Over time, the relationship between Haruki and Yukino had become a perfect storm. Even just sitting in the same room, the air felt more oppressive than a high-temperature sauna.
Yet, in a strange way, their personalities were identical. No matter how heavy the atmosphere grew, both possessed the iron discipline to focus entirely on their own business, ignoring the outside world.
Thus, the Service Club room quickly returned to its usual state. Yukino was immersed in her book, and Haruki sat with his eyes closed, sinking into his meditation.
This absolute silence seemed unbreakable—until a third party decided to barge in.
Slide!
The door flew open, and Shizuka Hiratsuka made her grand entrance. Yukino, used to her teacher's lack of boundaries, simply rubbed her forehead and let out a weary sigh.
"Hiratsuka-sensei," Haruki said flatly, "would it kill you to knock?"
"Oh? Is that Yukino's line I hear coming from your mouth?"
"Even I have limits for your behavior, Sensei."
"Well, well. It seems Haruki is finally being corrupted by Yukino's sharp tongue," Hiratsuka teased. She pulled out a chair and sat down, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous, youthful light as she looked at the two of them.
"Is there something you need?" Yukino asked, suspecting her teacher was up to no good.
Hiratsuka grinned. "I'm here to announce the current score of your little competition. You remember the bet we made, right?"
"Oh, that..."
Both Haruki and Yukino blinked. So much had happened since then that they had effectively pushed the "victory" conditions to the back of their minds.
"As it stands," Hiratsuka began, ignoring their confusion, "Haruki has taken the lead. In Yuigahama's case, while both of you contributed, Haruki's blunt intervention was what actually solved her internal conflict. Score one for him. In Totsuka's case, it was Haruki's 'powerhouse' strategy that finally got the club moving in the right direction. That's two points for Haruki Aizawa!"
"I... I suppose I can't argue with that," Yukino muttered. She hated losing, but she was a realist. Haruki's results were undeniable.
However, Hiratsuka-sensei wasn't done.
"Yukino, you seem to think you've already lost, but reality is rarely that simple," Hiratsuka said, her gaze turning serious. "Haruki saw your weaknesses—your lack of persistence and your tendency to master the surface but ignore the depth. But tell me, Yukino, have you seen his flaws yet? There is no such thing as a perfect person. Everyone has a crack in their armor."
"Haruki's flaws...?"
"Don't give up just because of a couple of setbacks. The best stories always have a dramatic comeback in the final act," Hiratsuka encouraged.
Haruki spoke up from the sidelines. "Sensei, I don't believe I have any flaws that need correcting."
"Hahaha! That statement is your flaw, Haruki!" Hiratsuka laughed, pointing at him. "You are undeniably strong—a true master. But because of that strength, your weaknesses are hidden in plain sight. Honestly, I didn't realize until now how much you and Yukino are opposite sides of the same mirror. Your strengths are her weaknesses, and her strengths are yours. If you two could actually get along and learn from each other, you'd see a whole new world."
The suggestion of "getting along" drew identical scowls from both Haruki and Yukino. At this point, that was the one thing they were both sure was impossible.
Despite Hiratsuka-sensei's teasing about them being like "an old married couple," the relationship between Haruki and Yukino didn't improve over the next two days. If anything, they became more competitive.
However, the peace of Haruki's school life was interrupted by a call from Miko Yotsuya.
Ever since the incident at the shrine, Miko had made it a habit to report her daily life to Haruki. She told him everything—school gossip, her walks with Hana, even what she had for dinner. It was a tedious process, but Haruki insisted on it to ensure she didn't accidentally trigger the "Three Debts" to the shrine god.
Usually, Miko's reports were so boring they nearly put Haruki to sleep. But today, her news caught his attention.
Miko, Hana Yurikawa, and Yuria Niguredo were planning a "bravery test" at a remote, abandoned tunnel on the outskirts of the city.
Knowing that "abandoned tunnels" were basically magnets for the kind of spirits that could eat a girl's soul, Haruki naturally decided to invite himself along.
The group met at the bus station.
"The air in the mountains is so fresh!" Hana Yurikawa chirped. As the only person in the group with zero awareness of ghosts, she looked like she was on a fun school field trip.
