Zzzla——
The sudden burst of electric sparks tore through the darkness, illuminating the twisted, tense face of Ikeda Sachi.
He gripped the stun gun tightly in his hand, standing in the shadows like a beast waiting for its prey.
18:12.
A quiet street in the residential area—the very path Yuki Asahi must take to get home.
Few people.
Perfect timing.
He’s here.
After a long stakeout, it was finally over.
The flames of resentment in Ikeda Sachi’s bloodshot eyes almost overflowed.
That bastard actually stayed with Jiang Jian Yue for so long.
What did they do?
He couldn’t even imagine…
Burning jealousy scorched his heart.
He quickly snapped a Clown Mask onto his face, took a shortcut to get ahead, and slipped like a ghost into the shadow of a parked car by the roadside.
Footsteps grew clearer.
The moment Yuki Asahi stepped into view, Ikeda Sachi shot out like an arrow released from its string.
The stun gun, glowing with a cold blue light, stabbed toward the other’s waist.
Zzz——
Ikeda Sachi pressed the switch hard, only releasing it when Yuki Asahi collapsed like mud.
A blackened hole was burned right through the Uniform.
He bent down and dragged the limp body roughly into a deeper, narrower alley.
A suppressed, low laugh escaped his throat as Ikeda Sachi stood up, gasping for breath.
But then his movements froze—a pair of icy golden eyes suddenly met his gaze in midair.
The air seemed to solidify for several seconds.
Yuki Asahi’s gaze dropped to the burned hole in his Uniform, and he almost fainted.
His last Winter Uniform!
Ikeda Sachi’s mind went blank, and then with a sharp burst of panic, he instinctively turned to flee.
Yuki Asahi, furious, reached out and grabbed Ikeda Sachi’s ankle.
In the next second, Ikeda Sachi felt the world spin as he was yanked violently to the ground.
Yuki Asahi flipped over and pinned him, straddling his waist, and drove his fist full of anger into Ikeda Sachi’s abdomen.
“Pwah!”
In an instant, Ikeda Sachi curled up like a bent shrimp, eyes streaming, little stars spinning in his vision.
The next moment, the Clown Mask covering his face was ripped off.
A young face, twisted in agony, was exposed in the faint light, the eyes already unfocused.
“Who are you?”
Yuki Asahi suppressed his anger and spoke.
At the same time, he activated his Chantui Ability.
“Heh… hehehe…”
Ikeda Sachi’s eyelids twitched, and a strange, low laugh came from his throat.
Jealousy, anger, disgust, intolerance…
Fear was only a small part of his feelings.
Yuki Asahi tried to consume all emotions except fear, but soon realized the other’s emotions were so intense it was impossible to swallow them all at once.
To avoid overexerting himself, Yuki Asahi temporarily gave up and called the Police directly.
“I was attacked with a stun gun. Are you going to do something about it or not?”
Consuming some of the negative emotions still affected Yuki Asahi, and his tone carried a trace of hostility.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Ikeda Sachi felt like his organs had shifted, coughing violently with saliva spraying from his mouth.
Humiliating…
“Let go of me!”
Ikeda Sachi struggled uselessly, the knee pressing into his chest as heavy as a mountain.
“Why should I? You attacked me and still want to run? The Police will be here soon!”
Yuki Asahi frowned tightly.
The mad rush of emotions from the other side hit his senses like filthy floodwater.
Helplessly, he shut off his Chantui Ability.
“Tsk!”
Ikeda Sachi felt the knee pressing down grow heavier, his ribs trembling under the pressure, and his vision began to darken.
He started cursing uncontrollably:
“I’ll kill you! You bastard who defiled Jiang Jian! I’ll chop your hand off!”
Jiang Jian?
Did he just say Jiang Jian?
Yuki Asahi’s mind cleared instantly, remembering Yuma Endou’s deduction of “obsession.”
Looking at the hysterical man in front of him, everything seemed to fit.
“That box of Ferrero Rocher was yours?”
Yuki Asahi lowered his voice, a chill in his tone.
Ikeda Sachi’s face twisted with pain and suffocation, but at Yuki Asahi’s words, a sick glint flickered in his bloodshot eyes.
“The taste of blade… delicious, isn’t it? Cough, cough!”
He gasped, voice hoarse and broken.
“Maniac!”
Yuki Asahi completely failed to understand this guy’s thoughts.
Defile Jiang Jian-senpai?
Ridiculous.
He hadn’t done anything at all.
He clenched his fist, raising it high.
He wanted to put this madman straight into a deep sleep.
At that moment, hurried footsteps and the beam of a flashlight came from the alley’s entrance.
“Police! Don’t move! What’s going on over there?”
With nervous voices, two officers appeared at the mouth of the alley, flashlights locking onto Yuki Asahi as he was about to “commit violence.”
Yuki Asahi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and let go of Ikeda Sachi’s struggling hands as he stood up.
Ikeda Sachi felt the pressure on his chest vanish and burst into another fit of coughing.
Yuki Asahi pointed to the hole in his Uniform.
“This guy attacked me with a stun gun at the alley entrance. I made the call.”
Ikeda Sachi curled up, clutching his stomach, just coughing without resisting.
Or rather, the repeated blows and crushing sense of failure had drained all his will to fight.
He just stared at Yuki Asahi’s back with utter hatred, as if he could tear him apart with his eyes.
Because Ikeda Sachi was a minor, the Police didn’t cuff him, just took him to the car.
One officer checked Yuki Asahi’s injuries.
Seeing the charred skin, he asked, “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?”
It’s cooked! And he’s still walking?
The officer thought.
“Ah, I’m fine. Thanks for the concern.”
“For further details, could you please come to the Police Station to assist with the investigation?”
“…Understood.”
***
By the time Yuki Asahi got home from the Police Station, it was already late.
He told the Police everything he knew, including the Blade Incident.
He also learned the madman’s name: Ikeda Sachi.
On LINE, Yuki Asahi sent a message to Jiang Jian Yue.
“Senpai, do you know a guy named Ikeda Sachi?”
The reply came instantly.
“who?”
Yuki Asahi changed into slippers and poured himself a cup of hot water in the kitchen.
“The culprit of the Blade Incident. He tried to attack me with a stun gun tonight… Probably your classmate.”
“∑(°△°|||)︴I remember! There is an Ikeda in our class. He’s the culprit? Why did he attack you?”
Yuki Asahi climbed the stairs to the second floor, typing hesitantly.
“Ikeda Sachi is a lunatic.”
“He likes you. Seeing me close to you probably made him jealous.”
“Just because of that?”
“That’s why I called him a lunatic.”
Yuki Asahi opened the bedroom door.
On the bed, the blanket bulged, a lock of silvery-pink hair peeking out.
There was another lunatic here he couldn’t understand.