For Tsumi, recruiting new members for her club was nothing but a bothersome chore—far more troublesome than she had initially thought.
It was, in truth, a complete waste of time.
She had no desire to do it—nor any genuine interest in joining a club herself. In fact, the only reason she was even in one was because she had been more or less thrown into it, forced by the school's principal, who also happened to be her new boss.
And she had to admit, this new boss was far stricter than the one she had before.
There were far better things she could be doing. She really shouldn't have accepted her sister's request to transfer to this branch. But, unfortunately, her sister had been insistent. And because of that, she gave in. Not because of love—she held no such feelings for her sister—but simply because her sister was a veteran magical girl. Being related to her did come with certain… perks.
What annoyed her most was the rule her new boss had put into place: all magical girls under her command must join a club. Supposedly, it would help them "interact more socially," perhaps even influence them to behave like normal, civil people instead of hiding behind the masks they wore, and maybe even rehabilitate them from their darker indulgences.
Such a ridiculous idea. Why couldn't things simply remain as they were?
Did this woman not understand what true pleasure was? Did she not know what it was like to kill a pregnant woman?
The expression on their face. The despair in their eyes. The piercing screams they let out.
That was joy. That was life.
What a boring boss…
And to make matters worse, almost every student in the school was already in a club. The few who weren't were either unwilling—or simply not worth the effort of recruiting.
She really needed a way to cool off this growing annoyance… she needed to find some time alone, and perhaps the company of a divorced, desperate woman… well, a pregnant one as well—that was the most important part.
Still, Tsumi believed that if she played up her cutesy charms, laced her words with a fragile, emotional tone, she could get the job done. Which brought her to her current spot: the cafeteria. Surprisingly, it seemed like a promising place to look for new recruits. Though she had to admit, the cafeteria wasn't the kind of place she had much hope in mind for. However, it had what she needed: three people who weren't in any clubs—a fact she confirmed after overhearing their conversation while standing nearby, unnoticed. She had just arrived in time to catch them speaking: one hesitated out of fear of being bullied, another claimed he'd rather die than join club activities, and the last mentioned having a sick sister.
And to her surprise, one of them was none other than the white-haired boy she had purposely tackled earlier that morning, all to paint herself as absentminded and a little clumsy in front of the other students.
It was a good way to appear rather normal, to give herself a quiet and not-so-great image.
Her eyes then shifted slightly to the other two seated beside the white-haired boy: an above-average, quiet girl with glasses, and a boy who looked so much like a girl it was hard to tell at first glance.
A strange trio, if one had to say.
"Oh, it's you—the absentminded girl…" the white-haired boy said in a dismissive tone, his red eyes heavy with fatigue. "What brings you here?"
The other two glanced at her. The girl with glasses only gave a brief side-glance before resuming her ramen, while the feminine-looking one studied her with open curiosity.
"Not much, I was just, you know, passing by and happened to overhear a bit of what you were saying. And no, I wasn't eavesdropping, okay! I just thought I could add something to the conversation you three were having… or were having, before I barged in so suddenly. For that, forgive me," Tsumi said, her voice faintly apologetic.
How long do I have to keep this cute, sad-girl act—apologizing again and again…?
She was already getting bored of repeating the same meek lines, though of course she couldn't let that show on her face.
"I already heard that when you barged in. What I mean is—what do you actually want to say?" the white-haired boy pressed, his tired crimson eyes locking onto her.
Before Tsumi could respond, the feminine-looking boy tilted his head. "Ezakiel, do you know her?"
So… Ezakiel, that's his name, Tsumi noted with a subtle mental nod, she had to say that's kind of rather unquie name for a foreigner.
Ezakiel let out a sigh. "Personally, no. We only met when she tackled me out of nowhere earlier…"
"Ah yeah, that's how it went..." Tsumi said.
Though when she said that, ther was trace of worry in his Ezakiel's head.
Phew, what a relief! I thought I would get caught by her special ability and be ready to rumble...
Tsumi possessed a special ability—one that allowed her to sense when people were hiding something with just a glance. She could even detect lies. The only way to counter it was to phrase things carefully, using words vague enough to slip past her suspicion while still being technically true. How she had come to acquire such an ability, however, was something Ezakiel had no idea about.
Hearing his answer, the feminine-looking boy gave a small nod. Tsumi watched him place a hand on his chin, clearly thinking something over. She could tell he wanted to say something but chose not to. Not that it mattered—whatever ran through his head held no real value to her. Besides, his hesitation was so obvious that even an ordinary person could have noticed it.
"I'm sorry again…" Tsumi murmured.
"Whatever, just have a seat," Ezakiel said, though he sighed inwardly. It's getting rather repetitive with her apologies. Why not say something else? Or is her vocabulary too cramped to fit extra words in?
It seemed her acting wasn't as high-level as he had convinced himself.
And here I was hyping her up…
Tsumi slid into the seat opposite the three of them, placing her hands neatly on the table.
"Before I begin, may I have the introductions of you two?" Tsumi asked in a softer tone.
"My name is Yuta," the feminine-looking boy said. He then pointed at the girl with glasses, who was still quietly eating her ramen. "And she is… uh, what's your name again? I forgot to ask."
"…Rin. Rin Hoshinova."
Tsumi nodded politely. "I heard, as I passed by, that the three of you aren't in a club, right?"
All three nodded.
It wasn't much, but it was more than enough for Ezakiel to understand why Tsumi was here.
