NoWaYu Ch15 preview

Vertex invasions became a common occurrence.
Although the large "perfect" Vertexes weren't included in the raids, the common and evolved level Vertexes were incessantly invading Shikoku.

Anzu and Tamako were no more.
Yuuna was hospitalized and could not participate in battle.
Meaning Wakaba and Chikage were the only heroes who could fight.
Though the invading swarms were not particularly overwhelming in size, the heroes would have a tough battle due to having only two members on their side.

"Eat shit...!"
The seven Chikages formed by Shichinin Misaki's power swung seven scythes at an evolved Vertex at the same time, shredding it into tiny pieces which vanished.
"Haah... haah..."
The physically exhausted Chikage was released of her trump card's power, and she returned to being a singular entity. She took a knee on the ground, her legs too fatigued to stand.
She looked up to see the Yoshitsune-imbued Wakaba cutting down the final remnants of the Vertexes.
"Phew..."
Wakaba sighed and landed right beside Chikage. She released her trump card and returned to her normal hero outfit.
"It's finally over, huh. How many does that make this month?"
"... I got tired of counting already..."
"There've been way too many invasions lately..."
Conspicuous injuries riddled the two girls' bodies. They had been grazed by evolved Vertex arrows and bruised by their blows.
Wakaba surveyed the entire Jukai.
"The corrosion happened again, huh..."
Part of the Jukai had become discolored and decayed-looking. Lately, the invading Vertexes have had the power to corrode the Jukai despite not being perfect Vertexes. The heroes had to hasten their battle in order to minimize the damage to the Jukai, but with ony two of them, the battles would drag on nonetheless. The longer the battles went on, the more the Jukai corroded. And corrosion to the Jukai meant putting the citizens of Shikoku in harm's way.
"The Jukai corrosion isn't the only problem..."
Chikage looked towards the Seto Inland Sea barrier.
Beyond that barrier, a Vertex was forming. A Vertex stronger than the scorpion-type one that killed Anzu and Tamako. Neither the Taisha nor the Heroes had been able to come up with a way to defeat that giant Vertex.
Thanks to Tamako and Anzu's deaths and the appearance of an unbeatable enemy, Chikage had thought a lot about death lately. She could very well join them one day. It wasn't any stretch of the imagination.
(Just what... am I fighting for...?)
In the back of her head, she replayed the anti-hero criticism that had been spreading through the population.
You're useless. Worthless. Unnecessary. Disappear. Nobody cares if you're gone. Stop kidding yourself. You're incompetent. Weak as hell. Did you even try? How did you lose? You're useless. Worthless.
(I'm putting my life in mortal danger... whittling away my body with fairy power... and for what...?)

After forestization lifted, Wakaba and Chikage were examined at the hospital as usual.
Hinata escorted them there and stayed in the waiting room until they were done. With the rising rate of Vertex invasions, spending time in the waiting room had become a near daily activity for her, but each visit as bitter as the last. What truly frustrated Hinata was her powerlessness and inability to help the heroes.
Hinata tried to distract herself with a newspaper that was left in the waiting room. In it were articles about the disasters caused by Jukai corrosion and the Taisha's search for a counter plan.

