Hey there, just giving an update an update to show I'm still alive. I know it's been a while since I last updated (which is partially sad given the title of the last chapter…) but things have been busy as usual lately. I've been drawing, helping my family, working and catching up on my massive catalogue of video games. Also, I've been working on getting back to more light-hearted tales after the oppressive tone I created 2 years ago. (…That was 2 years ago… I've had Shujinkou out of commission for two years… I've been dealing with this single arc, well actually two, for two years…! What is wrong with me?!)
Anyway, it's not like I haven't been writing while I was gone. Sad to say, the following weeks have been nothing but working on a potential chapter and then having to gut it due to reasonings I may explain later. Just know I wasn't happy feeling my time being wasted for several attempts in a row.
But hopefully I can tide everyone over with something I've wanted to do during the early stages of mentally plotting the Devil's Night arc. I've actually struggled with the initial climax and while I truly believe the way I went about it was for the best, I've wondered if I could try and do a marriage of concepts and final result.
During the leadup, I've deliberately tried to keep scenes exploring Shujinkou's thoughts and feelings out of the story for as much as I could after "Shujinkou's Duty". So, I thought it would be fun to see if I could write his perspective and overcome some of the challenges, I had writing the initial climax at the same time.
Without further ado, here's a special perspective chapter.
"Aww…"
In the depths of his despair, Shujinkou heard a voice. It was a playful, almost mocking response and yet it did provide a small amount of relief.
Shujinkou weakly looked up, his eyes tearing up even more once he confirmed that it was Mali who was looking down on him.
Despite his disheveled appearance and pained expression, she still found it in herself to smile her usual innocent smile.
"Senpai's even sadder than usual. What happened?"
It was like she was taunting him, jeering him on to force him to recount the ways he made everything worse.
"I messed up. They got everyone and there's nothing that can be done now… I'm hurt and not even sure the police will believe me about knowing where they are even if I tell them what happened…" wailed Shujinkou. "They didn't give me a chance before…"
"Don't tell me you're giving up. It's unbecoming of Shujinkou to give up at a point like this."
"But what can I do? I don't think I can even stand, and I was taken down so easily."
Mali kneeled down close to Shujinkou, her smile growing wider.
"It's true that the odds are stacked against you, but that's usually when Shujinkou shines right?" This is about the time Shujinkou comes in and saves his potentials," she encouraged.
"I'm just a kid, Mali. I'm not going to get some heroic second wind. I can't do anything," Shujinkou said with a sniffle.
"Really…?"
Mali gently removed Shujinkou's hand away from his wound and just as gently placed hers over it. In an instance, it was like the pain was never there.
"How-?"
"Looks like I'm going to need to get more involved than I thought, Senpai," Mali cheerfully interrupted.
Shujinkou stared at Mali. The way he felt now was the same when we woke up in her care or when she caught him in her trap.
Just being in her presence felt strange.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember? I told you not to expect your Kōhai to magically make things better, but it looks like you really need that to happen."
Mali's eyes narrowed as she moved her giggling face towards his.
"Mali?"
Once again, Shujinkou found it a struggle to remain conscious around Mali. It wasn't just that; he was looking Mali in the eyes and yet they didn't seem familiar at all.
"Don't worry. I'll do as promise and make sure you arrive at the best possible outcome, Shujinkou."
"Ugh…"
Shujinkou could feel his strength rapidly fade away. She was only holding his wound closed, so why did this kind gesture feel more like a trap. Why did it feel like it was meant to keep him from running.
"I gotta say, judging from what happened to any of your friends last time, I expected you to reach this low point a lot sooner," Mali continued. "Seriously, it only took one move from your other friend to get you like this."
"W-Who are you talking about…?" Shujinkou asked, nearly stumbling over his words.
Mali ignored his question and continued.
"Then again, back then you thought one of your friends was gone forever, while know you still have some kind of hope now, even if it's slim."
She giggled and cupped Shujinkou's cheeks with both her hands.
"Though I can make sure that you'll have a 100% chance of ending things once and for all. Should be fun."
"Fun." Shujinkou genuinely believed getting involved in a life-and-death situation like their current predicament would be something Mali considered fun. Given their previous interactions, it was clear as day that part of her wasn't a front.
So why…?
Shujinkou softly grasped Mali's right arm.
"You say that but…"
Shujinkou stared into Mali's eyes and saw something that betrayed Mali's words.
"Why do you look confused and… sad?" he worriedly asked.
"Sad?"
A look of surprise floated on Mali's face before an intrigued smile slowly grew across her face.
"Ehe, you're at your lowest point and barely even conscious and yet you can spot things like that with just a glance. Then again, the fact you show concern over me of all people despite the history you and Mali share is interesting.
You're so innocent, it's cute Shujinkou and it's no wonder you have so many girls fawning over you. But your innocence isn't going to save anyone now so…"
For a brief moment, Mali's eyes flashed purple.
"Time to keep my promise."
Shujinkou couldn't move an inch as Mali forced her soft lips on his. She gently pecked at his lips before drawing his tongue into mouth.
What was even happening anymore? That was the only question on Shujinkou's mind.
His body tensed, not because this wasn't the time for kissing, but from an impeding sense of danger.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn't muster up the strength to utter a single word.
But that soon changed. Power had returned to Shujinkou, more than enough to stand and more than enough to withstand the pain caused from his wound.
"Mmph-!"
It should have felt pleasant, but it was far from it. He felt like a water balloon filled to capacity and yet someone was still pouring more into him. It was suffocating and crushing at the same time.
By the time Mali had released her lips from him, Shujinkou was on the ground panting. Everything was blurry and the world refused to stop spinning. There was a heat in his chest, one that he could only describe as a roaring fire set ablaze and slowly spreading across his entire body.
"Ah… Ah…"
While writhing on the ground, Shujinkou caught a glimpse of Mali. She was just staring at him with observative eyes.
Whatever was happening was not normal. It couldn't be.
As he thought that, Shujinkou instinctively opened his mouth and forcibly expelled black sludge from his body.
He trembled at the sight. Something was wrong. Something wasn't right. Everything was going dark. And then…
"Senpai?"
Mali cocked her head to the side, observing Shujinkou's movements as he stood up. His eyes flashed purple for a moment before fading entirely. Confusion lied on her senior's face until it was completely overwritten by a certain desire.
It was a face she had seen many times before, but never fueled by two diametrically opposed extremes.
"Mali…" Shujinkou looked back at her with sharp eyes. They were the eyes of someone preparing to go to war. "Let's go."
Mali nodded her head with a smile. The eyes of someone going to war combined with the will to take back what was his; what outcome lied for Shujinkou at the end of the night.
Whatever may happen, she knew it would be interesting. Exciting things always happen when someone has those eyes.
It was a fact she knew personally.
…
There was a warehouse complex some distance away from public eye. No one knew the real reason it was abandoned, but these circumstances made it an ideal spot to hide what amounted to an army of criminals and stash kidnapped high school students.
High walls surrounded the complex and the only way inside was through the front gate guarded by two armed men.
A confrontation was inevitable.
The guards heard something in the distance. As the sound grew louder and louder, they were able to discover what it was – the roar of an engine.
A light soon emerged from the horizon, one that grew bigger and bigger the closer it got.
They shouted words of protests and orders to stop but it was all meaningless. They weren't what Shujinkou wanted to hear.
Sorry, Claudette, this is going to be big.
Shujinkou crouched onto the seat of Claudette's motorcycle, angling at the guards and the gate before suddenly disappearing from sight.
The large, heavy gates burst open, and the guards were sent flying into the complex.
"What the hell was that? Was that guy crazy?" one of them stressed this in disbelief.
They wondered where their attacker had gone too until they were both enveloped in a looming shadow.
Shujinkou came flying towards them and rammed his feet in their faces, the concrete cracking from the impact.
He knew there was no way to question them now, but it was fine. He had plenty of people volunteering to answer the one thing he needed to know show up.
They were waving around swords, machetes, submachine guns and chains. Seeing this, Shujinkou couldn't help but worry over the safety of his friends even more.
"You just saved us the trouble of tracking you down. It's just too bad the boss wasn't here to see your so-called rescue attempt."
Akui wasn't here. Part of Shujinkou was disappointed, but he figured getting the others would be easier if that was truly the case.
"…I'm going to ask you this only once. Where are my friends?"
They charged at him, laughing at what they perceived to be a bluff. The man with the chains was on the far left and the man with the submachine gun was keeping some distance from the group.
The chains were flying high behind whoever possessed them and with a snap of the wrist, they flew forward and snuggly wrapped around the submachine gun.
Everyone was stunned, none more than the criminal Shujinkou had somehow stole the long chain from. Shujinkou effortlessly wrenched the gun towards him and whipped it on the ground, breaking it into two.
He had shown how outclassed they were and though they hesitated for a moment, they continued their attack.
It was annoying. Shujinkou only wanted a single question answered, and yet…"
"Let's rock."
With his left hand, Shujinkou caught the machete between the pinky and ring finger and with his right, he wretched the sword away from its owner and thrust the blade into the ground.
He lifted the guard still holding the machete into the air and threw him into the other two while grabbing the remaining and slamming his head into the hilt.
It was frustrating that he couldn't get any answers, but he still had more "volunteers" that should be more willing.
He saw them as single-minded as video game mooks. No matter what he said or asked, they would just spew out generic taunts. Even as he showed his adversaries that they were no match, they would still underestimate him.
Shujinkou just wanted to find his friends and his inability to get an answer, any answer at all made it harder and harder to pull his punches.
Screams of pain filled his ears, but they didn't matter. All that mattered was getting his friends and if no one was going to answer, then they needed to pay the price.
"Do me a favor and land on your head when you hit the ground, 'kay?"
That threat wasn't directed at him. Shujinkou immediately glanced up and, to his horror, watched Nivia push Monika off from one of the rooftops.
"MONIKA!"
With lightning speed, Shujinkou intercepted Monika, pulling her into a tight embrace before landing.
"Shujinkou?" Monika looked up at him and gasped.
"Looks like I just made it," he said, sighing in relief.
"But- What're you doing here? I mean… Weren't you shot?"
"Yeah… Mali found me and helped me get better. But that's not important; right now, all that matters is taking everyone down and getting you guys out of here."
Was that what mattered? He remembered before that his friends were the only priority. Why did he include beating everyone too?
"By yourself?" Monika was surprised by his words and clearly worried.
"He's not by himself," suddenly peeking over Shujinkou's shoulder was Mali. "Senpai has Mali with him."
"Even so…"
"Trust me, Monika, I got this," Shujinkou assured her.
Despite what he said, doubt still rested on Monika's face. No, it was more than doubt – it was trepidation.
"…By the way, what's Claudette doing here?" Shujinkou asked. "I thought you and the others were the only ones taken."
"You saw Claudette?!" Her fear soon fell way to hope and surprise.
"Y-Yeah. I saw her as I was grabbing you. Don't worry, she's fine… at least physically… for now."
"Um, excuse me…" Nivia was scowling at them from up above. If he had to guess, Shujinkou was sure that she wasn't happy to see him after their last encounter. "I'd hate to interrupt this romantic rescue moment, but isn't at least one of you supposed to be dead?"
Shujinkou scowled at her. It was bad enough she tried to kill him, but she helped take his friends and tried to kill one of them. How he could keep his calm was anyone's guess.
Standing in front of his friends, he knew what needed to be done.
"Monika, take Mali and go free the others," he ordered. "I'll take care of her."
"Are you sure, Shujinkou?" Monika questioned. "Didn't she-?"
"I won't let her beat me this time. Now go."
Shujinkou could feel still feel the doubt and worry emanating from Monika, but he couldn't let that sway him. He knew escape would be nearly impossible if Nivia was still up and running around. Not only that…
Monika was taken aback by the seriousness on Shujinkou's face. No, it wasn't just seriousness; she noticed a desire in his eyes. It was obvious by the way he was looking at Nivia that he wasn't going to be swayed by anything.
"Come on, Club President-san, you don't want to leave everyone waiting," Mali playfully reminded Monika of this as she tugged her arm.
"But…"
Mali shook her head and turned to Shujinkou.
"…Yep," Shujinkou said, his eyes still glued to Nivia.
"Well, if that's what Senpai really wants then that's what Senpai wants," Mali said with a shrug.
He couldn't understand why, but Mali's response made him hesitate. He looked at Mali wondering what this meant, but it immediately no longer mattered. With a smile, he responded with a simple, "…Yeah."
"Come on, School Idol-san," Mali tugged Monika's hand. "You really don't have to worry about Senpai as long as Mali is with him."
"But you're leaving him."
"Yep."
Mali pulled Monika away, giving Shujinkou the alone time he desired.
"Well, aren't you full of surprises. Not only are you alive, but now you're coming here like a superhero, boldly claiming that you're going to take all of us down and save his friends. What happened to the little boy begging me to spare his friends?"
Shujinkou locked eyes with Nivia again. For a moment, he could feel wound ache.
"That serious stare of yours. What, is you emulating your father supposed to be your way of putting up a tough front?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Did I touch a nerve? Where was that hateful glare before?"
"…I could hear you know…" Shujinkou muttered.
"What?"
"I could hear Yuri crying after you nearly killed me. I already decided to not forgive you for hurting and taking my friends, but emotional hurting and making Yuri cry, trying to kill Monika and surely the things you've done to Natsuki and Sayori… That just sealed the deal."
Shujinkou delivered his threat quietly, but the anger behind each word was not lost.
"That so? Since when did you care about other people's feelings?" Nivia mocked. "I didn't see you care about your mother's feelings when you caught Jomei with another woman and did nothing. Or how you didn't care about your family's feelings when you ran away and got your sister killed."
It began. The fire in Shujinkou's chest was lit once again and it slowly spread across his body.
"I don't know why you're getting so angry. You act like you care but weren't you just hiding while we took your friends. I bet if we got your mom and granny involved, you'd probably hide again."
"Leave them out of this…!"
"So hollow. Seriously, if you cared so much about your friends, why are you still here? Why'd you let two unarmed little girls go off to do the thing you claim you wanted to do yourself? I can see it in your eyes, you know; right now, that's not at all what you're thinking about.
Those are self-serving eyes you got. The same your father has."
That was the last straw. Shujinkou thrust his right hand, wrenched Nivia towards him then violently threw her to the ground.
Trails of blood crawled down her chin as she looked up, spotting Shujinkou standing in the very spot she was just in. He was looking at the moon, pondering something.
"Nivia… You gleefully hurt my friends, you aided my dad in hurting my mother, you mocked what my sister did for me and have the gall to compare me to my dad."
Shujinkou looked down at her, his cold, dead eyes sending chills throughout her entire body.
"You and Akuma think holding life and death in your hands is pretty funny, don't you? I wonder how you guys would feel if it was the other way around?" Shujinkou speculated.
"W-What are you trying to say?"
"Don't be such an idiot, Nivia; you know exactly what I'm getting at. It's very simple."
Shujinkou took a step forward, calmly falling down to ground level.
"I want you feel as scared as you can possibly be. I want you feel the greatest amount of pain you possibly feel. And when you can take no more, only when you can't take no more… After you've had time to reflect and beg and beg and beg. Only when I've had enough.
Only then will I deliver the coup de grace."
"What…? An upstart like you couldn't possibly-?"
"Let me be even more clear so you understand perfectly. Nivia… I'm going to kill you."
He wasn't bluffing; the way Shujinkou was looking at her made that perfectly clear.
"Just try it!" Nivia screamed as she hurled herself at Shujinkou.
Something that he hadn't expected in this duel was for his target to be pretty good at martial arts. Her punches and kicks were sharp, precise and deadly. She was aiming for pressure points and anywhere that would be lethal if hit.
She was more skilled than he had thought.
"Still kinda dumb, don't you think?" Shujinkou offered his criticism before blocking her punch.
She thought it was just luck until he blocked a kick. He then blocked another kick and then another punch. He was matching her blow for blow all the while still shooting a look of contempt at her.
It was too much, and drawn into a murderous frenzy, Nivia haphazardly threw a kick at Shujinkou's head.
"…Game over, Nivia," Shujinkou was holding Nivia's leg close to his head. He flicked his wrist, sending Nivia twirling through the air and landing backside up.
"D-Damn it…!"
It wasn't over yet. She felt her leg forcibly lifted up. She glanced back, horrified at the sight she found.
Shujinkou had her leg in his left hand and metal pipe in his right.
"Tell me something, Nivia, when you guys took my friends, did you let it sink in how powerless they were being surprised and ambushed or did you try to break them verbally like you did with Yuri?"
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I was thinking… You two probably couldn't help rubbing into their faces about what was going to happen like you did with Yuri. So, I figured maybe I should do the same. I'm going to give you a choice – I'm going to break your leg and you can't stop it. What you can do is tell me how you want me to do it. Do you want me to use my leg or this pipe?"
He was right that she didn't couldn't stop him from doing either. Not only could she not hope to escape his grip, but the fear he had instilled kept her from even trying.
Both options were horrible, but if she had to choose one over the other…
"T-The…"
Shujinkou pulled his arm back, ripping Nivia's leg out of its socket. The pain was indescribable.
"What the hell!? You said-!"
"I changed my mind on a whim. Pretty much the same way you decided to try and kill me in front of my friend on a whim."
