Since I had been passed out for such a long time, I first had to catch up with the situation to understand what I was dealing with.

While the school didn't explicitly tell us which groups were in or out, you could infer it based on which leaders you were allowed to call. Right now, there were eight leaders I could contact, meaning there were eight groups left in the challenge.

However, I suspect that once it becomes 7pm, two-thirds of the remaining groups will drop out through the give-up button. While I don't think it'd happen all at once, as the night goes on, more groups will slowly give up seeing the number of groups shrink.

Among these remaining groups was Mitsuba's group. When I called him to get an update on their situation, he told me that neither of their hiders have been found yet. Hopefully they'll be able to keep up this momentum until the very end.

The other thing I had to figure out was my own situation. I could recall punching Nakajima in the solar plexus, where Rinbayashi bruised him, but everything past that was a massive blur. I can't even be sure if what I saw at the end was real or not.

From what I know, along with the account Yukina told me, I was out for four hours total. At the very least, I can confirm that I spent the last thirty minutes with her, as that's how long she told me she spent with me in the hut.

That means... for the remaining three and a half hours, I was with him. I don't think it takes that long to bandage someone and fix their watch, let alone get a new shirt too. When I checked my physicals, it doesn't seem like my body was tampered with either.

So what was he doing to me for the rest of that time...?

In the first place, it doesn't make any sense why he's here. Was he silently watching us from afar? Or did he know something like that was going to happen?

There's no way he came all the way out here to save me. Knowing him, he's probably here to get a kick out of watching us flailing around the mountain while trying to escape the sick twisted game Nakajima set up for us.

But if what I saw earlier was true... it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that Akusa-sensei told him about it, which would prompt his arrival here. The question still remains the same though...

Why save me?

Even though I managed to suppress the memory that nearly shot through my brain, I was able to recall enough to know for sure what was about to happen.

It was him holding the gun.

It's clear he doesn't give a damn whether I live or die.

So then... what could be the reason?

As I thought about it, one answer surfaced to the top of my brain.

...it was to make mom happy.

My head started pounding.

Once again, these rotten memories were trying to claw their way back into my conscious.

...but I can't let them in.

If I do, I'll lose all my will to fight...

I can't have that happen here... not yet...

I can't break now... not when I've come so far... not when I've been given another chance to keep going...

Even if... it's by the person... I hate the most...

I can't deal with it...

Not that face...

Not the face mom made...

When she...

When she found out...

My watch started ringing.

I clutched the side of my face, taking deep breaths.

...I'm such an idiot.

What am I doing, wasting my time thinking about back then...

...this matter doesn't even deserve another second of my attention.

I answered the call.

It was from Shimada.

"Oi. Meet me at the most northern tip of this mountain. Be there within half an hour or die."

He said it so casually, I almost didn't register the threat at the end. Before I could reply that I understood, he cut the call.

"...he sounds antsy. Did Nakajima try something on him...?"

It'd be ironic if Nakajima betrayed him, but I doubt it was the case.

The more likely scenario is that he couldn't get in contact with Nakajima due to the injuries I gave him.

He probably couldn't get in touch with me either until now because my watch was broken.

...poor Kouji. He was probably running around as Shimada's lap dog for awhile the two of us were out, huh?

In any case, I wonder what he wanted from me.

The time to execute his plan was drawing near, so maybe he wanted to confirm some details with me.

...then again, he wasn't one for meticulous planning.

As long as he can brute force it with his fists, he'll find a way to come out on top every time.

I wonder if this is a situation he can overcome through sheer violence too...

In any case, I started routing out a way to the location Shimada specified using the map on my watch.

It seems I was more close by than I initially thought, since despite being positioned at the far western side of the mountain, the hut was positioned just one cliff level lower than the most northern tip.

Honestly, after seeing how far away it was from the outdoors school, I was more impressed that Yukina somehow managed to reach all the way over there. Maybe she was more athletic than I imagined...

In any case, I could get there pretty quickly by taking a diagonal route and going up. It shouldn't take me too long, especially now that the rain had finally stopped.

After about fifteen minutes, I had arrived at the place Shimada was waiting for me. He was standing at the edge of the cliff, staring out into the night sky dotted with stars.

"Yo."

Sensing my presence, he greeted me without even so much as looking at me. I raised my hand to acknowledge him.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing much. Just waiting for everyone else to arrive."

