"I'm terribly sorry—I didn't realize who you were."
The man in the suit hurried to apologize.
"That's not important," Mei replied. She was genuinely curious how Sirin had described her to others, but now wasn't the time to ask. Restraining her curiosity, she said, "Please continue—tell me more about the Whale of Transfiguration."
"Yes, of course!"
The suited man straightened up and began pouring out information like beans spilling from a sack.
Since Raiden Mei was not a battle-hardened veteran like Sirin, he spoke with extra care, emphasizing all the details a beginner should be mindful of.
Namely—beware the abilities of Kami.
When subjugating powerful Kami, they often had followers. And each Kami's powers were unique—when combined, they could form unpredictable, deadly synergies.
The human body was fragile.
So when facing such a variety of strange and dangerous powers, caution was paramount.
Too many had fallen along the path of Kami-hunting.
This was the knowledge she lacked—the experience others had paid for with their lives. Mei listened intently.
The hotel was by the seaside.
Upon arrival, Sirin glanced at the distance from the coast and shot the suited man an exasperated glare. She had almost thought the arrangement wasn't bad—at least they hadn't been asked to rush out in the middle of the night.
But now she realized why.
They were staying right next to the ocean.
If anything happened, they'd be the first to notice—ready to act immediately.
Well, she was used to it by now.
It wasn't a bad arrangement, and the environment was pleasant enough. Besides, this time the lead wasn't hers—it was Raiden Mei's.
And Mei seemed pleased with it.
Their rooms had been prepared in advance; they just needed to pick up their keycards and rest.
There were no shared rooms—after learning there would be four travelers, the staff had opened two additional rooms.
This left Kiana a little disappointed.
She had really wanted to share a room with Mei. If they'd done it once, she wouldn't have to find excuses next time.
And besides…
"This room is huge."
It was indeed luxurious. The most striking feature was a massive floor-to-ceiling window offering a clear view of the sea under the night sky.
And the bed—so large that even four people could lie on it without feeling cramped.
Kiana walked to the window, gazing at the scenery. She could already imagine how stunning it would look by day.
But beneath that beauty lurked unseen danger. From what they'd heard, the number of Kami beneath the sea was far from small.
As she lost herself in thought, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Someone was outside.
"Mei? What brings you here?"
Kiana's eyes lit up as she opened the door and saw who it was. "You want to share a room with me?"
Mei blinked, surprised by the invitation. "…Sorry."
"Maybe next time. I just promised that gentleman I'd visit their observation station to learn more about the Kami."
Seeing that she had something to do, Kiana immediately offered, "Then I'll go with you."
"No need." Mei smiled. "It's rather dull there, honestly. I just want to understand their work a bit better."
Dull… meaning watching monitors all night?
Yeah, that didn't sound like something she'd enjoy. She might even distract Mei.
"Alright then."
"This is what I just bought." Mei handed her a phone. "I've already added my contact info. You can reach me anytime."
"When will you be back?"
"Not sure." Mei shook her head. "But don't worry—I'll stay in touch."
"Okay."
After Mei left, Kiana flopped onto the massive bed, fiddling with her new phone. The interface was spotless—her contact list had only one name: Raiden Mei.
Thinking for a moment, she changed the contact note to Mei Wifey, her grin stretching wide across her face. "Much better!"
But before she could admire her handiwork, the doorbell rang again.
Kiana's heart nearly leapt into her throat.
"W-who's there?"
Her voice carried a trace of nervousness as she quickly hid her phone, guilt flashing across her face as she hurried to the door.
When she opened it, the person outside wasn't Mei—it was Sirin. Kiana let out a small sigh of relief. "What are you doing here?"
Since she hadn't spent much time around Sirin, Kiana restrained herself from blurting out an invitation to share her room.
"I came to take you out for a walk. Coming?"
"Just the two of us?"
"Yeah."
"Shouldn't we invite Yae Sakura too?"
"What about Raiden Mei?" Sirin countered.
"Mei went to the observation post—they're studying the Kami. She's not at the hotel right now."
"A bunch of weird machines… what's there to see? Never mind her." Sirin shook her head. "Yae Sakura said she'd rather not come—she thinks she'd ruin our fun."
"…Because of her ears?"
"Yeah," Sirin nodded, then muttered in annoyance, "Even though I told her to just say they're decorative."
"Leaving her alone here doesn't feel right," Kiana said, frowning slightly. "Maybe I should go talk to her—see if I can change her mind."
"Forget it for today." Sirin grabbed her arm before she could move. "She already turned me down. Said someone needs to stay behind and 'watch the sea.' If you really want to take her out, do it after we kill the Whale."
"Watch the sea? What could she possibly see from here?" Kiana asked, baffled.
"Exactly. It's just an excuse."
"…"
Kiana had no words for that.
So she dropped the subject, grabbed her keycard, and followed Sirin downstairs. Together, they left the hotel.
The hotel stood right by the coast, with little nightlife nearby. Entertainment spots were few and far between, so they hailed a car and headed straight for the city center.
"Wait—so you do have a phone? Then why haven't you added me?"
Once inside the car, Sirin noticed Kiana texting someone, and her brow furrowed with mild irritation.
"Mei gave it to me before she left."
Sirin hummed thoughtfully. "You still don't have a legal ID, do you?"
Kiana froze for a moment, glancing toward the driver in the front seat. Then she shot Sirin a look of silent alarm.
Was this really something to discuss in front of strangers? What if the driver heard and decided to report them—or worse, take a detour straight to the authorities?
She opened her mouth to change the topic—but before she could, a car speeding along the left lane suddenly exploded just ten meters ahead.
The driver slammed the brakes, narrowly avoiding the blast. Flames burst from the wrecked vehicle, lighting up the night with a deafening roar.
Kiana, seated on the left side, flinched hard at the sudden explosion. As she turned her head, she caught sight of a small object flying away from the site of the blast.
But the night was too dark, and from inside the car, she couldn't make out what it was.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven