Episode 176: The Magnificent Interrogation of the Star Reader’s Staff
Zero did not miss the anomaly.
“――Partner?”
For a moment.
However, it was indeed true that her contract partner, practically an extension of herself, had died.
The supply of magical power ceased and resumed in less than a second, but it was unmistakably an anomaly.
“Is the angel’s poison consuming her body more than expected…? I took precautions before we parted ways, so I believe she would be revived within ten seconds of dying…”
The angel’s virus is composed of unknown substances and principles that do not exist anywhere in this world.
It is merely called a virus for convenience; if anything, it resembles a curse more closely.
Kei experiencing death once or twice due to the poison was within Zero’s expectations.
She had already taken numerous precautions to prevent Kei’s death, making their measures seemingly foolproof.
So, there was nothing to worry about.
All they needed to do was kill the angel.
“――And yet.”
Zero tilted her head.
At that moment, a bullet whizzed past, singeing a few strands of her hair as it passed.
Zero slowly turned around.
The face of the woman illuminated by the morning sun should have been beautiful, but it appeared distorted somehow.
On the third floor of a certain building.
One of the countless underground organizations existing within Academy City.
Though not on the level of Silver Twilight, this organization was supposed to wield enough power to warrant caution from the Board of Directors. Yet, it had already collapsed.
“What are you…! A dog of the Board?”
As Zero saw the man with his gun drawn, she idly indulged in thought.
Approaching the lone surviving man, stepping over the corpses at her feet, her eyes never focused on him.
“I had everything prepared. The calculations were flawless. I knew what would happen―I anticipated that girl would end up being cared for. I understood it all.”
“What are you talking about?”
Zero gave no response.
This dialogue concluded within itself.
“――And yet!”
Uncontrolled emotions overflowed along with magical power.
An amount and quality of magical power that should not exist in the city center.
Faced with it, the man finally remembered.
What it was called.
“You’re… Solciera…!”
The man had heard rumors about the silver reaper circulating among organizations.
An S-Rank existence who belonged nowhere,
A solitary figure who had opposed Silver Twilight alone and even killed doctors, demonstrating astonishing abilities.
Rumors suggested she was also involved in the death of a Professor and the disappearance of scholars.
To organizations, she was far too inconvenient an existence.
Yet, no matter how many times they tried to eliminate her, they couldn’t even grasp her shadow.
Like trying to grasp the stars—an utterly futile endeavor.
Here stood a presence rumored to be nothing more than a phantom, right before his eyes.
“I’m actually quite surprised,” Zero said, ignoring the man’s words.
She dragged her scythe while slowly approaching.
“I never imagined I’d be swayed by emotions. That I would panic when my partner dies. That I would feel anger… Above all, that I would grieve…!”
“H-Hey! Stay back!”
The trigger was pulled repeatedly.
Special bullets acquired through secret channels from Jilnias Academy, which should have been capable of taking down even a C-Rank Dungeon Lord.
But against Zero, they meant nothing.
“When that girl died, I regretted it…! I worried about what might happen if she didn’t revive. Despite knowing it was impossible… Ah, I want to go back now. To embrace her and pour out all my love. She could die in the next instant! I want to prove this love of mine!”
“W-What the hell are you talking about?”
“…But. There’s something I must do. This is something I can’t leave to the younger sisters. You understand, right?”
At this moment, the man met Zero’s gaze for the first time.
Her beautiful eyes were profoundly deep, like a void, and he quickly realized they were darkened with madness.
The girl before him was brimming with insanity.
The man understood this, but it was already too late.
Hundreds of members had been massacred—”Because they were in the way,”—all were dismembered and turned into grotesque objects plastered onto walls or floors.
Even the leader lay indifferently sprawled on the ground, his torso split in two.
“I must kill the angel with my own hands. It seems I’m angrier than I thought. Ha ha ha, so this is anger… Quite intriguing.”
With that, Zero produced chains.
Before the man could evade, the chains wrapped around his neck and hoisted him up.
“Ack!”
“Now, let’s gather some information. Behave, or you’ll meet a gruesome end.”
With a composed face and a sweet voice, Zero offered the promise of death.
Frantically shaking his body, the man answered desperately.
“Hahaha, well then, let’s get some information about the angel.”
The man opened his mouth to answer.
But his constricted throat wouldn’t allow any sound to escape.
“Gyuhh… Aah…”
Watching the man struggle to form words, Zero reached out with a disdainful gaze and placed her fingertips on his forehead.
“!??”
Instantly, the man felt as though sparks were scattering in his brain.
Simultaneously, he sensed someone peering into every part of him.
By the time he realized that sensation wasn’t wrong, his brain had already been scorched.
“—I see. I’ve grasped the general situation. So, it seems they’re working with humans. Angels sure have fallen far, haven’t they?”
Glancing at the man whose brain had died, Zero dissolved the chains.
The corpse hit the ground with a dull thud, but Zero paid it no mind.
After all, it wasn’t someone dear to her nor a beautiful girl.
“Well, let’s search based on this information—while I’m still rational.”
Smiling dreamily, Zero vanished from the scene.
■
At the same moment, Mizuki Teruue and Tatarai were not exactly carrying out their mission.
