Hajime and Chloe, after a night of pleasure, were sleeping in the caretaker's lighthouse room, tucked under the blankets like a happy couple.
Hajime woke up first and found Chloe beside him, peaceful, her small arms wrapped around the silver-haired boy's body. He watched her for a while, gently stroking her hair, as if everything had finally been resolved.
(She's so beautiful… so cute. I wish I could cuddle her more.)
he thought, happy to be with the girl he loved.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated, interrupting the moment. He turned toward the table where he had left it, and when he picked it up, he saw the time and eight missed calls from his little sister Kaori.
(Nine in the morning? Great… I'll have to come up with another excuse for being out all night.)
Scrolling through his contacts, he noticed more messages , this time from Kohaku.
[[ Sooo, did your night go well with your other half, dear Hajime-chan?! How was it? ]] —Kohaku
As he replied to Kohaku with a thumbs-up emoji.
(Mind your own damn business, will you?! And how did he even....oh no. I swear, if he planted a bug in my clothes… when I get back to base I swear to God I'll—)
Chloe began to stir. She rubbed her eyes with her hands.
"Mmnh… good morning."
"Good morning, my princess."
Hajime kissed her forehead, and Chloe's face instantly turned bright red.
"Thank you, Hajime… for last night. You helped me… and made me understand so many things." (Chloe)
"And you said you love me very much." (Hajime)
"Yes, because it's true. I love you!"
Hajime smiled at those words and kissed her on the lips, then gently stroked her hair as he spoke in a calm, soft tone:
"I love you too. When all this is over… when Fumetsu is free… would you come with me? Travel the world together?" (Hajime)
"We'll have to see if Kuro doesn't kill you first." (Chloe)
"Haha, right. Let's hope he doesn't freak out or break something , after hearing such shocking news."
After spending another hour in bed, they finally got up and got dressed. Then they left the lighthouse caretaker's house and split up , Chloe heading to the base and Hajime going home.
It was already 11 AM, and rain had begun to fall , an unexpected thunderstorm that grew more violent with each passing minute. The rain crashed against the ground with deafening force, accompanied by roaring thunder.
The silver-haired boy ran toward home, worried and trying to think of an excuse.
(Perfect. Rain too? I need to be careful with my words when I get home… I just hope that bastard isn't—)
Hajime froze as soon as he passed through the gate.
His stepfather was waiting for him under the heavy rain, an umbrella floating above him, held in place by magic. His hands were behind his back.
"You… it was always you! You insignificant parasite. I should've killed you two years ago! Back when I had the perfect excuse!!" (Goto)
His voice was strangely restrained , just like his magical energy.
"What the hell are you talking about, Goto?!"
Hajime was sweating cold; if not for the rain soaking him, it would've been obvious. Goto had discovered something , despite the boy having been extremely careful for months, hiding his activities at the base and his training with Veronica.
"You want to make me fall. Me… and my kingdom?!"
Even while holding himself back, his power made cracks spider across the garden grounds, and the metal bars of the front gate twisted and warped like soft dough.
Hajime stood paralyzed his stepfather, the leader of the Black Corps, clearly intended to kill him right here and now.
He heightened his senses , detecting multiple presences all around the property.
(This is bad. This isn't a one-on-one fight. He wants to massacre me before I can even react. But he's wrong. He's underestimating me.) (Hajime)
"I sentence you… to death!" (Goto)
With a snap, the pointed metal bars of the gate shot toward him like missiles.
At the same moment, a dozen Black Corps soldiers revealed themselves an entire squad charging him with mana-coated weapons from all sides.
"YOU'RE UNDERESTIMATING ME!"
Hajime had no choice. He activated Physical Enhancement and punched the ground, creating a 10-meter-wide crater. The shockwave and debris disrupted the charging soldiers, slowing them. They didn't fall , but it gave him just enough time to dodge the deadly barrage of metal spikes.
If even one had pierced him, he'd be dead. Goto could manipulate all metal with magnetism Hajime would've been shredded instantly.
He had only one option: run.
He sprinted across rooftops, leaping from house to house, desperately trying to shake off his pursuers.
(Shit, shit, shit! I can't lead them to the base. they'll all be done for!!
If Goto mobilized an entire squad and unleashed this much magic… then Kaori and Mom must not be home. They're somewhere els—)
His thoughts were cut short.
