scene at the park whilst holding a map. The woman appeared to be some sort of foreigner, but she didn't fully know. Aryū, listening to the woman inquisitively, heard mumbles that were probably English; again, she wasn't completely sure.

Aryū stood up and walked towards the strange woman. "[Dew ewe kneed her up?]" She said extremely slowly. She didn't quite grasp pronunciations in English as she was extremely poor at English. She did have an weak understanding of it, thankfully.

As Aryu approached, the blonde girl looked away from her map and slightly down towards the girl. She really wasn't much taller, certainly she was somewhat short for a foreigner of her apparent nationality. When she spoke, it confirmed it, her accent was definitely British. However, it was also quite evident that she knew Japanese.

"You don't have to bother with that," she began, waving one hand. Her speech was certainly fluent, though definitely accented. "I'm not some kind of fool who doesn't learn the language before coming here."

Frowning, she held up the map. Indeed, it seemed... less then good, routes somewhat jumbled and buildings rather outdated. Someone quite evidently had provided the older girl with a shoddy map.

"I'm also not the kind of fool who made this map. Do you know where to find the Kusakabe Inn?"

Drasinian seemed to be completely unaware of the first shot at first, until he suddenly jumped upward, backflipping over the arrow, the split second where he could face the direction of the shooter showing him with a calm grin on his face. He'd moved completely on instinct, feeling something heading towards him quickly from behind and reacting appropriately. As he landed, he quickly jumped to the side, avoided the next three shots, before finally turning around. His body was held sideways, his shoulder-side facing the shooter and hiding how other hand as he summoned the hilt of the Fang of Cerburus. Rather than draw it, however, he merely placed his hand on it, allowing him to cast enhance senses, strength, and Resistance, setting it to Ether as he could easily tell from the star-like appearance of the projectiles that he was dealing with an Ether Mage.

So he stood, looking down his enemy from their perch with his enhanced vision as he whisper his spells, before quietly dismissing the enchanted weapon and charging forward, the grin on his face a clear indication of his madness as he rushed the mage's position.

Looks like I've found something interesting tonight after all.

@Letter Bee

He's rushing towards me!, thought Osamu Akiyama as he, from the edge of the apartment building, shot four more arrows at the enemy; if he was climbing up, the arrows were intended to dislodge him. If he was running up, it would be the same. Nevertheless, Osamu knew that this Mage was rushing at him instead of hurling spells, which meant he should keep out of range.

So, should Drasnian (not that he knew his name) manage to get up to the apartment roof, Osamu would walk backwards, firing his arrows all the while, aiming for the chest, the head, and the knees. If the 'Mage' was not felled by that time, then Osamu would go to the very edge, and activate Saggita Luminis: Ultimate, and throw everything he can at the opponent; it might knock him unconcious, but it would be his best chance of killing the foe.

@Raijinslayer

The large nun's wanderings had hardly started again when a rather... out of place noise caught her attention. Though quickly cut off, for someone on alert in such an unfamiliar setting it was impossible to miss. Feeling obliged to intervene, Lucrezia swiftly headed for the disturbance whilst casting a spell that, though it wouldn't make her invisible, would effectively camouflage her against the city walls.

And what did she find? The same monster from earlier hiding bodies using some form of magic. Now definitively under her duties, the nun prepared for combat, trailing the homunculus as he left. Yet when she had a shot lined up... some complete novice of a mage managed to fail having a clear setup, and the shot got far harder to make. Still, now he was running in the other direction, and Lucrezia was nothing if not quick to correct her aim.

The shot was loud but it hardly mattered--the bullet would hit long before the sound was heard and the nun had no worries about getting away before the police managed to investigate. Of course, the round itself might hurt the mage on the other side of her target as well, but that hardly mattered... with that level of skill, they would probably be killed in the fight regardless. Though it would be more explosive shrapnel than bullet, by that point.

Kazumi watched as Shiori seemed to struggle to answer her question, once more swinging between "adorable" and "pitiable" with her attempts. Maybe it would be better to stay silent after all, if it was causing her so much trouble...

