Earlier That Day
The rooftop of Seikatsu Academy was unusually quiet.
A gentle breeze swept across the school building, causing the chain-link fence surrounding the rooftop to rattle softly.
Standing near the center of the rooftop was a boy whose entire body seemed to be trembling.
Reno Takahashi.
His white hair stuck out in every direction, making him resemble a frightened porcupine more than a high school student.
At the moment, however, his appearance was the least of his concerns.
His heart felt like it was about to explode.
For three years.
Three whole years.
He had admired one girl.
Seline Akino.
The beautiful purple-haired girl standing in front of him.
The sunlight reflected against her long violet hair while her amethyst eyes looked at him with surprise.
Reno swallowed.
His hands shook.
His knees felt weak.
His brain was screaming at him to run away.
Unfortunately, his mouth moved before he could stop himself.
"S-Seline Akino..."
His voice cracked.
He immediately wanted to jump off the rooftop.
Why was his voice doing that?!
He clenched his fists.
No.
He had come this far.
There was no turning back now.
"I..."
His face turned red.
"I..."
His heartbeat became louder.
"I like..."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"I LIKE YOU!"
The confession exploded out of him.
The words echoed across the rooftop.
The moment they left his mouth, Reno immediately wished he could rewind time.
His face was completely red.
Steam might as well have been coming out of his ears.
Seline herself looked stunned.
For several moments, she simply stared at him.
Then her expression softened.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Reno..."
For the first time since arriving, hope appeared inside his chest.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
"Seline, I—"
Before she could finish her sentence—
A loud voice interrupted everything.
"Oh my god, that's so gross."
The atmosphere instantly shattered.
Both Reno and Seline turned.
Standing near the rooftop entrance was a blonde-haired girl with her arms crossed.
Lilie Shiniki.
One of the most outspoken girls in school.
And unfortunately...
One of the least tactful.
Lilie looked between the two of them before dramatically covering her mouth.
"Wait."
Her eyes widened.
"Are you seriously confessing to Seline?"
The color drained from Reno's face.
"L-Lilie..."
The blonde girl pointed at him.
"You actually thought she'd date you?"
The words hit harder than a punch.
Several nearby students who happened to be eating lunch on the rooftop turned to watch.
Lilie continued.
"Seriously, look at yourself."
Reno's body stiffened.
"Your hair looks like a porcupine."
Several students awkwardly looked away.
Even Seline looked uncomfortable.
But Lilie wasn't finished.
"And just so you know—"
She pointed dramatically toward him.
"GIRLS WILL NEVER DATE SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"
Silence.
Complete silence.
The words echoed inside Reno's head.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Girls will never date someone like you.
Girls will never date someone like you.
Girls will never date someone like you.
The students nearby began whispering.
Reno could feel dozens of eyes staring at him.
Judging him.
Mocking him.
Humiliating him.
His vision blurred.
He looked toward Seline one last time.
The purple-haired girl looked horrified by what had happened.
There was sympathy in her eyes.
Regret.
Concern.
But not an answer.
And right now...
That sympathy hurt more than rejection.
Without saying another word, Reno turned and ran.
His footsteps echoed through the hallways.
He ignored the confused students.
Ignored the teachers.
Ignored everything.
The only thing he wanted was to disappear.
Eventually, he reached the boys' restroom.
He entered the farthest stall.
Locked the door.
And collapsed.
His shoulders trembled.
The tears he had been holding back finally escaped.
The humiliation.
The embarrassment.
The pain.
Everything came crashing down.
Why?
Why did it have to happen like that?
Why couldn't she just reject him normally?
Why did everyone have to see?
Why did Lilie have to ruin everything?
His fists clenched.
A dark emotion slowly began replacing the sadness.
Anger.
Hatred.
Resentment.
Then suddenly—
A voice spoke.
"A painful sight."
Reno froze.
The voice didn't come from outside.
It came from inside his head.
"The pain of rejection."
Reno's eyes widened.
"W-Who's there?"
Silence followed.
Then the voice chuckled.
A deep, unnatural laugh.
