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“It’s likely just as you’ve witnessed; we can discuss the specifics once you return to the airship.”

The phone emitted a long, drawn-out beep, indicating the caller had clearly disconnected.

‘An ability to strip Spirits of their spiritual power? No, that doesn’t feel quite right. I’ll have to ask later.’

Yisha’s brows furrowed. She now understood why a Spirit would dare to manifest even with her presence.

‘Just how many people are watching from the shadows? At this rate, it won’t be long before…’

She cut off her own thoughts. Soon, the Fraxinus, an airship belonging to Ratatoskr, would be in contact.

Yina released Michael’s seal on the sky above, and in a flash of green light, Tohka and Shido vanished.

Once she confirmed their departure, the younger girl approached Yisha. However, Yisha, lost in thought, paid little mind to Yina’s actions, knowing she meant no harm.

Yina waved a hand before Yisha’s face. Yisha merely brushed it aside, making it clear she wished for no interruptions to her contemplation.

‘Big Sis is doing it again, but then again.’

Yina resigned herself to sitting on the edge of the platform, just like Yisha. Unlike Yisha, who sat calmly absorbed in her thoughts, Yina’s small feet dangled and swung, as if she feared accidentally falling—though she knew it wouldn’t kill her.

The night’s silence gently spread, and a breeze, unique to the darkness, swept down from the hills—cool and not overly dry.

Yina covered her mouth as she yawned, a tear welling in the corner of her eye.

Normally, she would have had a midday nap, but today she had spent the entire time helping Yisha recover. Having just healed her, they had immediately come here, and the day’s exhaustion was now plainly evident.

Perhaps sensing Yina’s movements, Yisha emerged from her reverie, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

“Yina, let’s go.”

Yisha rose, effortlessly pulling Yina to her feet, then brushed the dust from her own trousers.

“To talk with them?”

“Yes.”

Their exchange was brief, yet Yina understood Yisha’s intentions. She harbored no objections; when it came to safety, Yisha was always meticulous, though sometimes less so for herself.

“I’m coming with you, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Yina looked directly into Yisha’s bright eyes, declaring her resolve with unwavering certainty.

Seemingly taken aback by Yina’s assertion, Yisha took a moment before finally nodding.

“It’s fine if you come along. It might even increase our leverage.”

With that, Yisha pulled out her phone and called the person from before, arranging a meeting to discuss a few matters.

Yina pouted, her face a mask of displeasure.

‘What does she mean, “increase our leverage”? Even a straightforward woman shouldn’t be that direct. Only a true iron-willed woman would say something like that, right?’

She kicked a pebble across the road, passing the time with this thought.

Just as Yina sent her thirteenth pebble flying, a “click” sound jolted her back to reality.

She turned to see Yisha holding her phone, taking a picture of her.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s rather amusing to watch you sulk. Later, I’ll—”

Yisha stopped mid-sentence, realizing her mistake. Unfortunately, Yina didn’t need to hear the rest to know what she was implying.

“Big Sis?”

Two short words, a questioning tone, a deceptively sweet smile, and two small hands clenching and unclenching rhythmically before her chest—Yisha knew she was in trouble. She silently raised her hands in surrender.

“What do you want?”

“A trip with me this summer!”

The answer was almost instantaneous, resolute and unyielding, filling Yisha with a sense of foreboding.

“Are you planning to go to Okinawa?”

“I’ve been there before. This time, let’s try somewhere new. And of course, I’ll choose the location.”

The older girl pondered for a moment, finding no significant issues, and nodded her agreement.

“Yes!”

Yina pumped a small fist into the air, as if she had just achieved a monumental victory.

“It’s only April, and you’re already dreaming of summer vacation. You’re just like my students.”

Yisha grumbled playfully. In response, Yina placed her hands on her hips, striking a pose that screamed, “Look how amazing I am!”

Yisha slapped a hand to her face, beginning to wonder if bringing Yina along was truly a good idea.

—Perspective Shift—

The young man’s eyes, peering through his Territory and a sniper scope, were fixed intently on the black-haired girl.

