The next morning, at the gate of Ekoda High School, students were walking into the campus in twos and threes. Kaito Kuroba immediately spotted Akako Koizumi standing alone to the side, her face clearly unwell. There were faint shadows under her eyes, and those ruby eyes that were always full of spirit now appeared somewhat dim and irritable, exuding a low-pressure aura of "stay away."
Kaito walked over quickly and asked in a low voice with concern and urgency, "Akako, how was it yesterday? Did you see Kanjuro? He..."
"Shut up!"
Before he could finish, he was sharply interrupted by Akako Koizumi. She jerked her head around, her gaze as sharp as a knife, carrying an emotion Kaito had never seen before—a mixture of shame, anger, and some deeper level of confusion.
"I'm in a very bad mood right now and don't want to mention anything about that person!" Her voice was somewhat shrill; rather than scolding Kaito, she seemed more like she was trying to convince herself. "Stay away from me!"
Kaito was stunned by her sudden flare of temper, completely baffled. In his expectations, Akako would have either successfully gathered intelligence or encountered some tough resistance, but it definitely shouldn't be this... state of being seriously troubled by something, even somewhat out of control. This wasn't like the usually confident and arrogant Akako Koizumi who had everything under control.
"Hey, Akako, what exactly..." Kaito frowned, wanting to ask more.
Just then, a lazy and magnetic voice, carrying just the right amount of amusement, came from not far away:
"Good morning, Akako."
This voice acted like magic, making Akako Koizumi, who was in the middle of her anger, suddenly stiffen. She almost subconsciously turned her head and looked toward the source of the sound.
At the school gate bathed in the morning light, Kanjuro was leaning leisurely against a cherry blossom tree. He was still wearing the Sobu High School uniform, a mysterious slight smile on his handsome face, his gaze landing precisely on Akako Koizumi as if the bustling crowd around them were non-existent background.
Why was he here?! And at this time and place?!
Koizumi Akako's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably. The terrifying truth revealed by the Magic Mirror last night and that inexplicable attraction surged into her heart again, making her forget to react for a moment as she just stared at him blankly.
Kanjuro seemed quite satisfied with her reaction. He straightened up and walked over unhurriedly, completely ignoring the dumbfounded Kaito Kuroba, whose gaze had instantly become incredibly wary.
He came to a stop in front of Koizumi Akako and leaned down slightly, close enough for her to clearly smell that faint, dangerous yet alluring scent on him that was like the dark night.
"You..." Koizumi Akako finally found her voice, asking with a trace of imperceptible trembling while forcing herself to remain calm, "What do you want to do now?"
Hearing this, Kanjuro let out a light chuckle, his deep eyes seemingly able to see through all her disguises and struggles. He reached out and naturally tucked a strand of her purplish-red hair, blown messy by the morning breeze, behind her ear, the movement so gentle it was almost intimate.
"Nothing in particular," his voice was low and gentle, yet carried an unquestionable sense of control, "I just... wanted to come see you. Is that not allowed?"
This intimate gesture and straightforward words were like an electric current running through Koizumi Akako's entire body. She should be angry, she should push him away immediately, she should loudly denounce this... this nominal "father"!
However, the damned curiosity deep in her heart, along with the bloodline-derived desire to investigate sparked by his powerful charm and mystery, grew wildly like vines, entangling her reason. She wanted to know more; she wanted to know what kind of existence this man was—the one who had given her half her life, yet symbolized ultimate darkness.
This contradictory emotion left her flustered. To hide the turmoil in her heart, she jerked her head to the side, dodging the touch of his fingers. Her face instantly switched back to her usual haughty and willful expression, like an annoyed kitten.
"Hmph! Who wants you to come see me! This is so random!" She snorted coldly, her tone deliberately sounding impatient. "I'm going to class, I don't have time for you!"
After saying that, she didn't even dare to look at Kanjuro again, nor did she dare to look at Kaito's suspicious and uncertain gaze. She almost stumbled over her own feet in a near-flight as she hurried through the school gates, leaving that slender and dangerous figure behind her.
Kanjuro watched her back as she practically fled, making no move to stop her. The pleasant curve of his lips deepened. He knew that the seeds of "curiosity" and "attraction" had already been deeply planted in her heart. Whether it was resistance or tsundere behavior, it was all just a bit of pointless struggling before drawing closer to the flame.
Meanwhile, Kaito watched this scene with his brow furrowed tightly. He keenly sensed that something extremely unusual that he didn't know about must have happened between Akako and Kanjuro. Kanjuro's overly intimate attitude toward Akako, and Akako's abnormal reaction... all of it carried an aura that made him very uneasy.
