Rai Hikaru slowly withdrew his fist, pulling a tissue from his pocket to wipe the blood off it, his tone dripping with disgust. "So much fucking splatter—what a gross piece of shit. Ruined my hand."
Once clean, he lifted his head languidly, eyes locking onto Yosega Masaru and his two remaining delinquents.
In that instant, Yosega Masaru and his buddies felt like they'd been pinned by a lion or tiger—chills racing up their spines, legs trembling uncontrollably.
That last display had been insane, but before hunting down Rai Hikaru, Yosega Masaru had psyched himself up, even hyping himself in the mirror a hundred times: I can do this! I can beat Rai Hikaru!
So now, he scraped together his courage, forcing himself to meet Rai Hikaru's gaze despite the quaking fear.
Rai Hikaru smirked at the sight. "I hate anyone interrupting my studies, and you turned my study spot into this mess. Not cool, right?"
Yosega Masaru's voice came out shaky and pathetic, no menace at all. "R-Rai... Rai Hikaru! Y-you bastard! D-don't try to scare me!"
"I came here t-today... to... to get revenge!"
"I b-brought... weapons this time!"
"You're d-dead meat!"
Like always, Yosega Masaru gripped his iron rod in his right hand and tapped it lightly against his left palm to intimidate.
But with his hand shaking like crazy, the usual tough-guy move looked utterly ridiculous.
It was like some frail 89-year-old geezer with white hair hobbling around, bragging about his lightning-fast five-whip combo.
Even Rai Hikaru cracked up, shaking his head with a chuckle.
He took one casual step forward—Yosega Masaru and his crew flinched back in unison.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind whipped past, and Rai Hikaru vanished from their sight.
The next second, his figure loomed right in front of the trio. Just one guy, but he blocked all the light like a shadow giant.
Yosega Masaru and his delinquents' vision went pitch black.
"For screwing up my study time, you two take half the blame."
With Rai Hikaru's words, the two delinquents flanking Yosega Masaru launched backward in a blur.
Thud thud!
Two heavy thumps—their bodies piled onto the first wall-embedded thug, stacking weirdly like human pancakes.
Yosega Masaru's body shook wildly. From this close range, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Rai Hikaru's moves!
Holy shit!
Was this even human?!
What kind of monster had he pissed off?!!
Yosega Masaru had no clue Rai Hikaru was muttering to himself too.
Why's every casual hit today triggering the NTR Kill Aura at 500%+ multipliers?
These punks following Yosega Masaru that lucky?
As Rai Hikaru's gaze settled on him, a mocking half-smile playing on his lips...
Yosega Masaru knew he was probably next.
He shoved down the terror, swung his iron rod with a desperate yell: "I'll fucking kill you!"
Bang!
The rod never reached its target. A hand snatched it mid-swing.
Rai Hikaru yanked it free effortlessly, then eyed Yosega Masaru. Under the guy's terrified stare, he smiled while bending the arm-thick straight rod in half, kneading it into a mangled iron lump.
"Wanna go at me? You got the chops?"
On the final word, Rai Hikaru backhanded him.
Even pulling his punch, it triggered a 1000% NTR Kill Aura multiplier, spinning Yosega Masaru 1080 degrees through the air.
His cheek ballooned like a mountain, all his teeth shattered out, mouth flooding with blood before he crashed to the floor.
But it wasn't over.
Rai Hikaru glanced at the iron lump, tossed it aside with a shake of his head, and picked up a rod dropped by one of the delinquents. "This one's better for swinging."
He squatted beside Yosega Masaru, raised the rod over his crotch... and hammered down!
Bang bang bang bang!!!!
The room filled with blacksmith-anvil clangs.
Yosega Masaru's screams—worse than his 1080-degree spin—howled like a dying beast.
In just over a minute, Rai Hikaru smashed 810 vicious blows straight into his groin.
"Awoooo!!!"
Listening to Yosega Masaru's gut-wrenching, half-dead wails...
Glancing at the pulped mess that used to be his crotch...
Rai Hikaru finally eased off, smiling. "Masaru, you endured all 81 trials of your 9x9 ordeal. Props to you."
But Yosega Masaru couldn't speak anymore—just gurgling half-dead noises.
"Hiss... hiss... hiss..."
Rai Hikaru glanced at Shino no Miya Natsumi—her eyes dazed, still flickering with fading joy—then at Yamano Yuta, still trembling on the floor.
Finally, at Yosega Masaru, writhing in agony, eyes bugging out, mouth stuffed enough for twenty king-sized salamis.
