Whir— Whir—
A violent whirlwind of mana erupted over Haruka Kasugano's corpse. Countless afterimages of him appeared simultaneously in the space above.
Splash—
Under the intense rotation of ether, the small patch of space where Haruka Kasugano lay seemed to experience time reversal. Suddenly, his body and spilled blood began to move, reassembling in an instant.
Swish—
In mere moments, Haruka Kasugano was fully restored, without a single scar left on his body. However, the precious stains of Touko Aozaki's blood remained on his legs. He had returned to the exact moment just after he had surpassed Touko, right before she assassinated him.
"That was close! Thank God I have a life-saving trump card!" Haruka Kasugano thought to himself.
His secret weapon was the one-time item granted by the system: [Ten Crowns]! This was the unique "Bug" skill belonging to BB. It allowed the user to treat injuries, past events, and all consequences as if they had "never happened." By activating it at the critical moment of life and death, he had effectively nullified his own assassination.
Damn it... that woman! How dare she take my life! If I don't turn you into a daily necessity, my name isn't Haruka!
He was about to get up to hunt down Touko, but his [Mathematical Thinking] suddenly provided a brilliant idea.
Hehehe, why should I go out looking for you? I'll just wait here for your new body to come back and find me, hahahaha.
He looked down at the corpse of the Touko who had just died—the one she hadn't had time to dispose of.
Hehehe~! It's still warm, isn't it? Then I'll continue my tasting session~! Jie jie jie jie~!
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On the other side.
Shiki Ryougi got up and went out for a walk. In an alleyway, she spotted Tomoe Enjou being brutally beaten by his former classmates.
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After walking out of Garan no Dou, Touko Aozaki didn't head to the Ogawa Apartment immediately, as it was just dawn. Fighting in broad daylight didn't suit a magus's principles. Instead, she cautiously walked to a nearby vacant room and pushed the door open. To her surprise, she found Azaka Kokutou curled up inside.
"Touko-sensei!" Azaka's eyes flashed with relief and joy.
Last night, Azaka had been lost in the "endless sinkhole" of pleasure caused by Haruka Kasugano's tongue. When she woke up and found him gone, she panicked and called Touko. Touko arrived quickly to rescue her. Based on the magical traces left by Haruka Kasugano and Azaka's description, Touko had used a simple Clairvoyance spell to observe the Ogawa Apartment and deduced his alliance with Araya and Alba.
This had led to her "betrayal" of Haruka Kasugano, which backfired when he violated her, taking the virginity she had guarded for 28 years. However, she had successfully counterattacked with her reserve body.
Touko hugged Azaka, comforting her. "It's okay now. I've killed that bastard."
"Really? I don't have to sleep with him anymore? That's great! Thank you, Touko-sensei!" Azaka was ecstatic. But she soon noticed Touko's slightly awkward gait, and her face filled with horror. "Touko-sensei, did he... to you too?"
"Heh..." Touko was saddened by the thought, but she resigned herself to it. "It's nothing. I'm at an age where I'm not getting married anyway. It's fine."
"I'm so sorry... it's all my fault..." Azaka blamed herself. To stop her from crying, Touko sent her back to school.
"Be careful, Touko-sensei!" Azaka said her goodbyes and headed home. After days of being tormented by Haruka Kasugano, she hadn't had a peaceful sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him pressing down on her. Now, she was finally free.
With Azaka gone, Touko focused on her counter-strike. She realized Araya and Haruka Kasugano were trying to reach the Root through Shiki's Origin. She knew Araya well from the Clock Tower; he followed the rules of the Taiji to reach the Root. Haruka Kasugano, even if he didn't use the Taiji, was clearly using the "Union of Yin and Yang." Why else would he be so obsessed with corrupting young girls? Shiki was the key. Touko decided she had to find and protect her.
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Shiki Ryougi stood at the alley entrance, watching Tomoe Enjou get bullied. To maintain his cover at the apartment, Araya had forced these "puppets" to drop out of school, so these bullies were Tomoe's former classmates. In a country where bullying is rampant, a weak dropout like Tomoe was an easy target.
In the past, Shiki would have jumped in for the thrill of the fight. But ever since Haruka Kasugano had "developed" her sense of pleasure, her urge to fight had diminished. She turned to leave, but Tomoe spotted her.
Her beauty was otherworldly—the sight of her fair feet in wooden clogs and her porcelain-like features made her look like a doll. Tomoe, driven by Araya's subconscious suggestion to get close to Shiki, shouted: "Sister, save me!"
This drew the attention of the thugs. They looked at Shiki, and her beauty left them stunned. "Yo, you're Tomoe's sister? Why don't you come play with us?" They began to approach her like hungry wolves.
Sigh. Shiki didn't want to bother, but now she had to act.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
In the blink of an eye, the thugs were sent flying like broken kites, rolling on the ground in pain. "Kid, why did you call me?" Shiki demanded, walking up to Tomoe.
"I... I just shouted it instinctively..." Tomoe stammered.
"Forget it. So many people are hurt; I'll call the police," Shiki said impatiently.
"No! Don't call the police... I—I killed someone!" Tomoe cried out in terror.
"Oh?" Shiki's interest was piqued. A killer? Was he a kindred spirit? "Then what do you want?"
"I want to hide... can you help me?" Tomoe asked.
"Hahaha!" Shiki laughed. "Come if you want!" She allowed him to follow her home.
This scene was transmitted to Haruka Kasugano via Circe. He had ordered Circe to watch Shiki specifically to prevent this. Araya wanted Shiki at the apartment; he didn't need Tomoe Enjou playing house with his woman. Haruka Kasugano picked up the phone and called Fujino Asagami.
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Half an hour later, Shiki reached her apartment door with Tomoe. Just as she was about to open it, Fujino Asagami walked up gracefully.
"My, Miss Ryougi. Why are you bringing a man home?" Fujino's tone was provocative.
"What's it to you?" Shiki replied, annoyed.
"It has nothing to do with me, truly. But as Mr. Haruka's woman, shouldn't you show some marital fidelity?" Fujino continued to needle her.
The words hit their mark. Shiki thought of her relationship with Haruka Kasugano. Though she was usually independent, Fujino's words stuck in her heart like a thorn. She felt uneasy, but if she backed down now, she'd lose face.