Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 6===

"Look, over there." Raquel's sharp voice cut through the swirling wind, signaling the end of Naoto's aerial journey. The wind, which had been roughly but obediently carrying Naoto and Raquel, softened its force as it determined their landing point and gently lowered them to the ground. But when the weight that had been supported by the wind suddenly returned, Naoto was unable to brace himself and collapsed to the side.

"Oof!"

"Pathetic." Raquel, who had been carrying him a moment ago, casually released her arm and looked down at Naoto, who was sprawled on the ground.

"You..." Naoto glared up at Raquel, his temples twitching in annoyance, fully aware of how awkward he looked. But despite his anger, Naoto felt a slight sense of exhilaration inside. It had been less than a minute. But the experience of soaring high on the wings of the wind, flying over the rooftops of the apartment buildings, had thrilled Naoto. It was as if his youthful heart had been stirred. Compared to the dream of flying he had had as a child, the reality was much more exhilarating, and much more terrifying. His hands, which were planted on the ground, trembled slightly.

"Naoto, don’t space out. We might lose her." Raquel urged.

"R-right..." Naoto shook off the lingering sensation of flight, slapping his cheeks lightly to regain focus and stood up.

"This way."

With a clear sense of Kana's location guided by the residual energy, Raquel led the way, and Naoto followed closely behind. Resuming their tail, Naoto immediately felt a sense of unease about the surrounding area. They were in an old residential district within walking distance of the station. Its antiquity was far deeper than that of the surrounding neighborhoods, as if the passage of time had cast a gloomy shadow over this particular block.

If the unmanned apartment complex project had progressed smoothly, this would have been the next area to be developed. As a result, many residents had moved away, and few remained. Those who still lived there were either reluctant to move ahead of the development plan or had missed the opportunity. Or perhaps they were attracted to the cheap rent of the properties, which were considered spooky due to their age and dimness. It was highly unlikely that Kana would live in a place like this. Some part of this residential area must be her destination. With that in mind, Naoto tightened his grip.

Kana was just around the corner. Her bright red coat stood out against the gray world like a single drop of color, both vivid and precarious. She passed by a dilapidated house that looked like it could collapse at any moment, and then an apartment building of an old design that was rarely seen these days. Finally, she entered a certain apartment building.

Looking up, Naoto couldn't help but exclaim, "Whoa."

It was evening, and the sun must have begun to set beyond the clouds. The cloudy sky was dim. A gloomy atmosphere seemed to creep into the area as if night had come early, and the temperature had dropped significantly. The apartment building Kana had entered was five stories tall and long. It must have been a dazzling building with white tiles pasted all over it. But now it was dirty and grimy everywhere, and in some places, the tiles had fallen off. It had probably been years, or even more than a decade, since it had been cleaned. The accumulated dust clearly marked where people walked and where they didn't, and the thick glass door at the entrance was completely clouded, making it impossible to see clearly what was on the other side.

"Here...?" Naoto murmured, stopping in front of the entrance. He could hear Kana's footsteps ascending the stairs. There was something that looked like an elevator in front of him, but she wasn't using it, perhaps because it was broken. Considering the state of the building, it was entirely possible.

"No doubt about it. I can faintly sense the remnants of the Azure from various parts of this building," Raquel said, her gaze fixed on the apartment building, her eyes narrowed. A sense of tension began to spread slowly.

Naoto took a shallow breath and turned to look at her.

"So, is Spinner in there?"

"No... The Azure residue is still too weak to belong to Spinner. Besides, a magician of his caliber wouldn’t leave such obvious traces behind. Most likely, what remains is the residue of his Apostle."

"Apostle..." Naoto muttered bitterly, following Raquel's gaze as she stared up at the apartment building. The image of the bug-like creature he had encountered in the unmanned apartment complex flashed through his mind. The disgusting way the bugs had burst out of its head still sent a shiver down his spine.

"So, Kirishima-senpai got involved with that Apostle, which is why I can sense the remnants of the Azure... I can't get Senpai caught up in this. For now, I’ll just keep an eye on things..." If he was going to make a move, it would have to be after ensuring Kana's safety. As he thought this and formulated his plan, he turned around again—but Raquel was nowhere to be found.

