[x] Stay silent

I raised my hand. And very slowly, I tugged upon her sleeve. It was a very small, but deliberate movement.

"..."

The little devil used to do this to me all the time to get my attention. Then, she would remind me of something that I had forgotten or some task that I had to finish. Looking back, she never really had any real responsibility toward me. She was the magician's familiar, not mine. Yet, she would often go out of her way for me. Not in ways that easily stand out, of course. But with simple, everyday things like a cup of tea, or a tray of biscuits. Her acts of kindness were small and deliberate. Just like the way she would tug on my sleeve.

"..."

I tugged on her sleeve once more. However, Koakuma showed no reaction. I lowered my head and closed my eyes. Then, very softly, I held her against my chest. She was still warm to the touch. But there was no longer any heartbeat.

"..."

The rain continued to fall outside. But it was strange. Even if I was indoors, I felt something wet roll down my cheeks. Very slowly, a single drop fell down upon the floor. But it didn't make a sound. The only sound that could be heard in this final hallway was the unending rain that fell upon the Scarlet Devil Mansion. With a sigh, I carefully laid her down. Despite everything that had happened, she kept a small smile on her face.

"I'm... so -"

"Look out!"

Suddenly the silence was broken by Meiling's voice. And as I raised my head, I saw something coming toward me. It was a relatively small object, but it was flying at an inhuman speed. And it headed straight for my heart.

"Snap!"

I blinked. In front of me stood Meiling, who was in a combat stance. The object was only a few feet away when it stopped in mid-air and broke in half. I couldn't tell if she used her hands or her feet. Her movements were too fast for my eyes. So instead, I took a look at the object that now lay on the ground in two pieces. My eyes widened in horror.

It was a knife.

I quickly looked around. And as I feared, someone appeared in front of us. Her arms were folded as she spoke to us in a cold, indifferent tone.

"Tsk," said a familiar voice. "It didn't hit. How unfortunate."

"S-Sakuya? What the hell? Are you trying to kill me?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am."

A moment passed as I stared in shock. Suddenly, she held a spell card in left hand. The chief maid began muttering something under her breath. But before she could finish the spell, a bright flash of gold filled the room.

"Chi Sign, 「Spirit Restriction Field」!"

The whole hallway was now bathed in a faint glow of gold energy. I didn't feel any different, and when I looked around, everything looked exactly the same as it was before. But Sakuya seemed to have noticed a significant change. She frowned slightly as she pocketed her spell card.

"An anti-magic barrier?" said Sakuya. "And it seems to be effective against my abilities, too. So you were hiding a powerful move like this. I wonder why I was never told of your capability to use forbidden magic."

"Lady Remilia made me promise," whispered Meiling. "I was never to tell anyone. Even you, Miss Sakuya. So please.. just let us pass through peacefully."

"I see. So the Mistress kept you as a hidden ace... is that it? Yes, that does sound very much like her."

Sakuya gave her a wry smile.

"So what are you going to do next? Do you seriously think you can defeat me with just this trick? Or perhaps you expect that 'ordinary human' over there to tip the scales to your favor?"

"We don't want to fight you," I said. "Please, Sakuya. Just let us pass and -"

"Silence, you dirty human scum!"

The chief maid gave me a dark look and grimaced. It was certainly her. Yet, I have never seen such hatred in her eyes. And before I could say anything else, she began walking toward us.

"How irritating," she whispered. "The cleaning never does end..."

She pulled out a single knife from her dress and smiled darkly.
[ ] Make the first move. Aim carefully and fire the rifle.
[ ] Let Meiling charge in first. Then, support her from range.
[ ] Wait for Sakuya to attack. Focus on defending yourselves.
[ ] Use a different strategy. (Specify)