I woke up slowly, the harsh white light of the hospital ceiling stabbing my eyes like an Israeli missile crashing into the buildings of Gaza City. What a morbid thought. I had a dream... it felt prophetic. Like, I was back into my old life, a TikTok content mod, watching videos of Palestine in disgust, tagging the right policies and taking down the videos. Never have I ever been so anti-Israel before.
I tried to shake myself off that dumb fucking thought and recalibrate with the world, but everything was blurry. My head throbbed, my body ached in ways that made me want to sink back into unconsciousness. Permanently, if possible, but death kept rejecting me like the cruel bitch she was. Like a girl would reject the most desperate simp. I just wanna die, is that too much to ask for?!?
And then I saw her — Midorikawa Suzuka, sitting beside my bed, pale and tear-streaked. Relief hit me so hard I almost groaned. She was alive.
"Y-you're awake…" she whispered, voice shaking. My vision cleared a little more, and I noticed Haruka lounging at the foot of my bed, arms crossed, smirking like she owned the place, while Koneko quietly folded a blanket nearby, her eyes sharp and alert.
Okay, I totally wanted these girls to... not meet each other? Haruka and Toujou-chan in one place was bad enough, but now they met Midorikawa too?... Come on. Then I thought... right. Genius, that shit wouldn't have happened if you weren't so fucking weak. And yet, I felt happy. Midorikawa was alive. I felt so happy I coulda hugged right now, and I wanted to, but the thought of Haruka and Koneko throwing jealousy fits made me as restrained as it made me exasperated.
I groaned, barely containing my irritation. "Why do I feel like the world's conspiring to shove three girls into my personal space at once?"
"Careful, don't strain yourself," Haruka teased, eyes gleaming with that mischievous edge, before throwing a bottle of water at me. I barely caught it. "Wouldn't want you passing out on me again."
I took a quick sip. Midorikawa, as if sensing my earlier intent, hugged me and sobbed into my chest. I hugged her back, any desire to glare at Haruka for being an annoying bitch dissipating into the moment the two girls were spectacting.
Normally, Haruka and Toujou-chan woulda thrown jealousy fits, but here? Both of them surprisingly composed, like they understood what was at stake. That was a relief.
So, anyways, seeing Midorikawa there — fragile, trembling — made me push down any need to talk back at Haruka. She was blaming herself, already. "It's not your fault," I said, softly, though inside I was feeling guilty for not making it in time to save her. And now Midorikawa lost someone to this fucking supernatural world... and the fucking bastard who did this? Still on the run. Still out there. Still killing people...
Great. Truly great! Fuck you, Watcher, for allowing this shit to happen to innocent people.
Midorikawa shook her head, tears welling up again. "If I hadn't… I mean, Aika-chan…" She couldn't finish. Her voice broke.
I reached out, grabbing her hand gently. "No. Listen to me. You're alive. She… she made a choice, and it wasn't yours to take. I swear I'll catch the bastard who did this."
Haruka eyed us from the foot of the bed, wearing an unreadable expression.
"Alright, jokes aside. Can you tell what is all of this about, Kokonoe-kun?~"
"Damn me if I have any idea...", I muttered under my breath, dreading this question more than I dreaded The Weeknd's sex music.
I tried to focus, tried to organize the mess of thoughts bouncing around in my head. Relief that Midorikawa was safe. Guilt for her friend. Unease at Haruka and Koneko. All of it mashed into a headache that was threatening to split my skull in half. When did my life become so complicated?
And then I noticed it. Something outside the window. A shadow. Movement that didn't belong. My stomach tightened. The killer isn't done. And neither am I.
I shifted, scanning the room with every instinct I had. Nothing obvious — just the city outside, the nurses bustling through the halls — but my gut told me something was wrong. Midorikawa was too consumed with her grief to notice. Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Watchu' staring at?" she asked, but I ignored her.
I wanted to check, to act, but Midorikawa's fragile form stopped me for a moment. She was still trembling, still sobbing quietly. My instinct to protect her screamed louder than anything else.
Then a new problem appeared. Midorikawa suddenly clutched her chest and slumped slightly forward. Haruka cursed under her breath, Koneko stiffened, and I dove forward, catching Midorikawa before she hit the floor.
"You're scaring me," I muttered under my breath, irritation and relief battling each other. Midorikawa buried her face into my chest, shaking silently.
I held her there for a long moment, trying to calm her, trying to calm myself. But outside the window, that shadow lingered, moving with a purpose.
I clenched my fists. "I won't let them get away with this. Not now. Not ever."
