Am I a target now, too?
Kawashima Toya glanced indifferently at the wisp of black energy coiling around him before continuing toward the Service Club.
This aura was subtle, even weak. Even without activating his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he could have erased it with a thought. He left it there simply because he was curious. He wanted to see what kind of "rules" were being set. He wondered if this bold so-called Prophet had already scripted his demise.
According to Yuigahama Yui, this Prophet knew everything—down to the number of steps a person would take or the last words they would speak before they died.
Toya arrived at the Service Club and knocked lightly on the door.
"Yuigahama-san, are you in there?" he asked calmly.
"Kawashima-kun! You're finally here!"
Yui's voice rang out from inside, filled with relief. However, a second later, her tone became hesitant and small.
"Wait... Kawashima-kun, there's something I haven't told you yet. I can't open the door right now."
"And why is that?"
Toya frowned, momentarily confused. What kind of secret would be so dire that she couldn't even open the door for the person coming to help?
"Just after I called you, the Prophet posted a new update," Yui said, her voice trembling. "It's about Yukinon... Yukinoshita-san. It says she'll be killed by the first boy she sees."
"You're the first boy to come to the clubroom since then."
Toya let out a short laugh. "Just because of that?"
For a moment, he had actually wondered if Yui was hiding some world-shattering secret or if she was secretly plotting against him. But it was just this?
Toya stared at the door. "Yuigahama-san, please step back."
"Huh? Okay..."
He heard her footsteps retreating a few paces.
CRASH!
Once he sensed she was at a safe distance, Toya delivered a clean, powerful kick to the door. The wooden frame, which wasn't particularly sturdy to begin with, gave way instantly and collapsed inward.
"Hello, Yuigahama-san," Toya said with a faint smile. He stepped over the fallen door, passing a stunned Yui to enter the room.
"Wait! Kawashima-kun! You can't look at Yukinon!" Yui finally snapped out of her shock and tried to scramble after him.
It was too late. Toya looked toward the composed, icy girl sitting at the table.
"Yukinoshita, don't tell me you're actually afraid?" he teased.
"I am not afraid."
Yukinoshita Yukino's clear eyes flickered with a complex emotion. She spoke coldly, "I was simply counting down the seconds until you killed me."
"The Prophet's predictions have never been wrong. Unless... you aren't actually a boy?"
"I am definitely a man. Don't doubt that, and certainly don't question it," Toya replied with a dismissive wave. "And you can stop the countdown."
"No one can force me to do something I don't want to do."
"Yukinoshita, consider yourself lucky. You're the first person to survive a prediction, and you'll likely be the last student this 'Prophet' ever targets."
Toya stared at the black energy that had begun to envelop his body and let out a scoff of pure disdain.
"You think this is enough?"
Suddenly, a terrifying, overwhelming aura surged from him. The coiling black energy that had been trying to influence his mind vanished instantly, like mist meeting a blinding sun.
After effortlessly erasing the mysterious curse, Toya turned to Yui and Yukinoshita with a gentle expression.
"Now, let's sit down and discuss any clues you have regarding this Prophet."
"The prediction... it didn't work?" The ever-clueless Yui blinked her large eyes in surprise. A moment later, she cheered, "Yukinon! You're going to be okay!"
"Not necessarily." Yukinoshita shook her head slowly, her voice carrying a trace of chilliness. "Kawashima-kun is exceptionally strong. He is indeed a man, but he forcibly broke the rule."
"The prediction stated the first boy I saw would kill me. Kawashima-kun broke the rule, which leads to two possibilities."
"First, the rule is dead, and I live. Second, the rule is still active, and the next boy I encounter will be the one to kill me."
Toya nodded. "Exactly. I erased the force that was trying to make me kill you, but I didn't alter the underlying rule itself."
"The rule that Yukinoshita Yukino will be killed by the first boy she sees is still out there, but I no longer count as that boy since I've already 'passed' through the encounter."
He didn't know who the culprit was yet, but he had a theory about the tool they were using. It was highly likely to be something akin to the famous Death Note. As long as a name, time, and method of death were recorded, the victim would die exactly as written.
The precise detail of the Prophet's descriptions suggested they were reading from a script they had already written.
Ping—
The sound of a notification broke the heavy silence of the Service Club. Yukinoshita didn't get angry; instead, her expression became grave.
"Yui, is it the Prophet again?"
Yui opened her phone, her hands shaking. "The Prophet... he just posted a new one."
Toya's interest was piqued. "Don't be nervous, Yuigahama-san. Read it out loud."
"Let's see what the new script says."
Yui fought back tears, her voice cracking as she read:
"In three minutes, a flowerpot weighing fifty pounds will be launched through the Service Club window, killing Kawashima Toya instantly."
"Simultaneously, eighteen razor-sharp blades will fly through the broken window, piercing Kawashima Toya's vital organs."
"It says it's to... to ensure Kawashima Toya dies a miserable death."
"A fifty-pound flowerpot hitting this window?" Yukinoshita walked over to the glass and scanned the area outside. She fell silent.
"This ability has completely abandoned the laws of logic."
"There are no fifty-pound flowerpots near the Service Club, and certainly no eighteen blades waiting to be thrown."
Toya leaned back in his chair, looking as relaxed as a man on vacation.
"Yukinoshita, Yuigahama-san, both of you move against that wall. Stay away from the glass so you don't get caught in the crossfire."
"If the Prophet posted it, an attack is coming. You can assume the laws of physics have taken a leave of absence."
"Will you be alright?" Yukinoshita's cold gaze held a rare flicker of genuine concern. "I know you're strong, but I have to ask."
Toya waved her off noncommittally. "You should worry about yourselves. If you get hurt, it just gives me more work to do."
"Please be careful!"
Yukinoshita nodded and pulled Yui back to a safe corner.
Toya sat perfectly still, radiating the calm of a veteran, and waited for the clock to strike.
BOOM!
The three-minute mark hit. In a building several hundred meters away from the Service Club, a massive flowerpot was launched by an unseen force, hurtling through the air toward the clubroom window with impossible precision.