For people new to the place as well as the occasional tourists, the difference between daytime and nighttime Seyfelt was one of its most unique traits.

  Somewhat akin to a university town, the newish city had developed rapidly due to the efforts of young entrepreneurs and professionals with little to lose, looking to make a large profit off of the numerous knight cadets living in the vicinity, their families, workers and even researchers employed by the training facility.

  All in all, people very likely to need relaxation and ‘fun’ of any kind. People very likely to spend big money on leisure.

  On this topic, however, it should be said that the wonder of nighttime Seyfelt did not prevail across all of the city’s extent; a territory commonly sectioned into a number of zones, or ‘districts’, as called by its population.

  Were one to just be aware of the residential district, the one closest to most schools as well as the knight training facility, not much difference would be noticed between day and night. A location dominated by different apartment complexes and necessity stores, most of the daily activity would be centered around the relatively small and few train stations.

  For other areas, such as the casually called education and business districts, the situation was quite similar. However, there were few people who would not ignore how these zones appeared in favor of the much more imposing entertainment district.

  Encompassing somewhat over half of the city’s territory by itself, it represented in full the impressive display of nighttime Seyfelt. From fast food joints to truly high-end restaurants, further into numerous clubs as well as specialty stores of all kinds… the areas of highest traffic were illuminated by so many lights one would not notice night had arrived unless they directly looked up at the sky.

  Such clubs, whether exclusive or not, were very noticeable even from a whole block away. Street performers and independent sellers crowded many of the most popular streets, and if one knew where to look and who to ask, stores and service providers for much more niche resources and recreation were also present.

  Residences were also present in the entertainment district, but of course, this was the section of the city in which complaints about light or noise would only earn one a look of disbelief, followed by either amusement or anger at one’s ignorance.

  While Tatyana was not the type to spend that much time in the entertainment district like many of her peers did, the amusement she got from just walking around the busy, illuminated streets tinged with the echo of club music certainly beat anything she got out of her earlier walk. At the end of the day, it was not surprising a teenage girl would feel more at home in a den of leisure.

  And still, it was not like the entertainment district only offered enjoyment for those whose behavior some might call decadent. One such example being Tatyana’s destination at the end of the next sidewalk.

  Le Petit Concert was actually more of a medium-sized establishment. An independent bistro with both casual and high-end options, it was a business with wide appeal reaching not only the older teenagers and young adults that made up most of the entertainment district’s customer base, but also older adults looking for an adequate place to meet up with coworkers and associates.

  With good and varied meal options as well as a moderately elegant aesthetic without being overbearing, it was quite an easy place to like. At least this was the case for Tatyana and Klo, who had made a habit of eating at Concert almost weekly ever since discovering it.

  Such was their patronage that from time to time…

  “Hey there, Noelle.”

  “Mm? Oh, hi! How’s it been?”

  … warm greetings from employees in turn were not uncommon.

  Tatyana finished walking through the hard glass door on such talk, the varnished wood of both the tables and the floor already a usual, but pleasant sight. Soft music as to not be bothersome yet still clearly present, as well as interior colors in black to beige and brown.

  “Could be better, but you’ll have it pretty good. Haven’t eaten anything since morning.” That modest, yet classy look she enjoyed was still not enough to make her tone more amiable, though.

  “Then no wonder you look like a toddler put gum in your hair.” Yet to the woman in question, this was seemingly par for the course.

  Wearing a black, long-sleeved turtleneck top alongside dark jeans and sneakers, no one would be blamed in thinking the auburn-haired twenty-something was just another customer. This was doubly the case when compared to the waitress she had just been talking to, who, in contrast, was sharply dressed in the long-sleeved, white dress shirt with dark slacks and dress shoes that were so common among the other visible employees.

  Still, in spite of the former’s unfittingly casual wear, Tatyana was aware the young woman called Noelle was the establishment’s manager.

  Being the owner’s stepdaughter as well, she had run into a fair bit of trouble with the man for such habitual presentation. Though not nearly enough to get her to stop, it seemed.

  Not that Tatyana would call such personal choices into question; it was something she enjoyed, if anything.

  “It’ll still be a while before we close, so… Table for one?” A feeling she thought was shared on the friendly Noelle’s end.

  “Not for long. I’m having the cream seafood pasta and the tomato risotto, both to go.”

  Guided by the waitress over to one of the empty tables, Tatyana spoke without interruption as she sat down, not letting the worker so much as pull the chair out for her.

