The Person with the Same Personality as 103 (1)
"This is the mic I used to use back in the day… Thankfully, it recognizes it well."
Ninomae toyed with the mic cable, plugging it into the PC and flashing a satisfied smile. Seoyeon let out a small chuckle as well.
Of course, Ninomae had posted a notice that she would be taking a break while at her parents' house. So why was she installing a microphone now…
"Speaking of which, today is Chiyo-san's birthday."
Chiyo, or rather, the witch Serena Razania's birthday. That was the day.
Commemorative birthday broadcasts were Anathema Production's tradition. Including the Dotchi corner was practically an unwritten rule.
Well, in name at least, the Dotchi corner was simply everyone taking turns giving compliments and moving on. That said, skipping it made the atmosphere feel off, so it was effectively forced participation.
"Especially since Chiyo-san is… well, her personality is what it is. If one person is missing, it wouldn't be strange for conflict to erupt right away, would it…."
"…Well, I guess there's that side to her."
Chiyo stuck around whenever there was a gap whether the broadcast was on or not, and she often threw in sexual innuendos.
Still, she generally kept her distance by watching the other person, but from a third-party perspective, how it was perceived was a completely different matter.
With others, even a problem that wouldn't trigger a conflict flag for them became 'I guess she crossed the line and fought eventually' when Chiyo was involved.
"Anyway, Serena-san's broadcast will start soon… What will you do, Sion-san?"
"What do you mean?"
"About whether you'll appear on the broadcast as Sister."
That was also one option. There was no need to hide the fact that Han Seoyeon was at her parents' house with Ninomae.
If pushed, it would be that the information that Apostle Han Seoyeon had left the area she usually lived in was being made public.
She was still in Japan, and not that far away, so if necessary they could call a helicopter or something.
"Um. I think I'll pass on that."
But after a moment's thought, Seoyeon answered that way.
"But it's not even Ninomae-san's broadcast… it might be better to refrain from showing your face too much, don't you think?"
She was, after all, a normal person. Using the term 'normal person' for an Apostle… but in terms of not being on broadcast, that was how it was.
As a friend and roommate, she occasionally appeared in Mary's broadcasts, but they adjusted so it wasn't too frequent.
No matter what, the owner of the broadcast had to be Mary herself. That was the shared understanding between the two.
Even in Mary's broadcasts, if it were Serena's, it would be different. For the sake of the other, it would be better to refrain from appearing unnecessarily.
Well, if you thought about it, this side also had a real-life acquaintance relationship with Seoyeon… but she rarely mentioned that fact in her personal broadcasts.
It was different from how Mary had been explaining about Seoyeon before.
"That's a shame. If Sion-san gives her congratulations, Chiyo-san would probably like it."
"It's unavoidable. After all, during the broadcast, it's difficult to have a completely equal relationship. I'll contact you privately later."
Becoming a guest was something that happened only in very special cases. Considering Seoye's position, most times it was like a cameo, appearing briefly.
"Then, I'll go for a short walk outside."
"Okay. Got it. Be careful."
Ninomae nodded at Seoye's words as she got up from the floor.
Two years ago, the voice chat program that had stopped updating. She was reinstalling it, and now turning her gaze back to the monitor.
The sound of the door opening and closing from behind. Then, the notification that the update had finished rang from the speaker.
"Uum."
Ninomae, after executing the program, looked at the status for a moment, then suddenly thought of something strange. Well, other than the evaluation of being strange, it was impossible.
"…If the part that's not an equal relationship is the problem."
No. That wasn't something to worry about now. Ninomae just stared at the monitor again.
×
In the winter night street where even the setting sun that had been spreading red had disappeared, there was a strange aura of power.
It wasn't power in the occult sense. Well, of course, the night was more mixed with the other world than day, and winter more than summer, that was correct.
But what I wanted to talk about now was closer to the emotional meaning. Enjoying that atmosphere, Seoyeon continued her night walk.
It had been about fifteen minutes since she came outside to not disturb Ninomae. It was just starting Serena's broadcast.
'When will Shuttang invade the broadcast.'
The earphone cord connected from her pocket reached her ears. Of course, what was heard from there was Serena, Chiyo's voice.
