When afternoon classes finally ended and it was time to go home...
Rio Futaba stood by the classroom door, her expression visibly tense as she stared down at her feet...
No, actually her view was blocked by certain body parts - she couldn't see her toes.
In any case, she stood there silently with her head lowered.
"Hey, look, she's wearing that weird outfit again today."
"Yeah, a lab coat over her uniform. Is she trying to be unique or just seeking attention?"
"Maybe she acts all cold but is actually really lewd? I mean, with a body like that, you know what I mean?"
"Haha, good point."
Listening to these comments from male classmates in the distance, pain flashed in Rio's eyes behind her thick glasses. Her hands clenched unconsciously at her sides.
Just like middle school.
Because her body developed faster than her peers, Rio had often been the subject of boys' gossip.
Coupled with her personality - not the sunny, sociable type - her reputation among female classmates wasn't great either.
There was no physical confrontation.
Just the invisible bullying of atmosphere and words.
Rio had thought transferring to a new school would mean a fresh start.
But... was it just the same?
The boys continued laughing and pointing at Rio, completely unaware - or perhaps uncaring - of the psychological damage their words inflicted.
At that moment.
"Excuse me, make way."
Ye Xing walked through, yawning, deliberately bumping into the group of whispering boys.
"Hey, are you blind or something?!"
After being roughly bumped into, the group of boys were naturally displeased, and one immediately spoke up to accuse.
Slap!
Unexpectedly, Ye Xing didn't waste a single word. He simply raised his right hand and delivered a resounding slap to the boy's face.
The crisp sound instantly silenced the bustling corridor filled with students just after school.
Rio Futaba covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.
Even the boy who'd been slapped was momentarily stunned before reacting, raising a hand to his swollen left cheek as he shouted angrily, "Y-you actually hit me?!"
The group of boys immediately closed in, surrounding Ye Xing with aggressive glares.
What they didn't expect was Ye Xing's simple response.
Slap!
Another slap—this time on the right cheek of the same boy.
"You—?!"
"What about me?"
Ye Xing swept his gaze over the boys surrounding him, his eyes filled with undisguised pride and disdain. "What status do you all have to speak to me like this? So I bumped into you—what are you going to do about it?"
The corridor fell silent.
This guy... was way too arrogant, wasn't he?
Hitting someone first and still acting so self-righteous?
The boys, being teenagers at that proud and impulsive age, couldn't tolerate such humiliation. One clenched his fist and swung at Ye Xing's annoyingly handsome face, snarling, "Let's see how arrogant you are now!"
Thud.
Before the punch could land, Ye Xing lifted a foot and kicked the boy squarely in the stomach.
The force sent him stumbling back several steps before he crumpled to the floor, clutching his abdomen and curling up like a shrimp, his face twisted in pain.
"Can't even fight properly?" Ye Xing shook his head, his tone almost instructive. "If you're going to throw a punch, make sure it puts your opponent down. Otherwise, don't bother. What is this, some kindergarten game?"
Then, clenching his right hand into a fist with his middle knuckle slightly protruding, he struck with lightning speed—hitting the precise spot just below the ribs of the remaining boys.
A blow to that area brought indescribable agony, even temporarily stopping their breathing.
The boys sat on the floor, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads from the intense pain.
Witnessing this, the students in the corridor buzzed with murmurs.
"Th-that was way too brutal..."
"Are those guys okay?"
"Hey, that guy... isn't he from Class 1-A...?"
"No wonder. That weirdo."
"Someone get a teacher...?"
Amid the chatter, Ye Xing leaned against the corridor wall, looking as if he hadn't fully woken up, standing there quietly.
The surrounding stares and whispers might as well not have existed for him.
"This..."
Rio Futaba hadn't expected things to escalate so quickly either.
She wanted to step forward, but as soon as she lifted her foot, she caught Ye Xing's glance and the slight shake of his head.
"This is... telling me not to get involved..."
Rio Futaba halted her steps.
From what she knew of Ye Xing, contrary to rumours, he wasn't the type to deliberately stir up trouble.
He even gave her the impression that he completely disregarded school affairs and students, focusing all his goals and energy on something... something of special significance.
Given this, why would Ye Xing start a fight over some trivial conflict?
The root cause...
Was it because he'd heard those people talking about her?
As Rio Futaba pondered this, several teachers had already arrived at the scene, helping the injured students to the infirmary.
Meanwhile, Ye Xing - both the instigator and perpetrator - was dragged into the office by Shizuka Hiratsuka.
"You..."
Shizuka looked both furious and helpless, clenching and shaking her fist before finally releasing it with a resigned sigh. She closed the office Gate firmly before speaking sternly.
"Why did you do this?"
Ye Xing's answer stunned her.
"Because I wanted to."
Honest to a fault.jpg
"Wanted to? Does that justify harming other students? Do you realise how much trouble—"
"Will it?"
Ye Xing shrugged, interrupting before she could finish.
