Chapter 25: An Unexpected Assault

Thursday, 24th of April,2XXX

It was gloomy day, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, releasing a relentless downpour that soaked anyone unfortunate enough to be caught beneath it. To our eyes, it appeared as just another ordinary rainy day – a customary spring drizzle. However, for anyone beyond the realm of 'normal' individuals like us, it held significance; it marked the day when the king was unceremoniously dethroned.

Another dark and menacing corridor, with halls painted black and walls vandalized with sprinkles of blood and rain along side it. A splash of water from the street then followed with footsteps. A girl-like figure, it's long hair waves to the sound of the wind then walks to Fuyuki. It then gaze upon him as it spoke in a monotonous tone:

"Misao-san, should we still bring Shirori-san back here?" 

A short pause with the sound of the rain and the usual thunder hit before he huffed.

"From now on, just spy on them. We should focus our attention to a more important stuff" He sighed as he continue his words.

"Our reputation of being the most feared group in this twisted school just got hung in the air after a certain someone dropped their spies and sees our stalemate against girl that's completely new to this system. I tried to neutralize some of them before this information spreads amongst the Student Council but I was one second too late, Sora-kun"

He then turns, a sword consume with burning fire and stained by blood was gripped on his hand. Bodies of spies behind him and his black cloak tainted by their blood. Yuki didn't seems phased by it as...his expression doesn't even change. 

"Sora-kun, I noticed that you're getting weaker the more girl-like you are. Is that your intention?" He scoffed. For a second, Yuki's hands were clenched before he rebutted back.

"At least I didn't lose against a girl like you, Misao-san"

A moment of a pause occured when Fuyuki processed what Yuki just teased him with. Both of them then snickered as the rain muffled their laughs. Before both of them entered their base with the bodies just left outside, drenched by the rain and blood.

As their laughs subsided, Fuyuki glanced at Yuki before he asked warmly.

"Where's Kei-chan?"

Awkward silence flooded the scene, only fixed by the sound of an opening and closing doors after entering their bases. Getting more concern, Fuyuki sharpened his gaze more to him. Tensing his muscles, he laser-pointed his eyes.

"Where's Kei-chan, Yuki-kun...?"

Feeling the tension, he immediately called his phone to Akagi for it only to be disconnected by her automatic rejecting device before he clicked his tongue and grimaces.

"Yeah, this is...not good, Fuyuki-kun. We lost her."

***

A thunder just struck behind the window, with Helveticus sat on the corner, her legs folded close to her body as she hugged it. Flooded with guilt and despair, she could only wait upon her friend condition and trusted Hitoshi with it. Her minds covered in darkness, haunted by her action. 

"Why did I think going here was a good idea? Why am I such an idiot, bringing the danger to the one that spared me in the first place?" She wondered. Feelings and Logics are now fighting in her mind, she didn't know what to do after this.

On the otherside of the room, there lies me, my body already went cold as my heart wasn't even pumping anymore and only replaced by a portable machine, trying to make the blood flows in the rest of my body and just holding me from the brink of death. Just a couple of meters away, Hitoshi was seen trying to restore my heart with his regenerative power. 

"Helveticus-san," He called, "Could you take care of Kiyoko-san". His gaze turned towards the door. Codes and numbers ran upon his right hand as he grabbed the door's handle. Opening it without making any noise before he gazed back at Helveticus for the last time.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you." He exclaimed, closing the door behind him, leaving Helveticus froze in fear. The winds blown from the air conditioner, amplying the ambience more. A sweat trickles from her face before she steadily approached my body.

Inhaling the chilly air, she hesitated to reach out and touch my face, her hand freezing mid-air. The idea of Aoki punishing her for accidentally scratching me didn't sit well with her.

Gathering her thoughts, she settled onto the edge of my bed, next to me. I could sense the weight of her guilt in the air as she gazed at me with her icy blue eyes. She knew she was the one who had brought me into this conflict, igniting the turmoil.

"Kiyoko-san..." Her voice was barely a whisper, trailing off as she said my name before releasing a heavy sigh.

"Kiyoko-san, I know you can hear me... But can you... I..." Her words faltered, tears welling up in her eyes as she leaned in closer, studying my face intently. Once more, she attempted to reach out, but the thought of touching the person she had inadvertently entangled in her problems held her back.

She never dealt with this pressure before.

Summoning her courage, she finally uttered the words that weighed heavily on her heart.

"Will you forgive me...Kiyoko-san?"

A single tear dropped onto my cold cheek. The sobs rang throughout the room. Like a glorified prequel to a horror movie monster, I could feel that with a good setting, she would be perfect in one. The rain drizzled outside. The wind blowns chiller. Like a corpse, I do not talk, I do not respond, I only hear.

Unable to bear the weight of her guilt any longer, she diverted her gaze elsewhere. Descending from the bed to the floor, she paced around the room in frantic circles, desperately seeking a way to salvage the situation.

"No, no, no... She's going to be furious with me. I promised not to involve her too deeply. But... I... I messed up so badly."

She let out a shaky breath, her chest heaving with panic. Amidst the chaos, I could hear the sound of her hair being clenched in frustration. Her sobs morphed into a hollow chuckle, followed by quiet cries. She was unraveling.

Continuing to circle the room, she tugged at her hair in vain, trying to release her pent-up frustration. With each passing moment, her breathing grew more frantic. Finally, she leaned against the wall, consumed by worry about the challenges that lay ahead once I regained consciousness.

At that moment, the room seemed colder than ever, her presence casting an icy chill that permeated the air.

