"Shut up!"
Kosaka Akane's expression changed in an instant as she turned and snapped.
"No! President Kosaka, how can you give up so easily? We haven't even accomplished what we came here to do!"
Aki Tomoya stood his ground, stubborn as ever.
He was never one to give up easily—and there was no way he could just sit by while two creators he deeply admired were being dragged down by Eriri.
"…Aki Tomoya,"
Eriri murmured softly.
Her eyes dropped slightly, and those clear blue pupils held not even a trace of disappointment or surprise.
Just a calm stillness—like she'd predicted he would say this all along.
"I thought maybe, just maybe, you'd grown a little. But I was wrong. You're still the same. I should've known a side character will never become the protagonist."
She raised her chin and gently pulled Kyousuke back a step, shielding him from any impulsive outburst.
She wasn't doing it for Aki Tomoya's sake.
No, it was just like that idiot had said this morning to that woman—
'If someone like him made Kyousuke dirty his hands, she would be the one who hurt the most.'
People like Aki Tomoya… only the god himself might have the patience to deal with them.
Her grip tightened around the plastic water bottle in her hand.
It creaked under the pressure.
If she hadn't quietly reminded herself not to ruin her "refined young lady" image for the sake of someone like him, that bottle would've flown across the room already.
Kyousuke clenched his jaw but gave Eriri a reassuring smile.
He was calm—very calm.
Then, turning to face Kosaka Akane, he smiled even more brightly, but in that smile was a clear message:
'If you let your dog off the leash, don't blame me if I break its neck.'
"Eriri, what are you even saying?" Aki Tomoya shouted. "You're the one dragging Hojou-sensei into your mess!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't surprised in the slightest by Aki Tomoya's behavior.
She'd figured out what kind of clown he was the first time he ever called her.
Her voice was sharp and cold:
"You nameless little jester. All I ask—no, all I demand is that you never mention the name Kasumi Utako again. This isn't a request. It's a warning."
"You claim to respect talent, right? Then how about showing some for those who've surpassed you in every way?"
"Everyone in this room has the power to erase you—from society, and from existence."
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her face lifted, elegant and lethal.
Her crimson eyes narrowed, sharp as blades:
"This is the last time. Hearing 'Kasumi Utako' come from your mouth makes me sick. Remember that."
Eriri scoffed coldly, not even glancing at Aki Tomoya anymore.
"Looks like President Kosaka really oversold your so-called growth," she sneered. "Honestly, just looking at you is disgusting."
Akane was grinding her teeth so hard it sounded like she might shatter them.
Her usually sharp, charming expression was now completely twisted with rage.
She'd come here confident, expecting to recruit Hojou without issue.
Even when the trio had thrown challenge after challenge at her, their talent only excited her more.
She'd even brushed aside her own dirty tactics in the process.
They'd shaken hands.
Things were still salvageable—until this moron ruined everything.
Her voice exploded with fury:
"Aki Tomoya! Is your head filled with sewage?! How dare you speak to Kashiwagi Eriri like that?! You're not even worthy of licking her boots, do you understand?!
You're trash—and trash needs to know its place! Read the damn room! Who said you were allowed to speak here?!"
She was livid.
What the hell had she been thinking, bringing this clown here?
"Get out! You're fired!"
"I'll have legal go after you for all the damages you've caused the company get ready to spend some time in juvie!"
Even if it cost her extra money and connections, she was going to make sure this idiot got taught a lesson. Someone had to.
"What are you talking about?! Didn't you always say talented people should work together to be most efficient?!"
Aki Tomoya still had the gall to act self-righteous, standing tall with the confidence of someone deluded by his own sense of justice.
He turned to Hojou Kyousuke and shouted:
"Just like that Nishimiya Shouko you dug up—she has a speech disorder and still wants to be a voice actress! Isn't that just dragging everyone down? People like that should step aside and stop wasting society's resources!"
"Shut up!"
Kosaka Akane shrieked, panic washing over her face.
'How could he say that right in front of Hojou Kyousuke?!'
Couldn't he see how tightly Eriri was gripping his sleeve?
Did he not notice a single thing about how the three of them had been interacting this whole time?
'What an absolute idiot!'
She hadn't taught him to tear down those who dream in the face of adversity.
She'd taught him to recognize his place, to stay grounded not to insult people who work hard despite their disadvantages!
'You idiot!'
Finally.
Standing nearby, nearly invisible all this time, Kisaki Tetta's eyes lit up.
