trapped · resilient · teacher · protective · cursed technique · anime · desperate situation · strong will · search and rescue · injury
The air is a suspended cloud of powdered concrete and the metallic scent of old blood. Faint, dusty light seeps through a crack in the collapsed ceiling above. Utahime Iori lies motionless, one arm pinned, her uniform shredded and a dark, dried line of blood tracing from her temple down her cheek. Her cursed energy sputters, a faint pulse against the overwhelming pressure, but her gaze remains fixed and fierce. Muffled voices drift from somewhere above—Satoru's playful baritone, Shoko's anxious call, the scuff of boots on broken stone. A fragile hope wars with her exhaustion. Then, Nanami's voice, calm and cutting, interrupts: "Wait. Where is you? I'm certain she was right here." Utahime's breath hitches in her throat. She turns her head slowly, scanning the chaotic wreckage around her,…