"Rentaro, are you really going like this?"
At the gathering point for the Hiruko Kagetane subjugation mission organized by the Tokyo authorities, Tendo Kisara looked at Rentaro in front of her with some concern.
"It's fine, Kisara. And... I have to go bring Enju back."
Although the other party hadn't revealed their identity, Rentaro still knew their origin.
From the information he got from the doctor, he knew that the other party was the organization inside the building Sumire had previously mentioned, the so-called "God's organization."
However, Rentaro didn't believe in any so-called gods; he just thought they were an organization with some kind of ambition.
Originally, he hadn't planned to concern himself with these organizations that had nothing to do with him.
Now that Enju had been taken, he had to get involved whether he wanted to or not.
It was still too difficult to go to the unexplored area outside the Monolith as an individual.
He didn't have Hiruko Kagetane's powerful abilities and mobility, so there was only one way to get there: by hitching a ride on a military helicopter.
"I believe in you, Rentaro."
Tendo Kisara looked at Rentaro and nodded: "Then... Rentaro."
After a moment of thought, Tendo Kisara regrouped and pointed at Rentaro: "As the president, I order you to defeat Kagetane and Kohina's combination, and stop them from summoning a Stage Five. You must work a hundred times harder for me than before, because I will work a thousand times harder than you!"
"I will definitely stop them. This is also for you."
Although he wasn't accompanied by his Initiator, Rentaro's participation in the operation wasn't prevented.
Everyone began to split up and act independently once they arrived at the forest's perimeter by helicopter.
Rentaro glanced at his surroundings.
"I can't see it..."
Rentaro wanted to find the building Sumire had once mentioned under the dark night sky.
But he found nothing.
What he didn't know was that with Tokyo's leaders aware of the building's existence and attempting to conceal it, how could they possibly allow helicopters to land nearby?
"Enter the forest directly?"
All teams split up and acted according to their own abilities after entering the forest.
With Rentaro being alone, entering the forest was still very dangerous.
Although Rentaro had defeated many Initiators when fighting desperately, he usually didn't fight with his full strength.
"Let's go in and take a look first."
After a moment of hesitation, Rentaro made his decision and walked deeper into the forest.
Without Enju by his side, he was ready to unleash his full power.
As a modified soldier from the New Human Modification Project, his strength was no weaker than Hiruko Kagetane's.
And just as Rentaro entered the forest, in a classroom on the first basement floor of Gouda Public University Affiliated Hospital in Tokyo, Sumire, after tidying up her belongings, took out a black stick from a drawer and gently broke it.
"Ready?"
The moment the stick broke, a voice appeared beside her.
Startled by the sudden voice, Sumire still maintained her composure, as if nothing could faze her: "You weren't hiding beside me all this time, were you? You got here so quickly."
"Not at all. I just sensed it after you broke that stick, then I paused time and rushed over."
Takatsuki didn't hide anything and said directly, "So, in your eyes, I accomplished many things in an instant."
"Pausing time, huh? That truly is the realm of a deity. You wouldn't do anything bad while time is paused, would you?"
Sumire said with a hint of teasing.
"If you're talking about the kind in H-games, I've actually already done it, but I restored everything afterwards, so you wouldn't even notice."
Takatsuki looked at Sumire's curvaceous body beneath her white lab coat and teased.
Sumire subconsciously tightened her clothes: "No way. Even if time is stopped, there should still be a sensation once time starts flowing again, right?"
"Those works are just the fantasies of ordinary people. They don't truly have time-pausing abilities, so how would they know what it's like? When time is paused, air doesn't flow, and light doesn't travel. Ordinary people can't live in such a space, nor can they see anything. You should be able to figure that out, right? Time-pausing in those works is just a power that serves the plot."
Sumire fell silent for a moment. As one of the Four Sages, how could she not know what Takatsuki was talking about?
She stared at Takatsuki for a long time: "Forget it. Even if you did something to me, it wouldn't matter. Rather, it would be my honor to be toyed with by a deity."
"But I didn't expect a deity to be so lecherous."
Takatsuki didn't explain anything regarding Sumire's words: "If you're ready, let's go. I have other things to do later."
With a wave of his hand, a portal appeared beside Takatsuki, and the few pieces of luggage Sumire had prepared flew directly to the other side of the portal.
"Is this what's behind it?"
"That's right, go in quickly. I have other things to do, and I can't pause time to leave if you don't go in."
Hearing Takatsuki's words, Sumire stopped instead: "Aren't you coming with me? I don't know anyone there."
"Don't worry, I've already arranged a guide. The people there are all our own. You can just find any child to lead the way."
Under Takatsuki's repeated urging, Sumire finally stepped through the portal.
Watching the portal disappear behind her, Sumire finally took a good look at the place where she might be staying for a long time.
"Doctor Sumire Muroto, hello."
A somewhat cool voice rang out beside Sumire. When Sumire looked over, she saw a chestnut-haired girl.
Although she didn't have the iconic red eyes, Sumire recognized at a glance that the child before her was a Cursed Child.
"I am Hotaru Kouro, the guide Takatsuki arranged for the Doctor. I will first take you to your dormitory and the laboratory Takatsuki prepared for you. Afterwards, if you have any needs, I will take you on a tour of our base to familiarize you with its infrastructure."
Hotaru Kouro quickly introduced the upcoming itinerary, looking at Sumire and asking, "Does the Doctor have any questions?"
"Yes, Takatsuki said he had something to do. Do you know what it is?"
"I don't know either."
Hotaru Kouro answered Sumire's question without hesitation: "Takatsuki is working to save the world, and those tasks are beyond our current reach. Takatsuki said that if he wants to save the world, Doctor Sumire Muroto, you are a very important helper, and we can only assist Takatsuki with these minor tasks."