The moment he exited the building with Seia, Kenji felt a massive shock strike his head. It wasn't a physical shock, nor a mental one. It was a sense of strangeness, and terror that exceeded the threshold. Kenji felt these more vividly than anything and choked on his breath.
"Kuhuk, kueup...!"
"...?! Wh, what's wrong all of a sudden?!"
Seia called out to Kenji in a hurried voice, but Kenji didn't answer. No, he couldn't.
He frantically turned his gaze. He needed to confirm what this unknown terror now dominating his mind originated from. Fortunately, the emotion was connected to its medium, making it easy to find the cause.
"...?"
But the moment he identified the cause, Kenji couldn't help but frown.
'A rabbit mask?'
What entered Kenji's vision was a moving rabbit-mask doll. That was all. Its color was blackish as if drenched in ink, and its eyes glowed blue. By all appearances, it was utterly insufficient to evoke the emotion of terror, yet Kenji felt definite terror from 'that thing'.
No, to begin with, is this even really terror?
Kenji had felt plenty of terror in his life. But this emotion was ambiguous to call terror. Similar but different. Different but of the same texture. If he had to define it... a sense of sameness. It was similar to that. That's why it was strange. Strange, therefore alien, and alien, therefore frightening.
But Kenji excluded all other emotions and focused on the feeling of 'sense of sameness'.
Just how, how am I similar to that thing? To begin with, our appearances are different, and even our essences are different. That is a doll without a soul, and I am a human with a soul.
Then why.
Why do I feel a sense of sameness?
His dizzy mind hindered his thoughts. The tinnitus shaking his brain grew stronger.
Soon, the surrounding noises disappeared. Only a beeeep— sound pierced his eardrums and resonated in his brain. Kenji clutched his throbbing head and glared at 'that thing'.
Simultaneously, that thing also stared at Kenji.
Their eyes met. It felt that way. At the same time, the surroundings turned dark. He couldn't even gauge whether he was standing on the ground, flying in the sky, or floating in water. But the pain as if being stabbed all over with an awl was vividly felt.
Rustle.
Such a sound was heard. Not a sound heard through his ears.
In his brain.
The sound resonated directly. It was an eerie sound like bugs crawling. The number gradually increased until no other sound could be heard. No, there was no sound to begin with. As the surroundings darkened, all senses except sight were blocked.
I'm afraid.
I'm scared.
Is this an emotion I'm feeling, or an emotion someone forced into me? What is this sense of sameness? What is this strangeness? What exactly is alien? What part of me is reacting to what? The more he thought, the more the pain tearing his entire body intensified.
He wanted to scream, but his lips remained motionless as if sewn shut. He wanted to flail his limbs and resist, but all his muscles were stiff, immovable.
Thus, gradually.
He was being eroded. Sinking. A sensation like lying down in a foul swamp and sinking without doing anything. His entire body felt heavy. A sense of buoyancy was felt all over, yet simultaneously he was being pulled down. Then, a voice was heard.
-Wake up.
Whoosh!
Light returned to the world. Kheup. Kenji took a deep breath. He opened his eyes wide and jerked his upper body up. What entered his view was the room he had been dragged to by Makoto. An asphalt building filled with dust and rock powder everywhere.
"You, have you come to your senses?!"
"...Seia."
Kenji turned his head toward the direction of the voice. Seia, with tears welling in her eyes, was reflected in his pupils.
"...What. What happened...."
"You don't remember? You suddenly fainted, so we had no choice but to return. It was also because strange things were roaming outside."
Strange things.
Upon hearing that word, Kenji immediately recalled the rabbit-mask doll. A sudden sense of discomfort enveloped his entire body.
'What on earth is it?'
A filthy doubt arose in his mind. But it wasn't the right situation to resolve it now. Kenji pushed the question aside for the moment and asked Seia.
"You mean those dolls from earlier, right? Where are they."
"A few are roaming outside the building. They don't seem too difficult to deal with, do they?"
Mika answered. Kenji checked her appearance and let out a hollow laugh. Her hair was disheveled, and white dust was caked all over her white clothes. Her fists were completely reddened from how much she must have swung them. Luckily, no blood was visible. She probably didn't shed any, and neither did Hina.
"D, don't look at me like that. I'm a mess right now...."
Mika avoided Kenji's gaze and muttered. Kenji chuckled softly and spoke in a teasing tone.
"You're just cute. More importantly, are you hurt anywhere?"
"...No."
"That's good."
Kenji answered like that and looked around.
Besides Mika and Seia, there was no one else in the room. Makoto, who had been knocked unconscious, the club president who had been beaten by Nagisa, the drone Nagisa controlled, and Hina—all were gone. Mika explained where they went.
"The Gehenna students ran away as soon as Kenji returned here. They got in a car while smashing those dolls. I could have caught them, but you didn't look well, so I had no choice...."
"I'm fine. I don't particularly intend to retaliate."
"W, well, I did shatter all the ankles of that silver-haired girl. The girl I fought tried to take her away, so I grabbed her and crushed only her legs."
"Good job, Mika."
"I'm not happy even if you praise me."
Pfft.
Mika stuck out her tongue. Seia's brow furrowed, but Mika paid no mind.