  “…? So that’s why you’re here alone for a change. Miss Pretty having you do delivery for you both?” To Noelle, only her words were worth any wonder.

  “Just go have my order made.”

  “You know that’s why you have an employee tending to you, right? Am I just painted in place?”

  Though this time, the reply came from the black-haired, properly-dressed waitress; with enough intensity to make even the flippant Tatyana jerk her head in surprise.

  “R-Right. Sorry about that.”

  “… It’s cool.”

  With a face that almost screamed things were everything but cool, the waitress let out a brief sigh before making her way down the establishment, over to the quite visible service area.

  “Well, someone’s snappier than usual. Busy day?” Still slightly startled, Tatyana could not help but bring up the waitress’ small outburst into conversation.

  “Not quite, but she’s been doing overtime for a while. Please don’t hold it against her.”

  To Noelle’s resigned retort, Tatyana only offered a smirk as she let a cheek rest on her hand.

  “I wouldn’t. For me at least, it is cool. I’m more that kind of person, you know?”

  “… You mean a total grouch?”

  “How about we see if my risotto can turn your hair red for real?”

  At this point, Noelle could not hold back anymore, her laughter vulgar enough in its loudness to cause one or two patrons to turn their heads for a moment.

  “Haah… You and that guy-muncher BFF of yours, it’s always the best when you come over.”

  Definitely not the reaction Tatyana’s rebuttal aimed for, but unexpected? It certainly was not.

  “Mm. Want to catch up until my food is ready?”

  “Do you even need to as—”

  “Movies.” The black-haired waitress stated dryly, hitting Noelle on the back of her head with a menu as she passed by to another area of the bistro.

  Has she been eavesdropping from all the way back there!?

  Tatyana half-seriously wondered if she had enhanced her senses with prana, but was promptly brought out of such thoughts by Noelle’s own response.

  “R-Right… sorry, Tanya; but I kind of have plans with my dad to watch a couple of movies at home tonight, and he’ll probably get to my apartment before me unless I rush like there’s a fire under my—”

  “I got it, ok? Geez… so that’s why I hadn’t seen the owner around. Quality time night for you two?”

  “I guess so. He said we hadn’t done anything together in so long. I mean, we work together and all, but…”

  Noelle’s speech could sound like part complaints, part bragging depending on the person listening. For someone who was usually so savvy and quick-witted when it came to poking fun at others, Tatyana thought this manager lacked a heavy amount of self-awareness.

  Not that she could ever become upset at a friend getting to have fun with her father, even if she herself was ditched as a result.

  “Just go or else I’ll be the one to light that fire you mentioned.”

  “… Got you. Say hi to Kloel for me~.”

  Despite potential danger to her rear end now on the table, Noelle began taking out her keys and phone in as relaxed as a rush off could be.

  And of course, that meant Tatyana was left alone to wait… for the second time today.

  Oh no… the flashbacks…

  She only waited for something in the ballpark of ten to fifteen minutes.

  Standard for a restaurant meal, but still enough to remind her body itself of the hours of wait back at the training facility. Tatyana became aware yet again of the horrors of waiting in an outing without someone to talk to.

  And despite that, it seemed there was still someone enduring greater agony.

  “[dying. if i dont get food soon ill take you down with me]”

  Text message. Klo.

  “……”

  Tatyana stared at it for a solid two seconds, half in concern and half in irritation, before beginning to look around.

  The waitress… was busy with other tables. The same went for the few other employees that remained near closing hours.

  Normally, someone would probably wait for the first of them to finish their business and try to call them over to ask how much longer the food would take.

  But of course, waiting for any other thing was not something Tatyana was willing to do.

  Decisively standing from her chair, the girl made her way to the service area in a display some would call bold, others rude. None she would concern herself with, though.

  Le Petit Concert’s main service counter was connected to the establishment’s kitchen, the smells of diverse cooking doing wonders to further whet the appetite of any diners and torture Tatyana with every step she took.

  By the time she arrived, the girl felt like she had traversed a desert on slippers. Already uncaring before, she was utterly unhesitant in ringing the bell only employees should use.

  The call was swiftly responded by who had to be one of the cooks, an early twenties-looking male with a notable scar on the side of his lip, wearing a plain black shirt and a similarly colored bandana for his head.

  The young man’s initial surprised look could have been amusing, had it not changed into a reproachful look right after.

  “I know you’re a regular and all but ringing the bell is still too much.”

  “Come on, it’s no different from anyone else rushing you. I have a friend threatening to bury me sixty years too early so how long till the seafood pasta and tomato risotto are ready?”