Eventually, though, the shy girl finally showed the cover of the book, and Kazumi leaned closer slightly, not quite sure what to make of it. Was it a magical (cat)girl story? A warrior that happened to love cats? Kazumi couldn't even tell what age group it was for.

"...Looks interesting," Kazumi finally replied, figuring she should try and avoid making Shiori feel self-conscious about her choice of literature, "maybe I should read it sometime?"

Soon after, Shiori stopped, the blogger pausing along with her. It looked like they'd arrived at last. Turning her gaze towards the house, it struck Kazumi as... bleak. Granted, her own lodgings were not much different, but it at least looked a little more inviting. Now she couldn't help but wonder if this girl had some sort of reliable income. But she'd probably intruded enough as it is...

"So we're here, huh? Guess you can finally be rid of me!" she said brightly, and smiled at Shiori once more, "again, sorry for bothering you, Nakano-chan."

Shi managed to maintain a firm grip on her book as she held it up for inspection. She'd liked the cover, she had to confess, and upon reading what it was about she couldn't resist. A magical girl who transformed powered by her love of cats? And then she fought monsters? It was kind of appealing to Shi, for certain... especially the cats. She couldn't manage to watch Kazumi's reaction as she held the book up, still looking away, but when she heard the taller girl say she might read it sometime she looked back up with shining eyes. It was, well... someone else liked a book she liked, and that was a good thing, right? ... Even if it was only by looking at the cover.

However, Shi immediately found herself rather embarrassed, her cheeks flushing as she looked away again. "... Y... y-yes, it's g-good..."

After a few moments of silence, still clutching the book against her chest, the white-haired girl walked towards her home. Pausing for a moment, she took a deep breath, quivering slightly as she turned once more to face Kazumi.

"... Th..."

This was the only thing that could be said to someone after they took time to walk you home, even if it wasn't necessary...

"... Th... thanks..."

With that, the girl pushed open her door and vanished into her home.

The walls were blank. There was no television, no furniture of any sort. A simple futon was the only piece of furniture in the first room. Many of the others were occupied with supplies of all kinds. The doors and windows were warded, not by Shi herself, but by her handlers. Her knowledge of magic had been deliberately limited, and was impossible to expand. She had to be assisted on matters like that...

Shi quietly placed the book next to her futon. Near it, many other books of all different kinds were neatly stacked. She didn't have a bookshelf to store them. And she only had time to drop them off. Shi headed to the back of the house, through a hallway until she reached what would normally be a bedroom. Many boxes with various labels were arranged on one side of the room. One was a small suitcase.

Shi opened it, and from it she took it. The familiar cool, black metal of her pistol. She placed it gently aside as she placed her nearby hat on her head.

A few moments later, the white-haired girl was finished.

She had only to pick up her final weapon. It was late enough that she should not need to use magic to move covertly.

Shi left through the back window, sealing it from the outside as she did. She was already late.

The cat was soon followed by a bird who flew down to perch on Kanon's fluffy brown hair. After the bird, came a lizard, crawling up her leg and then up to her arm, clinging to her sweater sleeve. Various animals came to cling to their master, yet Kanon barel registered any of them. It would appear that this sort of thing was a daily occurrence. "Alright, come in," She stepped to the side and let the other woman in without question. Definitely naivety on her part, but it wasn't like she had a reason not to trust the other woman.

"I was just making dinner, would you like to eat while we talk?" The girl questioned, leading Elizabeth to the dining area. On their way, one would notice other animals laying about the house. It was was a wonder none of them attempted to kill eachother. The only logical explanation would be Kanon's magic effecting the animals in some way.

Shiroi was still where Kanon left her, sitting patiently at the table. Thankfully, she had hid her ears and tail as well as used magic to turn her white hair to brown. "Who's this, Kanon-nee?" The shikigami asked, tilting her head at the two of them.

