Tsugumi confirmed that Asakura had collapsed to the floor, trembling. She spat out what she had been holding in her mouth.

What rolled across the floor with a thud was a branch, now covered in blood and stomach acid—it was the fake Caduceus staff she had borrowed from Bell.

How did Tsugumi, who had all her belongings stripped away, end up with this staff? Just before losing consciousness from the attack by Azuma, she had instinctively swallowed the staff as it fell from her pocket… and that’s why her stomach had been feeling unsettled since waking up.

However, this staff that Tsugumi had secretly kept was both her trump card and a double-edged sword. Bell had warned her that while it was a powerful weapon, using it on a human could result in death in the worst-case scenario.

When it came to escape, could she truly bring herself to use this staff against someone else? Tsugumi had asked herself this question repeatedly. Of course, just pointing the staff at an opponent could be used as a bluff, but if she couldn’t use it as an actual weapon when the time came, it would be nothing more than a useless stick. Hence, its usage was severely limited.

Tsugumi had used the staff on Asakura without hesitation because she had made up her mind. She chose to use the staff for the sake of returning home alive with Chidori. In order to escape from here, she couldn’t afford to be picky about her methods.

Having made her decision, Tsugumi asked Chidori for help, instructing her to kick her in the stomach. This was to make her regurgitate the staff and lure Asakura in for a sure attack.

The staff was set up so only Tsugumi could use it, and since her hands and feet were restrained, she needed to hold it in her mouth to aim. Thus, it was crucial to bring Asakura as close to her as possible.

…To add a touch of realism, Tsugumi had bitten the inside of her mouth to cough up blood, but the result was more gruesome than she expected. Still, as far as acting went, she considered it a well-executed performance.

Since Asakura couldn’t afford to let Tsugumi die yet, she knew that if Chidori tried to kill her, Asakura would surely intervene. While Chidori distracted Asakura by causing a commotion, Tsugumi spat out the staff and attacked him as he approached. The plan wasn’t flawless, but the chances of success were high enough.

…However, Chidori had strongly opposed this plan. Tsugumi had only explained the staff as something akin to a stun gun, but the issue wasn’t that. What Chidori found unacceptable was the very idea of kicking Tsugumi. Well, if Tsugumi were in Chidori’s position, she wouldn’t want to do it either, but it was the most effective way to catch Asakura off guard. Eventually, she managed to get Chidori on board with the plan.

The plan was carried out, and they succeeded in incapacitating Asakura.

…And by some stroke of luck, though Asakura had been hit by the staff’s attack, he was only unconscious, with his heart still beating. This fact brought Tsugumi a slight sense of relief. Maybe the staff’s output had been weakened by the extra substances clinging to it when she spat it out.

With her tension easing slightly, Tsugumi asked Chidori to check Asakura’s pockets, where she felt a strange presence, and they successfully retrieved the key to the restraints. Finally, she was no longer bound like a caterpillar.

“Phew. My hands and feet are free now, but I still can’t seem to use teleportation. It feels like the magnetic field inside my body is all messed up or something.”

As Tsugumi rubbed her reddened wrists, Chidori asked with a concerned expression.

“I feel kind of the same way… Hey, Tsugumi, you were bleeding a lot. Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, no problem. I just cut the inside of my mouth, and it looked like a lot of blood because it was mixed with stomach acid.”

The bleeding had already stopped, and now that she had vomited, she felt much better. Although her stomach still hurt from being kicked, she wasn’t about to voice that complaint.

“But if possible, I’d really like to change clothes… They’re wet and cold, and it’s hard to move. Besides, it just feels really uncomfortable.”

Tsugumi looked down at her own body as she spoke. The thin hospital gown she wore was already wet from the water Azuma had poured on her, and now it was stained with the blood she had vomited, making it look terrible. And standing up revealed that the gown was so short that it was at risk of exposing parts that shouldn’t be seen. This was not ideal for her peace of mind, whether in male or female form.

She really wanted to change clothes, but she had no idea where her original clothes had been taken. Even if she did find them, they probably wouldn’t be in wearable condition anymore.

In that case, there was only one way to get new clothes here.

Tsugumi dropped her shoulders slightly and quietly approached the unconscious Asakura.

Tsugumi stripped the slacks, belt, and dress shirt from the unconscious Asakura and put them on without hesitation. Although they were baggy and still warm from body heat, they were wearable enough to move around in. It was a bit painful without any underwear, but she couldn’t afford to be picky right now.