Kanjuro only seemed to notice Kaito's presence then. He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Kaito nonchalantly. His eyes were calm and waveless, yet held a condescending indifference as if he saw through everything. Then, he also turned and walked leisurely toward the direction of Sobu High School, leaving Kaito standing alone on the spot, his heart filled with clouds of doubt and deeper worry.
Kanjuro's nonchalant yet malicious attitude, along with his certainty about Aoko as if everything was within his grasp, was like a lit fuse that instantly ignited the anger and worry Kaito Kuroba had been suppressing in his heart.
"Kanjuro!" Kaito lunged forward, grabbing Kanjuro's collar and slamming him hard against the nearby wall with a dull thud. His face, which usually wore a cynical smile, was now covered in a shadow of rage, and his blue eyes burned with a raging fire. "I don't care what you did to Akako or what despicable means you used! I won't let you target Aoko either! If you dare to hurt them, I will absolutely, positively never let you off!!"
His voice was somewhat hoarse from agitation, and his knuckles were white from the force of gripping Kanjuro's collar. A few scattered students were startled by the sudden conflict and stopped to watch, yet none dared to approach.
However, despite being treated so roughly, Kanjuro didn't show the slightest panic or anger. He didn't even try to break free, simply looking down at Kaito with a gaze that was almost pitying, like looking at a misbehaving child (even though Kaito was similar to him in height, his presence was completely suppressed at this moment).
"Not let me off?" A mocking curve hooked at the corner of Kanjuro's mouth. His voice remained steady, yet every word was like an icicle piercing Kaito's heart. "Kaito Kuroba, or should I say... Kaitou Kid? You should worry about yourself first."
He deliberately lowered his voice, and that last name was like a whisper, yet it made Kaito's whole body shudder.
"You can't even protect the person you want to protect most, yet you're here making threats at me. Don't you think that's laughable?" Kanjuro's gaze was like a cold scalpel, dissecting Kaito's sense of powerlessness. "As for the people around you..."
He leaned in slightly, ignoring the hand clutching his collar, and whispered in a cruel tone as if declaring an established fact:
"Whether it's that confused Koizumi Akako, or Nakamori Aoko who is currently being driven mad thinking about her origins... they will both be 'taken' by me sooner or later. This is a predetermined conclusion; your struggle is meaningless."
"Aoko..." Hearing Aoko's name and her current state mentioned so contemptuously, the string of Kaito's reason snapped instantly! Thinking of Aoko's suffering as she was troubled by dreams and confined to her home, all his calm and schemes were thrown to the wind, and rage consumed his last shred of restraint.
"You bastard—!!" Kaito roared, his right hand clenched into a fist. Carrying the full strength of his body, he swung it violently at Kanjuro's detestable face! He wanted to beat this demon, who played with the fates of others and hurt those he cared about, into a pulp!
However, just as his fist was about to touch the bridge of Kanjuro's nose—
Kanjuro moved.
His movement was faster than the limit of what the naked eye could capture, appearing as nothing more than a blurry afterimage. Kaito didn't even see how he moved; he only felt a terrifying, overwhelming force strike his abdomen!
Boom—!
A dull thud sounded.
Kaito's punch hit nothing but air. He was sent flying back like he'd been hit head-on by a speeding truck, crashing heavily onto the ground several meters away and kicking up a cloud of dust. A tearing pain radiated from his abdomen, causing him to instantly curl up. It felt as if his internal organs had shifted out of place, and even breathing became difficult.
He struggled to lift his head, his vision somewhat blurred from the pain. He could only see Kanjuro still standing there elegantly, unhurriedly straightening his rumpled collar as if he had just casually brushed away a speck of dust.
Kanjuro looked down at the fallen Kaito with cold eyes devoid of any warmth.
"Overestimating yourself," he said flatly. His tone didn't even bother to convey contempt; there was only pure indifference.
Having said that, he didn't spare another glance for the painfully curled-up Kaito, as if he were just an insignificant obstacle on the side of the road. He turned and walked with composed steps, disappearing in the direction of Sobu High School.
A few suppressed gasps and whispers came from the surroundings, but no one dared to step forward to help Kaito up.
Kaito lay on the cold ground, the sharp pain in his abdomen far outweighed by the frustration and anger in his heart. For the first time, he clearly felt the despairing gap in strength between them. In the face of Kanjuro's inhuman power, all his techniques, intelligence, and even his full-strength rage seemed so pale and laughable.
And Kanjuro's final words about Aoko and Akako were like a vicious curse lingering in his ears, making him feel a bone-chilling coldness. Protection? He couldn't even get close to that demon; how could he talk about protecting those he cared about?
