Chapter Sixty-Four: Seeking the Mountain

Beneath the silent shroud of night.

Several hours earlier, within this same darkness—almost at the very moment when Mio Ito and the "Special Operations Unit" erupted into conflict—a young girl walked alone along a country road in Ibaraki Prefecture, dozens of kilometers from Tokyo, her phone in hand, moving steadily forward through the night.

"...Just about another kilometer ahead... That should be Araname Mountain..."

Mana Mizuahara studied the map on her phone, following the rural signposts as she advanced. Ever since she had found a clue in Suo Bookstore pointing toward Araname Mountain, the thought of setting out had lingered in her mind.

Yet, whether it was hesitation and fear toward the mysterious presence behind Sekitani or for some other reason, Mana did not act immediately. Instead, she passed the following days in a distracted daze, going through the motions of student life.

She had removed her glasses and returned to school, but because she had never been particularly social, her subtle transformation went largely unnoticed. Even Ryoko Okuyama, who harbored her own secrets and had been chastened by Mana outside the bookstore, did not dare approach her again.

Thus, Mana Mizuahara encountered little trouble—her parents scarcely remarked on her change, only expressing surprise and delight that she no longer wore glasses.

And so, several blurred days slipped past.

Until, one day, she opened her phone to find a video dominating the familiar supernatural forums she frequented.

—"The Megekamachi Incident! The Blood Angel Reveals Herself!"

To all but certain officials and insiders, the video was dismissed as an uncannily convincing piece of CGI. Only a few harbored any doubt as to its authenticity.

But Mana knew the truth of what she saw.

For the face that appeared in the "Megekamachi Incident," beautiful as an angel, was identical to the one she had seen that day in the abandoned factory—the face of her senior, Mio Ito.

Even more, the image was somehow more flawless, her presence more overwhelming.

She was evolving.

Seated in her classroom, Mana stared in a trance at the video, watching the brief footage over and over. When she finally snapped back to herself, she was drenched in cold sweat.

As someone who had also become deeply entangled with that enigmatic shopkeeper, Mana sensed the change overtaking Mio Ito. Perhaps because both had received that wooden pendant, their powers shared a common origin.

So, with each passing day, Mana could more clearly perceive the nature of Mio Ito’s abilities. From the abandoned factory to Megekamachi, it was as if she were undergoing a metamorphosis—cocoon to butterfly—growing ever more formidable.

Once she realized this—

"...I have to stop her."

The thought flickered in Mana’s heart.

And quickly became conviction.

"This isn’t the time to cower in place and hope someone else will intervene... Even if what I faced on the second floor that day was terrifying... I must go to Araname Mountain, find the shopkeeper or whatever he left behind...

"...Only then can I stop Senior Mio Ito!"

With a chill as though her blood were freezing, Mana stared intently at her phone’s screen, biting her lip in silence.

And so, tonight arrived.

She had chosen a weekend, taken a JR train to Ibaraki Prefecture during the day, left the city behind, and now stood less than a kilometer from Araname Mountain—so close to her goal.

"Yes... Mom, I’m just watching a movie, alone... I’ll be back soon, please don’t worry... Mm, I’ll be home in an hour at most."

After hanging up and allaying her parents’ concerns, Mana couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

Back in an hour? Hardly certain. She might not even return tonight, or tomorrow, or the day after...

Perhaps, she might never return at all.

She drew a deep breath, feeling the fear inside her threaten to break free.

As for Sekitani, that mysterious shopkeeper—Mana herself no longer knew what she felt about him.

He could listen kindly and gently to her deepest thoughts, and yet, on the bookstore’s second floor, radiate a horror as if some unspeakable presence were about to descend.

He could entrust her with a precious occult tome, the "Hermetic Sayings," and help bandage Mio Ito’s wounds—yet he could also bestow power upon Mio Ito without hesitation, letting her commit atrocity after atrocity.

Was he good, or evil?

A terrifying demon, or a god beyond reach?

Mana’s heart grew heavy, unable to settle on an answer.

All she knew was that anything could happen on this journey.

She switched on her phone’s flashlight, illuminating the path. As she walked, the supernatural forums she was registered on filled with new posts.

"I live in Katsushika Ward and just heard explosions kilometers away..."

"What happened? Military drills?"

"I saw fighter jets scrambling."

"wwwww, is Godzilla on the rampage?"

"The whole area’s locked down. I live nearby, and suddenly we’re under Level 2 alert—no one’s allowed outside..."

"I’m here too. An office lady tried to go downstairs but was sent back by the Self-Defense Forces, guns in hand. (laughs)"

"There’s an armored vehicle outside my building—can you believe it? An actual tank!"

"Is it really Godzilla? Are the government forces fighting it?"

"Maybe they’re hunting Ultraman, or digging an Eva Unit out from under Tokyo Bay..."

Similar posts appeared one after another on other forums, but unlike those users, Mana could not share their casual tone.

She had a growing premonition that the events in Katsushika Ward were inextricably linked to Mio Ito. And after this incident, what strength would Mio Ito gain, what disaster might she unleash—Mana had no idea.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the forums she watched—once full of frantic posts—were suddenly wiped clean. In an instant, every relevant thread vanished, and upon refreshing, the forums were inaccessible.

Stunned for a moment, Mana simply shut them down, using her phone’s light to guide her way along the country path.

Soon, she reached the end of the lane. Before her, a mountain loomed.