Mizuki bumps into Daisuke while entering class.
"Ah Kitahara - san, morning"
He nods and promptly passes by her, like greeting a stranger by the street.
Mizuki can't even get in a response, stunned. Not because of him acting like a stranger but still troubled by last night's event.
Her gaze can't help but latches onto him at his seat. Since her seat is close to the window, she would normally turn to her left, blankly staring at the outside world. Constantly looking forward to that bell chime signaling the end of school time. Longing for the outside world.
However, ever since Daisuke become a student there, she finds herself facing inside the class more and more. Always curious of his next shenanigans. This morning is no different, except this time she has a more worried look on her face.
'he looks.. normal today..?'
As if she's staring just to make sure he's not going anywhere, worried perhaps that the moment she break eye contact he'll vanish right under her nose.
'did he really rush back home yesterday..? it's not like him to leave without saying anything...'
Daisuke just acting normally in his seat, he catch her staring at him and just offer a warm smile. Which is enough to make her realize that she's staring too much. Quickly she look the other way, like her table for instance. When she glance back at him, he's already looking somewhere else.
'we didn't even set up a comm earlier.. I guess there's nothing important to do today...'
She looks down, a tinge of melancholy.
The day goes on with Daisuke subtly but surely, avoiding too much interaction with Mizuki even more than usual. Not uttering more than 2 - 3 words every time Mizuki would find the chance to approach him. And subtly avoiding contact with Mizuki, trying to not establish any communication line in SP waves which requires at least physical contact beforehand. Usually when he does this, he would usually just talk to her normally but today is different. He's avoiding her in both SP and normal interactions. At least, until the end of school hours.
[No training today, I'm going for a mission outside]
The note on the clubroom notifies Mizuki as she arrive there after school session. Daisuke is nowhere to be found. Until she spots him walking casually on the floor below.
'you-! Mnnn!! like I'll let you!'
She bites her teeth, then dash down the stairs. Determined to chase him.
As he's about to reach the main gate out of school, Mizuki calls out to Daisuke, surprising him a bit. The other students leaving school ground just watches as the girl sprint to catch up to him, while Daisuke just stands there frozen.
As she approaches he continues walking, letting her catch up.
"Oooyh! Where are you going doing off to? Wait for me... *pant* "
She struggles to catch her breath.
"This time is a solo mission, I'm heading a bit outside the area, it's pretty far"
"Ah okay, then I'm coming with you"
She responds while promptly walking by his side.
"Ah you don't need to come along, today's your off day"
"Wha-"
Speechless, but then irritated.
"I wanna go too! I wanna go too! I wanna go too!"
The highschooler starts rolling on the ground, throwing a tantrum. Daisuke just gives in to her outrageous method, agreeing to let her tag along and preventing her from drawing anymore attention.
As they're walking by the beach side road, heading opposite of town and already quite far too, Mizuki is just grinning from ear to ear all the way through.
"Okay okay, don't get too excited now. Our opponent this time is not like anything we've encountered so far-"
He cautions before she enthusiastically interrupts.
"I'M READY!"
Right in his face. With both her hands grabbing onto the straps of her bag, like a preschooler excited to go for a school trip.
Curbing her excitement, he gently pushes her head back and place his hand atop her head to quell her excitement.
"Now now, I'd prefer it if you can calm yourself down and really understand the level of threat here."
He rummages inside his bag while continuing with his briefing.
"Our next opponent may be a big shot in this area. Probably several times stronger than any ghosts we've fought before"
Mizuki just listen intently while noticing that they just pass by the intersection leading to the Majin Kyotai's hill from a couple days ago. This is the furthest they've walked in Hokubu.
"Here"
He holds out a long shaped item wrapped in clothing.
"You might need this, if you ever come face to face with it"
"A dagger..? And it's not made of Reichi"
She comments.
"Yes, but it's imbued with my Reichi and woven together with some curse effects. A full weapon made entirely of Reichi doesn't last long but are stronger, while a physical item imbued or coated with Reichi last longer but have less power. Though that's where that curse plays it's part"
She just nods attentively.
"Is it going to be a long mission?"
"Who can say, better to be extra prepared for this one"
She just gulps. Perhaps only now realizing how serious this actually is.
"Don't worry, if it gets too dangerous I'll get you to safety immediately"
He turns his face forward.
"Our opponent this time, is a troublesome one..."
"Do you really need to fight them? Do they have like a big bounty or something?"
