With all the animals around, Elizabeth noticed the growl but simply assumed it had to be coming from one of the plethora of creatures that filled up the surroundings. The older girl nudged the other one--and the vampire was definitely going to have to find out where that girl had come from, her memory wasn't anywhere near that bad--and she went off to fetch something. From the sounds of it, books about the White Night or maybe just magic in general. More likely the latter, since the ritual was never really an onmyoudo thing.

The sake offer came apparently out of nowhere but the brunette wasn't one to turn down a free drink. Nor, it had to be noted, was she particularly bothered about drunk-driving restrictions. Why pay attention to restrictions based on human physiology when your abilities were anything but.

"Sake? I wouldn't say no. It might make explaining these things easier... at least you can just read the theoretical stuff," the vampire answered, brow creasing as she decided where to start, "I suppose the important thing for now is that it's going to be starting again tonight."

Naganeru Aryū, Trainee Onmyouji

---

"Matsuoka... Matsuoka..." Aryū said, her mind searching for that name. "The name doesn't seem ta ring any bells." Aryū had no memory of who this Matsuoka family was. "Who're 'em?" She said, curious on the Matsuoka family. She didn't know who any of these people were. A mix of teenage apathy and teenage laziness made her not know everyone in the small town. Still, she was curious on who these people were. She paused for a bit before asking one final question. "Also, who're you?"

"Yes, let's!" Hiroko's overly serious demeanour seemed to sharpen as the ramen was layed down for her, her eyes focusing in on the delicious smelling broth as she snapped apart the disposable chopsticks in a single motion. And then... Asami could be forgiven for thinking the ramen had killed Hiroko's father or something seeing how furiously she attacked it. Her chopsticks dipped in and out with swift precision, utilizing a technique honed by someone who clearly took ramen-eating very seriously; in mere moments, and in complete silence save for the slurping of noodles, Hiroko ravenously demolished the topping before setting her chopsticks aside and lifting the bowl to drink the aromatic broth. And soon, very soon, she placed the bowl back on the table and let out a loud sigh of satisfaction.

"Aaaaah! There really is no beating Takaki's ramen," she said, staring intensely at Asami as though to dare her to speak differently; although her attention was momentarily caught by a short, loud girl entering and ordering tonkatsu ramen. Between her and Asami, Hiroko wondered for a moment if hotpants were in style right now... "I've tried every ramen place in Rokuro, and there's no denying that Takaki's is clearly the best in town."

"Anyway, even if you think you can handle yourself, I'd feel bad if I left you to head back on your own," The look in her eyes made it clear that this was not an offer or a request, but a statement she wasn't going to back down on anytime soon. "There's a lot of shady people about lately, so I think it would be better if I walked you back to your... Hotel or wherever you're staying right now."

Asami's own enjoyment of her meal slowed steadily as she stared in mute shock at the way Hiroko devoured her meal. It was, really, as if the other girl was concerned that the ramen would somehow escape if she stopped eating. There was no denying it was delicious, but this was on a hitherto unheard of level of eating. It was like some kind of warpath against the soup. Was 'assault' a more accurate word then eating, perhaps? Regardless, Asami somehow managed to gather herself and finish her own ramen, somewhat after Hiroko's attack triumphed over the dreaded pork ramen foe.

"Uh, yeah, ah-hah..." after a sight like that, the redhead wasn't entirely sure how to respond. Especially when it was followed by that intense stare... the ramen was delicious, though. And on top of that, she'd certainly noticed the loud girl who'd entered... She didn't seem like she was from around here, but there was no way to be sure of that.

The tone of the conversation shifted rapidly when Hiroko mentioned walking her home. Immediately Asami's concern was apparent. It was already nearly night. The day was closing. Soon, it would be high time for the battle for the White Night to begin. If she were attacked during that... Asami had no doubt in her own capabilities, but dragging some random person with no knowledge of the greater world into things was something that she couldn't abide. At the same time, though, rejecting the offer could seem suspicious, or make the other girl curious...

"... Ah... well..., sure, okay," she finally replied, after no amount of hesitation. After all, most magi would rather not attack when there was a risk of unveiling magic to someone unaware. "I'll feel better with some company."

It was around then that a dead silent Sayuri nearly slammed the check on the table and rapidly took their bowls away, before shuffling off and quietly apologizing several times in a row.

"... Eh? What was all that about...?"

Well, regardless, Asami could pay. The sooner the walk home ended, the better. She quickly deposited the yen down, managing to make it exact. After all, it meant she could get going quicker.