"Yeah... fresh," Yuria Niguredo muttered. She spent the entire trip staring at Haruki with starry eyes. She was still obsessed with becoming his disciple, but since Haruki had set the "defeat Miko" condition, she was currently viewing Miko as her ultimate rival.
The bus hissed to a stop at a desolate station.
"This is it! I bet we can get some amazing photos here!" Hana said, whipping out her camera and leading the way.
Hana had recently become a minor celebrity on social media after accidentally capturing a "spirit-purging" flash at the shrine. She was determined to find more "paranormal" shots to boost her follower count. It was a dangerously stupid motivation, which was why Miko had called Haruki for backup.
As they hiked toward the tunnel, Hana suddenly stopped, clutching her stomach. "Ugh, I'm starving!" She pulled a pack of cookies from her bag and began devouring them.
Haruki watched her. Through his Sense of Fluctuation, he noticed something bizarre. As Hana ate, her internal life force—her "aura"—began to expand and pulse with incredible intensity.
It defied all logic. Even for Haruki, increasing his internal energy required hours of grueling meditation or the use of his Blood Burst. Yet this girl was doing it by eating chocolate-chip cookies.
Is there something in the food? Haruki wondered.
If he could figure out how she converted calories into raw spiritual energy, he might be able to sustain his limit-break states for much longer. He might even be able to bypass the need for his Darkin form in a fight.
"Hey, Hana," Haruki said, his gaze fixed on her snacks. "Can I have some?"
"Huh? You want some, Haruki-san?" Hana blinked, surprised by the request from the usually aloof man. She held out the bag. "Sure! Here."
Haruki took a cookie and ate it. He chewed slowly, analyzing the "vibration" of the food. Nothing. No change.
He looked at the cookie Hana was currently holding—the one she had already taken a bite of.
"Can I try that one?" Haruki asked, pointing at the half-eaten snack.
"E-Eh??"
The atmosphere turned awkward in a heartbeat. Asking to eat a half-bitten cookie from a teenage girl was... well, in the world of high school romance, it was practically a declaration of war.
Hana's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. She looked at Haruki, then at the cookie, her hands trembling. "You... you want... this one? But I... I already bit it..."
"I know," Haruki said, his tone purely scientific. He didn't care about the social implications; he just wanted to see if her saliva or her direct contact was the catalyst for the energy spike.
"If... if you really want it... I guess... it's okay..." Hana whispered, closing her eyes and slowly extending her hand toward Haruki's mouth.
Haruki leaned in, focused entirely on the energy signature.
CHOMP.
A hand suddenly darted into his field of vision. Miko Yotsuya had lunged forward, snatched the cookie from Hana's hand, and stuffed it into her own mouth.
"I'm hungry too! Thanks, Hana!" Miko said, her voice strained and her face just as red as her friend's.
"Oh... okay..." Hana murmured, looking slightly dazed.
Haruki frowned, his "experiment" ruined. He looked at Miko's back, wondering why she had suddenly become so aggressive about snacks.
He didn't see Miko's expression, but if he had, he would have seen a girl drowning in self-loathing and a bizarre, new-found jealousy. She hadn't even thought about it; her body had just moved to stop what her brain classified as an "indirect kiss."
The group continued their trek through the overgrown path. After ten more minutes of walking, they reached the entrance of a massive, pitch-black tunnel.
The girls stopped dead in their tracks. The mouth of the tunnel looked like a throat leading into the bowels of the earth.
"Are we... really going in there?" Hana asked. She was the one who had proposed this, but even her oblivious optimism was starting to fail in the face of such absolute darkness.
"The destination is just on the other side," Yuria said, trying to sound brave but failing to hide the tremor in her voice.
"B-But it's so dark..." Hana shivered, clutching her camera to her chest.
"Tunnels usually are," Haruki said, stepping past them. He didn't need a flashlight; his senses told him exactly what was waiting in the shadows. "Follow me. And stay close. If you wander off, I won't be able to find all the pieces."
"That's not helping, Haruki-san!" Miko wailed, grabbing the back of his shirt as they stepped into the gloom.
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