The bloody scenes on the light screen slowly faded, but the impact they brought swept through the real-world audience like a tsunami. After a brief, dead silence, an even more intense discussion and argument broke out.
"Madman! A complete madman! Teacher Hiratsuka only wanted to protect her students, what did she do wrong?! That Hachiman Hikigaya is even more innocent! How could he bring himself to do that!" an emotional girl cried out with a sob, drawing a large number of echoes.
"Indiscriminate killing! Absolute indiscriminate killing! No matter how strong his power is, it can't hide the fact that he's an anti-social murderer!"
"Heh, the saints are at it again? When Hiratsuka Shizuka knocked him down from the third floor earlier, why didn't anyone say she was ruthless? Only the officials are allowed to set fires, while the commoners aren't allowed to light lamps?" someone immediately countered with a cold laugh.
"Can the nature of it be the same? Teacher Hiratsuka was stopping him from committing a crime; it was self-defense plus protecting other students! And she was so sad and guilty at the end! What about Kuchiba Hiro? He's expanding his revenge, killing even those who tried to dissuade him and bystanders!"
"I actually think Kuchiba Hiro's logic isn't flawed," a person who looked calmer and was trying to analyze the situation said, pushing up his glasses. "Hiratsuka Shizuka knew the inside story; it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say she's an upholder of the system. By choosing to protect Yukinoshita, she stood on the opposite side of Kuchiba Hiro, accepting this 'Karma' through her own power and actions. From Kuchiba Hiro's perspective, she is the enemy. Being kind to the enemy is being cruel to oneself—though that's a cliché, it's often the truth in a life-and-death conflict."
He paused and used an analogy: "It's like if your friend kills someone and you just watch without stopping them, or even help hide the weapon and cover for them; legally, that's called harboring a criminal, you're an accomplice! Morally, you share the guilt. What Hiratsuka Shizuka did was far worse than 'not stopping' him; she directly intervened and even almost killed Kuchiba Hiro. The moment she decided to act and possessed the corresponding ability, she was no longer an 'innocent bystander.'"
This analogy left many people in deep thought, but it also drew even stronger opposition.
"Sophistry! What about Hachiman Hikigaya then?! He should be innocent! He has no abilities at all; he's just a hot-blooded idiot who rushed out to protect his teacher! What 'Karma' does he have?!" someone shouted excitedly, pointing at the light screen, even though the tragic scene was no longer there.
The person who analyzed earlier sighed, his tone somewhat complex: "Hachiman Hikigaya... his actions are hard to judge with simple right or wrong, or whether he's innocent. Emotionally, standing up to protect his teacher was brave, even tragic. But from a rational and consequential standpoint, this behavior..."
Someone nearby interjected coldly, their words sharp and cutting to the core: "It's called 'overestimating one's abilities' and 'delivering one's head on a silver platter.' In a duel where Transcendent of that level have lost their minds to bloodlust, what other result could there be for an ordinary person rushing in, besides provoking the opponent or being crushed instantly? Did he think this was a hot-blooded school manga? That a loud shout could make the BOSS drop his sword? His death was tragic, but to some extent, he chose the worst possible way to intervene. His life distracted Kuchiba Hiro only for a fraction of a second, which might have actually stimulated Kuchiba Hiro to kill faster."
"He deserved it? That's a bit too harsh!" Some people couldn't accept such a cold evaluation.
"It's not that he deserved it, it's the 'price'," another voice rang out deeply. "If you choose to be brave, you must have the resolve to bear the worst consequences that bravery brings. He did what he thought was right and paid the price, nothing more. We cannot deny the high-risk nature and... lack of consideration of his actions in that situation just because his ending was tragic."
The debate continued. Some were angry at Kuchiba Hiro's cruelty, some admired Teacher Hiratsuka's dedication and sacrifice, some felt regret and helplessness over Hachiman's end, and some tried to rationally analyze the cruel logic of the actions.
The world in front of the light screen was completely divided by this scene, but there was no doubt that the name Kuchiba Hiro, along with the fear and reflection he brought, was deeply etched into everyone's hearts. His path of revenge was destined to be paved with more blood.