For once, Shimada had a sober look on his face. It was rather unsettling, especially since he's always smiling so creepily.

"Everyone else?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

An uneasy feeling ran down my spine.

"Are you talking about our plan?"

A small smile appeared on Shimada's face. He finally turned to face me.

"What else could it be, Yuuto?"

"Hang on, it's not even the promised time yet... you said we were going to do this at 6pm, why are we starting a whole—"

"Huh? Since when does it matter what time we start? We're here to kill Rokuro."

That's right.

This was the true goal of Shimada's plan.

This was the reason why he called me at the beginning of this special exam.

He was planning to kill Nakajima with his own two bare hands.

And I was going to be his accomplice in carrying it out.

"We can do it any time, any day. Starting an hour earlier than usual isn't a problem, is it?"

I wanted to narrow my eyes at him, but I stopped myself to hide my intentions.

This man... did he find out about my plan?

I anticipated that he'd change his plans somewhere down the line, but I didn't think he'd do it by starting it earlier than usual.

I needed to find a way to get in contact with the person I prepared for this situation, fast.

For now, I'll stall Shimada and discreetly call them on my watch when Nakajima arrives.

"What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"I wasn't able to see either of your GPS locations despite telling you both to keep them on. I was half-expecting Rokuro to disable his anyways so he could try and murder you and Saori, but I wasn't expecting yours to disappear too. At first, I thought Rokuro had gotten you, so I prepared to move forward with the plan by myself, but when I saw your GPS location reappear on the map about an hour ago, I decided to hold on until you answered my calls."

"You called me?"

"Multiple times. But each time, you declined. I thought you might've been in a situation where the noise would be a detriment, so I stopped and started calling in thirty minute intervals. However, the one time you did answer, I heard a girl's voice on the other side."

That must've been Yukina... did she really try answering a call from Shimada? I can't tell if that was reckless or ballsy of her...

"Eventually, you finally responded. That's when I decided to execute this plan, since everything is more or less in place. Rokuro's heading his way here now while we speak."

For once, Shimada was applying an ounce of logic to his actions. As much as he is reckless, he's also a thorough man. It only makes sense he'd go ahead with it while all the pieces are in place, rather than have it fail because the two of us were no longer here.

"I see..."

My voice trailed off as I was trying to think of how to approach the situation now that it's come to this.

"So, care to explain what happened?"

"Not particularly... if you do care that much though, I broke my watch so the emergency alarm wouldn't go off."

"What, you of all people got injured that badly?"

"Yeah. It was pretty reckless of me."

"I'd love to meet the person who brought you down to that point."

I think Shimada was being sarcastic, but the terrifying glint in his eyes said otherwise.

"Unfortunately for you, I brought it upon myself when I fell down a cliff."

"That's permission to fight you then, right?"

"That's what you mean by meeting someone?"

"Of course. Nothing makes a better first impression on someone than giving them a hard kick to the face."

"I hope you're joking... then again, I can legitimately see you doing that."

"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure that's how I greeted you the first time we met."

"You did attack me out of nowhere..."

"I'm not talking about that day in the rain. I'm talking the Under Doctrine."

Behind my lips, I gritted the back of my teeth. Shimada raised his eyebrows, grinning.

"What? Pissed off? Or are you having a hard time remembering?"

"...it's nothing."

"If it's the latter, I can help jog your memory."

Shimada tapped the side of his head.

"What's that supposed to mean...?"

"Glad you asked."

He whipped into a spinning kick, the heel of his foot aimed at the side of my temple. I cocked my head to dodge it.

"...that was unnecessary."

"Call it a live demonstration."

"What would you do if you actually got me? As strong as you are, even I don't think you alone can match Nakajima-san's strength."

"Relax, I knew I wasn't going to hit you. Even if you didn't move, I'd stop just before landing on your face."

"For some reason, I don't trust that..."

"You should. It'd be a waste otherwise if I knock you out before we accomplish our jobs here."

"So you're still planning to knock me out even after the fact?"

"Of course. I'm still itching to fight you for real someday, Yuuto."

"...personally, I'd rather not."

"You scared?"

"I'd rather not randomly lose my life fighting you."

"That's a very roundabout way of answering yes."

"It's more of my way of saying no..."

"So you're not scared of me, but of death?"

