Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Those around her shared the same feeling; after Lingyi spoke, the slight chaos that had existed in the environment vanished as if an angel had passed by.

In everyone's minds at that moment, the words of that girl, who was still somewhat unfamiliar to them, sounded as convincing as the words of a gentle mother who had cared for them for a long time.

"Okay, that works."

Then, Kohinata Mirai saw that Rei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, sheathed her black and red blade, walked past them, and came to a wall.

"According to the information I've gathered beforehand, well, this is it... I'm going to use a little magic next, but don't worry, it won't hurt you."

After placing her hand on the wall, Lingyi muttered something to herself before turning around and speaking to the inexplicably calm women.

Crackling sound - snapping sound

As Lingyi spoke, a scene as if by magic unfolded before their eyes, with a regular hexagon radiating an earthy yellow light spreading out from where Lingyi's hand touched.

The next moment, the originally smooth and solid concrete wall obeyed her command like a soldier, creating a passage that allowed the two of them to pass side by side.

The wall has been opened.

The shock of seeing such a scene for the first time echoed in Kohinata Mirai's mind, and at that moment, the girl who had finished her work came to her.

"Your name is Kohinata Mirai, right? Kohinata, [calm down], nothing will happen again. I won't let anything happen to you, so [cheer up]."

My hand was grasped, and at the same time, these words came from the person in front of me.

[It's amazing, I feel like I have more strength in my body.]

After being treated this way, a sense of peace welled up from my heart. The gloom that had been hanging over me because of the treatment I had been subjected to for so long was dispelled by the warm sunshine that seemed to come from nowhere.

While Kohinata Mirai was still savoring the moment, she saw the girl who had said those words to her run off to the other people in the room.

Then, just as he would treat himself, he first called them by name, and then—soothed their emotions.

In the blink of an eye, the girl who suddenly appeared calmed everyone's tense mood caused by fear and gained their trust.

What happened next is self-explanatory. They followed the passage opened up by Lingyi and arrived at an underground waterway.

The cement wall blocking their path was moved aside by the yellowish-brown magic circle, the water that was blocking their way was frozen into a path by the blue magic circle, the strange and terrifying poisonous gas was purified by the green magic circle, and there was also the red magic circle that was running above them from beginning to end, releasing warm heat.

In this way, under Lingyi's leadership, no one fell behind, and they successfully arrived at a very large building.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Your parents are waiting for you outside. [Don't worry if you don't see them yet, just stay here and wait patiently. I'll help you.] Okay, I have some other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

Zero, who led them to the gymnasium, opened the door to freedom for them, and then disappeared before their eyes after making such a plea.

After that, everyone, including myself, passed through the gate and, just as Lingyi had said, saw their parents and family members waiting anxiously in the lobby, each with a different expression.

......

"Wait, Hinata, are you sure you're talking about Rei, and not someone else? She sounds completely different from the person I know."

While listening to Kohinata Mirai's story, Kazanari Tsubasa couldn't help but interrupt and made this comment.

"No, I didn't lie at all. What I just said was my true experience and how I truly felt at the time."

Upon hearing Kazanari Tsubasa's question, Kohinata Mirai, who had temporarily stopped her story, replied with great determination.

"But, it sounds too bizarre. The Zero who pressed me like a storm during our battle is so different from the Zero you described to Kohinata, who was so gentle it was unbelievable. The difference is too great."

Kazami Wings still found it a little hard to accept.

The difference between Rei, who achieves her goals through a series of rapid and coordinated attacks, and the Rei described by Kohinata as appearing like a savior and providing reassuring care to everyone, is too great.

Although she had seen the genuine kindness hidden in Rei's heart from various details, she still found it hard to believe what Kohinata Mirai was telling her, because it was out of sync with her own understanding.

"Hoo... Miss Tsubasa, most of this information was recorded in Section Two's investigations. I assumed you already knew about these things beforehand, so I have no reason to lie about such matters."

Seeing Kazanari Tsubasa's disbelief, Kohinata Mirai quietly told Kazanari Tsubasa the fact she had just learned.

"Is...is that so? Damn it, what a disgrace. As a member of the defense, I have taken the enemy for granted and haven't bothered to investigate. I guess I need to find some time to learn more about the Second Section."

Upon hearing Kohinata Mirai's explanation, Kazanari Tsubasa looked extremely embarrassed and could only offer the same assurance.

