Chapter 31

In an abandoned alley, a dirty furball the size of a dog is hanging on the crevices of a wall hidden by the shadows. The creature made little noise as it's tail lightly shook with each breath.

From the entrance of the alleyway, a gray canister was thrown. The sound it made as it landed on the concrete startled the creature as it squirrel-like face opened it maw wider than it's own body size, and from within the fang-filled mouth escaped small yet bloodthirsty bats.

One into two and two into four, they soon swarmed and filled the narrow space. And still, they saw no target. The swarm squeaked and flew in confusion before the cannister suddenly burst open with thick clouds.

The bats dispersed and the furry creature fell from the where it hung, unconscious. The fight was over before it began.

~~~~~~~~

"That worked? It worked!" Cheered Haru as he jumped in joy.

"Told ya so but you didn't believe me." I called out to Haru as I entered the alley. "C'mon. Not done yet."

"Ugh, I hate seeing this part." He said as he reluctantly followed.

"Why? It's not like there's any blood."

"They just... look so sad when they disappear."

"Don't pity them. They'd only suffer more if we leave them be. In the first place, there's no telling if they're even alive in the first place. It might just be the manifestation using someone's quirk as a basis since, y'know, they just disappear."

"Yeah..." Said Haru as he turned away when I made the final hit and the creature begins to fade from existence. "Yeah, you're probably right."

'White lies, Kizuki, White lies. You don't have to feel guilty.' I thought as I watched it completely disappear, leaving no other traces. 'Is this how I would die one day?'

"Now that that's done, I have to go." I said while walking out the alley, Haru trailing beside me.

"Sure. Thanks for coming on such short notice. I just really wanted to try out this thing I mixed up." He said while gesturing at the extra cannister of poison gases inside his bag. "Saten is hanging out with her other friends and Uiharu is... I don't know, actually."

"If she's not at work, She's usually out on an anonymous Sweets Hunt. Did you know that she actually has a secret account that rates and reviews sweets? She found some good spots recently." I chuckled. "Anyway, make sure not to accidentally commit war crimes with those. Later."

"Something came up?"

"Nah, just had to check on a patient. Hevun-sensei is needed elsewhere, after all." I waved him goodbye a I left.

Of course, I didn't head directly to the hospital. Not this time at least.

I felt someone watching me and Haru for a while now and the gaze has been quite heated on me. I did try to search with my senses for as long as they can extend but the stalker was out of my reach, which has recently reached 40 meters, without overloading me too much.

Even when I did extend that far, my senses wouldn't be able to differentiate the stalker from the other people out about with their lives.

Haru should be fine since whoever are tailing me seemed to have me as the sole focus. Which is why I did the next best thing, I tried losing them.

I kept a straight face and didn't let my followers notice that I know about of their presence as I calmly entered different narrow and isolated alleys. When I finally felt their gaze falter, I seized the opportunity to use discreet backdoors more commonly known to the supernaturals for ease of movement.

Now that I've lost them, I sprinted directly to the hospital for my shift.

A frown made its way on my face as I felt something off about the hospital. Even if I exerted more effort, my senses didn't go beyond a meter or two around me. The fact that someone was tailing me and now the hospital in an eerie atmosphere made me think of the worst.

I immediately ran towards Touma's room. On my way there, I noticed that it was quiet. There wasn't any noise to be heard. Not the heart monitors, not the chatter, not even breaths or heartbeats.

But all those can wait.

What's important now is that nothing happened to one of this world's protagonist. It's unfair that I'm willing to choose his life over theirs but I shudder to even think of what would happen if such a thing were to pass.

But while I was running in the hallway, my senses flared and warned me of danger. Without hesitation, I jumped back and narrowly missed a glinting object that was swiftly aiming to cut me down.

The air turned to standstill as the tension sharply ascended.

The one that attacked me was a woman with long black hair tied up in a ponytail that reaches her hips. She wears a short white T-shirt tied into a knot at the bottom, revealing her navel; her dark blue jeans have one pantsleg cut off to be very short.

In her hands was a two-meter-long nodachi as her weapon, but I also did not miss the razor-sharp wires that she use to try and cut me down.

A few steps behind her is a handsome young man with shoulder-length hair that is noticeably dyed red and it is styled on either sides. He wears a black priest robe and has a silver ring on each of his ten fingers, earrings on both ears, and a barcode tattoo under his right eye. 

What urked me more was that he was smoking in the hospital.

"Enemy or not, at least have common decency! Smoke in the proper area!" I couldn't help but blurt out. The two of them were mildly surprised at the sudden outburst, not that I blame them, I was surprised too.

But I couldn't help it.

In my previous life, I died because some random muck threw away a lit cigar and one thing led to another, ended up not only burning the apartment building but also everyone in it.

