The Eyes Are Connected to the Brain, So They’re Part of the Spinal Cord, Right! (Power Move)

"Hey, did you hear? Kurata got arrested!" 

"Oh, about that sludge incident yesterday? Man, it's a relief. I heard he finally killed someone." 

"Seriously, thank goodness. They should just sentence that villain gene to death already." 

"Yeah, peace has finally come to the school... Honestly." 

The day after Takumi Kurata was saved by Mr. White, news of his arrest spread like wildfire through Yoshikawa Middle School. In the classroom, whispers filled the air like a low, menacing hum. 

Students gathered in small groups, trading rumors and venomous remarks, their eyes occasionally darting toward the conspicuously empty desk at the back of the room. 

Among them, there was one boy—a blonde-haired student—who sat silently, his gaze fixed on the vacant seat. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his hands clenched into trembling fists beneath the desk. That boy was Ren Akishima. 

---

[The Day Before] 

"Damn it, that wannabe villain executive!!" 

In the heart of the city, Ren Akishima stormed through the streets, his frustration boiling over. His foot lashed out, kicking a crushed tin can that clattered noisily down the pavement. 

"Pathetic... I'm so damn pathetic!!" His voice broke, echoing faintly in the evening air. 

The memories from earlier that day played vividly in his mind, each one a dagger twisting deeper into his pride. He recalled the humiliating scene: the destroyed classroom, Kurata's cold smirk, and the way he had submitted without a fight. He had been "spinally extracted," killed repeatedly, and resurrected only to face that sadistic grin again. 

"Why... Why can't I stand up to him?!" Akishima's hands gripped his hair as if trying to tear the thoughts from his mind. 

Kurata's guin, *Dominion*, was terrifyingly absolute. It had crushed Akishima's resistance so thoroughly that even the sight of Kurata's hand lifting toward his head was enough to make him flinch like a beaten dog. 

"How am I supposed to surpass Mr. White like this?" His voice cracked with self-loathing. "Damn it... Damn it!" 

As he hurled another empty bottle into the gutter, a shadow slithered through the alley behind him, unnoticed. 

"A nice little disguise for a good Guin..." 

The words reached his ears a second too late. Before he could react, something wet and suffocating engulfed his body. 

---

Takumi Kurata walked home in the soft glow of twilight. His steps were slow, heavy, as if each one carried the weight of a thousand regrets. 

Mr. White's words replayed in his mind, a haunting refrain: "Any guin can be used for justice or evil, depending on the person's intention and how they use it..."

He knew the truth of it—he had always known. He had admired Mr. White, dreamed of following in his footsteps, and yet... 

"I really am... a proper villain executive candidate now," he murmured, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. 

He wasn't proud of what he had become, of the fear and hatred that his classmates now held for him. All he had wanted was to make them understand, to defend himself when no one else would. 

But where had that led him? To an entity that's been feared by anyone that comes in its connection.

"I guess... I'll start with an apology," he decided aloud. It was a small step, but it was all he could do for now.

As he approached Birong Shopping District, the usual hum of activity seemed... different. It wasn't just the normal bustle—it was louder, more frantic. 

"What's going on?" he wondered, quickening his pace. Then he saw it: chaos. 

A massive sludge villain towered over the crowd, its amorphous body writhing as it held a middle school student hostage. 

Kurata froze, his blood turning to ice. That villain—he recognized it. It was the same one Mr. White had defeated. 

*How did it escape?!*

The crowd surged in panic, but Kurata's focus locked onto the hostage. His breath caught in his throat. 

"Ozawa!" 

The name tore from his lips as he broke into a sprint, shoving past the bystanders. His bag slipped from his shoulder, but he didn't care. 

"Stop! Get back Idiot!" a hero yelled, stepping forward. 

But Kurata didn't stop. He couldn't. 

---

The sludge villain turned its oozing mass toward him, its grotesque face splitting into a grin. 

"Well, well, if it isn't the not wanting to be villain kid..." 

"Let him go!" Kurata shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. 

"Oh? And what are you going to do about it, little villain?" 

Kurata clenched his fists. His guin wasn't built for brute force, but he didn't have time to think.

"I'm not a villain! I'm a hero!!" He shouted as he charged, his hand outstretched.

"You idiot! Stay back!" the hero yelled again. 

The sludge moved faster than Kurata expected, its slimy tendrils lashing out. One caught him across the chest, sending him sprawling. 

"Damn it!" He scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding. His eyes darted to Ozawa, who was struggling weakly within the villain's grasp. 

*Think, Takumi. Think!* 

The villain laughed, its voice a gurgling rumble. "You're out of your depth, kid. Why don't you just run along?" 

Kurata ignored the taunt. His gaze locked onto the villain's eyes. 

"There it is..." he muttered. 

"What are you—?" 

Kurata's lips curled into a cold, ruthless smile. It wasn't the smile of a hero—it was something darker, something that sent a shiver through the villain's core. 

"Raaahhhhh!!!" 

With a burst of speed, Kurata lunged. His hand shot forward, piercing through the sludge. The villain screamed as Kurata's fingers closed around its eyes, his guin 'Dominion' activating with precision. 

"No! Stop! IGHYYYYAAGHAAAA!!!" 

The air filled with the sickening sound of tearing. A sickening sound of ripping filled the air. The villain's screams echoed as his eyeballs, brain, and connected spinal cord were mercilessly extracted. The sludge collapsed, leaving nothing but a lifeless heap behind. 

He turned to Ozawa, his hand trembling as he reached out. 

"Are you... okay?" 

Ozawa stared at him, wide-eyed, with no reaction.

...