Tokyo: I can enlighten all obsessions

Kamiki Tetsu instinctively took a step back and reached into his pocket with his right hand.

"Click".

With a crisp sound of the blade being pushed, he gripped the dark black stone handle tightly in his palm.

A strange, bluish-purple light shone in the dimly lit storage room.

Kamiki Tetsu frowned, holding the [Tax-Inclusive Execution Blade] horizontally in front of him. The tip of the blade, gleaming with an eerie light, silently locked onto the perfectly smiling monster before him.

However, the anticipated attack did not occur.

The girl merely glanced at the bluish-purple gleam on the blade out of the corner of her eye.

His gaze was detached, as if he had spotted a slightly oddly shaped stone by the roadside.

"..."

She looked away, casually bent down, and picked up the mirror from the dusty floor.

Then, in this tense atmosphere...

She looked at herself in the mirror as if no one else was there, and stretched out her slender finger to gently brush her bangs aside.

"Oh dear, things are getting a little messy."

After confirming that the curve of her bangs was perfect, Hoshino Ruri closed the mirror in her hand with satisfaction.

She turned around, her gaze sweeping over the weapon in Kamiki Tetsu's hand that emitted a dangerous, eerie light, before finally settling on Kamiki Tetsu's tense posture.

"puff."

Hoshino Ruri looked as if she had seen something funny, raised her slender hand to cover her lips, and let out a series of sweet, soft laughs.

"Oh dear, Kamiki-kun."

Her eyes sparkled, and her tone was as light and cheerful as if she were chatting casually in a classroom after school.

"Don't be so nervous."

"clatter."

Hoshino Ruri took a step forward.

The sweet, cloying aroma instantly drew in, as if trying to fill up the thin air around us.

Just as that face was about to press against his, Kamiki Toru raised his right hand and unceremoniously thrust the utility knife forward.

The bluish-purple tip of the knife pressed directly against her throat, sinking a few inches into her flesh.

A bright red bead of blood immediately seeped out, winding down the pale neck and dripping onto the white collar.

Even with a blade at her side, Hoshino Ruri's smile remained unchanged. Instead, her eyes narrowed slightly with pleasure, as if what was held to her neck was not a weapon to take her life, but an interesting toy.

Ignoring her reaction, Kamiki Tetsu reached out with his left hand and snatched the mirror away.

He frowned, staring at the monster before him:

"Release Hoshino-kun."

When confronted with the questioning, the girl's smile deepened.

Instead of retreating due to the stinging pain in her neck, she leaned forward as if savoring some exquisite flavor, letting the cold blade slice through her flesh and penetrate even deeper.

That feeling of impending death seemed to excite even her nerve endings.

"call……"

A warm and sweet scent, carried between the two at such close range, sprayed onto Kamiki Tetsu's face without reservation.

"What is Kamiki-kun saying?"

She narrowed her misty eyes, her voice so soft it was almost dripping with silk:

"I am Hoshino Ruri."

Kamiki Tetsu completely ignored those words.

Her right hand remained firmly in place, the sharp blade still embedded in her flesh. If she dared to move even slightly, she would be decapitated instantly.

He freed his left hand and held the mirror up to his eyes.

The mirror surface was a blur.

The glass surface that should have reflected the image was now filled with a layer of hazy fog, and even Kamiki Tetsu's own face was not reflected.

Kamiki Toru frowned slightly.

Immediately, he grabbed the frame and shook it forcefully twice, then bent his knuckles and tapped the mirror surface heavily without any politeness.

"Thump, thump".

Upon seeing this rough action, a strange blush inexplicably appeared on Hoshino Ruri's delicate face.

She was breathing slightly heavily, her dazed eyes fixed on the fragile piece of glass in Kamiki Tetsu's hand, her voice a mixture of tension and a morbid excitement:

"Be careful, Kamiki-kun."

"Please...don't break the mirror."

Ding-dong-dong-dong

Just then, that damned preparatory bell rang out.

The monotonous electronic sounds echoed in the dusty storage room, instantly breaking the tense silence.

Upon hearing the bell, Hoshino Ruri seemed to receive some signal, and despite the deadly blade, she took another half step forward.

The blade was forced deeper, and the blood droplets rolled down faster.

But she didn't seem to care. She tilted her head slightly, looking at Shinki Tetsu with her shimmering eyes, her tone innocent:

"Kamiki-kun, can I go to class now?"

She extended a finger and gently pressed it against the wrist of Kamiki Tetsu, who was holding the knife, but did not push it away; instead, she caressed it ambiguously.

"I'm a celebrity in the whole school now. If I don't show up in the classroom, everyone will be looking for me everywhere."

She paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over the weapon held to her neck, a malicious, sweet smile playing on her lips:

"If those die-hard fans saw... Kamiki-kun doing this to me, you'd be really bothered, wouldn't you?"

Kamiki Tetsu remained silent.

Seeing that the other party had no reaction, Hoshino Ruri seemed to feel a little bored with this one-sided game.

tread.

She took a step back.

The sharp blade, which had been pressed against her skin, finally left her body.

It was accompanied by a wet sound, like some kind of viscous liquid being torn apart.

"Hmm~"

Hoshino Ruri let out a soft sigh tinged with regret.

She casually wiped the bloodstains on her neck, licked the crimson stain from her fingertips, then straightened her skirt as if nothing had happened and turned to walk towards the door.

The sound of leather shoes stepping on the dusty floor gradually faded into the distance.

Just as she was about to step out of the storage room, she stopped.