I already stopped getting the occasional get nightmares from being burned alive and suffocating from the smoke. But the memory of having my nerves fried and the sensation of heat being mixed with sharp coldness from the lack of external sensors and then being cooked in what's essentially an improvised oven still remained.

Yeah not having it.

The red haired man took another drag of his cigarette before responding. "And what's a being like you doing here?"

I frowned at that statement. "I work here, what else?"

"To farm the patients of their essence? Quite bold of you." He remarked with a scowl. "I haven't seen someone as brazen as you."

"Hah? Well, I haven't seen anyone quite like you two. Neither of you have any care for any of the patients, since you so casually put up wards like this?" I angrily pointed out to the empty hospital. The wards doing their work to keep the mundanes unharmed but unresponsive. They do this by putting an extra layer unto reality and making space bigger than it seems to keep damages and casualties to a minimum.

"Both of you are hindering our work. Why are you even here in the first place? The church holds no hand anywhere even remotely close to here for their dogs to sniff around in, so why don't yo-" I jumped out of the way for more wire tried to cut me down.

"Enough. There's no point in talking further." The swordswoman said icily. "I won't let you take another step. [Nanasen]."

"Fine." I resolve myself. "Have it your way. [Hitou: Seventh Head]."

The thin wires cut through the walls and the floor as they came straight at me. With the help of a few heads to take the cut in my stead, my Danmaku mercilessly barraged them.

There are limits to a ward's extended space, even if it grows larger with the casters skill, it doesn't change the fact that we are in a narrow hallway. It would be a lie to say I didn't enjoy seeing the look on their face as they try to get rid of my bullets only to have it explode on their faces.

'first time?' I thought smugly. "Welcome to bullet hell... Now that I look at it, why do they look familiar?'

"Perish, spirit."

Immediately, I look behind me to see the red-haired man wielding a sword of fire as it's edge inches closer behind me.

Only to hear the sound of rustling on my side as my perspective immediately shifted further backwards, behind the man which I promptly blasted with more bullets throwing him back to his companion as the other him --an illusion using tricks of light and heat-- to fade.

"We need to talk after this." A familiar voice said.

"Kuroko?! Wh-"

"Not the time." She said as she took out the needles from their holster, ready for battle as she set a stone-cold gaze to the two magicians. "As for you two, I suggest to not add anymore on your current count of charges and surrender peacefully."

"This is none of your business, girl." The man growled. "You would not know of what evil he commits in this place."

"Oh for the love of- I LITERALLY WORK HERE!" I yelled as these two pairs of blind- you get the idea. I get that they're protecting their new friend and all, but this non-human discrimination is really getting ok my nerves.

And so, with the composed disposition of a monk, I did what any calm person do in my situation, shooting more bullets at their faces.

The bullets were intercepted by more wires as the man shot a barrage of fireballs in my direction which was then blocked by heads. Kuroko was limited to using her needles as getting in too close would mean either being burnt or cut to pieces, but she was doing well to stop their movements so I can get a few hit in.

The minutes drag on as the Kuroko was going through her stock of needles and the swordswoman was staring to pant. The man however was the worst of condition, he was running ragged from dodging my Danmaku and his spells was starting to fizzle out. It wouldn't take a genius to guess that he's almost depleted his reserves of magic energy.

"How *Wheeze* are you still *Huff* not gone?!!" He barked. His words forcefully brought the battle to a standstill as his partner retreated to his side.

"Any other spirit would have disappeared with how much essence you must have used." She said, her words caught the attention of Kuroko.

"Spirit?"

Before I can answer, the man, who finally caught his breath, interjected. "Locally, they are referred to as Youkai. But yes, the continuous attack would have rendered any other of his kind nonexistent and yet, here he is. Tell me, why is that?" From the tone of his voice, he wasn't asking.

Him and his partner narrowed their eyes at me, and Kuroko glanced at me from the corner of her eye.

"None of your business." I really wanted to get rid of them but my instinct is telling that it's a bad idea. "But this proves that I don't needto take in essence from an external source."

They went silent from that answer but they were starting to lower their guard. It was obvious that neither side wanted to continue fighting as it would be counterproductive. "Don't cross the line." They said, before me and Kuroko were ejected from the wards.

The extra layer on reality disappeared and the hospital resumed running. The two mages were nowhere to be found, using some sort of seal to keep my senses from finding them.

Kuroko turned to me with furrowed brows. "An explanation, Shuzenji-san? I do believe that it is long due."

I sighed, regretting that I don't have an aplitude for mind magic. "Can I at least check on my patients, first?" I immediately went to work at her nod.