"Nope, actually this one is not a bounty. I just need to get them off my case for a while..."
A smirk ends his comment. Almost like he's talking about someone he knows. An old friend perhaps, or a relentless rival.
"So are you going to sell them to Oldie later?"
She guesses from past experiences. And Daisuke just laughs out loud.
"hahaha! That'd be hilarious. I wonder if that geezer will buy it"
She didn't really mean it but that relaxes Daisuke a bit, though it's not her intention she just let's him have that moment. He'd been slightly on edge this whole time but now he's genuinely more laid back. Though that too is temporary, after a while his face starts to look scary again.
"Sooner or later I'll have to face her.."
He mutters under his breath, only barely audible to her. She notices his smirk.
As they're talking, something else is approaching from above. Fast.
Daisuke reacts.
He pushes Mizuki aside quickly. Before she can react, a loud scratching between metal and concrete deafens Mizuki for a couple seconds. Right there between her and Daisuke is a line on the ground, carved by a large edged weapon seemingly as it also pierce several layers of dirt underneath the road.
Aside from the line, the ground beneath them, somewhere between 10 to 15 meter radius, turns jet black. Almost like a pitch black hole that leads towards oblivion itself.
"Are you okay? Mizuki kun!"
Daisuke confirms, from the other side of that drawn line.
She confirms, then calls out to him while reaching forward but not before a dark shadow envelopes both of them. Reaching out from the black circle on the ground, as if from a portal.
Right before it can swallow Mizuki whole, Daisuke shoots a projectile from the tip of his finger. As soon as it hit Mizuki, she started glowing, a Reitai transformation.
"Hold ont- -th -dagger-!"
His instruction cut off.
And everything turns black.
Mizuki wakes up alone. She's in the forest. She's in front of an old abandoned house.
"Where.. am I..? Mmhh"
She brings her palm to her forehead. Her headache episode is starting again.
"Ugh, I need to find Daisuke kun.."
'is this... on the hill?'
As she's walking, she investigates her surrounding. It is too foggy to see anywhere past a few trees ahead of her. No way to see the skyline.
'I don't feel any slopes though'
Her hand persistently rubs the temple on her head. Pushing back against a flaring headache.
'Ughh this headache... somehow.. it feels familiar...'
'don't tell me-'
She suspects before raising her head.
"So that's what this is all about..."
She smirks amidst her exhaustion. Already figuring out how her body works.
Before her are the familiar scenery, thousands of ghost moving about, pass her and in the same direction as her. It seems she's not completely used to this yet, even after all this time. Her leg fails her and she almost fall to her knee but hold herself up.
"It's okay, even if Daisuke's not here, I can face this on my own. I'm stronger now!"
She whispers to herself. Steeling her resolve to check off an individual milestone.
She picks up her step and slowly but surely regain pace, walking forward while keeping eye contact minimal. Every time she feels the headache getting too strong she would turn her face downward. Other times, the stronger the headache, the more she looks forward, actively resisting the mental strain.
'everything will be okay... everything will be alright... once I find Daisuke I can finally-'
She shakes her head.
'No! There's no guarantee of that. I don't even know where I'm at, I don't even know how he'd-'
She recalls Daisuke's concerned face right before they both got separated earlier. She shuts her eyes tight, as if trying to block herself from seeing that mental image again.
'even if Daisuke isn't here, I'll be fine! Not all of these ghosts are bad! All these guys are just minding their own business. They're not coming after me!'
Over and over she keeps steeling herself through the psychological challenge. Toughing her way through the mental pressure.
Though evidently it's taking a toll on her. Even without suffering any pain, she's sweating hard. Like she's going through a very straining activity.
Though soon after, she spots a rural town ahead, a cluster of traditional buildings. Several shops and dining establishment serving the customers outside the building over a counter, shoppers and business owners debating the value of the goods and families strolling casually while observing the ambience. A human town, seemingly.
Finally hearing the sound of civilization, Mizuki eagerly dashes forward. Looking for a break from this suffocating atmosphere. Somewhere safe, somewhere familiar to escape to. Somewhere that doesn't necessitate her temporary front of bravado. A final relief.
When she actually reached the town though, the warm hubbub of a countryside market now replaced by an off-putting cacophony of inhuman language. What welcomes her is not that off a hustling rural town, but rather an assortment of uncannily faceless people going about their business. An eerie mimicry of collective human behavior.