When Ryouma finally came to, it was like waking up from a bad nightmare. Of all the things he had to remember in his altered state, why did it have to be that? He wanted to go back to sleep and dream about something nicer. Maybe if he thought hard enough about Midoriko beforehand, she would appear in his subconscious and comfort him.
Pain kept him from falling back asleep, though. It was like all of it hit at once. His body felt sore, and his face stung where he'd been hit earlier. The lights still felt just as bright when he opened his eyes.
When he was drugged, it felt like he was floating in a white void. Now he could see he was in a cell of some kind—toilet in one corner, bed in another, with him strapped to a chair in the middle of the room. Thankfully, he was alone.
Though maybe it was a good thing he was tied down, since it seemed like he could feel the nauseating spin of the Earth's rotation. He'd never had a worse hangover than this. Ryouma closed his eyes and breathed deeply to center himself.
Time was of the essence, so there was no choice but to use magic to get himself back to a baseline. He released a small burst to cover his entire body. A warmth washed over him like the feeling of slipping into a hot bath after a long day. The nausea and vertigo subsided.
Directing healing magic to an injury took enough of a toll, but directing it over his whole body in order to metabolize a drug faster was a tall order. He could feel the prickling pain of the curse begin to spread. But it was okay. He'd be fine because Midoriko was a panacea for his mind, body, and soul. All he had to do now was get to her.
Ryouma heard the door unlock. It was probably one of those low-level goons coming back to check on him, so he pretended he was asleep. The heavy metal door swung open with a groan, then closed again as someone entered.
While it sounded like only one person, whoever it was seemed to have a total lack of caution as they approached him. But that was fine, because he could get the jump on them that way.
As they got closer, he caught a whiff of an unfamiliar perfume. A woman? Did they think they could send a woman in there to seduce him? It was laughable.
Ryouma flicked his wrist to break free from the restraints, but they didn't budge. Then, her voice called out to him.
"Ryouma? Are you just pretending to be asleep?"
His eyes shot open. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Midoriko's blurry form came into view right in front of him. Ryouma couldn't tell how much time had passed, but she was wearing the same thing as the last time he saw her.
"What are you doing here? How did you know where I was?" The disorienting nature of the drug he'd been given before called into question whether what he was experiencing was even real.
"I'm only here to tell you something important," she said. Her normally expressive demeanor was flat. Real or not, something definitely wasn't right.
"Tell me what?"
"I don't want to see you anymore."
"...Huh…?"
"I don't care about your feelings," she continued. "I want nothing to do with you anymore. I've decided to follow the path my father has set for me."
"...Wh-what are you even saying?" Hadn't she just been seeking reassurance that he loved her? Was he actually having a nightmare? …Or did someone put her up to this?
Ryouma tried to undo the restraints again so he could shake some sense into her, but it wasn't working. Most likely, they'd been enchanted so that anyone but him could remove them. That was the only way to properly restrain someone who used magic as well as he did.
"I'm saying you should forget about me." Midoriko crossed her arms and turned her head slightly, quickly adding, "And the child. Stay away from both of us."
That was when he noticed her glasses were non-prescription.
How did he not see it sooner? She was even talking to him differently. Ryouma burst into laughter, startling her. She slowly backed away while he continued laughing like a madman until he was out of breath.
"Ohh… I get what's going on now," he said, a devilish grin creeping across his face. "Untie me."
Robotically, she stepped forward and undid the restraints holding him to the chair. He took delight from the fact that her internal panic was written all over her face.
When he was untied, the fake Midoriko bolted for the door. As she reached for the latch to pull it open, Ryouma was right on top of her. Before she could call for help, he clasped his hand tightly over her mouth.
"Silence," he commanded. Her muffled yells were muted. "I'm going to ask you some questions," he said in a low, dangerous voice. "If you answer them properly, then I might just forgive this transgression and let you live. Understand?"
She nodded vigorously.
"Good. First, I'm going to have to ask you to drop that insulting disguise." He ripped off the fake glasses, threw them down, and crushed them underfoot.
When the fake released the spell, his beloved Midoriko transformed before his eyes. Her hair changed color and grew rapidly from a short, dark bob to a long, blonde perm typical of girls working at hostess bars. Her natural, trimmed nails suddenly grew into long acrylics alongside her skin darkening into a deep tan.
She was a much older woman than he expected, with wrinkles brought on by years of laying tanning beds. Probably the type who couldn't let go of the money and attention brought in by night work. And since she was blessed with abilities, she didn't even have to pay for plastic surgery. They'd probably plucked her right out of a club to put her to work as a honeypot.
"Now, speak," ordered Ryouma.
"L-look! I was just p-paid to do this, okay?! I dunno what's going on between you and that girl, b-but p-please don't hurt me!" she whimpered. Her real voice was lower and had the rasp of a seasoned chainsmoker. The fact that she was able to mimic Midoriko's voice was a testament to her skill with glamour.
