Roppongi Fort.

Underground base of Funeral Parlor.

"Still haven't found Inori?"

A deep frown appeared on the face of the man called Tsutsugami Gai.

Shinomiya Ayase shook her head. "No. We've completely lost Inori's whereabouts."

"But we've learned that something big happened at that GHQ branch. Apparently a lot of people died there."

Tsugumi squinted in suspicion. "Could Inori have taken them out?"

"Impossible."

Ayase dismissed the idea:

"Not only was a complete squad wiped out, several pieces of powered armor were lost as well. Inori alone couldn't possibly pull that off."

That was from practical experience—besides, Inori wasn't exactly a combat type.

"All right."

Then Ayase continued her report:

"But we also found that GHQ hasn't stopped searching for Inori."

Both of them looked at Gai. His brow was deeply furrowed with a worry that wouldn't fade.

He was concerned about the whereabouts of the Void Genome.

From the intel at hand, one could conclude that Inori had indeed obtained the Void Genome.

Now, her whereabouts were unknown, and whether she was alive or dead was unclear.

But given GHQ's actions, there was a possibility that Inori was still alive.

"Keep searching."

"Yes, sir!"

Leaning on his cane, Gai slowly left, trembling as he went.

"…"

Tsugumi scratched her head and muttered quietly, "Sis, you think the boss won't last much longer?"

The way he was aging so rapidly—his body deteriorating—just made one's heart ache.

Who would believe he was still under twenty?

Ayase shot her a glare, scolding: "Don't talk nonsense."

"Right, got it."

Tsugumi stuck her tongue out guiltily.

"Sigh."

She let out a deep sigh.

Though Tsugumi's remark was harsh, even Ayase was full of worry.

She remembered when they first joined the Funeral Parlor—Tsutsugami Gai was still quite young.

In just a few short years, he looked like he had one foot in the grave.

Ayase also suspected Tsutsugami Gai might not have much time left.

When that day came, what would become of Funeral Parlor?

As she worried about the future—

Tsugumi suddenly yelped in surprise. "Sis, there's an encrypted message!"

"Huh?"

Following her gaze, Ayase saw a new message pop up on the screen.

Immediately, alarms blared.

Their signal was hidden, so who could have found them?

"Open it."

Under Ayase's quick instructions, Tsugumi performed some deft operations.

"Got it."

Moments later, the encryption was cracked.

They both looked at the signature in unison.

"Inori?!"

Their eyes immediately lit up.

A message from Inori.

"We've got word from her! I'll go let the boss know!"

Tsugumi jumped up in excitement.

But Ayase grabbed her arm, quietly stopping her. "Wait, Tsugumi."

"What is it?"

Tsugumi furrowed her brows, puzzled.

"Read the message carefully."

Following Ayase's lead, Tsugumi started reading.

The very first line said:

"Tsugumi, Ayase—first of all, do not tell anyone else about my message."

"Eh? What's going on?"

She wants to hide her own info? Didn't Inori realize how worried everyone was about her?

"Sis, you think Yuzuriha Inori is in danger and being monitored?"

"Shh, just keep reading."

Ayase's expression grew unusually grim as she finished most of the text. She grasped what Inori meant to convey:

It wasn't that Inori was in danger or under surveillance; rather, she… didn't trust the Funeral Parlor.

Tsugumi finished reading as well, baffled.

"What's this about? Inori won't let us disclose her whereabouts, and now she's wary of Funeral Parlor?"

"No, she's wary of… Tsutsugami Gai."

Ayase narrowed her eyes.

One line in particular caught her attention:

"Tsutsugami Gai has betrayed the objective of the Funeral Parlor. No—he never shared that objective to begin with."

"Tch…"

Tsugumi clutched her head with both hands, feeling itchy on her scalp.

"What on earth is going on?"

Just because she disappeared during one mission, Inori seemed like a totally different person.

"We still can't be sure it's truly Inori."

Ayase remained the calmer one.

But another new message arrived soon after.

They quickly decrypted it, finding several photos of Inori from multiple angles.

"I'm fine. If you want to know the truth, come to XX to see me. Please believe me."

"… …"

With that, there was a high chance it really was Inori—though not guaranteed absolutely.

"So… what do we do?"

Tsugumi glanced at her sister.

Logically, they should report this to the boss at once, but she didn't dare decide alone. She waited for her sister's verdict.

"…"

After a brief moment of thought, Ayase let out a long breath and said firmly, "Tsugumi, erase every trace of these messages."

"!!!"

Tsugumi was startled. She hadn't expected her sister to make such a call.

"Sis, do you trust Inori?"

Ayase shook her head.

"It's not about trusting or not trusting. I want to see her in person, hear what she says with my own ears, then make a judgment."

Her eyes were dark, her tone serious.

"Soon, we'll find an excuse to leave. We'll see for ourselves if Inori has discovered some secret… or if she's betrayed us."

"Got it, Sis. I'm on it."

Tsugumi immediately went to work deleting all traces of the information.

…

Meanwhile—

"You're really giving them our actual location?"

Arisa had witnessed all of Yuzuriha Inori's operations from start to finish.

Arms crossed, her brows knitted. "You sure they'll believe you and not expose us?"

She didn't think this was a good idea at all. She didn't trust people she hadn't met.

"I trust them," Inori said calmly.

"Heh. What's there to be afraid of?"

A moment ago, Inori seemed calm, but the next second she gave a seductive smile—this was Mana surfacing.

Arisa and Hare knew the truth, so they were already used to her switching personalities.

Mana giggled. "Anyway, if something does happen, you can always call on that hypocrite for help. In the end, you'll get to enjoy some thorough 'filtering.' Doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

"…"

Arisa had to admit she was tempted—even wishing, faintly, that something would happen.

"Huh?"

Hare, who had yet to experience such a thing, blushed furiously.

She was curious.

"S-so… does it really feel that good?"

Mana and Arisa exchanged glances, both of their earlobes turning red.

"Honestly, Hare, you'll only know once you try it yourself."

"O-okay…"

"… …"

The atmosphere instantly grew awkward.

~~~

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