A deep sense of powerlessness and an even stronger determination intertwined and burned within Kaito's aching body. He knew that against Kanjuro, conventional means were completely ineffective. He had to find a new way, he had to become stronger, or... find the key that could truly restrain that dark power.
This brief and one-sided conflict at the school gate was like a bucket of ice water, waking Kaito from his rage and making him more clearly realize what a terrifying existence they were about to face. The bell for the first morning class had already rung, and most students in the classroom were already seated. When Kaito Kuroba walked into the classroom with his head down, limping and trying his best to hide the bruises on his face and the dust all over him, he still immediately drew attention.
He had a visible bruise on his cheekbone, his lip was split and bleeding slightly, and his school uniform was covered in dust. He looked miserable, a far cry from his usual high-spirited and occasionally mischievous self.
Nakamori Aoko, who had been staring absent-mindedly out the window with empty eyes, was stunned when she caught sight of Kaito in this state. Worry instantly overrode the depression and suspicion she had felt these past few days, and she almost subconsciously stood up and hurried to Kaito's side.
"Kaito!" Aoko lowered her voice, her tone filled with shock and a trace of imperceptible concern. "You... what happened to you? Did you get into a fight?"
Kaito originally wanted to brush it off, but the pain in his abdomen and the frustration in his heart made him irritable. Especially seeing Aoko still wearing that expression of being kept in the dark, a surge of nameless fire mixed with a protective urge welled up. He snapped, almost blurting it out with his voice rising from agitation:
"Who else could it be?! It was that Kanjuro!"
The name "Kanjuro" was like a forbidden switch that made Aoko's face turn pale instantly. She looked at Kaito with a complex gaze, her brow furrowed with a mix of confusion and reproach. "Why... why did you go and provoke him? Didn't I say I would handle my own affairs?!"
Her words were intended as worry for Kaito getting hurt, mixed with frustration over her own unsolvable situation. However, to Kaito, who had just suffered a crushing defeat and was thinking only of standing up for her, they sounded very different.
Kaito jerked his head up, his blue eyes a mix of pain, anger, and the grievance of "not being understood." He stared at Aoko, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion:
"I provoked him?! I did it for you! I couldn't stand how he treats you! I couldn't stand him making you so restless! I wanted to teach him a lesson for you! Even if... even if it was just to show him a thing or two!"
He almost shouted it, his voice sounding abrupt in the quiet classroom, drawing more surprised glances from his classmates. But Kaito didn't care right now; he just felt an intense tightness in his chest.
Aoko was stunned by his words.
She looked at the clear bruises on Kaito's face, the genuine anger in his eyes, and the wretched state he was in after trying to stand up for her. Then she thought back to her own cold words and displaced anger toward Kaito these past few days because of the mystery of her origins... A strong wave of guilt and emotion surged into her heart like a tide, instantly breaking down the icy barriers she had built up recently.
It turned out... while she was struggling, suffering, and even resenting everyone alone, Kaito had been trying to protect her in his own way. Even knowing the opponent was such a terrifying existence, he had charged forward without hesitation... Tears quickly filled Aoko's eyes, and she bit her lower lip hard to keep them from falling. She reached out, seemingly wanting to touch the injury on Kaito's face, but stopped mid-air, her voice carrying a clear sob and a softened tenderness:
"Idiot... You're such a big idiot..."
She sniffled, trying hard to calm her emotions, but her gaze gradually became resolute.
"Who asked you to meddle and try to teach him a lesson... Look at yourself, getting beaten up like this..."
Her tone was full of heartache, but then, she raised her hand and wiped her eyes hard with her sleeve, as if she had made some kind of decision.
"My business... I will go find him myself and get a clear answer to resolve it. You... don't go looking for him anymore, it's too dangerous."
After speaking, she gave Kaito a deep look. That gaze was no longer the initial emptiness and suspicion, nor the recent worry and heartache, but a complex light mixed with gratitude, guilt, and an unprecedented determination. Then, she turned and quickly returned to her seat, leaving Kaito standing alone, clutching his still-aching abdomen, watching her back with a complicated mood.
Kaito could feel that Aoko seemed different. The emotion touched by his injuries, and that phrase "I will resolve it myself," didn't seem like spite or avoidance, but rather contained a kind of bridge-burning courage.
He didn't know if his painful "lesson" had backfired, instead strengthening Aoko's resolve to face Kanjuro directly. But at least... she was no longer treating him with that cold, distant attitude.
The whispers in the classroom gradually subsided, but a new, heavier unease spread through Kaito's heart. Aoko wants to "resolve it herself"? Facing that demon Kanjuro? This sounded even more terrifying than him challenging Kanjuro himself.
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