Suddenly—where had all these cars come from?
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Which way to Class 2-A?"
Takei Munoi turned around and casually asked the male teacher.
"Uh… turn left, then up to the third floor…"
The teacher stammered, clearly overwhelmed by the sheer number of intruders.
"Thank you."
Takei nodded politely, then continued walking forward.
Aida Kensuke had noticed everything first. And once he saw the massive number of people involved, his face turned pale.
Could they be here for Kitazawa Ryota?
That was his first thought. After all, the recent incident with Hattori Narumi had caused quite a stir. Someone coming for revenge wasn't exactly unthinkable.
As the entire school building was thrown into chaos, Kensuke quickly ran to inform Kitazawa.
"There's a crowd downstairs. Might be here for you."
Kensuke whispered nervously into Kitazawa's ear.
"Oh? For me?"
Kitazawa Ryota chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.
"So what? If they are, they are. No need to panic."
"You… you really have no sense of self-preservation!" Kensuke wiped cold sweat from his brow.
"Look, I'm telling you, Ryota—now's your chance to leave. If they're really here for you, this could get ugly fast!"
"What? They're here for Kitazawa-kun?"
Toji Suzuhara and Asuka both paled.
"How many of them?" Asuka asked urgently.
"From what I saw… at least two hundred," Kensuke replied, adjusting his glasses nervously.
"What? Two hundred?!"
Even Suzuhara and Asuka couldn't hide their alarm.
"Yeah. They look serious. Ryota, I really think you should go," Kensuke urged again.
But Ryota calmly raised a hand to stop him.
"Heh. No need. If it's fate, there's no avoiding it. If it's trouble, running won't help."
Seeing Kitazawa's calm demeanor, Kensuke reluctantly shut his mouth. He knew Ryota wouldn't be persuaded.
He turned his gaze to Asuka—and to Rei Ayanami, who sat silently in the front row.
Rei didn't so much as lift her head. She was still calmly filling out her exam sheet, as if nothing was happening at all.
Kensuke sighed. Cold as ever… the Ice Queen.
"I'm calling NERV HQ immediately!"
Asuka knew she couldn't talk Ryota out of it. But if this was really happening because of her, she had to do something. Gritting her teeth, she yanked out her satellite phone and started dialing.
But then—something strange.
No signal.
Asuka's face went ghost white. This could only mean one thing—the situation was worse than they thought.
And sure enough, just then, a large group of Black Dragon Gang members arrived at the door of Class 2-A.
At their head was the infamous Takei Munoi—"Warlord Asura."
"W-What are you people doing?! This is a school! Who do you think you are?!"
The elderly teacher of Class 2-A stepped forward, voice shaking.
"Everyone who's not involved, please leave,"
Takei said, flashing a perfect smile, his teeth white as bone.
"We're not here to hurt anyone else. We only want Kitazawa Ryota. Please cooperate."
Kitazawa Ryota.
So it really was about him.
Kensuke and the others glanced at each other, faces filled with shock and dread.
This must be because of the Hattori Narumi incident…
In the next moment, every eye in the room turned toward Kitazawa Ryota.
He remained perfectly still in his seat—unmoving, calm—as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Slowly, people began to file out. Even the gray-haired teacher retreated with slow, trembling steps. There was nothing he could do. These thugs were terrifying—and Kitazawa was a hero, a NERV pilot. He wasn't someone they could help.
"Kitazawa-kun… what now?"
Kensuke and Toji turned to him, hoping for a plan.
They weren't the type to abandon a comrade, not in a moment like this.
But facing a mob like this… what could they do?
"It's fine. You two go ahead. I'll be alright."
Ryota gave them a calm, warm smile.
"No way! Kitazawa-kun's in trouble, and you think we'd just run?!"
They clenched their fists. Loyalty written all over their faces.
"Heh… I appreciate it. But really—this is something I need to face alone."
"But—"
"No buts. That's final."
Ryota's voice was quiet but firm.
The two exchanged glances, saw the determination in his eyes, and reluctantly nodded.
"…Alright. But be careful, Kitazawa-kun."
"I will."
He nodded, watching them leave.
Then, turning back, he looked to Asuka.
"You're still here?"
"Of course I am. This all started because of me—how could I just walk away now?!"
Asuka slammed her fist against her chest, full of fiery determination.
Ryota sighed deeply.
"You really should go."
"I won't!" Asuka snapped.
"I'm an elite pilot. You expect me to run away like a coward?! No chance—hey! Let go of me!"
Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and began dragging her away.
It was none other than Rei Ayanami.
"Damn you, you doll! Let go! Hey—!"
Asuka kicked and struggled, but Rei's grip was like iron. She dragged Asuka from the classroom, unmoved by the shouting.
Seeing this, Ryota finally let out a long breath of relief.
If Asuka had refused to leave, he would've had to knock her out himself. Fortunately, Rei understood him without needing a word.
Standing up, Ryota squared his shoulders and fixed his eyes on Takei Munoi.
Takei, meanwhile, stood smiling.
Then he and the other Black Dragon members slowly drew their blades—shining steel catching the dim classroom light.
"Kitazawa Ryota… nothing personal. I'm Takei Munoi, Black Dragon Gang."
He grinned like he'd just found a long-lost friend.
"If you want to blame someone—blame yourself. You crossed the wrong people. Sorry, kid."
The glint of Takei's blade grew sharper. His grin widened, disturbingly serene.
Only those within the Black Dragon Gang knew what that smile meant.
Because the prettier Takei Munoi smiled…
…the more he wanted to kill.
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