Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 2 Chapter 8 (section)

==Part 3==

There was, of course, a reason why she was using magic in the courtyard, despite risking other students seeing her at lunchtime.

What Raquel was about to use was a spell to sense the Azure’s presence and investigate the number and movements of Drive users within the school. At the same time, she aimed to explore any areas within the school where the Azure’s remnants could be felt, or if there were any people or objects associated with it.

Previously, that same magic had been able to identify several Drive users in the school and locate a student with traces of the Azure. This was a re-investigation.

The subjects were all the students and teachers in the school. She chose lunchtime to bring as many subjects as possible under the spell’s influence.

“…Hah.”

In the center of a large red magic circle drawn in the courtyard, Raquel focused her awareness while slightly lifting her toes off the ground. After a small exhale, she lowered her feet back to the earth. And then, her long hair, which had been dancing lightly in the wind, fell smoothly down her back.

"How was it? Did you find anything?" Naoto, who was keeping watch a short distance away to avoid stepping on the circle, turned around when he heard Raquel land and let out a faint sigh.

He tried not to look at Raquel while she was using magic. Memories he wanted to forget flashed through his mind. The sight of her white skin, completely exposed beneath her lifted skirt, stirred his thoughts.

(...Stop, don't remember.)

Not wanting to question his own morals, Naoto firmly locked the memory away.

“There’s been no change in the Drive users’ behavior. No reactions from the Azure remnants either.” Raquel said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she walked towards Naoto. The red magic circle faded from the ground where she walked, as if water was seeping into the ground.

It was a strange sight no matter how many times he saw it. What was that red ink-like substance that appeared just by tracing it with her fingers? As he wondered, Naoto put his hands on his hips.

“I see, then that’s a relief.”

"That's not good. It means there are no leads connecting us to Spinner." Raquel's golden eyes narrowed as she folded her arms. Naoto scratched his head awkwardly.

"Still, that guy seemed pretty eager to come out on his own again. If we just leave him be, won’t he eventually pop up on his own?"

"What a fool. Spinner only appears when all the conditions are right for him. Do you really want to face Spinner head-on when he's fully prepared?"

"Of course not!" Naoto replied, closing his eyes as if offering a prayer to God.

Raquel was right. There was no reason to wait for Spinner to come to them. If he could avoid waiting, he preferred to do so.

"But it's good that nobody else from the school got involved. For now, at least…" 

He looked up at the shabby school building.It’s not like he was close with everyone. However, he didn’t relish the thought of someone he recognized, someone he spent most of his days with, getting caught up in something dangerous.

"A lead, huh... Oh, that reminds me, I heard that all of Spinner's apostles are men." Naoto casually threw the thought to Raquel, who stood nearby. After a pause of about two seconds, Raquel looked at him and replied.

"That’s right. The sensory organs are too different between men and women. If you want to control someone as an apostle, it’s difficult to share sensations if they’re not the same sex."

"Yeah, I heard that. And I also heard that it puts a huge burden on the sorcerer, so the maximum is probably fifteen..."

That means that besides Isa, the earth science teacher who had been an Apostle until recently, there could be as many as fourteen other apostles at worst. Perhaps Isa's position had already been filled, and they were now operating with a full team of fifteen.

"Why did they choose Isa as an apostle in the first place? I get that he’s a man, but there must be some other criteria for selection."

"Perhaps it's because he could synchronize well as an Apostle... But if there are other reasons, we won't know unless we ask Spinner."

"That's true." No matter how much they speculated, they couldn't verify their answers. 

"......By the way," Raquel began abruptly, as if she had finished her magic and there was no longer any need to be in such a dark place. 

Naoto turned around, and waiting for him was Raquel's slightly annoyed gaze, just enough to be noticeable. 

"That story you just told. You heard it from that woman," she said, referring to Kiiro Hikagami.

The Mitsurugi Agency... to eliminate immortals like Raquel or the threats lurking in the world…

A mysterious Drive user belonging to the organization.

'......Are you still angry?'"

Feeling oddly accused, Naoto scratched his cheek. Raquel shook her head dramatically, her long hair swaying like a tail.

"I'm not angry. I'm just dumbfounded by your recklessness in going to see that woman alone, but that's a different emotion from anger, isn't it? It's just that... I haven't heard properly yet what you talked about with her alone."

"Don't put such a weird spin on it. Cut me some slack."

"But it's the truth."

"Alright, alright. I didn't say I wouldn't tell you." Though Raquel probably didn’t mean anything by it, her questioning tone made Naoto feel like he was being chastised for some immoral wrongdoing. This was no joke. He didn’t deserve to be scolded. It was about yesterday morning.

A few hours before Saya suddenly showed up, and at an early time for lunch, Naoto had received a call the day before to come to a hotel near the station. It wasn't a simple hotel where businessmen would stay, nor was it a sleazy hotel that suited the nightlife. It was a full-fledged hotel where a luxurious chandelier greeted you in the lobby, with soft carpets underfoot.

The designated place was a members-only bar lounge on the top floor. Riding an elevator that moved silently, Naoto met Kiiro Hikagami in the back of the lounge, enduring the gaze of the waiters who looked at him like a foreign object.

It was a room like an observation deck, with large glass windows all around the outer wall. Even though it was a weekday, it was daytime, so there were few customers in the bar lounge, and it was sparse, quiet, and the subdued classical jazz in the background was inducing sleepiness.

