Yukino: Is it Related to You?
"Why are you attacking me?!"
A Tomie asked.
"What else could it be? She's jealous of our beauty! Idiot!"
Another Tomie replied arrogantly.
"You're the idiot! But it hurts so much... How dare you hurt me!"
Yet another Tomie shrieked in anger.
"You're all so noisy... So, can you just die!"
Still another Tomie complained in annoyance... In that instant, Yukino roughly scanned, and there were hundreds of Tomie heads speaking simultaneously.
Their voices were like demonic whispers, no longer even targeting Yukino but instead starting to despise each other. Some Tomie even attacked the smaller, slower-growing individuals beside them.
They bit and cursed.
It was as if Yukino, the enemy who had just frozen her into ice shards, was no longer the primary target.
The 'self' beside them was the true mortal enemy.
However, even just standing by, listening to them argue, and watching them fight, Yukino felt her mind gradually becoming abnormal.
Initially, she felt an instinctive aversion to Tomie; to that flesh mycelium, she only felt her rationality scream, along with disgust and fear.
But in just a moment, she actually found the other party... pleasing to the eye?
A thought even vaguely surfaced: 'Even such a Tomie is beautiful!'
Moreover, a feeling of jealousy involuntarily arose in Yukino's heart.
'If only I could be this beautiful...'
"No!"
Noticing her mental abnormality, Yukino dared not observe Tomie's strange state any longer—this monster couldn't be killed even when shattered into ice fragments.
Then... her glossy black hair seemed to be endowed with life, suddenly rising and lengthening, her originally waist-length hair spreading across the street like a tide, its scale not inferior to Tomie's mycelium, extending towards the opponent.
"Ah!~ What the hell is this thing?"
"Damn hair, it's biting me!"
"What the hell are you!"
...Tomie's screams rang out.
Yukino's offensive temporarily halted Tomie's internal strife, turning them to tear at her hair.
Countless blood vessels also emerged from the mycelium, intertwining and wrestling with the black hair.
Gradually, large patches of Tomie were swallowed by Yukino's black hair, and the screams became increasingly shrill.
However, the chill on Yukino's face grew heavier.
Because she discovered that this cursed tool black hair, which could devour flesh and blood, was giving feedback of 'indigestion.'
A... sense of stagnation, almost like a rule conflict! A BUG?
'Could this monster also... involve rules... or some concept!'
Realizing this, a premonition of ill omen flashed through Yukino's heart... She subconsciously wanted to retract her black hair and retreat first.
But she found that she couldn't retract it!
The moment she tried to pull away, Tomie's vascular mycelium tightly entangled her hair ends.
"Don't go!" *N
The Tomie giggled in unison, their voices playful.
Yukino returned a cold gaze while urging her black hair to devour the blood vessels more fiercely.
But it was useless... completely useless!
Although Yukino's black hair was also eerie, Tomie's flesh and blood were even more terrifying—they could even devour bricks and asphalt to constantly grow.
Even worse, gradually... Yukino actually felt that the flesh mycelium in front of her was no longer terrifying but instead exuded a strange fragrance. That flesh was beautiful, Tomie was beautiful...
"So fragrant... I want to take a bite..."
Once this thought surfaced, her feet uncontrollably took a few steps closer to Tomie.
The black hair devouring Tomie also gradually lost its vitality.
'One more step... just one more step...
Then I can taste her. How fragrant... how beautiful... This is beauty; she is beauty.
No... I can't...'
Yukino's remaining will could only watch in horror as her body was captivated by Tomie's charm, becoming jealous, becoming worshipful, and approaching that flesh mycelium step by step.
She reached out, about to touch it.
Just as Yukino's consciousness was about to sink into the abyss of despair—
Roar!!!!
Four familiar lion roars came.
This sound, Yukino had heard too many times at the Zoo.
'A lion's roar is an alarm bell to expel 'it'.'
'The White Lion bites those who can be saved; the White Lion bites those who cannot be saved!'
The moment the lion's roar sounded, Yukino felt her brain forcibly restart, her vision went black, and then she largely regained consciousness.
At the same time, a hand gently rested on her shoulder, and a reassuring young voice sounded:
"Looks like I'm not too late?"
"Hayashi!"
Yukino's slightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, a barely perceptible arc of joy flashed across her cold face, and she turned to look at Hayashi behind her.
"It's me, Yukinoshita-senpai seems to be in danger. Need help?"
Hayashi was composed, his tone teasing, but his gaze calmly fell on Tomie. Even with groups of Tomie before him, his eyes remained clear, unaffected by any charm.
—After all, he had 'communicated' with Tomie too much; as long as he didn't have deep contact or long-term interaction, he still had some resistance and could maintain a sage-like state.
"If you can deal with her... that would be great!"
Yukino didn't mind the teasing in his tone, responding softly, her voice full of trust.
Their interaction completely enraged Tomie.
Especially Hayashi's desireless gaze, which made Tomie feel deeply underestimated.
And just as the Tomie was about to preen and say something to Hayashi.
They saw Hayashi snap his fingers.
The next moment... when Tomie regained their senses, they were already in a strange zoo.
And before their eyes... were a group of red-eyed rabbits, and a few slowly standing up... human-sheep?
..."?"
Seeing Tomie suddenly disappear, Yukino cast a questioning look at Hayashi, seemingly asking where Tomie had gone.
"I sent them to the zoo."
Hayashi explained, but his hand involuntarily stroked Yukino's shiny hair. In fact, he had arrived long ago.
As for why he only appeared now? Is a hero still a hero if he doesn't appear at the most critical moment?
"Zoo..."
Yukino glanced at Hayashi's very 'self-aware' hand, not stopping him from playing with her long hair for now, her expression a mix of realization and surprise:
"Your new cursed tool... is actually the entire zoo?"
"More or less."
With smooth strands of hair wrapped around his fingertips, Hayashi nodded gently, but the phrase "soft as a silken thread" unconsciously surfaced in his mind.
He suddenly felt that... Yukino herself might be more suitable for developing certain "interesting games" than Tomie.
"There won't be any problems, will there?"
Yukino was still somewhat worried, and at the same time, perhaps noticing Hayashi's fleeting 'ill intention' between his brows, she gently glared at him.
Her black hair seemed to have a spirit, swatting his hand away with a slight temper.
'Truly... lively.'
Looking at the black hair that was acting a little moody, Hayashi casually withdrew his hand and replied easily:
"That thing seems hard to kill completely. The zoo happens to be a domain, so it's suitable for imprisoning her."
"You still need to be careful; she's very eerie..."
Yukino still couldn't help but earnestly caution him.
"I will!"
Hayashi nodded solemnly.
Then, a brief silence fell between the two.
In this silence, Yukino recalled the sudden premonition memories, those embarrassing fragments... and then connected them with Hayashi's terrifying precognitive ability displayed in the Zoo Rule Anomaly—
She had to wonder if those memory fragments were related to him!
Those memories... the room, the cinema, the amusement park... though hazy like silhouettes, they were... difficult to speak of. The ice was melting, and asking felt shameful, but she was Yukino; when in doubt, avoidance was never her style.
Finally, she bypassed all the details that made her blush and, with a mix of confusion and embarrassment, looked directly into Hayashi's eyes and asked softly,
"I just... suddenly had a premonition of some things. Are they related to you?"