Suzuran's sword bounced off of Alice's.

Her sweeping strikes were met with equally wide sweeping strokes in an attempt on both sides to throw each other off. Short airbursts exploded through the air each time their swords collided. Suzuran slashed down from the top but was pristinely caught against Alice's blade, her sword ringing against Alice's as it slid down the flat of the blade. Suzuran's sword caught just a few strands of Alice's hair, slicing them off as she rolled forward past her. She landed on the floor, bowling over, immediately wheeling around to catch Alice's attack that was aimed at her back. Despite having the lower center of gravity as she was on her knees, Suzuran was able to force Alice off of her by relaxing how hard she pushed back before accelerating with jin'i so that the speed blows Alice out of the way.

It was successful as Alice caught herself a few paces back with a "Whoa!" Suzuran took that chance to get back to her feet and returning to her default seigan stance. "Wow, you're good! You have some seriously precise control over your jin'i. I guess I should expect this much from a person who managed to repel, Yume Tsubakuro, the most powerful member of the Origami Elite Guard, desu."

"Well, thanks for that," Suzuran quipped. "You're good too. It's too bad I wasn't matched up against you in the tournament."

"Aww, you're making me blush, desu!" Alice replied, embarrassingly scratching her head before returning to a proper in-no-kamae. "In that case, I shouldn't hold back anymore."

Suzuran immediately raised her threat assessment of her opponent. She unconsciously entered a state of mind where she would fight to kill. This is her usual state of mind when fighting aradama; it seems that something changed in Alice's countenance that forced Suzuran to reassess her. She charged the girl with jin'i, slashing at her unprotected left arm... but was deflected by a golden glow. Kongoushin!? she thought. She barely managed to guard herself with her blade when Alice twirled in place to deliver a forward kick with the bottom of her foot. Suzuran was blown back ten meters but she managed to land on her feet. However, she sank to her knees from the impact her body received due to guarding against Alice's blow. "Nrk...! Taisha-ryu and taijutsu using kongoushin...!?"

"You are right!" Alice said as she charged again, slamming her sword into Suzuran's guard. "I didn't use my full power during the tournament. After all, if I had used this in that tournament which is held for the express purpose of showing a Toji's elegance with the blade, I'd be called a cheater, desu!" Alice's right foot glowed gold as she drove it straight into Suzuran's unprotected abdomen, again blowing her back.

This time, Suzuran failed to roll properly and regain her footing, instead, laying flat on the ground, her utsushi flickering. However, she paid this no mind and stood back up, her stance rather wobbly. This is because a Toji, even in the state of utsushi, has a sense of pain although it is dulled by a factor of 10. "Kuh... If I didn't have utsushi up, that blow would've definitely broken some of my ribs..."

"I was looking to collapse your lung in while I was at it but you are really hard, desu," Alice praised. "Without kongoushin, I definitely wouldn't be able to land a good hit."

"You jest," Suzuran groaned. "You were definitely holding back with that earlier attack." It was a baseless claim but that was what Suzuran's instincts, as a swordsman, were telling her. While still shaky, she put on a determined face as she stared her opponent down.

"Oh, I guess a true swordsman like yourself that lives by the sword, for the sword, and with the sword, would be able to tell, desu," Alice sighed. "In that case, I'll come at you, no holds barred, desu!" Immediately after declaring that, Alice activated jin'i and appeared directly behind Suzuran, her sword poised to strike her neck. Suzuran, however, dodged out of the way, letting go of her two-handed grip to balance herself on the ground in a one-hand handstand before flipping back onto her feet. The second she did, she raised her sword, blocking Alice's downward slash. Alice then sent a gold-encased fist into Suzuran's side but this was blocked by Suzuran's knee, imbued with Hachimanriki to withstand the blow. "Hoh?" Alice disengaged immediately and stepped back a few paces. "Interesting."

"I can't use kongoushin after all so this is the best I can compensate you with."

Kongoushin—.