Kanon slapped her forehead, only mildly disturbing the creatures clinging to her, as it suddenly occurred to her that she didn't get the woman's name. "That was so rude of me, I didn't even think about asking your name!"

Takaki's Ramen Shop

"...My sense of quality tells me that this shop is good... Very good!" An energetic girl said as she locked eyes on the ramen shop named Takaki, her various senses taking it in. The sight showed a regular storefront like that of a bygone age, the wood kept in good repair despite the plain looks. Various customers seemed to be going in and out, which was another good indicator with many sounds of consumption and cooking going on in the background. And the scent drifting from the interior was rather sensuous, the girl smelling the richness of the broth even from outside and salivating from the complex intermingling aroma she smelt. The visitor in rather eye catching clothes paused for a moment while she experienced

"Indeed, I have decided!" With a smile on her face, the slim young woman all but lightly dashed inside, her eyes scanning for an empty seat before all but throwing herself on the thing and smiling like a cherub all the while. "One order of tonkotsu ramen with all the fixings, in your largest size please!" Preemptively slapping a two thousand yen down on the counter, one Asagami Tamaki waited with eager excitement for her meal to come, her slender body all but vibrating in her seat. No one could say she wasn't energetic in the least, if at all given she seemed to run on some sort of unlimited source of power judging from her actions and behaviors. While waiting her eyes darting about the establishment like that of a child's, stopping a few moments on a rather prominent fixture of a nearby blonde woman before moving on. And then coming back a few more times while glancing down at her own rather small chest with a bit of envy.

Naganeru Aryū, Trainee Onmyouji

---

Aryū was embarrassed. Her attempt at English seemed to leave a bad taste on the foreigner. She really just wanted to run away after that point, but that was a bit too much of an awkward thing to do after one mistake. She responded with a simple yes before listening to what the foreigner had to say.

Upon hearing what the foreigner had to say, Aryū didn't really have much to offer her. She also didn't know where this Kusakabe Inn was. She looked at the map, which appeared to be more outdated if anything, and saw that the Kusakabe Inn was near an old building that she used to visit. "I know where it is." She said with a hint of sheepishness in her tone. "It's easier to walk you than to tell ya. Follow." With that said, Aryū walked off towards where she remembered the old building was. Just up the street from the building was the inn, or so the map said.

The foreign girl folded her arms as she Aryu explained to her. At the very least, she didn't seem annoyed at the younger girl's attempt to speak English. Rather, she seemed simply generically annoyed, albeit in a rather subdued manner. Perhaps she had been struggling to find the Kusakabe inn for a long period of time? Regardless of what the cause of her irritation was, she sighed and gave a small nod when Aryu asked her to follow.

For a while she was quiet. Or perhaps it only seemed like a while, the old building and as a result the inn couldn't have been that far. In any case, eventually the finely-dressed girl decided to speak.

"Do you know anything about the Matsuoka family?" she asked. Her tone was sharp and inquisitive. "I'm supposed to be meeting with their daughter soon, and I guess I'm just a little curious if I have to be honest."

---

Moving covertly was one of the things that came naturally to Shi. Some would argue that 'naturally' was an incorrect way to refer to it, but regardless she knew how to do so from birth. It was less of a skill and more of an instinct, it came to her just as breathing did. It was all part of being the existence known as Shi. Scaling the building covertly, too, was not simple, but was also not an insurmountable task. It was mostly a matter of speed, and when she came to a good window, well, she whispered a displacement spell, moving it into the air roughly a meter away before climbing quietly inside and canceling the spell before anyone could notice. The building was condemned, but there was still the matter of people noticing from the outside. If she had attempted to come in through the front, someone may have seen her, as well.

Shi made her way up the stairs to the roof. The door was already open, the person she was assigned to meet was already there, she knew. Hesitating for a few moments, she stepped out onto the roof. She could feel her heartbeat growing faster when she saw him. The tall brown-haired man was a familiar sight, one of Shi's creator's associates who served as one of her handlers.

