< < | NOZOMI'S POINT OF VIEW | > >

  "You're still alive, Ueda-san."

  Takahashi looked exhausted—his face drenched in sweat, his breaths heavy—but he remained as calm as ever. He walked toward the monster without hesitation, his movements controlled, his expression unreadable. It was as if this entire situation was trivial to him.

  I had always known something was off about him. It wasn’t bravery or compassion that drove him to save me that day. His eyes were always empty. His words lacked emotion. Every time we spoke, I felt like he was looking through me rather than at me.

  And now, his actions only deepened my suspicion. He was connected to everything that had been happening in this city.

  Takahashi raised his hand, palm facing the monster. His eyes glowed bright yellow as he summoned his barrier. A thin sheet of translucent matter hovered in the air before shifting into the shape of a single-edged, curved blade. He turned to me and said, "Listen, Ueda-san." That was when I noticed it—he was carrying my sword in his other hand. "You defeated this monster and saved Yamada Kenzou and Fujimoto Mitsuki. Do you understand?"

  I met his gaze, searching for an explanation. But he had already turned back to the monster.

  The glowing blade shot forward at terrifying speed, slicing through the creature in an instant. Its upper half collapsed to the ground with a sickening plop, like rotting meat. It lay there, motionless. Lifeless.

  I had struggled with everything I had to defeat it—pushed myself past my limits, risked my life—yet he did it effortlessly.

  He had been pretending all along.

  "Takahashi..." I forced out his name, but it barely came out as a whisper.

  "Do you understand, Ueda-san?"

  My hands clenched into fists before I even realized it, gripping dirt and sand between my fingers. My body ached, but anger burned stronger than the pain. With gritted teeth, I met his gaze.

  "What the fuck are you on about, Takahashi?"

  He stared back, unreadable as ever. "You will tell people that you were the one who defeated the monster."

  "And why the hell would I do that?" I ignored the searing pain coursing through my body as fury built up inside me again. "You’ve been pretending," I spat. "Acting weak. Hiding your ability like it’s nothing." I forced myself to stand, nearly stumbling, but I caught my balance just long enough to grab his collar. "You could have stopped those monsters two weeks ago. You could have saved them." My voice trembled with rage. "Why, Takahashi? Why did you let them die?"

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  His expression didn’t change. His voice remained cold, detached.

  "I don’t have an obligation to save anyone."

  My breath caught in my throat.

  He was serious.

  He could have prevented all those innocent people from dying. Masashi and Ryosuke didn’t have to sacrifice themselves. He could have stopped it all—without even breaking a sweat.

  But he didn’t do shit.

  "You’ve gotta be kidding me..." That was all I could say. My feet shuffled backward, putting distance between us. "Why?"

  Takahashi remained as calm as ever. "I plan to tell you everything, Ueda-san." He extended my sword toward me. "Because I’m going to use you."

  My fist slammed into his barrier before I could stop myself. A sharp pain shot through my knuckles, but I barely registered it. "Fucker... Who the hell do you think you are?"

  I still had my left hand. I pulled back, ready to strike again—

  "Ueda-senpai!"

  Shiho’s voice rang across the yard.

  Takahashi lowered his barrier just as she reached us. Her wide, worried eyes darted between us, then to Fujimoto, still unconscious on the ground. "Ueda-senpai, Takahashi-kun!" She looked me up and down, panicked. "This is bad, you're all beat up!" Then, her gaze shifted past us, to the monster’s severed corpse.

  "You... you beat it by yourself?"

  I hesitated.

  Takahashi was already watching me.

  There was a beat of silence. A million questions burned inside me—about the monsters, about Takahashi’s true identity, about who was behind these attacks. He had the answers. I knew that much.

  I also knew I wanted to punch a hole through him.

  Instead, I swallowed my fury and forced out a single reply.

  "I did."

  Shiho healed all of us before we were called to the principal’s office to give our reports. I kept my mouth shut about what I had learned regarding the monster—just as Takahashi had instructed. I wasn’t sure why I listened to him. But I did.

  Hours later, I found myself standing at his apartment door. The sky had darkened, the last traces of sunlight fading beyond the horizon.

  I slipped my phone back into the small pocket of my blazer after texting my mom that I'd be home late. Not that she—or anyone—would be worried if I didn’t.

  The door opened. Takahashi didn’t say a word, just turned and walked inside. No invitation, no acknowledgment, whatsoever.

  I stepped in after him as he flipped on the lights.

  The apartment was... unexpectedly tidy. Everything was neatly arranged, the furniture simple but well-kept. Even the decorations looked thoughtfully placed, almost like they belonged to someone with a sense of taste.

  "Sit wherever you like," he said, closing the door with his ability. I sat on the sofa by the coffee table, and he took the seat across from me. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked stupidly..

  "I don't have time for that. Talk."

  "Sorry, I saw on television that you must offer a beverage to your visitors."

  "Are you a NEET?"

  "I guess you can call me that."

  I glared at him as I leaned in closer. "I don't trust you one bit. Tell me your reason for hiding your abilities and letting all those people die. If it turns out to be something ridiculous and selfish, I'll kill you in an instant."

  "You're weaker than me by orders of magnitude, though," he replied, not batting an eye.

  "I don't give a shit, Takahashi. I'll make sure you'll die—even if it kills me."

  There was a few seconds of silence, as if he were pondering his next words. He looked down before speaking again. "You must be really angered by that," he said, his voice still devoid of emotion. "You really cherish your friends."

  "Angered?" I repeated. "I would give everything I have to bring them back, Takahashi."

  "I feel like I can relate to you, but also not at the same time. It's strange," he replied.

  I let out a deep breath. "Who are you, really?" For the first time, I saw him hesitate. Perhaps he was still the clueless guy I thought he was, but I needed answers. He had nearly died saving my life once. He risked everything to keep this secret. I couldn't believe that letting all those innocent people die was justified, but I’d give him a chance to explain.

  "For starters, Takahashi Haruto is not my real name," he said, and my eyebrows furrowed. "We didn’t have names—I was called 715."

  "S-Seven one five?" I stammered.

  "Sometimes Seven Hundred Fifteen. Depends on who’s calling me."

  "Wait… wha… I don't think I'm following."

  He took a deep breath, and a sudden sadness crept into his eyes. "We were human experiments, Ueda-san."

  [ END OF CHAPTER ]