A sharp pain in her abdomen.
It caused Natsume Mio to freeze for half a second.
Then, reacting, she swung her schoolbag and smashed it fiercely toward the miko’s head.
The miko leaped back gracefully.
As she jumped away.
The wakizashi buried in Natsume Mio’s side was pulled out.
Drawing out a string of blood droplets.
“That was dangerous.”
The miko flicked the wakizashi—which was about half the length of a standard Japanese sword—and sighed, looking as if she had just narrowly escaped disaster.
The Salaryman Uncle held his cigarette, sighed, and looked in another direction.
The Frivolous Youth scratched his head.
Natsume Mio clutched the wound on her abdomen with one hand.
She glared at the miko standing a short distance away in a standard red-and-white miko outfit, gritting her teeth with a somewhat ferocious expression.
Although she covered the wound on her side, dark red blood continued to seep out, staining her pale palm and the corner of her school uniform.
It hurt.
An intense, mind-numbing pain that threatened to strip away her consciousness.
It gradually caused Natsume Mio’s breathing to quicken, and the aftereffects of blood loss were beginning to show.
She felt dizzy, her vision swimming.
It was agonizing.
She wanted nothing more than to just lie down right there.
But she couldn’t.
If she lay down, she would truly lose.
Clink.
An uchigatana fell right beside her pale thigh, the tip striking the ground with a crisp sound.
Natsume Mio gripped the hilt.
After a brief pause, she lifted the blade, pointing the tip at the three of them.
“You guys… are going to die a little later,” she said, her breathing ragged.
“It won’t take long for him to reply. In this situation, if I want to see his message, I have no choice but to cut you all down, do I?”
Hearing Natsume Mio’s words.
The miko was completely baffled.
She turned to look at the Frivolous Youth and the Salaryman Uncle, asking,
“What kind of nonsense is she spouting?”
The Salaryman Uncle ignored her.
The Frivolous Youth shrugged.
Natsume Mio lowered her sword, holding it horizontally at her waist with the edge facing up.
“Swallow.”
“Oops, looks like we chatted too long.”
The miko instantly turned back around.
With her empty left hand, she crossed her middle finger over her index finger, then suddenly clenched it into a fist.
It was as if she had been violently shoved by something.
She appeared right in front of Natsume Mio in an instant, raising the wakizashi in her right hand to slash at Mio’s throat.
Natsume Mio twisted her wrist, gripping her sword, and swung upward.
Clang.
Sparks flew.
The miko’s right hand, holding the wakizashi, was knocked high and wide backward.
Natsume Mio switched to a reverse grip on her sword, about to press her advantage, but that clash just now tore at her wound, sending another wave of intense pain washing over her.
Her movements lagged by a beat.
By the time she swung her blade.
The miko had already leaped backward, opening up the distance.
“…Fast. Is she still this fast even when injured?” The miko looked at Natsume Mio, who was once again clutching her abdomen with one hand, her pretty face twisted in pain.
The miko was genuinely feeling a lingering sense of dread now.
The Frivolous Youth clamored, “Right? I wasn’t wrong, was I? She can even dodge a fist right in front of her face. If it weren’t for the Uncle’s long-range support, I really wouldn’t be confident in keeping up with her movements. She must specialize in speed-type techniques, and the kind that focuses entirely on a single form at that.”
“It’s not that simple. There’s also the factor of her obsession… Forget it. I was hoping to finish her off by myself, but that’s out of the question now. To avoid unnecessary casualties, let’s attack together.”
The miko suggested—or rather, commanded.
“…Been waiting for that.”
The Frivolous Youth took a step forward, pulling his hands out of his pockets and repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists.
“Even though ganging up on a girl is pretty shameless, we already did it once before, so one more time won’t make a difference.”
The Salaryman Uncle also tossed his cigarette, crushing it under his shoe.
He formed his right hand into the shape of a gun and aimed it at Natsume Mio.
The three of them formed an encircling formation, locking their sights on Natsume Mio.
“Three of you?”
Natsume Mio watched the trio.
She adjusted her rapid breathing, gradually smoothing it out.
Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale…
The moment her breathing steadied, Natsume Mio took a deep breath and took the initiative to attack.
Light as a swallow, she stomped her right foot on the ground and glided toward the Frivolous Youth.
Bang.
An explosion rang out in response.
The Salaryman Uncle patted his shoulder.
But Natsume Mio had already dashed forward.
“Going after me, huh? Stop looking down on people! You bastard!”
