Today is the last day of school. Or the first day of summer vacation. Depending on who you ask, the answer often changes. What doesn’t change is the meaning. Whether it is the end or the beginning, the fact is that today’s a day of change.

  “*Pant pant…* Dammit, Katja! Couldn’t you have parked closer to the mall? There’s no way running’s faster than driving!”

  She was in a rush. We all were. The person behind the monsters created from objects may very well be within reach. Ayumu’s the most likely candidate. And if she’s at the mall, she’s in a position to cause a lot of damage…

  “You can handle this much!” Katja shouted, as if that would ease my grievances. The three of us sprinted side by side through Three Record’s bright sidewalks. “There’s usually traffic when you get near the mall. This is faster. Trust me!”

  “No need to trust anyone…” Narumi waved dismissively. “Just turn your head. You see the cars, right?”

  She was damn right… The proof was right in front of my eyes… How annoying. “Yeah… Okay… I’ll give you that…

  Katja parked a few streets away, and in less than five minutes of intense running, we got there. We had the whole sidewalk to ourselves on the way there, but the entrance was a different story. Dozens of people going in, coming out, some loitering around, probably waiting for a friend to go in or to come out. Regardless, they were in our way.

  “Excuse us!” We slowed our pace, but Katja didn’t hesitate to push into the crowd.

  “Coming through!” Narumi followed her lead, and I got to piggyback off their efforts.

  So many people… Maybe Narumi was right… A lot of people are probably on vacation already… My eyes wandered to the crowds while we passed through the narrow choke point. A girl by the door caught my attention. A silver-haired girl leaning against the wall with no intention of going in. It’s hard to see with so many people, but that’s Miyuki, right?

  “Iroha? What are you doing?” Katja suddenly looked behind and gripped my hand tightly. “Come on, don’t get left behind!”

  “G- got it!”

  When we finally got inside, things opened up a bit. The crowds were still there, but we had more space to move. “Let’s go!”

  Katja tugged my hand before letting go, and we started running. Narumi and Katja were already on the lookout, turning their heads left and right while skillfully dodging every passerby. She could be anywhere. The people we ran past all got startled, then stared in awe at our dexterity. And now that I’ve noticed, it’s a bit embarrassing.

  “Nothing…” Katja suddenly stopped. We stood at a wide, open plaza in the main avenue. The scales used to be here, and they’ll probably return soon. “Did you see her?”

  “Nope…” “Me neither…” Narumi and I shook our heads.

  “As expected… Things are never that easy. We need to come up with a plan…”

  Leaning against a railing was a girl looking down at the main plaza from above. She had a melancholic yet uninterested look on her face until three girls popped into view.

  “Iroha…? What is she…?” Her expression turned into a mix of disgust and anger. “I can’t even stand to see her face right now… Disgusting liar… Go away…”

  She turned her head and walked away. Maybe she’d be gone if she spent a few minutes in a random store. That should do it.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Let’s separate. Carol and Hecate are on the way, and if we can’t wrap up things before then, I at least want all civilians evacuated. Hecate can’t shoot with them around.”

  “Makes sense… Keeps them safe too… What are you thinking?”

  “You and Narumi should look for a way to get people out of here. I’ll search the next floor. Look for security and tell them to sound an alarm or something.”

  “We can’t really do that…” Narumi averted her gaze. “We’re here on a hunch… We can’t make a call like that by ourselves.”

  Katja was about ready to run off on her own. “Just find a way, okay? We can explain things later. I’ll take full responsibility for it.”

  Also… “Wait!” I’m not happy with her split. “I’m going with you! Isn’t it better to have two people looking for Ayumu? One person’s enough to talk to security.”

  “Iroha… You’re not just talking to security…” Katja paused. “Since you’re gonna be moving around, there’s a good chance you might run into Ayumu. If the worst comes to pass, and we’re forced to fight her, Narumi can’t fight by herself. She can’t fight a person on her own.”

  “Oh…”

  “Sorry, Iroha… If I really have to, I can do it. I can handle it… I’m definitely not abandoning you.” Narumi gave me a reassuring look.

  “You shouldn’t…” Katja patted her head. “It will take a toll on you…” Then she turned to me.

  “I understand…” She doesn’t like killing. Monsters are bad enough as is, and it’s even worse with humanoid monsters. Following that logic, humans would be… I don’t get all the details, but if they’re being this open around me, I bet I can get an answer after all this. “I’m with you, Narumi. Focus on starting the evacuation, and I’ll deal with anything that pops up.”

