Mio Ito stumbled and ran.

Walk through the trees, over the divide, through the dead foliage-strewn road, and finally come to an unfamiliar neighborhood.

Passers-by looked in amazement at the ragged girl, with her hands tied with ropes and her face extremely decrepit.

But Mio Ito automatically skipped those strange glances and ran dazedly on the pavement.

That bookstore......

To find that bookstore......

However, "Suyu Bookstore" only went to last night, and there is only one side of the place, how difficult must it be to find that place in the vast sea of people?

…… That being said.

However, there was a vague hunch.

Right there.

Mio Ito could vaguely feel the direction of "Sugo Bookstore".

Naturally, she didn't know that through the "perceptual pendant", Xi Gu could not only feel what she saw and know, but also subtly affect her body through the pendant. It's like an insect pheromone, guiding the direction of the arrival.

However, even without knowing all this, with a vague premonition in her mind, Mio Ito stumbled in the right direction.

Neighborhoods, roads, people......

Even when Mio Ito didn't notice it, her steps became lighter and faster, and her body became more and more steady. The rope that had been wrapped between her hands was naturally pulled apart, and she waved her hands freely and strode forward.

Finally, I finally saw the bookstore standing on the side of the road.

"Sogoku Bookstore".

Mio Ito rushed into the bookstore without hesitation, and the moment she pushed the door open, there was a violent sound.

“…… The store manager—"

Mio Ito rushed in front of Xiya.

“…… Store manager, please go and save Manami! ”

The young man raised his head and looked at her without any surprise on his face, as if he knew it from the beginning.

"Sit down first, would you like a cup of tea?"

He smiled gently, as if he hadn't heard Mio Ito's eager question.

Mio Ito almost suspected that she had misheard.

“…… The store manager, Manami was caught by Mia Mineyama in order to save me, please go and save ......"

"-It's going to be fine."

Xi Gu said lightly.

"Don't worry, Manami Mizuhara won't be treated very seriously by Mia Mineyama."

Obviously he had never seen Mia Mineyama, and he didn't know anything about what happened today, but he made such an assertion.

…… Why?

Mio Ito stared at him tightly, and the anxiety, worry, and sadness in her eyes slowly disappeared.

- Only calm doubts remain.

And as if in response to the doubt in her eyes, Xi Gu faced her and said quietly:

“…… Manami Mizuhara will be fine—you're probably the one who knows best about this, isn't it? ”

How much does he really know?

What does he know?

Mio Ito thought indifferently.

Xi Gu suddenly stood up, locked the glass door of the bookstore, and closed the curtain, leaving only a faint lamp in the store, and the light was dim.

But Mio Ito knows that it is not because he wants to do anything out of the ordinary with himself, with his face, no matter whether he is of the opposite sex or the same sex, he will never have more than or equal interest in himself.

So...... What exactly does he want to do?

“…… I don't know a few things, after all, it's hard to see what is hidden in the depths of my memory—just the secretion of hormones and changes in bioelectricity. ”

After pulling down the curtain, Xi Gu sat back behind the counter and looked at her gently.

In his tone, there seems to be a strange magic, which makes people can't help but confess the secrets they cherish in their hearts.

"So, Miss Mio, I'd like to hear about your experience."

At this time, at a time when Manami, the girl who saved him, was under siege by a bad group and didn't know how he would be treated, this young man said, "He wants to hear about his own experience"?

Is this a joke?

…… However, faintly, Mio Ito was not surprised.

She took a deep breath.

Looking directly at Xi Gu, he began to speak.

……

"It's so cold......"

This is the first feeling that Manami Mizuhara felt after waking up.

When she was also tied up all over her body, bound to the cold concrete floor, and her whole body was in great pain, she finally experienced a little bit of what Senior Sister Mio had just felt.

Luckily, though, she didn't feel anything unusual about her lower body, and her clothes weren't taken off, so it seemed like the kind of thing she was most worried about hadn't happened.

Moreover, the pendant on the chest was not taken off, which shows that Miya Minami did not put herself in that situation.

"I don't know how Mio-senpai is......"

In the dark space, Manami Mizuhara remembered the girl she had just saved, and silently prayed for her. She hoped that no accidents would happen to Mio Ito.

Although she had never been a hero before, since meeting Mio Ito, Manami Mizuhara felt like a new self had appeared in her body - standing up and saving others, such a very heroic act, she was able to do it twice in a row in two days.

"Really...... It's a bit like myself anymore......"

Thinking like this, Manami Mizuhara doesn't regret it at all.

