When Legend’s silver-white figure vanished from Sunshine Elementary School, a wisp of white smoke hidden in the shadows drifted away as well, floating all the way to a café near First Middle School.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its glow on the café’s leather seats and wooden round tables.
The latte in the enamel cup steamed gently, the intricate latte art releasing warm vapors.
A wisp of white smoke passed through the glass, nearly merging with the coffee’s steam before a hand rose gracefully to catch it, as if brushing away the heat.
Buzz.
The phone resting on the table vibrated.
He glanced at the screen displaying the number, the downward curve of his lips betraying his less-than-pleasant mood.
Still, he answered the call.
The next second, Chaos’s irritated voice rang out from the speaker,
“Evil! Didn’t you say Legend was at First Middle School? I couldn’t find him anywhere, you liar!”
“What I said was only ‘very likely.’ Whether that’s true or not still needs further verification. But since you say so, that means you’ve already taken action first, right?”
Compared to Chaos’s impatient tone, Evil’s voice was calm and patient.
“You’re too hasty, Chaos.”
He grasped the silver spoon in his cup and leisurely yet mercilessly stirred the delicate latte art into a swirl of milk-white and coffee-brown, blending indistinguishably.
“I know we haven’t established enough trust yet, which is why you acted without asking me first. But honestly, I intended to give you the opportunity to test Legend. You just moved the timing up a bit. What you did wasn’t wrong, and I don’t blame you.”
Chaos felt a headache coming on at the pretentious tone and interrupted impatiently,
“But? There’s always a but after something like that. Stop beating around the bush.”
Evil sighed, sounding genuinely regretful,
“But, unfortunately, the timing you chose was problematic. I had a different plan today, one related precisely to the Legend you wanted to meet. He and his companion were lured away early by me, so of course you found nothing at First Middle School… Ah, unlucky, isn’t it?”
Chaos cursed silently in his heart.
No wonder someone at that school told him Legend couldn’t be there.
“What’s the purpose of your so-called plan?”
Evil smiled without answering directly.
Chaos inferred from his laughter that since Chaos had acted secretly without telling Evil, he had no right to question Evil’s intentions.
Even if it was to prevent another blunder, Evil shouldn’t reveal too much.
As Evil said, Chaos didn’t fully trust him.
After hearing Evil’s analysis, he only accepted the conclusion that Legend was very likely a student or teacher at First Middle School.
But Chaos had a gut feeling that Evil, with all his twists and schemes, had some ulterior motive for sharing his analysis.
Chaos didn’t want to be used by this bastard.
So, to keep his moves secret, he had struck suddenly today without any warning.
He hadn’t expected it to be such a coincidence—that his ambush collided with Evil’s plan.
Tch, the intel came from Evil, and his secret action was actually breaking their alliance agreement.
That made his accusations against Evil hard to justify.
Plus, he’d almost sold Evil out to Camellia.
Thinking about that made him even more guilty…
Haha, Evil’s such an enigma—he deserves a beating from Camellia the Berserker.
That’d make his head spin so hard he couldn’t speak a single riddle.
Chaos fell silent.
Evil didn’t mind the quiet, or rather, it was exactly what he expected.
He slowed his tone,
“Chaos, you startled the snakes today. If you trusted me a bit more and told me your plans in advance, maybe we’d have already figured out who Legend is. But now, Legend might sense he’s been exposed and could mislead us in other ways. So from now on, no more solo actions. That includes staying away from that school. Don’t get too close again.”
Upon hearing this, Evil was ready for Chaos’s predictable backlash, already preparing his arguments to steer him back.
But surprisingly, Chaos remained unusually calm,
“Fine, I won’t go. Besides, Legend’s already beaten me thoroughly. Camellia’s pretty interesting too… but she won’t let me talk! Always slapping me in the face! If I had a choice, I’d rather go find Legend to hang out!”
Is this guy off his meds?
Evil was a bit puzzled, though that meant he could save the rehearsed speech he’d prepared.
“Don’t worry too much. We still have chances. We’ll try other approaches.”
“Oh.”
Chaos’s response was still indifferent.
After a moment, he added,
“Who Legend is and where he is doesn’t matter to me. I just want him to play with me. Don’t do anything boring to stop me.”
He really must be off his meds today.
Evil narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening so hard on the coffee cup the knuckles whitened.
A few blocks away from the café, Chaos sat alone on the bottom few steps of a stairway.
The near-noon sun shone on him, but the shadows cast by buildings split the light unevenly, bathing half his body in sunlight and leaving the other half cloaked in darkness, obscuring his features.
He yawned slowly, coldness filling his lowered eyes.
“Otherwise, I don’t mind clearing you out before I really go all in to fight him.”
The call was silent except for Evil’s steady breathing.
After a long pause, he spoke again, his voice as gentle as ever, impossible to read,
“Don’t worry, I won’t stand in your way. You’ll have your chance to play together properly. Just next time, I’ll tell you the plan before executing it. Sorry, it’s not to single you out but just to be safe.”
“Next time, you’ll cooperate with me properly and not act on your own without a word, right?”
“…”
Chaos rolled his eyes.
No matter how gentle Evil sounded, he instinctively knew it was a veiled jab.
“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, forget it.”
Hearing the busy signal after a few beeps, Evil wasn’t angry; this was part of his calculation.
