Sora and Kyouma went the opposite direction, right in the center of the town.
Sora's eyes scanned the crowd. "So this is the place the locals were talking about?"
Kyouma nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, there's been a string of robberies lately. If that duo really exists, they'll probably show up here."
Before Sora could answer, a cry tore through the noise.
"Help!"
They turned their heads towards the sound.
At the edge of the center, a man had a trembling young woman in a headlock with the tip of a long kitchen knife pressed to her throat. His eyes darted wildly at the growing crowd.
"Stay back!" he barked.
Sora froze, measuring the distance.
"I'll handle it," Kyouma said calmly, already moving. "Stay here."
Before she could stop him, he slipped around the edge, vanishing behind the crowd.
Sora's heartbeat thudded in her ears.
The criminal screamed again, shaking the hostage. "I said stay back or—!"
Time broke.
Kyouma's perception slowed to an almost stop.
He ran, weaving through the still figures like shadows.
The knife hovered, unmoving, millimeters from the girl's throat.
Kyouma slipped behind the man, his hands blurring—
—snatched the blade away—
—and slammed the man into the cobblestones.
Kyouma's time snapped back.
Sora saw the man with the knife clearly.
She blinked.
The man lay face-down, groaning, the knife clattering harmlessly beside him.
She hadn't even seen Kyouma move.
One moment the criminal had a blade on a hostage, the next he was on the ground.
"W-what just…?"
Kyouma straightened, brushing dust from his jacket. The woman scrambled away into the arms of the crowd.
"Thank you, thank you!" she cried.
Kyouma smiled faintly. "It's fine. It's our job as hunters to help."
Sora exhaled, finally moving toward him. A small smile tugged at her lips as she elbowed his side lightly.
"Not bad, for someone who supposedly has no goal."
He snorted.
"You really are fast," she said, still smiling. "Your ability… it's impressive. It's so strong, I bet it's a Minus bound to some trauma right?"
"Not a minus," Kyouma replied, watching the crowd disperse. "But the ability itself is actually pretty useless."
"Useless?"
He nodded.
Sora tilted her head. "I see."
"…Do you?" he asked.
Sora shook her head. "No. I have a plus too."
They shared a faint smile.
And then it hit them.
A wave of pressure—raw, and oppressive—filling the air.
Sora froze, with goosebumps.
"That…"
"I feel it too," Kyouma said, voice low.
They circled the area, eyes sweeping every rooftop and alley. The pressure was so heavy it felt like they couldn't breathe.
"Where is it coming from?" Sora whispered.
"I don't—" Kyouma's eyes widened.
His breath caught.
"…Keisuke."
Sora turned sharply. "Who?"
Kyouma didn't answer—he ran towards the person.
"Wait—!"
She sprinted after him, but something struck the ground just in front of her foot—
—bang!
A narrow beam of blood shot into the stone, right in front of her.
She looked up to where the beam had come from.
A figure stood on the rooftop.
Her eyes widened.
"…It's been a while, Sora."