Mika and I took a taxi until we were a reasonable distance from our destination.
If we stayed in the vehicle any longer, we risked being targeted alongside the driver, potentially dragging an innocent person into our mess. It was a bit of a trek, but we decided to walk the rest of the way.
"...Hey, look at that."
"...Isn't that the girl from the Himatsuri-gumi?"
As we walked, curious glances and whispers drifted toward us from the periphery.
Because she usually wore wafuku, Mika looked like nothing more than a beautiful young girl in her change of clothes. In contrast, I was walking beside her in a black suit and sunglasses—a blatantly suspicious and completely mismatched pairing. I wouldn't have been surprised if someone had called the police on me right then and there.
Given our current situation, I figured I should just be grateful we hadn't been reported yet.
"Hey, Owari."
"..."
"Hey!"
"Guh...!"
The moment I tried to put some distance between us to avoid drawing more attention, Mika suddenly yanked my tie, dragging my gaze away from the street and forcing me to look her right in the eye.
"Listen, Owari. I don't care what anyone thinks—don't you dare move away from me."
"No, but look... I'm a bit of an eyesore standing next to you."
"Shut up. Who cares about looks? For right now, you're a member of the Himatsuri-gumi. So walk beside me with your head held high. Don't leave my side."
"...Understood, Leader."
"Mika."
"...Mika."
"Good."
She had reeled me back in just as I was trying to give her some space.
I had been trying to be considerate of the odd looks she was getting, but it seemed Mika was already more than used to them.
Sensing her strength once again, I walked close by her side as we headed for our destination.
The Himatsuri-gumi Headquarters was a massive, Japanese-style estate, the largest in the region.
The closer we got, the more the ordinary foot traffic thinned out.
In inverse proportion to the dwindling crowds, the weight of the gazes fixed on us increased. These were insolent, mocking stares filled with contempt—and they passed right over me to pierce Mika.
"..."
I had initially thought about distancing myself, but I was glad I stayed close. I walked right beside her, acting as a shield to block her from those pathetic eyes.
We had been walking for about an hour when the presence of people suddenly grew dense again.
A short distance ahead, a group of men in black suits stood waiting, as if they had known exactly when we would arrive.
"Well, well! Welcome back, Young Lady. I'm so glad you've returned. We were all quite worried about you."
Standing at the front of the group was a refined, gentle-looking man. I recognized him—he was the close associate I'd seen at the construction site, a man named Uryuu.
With a train of subordinates behind him, Uryuu welcomed Mika with a polite smile.
"Uryuu..."
"If you were going out, you should have told us. We couldn't get a hold of you, so everyone's been out searching the area."
"True. It was my fault for not checking in."
"It's quite alright. We're just relieved to see you back safe and sound. Now, come along. Let's get you inside."
Uryuu stepped toward Mika as if he’d been waiting for this very moment.
Mika started to step forward to meet him.
I moved immediately, stepping in front of Mika to block her path and glaring at Uryuu.
"Owari...?"
"Hey, what do you think you're doing, standing in front of the Young Lady? Get out of the way, now."
"Hey, Uryuu. There's something I want to ask you."
"Hah?"
"Why do you reek of blood?"
My modified and enhanced senses caught it clearly. Beneath his clean, polished appearance, Uryuu gave off the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"And are these guys trying to surround us also your subordinates?"
I felt it—not just the men in front of us, but others moving stealthily out of sight, tightening a perimeter around us.
This wasn't a welcome party for an organization's boss. This was a net closing in on prey.
"...I see. I thought she was all alone, but it looks like there was one promising stray left after all."
"Uryuu... you don't mean..."
Uryuu snapped his fingers. The men surrounding him stepped forward, pulling handguns from their coats and training their muzzles on me.
"Mika!"
Before a single trigger could be pulled, I grabbed Mika and dove to the side with everything I had.
In that heartbeat, the men opened fire without hesitation. A hail of bullets tore through the air where we had been standing a second before.
"You...!"
"Hey, hey, watch it. Didn't I tell you to try and avoid scuffing the Young Lady?"
Uryuu's voice hadn't changed; his tone was still mild and gentle. But the eyes looking down at us spoke volumes. They viewed us as nothing more than trash.
