1400.

On the grounds of Yasaka Daijin Shrine.

Admittedly, Suzuran was getting tired. She collapsed onto the stairs of the shrine while Noa simply put her hands on her knees. Both girls panted as they tried to calm their breathing after all of the running around they did. After a short silence, Noa spoke up. "This should be far enough. Let's split up."

"Wait, hold up, you're off your rockers if you think you can escape alone!" Suzuran protested. "Besides, you can't even properly generate utsushi, right? That jin'i earlier drained everything out of you."

"Tch." Noa clicked her tongue as she sighed for Suzuran was exactly spot-on; Noa simply did not have the mental strength to output utsushi any time soon. As such, she felt justified when she turned on Suzuran and put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Wa-Wait!" Suzuran was so startled, she stood up and reflexively grabbed the hilt of her own blade.

"Earlier, you said you wanted to settle the match, correct? Then I have no qualms of facing you right now."

"Okay, yeah, you're definitely not right in the head..." Suzuran grumbled. "As I said, that's a bad idea! How can I fight you seriously if I could fatally wound you!?"

"I'm sorry but having you accompany me any longer is honestly a massive nuisance. As such, I demand that you either face me right here or leave. There is no compromise."

Suzuran clamped up. However, she managed to voice the question, "... Then what do you plan to do if I leave?"

"... I have something that I must accomplish at all costs."

"That means that it'll be bad if you get caught, correct?"

Noa narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"Then yeah, all you can do is run away. I need to come with you!" Noa flinched as Suzuran earnestly pleaded. "After all, earlier, we only managed to get away because we were watching each others' backs!"

"... Do you... Do you even realize what you're saying? You're going to accompany me, someone who blatantly tried to assassinate the head of the Origami family and the top executive of the Special Sword Administration Bureau?"

Suzuran stopped for a moment. In actuality, she hadn't really thought about the depth of what she had done. Her current position was an accomplice as she had helped the would-be assassin of Nanae Origami escape and is still actively helping her escape capture. However, Suzuran steeled her resolve and gave a reply. "Yes. I do. I already know for a fact that my tagging along with you has triggered an irreversible event chain that I cannot escape from. That is why I'll accompany you. After all, I have nowhere to go." It was directly after she finished her short speech that the sound of sirens pierced through the air. "Look, see! Come on, we need to go!"

Noa still couldn't bring herself to trust her, asking, ".... What are your true intentions?"

Suzuran, however, couldn't parse the question. It wasn't because she wasn't smart enough to understand what she was implying, it was because Suzuran couldn't understand why she should question her. Of course, she could understand her suspicions. After all, they barely knew each other, having met for the first time just the day before. "What do you mean? I simply want to help you escape..."

"But why? You have no reason to help a criminal."

"Oh, I definitely do. I want to spar with you again but not against you right now. You're nowhere near full-strength. I refuse to take a win in this manner."

Noa remained silent as she processed Suzuran's statement. She finally elected to relax, removing her hand from the hilt of her sword. "Fine. I still don't know what you're planning but if you plan to tag along, you better not drag me down. I will immediately abandon you in that case."

Failing to register the second half of her statement, Suzuran asked, ".... So does this mean I have your approval to follow you?"

".... Yes, do as you wish," Noa mumbled, wondering if she should be regretting her decision already.

Suzuran, meanwhile, did not sense Noa's distress and simply echoed, "Yes, I shall! We really need to take cover though, those sirens are getting very close now..."

Noa silently nodded and both girls dove into the wooden construction that was the Yasaka Daijin Shrine. Suzuran kept a lookout while Noa dug around inside the shrine, looking for something. Suzuran looked back just in time for her to catch Noa opening a purple-hued parcel and taking out a letter. This was the letter that was addressed to her mother but Noa thought to herself, Considering the circumstances, I probably need to dispose of this as soon as humanly possible...

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Suzuran crawled over and asked, "Did you hide that here earlier?"

"Yes, before I bumped into you in front of the Hiiragi mansion yesterday," Noa replied as she pocketed the item and led both herself and Suzuran out of the shrine and into the open. "Considering I expected to not survive after crossing swords with Nanae Origami."

Suzuran clammed up at that because she never expected that the girl in front of her was so easily resolved to face her own death. In an attempt to lighten the mood, she quipped, "Ah, crap, I completely forgot! I left my luggage and my cellphone behind in the inn..."