"Hey... what?" He frantically looked around. Then, a shocking sight caught his eye. Raquel had somehow already gone inside and was chasing after Kana up the stairs.

"What the hell is she thinking?!" If Kana noticed her, how would she explain it? Or worse, what if Spinner's Apostle spotted Raquel and attacked? She could put Kana in danger. And most importantly, was she not considering the possibility that this could be a trap, with Kana as bait?

"Damn it!" he cursed, and dashed towards the heavy glass door at the entrance of the apartment building. He had to hurry, but he also had to be careful not to make too much noise and alert Kana. He quietly climbed the stairs, two at a time.

As he passed the fourth floor and headed towards the fifth, he heard Raquel's voice. "What are you doing here?" she demanded in a sharp tone.

"That idiot..." Naoto hissed under his breath as he ran up the remaining steps. 

Raquel stood elegantly in the fifth-floor hallway. Her unwavering golden gaze was fixed on Kirishima Kana, who was wearing a red coat with the hood pulled up over her head. Through the triangular opening of the red fabric, her surprised and frightened expression was clearly visible. Kana was standing in front of the room at the very end of the fifth floor. She was about to press the intercom button. Her white fingertips trembled slightly as she hovered over the small button.

"Alucard-san... Kurogane-kun... w-why..." Kana's voice, which Naoto had never heard before, was weak and trembling as she looked up at them with wide eyes. The large Boston bag she was carrying slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. "Oh..." With a heavy thud, the Boston bag bounced once on the floor before coming to a stop. The contents spilled out of the bag, caught on the partially open zipper, which had been forcibly jammed shut.

Naoto frowned at the items scattered across the hallway. There were ropes, handcuffs, strange leather bands he didn't recognize, and even red candles - all items he had seen in the catalog from the store they had visited earlier.

"No... no, no, no!"  

Finally realizing what was scattered at her feet, Kana looked up at Raquel and Naoto with wide, tear-filled eyes. She crawled on the floor, gathering the scattered "tools" with trembling hands.

"No... no, don't look! It's not what it looks like...!" Where was the perfect, elegant young lady? The "queen" of Shinkawahama First High School, the dignified and beautiful vice president of the student council? She was nowhere to be found. Ignoring the dirt on her clothes, she knelt on the grimy hallway floor, desperately trying to gather the scattered items.
Her cheeks were wet with tears, like a scolded child. She curled up into a ball, using her body to hide the items she had gathered. Her usually flowing black hair was now plastered to her tear-stained cheeks, dragged along the dusty floor.

"What were you doing here? Answer me." Standing in front of Kana, Raquel asked again in a stern voice. Naoto grimaced slightly and scratched his head.

(Man, as soon as she gets the upper hand, she immediately reverts to her usual self...)

Just a few hours ago, when she'd run into Kana at school, she'd been so out of breath. Raquel's domineering gaze made Kana look even weaker and more pathetic.

"I'll ask her," he said, and then, somewhat forcefully, he crouched down in front of Kana. "Senpai..."

"Please..." Kana lifted her tear-streaked face and clung to Naoto's feet, pushing various items further into her skirt in a desperate attempt to hide them. "Please, I'll do anything... I'll do anything, just don't say...!"

"Anything...?" Naoto furrowed his brow, his voice filled with disgust. "Anything" was a big word. Especially coming from Kana. He couldn't believe she would say something like that so easily. The thought made a heavy, unpleasant feeling settle in his chest.

"Kirishima-senpai, I won't tell anyone about this. So, can you please tell me what happened?" Perhaps he should have spoken more gently. Even as he thought that, his voice sounded harsh and interrogative. Nevertheless, Kana, between sobs and gasps for air, managed to speak in a barely audible voice.

"Well, it started with an online post. I was just curious, you know? Wondering what kind of store it was... But when I went out, my teacher saw me. He asked me what I was buying at a place like this and said that if I didn't want everyone to know, it would have to be our little secret. So, I promised him just once, and I came here... But then I found out that he'd been filming it!" And from there, it was the usual pattern. Blackmailed with the videos he'd taken, she was forced to do things she didn't want to do, over and over again. The more she did, the more he had on her, and the harder it became to refuse his demands.

"This is disgusting..." Naoto muttered under his breath. The teacher probably used the store himself. Otherwise, why would he call it a "place like this" without even knowing what was inside?

