Saturday.
Before
anyone knew it, the inter-school competition was coming up the next day.
Chihiro
and the other representatives of Shibahou Academy have a brief meeting, confirm
the meeting place and time for the next day, and then disperse.
「Kurohane-senpai,
would you like to have lunch with us?」
「Yes,
that would be nice. Then, please do so」
Chihiro
and Hana, acting somewhat bland, decide to go home with Yotsuba.
They
leave Kamishiro, who says he will stay behind to train, and Marika, who says
she will stop by the student council office before going home.
As they
were about to go through the school gate.
**a
「Nice to
meet you, Izumi Chihiro-kun」
――A
man's voice came.
Although
the view is somewhat obstructed by the school gate, the place is reasonably
open.
Naturally,
there was no one nearby.
But
suddenly a man's voice was heard.
It was
not a whisper, but it was not loud either. And yet, it reached Chihiro's ears
strangely clearly, without seeming to interfere with the sound of the wind or
the rustling of the trees.
It was
like, yes.
It was
as if the person had the power to attract all eyes, ears, and interests to
himself.
And
then, Chihiro stops and looks back.
There
he is.
The man
looks to be in his late twenties.
Dark
hair, dark eyes.
His
face is handsome, but there is nothing special about him except for his color.
According to a theory Chihiro has heard, the ultimate beauty or good looks is a
form that has lost its features and has been averaged out.
His
slender figure is exactly what one should call a kind of perfection.
Basically
slender. But he is not unreliable, and he maintains a certain amount of
fleshiness. He is considerably taller than Chihiro, in the mid-170cm range.
Needless
to say, Chihiro recognized him.
He must
be "that person".
「Fukami,
Kaito」
Hana
muttered beside Chihiro.
She
stood frozen, staring aghast at the man standing a few meters away.
「...Izumi-kun」
Yotsuba,
who had guessed the situation from Hana's muttering, steps forward to protect
Chihiro.
Kaito,
the man, smiled.
「Yes. I
am Fukami Kaito, Maria's brother and a rank S [Lost Item]. And the leader of
[Absolute]」
It was
a smile that reassured those who saw it, a smile that would be attractive
enough to a young woman.
「It's
okay. I'm not going to hurt you. So, please don't worry」
「...Do
you think I can believe you?」
Yotsuba's
voice was faintly trembling as she responded.
（Nii-san,
this man is dangerous）
Suddenly,
Chisato whispers in Chihiro's brain.
（How can
I say this? I almost trust him just by talking to him. Just like that girl said
the other day）
Just
the mere recognition of his presence, voice or figure is irresistible.
More
effective on women than on men, those affected eventually become his slaves,
even their personalities distorted. Such an unreasonable ability.
When it
was used by Kaname's [Terminal], it did not make any sense, but apparently,
when it is used by the person himself, it is much different.
If even
Chisato in Chihiro is affected, then Yotsuba and Hana must be affected.
「Mishuku-san,
Kurohane-senpai. Please leave here now」
「Izumi-kun?」
「He's
supposed to be here for me. There is no need for the two of you to be here」
Above
all, Chihiro doesn't want to see these girls dominated by others.
And the
girls must have sensed Chihiro's thoughts behind his words. However, Hana and
Yotsuba remained silent, hesitating.
「But...」
「Under
the circumstances, we can't leave you here」
Their
eyes told Chihiro it was dangerous.
It's
Saturday, lunchtime, in front of the school gate.
Most of
the students have already gone home. So, at this moment, there is no one but
Chihiro and the others, and if Hana and the others leave, Chihiro will be left
alone.
However,
Chihiro does not want to change his opinion.
It
would be easier to reduce the damage if he alone confronts Kaito, who is
relatively easy to resist Kaito's ability.
However.
**b
「There’s no need to talk. You can't escape
anyway」
」Huh,
there's a voices behind me, too!?」
Chihiro thought.
Of
course, there was no one there either.
But
when, Chihiro turn around again, and there are two girls standing there.
It
seems that the voice belongs to one of the girl, whom he has never seen before.
She has
short hair in a rough style and is wearing a traditional sailor uniform, the
uniform of Shibatsuru Academy.
Judging
from the fact that the uniform is thin and short-sleeved, she is probably
wearing a summer uniform.
「You
didn't even notice we were here, huh?」
She
smiles at Chihiro, and there is another person beside her.
This is
a girl he knows, dressed in a winter sailor suit.
This is
Ibusuki Kaname, a self-proclaimed idol of the bizarre and brutal type.
「It's
been a while, Izumi-kun. Did you wash your neck and wait for me?」
She
says, and smiles fiercely, showing her teeth.
Kaname's
eyes were not smiling, but glistening with murderous intent toward Chihiro.
It was
natural, after all Chihiro had done to her, but it seemed that she had a lot of
grudges against him.
Anyway.
Three
people suddenly appeared where no one was supposed to be.
If it
had been only Kaito, it could have been carelessness on the part of Chihiro and
the others.
But if
they missed three people, it is natural to assume that there was some kind of
power at work.
The opponent
is Fukami Kaito, the ruler of [Absolute].
And two
students belong to Shibatsuru Academy.
Then,
the cause of the miss is probably...
「...the
ability to make people unaware of their surroundings」
「Not
exactly. Although the recognition direction is correct」
The
voice came from Kaito.
He
shrugged his shoulders lightly as he looked back at Chihiro and the others
again.
「You
don't have to look so scared, do you? I'm the one who came all the way here to
say hello to you」
「Do you
think we can trust you?」
Hana
repeated what Yotsuba had just said.
As if
finally freed from the spell, she quickly got behind Chihiro. Their backs touch
each other through their uniforms.
Squeeze!
Her
slender fingers intertwine with Chihiro's left hand and hold it.
「Hmm.
You're really into this guy, aren't you?」
「Yeah,
it seems so. Hana-chan, you have such bad taste, don't you?」
Kaname
answered to the girl.
Both of
their voices are strangely cheerful, which is frightening.
Just as
the other day Kaname ordered Maria and the others to rape Chihiro - It's likely
that these girls can hurt people with a smile if Kaito orders them to do so.
「Don't
do it, Kaname, Saki」
「Yes,
Master」
When
Kaito gave the order, the girls obeyed and kept their mouths shut.
And
they did not hesitate to say "Master" in this public place.