Carrying the definition of "Vajra's Body", kongoushin is a physical ability seldom awakened in Toji. In terms of rarity, it is about ten times rarer than Myougan, appearing in only one in forty Toji (Toji themselves are quite rare with one in every five hundred girls having the constitution to bond with an okatana and become a Toji). Similar to the Myougan, it is more likely for kongoushin to continuously appear in one Toji lineage (of course, due to its rarity, it is highly likely to skip one or several generations before appearing in another user in that lineage) with Alice's Sakayanagi family being the most famous lineage in possession of the kongoushin ability.

Similar to but different from Hachimanriki, kongoushin is the ability to harden either a part of the body or the entire body. Instead of borrowing divine strength, kongoushin borrows divine armor with the part of the body where the user activates kongoushin in encased in gold light. This divine armor defends against any and all attacks so long as the user can perceive it and react in time to defend themselves against it. The armor is not automatic and as such, is fallible in the sense that if the user cannot react to an attack fast enough to deploy the armor, they will still receive damage, whether it is minor or lethal. However, generational-based users are by default faster at reacting and there have even been several cases where the ability had ingrained itself so deep into its user that it can activate automatically. As a member of the Sakayanagi lineage, Alice's kongoushin is abnormally more powerful than most other independent users and in her case, kongoushin is an auto-defense.

"A wise choice, desu," Alice replied sagely. "Now, what can you do?"

"This." Suzuran accelerated with jin'i, appearing directly behind Alice, and slashed, only to find her trajectory blocked by the gold armor. "Tch, automatic defense? That's annoying."

"In terms of pure speed, I'm slower than you but even you can't work your way past my armor, yes, desu?" Alice said smugly, whipping around and counterattacking but only catching air as Suzuran had leaped away. Suzuran accelerated again and attacked Alice, trying and failing to outspeed her automatic defense, She struck multiple times but each time, she was repelled. "See, I told you, desu."

"Not going to get anywhere, huh?" she mumbled. She regained her stance a few meters away and took a deep breath. "I see. In that case, my only choice is to break through from the front."

At the same time: Noa Hiiragi v. Manaka Ichinose.

Manaka's nagamaki may be slow but its impact is nothing to laugh at. Noa has managed to avoid the wrath of her blade so far but she was quite literally losing ground. Noa surmised that Manaka's Hachimanriki is the most powerful amongst student Toji as each one of her strikes easily split the ground, tearing straight through the asphalt pavement of the streets and excavating massive clods of dirt to about a meter deep. "Kuh, just where in that small frame of yours do you hide this power...?"

Manaka's eyebrow twitched as she lifted up her sword again. "... You called me small, didn't you?" she muttered. "That word is one of my least favorite words..." While her expression remained relatively neutral, she was clearly angry. She accelerated her sword again, parting the earth and just barely missing Noa's face. Like Alice, she lost a few strands of her and then some. The sword stroke missed her but its airblast was enough to slice through Noa's left sleeve, exposing her arm. "Dammit, I missed you again?"

"Well, sorry for being so nimble on my feet," Noa quipped. However, Noa's thought process was anything but jokes and happiness. I can't find any openings... If I try to feint away, she'll go and interrupt Suzuran who already has her hands full dealing with Alice. I can't interrupt her because she's keeping Alice in check for me so as to not interfere with me in a pincer attack; I need to have faith in Suzuran and do my utmost in keeping Ichinose occupied. These two opponents, perfectly synced with each other, are the absolute worst matchup for us...!

Noa accelerated as close as she could but was still unable to get within 30 centimeters of her due to being immediately blocked by the heaviness of Manaka's nagamaki. By this point, the ground beneath her was a starburst of cracks and deep lines, resulting from Manaka's repeated cutting. "Grr, just let me hit you already," Manaka growled.

"No can do, ma'am," Noa teased. This level of power and the frequency at which she attacks... Impossible, a student that's mastered Fifth Layer Hachimanriki...!?

"Your face looks funny," Manaka commented. "Let me guess, you're wondering how I can use Fifth Layer Hachimanriki?" Noa's guarded stance flinched just a tad, causing Manaka to smile. "I was right, I see. The answer's pretty simple. My family specializes in that technique."