The Frivolous Youth shouted angrily, clenching both fists and throwing them out simultaneously.
A compressed wave of air howled outward.
Natsume Mio shifted to the side, dodging it, then continued her charge toward him, raising the sword in her hand.
Bang.
The sound of an explosion echoed.
The Frivolous Youth took the opportunity to run further away while keeping his fists clenched.
Caught in the blast, Natsume Mio stumbled and was forced to land.
She snapped her head around to glare at the Salaryman Uncle.
Preparing to cut this guy down first.
The Salaryman Uncle remained expressionless.
Natsume Mio adjusted her breathing once more, ready to charge at the Salaryman Uncle.
But just as she moved, the corner of her eye caught a fleeting glint of cold steel.
With her fastest reflexes, Natsume Mio raised her sword and slashed blindly toward her right side.
Clang.
The wakizashi and the uchigatana clashed violently once again.
This time.
Both the miko’s and Natsume Mio’s blades were simultaneously repelled by the recoil.
The difference, however, was this.
The miko was uninjured.
She only needed to adjust her stance slightly to deliver the next strike.
But the wound on Natsume Mio’s side was on her right.
Her right arm swinging back in such a wide arc directly tore at the wound on her flank.
This wasn’t something as simple as adjusting her posture to move immediately.
The instant the wound was pulled.
Natsume Mio gasped sharply, her pretty face contorting even further.
“…”
The corners of the miko’s mouth suddenly curled up, and she let out a short laugh.
She raised her wakizashi again and slashed at Natsume Mio.
Natsume Mio bit down hard on her teeth and returned the strike.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
They exchanged three blows.
With deliberate intent, the miko put her full strength into every single strike.
Their wakizashi and uchigatana collided and rebounded a full three times.
Natsume Mio felt the pain radiating from her side begin to dull.
But this was not good news.
The miko raised her wakizashi once more.
Using all her remaining strength, Natsume Mio swung her uchigatana out as well.
Clang.
This time.
Natsume Mio couldn’t hold onto her sword.
Her blade flew straight backward out of her grasp.
The uchigatana spun a few times in the air before landing, burying itself into the dirt path just off the main road.
Natsume Mio looked back at where her sword had flown, then snapped her gaze back to the miko.
“It’s over.”
The miko raised her wakizashi.
“Fist-Fist-Fist!”
As the wakizashi descended, the Frivolous Youth’s loud shout rang out from the other side.
Sounding even faster than the Frivolous Youth’s shout.
Was the sound of an explosion right by her ear.
Natsume Mio used the last of her meager strength to barely dodge the incoming wakizashi, but the explosion went off immediately, thick smoke obscuring her vision.
At the same time, a pair of fists broke through the smoke and planted themselves firmly into her stomach.
Instantly.
A shockwave blasted backward along both sides.
And Natsume Mio, caught dead center, was sent flying like a ragdoll.
She crashed heavily onto the concrete main road, rolling twice down the slope before coming to a stop.
The miko sheathed her sword.
The Frivolous Youth also lowered his fists, looking at the fallen Natsume Mio with a hint of excitement.
“…Phew.”
The Salaryman Uncle lowered his gun-shaped hand, dug into his pocket, pulled out the last cigarette from a crumpled pack, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke.
It was over.
Under the setting sun.
Natsume Mio lay on the concrete ground.
The orange sunlight spilled over her, making the dark red blood seeping from her abdomen glisten.
But this scene was far from beautiful.
“…Urgh.”
The battered Natsume Mio twitched her fingers and coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.
Then.
It took her about a minute before she could barely manage to sit up.
She wanted to stand up, but the slightest movement sent a sharp pain through her abdomen that felt like it could make her pass out on the spot.
She truly couldn’t stand up anymore.
Natsume Mio sat on her knees, her hands resting on her thighs.
She looked at her thighs, at the scrapes and the slowly seeping blood, her consciousness gradually blurring.
It really is impossible, huh…
I originally thought I could hold out for two years.
But I really can’t handle this.
A three-on-one ambush is just playing dirty.
Let alone three, I couldn’t even beat two of them on my own.
If it weren’t for my stepbrother, I would have died last time.
Right.
Brother.
Of course he can’t make it.
I couldn’t even make a call.
He might be working his part-time job right now.
Yeah, or maybe he broke someone else’s doorframe and got fired again.
Hah…
Yeah, he’s working.
He can’t come.
He definitely can’t come.
I know.
I know.
