Chapter 3: Distance

(Raven hasn't replied to any of my messages since I left.)

(Could something have happened... to someone as powerful as Raven...?)

(Is this the future she knew was coming...?)

(Hopefully, I'm just overthinking things again.)

Don't go any further!

That's the Shackled Miracle up ahead!

(The Shackled Miracle?!)

(That does seem to be where the voice is coming from...)

(The closer I get to the Miracle, the clearer the mysterious voice becomes.)

What are you doing just standing there?! Get the heck out of here!

The closer you get to a Miracle, the more Miramon there are!

The city of Hazlitt was completely wiped out by Miramon!

It's already super dangerous at this distance!

Wait, Sachiko. You've got some explaining to do.

What are you doing here, anyway?!

After all, I'm doing this earlier than expected...

Because of Miss Raven!

I went to see Miss Raven that day, after the prophecy meeting.

I told her I was worried about how dangerous it might be for you to go looking for Mr. Yamato, Captain.

Will Captain be safe?

Miss Raven didn't answer me. She just suddenly hugged me and started crying.

I didn't know what was happening. I guessed she just needed a hug all of a sudden.

So I gave her a hug and stayed with her for a while.

And finally, she started talking.

If you're worried, why don't you follow Captain and protect him?

And then Miss Raven told me which train you'd taken.

So... Let's stick together from now on!

(So Sachiko got "future intel" from Raven too?)

(But for this kind of thing, the fewer people who know about it, the better...)

(If the Shadow Decree were to notice that Sachiko was coming to find me, then all they'd have to do is follow her to catch up with me...)

(And then there'd be no point in me trying to get ahead of them...)

(Would Raven really do such a thing?)

(Maybe Sachiko's lying to me, and she didn't really get intel from Raven...)

(But there's no way for me to confirm that... Raven hasn't been answering my messages.)

(Just to be on the safe side, I'll have to refuse Sachiko.)

Why so quiet again, Captain?

Stop following me, Sachiko.

Huh?!

But I can keep you safe!

I think it'll be safer if we split up.

I'll contact you if I run into trouble.

Captain... you don't trust me?

Even though it was Miss Raven who sent me?

If Raven really planned things to be this way...

Then me refusing you must have also been fate.

Maybe Raven saw that you and I will become partners in the future...

But not for now.

But I...

(She's strong... Was that the reaction of an Esper?)

You two left sooner than expected.

But I still caught up with you.

Now be a good little bunny and get out of here. Leave him to me.

Not a chance!

Then I guess we'll have to fight it out.

Sachiko?!

(What do I do?)

(We fought off that Shadow member for now, but he might come back at any moment.)

(I've gotta get out of here, and fast. But...)

(... What about Sachiko?)

(Can I really trust her?)

(She just saved me, but...)

(What if this was all just a show to gain my trust...?)

(Or, maybe Sachiko really got intel from Raven and she really wants to protect me. But still...)

(That Shadow member only found me because they followed Sachiko.)

(Maybe they have some way of tracking Sachiko's movements.)

(So it wouldn't be smart to bring her along.)

(How far must we travel to get close to someone?)

(In the end... she just wants to be close to people. She's determined, even if she's not quite sure how.)

(Is a girl like Sachiko even capable of plotting against anybody?)

(Well, then...)

The little bunny is injured...

Hunters...

Seems like they hitched a ride. Can you really smell them from this far away?

Don't underestimate me. Anyway...

... We've got another way to locate them, don't we?

They won't get away.

That smell...

It's bunny blood.

Yes, and the locator shows she's here.

Shadow Decree operation! Get out of the way if you know what's good for you!!

It's sunny!

Looks like we've been fooled.

That tricky, wretched little rabbit!

(My bet paid off.)

(Last night, after I bandaged Sachiko...)

(I tossed her blood-stained communicator into a cargo truck that was scheduled to leave soon.)

(Since we made it through the night safely in a different truck, I guess that means we managed to shake off the Shadow Decree.)

(It looks like Sachiko didn't intend for the Shadow members to find us.)

(Instead, there must be a Shadow spy in the Union who was able to track Sachiko's communicator.)

(When Raven mentioned the communicator's location feature, I guess she was hinting at that...)

(Perhaps she's already seen my future...)

(How many prophecies has she gotten, anyway? And does she really hold a prophecy meeting every time?)

(I wouldn't want to be an enemy of someone with powers like that.)

(Thankfully, Raven is on the Union's side...)

Good morning!

What are you doing so happy first thing in the morning?

I'm just happy because...

... Because we're buddies!

Captain... Didn't you say before that you didn't want me to come with you?

Before I passed out, I thought, "Captain won't be here when I wake up."

So it made me happy to see you first thing when I woke up!

You rescued me, Captain!

Thank you!

It looks like Miss Raven's predictions were right in the end!