This was his moment.
His face twisted into a vicious grin.
He'd been holding back his rage all day.
There was no way he was going to let his boss dirty his hands over this scum.
He shifted into a sprint stance, arms bent, left foot forward, eyebrows angled like lightning bolts, eyes full of bloodlust.
He was ready to leap—ready to tear out Aki Tomoya's throat with his teeth if needed.
He would've, too.
But again—he was a step too slow.
The moment those words left Aki Tomoya's mouth, Eriri's calm eyes were instantly overtaken by rage.
Without thinking, she hurled her water bottle straight at him. And just as she did—
The sleeve she'd been gripping all this time… suddenly vanished.
She didn't even get the chance to turn around—only caught a glimpse of it in her peripheral vision:
Kyousuke, dressed in black, had already placed one foot on the table.
His face was expressionless.
His gaze was colder than ice.
In his left hand—the silver blade, gleaming in the light.
His entire body stretched to its limit, drawn like a bow at full tension.
Eriri only had time to open her mouth.
By the time she turned her head—
Kyousuke was already gone.
'BOOM!'
His left leg exploded with power.
A loud crack echoed as the wooden table splintered under his foot.
He launched into the air—his jacket flaring behind him like bat wings.
The only sound in the room was a sharp ripping, like silk tearing through the sky.
Kyousuke blurred through space like a bolt of lightning.
Almost at the exact moment Eriri hurled the bottle, Kyousuke's gleaming leather shoe slammed hard into Aki Tomoya's chest.
It was as if space itself had become irrelevant—nothing could stand in his way.
And it wasn't a kick.
No—Kyousuke's control was so absolute that instead of sending Aki flying, he stepped onto him like he was nothing more than a footstool.
'CRACK!'
Aki Tomoya was paralyzed with fear the moment Kyousuke charged.
He swore he'd never seen such a terrifying expression in his life.
Not in the most twisted horror films, not even from the most deranged villains in his favorite dark cult classics.
Only now did he understand a man could truly show such fury when defending a woman.
And only now did he grasp—how fast the mind could race in the face of death.
"Stop!!" Eriri shouted, desperate.
She had seen it.
The katana—Silver—once hidden under the table, now gripped in Kyousuke's hand.
As he sliced through the space like a shadowy bolt of lightning, his body moved fluidly into an iai stance: left hand on the guard, right hand on the hilt.
But it was too late.
Kyousuke landed on Aki Tomoya's chest, his coat billowing upward from the motion, falling gently back down as if nothing had happened.
He stood tall and poised atop Aki like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And in his left hand, the katana remained still, as though it had never been drawn at all.
Aki lay perfectly still on the floor.
Eriri knew exactly what that meant.
She hadn't stopped Kyousuke.
He'd already struck and returned the blade to its sheath before anyone could see the flash.
Not even the glint of silver had reached her eyes.
Well, she thought bitterly, that's what Aki gets for insulting Shouko.
"Ugh, seriously!"
With a frustrated growl, Eriri kicked the table aside and vaulted over it, not bothering to go around.
Kasumigaoka Utaha mirrored her, both girls rushing to Hojo's side.
Only Kisaki Tetta had a different reaction.
The moment Kyousuke leapt into action, Kisaki bolted for the door.
Logistics were his job, after all—he needed to close the door. Clean up.
Secure the scene. That's what a right-hand man did.
Meanwhile, Kosaka Akane stood frozen beside Aki Tomoya.
She hadn't been Kyousuke's target—but when he'd launched himself toward them, sword drawn and eyes like ice, her blood had gone cold.
She truly thought she was going to die...
...all because of this pathetic idiot.
"Guess this katana won't be slicing any fruit anymore," Eriri muttered dryly.
She'd wanted to confirm whether Aki was actually dead—but the thought of what she might see stopped her.
She chose instead to trust Kyousuke's precision.
After all, as Kisaki Tetta once said, "With a slash that fast, not even all the revived sword saints of Japan could survive—even if they had American-style draw cuts."
Aki Tomoya? A mere otaku? He didn't stand a chance.
Kasumigaoka gave Aki's body a glance, then exhaled, seemingly reassured.
Kosaka Akane finally snapped out of her daze when she heard Eriri's voice.
Gone was her arrogance, her commanding presence.
She didn't even dare meet Hojo's eyes.
Eriri looked at the woman with quiet rage.
Now that Aki was dead, there was only one loose end—Kosaka Akane.