---

"... They're a rich family," the blonde girl replied with a sigh, seemingly quite disappointed at the younger girl's lack of knowledge about the Matsuoka, "The daughter is interested in buying a rare item overseas, but there's some restrictions on who can purchase it. Part of this means sending someone over to interview the potential buyer."

A detail perhaps gone overlooked was the silver suitcase the girl was carrying. It appeared to be important, if she was still carrying it on her like this. "As for who I am, I'm Amber Grey. I'm from a British agency that deals with rare items from across the world. Before you ask, no, I'm not permitted to tell you what she's buying. Just have faith that it's one-hundred percent legal, and don't pepper me with a stream of annoying questions."

---

"Ahahaha," Mei let out a laugh. Oh, true, there was plenty of stupidity related Motomiya, but to be frank, Mei found it far more entertaining to mock him for it then to do anything else. It was yet another brand of amusement the tanned girl relished in. Still, the boy could recognize her just by her outfit? Well, she couldn't say she wasn't flattered. In a manner of speaking, at least. "My duties are already fulfilled. Right now, I'm just in awe of you."

The girl grinned. "Anyone else would have tried to take someone like that with a powerful spell, and wipe them out in an instant. But you... oh, what can anyone expect from you, anyway?"

On 'you', Mei prodded Osamu in the forehead with one finger, still grinning. "A boy still in his childhood, tasked with overseeing the White Night? Hah, it makes you think, doesn't it? Think that maybe someone's pulling some strings... your family has a few friends who are all too eager to help them out, don't they?"

As she spoke, Mei's hands entered her pockets, and she strolled around slowly, ending up beside the boy. "But that would never happen, now would it?"

The girl's voice was playful as she spoke, and then she laughed once more. "Maybe you should run along to Ichijouji-san, boy. Tell him how bad you fucked up stopping that piece of garbage. Make him feel proud of his decisions~"

She continued to walk along. "But hey... that's just my suggestion~"

Osamu blinked, before the boy then spoke:

"Isn't it more likely that someone wants me dead? I mean, true, Ichijouji-sama is an old family friend, and I did volunteer for this job, but seriously, actually getting accepted means that someone, somewhere, has looked at the logical results of my presence there and decided to let me suffer the consequences for my foolishness."

"Which brings us to the question: why am I staying in this job if I know it's likely to end up with me six feet under - metaphorically and literally? Well, if you haven't noticed, I think differently from other Magi. Power for power's sake? An absurdity. Magi killing each other for meaningless trifles? An absurdity, too. Mundane society in Japan isn't much better; it's a conformist mold, and Mage society takes one too many cues from that."

"I already know that I'm going to die for being 'different', as much as my parents would like to deny that, so why not go down in a blaze of glory, and actually do some good?" The boy then sighed.

"I'm different. I don't want to be, but I'm going to die for it." Somehow, Mei would get the idea that Osamu was not referring to his beliefs, but something else...

@VitaVitaAR

"Ah, sorry!"

Kazumi hadn't realised how little attention she had given the surroundings, bumping into someone that she had completely failed to detect. Thankfully, they seemed to be okay. Probably. That stare was strangely unnerving, and Kazumi felt uneasy as she returned the gaze. For a little girl, she was strangely intense. Why was this child out so late, anyway?

One awkward silence later, the girl finally turned away, and spoke in a... arrogant manner? Kazumi was taken-aback by her statement. Kazumi was definitely at way less risk of danger! ...Not that Kazumi was a master of self-defense or anything, but she was less likely to be targeted by random people. This could was either ridiculously bratty, or had no idea how dangerous it could be to walk around at night, even if it was the safest country in the universe.

"...I think that's my line," Kazumi finally replied, recovering from her surprise, "why are you out this late? If you live nearby, you should go home. I'll even walk you."
After all, at this rate, Kazumi wasn't getting to her own home any time soon.

For a few moments, Mei gave Osamu a blank stare. Then she burst out into hysterical laughter, bending over and clutching her stomach. Oh, there was some exaggeration, just to make it hit harder. But mostly she just thought it was genuinely hilarious. Wow, this kid... he had a seriously overinflated sense of self-importance, didn't he? Thinking that someone out there thought he was important enough to orchestrate some stupid plan to kill him? If someone wanted him dead they'd just do it, they wouldn't mess around.

"Oh wow," she said, wiping a mock tear from her eye. "Wow, wow wow wow. You're a bigger dumbass than I thought. My, how the hell did you get that bullshit in your skull?"

