Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

During that period, she lived like a walking corpse, completely unable to experience the true feeling of being alive.

Later, with Shirou's help, Fujino gradually regained her sense of pain.

The girl thought happily, "Finally, I can live like a normal girl!"

not at all.

Because of her long history of excessive medication, even though Fujino regained her sense of pain through magical treatment, she still felt disoriented.

No, perhaps the problem wasn't the lack of pain sensation from the beginning.

Fujino once heard Touko say that there are phenomena that are fundamentally related to the existence of humankind.

That is not karma from a past life, but the cause of becoming human, a person's most primal impulse.

Magicians call this chaotic impulse "the origin".

So, what is the "origin" of Asagami Fujino?

What kind of impulse could truly make a young girl realize that she is a living, breathing human being?

She has been thinking ever since she regained her sense of pain.

Then tonight, Fujino unexpectedly received the answer.

Seeing powerful men kneeling and begging for mercy before him, seeing their bodies contorted by his own will—

Fujino felt an unprecedented joy.

A sense of superiority, and a real feeling of being alive.

I'm sorry, Mom... I don't think I'm the kind of good girl you thought I was.

Fujino was panting heavily, her well-developed, full breasts heaving violently.

If I feel this much pleasure just from breaking a human arm, how happy would I be if I could snap a human's neck?!

No longer content with merely breaking the men's arms, she set the pivot point on one of their heads, twisting him completely from the center of his body—

"Don't kill anyone, Fujino."

"………………Why?"

Asagami Fujino's heart stopped.

In a daze, she heard the voice of the boy she regarded as her salvation.

"Don't use your power to kill, Fujino."

During a lesson on using the Mystic Eyes, Shirou once said...

"Yes, I know, I won't use that power to kill."

Fujino nodded obediently: "Killing is wrong."

"Shirou-kun, I assure you, no matter what happens, I will never use this power to kill anyone."

That's not what I meant.

"?"

Fujino frowned in confusion, only to hear Shirou speak with a serious expression.

"I hope Fujino can live like an ordinary girl, and I hope you can find happiness like an ordinary person."

So don't kill anyone, and don't easily come into our world.

"…………!!"

Fujino no longer remembers her reaction when she heard Shirou say that.

The girl felt she would never forget this memory for the rest of her life.

Looking back, it was from this time that Asagami Fujino truly began to like Shirou.

Before that, it could only be considered the adoration of an innocent girl.

Why... did I forget what Shirou said?

"Ugh...!!!"

Asagami Fujino clutched her head in anguish.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that she finally regained a little bit of her rationality.

Looking at the blood all over the ground, she recalled the memory of breaking the men's arms and thought she had just killed five people.

However, that's not actually the case.

Seeing Fujino clutching her head in pain, the men seized the opportunity to escape from the alley.

Araya Sōren witnessed this scene and was quite surprised that Fujino managed to suppress her murderous impulse.

But he did not point out the facts—

Not only that, the fact that these five unlucky guys were chatting up Shiki and Fujino last night was actually Araya Sōren's arrangement.

Although Fujino's failure to kill them was somewhat unexpected by the magician, the outcome was not a problem.

He obtained Asagami Fujino, the chess piece used to awaken the origin of the style.

Araya Sōren appears before Fujino.

……

……

I remembered everything.

Fujino collapsed to the ground, staring blankly with wide eyes.

That night, I didn't kill anyone...

I have fulfilled the promise I made to Shirou-kun back then...

"Oh? It seems you've remembered everything, but it's too late... I'll take Shirou from you."

Ryougi Shiki, perched on Fujino's shoulders, calmly swung her sword down like an executioner on an execution ground.

Having experienced a near-murder, she was already able to sense it—

The movements in this style do not contain any murderous intent.

In other words, even if Fujino did nothing, Shiki's knife would stop at her neck.

She was just scaring herself; that's just the kind of woman with a twisted sense of humor.

It was just another defeat against Shiki.

Fujino has lost to her countless times in sparring matches over the past few months, so it's nothing—

wrong.

I don't want to lose...

I don't want to lose, ...!

I will no longer let you feel stronger!

It will no longer make you feel like you have a better relationship with Shirou!

In Fujino's mind, a panoramic view of the entire first-floor lobby from above appeared.

what is this?

She didn't understand that she had suddenly awakened "clairvoyance," and her mind was filled with thoughts of how to defeat Shi.

If we were to directly place a rotating axis on her, Shiki would definitely detect it with her extraordinary ability to foresee danger, so there would be no point in doing so.

After thinking quickly, the conclusion was that we couldn't win.

I'm no match for Shiki at all; our levels of madness are on completely different levels...

To defeat Shiki, one must possess at least a level of madness close to hers—

"........."

Watching the approaching blade, Asagami Fujino finished fixing the axis.

After gaining a godlike overhead view, the attack range increased a hundredfold compared to before.

However, the actual things that can be used for attacks are very limited, such as the one she is currently fixated on.

Asagami Fujino bit her lip, finally overcoming her inner fear, and then—

"Distort it!"

—Break your shoulder and your ankle together.

Ryougi Shiki let out a muffled groan, lost her balance, and fell to the ground.

Ignoring her broken collarbone, Asagami Fujino scrambled to her feet, panting heavily.

I...I won? I beat Shiki?

The girl stared in disbelief at Ryougi Shiki lying to the side.

"Tch...you crazy woman."

"If I don't go this far, I can't beat you, Miss Shiki."

Fujino mustered her courage, glared at her, and said, "I will tell Shirou-kun everything that happened today."

I'm really looking forward to seeing how he reacts after he finds out you attacked me. Just wait and see what Shirou-kun has to say.

"So you're tattling...you devil!"

Fujino laughed; it was the first time she had seen Shiki's humiliated expression.

After resting for a while, the two helped each other up from the ground.

Ryougi Shiki's left foot was broken, while Fujino completely lost sensation from her left collarbone down to her fingers.

I hope it won't leave any scars... Fujino thought to herself.

Although both were extremely unwilling, under these circumstances, they had no choice but to help each other leave the apartment.

As they approached the entrance to the hall, a dark figure blocked their path.

What could almost be mistaken for the shadow of a black stone tablet was actually a man in a jet-black coat.

The man's monk-like figure even rejected the moonlight, leaving a shadow deeper than the night.

"........."

The moment Asagami Fujino saw Araya Souren, her consciousness froze, and she was unable to move even her fingertips, like a puppet whose threads had been cut.

The Ryougi Shiki isn't much better.

She only noticed the man when she got this close, no more than five meters away—she couldn't believe she'd sensed an enemy at such a distance.

More importantly—there is no sign of death on this man.

"A wonderful friendship has actually been born..."

Araya Sōren said quietly, "It's ironic. I was hoping you could be of some use to me."

He walked towards the two girls with a series of unsteady steps.

Shiki gazed at Araya Sōren with an extremely strong, unprecedented perseverance.

The brain overheated as a result, and even most of the consciousness became blurred.

By observing his opponent so diligently, he finally saw him.

You can see a hole in the center of the body, with lines drawn in circles in the same place like graffiti, making it look like a hole.

Fujino nervously reminded her, "Miss Shiki, he is—"

"—I recognize you."

Shiki stared at Araya Sōren, recalling fragments of what had happened on that rainy night two years ago.

"Yes. I never thought it would be two years before we could face each other like this again."

Araya Sōren slowly reached out and touched his temples.

There is a straight scar on the side of the head, running from the forehead to the left.