Haruka peeked over my shoulder, smirking nervously. "Should I call someone, or are we handling this like adults?"
Koneko didn't say a word. She just watched, and somehow that was worse.
I exhaled slowly, heart hammering. The hospital was quiet... But I knew better than to believe quiet equals place. The night wasn't over, and neither was the danger.
__________________________________
And now, we were back in my own, personal space. Mom was sleeping soundly in the other room, unaware of my growing headache in the form of three girls, each with their own questions. But, by far, the most prominent one was Midorikawa. Her questions were existential, and here I thought—or hoped—Haruka and Toujou-chan would make it easier for me to explain the existence of the supernatural to someone who's never experienced that shit before.
"Wait… wait, hold on," she stammered, voice trembling. "You… you're saying… you're… devils? Both of you? And Haruka-chan… you're a… a yuki-onna?"
Yeah. That's about the reaction I expected. Haruka briefly broke the silence with a "That's right," and a nod. She and Toujou-chan wore tense expressions themselves, and I knew I had some explaining to do for each separately. For now, though, they were just watching.
Midorikawa's hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide. "I—I can't… I can't even wrap my head around that. How is this even possible?!"
She rocked slightly on her heels, shaking her head. "All this time… all the times I thought I knew you… and it was… this?!"
Her voice dropped to a whisper, almost pleading. "And people… people are dying because of… this? Because of you all?"
That stirred something dark inside of me, the very core of the humanity I hated so much. Always judging others, never looking in the mirror. Hold your fucking horses, hypocrites.
"Yeah, right, blame supernatural beings for people dying. Is it their fault for the war in Somalia? Or the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine? Or the Japanese torturing Chinese people in World War 2?" I was shouting before I realized it.
You're all Japanese, and I'm accusing you of war crimes. Let's see how you handle that.
Midorikawa froze. Her hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide like she'd just seen a ghost—or maybe me, possessed by the moral fury of every injustice in history. She rocked on her heels, shaking her head. "I… I didn't… I didn't mean—" she stammered, cutting herself off, as if any further words might get swallowed by the storm I'd unleashed.
Haruka and Toujou-chan watched me wearily. Their expressions were complicated, like they didn't disagree with my reasoning, but they were watching me break apart. And, in a way, I guess I was.
Toujou-chan said nothing. Eyes sharp, body tense, signaling a readiness to move against me if my rage turned physical. She was acting like a cat circling its prey, but I could probably curb-stomp her in a fight. Probably.
Haruka moved toward me and placed a hand on my shoulder"
"Kokonoe-kun… breathe. Let it out."
A gesture that was soothing enough to bring me back. My pulse slowed, my throat unclenched. I exhaled sharply, catching Midorikawa and Toujou subtly flinch, eyes narrowing. Haruka's hand lingered on my shoulder more than it should have.
Toujou's eyes betrayed hostility, her jaw tightening like she was biting down a snarl she didn't want anyone to hear. Midorikawa's tears had dried, and now she was glaring at Haruka.
Great. Cause all this night needed was a fucking love geometry problem. In the first place, why me? You're all beautiful girls, you could find someone better… Focus, idiot, this ain't the time to go all emo.
Haruka noticed too; I caught the flicker of smug in her smile before she looked away.
"Easy, ladies," I muttered under my breath. "No one's claiming territory here."
Toujou folded her arms. "Could've fooled me."
Haruka's grin widened, smiling like trouble. "You're the one glaring, neko-chan. I'm just helping our boy breathe."
Midorikawa, still half in shock, finally managed a tiny, incredulous, "Helping, huh?"
I groaned, dragging a hand through my hair. "Yeah, okay, we're definitely not having this conversation right now."
An uneasy silence settled upon the room. Awkward, with Midorikawa's emotional spiral, my bad mood, Haruka's playful dominance, and Toujou's guarded, combat-ready stance. Honestly, it was a headache.
"This ain't about who's a monster," I muttered, mostly to myself. "It's about what's out there!"
I grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. The news anchor's flat tone filled the room, scratching at my sanity.
"Authorities have confirmed three more deaths in Nagano Prefecture, believed to be connected to the recent string of ritualistic murders—"
The image cut to a police cordon, flashing lights, white sheets fluttering in the wind. A new murder in a neighborhood in Nagano, a new pentagram drawn in the blood of the victim. The death toll had now risen to 23, from 15 the last time I checked. Two people from Midorikawa's school had died so far. I was starting to see a pattern here, and I wasn't sure I liked where this shit was going. I mean, really, fuck you and your Satanist bullshit. Ain't no one fucking with the devil except Benjamin Netanyahu and his generals. I hope he and Trump burn in hell.
