Ryunosuke didn't speak much more. He pulled out an art knife identical to the one used during the lesson as a sample to show the Dark Magician Girl.
"Check inside that room and see if there are any that look exactly like this. If there are, let me know."
The Dark Magician Girl nodded, then slipped back into Ryuen's room. Not long after, she emerged again while shaking her head, indicating that she didn't see them.
Ryunosuke did the same thing, bringing the Dark Magician Girl to sneak into Ayanokouji's room, but unfortunately still found nothing.
"How strange, this guy doesn't have them either. Then, in whose hands are those art knives?"
◆━⊰✿✧...✿⊱━◆
On the other side, Ayanokouji was still on the rooftop of the building, facing Megumi with a flat expression. The wind blew against his mask-like, rigid face, as if everything were within his calculations.
He had already guessed that Ryunosuke might sneak into his room, so he had hidden the art knives beforehand to be used as a final piece of leverage.
From the very beginning, Ayanokouji did not want to be expelled from school. He always left a way out for himself. If he failed, he still possessed a trump card for negotiations. Therefore, he said to Megumi:
"Um, can we talk? I have a way to help Akasaka resolve the current crisis..."
How could Megumi possibly listen to him. She slowly raised her dagger. "You are the one who made Ryunosuke-kun suffer so much. If you don't leave something behind here, I will feel very miserable as well."
Megumi clearly had no intention of letting him off.
Ayanokouji voiced a rather realistic problem.
"Right now I can observe your presence. What exactly can you do to me?"
Megumi stepped forward pace by pace, slowly drawing closer. "Since childhood, my presence has been extremely thin. In order to gain more attention from others, I desperately cast aside my 'presence' and suppressed the thing that could turn me into 'nothingness'."
"I don't know what it actually is, but I am well aware that once I let it out, others will no longer be able to observe me."
While uttering those terrifying words, Megumi's figure vanished once more, and this time even Ayanokouji could not detect her.
Ayanokouji only felt a cold sensation on his neck, a drop of blood sliding down from the blade's edge. Even though he instinctively managed to pull back his distance, his arm was still stabbed by Megumi.
He clutched his stabbed arm. Though his face remained expressionless, his mind was deeply shaken.
(I clearly engraved the information about Kato Megumi onto my arm, why can I still ignore her presence?)
Megumi flicked the remaining blood off the blade of her knife and continued to murmur to herself. "I can still lower my presence even further, but if I do, it will be even harder for others to observe me, and that is not what I want."
"Besides, there is a certain risk where I cannot return to a normal state within a short time; I will remain in this condition for the time being."
Megumi pictured Ryunosuke in her mind. "But that doesn't matter anymore. Even if I cannot be observed by others, I don't care. As long as Ryunosuke-kun can see me, I am satisfied."
Ayanokouji chose to flee. Megumi did not pursue him, but instead slowly lowered her dagger and walked alone on the streets.
Time and again, people accidentally bumped into her, but there was no longer anyone who could see her. In the past, people at least realized someone was there, but now, she was completely invisible, exactly like a transparent person.
Megumi sighed. This sort of thing was nothing new to her, and this condition would usually persist for two or three days before subsiding.
Her footsteps quickened. She wanted to meet that person, she wanted to see him right away! She felt anxious. She feared that the only person who cared about her, the only person who could observe her, also could no longer see her.
Megumi arrived at Ryunosuke's dormitory. She pushed open the entrance door and saw him with his back turned to her, sitting on the tatami with his hands supporting his cheeks over the table, looking as if he were deep in thought.
Megumi's heart rate quickened. She called out softly, "Ryunosuke-kun...", wanting to verify the worry in her heart. Even she herself did not realize how panicked she was at that moment.
Ryunosuke heard someone calling him and turned toward her.
"You're home, Megumi?"
Megumi's heart finally settled, returning to her usual demeanor. "I'm home, Ryunosuke-kun."
Ryunosuke noticed something strange about Megumi and knitted his brows. "What's wrong with you? Did something happen?"
Megumi shook her head and sat down naturally beside Ryunosuke. "Nothing, don't think about things that aren't there."
She didn't want to make him worry. However, Ryunosuke saw the residual bloodstains on Megumi. He thought the girl had attacked Ayanokouji and experienced psychological trauma. He slowly clasped Megumi's small hand that was resting on her knee.
"Don't worry about anything. I'm here. Even if you really finished off Ayanokouji, I will still accompany you, even on a dark path."
His meaning was, even if a murder occurred, he would still stand on Megumi's side. For Ryunosuke, the people he cared about were the most important, and others only ranked at the very back.
Perhaps some would call him selfish, but that was just how he was. He prioritized protecting the things most important to him, and only helped others if he still had remaining energy. Ryunosuke did not feel he was noble; he was just an ordinary human.
Megumi's lips slowly curved into a smile. She leaned her head against Ryunosuke's shoulder. It was just that her figure appeared slightly transparent as a side effect of her power when facing Ayanokouji.
(I only need Ryunosuke-kun, I don't need anyone else.)
"Can you promise me one thing? Please don't forget me."
Facing Megumi's request, Ryunosuke answered without hesitation, while placing his hand on the girl's shoulder and pulling her into an embrace.
"Rest assured, I will never forget you."
Megumi gently touched Ryunosuke's lips with her finger. "Your promise, I have accepted it."
She asked for something from Ryunosuke as a gift. Ryunosuke complied, and it was done without any protection whatsoever. The emotional atmosphere had already reached its peak; such a thing was no longer needed.
The two made love throughout the night.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
The next day.
Ryunosuke finally found Ayanokouji to deliver judgment. This was a last resort that could not be avoided. He had no other choice.
And Ayanokouji was also well aware of this, so he came to Ryunosuke's place and sat there. It was just that at this moment he was fully dressed in medieval silver armor, with even his face and neck protected.
Ryunosuke really wanted to ask if it was necessary to go to that extent, but after glancing at Megumi beside him, he thought to himself that it was indeed very necessary.
After receiving "sustenance" from the night before, Megumi even looked at Ayanokouji with a slightly friendlier gaze, and did not immediately pull out her dagger to slash him.