Chapter 28: Zero

[Third Person's Point of View]

The morning air in Tokyo carried a crisp chill, a whisper of the winter to come. The city was waking up, its streets gradually filling with the rhythm of footsteps and the soft murmur of conversation. A black-haired man wearing a creme cardigan on top of a flannel shirt paired with corduroy pants, stepped out into the November dawn, his breath visible in the cool air.

The sun, a pale disk in the sky, cast a gentle light over the city's skyline, the shadows of the buildings stretching across the streets like dark fingers. The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted from the numerous vending machines and cafes, mingling with the savoury aroma of street food being prepared for the day's rush.

As he walked, August observed the orderly chaos that was Tokyo's signature, that he has been accustomed to for the last few months. Students in their crisp uniforms hurried past, their laughter a bright note against the city's hum. Salarymen and women, absorbed in their phones, flowed around him like water around a stone.

The school loomed ahead, its modern facade a stark contrast to the traditional homes he had passed. As he crossed the threshold, he couldn't help but reminisce about the five months that went like a blur, with his time here nearing the end.

The most significant event that happened to him was his recent promotion to Sequence-7, which he achieved 3 months ago. His already high progression percentage was tipped off to the next sequence by the steady and gradual continuation of his acting process.

Sequence-7, named 'Serial Killer' meant he would have to continue with his regular nightly escapades, which were getting monotonous by now.

Despite how evil his victims may be, he never took pleasure in taking another's life. He would rather be a circus clown than spend each day killing people. But for some reason, fate seemed determined to push him onto the 'demonic' path.

He settled into the warm and inviting atmosphere of the staff room, taking out his notebook to jot down his lesson plan for the day. The date at the top of the page read November 11th.

The D-Day. The culmination of five months of carefully laid plans were about to come to fruition.

He would make sure of it.

In other interesting news, the Harry Potter equivalent in this world has just begun their fifth year at Hogwarts roughly two months ago.

'Well, calling her Harry Potter would be disrespectful', he mused to himself, half-jokingly, because that individual bore no resemblance to Harry except for sharing the same name.

'The-Girl-Who-Lived'

The parodical feminine version of Harry; Amara Potter, was just as entitled and conceited as one could imagine. Through some twist of fate, James and Lily survived the Halloween attack, while it was Amara's grandparents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, who perished that tragic night.

Fleamont, a highly skilled Special Grade 1 wizard, and extremely accomplished in duelling with their family's Inherent Technique held down the dark lord long enough for Euphemia to complete an intricate ritual, that enabled her to sacrifice her own life to successfully reflect the killing curse back onto its caster.

As a result, Amara was spared from the iconic lightning scar, and Fleamont and Euphemia were honoured with a posthumous Order of Merlin: First Class, ushering in a new golden era for the House of Potter.

That's all he could gather from the internet, which left him with more questions than answers.

He came across another piece of news that caught his attention: a skirmish between the Chaos Dragon Faction and the Greek pantheon was currently taking place. However, it didn't seem to be anything significant.

At first, it was a shock to discover that the Dragons had a faction, but in hindsight, he realized it was actually quite logical.

The first half of the school day went by in a flash, and now it was finally time for lunch. August made his way up the stairs towards the rooftop, which was usually reserved for the staff.

The metal door creaked open and he entered to find a dark-haired student waiting for him.

"Sensei", Yuta nodded at him and took a bite of his egg cheese sandwich. As he sat next to him, August couldn't help but notice that Yuta's dark circles seemed to be getting more noticeable.

"Wassup?", Taking out his own lunch box, he ate while periodically checking on his troubled student from the corner of his eye.

"N-nothing", Yuta avoided eye contact and kept chewing on his sandwich.

"You know you can always confide in me, right? After all, I see you as a little brother," August's face turned slightly embarrassed as he said this, causing a genuine smile to finally appear on Yuta's face for the first time during their entire conversation.

"I know.." 'That's why I don't want to involve you any more than I already did...' the last words remained unsaid as comfortable silence fell between them.

Having finished his lunch, August got up from his seat and headed towards the exit, "If someone tries to bully you again, tell me okay? I'll beat them up!"

That left Yuta staring at the door with a bitter-sweet smile.

Yuta's bullying has escalated significantly over the past few months. It started with small pranks, but now it has evolved into full-blown bullying.

August frequently intervened to protect Yuta from bullies and even suspended two students, but the bullying only seemed to escalate.

Adding to the chaos, a group of strange individuals claiming to be Jujutsushis appeared and demanded to follow them. 

Like any rational person, Yuta refused their offer. But this only seemed to anger them, and they turned to violence.

Or tried to. A pissed-off Rika wasn't merciful towards them. Nor their bones.

-Ding Dong

The piercing sound of the school bell signalled the end of lunch as Yuta trudged down the stairs, walking towards the next class with a heavy sigh.

