Elizabeth-sensei.
Why did she send a message? She probably watching from a distance.
A short, urgent message flashed across the screen:
“Danger!! A dimensional crack just opened in that apartment complex!!”
My heart skipped a beat. My brain blanked out for a solid second.
Wha—wait, what?!
I immediately snapped my head up—and my stomach dropped.
Onee-chan was already halfway up the stairs, standing closer to the second floor. When did she even get that far?!
“Wait! Onee-chan!!” I called out, hoping to stop her.
“No waiting! Gotta catch me if you can! I’ll be on the seventh floor!” she shouted back, her voice echoing as she sprinted up the stairwell.
“Shit—!” I muttered under my breath.
“Wow… Irana,” Viola chimed in casually, “That’s unusual coming from you.”
“Viola—no time for jokes! Teleport me to her! Now!” I demanded, spinning to face her.
“Huh? Teleport?” Kotori tilted her head in confusion.
Crap. I forgot Kotori was with us. My brain wasn’t processing properly.
“Uh…” I stammered.
“Don’t worry, I’m an Esper too,” Kotori said calmly, brushing her hair behind her ear.
“You are?!” I asked, blinking at her in surprise.
“Yup. No need to hide anything from me,” she said with a faint smirk. “So, what’s going on?”
Okay… I guess it’s fine to tell her. We don’t have time to be secretive.
“There’s a dimensional crack. Right here. In this building.”
Kotori’s expression immediately turned serious.
I turned back to Viola.
“Teleport me. Now!”
“Okay, okay! Geez…” Viola grumbled, holding out her hand and gathering focus.
Let’s hope we’re not already too late.
The scenery around me warped in an instant. One moment I was with Viola and Kotori on the ground level, and the next—
I was somewhere else.
The stairwell blurred for a moment before coming into focus.
And right there, just a few steps ahead—
“Onee-chan!”
I saw her. Standing with her back half-turned to me, already approaching the door at the far end of the hallway. Without wasting a second, I sprinted forward, my heart pounding with every step.
She turned slightly at the sound of my footsteps, but before she could say anything, I lunged.
I grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.
“Wait—! What are you—”
But the momentum of my dash, and the shock in her face, threw her off balance.
She stumbled backwards.
“Onee-chan!”
She lost her footing and fell back with a surprised yelp, landing on her backside with a dull thud against the cold corridor floor.
There was a moment of silence. Her eyes are wide. Mine, probably even wider.
I was breathing hard, my fingers still gripping the fabric of her collar as I stared down at her.
What the hell am I doing?