The sunlight still fell equally on every inch of Sobu High School, as if the darkness that had overturned perception and ethics in that apartment last night had never existed. Kanjuro, wearing a crisp school uniform with an impeccable gentle smile on his face, walked into the classroom with a composed gait. Like a drop of water, he blended perfectly into this sea of youth, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Yui Yuigahama immediately greeted him with a sweet smile, handing him a lunch box that was clearly prepared with care. Although Miura Yumiko still wore her haughty expression, her eyes unconsciously followed him. Ebina Hina pushed up her glasses, watching in silence. Tsurumi Rumi followed him like a little tail, huddling close whenever she had the chance. Everything was the same as usual; he was still the center of the circle of girls.
Meanwhile, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Miwako Sato's changes caught the attention of a few observant colleagues. She still showed up to work on time, handled documents, and attended meetings, but the sharp edge that once made her shine—the stubborn pursuit of the truth—seemed to have vanished. The files regarding Kanjuro and the campsite case were silently locked deep in her drawer, never to be mentioned again.
When Takagi Wataru cautiously asked about the follow-up investigation, she only shook her head in a daze, her eyes looking out the window hollowly as she whispered, "Maybe... it really was just a coincidence. Since the higher-ups have decided, there's no point in investigating further."
Everything felt like a lifetime ago. Sometimes, alone in the dead of night, scenes from the apartment last night would uncontrollably surface in her mind—not the struggle and fear, but rather the occasional "understanding" in Kanjuro's deep eyes that seemed to see right through her, the temperature of his fingertips that were cold yet brought a shivering sensation, and that twisted "sense of security" where responsibility was bizarrely stripped away after being controlled by absolute power.
She discovered with horror that she could... understand a little bit why those girls were so obsessed with him, and why Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't break free despite her fear. Kanjuro truly possessed a fatal attraction, a mix of danger, mystery, and the illusion of being able to see through and satisfy one's deepest, most secret desires. He could even create a "past" for you out of thin air, making it feel natural for you to depend on him.
"Maybe... he's just 'loving' his 'daughters' in his own way..." This thought slithered into her mind like a venomous snake, making her whole body shudder. It was followed by a surge of immense self-loathing, yet she couldn't completely dispel it. Her faith was being corroded, and her cognitive baseline was shifting.
During the lunch break, a light pitter-patter of footsteps came from the hallway outside the classroom. Hachiman Hikigaya's lively and cheerful younger sister, Komachi Hikigaya, came to find her brother while carrying a cute lunch box.
"Onii-chan! Lunch is here!" Komachi's energetic voice broke through the noise of the hallway.
Hachiman Hikigaya took the lunch box, habitually scanning his surroundings with his dead-fish eyes. When his gaze met Kanjuro's, who was looking over with a smile, his face suddenly darkened. He almost subconsciously turned his body to block Komachi's line of sight, whispering urgently, "Komachi, let's go. We're eating on the roof."
However, Komachi had already noticed Kanjuro. Her large eyes sparkled with curiosity and a subtle hint of admiration as she looked at Kanjuro's handsome and gentle appearance. She broke free from her brother's hand and instead took the initiative to bow slightly toward Kanjuro, revealing a bright smile: "Ye Xiao-senpai, good day!"
The smile on Kanjuro's face deepened, appearing more sincere and infectious. His gaze fell softly on Komachi, as if he were admiring an interesting new toy, and then he said to Hachiman Hikigaya, "Classmate Hikigaya, your sister is truly cute."
His tone was ordinary, yet it made Hachiman Hikigaya's hair stand on end instantly; a cold sense of crisis gripped his heart.
Immediately after, Kanjuro let out a soft sigh. That sigh contained a perfect touch of envy and regret that lowered one's guard. He looked at Komachi and said in a low voice to Hachiman Hikigaya, though it also sounded like he was talking to himself:
"I really want such a... cute sister too."
These words were like a silent thunderclap exploding in Hachiman Hikigaya's ears. He suddenly pulled Komachi behind him and stared intently at Kanjuro's still-gentle smiling face with an unprecedented look of vigilance and even fear.