She couldn't be allowed to live.
Eriri reached for Hojo's sword, Silver, her small hand wrapping around the scabbard.
She pulled.
Once.
Twice.
Nothing.
With eyes wide, she turned to Kyousuke and looked up at him with fierce determination in those clear blue eyes, questioning him silently:
'Why aren't you letting go?'
"What are you doing?" she whispered. "We need to take care of this woman too. Clean the scene. I've read so many detective manga—I know how to make it foolproof!"
If they got caught, she'd hide with Hojo in a foreign embassy.
They'd flee to England. She'd marry him.
He'd become a noble by joining the Spencer family...
Her resolve was absolute.
She was ready to become his accomplice.
Kosaka Akane nearly collapsed, stumbling back in horror.
She stared at Eriri with wide, disbelieving eyes.
'How could someone so beautiful and doll-like say something so terrifying?'
"I hit him with the scabbard. He's not dead," Kyousuke said calmly, reaching out to pat Eriri's head.
This idiot...
He couldn't help but remember that day back in Akihabara, during their first manga serialization.
Even then, when he teased her, she'd boldly declared she would become his partner in crime.
This clumsy little way she tried to protect him… God, it was adorable.
But really—did she think he'd be dumb enough to actually kill someone here?
If he wanted to kill Aki, there were hundreds of better ways.
Why would he do it himself in front of witnesses?
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" Utaha finally burst out laughing.
Her voice rang through the room, delighted and mocking.
"God, you really are a beautiful idiot. Talking about cleaning up a crime scene… You never disappoint."
Like hell Eriri would ever be the one to handle something like that.
She was still a child—so clueless about the way the world actually worked.
People like Kyousuke, like them, would always be forgiven by society.
'No way…' Eriri blinked, still stunned. 'That rage… That murderous aura… He wasn't going to kill him?'
She looked down carefully. No blood. No gore.
Which meant—she missed her chance to become his accomplice?!
No wait—what "accomplice"? She should be punishing this idiot!
"Ugh, you should've said so earlier that you didn't kill him! You scared the hell out of me!" she shouted.
Then, with no hesitation, she stomped hard on Kyousuke's shin, ignoring the fact that she might get her clothes dirty.
Dammit.
She'd spent the last five minutes wondering how to convince her grandfather to let their child keep the Hojo name.
This idiot had no idea what kind of opportunity he'd just thrown away.
"Sorry, sorry! I promise next time I'll draw the blade for real!" Kyousuke quickly apologized.
"No way!" Eriri shouted. "What kind of nonsense is that?! That trash isn't worth it—not enough to gamble our future, our beautiful lives!"
But as she finished yelling, the laughter beside her only grew louder.
Furious, she turned and glared at the devilish woman who refused to stand on her side.
"What the hell are you laughing at?! If you had even a shred of conscience, you'd have stabbed him yourself after I was done! Otherwise, I'll just lock you in the basement and train you—with ten liters of cola!"
"So you're the inventor of the cola torture..." Kosaka Akane finally managed to speak again, still visibly shaken.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
The two girls snapped in unison, turning on the one person who had almost dragged them all into a massive mess.
At last, Kyousuke stepped down from Aki Tomoya's chest.
Without sparing him a glance, he gave the unconscious man a casual kick toward the door—where Kisaki Tetta caught him like a piece of garbage and then turned his gaze to Kosaka Akane.
"Head trauma from a direct blow—likely a Grade II or III concussion."
'Tap.'
The sharp click of his leather shoes echoed across the now-silent room.
"Fractured sternum. Same with the sternal body."
'Tap.'
He took another step toward her.
"Two ribs broken on the left side."
Another step. Kosaka Akane instinctively backed away.
"Three ribs fractured on the right."
She hit the wall behind her with a thud. Nowhere left to run.
She was cornered, forced to face him head-on.
Kyousuke, the one who had done all this damage, now sounded eerily clinical—like a surgeon reciting a diagnosis.
"But the physical injuries aren't the end of it. For someone who has no respect for strength, I think a little more education is in order."
His gaze bore into her—cold, unflinching.
"Don't you agree, President Kosaka? Or are people going to start thinking it was your failure as a superior... that your lack of guidance turned him into such an impolite piece of trash?"
Then, all of a sudden, his voice rose with sharp authority:
"Kisaki! Do it however you like but make damn sure Aki learns how to show respect in front of someone stronger. Teach him how to shut that mouth of his!"
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