Chapter 16
As we walked toward where the blonde said everyone had gathered, the silence between us felt heavy but not uncomfortable.
"Now that I think about it, I never asked your name" I said, breaking the silence.
"Shishiba," he replied curtly, continuing to walk past me.
"Shishiba, huh? That's a weird name," I said with a faint smirk. "Mine's Kasumi."
He raised an eyebrow, giving me a skeptical look. "Isn't that a girl's name?"
I shrugged "Maybe they forgot the 'T' for Katsum—"
Before I could finish, the door of the apartment across from us burst open. Two women came running out, their faces pale with terror.
"Kyaa! Help!" they screamed.
A blindfolded man stumbled out after them, laughing maniacally. "Khehehe, who's next?!"
The women darted past me, and before I could react, the blindfolded guy collided into me, wrapping me in an awkward hug
"I've got youuu~," he slurred, rubbing my back. "Ooh, you're pretty big. What do you look li—"
He paused, his drunken gaze meeting my glare. His eyes widened. "Eh?!"
The sharp smell of alcohol hit me like a wall, and before he could say another word, my hand connected with his face in a quick, sharp slap. He crumpled to the ground like a sack of potatoes, unconscious.
Shishiba crouched beside him, tilting the man's head up by his hair to get a better look. "Ah... Hasegawa-senpai?" he muttered before letting go, allowing the man's head to flop back down again
" are everyone from your school like this ?? " I asked him so far everyone I've met form the other branch of jcc is weak except for Shishiba even though i didn't see him fight but I'm pretty sure he's strong
" Huff ...believe or not he is supposed to be the best in our school " he said pointing at him " the principle is his father so.. you know
"That's pretty harsh, Shishiba-san," a voice chimed in from above. I looked up to see a guy wearing a cap perched on the roof of the apartment. With an unnecessarily dramatic flip, he landed in front of me, smooth as if he rehearsed it daily.
"And you didn't have to hit him like that, big guy," he added, brushing nonexistent dust off his sleeves.
I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Who are you? His boyfriend?"
Before he could respond, a man stumbled out of the apartment behind him, holding a bottle of soju in his hand. "Ah, boss, what's going on?" he slurred, followed by a group of equally drunk men who staggered out after him. Their laughter and loud chatter and the smell of alcohol filled the air they eyed me with varying levels of curiosity and suspicion and ....lust ?!?!?!?
What the hell? What had been going on inside that apartment?
"What are you doing here, Mumon?" Shishiba stood, his glare sharp as a blade he looked ready to lunge at him in any moment "I don't recall inviting you."
"You didn't," Mumon replied, pointing a finger at the drunkards behind him. "They did." He chuckled bitterly. "You're always like this, Shishiba. Think you're better than everyone just because you were trained by an Order member."
Before Shishiba could respond, the sharp sound of screams echoed through the street. "Kyaaa!" Multiple voices, shrill with fear, erupted in the distance.
The commotion drew everyone's attention to a crowd of women running frantically. I squinted, trying to make out what they were fleeing from. But I didn't have to wait long—it came into view soon enough.
"Oi…" The sight made my skin crawl. The driver who brought us here was impaled on a stake, naked. The pole ran through his body, entering from below and exiting gruesomely through his mouth.
"You can't be serious... This is…" one of the drunkards stammered, his face pale and drenched in sweat.
"I don't want to see this anymore!" another yelled, shutting his eyes tightly, trembling in terror.
"SHUT UP!" Mumon, the man from earlier, barked, his voice cracking with barely concealed fear.
Shishiba, on the other hand, kept staring at the horrifying display. His face showed shock, but he remained more composed than the rest.
And then it became clear. A group of men dressed in the same uniforms as the bodyguards carried the stake, parading it for all to see. They didn't say a word, but their message was unmistakable: This is the fate of anyone who dares to cross us.
"S-Someone call for backup... we can't stay here for long," Mumon said, his voice trembling as he turned to his group, his face pale with shock.
One of the drunkards, desperation etched into his features, fell to his knees before him. "Boss, please help us! You said you'd keep us safe if we stayed with you. PLEASE, I BEG YOU!"
In response, Mumon lashed out, kicking him away. "You bastard! Get away from me!"
The chaos around us only grew louder. I shifted my gaze to Shishiba, who stood motionless, his clenched fists trembling as he stared at the gruesome scene ahead.
"Easy there," I muttered, eyeing him warily ,his bloodlust was leaking he clearly want to kill everyone"We can't afford to make them angry."
"They underestimate us," he whispered, his voice low but firm. Then, before I could stop him, he began walking toward the palace.
This guy! He's going to get us all killed... but then again, it's either that or we die slowly anyway. I shook my head, resigned.
The drunk students from earlier, who had been groveling at Mumon's feet, turned to Shishiba with newfound hope. "Shishiba-sama, please take us with you!"
"Yes, PLEASE! Don't leave us to die!"
Mumon looked taken aback, his confidence visibly shaken as Shishiba continued his determined march forward, ignoring the pleas behind him.
I glanced back at the driver's corpse. His back had chunks of flesh torn away, exposing his ribcage, yet his front remained unscathed. My mind raced. Someone had snuck up on him " Dammit... I promise I'll come back to retrieve your corpse " I whisperd before the guards marched forward with his corpse getting him out of my sight
__________
Ring, ring, ring.
The shrill sound of a phone echoed through the dim, silent room, cutting through the stillness like a blade.
Ring, ring, ri—click.
The noise ceased abruptly, replaced by the faint splatter of liquid and the soft clink of a receiver being lifted.
"..."
"My lord, they've started moving."
"..."
No response came. The figure remained silent Without a word, they placed the phone back down, the quiet once again reclaiming the room.