While she was changing, Chidori had offered a helpful suggestion, “Are you really going to wear that? Wait, you’re not joking? My coat would at least cover you down to your knees.” However, Tsugumi politely declined. She felt it wouldn’t be right to wear a woman’s clothes directly on her bare skin.

“This guy doesn’t seem to have a phone on him, so we can’t contact the outside… In that case, we need to get out of this town without being found by Azuma.”

“Yeah, I think we should leave here before we run into him again… Who knows what he might do next time,” Chidori said thoughtfully.

Tsugumi nodded in agreement. Without the ability to use her powers, it would be dangerous if Azuma returned. She didn’t know who was currently facing off against him, but it would be best to escape while that person was keeping him occupied.

With that in mind, Tsugumi and Chidori quickly tried to escape the grand hall. Chidori left through the door first, and Tsugumi followed, but suddenly she felt an overwhelming pressure that pinned her limbs to the ground, forcing her to crouch down.

“Tsugumi? What’s wrong?” Chidori called out from beyond the door.

With her hands pressed against the floor, Tsugumi quietly replied, “Sorry, it seems like something… is restricting my movements. I don’t think I can leave this room.”

As she spoke, the pressure on her limbs gradually tightened, as if trying to drag her back toward the pedestal—despite the fact that her restraints had already been removed.

Looking at her hands and feet on the floor, Tsugumi saw that the red marks from the restraints had been wrapped in red-black ropes. The ropes looked as if they were formed by countless small hands overlapping, extending straight from the faintly glowing pedestal toward her. The eerie sight sent a chill down her spine.

It seemed that this room had no intention of letting Tsugumi escape.

“What are you saying? The restraints on your hands and feet are already—Ah! T-that…” Chidori, noticing Tsugumi’s gaze, looked at her limbs and let out a small, frightened scream.

Despite her fear, Chidori reached out to touch the ropes, but Tsugumi gently stopped her.

“Better not touch them. Right now, it’s only affecting me, but it would be a problem if it spread to you.”

“But…!!”

“We can’t afford to be taken down together. Please, Chidori. Leave here and get help. As you heard, the ritual they’re planning is extremely dangerous. They haven’t performed it yet, but if we don’t get experts to deal with this soon, it could end in disaster. It might not just be another big fire like that day… it could be much worse.”

Tsugumi bit her lip as she spoke. Ideally, they would both escape together and report the danger of the ritual to the government. But since she couldn’t leave, she had no choice but to send Chidori to report it.

Chidori, looking as though she was about to cry, said, “I can’t just leave you behind, Tsugumi. We promised we’d escape together, but you’re always putting yourself last. It’s not fair. If our roles were reversed, you’d never leave me behind.”

“…It hurts to hear that. As expected, you know me all too well,” Tsugumi replied with a wry smile.

“Don’t joke around at a time like this! I’m being serious!!” Chidori yelled, frustrated.

Shrugging, Tsugumi replied, “Then you know I won’t change my mind, right? You also understand what the best course of action is here.”

Chidori fell silent, looking sad as she clenched her fists tightly. Tsugumi knew she was asking for a lot. It wasn’t as if she wanted to make Chidori look like that. Tsugumi always wanted Chidori to smile, never to be sad.

…But that was only possible if they both survived.

“Don’t worry about me so much. I’ve got a weapon for now, and they can’t treat me too harshly since I’m the vessel. As long as we stop the ritual, everything will be fine. Besides, I still have a trump card. If it comes down to just escaping on my own, I’ll manage somehow, even if it’s by the skin of my teeth.”

“What do you mean by trump card?”

“Sorry, my contracted god told me to keep it a secret, so I can’t say anything. But I promise. I will definitely return to you, Chidori.”

Tsugumi smiled softly as she spoke. Chidori seemed like she wanted to say something but eventually lowered her shoulders and whispered, “I can believe you, right? You’ll really come back?”

“Of course. Have I ever lied to you, Chidori?”

Chidori let out an exasperated laugh. “You’ve lied plenty of times, idiot.”

“…True enough. But this time, it’s not a lie. So, please, believe in me and run. I’m counting on you.”

Tsugumi declared this, then stared intently at Chidori. With a troubled expression, Chidori sighed and approached the doorway, looking Tsugumi in the eyes as she spoke.