In his crosshairs, a red target mark rested squarely on the girl’s head.

His finger repeatedly brushed against the trigger, then drew back.

Ultimately, he couldn’t bring himself to pull it, even as they departed.

“Patriarch, I’m aborting the sniper attempt. The risk is too high, and I’m unsure if she possesses anti-sniping capabilities.”

Folding the sniper rifle he had set up, he pressed his earphone and spoke into the channel.

“It’s fine. Just ensure she doesn’t escape your surveillance. I’m nearing completion on my end; I’ll send you an update then.”

Receiving his next directive, he exhaled slowly, the tension in his heart finally easing.

Truth be told, during his previous private communication with the Patriarch to gather information, he had realized something. If not for that surprise attack that disrupted her breathing, she likely wouldn’t even need an unexpected close-quarters cannon attack to escape—and severely wound him in the process.

Recalling his conversation with that man, a bitter smile touched the young man’s lips.

‘What rotten luck, running into such a freak of nature. Someone who has fully mastered the Eight Extremities Heaven and is incredibly familiar with the Cherry Blossom Flow—how can I possibly subdue her and bring her back without harming her core?’

Tianxing covered his face. While he initially believed he had a good chance, now it seemed almost impossible to capture her unless he threatened the entire city.

Of course, “almost” was the key word.

Having tidied everything and erased his traces, Tianxing returned to his small cabin.

Regardless, from now on, he only needed to keep an eye on her; there was no need for combat.

The Patriarch had also given his word: until his own affairs were concluded, Tianxing was free to live as he pleased, provided he could always maintain sufficient combat strength.

In other words, he had a vacation—at least three months of it.

—Perspective Shift—

“Alright, may we begin?”

Yisha crossed her arms, her gaze playfully assessing the person seated opposite her.

“Yes, we can start now.”

Reine Murasame, a mature woman with long silver hair, a model-esque figure, and dark circles so profound they made one wonder if she ever slept, rose to her feet.

“These are Ms. Shimazaki Yisha and Ms. Shimazaki Yina, whose Spirit codenames are Dancer and Nurse, respectively.”

When their names were called, both women nodded in acknowledgment.

“These are the main members aboard our Fraxinus. Ms. Shimazaki Yisha is already aware of the general situation, so let the meeting commence.”

“A correction, if you please. This isn’t a meeting; it’s a negotiation.”

Yisha’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she offered a friendly smile. Already exceptionally beautiful, she appeared angelic in that moment.

Beside her, Yina suppressed an urge to laugh, maintaining an aloof and unapproachable demeanor.

The reason was simple: whenever she saw Yisha smile like that, it usually meant someone was about to be thoroughly swindled. The extent of the loss varied, but the victim was always left in considerable discomfort, for her sister was the type to relentlessly fleece anyone she caught.

“I understand. Shall we begin by exchanging the information we agreed upon?”

The girl extended her hand in a gesture to proceed. Seeing this, Reine switched the image on the large screen.

What appeared was a picture of a mushroom cloud rising from flat ground. Even with the photograph taken from the horizon, it remained immensely vast, and strikingly, its base was hidden beyond the visible line.

“This is a photograph from the Eurasian Great Disaster. Can you tell us if this was your doing?”

Yisha’s eyes dimmed for a fleeting moment before regaining their usual brightness.

“Yes, it was. And it’s also why DEM rated me as SSS-class.”

The others immediately grew agitated, murmuring amongst themselves. Their conversations included suggestions to directly submit this intelligence and reclassify Dancer’s threat level.

Sensing Yisha’s slight emotional instability, Yina gently squeezed her hand.

“Can you tell us why?”

“That falls outside the scope of our negotiation.”

Reine glanced at the girl seated at the head of the table. The girl, in turn, looked at the screen in her hand before nodding.

“We can offer appropriate compensation.”

“I require three custom-made CR-UNITs, built to my specifications. The link components aren’t necessary. I’ll provide you with data for certain parts, and anything you cannot fabricate, I will handle myself.”