I closed my eyes.

"If you want to think of it that way, sure."

"What a strange fear. I can help you overcome it if you want."

"Stop trying to twist everything into a way to fight me. Like I said, I'm not interested."

"Come on, why not? We have some time to kill before Rokuro comes. Call it a warm up for the real thing."

"I don't need practice to kill Nakajima-san."

Shimada's eyes widened briefly before he flashed a wide smile at me.

"Ho ho ho. Now that's the Yuuto I know. Being a cocky bastard suits you best."

"I'm doing this for your own sake. You're better off not fighting me."

"I wouldn't lose to someone who dropped out halfway through the programme. You might've been the Masterpiece back then, but it's been more than five years since. And unlike you, I stayed with the Doctrine up until the very end."

"...we'll see about that. Maybe if you impress me fighting against Nakajima-san, I'd be willing to fight you."

"Call it a death match, and I'm down."

"I don't know if I'd go that far..."

"Relax. Even if one of us dies, it's not a problem."

"Maybe for you. But if I die, it'll be troublesome for others."

"Like who?"

My mind froze up. I didn't know if Shimada asked me this in earnest, or if he was taunting me, but I couldn't answer the question.

"...who knows."

In the end, I choked up a vague response. Not even I knew the answer to that.

"Let's face it. No one would grieve if either of us dies."

For the first time in my life, I think I heard Shimada say something reasonable.

"...you might be right."

"There is no "might be". Since we're in the same situation, we might as well make the most of it."

"Even if no one would be sad... I wouldn't agree to something so pointless so easily. You might not value your life, but I do. I've washed my hands of the past. I want nothing to do with the Underworld anymore."

Even just saying that word makes my body crawl with discomfort...

"If you wanted to move on from the past, then you would've never agreed to this in the first place. What gives?"

"I'm just cleaning up a loose end so I can go back to having a peaceful life."

"You'll never have that as long as the Underworld exists. Everyone knows who you are. Not only because you're the Masterpiece, but because you're also the heir to the throne. There'll be more people like Rokuro who are out to crush you. Me included."

"Then I'll destroy it all."

"What?"

"I'll destroy the world that man created. Even if it drives my mind and body to the brink of death, I will get my revenge."

The wind howled between us.

Shimada opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Instead, black laughter exploded from the bottom of his heart.

"You're crazy..."

"I'm serious, Shimada-san. Or should I say..."

The missing grandson of the Kuroshi family.

One of the former three pillars of the Underworld.

You are...

"Muteki-san."

Shimada's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"If you're going to stand against the entire Underworld, then that means one day... you're going to have to kill me too. It seems like we'll be able to have our death match after all. Isn't that great, Yuuto?"

I sighed, burying my face in the palm of my hand.

While to Shimada, it may have looked like I was exasperated by his fixation of fighting me to the death...

In reality, I was trying to keep my consciousness from tearing at the seams after remembering so much from the past.

After digging through those suppressed memories, my mind was burning so badly, it felt like I would pass out any second now.

Even just remembering what his real name was enough to set my brain into a panicked frenzy, let alone his connection to the Kuroshi family.

Anymore than this, and I'll suffer a great mental backlash from my mind.

"You two seem to be having a nice conversation."

Walking in to the two of us talking was Nakajima.

OST: Youkoso Jitsuryoku S2 Main Theme

It seems he had also recovered from our fight earlier, but there were still a few scratches on his face.

When our eyes met, I swear I could see him flash a condescending smile at me.

"I came like you asked, Shimada-san. What's Takanori-san doing here, though?"

Shimada, resting his hands behind his head, turned away from me and approached Nakajima.

With his back to me, I quickly made a call on my watch and left it on for the person on the other side to hear what's going on.

"I've laid everything out like you said. Isn't about time we get this show on the road?"

While I was the only one able to see his back, Shimada flashed the signal to initiate his plan with his hands.

In that moment, I walked away from the two of them and began encircling Nakajima from afar.

"...you're right. It's about time we end this."

As I stalked around him, Nakajima's eyes were locked on me.

This left him blind to Shimada, who was inching closer and closer towards him.

"Wouldn't you agree, Blade-san?"

As I stood behind Nakajima, me and Shimada now had him trapped in a pincer.

