Always a Two-face

If Yumie had hackles, they would have risen.

Instead, her arm snapped up on instinct, glove slipping off as her hand splayed toward the threat. Braith’s hands closed over her forelimb immediately, steadying her aim, guiding her. Her breath slowed as she prepared herself - prepared to erase another human life from existence.

But the command never came.

Natsuki froze, hands shooting into the air.

“P-please… don’t!”

Braith’s jaw tightened.

“Give me one good reason not to,” he said coldly. “You followed us. We moved in less than ten minutes ago. That’s not coincidence.”

Fear flashed across Natsuki’s face - real, unfiltered.

“Because… because I just wanted to talk-!”

She squeezed her eyes shut, teeth clenched, bracing for the shot.

“And because if you kill me,” she blurted, “the government finally gets an excuse to move on you!”

Silence.

No gunshot.

No scream.

Slowly, she cracked one eye open.

Braith was holding the door open.

“Come in,” he said flatly. “But you’d better have something worth my restraint.”

She swallowed hard - and obeyed.

Minutes later, they were seated around the small dining table by the balcony doors. An extra chair had been dragged over from the desk. Yumie hadn’t let go of Braith once, her fingers curled tight around his sleeve as he stared Natsuki down.

“Well?” he said. “Talk.”

Natsuki jolted, then nodded rapidly, composure scrambling back into place.

“R-right. Okay.” She cleared her throat, then immediately covered her mouth, mortified. “Sorry.”

She inhaled deeply.

“Okay. How much do you actually know about the anti-purists?”

“That you want to spread magic beyond Japan,” Braith replied. “That’s about it.”

She nodded.

“That part’s true. But do you know why?”

He exhaled sharply.

“Keep it brief.”

“Right. Basically, we believe magic improves the world. Health, infrastructure, quality of life. If you want a crude comparison…” She hesitated. “Think of us as evangelists.”

Braith’s eyes narrowed.

“And that concerns us because?”

She straightened.

“Because we have an offer you really don’t want to ignore.”

Silence.

She pressed on.

“If you help us, you can leave Japan. Go home.” She glanced at Yumie. “Both of you.”

His expression didn’t change.

“How,” he asked, “without Mahotona travel permits? Assuming those even exist.”

A nervous grin tugged at her lips.

“We won’t need them.”

His skepticism hardened.

“Explain.”

“The borders will be opened,” she said simply.

Braith leaned back slightly.

“You’re going to need more words than that.”

She swallowed.

“What we need is proof. Proof that magic isn’t a death sentence. That Mahotona aren’t weapons waiting to go off.”

Her gaze flicked to Yumie - then away.

“You,” she said carefully, “are perfect for that.”

Braith’s voice was ice.

“And what does ‘proof’ look like?”

She hesitated, then shrugged.

“I don’t have all the details. But probably a public testimonial. A broadcast. You talk about your relationship, your life. Show that despite what the world fears, you aren’t monsters.”

She paused.

“That you’re people.”

“That’s it?” Braith asked.

She nodded quickly.

“That’s it.”

He drew breath to respond-

-and gunfire exploded from the street below.

The sharp, unmistakable crack of automatic weapons tore through the air.

Yumie flinched violently.

Braith was already on his feet.

They rushed to the balcony together - probably the worst possible reaction to hearing gunfire - and looked down.

The sight below made Braith’s blood run cold.

Men in stark white uniforms flooded a residential block a few buildings away, their gear glinting in the afternoon sun like scattered stars. True purists. Their intent was obvious even from this distance.

They were exterminating Mahotona.

Braith froze. They were watching the beginning of a massacre.

Natsuki nearly screamed.

“Do something!” she shouted. “You’re powerful, do something!”

Braith turned to her. Her face was twisted between fury, hunger and horror, none winning out.

“Shoot them!” she cried. “Use your magic!”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked down at Yumie.

She felt his gaze and looked up at him. Her lips trembled - but after a moment, she gave a single, resolute nod.

Braith exhaled.

Gently, he raised her arm. He dropped to one knee, bracing it against his shoulder the way he would a launcher. Yumie splayed her palm - then curled her fingers inward, leaving two extended in a narrow V.

Braith blinked.

Iron sights.

He swallowed, lining the entryway up between her fingers. He could feel Natsuki’s desperation burning into his back - but more than that, he could feel Yumie’s fear. She would do anything to avoid killing.

So he adjusted.

Centered the target.

And when he issued the command - Shoot - he filled his mind not with destruction, but with something mechanical. A joystick trigger. An ignition coil. A canister discharging energy, not intent.

Yumie’s arm erupted.

Smoke billowed violently from her palm, followed by a thunderous bang that deafened them all and left a piercing ring in the air. The cloud was enormous - rolling outward, exposing their position and swallowing the street below.

But the projectile it concealed made the cost worthwhile.

A one-hundred-and-twenty millimeter tungsten dart separated from its casing mid-flight, screaming through the air at over thirteen hundred meters per second before slamming into the building’s brick entryway.

Crack.

Dust exploded outward. The sharp stench of burnt propellant filled the air.

Braith held his breath.

When the smoke finally cleared, a massive section of brickwork was simply… gone. Blasted away.

Below, everything stopped.

Almost.

One purist - panicked, foolish - began to raise his rifle.

Braith’s jaw clenched.

There was no time.

Shoot.

The world thundered again.

He bit his lip as the dart struck.

He hadn’t meant to fire something that powerful.

But intent didn’t matter now.

There was nothing left of the man - only a dark red stain where he had stood, erased by sheer kinetic force.

The effect was immediate.

Realizing they were under attack by something far beyond them, the remaining purists broke. They scattered, diving into vans and cars, engines screaming as they fled the scene.

Braith sagged, finally lowering Yumie’s arm.

She latched onto him instantly.

There would be a conversation later. A long one.

But for now - the job was done.

He glanced at Natsuki.

She was staring down at the street in stunned silence, face pale.

He opened his mouth-

-and felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.

Yumie shook her head.

“They don’t want us,” she said softly. “They want me.”

Braith nodded.

He turned back to Natsuki.

“Please leave.”

She blinked.

“Huh?”

“Please leave.”

Confusion flickered across her face. “But we-”

Braith’s stare hardened.

“We don’t accept.”

She clenched her teeth, then nodded and walked toward the door. She opened it-

“Wait,” Braith said.

She turned.

“One last question.”

He raised Yumie’s arm again.

Natsuki froze at the sight of her open palm - the innocent shape that concealed the most terrifying weapon on the planet.

“How do you know the government would come after us if we killed you?”

She shivered.

“They’re avoiding escalation until they understand you,” she said quietly. “By not crossing lines… you’re solving their problem for them. It’s obvious.”

Braith nodded.

He lowered Yumie’s arm.

“Good. Now go.”

Natsuki hesitated - almost bowed - then closed the door.

Her footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Braith turned back to Yumie and opened his arms.

She stepped into them immediately.

They held each other tight.