So she's come to collect members for her club… but why us? Weren't those three just random background characters she recruited? Not Rin, not Yuta, and definitely not me. Why?
The only explanation that came to mind was that the three of them just happened to be sitting together. And then another thought struck him: in the series, in every version and source he remembered, Rin and Yuta had never met. They had never even spoken a word to each other. They were strangers.
But... that all changed because of him.
"So, I was wondering—would you like to join mine? I'm short of three members!" Tsumi's tone slipped into a pleading lilt, her expression carefully crafted to inspire pity. At the same time, she released just a touch of magical influence to nudge their minds toward agreement. My sister and my new boss won't mind if I use a little magic… After all, they told me to recruit members, not how.
Hell no! I've seen the online edits—her killing her club members just because she was bored. No way am I joining this psycho's club!
Unfortunately, Ezakiel didn't realize Tsumi was using magic. He was too tangled in his own thoughts, and ended up blurting out what he really shouldn't have:
"Nah! I'm spending the rest of this week playing console games… or Hawaii!"
The answer surprised Tsumi, though she kept her outward expression perfectly composed.
How… was he not affected by my charm?
Then came another blow.
"Sorry, I'm not available either…" Rin said flatly.
"I'm also thinking of not joining one," Yuta added.
What the—? Them too?! Tsumi thought, stunned.
That shouldn't have been possible. No normal human could resist her charm—not hers, not any magical girl's, not even the weakest.
No… for Rin, it was possible.
Girls with the potential to become magical girls were naturally immune.
Still, Tsumi didn't like it. There were already more than enough magical girls in this school—more than willing to slash each other's throats the moment an opportunity arose—and now, there was another one.
As for Ezakiel and Yuta? She had no explanation.
This is… certainly interesting. I'll keep this discovery to myself, until I learn what these two actually are…
Tsumi rose from her seat and gave a polite smile. "Oh, sorry for bothering you. I'll search elsewhere for members."
With that, she left the cafeteria. As the doors swung shut behind her, one last thought lingered in her mind.
It seems transferring to this branch wasn't such a bad idea after all…
Back at the table, Yuta spoke up between bites of ramen. "You know, I don't know why, but it feels like there was a lot more going on in that conversation than what it looked like from the outside."
"Nah, you're just overthinking," Ezakiel muttered. "Now hurry up and finish your food before the lunch break ends."
He stood up. "I'm going outside for a walk… and some fresh air."
"Are you not going to wash your hands?" Rin asked.
"I'll do that at the basin in the hallway, but not here," Ezakiel replied.
"Why?"
Before he could answer, Yuta jumped in. "He doesn't like mirrors. That's what he told me when I asked him the same thing."
"You don't like mirrors…" Rin repeated, studying him.
"Yes…" Ezakiel muttered, then hurriedly walked off. He had no desire to explain why—mostly because he didn't even have an explanation to begin with. It wasn't as if he could openly admit the truth… that it was because he was a monster. And he certainly wasn't going to waste time on that.
.... Few hours later....
"Huh?"
Tatsuya muttered, glancing up at the darkening sky. The sudden gusts of wind kicked up dust, forcing him to shield his eyes with his arm. His blazer whipped violently against his body.
Bruh, rain? Out of nowhere? Come on! I could've sworn the weather report said there wouldn't be any today… so why now?
"Thank goodness there wasn't any club activity today," he mumbled, standing at the marked Shibuya crosswalk. Luckily, the road was free of cars—yet strangely, people too. For some reason, the entire crossing was empty except for him, and that unsettled him more than the storm itself.
Why am I the only one here? What happened to the cars… the crowds? They were here just a second ago.
He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
Whatever… just keep walking.
Then, just as he was about to step onto the crosswalk—
A deafening, distorted roar shook the air.
The sound was so deep and thunderous that it sent vibrations crawling through the ground beneath his feet.
Tatsuya froze.
"What the hell was that?" he breathed, his heart pounding against his ribs.
Right in front of him, the air itself cracked—like fragile glass splintering apart.
A strange black light seeped through the fractures, twisting the world into an eerie, inverted color. For a moment, everything flickered—wrong, unnatural—before snapping violently back to normal.
A single drop of water fell from the sky.
It descended slowly, unnaturally, before striking the pavement with a faint splash. The instant it landed, the fractures split wide open.
And then—something stepped through.
The creature was massive, towering nearly eighteen feet tall. Its body was covered in thick, coarse fur, tangled and uneven, as though it had never been groomed. Its frame was a fortress of muscle, broad shoulders and a hulking chest radiating raw, brutal power.
Its head was grotesque. The mouth didn't simply open—it split. Four sections peeled apart, revealing layer upon layer of jagged teeth, a maw designed for tearing and crushing. Thick strands of saliva dripped from its fangs, pooling on the ground with each heavy breath.
"A… m-monster?!" Tatsuya gasped, eyes wide in horror. His legs shook violently before giving way, sending him crashing onto the wet pavement. Pain lanced through his palms, but he barely registered it—his gaze remained locked on the nightmare lumbering toward him.
Then, as though the world itself recoiled at its presence, thunder bellowed overhead and rain crashed down in torrents, drenching everything in an instant. The streets turned slick and shadowed beneath the downpour.
The monster raised its tail—long, segmented, and ending in a wicked, spear-like tip. It swayed once, then thrust forward, aimed straight at his chest.
Tatsuya instinctively threw up his arms, squeezing his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable.