After the End

Under the silent night sky, two figures soared through the air with the speed of shooting stars, leaving everything around them far behind.

The wind was fierce that night, yet it could not hinder their departure. Not until…

“Sister!”

The girl, who had been leading the way, plummeted downwards like a bird with broken wings. Yina’s face paled in alarm, and disregarding any need to conceal her tracks further, she swiftly rushed to Yisha’s side.

Fortunately, the girl had not lost consciousness. Yet, her face was ashen, etched with profound pain.

“I’ll help you treat it—”

Yina was interrupted. She watched, horrified, as green liquid seeped from the spot Yisha clutched tightly with her hand.

Yisha was already using her Angel to heal herself. Even so, she appeared to be in immense discomfort, a stark testament to the severity of her injuries.

“It’s nothing, Yina. Signal Nuwa and have it come pick us up.”

Yisha managed a faint smile, attempting to alleviate Yina’s growing worry. Unfortunately, her efforts were futile.

“I’ve already told you, Sister. Hold on, you’ll be fine.”

The girl carefully scooped Yisha into her arms, intending to continue flying towards Tengu City. However, a sudden sense of imbalance made her instinctively want to leave, but a muffled groan from the person in her arms made her halt.

Green light enveloped them. As the ethereal glow dissipated, the world before Yina’s eyes subtly shifted.

Looking to the side, Yina saw, sure enough, a woman standing there—one rumored to have not slept for thirty years.

“Analyst Murasame.”

“Give Yisha to me. We’ll handle her treatment.”

Reine stepped forward, attempting to take Yisha. But Yina took a step back, evading her, and the other woman, clearly not expecting this, paused in surprise.

“No. Tell me the location of the medical Realizer. I want to stay with her.”

After hearing the girl’s resolute words, Reine adjusted her glasses. She then led Yina to the medical bay aboard the Fraxinus.

Kotori gazed at the report in her hands, her eye twitching almost imperceptibly. After an indeterminate amount of time, having finished reading, she quietly removed the memory card from her tablet. Then—snap!

“Alright, Yisha truly is different. Even as a Spirit, she’s exceptionally unique.”

She slowly turned her head to look at the display screen beside her, her eyes filled with a deep, lingering resentment.

“Indeed. Perhaps we should try our best to establish a good relationship with her. However, considering she’s a sworn enemy of that ‘Mosaic’, and the fact that ‘Mosaic’ is undeniably a Spirit, it means…”

Elliot paused deliberately, allowing Kotori to finish the unspoken thought for him.

“When we inevitably make contact with that Spirit in the future, Yisha will become our greatest obstacle, won’t she?”

Biting down hard on a Chupa Chups, Kotori grew increasingly agitated.

“By the way, has that ‘Mosaic’ not been given a codename yet? Constantly calling them ‘Mosaic’ feels a bit…”

Kotori, seemingly noticing something, voiced her query. To this, Elliot quickly provided an answer.

“It will likely be decided by tomorrow.”

From the day Yisha first appeared, a deluge of information had poured in, much of it concerning Yisha herself. The most vexing aspect was distinguishing the false from the true within this torrent of data.

Undoubtedly, someone was deliberately fabricating false information to mislead them, employing sophisticated methods and an extensive network. Even information obtained from official sources couldn’t be guaranteed as entirely accurate; for instance, the claim that Yisha was an ordinary human with no connection to Spirits was, at a glance, clearly absurd.

“Can we pinpoint the source of these false messages?”

“Not for now. Even a mighty dragon can’t suppress a local snake. Some matters are best left to the professionals.”

Elliot waved his hand, indicating he had done his best. Kotori, in response, pressed a hand to her forehead.

“I’ll leave that to you, Commander Itsuka.”

Ending the call, Kotori began to consolidate all the gathered data.

Firstly, Yisha possessed an incredibly extensive network of connections and wielded significant influence, capable of commanding many to disseminate information on her behalf, thus obscuring the truth. Secondly, Yisha would become the greatest obstacle when dealing with ‘Mosaic’ in the future, requiring preparations for such an eventuality. Lastly, there was the report she had received, one strictly forbidden from others’ eyes—a report concerning a certain reclusive family.

‘How exactly did Yisha get involved with them? If those people truly act without regard for the cost, things will become incredibly difficult.’

With a sigh, Kotori lightly patted her cheeks to rouse herself, then left the bridge, heading towards the medical bay.

Halfway there, Kotori encountered her brother, Itsuka Shido. Upon asking, she learned he was also coming to visit Yisha, concerned about her injuries, so they decided to go together.

Arriving at the door, Kotori noticed Shido’s slight nervousness. She silently raised her foot, then stomped down hard.

“Ahhh!!! Kotori, what was that for?!”

“Idiot! You’re the one destined to save all the Spirits! If you’re this nervous now, what will you do in the future?!”

Hearing Kotori’s sharp words, Shido mustered his courage anew. Holding up the bento box in his hands, he returned to the medical bay door and opened it with an air of unparalleled resolve.

“Yisha, are you alright? I’ve come to visit you…”

Shido’s voice grew progressively softer, until it faded completely, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

White. Enormous peaks, as white as snow. Though the rose-red tips adorning these snow-capped mountains were obscured by the girl, this did not prevent Shido from staring in a daze, seemingly ‘appreciating’ the view.

Swoosh!

A stool flew through the air, accurately striking its target’s face for a critical hit. It then fell to the ground, inflicting a second wave of damage.

Kotori’s scalp tingled. Standing nearby, she had no idea what had just transpired inside. Consequently, she assumed Yisha disliked others entering her space uninvited, hence the flying stool.

Fortunately, not long after, the person inside seemed to have a change of heart.

“My apologies, you can come in now.”

The girl’s gentle, melodious voice drifted out. Kotori glanced at Shido, then unceremoniously dragged him into the medical bay.

Inside the spacious medical bay, one girl was entirely hidden beneath the blankets, wrapped into a ball, only her eyes peeking out to secretly observe Kotori. Meanwhile, another girl sat opposite Kotori, meticulously slicing an apple with expert knife skills.

“Would you like some?”

Declining Yina’s kind offer, Kotori stared at the massive spherical form, feeling an inexplicable weariness settle in her heart.

“Ms. Yisha, could I trouble you to…”

The spherical mass shifted, then slumped over. The girl no longer looked at Kotori, turning to lie down as if to declare she wished to sleep.

Yina finished peeling the last bit of skin from the apple in her hand, then walked around to the other side of the bed.

“Sister, here, ahh~”

Yisha initially wanted to refuse the embarrassing act of being spoon-fed. However, upon seeing Yina’s slightly sparkling eyes and the meticulously crafted rabbit-shaped apple, she obediently opened her mouth.

‘Honestly, the apple is good. Yina’s knife skills have improved; it’s cut perfectly into bite-sized pieces.’

After feeding her the apple, Yisha declared she was tired and wished to sleep. Yina nodded, signaling Kotori to leave with her.

The door closed, and the room returned to silence. However, the girl’s mood was anything but tranquil.

“So, you saw it, didn’t you?”

Yisha suddenly asked, as if questioning someone unseen.

No answer came.

“Stop pretending. I know you’re awake. Your heartbeat is uneven. With that level of skill, you think you can fake sleep?”

Shido, who was supposed to be unconscious, slowly sat up, turning his gaze towards the girl seated on the bed—Shimazaki Yisha.