Noa said flatly, "Forget about it. Besides, if you had it in your hand, they'd be able to easily find us." She turned around to continue walking forward and added, "That phone was given to us by the Sword Administration itself after all."

"Aww... I wish I could've eaten all of the cookies that Honami gave me yesterday..." Suzuran complained. Noa merely shook her head as she tried to get the image of the silver-haired Suzuran with a dropping tail and dog ears out of her head.

At the same time.

The first floor of the main administration building used by the Special Sword Administration Bureau.

The closed drawing room located opposite the entrance and to the left of the receptionists' desk.

It was in this room that Honami Mitsumine's interrogation took place. Earlier, Maya had promised to accommodate her as much as she possibly can because she believed that neither she nor Suzuran had any ulterior motives in the case of Noa Hiiragi. As such, Honami was seated in a garishly cushioned wooden chair with an artist's easel just off to her left. Maya herself was seated across from her.

".... I really cannot think up a reason or motive of why Suzu would do that. We barely even knew Hiiragi-san; we met for the first time yesterday afternoon."

Maya crossed her legs as she tilted her head to the side. "Well, was Suzuran Arisugawa acting out of the ordinary yesterday or today?"

"I am the closest person to her but I couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary," Honami replied. "She really was just acting completely normally."

"Hmm..." Maya mumbled. "Well, how about that short spar with Yume? Not to be disparaging of Suzuran's skills but I really don't think that she would've been able to pull off that fight without the necessary training in cooperation, especially considering she barely knew Noa Hiiragi."

".... I don't know about that either."

Maya stared at Honami's downcast face, trying to pick up any signs in the way she carried herself that would give away her lying. However, she found nothing. I guess she really is just an unfortunate victim of the circumstances... "Alright, you're free to go. However, I apologize but you won't be able to return home for a while." Maya didn't waste any time as she walked out of the drawing room, addressing the girl that had been leaning against the wall in patience. "Honami Mitsumine likely doesn't know anything concerning the recent incident."

"Tomoe Ichihara was the same," Suzuka Konohana replied.

"I have to admit, I'm slightly ashamed that I allowed them to draw their swords against Nanae-sama..." Maya grumbled, clenching her fist. "What I don't understand, however, is why Nanae-sama stopped us from pursuing the girls."

"This is Nanae-sama we're talking about," Suzuka quipped, twirling the locks of her rose-red hair. "She must have a plan. At the moment, we're not privy to any of her ideas but she'll probably reveal it to us in time. That aside, do you think this incident has a connection to that organization?"

Maya narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized Suzuka, who shrugged in feigned ignorance. "... It's too early to tell at this stage. Probably not, I'd say."

"Hmm, implying that we won't know until the principals of Heijou and Osafune arrive?"

Maya simply stared back at Suzuka who still pretended to not know what was wrong with what she had said.

Meanwhile.

Behind the warehouse of a bookstore in downtown Kamakura.

It was already evening by the time the two girls arrived at the location Noa previously designated as a possible escape route back when she was planning for her assault (of course, she discarded it due to deciding after the fact that she wouldn't survive). The two girls proceeded to stow away in the back of a pickup truck that had drapes on it. After confirming that no one had saw them, they waited for the owner of the vehicle to come. Ten minutes later, they were off.

Luckily for them, the truck had an itinerary that brought it to Shibuya Ward in Tokyo which was coincidentally where Noa had planned her escape to. Once the truck got onto the freeway, Noa finally relaxed. "Alright, we're finally on the highway... We should be safe for now." She then reached into her pocket where she pulled out another envelope, this time, brown. Opening it, she counted the bills inside, coming out to a total of a hefty sum of 500,000 yen composed entirely of 50 10,000 yen notes. "So this is all we have... We should be able to last for two weeks if we're very frugal with our use of it."

Suzuran jostled Noa out of her thoughts when she moved over inside the cabin and picked up an item. "Ooh, this is an analog spectrum meter, isn't it!? This is one hell of an antique!"

"It's a gift from my mother," Noa replied. "She left it to me after she had retired from being a Toji."

"Ooh, this brings back memories!" Suzuran rambled, staring at the sloshing substance inside. "The gooey yousai is as oozy as I remember from when I used these in class!"

"Yeah, this was the mainstay item back when the government hadn't yet enforced its laws in regards to yousai retrieval."