On the contrary, the thought of being able to save Mio Ito and free her from Mia Mineyama makes her feel full of courage all over her.

"Click-"

I don't know where it came from, but it sounded like a switch was being turned on.

A huge light, which looks like it only appears in a movie, shines from the fence standing next to it, and suddenly it is thrown out of the darkness and falls into this strong light environment, Manami Mizuhara can't help but close her eyes.

It wasn't until he heard a string of footsteps sound, and the owner of the footsteps stood still in front of him, that Manami Mizuhara opened his eyes again and looked at the backlit blonde girl, who was wearing high boots and looked down at herself, but because her figure was backlit, there was no way to see the expression of this bad girl.

Somewhat unexpectedly, there was only this bad girl at the scene, and there was no attendant who appeared next to her before.

"Hey, Manami Mizuhara, why did you come to save Mio Ito."

Mia Mineyama's first question was very similar to Mio Ito's first sentence after seeing her coming, which made Minami Mizuhara feel a little stunned.

However, she was full of bad feelings for Mia Mineyama, and she was not ready to answer her question, so she wanted to "snort" from her nose, but before she could do so, she suddenly realized a problem.

“…… Do you know my name? ”

Although it is also possible that Mia Mineyama heard about it from others during this period, the comparison of this information with some of the chaotic thoughts that surfaced in his mind when he rushed to rescue Mio Ito made Manami Mizuhara still have a faint sense of foreboding:

"No, it won't be like that......"

But in the next second, the words that came out of Minamiyama's mouth confirmed her ominous guess.

"-yes, of course I know your name, your friend told me."

"My ...... Friend? ”

"Hehe, it seems that everyone calls her 'Lucia', you know the name."

It was as heavy as the collapse of the world, as if at this moment, the stomach was full of iron lumps.

"Ryoko...... How could such a thing be done......"

"Isn't that common? Betrayal, deception, and oppression are human nature, and only from them can we get happiness. That's how I am, and so is Ryoko Okuyama. It's you, on the other hand, who doesn't defy common sense at all. ”

Mia Mineyama's voice seemed to come from far away, full of coldness, arrogance, and a strange hint of self-loathing.

Manami Mizuhara gritted her teeth, as if she was deliberately ignoring Ryoko Okuyama's betrayal, turning that heavy heart into anger, even if she was still tied up and lying on the ground, she still strongly retorted Mia Mineyama:

"No, it's not like that...... Ryoko is a good person...... Senior Sister Mio is also ...... Only people like you take pleasure in bullying their classmates and use all kinds of cruel methods against them.

“…… You're the real monster! ”

It was as if the air had frozen.

Mia Mineyama stood quietly in the bright light of the lights.

Her figure remained motionless, staring at Manami Mizuhara.

Because she couldn't see her expression clearly, Manami Mizuhara didn't know what she was thinking.

But...... Inexplicably, there is an ominous premonition.

"A real monster? Hehe......"

Mia Mineyama suddenly laughed, her voice full of malice.

"I'm not really a monster - in my opinion, there's only one monster like that......

“…… Hey, Manami Mizuhara, I wanted to ask when you rushed to me out of your ridiculous and boring righteous indignation, driven by brainless blood.

“…… How much do you know about Mio Ito? ”

“…… What exactly do you mean? ”

Manami Mizuhara swallowed.

It was as if she saw an invisible black cloud enveloping her.

"—then let me tell you."

Mia Mineyama's laughter didn't continue, and her voice became cold.

However, the malice contained in the voice became more and more violent.

The next moment, in the empty abandoned factory, in this space where only two young girls existed, an incredible story sounded.

……

"I see...... Is this Miss Mio's past?

- The collective bullying that happened in the class in your childhood and was eventually resolved because of your father's standing up; Later, your father died, and you and your mother lived in a cold home, and your mother was attracted to strange religions, and gradually her personality collapsed, and you were bullied at school every day, which evolved to this day, until you met Manami's help. ”

Xi Gu sat behind the counter and listened to Mio Ito's story, a smile on his face.

Just after the girl finished speaking in a flat and straightforward voice, she summed it up in a brisk tone.

Mio Ito nodded silently.

Xi Gu also sighed as if he was extremely sympathetic.

He held up his teacup and took a soft sip.

Then calmly put it down.

"Tuk."

At the moment when the sound of the bottom of the cup and the wooden counter coming into contact came out, Xi Gu said lightly.

"What a tragic story......

“…… Unfortunately, this is a lie. ”