Kanjuro simply maintained that perfect smile. His gaze passed over the defensive Hachiman and finally landed on the innocent Komachi Hikigaya behind him, who seemed completely unaware of the impending danger. In the depths of his eyes, a dark, predatory light flickered and vanished.
"What... what do you want?!" Hachiman Hikigaya's voice trembled uncontrollably. He subconsciously took half a step back, shielding Komachi even more tightly as if Kanjuro were some man-eating beast. His dead-fish eyes were filled with unprecedented vigilance and fear—an extreme reaction to an unknown danger rooted in instinct.
Komachi Hikigaya, however, poked her head out from behind her brother, blinking her large eyes as she looked at the two tense people with some confusion. "Brother? Ye Xiao-oniichan is so handsome and gentle to people. Although I've heard he's a playboy with many girlfriends... you don't need to be this worried, right?" Her tone was innocent; she clearly couldn't understand her brother's overreaction.
"Playboy?" Kanjuro burst out laughing upon hearing this, seemingly finding the evaluation quite interesting. Instead of getting angry, he looked at Komachi even more gently. Ignoring Hachiman Hikigaya's almost fiery gaze, he naturally reached out his hand, intending to stroke Komachi's smooth hair, his tone soft. "Komachi is truly innocent and cute..."
"Don't touch her!"
Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly moved, forcefully pushing away Kanjuro's reaching hand. He almost shouted it out, his usually listless face now slightly distorted by anger and fear. This was the first time he had lost his composure so much in public, expressing such a strong emotion so clearly.
The commotion here immediately drew the attention of those around them. Yui Yuigahama, who had been paying attention to Kanjuro, quickly walked over. She first looked at Kanjuro's pushed-away hand with concern, then immediately frowned, accusing Hachiman Hikigaya with dissatisfaction, "Hey! Classmate Hikigaya! What are you doing?! Be more polite to Kanjuro... oniichan!" She corrected herself just in time. In public, she still habitually called him "Ye Xiao-oniichan"; only in private, or among the "sisters" who knew the "inside story," would she show her dependence on her "father."
Hachiman Hikigaya ignored Yui's accusation. He just stared deathly at Kanjuro, his eyes like those looking at the most dangerous predator invading his territory. He tightly held Komachi Hikigaya's hand, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth: "Let's go, Komachi!"
After saying that, he almost forcibly pulled the still-confused Komachi, who kept looking back, and quickly fled from this suffocating place of trouble.
Being dragged away by her brother, Komachi Hikigaya wasn't very afraid. Instead, her face carried a hint of novelty and... an indiscernible excitement? She frequently looked back at Kanjuro, who was still standing there with a meaningful smile on his face.
(Ye Xiao-oniichan... is indeed as mysterious as the rumors say. Brother's reaction was way too strange...)
(But...)
A blush quietly crept onto Komachi's face as she muttered in her heart:
(I'm so happy... Today, Brother actually got so angry for my sake and even took the initiative to hold my hand... even though the reason is a bit nonsensical.)
She didn't fully understand where her brother's fear came from, but Kanjuro's handsome looks, gentle attitude, and that sense of mystery shrouded in mist possessed a dangerous attraction for a girl her age. Her brother's excessive protective reaction acted like a catalyst, making her even more curious about Kanjuro.
Watching the Hikigaya siblings disappear at the end of the hallway, Kanjuro slowly withdrew his gaze. The curve of his lips didn't change at all, only the dark light in his eyes became a bit deeper.
Yui Yuigahama asked with concern, "Are you okay? Ye Xiao-oniichan, Classmate Hikigaya was so strange today..."
"It's fine." Kanjuro shook his head gently, his tone still mild, as if the little interlude just now hadn't affected him in the slightest. "It's just... seeing such a lively sibling bond, I'm a little envious."
His gaze turned toward the empty end of the hallway again, as if he were admiring a new collection item that he hadn't obtained yet but had already piqued his intense interest.
Komachi Hikigaya?
She is indeed... very cute.
