February 9th, Friday, 12:31 AM.
By this ti, Ryougi Yutsuki had already returned to her room in the Spirit apartnt.
Because they still had classes to attend today, she and Shido had ended their cyberspace training an hour ago and returned to their respective rooms to rest.
However, Yutsuki didn't choose to go to sleep imdiately. Perhaps bothered by what Shido had said during their training, she sat cross-legged on her bed, turned on her computer, and began to run so investigations.
And now, with the assistance of Ratziel, an extra video file had appeared on her computer.
It was surveillance footage from a month ago, capturing the Ratatoskr base that Shido and the others had traveled to.
Opening the video, she could see that the base had already been breached by DEM's surprise attack. The facility was riddled with gunfire and thick with gunpowder smoke. Westcott, the leader of DEM, had personally taken to the frontlines, appearing directly in front of Shido and Nia.
(Damn it, the resolution is incredibly low.)
Yutsuki couldn't help but complain. Because the cara was positioned sowhat far from Shido, zooming in only revealed a few extrely blurry, pixelated figures.
"Marina, process this footage a bit for ."
[Eh~ You could just do this kind of trivial thing yourself.]
Marina spoke from the screen in a tone that showed how troubleso she found the request. But despite her complaints, she still efficiently applied filters, sharpened the image, and ran a series of other restorative processes.
"There really is..."
Looking at the gradually clearing footage, a hint of gravity settled into Yutsuki's eyes. Just as Shido had said, the mont Westcott dragged him and Nia into the Phantom Library, a multitude of arms suddenly manifested at the entrance, grabbing the two and pulling them inside.
And in that split second before plunging into the Phantom Library, Shido accidentally caught a glimpse of the arms's owners—they were a group of girls who looked absolutely identical to Arusu Marina.
[Hmph~ So these are the ones Shido said might be my sisters?]
Looking at the arms in the footage, Marina asked indifferently.
"Well, who knows. Currently, Shido is the only one who has witnessed the true identity of the arms. Plus, I didn't see those people when I was in the Phantom Library. This point still needs further verification."
Yutsuki reasoned. It wasn't that she didn't believe Shido's words, but there were currently very few clues to serve as solid intelligence—only this video and Shido's testimony. She didn't want to make a rash judgnt.
"Marina, what is your personal opinion?"
[Well~ It's probably eighty percent true, isn't it?]
Marina shrugged helplessly, expressing her own view.
[I was originally an artificial intelligence created on a whim by Father anyway. As long as he wants to, designing a few more identical AIs and modeling them after my appearance data is an absolute breeze for him.]
"True."
Yutsuki nodded in understanding. Indeed, just as Marina said, since Westcott had the capability to create an AI like Marina, he naturally possessed the ability to design a second or a third.
"But, if that's all it is, then they should be AIs just like you. It should be impossible for them to interfere with the real world like that."
[Mhm—I'm not clear on that part. But if I had to na the only possibility, it would be the power of Beelzebub, wouldn't it?]
"I see... and the timing is exactly after Nia was robbed of her Sephira Crystal."
A look of realization dawned in Yutsuki's eyes.
Recalling the situation when Nia had Inversed back then: after Beelzebub appeared, Nia's Spirit power had first condensed into a black mud-like substance, which then transford into an army of bizarrely shaped monsters.
Thinking about it now, the two phenonons indeed shared similarities. It was just that their physical manifestations were so drastically different—like comparing a casually molded lump of clay to a ticulously crafted figurine—that Yutsuki simply hadn't connected them at first.
"In other words, that's also an ability of Beelzebub? Because Nia was rampaging at the ti, she could only summon black mud without a definitive shape. But its true ability is to materialize the user's imagination through Spirit power?"
Yutsuki hypothesized.
[Well, since you put it that way, that's probably it.]
Marina said noncommittally.
Although there was no concrete evidence, considering that Beelzebub was currently in Westcott's hands, the likelihood of this guess was the highest.
[But, even though they're using pretty much the sa power, why does it feel so overwhelmingly dangerous in Father's hands, yet so incredibly weak in Nia's hands?]
Marina roasted with a thoroughly speechless expression.
"Well, combat isn't everything a person is about. Nia has her own strong points too (probably), so let's not delve too deeply into this question."
Yutsuki waved her hand with a bitter smile, smoothing things over for the absent Nia.
(Nia, jolting awake in bed: Achoo!? What's going on? I feel like soone is talking bad about !)
[Onee-chan, Yutsuki. Are you two not asleep yet?]
Just then, a door appeared on the computer screen. The door creaked open, and Maria poked her head out with a worried face.
"Mhm, I was investigating sothing that bothered . I'm already done."
