Shiori burst out of the hall first.
Blindy followed right behind her, suddenly discovering Olympic-level speed.
Zeros simply walked.
That same measured, infuriatingly calm pace.
Red warning lights flashed across the station.
Sirens pressed against the nerves,
turning the air itself into tension.
Outside the hall, there wasn’t a single soul.
All the workers had already vanished.
Blindy, somehow, even managed to get a step ahead of Shiori.
They broke out of the industrial sector
and reached the open metal platforms.
Steel screeched under their boots,
echo scattering into the void.
Then Airi’s voice cut gently through the broadcast—
like rain on rice paper:
“Shiori-sensei~ danger is approaching. Isoge! Onegai! [´• ω •`]”
Blindy forgot where his feet were,
tripped over himself,
and slammed face-first into the floor.
He tumbled three times
and ended up drifting in zero gravity,
slowly spinning like a lost potato.
Zeros stopped behind,
evaluating the situation without a trace of emotion.
Shiori didn’t hesitate for even a second.
She grabbed Blindy like a sack of rice,
threw him over her shoulder,
and ran forward in long, light steps,
almost weightless.
Blindy flailed, panicked,
filled the space with curses,
but through the mask it came out as nothing but:
BUR-BUR-BUR—BUR-BUR
Zeros remained behind,
like a cold, unmoving statue.
“Take the sack of rotten meat and go,” he said,
his voice solid as steel.
“I’ll stay. I’ll buy you time.”
Shiori didn’t argue.
She knew this was the only choice.
Blindy slammed his fists against her back, desperate:
“NO! Put me down—Zeros! Zeros, you idiot! Don’t do this! Bur-bur-bur—!”
Zeros didn’t even turn his head.
He simply turned back toward the industrial sector
and waited.
And then it began.
White streaks cut through the shadows.
Thin.
Long.
Fast as needles of light.
Metal hissed.
Something moved—
first one, then many—
flashing between beams, brushing walls,
sliding with inhuman precision.
The air filled with a faint mechanical kiaaai [気合]—
first dozens of voices,
then hundreds,
then a chorus.
Shiori accelerated.
Airi’s voice trembled for the first time:
“Oh no… signal loss detected.
Senpai has disappeared from my sensors. ⊆◍益◍⊇
That’s impossible. Zerosu-senpai cannot lose. Not even to—”
“Not now,” Shiori said, breathing hard.
“Airi-chan, guide us. If we stop, we die.”
Blindy twisted on her shoulder:
“NO! I’M NOT LEAVIN’ MY FRIEND! HE’S THERE—HE—”
Shiori snapped, her shoulder jerking:
“You want to die and make his sacrifice meaningless?!”
Blindy yanked his mask up and screamed at full volume:
“I DON’T CARE!”
“Watashi wa zan’nen ni omoimasu. Demo, watashitachi wa susumanakereba narimasen,” Shiori growled.
“If we stop, your last thought will be regret.”
And then Airi cut in—
calm, polite fear:
“Shiori-sensei… karera ga kita. [◎⃝⃘∀◎⃝⃘]”
They burst onto a massive platform—
the same one
where the mission had begun.
Something white dropped from above—
like lightning.
Plasma whistled past Shiori’s ear.
She flipped,
throwing Blindy into the air
like a dumbbell.
Her blaster was in her hand instantly.
Shots tore across the platform—
but the white android spun between the beams
with the grace of flowing silk.
Its mask gleamed—
completely emotionless.
SHIRŌ-KAGE™
Height: 6’3″
Posture: slightly predatory, leaning forward
Build: lean, hyper-athletic
Material: glossy white composite, like futuristic porcelain
Armor: folded like origami
Surfaces seamless, without joints
Fingers long, fast
Feet: metallic tabi, silent
They looked like
Apple had decided to design a cult of assassins.