More precisely, everything Chaos did today was within Evil’s design.
Chaos’s intuition was correct.
Evil deliberately leaked that Legend and Glory were near First Middle School, but with hidden motives.
What Chaos didn’t realize was that his supposedly secret actions were planned by Evil from the start.
Everything unfolded as Evil’s script dictated—except there was an unforeseen variable in his perfect plan.
Evil took a deep breath, unlocked his phone, and typed “magical girl” into the search bar.
The top suggestion was
“Magical Girl Camellia.”
He tapped it, and the screen displayed a graceful yet cold-faced young woman, causing him to frown slightly.
…In his original plan, after he’d used the chimera to lure Legend and his companion away, it should have been him stepping in to confront Chaos at First Middle School with righteous severity.
Chaos wouldn’t recognize him in that form and would see him only as a meddler, sparking a fierce fight.
Then, the Countermeasures Bureau he’d tipped off would arrive just in time, forcing Chaos to retreat and making it seem like he was pushed back.
His first public appearance would then be as a hero more timely and reliable than Legend or Glory, driving Chaos away and earning the public’s trust in the name of justice.
He would ride on the fame of those three and smoothly infiltrate them—becoming a devil hidden among the sheep.
That was how it was supposed to go.
But who the hell was this Camellia, and why did she suddenly show up?
“Camellia…”
He gripped the enamel cup’s handle and took a small sip, forcing the frown from his brow to ease.
It’s fine.
The plan continues; he still has many chances.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated again.
Out of caution, he hadn’t saved Chaos’s number to avoid revealing himself through such a minor detail.
Now recognizing the call, he answered.
Chaos’s voice came hesitantly and stiffly,
“Uh… do you still have any of that stuff you gave me before?”
Evil fell silent.
He stared at the screen, deep in thought.
Is it possible Chaos has already been caught?
Otherwise, why is he acting so strangely today and even asking something like that…?
Could it be he’s been nabbed and is now cooperating with the police in a sting operation?
When Lu Xun returned to the classroom, it was just break time.
He slipped quietly back to his seat while the classroom was noisy, careful not to draw attention.
But his expression was grim.
Zhang Han was two seats away, waving his arms wildly and spitting words out.
As Lu Xun sat down, Zhang Han nearly hit him by accident.
Lu Xun moved to avoid it, aggravating a bruise on his waist and abdomen, his face twisting in pain.
“…Just as quickly as said, Camellia swept in with a horizontal slash, a diagonal strike, then an uppercut, leaving Chaos stiff for two seconds. Chaos fought back with a Levatine jump slash, but Camellia rolled away, caught Chaos’s recovery, and unleashed a rapid AABB combo… Tribute to the King of Endurance, Chaos!”
Someone waved a hand,
“Alright, alright, we’ve seen all that. After Chaos got knocked out, a tree blocked the view. If you didn’t see it, neither did we, so no need to talk about it.”
“I-I’m just helping everyone recall! Plus, I can imagine what happened afterward just from the sounds. What’s wrong?”
Zhang Han elbowed Yun You, who was bending over his notes.
“Right, Yun You?”
Yun You was still helping Legend and Sunshine Elementary School Administration get footage from the playground cameras.
Unfortunately, there was no suspicious figure caught—only the Physical Education Teacher slacking off playing on his phone…
He silently apologized to the unlucky teacher, looked at Zhang Han, and nodded subtly,
“Accurate enough.”
Maybe fewer fighting games would help; he was clearly a bit obsessed.
“Why ask Yun You? He’s not interested in this stuff. We were all watching the show; he was daydreaming,” someone laughed.
“Yun You, why are you playing along with Zhang Han? Like you actually saw it.”
Actually, he did see it with his own eyes—he was there.
Amid the laughter, Zhang Han was shouting,
“You guys don’t get it!”
and was about to sit down when he suddenly stopped, turning around to see Lu Xun, who had come back unnoticed, tugging at the hem of his school uniform.
Zhang Han was surprised,
“Look, even Lu Xun thinks my storytelling is good! You guys have no taste!”
“When did I ever say that?”
Lu Xun’s lips twitched as he lowered his voice.
“Hey… Yun You has been in the classroom the whole time, hasn’t he?”
Zhang Han instantly lost interest, pulling his hand away,
“Well, of course. What, do you think he’s Chaos? If he really was Chaos, do you think I wouldn’t immediately beg him to tear down the school so we could all go home early?”
Lu Xun asked casually, relieved despite not understanding why he’d just said that.
Then Zhang Han scratched his chin, giving him a strange look and saying something that nearly made Lu Xun’s heart stop.
“Wait, Lu Xun, that means you weren’t there, right? You went to the bathroom before Chaos showed up, and then conveniently returned after Chaos left. Could it be…”
Lu Xun frowned, realizing how suspicious that sounded.
He glanced nervously at Yun You, hoping his friend would save him again.
“Could it be that you’re actually Magical Girl Camellia!”
Lu Xun nearly choked on his breath.
“You never appeared with Camellia together, and she never denied being Lu Xun. Plus, you really hate Kamen Rider!”
Zhang Han got more excited, as if he’d uncovered a world-shaking secret.
“I got it! Lu Xun, you’re the magical girl!”
Lu Xun:
“Get lost!”