  The scarred-lip man drew breath as if to reply further, but in quite an impressive split-second display of decision-making, smoothly turned toward the kitchen instead.

  “How long on the risotto and seafood pasta!?”

  “Walking, walking!”

  Thusly, not even a minute more passed before two to-go boxes were brought over to the service counter inside a plastic bag, by a person whom Tatyana did not expect to see.

  A young man dressed in the same black shirt and bandana as Scarred-Lip, but maybe around Tatyana’s age instead. Though with the average Concert employee being pretty young, this was not surprising at all.

  Rather…

  “… Weren’t you a waiter here? Are you switching over?”

  The male teenager turned to her in another slightly amusing display of wonder. Perhaps from seeing Tatyana at the counter, or maybe from being addressed all of a sudden when in a work mood. Maybe both?

  Not that it impeded his reply for too long.

  “… I’m a waiter during the day hours, but work in the kitchen for the later shift.”

  “And we are oh so grateful~!” Exclaimed Scarred-Lip in a frustratingly friendlier tone than what he used with Tatyana.

  Isn’t that basically full-time?

  She did not spend much more time dwelling on that as she was addressed again.

  “Can you wait just a minute more?”

  “Mm? Sure, but why?”

  The young man walked off quickly, fast enough to seemingly not hear the last part of Tatyana’s reply, judging from his lack of a response. Effectively, around a minute later, he had come back with a third, smaller to-go box.

  “What’s with this?”

  It was confusing to say the least. Tatyana had asked for two orders and heard confirmations for only those two. The cook answered in what felt like a split-second too quick.

  “Cheesecake. We had leftover slices from an employee celebration today and the manager mentioned how nice it would be if you and your friend got to try it out. A special thanks for your patronage, or something.”

  “Huh… mm, thanks then. That’s really cool of Noelle.” She replied, unable to prevent a slight smile from crawling up.

  Receiving a present without warning was many times the root of complex feelings and awkward attempts at reciprocity. Tatyana was not exempt from such basic social struggles, feeling at a loss just like many others would.

  But it would have been a lie to say no pleasant feelings arose from such natural kindness. Especially when coming from the people at a restaurant she liked; not friends, family, or even classmates.

  The certainty of shared fondness, beyond the service she actually paid for, was certainly enjoyable.

  “Anything else you need?”

  Scarred-Lip’s question, direct but noticeably softer than before, brought Tatyana to attention once more.

  “Nah, I’m good. Thanks a lot, for the cake and everything. Tell that to Noelle and the owner too when you can, okay?”

  Placing the third box inside the bag, she picked it up and waved at the two cooks before they went back to work, as well as at the black-haired waitress after paying at the counter she was operating. Making her way out of the establishment, Tatyana was unable to weaken her smirk in any way.

  An experience much more pleasant than already good expectations, that was Le Petit Concert’s true specialty.

  Klo’s workplace was not too far from Concert. It was such proximity that made Tatyana and her aware of the bistro in the first place.

  The entertainment district was no stranger to high-rise, fancy hotels, but few of them could boast about (regretted?) the presence of services popular enough that even non-guests visited regularly.

  The local hotel of the Becquerel Resorts brand was one of such, with the presence of the Noctis Lilin bar on its base floor, serving as one of the entrances, making up more of its revenue than it would care to admit.

  Yet going around the final corner to reach her stop, Tatyana was greeted by a sight quite more distasteful than the expected vomiting drunks and thrown-out quarrelers.

  “—ome on, it’s been a whole month. Tips all the way and I even helped you all kick out that fucking snob the other day! The least you can do is give me one chance…”

  A somewhat tall man around twenty years old with side-cropped hair, quite cared for looks…

  “Mich, I do appreciate all you’ve done, but I just don’t see you that way. Staying hung up on me is just worse for you, seriously.”

  … and a delicately-featured, dark-skinned knockout with black hair and ears lengthened into points, argued in a way that was still somewhat calm, but obviously escalating under the neon lights of the bar’s entrance, bouncers nowhere to be seen.

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  Tatyana’s frown deepened as if she were forced to smell manure as she walked toward them, hearing increasingly more.

  “See, this is the problem! You keep calling me ‘Mich’ or ‘sweetie’ or whatever without thinking of how that makes me feel after a while!”

  “What do you want me to do? Stop being cool with people because they might misunderstand?”

