When the group from Rikkai caught up to Zerozaki Hajime, they found she had already reverted to her teenage appearance.
Although everyone felt a slight sense of disappointment, the younger Zerozaki Hajime did not exude the same oppressive aura as her adult form, making interaction much less burdensome.
Yukimura Seiichi stood beside Zerozaki Hajime, watching the sea breeze flutter her long white hair. The surface of the sea was as calm as calm could be, yet inside his heart, it felt as though a tsunami was raging.
Seeing that Zerozaki Hajime was still gazing sharply out at the distant ocean, Yukimura Seiichi spoke up,
"Zerozaki-san, are you alright? Did that Faceless Man get away?"
Zerozaki Hajime was debating whether to find a boat and give chase, but upon hearing Yukimura Seiichi's voice, her expression softened, though she remained somewhat serious.
"I'm fine. It seems he fled in the direction of Tokyo..."
Her system had a limited monitoring range, and this Faceless Man had already slipped beyond her detection radius.
After a moment of reflection, Zerozaki Hajime ultimately abandoned the idea of finding a boat to pursue him.
"Puri~ I reckon that Faceless Man got beaten to a pulp by the Order Officer anyway; he won't be causing any trouble anytime soon. You should take a breather first, Order Officer."
Niou Masaharu's suggestion won the approval of the other team members.
"The probability of him hiding to recover is 95.98%."
Yanagi Renji chimed in.
Marui Bunta blew a bubble with his gum and curved his eyes toward Zerozaki Hajime,
"Niou is right, Zerozaki-san~ You should fill your stomach with some yakiniku first!"
Kirihara Akaya rubbed his belly and stared powerlessly up at the sky, looking as though he were about to starve to death,
"Yeah! Between getting possessed by that Faceless Man earlier and fighting head-to-head with Zerozaki, I feel like I've burned through all my energy. I'm starving!"
Sanada Genichirou nodded and said to everyone,
"It's not even seven yet, let's hurry to the nearest yakiniku restaurant."
Zerozaki Hajime followed them to the nearest yakiniku place. The moment they stepped inside, they spotted the regular players and several members of the Archery Club.
The archery tournament was a mixed-gender competition, so the regular members of the Rikkai Archery Club included both boys and girls, creating a lively atmosphere.
"What a coincidence, Yukimura, you guys came to this yakiniku place too."
The president of the Archery Club, Katakura Tomokazu, was competing against Yukimura Seiichi for the position of Student Council president. He was a very gentle-looking boy, resembling a cross between Yanagi Renji and Yukimura Seiichi.
Yukimura Seiichi nodded at him,
"Indeed. We're a bit late, though—wonder if there are still any tables left."
As the two of them exchanged pleasantries, Ayanokouji Yumi emerged from the restroom and spotted Zerozaki Hajime standing among the tennis team regulars.
Ayanokouji Yumi excitedly ran over to Zerozaki Hajime, grabbing her hand with enthusiasm,
"I didn't expect Zerozaki-san to be here too!"
Before Zerozaki Hajime could speak, Ayanokouji Yumi turned and smiled at Katakura Tomokazu,
"President! Let Zerozaki-san sit at our table!"
Katakura Tomokazu looked affectionately at Ayanokouji Yumi and Zerozaki Hajime, then smiled at Yukimura Seiichi,
"Yukimura, it really looks like there aren't enough tables in the restaurant right now. Why don't you have your team members share a table with us? It'll be livelier and more fun."
Yukimura Seiichi and the others had no objections; after all, they were students from the same school, and some were even classmates in the same class.
In the end, Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichirou, Yanagi Renji, Katakura Tomokazu, and Niou Masaharu took one table, while everyone else went to share tables with the Archery Club members.
Katakura Tomokazu happened to be in the same class as Yanagi Renji, and since he shared the Calligraphy Club with Sanada Genichirou as well, they had plenty of topics in common.
"Still, your tennis club manager, Zerozaki-san, is a rising star our Archery Club has high hopes for. Yet she keeps running off to your tennis club three times every two days—it really gives me a headache."
Katakura Tomokazu looked helplessly at Yukimura Seiichi, though his words were entirely probing.