"It's probably because Lingyi has changed so much. To be honest, I almost didn't recognize her when I first met her."

Kohinata Mirai understands Kazanari Tsubasa's thoughts.

"Yes, if it's really as you said, then Rei's change is indeed enormous. But what exactly caused this change?"

Sitting on the hospital bed, Kazunari Tsubasa nodded, reluctantly agreeing with Kohinata Mirai's statement, while similar questions unconsciously arose in her mind.

"I may know something about this, perhaps it's related to what I'm about to say. This is something only I know, I haven't told anyone else, and it's what I want to tell you, Miss Yi."

Upon hearing Kazanari Tsubasa's question, Kohinata Mirai showed a visible sense of guilt and revealed her true feelings.

"Hinata-chan?"

Kazanari Tsubasa felt confused, somewhat unable to understand the emotions that Kohinata Mirai was currently displaying.

"Phew... Miss Yi, I hope you can do me a favor after you hear what I'm about to say."

Under Kazanari Tsubasa's gaze, Kohinata Mirai regained her composure, then looked firmly at Kazanari Tsubasa and made this request.

"Kohinata... tell me, what kind of request is it?"

Feng Mingyi's expression hardened, and he calmly prepared to listen to the request of this intelligent young woman.

"I hope that if Miss Yi is ever able to defeat Zero in the future, she can try to understand her and save her."

With a resolute expression, Kohinata made this request to the blue-haired girl sitting on the hospital bed.

"Um...I will."

Feng Mingyi immediately agreed.

"I know this might be a bit difficult, because no matter the reason, Lingyi is ultimately doing something wrong, but I still hope... Ah, Miss Yi, you've agreed to Eryin Wuqisan?"

Kazanari Tsubasa agreed so quickly that Kohinata Mirai didn't react for a moment.

"If Lingyi is truly as Xiaori told you, then she wouldn't be an enemy to be fought with swords, and I'm willing to believe that."

The blue-haired girl said with a determined look in her eyes.

"Is that so? Thank you, Ms. Tsubasa."

Faced with the trusting look in the other person's eyes, Kohinata Mirai's expression was somewhat moved.

"Since that's the case, I also trust Miss Yi. Therefore, I will tell Miss Yi everything I know, hoping it will be helpful in the struggle between you and Lingyi."

Then, with this thought in mind, Kohinata Mirai organized her thoughts and began to tell the story she knew, which she had never told anyone else before.

...

About two or three months after that incident, Kohinata Mirai's life returned to normal.

During this time, she would occasionally hear about the incident from adults, as well as the official characterization of the incident.

According to official statements, the main content of this incident was that multiple gangs in the city organized a large-scale indiscriminate kidnapping and trafficking operation, and a significant number of children were abducted into these gangs and resold to war-torn areas.

Then, according to the official statement, they took this incident very seriously and immediately organized a special operation targeting the criminal gang "々兒亦{邬旗〖`诌榴“珊II".

Then, with the help of the special operations team, the operation went very smoothly, and most of the kidnapped people were successfully returned to their original homes. The subsequent developments were even more encouraging.

First, all local societies, from their leaders to their members, were arrested. It is said that many members suffered from incurable physical disabilities, and some developed severe mental illnesses.

According to Kohinata's future mother, her confidence in walking alone at night has inexplicably increased recently.

Then, all related black industries, regardless of what they were doing, were shut down. After the funds and violence that supported their operation disappeared into thin air, they eventually could not continue and vanished without a trace.

In response, Kohinata Mirai's father said that several filthy gathering places he used to pass by have now been transformed into perfectly respectable restaurants and milk tea shops.

Finally, those internal connections that had once provided them with protection were almost all exposed for scandal in a very short time, and then brought down by the efforts of their competitors.

Kohinata Mirai's feeling about this is that many of the faces of the important people she used to see in the news have disappeared, and several of them have appeared in recent months with new faces that she doesn't recognize.

"Things are going a little too smoothly, aren't they? Or is this smooth sailing also related to Lingyi?"

Sitting at a table in the school cafeteria, thinking about the almost surreal news she had learned over the past few months, Kohinata Mirai couldn't help but think of this.

"What's wrong, Mirai? Why are you suddenly not eating?"

The worried words from her friend directly opposite her brought Kohinata Mirai back to her senses, and she looked at Tachibana Hibiki, who had also stopped eating because of her.