  “You don’t get it… You really don’t get it! Look, I’ll—”

  Everything ended the moment ‘Mich’ frantically reached for the point-eared girl’s arm.

  Not through anything done by either party in the argument, though. Rather by Tatyana tapping his arm from below, causing Mich to hit his face with his own hand.

  “O-Ow! What the fuck…!? What’s your prob—”

  “Out, now. This has taken enough time so if you don’t scram, I’ll call the cooler to help you out.” The ponytailed brunette stated dryly, her look so merciless that the aggressive Mich…

  “… Whatever… Fuck this.”

  … walked off to his car, driving away into the mildly lit streets by the next minute.

  Not that the cooler would treat me any better if I went to get her, rather than deal with the asshole in my sight…

  The issue luckily being solved before spiraling any further out of control, Tatyana turned to the point-eared girl next.

  A girl who looked back at her with a less than impressed, deadpan face.

  “You really won’t let me deal with a problem on my own, will you?”

  “He was getting violent, and he can always go cry at the police station if you don’t take kindly to it.” Not that Tatyana was any less tough with her reply as a result.

  “He was just trying to grab my arm. I can handle that without a problem.”

  “You know better than me how bullshit violence standards can get when it comes to elves. People have been arrested for simply pushing someone and I’m not taking the risk, Klo.”

  Klo saw no point in arguing further when that topic was the concern. Even if Tatyana’s tone could be deemed patronizing by some, that careless bluntness was something any friend of hers would get used to at some point. For the elven girl herself, it was at the point she had probably predicted her answer the moment she herself spoke.

  “Sure, sure. But it’s not like some normie can do anything serious to me before the bouncers notice what’s up, right?”

  By extension, she also knew which replies were the best to deal with her once she gave it some thought.

  “… I guess, but some people are so oblivious. You even brought him outside and called the bouncers away to not embarrass him much, didn’t you?”

  “I’m just too good for this sinful world~.”

  “Right… I take it you also told Aaron to stay out of it?”

  Just having opened the door to the Noctis Lilin bar, Klo turned to Tatyana with somewhat disillusioned eyes.

  “Aaron and I broke up.”

  Tatyana could have sworn she heard a bell’s nasty ring.

  “Say what? When!?”

  “Yesterday, of course. Why do you think I stayed the night at our place?”

  … That last statement could have certainly been considered offensive by any roommate, let alone Tatyana. But the girl had other things to be concerned with.

  “I guess that’s weird but like… what happ—”

  “ID.”

  The gruff voice of the tall bouncer in front of the reception counter disrupted Tatyana’s talk with a timing and intensity that must have been intentional.

  The girl sighed, made way into her pocket and promptly showed the recently renewed knight (cadet) ID on her phone screen.

  “We good now?”

  “Mm, we good.”

  The male thirty-something replied without hesitation as he opened the way to the bar, no more complaints.

  The same could not be said for Tatyana.

  “Dude, Sam. I come here at least once a week, you know me. Can’t you just lay down on the fancy protocol for once—”

  “You asked if we were good and I said we are. Do you disagree?”

  Yet when confronted with the man’s powerful eyes…

  “... No, I don’t. It’s cool.”

  … even Tatyana did not feel like proceeding.

  Wait, eyes? Nah, it has to be the mustache. Really can’t trust a man in their prime sporting some lumberjack ‘stache!

  “P-Pfft…!”

  Though Klo’s reaction as they made it in, greeted by colorful lights flickering to the tune of Your Love is my Oasis, almost made her wish she had.

  “Y-You actually got spooked, hahaha~!”

  “Fuck you, that’s not it. Let’s just find a table.” Tatyana could not have been more thankful for the bar’s intermittent lighting, which helped mask her slightly reddened cheeks.

  Traversing smaller tables and diverse customers across the black hardwood floor, Tatyana and Klo waved at the dirty-blonde mid-twenties and the caramel-eyed forty-something bartenders in turn, the latter of which pointed them to a miraculously unoccupied booth by the windows.

  Taking care to avoid or cause any drink spills, the two girls sat almost by sliding into the comfortably chilled cushion seats. Stress quickly escaped Tatyana’s body like air out of an untied balloon.

  “Can I add one more to the list of things on par with taking your bra off~?”

  A Klo comparison Tatyana could wholeheartedly agree with accompanying the moment, she could not have asked for much more.

  “Maybe. But for now… nutrients.”

  As soon as Tatyana lifted the bag carrying Concert’s to-go boxes, she saw stars in Klo’s eyes.

