"Mhm... I have a feeling I will find it soon! Let
see... Where on earth did I put it..."
Inside the warm Barrier, Petite Hitomi anxiously watched Rash Sakuramiya, who only had a pair of tiny feet poking out from a mountain of clutter. Unable to hold back, she urged,
"Are... are you done yet? If we don't head out quickly, she might catch up to us very soon!"
Originally, Petite Hitomi had planned to leave imdiately, but Rash Sakuramiya insisted there was a crucial item she had to bring along.
As a result, an unknown amount of ti had passed, and she still had not co out. This left Petite Hitomi burning with anxiety, terrified that the demon would find them.
"Alright, alright..."
Rash Sakuramiya truly lived up to her na; her room was an absolute, unorganized ss.
Aside from the bedroom she first arrived in within the Barrier, every other space was heaped with a chaotic jumble of movie props and local specialties.
After searching for a long ti, the samurai helt-wearing Rash Sakuramiya seed to have finally located her mysterious item.
Sticking her butt out, she slowly crawled her way out of the junk pile inch by inch...
"Alright, fully prepared!"
Only when she erged did Petite Hitomi realize that she was draped in a wide assortnt of items.
A pair of red running shoes, a daito fastened at her waist, a high-powered flashlight, and...
A locket pendant containing a black and white photograph of Yan Huan!
"You... you took all that ti just to find these?"
"Of course not! I was looking for my secret weapon, but I have hidden it away for now. It can only be used at a critical mont!"
With that said, Rash Sakuramiya offered no further explanation. She simply kissed the black and white photograph of Yan Huan resting on her chest, then walked over to the door.
"Co on, let our magnificent and epic adventure begin at once!"
Petite Hitomi flew onto her shoulder and watched as she reached out and grasped the doorknob.
"Hum!!"
The mont their hands made contact, the door seed to beco connected to another Barrier.
"Rattle-rattle-rattle"
But when Rash Sakuramiya pulled the doorknob, the door completely refused to open.
"It is locked?"
"Yes... Many Sakuramiyas learned about Perfect Sakuranomiya, so they locked their Barriers. We cannot pass through Barriers like this."
"Then shouldn't we just lock our doors and be fine? How is that Perfect Sakuranomiya killing people?"
"I do not know either, but she seems to have so way of opening locked Barriers."
Petite Hitomi pursed her lips, then suggested,
"Anyway, let's try switching to another Barrier first. We will eventually encounter one that is unlocked."
"Alrighty!"
Rash Sakuramiya licked her lips. With every pull, the door before her would instantly change its appearance.
A wooden door, a security door, a sliding door...
They were denied entry countless tis, to the point where even Petite Hitomi began to feel disheartened...
Until the door finally morphed into a dull iron gate, and Rash Sakuramiya successfully twisted the latch open in an instant.
"Click!"
"It opened!"
Before the two Sakuramiyas could celebrate, the heavy iron door emitted an extrely piercing screech as it was pushed open.
"Creaaak..."
Behind the door lay a pitch-black expanse where one could not even see their own fingers.
Only the slight draft blowing against their faces indicated that the deep and secluded space inside was quite spacious.
"Hsss..."
Holding onto the doorfra, Petite Hitomi and Rash Sakuramiya peered into the darkness. Both of them swallowed a mouthful of saliva, hesitating to move forward.
"This room looks incredibly scary... Should we maybe try a different one?"
"...We have already been trying for so long. If we do not go in now, who knows how long it will take to randomly roll an unlocked door again."
Rash Sakuramiya pondered for a second, sweat beading on her forehead. Then, as if risking it all, she opened her locket to reveal the black and white photograph of Yan Huan. Holding it high above her head, she stepped inside with trembling legs.
"Do not be afraid, the President will protect us!!"
"..."
Petite Hitomi stared blankly at Rash Sakuramiya's back view. After hesitating for several seconds, she summoned her courage and followed suit.
"Creaaak~"
The mont they stepped inside, the iron door slamd shut behind them, plunging the entire space into total darkness and making them both jolt in fright.
"Eek!!"
The two Sakuramiyas, one larger and one smaller, hugged each other tightly in the dark. Neither dared to move; they could only feel each other's shortness of breath and racing heartbeats.
They stared at each other with wide eyes for a long while before Petite Hitomi finally broke the silence.
"...Didn't you bring a flashlight? Wh-why aren't you using it?"
"Oh, right! I completely forgot..."
A second later, a bright beam flared from Rash Sakuramiya's hand, instantly illuminating the surrounding space.
As it turned out, this was a very spacious yet completely empty corridor, with only the far end leading into a room devoid of a door.