  A glad smile formed on Narumi’s face. “Thanks!”

  Katja was by herself now. Good. It’s better this way. She went up a floor and ran around looking for Ayumu like before.

  “There really are a lot of people here today… Hope they can get them all out quickly…” It’s our duty… Those two don’t see it as much of a priority, so I have to pick up the slack for them… We have a duty to these people… If we can’t even protect that… My life… Everything I’ve done… It will all have no meaning…

  Her surroundings started to blur together, and old memories flooded in.

  …

  “Are you ready?” In a countryside mansion built on a very expansive property, a young, pink-haired girl sat on a couch surrounded by adults.

  People she half-recognized, wearing suits and with a variety of solemn, foreboding expressions. Serious faces, menacing faces, some a bit fearful, and all hiding from their own imminent guilt.

  “Ready?” The young girl tilted her head, confused.

  “Times are changing!” A zealous voice announced. “Humanity is facing new threats, and the next leader of the Kurokawa family has to be someone who can handle the worst of the worst!”

  “Don’t say it like that… She’s not gonna understand and all you’ll do is scare her…” A second man approached and leaned over with a gentle-looking smile and a friendly-sounding voice. Both qualities would only hold up under the scrutiny of a child. “It’s just a game. We just want you to play with your cousins.”

  “That’s right! Don’t worry about winning either… You’re from a branch family… All you need to do is participate!” The girl gazed blankly, rapidly switching from speaker to speaker.

  “Yeah… No one expects you to win…”

  “Rather, it’d be troublesome if she did…”

  …

  At some point, her eyes stopped searching, and Katja focused on something in her hand. Not quite an accessory, but something she always carried with her. So she wouldn’t lose track of her purpose.

  A chain of six simple rings. Counting the one in the hand holding it, seven. Both ends of the chain were connected with a string. Making it easy to attach at her waist and wear like an accessory.

  “Fulfilling my duty is the only way I can atone to them…” To the six who died in my place…

  Katja put the rings back in their place midrun, by her waist. Her mind could now focus again on the task at hand. “That’s right… I have no need for hesitation… No need for remorse… Those are problems for people… I’ve long become a tool with a purpose. With a duty to fulfill!

  The floor was more or less cleared. No signs of Ayumu yet. Without hesitation, she ran up to the next floor.

  “Life at the House is too good for me, isn’t it? It’s such a joy… I’ve been letting myself get carried away…” Good thing I remembered in time. People who kill their own family are the worst of the worst. They don’t deserve such things.

  “Can we really convince security or whoever to start an evacuation? What do we even say?”

  “I don’t know either… Might be impossible…” A small and awkward laugh escaped Narumi’s mouth as we ran.

  “What if we started some kind of commotion? Everyone would immediately run away if I shot a couple times into the air.” The only question is how much trouble I’d get in.

  “Don’t…” She placed a hand over my wrist. “It probably wouldn’t turn out like you’re expecting… I just hope we can get this done quickly.”

  “Yeah. So we can join the search for Ayumu.”

  Narumi had a confused look on her face. Is that not why we’re in a hurry…? “That’s part of it… I guess…”

  “It’s not everything?”

  “I’m more worried about Katja.” She paused. “You’ve noticed she’s acting strange, right?”

  Has she? This topic slowed down our pace. “I feel like I’ve been hearing her talk about duty and whatnot a lot lately, but that’s normal for her, right? She’s someone with a strong sense of justice.”

  “I’m not sure it’s right to call it that, but you’re on the right track. She’s getting fixated on that lately, and if we don’t hurry, she’s gonna push herself too hard.”

  “Hmm…” She really picked up on all the subtleties… I hadn’t noticed it was that big of a change. And I hadn’t realized it could turn into a problem. “Let’s finish this. Let’s get these people out of here so we can go after her-”

  *Ping…*

  A sudden reverberating metallic noise made us stop. “Wait…” Narumi placed her arm in front of me. The sound came vaguely from above and far away. But the metallic noise was nothing compared to what echoed next…

  “Kyaaaaahhh!” “Run!” “Shit!” Many panicked voices screamed out before seas of people scrambled towards every single one of the mall’s exits.

  “They’re running?” Narumi and I both stood there confused. “Is this what we wanted? They’re all leaving…”

  “Our hunch was probably right… Which means something bad is happe-”

  *BOOOOM!* *Rubble rubble*

  “Something bad is happening…” The explosion made that clear.