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Caught in a tough spot, Miwa Kasumi wrestled with her thoughts.
The blue-haired girl chewed on her soft lips, lost in thought for what felt like ages.
At last, she made up her mind.
Getting to her feet, she faced Yukino Haruno and said, "I'm sorry, Miss Haruno, but I can't share Saber's contact info with you."
"Why?!"
Yukino Haruno shot up, her only hope slipping away before her eyes. She stared anxiously at the girl across from her.
"Miss Miwa, if there's something else you need, just tell me. As long as it's within the Yukino clan's power, we'll do anything for you!"
She couldn't just watch this chance vanish.
"It's not about that..."
Miwa flinched, startled by the short-haired woman's intensity.
Her lips hesitated as she murmured, "I just don't want to break my promise to him."
"Miss Miwa!"
Yukino Haruno's voice spiked, her sharp tone pulling curious glances from the cafe's patrons.
"My family's in grave danger, under constant attack from the Sumiyoshi-kai group. I'm begging you, please help me."
"If you don't... I don't know who else would stand by us."
For the first time, the short-haired woman dropped her public facade.
In that moment, she shed the pride of a wealthy heiress and bowed deeply before the young girl in a dogeza.
"I'm begging you, please contact Saber."
"Miss Haruno!"
Miwa froze, flustered.
She never imagined the polished, glamorous heiress would humble herself like this
The Sumiyoshi-kai Group's relentless pressure had pushed her to the edge.
"I-I'll help you. Please, get up first."
Miwa sighed softly, lifting the short-haired woman back to her seat.
Finally, under Haruno's pleading gaze, she sent a message to Yuto.
Miwa Kasumi: "Mr. Yuto, are you there?"
Yuto: "Miwa, what's up?"
Miwa Kasumi: "It's like this..."
After sending a lengthy message, the boy on the other end seemed to pause, thinking it over.
Across from her, Haruno bit her lip, her fists clenching unconsciously.
Handing her fate to someone else was unbearable, but she'd exhausted every option. This desperate move was her last shot.
At last, after a tense wait, Miwa's phone buzzed.
"Phew... Miss Haruno, good news. Saber has agreed."
"He'll head to your family's territory tomorrow."
Setting her phone down, a bright smile spread across Miwa's gentle face.
"Phew..."
Yukino Haruno visibly relaxed, her body swaying slightly from the rush of relief.
"Thank you, Miss Miwa. From now on, you're a friend of the Yukinoshita clan. If you ever need help or have any requests, we'll do whatever it takes for you."
Her gratitude was heartfelt. With a powerhouse like Saber stepping in, her trip to Tokyo hadn't been for nothing, she hadn't let her mother down.
...........
In the dim, moonless night sky, the cold darkness seemed to coat the earth like ink.
Whoosh...
A crow, its black feathers thick and sleek, let out a sharp cry as it soared through the air.
Moments later, it locked onto a target.
Gazing at the crowd below, it flapped its wings and dove like a runaway plane, slamming into an armed thug's chest with blinding speed.
"Aaaah!!"
The explosion was instant. The thug managed only a desperate scream before the self-destructing crow took him down, his blood and shattered remains staining the ground red.
"Watch out!"
"Stay on guard! Those cursed crows explode on contact—they're fast. Don't let them catch you off guard!!"
"Get the curse masters, now!!" someone shouted in a panic.
"No rush, you useless lot. Let her burn through more of her curse power."
Kumoya Tanzo stepped out lazily. Bald, clad in a black leather suit, and gripping a massive axe, his dark-ringed eyes gave him the look of a savage from some twisted comic.
Spotting the swarms of black crows overhead, a bloodthirsty grin crept across his face.
Just a little longer.
Her curse power had to be running low by now.
Word was, the women of that family were all stunning. Sure, the job was to wipe them out, every last one but who said he couldn't have some fun first?
In this era's curse world, most curse users chased big paydays through assassination gigs.
They were sworn enemies of the orthodox curse masters. Today, Kumoya Tanzo, his buddy Shigeomo Haruta, and a pack of curse users had taken the Sumiyoshi group's dirty job: exterminate the Yukinoshita clan.
"Damn it!"
Mei Mei's blue-white hair framed a face drained pale from relentless curse clashes, her tall, graceful frame trembling slightly.
Her specialty, the [Black Bird Manipulation] technique, lets her command crows in battle and see through their eyes. Its real trick, [Bird Strike] forced the birds into suicidal strikes against foes.
Handy as it was, her curse power wasn't endless. Prolonged use left her tapped out.
"Mrs. Yukino, how long until Saber gets here?"
Mei Mei rubbed her throbbing forehead, wincing from the strain, and glanced at the woman beside her.
Mrs. Yukinoshita stood in a classic kimono, her slender figure radiating quiet elegance.
She was like a flower blooming in the dark—striking yet serene. But now, her gentle face tightened with worry at the question.
"Not long, just hold on. Haruno said she's on her way with that curse master, Saber."
"I've got five minutes left. If they're not here by then, I'm out."
Mei Mei shook her head, downing a cup of water in one gulp, and laid out her situation plainly.
"Miss Mei Mei, can't you wait a bit more? I swear, Haruno's almost here!"
Mrs. Yukinoshita kept her composure, but her fists clenched tight beneath her sleeves.
"No." Meimei's voice was icy. "I'm here for the cash, not to die for your family."
"They've got twenty or thirty curse users, including first-grades. We've just got me and a handful of fourth-grades..."
"Whoever's behind this is dead set on wiping you out."
Her words hit hard. Mrs. Yukinoshita's forced calm shattered, her face twisting as she watched her clan's forces buckle under the enemy.
The poised woman's mask slipped, revealing raw fear.
Was the Yukinoshita clan really doomed under her watch?
"Coo..."
Just then, a vast shadow swept across the sky.
A massive black bird, its wings blotting out the stars, sliced through the night and plunged into the fray.
On its back stood Yukino Haruno and a striking young man.
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