Staving off her protest, Shujinkou pushed her over and planted his foot on Nivia's stomach.
"Can you empathize now. Do you get how my friends felt when you took them?"
"S-Screw you!"
"And on that subject… I'm pretty sure the only reason my dad could ever be interested in you is that pretty face of yours. I mean, it'd be a pretty big understatement to say that your personality is lacking."
Nivia burst out laughing.
"Seriously? Even now, a part of you still thinks of me as the big bad who helped push your daddy away from your mommy. You're such an idiot! My pretty face wasn't the only thing that caught Jomei's eyes. It was because your mother was a spineless plain jane who couldn't even do the bare minimum to keep Jomei interested and gave birth to someone suicidal enough to save worthless trash like you!"
Metal clattering on the ground echoed throughout the complex. Shujinkou's arms hung limp by his side, the young man unable to utter a single word.
"Touched another nerve haven't I-!?"
Shujinkou's held her down by the throat, crushing it enough to keep her from saying anything else.
It was like a rapid dog was staring her down, one that was about to pounce.
Shujinkou's right hand hovered above her like a guillotine and with a horrific roar filling her ears, the guillotine had dropped.
Shujinkou punched her. And punched her. And punched her.
In this moment, there was only one thing that he could do, what needed to be done, what he had to do, what he wanted to do.
He punched and punched until he remembered something. A little voice in the back of his head reminded him that Claudette still needed to be saved.
As he got up, Shujinkou took a brief look at Nivia. He was sure she'd never charm anyone with her pretty face ever again.
It was a strange feeling. He should have felt relieved, but he didn't. He was hollow and, most surprisingly, felt regret.
The only thing he could feel happy about was that he didn't keep his promise to her.
…
There was a variety of reasons Claudette had to be mad right now. She was kidnapped, she was beaten before then and now she was being ogled at by the men sent to keep her "company". But what she was most frustrated with was her inability to keep Monika from being taken.
She wanted nothing more than to rush to her cousin's side but there was nothing she could do whilst dangling from a lamp post.
She couldn't defend Monika and now she can't even defend herself. The plans she had overheard, ones for what to do with the hostages when Shujinkou was "dealt" with, it seems they were going to enact it a little early with her.
She was surrounded by twenty men, all approaching her slowly… Until one found himself between a pipe and its wielder. He was lifted up, squirming and struggling about for air.
Once the light left his eyes, he was dropped to the ground and pushed aside by Shujinkou. He knew what they were planning and yet still couldn't bring himself to kill them.
"Shujinkou?"
He noted her dumbfounded expression before throwing a sword at the chains keeping her suspended in the air. It sliced through them like butter, leaving everyone stunned.
Recovering from the slight drop, Claudette was surprised to find the pipe Shujinkou standing in front of her. He didn't spare a word as he handed her the pipe and urged her to fight back.
But though she joined in and took care of a few guards by herself, Shujinkou was much quicker and swiftly took care of the rest.
"Whoa…" Shujinkou thoughtlessly snatched the pipe back from Claudette without a word. "Okay…"
Despite the rude action, Claudette let it slide. After all, Shujinkou did just get her out of a sticky situation.
"Man am I glad you were in the neighborhood, Shujinkou," she breathed a sigh of relief as she followed him.
"Claudette!" Appearing out of nowhere, Monika and Mali approached the two with the rest of their friends. "You're alright!"
So are you guys. Also, I'm just barely able to say I'm okay. I'm eternally grateful to Shujinkou for showing up when he did or else... Let's just say that even I would be traumatized and potentially murderous angry."
"Oh…" Monika awkwardly scratched her right cheek as she turned her attention to Shujinkou. "Thanks, Shujinkou."
Shujinkou just stared at her. Why was she scratching her cheek? In fact, has he done so recently?
"Shiko!"
A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him.
"You really are okay! I thought you were in really bad shape!" Sayori cried.
"Why would you think that?" he asked.
"Yuri told us what Nivia did to you! How come you're moving around like nothing happened?"
"It's like I told Monika, Mali found me and helped me get better. To be more specific, she gave me the means to apply first aid on myself and come here," Shujinkou chuckled. "You, of all people, should know that I'm really experienced with giving first aid."
"Oh, uhm…" Sayori scratched her red right cheek as she nervously laughed. "That's true…"
Shujinkou continued to laugh until he noticed Natsuki staring at him. She was looking at him like he was a stranger.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Natsuki?" he asked.
"Uh… No reason…" she murmured.
She seemed to be uncomfortable, but he couldn't fathom the reason why. It didn't seem like it was just her surroundings.
Yuri seemed the same way and the two began whispering to each other. He approached them, wondering what they were saying and questioned what little he had heard. "What's worse than before?"
The two jumped backed.
"Ah…! N-Nothing. I was just thinking how our situation was before you and Mali showed up," Yuri stammered.
It was obviously a lie. They were hiding something, and he couldn't help but feel it was about him. Did he do something to them? Would an apology make them feel at ease and relieve him of the regret he felt?
"Senpai, we should probably get out of here before more people come," Mali advised.
Shujinkou nodded his head in agreement. "Right. You guys get out of here."
"'You guys'? What about you, Shiko?" Sayori queried.
He couldn't leave just yet. There was still a score he needed to settle and it needed to be done while he still had the advantage.
"I get it… You're planning on staying back to cover our flank, right?" Claudette asked.
"…Yeah," Shujinkou answered.
"That's good and all but there's bound to be a lot of dangerous bad guys that'll stand in our way," Claudette said in a weak and defenseless manner. "You're not going to just leave us to deal with that are you? I mean, you're clearly the only one who's able to handle these guys; we're pretty much doomed without you."
"Ah…"
Shujinkou trembled at the thought. He just got his friends back unharmed. He couldn't bare something happening to them again.