"Is that so? But Zerozaki-san is also very important to our tennis club."
Yukimura Seiichi narrowed his eyes, a smile curving the corners of his lips as he replied.
"Katakura, Zerozaki-san is doing great in our tennis club. There's plenty to take care of in the tennis club as well, so she hasn't been able to give the Archery Club as much attention. I'm sure you understand?"
Yanagi Renji turned to look at Katakura Tomokazu, his words making it abundantly clear that he was standing on Yukimura Seiichi's side.
Seeing that they had no intention of yielding Zerozaki Hajime to their Archery Club, Katakura Tomokazu shrugged,
"Fine, if you won't let her go, there's nothing I can do. But your tennis club doesn't even accept girls—why must you insist on having a female manager?"
This question stumped everyone present. Niou Masaharu chuckled softly,
"Zerozaki-san's strength is unfathomable. We can't do without her, puri~"
Katakura Tomokazu had heard rumors about this "trickster" Niou Masaharu as well. He smiled helplessly,
"It seems Zerozaki-san is indeed very popular. Please take good care of her, then."
Yukimura Seiichi smiled meaningfully,
"Of course."
At the other table, Ayanokouji Yumi, Zerozaki Hajime, and the other Archery Club members were already holding a contest to see who could eat the most yakiniku.
Zerozaki Hajime wore a helpless expression,
"Why are we turning eating yakiniku into a competition?"
Ayanokouji Yumi raised her chopsticks and said with absolute earnestness,
"Because we need to carry on the tradition of eating our meals properly! Eat well, and your body stays strong! Zerozaki-san, you're so skinny—you clearly haven't been eating properly! We have to eat a lot more! Otherwise, we're going to lose to Kirihara-senpai!"
"Hahahahaha! Zerozaki! You first-years are way too weak!"
Sitting opposite Zerozaki Hajime, Kirihara Akaya taunted her between mouthfuls of food.
Sharing their table was a first-year boy from the Archery Club, and the two of them had already polished off several plates of yakiniku.
Ayanokouji Yumi put her hands on her hips, looking quite displeased at Kirihara Akaya and his companion. She glanced at another second-year senior beside her, then back at the calm and composed Zerozaki Hajime, her tone anxious,
"Senpai! Zerozaki-san! We absolutely cannot lose to them! Eat faster!"
Looking at the mounting pile of yakiniku on her plate, Zerozaki Hajime had no choice but to pick up the pace and start eating alongside them.
By the end, only Kirihara Akaya and Zerozaki Hajime were left still competing.
"I never imagined Zerozaki-san could eat so much!"
Marui Bunta stared at Zerozaki Hajime in utter shock.
Zerozaki Hajime was slowly swallowing a piece of yakiniku, while across from her, Kirihara Akaya was devouring his food like a wild beast with ferocious table manners.
By the finish line, both of them were practically stuffed to the point of bursting, yet a winner still hadn't been decided.
Yukimura Seiichi looked at the two stuffed participants, a smile rising to his eyes,
"Seeing Zerozaki-san eat with such appetite actually puts my mind at ease."
Sanada Genichirou closed his eyes and took a sip of his drink,
"Indeed. Anything is better than her not eating at all."
Ayanokouji Yumi lived in the same residential complex as Zerozaki Hajime, so in the end, Ayanokouji Yumi supported Zerozaki Hajime all the way back, while Kirihara Akaya was helped along the entire route by Jack Kuwahara.
Although Ayanokouji Yumi lived very close to Zerozaki Hajime, she often had to wake up early for morning practice at the Archery Club, which was why she rarely walked to school with Zerozaki Hajime.
Zerozaki Hajime lived on the 22nd floor, and Ayanokouji Yumi lived on the 10th. After parting ways at the elevator doors, Zerozaki Hajime received a message from Yukimura Seiichi.
[Zerozaki-san, is our date tomorrow still happening?]
It was followed by a smiling emoji with curved eyes.
Zerozaki Hajime paused for a moment. She had completely forgotten about this detail; originally, today's matters were supposed to be handled tomorrow, but who could have predicted that plans wouldn't keep up with sudden changes, bringing everything forward.