"... S... Soran-sama..." began Shi, hesitatingly. She took a deep breath. She was supposed to refer to him, and all her other handlers, in a respectful fashion...

Nathaniel R. Soran's red-brown eyes fixed on her. His mouth fixed in a severe frown. His right hand, which gripped a dark suitcase, lowered to place it down as he approached. "Tch. Late, then?"

Shi hesitated, then nodded. She was late, but... there was a reason. She'd been held up, running away from that girl while they were walking home would have been suspicious...

He was on her in an instant. His hand raised up, and he brought it down, the back of his hand crashing into Shi's pale cheek. Pain seared through her face and she let out a yelp, stumbling and hitting the ground. Before she could process what had happened, she felt the sole of his boot pressing into her stomach, forcing her to roll onto her back. But it didn't stop there. Nathaniel pressed down, a small smile coming to his lips as he looked down on her. The pressure on her belly... it hurt. It felt like he was squeezing down on her insides, like he didn't care if he damaged them at all.

Shi knew that he didn't.

The white-haired homunculus shuddered under her handler, her crimson eyes staring up at him. She couldn't speak.

"... I wonder how hard I'd have to press down to make you lose your lunch," he idly wondered, "... I'll never figure out why you even need to eat. This is a taste of what will happen if you're late again. After all, what use is a weapon that doesn't work properly?"

All Shi could do was nod. The memories flashed through her mind. The absolute terror of seeing it. The pain now. She couldn't begin to speak.

"... Good."

Nathaniel raised his foot from Shi's stomach. The small girl trembled as she rose, and looked away before quickly hurrying to the nearby suitcase. She felt sick, not only from what he had done but from the memories of what they had shown her. Sick and terrified, Shi buried herself in the contents of the suitcase. The components of her rifle.

"Remember, Number Four," Nathaniel said as he walked away. "Kill any witnesses. Any of them."

With that, he was gone.

Moments later, Shi had assembled her rifle. It was almost time.

Drasinian chuckled as he saw the young mage fire at him as he climbed up the building, leaping off of it and into open air without a care in the world. As the attack passed beneath him, he opened up a portal beneath him, summoning a shield to be used as a sort of mid-air stepping stone to propel him up into the roof. However, his enhanced senses picked up the sound of something whistling through the air in his direction. Relying on pure instinct, he quickly opened up a pocket dimension behind him, which was able to easily catch the non-magical bullet within it's clutches and just barely saved Drasinian from danger.

Instead of pressing his attack on the Mage, he summoned another stepping shield to leap off of, landing back on the ground as he pulled the Fang of Cerburys from it's dimensional sheathe, casting a spell as he drew it that caused it to glow a bright blue in color.

"Come, Raiju, and find the Sniper!" He hissed, the blue from his blade sparking wildly as it jumped from the blade to the ground, taking the form of a large wolf, black as a stormcloud with glowing blue eyes and sparks of electricity flying off it. The hound let out a howl, sending out a pulse of low-level electrical pulse in search for other sources of electrical energy that'd belong to a living being, soon finding two. It ignored Osamu, focusing it's vision on the second source as it let out another howl, it's fur sparking before it let loose a bolt of electricity at their position. If they were standing in a metal surface, than it wouldn't matter even if they dodged the attack, the current would definitely cause some damage.

The summoned Spirit then ran off in pursuit of the foe, leaping off at great speeds with a savage, thundering growl, as it kept it's movements wild and erratic to keep the sniper from landing a shot on it before it arrived. Meanwhile, Drasinian would turn his attention back to the boy, a sinister smile present on his face as he studied his prey. He leaped into the air, moving swiftly through the air with the use of shields from his pocket dimension, he was once again on the roof, looking down the boy with a sinister smile.