“If you break your promise, I absolutely won’t forgive you next time… I believe in you.”

Leaving those words behind, Chidori dashed down the stairs as if propelled by her resolve.

Watching her go, Tsugumi let out a wry smile, thinking, She’s really mad… Judging by her demeanor, facing her later was going to be scary. Well, that’s only if I make it back alive.

Frowning at the discomfort in her hands and feet, Tsugumi staggered to her feet. As long as she didn’t try to leave the room, it seemed she could move freely.

Now, what to do next? Just as Tsugumi began to contemplate her next move, the sound of clapping hands echoed from behind her.

“Quite the performer. You’re just like Sakon-kun in that regard. So, do you really have a trump card?”

“…I don’t… You should know that after checking for yourself. Now shut up, you half-naked, half-dead old man.”

Tsugumi spat out her response, glaring at the speaker—Asakura.

Seeing Asakura casually sitting up, it seemed that the attached residue had caused the staff’s power to weaken considerably.

“…I take back what I said. Don’t talk like that with Sakon-kun’s face. Hmph, your lack of refinement is nothing like his.”

Asakura, propped up on his arms, sulked as he spoke, shrugging as if to say, What a bother.

Tsugumi eyed Asakura coldly and pointed the staff at him with deliberate movements.

“Don’t move. If you make any wrong moves, I’ll kill you next.”

“My, my, the youth these days are so short-tempered,” Asakura said, raising both hands slowly. It seemed he had no intention of resisting.

“Just so you know, I don’t agree with this ritual. No matter how noble the pretext, sacrificing so many people like this isn’t right.”

“Of course, I suppose. I agree. But so what? Suou desires it, and Nemesis approves. There’s no issue.”

Asakura spoke without a hint of remorse.

Tsugumi, still suspicious, voiced the question that had been bothering her.

“When I spoke with Azuma, I found it strange. Did Nemesis really approve of your actions?”

“Indeed. It was Lady Nemesis herself who supplemented our knowledge of this ritual. The goddess willingly cooperated with us. It was thanks to her that we obtained information from the government.”

As Asakura spoke confidently, Tsugumi felt a growing disconnect between this “goddess” they described and the image of Nemesis she had in her mind.

“The reason the ritual starts at night is partly as a precaution against Amaterasu, but it was also a suggestion from Lady Nemesis. Since the ritual falls under her influence as the goddess of retribution, she said it would be better to perform it at night, which is under the domain of her mother, the goddess of night, Nyx. It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm… Nyx, huh. And have you ever seen this Nemesis?”

“Of course. As the legends say, she’s a beautiful goddess with wings.”

At Asakura’s words, Tsugumi recalled the shadow she had seen behind Azuma. Looking back now, she remembered glimpsing a wing-like form.

A winged Greek goddess… Indeed, Nemesis was depicted as a winged female deity. That form wasn’t strange.

But with this realization came something Tsugumi couldn’t ignore. Any adult would figure this out.

Suddenly remembering, Tsugumi spoke up.

“Oh, I see. Asakura-sensei, you never received a proper education, did you?”

Tsugumi nodded as if everything made sense now.

“What do you mean? That sounds like a rather clumsy insult…”

Asakura asked with a puzzled expression. Tsugumi shook her head slightly and answered in a calm voice.

“No, Asakura-sensei. It’s not an insult. The things you learned as a child differ from what we were taught in school. So it’s no wonder you missed it.”

Tsugumi explained, her expression growing paler as she continued.

“In our time—after magical girls started appearing—our education included detailed lessons on the mythologies of various countries. So this is common knowledge for anyone under forty. You see, sensei, from what I’ve learned, Nemesis isn’t the kind of goddess who would support a plan like this. That’s what puzzled me all along. But now, thanks to your explanation, I understand.”

“…Wait. What exactly are you trying to say?”

“The lineage of the goddess of night, Nyx. A winged goddess. A love for blood and violence. And the audacity to impersonate a goddess of righteous anger. Normally, with all this information, there’s only one conclusion.”

Among Nyx’s daughters, another winged goddess was known in legend.

The one who caused the Trojan War by throwing a golden apple to provoke the goddesses into competition. A goddess who embodies conflict and discord, far from being a friend to humanity.

“The god Azuma is contracted with isn’t Nemesis. Most likely, it’s Eris, the goddess of strife and discord.”