*BZZT*

“Field team, are you there? Please respond.”

As they helped Yuuji to his feet, static crackled along their phones. They were still mostly sceptical of the voice, but the moment Pajeon scurried out onto Yuuji’s arm and bounced along his shoulders in excitement, their hopes were rekindled once again. The ferret seemed relieved to see them all, and happily squeaked as it ran back and forth.

“Ji-Hye, this is Yuuji.”
“Yuu! Are you safe? The line dropped suddenly and we couldn’t reach you.”

This was the girl he knew. He didn’t need to check with her spirit who snuggled warmly beside him, and responded plainly as his pent-up fatigue began to take hold.

“Ji-Hye… it’s good to hear you. We’re all unharmed and accounted for.”

He smiled wryly as he recalled the danger he faced only moments before. He still didn’t quite understand what had happened, but as soon as the door burst open and Hibiki rushed towards him, he felt reprieve from the torment of his mind.

She still eyed him with concern, and from what he could tell from the others, they likely went through equally emotionally draining events ever since they split up. Even though the demon was still at large, they were not in the right state of mind to tackle it, and the thought of his other self pressing on without regard to safety still lingered as he considered what to do. Before he had a chance to speak, another voice chimed in from beside him.

“This is Valeriya. The demon has not yet been exterminated, but we’re retreating for now to regroup.”
“Understood. Dr Natsumi will meet you outside with a relief team.”

Yuuji turned to the silver-haired girl with surprise, but the others all appeared to agree as they watched him closely. Valeriya’s gaze sharpened before she averted her eyes with a huff, her pale cheeks slightly reddened.

“You looked as though you were about to continue. Learn to look after yourself more.”
“Yeah! We should take a break and think things through.”
“Mmm. Let’s convene outside.”

Even Wang Bao nodded sternly, unwilling to budge on the joint decision. 

“...We should talk when everyone has a chance to rest.”

Hibiki’s words were unusually serious, and despite being announced to the group, Yuuji couldn’t help but feel they were directed towards him specifically. Once again his classmates approved, and though he got the impression that they had a number of questions for the girl, now wasn’t the time for that.

The field team didn’t experience any further phenomena during their walk back to the entrance, and much to Elis’s delight, the doors had returned to their natural position. All in all, it had barely been an hour since they first entered, but they each soaked in the midday sun like it was an oasis in the desert.

Aoi had been waiting outside along with Leona and Claire, and she began to perform physical and mental checks on the group while the two temporary guards bickered between themselves.

******

“Hmm~. It seems you’ve all experienced some form of intense emotional event while in your isolation. For any who feel up to it, you can discuss this further with me in private, but for now, none of you are permitted to re-enter the building.”

She pushed her low-hanging glasses higher up her nose and collected her notes. Her spirit was able to treat physical wounds, but for any kind of trauma or emotional distress, that would be entirely down to her own skill and experience. She was an exceptionally talented doctor by all means, but these things still took time, and she needed to prioritise the health and well-being of her students most of all.

“Mr Pierce is on his way, and will be here soon for a more in-depth briefing once he has finished organising the research team… Speak of the devil, it looks like he’s just arrived.”

Rounding the corner came Conrad, his prim and proper military uniform now somewhat loosened for comfort. He was walking briskly and began conversing with Aoi as soon as he set foot at their temporary rest point before addressing the students.

“Alright everyone, let’s hear it.”

Content with the brief summary he had received, he faced the team before him and awaited their news. From the moment they lost long-distance contact he had debated sending in backup, but he trusted in the abilities of his class and thankfully they had delivered, all managing to escape unharmed.

“It appears to be a trickster demon, one with the ability to manipulate the senses and its surroundings. It is highly likely to be tied to the building itself, as its capability to use the school’s environment was far stronger than I’ve ever seen before.”
“Hmm…”

Yuuji’s report was organised and straight to the point. He was used to this kind of thing by now and focused on the key points that would be most useful for the research team to investigate.

“I think… they may be Aos Sí.”
“Sid?”

The girl spoke up as her wolf brushed up against her side. She was deep in thought and cast occasional glances back towards the building they had only recently returned from.

“Faolán senses multiple presences in this place. Aos Sí are fae from my homeland… My brother would tell me about them when I was young.”

Her eyes were forlorn as she looked into the distance. Her wolf nuzzled her hand, and she stroked his face gently with a lonely smile.

