25 - Ethics, Fire (ARC FINALE)

[BACKGROUND MUSIC: MAX PAYNE 3 THEME]

Rain.

The skies had opened in a sudden downpour, cloaking the once-bright sun and exposing the true, somber hue of the world.

After Yuuto had sprinted away from the principal's office, by seizing the fleeting distraction provided by a stranger, he too began to perceive the deep, decayed colors that bled through the facade of reality.

'I've been stupid,' Yuuto thought as he walked through the school hallways, each baton gripped tightly in his hands, a backpack tied to his back.

'The moment I discovered supernatural forces in this world, I should have taken extreme measures from the start.' He reflected.

'Because the simple truth is, even a baseball bat can't stop a bullet. But a bullet can definitely stop a hypnotist.' He concluded.

Meanwhile, Benson trailed behind a group of a dozen students.

'This guy has me patrolling the school again... Haah... Who knows where Hiroki Morii could be anymore..?' He sighed, his frustration palpable.

Yuuto, just around the corner, heard the sound of many footsteps approaching.

'...No. Even if there were no supernatural forces, I've been overly dramatic about everything. Screaming my name like some anime protagonist...? Me? Yeah, this world is exciting and fun... But I forgot that my judgment is clouded. It's not entirely my body. I've inherited Hiroki's impulses ever since I got here... And I dismissed them like they were nothing, kicking them under the table as if they were dead rats. How did I forget that his naivete is part of what got him NTR'd to begin with?' Yuuto mused as he caught his reflection in the glass leading to the dozens of police cars outside.

'...Well, at least I found some fake glasses. Now it's truly me, Yuuto Sakurai. I won't let you have your way again, Hiroki Morii,' he thought determinedly.

'Someone had to sacrifice themselves just so that I could have a fair chance again. I don't even know if that person is alive or dead.'

His grip on the baton tightened momentarily as his face twitched in anger.

'...You weak cuck. I won't let your dumb impulses control me again,' he thought resolutely as he stepped out from around the corner, facing Benson and the crowd of students.

"Hiroki Morii..!! You should have run—" Benson mused with a smirk, as Yuuto dropped one baton to the floor, swiftly drawing a loaded pistol from under his belt.

'...I need to deceive. To hide my trump cards, not broadcast them,' Yuuto thought as he aimed the gun at the stunned Benson.

"You—!!"

'Lead-Lead Pistol,' Yuuto mentally called out as he pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing through Benson's skull and exiting the other side, a spurt of blood marking its exit.

'...I need to kill.' He grimly noted, 'My conscience doesn't really matter as long as I stop whoever's behind this charade.' He thought grimly as Benson's body hit the ground, prompting the horde of students to rush toward him.

'And I can't rely on this weak body and how it adapts... Nor can I afford to go easy on them. Even if they're just kids...' Yuuto resolved as he holstered his pistol and picked up the other baton from the floor.

He then began to brutally fend off the mob rushing his way.

Whether a guy or a girl; snap, crack—a bone breaking.

Squish—blood vessels rupturing.

He swung his batons mercilessly at anyone who dared come close.

Before long, none remained standing, and Yuuto continued on his determined path.

'Ah, right. He had a gun.' Yuuto stopped, rummaging through Benson's lifeless body until he found a revolver. Inspecting it, he found it was still fully loaded.

'I doubt I'd be able to take them head on without a weapon... But that doesn't really matter,' Yuuto thought as he resumed walking step by step towards the principal's office again, holstering the revolver.

'No luck, my ass.' Yuuto recalled, 'Luck played in my favor ever since I got here with all the dumbfuck mistakes I made. I was actually about to lose myself back there and run at that hypnotic shota and let that wise-ass shoot me. What am I, 14?' Yuuto thought in frustration.

Meanwhile...

"Hmph, with Benson and those two on his tail, Hiroki Morii doesn't stand a chance, Satoshi," Tommy remarked.

"I know. All I saw in him was a mindless teenager, a complete moron. He's a lost cause..." Satoshi replied, his voice trailing off as the muffled sound of gunshots began to resonate just beyond the door.

"A gunfight!?" Tommy exclaimed, positioning himself between Satoshi and the only exit, his ears straining as the gunfire persisted. Curiosity flickered across Satoshi's face as he stared at the door.

'A newcomer...?' Satoshi wondered silently as the gunshots abruptly ceased, only to be replaced by the sickening sound of flesh being beaten. Moans, gasps, and screams of agony filtered through the door, escalating until suddenly, all fell silent.

