It was this evening.

Around seven o'clock.

Halfway up the mountain, the small courtyard of Akiko Ishiyama.

The courtyard is lit up with bright lights, illuminating the mountain road covered with fallen leaves outside.

Ayaka Hino stood in the small courtyard, wrapped in a thick down jacket, and her face was almost completely buried in a scarf - her icy nature would have subconsciously affected her body temperature, even in summer, she had to wear a coat, and she wouldn't feel hot when she stood in the sun, and two or three days after the snowfall was the coldest time, and her posture was understandable.

Beside her, a thin man supported her.

"Mother-sama, you should have a good rest at home, there is no need to rush here in person."

It was none other than Yuki Hino, who had not appeared for a long time.

This guy is still a beautiful orange hair, quite conspicuous on winter nights.

It's the look on Hino Yuki's face, far from being as energetic as when he first appeared, but rather haggard like Hino Ayaka.

The studs on the earlobes, and the studs under the lips, have long since been removed.

In front of the mother-sama, Yuki Hino is like a good baby.

"The disappearance of the S-class, such a serious matter, only I am the most suitable to deal with in Tokyo at the moment."

Hino Ayaka glared at her son angrily.

"And don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"At least when I'm still in Tokyo, you're not allowed to use that ability."

"Alas, Mom, why is this like this~"

Hino sighed in annoyance and scratched the top of his head.

In fact, if you look closely, you can find that his original bright eyes seem to be covered with a transparent film, which contains the energy of "restriction".

It does not affect his eyesight, but it can limit his abilities.

"If only you were a little more like your sister."

Hino Ayaka sighed helplessly, only feeling that her youngest son was really not at all worried.

"Ahem, it's Aono-kun who has arrived!"

The orange-haired young man did not take his mother's words, but pointed to the gate of the courtyard.

His eyes lit up.

The look was a little strange, as if a drowning man had seen the last straw in front of him, or like a thirsty traveler in the desert seeing an oasis.

"Long time no see, Hino-san, Mrs. Saika."

Aono, who led Kanda Yuki-e, greeted the two.

His gaze lingered on Ayaka Hino, landing on his left eye, right arm, and right leg, all of which were no longer living flesh, but cold, dead objects.

Aono sighed with regret in his heart.

But judging from the level of development of the transcendent, it is not impossible to repair some of the original lifelong disabilities after a while.

But that's not the point of Aono's visit.

He looked at the bright courtyard, where the square blocks made of stone were still parked safely.

It's no different from when they left.

- Wait, "a square block made of stone?" ”

Aono's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly realized that he was affected by the after-effects again.

But now, his sanity has clearly returned to the value of 92, why is it still affected by this sequelae.

"Aono-kun, go in and see for yourself."

Ayaka Hino said in a complicated tone.

Aono temporarily suppressed the abnormality in his heart, and as soon as he approached the door, a familiar and unfamiliar smell of blood came in his nose.

The reason why I say it is familiar is because it is not the first time that Aono has smelled this smell.

It is like the enchantment of roses, and it is as irresistible as poppies, with an irresistible power for ordinary people.

Walk into the room.

What I saw was a bright red.

Bloodstains, clearly visible bloodstains!

It was all over the big and small corners of this room, covering almost all of it, revealing a strange aura.

The most terrifying thing is that these blood stains are "alive"!

They were still flowing slowly, like viscous black oil.

In the process of flowing, there seem to be some fragments of tissue growing in it.

If there are enough nutrients here, it is completely possible to grow new individuals one by one!

And this kind of blood with great vitality, Aono has only seen it in one "person".

- Tomie!

There is no doubt that this could only be Tomie's bloodstains!

In addition to the bloodstains, the room was even more messy.

Some daily necessities fell to the ground, and the wood carvings carved by Akiko Ishiyama staggered to and fro, witnessing everything that had happened here.

It seems to be the traces of the aftermath of the battle.

There was no news of Tomie before, and it could barely be explained by "preparations", but the disappearance of Akiko Ishiyama was completely beyond Aono's expectations.

And the picture in the meditation room in the small courtyard proves that there may have been a fierce battle here.

But...... Why? ’

Aono was puzzled.

On his last day with Tomie, he clearly perceived Tomie's will to die.

She didn't just think about it in her heart, but actually made that decision.

Besides, even if you change your mind.

Why did Tomie break out into a fight with Akiko Ishiyama and cause this "missing" effect?

In this case, the most likely thing is not actually a disappearance, but a ...... Akiko Ishiyama has died in the hands of Tomie!

He couldn't figure it out.

Kanda Yukie on the side couldn't understand either.

"Aono-kun."

Ayaka Hino walked into the door and looked at Aono seriously.

"I know that Miss Amamiya is your friend."

The Tokyo Rangers and the Night Watch are not rice buckets for dry rice, and with the power they control, they have already investigated Tomie's life history.

It's not that she can't be caught.

It's just that Tomie really didn't attack the innocent, and coupled with Aono's face, he has always allowed her to act, and even tacitly recognized her as a member of the special operations team.

But right now, it's a matter of life and death for an S-class transcendent, and of course they can't sit idly by.

"After all, she is contaminated with their power, and she may get out of control at any time."

"According to our speculation, it is likely that she suddenly went on a rampage while receiving treatment, and finally attacked Granny Ishiyama and abducted her."

"So ......."

Hino Ayaka's mood is actually far from being as relaxed as it seems on the surface.

The disappearance of Akiko Ishiyama herself is a big problem, and it is even more troublesome to give Aono, who is Tomie's "friend", an explanation.

After going through several incidents, Ayaka Hino has long understood.

Aono looks suave and handsome, but in fact, under his body, there is a terrifying power!

