The vibes at the academy have been incredibly strange lately.
It's not just ordinary strangeness, but the creepy kind—the feeling that ten strange psychics are watching you from the shadows as you walk down the hallway.
Kazama Rei felt as if a shadowy figure were sticking to his back all day. While buying coffee from the vending machine, he saw a face outside the academy reflected in the glass.
Not a spirit.
It was a living person.
It carried spiritual pressure.
His immediate thought was, "Damn it! An outsider has infiltrated."
The emergency meeting of the Night Walker Club went on until 10 p.m.
Jinguji Hai stood at the front with an expression as cold as if he had just rejected some force but didn't mention it.
His tone was utterly indifferent yet carried a terrifying spiritual pressure.
"Starting two days ago, external organizations have been infiltrating the campus. At least three factions have been confirmed.
One faction wants to take Li Lian Si away.
One faction wants to execute him.
The motives of the third faction are unclear."
Ashiya Kaito was completely dumbfounded. "Eh?! What kind of chosen one is my brother? Even external organizations want to take him down?"
Yuuki Mio, sitting beside him, replied softly. "Because he might decide the fate of the seal."
Kaito said, "I take it back. I don't want to hear it anymore."
Rei: "..."
His shoulders and neck felt as if they were filled with molten iron, and he felt an indescribable suffocation.
He had just crawled out of that explosive pile of information from the Black Ledger, and now he was being targeted by external forces?
Gray continued:
"This evening, the 'Observers' of the nocturnal society infiltrated the North Campus, and I drove them away." His tone remained coldly calm.
But his next sentence was ruthless:
"Starting tomorrow, they'll be more direct. Some want to kidnap, and some want to kill. The targets are all—"
His gaze swept toward Rei.
"You."
The air in the conference room froze instantly.
Kaito slammed his chair back and stood up. "Anyone who dares to touch my brother will be hit first by me! Let me tell you, even though I'm a support class, I can bite—"
Gray gave him a cold glance. "Calm down."
Rei spoke in a low voice that seemed stuck in his chest:
"Why are they targeting me? Is it because I might be the key?"
Gray replied, "Yes, once the seal cracks, they won't want the seal itself, but rather the person who can 'guide' its direction."
In a low but clear voice, Mio added:
"The key only appears when the seal is at its most unstable. They believe you are the catalyst."
Kaito rubbed his forehead. "Ah, this sounds like a plot where the protagonist is being hunted down."
Rei didn't refute. A growing unease was indeed rising within him.
Gray pasted the symbols of the three factions on the whiteboard, his tone returning to commander mode.
"From tonight onwards, the academy is the front line. People from the underworld will probe, provoke, kidnap, and infiltrate.
You must report to me immediately."
Then his gaze fell on Rei.
"Rei, your safety is my responsibility." His tone was calm, yet he made it clear that there was no room for argument. "At the same time, I will monitor how far you spiral out of control. You could save this academy, or you could destroy it."
Rei gasped.
As if anticipating her fear, Gray added,
"Don't worry. As long as I'm the chairman, no one can take you away."
At that moment, a low tremor came from outside the meeting room.
The windows of the entire building trembled slightly.
Mio's expression changed. "External spiritual pressure has touched the barrier," she said.
Kaito exclaimed, "Damn! They came to say hello so quickly!"
Gray loosened his grip on his wrist as if preparing to step in.
"This is just the opening act. The real battle begins now."
Late that night, Rei sensed an unfamiliar presence following him as he made his way back to his dorm.
He stopped, his heart pounding.
"You've finally shown yourself."
From behind the trees, a slender figure in the uniform of an outside organization emerged.
The person smiled.
"Rei, we've been waiting for you for a long time—"
That smile was anything but friendly.
It was more like a pre-planned "hunt" for him.