[Growl]
"I guess you're hungry. Do you want some food?" Miku asked, pointing towards the sushi restaurant.
"Miss, why is that man sad? Is it because of me?" Mei asked, looking at Felix.
"No, he's just an idiot. Don't worry about him," Miku replied.
"Come, let’s go get some sushi, and you can tell me all about those bad guys." Miku wanted more information on the slave traders.
She grabbed Mei's hand and led her to the restaurant. Felix didn’t join them; he was lost in thought.
"I can’t believe I still need to learn self-control. I only ended up scaring Mei. The slave trader got what he deserved, but I should have waited for those two to leave. Then I could have torn that bastard limb from limb."
"I need to remember I’m a samurai now. If I do something like this at the clan meeting, I might cause problems for Miku."
"But I was shocked that she killed the man without a second thought. It seems she might know someone who also suffered from slave traders."
He looked at his hand. "Being a slave isn’t easy."
"Anyways, I should join them. I need to apologize to Mei."
Then Felix entered the sushi restaurant.
"Zzzzzz." Mei was sleeping on the bench.
"Did you have a feast or something?" Felix asked as he saw dozens of empty plates.
"She was very hungry," Miku replied.
"But I got the information I needed," she continued. "I’m going to locate them and make sure they face lifetime imprisonment."
"Then why did you kill that man?" Felix asked.
"Circumstances got the best of me," she responded.
"Take care of her. I will meet you again here," Miku ordered.
"But what about the clan meeting?" Felix asked.
"It can wait. We still have five hours before the meeting. We came early because there was more business I wanted to attend to in Midono, but given the circumstances, I think we need to postpone that," she explained.
With that, Miku started heading toward the exit of the restaurant.
"Hey!" shouted a tiny bald man. His mouth resembled that of an octopus, and he wore a white cloth headband adorned with multiple knots.
"Who is going to pay for the sushi?" he asked.
"I don’t have any money, but my samurai will work for you for the rest of the day until the bill is paid," Miku said with her usual deadpan expression.
"Okay, that will work," the man responded.
Felix was oblivious to this exchange. As Miku left, the owner approached him.
"Hey, boy," the owner said with a beckoning gesture, signaling Felix to crouch down.
"Yes?" Felix asked as he crouched.
"Here." The man handed him a strip of white cloth.
"What is this for?" Felix inquired.
"Hee-hee," the owner simply smiled with an evil grin.
Meanwhile, Miku arrived at what appeared to be the slums on the outskirts of town.
"It should be near here," she said, wrinkling her nose at the horrible smell and taking in the dilapidated buildings around her.
"Glad I found you, Miss Miku," said a voice from behind her.
Miku turned around to see a woman her age with green hair that covered one of her eyes. The other visible eye was brown and filled with determination.
She wore a jacket-like top paired with a matching skirt. In her hands was a katana connected by a chain to a sickle-like weapon.
"What do you want?" Miku asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing much—just your dead body," she replied firmly.
"Oh, how rude of me! My name is Mirei," she said as she rested her unsheathed katana on her shoulder.
"Man... your bosoms are the biggest I've ever seen; I'm so jealous!"
[Shing]
"Stop talking and let's start the show," Miku said, drawing her katanas.
"You catch on fast! After killing you, I need to find that red-eyed man," Mirei said as she began spinning her sickle.
"You think you can beat me?" Miku challenged, closing her eyes.
[Woosh]
Mirei appeared above Miku and threw her sickle at her.
[Bang]
The sickle hit the ground as Miku disappeared.
[Thump]
Mirei landed near her sickle. "So it's true—you are as fast as they say! And I thought you couldn't move with those bosoms you've got!"
[Clang]
Their katanas clashed as Miku appeared out of nowhere.
"Why do you resist so much? One day or another, your clan will be wiped out," Mirei said.
Miku lost a bit of focus.
[Slish]
Mirei's sickle struck her left hand.
[Drip]
Blood dripped from Miku's wound as she stepped back.
[Rumble]
The earth began to shake and crack as Miku was enveloped in a golden, smoky aura. Her hair fell over her eyes, giving the impression that she was filled with anger.
"So we’re fighting with Zor energy now?" Mirei said with a smile, doing the same.
"Boss, who are those two?" asked a man with buck teeth and a Motodori hairstyle, turning to the man wearing a Sugegasa hat.
"I don't know, but they look like trouble. Call the boys; if these two stay here, our business could be hurt," said the man in the Sugegasa hat.
"Okay, boss!" The buck-toothed man replied and ran to gather the others.
"Here’s a gift from me," Mirei said as she lifted her hand to gather a massive energy blast.
[WHOOSH]
The enormous red energy blast hurled toward Miku.
[Slash]
With precise timing and unfathomable speed, she slashed through the massive energy blast using a Zor energy line projected from her katanas.
"That’s something new," Mirei remarked, surprise flickering across her face.
"Because it’s a special Yotsuba clan technique," Miku replied coolly as she appeared behind Mirei in an instant.
With deadly accuracy, she pierced through Mirei's left abdomen with her katana.
"Cough..." Mirei coughed blood.
"This technique allows me to perform a ranged sword strike," Miku explained, twisting the katana deeper into Mirei's wound. "I project Zor energy into my blade, striking without needing to touch my opponent."
Mirei clenched her teeth against the agony. "Hghhh..." Struggling to regain her composure, she whispered, "Guess it's time to use my trump card."
"First Nexus... Furia Magma," she whispered.
[Hiss]
Miku's katana blade began to melt the air around them, becoming thick as Mirei started radiating heat. Miku quickly released the katana's hilt and jumped back with incredible speed.
"She has achieved her First Nexus?" Miku thought as she landed far away from her.
The ground around Mirei started melting. "This is just getting started, Miss Miku," she said as her hands transformed into magma. The ground beneath began turning into molten rock.
She turned to face Miku and with a swift motion, Mirei dropped her sickle and gripped her katana tightly in her right hand.
[SMACK]
She punched the ground, and with a thunderous roar, a massive eruption of molten magma burst forth, engulfing everything in its path, producing explosive eruptions that hurled multiple pieces of volcanic rock into the air.
[BOOM-BOOM]
The massive volcanic rocks began to fall toward Miku.
[Slash]
Miku slashed through a massive rock with her projectile slash.
[Boom]
The two pieces struck some old houses nearby.
"If this continues, she will kill some innocent people," Miku thought.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the chaos. "Are you scared?" Mirei appeared behind Miku, her expression fierce and pupils narrowed.
[Thud]
Mirei's magma-infused fist collided with Miku's Zor barrier, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. "Stop playing around and fight me!" she shouted as she leaped back for distance.
With a swift motion, she drew her arm back and launched a massive wave of magma at Miku. The torrent was so large and fast that it left Miku no time to react; her barrier could only protect one side at a time.
[Gurgle]
Miku dodged just in time, but not without consequence—her kimono's right sleeve was burned away along with part of her arm.
"Aghhh..." she gasped in pain.
[Swing]
"Why don't you die!" Mirei screamed as she swung her katana and sickle, both their blades engulfed in magma. Miku found herself in dire straits; one arm was useless and only few minutes remained until her Zor energy timer expired.
[Swoosh]
Mirei reappeared directly in front of Miku and hurled her katana at her with lethal intent.
[Bang]
The blade struck a nearby house as Miku narrowly avoided it.
[Boom! Boom! Boom!]
With one hand barely functional, Miku retaliated by launching multiple small Zor energy blasts at Mirei.
[Kick] [CRACK]
Mirei avoided the blasts and countered with a brutal kick to Miku's ribs; the sickening crunch echoed as Miku flew through a dilapidated wall.
[THUD!]
"Hah..." a child gasped at the destruction unfolding before him. Miku barely managed to open one eye and saw him trembling in fear.
Struggling to her feet, Miku spat out a mouthful of blood.
[WHOOSH]
Another energy blast shot toward her from Mirei’s direction. With only few seconds left on her Zor timer, Miku dropped her katana and extended her hand to form a barrier just in time.
[Bang]
As the smoke cleared, Mirei saw that the houses around had turned to dust, including the one where Miku had been standing.
"You don't give up, huh?" Mirei said as she noticed Miku still standing and the kid behind her safe. However, Miku's hand trembled from the powerful impact; had she been just a second late in forming the barrier, she would have died.
"Huff... now let's continue the show, shall we?" Mirei taunted.
Both warriors were battered but unyielding. With a primal scream, Mirei charged at Miku again, fist aimed straight for her face. Miku pivoted desperately but felt Mirei's attack connect with her shoulder—a sharp crack resonated through the air.
[CRACK]
"Arghhhh!" Miku's agonized cry echoed through the slums as she stumbled back, pain radiating from her shoulder where it hung uselessly at her side.
Mirei grinned, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Ready to die, Miss Miku?"
[THUD-WHOOSH-SNAP!]
Miku kicked her fallen katana skyward and caught the hilt between her teeth with a sickening crunch. Both arms hung limp at her sides, swaying grotesquely with each labored breath.
"You're stubborn as hell," Mirei spat defiantly while wiping blood from her chin.
[SLICE]
With renewed determination, Miku ducked low and drove her katana into Mirei's thigh even as pain shot through her own body from Mirei’s blade piercing into her abdomen and sickle embedding into her left arm.
