Chapter 25&26
Chapter 25: A Suicide-Style Battle
An unusual unease crept into Ryunosuke Akutagawa's heart as he gazed at Tokisaki Kurumi, who, despite her grievous injuries, maintained an unsettling smile.
Under normal circumstances, a damaged heart meant certain death. Kurumi's heart had been shredded into fragments, rendering it beyond repair by even the most advanced medical technology. Within seconds, her brain would begin to shut down from lack of oxygen, leading to inevitable death.
Even if she tried to use her Fourth Bullet to recover, it would be useless. The moment she healed, the black blades embedded in her body would rip her heart apart again. Next, they'd target her brain, ensuring her defeat was absolute.
Yet, there was a nagging feeling he couldn't ignore.
"Seventh Bullet."
While he was contemplating, Kurumi lifted her flintlock and aimed it at herself, firing the Seventh Bullet, which momentarily froze her in time. Suspended in mid-air, with her blood still dripping as if paused, she appeared as though death itself had been frozen in that instant.
Akutagawa was perplexed. He knew the Seventh Bullet's power could immobilize, as it had done to his black beasts earlier. But why use it on herself?
"Then, let's bring this to a swift end," a voice whispered from behind him, and the cold touch of a gun muzzle pressed against the back of his head.
Akutagawa's instincts told him to retaliate immediately until he realized who had spoken.
"You could try," Kurumi's First Clone whispered. "But let's see if your skill is faster than my trigger finger."
"If you defeat one of us, the remaining three will still be able to shoot you down," the Second Clone added.
"For your own sake, I suggest surrendering," the Third Clone said.
"Agreed," the Fourth Clone concurred.
In his momentary distraction over Kurumi's apparent vulnerability, her clones had maneuvered close, each ready to end him with a single shot. Their presence made him begrudgingly admit his own lapse in judgment.
"Impressive," he said in a low, gravelly voice, reluctantly releasing the black blades embedded in Kurumi's heart. "You're crazier than I anticipated."
The cunning in her strategy became clear. She'd baited him by recklessly throwing her own body into his attacks, knowing he'd be too preoccupied to notice her clones positioning themselves. By freezing her own time at the edge of death, she had given them the opening they needed.
Once he had surrendered, all she had to do was fire the Fourth Bullet to rewind her injuries. Whether he yielded or fought to the death, her victory was inevitable.
The effect of the Seventh Bullet wore off, and Kurumi, now freed, aimed the Fourth Bullet at herself, instantly undoing the damage. Her heart restored, she slowly descended beside Akutagawa, looking fully recovered.
"Looks like my clones managed to convince you to surrender," she observed with a satisfied smile. "Glad to see I'm not waking up to a corpse."
"Dead or alive, it's your win either way."
"That's true. But if you'd died, I'd have to shoulder all the workload myself. After all, in our faction, the guerrilla squad only has the two of us."
"So you kept me alive to lighten your own workload?" Akutagawa remarked, deadpan. "How considerate of you."
"Isn't it only natural for a senior member to shield new recruits?" she replied, offering a hand. "Let's work together as equals from now on, shall we?"
"This isn't some corporate office," he replied coolly, ignoring her hand. "I have no intention of 'getting along' with anyone, especially you."
"Oh dear, am I that detestable?"
"Yes," he responded without hesitation. "To be frank, I despise you."
"Ah, so it's a case of 'like repels like,' is it?" Kurumi mused with a teasing smile. "Especially when the other is superior."
Chapter 26: He Believed It All!
Imagine this scenario.
After grueling employee training, you finally become a corporate slave, grinding day after day without rest. Exhausted, overworked, no overtime pay, no labor rights, forget about paid leave or any employee benefits. But as compensation, your hard work is recognized, and you begin to rise in the company. After years of effort, you make it to being the right hand of the leadership.
Then, one day, a newcomer appears out of nowhere. No resume, no contributions, but immediately steps into a position equal to yours on their first day and even takes your subordinate, whom you personally trained.
Anyone would be frustrated, right?
Frustrated or not, at first, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke didn't intend to do anything drastic to Tokisaki Kurumi. He just wanted his prized subordinate back. Kyouka Izumi was his find; he couldn't just let someone else take her.
Who knew Kurumi would be so stubborn and show no respect for her seniors? She even dared to challenge him.
And soon enough, he realized this wasn't just talk; her arrogance stemmed from a place of confidence and power.