"Now then, let's continue the game, shall we not? Hopefully without any more interruptions." Drasinian says as he throws a brace of knives at the boy before attempting to rush the bit and launch a hard blow to his gut with the blunt edge of his blade. He wasn't worried about the sniper, as he had given the Raiju a simple command under his breath before it had rushed off towards it's prey: "Destroy the Rifle." No matter what the foe may be, if they're first attack is with a mundane sniper rifle, than they aren't going to be as much a threat without it. And now that their electrical signature had been identified, there was no way for their hidden assailant to escape the Raiju.

@Raineh Daze

@Letter Bee

Osamu saw the enemy Mage make the bullet disappear, and his first thought was: Have Ichijouji-sama's agents arrived already? The answer was no, because aside from that one shot, there were no other attempts at supporting him; besides, judging from the trajectory of that bullet, it would have been as likely to pierce him even after it hit the enemy.

But things were beside the point: the Mage had drawn his sword and summoned a familiar; another sign that Osamu was going to need Ichijouji-sama's agents to arrive soon if he was to survive this battle!

Stellar Sight allowed him to zoom in at Drasnian (not that he knew his name) as the man drew his knives, meaning that the boy managed to roll away as said knives were thrown, barely managing to dodge. But the enemy was on him, swinging the blunt edge of his sword!

Osamu braced.

The wind was knocked out of him, and at the back of his mind was the thought that if he had eaten, he would have lost his lunch. Staggered, the boy feared death as he stepped back, drawing another arrow, and the image of the Tree of Life before his bow showed that the next shot, it wasn't going to be ordinary.

"Saggita Luminis: Ultimate."

An arrow shot out, being absorbed into the image of the Tree of Life shortly after it was released. A second later, uncounted arrows would pour out of the image and converge on Drasnian, all of them with fatal potential.

Then, the boy fell unconsious after releasing his ultimate spell, which also lit up the sky with a flash of light, a flash of light that would hopefully be explained away as special effects - he had planned that all before with Ken.

As his sight faded to black, his last thoughts were:

Ichijouji-sama...I hope I did not fail you...

@Raijinslayer,@VitaVitaAR,@Raineh Daze.

"...No problem," was Kazumi's simple reply to the shy girl as she disappeared into her home. The older woman's smile receded slightly as she turned and walked onward, finally rerouted back home. Today had been quite adventurous, all things considered, helping a... unique stranger out like that. Although, if that girl really had so much trouble with others, her parents really should accompany her. How old was Shiori, anyway?

Well, that didn't exactly matter now. Kazumi doubted they'd be seeing each other any time soon, and that girl was most likely pretty reclusive anyway. Bit of a shame, but there wasn't much Kazumi could do about that. She wasn't exactly a therapist. Still, she made a good template for her blog...

Oh, right. Kazumi produced her phone from her pocket, and a couple of taps later, was skimming through her blogs' comments again. There was only a few new ones since last time, and all typical. Well, there was one that she couldn't really make sense of. Getting too cocky? Was that directed towards herself? It didn't seem to be a reply for anyone else...
The blogger worried that this person might actually know her identity. That didn't seem likely, it wasn't like she ever flaunted the blog as her own. Hell, she ignored it as much as possible while at college! It had to just be random nonsense...

Sighing heavily, the phone was pocketed once more, as Kazumi walked home.

Somehow--probably only through being engaged in combat with someone else--her target had luckily been able to throw up a defence to her round in time. Annoying, but it didn't really cost her anything, whilst her opponent had just revealed a trump card. Lucrezia learned even more from his decision to summon a meagre spirit... yet still relying on a conduit. Not a mage, or at least a decent one, and with some way to avoid physical attacks.

The executor's consideration of her prey was cut short by the lightning-based attack, which was unsurprisingly unsuccessful due to being able to see it coming and sidestep it entirely. The beast itself was dealt with even more simply: hang the empty rifle on her shoulders, and draw out a bayonet from within her coat. No matter its apparent fearsomeness, the blessing on the blade was more than sufficient for someone with her experience to cut through it as it leapt for her... gun?