  Two sets of forks knife and spoon ready on the booth, not even a minute had passed when the two girls were ravaging risotto and pasta without mercy.

  They may have waited for over half a day, but there was no trace of disappointment in either of their faces. So powerful was the feeling of a delicious bite after enduring hunger for so long.

  The mixture of acidity and sweetness from the creamy tomato broth, uniform but not mushy grains of rice, complemented with chopped pieces of pancetta and mushrooms…

  Tatyana honestly felt like adding to the list Klo talked about, and her elven friend seemed to be in the exact same situation with her pasta.

  The lack of accompanying drinks did not even cross their minds until they were almost finished.

  “Hah… so, cocktail or water?” Groaning in an immodest way to say the least, Klo asked while calling over the dirty-blonde bartender with a light hand gesture.

  “First one, then the other. I really needed this…”

  “Got you, girl. Lisa, we’ll have a Lemon Ball, an Archipelago Sling and two water bottles.”

  The worker’s honey-colored, shoulder-length hair waving slightly as she walked gave off a refreshing feeling. One that was mercilessly contrasted by her blank expression.

  “You know how annoying it is to get orders outside the counter. Not cool even if you’re paying, Klo.”

  Still, despite her protests, Lisa did not stop for one moment as she wrote the orders down and walked back. Only a slightly apologetic wink from Klo was sent her way.

  At long last, all other obstacles were out of Tatyana’s way.

  “So, break up. Tell me the details.”

  At least that topic managed to somewhat get past the elf’s flippant display. Taking one of the remaining shrimp on her plate, she leaned back on her seat while replying.

  “His ex came to visit.”

  “He cheated on you!?”

  “What!? No! Fuck no! Aaron would rather have it chopped off than do that! It’s just… well, it’s painfully obvious how much she still likes him. I was feeling second-hand embarrassment from the moment I met her. And, well… Aaron is a great guy, but he has a lot of emotional baggage I can’t really help him with. He’ll likely do better with someone who still hasn’t given up on him after so long.”

  “…”

  She doesn’t have the best luck with guys, but isn’t this some insanely defeatist reasoning?

  Tatyana could not help but feel unsatisfied. Even so, she accepted once more that some of their differences would always remain, regardless of their friendship. It had always been like that.

  “Alright… then, how did the actual thing go? Any problems with that?”

  “Oh, there was crying, from both of us. It made it very hard~!”

  The way Klo smirked when recalling such things may have given others the wrong idea, but Tatyana could barely bear it. The more they talked, the worse her mood became.

  “Damn… he was so honest and actually cute. I really thought you guys would make it far.”

  “You don’t have to tell me. Add to that he really went the extra mile in—”

  “I don’t want to know that!”

  Now she’s just bragging! What happened to all the post-break up depression!?

  Lisa arrived soon with their drinks, and Tatyana immediately took a deep gulp from her Archipelago Sling. A brief thanks and immediate tip while at it, her rising frustration was gradually quelled through the sweet alcohol.

  So engrossed was she in her drink that she did not open her eyes again...

  “What’s with the third box, though?”

  … until Klo spoke up.

  Carefully putting her cocktail aside while licking her upper lip clean, Tatyana glanced at the smaller to-go box that had yet to be opened.

  “Cheesecake, I think?”

  “Ohh~! … Wait, you went out of your way to get cheesecake just because I’m paying!?”

  “Bitch, it was on the house. Maybe I should have actually done as you say, but I was too hungry to think of that.”

  Perhaps more annoyed at the possibility slipping her mind rather than Klo’s complaint, Tatyana grumbled in a comically obvious way as she took another sip from her Sling.

  Contrasting with Klo, who had let her Lemon Ball rest as her head tilted in curiosity.

  “Cheesecake on the house? How did that happen?”

  “Remember the younger waiter? Well, today I learned he’s more of a waiter by day and cook by night. Anyway, he said they had leftovers from some celebration and Noelle wanted us to have them… Okay, what’s the matter?” Tatyana asked suddenly, her tone turning aggressive yet again.

  After all, Klo had interlaced her fingers before her lips, narrowing her eyes and smirking in one of the most annoying expressions known to sapient life.

  “Ooohh, nothing at all, just go on~ You nasty girl, you!”

  Damn it all… I really should’ve known she would latch onto this now of all times…

  Tatyana felt her brow twitch from sheer frustration.

  “I just said, Noelle told him to give us the cheesecake.”

  “Sure she did. Sweetie, you’re a rock star in almost everything you set your mind to, but when it comes to reading guys, you’re not even a player.”