"You got a point there…" he said, scratching his right cheek. "I mean, I'm pretty sure you guys could handle yourselves fine without me but it's probably better that we all leave together."
"Yeah!" Sayori cheerfully agreed.
"Ah… Senpai's innocence's shining through as always," Mali complimented. with a smile.
With everyone in agreement, the group began their trek to the exit. Along the way, Claudette noticed a smoking, twisted collection of metal nearby.
"Is that my bike?" Claudette asked."
"Oh that…" Shujinkou awkwardly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. "I kinda used it as a battering ram when I got here. You know, like in movies and games where you drift then jump off…"
"…Geez, have you secretly been capable of doing stuff like this the whole time?" Natsuki questioned.
"Trust me; everything I've done today is one time thing," Shujinkou assured her. "It's honestly a miracle that I even pulled off half- no, everything I've actually pulled off."
"Well, at least you got to stuff you probably only imagined doing, right Shiko?" Sayori cheerfully pointed out.
"Does that involve rescuing a damsel in distress?" Claudette joked.
"Two damsels. He saved me from an escape attempt gone horribly wrong," Monika added with a soft chuckle.
"Seriously…" Shujinkou looked down at his hands in disbelief. "I can't believe I pulled off saves like that."
"Yeah, well, I'm still having a hard time believing you actually successfully pulled off a one man assault like this," Natsuki said. "Are you sure you were really alone?"
"Yeah. Just me, a lot of maneuvering and adrenaline. Unfortunately, it was kind of impossible to go easy on everyone when outnumbered and forced to think on my feet."
"Yeah… We've seen that…" Natsuki gulped at the bodies that surrounded them.
"Ah… Shujinkou…"
Shujinkou looked back at Yuri. The way she was looking at him was concerning.
"What's wrong, Yuri?" he worriedly asked.
Yuri looked deep into Shujinkou's eyes. They were the recognizable eyes that filled her with a sense of tranquility like always.
"Nothing… I was just confirming something," she said with a relieved sigh.
"Oh…"
Shujinkou turned back around, wondering what was going through Yuri's head.
The group continued their trek until they arrived before a damaged gate.
"Damn, Shujinkou… You sure you used my bike to bust in?" Claudette marveled. "It looks like you used a bulldozer or a tank."
"I was going pretty fast…" Shujinkou sheepishly replied.
"Still…"
"Eh, we can ignore that for now. Right now, we need to go to the police and tell them what happened," Monika advised.
"Yeah, maybe they'll actually believe one of us this time when shown proof; proof being us," Claudette said in an annoyed tone.
"To be fair… I was one of the only people who could read the documents," Shujinkou pointed out.
"You mean the 'magical documents' Akui was talking about?" Sayori queried.
"Yeah."
"Wait… You're telling me he wasn't joking? You're seriously the only one who can read those documents he was talking about?" Natsuki questioned.
"Well, Mali can read them too and Monika could sorta read them," Shujinkou explained.
"That's weir- Wait, what exactly were on them?"
"Um… Motives, location of where you and Sayori were held and info about the past."
"You're saying that you had evidence about what happened to us and even though you were the only one who could read it… they didn't even consider it even though we were kidnapped!"
"My thoughts exactly…"
Shujinkou chuckled until he felt a sharp pain around the center of his body.
"What's wrong, Shiko?" Sayori worriedly asked.
"I think my tolerance for my gun wound is gone," Shujinkou said, clutching his stomach.
He soon fell on his knees, panting heavily.
"Okay… It's starting to hurt like before," he said, doubled over in pain.
Shujinkou looked down at his hand. As his vision started to blur, he could see that his hand was once again stained red.
"No… Not… now…"
The sound of him crashing into the ground was the last thing he heard before everything went dark.
…
"Did you enjoy it? Was it gratifying getting back at the people that made you and your friends' lives a living hell?
Did you enjoy saving the day, Shujinkou?"
Those mocking words nearly sent Shujinkou flying out of his bed. He was now in a hospital room which could only mean that his friends were able to get him to treatment in time.
It meant that everything was fine now; the victory was his.
And yet, it didn't feel like one. He could still remember vividly how he acted when he went to save his friends.
He remembered the cracking bones, the blood splattering against the face and the brutality he unleashed just because he was angry or didn't get his way.
The violent impulses and the cold, uncaring attitude he displayed – he couldn't stay there. All the cries and pleas for mercy echoed through his ears muffling the world speeding past him.
He closed his eyes and wondered – Even if they tried to kill him and hurt his friends, should he have done what he had done? Will he ever feel that way again? Will he lose himself to those impulses again?
"What's happening to me…?"
Shujinkou was now standing on the ledge surrounding the roof of the hospital. Normally, overlooking a massive drop would make his blood go cold, but that was the least of his concerns.
He couldn't understand why his friends were looking at him so strangely before, but it was crystal clear now – they were afraid of him.
Can't blame them… For all I know, it wouldn't have been long until I found an excuse to go after them.
What's to come when this night was over? Would he even have people to call "friend" when all was said and done?
"Shujinkou?"
He looked back, somewhat surprised to find Monika standing behind him.
"Hey, Monika…"
"Um, are you sure that you should be standing there?"
Shujinkou shrugged. "Why not? I've been cheating death and doing other unbelievable things. For all I know, if I fall, I'll start flying."
"Eh… Let's not give that a try, okay," Monika said with an awkward chuckle.
Shujinkou remained silent as he looked away. Facing Monika right now was nearly unbearable.
"Seriously, Shujinkou, you should get down from there before something happens."
Shujinkou couldn't respond. He was too afraid of lashing out at Monika.
"Shujinkou… Could you please come down from there?"
Shujinkou finally looked back at Monika. He couldn't go against her soft pleas any longer, not when she showed such worry and concern.
"Sorry…" he quietly apologized, stepping down beside her.