"If your grand plan is to push me off that cliff, then it's a naive one. Even if the most northern tip is the highest point we're allowed to climb up without gear, a fall of that nature won't be enough to kill me."

"I don't need a cheap trick like that to kill you. Don't you remember what I told you before?"

While to Nakajima, it looked like I was trying to escape from him, in reality, my movements were meant to distract him.

"Shimada-san works for me. Even if you destroyed my knife, you still haven't destroyed the trump card up my sleeve."

"Yeah... about that."

As Shimada uttered those words, Nakajima narrowed his eyes.

When he turned around to face Shimada, I sprinted towards the two of them.

In Shimada's left hand, a dagger.

In Shimada's right hand, the back of Nakajima's jersey.

And hanging above the two of them was the blue full moon.

"I lied."

Shimada swung down with the dagger.

Nakajima tried to pry him off, but it was no use.

Shimada's grip strength simply surpassed Nakajima's own strength.

"That's... the knife I gave you... to kill him..."

Sensing his immediate death, Nakajima's voice trembled.

As if to look away from the blade about to be plunged into his heart, Nakajima's eyes rolled over to me.

Shimada smirked, bursting into incomprehensible manic laughter.

"You put your trust in the wrong person, dumbass."

"I never expected you..."

Nakajima closed his eyes, accepting that it was his loss.

"...to betray me like this."

Just like the last time we fought, once he was cornered, he wasn't even trying to fight back.

"I hate you. And you hate me. This is a fitting conclusion, isn't it?"

He knew that resisting someone from our programme was pointless.

"Ha ha... to think I thought I nearly escaped the jaws of death once, only to end up once again back within it's grasp..."

He was trained to be an assassin.

"...you Doctrine people sure are a handful."

We were trained to be killing machines.

"Thanks for nothing, Rokurou."

The difference in our physical abilities were just too wide.

"Now die!"

Nakajima grit his teeth.

Now that's he trapped like this, he could never hope to beat either of us, let alone in a two vs one.

Without his weapons, he was nothing more than a regular human to the two of us.

He knew that, by trying to kill us, we would retaliate against him one day.

And because he already accepted that this was his fate, he didn't even try to stop it.

To him, today was that retribution for all of his transgressions up until now.

He had completely failed his mission in killing us.

He'd rather die a graceful death than die while struggling to the very end.

And I think... that's the part that pisses me off the most.

There's nothing graceful about dying without even trying to fight against it.

It's just an ugly death with no meaning.

A hollow end to an unfulfilled story.

For us, who did anything and everything to try and live, even if it seemed impossible...

...seeing him give up so easily feels like an insult to those who died while trying their best to live until the very end.

And when I think back to how much effort they put in, how damned hard they tried, even when the light in their eyes disappeared...

I think...

Dying while resisting fate is far more beautiful.

I wonder if...

Everyone else...

Felt the same way...

Even if I know he's a bad person.

Even if I know he won't appreciate it.

Even if I know he's going to try and kill me later.

...I,

I.

I—

...I can't let this happen.

Not out of any moral obligation.

Not out of any desire for Nakajima to live.

Not out of any longing to be a good person.

No, my reason for doing this is far more shallow than that...

Because Nakajima is a person.

And people don't deserve to die.

...that's all there is to it.

I know it's a nonsensical reason.

But it's an impulse worth acting upon.

Because someone in this world cares about him.

That's more than enough.

Just before the dagger was about to be driven in, I grabbed Nakajima's shoulder and tore it towards me.

The sudden force was enough to make Shimada loosen his grip Nakajima, allowing me to pull him back.

As I did, I stepped forward, switching our positions and pushing him away from the two of us.

As the blade was about to pierce my flesh, I stretched out and grabbed hold of Shimada's wrist, pushing back.

...this is the first time in a long time I'm having to use my full strength.

I swept away the dust clouding my hazy memories in the back of my mind and plugged in the key to unlock them.

I took a deep breath and felt power surge through my shoulders and flow into my left arm.

My hand tingled with the sensation of my nerves being fired off at superhuman levels, and my muscles tensed up.

Slowly but surely, the power releasing in my forearm was pushing Shimada's unyielding right arm back.

His eyes widened as I managed to repel his overwhelming force, locking his arm in a raised position.

"Yuuto...!"

I hissed in my mind as my entire being was screaming at me to stop pushing myself so hard.

My mind was crying from remembering the memories.