  The twitching began to spread across her whole body, which only made Klo smile even more.

  “… Whatever. You always turn everything over to that topic.”

  “Oh, come on~! You know as well as me he’s one of the cuter ones around, and you already have some groundwork! It really can’t hurt to give it a shot, right?”

  “Save for coming across as a total narcissist overthinking everything? Like that asshole ‘Mich’ earlier…”

  Even Tatyana briefly thought of such a mention as an overly aggressive response to Klo’s mostly friendly teasing, but the dark-skinned elf showed no signs of backing off, somehow looking even more amused.

  “Apples and oranges, Tanya. Guys and girls hint differently, and I’ve actually seen Mr. Waiter often for a change. Come on, just be honest. Are you still waiting to get something going with Yuriy—”

  A dry slam. One that miraculously did not break the Archipelago Sling’s glass, forced Klo to stop talking.

  Tatyana may have looked calmer than before, but her irritation was only growing by the second.

  “… It’s not like that with him, and it’s not like that at Concert. Am I clear?” She said coldly while finally deciding to open the third to-go box.

  “Whatever helps you with that swollen pride, I guess. I’m just saying, you have some good options to get rid of that frustration, alright~?”

  “Even a spoon can take out an eye, you know?”

  No words were spoken for the next several seconds.

  Certainly not because of Tatyana’s threat that Klo would have laughed off like any other.

  But rather, due to the two dessert slices they had just dug into. The first morsels brought onto the girls’ palates…

  “… Isn’t this…?”

  “Better than life itself? Fuck yes, it is. How come this isn’t on the menu!?”

  … simply made everything else seem unimportant.

  “Those damn employees keeping the best to themselves, shit!”

  The two friends surely deserved some sort of prize from the restraint needed to not ravage the divine dessert within five seconds flat.

  The cream cheese mixture that almost melted the moment it was taken in, the magnificent crisp and richness of the crust and the jelly-like splendor of the fruit-flavored topping. Nothing over the top was needed, simplicity and core fundamentals brought to perfection were enough to put even their main courses to shame.

  Will I live on once we’re finished with it? Wait, no! Don’t think of it being gone! Shit, is this how Oasis addicts feel?! I'd never… never…?

  Tatyana’s train of thought was immediately interrupted by something abnormal.

  Even if talking about cadets, the Alpheratz Knight Corps were meant to deal with threats for whom the term ‘beyond ordinary’ still was lacking. Threats that should be noticed and dealt with as soon as possible, so that tragedy could be avoided or at least mitigated.

  A cadet like Tatyana was no exception, noticing so much by the minute as to live a completely different daily life from the average person. And yet, despite that… something had caught her attention enough to warrant the use of prana-enhanced eyesight.

  Beyond the window, into the night many rooftops away. A dark figure stood at the edge of one such building top.

  The more she looked at it, the more the figure appeared to be that of a person, one who almost seemed to be looking right back at her.

  … When did I get so paranoid? It’s so far, and I’m behind glass. They’re probably just scouting the streets near them…?

  “Tanya? Hey, I’m sorry, ok? I’ll chill on the topic so…”

  Tatyana did not even register what Klo said, completely distracted by the dark silhouette on the distant rooftop.

  No real details could be made out, mostly due to the distance itself, as well as the half-moon’s backlight hiding any unique features of the person’s attire. Even the barely visible head of hair fluttering in the wind was promptly hidden by what Tatyana could only assume to be a sweater hoodie.

  No real signal beyond that was given, and by the next second, the stranger had leapt further into the darkness of near-winter night.

  “… Tanya?”

  By now, Klo had probably noticed she was not being ignored on purpose. The expression on her best friend’s face was something she had not seen very often at all.

  “… Klo, your shift resumes in just a few minutes, right?”

  “Yes…?”

  The ponytailed brunette’s lips slowly curled into a grin, acknowledging the elf’s response.

  “Put my slice in the fridge or have it yourself. I’m going for a walk.”

  For Tatyana Nesterova, the curiosity about someone who might have seen her at this distance, only to leave just like that, was worth discarding the remaining bites of such delicious dessert.

  Contrary to the confidence Tatyana left the Noctis Lilin bar with, her search was not going too smoothly.

  Seeing the stranger was one thing, but she had not identified any details beyond a rough body shape, and had no leads beyond the quickly found building they had stood atop of.