Thus, Akutagawa lost. Completely defeated.
Yet, even after this, Kurumi extended a friendly gesture, wanting to get along? This wasn't a feel-good youth manga where one fight leads to lifelong friendship. Akutagawa wasn't the type to care about "friendship first, competition second." Losing just meant becoming someone else's stepping stone.
And he certainly wasn't interested in befriending the very person using him as a means to rise.
"I've lost this time; Kyouka Izumi's command is yours. I won't interfere further," Akutagawa said, casting one last glance at Kyouka in the spectator area. "But don't get cocky. Next time, I'll win."
Leaving no room for further conversation, he turned and strode toward the exit, throwing down a final challenge for the future.
"So he's given up on Kyouka and decided to focus on me instead?" Kurumi mused, watching him leave. "Looks like I'll need to prepare for a long term rivalry."
Unlike today, Kurumi's typical battle strategy wasn't so reckless. The real Tokisaki Kurumi would never use herself as bait in a fight. She preferred staying hidden in the shadows, sending her clones to exhaust her opponents and only appearing at the end for a decisive strike. Alternatively, she'd set traps for her clones to lure opponents, allowing her to attack when they thought they'd defeated her.
But those strategies required sufficient reserves of time, and right now, she was running low.
Without enough time stored, Kurumi knew she couldn't execute her usual intricate plans. She'd barely pulled through this fight. If she didn't have her remaining clones, Akutagawa might very well have won.
This wasn't because Akutagawa himself was an impossible foe. Though formidable among other ability users, against a Spirit, an ordinary human hardly posed a serious threat. With enough time, she could've easily turned him into a plaything.
Yet for future fights with him or others stronger than him she'd need to amass more time. And the sooner, the better.
"This kind of combat... I don't want to go through it again in my life."
Clutching her flintlock pistol tightly, Kurumi felt a phantom pain from her earlier wounds, even though they had been healed by her "Bullet of Recovery." Although physically fine, the pain lingered. It reminded her that she wasn't the real Tokisaki Kurumi and wasn't used to injury; her tolerance for pain was close to zero.
Some things could be imitated, but certain experiences were impossible to fake.
But that didn't matter; acting was all about making others believe. Whether she believed it or not wasn't important. What mattered was that Akutagawa did.
With a deep breath to steady herself and suppress the phantom pain, Kurumi went down from the arena and approached Kyouka Izumi.
"Your former boss won't be bothering you again…at least for now," she said, feigning nonchalance. "Even if he tries, I'll make sure he doesn't take you back. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried about Akutagawa; I'm worried about your injuries, sister," Kyouka replied, her usually calm expression showing rare concern. "Are you really okay?"
Kyouka had watched the entire fight, her emotions fluctuating wildly. Several times, she almost rushed in to help Kurumi but held back, trusting Kurumi's words to believe in her. Thankfully, Akutagawa lost, and Kurumi emerged victorious.
But the process had been harrowing. Kurumi survived two seemingly fatal attacks yet stood there as if unscathed, leaving Kyouka wondering how it was possible.
"I told you before, right? I have twelve different abilities," Kurumi explained.
Kyouka nodded. "Yes."
"You've already seen my 'Memory Bullet,' which allows me to read memories. The bullet I used to heal is my 'Bullet of Recovery,' which rewinds time on my body. As long as the attack isn't instant death, I can reverse the damage with one shot without any side effects or lingering issues," she assured her.
Hearing this eased Kyouka's mind; she now saw Kurumi as more than just a pretty face. Kurumi had earned her place as the second squad leader, following Akutagawa, through genuine strength.
Kyouka didn't know the full extent of Kurumi's abilities, but from her observations, it seemed like they were fairly matched. Despite Kurumi's victory, the fight had been close. If Akutagawa had been slightly more ruthless, he might have won.
The battle was too risky. Even though Kurumi had won, it was a narrow victory. Kyouka wasn't certain who would win next time.
This was her first time meeting Kurumi, yet the person who had saved her from despair and shown her kindness had already left a deep impression. Kyouka didn't want her savior to risk her life for her.
"I'm grateful for your help, sister, but please, take care of yourself," she said earnestly. "I have already received so much. I don't want you to pay with your life for me."
"Are you worried about me? Such a sweet child."
"I mean it."
"Oh, don't be so serious," Kurumi said with a playful smile. "Alright, alright, I'll be more careful, I promise."