My body was bleeding from unleashing my sealed powers.

But without sacrificing part of myself, I wouldn't be able to fend off Shimada.

Not when he's seriously fighting like this as well.

I could feel just how hard Shimada's shoulder was vibrating.

Like me, he was doing everything he can to resist my strength.

But it was pointless.

After all, I was the superior copy.

A cheap knockoff like him can never hope to match me.

That's all there is to it.

"What are you..."

Nakajima, who was stumbling between getting closer and backing off, was also in shock at my seemingly indescribable actions.

Turning my head, I looked back at Nakajima.

"You said Shimada-san was your trump card, didn't you?"

He was too dumbfounded by what was happening to answer.

"The thing is..."

So, I did it for him.

"I was the real trump card all along."

Falling on his bottom, Nakajima looked up at me in awe.

Then, he lowered his head, letting his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes.

Quietly, a small derisive laugh escaped his thin lips.

"...I don't know whether to thank you or call you a bastard."

Shimada grit his teeth, realising I was serious about stopping him.

"...save it for later. We've got a bigger problem to deal with now."

As our two forces clashed, we ended up in a stalemate.

This was now going to become a battle of endurance.

And to be honest... I don't know how much longer I can hold on before my body turns to dust from the limiters being removed.

Just a bit longer, and my plan will come into fruition.

Until then, I need to keep fighting.

I need to keep living.

I need to keep Shimada from killing Nakajima.

I zeroed on my task and kept my bubbling mind on that singular fact.

If I didn't, something even worse would consume me before my body does.

"Yuuto... YUUTO, YUUUUUUUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Screaming my name, Shimada broke his own limiters and tried driving the dagger into my throat.

Naturally, I stopped him by pushing back, causing him to growl at me with bloodshot eyes.

They were bulging with the delusions of a man thirsty and desperate for death.

It seems he was finally pissed for real.

I haven't seen such an ugly face in years... it almost felt refreshing to know I could make someone else so angry.

Instead of being the one to double cross Nakajima, he was the one who ended up being double crossed by me.

Everything that his plan hinged on— cooperation, betrayal, and surprise...

I took it, stole it, and flipped it back on him in one swift action.

Without me backing him up, Shimada was now the one in trouble.

"What the hell are you doing? Didn't you want to see Rokuro die too?! Isn't that why you agreed to my plan? So then why did you save him?! And why did you stop me? Answer me, Yuuto!"

I took a deep breath and released a cold sigh.

"Yeah... about that."

I grabbed the blade of his dagger.

And just like how I did in front of Nakajima—

I crushed it, shattering it with my bare hands.

"I lied."

Gritting his teeth to the point his gums started to bleed, Shimada tossed the empty handle away.

As he pulled away his strained arm, veins starting throbbing on both of of Shimada's temples.

I too, could also feel the blood flow to my head increase greatly after relaxing my powers.

Even so, there was something about his deranged face that disgusted me.

It was feral. It was unhinged. It was monstrous.

Like a man who was no longer human.

I suppose that's a fitting comparison, considering what we are...

Even though his anger was becoming more and more visible, his scowl was turning into a smile.

A smile that beamed with true happiness.

While his plan may have been sabotaged into failure, in exchange, I gave him something even greater,

The thing that he'd been craving this entire time.

A taste of my true abilities.

The power he so desperately wanted to see again.

The strength he wanted to prove was weaker than this.

The violence he wanted to fight against so badly in a death match.

"The look in your eyes... you're finally taking this seriously, aren't you?"

Somehow, he was excited at the fact I betrayed him.

I narrowed my withering eyes at Shimada.

"And so what if I am?"

"Do you know how many years I've been waiting for this, Yuuto? To find someone who can match me, who can turn this boring life of mine into a real challenge...!"

Shimada was practically ablaze with a reinvigorated spirit dyed in pitch black.

"Ever since the day you showed me I wasn't invincible, I've been seeking for an opponent just as strong... but no one has ever met my expectations... except you."

No matter where you looked, he was exuding an air of death.

"And now, finally, after all this time... we can have a real showdown! Just like the one we had back in the Underworld!"

His intention tonight was to kill.

Ultimately, the target didn't matter.

But since the school provided him with the stage for it, he was going to make the most out of this golden opportunity.

Killing Nakajima just had a convenient excuse attached to it.

