The girl became a streak of golden light, flying into the sky and racing toward the distance.
Behind her, the AST members drove their CR-unit and chased after her without pause.
Laser-like beams screamed past her ears. Missiles kept exploding behind her.
[Why?]
This was a scene she had already grown used to. And yet, the pain in her heart was a hundred times worse than usual.
[Ah, I get it. It's because of Shido... and Obaa-chan.]
Endless pain only made people numb. What was even crueler than that was giving someone a faint hope in the middle of that pain, then turning that hope into despair.
Living at the shrine with Tamako obaa-chan. Going to school with Shido. The future she had pictured in her mind was ordinary, simple, and something she had dreamed of from the bottom of her heart.
But that beautiful future had been shattered by explosions and shockwaves.
[It's my fault!]
Obaa-chan's death was all her fault.
She had known that anyone who stayed with her would be dragged into this kind of situation sooner or later. Even so, because she had been greedy for that peaceful and ordinary life, she had used Obaa-chan's illness as an excuse to numb herself.
[I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!]
She kept apologizing in her heart. But no matter how many times she said it, it could not make up for what had already happened.
The only comfort was that, at least, Shido had not been dragged into it.
[So I can't see him again.]
If she stayed with Shido any longer, then even he might get hurt.
Mikoto had never hated the AST.
Some of them fought to protect something. Some fought to take revenge on Spirits. If she were still human, perhaps she would even have thanked this team for driving away disasters.
But—
[The me right now... also has the right to take revenge,right?]
The moment Tamako obaa-chan died, Mikoto's heart was stained with darkness.
Judging by the distance, she had already moved far enough. Even if a battle broke out here, Shido, who was far away at the shrine, would not be caught in it.
"Descend, Tsukuyomi!"
Mikoto pressed her hands together, as if praying.
And then, with the girl at the center, night fell.
"Why did you drag an innocent person into this!? Why did Tamako obaa-chan have to be sacrificed!?"
Shido ran desperately in the direction Mikoto had gone.
He raised his head, looked at the AST members flying through the sky one after another, and shouted in anger.
"A civilian?"
Captain Kusakabe Ryouko, who belonged to the AST's Tengu Garrison Base, lowered her head and spotted Shido running below.
"Origami, lead everyone and continue tracking Miko."
She spoke to the girl beside her.
Tobiichi Origami was the team member Ryouko had the highest hopes for. Five years ago, during the great fire in Tengu City, a boy had protected her parents and was killed by a Spirit.
To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, Origami had joined the AST.
"Origami?"
For some reason, Origami, who was usually calm and efficient, now had a confused look on her face.
"Sorry. I'm going now."
Origami pulled her gaze away from Shido. For some reason, she felt that boy looked very similar to the person who had saved her parents five years ago.(TL:intersting~ very interesting~( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡• ) so that's the route the author is going for huh...naruhodo)
[It must be my imagination.]
Although it bothered her a little, she still followed Ryouko's order, organized the team members, and began pursuing Miko.
"Stop! What are you doing here?"
Ryouko controlled her CR-unit, descended, and shouted at Shido.
"Why... why did Tamako obaa-chan have to be sacrificed!?"
Ignoring Ryouko's question, Shido shouted back in anger.
"Tamako obaa-chan? Ah..."
Ryouko frowned, then remembered. There was indeed a woman named Tamako living at the shrine that had been used as the blast site.
"I don't know what you've misunderstood, but Tamako-san left before the explosion."
Ryouko naturally assumed Shido was someone connected to the shrine.
If that were the case, it was not strange that he would mistake them, who had arrived after the explosion, as the people who destroyed the shrine.
But he was wrong about one thing.
The AST had not dragged Tamako into that explosion. No matter what, they were still a military unit. Killing civilians was not something to joke about.
"What..."
"If you understand, then leave this place at once. It's dangerous here. Did you hear me?"
After saying that, Ryouko drove her Realizer and hurried toward Origami and the others.
"Obaa-chan... left the shrine?"
Shido had thought of that possibility before.
But that old woman had no reason to go out. Even if she had gone to a shelter because of the spacequake alarm, she would not have had enough free time to change clothes before leaving.
That meant the torn sleeve in Mikoto's hand had to belong to Tamako obaa-chan herself.
But that went against what the woman just said.
Which side was the truth?
Plop.
Just as Shido was troubled, a small amulet fell to the ground.
"Ah..."
He remembered. It was the thing Tamako obaa-chan had given him before he and Mikoto left.
Perhaps the string had been cut by a shard from the explosion earlier, so the amulet that had been hanging around his neck had fallen to the ground.
Shido picked it up.
Somehow, he had a feeling that Tamako obaa-chan's disappearance was connected to this small charm.
"What is this!?"
The cloth pouch was swollen badly, as if the things inside were about to burst out of it.
Shido took out what was inside and showed a look of disbelief.
[Come on. Come on.]
Looking at the AST members as they slowly drew closer, Mikoto stood inside the barrier and showed a dangerous smile.
[I won't refuse you this time.]
As Mikoto's Angel, the true nature of Tsukuyomi's power was "rejection."
Just as the word implied, it created a territory of her own and rejected all outside things.
However, despite being called the strongest spear, Tsukuyomi had almost no attack power.
In exchange, it possessed an absolute defense several times more terrifying than an Astral Dress.
Mikoto had no complaints about this.
If anything, this kind of Angel made her feel relieved.
The destruction and killing caused by spacequakes, even though they were not her will, were already enough to make her sick.
Actively killing humans was absolutely not something Mikoto wanted.
At least, that had been true before today.
[Come on. Come on. Welcome to my divine kingdom.]
Looking at the AST members flying into the barrier, Mikoto smiled faintly.
At the same time, Ryouko, who had just arrived at the scene, noticed that something was wrong.
Miko, whose barrier had always left them helpless, had actually opened it on her own.
"Guh..."
The situation was too strange, and it gave Ryouko a bad feeling.
If that boy earlier had mistaken AST as the ones who killed Tamako-san, then perhaps Miko thought the same thing.
A few days ago, after the higher-ups observed Miko's silent manifestation, they gave the order to eliminate the Spirit.
In order not to repeat the mistake from the attempt to snipe Tohka, this time they chose a more certain method: fixed point bombing.
According to their usual observations, Miko had been living in Tamako-san's house.
[If... that Spirit had developed feelings for that old woman, then... Miko, who thinks AST killed Tamako...]
This time, the gentle Spirit might no longer be gentle.
Ryouko thought this with unease in her heart.