She took a deep breath to recover from her mirth. Even if she'd exaggerated, it was still hilarious. And then he goes on about knowing better than mage society AND Japanese society too? Hah...

"That's real rich, boy," Mei continued, "You, all of thirteen-fucking-years old, think you know better than not just all of the Moon, but all magi? You're different? You're special? I needed a laugh, and you sure did fucking deliver."

She stuck her pierced tongue out at him. It was more playful than anything, which certainly served to emphasize her insulting speech.

"Heh, you know, I don't think anyone would promote a failure like you just because your parents asked. You're so fucking terrible I don't buy it," added Mei, a playful grin running counter to her words, "I think your mom had to do some extra convincing. I wonder who it was... oh, who am I kidding. One person wouldn't have done it for a fucking failure like you. Hell, maybe your dad helped out. I wonder how many people they slept with to get you your job, boy."

She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"Hey, maybe that's what makes you special," she said in mock wonder, "I'm pretty sure most magi don't have their parents go through all that trouble to get them a job they're too young for~"

I don't want Mei to insult me further, and throwing a hissy fit would make her insult me more, were Osamu's thoughts. He desperately wanted to either punch or shoot her, but he knew that would be juvenile, and he did not want to look juvenile. But, in the end, he was not experienced enough for this, and the next time he looked at Mei, it was with a mix of anger and exhaustion.

"Is your venom exahusted yet, you snake?" Gods, he knew he cannot win a contest of insults with Mei, but the words still came out of his mouth anyway. "If this were a fairy tale, you'd be the sister whose mouth vomits up snakes and toads with every bad word. You know nothing about me, you know nothing about the Akiyama family, and you should just focus on backstabbing and backbiting others to get more power, because, speaking of sleeping with people, if power took the form of a person and invited you to lay with them, you'd do so in a heartbeat."

He then turned away, knowing that Mei would just retort with something more cutting, or even slap him; he didn't care. What he cared about was the fact that he had failed to be wiser than his years, that he kept picking fights he couldn't win, that he felt extremely disgusting to himself, failing to live up to his own bravado. Yet, despite all that...

"Don't leave," the thirteen year old continued. "Insult me, slap me around, but don't leave." I don't want to be alone, not when I've exposed myself like this, not when I've opened myself to the truth of my own weakness, not when I really have better things to fear than her.

@VitaVitaAR

Naganeru Aryū, Trainee Onmyouji

---

"A rare special item that you ain't allowed ta talk about? What's it, some kinda magical headband that lets people cast super magic?" Aryū said. Upon hearing about an item that was rare and secret, her mind remembered a show that she had watched a week or two before today. It involved some sort of skeleton and a rare magical crown that did magic things. Though, it was highly unlikely that a woman who looked like such a normal person would deal in fictional items that appear on shows broadcasted at 8 PM.

Aryū lifted up her hands up and placed them behind her head. "Prolly not. I bet it's just some rich person stuff like a big ol' diamond."

Mei raised an eyebrow as Osamu attempted to strike back at her. The key word was, of course, attempted. After he finished his little rant, she inclined her head to one side and let out a giggle.

"My, I think you're mistaken, boy," she began, "How would insulting people possibly get me more power? The only thing that truly gives a mage more power is their bloodline and their training. You know, even the greatest bloodline can produce a garbage mage, if they don't bother with training. How could I get power from fucking insulting people?"

She spread her arms with a grin. "You'd have to be a fucking idiot to think that I'm a backstabber, too. Betrayal is a real shitty thing to do to somebody, you know that? Besides, I love the Moon. Where would Japanese magic be without it? Oh, I can't dismiss onmyodo, but they're hardly as organized as us. I insult people because I enjoy it, boy. You're a real dumbass to think otherwise."

Mei paused for a moment, tilting her head the opposite direction and folding her arms. "But, you know... if power was a hot girl, maybe I'd take her up on that offer."

The blonde girl's pierced tongue traced her lips, as she gave Osamu a sidelong stare. Then, she quietly approached the edge of the rooftop.

"Anyway, you don't want me to leave? Are you a masochist or something? You're not my type, boy~" she added, stopping at the very edge. "I'm out of here."

One foot left the roof, as Mei drew a grey rune inscribed on a piece of paper from her pocket. "See ya~"

She fell.

There was a faint crackling sound, but then nothing. No sound of impact, but it was obvious Mei did not seek to end her own life.