Who he really wanted to kill above everyone else...

In the puddle beneath my feet, I looked at the unrecognisable reflection of myself.

...was me, the Masterpiece who scarred him with a wound that can never be erased.

I was the one who snuffed out Muteki's life.

That's why I have to take responsibility for this monster.

I approached Nakajima, extending a hand towards him.

"You ready, Nakajima-san?"

Raising his head, he lifted an eyebrow at the offer before sighing.

"To think I'd work with you of all people..."

Grabbing my hand, Nakajima stood up and raised his fists into a fighting stance.

As he did, I stood back to back with him, cracking my knuckles.

Seeing the two of us team up, Shimada pointed at Nakajima.

"Oi, Rokurou, stay out of this! This is a fight between me and Yuuto!"

Nakajima scowled, baring his fangs at Shimada.

"Huh? If you want your death match so badly, then kill me first."

"With pleasure."

Without saying anything else, Shimada lunged to curb stomp Nakajima with a ferocious kick to the head. Nakajima, anticipating this, ducked low and weaved into Shimada's space, releasing a few jabs into his chest.

"Is that really your best?"

However, Shimada looking unfazed, grabbed Nakajima's head and smashed it into his kneecap.

"Ah!"

Nakajima fell to his knees, covering his face that was beginning to bleed. Shimada used this chance to stomp on his back, further digging him into the ground.

"Stay there and die quietly."

"Like hell I will, you bastard..."

Nakajima pressed upwards, using Shimada's leg as a tower to claw up on. Shimada tried shaking him off by punching him in the back, but Nakajima was persistent at holding on.

I don't know what he was trying to do, but it kept him in place and rendered him unable to use his kicks. This was a perfect opportunity for me to attack, so I unleashed a left hook at Shimada's face.

However, Shimada caught my fist his with right hand, chuckling under his breath.

"If you come at me with such a lukewarm strike, you won't ever win."

I tried releasing my hand from his grasp, but he was gripping onto it tightly. I used my other hand to grab his wrist and prepared to crush it, but Shimada grabbed my face with his other hand and prepared to smash it down on his free kneecap as well.

Noticing this, Nakajima crawled between Shimada's legs and sprung up from the floor, catching him from behind in a full nelson hold. It caught Shimada off guard, letting him release my fist, and more importantly, my face.

However, when he let go... my vision was no longer tinted in claret red.

"Blade-san, I've got him restrained! Give him your worst!"

"Oi, get off me!"

As Shimada was wrestling to be let go, Nakajima was encouraging me to attack now while he's still incapacitated. While I would've obliged to knock him out unconscious, the issue was what Shimada was holding in his hands.

...it was my sunglasses.

"Blade-san, what are you doing? Hurry up and hit him!"

The gift that Kurosaki gave me.

"I can't hold on for much longer...!"

Seeing such a fragile thing in the hands of a man so capable of destruction...

"This is our one and only chance to stop him!"

I hesitated.

Shimada, noticing my wavering stance, furrowed his eyebrows.

As his eyes followed my gaze, what fell into his vision was the thing in his hands.

An inconspicuous smile rose on his lips.

"Oh... this important to you or something?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but it was too late.

"Blade-san!"

My hand reached out.

Shimada's hand made a crushing motion.

Kurosaki's sunglasses crumbled to the floor like a wilted flower.

"...no..."

A faint whisper escaped my lips.

"So they really meant something to you, huh?"

I looked between Shimada and the shattered sunglasses lying on the ground.

"You've grown pathetic, Yuuto."

My outstretched hand turned into a tight fist.

"I'm interested in you."

Inside this emotionless heart, something stirred within me.

"I can't... hold him back... anymore...!"

Shimada broke free of Nakajima's hold and raised his fist at me.

"With your death, I'm going to prove that I was the real Masterpiece!"

I looked up at him, my eyes devoid of all emotion.

"...you're going to regret that."

My fist was ready to explode.

"Takanori-san, I'm here!"

Just before our punches could clash, my insurance plan had arrived.

When I heard their voice cut through the unreasonable static in my head, my fist came to a halt, and I started to calm down.

Getting so worked up over a gift like that... what's gotten into me?

Shimada, annoyed by the interruption, looked mildly surprised to see who had arrived at the mountaintop.

It was Ryouta, followed by Zyriot.