"... Now that you mention it, the Ichinose family..." Noa mumbled to herself as she looked through her memories, searching for the relevant information. "Ah, I see. It would make sense for a family that dates all the way back to the dawn of the Toji to have such excellent mastery of this technique."

"Why, thanks, I guess," Manaka shrugged. She then brought her sword back up in tonbo-no-kamae and accelerated yet another powerful downward slash. However, Noa did something she never expected; she charged in and used the flat of her blade to push Manaka's sword out of the way. Of course, with the Third Layer Hachimanriki that Noa can produce, she couldn't completely force Manaka's sword away from her. Instead, she pushed it away just enough so that she could accelerate directly in front of Manaka, fully intending to slash through her utsushi. However, Manaka merely smirked slightly as she let go of her sword and jumped back a few paces.

Not wanting to let her escape, Noa accelerated again before a sense of foreboding sent shivers down her spine. Immediately, she listened to her body's instincts, jumping straight up and out of the way of Manaka's sword spinning in circles as it flew back into Manaka's hands. "What!?"

"Heh, thanks, Nene," Manaka smiled.

While still airborne, Noa cast her glance behind her and noticed the small pet Manaka kept on her at all times. "An aradama!?"

"You're right," Manaka replied. "You have pretty good eyes."

Noa landed back on the ground, back to square one. "What's going on...? An aradama that obeys you?"

"That'd be a family secret." Manaka swung her sword again, forcing Noa to accelerate in Suzuran's direction.

While they avoided colliding with each other, the two girls were forced to put their backs against each other, their swords still trained on their opponents. Suzuran glanced back and Noa nodded; they had reached an unworded understanding on their next move. Instantly, both girls switched places, accelerating toward opposite opponents. This threw the rhythms of their opponents off, allowing them to bring their swords to their necks.

Alice did not loosen her grip on her sword even with the blade of her opponent centimeters from her carotid artery. "Hmm, I see, so while not on our level, you two are able to communicate with your eyes."

"Our assassins this time are from Minoseki, I see," Noa began. "Tell me, exactly how did you manage to pinpoint our location?"

"Hehe, of course we can't tell you," Alice snickered. "It's a secret, after all, desu."

Noa then felt some light biting at her ankle and noticed the aradama from earlier. "So you're also using aradama... Answer the question or else!" Noa pushed her sword ever so closer to Alice's neck.

"No, stop!" Suzuran yelped.

"You be quiet, Suzuran," Noa snapped back. "I will complete my objective no matter what and if these two plan to stand in my way, I will cut them down." Noa meant it quite literally too. If she continued moving her sword, her blade would end up stabbing through Alice's neck. This is all well and good considering that she has utsushi up but should she be unable to maintain utsushi, her body will return to that of its original physical state and the sword will now appear embedded in her neck, severing her carotid artery.

This time, Alice showed just a bit of panic. She half-raised her arms in surrender, saying, "Please wait a moment."

"Are you willing to talk now?"

"Sure, just give us five seconds, desu."

"... Five seconds?" Noa asked hesitantly. That moment of pause was enough as both Noa and Suzuran picked up the sound of jet thrusters. Incredulously, they looked up and leaped backward. The second they finished their evasive maneuver, two comets struck the ground.

The minute Suzuran realized what they were, she shivered as well as choked due to the dust thrown up by the comets hitting the dirt (the four girls had somehow managed to duel their way nine kilometers northwest to the forested foothills of Asamayama; of course, since they were Toji, their movements were far too fast to be registered by any passersby who may have happened to see them while they were en route). "S-Equipment...!?"

"It's supposed to be used only for the annihilation of aradama..." Noa mumbled. "How...?"

"I've never seen one in person," Suzuran exclaimed. "The only time I've seen one was in the textbooks used in class!"

"The same for me," Noa replied. "Tch, this is going to be a pain."

"Hehe," Alice giggled. "Changing complete, desu."

"Armored Manaka, on scene!" Manaka said, showing some form of excitement.

