Chapter 24: Regret

Natsuno was sitting in a swing when Kaori, Akira, and Connor ran up to him.

Akira, "Natsuno! I was worried sick since we couldn't contact you yesterday! It was great for you to call us!"

Kaori, "Did something happen?"

Natsuno, "Not really."

Akira, "I see, but we made huge progress!"

Connor, "Though it wasn't any good!"

"Hey!...Anyways, today I intended on telling my friends and classmates about the people who revived."

Flashback:

"Listen here, everyone! People keep dying in the village, but..."

"Are you trying to talk about the 'okiagari' thing?"

"...Huh!?"

"Yeah! That creepy old hag from Mizuguchi marched into Kanemasa."

"'The Kanemasa people are okiagari! Be gone!'"

"But she went home after being told off by the family at Kanemasa, right? She was the one cast away!"

Akira, "I couldn't say anything else."

Kaori, "Yuuki, I wonder if the Kanemasa people aren't okiagari after all."

Natsuno, "Leave the village."

They were in shock.

"Get away from this village right away."

Kaori, "What do you mean?"

Natsuno pulled down his shirt collar, revealing the bite mark left by Megumi.

"You can't be!"

Akira, "Natsuno, that's not what I think it is, right?"

Connor, "Unfortunately, it is."

Natsuno, "They may be planning to turn this place into an okiagari village."

"We no longer know how many people have died since summer ended. Those who moved out are probably dead too. And then, some of those who died became okiagari."

"Sotoba was shut off from the outside world from the start. Outsiders wouldn't notice even if all the villagers were replaced by okiagari. That's why they chose this place. You guys are no exception. I was attacked, which means that you guys could also be attacked today. That's why you need to run away."

Akira refused, "No...I don't want to."

Kaori and Connor agreed with him, "Me neither...", "We're in this together!"

Natsuno, "You probably don't have time to hesitate."

Akira, "What about you, Natsuno?"

"There are still things I need to do."

"I'll help you! I'll do whatever I can!"

"No. It's too dangerous for you."

"Even if we run away, it's not like things would improve."

"It's better than staying here."

"But I don't want to! We can't just leave you here when you're in this condition. We won't run away!"

"You'll regret it."

"I'd rather regret staying here than regret running away."

Kaori nodded.

Natsuno walked through them. "Okay. But don't ever come near me again."

Kaori, "Yuuki?"

"The next time I see you, I may not be myself anymore."

Itou residence:

Nightmare burst through the door, finding an ill Tamae; the latest okiagari victim.

He grabbed her by the head, and overthrew the mind-control she was already under by brainwashing her(an inherited ability from Masao, only now stronger)before releasing his grip.

Nightmare, "Sit up!"

She did—only for Nightmare to impale her with Soul Edge, and then he tore open the bonfire, finding the second missing piece of his sword. Nightmare then added it to said sword, after pulling it out of Tamae—the edges turned a fiery-red, a long, thin, violet jewel sprouted from down the center of the blade, even the eye changed into a dark blue color. Nightmare himself sprouted outward spikes on his deformed shoulder, three strips of a red, loin cloth-like substance dangled from under the front of his waist faulds, fins sprouted from the outsides of his knees, the horn on his forehead grew longer, and the side flairs on his head moved to the center of the top of his head, fusing into a single crest, resembling the plume on a Roman gladiator's helmet. The azure knight then took his leave.

This isn't Nightmare's first kill in the story, and certainly won't be the last. Things are starting to look grim, aren't they?

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