[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/UwIcPk6.png[/img][/center]

It was loud. It was cold. It was uncomfortable as hell. However, as Ayumi looked upon the salaryman in front of them- his face smashed against the other side of the metro car’s glass- it was hard to feel anything but contentment. 

Rush hour Tokyo.

It’s true that Ayumi could have pushed their way inside of the train car with their magically enhanced strength and found a place among the unfortunate commuters-turned-sardines. Perhaps had they done that then they would have been able to hear themself think. At what cost though? On the other side of the glass, the salaryman seemed to come to turns with the absurd sight in front of him- Ayumi balanced casually on the couplers between the cars- and his eyes took on a far away look. His fate was to have himself smashed up against the side of the train until he reached his destination, and he let his mind be elsewhere.

“[b][i][color=FFFAFA]南に死にそうな人あれば  行ってこわがらなくてもいいといい[/color][/i][/b]”

The words were lost to the wind as Ayumi turned their face away from his.

And then came the cursing, also lost.

The gate itself was the first cause, and one could also say the primary cause. Without its figure looming over Tokyo Bay then it was entirely possible that Ayumi would have never known about the ongoing battle and could have gone about their day having missed the entire affair. The youkai, quite naturally, were the second cause. The gate was a curiosity of course, but was really only a supporting role to the very real danger of the swarm that was actually [i]using[/i] it. A gate without the youkai might have meant that Ayumi could have still gone about their day while ignoring the entire affair, but that was hardly an option at this point. 

And the third reason? 

Even if Zen’s voice hadn’t echoed through the metro’s PA system…

Even if the “Admiral”s ship wasn’t breaking through the ice of the bay…

Even if the tell-tale explosion of Jasmine’s flames weren’t lighting up the distance…

Ayumi could feel them, could feel the presence of the others with power like theirs. Perhaps it was because they had been transformed for so long now, or perhaps it was pure intuition, but there was always something in the air when the others were around. It was a feeling that resembled dread more than anything else.

With a sigh, and no excuse not to get involved, Ayumi made their decision.

The salaryman never noticed.

Ayumi couldn’t fly, at least not in the traditional sense. As they discovered one day though, if they simply didn’t treat the air any different from the ground then it was easy enough to walk on. If anyone had bothered to look up at that moment they would have seen the increasingly annoyed form of Suginami’s guardian sprinting through the sky at an almost supernatural speed. However, Ayumi couldn’t blame them for not looking up at that moment, after all, their attention was focused on the same place.

Their journey was almost stopped short by the sight of a youkai ahead that managed to get past the others and reach some of the civilians that hadn’t yet fled, before a bright flash immediately preceded Sunny cutting it down. Ayumi wordlessly gave the girl a thumbs up from above- that she doubtlessly missed- before catching sight of something that [i]did[/i] cut their journey short. Ryufu. The Bikers. Amélie skating through the gathering horde of youkai.

Ayumi had been running directly for the gate, but they slid to a stop above the magical musician. Was she… [i]threatening[/i] the youkai? Above, Ayumi cracked her knuckles and hesitated for a second- aware of just how much this was about to hurt- before sighing.
 
“[color=4580ff]No, this what you tell them. Five words: Fuck around and find out.[/color]”

Then Ayumi leapt forward, as if jumping off a cliff, and fell through the air. As the ground rapidly approached they tried to dispel any regret over what was about to happen, but somehow Ayumi wasn’t suicidal enough to be totally okay with this course of action. Throughout the descent towards the bulk of the youkai Suginami’s guardian drew all of their magical power into their fist. 

Ayumi was not powerful on paper. They were not granted any of the special tricks or enhancements from their worthless contract that the others were. However, it was true that they [i]never[/i] became tired, and as their kilometers-long sprint moment before proved; That meant Ayumi could go all out all the time.

And so when Ayumi’s fist hit the ice below it was accompanied by an explosion of magic usually reserved for a last resort, introducing the youkai to the waters of Tokyo Bay.