Section 2: The Similarity of Opposite Wings
Prologue: The Vice-Captain’s Troubles
[The White Scales of Cyclic Protection, Prim-Libra] – Tenth Branch.
Located in the heart of the metropolis Sakura City, it was often described as the “White Castle.”
From afar, its austere, all-white exterior might resemble a massive office building.
But up close, the impression changed.
Stained-glass windows, pointed arch motifs, and decorative spires near the rooftop一
many of its features were reminiscent of Gothic architecture.
Passersby would point and say, “It looks just like a castle!”
But in truth, it was no castle.
It was a gathering place for angels一a cathedral.
Naturally, the interior reflected this as well.
A peculiar fusion of modern conveniences like escalators with neo-Gothic design stretched throughout.
On the top floor, in the vice-captain’s office adjacent to the captain’s quarters一
“Utsurugi-chan, let’s take a break. Not to sleep, okay? A vacation.”
Vice-Captain Shindo Isana, seated in her chair, spoke with a wry smile.
The girl in front of her, Utsurugi Rui, leaned forward.
“Wh-why?!”
“Do I really have to spell it out?”
“…………”
Rui held her breath, biting her lip. Watching her, Isana furrowed her brows一
not in anger or exasperation, but with something closer to concern and affection.
“Honestly, you’ve been in terrible shape this past week.”
“That’s…”
She must have already known. Rui hesitated.
“Nothing major has happened yet, but there’s no guarantee it won’t. In fact, I think it’s likely. Not if things keep going like this.”
“…………”
“So take it easy until you’re back to normal. Got it?”
“…Understood.”
With uncharacteristic lack of spirit, Rui nodded while clutching one arm.
“For the sake of appearances, we’ll call it ‘suspension’ instead of ‘vacation.’ Suspended members are prohibited from armed or aggressive actions, but…”
Isana looked up at Rui’ stiff expression and grinned.
“Well, otherwise, it wouldn’t be much of a break. Think of this as a chance to step away from the fight.”
“…Yes.”
◇◇◇◇◇
That day, Soehi Hinata was off-duty, but an urgent summons brought her to the Tenth Branch. Her destination: the vice-captain’s office.
“Excuse me. Soehi here.”
Unaware that her partner had just been there, Hinata knocked on the wooden door.
A lazy “Yeah, come in” answered her, and she stepped inside.
The office was simple, devoid of unnecessary clutter.
Seeing Hinata’s slight tension, the room’s owner一Isana一smiled wryly.
“I wish your usual partner would take notes. 一Well, not that she’s in any state to right now.”
“!”
Hinata immediately understood the topic.
“Rui hasn’t been doing well lately, has she?”
“That’s… yes.”
“Mhm. So I’ve decided to give her a break.”
“…I see.”
Isana blinked her amber eyes in surprise.
“Oh? No objections?”
“…Ever since the day of the Satanalia Centennial, I could tell something was off with Rui. She acts normal most of the time, but in actual combat… she hesitates.”
“Hesitates?”
“Yes. She won’t tell me why, though.”
“Hmm… Well, in other words, you don’t disagree?”
“That’s… right. As her best friend, I’d be happy if she took some time off.”
“一I see.”
Hearing those last words, Isana smiled一a rare, genuinely pleased expression.
Before Hinata could wonder if she’d said too much, Isana continued.
“Well, if your partner’s on leave, you’ll need a replacement. Luckily, there’s a girl in our branch who’s always alone. I’ll have her fill in for now.”
“Eh, you mean…?!”
Isana smirked meaningfully. That was all Hinata needed.
There’d be no issues with her. In fact, even if it was only temporary, Hinata felt honored to team up with her.
Seeing Hinata’s expression brighten slightly, the vice-captain stretched, clasping her hands behind her head.
“Sorry for calling you in on your day off. Couldn’t exactly wait until tomorrow.”
“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything today anyway…”
“Luuucky! I want free time too!”
“Tch… annoying.”
Surrounded by stacks of paperwork, Isana’s eyes had lost all light.
Just as Hinata mercilessly muttered her honest thoughts一
“Oh, right. About that一any leads on *‘Separation’ (Kairi)?”
Sharp as a knife slipping through armor.
Isana asked with a cheerful smile.
“一一一”
For a moment, Hinata’s breath caught.
But only for a second.
She quickly lowered her gaze, her expression darkening.
“My apologies. Next time, I’ll一”
“Nah, not blaming you. You’ve caught every other criminal so far, Hinata-chan.”