Monika solemnly scratched her right cheek. It was strange how she was the one to do so in such an uncomfortable situation.
"So… I guess you're feeling better if you were able to come up all the way here so soon after surgery," she finally said.
"Yeah, it's like after Mali treated me; it's like it never happened," Shujinkou replied.
"That's good."
Another awkward silence.
"You know, I think Rei would like this place," Shujinkou suddenly said.
"Oh yeah… Rei does seem interested in plant life…" Monika recalled. "Plus, this looks like a nice place to get away from it all. Is that why you came up here; because you knew what they had up here."
Shujinkou shook his head then looked up at the starry sky. "I just wanted to be somewhere where I could see the night sky. I don't know why, but it's more calming than usual."
He didn't know why he said that when he came up here without thinking, but perhaps it was the truth. While he wanted to get away, perhaps part of him wanted to be here too.
He felt a slender finger press against his chest and was asked by Monika, "So, are you feeling better here too?" she asked.
"Here…?" Shujinkou gently clutched his chest. "You think I should be feeling better here too, even little bit, but… nothing's changed here."
Shujinkou closed his eyes and clutched his chest tighter.
"I'm happy everyone's fine, but what was really accomplished? All that was done was taking a horrible situation and reverting it back to a bad one. It was almost like all of this was just one nightmarish detour from an already upsetting route life had set up."
Monika solemnly scratched her right cheek. "…But that's not the only thing bothering you, isn't it?" she queried.
Shujinkou opened his eyes. They perfectly displayed his distress and despair.
"…Monika, what do you think about the things I did tonight?" he asked.
"What do I think?"
"Yeah. I mean, do you think that I really could have beat up all those people that was guarding you guys?"
Monika averted her gaze. "I don't know… It's not like I had a moment to see how physically capable you are."
"Your eyes show doubt," Shujinkou pointed out.
Monika sighed. She looked back at Shujinkou and answered, "To be honest, I really can't imagine you ever coming to the conclusion of deciding to do any of that in the first place, let alone using Claudette's motorcycle to make a destructive entrance. I guess if things came down to just you and Mali, I just thought you two would have gone for stealth instead. Plus, there was also the fact that everyone was left like they were barely left alive."
Shujinkou lowered his head in shame.
"I've really been acting radically differently lately, haven't I?" he muttered.
Monika silently nodded her head.
Shujinkou looked up at Monika, his face showing nothing but guilt and remorse.
"…I… I know I've been acting differently lately. I've known that. I was just chalking it up to me being really stressed out with everything getting worse and worse but deep down, I always knew that there was more to it than that and… that scares me.
Me always running off all of a sudden wasn't just because I need some space or because I couldn't sit still with everything that was happening but because I was scared about how I would act around you guys!
But I didn't have time to worry about that because my friends needed help and outside of us, no one seemed to care! And then-!"
Shujinkou choked up, recalling what had just transpired this evening.
"…And then there was the assault… out of all the stupid decisions I made this week, that had to be the dumbest and most suicidal one yet. And yet, I was actually doing it. I was taking down everyone in my way; I actually had a chance to do something that would actually help. I should have felt better by then, right?
But I didn't. I felt sick to my stomach. I somehow had the strength to easily defeat everyone and yet… I took them down in the most unnecessarily brutal ways imaginable. I broke arms and legs, smashed people's face in with a pipe… and what I did to Nivia… Even after everything, I still don't think I should have went that far if I could have helped it and I know I could have.
But I couldn't have helped myself. It was like something was pushing me to act that way, to be that cruel and I couldn't do anything to stop myself. Part of me was screaming at the top of my lungs to stop while the other part of me fired half with I have to save my friends. Mercy was not an option.
The only thing that's keeping from completely breaking down is that you guys are safe and that I didn't kill anyone, but I can't help but feel like that was cruel mercy."
Tears rolled down Shujinkou's cheeks.
"…I'm scared, Monika. I'm scared that I'll somehow get worse, and I'm scared that I'll scare you guys off or that I'll have to forcibly isolate myself. I don't want to be alone with just my imagination again. I don't…"
I just…
Shujinkou felt Monika take his hands. She entwined her fingers with his and pressed her their foreheads together.
"Monika?"
"…I'm sorry. I wish I had some way to magically make everything better. But I can tell you that you don't have to worry about scaring anyone off," Monika assured him.
"Really?"
Though Shujinkou truly wanted to believe that, something inside denied it. It didn't want him to believe it, but when he looked at the small smile on his friends face, that strange doubt completely vanished.
"Believe me, Shujinkou, it's the only thing I've been sure of for the last few days." Monika affirmed.
"I'm sorry, am I interrupting a touching moment?"
The voice that delivered that question caused a sharp chill to shoot up their spines. The two slowly looked towards the door. Walking towards them was someone, carrying swords on his back was they really didn't want to see again.
"Akui!" Shujinkou gasped.
I just wanted…
Shujinkou was paralyzed, unable to budge any part of his body as he watched his friends show up and fall to Akui and Akuma.
I just wanted to hang out…
Monika's back was hurt, Yuri was stabbed, Sayori was held at gunpoint and Natsuki was about to fall several storied to the ground.
Though some miracle I was able to be friends with Sayori again…
Akui gave Shujinkou a sword and challenged him to a fight to the death. The same one the man had with his father.
I was able to make friends with everyone in the club I joined.
He couldn't do it. Deep down, Shujinkou knew if he agreed to this duel… If he really tried to kill Akui, there was no going back.
I was able to make friends through my own power, outside of the club.
Most importantly, Natsuki was in immediate danger.
And even though Mali doesn't consider me a friend… She's still done things for me that I'll always be grateful for.
He desperately tried to fight, tried to defeat Akui without killing him. He tried to ignore the pain brought about from Akui's merciless assault while trying to save Natsuki, but it wasn't enough.
Shujinkou was down.
It took me all of first semester to accept that I was someone worth having this kind of luck.
