With a dumbfounded expression, Hina just stared at the man. She didn't utter a single word, calmly arranging her next sentences in her head.
Which only made the man more curious. "Well, isn't this surprising? And here I thought you were going to bawl your eyes out and beg me for help."
He started laughing, his tone becoming increasingly condescending. "But this isn't far from my expectations. You must not believe me, thinking I'm some maniac talking about spirits. Let alone help you, you probably think I need help.
"I can't really argue against that either. I do need help, and that's why I'm here. The vengeful spirit targeted you, I need that spirit, and you would be the easiest... wait. Why are you so calm all of a sudden?"
Ever since their conversation began, Hina had expertly hidden her fear. But the man quickly noticed the cracks in her confidence. The tremors in her body, the way she kept her hands behind her back to hide her sweat, how she couldn't maintain eye contact. All of it screamed fear.
But now he couldn't sense any of it. She was still on the ground, yet her demeanor and body language had improved drastically.
Doubt crawled into his mind. He involuntarily stepped back and then—
His back collided with something. No, someone. Anger immediately surged inside him. He had already been on edge, and now he had bumped into one of his own goons.
He spun around, ready to beat the idiot senseless. He raised his hand and struck before he had even fully turned.
"Oo c'mon, you were spewing out all your evil plans. You should at least finish your speech before trying to act like a smart ass."
His hand was caught mid-swing by another person. A young man with black, middle-parted hair, wearing a friendly yet threatening smirk. Two icy, cold blue eyes stared back at him. The sight made the man lose his footing. Something in those eyes was terrifying beyond words.
It was similar to what Hina had felt toward the hooded man, but he did not feel repulsion. He felt pure dread.
Forcing himself to look away from the stranger, he scanned the area for his goons. What he saw instead were their unconscious bodies scattered across the ground, surrounded by four other people. Three students and an adult.
The students were Daichi, Souta and Ryouma, and the adult was Naoya Jin.
Surprisingly, all of them had arrived at the same time. They had caught sight of Hina running frantically toward the stadium. When they reached the scene, it was Ryuga who suggested they take out the hooded goons quietly. The others agreed, and together they ambushed and knocked out the rest.
But when it came to the main talker, the one who wouldn't shut up, they decided to wait for the right moment.
And this was it.
Yet, Ryuga halted anyone from approaching him. He wanted to hear more about the man's motives. The guy was acting like a textbook villain, spouting his evil plans before getting beaten up, and Ryuga fully intended to play along.
Unfortunately, this particular villain had at least two functioning brain cells. He noticed Hina's shift in body language and immediately became alert.
'Eh, it's not like I can't make him speak.'
Ryuga twisted the man's arm behind his back. A painful scream tore out of the man's mouth, but it was quickly muffled as Ryuga planted his face into the ground.
"Hey, hey, buddy. Chill out, I'm not some murderer, alright? And I have zero desire to visit the police. I like keeping my record clean. So don't worry, you won't be harmed.
"Just cooperate. Continue your villain speech and tell me why you targeted the girl. And please don't act like you have any rights right now. Because to be fair, whatever happens here stays with us. Trust me when I say this, all of them would vouch for me."
Souta didn't follow his twisted logic at all. Shaking his head, he said, "Wait a minute, didn't you just say you wouldn't harm the guy? Why does it feel like you definitely would?"
Feeling deeply offended and misunderstood, Ryuga replied in a somber tone, "Tch. Tch. Your words wound me, dear friend. How could I, the very embodiment of pacifism, hurt someone?"
"Yeah, he is definitely hurting him." Souta didn't even hesitate for a micro second.
In the end, Ryuga could only click his tongue and turn away. He focused back on the man, easing the pressure slightly. "So, what's your choice? Will you speak or not? You know what, forget that. Let's do a face reveal first."
Ryuga pulled off the man's hoodie, only to find another black mask underneath. Mildly annoyed, he removed that one too.
The moment he saw the man's face, his grip loosened. The man didn't miss the chance. He bolted instantly, sprinting away without even checking on his teammates.
"Hey! What the hell! Ryuga, why did you do that?"
Naoya-san yelled and rushed forward to chase him, but the man disappeared into the maze of alleys within seconds.
"Tch. No point following him now. I might fall into a trap," Naoya-san muttered, returning with a furious expression. He looked ready to scold Ryuga for being so careless.
But when he finally faced him, his anger evaporated.
Ryuga's eyes were practically bulging, locked on the hand that had removed the mask. His face was frozen in absolute horror.
His friends were busy tending to Hina, so they didn't see it. But Naoya-san saw everything. It was the first time he had ever seen Ryuga make such an expression. His chest tightened in dread.
He took a few hesitant steps forward, gulped, then carefully asked, "What happened?"
In a tense voice that didn't suit him at all, Ryuga replied, "He didn't have a face…"