The flowerpot hurtled through the air like a projectile.
Trailing closely behind it were eighteen knives, their polished edges catching the light. For a brief moment, the blades reflected the stunned faces of staff members in the opposite building who had witnessed the impossible launch.
Kawashima Toya stood with his arms crossed, watching the incoming attack with a faint, mocking smile.
Let's see how accurate your prediction really is.
CRASH!
The flowerpot slammed through the Service Club window, aimed directly at Toya's head.
The impact was so violent that even Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui, despite knowing Toya's capabilities, instinctively looked away.
The massive ceramic pot struck him head-on.
However, the expected tragedy didn't occur. Toya didn't even budge. Upon impact with his body, the heavy pot shattered into pieces as if it had hit a wall of reinforced steel.
Toya remained seated, looking perfectly composed. "Well, that was a decent attempt."
Immediately after, the flurry of razor-sharp blades whistled through the broken window, converging on his vital organs.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of metallic ringing sounds echoed through the room. Every steel blade that struck Toya's body crumpled and fell to the floor in a heap of useless, flattened metal.
Neither a fifty-pound projectile nor a volley of sharpened steel could leave so much as a scratch on him.
Toya casually brushed the dust off his shoulders and looked toward a security camera mounted in the corner of the room.
"Don't look so disappointed. You technically succeeded."
He gestured to a tiny scuff on his sleeve. "You actually managed to snag my clothes."
"A camera?" Yukinoshita realized immediately, her expression turning sharp. "I see. That explains everything."
"That's how this 'Prophet' knew exactly what we were doing, how many people were in the room, and where everyone was standing. He's been monitoring us through the school's security system."
Toya let out a dry chuckle. "What did you expect? Someone truly capable of seeing the future wouldn't waste their energy on such petty, small-scale theatrics."
In his mind, the world was currently balanced on a knife's edge.
In a single day, the Heretic God, Cundi, would break free from the constraints of myth and descend upon the mortal realm, bringing disaster to all living things. And in six months to a year, an Evil God currently slumbering at the poles—an entity so terrifying that even Nyaruko and Kuuko were wary of it—would fully awaken.
With such monumental crises looming, anyone with genuine foresight would be frantically trying to survive. To use such a gift just to stage elaborate murders was the height of idiocy.
"We have to catch him," Yukinoshita said, her voice cold. "We cannot allow someone to continue this slaughter just because they've stumbled upon supernatural power."
"Let's head to the security room," Toya suggested, nodding. He signaled for Yui and Yukinoshita to follow him.
As they moved through the halls, Yui looked up with a hint of confusion. "Kawashima-kun, why do Yukinon and I have to come along? Wouldn't we be safer staying in a secure location where we won't get in your way?"
"I'd prefer you to stay out of trouble," Toya replied, reaching out to give Yui a light flick on the forehead. "But consider the alternative."
"What if this Prophet stops posting his predictions online and just decides to write down the deaths of Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino directly? What happens then?"
His gaze turned meaningful. "By the time I get back from the security room, you two might already be dead—and likely in a very unpleasant way."
Yui shivered, a wave of terror washing over her. "I... I see. Thank you, Kawashima-kun. If you hadn't thought of that, we'd be in serious trouble."
As they passed the door to an old classroom, the heavy wooden frame groaned under an invisible weight. Without warning, the entire door collapsed forward, hurtling toward the two girls.
If a door of that weight struck a normal person, the results would be catastrophic.
Am I going to die? Yukinoshita's mind went blank. Even though she knew Toya was there to protect them, the sudden brush with a lethal trap left her paralyzed.
"Waaaah! Kawashima-kun, help!" Unlike the silent Yukinoshita, Yui screamed for help the moment the danger appeared.
"I'm standing right here, what are you so afraid of?"
Toya reached out with one hand and caught the falling door. The massive slab of solid wood looked like a lightweight toy in his grasp.
"We're saved..." Yui let out a sigh of relief. "Kawashima-kun saved us again."
"Yukinon, we definitely have to stay close to him. If we wander off even a little bit, it'll be too dangerous!"
Yukinoshita nodded silently, then looked up at Toya. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Toya said with a grin. "Next time, take a page out of Yuigahama-san's book and just call out. You being so calm probably frustrates the Prophet."
He suspected the culprit was a sociopath who enjoyed seeing the terror in his victims' eyes as their "destiny" approached. Why else would he post the methods and times on the internet? It was designed to maximize the victim's dread.
Toya set the door aside casually. He turned his gaze toward the end of the hallway, his eyes narrowing.
"Hey, Prophet. Have you decided how you want to die yet?"
From the shadows near the staircase, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a handsome young man, possessing the polished look of a popular student.
"You!" Yui gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"You know him?" Yukinoshita asked.
Toya looked at the young man with a discerning eye. "A friend of yours, Yuigahama-san?"
There was no doubt about it—this was the "Prophet."
"That's Hayama Hayato," Yui said, her voice trembling. "He's... he's the most popular guy in our year. I can't believe he's the murderer."
So, this is Hayama Hayato.
Toya stepped in front of the two girls. "Since you decided not to run and showed yourself instead, I assume you have something to say?"
Hayama's handsome face was contorted with a hideous, twisted rage. He stared at Toya as if he wanted to tear him apart with his gaze alone.
"Let me introduce myself. I am a man who has crawled back from the pits of hell."
"I am Hayama Hayato."
Toya gave a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah, I gathered as much."
"Mainly because you're clearly not human anymore."
With his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception active, Toya could see the truth. Hayama wasn't a living being; he was a hollow shell held together by a thick, suffocating aura of pure, concentrated resentment.