"The tables have turned," Alice declared. "Now, what shall you do?"

The two girls reached the exact same conclusion at the exact same time. Both girls reentered combat stances as Suzuran warned, "Noa-san."

"Okay."

"Ready, go!" With that, the two girls... disappeared, having used jin'i to accelerate away. They had chosen to make a strategic retreat as it was practically impossible to fight against Toji equipped with the S-Equipment. They were a last resort and used only in anti-aradama operations that are declared to be impossible to clear without using this (what is basically) "super armor".

Of course, Alice and Manaka were dumbfounded. "Eh? Eh?? Eh???" Alice stammered.

"Hey!" Manaka yelled. "This is the star mecha's big scene!"

1530

Special Operations Room, Special Sword Administration Bureau Headquarters.

"... Everyone from Renpu, we are being withdrawn by order of Nanae-sama. We are backing off of this case."

After spending the better part of one hour mulling over what to do, Azusa Hachimiya decided to declare this upon her return to the operation room. She was told off by the figure she adored with all of her heart. She couldn't hide the crestfallen expression on her face as she thought to herself, I really was unable to be of help. Chikage Serizawa and Madoka Shinonome, knowing that it was disrespectful, looked away from their fellow principal and snickered under their breath. Of course, everyone else who had accompanied Azusa began muttering to each other, wondering what had happened. However, one loud gasp cut through the room. Maya turned to the operator in question and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Um, we have an inquiry from Yokosuka Naval Base asking whether or not we dispatched S-Equipment to the northeast."

"Did you say S-Equipment!?" Maya snapped.

Suzuka turned to her partner in confusion, saying, "We never received any such report."

"Please turn your attention to the large screen," the operator added. "I'll put up the image." After working the keyboard, an image of two compartments powered by jet thrusters appeared on-screen. She then zoomed in on the image, giving everyone a closer look at the two items in question.

Madoka muttered, "That does indeed look like the launching containers for S-Equipment..."

Meanwhile, Azusa internally thanked the gods. In her eyes, this was a sign from above, both literally and figuratively, that her role has not yet ended. Breaking out into a smile, she announced, "Our withdrawal has been postponed! Find out exactly where those containers landed!"

Before anyone could get to work, there was a loud knock at the door. In came Yomi Satsuki and she said, "Shidou-san, Konohana-san, your deployment orders from Nanae-sama had just been completed and finalized. Please get ready and come with me."

1639

Yokosuka Naval Base.

"For Nanae-sama to think of letting us go now..." Suzuka mumbled. "This must be of extraordinary importance to her."

Currently, Maya Shidou, Suzuka Konohana, and Yomi Satsuki were in Yokosuka Naval Base, exchanging information with the officers on base concerning the unauthorized deployment of S-Equipment to Nagano Prefecture. They had just finished their discussions and were beginning to make preparations for a military convoy to Nagano Prefecture for the sole purpose of capturing the two traitors in junior high, dead or alive (but preferably alive).

"It's even rarer that you were allowed to leave Nanae-sama's side," Maya added. She said this because Yomi's post has always beenNanae's personal bodyguard and any and all other duties were pushed toward her compatriots in the Elite Four. (There is a ghost fifth member with the rank of zero but she had been deployed on a long-term mission and hasn't been seen in two months.)

Yomi simply replied, "My abilities are necessary in order to track the traitors."

"I see," Suzuka nodded, before swiveling her head around while still walking forward. "Speaking of which, Yume won't be coming?"

"Indeed," Yomi asserted. "Needless blood can and will be spilled if she came with us."

The uniformed girl in question, Yume Tsubakuro, was currently placed on standby and was lounging around in Nanae's office with the owner of the office absent. For anyone who could have walked by the office, they would be able to hear the girl lamenting, "Ahhhh... I'm so bored I might just up and die... Dearly beloved, where could you have gone?"

Suzuka laughed but quickly composed herself, disguising her outburst as a cough into her hand. "That is certainly true," she quipped before turning the topic to a more serious item. "However, it should be impossible for S-Equipment outside of the jurisdiction of the Origami family to exist."

