Chapter 438: The Eve of ‘War’

Rain continued to pour, lightning flashing within the heavy clouds.

Rinji returned home alone, not even using an umbrella. His golden hair was soaked, hanging down over his eyes.

He opened the door. Hayasaka was still sitting in the living room, waiting for him.

She didn't ask anything. She simply tossed a dry towel onto his head.

"Is it over?"

"No. It's just beginning."

Rinji wiped his hair with the towel. From beneath the strands, his crimson pupils glowed faintly.

"Rinji-nii, you're back?"

Nagi came out of the guest room, looking around for his sister.

"Where's Hina?"

"She's handling something, but she won't be gone long," Rinji said with a smile. "I'm going to bring her back."

Without another word, he walked straight into his room.

Hayasaka followed him, leaving Nagi standing alone, thoughtful.

...

"Is it dangerous this time?"

"Not really."

"...Rinji, I'm someone who's very good at lying. That's why I know exactly what it looks like when someone else is lying," Hayasaka said with a soft laugh. "You're terrible at it."

"...Sharp as always."

"Do you have to go?"

"Of course," Rinji replied. "Are you going to stop me?"

"I won't stop you. I believe you can handle it."

"Thanks."

With that, they said no more. Even though they had only just started dating, words weren't necessary between them anymore.

Rinji picked up a remote from his bedside and pressed a few buttons.

Buzz—

A seam opened in the wall beside him, which slowly slid apart.

Behind it hung an array of weapons: from pistols to sniper rifles—even anti-materiel gear like Stinger missiles.

In the center of all the weaponry hung an ordinary-looking marker pen.

After a brief pause, Rinji grabbed the pen from the center and pressed the remote again, sealing the wall shut.

Prepared and ready, Rinji stepped out of his room and headed straight for the door.

"Rinji-nii..."

Nagi called out to him.

"Hm?"

"You'll bring sis back, right?"

"Of course."

"Really?"

Nagi seemed to sense something as well. Although he didn't ask further, the worry in his eyes was clear.

Rinji let go of the doorknob and crouched in front of Nagi, rubbing his head.

"Nagi, this might be a little early for you, but I'll tell you anyway. What matters most for a man isn't money or power, and it's not women either—it's responsibility," Rinji said with a smile. "In the end, men are creatures whose actions speak louder than words. The most important thing is to carry out your responsibility."

With that, Rinji stood up and opened the door.

Outside, the rain was still pouring.

"Whether anyone believes it or not, I'll fulfill my duty. Only then can I be called a real man."

"Rinji."

Hayasaka suddenly stepped forward, turned Rinji around, and kissed him on the lips as she stood on tiptoe.

Nagi covered his mouth in shock at the sight.

Even if he had high emotional intelligence, he was still just a grade-schooler deep down.

When their lips parted, Hayasaka stepped back, returning to her usual indifferent expression.

"Come back soon."

"Yeah."

---

[Breaking News: Severe Rainfall Alert]

[Temperature across the Tokyo area has dropped by around 10°C. Abnormal weather is expected to persist for a week. Air pressure over the Kanto region is expanding...]

[Many flights canceled due to the weather…]

[Repeating: Atmospheric instability is extremely high. Unusual weather will continue for roughly one week…]

"It's just as I feared. It was only drizzling this morning, and now it's suddenly turned into an abnormal storm. Weather forecasts are getting more useless every day."

"Yeah..."

"Looks like it'll be hard to get home today. Prez, what about you? The trains are shutting down soon," Ishigami asked. "My family's coming to pick me up. Want me to give you a ride too?"

"Mm..."

"You've been totally out of it since this morning, Prez. What's going on?"

"Ah… It's nothing really."

Shirogane slowly lifted his head from the desk, his heavy dark circles plainly visible.

"I've just been a bit exhausted lately."

Ever since the culture festival ended, Kaguya had been acting strange.

The once courteous and gentle Kaguya had turned back into the cold, distant "Ice Kaguya," treating him just like she used to.

Exactly like a year ago.

The weird part was, no one in the student council noticed the change—as if she hadn't changed at all.

Shirogane sighed deeply and pulled out his phone.

"I was going to call Rinji, but with this weather, it's probably best not to bother him. Besides, I couldn't get through this morning anyway. Wonder what he's up to?"

"Probably just at home. No one in their right mind would go out in weather like this. Right, Fujiwara-senpai?"

"..."

"Fujiwara-senpai, you're acting weird too today."

Ishigami looked curiously at Fujiwara.

She had been standing by the window for a while, staring out at the thunder and downpour. Her worried expression was reflected faintly in the rain-speckled glass.

She was gazing toward the northwest, where the thunderclouds and lightning were thickest.

"Rinji-kun... is out there."

"Huh?"

---

On the rooftop of the Yoyogi Hall, Rinji stepped out.

In front of him stood a torii gate as tall as two people. Overhead, thick, churning clouds spiraled like the eye of a tornado. Lightning slithered within them like serpents.

"Who would've thought, after spending half a year living a normal life at Shuchiin, I'd be dragged into something so absurd just before Christmas? Talk about anticlimactic."

Rinji smiled and raised his hands.

On each palm was a complex symbol, drawn with a marker, resembling a magic circle.