---

"Don't be silly," Amber replied with a sigh. Really now, was there any need for such foolishness? Sure, the girl seemed relatively young, but asking a question like that... it was just absurd, wasn't it? Of course. Completely absurd. The suit-wearing girl looked ahead, trying to see if they had gotten to her destination yet. Of course, she'd recognize the inn, she just didn't know how to get there... When the girl mentioned some kind of rare diamond, she nodded slightly.

"Yes, you're on the right track. That's all I'll..."

Amber trailed off. Something was wrong. Sure, it had gotten dark, but suddenly it seemed as if the people had just... vanished. As if someone had cleared all the humans from this area. Or rather most of them.

The streets here were empty.

"... This is..."

... Damn it. Her first... this fast? Before she could even... she wasn't prepared! But she had them on her...

This girl, though. It was going to be a pain trying to fix this, but she couldn't have any Ministers after her.

"... I can find my way from here. You should go. Now."

Strangely, Osamu felt a little...optimistic at realizing that, as much of a nasty asshole as Mei was, she did have principles. He would have mused on this further, if not for the fact that the boy still had nothing to eat. If only Ando Asami had not gone to that ramen shop; he could have had something to - no, this was not the time to cry over spilled milk! Just go to a convinience store and buy something - you have money, don't you?

And, with that, Osamu climbed down the building through the other fire escape, before running off to look for some food.

A Few Minutes Later

Osamu was eating instant noodles at the bottom of the stairs of a small shop that sold snacks, his mood happier now. He was also drinking water. Of course, this didn't mean that he was abandoning his duties; he just had to refuel.

"...Huh?"

Hiroko had never seen Sayuri act like that. Was something wrong? Then again, things had been pretty tense in Rokuro lately... Maybe she was just stressed out? She made a mental note to ask her about it later, and maybe see if there was anything she could do to help. But for now... Now that Asami had finally finished her ramen (she ate it so slow... Did she not appreciate good ramen or something?) it was time to make good on her word to her.

"So... You staying somewhere nearby? Or am I going to have to work off that ramen?" Getting out of her seat, she waved goodbye to Sayuri as she headed to the door, expecting Asami to follow her.

"It's only a little ways from here," replied Asami, following Hiroko to the door. Yes, it wasn't far at all. That meant there wasn't much time for any intervention. It was pretty late, so that meant there weren't as many people out... in fact, as they left Sayuri's shop(with Sayuri very pointedly not looking at them as they bid farewell) she was already closing up shop. Some people lingered, but they were likely going to be the last people who left. Soon enough, the light from the ramen shop vanished around a corner. It was dark. The only source of light was a few streetlights... Damn, had she really waited that long? Well... she'd be back soon. She could bid Hiroko farewell, and prepare for the night. Asami wanted to incapacitate rather then kill, if she could help it. But... those in participating in the White Night knew what they were getting into. Strategically, she wanted to knock out the weaker magi first, unless she found an opportunity to take down the most powerful ones. The last thing she wanted was an ambush from one of the more powerful participants.

But she was still confident.

The streets were so empty, though... Asami glanced back at Hiroko. "We're not too far now. The inn I'm staying at is just a little further."

She gave the other girl a smile. She was nice, really. Asami didn't want her to get caught up in the magical world, especially not the White Night. Something so violent. Something some people might kill to keep secret. Even if they didn't kill... Some were rather unscrupulous about how they removed memories. Ruthless magi may not take the time to ensure the subject is unharmed... those were the kind of people Asami couldn't stand.

There was only one person she hated more.

"Thanks again fo-"

Asami paused for a moment. There was... damn it!

There was really no time at all. Her hand lashed out, catching Hiroko in the chest to shove her back as fast as she could. There wasn't any time to try and get her away.

"Get down!"

Swinging her arm up, Asami felt the mana flow through her body, coursing through her. Her body was a conduit, as she had always been told. It conducted mana harvested from the Origin, the inherent mana supply in the body of all those born with use of it. That fuel for magic that inhabited the body of any magi or onymouji. It condensed in her palm. The spell she was casting only had one function.

"Panzerschild!" she cried. Instantly, a circle of red mana spread from her palm, segments rotating as it sprang out, large enough to shield her entire body. The glow pierced the dark night, and illuminated the swarm of black orbs swirling through the air towards her. They crashed against the barrier, beating down on it. An ache spread up her arm as her shield spell was bombarded, but she held fast. The black orbs scattered across her barrier, rolling across the surface and crashing harmlessly to the concrete and asphalt and sputtered into nothing. At least the bombardment ended, and Asami let her shield collapse, the barrier dissipating into red sparks.