He shook his head slightly.
Killing in someone else's house? Not ideal.
Yosega Masaru and these punks deserved death, sure.
But Rai Hikaru was polite—didn't wanna off them in Shino no Miya Natsumi's place right in front of her.
Plus, the apartment hallway probably had cameras.
This many going in, only a few coming out? Messy.
He beckoned the lookout delinquent outside.
The bruised, battered lookout hesitated, then shuffled in obediently.
Seeing the carnage inside, he thanked his stars he was Rai Hikaru's first victim.
Just hope he goes easy now.
The "lucky" lookout dropped to his knees instantly, groveling. "Uh... s-sir? What... what do you need?"
Rai Hikaru smiled. "Take these eyesores out."
"But this one's gotta walk out himself."
He nudged Yosega Masaru, whose body still twitched in groin-agony.
Normally, a crotch-smash like that drops any man for good.
But whether from some yellow-hair luck buff or terror overriding death, Yosega Masaru actually staggered to his feet as ordered.
Clutching his meat-paste pants, he hobbled out on one good leg, crawling when he couldn't walk.
He didn't dare look back or meet Rai Hikaru's eyes once.
The lookout followed orders, prying the three wall-stuck delinquents down and bundling them up.
The last two could limp along half-dead.
But the first one, Rai Hikaru's initial punch victim? No breath left.
The others didn't dare complain—just propped the corpse and trailed Yosega Masaru out.
Suddenly, a massive roar erupted.
"Raaahhhh!"
Yamano Yuta, who'd been cowering on the floor, carp-leaped to his feet.
He charged the limping Yosega Masaru, kicked him down, and stomped hard a few times.
"You goddamn mutt! Piece of shit!"
"You looked down on me earlier, acted all superior!"
"Got anything to say now, you trash?!"
"Filth! Die!"
Panting after a few kicks, Yamano Yuta spun to Shino no Miya Natsumi in the kitchen, crowing for praise. "Natsumi-nee! Look at me! Look!"
"Pretty brave, right?!"
"I'll protect you!"
"Always—forever!"
"Be with me! Marry me! I love you, Natsumi-nee! I'll guard you for life!"
Yamano Yuta swore with utmost solemnity, but no beaming smile answered.
Just a face twisted in revulsion and a sharp rebuke: "Get the fuck out! I never wanna see you again!"
"From today, you and I, Yamano Yuta—done. Zero connection!"
"Get out! Go with Yosega Masaru and his trash! Out, you bastard! Go!"
The scathing words snapped Yamano Yuta from his delusional hero fantasy back to reality.
He didn't dare glance at Shino no Miya Natsumi again, bolting out the door.
Rai Hikaru ignored their drama.
Arms crossed, he leaned against the doorframe, silently watching Yosega Masaru's crew slink away.
Once Yamano Yuta was gone...
Shino no Miya Natsumi rubbed her numb, aching legs and forced herself up.
She moved toward Rai Hikaru, blurting, "Rai Hikaru-kun, I..."
But he cut her off.
"Hold that thought—got something to handle. Talk later."
He tossed her a jade pendant talisman. "Swap this with the one around your neck, lock the door tight. I'll be back soon."
With that, Rai Hikaru leaped from the third-floor balcony—dozens of meters straight down.
Staring after his receding figure, Shino no Miya Natsumi rushed forward, snatching the pendant.
She stood at the threshold, cold wind whipping her face, eyes fixed on Rai Hikaru's back as he strode off into the night below the apartment.
She gazed dreamily until he vanished into the dark.
Snapping back, she hurried inside, slammed and locked the door as instructed.
With surprise, she removed the dull, stone-like jade from her neck—the one that'd gone dark—and replaced it with the new one, glowing milky-white like the first he'd given her.
Feeling the fresh pendant's subtle warmth against her chest, Shino no Miya Natsumi pressed one hand there.
The other slid down her body.
Alone now, under the dim light, she curled up on the sofa.
Her mind replayed the scene nonstop.
In her deepest despair, on the verge of suicide...
That godlike handsome boy descending like a divine savior.
Recalling Rai Hikaru's punch embedding a man in the wall—Shino no Miya Natsumi's cheeks flushed pink.
Imagining him pounding the arrogant, swaggering Yosega Masaru into a broken dog—her breath quickened.
One against four, handling it effortlessly, cool as ice from start to finish, zero strain—her body went rigid.
Her crimson eyes shimmered with twin pink heart-shaped sparkles.
"Rai Hikaru-kun... I want you so bad..."
...
...