After several episodes of panic attacks, she found herself sitting beside my bed, her arms wrapped around her knees as she sobbed incessantly. It seemed like she would continue in this state until Aoki returned, to be honest.

But then...

A sudden noise disrupted the quiet of the room. Was it the rain, falling unusually loudly? Or perhaps... a footstep?

As the sound repeated, it became clear that it wasn't just the rain. Someone was approaching, their footsteps blending with the patter of the drizzle. Each step seemed deliberate, calculated. And with each ping, I realized they were using some sort of scanning device to map their surroundings.

Realizing that Helveticus wouldn't have heard the supersonic sound emitted within a 20-meter radius, dread began to knot in my stomach. The pings grew louder and louder, drowning out any other noise in the room.

Mumbling, the individual's voice was lost beneath the drumming of the rain outside. And then, as suddenly as it had begun...

It stopped?

The individual halted their steps, the tension in the room escalating with each passing moment as they continued to ping the area without straying far from their last significant step.

A gulp echoed in the room, likely from Helveticus. No wonder everything fell silent; it seemed she had also recognized the threat.

Standing up, Helveticus retrieved her pocket knives, her gaze fixed on the wall opposite the entrance door. Despite trembling with exhaustion and fear, she remained resolute, preparing herself for what was to come.

"Come out," she commanded, holding her knives at the ready, poised to unleash them all at once to neutralize the threat.

Outside, the individual, having scanned the surrounding area, rushed toward the building where we were located.

With her knives clenched tightly, Helveticus braced herself as the deafening ping drew nearer, the dim basement light intensifying the tension.

And then, abruptly, the steps ceased. Perplexed, Helveticus cautiously approached the wall, just before-

***

"According to your question, you wanted to learn about this 'Annual Olympics' that this 'Best School in all of Japan' just made up in their first year?" 

Said a boy wearing a well mannered black suit, while placing his leg onto the cafe table.

"Yes, that's what I just said, Isamu-san. Could you make this quick?"

"Of course, I'm all for efficiency. We did agree on a contract, after all. Just... which question are you referring to?"

A flicker of annoyance flashed in Aoki's eyes, or perhaps it was frustration. He let out another sigh before turning his attention back to Isamu.

"Should we continue this discussion elsewhere, Isamu-san?" he proposed, rising from his seat and making his way toward the exit.

"Looks like you've got some uninvited guests before this. Still, I'm sure you would not like for me to steal the show from you if I were to came and aid you."

The statement somehow rocked his heart. He stopped as he grabbed on to the door handle. His green eyes locked its target on Isamu. 

For five seconds, the two stayed silent. Nothing to discuss, nothing to do. Only speaking with their eyes before Isamu darted his eyes around the cafe area, a bit intimidated before closing it with a smile. "I'm just joking, Aoki-san. Joking." He uttered nonchalantly.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a swirling mass of green particles and numbers where Aoki once stood. Maintaining his smile, he couldn't help but remark, "What a terrifying student."

Appearing on the other side of the huge school complex which is his own basement. With still calm eyes, he inspect the situation. 

A shattered heart monitor, blood splattered across the floor, and a petite, white-haired girl slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. Confirming his suspicions, he shifted his gaze to the intruder, who was still engrossed in her phone.

"Akagi-san..." he muttered, his body beginning to emit a soft green glow. Green-tinged numbers swirled around him, casting an eerie light as his eyes narrowed with icy anger fixed on Akagi.

"Aoki-kun..." Akagi mumbled back, a faint hint of fear flashing in her eyes before she returned her attention to her phone. "I've already calculated that you'd be here by the time I breached this... 'makeshift operation room.' Still... I would only like to take Helveticus-san for ourselves, if you don't mind?"

There was no response from Aoki. His gaze remained fixed on the bloodied floor, his power surging with each passing second.

"Aoki-san...she's...too...strong." Helveticus whimpered. Now leaning against my bed, she continued, "Just...let them take me..."

Another silence. Now only having Akagi-san as his target, he breathes deeply. "Is that...what you wanted, Akagi-san? Her?"

Receiving a nod from Akagi, who remained seemingly unfazed, Aoki vanished once again, leaving behind a trail of green numbers and particles that looks like wingdings. Tension filled the air once again as Helveticus fainted out from the aura.

Terrified by instinct, Akagi failed to fully control Aoki's body. She darted her eyes around the room, her movements resembling that of a scared child.

Stuttering, she stepped back further into the room. "A-Aoki-san? C-Can't you think a little bit on the l-logical s-side? I'm sure you don't mi-"

Her words were cut as she turned back to see a green coated hand punched her straight to her stomach. Green light shimmered through the cold evening air. Now forced to kneel by the pain, her features contorted in pain and blood beginning to trickle from the impact, her face drained of color.

"Sure, I don't mind, Akagi-san. Still...giving Helveticus to you means that I'll no longer gain Kiyoko's sympathy...I still needed her as my tool. Will that explains it to you?"

Shuddering in pain, she could only nod, unable to speak due to the intensity of the pain, closing her eyes to stem the flow of blood. Before long, her body vanished into green particles and numbers, whisked away by Aoki's ability.

Surveying the scene, with both my and Helveticus' bodies lying in the now thrashed basement, Aoki walked over to my body and whispered, "Library-san, or whatever you are, don't play dead. You're a gadget, you're still conscious, right?"

Glitching noises emanated from my body. Hearing this, Aoki continued,

"Could you heal both of them?"