Akira didn't think. He activated Flow State.

[FLOW STATE ACTIVATED - FREE ACTIVATION]

[DURATION: UNLIMITED (Until manually deactivated)]

[ALL STATS: MULTIPLIED BY 10]

Time slowed to a crawl. He saw the individual molecules in the air, the ripples in the slime's body, the exact position of the core floating in its center mass.

Then he moved.

To everyone else, it looked like he stumbled forward, arm outstretched in a desperate attempt to save Yuki. The chopstick in his hand extended toward the slime as if by accident.

But in Flow State, every of his movement was calculated down to the last millicsecond. The chopstick went through the slime's outer membrane, threading between molecules, moving at an angle that looked random but was actually targeting the core with perfect accuracy.

The tip of the chopstick touched the core.

Akira deactivated Flow State instantly.

[FLOW STATE DEACTIVATED]

[DURATION USED: 1.2 SECONDS]

The slime's body convulsed. The core shattered like glass, dark cracks spreading through it. The creature let out a final, gurgling shriek before its entire body began to liquefy.

Within seconds, it had dissolved into a puddle of water mixed with greenish residue. The only evidence it had ever existed was the melted furniture and the torn clothing scattered around the café.

Silence fell over the room.

Akira stood there, chopstick still extended, looking as shocked as everyone else. "I... I think I killed it?"

Yuki collapsed to her knees, her blouse almost completely gone, her bra exposed along with her flat stomach. She was shaking, tears streaming down her face.

"What was that thing?" she sobbed. "What the hell was that?"

Rina lowered her chair, her violet eyes still glowing faintly. She looked at Akira, and he saw the question there: Should I have stayed hidden?

He gave her a subtle shake of his head. Too late now.

Through the broken window, Akira felt that frost-colored thread pulsing strongly. Ayame had seen everything.

She'd seen Rina move with supernatural speed.

She'd seen the slime demon dissolve.

And she'd seen Akira... looking like a terrified civilian who got lucky with a chopstick.

"Well?" Ai asked. "Think she bought it?"

"I have no idea."

Outside, sirens began to wail. Someone had called the police, or maybe SPIU. Either way, they needed to leave. Now.

"Yuki," Akira said gently, kneeling beside her. He pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, covering her exposed skin. "We need to go."

"I don't... I can't..." She was hyperventilating; her eyes were wide and unfocused as she struggled to breathe.

Rina appeared at his side. "I'll carry her if I have to. But we can't be here when they arrive."

"Who are you?" Yuki managed to ask, looking up at Rina with tear-filled eyes.

"Friend of Akira's. And right now, your best chance at getting out of here safely." Rina glanced at the approaching sirens. "Move. Now."

Akira helped Yuki to her feet. She was still shaking, clinging to his jacket like a lifeline. Her clothes… or what remained of them, were plastered to her skin with the slime's residue.

"The back exit," he said. "Rina, lead the way."

They moved quickly through the café's kitchen, past shocked staff members, and out into the back alley. The sirens were getting closer.

"Where do we go?" Yuki asked in a small and scared voice. "I can't... I can't go home like this. My… They would…"

"I know a place," Rina said. "It's close. Private. Has showers."

Akira looked at her. "Where?"

Rina pointed to a neon sign visible a block away. The kanji glowed pink and red in the afternoon light.

A love hotel.

"You're kidding," Akira said.

"Do you have a better idea? She needs to clean off that slime residue before it causes a skin reaction. And we need somewhere the SPIU won't find us immediately." Rina's violet eyes were deadly serious. "Unless you want to explain to them how you killed a demon with a chopstick?"

Akira looked at Yuki, who was still shaking, half-naked and covered in slime. Then he looked at the approaching sirens.

"Fine. Let's go."

They ran.

—

Across the street, on the rooftop, Ayame Shinomiya lowered her binoculars.

She'd seen everything through her spiritual sight: the slime demon, the girl with the glowing eyes moving at superhuman speed, and Akira Kanzaki... looking like nothing more than a lucky civilian.

But something didn't add up.

The holy beacon should have affected him if he had any demonic essence. Instead, it had attracted a stray demon that he'd somehow killed with a chopstick.

And that girl, Rina Kurogane, the cheerleader… she'd moved like something awakened. Newly empowered, judging by the instability in her aura.

Ayame pulled out her phone and dialed.

"Agent Sato? It's Shinomiya." Her voice was perfectly professional, taking on the tone of a diligent subordinate.

"Go ahead."

"The holy beacon test was inconclusive regarding Kanzaki directly. However, I have a new lead. One of his associates just manifested supernatural abilities. It confirms high-level demonic activity in his orbit."

"Did you engage?"

"No. The situation resolved itself. I recommend maintaining distance. If we move in now, we might spook the source."

"Your assessment?"

"I believe Kanzaki might not be the source, but a catalyst. He is unknowingly triggering awakenings in those around him. If the SPIU interferes too aggressively, we risk a mass outbreak."

There was a pause on the other end. Sato was cautious and bureaucratic. "Agreed. Continue observation. Keep the collateral damage to zero, Shinomiya."

"Understood, sir."

Ayame ended the call.

The moment the screen went black, the professional mask dropped. Her expression chilled, and her eyes narrowed with undisguised contempt.

"Government dogs," she whispered, wiping the screen of her phone as if the conversation had soiled it. "Blind to the true rot festering here."

She opened a different app… one with no icon, protected by biometric encryption. Then, she typed a single message.

Recipient: High Priest Message: The SPIU is pacified. They believe the boy is merely a victim. I have identified a corrupted vessel (Female/Awakened). I will purge the taint before it spreads further. The hunt continues, Father.

She pocketed the phone and stared at the spot where Akira and the girls had disappeared.

"Akira Kanzaki," she murmured, touching the silver cross at her neck. "Whether you are the source or the victim... I will save your soul. Even if I have to burn the rest of you to do it."

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