A single phrase was all that the nun used to cover her exit: a single blinding flash of light at the other end of the alley that might fortuitously throw off any attempt to eliminate the onmyouji but was simply intended to make it impossible to follow a camouflaged opponent. Being also indistinguishable from more mundane methods of achieving the same, it gave nothing away of Lucrezia's abilities as she slipped away, happy with the information she'd gleaned.

She was an ambush predator, not a fighter that relied upon brute force. The blonde could fight normally... but she much preferred to strike after gathering information. A single blocked shot in exchange for a definite foe, a wide snapshot of their abilities, and a first option to weaken them? It was a good trade.

On the streets again, the nun lit a cigarette with a trivial flame spell. Such a terrible habit... she'd really spent too long around those in high-stress professions. Not that hers didn't count.

---

Though happy to be invited in, the vampire was increasingly baffled by the way her host was being swarmed by animals. Along with the sheer variety around. It was understandable that an animal-lover might have a lot of pets, or someone might have an affinity for the things, but this was feeling more like a zoo than a residence. Just what was going on here? The complete stranger also sat at the table wasn't much less confusing, though it was always possible that she'd missed a younger sibling in her previous visits.

Elizabeth shrugged her coat off once safely inside, skin still undeniably pale to an almost... unhealthy degree, and tattoo hardly likely to make a better impression on the young girls here, if the bright red eyes didn't, "Elizabeth Cooper. If it weren't for the animals... well, there's definitely some magic here, so you're probably involved whether you want to or not."

"What do you know about the White Night of Klarsberg?"

Drasinian cursed as the boy prepped a large attack, opening pockets around him to pull out a multitude of shields to protect himself. However, the wall proved only marginal help against the onslaught, mixed with his current resistance, it allowed him to survive the attack. Not without a scratch, however, as the cloud of dust the attack created faded away, Deasinian would be left standing with several puncture wounds covering his body, not deep enough to be fatal, but more than enough to make it so that he wouldn't be able to fight at full strength for awhile. Cursing under his breath, he slowly began to make his way over to the boy's still form, wanting nothing more than too cut his head from his shoulders.

Sadly, that wasn't what fate intended, as he heard someone approaching the area, and given the events to transpire tonight, it'd be best if he wasn't around to meet them. He was in no shape to fight anyone right now. With a final glare in the boy's direction, he jumped from the building, summoning some of his remaining shields to help him ease his way down. Once he had made it to the ground, he quickly hobbled away, having a rift follow behind him to suck any blood that spilled from his wounds. He'd continue to take the back streets of the city before he made his way to a small, derelict building that seemed abandoned.

Breaking in was easy enough, though his wounds made it much harder than it should've been, his mind getting woozy from blood loss. He quickly summoned some medical supplies, like gauze and what not, to patch himself up as best as he could, and while his addled mental state meant that it wasn't much better than a patch job, it'd have to do for now. Once he'd gotten as fixed up as he could get, he laid on the ground and put all his remaing focus into making a pocket dimension for him to rest and recuperate in. It took about 20 minutes to form, but once it did, he felt himself slide into the cool embrace of nothingness, closing his eyes as his body seemed to fade out of existence. And there he'd stay for the next day or so, until he was well enough to take a proper look at himself.

@VitaVitaAR

@Letter Bee

The tan-skinned, blonde-haired girl sighed. What a mess. What an absolute mess. These things were, she supposed, to be expected from the White Night. But these idiots were fighting during the day? She shrugged as she approached the dumpster.

Perhaps Sumihara Mei did not look the part, but wasn't that important to the nature of one who would hold the position of Minister of Silence? Besides, she didn't really give a damn what the rest of the Moon felt about her fashion sense. It didn't exactly matter(she was hardly the only one in the entire circle who dressed this way anyway), and besides, if anyone took issue with the way she dressed, it was hilarious. And yet even the most stick-in-the-mud people recognized that she was an excellent mage and did her job fantastically well.

"Let's see what poor saps got slaughtered today," she said, popping open the dumpster. "Oh, some street punks? Heh, filth getting cleaned up by filth..."