Midorikawa went pale. "This is the fifth time this week…"
There would be more if I didn't do anything about it. Or we—since Haruka and Toujou-chan had agreed to help me.
I hated that I needed them more than I hated the Romanian political establishment, genocidal states, or romance anime. Weak as shit and dependent on girls. What a man.
Toujou's eyes narrowed. Her tail began twitching left and right, with that kind of uneasiness which reads: itching for the kill. Scary. "It's getting bolder."
Haruka folded her arms. "We told you, Suzu-chan. These aren't just random killings."
Since when are these bitches on a first-name basis with each other? Toujou glared at me, as if she realized what I was thinking. I just shrugged, and she didn't press the matter further. Fucking boundaries.
Midorikawa's gaze darted between us for a while, like she was going through an eye-motion lag. Then, she finally spoke. "Wait—you're saying it's one of you?"
Toujou bristled. "No. But it's something worse."
Haruka glanced at me. Her voice softened, but there was weight in it. "Tell her, Kokonoe-kun."
I hesitated. The air in the room felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for my words.
"Whatever's out there," I finally said, "it's not human. And it's hunting like it knows us. Like it wants us."
Midorikawa swallowed hard, eyes glistening. "And you were just… planning to handle this on your own?"
"After you called me, yeah, I was starting to look into it. Then I got some help."
As if my clarification wasn't enough, Toujou crossed her arms and decided to speak. "We were trying to. Until someone decided to start asking too many questions."
"Hey," I cut in, glaring at her. "You're not helping. She literally lost her friend less than a day ago. She didn't deserve to get dragged into this, but she's as much in it now as we all are. I don't think you know what it's like to lose someone, or at least not to death."
Something seemed to have awakened inside her, cause the sharp glint in her eye turned into something darker. "One day… Senpai… I will tell you about my past…"
Oh-oh. Landmine. I pushed it to the back of my head, deciding to give it importance only when the time was right. The issue at hand held priority. Still no empathy for Midorikawa, though. It's always the cuties who end up being heartless bitches.
Haruka stepped forward, pointing at Midorikawa. "She shouldn't be involved in this."
She blinked. "What—?"
"She's human," Haruka continued. She wasn't being unkind in the conventional way, but her voice was cold enough to sting. "And whatever's out there isn't something she can handle. Let us deal with it.
Toujou folded her arms, tail lashing once. "Agreed. She'll only slow us down."
That pissed me off more than it should've. You fucking idiots! She was already targeted, and you think leaving her alone is the best course of action because 'she'll slow us down'?! Are you two simply dumb, or have you crossed over to the dark side? For fuck's sake… I clenched my jaw, forcing my voice into the coldest, most icy tone I could manage.
"You think this is about convenience?"
Both of them looked at me.
"Two of the victims were from Midorikawa's school. Midorikawa herself was targeted in yesterday's attack. You want to 'handle it' by letting her walk home alone?"
Midorikawa's breath caught. She looked like a lost lamb, her gaze drifting to whichever of us spoke, the fear obvious in the way she was shrinking before the three supernatural beings. I remembered I hadn't had the occasion to let Midorikawa in my room, and she was literally the first friend I made in this crap-sack world. Yeah, this is not how I imagined you'd visit my house for the first time.
The room went quiet except for the drone of the TV, long dismissed as background noise to my monologue. I glanced at the girls. Haruka's eyes softened for a second, but she didn't argue. Toujou, though, hissed under her breath. "You're saying it's hunting through human connections?"
"That's precisely what I'm saying."
Midorikawa wrapped her arms around herself, trembling. "Then what do we do?"
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.
"What we do is not let you out of our sight until we figure this out. You're stuck with us."
Haruka's frown deepened, but she didn't stop me. Toujou looked like she wanted to, but the logic landed.
Great. A yuki-onna, a cat demon, and one terrified girl—all under my roof. I used to think middle school in Săcele was hell. Turns out, hell's got better company.
____________________________
I heard her footsteps before I even saw her—Midorikawa Suzuka, walking through the narrow alley en route to school. Her footsteps were shaky, and she was clutching her bag tight, almost like she believed it would keep her alive. Her eyes shifted nervously between the buildings... She could sense the impending danger, but she had no idea she wasn't alone. Perfect, it's all part of the plan. I'm sorry, Midori, this is so you won't get targeted in the future.