"But lately, he seems to be getting bored of me... He keeps talking about Haruka, Haruka, Haruka..." Kana's words, delivered through sniffles, felt like a bucket of cold water to Naoto.

"Haruka...? Wait, what do you mean!?" Grabbing Kana by the shoulders, Naoto forced her to look up. A bad feeling was creeping up his spine, the same chill he'd felt when he'd left the back alley store.

Kana clutched at Naoto's sleeve with trembling hands, but couldn't meet his gaze. "Lately, my teacher has been acting strange. Today, he ordered me to bring Haruka. But I couldn't let anything happen to her, I couldn't let her go through this... so I thought I'd have to satisfy him, so I bought new things..." She couldn't finish her sentence and hung her head low.
Naoto pulled his hand away from Kana's shoulder. If he hadn't, he might have squeezed it in anger. He looked up at the intercom button Kana had been about to press. His gaze slid upward as he searched for the nameplate. The name read... "Isa."

(Isa...?)

Naoto couldn't believe his eyes. But his disbelief was quickly replaced by anger.

"...What the hell."  Naoto stood up, his throat vibrating with restrained rage. He didn't have any particular feelings for Kana. Nor did he respect or rely on Isa. So he didn't feel betrayed by either of them. But this was going too far. The idea of him trying to get his hands on Haruka was unforgivable.

"You're messing with the wrong person, Isa!" Yelling out in frustration, Naoto grabbed the doorknob and pulled. It was locked, of course. But undeterred, he pulled again, this time with all his might. With a sickening crack, the door swung open. The lock had broken, its shattered pieces clinking to the floor. Stepping over them, Naoto entered the room.

The kitchen was the first thing he saw, followed by two connected Japanese-style rooms. The back room was long, with a futon laid out in the far corner. A three-legged stool stood at the foot of the bed. But there was no camera.

"How disgusting," Raquel muttered, following Naoto into the room and wrinkling her nose. She covered her mouth with her hand.

The apartment was dirty and cluttered, typical of a single man who didn't clean up after himself. Empty beer cans were scattered around the kitchen, and a used lunchbox was tossed onto a low table in the middle room. Clothes were strewn everywhere, including underwear.

"No one's here," Raquel said calmly, passing Naoto as he surveyed the room. She walked to the far room and gently touched the thin futon. She muttered a short incantation, and light emanated from her fingertips, spreading throughout the room. “Just as I thought. The master of this room is a Spinner's Apostle.”

"Damn it..." Naoto grimaced. If Isa was a minion of Spinner’s, that meant they were after Haruka.

"Raquel, can you find Isa's location!?" 

"Don't order me around. I'm your master."

Though she sounded annoyed, Raquel quickly drew a magic circle on the floor. Naoto was momentarily relieved; despite her grumbling, she was always willing to help. He watched in awe as the magic circle formed beneath her white fingers. After a short incantation, the air swirled and light flashed. When Raquel opened her eyes, she blinked in surprise. "Oh... the school?"

A cold sensation pierced Naoto. He remembered the uneasy feeling he'd had when he'd left the back alley store. A bad feeling. This must have been what it meant.

Thinking it would be worse... Haruka's words echoed in Naoto's mind.

"Damn it!" Naoto bolted from Isa's apartment, brushing past Kana who was still weeping. He raced down the stairs.

(This is such a pain!)

Without a second thought, Naoto placed his hand on the wall of the landing and launched himself outside. He wasn't thinking at all. The only thing on his mind was getting to the school as quickly as possible. Naoto jumped down from a height that would normally be dangerous, but he landed without any damage and immediately took off running at breakneck speed. He thought he heard Raquel calling after him, but he didn't have time to look back. He took out his phone and called Haruka. Instead of a ringtone, a recorded message informed him that the person he was trying to reach was out of service. Annoyingly, there was no cell phone reception in any of the classrooms at Shinkawahama First High.

"Damn it... damn it, damn it!" He realized that the sun had set and the sky was growing dark, the streetlights casting a pale glow. How much time had passed? The wind had picked up, and the clouds that had covered the sky all day were beginning to break up. He pushed against the wind that was blowing directly into his face. His stomach was churning with a mixture of anger and anxiety. His body was burning with passion.






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