She had been glad more than once that Aono was their companion, not an enemy.

"Well, I can understand."

Aono nodded, signaling that Ayaka Hino didn't need to be so nervous.

Only then did Ayaka Hino quietly breathe a sigh of relief and let go of a big stone in her heart.

She was really a little worried, and Aono turned her face directly with them in a fit of rage.

"It's just that I think there are a few small doubts here."

Aono turned his head and looked into a corner of the room.

In sight, there was nothing there.

Unexpectedly, coincidentally, there was no trace of blood stained, and it looked very clean.

But inspiration was keenly aware of the abnormality and gave him a ......

"Dirty" feeling?

Dirty, filthy.

That corner gave Aono the feeling of a fingernail-sized grease stain on a white shirt.

It occupies a small area, but it is extremely glaring, and there is an urge to dig it up.

“...... Well? Snow painting? ”

At this time, Aono also noticed Kanda's unusual behavior.

She was approaching that little corner.

One step, one step, one step at a time.

Aono thought the girl was just trying to get closer to the corner, but soon her face was about to hit the wall.

Just as the tips of her feet first touched the wall that made up the corner, it was not just touching, it was about to penetrate through it!

It's as if that corner only exists in people's vision, rather than being actually placed in the real world.

Aono suddenly realized the meaning of extreme absurdity.

Grabbing the girl's shoulders at great speed, he pulled her back.

"Snow painting!"

Aono calls out the girl's name.

She snorted, her eyes blank, as if a drowning person had just been recovered from the water.

“...... What's wrong? ”

Aono quickly lowered her head and looked at the tips of her shoes.

What Kanda Yukie is wearing today is a pair of black, small women's boots with a little heel, but at this time, starting from the top of the boots, the "dirty" and "dirty" things begin to spread slowly.

Aono made a quick decision, quickly ripped off the laces of his boots in a slightly rough way, grabbed the heel with one hand, grabbed the part that had not been stained with dirt with the other, took it off vigorously, and then threw it on the ground not far from the corner.

In just a few seconds, the "filth" took over the boot, making it as "dirty" as that corner.

"What's wrong?"

Kanda Yukie blankly repeated the question.

Aono felt that her head didn't seem to be very bright, a bit like the little heel worm he was in the Aoyama Hospital, in short, silly.

It's not a mockery, it's that she's in a state where she's not normal.

It was as if some kind of intelligence-reducing factor was spreading in the air, making her mind dull and slow.

"Stop!"

Aono shouted loudly, and used part of the power of his psychic scream.

Behind him, Hino's mother and son suddenly woke up from a dream and came back to their senses.

His eyes were open in confusion, not understanding what had just happened.

"You go out first."

Aono said.

"Hmm."

“...... Good. ”

Even under Aono's mental scream, after witnessing the "dirty", the state of the three of them still did not improve much, as if they were drunk, and the longer they stayed in this room, the more drunk they became.

"Gurgling ......"

At this time, similar to the sound of boiling water bubbling, the sound of boiling also sounded in the shadows around him.

Hino Ayaka they subconsciously turned their heads.

It's just a faint short period of time, in the afterglow of the line of sight, a certain existence that can't tell what color is not clear can be seen, flashed by.

- The phrase "the afterglow of the line of sight" is a bit strange, so I'll explain it a little here. As we all know, the human eyeball has a certain range of vision, which is determined by the structure of the human eyeball, usually without deliberately turning the eyeball, the source of light received at the very edge of the eyeball is the origin of "afterglow".

And that particular thing, even if the focus of the eye is on it, its existence cannot be observed.

It is only in the afterglow of the unconscious that "it" can be observed for a short time.

As for the colors, they may be black, they may be colorless, or they may be colorful.

Because the human eye can't really "catch" it, let alone recognize its color.

By the time they looked at the ground again, the little boot had disappeared from their eyes.

Only the "filthy" air still remained in the room.

It didn't seem to be a big deal, but Hino Ayaka their pores involuntarily tightened, and their hearts seemed to be pinched hard, giving birth to an indescribable fear.

'Mystic rituals? ’

Aono quickly grabbed the point of the panel prompt.

At this time, the three of them finally walked out of the door, and Aono lowered his head and looked at the corner.

Pick up a broken wood carving and touch the corner gently.

But nothing strange happened this time.

It was a real wall, not a projection, and it shouldn't be penetrated directly.

'It seems that it is a human problem?' ’

Aono came up with the most plausible explanation.

If he hadn't stopped him, the previous Kanda Yukie might have gone straight to the wall with his entire body, and thus plunged into a world that could not be understood by common sense.

She "decided" that the wall could be passed, and so the supernatural power, mixed with the remnants of a ritual, took effect, and that effect was created.

Aono, on the other hand, remained awake, resulting in a different result.

But who prepared this ceremony?

What is the effect?

The current Qingye is like a detective in the deep fog, and he can't see the road under his feet clearly.

One doubt has been solved, and there are countless more questions waiting for you ahead.

"Huh?"

His gaze wandered around the meditation room, trying to find more valuable information.

Suddenly, my eyes fell on the wood carvings of different sizes and shapes.

Aono's memory is beyond the scope of ordinary people, and he can engrave the pictures he has seen in his memory without any mistakes.

It won't be forgotten for at least a month.

The picture I saw three days ago is even clearer.

He couldn't be mistaken.

There are many fewer wood carvings placed in the room today than there were three days ago.

It could have been destroyed in battle, and with the destructive power of Tomie cells, it was not difficult to do that. ’

No, that's not true. ’

Aono denied himself again.

He muttered as he thought back to every image he had seen.

"Four, there are four wood carvings."

"It's different."