Chapter 56: Chapter 15

The dim lights in the underground chamber flickered as Aguri Basuta’s temper boiled.

The stale air smelled of sweat, incense, and rot.

He drummed his thick fingers on the armrest of his throne, his expression twitching with irritation.

He had been expecting good news. The kind of news that would make his god smile upon him.

But instead, how much times have passed, yet no news?!

Just then,the door slammed open, and a masked subordinate stumbled in, panting, dropping to one knee.

"Vice Principal Basuta! We have a situation!"

Aguri’s eyes narrowed, his voice low and dangerous. "Speak."

The man hesitated before blurting out, "Kageyama Seijirou and Kobayashi Rindou have broken into the school grounds!"

"What!?" Aguri’s roar echoed through the chamber, shaking the walls. He shot up from his seat, his heavy frame trembling with fury. "And what of Tachibana Rei and Kurokawa Suzune!? Have they been captured!?"

The man’s head hung low. "N-no, sir. They... they’re still evading us. We’re trying to—"

"Useless trash!" Aguri barked, his voice cracking like a whip.

He kicked the man with all his weight, sending him crashing against the stone floor.

The man’s head hit a pillar with a dull crack, blood trickling down his temple.

Aguri adjusted his coat, his face flushed red from rage, his double chin quivered as he stomped toward the door, every step shaking the ground beneath him.

"I should’ve known. If you want something done right," he muttered, his voice venomous, "then you must do it yourself."

The remaining followers bowed their heads as he passed, not daring to breathe too loudly.

The air thickened with dread as the vice principal’s shadow vanished up the staircase.

Above ground, the night wind blew cold.

The faint sound of cicadas mixed with the crackling of the school’s broken lamps. In front of the main building, Seijirou and Rindou stood shoulder to shoulder, facing a wall of male students in fox masks.

The masked figures held pipes, bats, and wooden planks, their eyes glowing faintly through the slits.

Rindou stepped forward, her tone still polite despite the tension. "Can you please move aside? We have something important to do."

The crowd didn’t budge.

One of them tilted his head. "Leave now, or face the consequences. This is your last warning."

Seijirou exhaled through his nose, rolling his shoulders.

"There’s no need to waste words," he said flatly. "They won’t listen. Let’s just beat them down."

Rindou glanced at him, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I was thinking the same thing." She raised her hands, slipping into her combat stance.

Seijirou turned slightly. "You sure you’re fine without your shinai?"

"I don’t need it," Rindou replied confidently, tying her ponytail tighter. "I’ll be fine."

Seijirou grinned. "Good."

Without another word, they surged forward together.

The masked students shouted and rushed to meet them.

Fists collided with flesh.

Metal clashed.

Seijirou ducked under a swing and drove his elbow into a student’s gut, then pivoted and sent another flying with a roundhouse kick.

Rindou moved with sharp precision, her strikes graceful yet brutal, flipping one attacker over her shoulder before sweeping another’s legs with a spinning kick.

In seconds, the front line of masked students was already groaning on the floor.

But more kept coming from the shadows.

Rindou stood beside Seijirou, breathing steady. "Looks like this will take a while."

Seijirou wiped the blood from his cheek and smirked. "Then we’d better make it quick."

The two dashed forward again, back-to-back, as the battle for the school began.

*

*

*

On a storage room, the third floor of the school building.

Suzune’s legs finally gave out.

She slumped down beside a shelf stacked with cleaning supplies, panting hard, her uniform was torn and stained with blood, one sleeve ripped clean off.

Her knuckles were numb from fighting, and her breathing came out ragged and shallow.

She had led Rei here, away from the fox-masked maniacs, through broken hallways and shattered classrooms.

For now, they were safe.

Rei crouched beside her, trembling, her short pink hair stuck to her sweat-covered face, her golden eyes wide and unfocused.

"Suzune... you’re bleeding... you’re bleeding so much—what do I do?!"

Suzune forced a grin, trying to calm her.

"It’s fine. I’ve had worse." Her voice was shaky, but her tone stayed light. She winced as pain shot through her ribs. "See? Still breathing."

Rei shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "Don’t joke right now! You can’t even stand properly!"

Suzune leaned back against the wall, her body screaming in pain. "I just... need a minute. Then we’ll figure out a way out of here."

Before Rei could respond, the old storage door rattled. Then, it slammed open with a deafening bang.

Both girls froze.

The heavy stench of sweat and cheap cologne filled the air as Aguri Basuta stepped in.

His bloated frame blocked the doorway, his uniform buttons straining against his gut.

His greasy hair clung to his scalp, and his face twisted into something between a smirk and a snarl.

"Well, well," he said, his tone dripping with satisfaction. "I’ve finally found you two."

His grin widened, eyes scanning them from head to toe. "You’ve caused me quite the headache tonight. But it’s fine. The god forgives all... and so do I."

He licked his lips. "You’ll be our mikos. Holy maidens adored by the faithful. So, come with me. I promise you, it’d be the best time of your life."

Rei whimpered, clutching Suzune’s sleeve. Suzune’s expression stayed calm, her eyes sharpened.

"So you’re the one behind this?" she said coldly.

Basuta raised a brow. "Behind? No, no. I am above this. I am the high priest of our divine faith."

Suzune smiled faintly. "High priest, ringleader, same thing. Doesn’t matter."

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to her feet, her legs wobbled, but she stood straight. "Listen, fatty. If you even touch a strand of my hair, Seiji will crush you. Have you ever thought about the consequences of your actions?"

Basuta blinked, then laughed, loud and ugly. "Kageyama? That punk? You really think he’d waste his time on a woman? He’s not coming for you. Nobody is. So simply follw me and we can proceed with the ritual."

Suzune’s smile didn’t fade. "You think he won’t come? Fatty, I know him better than anyone."

She placed a hand on Rei’s head, steadying her. "I promised my mom we’d go home together. And if she doesn’t see me waiting for her, she’ll definitely call Seiji. And Seiji’s smart enough to figure everything out. He probably already knows something’s wrong."

Basuta’s grin twitched, but he remained silent and said nothing.

Suzune tilted her head, her voice growing confident. "Ah, I see. He’s already here, isn’t he?"

His silence was the answer she needed.

She looked toward the window, where faint light from the courtyard leaked through the broken blinds.

"You personally came for us, which means you are getting desperate. Hmm, if you knew Seijirou is coming, you’d probably send someone to stop him from entering the school building. You’d use that time where Seijirou was distracted outside to come and get us."

Suzune smirked, seeing Basuta’s face turned even uglier every second. She knew he hit the nail with that one.

"That’s the school entrance down there, right?" she said quietly, pointing at the window.

Basuta’s eyes narrowed. "What are planning to do?"

Suzune grinned, her eyes fierce. "Nothing. I’ll simply take my chances."

In one swift motion, she grabbed Rei by the arm and bolted toward the window.

"STOP!" Basuta shouted and lunged forward, but Suzune was already halfway there.

The window burst open, glass shattering outward.

"Suzune! Wait—!" Rei screamed, but Suzune didn’t hesitate.

She tightened her grip, feeling the rush of cold air on her skin.

She closed her eyes and shouted with all her strength.

"SEIJI!!!"

Her voice echoed across the school grounds, sharp and desperate. At the same time, full of fate, as if knowing that the man she was thinking would surely come and save them.

The sound tore through the night, reaching the courtyard below where the clash of fists and masks still raged.

And in that instant, Seijirou’s head snapped up.