"Ojou-sama, are you absolutely sure about this?"
After the intense match between Azuki and Kinua, Kodama wasted zero time calling Suzuki and Takeru to the stage for the next demonstration. But truthfully, she felt a heavy pang of regret about calling Suzuki up. She knew that after what she was about to do, his memory of her would be ruined forever.
I know. I won't kill him... I think.
Her true target was crystal clear: Takeru.
It was inexplicable, and it would undoubtedly confuse the audience, but the moment Kodama saw that magatama birthmark on Takeru's chest, her blood practically boiled. An ancient, instinctual command screamed in her mind, telling her that the boy with that mark had to die. Immediately.
"But it's way too dangerous to do it right now, in front of the entire academy!" the voice reasoned frantically in her head. "Also, what about him? Don't you like the other one? If you casually murder his roommate, won't he hate you forever?"
"...What are you talking about? I don't like him at all!" Kodama hissed under her breath, her face flushing a bright, defensive crimson.
"..."
"But..." Kodama took a deep, shaky breath, steeling her resolve. "This is my duty. It's the entire reason I exist. Even if the price is his hatred... I have prepared myself for this."
"Ojou..."
"...Is she talking to herself?" Takeru whispered, leaning closer to Suzuki. "That girl is seriously weird."
While Kodama might have thought her internal conversation was subtle, to Takeru and Suzuki standing just a few feet away, it looked incredibly bizarre. The distant crowd couldn't tell, but the two boys clearly saw her muttering under her breath to absolutely no one.
"Instead of worrying about her, you should be preparing yourself, Takeru," Suzuki replied smoothly, though he sighed internally.
He knew perfectly well that Takeru didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Thanks to the Manager accessing his sealed memories of the plot, Suzuki knew exactly what was about to happen: this was the moment Takeru was supposed to be assassinated.
"Why should I prepare?" Takeru blinked, looking entirely clueless.
"Because we have to defend ourselves. She's going to attack."
Suzuki resisted the urge to rub his temples. This was how classic harem protagonists usually were. Unprepared, unreliable, dense, and slightly useless. Why did authors write them this way? Supposedly, it made them relatable self-inserts for the readers.
"Fight her?" Takeru murmured, his face paling as he recalled the sheer destruction caused by Azuki and Kinua a moment ago.
Could he really fight a woman? Unlike Suzuki, who believed in absolute, ruthless gender equality when fists started flying, Takeru was shackled by trauma. His mother had died in a martial arts duel, leaving him an orphan because of foolish martial pride. He had sworn never to fight women.
I can't do this.
"Are we actually going to fight her?" Takeru asked nervously.
"If you don't want to fight, then run," Suzuki replied deadpan.
"....."
Takeru blinked. "Can I really just... run?"
"Is anyone stopping you?"
"....." Takeru looked at the exit, then back at Kodama. Part of him desperately wanted to flee, but running away from a girl in front of the entire school was just too uncool.
While Takeru wrestled with his fragile masculinity, Suzuki turned his gaze to Kodama.
Among all the heroines in this chaotic world, she was undeniably the most unique. She was shrouded in mystery, and physically, she stood in stark contrast to the others.
If Haruko was the absolute peak of mature, suffocatingly lewd Japanese beauty, Kodama was the epitome of the 'cute' archetype. She lacked the massive, bouncing assets and mature allure of the other girls. Her body was petite, slender, and practically flat. Yet, despite lacking traditional womanly sex appeal, her fierce, confident energy made her incredibly popular. Sometimes, sheer cuteness was a more devastating weapon than raw sex appeal.
Then again, Suzuki reminded himself, I should be focusing on getting my stable government career, not comparing the heroines.
"Once again, I am asking you, are we really doing this right now, Ojou?" the invisible voice asked Kodama again.
"Don't worry. I won't kill him instantly. I'll just use a localized lightning strike to forcefully stop his heart."
"H-How is that any different from killing him?!"
"It's entirely different."
Her hidden Shikigami—a familiar completely invisible to everyone else—was frantic with worry. But Kodama's mind was set. She was born with this bloodline, and this was her inescapable destiny.
"At least it won't be a bloody spectacle. The true effect won't trigger until I detonate the thunder bomb inside his chest," Kodama reasoned coldly.
From what she could sense, Takeru hadn't even awakened his Element. He was defenseless. He was the ancient enemy, and she was going to eliminate him right here, right now.
"Now then, newcomers! Give it your best shot!"
At Principal Minori's shout, the crowd erupted into cheers. Suzuki and Takeru stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing Kodama.
To the uninformed male freshmen, seeing two guys team up against one petite girl looked incredibly cowardly. But the upperclassmen girls, who knew exactly how terrifying Kodama's combat prowess was, thought the boys were actually being smart.
Unfortunately, Takeru wasn't being smart. He thought this was just a friendly, choreographed spar.
He was dead wrong.
Kodama made her move. Her playful demeanor vanished instantly, her eyes darkening with pure, concentrated killing intent.
Bzzt!
Violent, crackling lightning suddenly enveloped her right palm. Moving with the blinding speed of a seasoned assassin, she lunged forward, aiming to thrust her electrified hand straight into Takeru's chest and plant the lethal thunder bomb.
In that split second, the senior students in the crowd realized she wasn't holding back. Takeru was in actual, mortal danger!
But before anyone could intervene, before Takeru even registered the lightning racing toward his heart...
Suzuki smoothly stepped directly in front of him.
"Sorry, Senpai," Suzuki said calmly, his voice easily cutting through the crackle of electricity. "But I really don't want a girl I like to become a murderer on her first day."
"What?!"
Kodama's eyes widened in sheer panic. She was moving too fast. She couldn't stop her momentum, and her lethal strike was now aimed directly at Suzuki's chest!
Stop! Stop! she screamed internally.
But Suzuki wasn't the weak, defenseless Mob-A he appeared to be.
As the crackling thunder palm closed in, Suzuki's own hands moved in a fluid, perfect blur. A dense, invisible layer of raw Element surged around his palms, creating an impenetrable barrier.
Smack.
Suzuki effortlessly caught her electrified wrist. The lethal lightning grounded out instantly against his aura, fizzling into harmless sparks.
He had stopped her dead in her tracks.
"..."
Kodama stared up at him in absolute shock.
But she wasn't the only one stunned. While the freshmen just thought it was a cool block, the upperclassmen and faculty in the room were staring at Suzuki in complete, terrified awe.
To catch a full-power elemental strike bare-handed required a mastery of the Element that took years, sometimes decades, to achieve.
Suzuki simply smiled down at the trembling girl, completely unaware that his simple act of defense had just irreparably shattered his dream of a boring, peaceful high school life.