Chapter 13- The Heart's Rebirth

Hayato is still unconscious still with that eerie Oscuro aura. And here we are—standing around him like a bunch of clueless birds trying to figure out how to wake up their fallen friend.

I scratch my head. "So… anyone got a manual on 'How to Fix Your Friend Who Turned Into an Oscuro'?"

Shizuka-san pouts. "If there was one, I'd have read it already!"

Ruby-san crosses her arms, looking completely unbothered. "You guys are overthinking. It's simple—just wake him up."

I blink. "Oh, right. Why didn't I think of that?"

Shizuka-san raises an eyebrow. "And how exactly do we do that, Ruby-chan?"

Ruby-san smirks. "I dunno. Shake him, slap him, yell at him—something's bound to work."

I sigh. "Yeah, because waking up a guy half-transformed into an Oscuro with brute force sounds like a brilliant idea."

Shizuka-san kneels beside Hayato, poking his cheek carefully. "Hayato-kun… wake up?"

No response.

Ruby-san tilts her head. "Try harder."

Shizuka-san frowns, puffs up her cheeks, then suddenly yells, "WAKE UP, HAYATO-KUN!"

Silence.

I rub my ears. "Okay, yeah, that didn't work, but thanks for the minor hearing loss."

Ruby-san shrugs. "Well, we tried."

I let out a long sigh, crouching down next to Hayato. His face is calm and peaceful, but the dark aura still lingers. That's the problem. Even though he's unconscious, the Oscurofication hasn't faded. That shouldn't be possible… right?

I glance at Ruby-san. "So, what now? We wait?"

She taps her chin. "Patience, my dear Takumi, is for monks and philosophers. We? We take action."

Shizuka-san tilts her head. "But what kind of action?"

Ruby-san shrugs. "Dunno. You two are the ones worried. If you want to save him, figure it out."

I frown. "Aren't you the president?"

She winks. "Exactly. Presidents delegate tasks."

Shizuka-san pouts again. "Ruby-chan, stop teasing! This is serious!"

"Yeah, what if he wakes up as a full-blown Oscuro? You saw how strong he was."

"True. If he loses control completely, we'd have to—" She makes a slashing motion across her neck.

"What?"

Shizuka-san gasps. "Ruby-chan, don't even joke about that!"

"Kidding, kidding." Then her smile fades, and for the first time, she looks… thoughtful. "But seriously, if he does go completely dark, I will have to put him down."

I grit my teeth. "Not happening."

She raises an eyebrow. "You say that, but how do you plan on stopping the Oscurofication?"

I pause. That's the problem—I don't know. This isn't like fighting an enemy or breaking a seal. This is something happening inside him. How do you fight something like that?

Shizuka-san suddenly claps her hands together. "Oh! What if we force him to wake up?"

I blink. "Force him?"

She nods eagerly. "Like… send him a jolt of Seishin! Maybe his own energy is trapped inside, and we just need to give him a push!"

Ruby-san sighs. "You do realize that if you mess up, you'll just make things worse?"

Shizuka-san puffs her cheeks. "You got a better idea?"

"Nope. Which is why you should do it."

"Ehh?"

I cross my arms. "Actually, you are the healer here. If anyone can do this safely, it's you."

"Uhhh… but, but, what if something goes wrong?!"

Ruby-san pats her shoulder. "Then it's your fault."

Shizuka-san glares. "You're the worst president ever."

I sigh, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Shizuka-san, if there's even a chance this could work, we have to try. I know it's risky, but…" I look down at Hayato's unmoving form. "We can't just stand here and do nothing."

She hesitates for a moment, then takes a deep breath, nodding firmly. "Alright. I'll do it."

Ruby-san claps her hands together. "Great! Try not to kill him."

Shizuka-san glares again. "You are not helping!"

I chuckle despite myself. "Alright, let's do this."

Shizuka-san kneels beside Hayato, placing both hands over his chest. A soft, warm glow surrounds her fingertips as she gathers her Seishin. Ruby-san and I step back, watching in silence.

This has to work.

It has to.

Shizuka-san's hands glow brightly as she channels her Seishin into Hayato's body, the warmth radiates from her touch. Her face is filled with focus, her lips moving as she murmurs a quiet incantation under her breath. It's a calming sight, seeing her so dedicated, but… something feels off.

