As Nagumo and his two henchmen stepped out of the dormitory, they saw a person behaving somewhat strangely.
"I remember he's a first-year… Yamauchi Haruki?"
It seemed Yamauchi Haruki's reputation had spread, after all, he was the only first-year student who hadn't cleared a dungeon.
And the most likely reason Yamauchi Haruki was in the same dungeon as Bai Yuze was because Yamauchi Haruki had done something bad and was punished… like searching for adult films on the campus network…
"How unlucky. Hey, you two, stay away from him."
If the Yamauchi Haruki in front of him was the real one, Nagumo wouldn't even give him a second glance, but now it was different; no matter how useless Yamauchi Haruki was, he was now a ghoul, and no one would be so bored as to court trouble.
But even though they tried to avoid him, Bai Yuze was unwilling to let them go. He controlled Yamauchi Haruki, who staggered towards the three of them.
"Boss, what should we do?"
"It's fine, ignore it."
Nagumo still maintained a calm expression, but then… he suddenly stepped on a banana peel. In a state of panic, people instinctively grab for nearby objects, and the henchman closest to him was grabbed by him. Because it happened so suddenly, that henchman wasn't prepared.
A chain reaction ensued, and all three fell to the ground. Nagumo was the worst off, bearing the weight of two people.
"You two idiots, get up now!"
As Nagumo was cursing, he suddenly felt a chill in his lower body.
"Boss… he… he took your pants…"
The two henchmen stood up one after another, but as soon as they stood, Yamauchi Haruki knocked them both out with a single punch each.
"Damn it! I used the newly acquired ghoul artifact on that kid just now! The cooldown isn't over yet!"
Nagumo pulled out a crystal-like object from his pocket. Seeing it, his face showed a pained expression, but for his safety and the sake of his lower body, he gritted his teeth and used the ghoul artifact on Yamauchi Haruki.
Bai Yuze first heard a sound like shattering glass, then Yamauchi Haruki's vision was suddenly cut off. Seeing this, Bai Yuze immediately hid by the dormitory door to check the situation.
He found that Yamauchi Haruki was still in the same posture, but he was sprawled on Nagumo, covered in ice crystals.
Nagumo kicked Yamauchi Haruki away, snatched back his pants from Yamauchi Haruki's hand, and put them on. Then he woke up his two soundly sleeping henchmen.
"Damn it, usually your flattery is better than the next guy's! But when trouble strikes, you're more useless than the next! If either of you dares to speak of what happened today, I'll kill you both! Let's go!"
Nagumo berated the two of them furiously, then angrily led them away. Bai Yuze didn't rush out, but waited in the corridor for a while.
Sure enough, Nagumo led his people back. He always felt something was fishy, so the three of them hid around the corner, carefully observing their surroundings.
Fortunately, Nagumo's one-time ghoul artifact only temporarily severed Bai Yuze's connection with Yamauchi Haruki. Bai Yuze could still control Yamauchi Haruki and give him commands.
So, Bai Yuze walked out openly.
"Hey! Boss! Something's up, do you think this kid is behind it?"
Bai Yuze had a motive for revenge, and while they knew Bai Yuze had a ghoul artifact, they didn't know what its function was.
Therefore, they had sufficient reason to suspect Bai Yuze, but something they didn't expect happened: when Bai Yuze walked next to Yamauchi Haruki, Yamauchi Haruki suddenly went berserk, chasing him and letting out growling sounds.
Bai Yuze immediately fled in a panic. Coincidentally, he saw the three of them, so…
"Senior Nagumo! Save me!"
"Bastard! Don't come over here!" X3
What made them even more desperate was… Bai Yuze's escape speed was first-rate; he quickly left the three of them behind, and Yamauchi Haruki "naturally" chased and bit the slower three…
"Damn it! This kid couldn't have been possessed by a dog, could he?!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Run!"
——
Yukino didn't go to school today. She rarely asked Hiratsuka Shizuka for leave. Hiratsuka Shizuka on the phone was a bit puzzled but still agreed.
"Feeling unwell? Should I call Yukinoshita Haruno to come and take care of you?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka extinguished a cigarette. Yukinoshita Yukino's grades and looks were excellent, and she also had a headache over this problem student.
If it weren't for her student and best friend Yukinoshita Haruno repeatedly begging her to take good care of her younger sister, she really wouldn't want to bother. But in reality… even without Yukinoshita Haruno's plea, her heart as a model teacher would unconsciously pay attention to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"No need, I can take care of myself."
When Yukino lied, she would subconsciously fiddle with her hair, and her earlobes would turn pink… quite kawaii.
"Alright, I understand. Get some rest and take care of yourself."
After hanging up, Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately called Yukinoshita Haruno. When she taught Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukinoshita Haruno caused her a lot of worry. Now it was Yukinoshita Haruno's sister's turn. She somewhat suspected that the rest of her life would be tied to the Xuezhixia Family, for example, when she got old… she'd go to teach kindergarten, and end up teaching Yukinoshita Haruno's children… then after Yukinoshita Haruno's children, she'd teach Yukinoshita Yukino's children…
Hiratsuka Shizuka no longer dared to think about it; she was on the verge of tears. When would her love finally arrive?!
After hanging up, Yukino took out a crystal from under her pillow. It stored all his memories. If she remembered correctly… Yui Yuigahama also had one…
As she read the memories inside, Yukino's eyes gradually softened, and she murmured to herself.
"Advanced Nurturing High School, huh…"
Soon after, Yukinoshita Haruno's call came in.
As soon as it connected, Yukinoshita Haruno's slightly teasing voice came through.
"Little Yukino… are you sick?"
Facing Yukinoshita Haruno's teasing tone laced with questioning, Yukino bit the bullet and lied.
"Just a slight fever… no need to worry…"
"Is that so? I smell a lie, you know~"
"Sister, stop joking. The smell of a lie… do you have some kind of superpower?"
Yukinoshita Haruno's words made Yukino a bit speechless, even wanting to laugh, but soon she couldn't laugh anymore…
Ding dong! The doorbell rang.
Yukinoshita Haruno's slightly teasing voice came through the phone again.
"Little Yukino… I'll be home very soon~"
Click!
The sound of a key inserting into the lock, the door opened.
"Little Yukino! Did you miss your big sister?"
Looking at Yukinoshita Haruno who appeared at the door, Yukino did not step forward, because she saw that the Yukinoshita Haruno standing at the door… was not holding a phone…
Yukino forced herself to calm down and asked into the phone…
"Sister… when will you arrive?"
How much Yukino wished there would be no reply from the phone, but reality brought her despair…
"I still have half an hour until I arrive~ What? Do you miss me?"
Clang!
The phone fell to the ground… and went black.