Starting With The Sefirah Castle In The Anime World

The museum building across from Central Park had exploded. Blood-red flames engulfed it, painting the area in crimson.

Many pedestrians on the nearby streets were knocked unconscious by the shockwave.

The damage in the immediate vicinity of the explosion was devastating. Almost everyone who fell to the ground had been hit by the blast wave and suffered serious internal injuries.

People farther from the museum fared better.

For example, the video rental store two streets away from Central Park wasn't directly hit. Though the structure remained intact, the glass at the entrance had completely shattered, and shards were scattered all over the floor.

Chaos erupted outside, but the two people who had already ducked behind the cashier counter were largely unharmed—just suffering from some ringing in their ears.

"Ahhhhh!"

As the ringing in their ears started to subside, screams from outside filled the air.

Ren, still under the counter, stood up and brushed the broken glass off his clothes. Aside from the tinnitus, he was fine.

He helped Kijima Saki, who was still lying on the floor, get up.

"Miss Kijima, are you okay?"

"I… I'm okay…"

Aside from reduced hearing, Kijima Saki didn't feel any noticeable injuries.

Noticing that her glasses were broken, Ren took them off carefully.

"Miss Kijima, don't wear these. Broken glasses can easily injure your eyes."

"Y-Yes, thank you, Mr. Amamiya."

Ren placed the shattered glasses on the counter and glanced at the chaos outside. He didn't see anyone coming out of the museum.

Were they targeting people? Or something inside the museum?

Either way, it didn't matter now.

"Miss Kijima, stay behind the counter. In case there's a second explosion."

"But, Miss Nagi and Master…"

Kijima Saki was still concerned about the two upstairs.

"I'll go check on them."

With that, Ren quickly headed up the stairs to the second floor.

Judging by the sound, he rushed down the corridor toward their location.

Shattered glass covered the hallway, and even the door had been blown off its hinges, lying in pieces on the floor.

Stepping over the panel, Ren entered the room.

"Sanzenin."

"I… I'm fine…"

Inside, Nagi was bracing herself against the wall with one hand, her face showing clear signs of pain.

She raised her voice instinctively, probably from the shock to her hearing. She must have taken a direct hit from the blast wave.

She had no visible injuries or embedded glass, likely protected by a nearly invisible wind barrier encircling her—like a shield of wind armor.

A groan came from the bed.

Ren looked over to see Tachibana Wataru curled up in the blanket. Shards of glass covered the outside, but they hadn't penetrated.

Ren pulled back the blanket and saw that Wataru had no visible injuries.

Apparently, curling up in the quilt had shielded him from harm—except for the damage to his ears from the pressure wave.

Ren didn't bother being gentle.

He grabbed the dazed Wataru by the collar and woke him up with a single sentence.

"Kijima's still downstairs."

"Saki!?"

Wataru snapped awake. Even though he was still dizzy and off-balance, he rushed out of the room immediately.

I haven't figured out who this guy's actually in love with yet… Ren glanced at the door and shook his head.

He turned to Nagi and scooped her up in his arms.

"I-I can walk…"

Nagi was clearly flustered now that she realized she was being carried.

"This isn't the time to argue."

Ren turned his head to look toward the street. The fire continued to rage on the opposite side.

Nagi turned to look as well. Her brows furrowed as she saw the devastation across the street.

"What happened?"

"Who knows? But the explosion came from a museum. One with little foot traffic, low revenue, and probably nothing valuable inside."

"A place like that, and someone bombs it?"

Nagi couldn't understand why such a meaningless target would be attacked.

If it was for money, they wouldn't use explosives.

And in a run-down museum like that, the exhibits were probably fake or worthless. Honestly, the explosives were probably worth more than anything inside.

"That's for the police to investigate."

Ren's tone was casual, but Nagi's expression darkened with clear distaste.

"The Metropolitan Police Department isn't exactly reliable in these cases. Something this vicious… If the museum really had no value, why blow it up at all? If the police want results, they'll need some competent officers."

Nagi had seen her share of slow, inefficient detectives.

Even for a bombing with this much impact, if the lead investigator wasn't sharp, it would take weeks to find even the smallest clue.

Though Nagi's words were harsh, Ren—who was also familiar with the Metropolitan Police Department's inefficiencies—could only agree.

"Let's see how the investigation unfolds."

"That said, this doesn't feel like a crime of passion. Crimes of passion don't use explosives. This was clearly premeditated. They'll need to start by tracing the source of the explosives."

"Once they find where the explosives came from, they can figure out who got them. But that won't be easy."

"What we can be sure of is that this wasn't a one-off."

It was a logical analysis.

Such a calculated bombing wouldn't have been carried out for a forgotten, barely visited museum. There had to be something more behind it.

As Ren continued analyzing in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, Nagi suddenly clenched her fist and punched his shoulder.

"You're still analyzing? Why don't you just use your divination already?"

"…Alright, alright. Since you're clearly still shaken, I'll just predict the culprit directly."

(To be continued.)

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