The atmosphere in the student council meeting room was even more oppressive than the intense spiritual pressure outside.
Each member wore an expression of deadly palpable suspicion, as if to say, 'I suspect you, but I'll hold back for now.'
Three recent incident reports, highlighted in red as if smeared with rage, lay in the centre of the long table.
Three cases of emotional outbursts.
Two cases of spiritual manifestation.
One student had briefly lost consciousness and uttered words that weren't there.
Jinguji Hai sat at the head of the table, utterly calm and upright, seemingly knowing everything yet saying nothing.
But his aura was suffocating.
The members of the Night Club stood around the table. Even though he was one of the parties involved, Kazama Rei stood at the very end, seemingly silently "isolated and observed".
Ashiya Kaito's lips twitched as he muttered, 'Brother, I feel like we're caught up in a palace intrigue drama, forced to watch and see who collapses first.'
Suddenly, someone in the front row spoke up.
'Is this infection really just a fluctuation in the spirit world?' Or—"
The officer's gaze shifted and landed on Rei.
'Did someone in the Night Strike Club leak forbidden techniques?'
The air seemed to shatter instantly.
Everyone at the table tensed.
Kaito exploded, "Explain yourself clearly! Don't throw mud at me!"
The officer sneered. 'That day, during the mirror incident, he was the only person in the Night Strike Club who was present.'
'The Sin Marks suddenly appeared in large numbers, and only he could see them.'
'And the Sin Aura fled when it saw him? That's impossible!"
All eyes suddenly focused on Rei.
Not hostility—
— but fear, unease and a chaotic struggle to explain without finding any logic.
Grey lightly tapped the table, as if finally tired of hearing nonsense. 'Enough,' he said.
His tone wasn't harsh, yet the entire room immediately fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
'There are no traitors in the Night Watch,' Grey said.
'There are no traitors in the Night Watch,' said Gray calmly. 'If there were, I would be the first to know.'
Everyone exchanged glances, but nobody dared contradict him.
However, Gray showed no sign of letting them breathe a sigh of relief. He continued:
'But there have indeed been some unexplained changes within the Night Watch.'
All attention returned to Rei.
Rei's heart skipped a beat.
Gray's eyes were emotionless yet as sharp as a scalpel. 'Starting from Chapter 11, your sensitivity to spiritual pressure has increased abnormally. Sinful energy avoids you, your dream resonance has increased, and on the night of Chapter 10, you almost lost control.'
Rei's breath caught in his throat.
That dream... that 'other self' staring at him from the mirror...
Gray raised his eyes, his voice low and cold like an ice blade.
'Kazama Rei, have you been unable to properly control your sinful abilities lately?'
The entire student council room fell silent, like the calm before an explosion.
Kaitō wanted to speak up for Rei, but upon seeing Gray's gaze, he swallowed his words.
Rei felt all eyes pressing down on him; his shoulders felt heavy as if they were about to collapse.
But he couldn't hear the doubts anymore.
Gray's next sentence felt like nailing him to the dock.
'Answer me.' Gray slowly stood up, his eyes like those of an investigative judge who could see right through you.
'Are you slowly losing control?'
The spiritual pressure in the conference room exploded instantly.
The lights flickered, the windows shook and a thin wisp of black energy seeped from Rei's palm.
Rei himself froze.
He hadn't even noticed...
that he was actually 'leaking'.
Everyone stared wide-eyed.
Some took a step back, some tried to pull out their talismans and some began to panic.
Gray, however, merely took a step forward without flinching.
'Very good.' He pressed down on Rei's wrist, completely suppressing his spiritual power.
'This proves my guess was correct.'
You are indeed a key candidate.'
Rei was stunned, his throat frozen and unable to speak.
Gray's gaze was as cold as if he were being dissected.
'And key candidates... none of them grow up safely.'