---
The classroom buzzed with gossip.
Kirota sat silently at his desk, eyes fixed on the chalkboard, pretending not to hear the whispers around him. Ayame sat nearby, staring at her desk, her expression unreadable.
Then a boy suddenly spoke up from across the room.
"Hey, weren't you two at the place where that old man got killed?" he asked loudly. "Did you... see the Blackgrave?"
The entire class fell quiet, then leaned in with anticipation.
"Yeah, did you see him?" a girl echoed.
Ayame clenched her fist under the desk. Her voice was calm, but cold.
"No. I didn't see anything."
She didn't look at them. Didn't even blink.
The boy scoffed. "Seriously? You were right there and saw nothing?"
With that, the group dispersed, muttering among themselves.
Kirota glanced at Ayame, then quickly looked away.
(Was it her...? That girl...)
A flash of memory crossed his mind: a girl's hand, gently offering the old man a cup of tea.
That girl had been there.
Back in the present, Kirota turned to Ayame.
"Tell me... do you think the Blackgrave killed your mother?"
She blinked. "Yeah. My mom was famous—known for her beauty all over the world. Maybe someone got jealous. Hired the Blackgrave to get rid of her."
Kirota studied her expression.
"If that's true... then you understand, right? The Blackgrave was just doing his job. An assassin follows orders. Did you ever actually see him kill your mother?"
Ayame shook her head. "No. But my father told me he saw someone in a black coat—just like the Blackgrave wears."
Kirota looked away.
The room filled with idle chatter again. Time passed.
The bell finally rang. Students rushed out, eager to leave. Kirota stayed behind, still seated. Ayame stood up suddenly, her eyes lighting up.
"I just had an idea."
Kirota looked at her. "An idea?"
"I'm going to start a club," she declared. "A club dedicated to uncovering the truth about the Blackgrave. We'll investigate, dig into the past, and find out who's hiding under that mask."
She turned to him with a serious look.
"So? You in?"
Kirota hesitated.
(If I say no, she might get suspicious…)
He sighed. "Yeah, I'm in."
Ayame folded her arms. "Great. I'll find us a base and handle the paperwork. You recruit some members."
Kirota grabbed his bag and stood. "What's the club going to be called?"
Ayame touched her chin, thinking deeply. After a long moment, she smiled.
"We'll call it the Truth Seeker Society."
Kirota blinked.
"It means," she added, "we'll never stop until we uncover the truth."
Kirota said nothing. He simply turned and walked out of the room.
---
Outside, he approached student after student, trying to recruit.
"Want to join a club?"
"No thanks."
"Sorry, I'm busy."
"Not interested."
Rejection after rejection.
Kirota finally slumped onto a bench and sighed. "Man... I suck at this."
Just then, a commotion nearby caught his eye.
"Leave him alone!" a girl's voice shouted.
He turned to see a pink-haired girl standing protectively in front of a boy on the ground. Two older boys towered over them.
"And what'll you do about it?" one of them sneered.
She held up her phone. "I recorded everything. If you don't stop, I'll send this to the principal."
The bullies paled and ran off without another word.
The girl turned to the boy and smiled gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah... thanks to you," he said, standing up.
She beamed. "No problem! It's my dream to help people who need it. Like a real hero."
Kirota watched her from the bench, intrigued.
---
Later that afternoon...
Kirota wandered the empty courtyard. Still no new members.
Sigh.
A small bird flew past him and landed on a rock. To his surprise, it spoke.
"Look at me now. I had to change forms again," it said, sounding annoyed.
Kirota raised an eyebrow. "The cat body's gone?"
"Yeah... car ran it over," the bird sniffled dramatically. "I liked that body. Now I can't even get chicken nuggets."
Kirota narrowed his eyes. "What's the mission?"
The bird straightened up. "A man stole a million from the bank. Now the whole economy's stuck. Find him."
The bird spat out a photo. Kirota took it, pocketed it, and ran.
---
Moments later, Kirota spotted the man from the photo sprinting down the street, chased by cops. At the same time, the pink-haired girl from earlier dashed onto the scene.
"You! Stop right there! In the name of justice!" she cried.
The man grabbed her, pointing a gun to her neck.
"Nobody move, or I shoot!"
The police froze. The girl trembled.
"I… I just wanted to help people…"
A truck skidded to a stop. The man shoved her inside and sped off.
---
Night fell.
Inside the police station, officers debated.
"Do we give him the money or not?"
Far away, in his apartment, Kirota stood before a mirror. He slipped on the black coat and mask.
He was no longer Kirota.
He was the Blackgrave.
---
Moments later, he crashed through the police station window. Everyone stared.
"It's… the Blackgrave!" an officer gasped.
"I'll get the girl back," Kirota said in a deep voice. "But it'll cost you."
"How much?" another officer asked warily.
"Four thousand."
The chief looked at his partner, then nodded. "Deal. He's the only one who can do this."
Kirota turned and leapt back out into the night.
---
He infiltrated the enemy hideout, dodging bullets with ease. Throwing a black knife, he disarmed the guards one by one.
Then, his eyes turned blue—he saw a glimpse of the future.
Five armed men. An ambush.
He adjusted his position, opened the door on the right, and watched the ambush unfold on the left, just as predicted.
He acted swiftly. All five were down in seconds.
Then came the real threat—the pink-haired girl tied up, with the thief holding a gun to her head.
"I'll kill her!" the man shouted.
Kirota threw a knife, hitting the man's arm. The girl fell. He caught her in time and whispered,
"Everything will be alright."
The man screamed in rage and bit down on a red Ard crystal.
His body mutated, growing massive. With one swing, he launched Kirota across the room. Blood splattered. The girl cried out.
"You monster!" she yelled.
The man slapped her, sending her to the ground.
Kirota's hand trembled as he pushed himself up. His hand clutched a black key.
"This is the first time," he said, unlocking the seal on his right hand, "I'll go serious."
His Ard turned purple.
His eyes glowed with power.
"Ten percent," he muttered. "Poison form—Purple."
In a flash, he clashed with the transformed man. An explosion shook the building.
When the smoke cleared, the enemy was down.
And Blackgrave had vanished.
---
Back at the rooftop, Kirota watched the city.
When I use ten percent, I gain the ability 'Purple'—poison that grows deadlier the stronger my enemy is. If they touch me, they're done. That's what I used...
He sighed.
Now that girl will try to repay me. And to do that... she'll have to join our club.
---
The next day.
Kirota stood in front of a classroom door. A hand-made sign read:
Truth Seeker Society
"You actually made the club," he muttered.
Ayame walked past him. "Don't sound so impressed."
They entered the room. Ayame looked around and sighed.
"But I'm disappointed. You didn't even find a single member."
Just then—
BAM!
The door burst open.
"I want to join!" shouted a familiar voice.
The pink-haired girl from before stood there, beaming.
"My name's Eriya Kazename!"
Kirota smirked. I knew she'd show up.
Ayame blinked. "This is gonna get interesting."
---
To Be Continued...