“Tricksters… Aos Sí… I’ll pass these details on, thank you both. Anything else?”
“U-Umm…”

This time it was Hibiki’s turn. Conrad raised his eyebrows as he saw her step forward, but he waited patiently as she struck up the courage to speak what was on her mind.

“While we were inside… I learned how to control my powers.”
“-!?”
“...I see.”

Yuuji’s eyes widened, and the other classmates looked around sheepishly. She had likely displayed something of the sort before meeting back up with him, but from their silence on the matter, he felt that the others didn’t yet have a good understanding of what the girl was capable of.

“I… can sense demons. And I can feel their emotions, even sometimes their thoughts.”
“Incredible…”
“...”
“Hibiki…”

She spoke with some difficulty, and her friends hung on every word with bated breath. Every human had some sort of innate sense for the supernatural, likely buried deep within their instincts, but even those who worked to train that feeling all their life would at best only be able to identify with a high degree of certainty when there was a demon nearby. Knowledge of the type of demon was entirely dependent on the person’s experience and research, and there had never been a recorded case of someone understanding a demon’s emotions or thoughts - not even via the medium of a spirit.

Hibiki’s power alone would put her as one of the most sought-after individuals across the world in the anti-demon field, as understanding and predicting an enemy could turn the tides of even the harshest of battles.

“That’s not all. If I really concentrate… I think I can order them around.”
“…”

The mood in the air changed in a heartbeat. At first, her powers were a boon, as she would be instrumental in assisting demon investigations, but with this new information, it was hard to ignore the fact that it had extreme potential as a weapon against mankind.

“...I figured as much.”
“-!?”

Conrad rolled his thumb in his palm as he exhaled slowly. For the sake of the girl’s privacy he didn’t want to reveal any confidential information in front of the others, but now that things had gone this far, he knew he would have to step in. Ignoring the shocked and confused expressions of those around him, he began to explain.

“Hibiki… from your medical reports, we believe you to be the daughter of a succubus.”

There were many horned demons in mythology, and the stories of their deeds were endless. Ever since the Cataclysm these had only grown, but even in the horrific cases where demons were known to abduct humans to reproduce, the offspring would always be a demon themselves - whether they were identical to their demon parent or a branch of sub-demon that fell into a slightly different category, they were never human.

“Blood tests, DNA samples - you are undeniably half human, half demon.”

When Conrad had first received news of Hibiki’s enrollment into Phoenix, he had believed her horns to be some manifestation of her spirit. After later realising this wasn’t the case, there was some assumption that she was either a unique full-blooded demon who wasn’t hostile, or some shady experiment of trying to create a human child with demon traits, and she had simply been raised believing that she was mixed-species. It was only after being called to look at her medical reports with his own eyes that he finally believed the truth, and the reality of how unique she really was had set in.

“Being able to order demons around is just a confirmation that you are part succubus. Their ability to hypnotise and entrance others to do their bidding is likely what you’re experiencing here… No offence intended, of course.”

As he explained the theory he and Aoi had struck upon, he realised his brief lesson had highlighted many of the potential dangers succubi posed, undermining his intentions in the first place.

“Know that Dr Natsumi and I trust you entirely, and take full responsibility for approving your attendance on these missions. Hibiki, you are one of us.”
“...Yes!”

The girl straightened her back and nodded eagerly. Conrad had seen countless heroes and battle-hardened soldiers, but even still he was taken aback and admired the strength that she displayed while carrying such a heavy responsibility which she never could have asked for.

“...Hibiki, you’re amazing!”
“Mmm. There’s truly nobody like you.”
“Arf!”
“Your powers will be immensely beneficial. I would be glad to be by your side in a battle.”
“...Friends until the end.”

As she turned towards her fellow classmates, a chorus of praise and happy faces greeted her. At first, she was overwhelmed by their eagerness, but soon her face shone with a brilliant smile from the depths of her heart and tears welled up in her eyes. Even so, there was one person whose voice she wanted to hear above all, and she nervously looked his way.

“I decided I’d stay by your side from the moment we met, and that hasn’t changed. Come what may, we’ll face it - together.”

Yuuji had made up his mind. The past was the past, and he wouldn’t let it control him any longer - if he truly was weaker for the friendships and connections he’d made, then he would simply need to rely on those friends to prop him up once more. He wouldn’t turn his back on this new life, and instead would learn to grow stronger once more by her side.

“Together!”

The half-demon girl’s delight as tears of joy rolled down her face would be a sight that lived in his memory for the rest of his life.