We dashed toward the parking lot exit, and the clatter of Rabuki's heels behind us sounded surprisingly heavy—as if we were being chased not by a teenager, but by an armor-clad stormtrooper.

  "Leon! Leon, faster!" Arkgrim strained, picking up the pace.

  I assessed the situation on the run. Nihoro's anger was pinpointed like a laser beam, and the target of that beam was the black-haired top of my friend's head. She couldn't care less about me.

  "Arkgrim, we're splitting up!" I yelled, braking sharply by a concrete pillar. "Meet you at the subway!"

  "Traitor!" reached me from afar.

  I just pressed myself against the wall, catching my breath. Rabuki swept past, not even turning her head in my direction. Her eyes blazed with fury, and her movements had become frighteningly fast. 'Well, good luck, Arkgrim,' I thought, wiping the sweat from my forehead. 'You cooked up this mess, now you clean it up.'

  [Arkgrim's POV]

  Right, Leon abandoned me. Okay, I'll make a mental note to 'return the favor.'

  Behind me, I could hear the heavy breathing of that fury. The parking lot ended with a drop to the lower level—about fifteen meters of freefall. For an ordinary person, it meant certain death or a wheelchair. For me, it was the fastest way to take a shortcut.

  Without hesitating, I leaped down.

  A second of weightlessness, the whistle of the wind, and a soft landing on bent knees. The mana in my knees cushioned the impact so perfectly that I didn't even feel the recoil.

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  "Phew, alright, she definitely won't catch me now..." I started to say, dusting off my pants.

  KABOOM!

  Right behind my back, there was a crash as if a grand piano had fallen from the sky. The concrete under my feet cracked, sending dust and stone debris flying in all directions. I slowly turned around.

  In the center of a small crater stood Rabuki. Around her legs and arms, the haze of an active bio-suit pulsed barely noticeably—the thin armor plates under her jacket hadn't even had time to cool down after the jump.

  "Are you completely stupid?!" she yelled, taking a step toward me. "Jumping from fifteen meters?!"

  Before I could answer, she lunged forward, grabbed me by the collar, and slammed me into the nearest wall. Her strength was inhuman—thanks to the suit.

  "Speak!" her face was a couple of centimeters from mine. "How did you survive? You don't have any armor on! You should have turned into a pancake!"

  I looked into her burning eyes and frantically tried to figure it out: 'Right, is she from the Corps? Or just a rich heiress with elite gear?'

  "A fluke?" I squeezed out, trying not to give away my calmness.

  "You're lying!" Nihoro raised her hand to strike, but suddenly froze.

  Shouts came from the upper level of the parking lot:

  "Look! It's Rabuki Nihoro! The heiress!"

  "Rabuki! Can I get an autograph?! She jumped down! Did you see that?!"

  The girl's gaze darted toward the crowd of fans, who were already rushing toward the stairs, waving their phones. Pure horror flashed in her eyes for a moment—it seemed the attention of the crowd frightened her more than falling from a height.

  She abruptly unclasped her fingers, letting go of my collar.

  "Consider yourself lucky, you little brat," she hissed, pulling her hood down lower. "We're not done yet!"

  She dashed into the shadows between the cars and disappeared faster than the first fan could point their camera at her. I adjusted my jacket and took a deep breath.

  "Terrifying..." I muttered, heading for the exit. "Next time, before getting a girlfriend, I definitely need to come up with an escape plan. And, preferably, check if she has a bio-suit."

  It seems Leon was right: a six out of ten was a very optimistic forecast for my date today.