  Along with the need to perform her search without being noticed herself, the girl’s mission of equal parts concern and amusement was taking quite some time. A detailed eye-search of the neighborhoods in proximity had yielded nothing, and the actual rooftop where she had spotted the weirdo in question was not faring much better.

  Of all the spells I can do, it really had to be tracking that does me in! Maybe there’s some specialists I can learn from at the facility?

  Such thoughts streamed through Tatyana’s mind as she gave up on finding any meaning in the scraps of prana she perceived around her. Sorcery had been performed on the rooftop for sure, and by the vague ‘structure’ remaining in such dregs, the recently seen figure had to be the one responsible. But that was the most she could figure out.

  The prana was still too scattered for her to figure out any real direction to follow, and no physical traces she could notice had been left behind. This person had taken everything they owned with them.

  So, an eye-search is still the only real option? It was no good before, but maybe if I try something more unconventional…

  A course of action had already formed in Tatyana’s mind as she smirked, glancing not only at the far top of the distant Becquerel Resorts hotel, but at several other high-rise buildings in her line of sight. Height was the only requirement.

  With ease almost like breathing itself, the countless ‘vents’ within the girl’s body opened to capacity. The pain that naturally came with such a process already being routine, it could not have disturbed her any less.

  The surrounding prana hers to command, Tatyana set forth confidently into the night, the strength needed to jump to the rooftop in one leap from the building’s bottom now overflowing. Her limbs themselves were made into a vehicle for sorcery as she leapt across rooftops, ran up and across building walls without any fear or concern. Crossing dozens of meters by the second, she was but a blur only noticeable to someone actively looking for her, with skill to match her own.

  And as far as Tatyana was concerned, such people were so few as to be negligible.

  Now running up the Becquerel hotel itself as she unintentionally hummed, Tatyana spun a hand, or a finger rather, that quickly became covered in the layered light of her spell.

  And upon reaching the top…

  “Freeze.”

  … an unnecessary, but comfortable verbal command spilled from her lips as she tapped the spell around her finger on the side of the roof, placing a briefly visible glyph on it.

  A glyph from which the spun ‘thread’ around Tatyana’s finger unraveled, the amount left behind being rendered similarly invisible as she rushed away, but with an end of it still attached to the same place.

  The cold wind on her exposed face and hands only a lesser annoyance by now, the girl sped through, ponytail fluttering behind as she repeated the process on several other buildings, tall buildings, across the many neighborhoods.

  Until finally, a relatively uneven, invisible pentagon was completed, with a final tap placing the last stretch of her thread back on the roof of the Becquerel hotel.

  Let’s see if you can hide from me like this!

  Tatyana did not waste a single second more before jumping from the Becquerel hotel’s roof. Not aiming for any other roof or wall, nor letting herself be carried by the wind. Instead, she stood on what appeared to be thin air, the thread spun across now serving as perfect support she could stand on with just a bit of balance needed on her end.

  With a pathway now formed across the tallest buildings in her sight, she could now scout with the widest field of view. Not only that, but by virtue of how high up she was and it being the middle of a half-moon night, she could also remain unnoticed even if she took her time.

  And of course, now that she was able to focus only on her prana-enhanced senses, no real ‘lack of detail’ problem was a concern anymore.

  But even so…

  … Now that’s weird.

  Walking through her tightrope without difficulty, it was not something outright visible that drew Tatyana’s attention.

  She could barely, but surely feel it through her legs. An intermittent, unusual challenge to the tension of the thread she had placed some distance away, felt through its connection to the one she currently stood on. Almost as if one of the buildings connected to it was undergoing some serious strain.

  Tatyana turned her gaze in that direction, calmly but decisively walking toward as she scouted everything down to the street.

  It was not long before an out of place sight greeted her turquoise eyes. Unclear to others but not so much to her, the flickering outline of two figures violently mingling raised the girl’s wariness several notches.

  Most likely case? A fight. Worst case? A dangerous crime in progress.

  Not good at all.

  There was no more time to idly stroll around. Tatyana did not hesitate for one moment to jump from the invisible thread, all the way down to the nearest building’s wall.

  Running down its surface with the grace of an athlete on the ground, she promptly flexed her legs as an oddly fiery yell reached her ears, bouncing off to the edge of a rooftop at medium height. Running across to finish with a leap toward a yet lower one… she saw it all.

  Structural damage, cracks and gouges on buildings as well as a torn fire escape ladder. The five-odd people sprawled around, visibly injured and restrained through some mysterious gray substance. The smashed glass walls of the nearby pub.