The air grows heavier, as if the darkness inside Hayato is pushing back. I can feel it, a cold, oppressive force trying to resist the light that Shizuka-san is trying to bring.

"Come on, Hayato…" I whisper under my breath.

Ruby-san stands off to the side, arms crossed and watching intently. "This isn't going to be as simple as you'd like, Takumi."

I shoot her a glance. "You got a better idea?"

She shrugs nonchalantly. "I told you, I'm not the healer. You're on your own with this one."

I grit my teeth, turning back to Hayato. Why isn't it working? Why is it still so hard to bring him back?

Shizuka-san's face tightens as she presses harder. But then, just as quickly as the Seishin flares up, the light dims. Her hands falter, and the glow around them flickers.

"I... I can't…" She gasps, "It's too strong. His Seishin is… it's being swallowed by the Oscurofication."

"Shizuka-san, don't stop!"

But it's no use. With a frustrated groan, she pulls her hands away, wiping sweat from her brow. "It's not working, Takumi-kun. There's too much darkness inside him."

Ruby-san sighs. "I told you. You can't just push him through this. There's no simple fix."

I stare at Hayato, his body still, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Why is it so hard to reach him? He's in there, I know it. I can feel it. His presence is still him, even if it's clouded by the Oscuro.

A soft rustling of footsteps interrupts the moment. I turn instinctively landing on the source. It's Yora. He enters the room first, followed closely by...Hana?

"Yora," I shout, "What are you doing here?"

"Yo! Takumi, long time no see..." Yora greets me like we're old buddies, though I'm not in the mood to joke around. "Heard you've got a bit of a situation here. Looks like Hayato's a little… out of it." His hand gestures to Hayato's unconscious form.

Hana steps forward, her eyes meeting mine with concern. "T-Takumi-kun… is Shō-kun going to be okay?" she asks, her voice soft, but I can hear the tremor in it.

I swallow hard, unsure of how to respond. "I don't know. Shizuka-san's been trying to heal him, but the Oscurofication is too strong."

Hana bites her lip. She's always been the emotional one, so I can tell she's struggling to keep her composure. "We'll figure this out... right?" she says quietly. "We have to."

"Wait a minute... why is Yora with you, Hana?"

Hearing that, her cheeks turn a little pink as if caught off guard. "Well, uh... it's a bit of a long story." She hesitates, clearly unsure of how to explain the whole thing.

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Ruby-san, with an amused smirk, chimes in. "Yeah... actually, Yora was supposed to be with us. But somehow, he got... lost." She says the word with a slight hint of mockery, and I can't help but chuckle at how true that sounds.

Yora pouts like he's offended. "I wasn't lost Pres. I was just... taking my time. I mean, you can't rush genius, right?"

Shizuka-san sighs, "So, here's what happened. I and Ruby-chan were heading towards you, but Yora-kun was trailing behind. He's, uh, not exactly the fastest runner. I guess he got a little too caught up in his inventions, and he ended up wandering off." She laughs softly, but I can tell she's trying to keep things lighthearted.

Yora nods proudly, not taking the teasing to heart. "It's all part of the process. Anyway, I ended up finding this cute little girl while I was looking for you guys. She was resting under a pine tree when I ran into her."

Hana scratches the back of her head, looking a bit sheepish. "I was a bit surprised when I saw him, I admit. But when he said he was from Hyakuren, it made sense."

I let out a small laugh, though I'm still trying to process how Yora managed to find Hana of all people. It's funny how the most unexpected people end up in the right place at the right time.

"Yeah, it was kind of a weird coincidence," Hana adds, her voice soft but full of relief. "I'm just glad he helped. I'm not sure what would've happened if I hadn't found him."

"Well, look on the bright side, cutie," Yora says with a wink, "at least we're all here now."

Hana looks up at him and asks, "Can you do something to help Shō-kun?"

"Well, if you insist. I may have a way to help him. I've been working on this machine—" He reaches into his bag and pulls out a strange-looking device that looks like a mix between a blender and a metal spider.