"Co on, let's go check it out over there."
"Mhm..."
Promptly, Rash Sakuramiya gently drew her daito and stealthily crept toward the entrance.
As soon as they reached the doorway and shined the flashlight inside, both Rash Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi were utterly stunned.
Within the factory-like spacious room, countless old, discarded televisions of various models were stacked into rolling hills, all with their screens facing outward.
Gazing out into the pitch-black expanse, the distant mountains of televisions were only vaguely visible as faint silhouettes, making the sight incredibly striking.
"Just... which Sakuramiya lives here? Why would she put so many televisions here?"
Rash Sakuramiya rested her daito against her shoulder, her face full of confusion as she voiced her doubt.
However, the mont she spoke, a single television on one of the nearby mounds suddenly flickered to life.
"Bzzzt..."
The two hastily looked over, only to see a screen full of static emitting an ear-piercing hiss.
"Bzzzt..."
But imdiately after, one television after another began to light up like scattered stars across the surrounding mountains of screens.
As more and more screens illuminated, Rash Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi realized that every single television was broadcasting footage of them, fild from various hidden, creepy angles.
This gave Petite Hitomi a massive fright. She quickly followed the trajectory of one of the angles, trying to locate a potential surveillance cara.
However, in the absolute darkness, she could not see anything at all.
It felt as though countless hidden eyes were staring intently at them, giving them intense goosebumps...
"Bzzt."
Then, a single character surfaced on each television screen.
Reading them from left to right ford a complete sentence:
"What are you doing here? You are not welco here, leave imdiately!"
Seeing this, Petite Hitomi pursed her lips and hurriedly explained,
"Hello, unknown Sakuramiya. I am Petite Hitomi, and this is Rash Sakuramiya. The situation is like this..."
Petite Hitomi recounted the entire sequence of events, and the words on the televisions vanished one by one.
After a long period of silence, new text surfaced,
"I understand... Now, please leave."
"Wait a mont! If possible, could you please join us and help look for the President?"
"No. Leave."
"Wait! Then... could you at least show yourself and give us more information? For instance, where is this Barrier located in reality? If it is not in Linn, could you point us to an exit so we can head to the next Barrier..."
However, such ordinary words contained a specific term that seed to severely trigger the hiding Sakuramiya.
"LEAVE!"
The word on the televisions turned a glaring blood-red. Right after, every single television roared to life.
To their shock, the screens displayed surveillance feeds from the doorways of various rooms in completely different locations.
Feeds from their hotown in Sakura Country, from foreign lands around the world, from Linn, and even surveillance from inside the rooms of certain Sakuramiya Barriers...
"Rumble!!"
Then, those televisions seed to spring to life, howling as they tipped over and crashed into one another, tumbling toward them like a tidal wave to drive them out.
"Eek!!"
Seeing this, Rash Sakuramiya was so frightened that the samurai helt on her head went crooked.
She subconsciously turned and ran. However, seeing Petite Hitomi still hovering blankly in midair, she grabbed her in one fell swoop and dashed back the way they ca.
Great, all their previous efforts were completely wasted!
"There's no other way, we have to retreat to my Barrier first! Run!"
"Ah, hey?!"
Rash Sakuramiya sprinted wildly with Petite Hitomi in tow, reaching the door and forcefully grabbing the doorknob.
"Rumble-rumble!"
The avalanche of televisions surged nacingly behind them. As Petite Hitomi watched them close in, she was already calculating what they should do after wasting so much ti.
But after a few seconds, she still had not heard the sound of Rash Sakuramiya opening the door. Stunned, she turned her head to look at her,
"Wh-why haven't you opened the door yet?"
"..."
Hearing this, the corners of Rash Sakuramiya's mouth stiffened slightly.
She then turned her head with an awkward smile and rubbed the back of her head,
"Umm... I think I forgot where my Barrier is. I can't find it right now..."
"Huh?!"
Petite Hitomi was utterly dumbfounded.
"Crash!"
But at this mont, the rolling wave of televisions had already squeezed into the corridor. It was obvious that if they did not open the door right now, they would both be buried alive.
It's...
It's over!!
Their mission was dood before it even truly began. Watching helplessly as the televisions crashed right into their faces, they were so terrified that they huddled against the wall and squeezed their eyes shut.
"Waaa!!"
However, in the next second, they only felt a gentle bump against their bodies...
It was as if they had rely been brushed by a gust of wind.
Why was it all thunder and no rain?
"Eh?"
Only upon contact did Petite Hitomi realize that the televisions just looked intimidating; in reality, they carried absolutely no weight.
They felt just like air...