The girl turned to the side, and on her face, which was exactly the same as Hoshino Ruri's, hung a perfect smile that the former Hoshino had never possessed:

"Hey, Kamiki-kun."

"Take good care of that mirror."

She pointed to the piece of glass covered in fingerprints in Kamiki Tetsu's hand, her tone light:

"If the mirror breaks... you'll be very troubled."

"whee."

After leaving behind a string of meaningful laughter, the figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

He stared at the empty corner of the corridor for two seconds, until the sweet fragrance completely dissipated, and Kamiki Toru's furrowed brows deepened even further.

"Click".

With a flick of his finger along the slide rail, the blood-stained, bluish-purple blade was returned to the black stone handle.

In that split second, he had at least three chances to cut off that beautiful head.

The execution blade in my hand, once it cuts an artery, will most likely kill even a non-human monster because it cannot stop the bleeding.

But he held back.

Kamiki Tetsu glanced down at the dirty mirror in his hand.

The current situation is ambiguous.

Although the imposter crawled out of the mirror, it clearly already possessed an independent entity.

If we rashly kill that fake Hoshino here, what will happen to the real Hoshino who is trapped in the mirror?

Will it pop up automatically when the seal is broken?

Or perhaps... they'll be trapped in this cold glass forever, never to come out again?

Or even worse, is it a case of shared harm?

If you slit the throat of a counterfeit, the real product in the mirror will also bleed to death.

This kind of gambling-like option is never my style of doing things.

not to mention……

Kamiki Tetsu recalled the feeling of the blade cutting into his flesh.

That's so weird.

The monster not only didn't dodge, but actually went to meet the blade.

That indifference to one's own life and death is either a sign of mental instability or absolute self-confidence.

He was confident that he wouldn't die even if his throat was slit.

Since the other party has not shown any aggression or intention to start a massacre immediately, there is no need to stir up trouble.

"call……"

Kamiki Toru exhaled a breath of stale air and put the heavy utility knife back into his pocket.

Rather than fighting a vengeful spirit of unknown depth here, figuring out how to use this mirror and releasing the real Hoshino is the best solution right now.

Having made his decision, he lowered his eyelids and his gaze fell on the ace pitcher who was still unconscious at his feet.

The guy was lying sprawled on the floor with his mouth open, the unidentified liquid oozing from the corner of his mouth had already mixed with the dust into a puddle of mud.

It's too much of an eyesore to stay here, but moving out would be too much trouble.

If it wakes up and runs around, it will increase the workload unnecessarily.

Kamiki Tetsu raised his foot and used the tip of his shoe to kick Uehara's arm, which was blocking his way, back to his side.

Since this is a storage room, it's quite appropriate to use it to store "trash".

He walked straight out of the room.

"Bang!"

The heavy iron door slammed shut, shutting out the musty smell and the unconscious scumbag inside.

With a crisp "click," the door lock was firmly secured from the outside.

Kamiki Tetsu reached out and grabbed the doorknob, shaking it forcefully twice with a blank expression.

After confirming that the door was completely sealed, so that no one could hear the person inside even if they woke up and screamed, he patted the dust off his hands with satisfaction.

The garbage sorting is complete.

Brushing the dust off his hands, Toru Kamiki turned and disappeared into the corridor.

Separated by a wall, the once peaceful teaching building was now unusually restless.

As I passed Class 2-C, an unsettling sound kept emanating from the open back door.

The whispers of several boys drifted out without restraint, reaching Kamiki Tetsu's ears:

"Hey, was that... really Hoshino?"

"Although her face hasn't changed, she feels... completely different from before."

"Lately, she's suddenly become... well, you know? Although she's very sexy, every time I see her, she curls up like a frightened rabbit, as if she's afraid of being seen."

"Yes, yes! It's that feeling of not wanting to be seen but still smelling sweet, which is kind of exciting..."

"But just now! She didn't dodge! Instead, she looked right at us..."

"That look in his eyes was just...wow! So wet, like he was picking something out..."

"Ugh... being looked at like that, even though it was the same face, I felt all the blood rush to my head... It was even stronger than when I used to try to hide... Damn it, I need to go to the bathroom..."

A group of single-celled organisms that are only controlled by their lower bodies.

Clearly, the imposter didn't back down.

Although the real Hoshino Ruri gained that strange, alluring quality because of the mirror, she resisted it and always acted like a victim, meek and submissive.

And now this imposter not only doesn't suppress this trait, but instead recklessly uses it as a weapon.

The transformation from a "cowardly prey" to a "predator hunting its prey" is indeed a more deadly poison for these teenage boys.

Kamiki Tetsu quickened his pace.

If he stayed any longer, this classroom would probably turn into a scene of incest, and he had no interest in being a spectator.

However, just as he was about to turn the corner of the corridor...

"Click."

A faint cracking sound rang out in his palm.

Kamiki Tetsu's steps suddenly stopped.

He lowered his head and looked at the mirror that he had been tightly clutching in his left hand.

On that originally smooth mirror surface, a thin white crack, as fine as a hair, had quietly appeared at some point.

The crack, like a menacing serpent, stretched across half the mirror, appearing particularly glaring in the dimly lit corridor.

Kamiki Tetsu's hand unconsciously and gently stroked the crack.

It feels a bit rough to the touch.

It not only cracked, but also...

The crack seemed to be spreading outwards at an extremely slow pace, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

"If the mirror breaks... you'll be very troubled."

That imposter's cloyingly sweet voice echoed in my mind again, carrying a certain gloating, prophetic quality.

Clearly, it wasn't just a simple farewell joke.

Although the exact cause of the rupture is unknown.

But there is only one conclusion.

time is limited.