"...I will go and see who that is, Satoshi," Tommy declared, pushing the door open to reveal two policemen slumped on the ground, each with a bullet hole in their head, below several unconscious bodies of students.

'I need to stop acting all-powerful. Like I have strength to spare,' Yuuto thought, hidden from view as Tommy stepped out.

Then, a BANG.

A revolver round reverberated down the hallway, narrowly missing Tommy.

'That revolver...!!' Tommy realized in shock.

His eyes darted toward the end of the hallway, catching a glimpse of a hand gripping a revolver, partially concealed by a blue tuxedo.

'That deviant decided to turn on us? I knew sire should have hypnotized him...!' Tommy thought as he saw the hand withdraw behind the corner. He sprinted toward it, his mind racing. 'I'm ready. You haven't caught me off guard before, and you won't now, deviant,' he thought as he rounded the corner.

But instead of Benson, Tommy found only his body, hanging limply from the windowsill, a bullet in his head, his blue tuxedo gone.

'W-what...!?' Tommy's eyes widened in shock.

That moment of distraction was his undoing.

From behind the body, Yuuto emerged, donned in Benson's blue tuxedo.

'Ahh... Right... That deviant was left-handed...' Tommy realized too late, as his abdomen erupted in pain from multiple shots fired from Benson's revolver, now in Yuuto's hands.

The revolver's caliber was far beyond that of a standard firearm. Tommy's sleek tuxedo offered no protection against the powerful shots.

'...I really have been lucky,' Yuuto thought, watching Tommy stagger.

'I assumed he was a seasoned soldier, so I aimed for his stomach to incapacitate him, thinking he wore Kevlar under that suit. I hoped to interrogate him about the hypnotist before finishing him,' Yuuto reflected as Tommy gasped, blood bubbling from his lips as he crumpled to the floor.

'Sire... Run...' Tommy's mind echoed the plea before darkness claimed him.

'But it seems he was just a pretentious old man,' Yuuto concluded, stepping over Tommy's body and heading back toward the sealed door of the principal's office.

"Tommy!" Satoshi called out from a distance, still seated in the principal's chair.

Silence followed.

"...Nazuna, go check what's happening," Satoshi commanded.

Without hesitation, Nazuna marched toward the door, her steps resolute.

'As for this girl... She's strong. I honestly don't know if I can take her, even armed...' Yuuto mused as Nazuna stepped over the unconscious bodies and closed the door behind her.

Yuuto then rose from the pile of bodies, blending in until Nazuna passed. He silently approached her from behind...

...And swiftly pressed a chloroform-soaked bandage against her mouth, securing a tight grip around her neck as she began to struggle violently.

But Yuuto was relentless. Clamping his legs around her waist, he pressed the bandage with all his might, forcing her to inhale the potent fumes for as long as she could withstand.

Nazuna tried to break free by slamming her back against the nearby doors, but Yuuto held firm. In a desperate move, she fell backwards, toppling them both to the ground.

The impact sent a sharp jolt through Yuuto's skull, a concussion blooming behind his eyes, yet he maintained his grip.

She made one last attempt, crashing against the glass windows. The glass shattered, shards slicing into Yuuto's flesh, his blood spattering the broken pane. Still, he did not relent.

'Rest,' Yuuto thought as Nazuna's resistance slowly ebbed, her body weakening until she sagged in his hold.

Just as her knees buckled, Yuuto carefully supported her neck, gently easing her descent to the floor. Her face, now serene in unconsciousness, was marred only by a single tear that trickled from her eye as he carefully laid her down.

BLURRY.

Yuuto's vision swam violently, nausea churning in his gut.

'I can't afford to throw up... Not now... It's not over yet. I'll hold off until I've dealt with that brat,' he thought, fighting the disorientation as he staggered toward the pile of unconscious bodies to retrieve the bag he had hidden there.

[When you have a concussion, it's important not to throw up because vomiting can increase the pressure inside your skull, which can be harmful, especially if the brain is swollen or bruised.]

'Alright... I did good stopping by the infirmary again,' Yuuto thought, discarding the chloroform-soaked bandage with a flick of his wrist.

He swiftly rummaged through the supplies he had hastily gathered earlier, his fingers wrapping around a glass bottle of isopropyl alcohol, already prepared with a gauze wick; An improvised version of the Molotov Cocktail (a homemade inflammable grenade) made from infirmary supplies. His hands were steady, betraying none of the turmoil within. Now, all he needed was a lighter.

'Not the infirmary... Neither that British guy nor the butler had one... Where would I find a lighter in a school?' Yuuto mused, his gaze drifting over the sprawl of unconscious students.

'...Of course, one of the students would have one.' His thoughts sharpened as he searched through the pockets of several students until he finally found what he was looking for—a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.

"Jackpot," Yuuto murmured under his breath, flicking the lighter to test it. The small flame briefly illuminated his determined features.

He allowed himself a moment to glance at the police officers he had incapacitated, stationed near the door.

'...'

'I couldn't have neutralized armed police officers by myself under these circumstances. They might have fired through the students to reach me... I'm... Sorry. I wasn't strong enough to stop you without resorting to this.' Yuuto's expression twisted in regret as a surge of bile, a side effect of his newly acquired concussion, rose in his throat.

With a grimace, he fought the urge to vomit, swallowing hard, his face contorting with the effort.

'I have to end this now,' he resolved, steeling himself for what was to come, the improvised Molotov Cocktail tightly gripped in his hand.

"...Nazuna!? TOMMY!!?" Satoshi called out, a hint of concern etching his features.

'Who is this? Who's behind that door? Some veteran, perhaps!?' Satoshi's thoughts raced, his breath held in suspense.

'It couldn't be... Could it?' Nao thought anxiously, her eyes fixed on the slowly creaking door, the silence around her almost palpable.

As the door finally swung open, Satoshi stared intently at the gap, ready to act.

'Whoever this is... they won't escape my sight. The moment they even peek... I'll hypnotize them!' he vowed silently.

Nao gasped as the full view came into sight—hordes of students and the two policemen lay scattered across the floor, not a single one standing.

"W-who...!" Nao stammered.

Meanwhile, Yuuto was meticulously adjusting the flame of his lighter, concealed behind the door. He held it close to the wick nestled within the alcohol bottle.

'Show's over,' Yuuto thought, igniting the wick.

[BACKGROUND MUSIC: Guns N' Roses - November Rain (ending)]

'My body might not be strong enough to handle many enemies at once... But it's toned enough now to make this throw count,' Yuuto planned, his hand emerging from the doorway as he hurled the Molotov cocktail straight toward the principal's office.

"...!!!" Nao gasped as the bottle crashed into the desk.

Flames erupted, instantly setting the desk ablaze. Kaede, Saki, and Kanoko felt the heat sear their skin, immobilized by their circumstances.

Nao shrieked, darting to the other side of the room.

It was then that Yuuto stepped fully into the room, an officer's pistol gripped firmly in his hand.

'HIROKI...!!!!' Kaede's mind screamed.

'LOOK OUT...!!!!' Kanoko's mental warning echoed.

Yuuto advanced towards the blazing desk...

...But Satoshi was not there.

Suddenly, Yuuto's head tilted as if guided by an invisible hand.

...It was Satoshi,

'I win...' Satoshi thought as he locked eyes with Yuuto.

...Except Yuuto's eyes were closed from the beginning behind those fake square glasses he donned.

'...What!!? He got in here without looking!?' Satoshi grimaced in disbelief.

------------FLASHBACK (CHAPTER 18)---------------

"I could say the same to you, Hiroki Morii. No way you dodged those bullets without some trick, so that makes us even," Akito had confidently declared.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I still don't know what trick he was talking about...' Yuuto mused as he gripped Satoshi's throat, the barrel of the gun pressed coldly against Satoshi's temple.

'I just have some battle experience,' Yuuto reflected inwardly.

"I will make this really simple for you, hypnotist bastard. Nullify it, or else," Yuuto stated bluntly, his eyes still firmly shut.

"Haha... Isn't it funny, Hiroki Morii...!? You have me pinned, but in the end, you can't do anything—..." Satoshi's taunt was cut short as he choked, Yuuto dragging him toward the increasing heat in the room.

"W-Wait.. Stop..!! NOT— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Satoshi's scream tore through the air as Yuuto pressed his head against the flaming desk, the heat scorching Yuuto's palm as well.

"STOP, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Satoshi continued to shriek, writhing in agony as Yuuto held him against the blaze.

From a corner of the room, Nao could only huddle and watch in horror as Yuuto stood almost casually in the flames, subjecting Satoshi to the fire.

'Hiroki....!' Kaede's heart broke, a tear escaping as she witnessed her son immolating another.

Even Kanoko, who had once found a cold satisfaction in such thoughts, now grimaced, mourning the boy she knew as she watched Yuuto's mechanical steadiness in executing the fiery punishment.

Amidst the chaos, Saki felt a grim sense of relief as she sensed the ordeal nearing its end.

Yuuto then pulled Satoshi away from the flaming desk.

"You see, I've killed a lot of people on my way here... My conscience is very fragile... I'd rather not add another life to that list. So, if you just nullify the hypnotism, I'll let you go," Yuuto said, his voice calm yet ominous.