Maya nodded, "There certainly aren't any organizations outside of the Origami family or the Sword Administration that have the capacity to develop that equipment. However, considering the current case, it is safe to assume that the Sword Administration..."

"... There is a chance that that organization has a hand in this situation."

"If the rumors are correct and it is as you say concerning the possibility of a rebel faction within the special military, then the possibility of non-administrated S-Equipment becomes more likely," Maya agreed.

"I see, then this operation is so that Nanae-sama can ascertain whether or not those two girls had made contact with that organization," Suzuka nodded in understanding.

At the same time in the forests at the foot of Asamayama.

"So," Manaka began. "How did they do?"

When Suzuran and Noa made the prompt decision to retreat, the two girls removed their S-Equipment and placed them back into their launching containers. A few minutes later, a group of people appeared out of the woods and retrieved their equipment before disappearing back into the brush. Since then, the two girls had been hiking through the forest with no particular destination in mind.

"Ability-wise, I have no complaints, desu," Alice said, looking up at the sky. "Other than that..." She returned her gaze to Manaka's back and asked, "What is your take, Manaka?"

"They didn't seem to be overly reckless," she replied, after taking a few months to think. "I'd say they would make excellent additions for us in Moksha."

"I was thinking the same, desu," Alice nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

Concurrently, on a section of an unnamed road sprawling the south corner of Asamayama.

Both girls stopped by the side of the road and panted, bending over and putting their hands on their knees. Of course, since they were forced to run, they were unable to bring their suitcases which were currently still sitting in a coin locker at Komoro Station. Noa sighed internally as she wondered if they would be able to go back and pick up their items or if they had to leave them there permanently. Luckily for them, she had made sure to keep their bundle of cash on her person at all times so they weren't totally screwed.

"They... don't seem to be following us, right...?" Suzuran groaned.

Noa regained enough stamina to stand up straight as she said, "Well, that equipment is still under development with advancements being made every day. I don't believe that they can be operated for long."

"I see..." Suzuran mumbled. She breathed a sigh of relief before she felt a drop hit her face. Looking up, she felt more drops hit her as she said, "Welp, it's raining..."

Looking up herself, Noa held up her hand, feeling the raindrops hitting it. "I think it will be coming down hard."

Suzuran looked around and before long, spotted a place to take shelter. "Over there," she pointed. "It's an abandoned house. We should take shelter from the rain in there." The two girls nodded and made a break for the house. Silently offering an apology to whoever owned the house, Suzuran used the scabbard of her sword to break a window then climbed inside with Noa following her right after. Once inside, Suzuran searched for a broom and swept up the broken glass so they wouldn't be injured by it. Finally, she searched for a roll of plastic sheet and duct tape to drape the broken window so that water wouldn't invade the building.

Noa on the other hand hunted for another broom to clean the first floor. The building they had stowed into was a two-story house and neither of them had gone to the second floor yet. From what they've seen concerning the first floor, it consisted of a spacious kitchen, a living room furnished with a sofa and a wooden table, an empty bathroom, and a bedroom. Noa took to cleaning up the living spaces as best as she could with Suzuran joining her after she finished fixing the window she broke. Before the girls knew it, two hours had passed.

The girls sank down onto the couch as they sighed to a job well done. "Haha, I guess we both can't help but clean up when we freeload in a place."

"Well, this was simply a habit drilled into me by my mother," Noa chuckled.

"What a coincidence, my mother is also to blame for my own cleaning addiction," Suzuran giggled.

"Now that is one interesting coincidence."

The conversation stopped there as the two girls listened to the sound of the pattering rain. After a few minutes of silence, Suzuran silently gulped as she ventured, "You know, when I faced off against you in the tournament, I was pondering something. Your sword was heavy. In terms of pure intent to murder, last night's assailant, Sayuki-chan, was superior and in terms of power, the nagamaki-toting girl from earlier is better."

"What are you trying to say?" Noa said defensively.