“…Are you still eating?”
“Yes, after eating, I got hungry again~”
Tatarai cheerfully replied.
Her shadow split into countless snakes, each holding different foods.
“Fried chicken, pork cutlet, fried dumplings… Hmm, there’s a lot of fried food today, isn’t there? How about one?”
“No, I’ll pass. Watching you is filling enough.”
“You eat so little~”
“I think I eat a normal amount…”
The two had ventured into the city to search for the angel, but their start was far from smooth.
The reason, of course, was the glutton beside her.
“It’s school hours, so there’s a high possibility we’ll encounter students going berserk. Right?”
“Yes~ They suddenly go crazy, so I wanted to go where there are lots of people~”
Mizuki understood that much. Thus, they had been searching amidst the crowd in the central urban area. But watching Tatarai made it seem like she just wanted breakfast.
“Is that so~?”
Tatarai tilted her head.
Just then, someone called out to her.
“Hey!”
“Hm? Is there something for me~?”
The caller was a female student.
Excited, the student spoke to Tatarai.
“T-Tatarai-sama, is that you!? I-I’m your huge fan! U-Um, would you please try this?”
“Wow, really~?”
Accepting the pastry with a radiant smile, Tatarai immediately tore it open and began eating.
Two seconds later, it was gone.
“Every time I watch, it’s too fast to comprehend…”
Mizuki tilted her head as Tatarai clasped her hands together and thanked the female student.
“It was delicious~ Thank you very much~”
“H-Hai! Please work hard!”
“Fufufu, I will~ …Ah, I should return the favor~”
With that, one of the shadows lingering at Tatarai’s feet rose and appeared before the female student.
“Eh?”
Confused, the female student voiced her bewilderment. Just as she was about to question Tatarai…
“Thank you very much~”
The shadow swallowed the female student whole.
It resembled a snake devouring its prey, prompting Mizuki to urgently speak up.
“Hey! What are you doing?! You can’t eat your fans!”
“It’s fine~ Even I don’t usually eat living humans~”
“Have you forgotten that you tried to eat me…?”
In response to Mizuki’s words, Tatarai only smiled.
Her controlled shadow regurgitated the female student after barely ten seconds.
“Kyaa!”
“Oops, are you alright~?”
“H-Hai…”
Holding the regurgitated student, Tatarai nodded contentedly before stepping away.
Mizuki rushed to the student’s side.
“Are you okay!? If you’re injured, I’ll incinerate it immediately!”
“—Done.”
“Eh?”
“I’ve been eaten by Tatarai-sama for the first time! Ah, I love her…”
Saying that, the female student plopped down on the spot.
Witnessing this, Mizuki realized something.
“This is… ‘limitation break’…”
Knowledge granted by Kei.
“Did your physical discomfort improve~?”
“Hai, thank you very much!”
Listening to the conversation between Tatarai and the female student, Mizuki tilted her head.
Noticing this, Tatarai smiled and explained.
“I can eat dungeon-originated curses or diseases too~ That’s why I occasionally do it as a favor. Right~?”
“Hai! …But it’s strange, since I haven’t delved into dungeons recently.”
Seeing the puzzled female student, Tatarai stood up while maintaining her cheerful demeanor.
“Well, let’s go~”
Leaving the seated female student behind, Tatarai walked off.
Mizuki hurriedly followed.
“Is it fine to leave her like that? She still seemed a bit dazed.”
“There are kids who become like that after I feed them~”
“Do you do that pretty often…?”
In response to Mizuki’s question, Tatarai nodded approvingly.
“It’s delicious~ How about joining me sometime~?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Aww, that’s too bad~”
Saying that, Tatarai started munching on takoyaki purchased by her shadow.
Despite eating, her legs kept moving without stopping.
“Where are we heading?”
“To the angel~”
“Did you find its location!?”
At Mizuki’s question, Tatarai popped a takoyaki into her mouth and nodded.
“When did you find out? I thought it was just a long breakfast.”
“Fufufu~, I was diligently searching for children infected by the angel. The smartphones the Board had were stale, so I wanted fresher, juicier clues.”
“Juicy clues… huh. I see.”
Another piece of incorrect knowledge embedded itself in Mizuki’s mind.
“That girl was almost at the brink of madness~ That’s why she tasted ripe and delicious~ The perfect timing for consumption, a lesson learned~”
Saying that, Tatarai started eating taiyaki.
“My nose is sensitive to delicious smells~”
This was a special perception ability unique to Tatarai, not possessed by ordinary humans.
Her ability to track traces and scents of consumed targets was a byproduct of her powers.
Though described as “smell,” its essence was closer to magical power detection.
While inferior to Demons Gear, her perception capability was exceptional even among S-Ranks.
“Fufufu, I can finally eat the angel~”
“No, we were told to retrieve it without eating. Don’t eat it.”
“Are you like Rokuhara, all serious~?”
Tatarai pouted discontentedly.
Seeing this, Mizuki hesitated before saying,
“Eating it entirely is forbidden. If you must eat, just take a small bite.”
Regaining her smile, Tatarai made Mizuki realize something.
(Oh, handling her is pretty much the same as Toa.)
Though completely off base, Mizuki accepted it as fact.
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