In the blink of an eye, the mysterious figure had already run across the rooftops of three houses in succession.

Seeing this mysterious figure not only being fast and enduring but also quite agile, Aoto couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned. However, he quickly gathered himself and regained his composure.

Parkour on the rooftops... Although Aoto wouldn’t say he’s very skilled, he certainly has some experience!

Aoto took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, widened his stride, and launched himself with momentum towards the commercial building.

With both hands precisely grabbing onto the shop’s eaves, in the next instant, Aoto pulled himself up onto the roof.

Thanks to the "Cat Form" talent, Aoto barely wobbled before stabilizing himself and continuing his pursuit of the mysterious figure.

The "cat chasing mouse" scene transitioned from "on the streets" to "on the rooftops."

Once again, the mysterious figure turned their head and glanced at Aoto behind them.

Aoto and the mysterious figure, under the thin moonlight, chased after each other on the rooftops for quite some time, crossing countless rooftops. Perhaps realizing even rooftop movement wasn’t enough to shake off Aoto, the mysterious figure suddenly swerved, leapt off the roof, and jumped back onto the street.

But at that moment, a small figure darted out from the street corner in front of the mysterious figure, blocking their path—it was Mukiwa, who had split up with Aoto earlier, voluntarily taking on the crucial task of circling ahead of the mysterious figure!

Whoosh—seeing Mukiwa suddenly appear in front of them, the mysterious figure abruptly stopped, their straw sandaled feet scraping a low friction noise on the ground.

Miss Kinoshita, well done... Aoto silently praised Mukiwa for successfully getting ahead of the mysterious figure, then gritted his teeth, squeezing out the last remnants of his energy, increasing his speed slightly, and charged toward the now-stopped mysterious figure.

Meanwhile, in the next moment after successfully getting ahead of the mysterious figure, Mukiwa, without even a chance to take a deep breath, rushed straight at the mysterious figure to coordinate with Aoto.

Aoto and Mukiwa closed the flimsy net around the mysterious figure from front and back.

The intense running left Aoto and Mukiwa flushed, sweating, and breathless—and the mysterious figure was no exception. His shoulders and chest heaved violently, rising and falling more than Aoto and Mukiwa’s.

As the mysterious figure panted heavily, he glanced at Aoto and Mukiwa, who were almost upon him, then... he silently shifted his gaze to a large tree not far to his right.

The mysterious figure moved again.

But instead of trying to break through Aoto and Mukiwa’s encirclement,

He turned right, running towards the large tree with no hesitation!

While Aoto and Mukiwa were unsure of what the mysterious figure intended to do, he had already reached the tree’s roots, leaping slightly to break off a branch about one meter long.

Only then did Aoto notice—the mysterious figure was wearing black gloves that covered his entire hands.

In a flash, Aoto and Mukiwa had both reached the mysterious figure.

Facing Aoto and Mukiwa, who had arrived in front of him, the mysterious figure slightly raised his head, glanced at Mukiwa, then fixed his gaze on Aoto and then—

Whoosh—!

The mysterious figure swung the branch in his hand with a sharp swish, creating a thin afterimage. The branch sliced through the air toward Aoto with terrifying speed!

Seeing the branch rapidly enlarge before his eyes, Aoto’s pupils contracted sharply as he reflexively leaned back.

The branch slashed down vertically, grazing past the front of Aoto, who had dodged just in time, but the tip of the branch still scratched Aoto’s nose, sending a scorching pain through it.

In the instant after the mysterious figure attacked Aoto, Mukiwa at the side lunged toward the mysterious figure—she attempted to grab him and subdue him to the ground.

However, the mysterious figure calmly stepped back twice, causing Mukiwa to miss him in vain.

Aoto’s expression was extremely grave!

Just from that one strike, Aoto realized: this person is a swordsmanship master! And highly skilled at that!

Swish—with utmost wariness toward this mysterious figure, Aoto discreetly drew his Orange Water from his waist.

Similarly, Mukiwa now realized the mysterious figure was exceptionally skilled, not a simple opponent, so she solemnly spread her legs, adopting a combat stance with her right fist forward and left palm behind.

"Who exactly are you?" Aoto, with sword in hand, asked in a hoarse voice, his tone vastly different from his usual, "Why did you secretly lie in wait beside us earlier?"

Aoto understood very well that this mysterious figure, who ran without a word and then attacked them without a word, was highly unlikely to answer any of their questions. Nonetheless, after careful consideration, Aoto decided to attempt communicating with the mysterious figure.

The result was clear—the communication failed.

It was as if the mysterious figure hadn’t heard Aoto’s question at all, completely ignoring him.

Turning his head, he glanced at Aoto and Mukiwa, positioned to his left and right like horns, then swung the branch in his hand again, slashing at Aoto!