And she seems even more... interesting than imagined. Hachiman Hikigaya almost fled the main school building. He didn't stop until he was certain he was completely out of Kanjuro's sight in a relatively secluded corner. He let go of Komachi's hand, rested his hands on his knees, and panted heavily. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead—not just from exhaustion, but from an unspeakable fear deep within.
"Brother? Are you okay?" Komachi Hikigaya looked at her brother's unprecedentedly tense state and tugged at his sleeve with concern.
Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly straightened up and grabbed Komachi's shoulders firmly, forcing her to look directly into his dead-fish eyes, which were filled with seriousness and terror. His voice sounded a bit raspy due to his haste:
"Komachi! Listen! No matter what happens, you must stay away from that Kanjuro from now on! The further, the better! Absolutely, absolutely do not provoke him! Do you understand?!" His tone was almost commanding, with an unquestionable firmness.
Komachi was startled by her brother's reaction and shrunk her neck. Although she thought Ye Xiao-senpai was good-looking and gentle, and that her brother's reaction was a bit over the top, she still nodded obediently when she saw the genuine, overflowing fear in Hachiman's eyes.
"I understand, Brother. I won't take the initiative to provoke Ye Xiao-senpai. Don't worry, and don't be angry anymore." She agreed softly, trying to soothe her agitated brother.
Hearing his sister's promise, Hachiman Hikigaya's taut nerves relaxed slightly. He let out a long breath, but the gravity in his eyes did not dissipate. He hesitated for a moment, feeling that he had to make his sister realize the seriousness of the matter; otherwise, with her curious personality, she might still inadvertently approach danger.
He lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard by something invisible, leaning close to Komachi's ear and saying in an almost breathy tone:
"Komachi, remember, that Kanjuro... he's likely not a normal person... He, he's practically like a devil!"
"A devil?" Komachi's eyes widened. This description was too exaggerated, making her even more confused. "Why do you say that, Brother?"
Hachiman Hikigaya's face grew even paler. He licked his dry lips and continued in a low voice, "I... I've looked into some things privately. Although it's vague and fragmented, all the clues point to one terrifying fact—Kanjuro, he seems to... always look eighteen years old. It's not that he's well-maintained; it's as if time has stopped flowing for him! He is always, forever young!"
He paused, observing Komachi's reaction. Seeing the look of disbelief on her face, he continued to drop an even bigger bombshell:
"Also... that elementary school campsite incident that caused such a stir a while ago, where all the teachers and students mysteriously disappeared... no, were very likely killed..." Hachiman Hikigaya's voice carried a hint of a tremor. "I suspect... that matter is related to Kanjuro!"
"What?!" Komachi Hikigaya couldn't help but cry out in surprise, immediately covering her mouth with her hand. She had of course seen that news; it had been reported on TV for several consecutive days, and the images of the missing children's parents weeping were still fresh in her mind. The campsite incident was a heavy and terrifying mystery in everyone's hearts. Now her brother was actually saying... it might be related to that gentle and handsome Ye Xiao-senpai?
Looking at her brother's gaze, which was filled with fear and seriousness and was by no means a joke, Komachi Hikigaya's heart also slowly sank. She no longer felt that this was just her brother's overprotectiveness or prejudice. If what her brother said was true... then Senior Kanjuro was too terrifying.
She nodded vigorously, her eyes now filled with more solemnity and a trace of lingering fear that was hard to detect.
"Brother, I understand," she said softly, her tone much firmer. "I won't go near him again, I promise. You... don't worry anymore."
As Hachiman Hikigaya saw that his sister had finally listened, he truly breathed a sigh of relief, but the heavy stone in his heart didn't lighten in the slightest. He knew that being targeted by someone like Kanjuro, simply avoiding him might be far from enough. And Komachi, although she had agreed to her brother's request on the surface, words like 'Devil', 'Forever Eighteen', and 'Camp Tragedy' had already been buried deep in her heart like seeds, mixed with fear and a strange curiosity, quietly growing. She could not yet foresee that some fated attractions cannot be avoided by simply'staying away'.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.