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A short while later, in a hotel room somewhere in Chiba—

Click.

After swiping her key card and shutting the hotel room door behind her, the blue-haired girl who had just finished checking in at the lobby entered the room. As she passed through the short hallway, she flicked every single light switch on, filling the space with bright illumination.

Then she meticulously began a thorough inspection.

From beneath the bed frame to inside the wardrobe, beneath the coffee table to behind the TV stand—even carefully checking the ceiling corners, air vents, and air-conditioning unit.

Only once she was certain beyond any doubt that there were no hidden cameras, microphones, or other surveillance devices, did she finally relax and sit down heavily on the edge of the bed.

"Haaah~"

Feeling the cool breeze from the air conditioner drift over her, Kurumi Nonaka let out a deep, relaxed sigh.

She had spent the entire day outdoors under the blazing sun, temperatures soaring well above ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Even as a trained Hero, that kind of intensity took its toll.

Of course, it wasn't so severe that she would collapse on the spot. But still—who wouldn't appreciate the chance to sit down and rest a little in a comfortable, air-conditioned room?

Since she was going to rest anyway, maybe it'd be better to shower first.

The sticky feeling from sweating all day had lessened somewhat beneath the cool airflow, but now her clothes were left stiff, salty, and uncomfortable, like paper soaked in brine then dried.

Cautiously, Kurumi tugged open the collar of her school uniform slightly, waving air down inside. The moment she did, a faint smell drifted out, causing her cheeks to redden in embarrassment.

How should she describe it? It wasn't exactly unpleasant or disgusting, but after sweating so heavily throughout the day, it certainly wasn't fresh either.

A little bit sour, perhaps… with an oddly sweet, faintly milky undertone.

Alright. Shower time it is.

Taking a deep breath, the blue-haired girl rose decisively from the bed and walked briskly into the room's bathroom.

She felt for the wall switch, flicking on the bright ceiling lights. Brilliant illumination instantly filled the bathroom, clearly reflecting the face of a pretty, blue-haired ponytail-wearing girl in the mirror above the sink.

Unlike her older sister, Yuki Nonaka, whose calm composure gave her an elegant, subtly mysterious aura, Kurumi projected a more spirited, serious kind of energy—almost like the strict student council committee member or class monitor type.

The kind who'd bravely step up and reprimand even older upperclassmen if they violated school rules—yet sometimes end up flustered and red-faced when teased by mischievous troublemakers.

Such as a certain someone, who'd once rudely replied, "No thanks, I'm not interested in touching your butt," right after she'd kindly invited him for some training…

"Ghh—!"

The sudden resurfacing of that distant memory instantly brought a bright red blush rushing across Kurumi's cheeks.

Eh? Wh-why did she suddenly think of him at a moment like this?

Pressing the back of her cool hand against her burning face, the blue-haired girl bit softly down on her bottom lip.

It had already been nine years and one hundred and eighty-two days since she'd last seen him. After that, they'd never met again.

So why was she suddenly recalling him now? Could it be because she had left the village and traveled westward?

But no matter how far west she'd traveled… she was still only in the Kanto region—specifically Chiba, practically Tokyo's backyard.

That guy, on the other hand, was supposed to be living far off in Kyoto, deep within Kansai.

So why…?

Whatever. Forget it. Time for a shower.

Unable to pinpoint the origin of these unexpected feelings despite careful thought, Kurumi shook her head in frustration and began to undress in front of the mirror.

Since it was summer, she wasn't wearing many layers in the first place. Shirt, skirt, underwear—all quickly fell away to the floor, leaving her slim figure fully exposed to the brightly-lit mirror.

Her reflection appeared noticeably younger and slimmer compared to her older sister's mature curves.

If it were Yuki, she'd probably be a bit bigger here, wouldn't she?

Covering herself slightly with both hands, Kurumi turned to the side and studied her reflection thoughtfully.

She glanced downward, eyes sweeping the line from her slender waist down her hips. Her figure was undeniably feminine—lean, yet with pleasantly developing curves. Still, compared to Yuki's fuller and more generous proportions, Kurumi was clearly a bit more petite.

Come to think of it, didn't that guy prefer girls who were bigger…?

"Ugh! No, no, no!" Kurumi snapped aloud, shaking her head frantically as soon as she realized her thoughts had veered off track yet again.

Seriously, why was she thinking about him again?

Taking a decisive step into the shower stall, she twisted the knob firmly to the cold-water setting and opened the faucet—

Whoosh!

A blast of icy water immediately cascaded over her, soaking through her long hair and instantly jolting her back to reality.

Then, she silently switched the water back to warm.

She just needed a quick shock to clear her head, after all. A prolonged icy shower could make her next period miserable, and that wasn't something she wanted to risk.

❁❁❁❁

Five minutes later, Kurumi emerged from the bathroom, freshly cleaned and with her clothing washed. Since the day's clothes were soaking wet, and she hadn't brought extra outfits, she was left wrapped only in a hotel towel for the time being.

Fortunately, the curtains at the balcony windows were fully drawn shut, so there was no need to worry about accidental exposure.

The hotel did offer clothes-drying services, but they required guests to take their laundry to a communal drying area with coin-operated dryers on the floor. Given Kurumi's current scantily clad state, going out there was obviously not an option.

But she had another method.

Walking up to the wardrobe inside the room, she carefully hung each washed piece of clothing neatly inside. Then she gently snapped her fingers—and something extraordinary happened.

Her clothes began fluttering gently, as if being blown by an invisible breeze.

This was Kurumi's unique ability: using her magic to manipulate air spirits to do tasks for her. Not only could she use this skill effectively in battle—it was also quite handy for everyday life situations like these.

Once everything was set, Kurumi returned to her bedside table, unplugging her charging cellphone and turning on the screen. One unread message notification caught her eye.

It was from Takashi Hayase, containing just a simple, brief message:

[End of day one in Kanagawa. No findings.]

Looks like Takashi hadn't found any clues about the Demon Lord's daughter either.

Kurumi quickly typed out her reply:

[End of day one in Chiba. No findings.]

Her thumb hovered above the send button for a moment, before she decided to add something else.

[Given that individual searches aren't yielding results efficiently, I plan to meet up with my sister in Tokyo tomorrow. We'll search together from there.]

She paused again, staring at the screen. After a moment, she shook her head slightly and tapped the backspace key, erasing most of her explanation, leaving only the original short response.

Then she quickly pressed send.

After all, she was only here to accomplish the mission, right? There was no real need to inform Takashi about her exact whereabouts and plans.

It definitely wasn't because she'd feel safer and more comfortable traveling with Yuki.

Definitely not!

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