"Oh, I see. You said that this belonged to your Toji mother? That's seriously cool! My own mother was a Toji as well and I was told that she was insanely powerful."

Noa closed her eyes. "What was her name?"

"Huh? My mother's name?"

Noa averted her eyes, her cheeks flushing very slightly, "No, your name."

"Wait, what!? You never knew my name this whole time!? That's seriously mean, Noa-san!" Noa further averted her eyes as she wordlessly admitted to the crime. She moaned, "It's Suzuran! Suzuran Arisugawa!"

Noa, however, quickly put her hand to her mouth. "You're too loud!" She heightened her senses, hoping that the driver hadn't noticed.

At the same time.

Inside the grounds of the Origami family's mansion.

It has been roughly three hours since the incident.

Despite the tournament being called off, none of the students have gone home yet.

To be more accurate, they weren't allowed to leave.

Amid the chaos of students from the five different schools, there were two girls that if one studied them seriously would discover they are far too calm for a situation like this. These two girls were the two named representatives of Minoseki Academy: Manaka Ichinose and Alice Sakayanagi. Seemingly without a care in the world, Alice commented, "It seems like they still haven't managed to catch those two girls."

Manaka, being a whole head shorter than Alice and standing on the step below the bleachers that Alice was standing on, was used as a literal headrest for Alice's impressive chest. This on top of her irritation of being cooped up resulted in her scowling, "Exactly how long do they plan to confine us in here?"

"Kyuu..." A cute purr resounded as a small animal that looked like a large rodent popped out in between the space between Manaka's head and Alice's bust. Of course, he is friendly as he was the pet of Manaka.

As the sound of the chopping of a helicopter's propellers slashed through the air overhead, the inherently lazy Manaka mumbled, "... I just wanna go home, take a bath, and go to sleep. Is that too much to ask?"

The helicopter that the two girls had heard flying above them was actually the vehicle carrying the president of Osafune Girls' Academy, who had taken the Shinkansen to nearby Shin-Yokohama Station before being transported by helicopter the rest of the way. When she stepped off the helicopter, she was greeted by her colleague. "It's been a while since we last saw each other in person, Chi-chan."

"Not again, Madoka," Chikage replied, sighing exasperatedly. "Please refrain from calling me that when other people can hear it."

Two girls then arrived and bowed to them. Maya Shidou said, "Thank you for coming at such short notice."

"Oh my, Maki-chan, you sure have grown into a fine swordswoman fit of wearing that elite guard uniform."

Maya brushed aside the compliment (although she was quite happy on the inside) and added, "As you know, Nanae-sama has called for you. Please, follow me." Maya and Suzuka Konohana turned on their heels and began walking away.

The two principals looked at each other, shrugged, and proceeded to follow the two girls as instructed.

Concurrently.

In a parking lot on the grounds of Yoyogi Park.

Their driver had made a pit stop to make a bathroom break and the two girls snuck off the truck, thanking the driver for unknowingly allowing them to hitchhike. Together, they disappeared into the Shibuya afternoon, running through the park. Suzuran kept stopping to try appreciating the sights but was continually forced to stop due to Noa not even trying to do anything close to the same. Noa simply just moved her feet, running toward the nearest mall whilst holding her sword close to her chest in an attempt to hide it from view. Suzuran, on the other hand, simply kept wearing it at her waist.

After around fifteen minutes of continuous running, Noa stopped by a department store that sells music goods. Walking inside, she made for the guitar section and picked up a plain black case which she planned to use to conceal her sword. Finally catching on, Suzuran picked out a similar black case. The two girls then purchased them and went on to the next department store for clothing as it wouldn't do if they continued wearing their school uniforms. To save on money, however, Noa insisted that they simply buy an oversize hooded jacket so that the bottom third of it would be long enough to cover their skirts.

The two girls then went inside of a hotel with the intention to book a room. However, they made one fatal mistake: they are still students. As such, the kindly receptionist asked, "A room for two? Are you two students?"

Both Suzuran and Noa froze with Noa clamming up entirely while Suzuran tried to patch it over. However, she could only manage to grunt, "Ah... Um..."

The receptionist narrowed her eyes as her suspicions continued to rise before she clapped her hands together. "Ah, I see! You two are here for some sort of concert, right?"