In fact, even soone as tiny as her could effortlessly push a television aside?
"??"
Rash Sakuramiya blinked. With a gentle kick, the countless televisions before them instantly tumbled backward.
"Was it... just a bluff?"
She stared blankly at the televisions burying them, then lifted her gaze toward the main room. A petite figure was lying flat atop the halted mound of screens, secretly peeking at them.
When the figure saw that the two had not been scared off and had realized she was bluffing, she shuddered in terror. She imdiately turned and scrambled deeper into the room.
"Eep!"
"Do not run!!"
Seeing this, Rash Sakuramiya sharply adjusted her helt, angrily hoisted her daito, and charged over the television mountains in pursuit.
"W-w-wait for !"
Petite Hitomi was left in the dust. By the ti she hurriedly flew over into the main room, she found that Rash Sakuramiya had already tackled the other Sakuramiya onto a pile of televisions...
"Still running! How dare you try to scare ?"
"Wuu... l-let go... p-please no... let go of ..."
Petite Hitomi swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she flew closer. Only then did she notice that the Sakuramiya pinned beneath Rash Sakuramiya had a very unique appearance.
She wore an incredibly heavy black cloak—the kind with a hood that could completely shroud her entire body.
But right now, because she had been tackled to the ground by Rash Sakuramiya, her hood had fallen back, revealing a pair of round, black ears resembling Mickey Mouse...
Otherwise, aside from the prominent dark circles under her eyes, she looked no different from any other Sakuramiya.
At this mont, she fearfully clutched her head and curled up into a ball, looking utterly terrified of them...
Even just their gazes seed to frighten her.
"Wuu... p-please no..."
That pitiful voice completely extinguished Rash Sakuramiya's aggression, leaving her with no choice but to let the girl go.
Exchanging a glance with Petite Hitomi, both wore awkward expressions.
How did they end up looking more like bullies than Perfect Sakuranomiya?
"So, you are Insecure Sakuramiya?"
After quite a while, the surrounding mountains of televisions were finally restored to their original state.
Rash Sakuramiya sat on top of a television set, while Petite Hitomi perched on her shoulder.
There were no lights here; the entire illumination was provided by the televisions.
Off to the side, one of the television screens glowed, displaying a surveillance feed of what appeared to be sowhere in Linn.
The light from that screen illuminated them, as well as the Mouse Sakuramiya who was curled up among several televisions in front of them...
Oh no, wait, Insecure Sakuramiya.
"Mhm..."
Insecure Sakuramiya did not dare to look at them; she rely offered a soft hum of agreent.
"...So, earlier, you got scared because we said we wanted to see you, and that's why you tried to scare us away?"
"Mhm..."
Hiding among the televisions, Insecure Sakuramiya secretly cast a glance at Rash Sakuramiya and whispered,
"Your armor is so bright and beautiful, and you have a nice sword... You look so cool and heroic... while I... I have nothing..."
Imdiately after, she stealthily looked toward Petite Hitomi and said the sa way,
"And you... you are tiny and very cute... I... I have dark circles on my face, and I am not cute at all..."
Having said that, the mouse ears on her head twitched, and she shifted even deeper into the mountain of televisions.
"A completely useless piece of trash like
can only hide behind surveillance caras, feeding on the scraps of your beautiful lives...
"Only by doing this can I survive...
"It's impossible for
to go out with you. Even if I did, I would not be of any help at all..."
This display of severe pessimism and low self-esteem left both Rash Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi absolutely speechless.
Petite Hitomi pursed her lips, wanting to fly over and try to persuade her.
But as soon as she approached, Insecure Sakuramiya's body trembled. This made Petite Hitomi too afraid to fly any closer, forcing her to land on a nearby television instead.
"Do not be so pessimistic. I'm sure you can help with sothing. Regardless, isn't anything better than staying here to be killed by Perfect Sakuranomiya?"
"I know about Perfect Sakuranomiya, and I know what she is doing. I left the door open on purpose."
"Eh?"
Petite Hitomi was slightly taken aback, watching as the Mouse Sakuramiya continued to speak.
"Before, when the doors to the Barriers weren't closed, I secretly placed surveillance caras inside and at the entrances of many Sakuramiyas' Barriers. So, I know everything she has been doing...
"Aside from the first few Sakuramiyas she targeted, I secretly inford all the other Sakuramiyas about this using paper slips, which is why they locked their doors...
"But, for a worthless Sakuramiya like ... it would be better to just be killed by her... So, I left my door open, waiting for her to co and end my life..."
So that was it...
So the reason all the other Sakuramiyas knew the truth about Perfect Sakuranomiya and had locked their doors was entirely because of this Insecure Sakuramiya!
Hearing this, Rash Sakuramiya rubbed the back of her head, her face full of confusion as she asked,
"Hmm, then how co I didn't receive your ssage?"
Mouse Sakuramiya secretly cast a glance at her, then quickly averted her eyes and muttered,
"I saw on the surveillance caras... you didn't even read the ssage on the paper slip at all before just casually tossing it into your pile of junk...
"And I didn't dare to show myself to warn you, so I could only keep tossing paper slips into your room repeatedly. But every single ti, you would just carelessly throw them into different corners..."
Petite Hitomi cast a speechless glare at Rash Sakuramiya, who rely scratched the back of her head in embarrassnt.
Perhaps unable to withstand Petite Hitomi's stare, she stood up, secretly pulled her aside, and whispered to her,
"Can we help her sohow? It would be best to get her to co with us. We can't just watch her wait here to die, right? Besides, she seems to know a lot of crucial information..."
"Yeah, I know that too, but..."
Petite Hitomi pursed her lips. She looked over at the Insecure Sakuramiya and could not think of any way to cheer her up right away.
"If only we had a cat..."
"A cat?"
eting Insecure Sakuramiya's confused gaze, Petite Hitomi nodded and explained,
"Mhm, when she was little, wasn't Hitomi locked inside a wardrobe by Grandfather for a whole day and night?
"At that ti, she discovered a tiny hole in the wardrobe that perfectly aligned with a crack in the wall, allowing her to view the scenery outside the estate.
"Outside the estate, there lived a very cute stray cat. It was completely free and carefree, running around outside every single afternoon...
"But that little kitten was very timid. The slightest noise would scare it away.
"Therefore, Hitomi always watched it in secret, not daring to make even a peep."
Petite Hitomi secretly observed the Insecure Sakuramiya, who was lying curled up on her side among the televisions, and continued,
"Hitomi loved that cat very much.
"After that, every ti Grandfather beat or scolded Hitomi, every ti she felt sad, or every ti she missed her Father and Mama...
"Hitomi would hide in that wardrobe and look at that little kitten through the tiny hole...
"That was... Hitomi's sole source of comfort and entertainnt back then."
Rash Sakuramiya nodded, pinching her chin thoughtfully as she spoke.
"No wonder Hitomi likes kittens so much, and even developed a habit of... uh... peeping."
Petite Hitomi was about to nod in agreent, but looking at Rash Sakuramiya—who seed to be learning all of this for the very first ti today—she could not help but feel like crying again.
These past mories were things that every single Sakuramiya should have naturally known.
But because Perfect Sakuranomiya had killed Cold Hitomi, those past mories had vanished like smoke and clouds...
However, Cold Hitomi had told her about these things on more than one occasion. Thus, rather than being innate mories etched into her mind, they were stories told to her, which was why she still rembered them.
Petite Hitomi wiped the corners of her eyes and hastily returned to the main topic.
"But we cannot create living creatures inside the Barriers. I don't know what else I can do to make her—"
"Bzzzt..."
But right at that mont, Yan Huan's voice suddenly echoed from the lone glowing television beside them.
"Teacher Miyake, I'm troubling you with this."
The...
The President?!
The instant they heard that voice, both Rash Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi excitedly whipped their heads toward the television.
At this mont, even the hiding Insecure Sakuramiya secretly crawled out and approached them, her eyes shining faintly as she watched the footage on the screen.
In the pervasive darkness, only a single television shone brightly.
And in front of that screen sat three Sakuramiyas, their faces pressed close together, their eyes wide as they intently watched Yan Huan on the display...
They looked exactly like children sitting side by side in front of the TV at seven-thirty sharp, eagerly waiting for the cartoons on the children's channel to begin.
"Not at all, not at all. After all, our goals are the exact sa..."
"Please wait a mont, Teacher Miyake. There is one more person coming over."
The surveillance feed displayed the interior layout of a certain dessert shop in Linn, where Yan Huan and Miyake Fufu sat across from each other, seemingly discussing sothing.
While listening, Rash Sakuramiya couldn't help but ask out of curiosity,
"What is... the President doing?"
Petite Hitomi didn't know either, so she could not answer.
A good while passed before a poised, blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl walked in and happily greeted Yan Huan.
"Yan Huan, I am here!"
Seeing her approach, Yan Huan offered a faint smile and returned the greeting,
"Aria... Let
introduce you. This is Aria Spencer, An Le's forr good friend."
"Ah, hello, hello..."
Upon hearing this title, both Rash Sakuramiya and Petite Hitomi angrily clenched their fists.
"Hah?! Aria... What is with such an intimate way of addressing her?!"
"To this day, the President still just calls us 'Sakuramiya' and has never called us by our first na... Wuu, how hateful!"
Both of them were gnashing their teeth in pure jealousy. Only Insecure Sakuramiya pursed her lips, blankly staring at Spencer naturally taking a seat right beside Yan Huan, genuine envy filling her eyes.
On the screen, Yan Huan and Spencer began discussing their plan to get An Le to pick up her drawing pen once again.
The Culture Festival was a rare open campus day. If possible, they might be able to pull sothing off...
Rash Sakuramiya's eyes were bloodshot as she watched Spencer happily swinging her legs while having a great ti chatting with Yan Huan. She furiously muttered,
"That despicable blonde monster! How dare she act so coquettish in front of the President? I will definitely defeat you!!"
"..."
However, Petite Hitomi rationally pulled her attention back, because right now, there was a far more pressing matter before them.
"Insecure Sakuramiya, none of us can leave our Barriers. So, you must have placed these caras at the exits of your Barriers to capture footage of reality, right?"
"Mhm..."
"We really need your help... You are the only one who knows which Barriers are located in Linn. Could we please ask you to guide us?"
The instant she heard about leaving the Barrier, Insecure Sakuramiya's body trembled. She quickly yanked on her hood with all her might, attempting to cover her face even more securely.
"N-no, I-I can't do that. I cannot go out. Staying here in this dark and gloomy place is my one and only proper destination...
"If you want to go, then just go. I will open the door for you..."
Seeing her about to shrink back into her mouse hole again, Petite Hitomi was out of options. She could only point directly at the screen and shout,
"Think this through! If you keep staying here and Perfect Sakuranomiya kills you, you will never be able to see the President ever again! You'll be leaving that Spencer to stay by the President's side instead!!"
Yet, upon hearing this, Insecure Sakuramiya remained entirely unmoved.
"Perfect Sakuranomiya will take action. She will stay by the President's side in Hitomi's stead, will she not?"
"And rely on her killing every single one of us, ultimately becoming a person who isn't even Hitomi at all? What kind of aning is there in that?!"
"That shouldn't matter either, right?"
"Wh-what?"
"A person like Hitomi... as long as she reveals her true colors, she will definitely be despised by the President. That is why Hitomi must perform, why she must hide her true self away. Only then will the President actually like Hitomi."
Insecure Sakuramiya turned her head, looking at Petite Hitomi as she countered,
"Is this not the exact sa as Perfect Sakuranomiya's approach? In comparison, performing is only temporary, but killing us is permanent. Is that not better?"
"This..."
For a mont, Petite Hitomi could not utter a single word of rebuttal. But seeing the Insecure Sakuramiya already slowly climbing up the mountain of televisions to curl up and lie down again, she finally threw all caution to the wind.
In the very next second, she clamped her eyes shut and scread at the top of her lungs,
"Th-then... do you an to tell
you have absolutely no desire to place surveillance caras inside the President's rental apartnt?!"
"!!"
The mont those words registered, Insecure Sakuramiya's movents stiffened slightly, and she instantly froze right where she was.
Petite Hitomi stared at her dead-on, continuing to fan the flas of temptation,
"Every single private movent the President makes inside his rental apartnt! What does he look like when he sleeps? Does he sleep on his side? Does he curl up to sleep? Does he hug a pillow when he sleeps? Do you really not want to know?!"
Insecure Sakuramiya's eyes went wide as saucers. With her rapid breathing, she slowly turned her head inch by inch to look at Petite Hitomi.
"..."
"And what about when he cooks? What does he look like? Or when he cleans the house? Does the President hum a song? What does he do when he is bored and all by himself? Don't you want to know all these things?!"
"I... I..."
Seeing that she was completely shaken, Petite Hitomi placed her hands on her hips, flew right in front of her face, and enunciated every single word,
"If you die, these things will be permanently impossible! But if we can find the President near his rental apartnt, we can take the opportunity to sneak inside and install the surveillance caras of your wildest dreams, can't we?!"
"Ah..."
Hearing this, Insecure Sakuramiya's face instantly flushed crimson red. She was clearly deeply moved by the prospect.
anwhile, Petite Hitomi wiped away the heavy sweat dripping from her forehead. Staring at the restless Insecure Sakuramiya in front of her, she finally asked,
"Well then? Do you want to help us find the President?"
Hearing this, Insecure Sakuramiya swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
She lowered her head, pulling her hood down even more tightly. Forcing back the dryness in her mouth, she replied softly,
"L-let's make a plan..."
"..."
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