After greeting the viewers, Serena kept thanking them. Since the phone was in her pocket, the chat wasn't visible, but she was probably giving birthday congratulations.
"……."
Walking with a faint smile… suddenly, a sense of unease arose.
At first, she didn't know the cause. The senses reacted first, but the brain hadn't fully recognized the information yet.
"Blood smell…?"
Because it was an information so unexpectedly, she only realized the situation after letting it out blankly.
Blood. Blood. Specifically, the smell of human blood.
'A significant amount of blood. The distance is quite far. Because of that, it's hard to be sure… but since the smell is a bit mixed, there might be multiple people?'
Traffic accident? No, it's a bit different. Adrenaline or gunpowder scents were different clues pointing to combat.
Seoyeon frowned and took a deep breath. The cold air stirred her nostrils, but beyond the sharp sensation, a familiarity pricked at the tip of her nose.
"Uum."
She roughly understood the situation. But regarding the before and after circumstances, no matter how good her sense of smell was, she couldn't figure it out.
That's why Seoyeon took out her terminal from her pocket. It was a thing that, if seen from afar, wouldn't be strange as a normal smartphone.
This was a device specially prepared for Apostles, but basically, it's a terminal distributed to all regular knights.
If the expected situation was correct, she would have sent a message to the nearby knights.
Since she didn't think it necessary to call an Apostle, she wouldn't contact Seoyeon, but she did have the authority to read the records.
'Two vampires with an unusual feeling. Two knights who discovered them. And two knights who confirmed contact from nearby and declared support.'
The 'unusual feeling' is just the subjective opinion of the reporter without any special evidence. However, among those who have deeply stepped into the other world, cases that live long without ignoring the 'sense' are rare.
Seoyeon sighed and quickened her pace. She couldn't delay even a little.
Running quickly through the night streets, she checked her equipment.
Since she came out for a walk without thinking, the equipment was insufficient. The holy silver hammer she always carries, one pistol, and a black-painted knife were all.
Even the usual clothes, not even the Apostle seat's mark, the talisman.
'…Well, there was no choice anyway.'
Of course, there was no option to not block the risk just because preparation was lacking.
First, considering the blood released at an unusual level pricking the nose, the possibility that the current number would end the situation was extremely low.
If that happened, it would be difficult to prevent civilian casualties.
And naturally, to prevent the anomaly from leaking to the surface, they would have to execute the sealing action, communication block…
'If that happened, Shuttang might not be able to participate in the Dotchi…!'
Essentially, it's like firing an EMP at the city, 'Apeshintos sealing'.
Unlike actual EMP, when the situation ends, equipment can be restored, but the problem was that Serena was continuing the broadcast right away.
If Mary Tepes's broadcast length is reduced by 1 minute, that's a huge loss in the world, so Seoyeon had to quickly end this situation.
"Damn… Back off!"
"Ah, no, Shizuku…"
"The dog is already late! Her upper body is completely separated…!"
"Ah, aaaaa… aaaaaack……!"
Soon, the place where Seoyeon arrived was completely a hellish scene. At least it was in a remote area, so it was likely that this noise didn't leak outside.
One person completely cut in half. One person whose one leg was sliced off. One person holding an arm with a deep wound, blood spurting out. One person sitting on the floor, reaching out to a distant corpse.
'…I might have to adjust the danger level upward.'
Seoyeon looked at the battered knights in front of her and the vampires standing there, frowning. With 2 against 4, this much advantage probably meant they weren't ordinary opponents.
Probably, with the current equipment, it might be difficult. She thought that and sighed.
Only then did the knights there notice Seoye's presence and turn their heads in surprise.
"Y-you are…?"
"I'm a knight. It seems the situation is serious, so even though my abilities are lacking, I'll hurry to support."
That said, could you lend me some weapons? Seoyeon added with a quite calm demeanor.
At the same time, her eyes quickly scanned the weapons the knights were holding.
Crossguards exaggeratedly extended, imitating the shape of a cross. Tri-section staff made of holy silver. Naginata with the shaft broken in half. Pistol with silencer rolling on the floor.
Completely individualized weapons without unity. It was a common sight when several knights gathered.
'Well, fortunately, these are weapons I've used at least once.'
Truly fortunate, Seoyeon smiled and threw the knife from her pocket, stabbing it into the vampire's head.