"No, no, I'm not trying to belittle you or anything!" Suzuran quickly replied. "It's just... yes, your sword is weighed down by a strong will. Your will to carry out your objective of killing Nanae Origami is what makes your sword substantial." Noa looked away, her expression a mix of sourness and indifference. Suzuran noticed this and internally sighed but deigned to continue. "That time, in our final match, my mind was entirely focused on what you were going to do and how you were going to attack me. I was wholly fixated on you but... you never really saw me, right? I was extremely put off by that and even now, I admittedly am still irritated at being so completely ignored."

"... Um, sorry?"

"It's fine, I'm mostly over it," Suzuran reassured. "Now that I think back on it, if I didn't follow the course my sword took me to protect you, they would've definitely killed you." Noa looked at the girl incredulously and received a strong glance in return. "It's as you've said, Noa-san. I am not prepared to kill nor do I have any intention to kill. However, I can now say with certainty that I am prepared. If it is as you say and my sword is one that protects, then I swear to use my sword to protect you and your ambition. If that means that I have to kill myself, so be it."

"... You just said what I wanted to say," Noa argued. "You're simply assisting in someone's murder."

"It's not," Suzuran asserted. "You told me yourself, you were going to kill the head of the Origami family. No, you're going to kill an aradama pretending to be the head of the Origami family. Other than that, you can count on me to stop you from raising your blade against anyone else."

Noa broke away from the staredown, looking at her feet. After a few moments of silence, she wet her lips and said, "The reason I want to defeat Nanae Origami..."

"Huh?"

"You told me that I could tell you when I felt like it, right?" Noa affirmed. "I'll tell you now."

"... Okay."

Noa took a deep breath and began with a question. "Suzuran, do you know about the great aradama incident of fifteen years ago?"

"The Great Catastrophe of Tokyo Bay?" Suzuran recalled from memory. "The worst aradama to appear in history spawned in the middle of Tokyo Bay about fifteen kilometers northeast of Umihotaru and was subsequently vanquished in a combined effort by the current head of the Origami family, Nanae Origami-sama, the current principals of the Five Traditions, and the Special Religious Military Units?"

"Correct," Noa asserted. "At the time, my mother was a member of one of the Special Religious Military Units in the field. Not a single record of her remains but that's a matter of doctrine considering how the incident is known worldwide."

"... What do you mean?"

Rummaging around in her dress, Noa pulled out the letter she carried with her at all times and gave it to Suzuran. "The truth is written in this letter. It talks about what you saw that day, the true identity of the one lauded as the hero, Nanae Origami, and the great aradama that was supposed to have been destroyed." Suzuran looked at the letter in her hand incredulously as Noa continued, "That great aradama is impurity incarnate and it is the worst thing to have threatened the existence of this country, no, the existence of the world, and it is still at large, wreaking havoc. That is what she is right now and the only one out of all of the assembled Toji that day that truly had the strength to eradicate the great aradama was my mother."

"Your... mother...?"

"However, she was unable to completely destroy it. It became a part of Nanae Origami and survived. That battle exhausted my mother of her powers and she was retired from active duty. Over the years, I watched her waste away and it was just last year that my mother drew her final breath as I attended to her bedside. That night, I made a vow." Throughout her talk, Noa had unconsciously reached for her blade and now firmly held it in her hands, hard enough for her knuckles to take on a shade of white. "I swore that I would follow in my mother's footsteps and finish her job of destroying the great aradama that stole her life." As if to accompany her sorrow, the rain pattering against the window grew louder almost drowning out her next statement. "Part of the heaviness you felt in my blade is indeed the righteous will that all Toji possess in carrying out their duties but the other half is merely my personal vendetta. This is why I keep insisting that you do not need to accompany me on my quest for vengeance."

"You're right, of course," Suzuran declared as she returned the letter she was given, having not opened it at all, to Noa's pocket before grabbing her cold hands entwined around the hilt of her blade. "In that case, since you're carrying such a heavy burden, let me help. I'll carry half of your grudge for you."