I know…
…But he promised he would come help me.
We had a promise.
Liar.
Natsume Mio stared at her wound.
Her consciousness grew even fuzzier.
She suddenly felt a sense of grievance.
This grievance came from nowhere.
It was an emotion similar to a bratty kid getting bullied outside, and instead of standing up for them, their parent forces their head down to apologize to the others.
It was just pure grievance.
And this grievance suddenly cleared her blurry consciousness just a little.
Natsume Mio slowly raised her head.
Looking at the three people bathed in the setting sun who had just beaten her up, she softly murmured, “Nii-san…”
“?”
The Frivolous Youth standing nearby tilted his head.
“We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s finish this.”
The miko paid absolutely no mind to Natsume Mio’s words.
She took a step forward.
…But right at that moment.
A strange noise suddenly came from an alleyway in the residential area.
It sounded like a bicycle chain grinding against a freewheel.
Hearing the strange noise.
The miko slowly came to a halt.
She turned her head in confusion, looking toward the exit of the alley.
It really was a bicycle.
A bicycle, traveling at what looked to be at least thirty kilometers per hour, shot out of the alley like the wind.
It had more imposing presence than a knight riding a horse.
The legs on the pedals were pumping so fast they were nearly a blur.
If someone normally saw this sight, they might think the rider’s…
house was on fire.
The rider’s house was certainly not on fire.
The moment he saw the miko’s trio and Natsume Mio, his speed dropped.
And finally, as he neared Natsume Mio’s side, he executed a stylish tail whip and came to a stop.
Kitahara Minakaze stepped off the bicycle.
He glanced at the miko and the other two.
Then he looked at Natsume Mio, who was kneeling on the ground.
Natsume Mio’s mind was in a haze; she didn’t seem to notice the bicycle and the figure beside her.
Until.
“Like I said, I’m right here. What’s the point of looking at someone else and calling for Nii-san?”
Kitahara Minakaze’s voice rang out as his large hand pressed down on her head.
Only then did Natsume Mio slowly tilt her head up, looking at that exceptionally familiar figure whose face was obscured by the setting sun behind him.
“Sorry, I’m still late.”
Kitahara Minakaze crouched down, took off his jacket, and tore off his uniform tie.
As he helped temporarily staunch her bleeding, he softly explained, “When you didn’t reply to my messages, I thought it was weird. Then, risking you calling me a creep when I got back, I sent a few more messages and tried calling. When the call didn’t go through, I knew something was wrong. So I hijacked the manager’s bike and rode over. The manager’s face turned completely green when I took it. I’m probably going to get fired again, damn it… Anyway, I’ll tell you the details later. Don’t you dare die on me, I still owe you money.”
Kitahara Minakaze ripped his uniform jacket and used his tie as a rope to give Natsume Mio’s wound a simple bandage.
Natsume Mio leaned against Kitahara Minakaze’s chest.
She looked up for a long while before finally seeing clearly—it really was Kitahara Minakaze.
She lifted her hand with great difficulty, seemingly wanting to touch Kitahara Minakaze’s face to confirm he wasn’t a hallucination.
“It’s your stepbrother. Stop touching.”
Kitahara Minakaze pressed her hand down.
With one arm around her neck and the other under the crook of her knees, he effortlessly scooped her up into his arms.
He walked over to a nearby house and slowly set her down, letting her sit with her back against the wall.
Meanwhile, the miko standing a short distance away.
Saw an ordinary person rush out like the wind on a bicycle.
After her initial shock, she finally reacted.
She pointed at Kitahara Minakaze, raising her voice slightly as she asked the Salaryman Uncle, “Who is this? How did he get in?”
“Mumen Rider.”
Before the Salaryman Uncle could open his mouth, Kitahara Minakaze, having just set Natsume Mio down, beat him to the punch.
The miko: “?”
“…Although that’s what I wanted to say, it really isn’t appropriate. After all, you guys beat this idiot half to death. So I’ll give you a serious answer. Actually, I’m this idiot’s older brother.”
Kitahara Minakaze stood up.
Meeting the miko’s gaze, he pointed at Natsume Mio, who was leaning against the wall, still looking up at him.
“Alright, I’ve answered your question. Now then…”
Kitahara Minakaze slowly lowered the finger pointing at Natsume Mio, the smile fading from his face.
He cracked his neck and tugged at the collar of his shirt.
With that tug, the top button of his shirt violently popped off and flew away.
He looked at the miko and the other two.
“Are you ready to die?”