Chapter 10: Truth

< < | NOZOMI'S POINT OF VIEW | > >

My lips stopped humming when I heard a knock on the clubroom door. I had just finished arranging the books on the shelf, so I set the dust brush down and turned toward the door. "Come in," I called before taking my seat behind the desk.

Kenzou walked in, his usual cold expression unchanged. He held a piece of paper I didn't recognize. "Good afternoon, Ueda-san," he said quietly as he approached my desk.

"It's still too early for club activities. What brings you here?" I asked. Without a word, he placed the paper in front of me. I blinked a few times, trying to read it, but my eyes kept sticking to the header. I reached for it, bringing it closer, before looking up at him. "You..."

After a pause, he exhaled deeply through his nose. "I quit, Ueda-san," he said.

I looked at the paper again—his official resignation form. My mind went blank. I stared at it for a few seconds before the reality sank in. "But... why?" was all I could manage.

"I just realized I'm not meant for this kind of stuff. You should find someone else," he replied, his tone indifferent. "If this upsets you, I'm sorry. And thank you for your help these past few months. I learned a lot. Well then, I'll get going."

Before I could even process his words—let alone stop him—he was already gone.

I folded the paper and tucked it neatly beneath the heavy documents on my desk. A nauseating feeling twisted in my stomach. I felt like vomiting.

How could I blame him? This club had been a mess ever since Ryosuke and Masashi left. We tried recruiting new members, but none came close to meeting our standards. Lately, our operations had been anything but smooth, and our training was no better. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if even Shiho decided to quit.

"The inter-campus event is in two months, too," I muttered to myself. Every year, Japan held an inter-campus event where schools from all over the country competed. It featured various programs, but one, in particular, drew the most attention—the "Battle Tournament." Teams of one to five members would represent their schools in the arena, and the winning school would earn the prestigious title of "Home of Royals." The champions would also be assigned tougher missions, ones nearly on par with those given to professional sentinels. Kyoto High had held that title for two consecutive years, thanks to Masashi and me. I doubted Kenzou would be interested in competing.

I hadn't realized how much time had passed, but I knew I needed to tell Shiho about Kenzou quitting. After locking up the clubroom, I headed to the infirmary, where Shiho worked as an assistant nurse. Let's call off club activities for now.

"Oh, you're looking for Narumi-san?" The school nurse glanced up from her computer. "She left for a bit. You can wait here if you'd like."

"Okay,"

I let myself drop into the seat in the corner, exhaustion washing over me. I hadn't even done any physical tasks, yet I felt drained. Moments later, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed from the hallway. Several people were headed this way. I sighed. Hadn't I made it clear that running in the hallways was against the rules?

Just as I stood up to check the commotion, the door slammed open. Fujimoto Mitsuki stood there, panting, his clubmates behind him in the same state, an unconscious man slung over his shoulder. But what caught my attention the most was the absence of Takahashi Haruto.

"What the—? What's wrong?" I asked, rushing to their aid and immediately taking the unconscious man off Fujimoto's shoulder.

"Ueda-san!" Koshimizu stepped forward, panic evident in her voice. "We need your help!"

After calming everyone down, we laid the unconscious man on one of the infirmary beds.

"Now," I said, straightening up. "Tell me what happened."

Koshimizu wasted no time explaining the situation.

"Right now, Haruto is still in that building, waiting for rescue!" Murayama added, worry etched across her face. "We already called for help, but…"

So Takahashi was the main issue here. If that was the case, I doubted that he was in any real danger.

I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll go there right now." Her eyes lit up just a little.

All of a sudden, Koshimizu gasped. "Guys! He's awake!" she exclaimed, pointing at the man on the bed.

We all froze as he suddenly let out a piercing scream, gripping the bedsheets and flailing uncontrollably. His widened eyes stared into nothingness, filled with pure terror. Even the nurse, caught off guard, stumbled back in shock.

"Sir!" I yelled, moving in to restrain him. "Please, calm do—"

Before I could finish, he hurled me across the room. My back slammed into the concrete wall on the other side of the infirmary. It happened so fast that I barely had time to react, let alone defend myself. The impact wasn't as painful as I expected—but the force he used to overpower me felt eerily familiar.

Something about this didn't add up.

Why was a man like him trapped inside an abandoned building—with food supplies, no less? As if he had been prepared to stay there for a long time. Did he hide there willingly? Or… was he forced to?

Takahashi is still in that building right now.

He chose this mission.

A mysterious man with inhuman strength…

Shit! I don't have my sword!

I pushed myself up and screamed with all my might, "Everyone!!! Get out of here!!!"

The man on the bed suddenly stopped thrashing. A chilling silence followed—until his skin began to tear apart, grotesquely splitting open as something underneath forced its way out. Thick, bulging muscles erupted from within, shredding his limbs to make room for new monstrous ones. His skull cracked, deforming his face, then exploded as the creature inside let out a deafening roar.

The walls and ceiling crumbled under its growing mass, the entire room shaking violently as it destroyed everything in its path.

Just like that, the man was gone—devoured by the monster that took his place.

The same kind that killed my friends.

"Fujimoto-senpai!!!" Murayama's scream tore through the chaos.

I rushed toward them, my heart pounding. My eyes widened in horror as I saw Fujimoto taking a direct hit—shielding the three girls behind him.

"Everyone! R-Run!" he gasped, struggling to stay on his feet.

"Get out of here!" I shouted. Thankfully, they listened, bolting out of the room and leaving only me, Fujimoto, and the monster.

"U-Ueda-san..." Fujimoto clutched the gaping wound on his chest before collapsing.

My blood ran cold. His body lay motionless, his blood pooling beneath him, staining the floor a deep crimson.

I tried to rush to him, but the monster stepped in my way—deliberately blocking my path, forcing me to watch him die helplessly.

"H-Hang in there!" I screamed, though he was already slipping out of sight behind the monster. "Please!"

[ END OF CHAPTER ]