Before Noa could give a response, both girls unconsciously entered utsushi as they cast their murderous gazes to the front door of the abandoned house. Their automatic response had been to a presence the two girls had picked up, an extremely powerful presence that dwarfed the demeanor output by the two girls from Minoseki they had fought earlier that day. A surprisingly feminine voice yawned, "So this is where you were hiding." Immediately after, the door was sliced apart into thirty pieces by a golden blade.

Both girls broke out into cold sweat as their new opponent, clad in nothing but a white kimono and black hakama fit for a student training in kendo, lumbered into the building. "You are...!?"

"Impossible...!" Noa muttered. "Maihime... Tendou...!"

2147

A section of National Route 146, the Asama Shirane Shiga Sawayaka Highway, just off the east side of Asamayama.

A hundred-meter stretch of the highway had been blocked off.

This is due to the fact that a convoy of military vehicles had bunched up in this section of the highway. Their sole purpose was to assist the Elite Four in capturing Suzuran Arisugawa and Noa Hiiragi, two rebels that had several days prior, raised their blades against Nanae Origami, the head of the Origami family which heads the Special Sword Administraion Bureau, and her personal guard, the Elite Four. They had so far managed to evade capture but this operation was put together with the express purpose of collecting them.

As Suzuka watched the troop make their final preparations, she put up her hand and felt the rain no more. "Perfect timing," she declared. "The rain has finally let up."

Maya sighed as she muttered to herself. "Now, it's time for the mountain hunt." She then raised her voice, giving her orders to those under her command.

2154

Inside the University of Tokyo-managed volcano observatory on the east slope of Asamayama.

"Professor Asanuma, Professor Asanuma, there's trouble!"

A bubbly female college student in full dress (formal casualwear under a lab coat) named Miyabi Azusagawa barged into the office of the supervising University of Tokyo professor, Shin'ichiro Asanuma. Shin'ichiro was sleeping, however, this wasn't when he would normally sleep. In fact, Professor Shin'ichiro Asanuma rarely slept here. Miyabi was one of Shin'ichiro's closest students and she could immediately tell: the professor had merely run out of energy to function as his body forcibly shut him down. Unfortunately, Miyabi couldn't let her superior get his beauty sleep as she shook him awake.

"Nnn... Miyabi-kun...?"

"Come on, Professor Asanuma, wake up!"

After being vigorously shaken a few more times, the professor blearily opened his eyes, mumbling, "What's wrong, Miyabi-kun...?"

"It's an emergency, Professor Asanuma!" Miyabi urged again. "The seismometers are showing eerily high shakings!"

At that, Shin'ichiro shot up and out of his chair, fixed his lab coat, and put on his glasses before hurriedly following his student to the instrument panel where the white paper rolls of the seismographs were rolling slowly as it recorded the Earth's vibrations as they shook it. Shin'ichiro pushed at his glasses again as he pored over the papers that Miyabi had already printed out ahead of time from the seismograph. As he studied them, his eyebrows went up, "What are these tremors, Miyabi-kun? They are not coming from the mountain."

"Yes, indeed, they're not," Miyabi affirmed, internally rejoicing at how the professor had recognized her triangulation work after contacting and collecting data from other seismographs in the area. "However, keep reading, Professor, this is where it gets complicated."

Shin'ichiro did as he was told, turning the papers. Finally, his eyes widened as he understood. "I think we can safely assume that the tremors coming from Komoro and heading in our direction have no relation with the mountain, however, they will still be investigated later. The problem is that these tremors lead..." Shin'ichiro had rolled out a paper map of the region and had traced a line from where the small earthquakes initially originated from to the southeastern corner of Asamayama. "here. Now, according to this," he said, as he spread out another paper map which was the most updated map the observatory had on the movement of the magma inside of the mountain, "there is the main magma chamber, or at least, what we think is the main magma chamber of this mountain. Likely induced by the earlier unrelated tremors, these new tremors along with the tremors still being recorded by the seismographs are a mix of volcano-tectonic and long-period earthquakes... There's no other way to look at this...!"

"Yes, Professor..." Miyabi mumbled. "We need to warn the government immediately! Asamayama will soon erupt...!"