Before the storm

The answer is nothing; they are powerless. No matter how strong a woman becomes, society will always consider them physically weaker than men. It is the same in this situation; a younger person will always have more strength than an elderly person.

"It's okay, you-" His sentence fell short when Ki appeared before the woman.

Sumire suddenly twisted the woman's arm, and he looked at her, alarmed. "H-hey Ki-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the back of the woman's arm covered in fresh blood.

"I thought so. The story you just told us was true, but reverse the roles. You even went as far as to plant this schedule onto his computer. How does it feel to be exposed after taking such careful plans to kill someone?"

At those words, the room was in an uproar. "T-the killer?"

"Q-quick, get the men from downstairs."

Suddenly the woman burst into laughter. "Of course, I had to kill him. That brat, whenever he was around, the kids would not listen, and some would refuse to do jobs. Who did he think he was acting like a hero? Filth like that should know their place."

Mamoru stared at the woman dumbfounded. Just now, when she entered the room, she looked like a helpless old lady. But, it seems like Ki noticed right away.

It's scary how good she is at sniffing out people with bad intentions.

"So for this reason, you made a deal with someone. You asked that person to help you kill him."

"I had to! He was never home. He was always away working."

"So in exchange for helping you, after you killed him. That guy could do whatever he wanted with the corpse. I see, but did you not think it through? They may have removed his brain, but he is not dead." At those words, she extended her hand out towards the body.

In that second, a huge light appeared in the air, and he could vaguely see the outline of a person's body. Mamoru immediately understood. This guy is an ability user. Even if they killed him and took his brain, they did not take his heart. His soul remains, the host may be dead, but the core has not vanished.

The elderly woman looked terrified. "A ghost- you.."

"Are you disappointed in me, Ibuki Sumire-san? I apologize that I could not make our meeting."

Did Ki perhaps contact him beforehand- no, it seems like she may have been in touch for awhile. "Could it be your the spy Ki planted?"

So the reason she brought him up and took great interest was this. Ki must have known that there were people after this man. She knew they wanted to kill him. So she mentioned him casually as a suspect, leading to him wanting to come with her. This girl is too frightening.

"It is okay. I have to apologize too. I said I would help you."

"No, you did plenty. Please take care of the children."

"I plan to."

Mamoru watched as the spirit turned to the elderly woman, but he did not say a word and simply shook his head. In the next second, that light vanished, and there was no trace of the guy.

"His heart stopped," Asuka spoke up. "I see, so the soul can only remain without a host for a short amount of time. Rather than waste time on a fight with his killer, he wanted to make sure Sumire kept her promise. I'll make sure he has proper funeral arrangements." She instructed the other men to grab the old lady.

Mamoru walked over to Ki, and she immediately rushed to his arms. His eyes widened but softened when he felt her tremble. It must still be difficult for her to take charge of cases on her own. In the past, Yuhi would have her back.

No matter how much she trusts him, they don't have perfect harmony when they are working. Ki's methods are very different from his. Right now, this girl does not trust anybody to have her back.

He should feel hurt by this, but he understands. Mamoru caressed her back and buried his face in her hair.

"You're always one step ahead of me recently. Aren't you the one who should be admitting what you're hiding?"

Sumire laughed. "Perhaps. But you have been busy, Ru. I did not want to trouble you."

"Nothing you do troubles me; even if it does, I will welcome it."

No matter how small or annoying her request was, he would rush to her side in a heartbeat. No, he would never associate the word annoying with her.

"To be honest," Sumire mumbled. "The recent cases bother me a lot. I do not know much about power users, and my current power has been suppressed because I do not know how to control it. But I have heard many people say that this ability is destructive."

Mamoru frowned at her words, finally understanding why she was trembling. "Those fools, I will rip their tongues out next time."

She must have paid a visit to headquarters recently and heard the ridiculous words of the members there. Although Aki accepted Sumire as a member of Holy knights, he knew that many did not like her, let alone accept her as a member.

"Ru, is my ability scary?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't think it's scary. When I think of flames, I think of a healing flame. The flame of protection. But it seems like I am the only one who has those thoughts."

His eyes widened when he heard what the girl had just said. She truly never fails to amaze him, only she would say something like that.

"Then, if that is what you think, that is all that matters. It is your ability, not theirs."

Sumire blinked but laughed softly. "You always know what to say, Ru. But today, it feels like your mouth is covered in honey. It's making my heart skip a beat."

Mamoru had to look away again as he felt his cheeks turn red. How many times has this happened today? It feels like she is messing with him?

"Let's head down and talk to Asuka. I will tell her where I hid the children."

'I wondered why it was so quiet. I just assumed Hyou4 evacuated the children, but those people would not waste their time on such things and just charge without thinking of the consequences.'

As he and Ki left the room, however, he spotted something from the corner of his eye. It was a small emblem, and beside it was black-colored petals.

Mamoru snapped his fingers, and the item appeared in his hands. He quickly placed it in his pocket. Thankfully Ki was too busy explaining what type of deal she made and when she hid the kids.

'This symbol, I will have a proper look later. But is it truly the work of those guys? I only had an inkling suspicion before, but this confirms it now.'

Soon a large storm will appear in this town. His gaze fell towards the girl beside him. He has to make sure nothing bad happens to her. It is unavoidable for her to get caught up in that storm, but at the very least, he can minimize the damage.