"Me?"
Dark purple mist began appearing inside the stall.
The shadows around him twisted unnaturally.
"I am merely a divine being."
The purple mist swirled around him.
"A being capable of granting power."
Reno stared in shock.
His fear was slowly being replaced by curiosity.
"A divine being?"
"Indeed."
The voice sounded amused.
"It appears someone important was taken from you."
Images flashed through Reno's mind.
The confession.
The laughter.
The humiliation.
And finally—
Lilie.
The girl responsible for ruining everything.
The moment her face appeared, anger surged through him.
The mist seemed to react.
Growing thicker.
Darker.
"Ah."
The voice sounded pleased.
"So there is someone responsible."
Reno's breathing became heavier.
"I..."
The boy lowered his head.
"I hate her."
The shadows expanded.
"I know."
The voice whispered.
"And I can help you."
The mist slowly wrapped around Reno's body.
"I shall grant you power."
Power.
The word echoed through his mind.
"Power to reclaim what was taken from you."
The restroom began shaking.
The air became heavier.
The shadows seemed alive.
"But in exchange..."
The voice became serious.
"I require something."
Reno slowly raised his head.
"What?"
The shadows formed two glowing lights.
One gold.
One silver.
"Find the Two Essences."
The lights vanished.
The darkness swallowed everything.
Reno smiled.
For the first time that day.
It wasn't a happy smile.
It was the smile of someone who had finally found a target for his anger.
"It would be my pleasure."
The purple mist exploded.
His scream echoed throughout the empty restroom.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
Metallic scales erupted from his skin.
Razor-sharp spikes emerged from his back.
His body transformed into something no longer human.
The birth of Razorblade had begun.
Back to the PresentHina's Perspective
I was still shaking.
The image of Razorblade smashing through our classroom remained burned into my mind.
The monster had appeared out of nowhere.
Destroyed our classroom door.
Kidnapped Lilie.
Then escaped through the window.
The entire incident had lasted less than a minute.
Yet it felt like a nightmare.
Ms. Temi stood near the front of the classroom trying her best to remain calm.
"Everyone, please head home immediately."
Her voice remained steady despite the fear in her eyes.
"The authorities will handle this."
Most students immediately began gathering their belongings.
Others remained frozen in shock.
The atmosphere inside the classroom felt heavy.
Then I noticed something strange.
Yuki was smiling.
Not a normal smile.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that always led to trouble.
And unfortunately...
She was holding her phone.
I immediately felt a bad feeling.
"What are you planning?"
Yuki grinned.
"I'm going to record this whole incident."
My eye twitched.
"...What?"
She proudly raised her phone.
"I'm putting it on my page."
I stared at her.
"Yuki."
"Yes?"
"Are you serious?"
"Very."
"There's a monster running around."
"Exactly."
"People could get hurt."
"Exactly."
I grabbed my forehead.
This girl was impossible.
"You do realize that's dangerous, right?"
Yuki looked offended.
"Hina."
"What?"
"You've already forgotten my history report."
I immediately froze.
A terrible memory surfaced.
"Oh no."
Back in middle school...
Yuki had created a history project claiming monsters once existed.
According to her report, ancient guardians protected humanity from supernatural threats.
The entire presentation sounded like a fantasy novel.
Naturally, our teacher thought the same thing.
The report received almost no points for accuracy.
However...
Yuki somehow delivered it with such confidence that she received a perfect presentation score.
To this day she still considered that a victory.
Yuki proudly pointed toward the window.
"If there's a monster—"
She dramatically stood up.
"There will always be a hero."
Several students nearby stared.
Yuki ignored them.
"There will always be a guardian."
I sighed.
She really hadn't changed.
Not even a little.
Then suddenly voices erupted from the back of the classroom.
Students had started arguing.
Some blamed Reno.
Others defended him.
One side claimed Reno had become a monster.
The other argued that nobody knew the full story.
The classroom slowly descended into chaos.
Amid all the noise—
I noticed Hanato.
Unlike everyone else, he looked completely uninterested.
He grabbed his school bag.
Stretched.
