Crackle… crackle…
As the cursed energy condensed over and over again, the air itself began to distort, snapping and crackling under an intensity far beyond anything Shion had anticipated. The pressure wasn't just heavy, it was suffocating, dense enough to make the surrounding space feel unstable.
A swirling purple orb formed at the tip of his finger, slowly rotating as it pulled in dust and debris, tiny particles lifting from the ground and spiraling toward it as if drawn by gravity.
"S-shion…"
Yuta's voice trembled as he stared at him.
All he could see was a bloodied boy, standing there as if he had already accepted his own death. He didn't understand it, why Shion would go this far, why he would keep pushing when there had to be another way to stop Rika without anyone else getting hurt.
And yet when Yuta looked into his eyes, he froze.
There was nothing there, No hesitation, no fear, not even anger.
Just Acceptance.
But somehow, that acceptance felt wrong. Because beneath it, Yuta knows something else buried deep, swirling emotions behind those black eyes turning red.
---
(Three months ago.)
"Alright, alright! Settle down, class."
A middle-aged teacher stood at the front, clapping his hands as the chatter slowly died down. "Today, we have a new transfer student joining us, so make sure to treat him well from now on."
The classroom immediately filled with whispers.
"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" one girl asked, leaning toward her friend.
"I hope it's a girl. There are already way too many ugly, smelly boys in this class," the other replied with a wide grin.
"Yeah, seriously. The girls here are already bitchy enough, hopefully the new one's actually nice. Unlike someone here," a boy from the back chimed in, smirking.
"What did you say, Kaito?! You wanna fight or what?" the girl snapped, glaring at him.
"Yeah, I do!"
"Tch. Figures. Can't fight guys your own size, so you pick on girls instead."
"You—!"
"Hey… don't you guys know?"
A quieter voice cut through their argument.
"They say the transfer student moved here because he killed his classmates."
The group fell silent for a moment.
"Seriously? That sounds fake," one of them said, frowning.
"I'm telling you, it's real! A bunch of boys went missing last fall, and the last person seen with them was this transfer student."
Murmurs spread quickly, tension mixing with curiosity as the rumor passed from one group to another.
At the front, the teacher sighed under his breath. I'm not paid enough for this…
"Quiet down! And Mitsuki, stop spreading baseless rumors!" he snapped, though his tone lacked real energy.
"Yeah, yeah, got it, teach," Mitsuki replied lazily.
Right then, the classroom door slid open.
For a moment, no one entered.
Then a boy stepped in.
His gloomy appearance alone shifted the atmosphere.
Messy hair, uneven and shaky steps, shoulders slumped. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his gaze unfocused, constantly darting away from others.
"Ah, there he is! Everyone, welcome Yuta to our class," the teacher said, gesturing toward him. "Yuta, why don't you introduce yourself?"
"U-uh… r-right…"
Yuta struggled to even stand properly under the weight of everyone's attention. His eyes flickered across the room but never settled on anyone.
"H-hello… my name is Yuta Okkotsu… n-nice to meet you…"
A long, uncomfortable silence followed.
"Well then, you can take the seat next to Hiori in the back," the teacher said casually.
Yuta hesitated, then, slowly, he turned towards the teacher.
"U-um… Sensei… can I… ask for something?"
The teacher blinked, already looking mildly annoyed. "What is it?"
Yuta flinched slightly under his gaze, but forced himself to continue.
"C-can I… sit somewhere… farther away from everyone…?"
He paused, his chest tightening as the words caught in his throat, the one word that he tried to escape yet always manages to find him.
"...Alone."
"...Huh?"
For a moment, the teacher looked confused. Then he sighed, clearly not wanting to deal with it.
"Fine. Just grab a desk and chair from the back."
Just like that, he lost interest.
To him, Yuta was already written off.
Yuta could feel it.
The stares digging into his back as he moved, dragging a desk across the floor, placing it far from everyone else, farther than necessary, leaving a noticeable gap between him and the rest of the class.
He sat down quietly and lowered his head, he then tried to shut everything out.
He knew how he looked.
He knew how strange he seemed.
He knew something about him was wrong, not even introverts act like him.
I don't want to be here…
But
where else can I go…?
---
Time passed.
The bell rang, signaling break time, and the classroom quickly emptied as students rushed out, laughter filling the hallways.
Yuta stayed seated for a moment.
The stares from before were gone now.
Replaced by something else.
Indifference.
But not completely.
Because even as people ignored him, he could still hear them.
Whispers of his name, laughing, and even occasional Provocation s.
At some point, it became too much.
Yuta stood up and quietly made his way toward the door.