I stare at it. "What is that supposed to do? It looks like a broken vacuum cleaner."

Hana bites her lip, looking from me to the device and back. "Kenzaki-kun, what exactly is this thing?"

He sets the device down and straightens his posture, clearly proud of himself. "This, my friends, is the Oscuro-Vac. It's a prototype, of course, but I'm confident it can help reverse the Oscurofication. It'll extract the dark energy, and, hopefully, restore Hayato."

I blink at the machine. It makes a low buzzing sound, like it's about to take off. "You're kidding, right?"

Ruby-san leans back, one eyebrow raised, clearly not impressed. "So you brought a vacuum cleaner to save him? That's your big plan fatty?"

Yora waves his hand dismissively. "I didn't say it was the only plan. It's just the best one. Trust me. I've got this under control."

I'm starting to think maybe Yora's been in his lab a bit too long, breathing in some fumes. "Okay, but what if it doesn't work? What if it makes things worse?"

He shrugs nonchalantly, like he's too cool to care about the outcome. "Then we fix it. No big deal." He leans over to the Oscuro-Vac, ready to turn it on, and I can't help but feel like we're about to get zapped by a thousand volts of nonsense.

Hana's worried, though. "Kenzaki-kun, please make sure this works. We can't afford to make any mistakes."

"Don't worry," he says, as if this is all part of his grand plan, "I've got it covered."

Ruby-san sighs, clearly done with all the tech talk. "Just get on with it, will you?"

I shake my head, crossing my arms. "I'm still not convinced this is the right choice, Yora. But if it's the only option..."

Yora smirks as he starts the device. The Oscuro-Vac hums to life, and a swirling vortex of energy begins to gather at the center. It's like a storm, only… well, a little too clean. The machine starts pulling at the air around it, and I can't help but feel like we're about to witness a disaster or a miracle. Either way, this better work.

Anyway, I'm really glad Hana's alright. After everything that happened, I was worried for her. But seeing her safe and sound, even with that usual smile of hers, puts my mind at ease. It's like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. She's tough, but that doesn't mean I don't care. After all, she's a friend, and no matter what, I'll always want to make sure she's okay. It's a relief, really.

She stands close to me, watching as the machine work its magic—or, at least, that's what it seems like.

"Is it... is it really working?" she asks.

"Feels like it," I reply. I can feel the tension lift a little. The oppressive weight of uncertainty is easing off our shoulders. The dark energy flowing into the machine slows, almost as if it's being extracted, and for a brief second, I dare to hope that maybe, just maybe, this is it. The machine really is working. Hayato is going to be okay.

The hum of the machine grows louder and its glow flickers as the last remnants of dark energy get pulled in. The noise dies down gradually, and the machine's lights blink to a stop.

Yora stands proud with a grin stretching across his face. He steps forward as his chest puffs out in pride like a child showing off a new toy. "And there you have it, folks! The good ol' Hayato is back!" He gestures dramatically to the machine with a flourish, clearly expecting applause.

Everyone turns to look at Hayato, who is still lying unconscious on the ground. He doesn't look any different. He's still... Oscurofied.

A long pause fills the air.

I blink twice, confused. "Wait. Hold on. What? This... this is it?"

Yora's smile falters a little, though he tries to mask it with another enthusiastic, "Yep! The Oscuro-Vac has done its job! Look at him, nice and healthy. Just needs a little... wake-up call."

I cross my arms, trying to contain the anger boiling up inside me. "Uh... fatty. This... isn't the Hayato we know. He's still all Oscurofied."

His smile turns into a sheepish grin. "Well, uh, yeah. He's still got that Oscuro thing going on. But hey, look! At least he's not going to turn into a mindless monster, right?"

I raise an eyebrow. "So, what? We're supposed to just wait for him to snap out of it?"

He shrugs dramatically. "Uh... you could say that. Give him a little time. A little rest. It's all part of the process!"

Ruby-san steps forward, "So, basically, you've extracted the dark energy but didn't quite fix the problem?"

He clears his throat. "Well, when you put it like that... maybe there's a little more work to do. But hey, this is a start, right?"

"A start? So you mean we're not done yet?"

He laughs awkwardly. "Uh... well, no. I guess not. But we're definitely closer to getting Hayato back to normal. Trust me."