There was no way Hiroko wouldn't see that. But there was nothing else she could do. Damn it, why did anyone else have to get involved?!

"That hair... there's only one person you could be, isn't there?" a voice carried out across the street. From the shadows, there emerged a girl. Her hair was a medium shade of brown, her eyes orange, and she was dressed in a rather prestigious school uniform. "Ando Asami-san."

The girl's eyes traveled from Asami, to Hiroko. "Eh? Who's that? ... Oh, I see. That's pretty foolish, isn't it? Letting someone completely unaware of this ritual follow you around?"

She sighed. "Don't worry. When I clean her brain out, she won't remember any of this. ... Or you, for that matter."

Asami clenched her fists. There was only one person this could be, after that spell. Asami was certain those were curses.

"We'll see about that," she began, her eyes narrowing.

"Matsuoka Rei."

"Tonight? Really?" Kanon questioned as she went into the kitchen area and silently shewed her pets away. They knew they weren't allowed in her kitchen. She noted their dinner still sitting on the stove, unfinished. Ah well, she can reheat everything after their guest left. With the White Night... there was definitely things more important to worry open. Opening one of the top cabinets, she pulled out a fairly large bottle of sake. She never drank the stuff herself, but it was a useful addition to many dishes she made. That and her shikigami was surprisingly quite the drunkard. She loved the stuff. "So soon, huh. Wasn't the last one only ten years ago?"

She had been seven years old at the time. Her recollection was vague but she did know there was a lot of bustling going on during that time. Even her father had gotten involved in some form.

Coming to the the vampire, she set a sake dish on the table for Shiroi when got back, then handed the other to her guest. Suddenly something clicked in her mind. A pretty woman from ten years ago, Kanon had only caught glimpses of her at the time, so its not surprising it took her this long to remember.

"Ah! I remember you now! Wow, you really aren't human. You haven't aged at all!" Just as the onmyouji was coming to this conclusion, Shiroi popped back in, carrying a fairly large box. She showed no sign of fatigue or effort in carrying it despite her size.

When her eyes landed on the bowl of sake, they lit up in excitement, "Is that for me?!" When Kanon nodded, the shikigami quickly put down the box she was carrying and went to enjoy her drink.

---

Cornelia was prepared to leave the older woman behind and completely forget her existence. She didn't realize any normal adult wouldn't have let a child walk around at night. Scrunching her brow, she turned back around to properly face the woman. Take her back to home? No, that was out of the question. Even if she wanted to, her aunt and uncle would just send her back out to prepare for the White Night.

"No, I'm not going home," Her tone came out more stubbornly than intended. Ahhh, why did she talk to this nee-san? It was such a terrible idea, "You should just forget I was here, nee-san."

Once again, the child attempted to go on her way and leave the woman. Surely, this time she would heed Cornelia's very sound advice, right?

"The gap's short, but it was always going to happen sooner and sooner. The ritual's been gathering speed down the years even when I tried to slow it down," Elizabeth answered, watching the other girl effortlessly carry in the heavy box. As soon as this discussion was over, she was going to ask what the hell was going on there; she definitely wasn't a vampire or any other common kind of supernatural and she wasn't here before. Shiroi's presence was plain confusing.

Then, having apparently taken five minutes to realise, Kanon's memory managed to pick up on the familiarity of the vampire's appearance. Somewhat surprised, Elizabeth carried on as if it wasn't surprising to be remembered, "Yup, I was here last time, too. One of the perks of vampirism is being able to watch this mess since it's conception."

The brunette paused to drink from her dish, "Anyway, I came here before checking on some of the other magical families in the area, since your father was with me, last time, in trying to stop the ritual from completing or going to someone who'd abuse the power. I planned to just let him know, but instead, how about you join me? The ritual might be dangerous but I've survived it this long and I should be able to make sure you get out of this fine."

...Why did it have to be a little brat? Kazumi thought with increasing despair. Where did that haughty attitude come from? Was she so oblivious to the possibility of danger in the world? With a personality like that, this girl had no business wandering the streets at night.
With a disgruntled sigh, Kazumi quickly followed after her, "hey, wait right there!"

The older woman had closed the small distance between them, and gave the child a rather disapproving glare from behind her glasses, "yes, you are going home! I don't care if you're trying to run away or something, but walking around by yourself like this is a pretty dumb idea, you know!"