"Nagi-chan's drone got taken out by the rabbits outside. It was a fairly sturdy thing, so I guess the rabbits' firepower is pretty strong."
"No contact from her since then?"
"Don't know."
"I see."
Kenji nodded and got up from his spot. Then, pain rising from his ankle poked at his head. His face twisted violently, and Seia hurriedly supported him. It was an awkward sight due to the severe height difference, but it was still much better than if he had gotten up alone.
"Thanks."
"It's only natural."
Seia smiled faintly and accepted Kenji's gratitude. Seeing that, Mika's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything. Anyway, both Kenji and Seia were non-combatants. To get out of here, she had to clear the path herself.
Even so, that's that, and what she dislikes, she dislikes. Mika pouted her lips and approached Kenji slightly. Then, she brought her head close to the nape of his neck. While Kenji went 'Uh, uh,' she parted her lips slightly.
"Hahp."
She gently bit Kenji's neck. Kenji's scent spread through her mouth, and the sweet sensation felt from his skin paralyzed her thoughts. Mika, with blissfully relaxed eyes, gently licked the skin held in her mouth with her tongue. Not satisfied with that, she even gave a light suck.
A stunt she would never have done normally out of embarrassment. But due to the fatigue from battle and the prolonged emotional overload, she unknowingly surrendered to her instincts.
"...Chuup."
"Hey, hey. Wait a minute."
As Kenji blushed and pushed Mika's forehead away, Seia, who had been dazed, regained her senses. She spasmed on the spot and pushed Mika's body away with force.
"Get... away!"
"Ah...."
At Seia's gesture, Mika's body separated from Kenji. She unknowingly let out a sigh of regret and licked her drooling mouth. —It was brief. As Kenji's taste disappeared from her mouth, her dazed mind returned to normal.
"Hee, heeuk!"
Mika's cheeks flushed red. She took a few steps back, then fanned her face with her hand as if she was hot. Seia glared at her and gritted her teeth.
"...Mika, you."
"Le, let's get out of here! I'll clear the path, so follow me well, okay?"
"...."
She had much to say, but Seia firmly closed her mouth. Because, as Mika said, getting out of here was the priority. She let out a deep sigh and supported Kenji in a posture easy to move.
"O, okay, let's go!"
Mika shouted like that and threw a punch toward the wall. Kwang! The already cracked wall collapsed, and Mika quickly dashed toward the revealed path. The rabbit and bear-mask dolls standing as if surrounding the building shattered one after another with every movement of her fists and legs.
"We'll move now. Bear with the pain a little."
"Yeah."
Kenji nodded. Seia moved her steps with Kenji, following the path Mika had opened.
*
Gehenna district, a middle school located within it.
Hina let out a deep sigh as she exited the student council room. Since it wasn't the high school student council, the middle school student council's power was somewhat weak, but it wasn't insufficient to punish middle school students. Hina bit her lip tightly, ruminating on all the criticism and abusive language she had just heard.
Originally, she shouldn't have been the only one to receive that verbal abuse. Both Makoto and the club president, who went to the Trinity district with her, should have received proper punishment in the student council room. But Makoto's ankles and one arm were shattered, leaving her unable to move, and the club president was still unconscious due to injuries.
So she came alone. She had no choice. Fortunately, Hina's usual conduct and grades were good, so the student council accepted her testimony as is. Thanks to that, her punishment ended lightly.
Confinement to the dormitory for reflection until the graduation ceremony. Her dignity allowance was cut off, but compared to the other two, it was a slap on the wrist.
Makoto is scheduled to be imprisoned in Gehenna's basement as soon as her ankles are treated. Though called a basement, it was essentially no different from a prison. A regulated life of waking up at set times, completing tasks, and being locked in a solitary cell again. It was the second most severe punishment after being held back a year.
Her dignity allowance would naturally be cut off, and all the money she had saved would evaporate. Luckily, she wasn't held back, but it would still be a tough few months. That was the intention of the punishment.
The club president received the same punishment. Since she didn't directly cause injury, her term was shorter than Makoto's, but it still wouldn't be comfortable.
"...What a bother."
She was tired of thinking about it now. Hina let out a deep sigh and moved her steps.
Yeah, taking a break until the graduation ceremony might not be so bad this time. Confinement to the dormitory for reflection. For other students, it would be a fairly high-intensity punishment to make them jump on the spot, but not for Hina.
Others saw her as a diligent student, but the reality was the opposite. She was unexpectedly lazy. Waking up in the morning was a bother, and getting ready was a bother. For her, dormitory confinement was actually a benefit. She wouldn't need to go to school for a while, so she could rest comfortably until the graduation ceremony.
Thinking that, Hina's expression softened slightly. She walked toward the dormitory at a faster pace than before. Then, struck by a sudden thought, she let out a sigh.
'I wonder if that man got back safely.'
She hoped he did. She regretted not getting his contact information to check.
...Come to think of it, she accepted the apology on the condition that he grant one wish, but they didn't exchange contact information. So how can they communicate? Hina pondered deeply, then formed a faint smile.
They'll meet someday. She can ask then.
'I have a feeling we'll meet again soon.'
For some reason, she had that premonition.