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

==Part 4==

"Did your heartbeats synchronize with that woman's?" 

Naoto told Raquel only about how his heartbeat and Kiiro's had perfectly synced. He omitted the part about her blood being absorbed and what she had said. Raquel had been waiting for him in front of the hotel after the incident, so she probably had a better understanding of his state immediately afterward than he did.

“Yeah. I don’t really understand it, but it was disturbingly in sync.” Naoto nodded, his confusion evident. Raquel frowned, clearly puzzled. "So, what does that mean? Does that make Kiiro Hikagami..." 

Naoto's question was cut off by Raquel's mumbling. She seemed lost in thought, her hand covering her mouth as she pondered. Naoto sighed. It seemed Raquel didn't have an answer either. Although she seemed to have some ideas based on the fragments of her words, it was unlikely she could provide a coherent explanation until she had thought it through.

"Anyway, that's what happened with Kiiro. We should probably head back. Lunch break is almost over." Naoto said, checking the time on his phone. Their next class was Japanese language, which he wasn't bad at, but their teacher's monotone voice was sleep-inducing, and it would be difficult to stay awake on a full stomach.

“Let’s continue this after school.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s head back.”

It was a relief that Raquel didn’t seem to have any aversion to the idea of “school”. She readily agreed to Naoto’s suggestion and they turned away from the empty schoolyard where there was no trace of the magic circle.

As Naoto and Raquel walked side by side and approached the corridor between the main building and the special classroom wing, a familiar face suddenly appeared from the latter.

“Oh, Kurogane-kun, Alucard-san.”

With a voice that was sharp and confident, she had a tall, slender figure with flowing black hair that cascaded down her back. The one who greeted them was Kana Kirishima, the student council president of Shinkawahama First High School.

Naoto instinctively came to a halt, nearly stumbling.

Kana was an imposing figure with a calm demeanor that belied her young age. Her confident manner and dignified presence had drawn many votes her way during the student council elections, including Naoto’s.

Little did anyone know that just a few days ago, she had been threatened and bullied by Isa, an Apostle of Spinner’s. Only Naoto and Raquel had witnessed the tears streaming down her usually composed face.

“Did you two have lunch together again? You’re so close. Haruka must be jealous.” Kana smiled, her tone slightly teasing as she held a stack of papers to her chest.

Raquel froze, her body rigid as if electrocuted, awkwardly averted her gaze and slipped behind Naoto. Caught between Kana and Raquel, Naoto raised an eyebrow and twisted his mouth.

“Why would Haruka care?”

“Are you serious? You’re quite the cruel person, aren’t you?”

“Cut it out. Haruka and I are just friends, okay?”

“Is that so? Well, that’s what it seems to you.” Kana’s words carried a hidden meaning that was clear to anyone listening. If it had been any other classmate, Naoto might have given a casual retort. But against Kana, he could only groan in frustration.

“Um... Kirishima-senpai, there’s something I want to ask you, if that’s alright?”

“Me? Of course. Go ahead.”

“Do you remember Isa?” Kana blinked, seemingly unsure of Naoto’s intentions. 

“Isa... do you mean Mr. Isa from the Earth Science department? Of course I remember him. Until last week, he was teaching at this school. I heard he retired due to ill health. It’s such a shame.”

Kana frowned, her expression softening as if to reproach Naoto for addressing his teacher so informally. It was more a fleeting sympathy for someone she had had as a teacher than any real concern for the person who had threatened her.

“Oh... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s fine if you know him,” Naoto forced a smile, trying to cover up his blunder. Kana looked at him suspiciously and tilted her head slightly.

“Is that so? That’s a strange question.”

“No, there’s no deep meaning...”

“Ah, there you are, Kirishima-senpai!”

Before Naoto could think of an excuse, a familiar male voice cut in.

The owner of the voice came bustling up, panting slightly. “Oh, Naoto and Raquel! What a surprise. Where have you two been? Don’t miss out on any event flags, Naoto!” He flashed a bright, carefree smile at Naoto. It was Shinnosuke Fukuda, Naoto’s classmate and best friend.

“How can you say that without any shame?” Naoto retorted. What event flags? Shinnosuke’s usual playful banter naturally drew a wry smile from Naoto.

Kana’s imposing presence seemed to soften somewhat in the face of Shinnosuke’s carefree aura. While it was a bit irritating to feel relieved by his presence, Naoto was grateful to have avoided the question about Isa.

Noticing Shinnosuke was carrying a bundle of files that looked to be twice as heavy as Kana’s stack, Naoto asked, “What’s with that huge load?”

“It’s the records from last year’s cultural festival. You know I’m in the library committee, right? I’m keeping them,” Shinnosuke said, making an exaggerated effort to readjust the files in his arms. Then he turned to Kana. “Sorry, I’m in a hurry. I’ve found everything. Should I take it all to the student council room?”

“Yes, please. I’m heading there too, so let’s go together.”

“Okay!”

“See you later.” Kana gave a light bow and started walking away with Shinnosuke in tow.

“See you later!” Shinnosuke followed Kana, struggling under the weight of the heavy files as they entered the main building.

“The cultural festival...” Naoto muttered to himself.

Naoto watched Kana and Shinnosuke leave, somewhat lost in thought. However, what occupied his mind was entirely unrelated.

“She didn’t remember, did she?” Raquel said, approaching from behind with a composed expression, as if she hadn’t been hiding like a shadow, afraid of Kana’s presence.

Naoto was used to Raquel’s nonchalant attitude. As soon as Kana was gone, she puffed out her chest as usual, and Naoto simply nodded in response, a wry smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah. I wonder what they did to her memory.”

Kana didn’t remember anything about Isa, not the threats, nor what had happened between them. Rather than pondering the methods used, Naoto was simply glad she had forgotten. There was no good reason for her to remember such a thing.

What troubled him was the eerie presence of the Mitsurugi Agency, the organization responsible for manipulating Kana's memory.

“I don’t think about it often, but are they still watching us?” 

Kiiro had once mentioned that the Mitsurugi Agency was monitoring both Naoto and Raquel. They claimed to have no interest in interfering with their personal lives, but the idea of being watched was unsettling.

Raquel seemed to feel the same way and snorted in annoyance.

“The Mitsurugi Agency... they must be moving behind the scenes. We can’t just sit around waiting for clues to appear.”

They didn’t know when Kiiro or that sinister organization would strike again. They had to settle things with Spinner and find a way to reach the surprise before that happened.

“So what are we going to do? Just go around creating magic circles and searching blindly?”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea. But... there’s something more fundamental, something important.” With only five minutes left until lunch break ended, Raquel walked alongside Naoto, looking straight ahead as she spoke in a firm tone.

"Something important?" Naoto was puzzled. He pointed at himself questioningly, and Raquel nodded confidently, as if she had already taken on the role of his mentor.

“Of course. To face a powerful enemy, we need... training.”

Naoto was speechless for a moment. He scratched his head, wondering where she had gotten such an idea.