Elsewhere in the city, away from all the fighting, the former alchemist stood, studying a map of the area. It seemed that her preparations had been completed just in time, since with night falling everyone with the slightest lick of sense was getting off the streets. Perhaps the mundane things that populated most of the world were more aware than she usually gave them credit for? At least it meant that stashing a few of her more bizarre looking toys away was easier, with a good spread around Rokuro.

Then, annoyingly, one of those... episodes happened again. Like someone had cut their strings, Signe's arms dropped to her sides, becoming as inert and immobile as the porcelain looked to be. Trapping the map under one foot, the long-haired mage waited for it to pass, idly noting that it was taking longer than the last one, though the length wasn't consistent over short periods.

So far as maladies went, it was rather dangerous for one in her profession, but better than when the magic she now wielded ended up attacking her own body. It was mild for now, but over time... Signe had calculated that there was, at most, a year before it became fatal. Such were the risks of performing highly invasive surgery to 'improve' your soul with the equivalent of a chainsaw and a barn's worth of steroids. Maybe she should have incapacitated her family first, so they couldn't resist it in any way.

That was something to test next time. For now, once her arms were working, she would just have to win this little ritual.

Isagani frankly had no idea whatsoever where he was. He was lost in the most profound of physical senses other than at least knowing what city he was in. The boy supposed it only made sense given his recent transfer to this place, but he still found it incredibly frustrating as he wandered down streets that seemed to be increasingly empty. That was probably for the best even though it made finding directions much harder, considering the sorts of things that were likely to start going down once nightfall came in earnest. No sense getting people who weren't even involved caught in the crossfire of a small-scale magical war of sorts, after all.

Still, the boy had no idea where he was or where he was currently going, and after a while of wandering it had gotten more than a little annoying considering he wasn't even sure if he was wandering in circles over and over. But was that...

It was! A person! Better yet, one who appeared to be pinning some sort of map under their foot! Clearly they would have directions for him! But what if they were an enemy mage and this was all some sort of ask for directions-based, elaborate trap!? One designed specifically to catch out-of-town mages unawares in situations just like his!? Clearly he would have to approach this situation with all the grace and subtlety he was known for while gathering information!

"Hi there! I'm a new transfer student from out of town and I'm just tooootally lost and I couldn't help but notice that you have what looks like a map there! So uh, I kinda need directions and if you wouldn't mind helping me out for a minute that would be great!"

He gave his winningest smile as he spoke up, because clearly any mage wanting to murder him would be far too disarmed by his innocent teenage schoolboy charm to explode him with their magics!

Click

The pure white girl loaded her rifle carefully. The magazine slid in smoothly after the click, and there was a second click announcing that it was now in place. Her crimson eyes checked for any errors, and found there was none. She had to keep the barrel of the rifle resting on the ground, for its immense size was unwieldy otherwise. She had to kill someone tonight. At the very least, she had to open fire. She didn't want to fail her... and the darker reason was that she was scared of what the others would do if she did not make any progress. What Soran would do to her.

Two struts held the rifle up as Shi laid flat on her stomach, leaning her head to the side to look through the scope as she did. A few adjustments were required, but soon the homunculus had a clear view of the world beneath her. The scope, custom-built specifically for her just as the rest of the rifle was, possessed excellent capabilities in terms of viewing things in the distance, and at night. This was likely due to the series of spells etched on its interior that allowed for it to pierce darkness quite easily. Two scenes were immediately visible in the dark. A young girl, difficult to see from her angle behind an older... was that the older girl who she had met earlier? She was still out...

Dismissing this quickly and writing off attempting to identify the child(there was a child mage participating, she knew as much, but she could not get a clear angle to confirm her identity based on the information she had been given), Shi shifted her viewpoint.

... There.

A woman, her arms looking unusual and hanging limp through the magical filter on Shi's scope. Zooming in, Shi steadily became more and more certain that this woman was one of her targets.

She was about to pull the trigger, when someone else entered her view. This one she did not recognize. Her finger left her trigger slowly. Shi had to wait. Simply firing when there could be a witness... She was ordered only to fire upon confirmed magi and participants. ... Though... she was also ordered to eliminate witnesses... but wasn't it better not to create them?

Naganeru Aryū, Trainee Onmyouji

---

Aryū's train(wreck) of thought was interrupted by the woman's sudden warning. In all of these events that have proceeded to this moment, Aryū didn't pay attention to the time. The sudden lowering of the sun surprised her. She didn't expect the sun to set so quickly. Instead of fleeing like the random woman had said, Aryū stood still. Really, she was surprised. She was too surprised to move. She remained still, too many things were going on in her empty mind for her to move.