Four cloaked figures stepped out of the shadows, blocking her path. Their blades shone under the weak morning sun like a cursed light. These fuckers seemed next level in terms of skill, their movements were too polished... like they were trained their whole life for this sole purpose of mindless killing. My blood ran cold.
Out there, Midorikawa was alone, vulnerable. I swore to myself I'd never let her feel this hopeless or scared ever again, and each word resounded in my head with convinction. Yeah, I'll be damned before I let her die like Aika.
I crouched in the branches above, Yamamoto Haruka and Toujou Koneko flanking me, hidden in the trees. My breath was steady, my mind already calculating angles, escape routes, attack patterns. This wasn't just a fight—it was a chessboard, and every second counted.
I leaped from the trees, landing right next to Midorikawa, who was being flanked by 4 satanists, their figures hidden by black robes with the satanist pentagram imprinted on the middle. I swear to God, shit feels like fighting the KKK. One more braindead than the other.
"Kokonoe-kun...", Midorikawa breathed, relief and fear mixed in one sentence.
"Are you ok?", I asked, as Toujou-chan and Haruka appeared behind us like two shadows, quiet, but with the same thrill for the kill.
With surprisingly coordinated movements, they knocked out the annoying pests that were threatening my first friend's life.
"I'm fine.", she answered, a little exhausted, a little scared, clinging onto my arm for protection.
"Haruka, Toujou-chan, hold the ground. I'm not much useful on the field, so I'll strike from the rooftop.", I said, both girls giving me a slight nod.
Guerrilla warfare, bitch. I grabbed Midorikawa by the waist, ignoring her flustered squeak, and summoned my devil wings, willing them to fly. System error: your demonic power is insufficient for this operation, try again in 5 months. Oh, fuck you.
Tsk. Fine, time for parkour. With carefully accelerated steps, I climbed the school until I found myself on the rooftop.
The sky over the school looked stupidly ordinary for what was about to happen. Sakura trees, a pale glimpse of sunlight on the gym roof, kids scattered like a bunch of NPCs I'd normally ignore. Except today wasn't your normal day.
I'd seen the pattern—bodies, pentagrams, rituals—the works. I'd been waiting for an escalation. The satanists didn't do petty slaughters twice in the same city without getting cocky. Today they got cocky, and my role here was to make sure they paid the price for their arrogance. Why the fuck is every villain an arrogant little shit, thinking it can't be defeated?
Anyways, I let Midorikawa down, and she kneeled on the ground, too overwhelmed to stand up. I gently patted her head, then I glanced at the cultists below me. I counted above 200, marching towards the school, and I just couldn't shake off the image of IDF marching into Gaza. Which enraged me enough to blindly launch ice spears towards them. Like, there were only 4, only fucking 4 circling Midorikawa earlier, now it's like a full army, attacking a school.
I held aerial advantage. While Haruka and Toujou-chan were taking down a whole lot of them on the soil, engaging them directly was more costly. I, on the other hand, was taking down up to 5 at once... but there was really a limited number of spears I could fire.
Five cloaked figures emerged on the rooftop like they'd just spawned out of a glitch. Their robes fluttered in the wind, the pentagrams on their chests glowing faint red. Oh, come the fuck on... Great. Just fucking great.
"Stay behind me," I muttered, stepping in front of Midorikawa. My fingers itched, aura forming like mist around my hands — faint blue, unstable, volatile as hell.
The first one lunged, blade humming with demonic energy. I blocked with an ice wall that cracked on impact but held. Barely.
Another came from the left — too fast — so I kicked the bastard square in the ribs and sent him off the roof. That's one less.
The other three surrounded us, blades raised in eerie silence. I could feel Midorikawa trembling behind me, clutching my sleeve like it was the last lifeline she had.
"Midorikawa," I said, keeping my eyes on the enemies. "If anything happens, you run. You hear me?"
Her voice was shaky. "I-I'm not leaving you—"
"Yeah, not the time for romantic clichés!" I shouted, shoving her back as I formed another ice barrier. Two blades struck it at once, shards flying everywhere. One cut across my cheek. Warm blood dripped down, mixing with the cold air.
The fight was going south. Fast.
The more I swung, the more sluggish my movements got. Every attack I blocked sent pain up my arms, every dodge left me a second too slow. My breath came out ragged, the air around me fogging like midwinter. I could barely tell if the shaking was from adrenaline or blood loss.
And then it happened.
One of the cultists, the tall one with the crescent-shaped blade, broke through my guard and darted past me. I saw where he was headed before my brain even processed it.