One was a girl who did not seem to be involved with the punks. Eh, casualties were casualties. It wasn't her job to stop that kind of thing.

Keeping each corpse in mind as she shut the lid, Mai straightened. Taking out a piece of chalk, she swiftly drew out her circle, stepping back when the relatively simple(compared to some other spells) design was finished.

"'May they be removed from my sight. May their destruction purge them from this world, their vile presence cleansed," she recited. The spell was designed to remove things, quite simply. "May nothing be left but dust."

There was a faint hissing from inside the dumpster as the chalk circle glowed red. Even as the glow intensified, the chalk faded, and soon, so too did the glow.

Mei lifted the lid. All there was within was dust. Perfect. She shut it.

Moments later, the tan girl had made her way to the roof. There was the other matter.

"Oi, oi," she said, nudging him in the side with her foot, "Blowing it all in one shot and then passing out? Great battle strategy, fantastic job~ Get up, boy."

Osamu groggily got up at Mai's prompting, and said:

"Oh, hello, judging by that fashion sense, you must be Sumihara-san. Ichijouji-sama says that you're a great mage, but that you and Motomiya-sama are often at odds because of the latter's...umm...lack of intellectual gifts." Daisuke Motomiya was another Mage, and Ken's boyfriend. Although Osamu's remark that the man lacked intellect was true, Daisuke was a surprsiningly kind person and a powerful Mage with an affinity for Fire, making him too powerful to be ignored. But enough digression, Osamu zoomed in on her scornful face with his Stellar Sight.

"Sorry for my own displayed lack of subtlety and intellectual gifts, Sumihara-san," the boy said with a small bow. "I will leave you to your duties now."

Kanon blinked at the startling red eyes, the pale skin, and the strange tattoos. The former two were definitely signs of something supernatural. But what, exactly? The onmyouji tried to recollect everything she learned from her father's books. Hmm, an oni maybe? She was cupping her hand under her chin in thought when she heard low growl coming from Shiroi, probably feeling instinctively threatened by the (oni?).

Trying to be as subtle as possible (which wasn't subtle at all because it caused a few animals to jump off and give the two an annoyed look), Kanon nudged the shikigami with her foot, quieting the girl. She hoped the other woman didn't notice.

"Shiroi, go in dad's room and get the box by the door," Kanon gave her a look and the shikigami flinched back with a soft whine as if she were being scolded. Scurrying to the door, she gave a last look to Elizabeth before leaving completely.

"My dad left me books and records of everything I would need to know when I took over," She explained to her guest, "Among them was quite a bit of information on the White Night. I didn't look too deeply into it, I was a little more focused on... ah, a different field. But I think I'll still be able to help you with whatever it is you needed."

"Oh, would you like some sake, by the way?" That's what Oni like to drink, right?

---

Freedom. It wasn't a feeling Cornelia was used to. From the day she was born, all she knew was confinement. So when she came here to this unfamiliar city, she had expected much of the same. But... her aunt and uncle told her she was free to go where ever she wished as long as she got them what they wanted, the White Night Ritual.

Her relatives always told her that it was her true, no, her only purpose in life. She was the key to saving their family. But did they really needed saving? Was it so bad to not have magic? Sometimes, Cornelia thought it would be easier if she were like the rest.

The child put her hands inside her coat pockets, looking down at the ground pensively. She shouldn't really be thinking about this. If she had no magic, then she'd have no purpose. That's what they had drilled into her mind and she fully accepted it as any child would.

Thump.

She felt something hit her side and looked up to see she had ran into an older woman with brown hair and glasses. It seemed as if she was putting something in her pocket before Cornelia had bumped into her. The child stepped back and to the side, not speaking a word of apology. Instead, there was a tense moment where she just stared, analyzing every detail of Kazumi, gauging whether she was a threat. Satisfied with whatever she found, she turned to walk away but stopped short to give the woman glance over her shoulder, "You shouldn't be out so late, nee-san."