"My reputation here is already rock bottom."
"At least you're self-aware."
"The school won't expel me either."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Simple."
Ye Xing sat down opposite Shizuka, speaking in a calm tone.
"At worst, I'll transfer."
Hearing this, Shizuka frowned.
"You need to understand your situation. You have a prior assault conviction from middle school—"
Ye Xing cut her off again.
"Compared to being Japan's top scorer in the unified exams, an assault record is negligible. The school isn't stupid enough to weigh my value against a few ordinary male students."
Shizuka found herself momentarily speechless.
"You... don't sound like a high schooler at all."
"That's how the world works. The capable deserve special privileges. Why else would I top Japan's exams? Precisely for this."
Shizuka rolled her eyes helplessly, thinking, 'Damn kid.'
'He actually makes sense.'
It's just a bit too realistic. Hearing such words from a high school student feels somewhat surreal.
"Let's not dwell on that for now."
Shizuka Hiratsuka also knew that, just as Ye Xing had said, once the matter was reported to the school authorities, the most likely outcome would be that it would be quietly swept under the rug.
In fact, Ye Xing had already shown considerable restraint.
If he had kicked up more of a fuss, Sobu High School might well have given those male students a probationary warning instead.
The world has never been fair.
"That club you founded—if I remember correctly, it already has four members, doesn't it? Including one from another class?"
"Yes, what about it?"
Shizuka smiled suddenly, clasping her hands together in a gesture of earnest sincerity.
"Could you do me a favour and recruit two more members?"
Ye Xing looked unsurprised.
"Touma-san and Yukinoshita-san?"
"Eh? How did you guess? Yes, those two."
Ye Xing thought to himself, 'Just as I expected.'
Did she really see his Society as some sort of gathering place for problem children?
Kazusa Touma and Yukino Yukinoshita—those two were heavyweight figures in their own right.
Their psychological issues were directly proportional to their looks.
"I refuse."
Ye Xing shook his head without hesitation.
"My Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society has serious activities to conduct. Besides, when I first established the club, it was agreed that membership would be entirely at my discretion. Shizuka-chan, you're not thinking of going back on your word now, are you?"
Shizuka gave an awkward chuckle, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Come on, do me this favour."
Only after saying this did she react to his words, frowning slightly.
"Shizuka-chan? What kind of way is that to address your teacher?"
"Don't worry about the details."
Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively.
"In any case, if they apply to join of their own accord, I might consider it. But at this stage, I don't see anything about them that would make me want to actively invite them."
"Very well then."
Shizuka was already quite satisfied with this concession.
After all, given the personalities of Kazusa Touma and Yukino Yukinoshita, it would indeed be difficult if they weren't genuinely interested in joining.
Shizuka's current train of thought bore some resemblance to Ye Xing's own reasoning back then.
'Observing Yukino Yukinoshita and Kazusa Touma, I see two rare talents. Why not devise a strategy to recruit them into the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society, where we can all drink from big bowls and eat meat with gusto?'
She needed to think of a way.
In a certain sense, Shizuka was just as dedicated and responsible a teacher as Mafuyu Kirisu.
They simply had different priorities.
After Ye Xing left, Kirisu, who had been sitting nearby and listening to the entire conversation, remarked coolly,
"Shizuka, you seem to be rather indulgent with that student."
Shizuka showed a faint, helpless smile and shook her head noncommittally.
"Perhaps his actions were somewhat impulsive and did violate school regulations."
Then she abruptly changed tack.
"But acting to help others—that motivation alone has already achieved my original purpose in having Ye Xing establish the club."
"Now then..."
Shizuka looked down at the personal files of Yukino Yukinoshita and Kazusa Touma lying on her desk, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.
"There are still plenty of problematic students."
...
After leaving the office, Ye Xing made his way once again to Rio Futaba's classroom door.
By this time, most of the students who had been spectating in the corridor had dispersed, as classes were already over for the day.
Rio sat alone in the classroom, appearing solitary and forlorn.
"Let's go."
Hearing Ye Xing's voice, Rio looked up, a flicker of delight flashing in her eyes before she adjusted her glasses and resumed her usual composed, rational demeanour. She walked slowly to the classroom door and said flatly, "Finished dealing with it?"
"Pfft, nothing much to deal with. Just a trivial matter."
As they walked side by side towards the school gates, Rio spoke softly in reminder,
"You should try to attract less attention in future. Even if the school shows you some leniency because of your grades, there are limits. There's no need to waste your privileges on standing up for me."
"Waste? That doesn't sound too pleasant to hear."
Ye Xing shrugged.
"I'd say this is the most correct use of my privileges yet."
Rio pressed her lips together, her eyes glimmering.
"Then... how many times have you used them in total?"
"Seems like just this once."
"..."
Rio was silent for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Haha, hahahaha."
Watching her laugh until she could barely straighten up, Ye Xing looked at her speechlessly.
"Have you lost it?"
"You're the one who's lost it."