  And of course, the lone person standing amidst the strife. Just a meter or so from one of the downed, restrained people, wearing a dark hoodie over a soon turning, masked face.

  A sharp mask made of some dark gray, almost black material that had maybe shone in days past, but was now tainted by wear and damage. The top right part had been torn away, revealing a cloudy gray iris that had now become aware of Tatyana.

  Beyond the legwear with a rough, uneven sort of hard plating spread across, the real danger was held in their right hand.

  Sharpened orichalcum, roughly forty centimeters in length and perhaps five in width with a grayish blue hilt, meant for one hand. Sparks of prana could be perceived when Tatyana focused her eyes some more, circulating rapidly across the unsheathed blade.

  Class Gamma. A training tool? Or it could just be in its resting state...

  The danger of a prana-powered weapon along with so many casualties was all she needed to know.

  Tatyana’s mind switched gears instantly, a ferocity with barely any match now present while she flexed her right hand and the ‘vents’ in it. Almost as if piercing through, a rampaging stream of silver light manifested in over a meter’s length, grasped tightly as she stepped forth.

  She reached her opponent and struck in a unified motion, gouges in the pavement bursting without delay. Barely able to dodge her sweep in time, the masked stranger’s own attire was deeply gashed.

  “Please wait! It’s not how—”

  The desperate voice of a young man reached Tatyana’s ears, but was not even considered. Concerned about the danger of such a weapon and the presence of so many injured people, she swung twice more like a lion might do with an invader.

  The results were not what she expected, however.

  Is he not…

  The first strike tore the masked man’s hasty guard apart.

  And the second dug mercilessly into his abdomen.

  … fighting back!?

  Drowning a cry of pain with a disturbing gasp, the masked man knelt while clutching his side, clothes around it staining with increasing amounts of a dull red wetness.

  Tatyana stopped her assault right then. Partly as the man had clearly been defeated, but mostly out of confusion at his behavior, which had partly led her to deliver a worse injury than intended.

  She could not avoid being caught off guard by the approaching police sirens.

  Coming here now!? But this guy is…

  The brief moment in which she turned away was enough, however. Trying to look for him again, the masked man was already disappearing on one of the rooftops.

  Tatyana was left frozen in place by the strange development for some time. At least enough that she failed to notice the two patrol cars parking in the vicinity.

  “Miss—”

  “What the f…!” Leading to a less than elegant reaction when approached. “I-I’m sorry, officer. I’m just…”

  Were it not for the sheer strangeness of the whole situation, her face would have probably been a solid crimson by now.

  “Miss, I wanted to know if you can give me any information about what happened here.”

  The police officer in her fifties spoke calmly while pointing at the chaos remaining in the vicinity. Her disposition was professional enough, but her gaze was less than kind.

  “We received a call some seven minutes or so ago about criminal violence at Epsilon Five, the pub with the smashed glass over there. The call was then cut, and we couldn’t track it further than here. So… what can you tell us?”

  This cannot be happening to me!

  Tatyana may have been a bit too jumpy from everything going on, but it was still obvious that this officer had pinned her down as a suspect.

  Unfortunately, her stressful experience was yet to end. The worst part heralded by another officer calling out.

  “Martha, you have to check this out. I think this is Scar-Tail!” The man around thirty exclaimed jovially while looking down at one of the restrained people.

  Scar-Tail…?

  Even Tatyana could have sworn she knew of that name. Perhaps from the news or some of those posters…?

  “Are you serious!?”

  Officer Martha surprisingly turned, checking for herself with disbelief clear in her slightly wrinkled face. And the more she looked around with her partner, the more intense such an expression became.

  “These accessories, piercings…”

  “Tats too! This is a Violet Thorn goldmine!”

  Violet Thorn. Now that was a name Tatyana was for sure aware of.

  A young city like Seyfelt was, of course, not just lush with opportunities for success by themselves. Where there was economic power, where there was ambition and where there were strong-willed young people, there was also greed, and there was also crime.

  Gangs were rather prevalent, with the average resident being able to mention at least three off the top of their head. And if there was one which would likely be mentioned by all of them, it had to be the Violet Thorn.

  Which probably meant…

  … Oh no.

  “Some territory dispute, maybe?”

  “No way. The nearest area is claimed by Last Empire people. It’s not their way to call the police, nor to leave these guys just restrained for us. They also don’t mess with Thorns.”

  Did I just…

  “Then could it be…”

  “… Yeah. Someone wanting to help.”

  … shank some wannabe superhero!?