On a soft sofa that made him feel as if he were sinking in, Naoto listened to Kiiro talk about Spinner. He heard about how Isa, who had attacked Haruka the other day, survived. She mentioned that even if he managed to reintegrate into society, they would ensure he would never appear before Naoto again. She also said she would dispose of all the photos Isa had collected of Haruka.

After hearing all that, Kiiro leaned closer on the sofa, pressing down on his hand with her own. Naoto felt the air in the room heat up. He tried to pull away, but Kiiro held him with her hand and leaned in, whispering as if begging for a kiss. 

“Hey… Naoto-kun. Won’t you be with me?”

Up until then, Kiiro had maintained a serious atmosphere, though it was difficult to be completely serious with her. Still, she suddenly shifted to a more overtly flirtatious demeanor, her eyes glistening with allure.

This made Naoto tense up even more.

“I don’t get what you mean.”

“I’ll do anything you want, Naoto-kun. I’ll protect you. I’ll take care of Spinner Superior for you... and I can heal your body too.” While holding Naoto’s hand down, Kiiro’s other hand began to move toward his chest. Her fingers sensually traced Naoto's body over his clothes, tracing his collarbone and stroking his right arm.

A chill ran down Naoto's spine. He interpreted it as disgust. He didn't like being touched by Kiiro. It made him feel very uneasy.

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Why are you so obsessed with me?" That was the biggest reason why Naoto felt uncomfortable with Kiiro's touch.

His relationship with Kiiro was shallow—at least for him. They hadn't known each other for long, and his understanding of her was minimal. Yet, Kiiro touched Naoto with an intimacy that didn't match that relationship. It was as if she was trying to drag him into a pit of moral decay, and he hesitated to take a step. Of course, who would be stupid enough to step into a swamp knowing it was a swamp?

Kiiro leaned her cheek against Naoto's shoulder and smiled with her glossy lips.

"Naoto-kun, would you call it love at first sight?"

"No."

“Then it’s fate.”

"Can you stop joking around?" Naoto looked at Kiiro with half-closed eyes, exasperated. She was always like this. It was hard to tell where her sincerity ended and her jokes began. Kiiro pouted at Naoto's reply.

“Oh, come on. I thought you’d at least notice. So annoying!”

“‘So annoying’…?” Naoto never expected to hear such a phrase directly aimed at him.

Ignoring Naoto's mental exhaustion, Kiiro pressed her index finger against her soft lips, thinking as she leaned closer with her voluptuous body.

"Hmm, that's a problem. I don't think I can explain it in words, and even if I did, I don't think Naoto-kun would understand..."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Oh, that's right!" Interrupting Naoto's words, Kiiro lifted the finger from her lips and smiled happily. In a flash of inspiration, she quickly pressed Naoto's hand against her chest.

“Hey, wait a minute...!” Naoto desperately tried to pull his hand away. The hand that had been pulled close had forcefully unbuttoned the top buttons of her blouse, exposing a large portion of her chest and slipping inside.

He could feel the richly exposed bulge of her exposed breasts directly against his palm. The damp sensation of skin, a body temperature slightly higher than his own, and its firm, weighty fullness.

This was bad. Naoto’s instincts were signaling danger.

He tried to pull his hand away, but Kiiro pressed it harder against her chest.

“No, touch me properly. Listen.” 

"What are you thinking...?"

Naoto fell silent, taken aback by the absence of Kiiro's usual flirtation in her voice. In his palm, there was still the unique softness that he never encountered in his daily life. Deep within that fullness, Kiiro's heart was beating.

"Don’t you get it?"

“What?”

“Oh, you’re hopeless!”

With a faint scent of perfume, Kiiro smiled teasingly as she lifted Naoto's other hand. She placed that hand against his chest, over his left side.

"Well?" she asked again, her violet eyes smiling invitingly.

A shiver ran down Naoto's spine. He couldn't help but hold his breath. He finally understood what Kiiro was saying.

A heartbeat.

Two heartbeats, rather. His and hers, both pulsing in the palms of his hands. Their rhythms were perfectly synchronized, as if they were one.

Naoto's heart raced. And so did Kiiro's. It was as if their hearts were one and the same.

"You see, Naoto-kun, we're two halves of the same whole. Together, we can finally become 'one.' I can love every part of you. No, only I can love all of you. If it’s 'Kurogane Naoto,' then I can love it. Even if your right arm is part of that arrogant bloodsucker, I can love you. I don't care about the Mitsurugi Agency or Clavis Alucard.  All I want is..."

Her voice, drenched in lust, breathed hotly against Naoto's neck. The rough, wanton breathing tickled his skin.

Their heartbeats quickened, Naoto's and Kiiro's. Blending together, the sound of blood pulsing in their heads throbbed loudly. 

“All I want is Naoto Kurogane.” She murmured dreamily in a burning voice, lost in pleasure. With a distant look in her eyes, far removed from her usual calm, Kiiro let out a deep, satisfied sigh.

"It's fine, Naoto-kun... you can crush me... however you like."

For a moment, he was stunned. But then he realized what she meant and violently jerked his hand away, as if seared by hot iron. He scrambled off the sofa, pulling away from her. The fingers that had just caressed her soft breasts were now slightly reddened and damp. It was his right hand. The small amount of blood on it seemed to vanish into his skin as if it was soaked up by water.

"Fufufu... now I'm a little bit a part of you, Naoto-kun." Kiiro murmured dreamily, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glazed over with lust. She ran her tongue along her sensual lips.

Naoto felt no pleasure or arousal at the sight. Instead, he clenched his right hand, which had absorbed her blood, and forced himself to calm his ragged breathing. Grinding his heel into the soft carpet, he turned and fled the lounge.