~Chapter 8.5~
As Akira exited the Velvet Room, Igor let out a sigh and looked at the cards on his desk, which were showing a worrying result. The Trickster would die, one way or another, as the Council – as Master Philemon called them – had effectively erased Akira Kurusu from the Akashic Records and binding the remains of his soul to a biologically suitable body only delayed the inevitable. The aged Servant did not mention this to Lavenza of course, as he feared the truth would terrorize her and stray her from her duty.
Igor then realized that time had stopped, which was impossible in the Velvet Room. Lavenza was frozen in midst of reading a book brought by the Trickster. On the table, the 'World' card began to emit dark particles.
"What in the world…?"
It felt like a reversing process yet when it finished, the card looked normal and time resumed in the room. Igor nodded to himself and decided that he must consult this with Master Philemon.
In the alley below the Karaoke Bar, a humanoid Shadow was leaning against the door, having listened to the conversations behind two glowing doors. A frown slowly formed on its 'face' and it left the place as the green moon loomed above it.
"I present to you… Kasumi and Sumire Yoshizawa! Do not let their ages fool you. These twin sisters are phenomenally talented when it comes to gymnastics!"
Sumire, the redhead, struggled to calm down as the announcer dragged on. Kasumi, the one with auburn hair, patted her sister's shoulders comfortingly.
"It's alright, Sumi. We can do this." Kasumi smiled brightly. "We spent a whole week practicing for this, remember?"
"But, I keep missing a step near the end…"
"It's fine, I will try to cover that for you. C'mon, it's time for us to shine."
Despite Kasumi's assuring words, Sumire still had doubts in her abilities. After all, it was always Kasumi who outshined her in every aspect except for cooking, which Kasumi was notoriously bad. Still, they promised their coach to put up the good show and Sumire determined to put her best.
People were amazed and entranced by the sisters and when Sumire did make a misstep, a quick thinking from Kasumi saved her sister and ended the performance with a stylish finale. The crowds all stood up and showered the Yoshizawa duo with applauses.
"We did it, Sumi!"
"Yeah. Thanks for the save, Kasumi."
"We are sisters, right –"
Kasumi's eyes widened in shock as the sky became green and everyone aside her and her sister turned into coffins while the pool next to the stage they were standing on was filled with blood-like liquid. And then, they saw multiple blob creatures moving towards them.
"K-Kasumi, what are those things?!"
"I don't know. We, we have to get out of here."
Kasumi was helping a trembling Sumire back to her feet when they heard the sound of coffin opening. That was the announcer from earlier and he was dumbfounded at the new surroundings before one of the monsters jumped on him.
"No no no! Help me! Aaaargh! Kuh! AAAARGH!"
The young sisters could only watch helplessly as the announcer got devoured by the Shadow. Soon, the rest turned their attention back to them. Kasumi grabbed Sumire's hand and began to run.
"Quick! The exit is just ahead!"
"Kasumi, watch out!"
A Tiara was blocking the way to the exit door and only thanks to Sumire's warning, Kasumi narrowly dodged its fireball. But that was not enough to discourage the Shadow. It somehow spawned two more Tiaras and they encircled the twin.
A thunderous *bang* broke the atmosphere and a Tiara burst into black goo. The others were alarmed and frantically lunged at Sumire and Kasumi. The next moment they knew, the monsters followed their brethren.
"What… What just happened?"
"Jeez, what are you kids doing this late"
Sumire looked up at the light pole and saw a man? with mechanical batwings clad in red jacket and fedora, a white shirt with black tie underneath and dark pants. He was holding a large handgun whose barrel was smoking, indicating that he was indeed their rescuer.
However, upon closer inspection, Sumire skipped a breath when a demonic face with red eyes, jagged jaws and feather-like ears greeted her.
"M-Monster!"
"Huh?! What are you saying, Sumi?"
"Now now, that's not a good way to thank your savior. Though I can't blame you; this form tends to freak people out. After all, I'm a Shadow too."
The being said with a sigh before descending to the twin. Kasumi grasped and put Sumire behind her protectively.
"C'mon, don't be shy. Wait a second…" A pillar of blue flames engulfed the humanoid Shadow and the monster was gone; replacing it was young man in his 19s with frizzy hair and unnerving golden eyes. He made a dramatic spin and took his hat off before bowing at the sisters with a cheshire grin.
"Akira Kurusu, at your service."