Isana waved off Hinata’s apology with a carefree tone.
“But y’know, that’s exactly why I’m curious. What kind of person *is* this *‘Separation’?”
“………!”
*What kind of person?*
That was a difficult question.
The one who had once guided Hinata. The one she admired even after their reunion.
Yet now, he stood with an enemy organization.
Before realizing his identity, Hinata had felt hostility to him一but this same person had saved her countless times.
The one she had locked away in her heart, yet loved more than anyone in the world.
And the one who was so adorable, so precious一she wanted to devour him.
一一一Ahn?
A voice slipped out一
an absentminded, involuntary sound.
“Hm?”
Hinata looked up, but Isana remained slumped over her desk, elbow propped.
She didn’t seem to have spoken.
Then, whose voice was that just now…?
“Something wrong, Hinata-chan?”
“Ah, no… It’s nothing.”
“If you say so.”
With that, Isana straightened up and grinned.
“Well, I get that it’s complicated being asked about someone you can’t catch. Might have you write up a report later, so be ready for that, okay?”
“Yes, understood.”
Relieved there was no further probing, Hinata exhaled inwardly.
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◇◇◇◇◇
After seeing the adorable rookie out, Isana waved as the door closed.
Then, several dozen seconds later一
“????????”
She tilted her head so far it might as well have fallen off.
“Huh? What? Excuse me? Did I just witness some kind of insane emotional turmoil…???*
Her amber eyes were wide, her neatly trimmed green hair swaying.
“Wait, Hinata knows ‘Separation’? And she likes them? …Consume them? Whaaaaat???”
The usually calm and collected vice-captain一who had remained composed even during the last major assault一was now in utter disarray.
So much so that her usual polite speech patterns slipped out unintentionally.
“Wh-what do I do…? 一I don’t understand Hinata’s mind at all…”
[The White Scales of Cyclic Protection, Prim-Libra] – Tenth Branch Vice-Captain, Shindo Isana.
Her Lux (gift) was 《Mind Reading》.
And一
“It’s been a while since I’ve read a mind this chaotic… I almost ended up transmitting my own thoughts back…”
The Umbra (cost) of her Mind Reading was [Transmission].
When she read someone’s mind, her own thoughts would also be revealed to them.
In terms of inconvenience, it was on par with a certain young man’s abilities.
After all, if the target knew their mind was being read, the whole point was lost.
A Lux and Umbra that completely canceled each other out.
Yet Isana used it frequently一without the other party ever realizing.
The trick was simple.
When using her Lux, she thought of nothing.
She eliminated all sense of self, becoming a mere machine that received information一a state of selflessness.
A feat only possible with steel-like mental control.
一And yet, just now, she had been forced to cut off 《Mind Reading》.
“I never expected Hinata’s inner thoughts to be so… intense.” Adjusting her slightly askew braided headband, she sighed. “Ahem一seriously…?”
Incidentally, one reason for her usual laid-back, carefree speech (so unlike her natural formal tone) was to reduce mental strain.
Returning to that relaxed demeanor, she leaned back in her chair.
“Hinata-chan’s basically committing treason, huh?”
Considering she had still been capturing members of [The Covenant of Salvation, Nega-Messiah] even after the large-scale attack, it wasn’t like she was aiding the enemy. But deliberately letting ‘Separation’ escape was definitely a problem.
That said, she hadn’t provided them with assistance or leaked information.
Normally, that would still be grounds for dismissal一but Hinata’s talent was too valuable to lose. Running a branch full of troublemakers meant rules couldn’t always be black-and-white.
“Plus, ‘Separation’ doesn’t even seem like an enemy of Libra一no, not even Hinata’s enemy, judging by their actions. What is their deal…?”
After staring at the ceiling for a while一
“Yeah, no clue.”
She gave up.
There simply wasn’t enough information.
Right then, a stack of documents on her desk collapsed.
“Ugh, just like my brain right now…”
She groaned at the disastrous state of her desk一
But then, one of the scattered papers caught her eye.
It detailed how, after the recent large-scale attack by ‘Steel Demon’ (Gouki) and his forces, distrust toward the Tenth Branch was growing among politicians and investors.
On top of the ‘Separation’ issue, trouble kept piling up.
“一Oh.”
Just as she was about to complain一
A flash of inspiration struck.
Politicians, investors, even enemy members一
“Why not just summon them all here?”
I’m a genius, she thought.
The overworked vice-captain smirked.
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