Chapter Seventy: Don’t you want to expose your true identity either?
Under the white curtain of rain.
Above the building of the Teren SEMA branch.
A slender figure stood against the raging storm.
Her waist-length black hair, as deep as the night sky, danced in the wind.
It revealed her cute frame in a fluffy nightgown beneath.
“The wind is really loud today…”
Nagi was slightly evading reality as she sighed.
She was wearing the nightgown her mother had helped her change into, her delicate white feet now bare on the eaves of the building.
Yet she was completely unsoiled, even the howling wind and rain could not dampen her in the slightest.
Awakened by the impact of Alice’s battle, Nagi rushed to the Teren SEMA branch without even having time to change her clothes or put on shoes.
Fortunately, Garuda had timely unleashed the domain of the storm.
So the ordinary people of Kawano City were unaware of the abnormal situation.
“How did it end up like this…”
Nagi’s deep black eyes gazed through the hollow on the roof at the chaos left behind by Alice’s recent battle indoors.
“One has to say, truly worthy of the protagonist and heroine, huh?”
“Seizing her nap time, she suddenly charged into the BOSS’s lair…”
Garuda’s enormous form shifted among the clouds, finally transforming into its usual pigeon disguise and landing beside Nagi.
“Garuda, weren’t you supposed to be protecting Kanade in the shadows? Why didn’t you stop them?”
The pigeon-shaped Garuda humanely shrugged.
“They’ve been together with that blonde twin-tailed girl.” Garuda said helplessly:
“You instructed me not to reveal my abilities in front of her, remember?”
“Even so…” Nagi’s expression clearly said, “You need to know the occasion.”
“I don’t mind, after all, I’m just a hard-working illusion monster, but you don’t want that blonde girl to discover your true identity, do you?”
“Let’s sort out who has entered the world of dusk.” Nagi averted her gaze.
“Changing the topic?! What a clumsy topic switch!”
“And how long has Kanade been inside?”
Nagi rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
“By the way, Master…”
“Yes?”
“You just called him ‘Kanade,’ right?”
“……”
“Master, you’re now referring to him as ‘Kanade’?”
Nagi silently turned her face away from Garuda.
“……Is there, is there a problem? If you have any dissatisfaction, feel free to mention it?”
“No, it’s just~ like that~ it’s Kanade-kun~”
“…..” Nagi’s mouth twitched.
“After all, Master is that child’s ‘Princess’~”
“It was my mistake, I’m sorry, so please stop saying it. Otherwise, I’ll jump off from here—!”
Nagi turned to face Garuda, her palms pressed together above her head, and her eyes sparkled with starlight.
Soon, Nagi learned from Garuda the cause of the entire incident.
Mana, who was attacked and ‘hidden by the gods’, and Kanade and the others who decided to save her, intended to use that token deep in the Teren SEMA branch in Kawano City.
Just as she was still trying to understand the situation.
A fog began to rise.
This was a very strange sight.
It was pouring rain in Kawano City.
Yet a thick white mist was rising all around.
Witnessing this scene, Nagi couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
This was a sign of the false god Hakurei waking up, and what caused this phenomenon was—
“Who delivered Chika to Him?!”
Nagi turned to face Hakurei Mountain.
That was where the Hakurei Shrine was located.
There was no time to dawdle.
She had to enter the world of dusk quickly and rescue Mana and Chika from the false god Hakurei.
“I’ll go too.”
Garuda followed Nagi’s gaze and looked toward the distant Hakurei Shrine.
“No, you stay here.”
Nagi rejected Garuda’s request to accompany her.
First of all, even if Garuda entered the world of dusk along with her, using its abilities might attract Alice’s attention.
The consequences, even thinking about them made Nagi want to jump from here.
Then, she didn’t want Garuda to partake in the battle against the false god Hakurei…
“You stay near the Hakurei Shrine, and while I am not here, Kawano City will be in your care.”
In the white mist below, outlines of figures were vaguely visible.
The power of the false god Hakurei was seeping out.
“…..So in what identity do you intend to go in, Master?”
“That guy’s identity can’t be used anymore, you know?”
“Dammit, I accidentally went overboard just now…” Nagi felt a bit regretful upon hearing this.
If only she could masquerade as ‘Minamoto Katsuichi’, the head of the Teren SEMA branch.
Then there would be ample reason to display her combat strength to save Kanade and the others.
Even if discovered, she could explain it away with a change of heart or something like that.
“There’s no other way, I’ll have to go in myself.”
Nagi revealed a serious expression, the starlight in her eyes shining brilliantly.
If discovered by Alice and the others…
She could pretend to be an innocent bystander caught up in everything, right?
After all, at this moment, the false god Hakurei’s power had already begun to penetrate the real world.
It wouldn’t be strange to involve another ordinary person.
But recalling her previous experiences—
Frequently caught up in extraordinary crises, yet oblivious and innocent, like her childhood friend.
It seemed she would ultimately have to use that persona.
…..
…..
The remnants of dusk illuminated the earth.
Shining upon Kanade’s view of the Hakurei shrine maiden, and the appearance she hid behind the mask.
“…..A person?”
As the fox mask split in two under Kanade’s blade.
The fallen Hakurei shrine maiden revealed her youthful visage.
She looked only a few years older than Kanade.
“This child has not been very beastified…”
DD-chan, who was slowly floating down from the air, carefully examined the Hakurei shrine maiden before making a judgment.
“What do you mean?” Kanade asked.
“Perhaps she can regain her reason.”
DD-chan contemplated.
“If we can communicate with her and then cooperate to reach the inner hall of the Hakurei Shrine, the chances of rescuing those children will be significantly higher…”
Although Kanade had just displayed impressive strength that amazed DD-chan, in the face of absolute power.
Kanade could not possibly be the false god Hakurei’s match, forcing open the inner hall would essentially mean death.
But if they had cooperation from the “shrine maiden,” there might be a chance to secretly rescue Mana and Chika, the two shrine maidens…
Persuaded by DD-chan, Kanade picked up the Hakurei shrine maiden’s body and moved to the eaves of a street shop.
He gently laid her down in the shadows, while he sat a few steps away, gripping his silver knife, prepared for any sudden attacks should she wake up.
He also took the opportunity to recover his strength.
Under this orange-yellow twilight.
It was difficult to perceive the passage of time.
As if everything had stopped at that moment.
Sitting on the ground, Kanade couldn’t help but remember the day of the new school term, the scene of going home with Nagi under the sunset.
Nagi’s smile in the sunset dispelled his current fears of the lingering dusk.
In his heart, he silently thanked that Nagi had not been caught up in this.
According to DD-chan, the talisman was a token of Hakurei, the key to opening this world.
And the talisman on Nagi had been retrieved by Alice and submitted to Teren SEMA after the last double body incident.
This brought Kanade a bit of relief.
—Little Nagi, wait for me. I will save little Mana and come back…
Just as Kanade was thinking this.
The Hakurei shrine maiden lying nearby seemed to regain consciousness, suddenly awakening.
“Chika-chan—!” She called out someone’s name, reaching her hand forward.
But she grasped nothing.
Meanwhile, in the inner hall of the Hakurei Shrine.
The false god Hakurei had finally awaited the shrine maiden he had been yearning for.
