Chapter 276: Yearning to Become a Battle Maiden

Fengming Xian Shiro sat in the passenger seat, while the driver was a young brown-haired man in a suit, looking like an overworked office worker, yet his expression held wariness, his body tense beneath his clothes as if guarding the two behind him.

Most of his attention was fixed on Jia Ji; having undergone professional Hida ninja training, he could sense that the most dangerous person in the car was not the monster-like commander, nor the battle maiden wielding sacred relics, but this man.

He had seen the devastation in that park—no small-scale battle could have reduced it to such ruin.

"Yi… has already told me everything about you."

Xian Shiro, who was old enough to be called an uncle, flashed a bright, surprised smile and gave a thumbs-up to the passenger behind him; from his tone, he clearly knew Fengming Yi well.

Fengming Yi… Fengming Xian Shiro…

…Fengming?

Hibiya blinked drowsily; she had just recovered from exhaustion, and after watching that anime, strange knowledge had flooded her mind, accompanied by an inexplicable awakening.

Though she still did not know what lay buried in her consciousness, gestating and still far from emerging like a butterfly, her mind was too foggy now to ponder further.

Even Hibiya could now sense that the two men's relationship was anything but ordinary.

"I forgot to mention—I'm sort of Yi's uncle."

Fengming Xian Shiro noticed her confusion and laughed loudly, slapping his thigh with a dull thud.

Even after the Noise attack, the image of those dual wings backlit by the sunset remained deeply etched in Hibiya's heart; she had been utterly captivated by the two singers' voices and become their most loyal fan, so she held a certain fondness for this bold, lion-like uncle who shared the Fengming surname.

"So that's how it is…"

"But where are we going now?"

"The Second Division of the Special Disaster Mobile Unit."

The young man, who had been driving silently, added with a wry smile.

Some people appear to be mere drivers, but in truth may be the manager of a world-famous songstress, secretly trained in ninja arts—Ogawa Shinji was such a multi-tasking man.

Hibiya's reactions had been precisely as expected—typical of a girl her age, brimming with curiosity—but the other man had remained silent throughout, leaving them baffled as to what he was thinking.

Stranger still, his reaction upon seeing them showed no surprise at all—as if he had known all along.

This complete lack of control was unprecedented, yet even Yi had said he could be trusted—perhaps…

"Don't worry, Ogawa. This guy seems like a decent fellow."

Fengming Xian Shiro patted his chest confidently, assuring his companion.

"Why? It's just manly intuition!"

But he left one thing unsaid.

Even if Jia Ji intended to do something, they might not be able to stop him—and anyone who could listen to that song couldn't possibly be evil.

Though nearly all three in the car were strangers to Hibiya, the peculiar atmosphere around them brought immense comfort to the weary girl.

Her eyelids drooped involuntarily; her head tilted, and she leaned against the person beside her and fell asleep.

Moved by the girl's sleeping face, so like a small animal, the three adult men simultaneously fell silent; as the scenery outside blurred past, they approached their destination with remarkable efficiency.

…………

"Huh… are we there?"

Wiping at her mouth—whether there was saliva or not—Hibiya rubbed her eyes.

"This… this is?"

After stepping out of the car, Hibiya, who had expected some secret base or a transforming fortress, stared wide-eyed—she recognized this place—

"Ritian Private Music Academy!"

It was a private music school built on a coastal highland, offering a continuous education from elementary through high school.

While most advanced high schools include music as a subject, Ritian Music Academy placed all music instruction at its core, then integrated standard academic subjects into its unique structure.

This specialized school, so devoted to music, was regarded by many girls aspiring to a musical career as an ideal place for advancement.

Though Hibiya was a battle maiden and possessed no small talent for singing, her interest in this school had nothing to do with music—it was because of the two songstresses who studied here: Amane Kanade and Fengming Yi.

Even after waking in the hospital, she had told her online group she would definitely enroll here one day.

This feeling—perhaps—was "yearning."

She yearned to become as cool and powerful as those two; when she learned she had the potential to become a battle maiden, she felt both shock and joy.

But she never imagined the legendary Special Disaster Mobile Unit was hidden inside a school.

"Hehe, so this is where the most dazzling revue takes place."

In an all-girls school where no man was allowed except staff, a massive, fearsome man—whose appearance bore no resemblance to any teacher or employee—had arrived.

As if sensing her thoughts, he adjusted her slightly disheveled hairstyle, making it even fluffier.

"I request that Hibiya be admitted early as a 99th-year trainee in the Actor Training Division of Ritian Academy's junior high."

Jia Ji, ever concerned with academic credentials, spoke seriously to Fengming Xian Shiro.

"Um… while the school does have an Actor Training Division, there's no such thing as a '99th-year' student," Ogawa Shinji replied, wiping his sweat—he felt overwhelmed just from the man's opening words.

"Huh? Really?"

Jia Ji sighed regretfully. "Then there's nothing to be done."

"Haha, if there isn't, then there's nothing to be done," Xian Shiro echoed inexplicably.

"Let's go inside first to discuss this."

Ogawa Shinji noticed more and more female students gathering, clearly stirred by their odd group, and hurriedly suggested.

Arriving at the school, they followed Ogawa Shinji to the elevator in front of the main building.

"This is the Second Division?"

Hibiya asked, puzzled—this looked like nothing more than an ordinary classroom building.

"Not above. Below."

Could an organization entrusted with saving the world really be hidden casually beneath a school?

But Jia Ji understood the reason behind it.

"The command center has a Dragon Horse, a Jia Er, and a Kira—no joke."

(End of Chapter)