Power rapidly drained from his body, leaving just enough for Shujinkou to curse his powerlessness. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he regretted not being able to be there for his friends.
I didn't know what my goal was, but I knew that I wanted to be with everybody.
"Feels good doesn't it…?" Shujinkou slowly stood up, clenching the blade that was about to kill him hard. "Being in control, manipulating everyone around you to achieve your ultimate goal: killing a defenseless kid… I'm sure you'd feel so satisfied after all was said and done."
Akui tried to pull his blade back but was stunned to discover that it wouldn't budge an inch.
"You know, I probably wouldn't have cared if you took my life, or at least not as much as what you were planning to do after."
Shujinkou effortlessly pulled the sword towards his side, bringing Akui to his face. The young man's face displayed nothing but disgust and contempt as he stared down his enemy.
"Just remember, I gave you a chance."
Shujinkou violently yanked Akui's sword out of his hand and kicked him into the same metal pole he had been acquitted with throughout the fight.
He then proceeded to save Natsuki and heal Yuri and Monika. All that was left was to save Sayori, but when it was her turn Akui interceded.
I wanted to spend time to enjoy the things I took for granted last semester.
Shujinkou used all of his returning superhuman strength and speed to effortlessly beat Akui into the ground. It was all unnaturally cathartic to him.
"What's wrong, Akui? Not enjoying the game you started anymore?" he mocked. "Gotta be pretty embarrassing for such a turn around when you had all the pieces in your hands."
"It's not over yet…!" Akui defiantly shot back as he stumbled onto his feet.
"Really?" Shujinkou chuckled. "I thought you were just obsessed with dad, but in reality, you're a huge masochist huh? Or maybe you just get off when dad constantly beats you at everything? Is that what this is; a desperate plea to get him to pay you any mind?"
"Shut up!"
Shujinkou yawned as the first punch came his way. He could swear he had seen snails move faster.
With a shrug, Shujinkou simply stepped out of the way of Akui's punch. He was sure to everyone he was moving faster than anyone could process.
As he continued to dodge the assault, Shujinkou couldn't help but laugh.
"You're getting pretty upset all of a sudden. Just because things don't go your way, you get throw a tantrum," Shujinkou taunted. "Despite your petty reasons, I thought I was dealing with a strategic mastermind, but you're no different than any other low effort loser. It's no wonder your mom liked my dad better. He may have been a crappy dad, but at least he wasn't a whiny weakling like you."
Shujinkou caught Akui's left fist, squeezing it hard enough to elicit a yelp of pain from his victim.
"So weak that you had to go after his none the wiser son and torture him by hurting his friends and threatening everyone he cared about. Seriously, the only good thing about you is that you aren't your brother."
Shujinkou raised his left hand and captured Akui's right fist.
"Scratch that, you're both pathetic in your own special ways."
A cold look soon fell on Shujinkou's face. He released Akui's right hand, raised his left hand and chopped the center of Akui's left arm. Letting go, Shujinkou watched Akui's arm dangle back to his side.
He then followed suit by driving his foot up between Akui's legs. As his enemy huddled over in pain, Shujinkou turned around and dashed towards a nearby clothesline.
He grabbed on and flew over the edge of the rooftop. After flying through the air for a few moments, Shujinkou was soon pulled back and sent hurdling towards his target.
"Metaverse death kick!"
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Shujinkou's feet dug into Akui's gut. In that brief moment, a variety of images flashed in Akui's mind, each greatly detailing the gruesome ways he could die by the hands of "…."
Time returning to normal, the power of Shujinkou's kick sent Akui crashing into a nearby greenhouse. A proud look fell on Shujinkou's face as he heard the sound of shattering glass that resulted from his attack.
I thought I was past hurting the people I cared about…
"H-Have to save them… It's my duty…"
Shujinkou shook his head and ran towards the greenhouse. He stopped just short of the human-shaped hole on the side, the sight causing him to question what he was doing.
Quickly discarding those thoughts, Shujinkou jumped through the hole. To his surprise and amusement, there wasn't a body waiting for him. Standing in the center of a dimly lit room filled with shadows was interesting to him.
"What's wrong, Akui? You running scared?" Shujinkou shouted.
From the corner of his eyes, Shujinkou noticed something move within the shadows.
"It's not so fun being hunted down, is it, Akui; hunted down the same way you hunted down my friends. Does it hurt!?"
Soon after his boast, Shujinkou ducked as a sword swung overhead. He immediately grabbed the hand the weapon belonged to and jerked Akui's face towards his.
"You really like sneak attacks and surprises, don't you? Why not; it's the only way you could possibly stay ahead. Still, if you love surprises then you're gonna love this."
Shujinkou stretched his right hand outward, and a sinister smile crossed his face. "Let's go… Imajitekku!"
Particles of darkness gathered in his hand and formed into a jet black sword. Without hesitation, Shujinkou used his newly acquired weapon to slice Akui's right hand off.
Perhaps it was the shock of having his hand chopped off or the fact it was Shujinkou was responsible for it but despite the sheer pain Akui felt and felt he blood spewing out of his arm, he remained silent. No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn't speak; Shujinkou's gaze was petrifying.
Suddenly, Shujinkou's face softened.
"You know what the really sad part of all this is?" an innocent smile crossed Shujinkou's face and he chuckled. "It's only going to get so much worse for you."
I just…
Splatters of blood covered Shujinkou as he returned to the others and he directed his murderous gaze to Akuma.
"One left…"
I didn't want scare anyone…
Shujinkou held Sayori close as he disarmed Akuma. With her safe, he had only one task left.
I didn't want to hurt anyone.
"So… got anything to say for yourself, Akuma?" Shujinkou asked. "Like you should have stayed away the first time you blew things? How you should have stayed away from me and my friends? How this isn't your fault at all and your brother's because he escalated things to this point?"
