Chapter 171 - A predestined battle (2)

"I really can't stand you. Every time I look at you, my anger just grows" 

Spoke Baji, his face contorting even more with rage. Honestly, among all the people in the group who tormented me, Baji seemed to be the one who harbored the most hatred for me. The reason for this, however, has always been a mystery to me. At some point, I decided to accept that things were as they were and tried to ignore his resentment.

Anyway, I no longer cared about it. In fact, it wasn't worth asking him now. In the end, he would die anyway.

"Really? I'm glad to hear that. Although it's obvious, I never liked you either"

My words didn't have an offensive tone; in fact, strangely, I felt a complete absence of emotion in them. However, it didn't seem like Baji interpreted them that way. His face twisted even more upon hearing what I said. Earlier, he seemed merely annoyed, but now it looked like he would kill me at the first opportunity he got.

"I had forgotten that you were like this... you never give up. And it's exactly that part of you that I hate. No matter how much I beat you, no matter how much I put you in your place, you still looked down on me. You think you're better than me, you bastard?"

Although it wasn't my intention, it seems I ended up discovering why Baji hated me so much. It seems this guy has an inferiority complex in relation to me, which honestly makes no sense. After all, it was always me who ended up on the ground after being beaten so much.

"Better... no, I never thought I was superior to anyone. Although... I'm sure I'm better than you in everything now, currently"

Saying these words, I put a small smile on my face and began walking towards Fujiwara. She tilted her head to the side in confusion, but upon noticing the smile on my face, she seemed to understand what I was about to do and smiled back.

As I approached Fujiwara, I walked behind her and hugged her from behind. My eyes still remained focused on Baji, who was looking at me with pure anger. Seeing that made me feel even better; seeing that expression on Baji's face made me wish he would suffer more.

"I heard you have a crush on our Fujiwara here, Baji" 

I said. Upon hearing my words, Fujiwara let out a little chuckle, as if he knew we were just playing roles at that moment.

"Makoto, you bastard, what the hell do you mean by that?" 

Baji growled, his tone sounding aggressive. At that moment, I could feel an aura emanating from him. Although I wasn't sure, I presumed that was probably some kind of ability.

Without uttering a word, I slid one of my hands down to Fujiwara's belly, starting to caress his abdomen while letting a dark smile appear on my face. I wasn't sure why, but the next words that were about to escape my lips filled me with a dark pleasure.

"I looked after her a lot while you were away" 

I muttered in an icy tone, keeping my gaze fixed on Baji. 

"What's more, I poured all the love I could into her"

Carefully, I moved my finger slowly to a spot just below her abdomen, more specifically where Fujiwara's uterus was.

"Exactly in this area here"

At the moment I uttered those words, I sensed the aura surrounding Baji becoming more intense, manifesting a notable aggression, almost as if it had taken on a life of its own.

"YOU BASTARD, I'LL END YOU"

As he said this, Baji lunged toward me with a speed that, to be honest, surprised me. Though not extraordinarily fast, he was much swifter than I had initially imagined. However, even with his surprising agility, Baji was still far from being able to defeat me.

"Cloning"

The moment I uttered these words, a black mist emerged beside me, gradually taking on a human form, specifically, assuming my own shape. Just before Baji reached me, my clone materialized and intercepted him.

"What the hell is this?"

Baji exclaimed, his voice sounding more enraged than surprised. As usual, his expression clearly revealed his growing frustration. Baji always wore that expression when things didn't go as he expected. Honestly, I was tired of seeing him make that face every time he tormented me.

"I already knew you were stupid, but it seems you're even worse than I imagined" 

I said, letting out a sigh. Upon hearing my words, Baji's expression grew even darker.

"Makoto, you bastard! You keep treating me like an idiot, again and again! I swear I'll kill you in the worst way possible as soon as I get my hands on you!"

Upon hearing Baji's words, I let out a loud laugh because, honestly, what he said was quite funny.

"Make you an idiot? Why would I bother when you do that to yourself?"

As I spoke these words, I gently wiped the tears that had streamed down my face after my brief fit of laughter.

"Besides, how do you plan to kill me if you can't even match up to my clone?"

Upon hearing my words, abruptly, Baji stomped the ground so hard that a crater formed where he and my clone had been. With that, my clone lost balance, giving Baji an opportunity to act. He seized my clone's head, clenching his fist, preparing to strike.

I felt the same aura I had felt before surrounding Baji's body, but this time it seemed to concentrate in his hand. Watching the scene unfold, Baji delivered a single punch that pierced through my clone's head. It quickly reverted to its original misty state, dissipating slowly. Then, Baji turned his gaze back to me, wearing a smile on his face.

"One less"