Suddenly, a crumpled paper ball hit the back of his head.
He froze for a moment.
"Hey, new kid! Why don't you come talk with us for a bit? We're really interested in you," one of the boys said with a grin, already crumpling another piece of paper.
Yuta didn't even look at them immediately running away his breath short from panic.
"Tch, what a boring guy."
---
His footsteps echoed loudly as he sprinted through the hallways, not knowing where he was going, only knowing he needed to get away.
Anywhere.
It didn't matter.
He found a bathroom and rushed inside, barely managing to close the stall door before collapsing forward.
"Ghk—!"
He gagged violently, emptying what little remained in his stomach, his body shaking uncontrollably as the taste burned his throat.
His vision blurred, alternating between the toilet and that night.
Bodies of his classmates crumpled, twisted, and torn apart by Rika, that crumpled paper hitting the back of his head, whether it be the past or now it's all the same.
"...Why…"
Tears streamed down his face as his hands gripped the edge of the stall.
Was it wrong wanting to live a normal life? Having friends, eating out with them, have a sleep over, watch a movie together, go to school together, was all experience he stripped away in fear of someone being hurt because of him.
And yet even when he tries, when he stayed silent and alone, when he avoids his past friends, when he cuts off his own family, people will still be hurt, even if bad intentioned.
It was all his fault.
It was a cycle he couldn't escape.
No matter what he chose, someone would get hurt.
---
At some point, his feet carried him to the rooftop.
It was quiet, and empty.
Peaceful in a way that felt almost unnatural.
The sunlight stretched across the sky above him as he stepped closer to the edge, his mind drifting.
Wouldn't it be better… if I wasn't here?
If I just disappeared…
Then no one else would get hurt…
Rika… why…?
One step.
Then another.
And another.
Until a sudden paper ball hit his head.
"...Yo."
Yuta turned in surprise.
Standing by the door was a boy with black hair, holding a plastic bag in one hand. The other hand was wrapped in bandages, gripping a pack of strawberry milk.
"I heard you're the new student," he said casually. "Come here. Let's eat together. I don't have any friends either."
Yuta blinked, caught off guard.
"Who… who are you…?"
The boy scratched his head slightly.
"Ah, right. You probably didn't see me earlier I was busy with student council stuff."
He took a step forward, completely unbothered.
"I'm Kurotsuki Shion, Anyway, enough of that. Come on, let's eat."
Yuta didn't know what to do. He froze at the sight of the boy.
As Shion stepped closer, Yuta instinctively took a step back each time.
Shion eventually stopped, staring at him for a moment before quietly sitting down on the ground. He reached into the plastic bag, pulled out a lunch box, and gently slid it over toward Yuta.
"I don't know what kind of food you like, but I made a simple lunch box."
Shion began eating his own, leaving Yuta to decide on his own.
Yuta stayed silent, his eyes shifting between Shion and the lunch box, hesitating as if expecting something to happen. The air between them remained quiet, almost awkward, before he slowly lowered himself to sit down.
Carefully, he opened the box.
Inside was a neatly packed meal, rice, grilled meat, and pickled vegetables.
Yuta glanced at Shion again, only to find him still eating like nothing was out of the ordinary. At that exact moment, as Shion lifted his strawberry milk and took a sip, their eyes met.
"Ah, right. You want some?"
"N-no, it's fine."
It felt… strange, being treated like this.
Yuta looked back down, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed a piece of meat. For the first time in years, after pushing everyone away, someone had willingly approached him.
Was it genuine?
Or just another act?
Slowly, he brought the food into his mouth.
…
Only one thought came to mind.
It's terrible.
The seasoning was completely off. The meat was both hard and strangely mushy, making it difficult to chew. The vegetables tasted like plastic, and the rice tasted like it had been rinsed with sewage water.
Terrible.
Absolutely horrendous.
"Blergh—!"
"Oh shit!"
Shion immediately rushed over, patting Yuta's back as he leaned forward, forcing him to spit it out before he choked.
"Gah!"
Yuta coughed, spitting out the food before taking in a shaky breath. As he steadied himself, he accepted the water bottle Shion handed him and drank it quickly. Even plain water tasted far better than whatever that was.
"Oh come on, is it really that bad?"
Yuta slowly turned to look at him.
Silence fell between them for a few seconds.
Shion looked away, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
"...Aha…"
"Pff… HAHAHA!"
Yuta couldn't help it.
That serious, reliable expression from earlier was completely gone, replaced by something so awkward and human that it caught him off guard. It wasn't even that funny but the contrast made him laugh anyway.
Out of his sight, Shion smiled slightly.