'F-FUCKING LIAR...!!!! HE'LL JUST KILL ME THE MOMENT I NULLIFY IT...!!!!' Satoshi thought, his body wracked with pain, his scorched clothes clinging to his seared skin.

"So...? What do you say?" Yuuto asked, tilting his head slightly.

"F-fuck... Y-you— AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Before Satoshi could finish, Yuuto thrust his head back against the burning wood, holding it there longer this time, ensuring his body adhered to the charred surface. Satoshi's lungs were too scorched for him to even gasp for another scream.

"How about this? I have some medical supplies here, including adrenaline. I'll make sure you stay awake for a very long time as I burn you alive. If you nullify it, I'll end it quickly," Yuuto threatened, pulling him from the flames again.

"But I'll need you to be steady. With my eyes closed, I might stick the needle wrong," Yuuto added.

"AAAAAAH.... AH... BRING... BRING THE SPEAKER TO ME...!!! I'LL... NULLIFY IT...." Satoshi managed through agonized gasps, his eye beginning to melt from the heat.

"...Hmph... The speaker is probably burnt, considering it's usually on the principal's desk... And I don't know where it is now... Guess I'll have you feel around the room until we find it. Act like a metal detector for me, will ya?" Yuuto suggested as he began to walk away, Satoshi's throat still clutched in Yuuto's burnt palm.

"Just..." Satoshi's voice was barely a whisper.

"Just kill me... It will.. End the hypnotism... With no one to address as their master... They'll just... Go back to normal... Just... Please kill me..." Satoshi pleaded, blood and tears mixing as they streamed from his face.

"All I needed to hear," Yuuto said, pressing the gun against Satoshi's temple and pulling the trigger.

The bullet pierced his skull, ending his life instantly.

Yuuto opened his eyes.

The immediate aftermath was visible in the crumpled forms of Kaede, Kanoko, and Saki. They fell to the ground, their faces etched with pain and shock, their knees buckling under the weight of their emotions and the physical strain of standing for too long.

But Yuuto's gaze didn't linger on them. The first sight that captured his attention as he opened his eyes was Satoshi's lifeless body beside the crackling flames.

He then turned to face Nao, who was cowering in a corner.

"...You've long since passed the point of just losing an eye," Yuuto declared calmly as he approached her.

"Hi...Roki..." Nao murmured, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at his composed expression.

'He's... Serious... I'm going to die..!!' Panic surged through her as her realization dawned.

"Any last words? I doubt 'Hiroki' is the name you want to whisper before you kick it," Yuuto asked coolly, leveling the gun at her face.

"You're... Not... Hiroki...!" Nao managed to say, her voice a murmur.

"Well, suit yourself," Yuuto sighed, meeting her gaze squarely as he began to squeeze the trigger.

Just then, Kanoko lunged at Nao, tackling her to the ground. Kaede ran toward Yuuto, embracing him from behind.

Yuuto paused, a hint of surprise crossing his features as Kanoko unleashed a barrage of furious punches on Nao, pinning her down and striking her face repeatedly, her expression one of wild frenzy.

"Hiroki... Please... Let's just... Let's go home... Please..." Kaede whispered, her voice breaking as tears soaked Yuuto's shoulder.

Outside, hordes of policemen, previously under the hypnotist's control, began rushing into the school in confusion. Alongside them, the remnants of students scattered around the premises stirred, each snapping out of the hypnotic trance as if waking from a brief blackout. However, Nao, Kanoko, Kaede, Nazuna, and Saki remained fully aware, having been conscious throughout the entire ordeal.

Inside, the intensity of the moment lingered. Yuuto slowly lowered his gun, feeling the residual warmth of Kaede's embrace. Kanoko continued to unleash a relentless barrage of punches on Nao, who struggled to breathe as her nose broke and teeth shattered from the force.

Gently breaking free from Kaede's grasp, Yuuto walked towards Saki, who had collapsed in the corner, her face etched with confusion and shock.

"Hiroki...?" Kaede called out softly, her voice tinged with worry as he approached Saki.

Yuuto crouched beside Saki, extending his arm toward her. "Let's go home, Saki," he said calmly, his voice soft, as he offered his burnt hand to help her stand. Saki hesitated, her eyes fixating on his seared palm.

"It's alright. It's gone numb. You can grab it," Yuuto reassured her gently.

With a tentative bite of her lip, Saki placed her hand atop his, drawing strength from his steady presence to rise to her feet.

Turning back to Kanoko and Kaede, he affirmed,

"Let's go home, then,"