In the Service Club's activity room, the air seemed to have frozen into heavy blocks of ice, making it hard to breathe.
The bloody, extremely cruel scene on the light screen was like the sharpest icicle, ruthlessly piercing the delicate peace and aloofness that this small club room had always maintained.
Bang!
Hiratsuka Shizuka slammed her fist onto the low table in front of her, the solid wood tabletop letting out a groan of being overburdened.
The lazy and playful expression she usually wore had vanished without a trace. Her face was ashen, her lips tightly pursed, and in those eyes that always seemed indifferent to the world, a violent emotional storm was surging—it was unbelievable shock and anger, deep sorrow, and an indescribable sense of being deeply offended.
What she saw was not just her own death, but the cruel end where she exhausted her strength yet remained powerless to change anything, even involving her students in their deaths.
That sense of frustration and anger almost set her on fire. She stared fixedly at the now-calm light screen, her teeth clenching with a creaking sound, as she squeezed a low growl from her throat: "Bastard..."
Hachiman Hikigaya slumped in his chair, his face so pale it lacked any color, worse than any exhaustion he felt after staying up all night playing games.
His body trembled slightly, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. Those signature dead-fish eyes were now wide open, filled with unprecedented terror and... a hint of disillusionment.
He had seen himself rush out with his own eyes, seen his arm crushed, seen his chest collapse, and seen his life easily snuffed out like a weak flame.
The fear brought by that real, worthless death almost gripped his heart, making him feel waves of suffocation. He subconsciously touched his chest, which seemed to still be throbbing with pain; his throat was dry, and he couldn't say a single word.
All along, he had been'sacrificing' himself in his own way, thinking it was fine as long as he bore it alone. But the ending on the light screen told him how laughable and fragile his self-righteous'sacrifice' was in the face of true, overwhelming violence.
"The hero fighting the dragon... as expected, it only exists in stories..." His mind was a mess, leaving only this absurd thought.
"Ugh..." Yui Yuigahama let out an uncontrollable, small animal-like whimper. She covered her mouth tightly with both hands, large tears falling like broken pearls, uncontrollably wetting her clothes. Her shoulders shook violently, clearly deeply traumatized by the extremely bloody scene and the tragic death of someone she knew well.
Yukinoshita Yukino sat by the window, the afterglow of the setting sun dyeing half of her face in warm colors, while the other half was immersed in cold shadows.
She was motionless, like an exquisite ice sculpture. No obvious expression could be seen on her face—no fear, no sadness, not even anger, only an extreme, icy calmness. But looking closely, one would find that her hands on her knees were clenched so hard her knuckles were white and trembling slightly. her back was held straight as if bearing an invisible weight of a thousand pounds.
Her gaze fell aimlessly on empty space, but in her mind, she was frantically replaying every detail on the light screen—Kuchiba Hiro's questioning, Teacher Hiratsuka's obstruction, Hachiman's rushing figure, and finally that cruel crushing... and that name, that target—Yukinoshita.
The root of everything seemed to point to her family, her father.
A cold, viscous sense of guilt, like black mud from an abyss, slowly spread from the bottom of her heart, almost swallowing her. Was it because of her surname? Because of the 'necessary sacrifices' her family made? Was that why Teacher Hiratsuka fought to the death to protect her, and why Hachiman lost his life because of it? Was that why the man named Kuchiba Hiro came hunting with such pure hatred?
The correctness and fairness she had always pursued seemed so pale and laughable at this moment. She had always tried to escape the shadow of her family, only to find that she was already deep within it, even becoming the center of the vortex, indirectly dragging the important people around her into an irrecoverable situation.
Yukinoshita Yukino slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her fair skin. When she opened them again, all the churning emotions in those deep blue eyes were forcibly suppressed, leaving only a near-cold determination and... a trace of nearly imperceptible mockery of her own fate.
She whispered softly, almost inaudibly, her voice cold and clear: "I accept!"