"You're giving me answers to questions I didn't ask," he scoffed, twisting her arms behind her back.
"Ow! Ow! I'm s-sorry!"
"Now, why the hell were you sent here disguised as her?"
"T-to b-break up with you for her!"
"Uh huh… And who put you up to it? How do you know my name?"
"Sh-she did! Y-your woman did! Sh-she told me everything to say!"
"Bullshit!" he growled. Ryouma held her arms in place with one hand, then yanked hard on her hair with the other.
"Oww! It's t-true!" she whined. "Sh-she even gave me her frumpy clothes, s-so I'd be more convincing."
He wrapped her hair around his fist, pulling more of it into his grip. "Don't insult her."
"S-s-sorry!"
"Who was she with?"
"Th-the b-boss!"
"What about the little girl?"
"L-little girl…? N-no idea! I…I didn't see one!"
"Tch…" He pushed the woman aside, and she stumbled to the floor. The fact that Midoriko was with Shishiba and Itoko's whereabouts were unknown meant something had gone seriously wrong. What the hell happened, Xiǎomíng?
***
When Xiǎomíng followed behind Kuroiwa Akira, alongside Midoriko and Itoko in the maintenance hallway, he kept his eyes peeled for a door he could use for their escape.
The last time he saw a door was when they were leaving the cell block where Itoko was held. It was far too risky to open a door with all those men back there. But at that point, he wondered if he should have just gone for it.
The hallway just seemed to stretch on and on with just pipes and ductwork above them and solid walls on either side. He finally understood why his master kept a piece of chalk with him at all times.
Itoko, who'd finally stopped crying, had been watching him with suspicion from Midoriko's arms. There was something about her glare that gave him goosebumps. If she tried to be a hero, it might mess everything up for them, so Xiǎomíng dropped his disguise. It didn't make sense for him to keep it at that point anyway.
Xiǎomíng held a finger to his lips as Itoko's eyes widened with surprise. She whispered something in Midoriko's ear that made her laugh softly.
"That's right," Midoriko murmured, patting her on the head. "Trust your big brother."
Itoko looked at him with a big smile on her face. Xiǎomíng couldn't help but smile too. Big brother, huh?
There was something about her smile that strengthened his resolve. As long as Xiǎomíng found something door-like—even if it was just an electrical panel box—he could make it work providing it was big enough to fit through.
But soon, they reached the exit. Akira held it open as he ushered the others out into the underground parking lot.
"Damn it, where's the car?" he mumbled, as the door swung shut behind him. Stepping forward, Akira pulled out his phone to call someone.
They had to get out of there while he was distracted. If they could slip back inside to open a doorway where Akira couldn't see them, then it would be easier for them to get away.
Xiǎomíng backed up to the door and pushed down the handle, but it was locked from the outside. Unlike Ryouma, he didn't quite have the skill yet to force open a lock with magic.
He softly clicked his tongue in frustration. Xiǎomíng was left with no choice—he quietly rapped his knuckles against the door, then tried the handle again. That time, it unlatched.
Midoriko had been keeping an eye on Xiǎomíng, waiting for him to make a move. As he slowly opened the door, she slinked away from Akira while he argued with someone over the phone.
The familiar entryway of the house in Gunma was right in front of her as Xiǎomíng held the door open. Midoriko was nearly there when, suddenly, Xiǎomíng was pushed back by the force of the door closing.
"I knew I recognized you from somewhere!" Akira yelled, his hand outstretched as if he was pushing the door shut from afar. "You're that punk from Nishikawa's place!"
Xiǎomíng fought the door, pushing against it with all of his body weight to keep it open enough for someone to fit through.
"Itoko! Run!" shouted Midoriko as she put the child down. Itoko bolted for the doorway.
"Oh no you don't!" Akira took off after her.
Midoriko tackled Akira, knocking him down. She wrapped her arms and legs around him to keep him from pushing her off as he fought back.
Midoriko's quick thinking gave Xiǎomíng a brief reprieve from the door when Akira's neutralization was disrupted. He pushed it wide open again.
"Mi-Midoriko-nee!" cried Itoko as she stood frozen in the doorway, watching in horror while Midoriko grappled with Akira.
"Hurry!" she urged as one of Akira's arms broke free from her hold. He pushed Midoriko off and held out his hand once more.
As Itoko straddled the threshold of the door, she joined Xiǎomíng's futile attempts to keep it open. The doorway was getting smaller and smaller, now only open wide enough for Itoko's body. She helplessly held out her hand to Midoriko.
"D-don't worry about me!" Midoriko said, holding Akira back as he tried to climb to his feet.
"But–!" Itoko cried.
Xiǎomíng couldn't fight it any longer, but he didn't know if he'd be able to open it back up to this spot again. He had to at least get Itoko through. He failed at protecting her once, but he wouldn't fail again, even if it killed him.
The last thing Midoriko saw as the door closed was Xiǎomíng pulling Itoko toward himself.