Cassius emotionlessly watched as the Dark Ape's eyeballs and pink brain matter splattered against the collapsed hospital wall. His face briefly twisted in disgust before he took off his jacket and approached the heartbroken blonde girl. He covered her exposed body, then gently lifted her into a princess carry. As the Serrated Devil Blade wrapped itself around his right arm, Cassius felt an unfamiliar sting of pain in his heart upon seeing Aya's utter dismay.
A part of him couldn't help but blame himself for the incident. Yet, a bigger part of him thanked his earlier self for deciding to double-check the hospital room before assisting with the monster disposal. If he hadn't made those choices, Aya would have…
Cassius's face froze over again, but before his mood could worsen further, a feminine voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Are you one of the patients here? Are you not aware of the evacuation notice?! You need to leave right away—"
That was when the valiant Corra noticed the blood covering the unknown man from head to toe. Her gaze then shifted to the partially nude girl cradled in his arms. Unconsciously, her blade hand tightened, and her expression hardened.
"What were you doing up here…? And who is that girl?"
When the bloodied man turned to face her, Corra felt an uncontrollable sense of fear crawl up and down her spine, eliciting intense shivers. Stuttering, she raised her silver sword shakily and commanded, "St-Stop right there and state your identification! U-Under these emergency circumstances, I have the right to detain you!"
Cassius's slow, unassuming footsteps passed right by the jittery Lead Hunter as he coldly turned his face toward her before continuing on his way.
"Even with this pitiful amount of monsters and so many of you, this was the best you could do…? Pathetic."
"Y-You…"
Corra couldn't even refute his words—they were the truth.
When she turned around to confront him out of desperation, he was already long gone, taking with him all the unanswered questions swirling in her mind. Then, her ears perked up at the distinct flashing of a sword and sparks flying all over the hospital grounds.
Rushing outside, Corra froze in disbelief. All the monsters had been chopped into countless pieces, their Magic Shards scattered everywhere. The other Hunters shared her bewilderment as they stared at a shadowy silhouette sauntering past the hospital gates before vanishing like an illusory ghost.
"...Leader… Do you know who that monstrous man was?"
"...No… I couldn't get a proper look at his face because of all the blood," Corra replied, still reeling from the shock.
"Neither could we…"
Silence.
A heavy hush hung in the air, reeking of iron. None of the gathered Hunters had ever experienced anything like this before.
Breaking the silence, an E-Rank Hunter stepped forward. "I think that man just left the Gate after clearing it. Originally, I thought my fatigued eyes were playing tricks on me. But look for yourself, Leader…"
"!!!"
Corra's eyes widened as she followed the Hunter's pointing finger.
"How could this be?! The Gate is closing! To do this all by himself… We need to report this to Headquarters and find a way to obtain any information about that man!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The gathered Hunters trailed behind their leader, picking up all the Magic Shards along the way. If the mysterious bloodied man hadn't taken them, surely he wouldn't mind them making a profit in his stead?
A few miles away.
Cassius felt a sneeze tickle the back of his throat, getting the odd sense that someone was talking about him. He had already returned home but had to sneak in through his room's window to avoid alerting his father and stepmother to Aya's condition. Seeing her as she was would surely worry them.
'Still, she's probably been gone for a while. They're likely starting to feel some trepidation anyway…'
Realizing this, Cassius ran a hot shower, preparing to clean himself up before waking Aya so she could do the same. Being covered in blood would only worsen things. However, just as he put this plan into motion, a knock came at the door.
"Cassius, dear?" Sasha's soft voice carried a hint of worry despite her efforts to conceal it.
"Yes?" he replied, curious as to why she was sudden referring to him like that.
'She has never been too openly nice to me before... This is... Weird...'
Oblivious to the growing suspicion in his heart, Sasha said, "I was just wondering… do you have any idea where Aya is? And you must have been discharged from the hospital early because of the Sudden Gate… Are you doing alright?"
Cassius faintly smiled, a stark contrast to his demeanor from just minutes ago. It felt strange to have someone care about him, but he couldn't deny that he liked it.
"I haven't seen Aya lately," he said with a smirk, "but I'm sure she's doing just fine. I mean, with a mom like hers—strong-willed, stunning, and clearly unforgettable—it must run in the family, right?"
A faint blush spread across Sasha's cheeks. "I-I hope you're right… And you're doing fine…?" she repeated.
Cassius's smile grew fonder. "Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern."
"Mhmm…" Sasha nodded nervously, her worry still apparent as she scurried away. However, before she could leave the hallway, she heard her stepson softly call out, "Goodnight."
She paused, then replied, "Goodnight, Cassius."
'For the first time in two years, I have been able to say what I meant to him... It's a pleasant feeling... However, it feels horrible to know that I can only get like this when in times of urgency...'
'Well, at least this is a step forward... That matters more to me.'
A slight sense of satisfaction replaced some of her worry. It felt like she was finally getting closer to her usually reserved stepson. His past experiences—perhaps involving false accusations—seemed to explain why he kept his distance, especially from women. And it wasn't like her inability to properly articulate her thoughts helped the matter any.
'Still, it was nice to see him speak more freely with me, even if his tone was a bit… flirtatious...'