…Guess it worked, seems like my awful cooking talent does something this time.
"Ah! Seriously, I'm hurt. You could've just said 'no,' you know?" Shion said, shrugging before standing up. "Fine, let's go to the cafeteria instead, Yuta-kun."
As Shion picked up the uneaten bento and began walking, Yuta stayed frozen for a moment. He felt bad for laughing, wanting to say something but what Shion said made him stop.
"Are you… inviting me?"
"What else? Come on. I don't have all day, so stop standing around like an idiot."
Shion didn't even turn back.
Yuta quickly stood up and ran after him.
"Wait for me!"
For the entire time Yuta had been at that school, that moment was the best he had.
Even after everything, even after losing Rika, he had never truly felt at peace.
But just being accepted like this was more than enough.
---
So why… why now of all times does she have to appear?!
Yuta looked down at his trembling hand and clenched it tightly. No matter what, he had to stop Rika and stop Shion from throwing his life away.
And to do that… it was simple.
He would end it here.
Slowly, Yuta stepped back, eyes scanning the surroundings. Broken debris, shattered glass scattered across the ground there were plenty of sharp objects.
It wouldn't take long.
"[YOU… TOOK YUTA AWAY FROM ME!]"
"That so? Sorry, but I'm straight. Besides, if Yuta likes being around me more than you, then maybe you should stop bothering him. Why don't you go straight to hell for him?"
Shion tightened his stance, reinforcing his body as he stared straight at the cursed spirit, whose eye widened, trembling with rage.
"[DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!]"
A massive ball of cursed energy gathered in her mouth.
Shion raised his hand.
And then, they fired it at each other.
The beams collided violently, tearing through everything in their path. The school, the fields, even the nearby roads were ripped apart under the force. Cars were flung into buildings, windows shattered from the shockwaves, and the ground itself cracked beneath them.
Yuta clung onto a metal pole, his grip tightening as a shard of glass dug into his palm, dark liquid dripping down his hand.
This is it… I'll end everything with this.
His memories surfaced again.
Shion… thank you… for everything.
Now… I can finally help you.
He raised the shard toward his neck but froze at the last moment.
"[GRAAAAHHH!]"
Rika was being overwhelmed, her beam was losing.
Shion's cursed energy crushed through it, denser, heavier, pulling everything into itself and overpowering her attack entirely, by self-editing his own cursed energy trait, it was changed to be several times denser while also having the trait of absorbing cursed energy.
Then the beam split into multiple other beams.
Instead of continuing forward, it crashed into the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust that blocked everything from view.
And in the next instant Shion emerged from the smoke.
He grabbed Yuta by the collar and ran.
"AH—!"
Yuta shouted as the world blurred around him, Shion moving at explosive speeds, leaping across streets, using his pen to morph into a string-like form that latched onto structures, swinging and launching himself forward before snapping back into his hand.
"[YUUUTAAA!]"
The scream rang through his ears, loud enough to make them ache.
At that moment, the voice wasn't from the Vengeful spirit Rika, it was a desperate cry from the little girl named Rika orimoto.
Yuta's eyes fell to the ring hanging from his neck.
"Let's stay together forever, okay?
...Rika…"
His resolve hardened.
Everything happening now… is my responsibility.
Don't worry, Rika… I didn't forget.
And Shion… you won't die because of me.
"Shion! Drop me here! I can stop her!"
"What?! Are you insane?! No! We're getting out of here first—at least until we reach the forest!"
"No! She won't hurt me! If I get close enough, she'll stop!"
"You mean she won't hurt you but others—?!"
Shion suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
His instincts screamed.
Above them multiple beams of cursed energy rained down from the sky large enough to blast the city into dust.
Without thinking, he reacted instantly, turning his pen into a whip and striking one of the incoming attacks. His cursed energy coated it, and instead of exploding, the beam was absorbed into it, sucked in and compressed.
Shit… I can't keep this up…
His body screamed in protest.
The strain kept building, the pain stacking on top of itself no matter how much he reinforced. And unlike before, he couldn't just fix it.
Even if he can use Reverse cursed technique, which he can't use, then everything would reset.
Including his energy trait, the one thing keeping him alive.
"[Yuuutaa?]"
A voice softer than before entered his ear, to his side Rika was already there holding a large billboard on her hand.
"[GET AWAY FROM YUUTAA!]"
The billboard was then slammed at shion sending him straight into a building further damaging him.
---
(A/N: gimme some stones, if we hit 6 stones I'll give a bonus chap.. when I'm dones editing it, seriously just having an outline then filling the details and having to constantly re read is painful enough)