[Mm, I'm going to buy a tennis racket tomorrow. Would Yukimura help me pick one out?]
As she finished typing this, hesitating over whether to send it, the elevator arrived at the 22nd floor.
In the end, Zerozaki Hajime sent the message anyway—she had intended to practice playing tennis anyway.
Soon, she received a reply from Yukimura Seiichi.
[Alright, but Zerozaki-san, you have to go to Tokyo to get a really good tennis racket.]
Tokyo... Zerozaki Hajime pondered this for a moment and tapped her fingers.
[Then let's go to Tokyo to buy the racket.]
It would also be a good opportunity to check if she could detect that Faceless Man who had fled Kanagawa.
[Going to Tokyo probably means we'll need to set off in the morning, so we won't be back in Kamakura too late.]
Zerozaki Hajime saw Yukimura Seiichi's reply.
[Alright, Yukimura can decide the departure time.]
Zerozaki Hajime had never been to Tokyo either, but Yukimura Seiichi gave the impression that he went there frequently.
[Mm-hmm, how about we meet at Kamakura Station at ten tomorrow morning?]
If she didn't need to replenish her energy, she could have arrived in Tokyo in an instant; taking a regular train was far too troublesome.
Still, there was no help for it—every world had its own rules, and Zerozaki Hajime couldn't argue with them.
She typed out a line of text and sent it.
[Mm, see you at ten tomorrow morning, then, Yukimura.]
Still on the train, Yukimura Seiichi looked at his phone, the warmth and lingering fondness in his eyes deepening to the point where Sanada Genichirou broke out in goosebumps all over his body.
Sanada Genichirou could guess the reason behind Yukimura Seiichi's expression, but he still asked,
"What's wrong with you?"
Yukimura Seiichi turned off his phone screen and slipped it into his pocket. He raised his eyes to gaze at the scenery flashing past outside the window, the corners of his mouth curving slightly,
"Nothing. Just feeling a bit emotional about how unpredictable and unfathomable fate can be."
He had originally intended to accompany Zerozaki Hajime to investigate a monster, yet it had ended up turning into a pure date; Yukimura Seiichi hadn't expected things to develop this way either.
Standing beside him, Sanada Genichirou wholeheartedly agreed with Yukimura Seiichi's sentiment.
None of them had ever imagined that a Zerozaki Hajime would literally fall out of the sky.
Zerozaki Hajime felt as though she had finally adapted to the human routine of this world, growing drowsy and eager for sleep the moment the hour struck.
That was fine, too—it saved her body from springing all sorts of unexpected leaks.
The night passed without dreams.
Perhaps due to her period combined with a heavy bout of hand-to-hand combat, Zerozaki Hajime actually slept straight through until nearly ten o'clock before waking up.
Zerozaki Hajime sat dumbfounded on her bed for a moment, then hurriedly got down to wash up, change her clothes, and rush out the door. Fortunately, her Stealth Mode and teleportation allowed her to arrive at the station right on time.
However, the foot traffic at Kamakura Station on a Sunday was massive, with everyone presumably heading over to Tokyo to spend the weekend. Zerozaki Hajime's teenage body stood at a mere 150 centimeters, and she searched high and low without managing to spot Yukimura Seiichi.
Looking out over the bustling crowd at the station, Zerozaki Hajime stood on her tiptoes and peered around in all directions.
Seeing that Yukimura Seiichi was still nowhere in sight, she let out a sigh, pulled out her phone, and prepared to message him when her phone rang with an incoming call from him.
"Has Zerozaki-san not arrived yet?"
Yukimura Seiichi asked from the other end of the line, his voice carrying its usual gentle and caring tone.
Zerozaki Hajime raised her eyes to continue scanning the sea of heads, explaining with a helpless sigh,
"I got to the station at ten, but there are too many people. I can't see you."
A soft chuckle came through the phone,
"Is that so? Then why doesn't Zerozaki-san turn around and look behind her?"
Zerozaki Hajime froze slightly, holding her phone as she spun around.
She saw Yukimura Seiichi standing not far away beside a ticket vending machine, smiling and waving at her.