Actually, what was the truth behind Chisato's mechanical heart?
Ten years ago, when Chisato was still a child, the giant Radio Tower—the symbol of Tokyo—was seized by terrorists. Young Chisato, through her own strength alone, managed to sweep through and eliminate every single one of them. From that day on, she was hailed as the strongest Lycoris in history—a pure genius, in the same vein as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
However, genius often comes with a price. Much like Sakayanagi Arisu, Chisato suffered from a congenital heart defect. The difference was that she hadn't been as lucky as Arisu; Chisato's heart had stopped beating entirely ten years ago...
Her line of work, which constantly danced between life and death, was impossible to maintain without intense emotional volatility—something a failing heart could never withstand. Thus, ten years ago, Chisato was saved by Yoshimatsu Shinji of the Alan Institute, who outfitted her with an artificial heart. That was the reason she possessed no pulse.
Chisato never forgot that debt and longed to find the person who gave her that heart to thank them in person. Since Ryunosuke's own goals were tied to this individual, he decided, quite shamelessly, to "tag along" with her.
Chisato had little choice but to let him. Besides, she saw incredible potential in Shino's marksmanship, so she figured there was no harm in training her.
The three of them arrived at the basement of Cafe LycoReco. Down there lay a shooting range used for drilling and training agents. Chisato wanted to test whether these two actually had a knack for firearms.
Shino went first. Although she wore black-rimmed glasses for her nearsightedness, they didn't hinder her aim. Shino's talent was undeniable; despite it being her first time holding a pistol, five out of her six shots found their mark. While they weren't all dead-center bullseyes, it was an extraordinary feat for a complete novice.
Chisato clapped enthusiastically. "Oho! Shino-chan, that was amazing! Now, your turn."
She turned her gaze toward Ryunosuke.
Without saying a word, Ryunosuke gripped the pistol and fired at the target. Unfortunately, his results fell far short of Shino's. Out of six bullets, only three hit the target, and even then, they were scattered along the outer edges, far from the center.
Chisato smirked. "Your aim is really that bad?"
Ryunosuke replied flatly, "Still better than yours!"
"Heh!" Chisato immediately took the bait. She rolled up her sleeves and challenged him to a duel. "Fine! Let's go! I'm not afraid of you!"
Ryunosuke wasn't about to back down; he remembered vividly how pathetic her shooting had been back at the bank.
The match began with Shino acting as the referee. As soon as the whistle blew, Ryunosuke and Chisato—both wearing safety goggles—began to aim with deadly seriousness. Moments later, the results were in. Chisato only hit the target twice out of six rounds, while Ryunosuke hit it three times.
Clearly, Ryunosuke had won. He blew on the smoking muzzle of his pistol with an arrogant flair. Chisato hung her head in mock defeat for a second before bouncing back. "Hey! How about we have a contest for dodging bullets instead?"
Ryunosuke's smugness instantly vanished. He knew he couldn't win at this, but he still wanted to try—partly to see how Chisato moved, and partly to steal a few of her techniques.
They moved to another room. This one was filled with moving pillars equipped with mechanical sentry guns. Chisato explained the rules: "It's simple: whoever avoids the most bullets wins."
Without warning, Chisato flipped the switch and stepped inside. A miraculous sight unfolded: no matter how many bullets flew her way, not a single one touched a hair on her head. As if she could predict the future, she observed the trajectory of the bullets the moment the triggers were pulled and dodged with effortless grace. Every mechanical round was spent without once grazing her.
Chisato skipped back over to him and pushed him into the fray. Ryunosuke asked anxiously, "Does it hurt when these hit you?"
Chisato replied, "Don't worry~ They're just paintballs, it doesn't hurt at all~ Now get in there, hehe!"
Eighteen mechanical pistols began to open fire on him. Ryunosuke's expression didn't waver; he used agile movements, dodging, spinning, and rolling across the floor. Once the ammunition was exhausted, he stood up and straightened his collar with an arrogant air, as if to say: "Is that all?"
Chisato clapped. Just as she was about to praise him, she noticed something odd. She squinted her eyes and circled her hands like a pair of binoculars. As Ryunosuke stepped closer, she realized his entire back was littered with impact marks; his shirt had turned completely red from the paint.
Chisato looked at the floor, which was spotless and devoid of a single paint stain, then offered a backhanded compliment: "You didn't manage to dodge a single bullet? In a way, that's actually impressive."
Ryunosuke turned beet-red with embarrassment. "It was my first time! It's only normal to get hit!"
Chisato laughed. "Ahaha! It's normal, sure, but getting hit by every single one is not normal. Maybe you're suited for a bulletproof vest and a career as a human shield. Your passive ability must be 'Always Targetable'—as in, you're always getting shot, hahaha!"
"Tch!" Ryunosuke looked away, too tired to keep arguing.
Chisato then asked, "Are you guys hungry? How about eating here at the cafe? My treat."
Ryunosuke and Shino shared a look and agreed to stay.
At the dining table, Ryunosuke tried to subtly fish for information, attempting to figure out Chisato's timeline so he could find the man who had installed her heart.
Chisato answered honestly, hiding nothing. Whether she was just that laid-back or simply didn't fear danger, she shared everything bluntly. It seemed she realized Ryunosuke needed her help but was too stiff to ask for it directly.
Sipping her drink through a straw, Chisato thought to herself: (Good grief, why can't he just say it? All this beating around the bush... this guy is way too uptight.)