Miyu's mechanical clanking rang sharply in Hana's ears. Metallic, frantic, almost glitching. She covered her ears, watching the little creature convulse in awe and alarm.
"Miyu, what are you doing?!"
Despite the concern twisting in her stomach, she couldn't help but smile. "I knew this might happen," she muttered.
"Of course the Director had to ruin this."
She lifted Miyu into the air, holding it gently but firmly. Earlier, she had suspected the Director might be watching her through Miyu. After all, he had already proven he could manipulate minds. So she had placed a fragment of her radioactivity inside Miyu, embedding it deep within its circuitry.
Now she had access to the Director.
Or at the very least… a thread leading to him.
She hugged Miyu.
"Haha. I'm such a genius, aren't I, Miyu?"
The creature chirped weakly, returning to its normal form. Hana smiled, but urgency tugged at her thoughts.
Onto the next room. She needed to hurry.
Who knows where Haazi had gone and what he was up to? She had no idea what the Director was planning. She glanced at her right hand, and froze.
Her breath hitched.
She lifted her hand toward the chandelier's dim light.
She could see the outline of the chandelier… through her hand.
It was becoming translucent.
Her heartbeat thudded visibly beneath the surface.
"Okay… this is very concerning."
Miyu chirped in agreement.
"Maybe… it's because of how much radioactivity I've used," she murmured. "It's true, I haven't used my radioactivity this actively before."
She sighed and stepped toward the next room. Miyu hopped off her shoulder and landed beside the doorway, looking up expectantly. For some reason, it couldn't enter the rooms with her.
Strange, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it.
She stepped inside.
Instantly, the atmosphere shifted.
The room was dark. It was lit only by scattered, dim sources of light that flickered like dying stars.
The gravity felt different, lighter, as though the air itself was thinner. When she jumped experimentally, she stayed suspended for a moment longer than she should have. The floor was powdery but solid beneath her feet.
Hana looked around. Where were the monsters?
She took the chance. She could focus on herself a little more now.
She closed her eyes, letting her senses expand. Her radioactivity hummed beneath her skin, sharpening her awareness.
There.
A presence.
To her left.
She snapped her eyes open and altered the atoms in her eyes, sharpening her sight. She carved a spear from the floor, rearranging the atoms into a sleek, deadly shape, and hurled it with all her strength.
It shot through the air…!
Then stopped.
Mid‑flight.
The spear twisted, its trajectory reversing, aiming straight at her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She dove aside, but not fast enough. The spear grazed her neck, slicing a thin line across her skin. Warm blood trickled down her collarbone.
She hissed and glared into the darkness.
A shape floated ahead. She brightened the air molecules, forcing the room to illuminate. Her eyes widened.
It was…
A shrimp‑shaped potato.
Floating.
Glowing.
Radiating an aura she recognized… She gasped.
It was her own.
It was radioactive. Just like her.
But how?
How could something else carry her exact energy signature?
How could something mimic her power?
And more importantly…
How was she supposed to defeat something that shared her nature?
Her hand twitched.
But it wasn't due to fear.
Nor because of the radioactive instability.
It was from excitement.
For the first time in her life, she felt genuine danger—danger she couldn't simply vaporize with a thought.
A grin spread across her face. "Well then," she spoke with a hushed tone, eyes gleaming.
"Let's see what you can do…"