The group's injuries had been treated, their wounds cleaned and stitched together, and they sat in silence, dealing with the memories of their narrow escape.
Ren and Mai remained unconscious and were layed in one of the rooms.
Sato stood by Kai at the entry leading into the room, his gaze moving between the two sleeping figures. The tension in the air was obvious as Kai began to narrate the events that led to their escape, his voice full of fear and anxiety.
"I didn't believe it at first," Kai said, his eyes reflecting the ache of what he had seen.
Sato's face twisted with confusion, the pieces of the puzzle refusing to come together. "How could she…?" he began, his words trailing off as a thought occurred to him, his expression shifting from confusion to dawning horror. "No, it's not possible."
Before Sato could make sense of the unsettling scenarios, the door burst open with an a bang. Arumi stumbled out of the room, her hands bloodied and her face drawn with exhaustion.
"You need to see this," she insisted, her voice tense with anxiety as she led both of them to into room, urgency in her every step. "It's Mai. It's her arm.
Sato's brow raised in confusion, but he followed Arumi. As the two reached the room, Kai followed closely behind.
Arumi gently rolled up Mai's sleeve, revealing the arm that had mystified her. Sato's eyes widened in shock, his breath catching in his throat.
The scene that greeted them was nothing short of breathtaking. Mai's arm was etched with intricate patterns that glowed faintly with a subtle, pulsing light. They resembled runes, symbols that appeared to be alive, moving and shifting slightly beneath the skin.
"What is this?" Sato breathed, just above a whisper.
Kai took a step forward, his disbelief obvious. "I've never seen anything like this. "How did this happen?"
Arumi shook her head, her looks dreary. "I do not know. When I was treating her, I noticed nothing unusual. The symbols appeared after she was cleaned up.
Sato leaned out, hesitated for a second, then softly stroked the glowing marks. They were warm to the touch, it felt as if Mai's arm was filled with energy. "This is... beyond us."
A grunt from the corner of the room caught their attention. Ren stirred, his eyes flickering open. He gazed about, disoriented, before focusing on the crowd gathered around Mai. He struggled to sit up, mumbling, "What…what's going on?"
Kai swiftly hurried to his side and assisted him into a sitting position. Ren blinked several times, his expression hardening as he took in the sight of Mai's glowing symbols.
Ren looked at Kai and the others, confused and shocked.
"What's happened to her?" Ren inquired, his serious tone breaking the calm room. "Is this why she was able to take down the yomigaeri? "Are these markings the reason?"
Sato caught Ren's stare, the uncertainty in his eyes evident. "We are not sure. All we know is that these markings were not present up until moments ago. There's obviously something going on, but what it signifies..." he paused, his mind racing with possibilities.
"We need answers," Kai interjected, glancing nervously at the runes that adorned Mai's arm.
Mai winced as another wave of energy pulsed through her.
With his eyes fixed on the group, Sato stepped forward, the weight of his words apparent in his tone.
"This isn't a coincidence. Everything points to something bigger, something we're not seeing yet. The yomigaeri that wouldn't enter the store, the one that killed both humans and yomigaeri, this girl's apparent ability to kill a yomigaeri by accident, and now these markings on her arm. All of it fits together in a way that seems too convenient to be chance. There's more to this than meets the eye."
"We might be dealing with a force beyond our comprehension," Kai said, furrowing his brow.
Arumi who had been listening all this while finally managed to ask what their next move will be.
Sato gave a curt nod, his eyes taking on a resolute glint as he turned to Arumi. "We'll wait until Mai wakes up, and truth be told, I'm unsure if we can trust her. We'll need to assess the situation fully once she's awake."
Kai and Ren nodded in agreement . It was clear they all shared the same uneasiness about this mystery unfolding before them.
Arumi escorted Sato and Kai out of the room, but Ren swiftly followed, claiming he was better and could go now.
After a brief delay, Arumi consented, and they all proceeded to the common room where they normally gathered to discuss and make choices.
The common room was softly lighted, sending lengthy shadows across the worn-out furnishings. Sato, Kai, Ren, and Arumi returned to their normal positions, the weight of the fresh findings bearing hard on them.
The others had already gathered there, waiting for their arrival.
As they sat in the room the weight of Kazuo's death hung heavy in the air. A minute's silence was observed in his memory. This obviously triggered strong emotions, but they were restrained because the main concern was what to do with the new girl, Mai, who was still unconscious.
After the silence, Sato cleared his throat, breaking the tension.
As the group pondered their options, Nana, a middle-aged woman with greying hair, spoke up in a quiet but firm voice. "We can't forget about Kazuo, but we also can't forget that he died fighting the Yomigaeri. If these markings on Mai's arm could help us fight them, don't we owe it to him to find out what they mean?"
Shiro nodded in agreement. "Nana's right. If there's even a chance that these markings could help us survive, we have to explore it."
"I understand where you're coming from, Shiro," Kanoe said, her eyes filled with determination, "but we don't know anything about these markings. For all we know, they could be dangerous. We can't just trust a stranger, no matter how convenient it may seem."
The room fell silent, the implications of their decision weighing heavily on them all. As the stillness stretched on, a quiet shuffling from the adjacent room snapped their attention towards the doorway. Mai stood there, her hair disheveled and her eyes glazed with confusion.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice weak and unsure. "Why am I here?"
The tension in the room was palpable, each person waiting for someone else to speak.