Panting heavily, they faced each other—two warriors broken yet unbowed.
"Looks like... we're both... going down," Mirei choked out with a bloody grin spreading across her face.
Suddenly, Miku noticed a burned mark near Mirei's left eye beneath her side-swept bangs. Looking closely at Mirei’s face, she recognized it from somewhere before.
"D-Do... you... happen... to... know... a... girl... named... Mei?" Miku asked, her voice trembling.
Mirei's eyes widened in disbelief. "H-How... do... you... know... about... my... dead... sister?"
"I... don't... think... I... can... see... ghosts... of... people... I... have... never... met..." Miku replied softly.
"D-Do... you... mean..." Mirei’s disbelief was palpable as they both stepped back and withdrew their weapons from each other's wounds.
"Ladies," interrupted a man wearing a sugegasa hat who stood flanked by armed men behind him, "You should stop or we have to—"
[Bam]
He was abruptly silenced as Mirei kicked him squarely in the face, sending him crashing into a nearby building.
"BOSS!" shouted a buck-toothed man in shock as he witnessed his leader fall.
"Ahh… I am sorry ma'am; I was just following my boss’s orders—"
Mirei picked him up by his throat; Her arms were not magma anymore but still hot enough to burn his skin.
"Aghh," he gasped for breath as panic filled his eyes.
[CRUNCH]
Mirei's fingers tightened around his throat until his windpipe was crushed under pressure. His eyes bulged in terror.
"Kill her—!" the buck-toothed man managed to bark.
[Stampede]
The armed men surged forward toward Mirei like an angry tide.
[SMACK] [THUD]
Suddenly, Miku kicked one of them aside with surprising strength, sending him crashing into another man.
[BAM]
Mirei slammed the buck-toothed man into the ground.
"Guess I'm not killing you just now or letting you die," Mirei said as she stood beside Miku.
"How kind of you," Miku replied dryly.
"Yahhhh!" The remaining men scrambled back to their feet and began charging toward them again.
"Order for table 7!" the waiter shouted to the kitchen, his voice cutting through the low hum of chatter and the clinking of dishes in the small sushi restaurant. The air was filled with the tantalizing aroma of fresh fish and rice.
Mei was diligently cleaning plates, her small hands moving swiftly as she hummed a tune. Felix stood at the grill, flipping pieces of fish with precision.
"Hey, Sanjo, can you pass me that soy sauce? We need to get this order out fast!" Felix called, his voice rising above the noise.
"Give me a moment," Sanjo replied.
"Why are we even working here? I thought we were just helping out!" Mei asked, scrubbing the last remnants of rice from a plate.
Felix sighed, flipping a piece of fish with a practiced hand. "It's a long story, Mei."
"I thought you were a samurai?" Mei's eyes widened with curiosity as she dried her hands on her apron.
Felix chuckled softly. "Being a samurai isn’t just about fighting—"
"What?" Felix was interrupted by the octopus-faced owner, who was speaking with two men nearby.
"The slums have been experiencing explosions?" he said in disbelief.
Felix heard him and thought, "What does he mean by explosions? I need to check it out."
"Hey, Mei, let's go," he said to her.
"Okay!" she replied innocently.
Felix crouched down, and Mei climbed onto his back. They quickly ran toward the door. "Hey, old man, we’ll be back!" Felix called to the owner as they dashed out.
"Hey! Your debt hasn’t been cleared!" the owner shouted after them.
Sigh... There goes my free labor. By the way, do you want any sushi? he asked the two men.
"Uh... Do you know where the slums are?" Felix asked as he appeared again near the owner.
"Yes. Take a right at that small building and go straight. You’ll see a flower shop; the owner is an old lady who might give you a free flower."
"Although she’s very scary," he added. "From that flower shop, take another right turn and keep going straight to reach the slums," the owner explained.
"Okay, thanks a lot, old man!" Felix said as he headed in that direction.
"Wait... Hey, you brat! You’ll have to work more now; information isn’t free around here!" The owner shouted again as he realized he had given away directions for free.
They arrived at the slums in just a few moments.
"Y-You... are... really... fast... mister," Mei said with a wobbly expression.
"Sorry about that," Felix replied.
"Now where is my stubborn clan leader?" Felix asked as he looked around, hand raised above his head.
A man wearing a sugegasa hat was coming from ahead; he was injured and holding his back.
"Hey, mister, have you seen a lady with black hair and a white kimono around here?" Felix asked urgently.
"Huh... That way..." The man pointed in the direction from which he had come.
"Thank you." With that, Felix started heading that way.
When he arrived, he saw Miku and Mirei unconscious on the ground, severely injured.
"Miku!" Felix shouted.
Comments (0)
See all