[I see, then hurry up and get so rest. It's getting late. It wouldn't be good if you overslept and were late for school.]
"That is true. Mhm, I will go to sleep soon."
I usually go to sleep even later. Although she grumbled in her heart, Yutsuki understood Maria's good intentions and nodded in reply.
[Alright, Onee-chan, you co back and rest with too.]
[Eh? It's fine if we don't sleep, isn't it?]
[No! Having that kind of thought is very dangerous, Onee-chan! Even as an artificial intelligence, overworking will cause bugs!]
Saying that, Maria grabbed Marina's hand, speaking with unyielding strictness.
[What kind of twisted logic is that... Alright, alright, I get it.]
Although she seed a bit impatient, Marina ultimately couldn't handle the stubborn Maria. She sighed, indicating her compromise.
[Ah, right, Yutsuki. Pass a ssage to Itsuka Shido for .]
Just as she was preparing to leave, Marina suddenly stopped in her tracks, turning her head back to Yutsuki.
"What is it?"
["Those are definitely not my sisters! One Maria is enough of a sister for ."]
Saying that, Marina sighed helplessly.
[I'm not worried about him or anything. But that idiot is too foolish. If I don't explain it clearly, when he encounters those enemies bearing my exact appearance, he'll definitely bring trouble upon himself out of unnecessary sympathy.]
"...Mhm, I will pass the ssage to Shido."
Nodding to show her understanding, Yutsuki looked at Marina's cheeks and couldn't help but let a slight smile surface.
"Thanks for your concern, Marina."
[I-It's not concern! It's just that Shido looked so utterly pathetic during training, I made an exception and gave him a warning.]
[Okay, okay~ Thanks for the hard work being a tsundere, Onee-chan. Goodnight then, Yutsuki.]
[Who's a tsundere!]
"Mhm, goodnight."
Watching Maria and Marina disappear from the screen, Yutsuki turned off her computer, exhaled a soft breath, leaned back, and collapsed onto her bed.
"...I can't fall asleep."
After tossing and turning on the mattress for a few minutes, Yutsuki opened her eyes helplessly.
She didn't know whether it was because the ti synchronization between the virtual world and the real world hadn't adjusted properly, or because she felt like she had overlooked so crucial detail. A creeping sense of anxiety surfaced in Yutsuki's heart, preventing her from falling asleep peacefully.
—Tap.
Just then, a faint, rhythmic sound, as light as a ping pong ball landing on the floor, echoed near Yutsuki's ear.
(Coming from the direction of the balcony?)
Yutsuki furrowed her brows slightly. If anyone else from the apartnt ca to find her, they wouldn't need to sneak to the balcony so suspiciously; they could just ring the doorbell from the hallway.
(A thief?)
While lying on the bed with her eyes closed, feigning sleep, Yutsuki maintained her vigilance, paying close attention to the intruder's movents.
She didn't hear the sound of a glass breaker or similar tools being used. Moreover, if the doors or windows were damaged, the apartnt's security system would have naturally triggered an alarm.
However, this fact did not bring Yutsuki any peace of mind. She sensed that the other party hadn't left, instead, they had successfully invaded the room. Ignoring highly valuable items like the TV and computer, the faint footsteps approached in a straight line—right toward Yutsuki's bed.
(Strike first and gain the upper hand!)
The mont she sensed the intruder reach her bedside, Yutsuki suddenly snapped her eyes open. Not giving the other party a fraction of a second to react, she lunged upward, violently pinning the intruder to the floor.
Straddling the intruder's waist, Yutsuki quickly executed a joint lock, securing their limbs to prevent any further movent.
But after completing the suppression, a wave of doubt washed over her. Even if she had caught the intruder completely off guard, the entire suppression process went a bit too smoothly. Yutsuki didn't feel even the slightest attempt to resist or struggle from the other party.
"Ara ara~. How cruel Yutsuki-san, you really do not know how to treat a fragile maiden gently."
A familiar, lodic voice chid from the darkness. Yutsuki took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. Sure enough, the intruder was soone she knew all too well.
"Long ti no see. What are you doing sneaking in here?"
Secretly preparing to summon her Astral Dress and Angel at a mont's notice, Yutsuki questioned the intruder coldly.
"Tokisaki Kurumi."
"Hehe—"
Hearing her na, the person currently pinned beneath Yutsuki—the most evil Spirit in human history, Tokisaki Kurumi—chuckled without a shred of nervousness. Then, she spoke in an exaggerated tone of regret.
"Taking advantage of the deep night to launch a night raid on Yutsuki-san, only to unfortunately fail~"
User Comments
0 comments from readers