“Agreed.”

The red-haired, twin-tailed girl seated in the center accepted.

“There was a Spirit that sought to eliminate me. I refused, and our ultimate attacks clashed. What you saw was the result.”

“It?”

Reine noted the most peculiar part of Yisha’s statement.

“Yes, I couldn’t ascertain its identity, so I used ‘it’.”

‘Tsk, the old fox!’

Kotori silently cursed in her mind, raising a middle finger in an unspoken gesture of disdain.

“Unable to ascertain” could imply many things—reasons related to herself, to the opponent, or even to the environment. Who knew which she meant?!

“Second question: what is your relationship with Ms. Shimazaki Yuan, and why do you possess the same technology she does, but at an even more advanced level?”

The screen shifted to a battlefield, displaying Origami Tobiichi in her Shura Mode, which had appeared during AST’s confrontation with Tohka a few days prior.

“Our relationship is quite complex; she is my benefactor, my adversary, and my mentor, all at once. This concept was originally mine. She created it, and I perfected it. Naturally, the most crucial core components were my work; she likely only grasped the core recently to produce her version.”

Yisha deliberately offered more information. Her relationship with Shimazaki Yuan had not been part of the original negotiation, but she felt it necessary to seize this opportunity to gauge their attitude.

Upon reflection, and with authorization from Kotori—or more accurately, from someone with greater authority—Reine interjected with another question.

“May I ask, are you a ‘Merchant’?”

“Oh?”

Yisha found this somewhat amusing. She wasn’t afraid, however. Why not use this chance to extract another hefty sum? After all, she had already made her arrangements.

“What’s the compensation?”

“It depends on your answer. We possess some intelligence regarding ‘Merchants,’ so please don’t try to fool us like we’re idiots.”

Reine seemed to see through Yisha’s intentions, stating her position plainly.

“I need to see your compensation first, don’t I? It might just surprise you.”

“You may deploy up to three airships, three times, provided it doesn’t violate our principles or cause significant harm to our interests.”

She laid out the pre-negotiated terms. Their discussions, which had begun at dusk and only now, deep into the night, turned into a negotiation, weren’t solely to uncover Yisha’s origins and backing. They were also about preparing leverage to gain additional intelligence during the exchange.

“To protect Spirits?”

“Yes. As long as it doesn’t threaten the safety of Spirits or result in immense damage to our interests, you can deploy them freely, regardless of time or location. You will hold ultimate command.”

Yisha’s fingers drummed rhythmically on the tabletop. This offer of leverage seemed substantial enough to sway her, sparking a flicker of interest.

“I want full command over two airships.”

“I apologize, but that is impossible.”

“Then I want one, and I will include the very thing you desire most.”

A sharp intake of breath echoed through the room!

Her statement was undoubtedly a bombshell. Everyone began to wonder if she had lost her mind. To gain full command over a single airship, was she truly willing to hand over the technology that had cost them nearly half their military revenue?!

“Hahaha, this young lady certainly has quite an appetite. Analyst Murasame, you may step down. I will handle this negotiation.”

A hearty laugh emanated from the tablet in Itsuka Kotori’s arms. Yisha showed no surprise at this development.

From the glances exchanged between Reine and Kotori moments earlier, it was clear they lacked the authority to freely wield such bargaining chips. In other words, the man on the screen was the true main event.

“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elliot Baldwin Woodman. As for my identity, I presume Miss Shimazaki has already ascertained it through her own channels?”

“So, you’ve finally decided to stop hiding behind the scenes?”

Yisha smiled, her words carrying a distinct implication of, “If you annoy me, I’ll make sure you experience the true spirit of Zaun.”

“Haha, my apologies. I’ve been rather busy, having just finished resolving all matters with my secretary, which is why I’ve only now joined. Please bear with me.”

The girl’s smile grew even more radiant.

What could be gained from the Fraxinus naturally paled in comparison to what could be gained from the man who held most of Ratatoskr’s shares and was also its founder.

The night was still long, and many more negotiations awaited.