And calmly began walking toward the exit.
Shouji noticed him.
"Where are you going?"
Hanato didn't even stop.
"I'm going home."
His answer immediately annoyed several students.
"This isn't my problem."
The room went silent.
A brown-haired athlete named Konan stood up.
"How is this not your problem?"
His voice echoed across the room.
"One of our classmates just got kidnapped!"
Several students nodded.
Hanato finally stopped walking.
Then he turned around.
His expression remained calm.
Almost annoyingly calm.
"It's not my problem because I didn't create this situation."
His eyes swept across the room.
Then he shrugged.
"Besides."
The next words made everyone freeze.
"It's Lilie's fault."
The classroom became silent.
Completely silent.
Hanato continued.
"She's the one who ruined Reno's confession."
Gasps erupted throughout the room.
Several students looked shocked.
Others looked guilty.
Yuki's eyes sparkled.
"Wait."
She immediately leaned forward.
"Reno confessed?"
The entire classroom turned toward Hanato.
For the first time since the incident, curiosity replaced fear.
Even I became interested.
Only slightly.
Hanato smirked.
"You can ask Seline."
He started walking again.
"I'm sure she'd love answering your questions."
And just like that—
He left.
Leaving the entire classroom speechless.
Yuki immediately turned toward me.
"So."
I already knew what she was about to ask.
"Are you coming with me?"
I sighed.
Before I could answer, Shouji approached us.
"Going somewhere?"
Yuki grinned.
"I'm hunting a monster."
"...What?"
"I'm documenting history."
"...What?"
I rubbed my temples.
Eventually, I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, Yuki."
She paused.
"My mom would absolutely kill me."
That wasn't even an exaggeration.
Yuki laughed before suddenly hugging me.
"It's okay."
Her smile softened.
"Just get home safely."
I returned the hug.
"You too."
The moment she pulled away, her excitement returned.
"Now then!"
She pointed dramatically toward the door.
"Let go!!"
After gathering my belongings, I took one final look at the damaged classroom.
The hallway outside was packed with students trying to leave the building at once.
Teachers were shouting instructions while the distant sound of sirens began echoing somewhere in the city.
Hina walked ahead with Yuki, arms folded tightly.
"This is insane," Yuki whispered.
"I know."
They turned a corner—
And suddenly someone collided with Hina.
BUMP.
"Oof!"
A cold splash hit Hina's arm.
A plastic cup fell to the floor, rolling across the hallway as pink liquid spread across the tiles.
Hina froze.
"Oh no—!"
The girl she had bumped into stepped back, looking down at her shirt.
Strawberry milkshake.
The front of her white shirt now had a large pink stain near the word "ART" printed across it.
Hina's face turned pale.
"I-I'm really sorry!" she said quickly, bowing slightly. "I didn't see where I was going!"
The girl blinked once.
Then she smiled.
"No worries."
She crouched down to pick up the empty cup.
"I'm Selena," she said calmly.
"I'm Hina. Hina Hanzaki"
Hina replied, starring at the ruined drink.
"It's actually my favorite."
Hina immediately bowed again.
"It's my favorite too! I'm so, so sorry!"
She looked at Selena's shirt again, guilt creeping into her voice.
The stain had spread slightly around the letters.
Without hesitation, Hina reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet.
"Please," she said, holding out some money. "Let me replace your drink."
Selena waved her hand dismissively.
"It's okay."
Hina insisted.
"No, really, I should—"
Selena chuckled softly.
"It happens a lot."
She gently pushed Hina's hand back.
"Don't worry about it."
For a moment, Hina hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"...Thank you."
"I'm really sorry again."
Selena smiled.
"No problem."
Hina gave one last apologetic bow before hurrying down the hallway to catch up with Yuki.
Neither of them noticed something strange.
As Selena watched Hina walk away…
Her eyes briefly shimmered.
Not with annoyance.
But with curiosity.
"Hina Hanzaki…" Selena murmured quietly.
She glanced at the pink stain on her shirt and smiled faintly.
Then she turned...
and walked in the opposite direction.