I glance over at Hayato, still lying there, his body still writhing with dark energy, and sigh. "Great. Just what I needed. A closer step."

Ruby-san, ever the realist, crosses her arms, her gaze cold and assessing. "You'd better be right, Yora. Because if Hayato stays like this longer, you're a dead meat."

Yora, trying to hold onto his confidence, raises both hands in mock surrender. "D-d-d-d-don't worry pres, the Oscuro-Vac works, I promise. I just need a little more time, and then you'll see. Hayato will be back to his old self in no time!"

There's a beat of silence. I try not to laugh, but I can't help it. His optimism is kind of... infectious, in a weird way. Still, though, the tension is far from gone.

Yora, after a moment, just smiles and claps his hands together. "Okay, okay! Time to set up for round two. We'll get him right, I swear. It's just... a matter of time."

I shake my head. For now, all we can do is wait and hope he's right.

---

A long, awkward silence fills the cave.

"…Oi," I finally speak. "He's literally the same."

"WHAT?" Yora's eyes widen as he checks. He squints at Hayato, then taps his forehead a couple of times, as if expecting a reboot. "Uh… maybe he's just—um—lagging?"

"Lagging?!" Hana exclaims. "What is he, a broken game character?!"

"You wasted all this time for nothing?!" Shizuka-san yells, grabbing Yora's collar and shaking him.

Ruby-san sighs, but unlike the others, she doesn't look disappointed—she looks serious. She crouches beside Hayato and places a hand on his chest, closing her eyes.

"…It actually worked."

"Hah?" Yora blinks. "I told you I'm a genius!"

Ignoring him, she presses her fingers slightly over Hayato's chest. "I can feel it. The Orca—that replaced his heart when he hit Oscurofication—it's gone. His normal heart is back."

The heart gets replaced by Orca? And now its back to normal? My eyes widen. That means…

"That's a great progress," Ruby-san mutters, smirking a little. "Way to go, Yora, you fatty."

"Don't call me fatty! Call me Professor Yora!"

Ignoring him again, she looks at Shizuka-san. "Now it's your turn, Shizuka."

"Me?"

"You know what to do, right? Just like earlier. I'm sure we'll reach him," she says, standing up and dusting off her hands.

"O-Oh! Right! I got it, Ruby-chan!" Shizuka-san says, shaking off her childish panic and placing her hands over Hayato's chest.

She had already tried this earlier, and it didn't work. But this time its different. This is about reaching Hayato's real heart, not the fake corrupted one.

"Okay... here goes nothing," she closes her eyes. Her Seishin starts glowing softly as it flows into Hayato. "Come on, Hayato-kun… don't make this harder than it already is."

Ruby-san speaks, "The final outcome rests on Hayato's willpower alone. Will he let himself be devoured, or will he fight back against the demon within? In the end, it's all up to him."

This is it, huh? It's all up to you now, Hayato.

...

...

...

As Shizuka-san's Seishin flows into Hayato's heart, a faint glow surrounds his body. The dark aura that had wrapped around him like a suffocating mist has now slowly begun to wane, dissolving ino nothingness. Slowly, the unnatural black veins on his skin fade, his expression loosens, and the tension in his body eases.

It's–It's working. Thank god.

Everyone watches in silence as the last traces of Oscurofication vanish. Hayato is back—his usual self, no longer consumed by darkness.

But he remains unconscious though.

Shizuka-san wipes her forehead, exhaling loudly. "Phew… that was nerve-wracking."

Ruby-san, arms crossed, smirks. "Well, look at that. We actually did it. Good job, Shizukaaa."

Hayato, he's back…

I feel like I can finally breathe again. It's strange, really. We've been fighting nonstop, pushing through one crisis after another, but for the first time in what feels like forever, I'm not drowning in uncertainty.

I glance at Hayato's unconscious face. He looks… peaceful. Like he's just sleeping after an exhausting day, not like someone who was moments away from being lost forever. He's okay. The thought hits me harder than I expected, and I realize just how terrified I actually was.

We came so close to losing him.

Not just to some enemy, not just in a battle we could have avoided—but to something inside him. Something we couldn't see, couldn't predict, and worst of all, couldn't fight for him.