Despite Tachibana Hibiki's seemingly normal appearance, in reality, according to Kohinata Mirai's understanding, she was extremely worried during the time she was missing.

He has always paid close attention to related matters in his daily life, and for a period of time he was even unable to attend school normally due to mental health issues.

"Sorry, Hibiki, I was thinking about the time I was kidnapped."

Returning to the present, Kohinata Mirai spoke naturally to her friend, seemingly no longer caring about the misfortunes, just like everyone else who had suffered.

"That matter... Ah, speaking of the future, I suddenly remembered that I saw on the news that those who were not rescued in time and were sent abroad were brought back yesterday."

Upon hearing what Kohinata Mirai said, Tachibana Hibiki first fell into deep thought, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, happily spoke to Kohinata Mirai.

"It was sent back yesterday, could it be... Hibiki, do you know why?!"

Faced with the information given by Tachibana Hibiki, Kohinata Mirai had an unfounded suspicion and asked her best friend about it.

"I heard that it was because of a war or something in that place, which I don't understand, and it has been ended. As a result, the people who were sent there were sent back."

After Kohinata asked Mirai, Tachibana Hibiki explained all the information she knew without reservation.

P.S. Good afternoon.

Chapter 115 Changes

Did she really do those things? And were things really as I suspect?

Kohinata Mirai thought to herself, and after learning from Tachibana Hibiki that something might be related to Zero, she immediately looked up relevant news information.

From those materials, through a simple analysis of the relevant information, she had determined that the matter was most likely related to Lingyi.

But even if I knew this, what difference would it make? We're ultimately from two different worlds. Someone as capable as her probably does things I can't even imagine.

What's the point of me paying attention to her affairs? It's better to focus on my own things than to dwell on these things.

Thinking this, Kohinata Mirai glanced at the plastic bag full of ingredients in her hand, shook her head, and suppressed those pointless thoughts from her mind.

I remember it was dusk, and she had just bought groceries from the convenience store and was walking home alone.

Because her family has been a bit busy lately, she took the initiative to help with grocery shopping at the supermarket.

That was all she could do. She tried to help cook in the kitchen, but her mother gently ushered her out of the kitchen after a short while.

[I never expected that a convenience store that was operating normally before would be ordered to cease operations due to licensing issues, forcing me to travel so far to buy things.]

After shifting her thinking, Kohinata Mirai began to think about lighter things.

Hmm, this woodland, wouldn't it be shorter and cooler to go through from here? But wouldn't there be a lot of mosquitoes in the woods?

As they walked, Kohinata Mirai saw a dense man-made forest that she had never been to before. She could reduce the distance by passing through the mud-brick path in the middle of the forest.

Moreover, it was the height of summer, and even at dusk, the temperature was still quite high and somewhat stuffy. The relatively lower temperature inside the woods made people feel quite comfortable.

Let's go this way. As long as you pay attention to your clothes and walk quickly, you shouldn't have any problems.

Without much thought, Kohinata Mirai walked into this secluded path.

Soon, as we ventured deeper into the woods, the already dim light became even dimmer, accompanied by a cool sensation akin to stepping into an air-conditioned room on a hot summer day.

"Mmm, that feels good."

Kohinata Mirai thought.

A gentle breeze blows, the oxygen content is slightly higher, and the roadside is surrounded by lush greenery of suitable density at dusk.

However, what attracted even more attention was the platinum-colored unidentified object lying on the side of the road.

"..……ah?"

Kohinata Mirai wondered if she was hallucinating. How could that incredibly energetic and strong girl be lying collapsed by the dark path in the woods?

"Miss Zero, is it Miss Zero?"

Before her mind could process it all, Kohinata Mirai's body took action first.

She placed the groceries she had bought on the ground and walked steadily toward the girl lying on the ground with long platinum blonde hair and a guitar bag on her back, wanting to ask her about her condition.

Snap-Cheng

Then, the moment she got close enough, the clasp on the guitar case was instantly flipped open, and the black and red blade she had seen before appeared, held against her neck, seemingly as a warning.

"Um, I meant no harm, I just wanted to check on Miss Lingyi's condition."

Seeing the blade's protective behavior, as if it were alive, Kohinata Mirai tried to explain.

However, the blade remained in front of her, its red light flashing intermittently, like the intimidating stance some creatures display when facing an enemy, showing no sign of backing down.