"Uryuu, why...?"
"Oh? Were you actually still laboring under the delusion that we were loyal? You really are a naive one. That's exactly why it was so easy to take this place from you."
No matter what anyone else thought, Mika had believed in them until the bitter end.
Because it was the organization her mother had built, and the place her mother had loved, she had run herself into the ground with a battered body to try and keep it together. And this was her reward.
"In this day and age, you can make a fortune if you play your cards right. All this talk of honor and duty is so outdated. None of us have the slightest interest in playing house when it doesn't put a single yen in our pockets."
"N-No! My mother built the Himatsuri-gumi to protect...!"
"That was the Himatsuri-gumi of the Second Generation."
"Eh...?"
"The organization is being reborn. We're going to devour the weak and amass more money and power than we know what to do with. That is the Third Generation Himatsuri-gumi—and I am its leader."
Uryuu and his followers laughed at Mika as she sat on the ground, desperately trying to plead her case.
"I... I...!"
Suddenly, Mika’s body slumped.
Facing her enemies, she collapsed onto the ground, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps.
Even though she had rested at the hospital and recovered slightly, her body was still a wreck. Now, the psychological trauma of the betrayal had dealt a finishing blow to her spirit. She had finally reached her limit.
The impact of being betrayed by the very people she called family was simply too much for the current Mika to bear.
"Mika!"
"Move... damn it, move...!"
I stood in front of her, facing Uryuu.
I’d suspected him, but I hadn't expected him to resort to such blatant, overwhelming force so quickly.
I’d thought it was just a few traitors, but the entire Himatsuri-gumi had turned against us. The enemy was moving far faster than we’d anticipated.
"This is perfect. Let me show you a fraction of our new power."
Uryuu snapped his fingers again, and three Kaijin dropped from the sky.
There was a massive Kaijin encased in steel armor, Steel Kaijin Iron. Next was Flame Kaijin Hellflame, his right arm a cannon wreathed in high-intensity fire. Finally, a three-meter-tall giant with grotesque, bulging muscles—Superstrength Kaijin Muscular.
"Kaijin?! This pressure... no way...!"
The pressure was different. These weren't the cheap fakes using Kaijin Genome that I usually fought. These were likely high-level Kaijin provided by Syndicate Shadow, possessing power nearly identical to the real thing.
"So you really are that deep in bed with them?"
I’d figured they were just buyers for the genome, but I hadn't expected a relationship intimate enough for the Syndicate to loan out its own Kaijin.
"Kh! Onikagura!"
Mika squeezed her hilt with the last of her strength, but the Oni-masked Puppets failed to manifest.
"Why? Why won't you move?!"
Mika didn't have the energy left to use her Onikagura ability. She had been forcing her broken body to move on sheer willpower, and now that her spirit was shattered, she was spent. It was obvious to everyone.
"Tch!"
Even if these three Kaijin looked like the ones I’d beaten yesterday, the power they radiated was on a different level. To wipe them out instantly, I’d have to go even harder than I did during our last fight.
But if I went all out here, Mika was too weak to move—she’d be caught in the blast. On the other hand, if I held back to keep her safe, I might be able to handle the Kaijin, but I wasn't confident I could protect her from the guns aimed at us from every direction.
The location was terrible, too. Even with few people on the street, this was still a residential area. People were inside those buildings. If I unleashed too much firepower, I’d take the whole neighborhood with me.
Between the Kaijin and the potential for more hidden reinforcements, fighting here was a losing game.
"Mika! We're getting out of here!"
My priority wasn't winning a fight. It was keeping Mika alive.
"Factor Release: Flame Kaijin Hellflay x Freezing Kaijin Tundra!"
I slammed the two opposing elements together in front of my chest.
"Steam Burst!"
Fire and ice collided, instantly blanketing the entire area in a thick, blinding veil of white steam.
"Factor Release...!"
Using the split-second opening, I enhanced my physical strength with my ability, scooped Mika up into my arms, and bolted.
"Cough! Cough! After them! Kill the man! Bring the woman back alive!"
Through the mist, I heard the heavy footfalls of a pursuer. Superstrength Kaijin Muscular was already on our tail.