"Yes, that's right!" Suzuran quickly replied. "We're on a service job sponsored our school to do a small live event in Yoyogi Park tomorrow so we just need a place to stay the night." Noa nodded, Nice job.

"Is that so? You two sure are good students!" The receptionist proceeded to finish all of the procedures and Noa paid for a one-night stay at this hotel. The two then thanked the receptionist before heading toward the stairs, climbing it to reach their room on the second floor of the building. Noa had specifically requested for a room that had a window toward an alleyway, citing that she found it easier to mentally prepare herself to play her music when there weren't too many distractions and a bland alleyway is the perfect distraction-free view of the outside.

In reality, she had done this so that if it was necessary, they could make a quick escape. Suzuran understood this as well, having finally calmed down, swapping back to her normal personality of the serious student council president of Osafune Girls' Academy. She sighed, "Okay, so we now have our 'base'. What next?"

"We're going to Kanazawa after this."

"Ishikawa Prefecture, huh? I see. True, that prefecture has relatively weak connections to the Special Sword Administration Bureau. It works perfectly as a location to effectively 'disappear'."

Simultaneously.

In the office of the administrative head of the Special Sword Administration Bureau.

After having been led here, the two principals were kept shut inside the room while their two escorts went outside. They stayed like that for almost half an hour before the doors to the office were finally opened again. Nanae walked inside, stating, "Nice to see you again."

The two principals immediately rose from their seats, greeting her. "It has been a while, Commander," Chikage started.

"It really has been ages!" Madoka added. "Nanae-chan, you really haven't changed at all these past few years."

Arriving at her desk, Nanae looked over them. Chikage took that cue and lowered her head in a bow. "I sincerely apologize for the most recent incident concerning my students."

Nanae, however, brushed it aside. "There's no need for that. I simply need to ask you if you would happen to know any places where they would hide."

Madoka replied, "I apologize but I really don't know. Noa Hiiragi is a model student and I honestly never expected her to pull a stunt like this."

"I'm sorry but I do not know either," Chikage echoed. She then turned to Maya. "As an aside, where are my other students, especially Honami Mitsumine?"

"Honami Mitsumine, Tomoe Ichihara, and the other four students from both schools have been pardoned of any involvement and released from detainment," Maya explained.

"I see."

"Okay, let me ask another question," Nanae continued. "Principal of Heijou Institute, according to your report to the Special Sword Administration Bureau, Kogarasumaru was in the care of your school and that a suitable owner for it hasn't yet been found."

"I sincerely apologize in my lateness of reporting to you," Madoka quipped. "It was only two days prior to the tournament that Kogarasumaru chose that girl as its master. Also, Nanae-chan, I do insist that you call it Yatagarasu as that is now its name."

"Ah, I apologize," Nanae nodded. "I just found it easier to call it by the name that I most intimately know it as. In any case, it cannot be denied that Kogarasumaru has chosen Noa Hiiragi while Chidori has chosen Suzuran Arisugawa."

"Chidori and Kogarasumaru...?" Chikage mumbled. The gears in her head began to turn as she tried piecing the puzzle together.

At the same time.

Just outside of the main building of the Special Sword Administration Bureau.

Honami Mitsumine had been allowed to leave.

She had currently just walked out of the building, sighing. She took out her mobile device and turned it on, scrolling through her contacts. She looked at the name that resonated with her the deepest at that moment: Suzuran Arisugawa. Her finger was about to press the call button before remembering that her friend had fled with the girl with light blue hair without her luggage. Suddenly, her phone rang, the number displayed on the screen pertaining to a public phone. Probably a payphone...? Honami pressed the answer button and put her phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Ah, Honami?"

"Suzu...!" Honami nearly exclaimed before realizing where she was and slapping her mouth shut. She whispered, "Where are you right now?"

"Shibuya. I really am sorry for suddenly ditching you like that but I just wanted to help Noa-san. Don't worry about me, I'm completely fine."

"You can't just tell me that and expect me not to worry!"

In the background of Suzuran's call, came, "'This is the Shibuya Ward Disaster Prevention Broadcast...'" Suzuran then quickly said, "Ah, sorry, but I'm running out of change. I need to hang up!"

Umm... That broadcast...? Honami thought but she had no time to activate her brain before Suzuran declared, "Um, okay, please take care of my belongings! Bye!"

"Ah, wa-wait...!" Of course, it was far too late as Suzuran had already hung up.