The next night, Atani went to Hinoki Theatre once more to see if she could try to find and stop Ayakashi. He unfortunately didn't show before the start of the performance, so while the play was going on, Atani took it upon herself to patrol various areas of the theatre, both inside around the stage and outside around the premises. At one point, she heard a shout come from the stage, and she came rushing in to see Ayakashi holding two actresses in his arms. He said he would kill them if anyone tried to stop him from stealing them away, which Atani didn't believe for a second.
She let him walk off stage with the girls, and then took that moment to call his bluff. She rushed at him, and he let go of the girls in a panic. They engaged in combat at a safe distance from the actresses. The man was much stronger than she was, but she was much more nimble and far more experienced. She was able to dodge the majority of his attacks and managed to land a decisive blow to the head, causing him to become disoriented. By the time the guards showed up to arrest him, there was little he could do but surrender. With the actresses now safe, Atani had successfully completed her job for Yua.
WC: 225 | 683/600