Shujinkou raised his left hand and swatted the backside across Akuma's face, the force of the hit causing Akuma to fall flat on his back.
"I can't believe there was ever an attempt to develop or potentially humanize or just do anything with someone like you," Shujinkou coldly stated. "It's time to bring this regrettable plot point to an end."
He jumped on top of Akuma and held his head up by the neck.
"Nothing fancy or merciful like with your brother. You're going to die and feel each and every bit of it punched out of you."
I didn't want payback or revenge.
Shujinkou's hands still trembled as he ruthlessly punched his defenseless victim again and again, each splatter of blood hitting his face only seemed to make it worse.
I just wanted one thing…
A pair of arms wrapped around Shujinkou and pulled him away from Akuma. He was shocked to discover Sayori embracing him from behind.
I just wanted to be there for everyone.
"Sayori, what are you doing?! Let go!" he demanded.
Sayori violently shook her head. "No!"
"But I have to end this! I have to make sure that none of them can hurt you guys ever again! I… I have to protect everyone… Let me do this!"
"I won't let you!"
Unable to fathom why she was stopping him, Shujinkou could only yell, "Why are you protecting him? He's the reason all of this happened!"
"I'm not protecting him; I'm protecting you!"
"What?"
My friends needed me and…
"If I let you do this, then…" tears streamed down Sayori's face as she hugged Shujinkou tighter. "…then you won't be Shiko anymore!"
"Sayori…?" Seeing his childhood friend shed tears was painful on its own, but realizing he himself was the source behind them was even worse. "I…"
"When a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there – to help."
Shujinkou looked around and took in his friend's expressions. They were scared, the very outcome he wanted to avoid in the first place.
Even Mali had a subtle change in her eyes as she watched him.
He then looked down. Looking at the barely breathing Akuma beneath him brought back memories of how merciless he was earlier that night.
He then looked at his right hand. It was almost completely covered in blood.
"I…"
Even if…
Shujinkou once again clenched his fist, his entire body trembling as he felt the urge to kill conflict with his natural reluctance and intense guilt and regret.
"I… I need to protect everyone. I need to save the day…!"
Tears continued to crawl down his cheeks as he felt the urge to kill grow stronger.
"I… I can't… I won't… I…"
Even if…
Shujinkou shook his head.
"I refuse to upset them anymore!"
…to do that, I have to not be there.
The last thing Shujinkou heard before slipping into unconsciousness was Sayori desperately crying his name.
I'm sorry, guys…
A/N: And that's the end of this lengthy perspective special of Chapters 148,149 and 150. It may be covering familiar ground, but I thought it was interesting enough to write (Especially Shujinkou vs. Nivia, I had a lot of fun writing that scene).
I've truncated Chapter 150 since I felt like the point was already made and already gave much of Shujinkou's thoughts and feelings in the original and I didn't want to just make the original chapter pointless.
I've hoped you enjoyed and, to give one more gift to everyone that put up with my glacial slow releasing of new chapters, here's a passage to cap off this chapter.
"Riddle me this, what time of the day is where time has no meaning to anyone?"
That was a question Hiroko asked Shujinkou a few times when they were younger. She was pretending to be The Riddler and came up with a riddle that even he could solve.
He answered with, "But doesn't time matter still since people want as much rest as possible?"
It left her floored, and she left to come up with a new riddle.
Such a warm memory offered Shujinkou comfort as he floated endlessly through a dark space. It was actually space.
He had just uncovered the secrets that lied on the Moon and was no enjoying a slow and steady trip through space.
"…Really wish I brought a jetpack with me…" he chuckled. "It's going to take forever to get to the asteroid even with it headed my way."
As he continued to drift, a small orb of light came floating his way. It was shifting from side to side, dancing around him like it was happy to see him.
"Um, hello…?" he said sheepishly.
"…You okay, Shujinkou?" it asked.
"Uh, yeah. But how'd you know my name?"
"I think everyone in the cosmos knows your name after you're exploits."
"Really?"
"Yep. But that's not what's important right now. Isn't there something you really want to do right now?
Off the top of his head, Shujinkou really wanted to ride the asteroid through the soon to appear black hole, but he could tell that wasn't what the mysterious visitor was hinting at.
"Um… Oh!"
It suddenly came to him. There was something he wanted to do right away, but he wasn't sure if he was able to do it on his own.
"I know this is sudden, but could you please help me?" Shujinkou requested politely.
The orb swiftly flew up and down, seemingly nodding its head if it had one. "Grab on."
Shujinkou did as he was instructed and latched onto the orb. It began to shine a bright golden light, prompting Shujinkou to close his eyes as the light enveloped the surrounding area.
"Now open your eyes."
Shujinkou did as he was told. No longer was he looking up at the many stars in space, he was now looking at a very familiar ceiling.
Is this...?
He slowly sat up. It was all there – the foot of his bed, his desk, even random volumes of One Piece peeking out from a small bookcase.
"I'm… home?"
"Shiko?"
His heart skipped a beat, and he was soon filled with an indescribable feeling.
Standing by his side were his friends from the Literature Club.
"Guys…!"
Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, marveling at the sight of his friends appearing no worse for wear.
"Guys… I… I'm really h-"
"Shiko!"
Sayori jumped on top of him drawing him into a tight hug.
"Sayori?!"
"You're awake… You're finally awake, Shiko!"
Though her head was buried in his chest, Shujinkou could see the tears in her eyes. They were different from the last tears he made her shed.
"Sayori…"
Before he could say anymore, Monika, Natsuki and Yuri also embraced Shujinkou with tears in their eyes.
But even if I have to leave…
Shujinkou felt a warmth deep inside, one like during the summer, no even more. With tears in his eyes, he simply said one thing.
I'll always come back because…
"Sorry for worrying you guys so much."
When a friend needs me to be there, I'll be there.
A/N: Author notes and updates will be removed at a later time.