"MIDORI—!"
She didn't even have time to scream. The bastard's blade sliced through her sleeve, catching her balance off guard — and before I could blink, she was falling.
The sound of her gasp echoed off the walls, sharp and terrified. My whole body locked up. My heart stopped. Then something inside me just… snapped.
The world slowed.
I didn't think — I jumped. The wind roared past my ears as gravity pulled us both down. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice whispered: you're too slow, you'll never make it.
Like hell I won't. They said I had a Sacred Gear, right? WELL, I SUMMON YOU! SACRED GEAR, COME TO MEEEEEEE.
[Freezing Archaeopteryx]
And, in that moment, it happened. The wind screamed past me... the kind of sound that could tear the sky apart. My body felt heavy, my blood turned cold, and then... pain.
Something ripped open inside my chest, like my soul itself was cracking. Blue light burst from under my skin, veins turning icy white. Then I heard it — a cry that wasn't human, wasn't devil, wasn't anything mortal.
The air froze solid.
Out of that white void, it appeared — a massive bird made of pure ice and light, wings like glacier shards, eyes burning blue. It circled me once, screeching loud enough to shake the damn sky.
"The fuck—?"
Before I could even think, it dove. Instinct kicked in — I reached up and grabbed one of its crystal feathers. And it lifted me.
Cold, furious wind howled around us as I climbed onto its back, gripping its frozen mane like a lunatic. My clothes burned from the frost, but I didn't care.
Midorikawa was still falling — I leaned forward, shouting like some medieval madman:
"GO!"
The bird dove, wings slicing the air.
I caught her mid-fall, my arm around her waist as the bird pulled up, air pressure cracking the glass windows below. The cultists on the rooftop could only stare, their black robes whipping violently as frost spiraled through the air.
Ice spread across the buildings — rooftops, fences, trees — everything turning to a frozen wasteland in seconds.
I looked down at them, teeth gritted, adrenaline burning through my veins.
Midorikawa clung to my arm as the bird spiraled upward, wings slicing the cold morning air. Her hair whipped around her face, and for a moment, I let myself savor the fact that she was safe.
"You… you're so cool, Kokonoe-kun," she breathed, a mix of awe and relief coloring her voice. "I… thank you. For saving me. Twice."
I smirked, though inside my chest was still thumping like a war drum. "Cool? Nah. This isn't about being cool, Midorikawa. It's about keeping you alive. That's all that matters."
Her eyes glimmered, and I could see her trying not to shiver from adrenaline. "Still… I didn't think something like this existed. The bird… it's… insane!"
"It's my Sacred Gear," I said, gripping the reins tighter. "And he just woke. Guess he likes me enough to listen." A faint chuckle escaped me. "Gotta give him a name, if you have any suggestions."
But the fight wasn't over. My eyes darted down, scanning the ground. Haruka and Koneko were still tangled with a small wave of cultists. Haruka had taken two in a headlock, swinging them like ragdolls, while Toujou's fists moved too fast for the eye, landing blows that would've shattered bones if not for her restraint.
"Hold on," I muttered. I raised a clawed hand, and with a sharp thrust, icy spikes erupted from the ground, freezing several cultists in place mid-attack.
Haruka's eyes went wide as the bird swept into view, wings glinting with ice and sunlight. "W-what the hell is that?!" she shouted, gripping the reins of the bird instinctively. Her usual composure was gone, replaced by pure awe. "Koko… Kokonoe… did you summon that?!"
Toujou didn't speak—she rarely did—but her tiny fists clenched tighter, and her eyes glittered with that familiar spark of excitement. She tilted her head up at the massive ice phoenix, then back at me. One sharp nod, and I could tell she'd already decided: she was in. No questions asked.
"I feel like a dragon rider from Game of Thrones" I joked lightly after Haruka and Toujou hopped on, spurring the ice phoenix forward. Its wings flapped, carrying us toward the horizon, the wind screaming past my ears. Midorikawa pressed against me, quiet now, her breaths ragged but steady.
And below us, we could see Nagano in full display, a city under siege. Streets were choked with smoke, the occasional flicker of fire from abandoned buildings, and shadows of demons—devils declaring themselves the Oblivion Syndicate—moving like an occupying force pushing to take over the city. Not on my watch, fuckers.
I looked at my two allies gripping the bird's feathers, then at Midorikawa.
"This is far from over," I muttered. The morning sun glinted off the ice forming on the bird's wings, reflecting the hard truth: the city, the people… none of them would remain untouched.
And we, we were the only line of defence. God help us all.