In the empty office, Natsuki Minamiya's expression turned serious as she fixed her gaze firmly on Yukina Himeragi.
"Speak."
Unlike her usual quiet demeanor as a teacher, Natsuki Minamiya, no longer acting in that role, exerted immense pressure with just that single word.
"…I'm sorry, Minamiya-sensei, but I don't want my personal matters to drag my friends into this."
Under that overwhelming pressure, Yukina Himeragi nearly blurted out everything about Sayaka Kirasaka. But in the end, relying on the discipline she had built through her Sword Shaman training, she steadied herself. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to endure and chose to keep it hidden for the sake of their friendship.
Seeing that Yukina Himeragi not only refused to speak but remained this resolute, Natsuki Minamiya felt a surge of irritation.
First, dozens of Security Force personnel had nearly died. Then she had the misfortune of getting beaten by Shadow. After staying up all night investigating, the trail she uncovered pointed to a colleague from another department, one with even higher authority.
And now, a Sword Shaman stood in front of her, clearly knowing something yet stubbornly refusing to report it. Did she really think Natsuki Minamiya was in a good mood after all that?
She couldn't defeat Shadow, couldn't find the Three Saints, and couldn't make a move against the Lion King Organization's Itogami Island branch.
But dealing with a single Sword Shaman was another matter.
"Whether it involves you or not isn't for you to decide. For all you know, this whole incident might have been caused by your friend."
Although anger burned inside her, Natsuki Minamiya suppressed it, maintaining a calm and composed expression. She even unfolded her fan again.
"Um… could you at least tell me what happened? There might be some misunderstanding. My friend hasn't been on Itogami Island for long, and she's not the type to cause trouble."
Just arrived, huh.
Hearing that, Natsuki Minamiya scoffed inwardly.
This had nothing to do with whether her friend caused trouble. The real issue was how much trouble the Lion King Organization behind her would stir up because of that friend.
"You don't need to know what happened. Just answer my question.
And I suggest you don't dig into it. I don't know how you managed to convince the extremely insular Mitsugoshi Company, but I'm certain the price you paid wasn't small.
If you get dragged into this, everything you've sacrificed might end up for nothing."
Yukina Himeragi's repeated attempts to deflect were starting to wear down Natsuki Minamiya's patience. Even knowing that this was normal for an inexperienced Sword Shaman, her tone still carried a clear warning.
Yukina Himeragi, who had been anxious moments ago, froze when she heard this.
Her mind immediately understood the implication. Yet at the same time, she instinctively refused to accept it.
A deep, overwhelming fear rose from within her. Under that pressure, her body moved on its own as she took a couple of steps back, her thoughts in disarray and her expression slipping out of control.
An impulse surged within her, to follow Natsuki Minamiya's words, reveal everything about Sayaka Kirasaka, and then stop involving herself altogether.
Yukina Himeragi knew what this was.
It was a warning from her spiritual sight, a byproduct of her strong mediumistic ability. She had a powerful premonition that if she didn't follow Natsuki Minamiya's words, this vague sense of dread would become reality.
"What is it? Your spiritual sight activated? Tell me what you sensed."
With her experience, Natsuki Minamiya immediately recognized Yukina Himeragi's state and raised an eyebrow.
"I… I…"
After more than ten seconds, Yukina Himeragi barely managed to regain control of her expression. She tried to speak, her lips parting again and again, only to close each time without a word.
After what had just happened, Natsuki Minamiya was no longer in a hurry.
She simply watched Yukina Himeragi quietly, waiting for her to steady herself.
"I… want to know what happened."
Yukina Himeragi's words caught Natsuki Minamiya off guard. For the first time, she looked at her with a different kind of gaze. No matter how she saw it, that spiritual vision just now was anything but a good omen, yet she still had the nerve to push toward it.
"Are you sure you want to know? You might end up going back to how your life used to be, or even lose your life."
Meeting her eyes, Yukina Himeragi nodded firmly.
"I don't know."
Seeing Yukina Himeragi's widened eyes, Natsuki Minamiya shrugged and continued in a casual tone.
"The only thing we've confirmed so far is that the highest authority in your Lion King Organization, the Three Saints, are involved in this matter to some extent."
"..."
Hearing that, Yukina Himeragi felt a wave of relief for her friend, but at the same time, her concern toward the Lion King Organization deepened.
"In that case, Minamiya-sensei, I'll take my leave for now. I'll go to the Lion King Organization's Itogami Island branch and ask about the situation. Once I have a general idea, I'll come back and report to you."
After giving what sounded like a reasonable explanation, Yukina Himeragi turned and walked toward the door. But just as she was about to step out, several golden chains suddenly appeared out of thin air and blocked her path.
She stopped and turned back.
Natsuki Minamiya sat in her chair, gently waving her fan. Her eyes were sharp as she stared at Yukina Himeragi. In the air around her, incantations traced out a spatial magic circle, while golden chains coiled around her like living serpents.
"You don't actually think you can fool me, do you?"
Her cold, emotionless voice made Yukina Himeragi even more tense. She knew there was no way she could bluff her way through this.
"Speak. Who is that friend of yours? Where is she staying now? Why did she come to Itogami Island?"
Feeling the overwhelming anger hidden beneath that calm tone, Yukina Himeragi didn't dare try any tricks. Knowing she couldn't hide it any longer, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"Sayaka Kirasaka."
...
While Yukina Himeragi was giving her answer to Natsuki Minamiya, trouble had also found Cid.
"Cid, this is your sword, right? Come on, give it everything you've got. I won't use the Power of Destruction. Just last three minutes against me. Do your best, I believe you can do it."
Taking his sword back from Rias, Cid glanced at her a few times, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
This kind of hellish training again. One careless move and the opponent might actually get sent to hell.
Right after magic class, he had been brought here. They said that even if he wasn't part of Rias's peerage yet, he was still considered a member of her group and had to train with them.
To be fair, this was supposed to be a benefit. Rias's training grounds were far better than ordinary ones in both equipment and resources.
The problem was, it was useless to him. The intensity here didn't even compare to the magic training method he maintained twenty-four hours a day. If anything, this kind of training just drained more of his energy.
But there was no avoiding it.
He raised his sword to a precise angle. Any higher would be the optimal striking angle. Any lower would make it awkward and powerless. This exact position sat right in between, balanced perfectly.
No choice but to go.
He silently prayed that he wouldn't accidentally cut Rias down.
With that thought, Cid lifted his sword and charged straight at her.