Rio lifted her glasses frame with one hand while wiping tears from the corners of her eyes with the other.
"Ye Xing, you really are a strange one."
"Likewise, Futaba."
...
Meanwhile, at the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department.
"Any results from the investigation?"
It was the familiar operations room with the same personnel, and at the head sat Director Soichiro Yagami of the Criminal Affairs Bureau.
"Well..."
At his question, the officers exchanged glances. One of them answered helplessly,
"We've checked customer records from all speciality stores in Kyoto, but none match. Director Yagami, should we expand the search to all of Japan?"
"No need."
Soichiro had never expected to find clues about the unidentified individual through limited-edition coats.
Even if they expended manpower to widen the search, it would be futile.
Soichiro turned to the officer beside him and asked gravely,
"Any useful leads from reviewing nearby surveillance footage?"
"Nothing."
The officer sighed.
"We've checked all CCTV within a three-kilometre radius but found no trace whatsoever of the subject. There's no way to determine their movement pattern—it's almost as if... they descended from the sky directly into Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten."
At these words, silence fell over the operations room.
Last time at the scene, under the watchful eyes of all officers, Ye Xing had walked through the Gate and disappeared.
It was as if he'd vanished into thin air before everyone.
"Could it be... someone with supernatural abilities?"
Under normal circumstances, such an outrageous suggestion would have drawn ridicule from colleagues.
But this time, the operations room remained deathly quiet.
"Supernatural abilities" - that term was simply too absurd.
Yet, they couldn't think of any other explanation.
Killing over twenty armed robbers barehanded was already unbelievable enough.
Add to that leaving no traces when coming or going...
Could there truly be people with special abilities in this world?
"Perhaps... we should seek that person's opinion?"
Someone's cautious suggestion, like opening Pandora's box, was immediately met with opposition.
"The severity of the incident hasn't reached that level yet, has it?"
"We should conduct our own investigation."
"I really don't want to work with that guy."
"After all, this is just an incident confined to Kyoto City, not some disaster threatening the entire prefecture. That person wouldn't intervene anyway, would they?"
Everyone present here was a key member of Kyoto's Metropolitan Police Department, along with elite officers transferred from other regions.
Even the few uninformed individuals quickly understood after asking those around them.
The person they were discussing was none other than the world's number one detective, known as L.
There were many legends about L, with opinions divided.
Some even claimed L wasn't a real person, but an AI developed through international cooperation to reduce crime rates.
The only universally acknowledged fact was that no matter how complex or incomprehensible the case, L could solve it effortlessly.
Such was the calibre of the world's greatest detective.
"But..."
A Metropolitan Police Department member sitting at the end of the table spoke hesitantly.
"Has everyone forgotten the most crucial question?"
Soichiro Yagami asked expressionlessly.
"What question? Speak freely, no need for reservations."
The officer swallowed nervously under everyone's gaze before speaking slowly.
"Can that mysterious person wearing the black mask really be considered... a criminal?"
The question landed heavily, silencing the room.
Indeed.
Could that unidentified individual they called "Mask" truly be considered a criminal?
Admittedly, the person had killed people and bombed Kyoto Municipal Kindergarten's building - these two points were indisputable.
So here's the question.
What would have happened if "Mask" hadn't appeared when he did?
As time passed, pressured by public and media scrutiny, the Metropolitan Police Department's forces would inevitably have launched a frontal assault.
The outcome would have been being buried under collapsed buildings, dying a glorious death.
No—failing to rescue even a single hostage couldn't be called glorious.
Metropolitan Police Department officers represent the law, but they're also human.
And being human means being swayed by emotions, unable to maintain absolute rationality.
In the end, it was Soichiro Yagami, Director of the Criminal Affairs Bureau, who took a deep breath and delivered the final verdict.
"Regardless of who 'Mask' is, possessing such incomprehensible abilities makes him a security risk that must be addressed."
"As defenders of the law, we in the Metropolitan Police Department cannot pursue only justice in outcomes while turning a blind eye to injustice in the process."
"Only power under regulation and supervision provides the greatest safeguard for law and justice."
"As for requesting that individual's assistance... let's hold off for now. Continue the investigation and don't miss any leads."
"Of course, while investigating 'Mask's' identity, we mustn't forget that reducing Kyoto's crime rate and protecting citizens' safety remains our primary duty."
"That's all. Meeting adjourned."
...
Elsewhere.
On the way home under escort, Rio Futaba suddenly stopped walking, her usually composed face showing rare traces of unease.
"Y-Ye Xing, I feel... someone's watching me again."
Hearing this, Ye Xing's gaze remained fixed ahead of them.
To Rio Futaba's eyes, the space before them was empty—there was nothing there.
But in Ye Xing's vision stood a girl who could only be described with the word "radiant."
Mai Sakurajima glanced at the nervous Rio Futaba before turning her attention to Ye Xing, who was staring directly at her face, and softly spoke.
"You... can really see me."