* 

The chill of the concrete seeped through Yuta's uniform as he was pushed against the wall by the window, the looming figures of his bullies casting long shadows over him. His heart raced, not just from the fear of the impending pain, but from the dread of awakening something far more terrifying.

"Look at him tremble! Are you excited to play with us again, Okkotsu?" jeered the tallest bully, a sneer spread across his face. His companions laughed, a chorus of mockery that echoed off the school's empty hallway walls.

Yuta's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles whitening. "Please, just leave me alone," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the laughter. But his plea fell on deaf ears as one of the bullies bent down, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him up to meet his gaze.

"And why would we do that? You're our favourite toy, aren't you?" The bully's breath was foul, his face twisted in cruel amusement. "Do you know how much I wanted to punch you? Understand my feelings!"

"Get away from me!"

The air shifted, a cold breeze swirling around the cramped space. The bullies paused, a sense of unease briefly crossing their faces, but their grip on Yuta only tightened.

"Rika-chan!"

It was then, amidst their taunting and jeers, that the temperature dropped sharply. A shadow, darker than the evening sky outside, stretched across the wall. The bullies turned, their faces drained of colour as they met the gaze of a vengeful cursed spirit bound by love.

Rika, more fearsome than any ghost story they watched in movies, stood before them. The air thickened, charged with her anger, as objects around the hallway began to tremble and shake.

Without a word, Rika moved. The bullies, frozen by fear, could only watch as an invisible force lifted them, their feet dangling helplessly above the ground. The laughter had long since died, replaced by gasps and pleas for mercy that fell on deaf ears.

With a flicker of her gaze, the lockers behind them swung open as if by their own accord, and the bullies were hurled inside.

The door to the classroom was closed, but that didn't stop August from peering inside with his [Arcane Eyes].

He was under a stealth spell, that rendered completely undetectable to any onlookers. The bullies, who were dangling in mid-air under Rika's invisible grip, were frankly under his control from the start.

Okkotsu had always been a target for teasing, even before he joined the school. However, the incidents were relatively minor and could be classified more as harmless pranks rather than outright bullying.

In the span of his five months here, he subtly moulded the students by loosening their inhibitions in a way that would be nearly impossible to detect.

Naturally, he remembered to maintain his 'big brother' facade by rescuing Yuta when things became too intense.

Rika was poised to inflict more damage on the bullies stuffed inside the cabinet, but before she could do so, the door opened just in time as an invisible [Air Wall] appeared in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, while August quickly made their way towards Okkotsu.

"Yuta! Are you okay?!" he asked urgently, standing in front of the raven-haired boy who seemed to be avoiding eye contact like a guilty child caught with stolen treats.

"YutTTaAAa!" Rika let out a piercing angry scream as she charged towards the man standing between her and her lover.

"NOO, Rika-chan!! He is a Friend!" Yuta shouted desperately at the top of his voice, pleading with the spirit of his deceased lover to stop hurting his only friend.

Silence stretched as Rika stopped inches away from the man who stood protectively in front of her Yuta, black flames floating in his hand, ready to retaliate any moment.

Both the figures scanned each other. August felt the bottomless reservoir of Cursed Energy for Rika, which stood out like the Sun in darkness for every sorcerer in Tokyo. He was sure that Sorcerers would approach them soon, drawn by Rika's partial manifestation and his own energy signature.

After another moment of staring at the pair, the vengeful cursed spirit vanished, likely satisfied with her beloved's safety with him.

Yuta's legs failed him, and he collapsed against the wall, hugging his knees and whispering apologies over and over.

"Gomen'nasai....Gomen'nasai....Gomen'nasai..."

*

The sky loudly rumbled outside, as heavy rain poured down on Tokyo. In the dimly lit classroom, raindrops danced a frenzied ballet against the windowpane.

Bubbles of water encased the wounded parts of the three students who were stuffed inside the closet, their injuries prevented from worsening by the spell.

August sighed as he looked at his distraught student, who continued to apologize to nobody in particular.

The spell [Aqua Heal] was typically used to treat minor injuries, not the severe ones that the three in front of him had incurred.

Just then, the window at the back of the class swung open, revealing the figure of a white-haired man. He stepped onto the windowsill as water droplets parted around him, leaving him untouched. His dark navy blue uniform clung to his form, hiding a well-muscled body underneath it.

His white hair was brushed upwards, and white bandages wrapped around the upper portion of his head, covering his eyes.

Silence hung among all three of them, even Yuta stopped apologising for the first time and looked at the new intruder.

*******************************

Author-san here!!!

Haah, Augustus is so heartless sometimes, bullying poor Yuta. Coldblooded bastard I tell'ya.

So, if you want to read more of his cold-blooded 'Oscar-winning' little adventures in the next chapter, and two weeks' worth ahead, go visit my Patreon account.

[Link: Patreon.com/Midwintersnow] ['P' lowercase ofc]

VOTE if you like the chapter. Let's get to 251 Powerstones if you want an early chapter.

See you in the next one.