Two Black Corps members caught up—one landing in front of him, one behind him, blocking all escape routes.
One wielded a massive electric-blue greatsword.
The other an axe coated in a glossy white magical substance.
Hajime didn't slow , he sprinted even faster.
"Idiot."
The swordsman swung horizontally, aiming to decapitate him, electricity crackling with the strike , but at the last second, Hajime slid, planted his hands on the roof, used them as leverage to flip, and delivered a double kick under the soldier's chin.
The man flew twenty meters and crashed to the ground.
"I'LL KILL YOU, TRAITOR!"
The axe-wielder lashed forward, his weapon stretching like a whip. The downward strike would've split Hajime in half. He grabbed the fallen greatsword beside him and blocked. The impact shattered the roof, sending them crashing into an abandoned cement factory, and cracked two of Hajime's ribs.
"Dammit…"
He spat blood.
The axe-user descended with four more comrades.
"This is where you die."
"For you, maybe."
Hajime charged his borrowed blade with electricity and dashed forward. He hurled a large block of cement at the group , forcing them to separate. The axe-user smashed it with his fist.
That opening was all Hajime needed , he thrust the blade through the man's chest.
"Gyaaaahh—y-you basta—"
Hajime didn't let him finish. A horizontal slash cut the man clean in half.
"One…"
A faint smile tugged at Hajime's lips ,
His electric aura darkened, shifting color.
"DIE!"
Two soldiers swung twin giant hammers, creating a directed shockwave that blasted Hajime into a wall.
He coughed blood, but thanks to his mana armor he endured.
Four more soldiers closed in , His grimoire pulsed.
Time slowed.
Hajime moved twice as fast , twice as strong.
He unsheathed the greatsword. A single Iaido-style slash and the two nearest swordsmen were cleaved in half.
The blade shattered soon after, unable to handle the power.
"Minus two."
Only two remained.
The lancer coated his spear in golden light.
"Divine Judgment: JUDGMENT SPEAR!"
Ten spears of light shot toward Hajime.
He deflected most , one pierced his abdomen. He used magic to shield his vital organs, and blood-manipulation to stop the hemorrhaging.
(I won't last much longer… I need to end this.)
The hammer-user charged again.
The lancer thrust.
(One chance.)
Hajime lunged forward , tilting his head to dodge both attacks. then performed a double-blade slash, severing the lancer's head and arm.
He grabbed the fallen spear and hurled it , the spear pierced the hammer-user's chest, but he barely reacted, pulling the weapon out by manipulating his own flesh.
"Nice try."
Hajime was running out of mana. His wound reopened.
(An esper who manipulates his own flesh…? So he can regenerate endlessly?)
"Impressive. Those others were all high-level Gamma-rank Black Corps.
But I'm a Beta. The gap between us is massive."
His flesh manipulation tore his suit apart , his body swelled into a grotesque mass of muscle, six new limbs forming behind him.
He vanished , reappearing right in front of Hajime.
The hammer crashed down.
Hajime blocked with crossed forearms.
A crater exploded beneath them.
Six limbs unleashed a brutal barrage of punches , cracking bones , before grabbing Hajime by the head and hurling him like a baseball into a pile of cement.
"GUAARGH!"
Blood dripped everywhere.
The monster approached, grabbed Hajime by the throat, and lifted him.
"Time to sleep."
As he prepared to strike.
Hajime placed a hand on his chest.
"For you."
He poured all his remaining mana into the esper's organs and detonated them from within.
The Beta collapsed, dead.
Hajime fell to the ground, barely breathing.
(C-can't… move… I'm out of… strength…)
His grimoire pulsed violently , sending a wave of dread through him.
He forced himself up, bones still healing.
"What the hell is go—"
A scythe blade emerged from Hajime's own shadow.
He dodged death by inches , but the blade impaled his shoulder.
"To dodge that in your condition? Impressive."
A female voice.
She kicked him in the back sending him sliding twenty meters across the wet concrete. Rain mixed with his blood as he struggled to rise and face his new enemy.
"Nice to finally meet you, Hajime Kamijou.
My name is Akane Kusanagi."
That name struck him with horrifying familiarity.
He had heard it before.
"W-what… did you say?" (Hajime)