Chapter 15 – The butcher in angel's clothing

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At night, under a clear starry sky with a high-hanging full moon, Yukio and Shiina engaged in a deep and passionate conversation.

"I believe that in 'Snow Country', when faced with unchangeable circumstances, one shouldn't stop moving forward. Taking that one step is the outcome. Persisting for one more second, that too is an outcome," Shiina passionately interpreted, her voice full of enthusiasm coming through the hidden microphone of her phone.

Yukio listened attentively, occasionally responding, as they engaged in a free-flowing conversation, summarizing stories from all ages and parts of the world. Their interpretations of the same book sometimes diverged, and at other times, they found complete harmony in their conclusions. This unique dynamic of agreement and disagreement immersed Shiina, making her wish for such discussions every day.

For so long, she had bottled up her thoughts and feelings, never sharing them with anyone. Now, like a dam burst during a heavy downpour, once a small opening appeared, the flood of thoughts couldn't be stopped.

Unfortunately, the pleasant time was cut short as Yukio received another call: "Sorry, Shiina, I need to take another call."

"…Okay, Yukio-kun. You have a lot to think about. I won't disturb you any further tonight. Good night," Shiina said, her reluctance and affection almost palpable through the phone.

Understanding Yukio's busy schedule, she didn't prolong the conversation and offered the most sincere and concise blessing she could think of, "Good night."

"Good night," Yukio responded, a hint of a smile on his lips.

After ending the call with Shiina, Yukio received a report from a classmate: "Yukio-san, that Kushida Kikyo you asked us to watch just left the dorm, late at night. We didn't follow to avoid detection and reported directly to you."

"Good job, keep it up," Yukio praised before hanging up and then asked in the Class C chat group who hadn't returned to the dorm yet. Several replies came in, including from Ishizaki who had just gone down to buy instant noodles.

This information made Yukio appreciate Ishizaki's usefulness. He asked Ishizaki to keep an eye out, advising caution to avoid detection.

Ishizaki reported that Kushida had left the dorm alone. Armed with this information, Yukio followed suit, coordinating with a few late-returning students from Class C to keep watch without arousing suspicion.

He quickly deduced Kushida's destination - the school's lake. The lake, beautiful during the day, seemed eerie at night. Yukio moved silently, like a hunter in a dark forest, making no sound.

He soon found Kushida pacing around the lakeside, appearing to be checking something. Initially, Yukio thought she might be looking for a lost item, but her next action dispelled this theory. Kushida suddenly lashed out, kicking the lakeside railing with such force that it emitted a hollow metallic tremor.

Her actions were far from a search for a lost item. Instead, Kushida, seemingly assured of her solitude in the darkness, kicked the railing as if it were her sworn enemy.

Simultaneously, she hurled venomous words into the night: "Die, just die! Horikita! Horikita!"

"Why are there people from my previous school here? There should be so few admissions! Die, just die!"

"How dare such a person tutor others? Always mocking students for being dumb, where do you get off?"

"Nothing but a wretch! How dare you be so arrogant! Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!"

This side of Kushida, cold and crazed, was a stark contrast to the warm and gentle image she presented during the day. She was like a butcher in an angel's disguise, spewing venomous curses that were shockingly at odds with her adorable appearance.

If Kushida Kikyo was described as a warm, friendly little angel during the day, then under the cover of night, she could be likened to a bloodthirsty butcher.

Yukio, intrigued, pulled out his phone and started recording. This was big news not to be missed. As he listened to Kushida's subconscious murmurs and complaints, it seemed that Horikita Suzune had been her classmate before and there appeared to be some deep-seated grudge between them.

While starting the video recording on his phone, Yukio silently congratulated himself for having disabled the phone's restrictions during his last visit to the campus internet café, enabling him to record without limitations.

This brought to mind a peculiar aspect of Japan - when mobile phones first became popular, there were frequent incidents of unauthorized photography, and image rights were taken very seriously. To counter this, all phones in Japan were mandated to produce a shutter sound when taking pictures or videos, a feature users couldn't disable unless they possessed advanced hacking skills.

Fortunately, Yukio had the necessary skills and knowledge, perfectly capturing every detail of Kushida's emotional outburst on camera.

After a while, Kushida, seemingly exhausted from kicking, took a few deep breaths before preparing to return to the dorm. However, as she turned around, her malicious expression was perfectly captured by Yukio's camera in the final frame, exuding intense malice even through the lens.

Kushida's already dark expression turned fiendishly grim when she realized her true nature had been discovered. She thought she had meticulously checked her surroundings several times to ensure no one was around. How had Yukio appeared?

Kushida rushed towards Yukio in a last-ditch attempt to snatch the phone, but her effort was in vain. Yukio had already pocketed the phone and prevented her from getting hold of it. "Good evening, Kushida, we meet again," he greeted her nonchalantly.

Kushida stared at Yukio in silence, her eyes devoid of warmth, exuding a palpably ominous aura. She resembled a venomous snake, her cold and malicious gaze sweeping over Yukio's skin, chilling and repulsive.

"What's wrong?" Yukio asked, his tone shifting in parallel with the change from day to night. "During the day, you were so eager to be friends, Kushida. Why so silent now at night? Could it be because I've seen your furious and hideous true self?"

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