The repeated corrosion of the Jukai.
The resulting accidents and disasters.
The deaths of Tamako and Anzu had leaked to the general public.
The Taisha concluded that suppressing the information was impossible and officially announced the hero deaths and the link between the frequent calamities and Vertex attacks. Thanks to the Taisha's information control, the newspapers and TV news reported with a positive slant the heroes' victories and the Taisha's activities.
However-- voices of anxiety cried up throughout the population. Crime and suicides rose. Public order was collapsing.
"Sorry for the wait, Hinata."
Done with her examinations, Wakaba walked into the waiting room.
"Not at all. I'm the one who chose to wait here on my own."
Hinata quickly returned the newspaper she was reading to the magazine rack, but not before Wakaba noticed the article she was reading.
"Hmm... more victims, huh..."
An unpleasant expression arose on Wakaba's face.
"It's not your fault, Wakaba-chan... In fact, it's thanks to you two that more people didn't get hurt."
Hinata tried using gentle words of encouragement, but Wakaba didn't cheer up.
"The doctor said... I'm using trump cards too much. It's apparently taking a toll on my body. But I have to use trump cards if I want to keep the corrosion down to a minimum..."
Wakaba sat down on the waiting room sofa and sighed.
"It's a war of attrition, I guess... We're at an impasse here."
"... True..."
The damage to the citizens must be minimized.
But if the heroes continued to use trump cards, they would be the first to fall.
A short moment later, Chikage returned to the waiting room.
"Is your body okay?"
Hinata looked at Chikage's face with concern.
"It's far from okay... Besides, they said to hold back on using trump cards..."
"You too, huh?"
Wakaba furrowed her eyebrows.
"Those guys... just don't understand... Just what do they think we've been wearing away at our bodies for?  Don't they get we're just trying to minimize damage...?"
Chikage cast her eyes down as she rambled in frustration.
"In that case, fine, I'll just stop using trump cards... And then we'll see how many victims turn up. That'll teach them... Shikoku the Taisha alike... They talk big for cowards in thier safe places...! What the hell do they even--"
"Chikage, that's enough."
Wakaba interrupted. For she had noticed the sad look on Hinata's face. Hinata knew her role put her in a safe place in society and felt guilty about it. The phrase "cowards in their safe places" just rubbed salt into the wound.
However, Hinata gently held Chikage's hand.
"It's okay. Please let it all out. All your sadness. All your frustration... I'll listen to it all if it'll help you get it all off your chest..."
Chikage fell silent.
After a pregnant pause, she violently shook off Hinata's hand.
"... Leave me alone... A miko like you... has got nothing to do with me..."
And with that, Chikage headed to the hospital exit.
"Hold it, Chikage! There's no need to talk like that, is there!?"
Wakaba placed her hand on Chikage's shoulder, stopping her.
"I know you're frustrated in this situation. Of course you are! But that's no excuse to hurt someone else like that! It's difficult times like these that we really do need solidarity--"
"What a logical statement. Everything's 'logical' about you, isn't it...?"
"What?"
"You can't live on cold logic alone... Not without a thick skin... But me? I'm not as strong as you... I'm not thick skinned like you...! You have no idea what it feels like to be weak like me...!"
"... Now's not the time to whine!"
"Shut up!"
Chikage pushed Wakaba away. The sudden motion took Wakaba by surprise as she fell onto the floor alongside a nearby decorative plant. A shattered shard of the flowerpot pierced the skin of Wakaba's hand, causing red drops to scatter on the floor.
"Gh...!"
Hinata rushed over to Wakaba as she winced in pain.
"Wakaba-chan!"
"Ah..."
The sight of Wakaba's injury caused Chikage's face to tremble. She had only pushed Wakaba away impulsively and didn't mean to hurt her.
Chikage ran out of the hospital as if to run away.
"Wait, Chikage! You--"
Wakaba tried to chase after her, but was stopped by Hinata.
"You need to treat your hand first!"
"..."
Wakaba had no choice but to listen to Hinata and stop.

Chikage rushed back from the hospital to her dorm room.
"Haah, haah..."
She locked the door and plopped onto her bed.
"Takashima-san... Takashima-san, Takashima-san, Takashima-san... I need to see you..."
Yuuna was still not allowed visitors, so Chikage could not see her.
The visitor ban had been longer than the last time Yuuna had used Shuten-Doji. Perhaps it was due to her pushing herself before she had fully healed.
Without a pillar of support, Chikage's thoughts headed for a dark, gloomy direction.
"Ugghh... It's not my fault... It's not my fault... Even what happened in the hospital... That was because Nogi-san had to talk to me like that...!"
She didn't hurt Wakaba on purpose. She just pushed Wakaba away to try and get away from her. She didn't think it was enough to push her down. It was just a misfortunate coincidence that there happened to be a flowerpot there that happened to shatter and happened to pierce Wakaba's hand.
"That's right... it was just bad luck...!"
'--Yeah, that's for sure. You're totally right--'
Chikage suddenly heard a voice by her ear. She looked up in surprise.
Before she had even noticed, someone was there, right next to her bed-- Someone who looked exactly like Chikage herself.
(Ahh, I see, this is a dream... Just a bad dream...)
The girl with Chikage's form curled her lips into the shape of a crescent moon, forming a fake smile.
'--Besides, doesn't it seem a little forced how Nogi-san got injured? You expect me to believe that the strong Wakaba-san just happened to fall down that easily, and there happened to be a well-placed flowerpot there too?--'
"What are you... implying...?"
Even though she knew it was a dream, Chikage couldn't help but ask the girl who looked like her.
'--What if it was on purpose?--'
"..."
'--I'm saying Nogi-san threw herself down and hurt herself in a theatrical manner to make you out to be the bad guy.--'
"... For what purpose...?"
'--Isn't it obvious? It's so she can attack you later and claim it was under the name of justice. She's just like those jerks who hurt you in the past.--'
Chikage recalled the memories of when she had been bullied in the past.
The girl with Chikage's face whispered into her ear.
'--Nogi-san is your enemy.--'
"..."
'--Your enemy--'
Just then, Chikage's mail ringtone sounded out from her smartphone.
Chikage snapped to her senses, got up from her bed, and looked around. The girl with her face was nowhere to be found.
The curtains of the night had closed outside her window before she had realized it. Hours had already passed since she had returned. Chikage really must have fallen asleep without noticing it. That conversation really must have been a dream.
She picked her smartphone up from the table. It was mail from the Taisha.
She was going to ignore it if it were another request for her to take counseling, but that wasn't it.
It was a very abrupt message.
--The Taisha hereby extends a proposal. Would you like for your parents to be moved to Marugame City so that they may live with you?