I let out a breath, rubbing the back of my neck. "Man, you really gave us a scare, Hayato," I whisper under my breath.

I glance at Ruby-san and Shizuka-san. They're both looking at him, each with their own expressions—Ruby-san, with her usual smirk, like she knew this was going to work all along. And Shizuka-san, with wide, tear-filled eyes, pressing her hands together as if she's silently praying.

I then look over at Yora, who's still fiddling with his invention, poking at it like he's trying to figure out why it didn't fully clean up the mess. He catches my eye and grins sheepishly, giving me a thumbs-up as if that makes all up earlier.

And yet… I can't help but chuckle.

He may be an idiot. He may be a goof. He may be a pervert who spends more time tinkering with machines and drooling over naughty magazines than training… but, damn, I'm really glad to have him in the Hyakuren.

This ridiculous contraption of his—what did he call it? The Oscuro-Vac?—it actually did something. Maybe not exactly what we expected, but it took us a step closer to saving Hayato. It made a difference. Yora made a difference.

I don't tell him that, of course. I'll let him bask in his self-congratulatory glow a little longer. He's earned it.

Yeah, I think, I'm really glad to have Yora around. Hyakuren wouldn't be the same without him.

Looking at them, I realize something else.

This wasn't the work of just one person—it was a team effort. Ruby-san held him down, Yora's machine extracted the dark Seishin, and Shizuka-san channeled her Seishin into Hayato. Each of them played their part flawlessly.

And in the end, I did nothing. No matter how much I tried to fight, no matter how strong I wanted to be, this wasn't something I could have handled on my own. I would've lost him. But because of them—because of Ruby-san, Shizuka-san, Yora, Hana, and even that dumb machine Yora made—Hayato is still here.

Yess… I'm not alone in this world. I believe in the power of allies. I trust them with all my heart.

"You still have the mission left to complete, Takumi," Ruby-san says, snapping me out from my thoughts. "The portal. (Points towards it) It's still active."

Oh Right. The portal.

"Yes, President." I reply. The relief of having Hayato back—of seeing him normal again—almost made me forget about the mess we still have to clean up.

Shizuka-san's voice cuts through as she looks toward the distant portal. "Come to think of it… all this time, I haven't seen a single Oscuro pop up from it. Has it deactivated on its own?"

"No Shizuka, it hasn't deactivated. These kind of portals are called the Demonic Gates. Once activated, they can't be deactivated. So... you gotta destroy them," she explains, pointing towards the looming gate behind us. "As for the Oscuros, I'm not sure. But it might have something to do with Hayato's Oscurofication. Takumi—did something happen before all this?"

The question catches me off guard. Something happen? My mind races back to that moment when everything changed—the split second when Hayato unleashed his Yamirashi Raikiri, the one attack that wiped out all the Oscuros around us. And right after... the darkness consumed him right?

Did I miss something?

My thoughts break as I finally answer her question, "Yes. Before the Oscurofication… Hayato used his Yamirashi Raikiri to create an opening. It obliterated every single Oscuro in the area. One strike."

"But after that… the darkness started to devour him. Like it was waiting for the right moment. As if the attack had triggered something deep within him…"

Was there more to it than just that? Could I have done something to stop it earlier?

"Hmm... so you're saying the attack might've triggered something inside him that corrupted his Seishin? Honestly, that doesn't seem likely. If you ask me, I'd say it's the… air around."

"Air?"

"Yes... the air. The breeze coming through the portal is infused with a very dark Seishin. I felt it the moment I stepped into Hokkaido. Hayato must've absorbed some of it, and that triggered the corruption. Well, that's just my theory, but don't you worry. I'll make Kaito work his butt off to research this. Anyway," she points at the portal, "go now."

"Right." I glance back at the portal. Hayato's free now, but I still got a mission to finish.

I step forward and slam my blazing fist into the portal. With a burst of heat and light, it shatters and dissolves into nothingness. The mission is over.

I'm relieved, but there's still this weird emptiness. The battle's over, but I can't shake the feeling that something's not quite right. At least Hayato's back to normal… I hope. All that's left now is to figure out what happens next.