"Did I actually do something to offend you?" Kawashima Toya asked, sounding genuinely perplexed. "You seem to harbor a deep-seated hatred for me."
As far as he knew, he and Hayama Hayato had never even interacted. The only thread connecting them was a brief encounter when Miura Yumiko had sought help at the agency after Ebina Hina went missing.
Could it be... A possibility crossed Toya's mind. Is this about Miura Yumiko?
"Are you this hostile because of Miura?" he asked tentatively.
If it wasn't about her, he truly couldn't imagine why this boy—who was clearly dead and reanimated by sheer malice—would be so consumed by spite.
Hayama's face contorted into a hideous mask of rage, his agitation growing by the second. "Who cares about that woman? My hatred for you is far greater than any grudge I hold against her!"
"Kawashima Toya, I want you dead!"
His voice was a desperate, guttural shriek, sounding like a vengeful spirit screaming from the depths of the abyss. The sheer intensity of the resentment radiating from him was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
Toya frowned. "You hate me? Why?"
If it wasn't about Miura, then what was it? He didn't know Hayama, and they hadn't exchanged a single word until today. This inexplicable animosity left him completely without a lead.
Hayama's eyes turned a bloodshot crimson as he pulled out a black notebook. "Kawashima Toya will die... Toya will die... Toya will die!"
With frantic strokes, he filled the pages, scribbling the name over and over. In an instant, an invisible, dark aura of death surged from the notebook, lunging toward Toya.
"Kawashima-kun!" Yuigahama Yui cried out in alarm. "Be careful! That notebook is dangerous!"
Yukinoshita Yukino analyzed the situation coldly. "Hayama is using that notebook to commit these murders. Each time, he records the method and the timing in detail. But this time, he only wrote that Kawashima-kun would die. What happens now?"
"Simple. A heart attack," Toya answered calmly, addressing Yukinoshita's concern without looking away from his opponent.
"Since there are no specific details, the notebook defaults to the quickest and most efficient way to end a life."
"Kawashima-kun, are you going to be alright?" Yukinoshita asked, her voice wavering. "I know you're strong, but surely a heart attack is still a threat?"
"It's not," Toya replied, his expression indifferent. "My evolution wasn't just for show; it was a total leap in existence. Common human ailments no longer apply to me, regardless of the form they take."
"If you want to kill me, you'd probably have to physically pierce my heart."
Toya's gaze turned mocking as he stared at the trembling Hayama. "Well? Can you do it? Will you rely on your little notebook, or do you have any actual strength of your own?"
"How... Why aren't you dead?" Hayama froze, his eyes wide with shock. "I wrote it down! I wrote that you would die! Why?!"
"Want to know the secret?" Toya offered a thin smile. "Tell me why you hate me so much, and maybe I'll tell you."
He had already explained the reason, but because he had spoken quietly and kept his distance, Hayama hadn't heard him.
"The secret?" Hayama's expression grew even more twisted. "That white tuxedo... Do you remember it? Of course you do. I was the one who stole it!"
"A person like you doesn't deserve something so beautiful! Only I am worthy of wearing it!"
"Pathetic." Toya looked at him as if he were a common clown. "If you really think you were worthy, why did it return to me?"
That white tuxedo was a gift from Nyaruko—a literal Cthulhu Deity. For a normal person, even touching it was a one-way ticket to death or insanity. By touching a gift meant for a chosen recipient, Hayama had essentially invited the wrath of an Outer God.
A mere human like Hayama Hayato could never hope to wear it. Even touching it was a transgression that would never be allowed.
"I stole it... I had it in my hands... so why is it gone?"
A look of confusion crossed Hayama's eyes. His thoughts were a chaotic mess; he couldn't even remember how or why the tuxedo had vanished after he took it.
"Strange... Why can't I remember? Where did it go?"
Yukinoshita and Yuigahama exchanged a confused look.
Yukinoshita's voice carried a hint of curiosity. "Kawashima-kun, what is this white tuxedo he's talking about?"
"The origin of that suit is extremely dangerous. Don't look into it," Toya warned them sternly. "Just treat everything Hayama says as the ramblings of a madman."
For now, the tuxedo was harmless—it had even helped him survive Cthugha's trial. However, the mere knowledge of its true nature was enough to drive a normal person to madness.
"I understand." Yukinoshita realized the world was far more complex than it appeared and immediately dropped the subject.
"I've got it! It was you!"
"Kawashima! You must have stolen it back!"
Hayama had completely lost the 'popular student' persona his classmates admired; he was now nothing more than a raving lunatic. "Give it back! Give it back to me right now!"
He began sprinting toward Toya.
There's something wrong with him, Toya thought, watching the madman approach. But how did he even come back to life? His mental state is almost like that of a thrall.
He knew that Nyaruko had been the one to return the tuxedo. She had likely used some entity to retrieve it. If the tuxedo was back, it meant the thief, Hayama, had already been eliminated.
Nyaruko wasn't the type to let a thief live.
He's already dead.
A dead man resurrected... and since he was likely killed by a god's influence, he's barely holding onto any sanity.
Toya cast a cold glance at the approaching figure.
He's a mess of madness and instinct. I'll assume this is linked to the Evil Gods. There's no point in looking for further answers; I'll just end this here.
In an instant, Toya reached a decision. When it came to anything involving those entities, it was best not to get tangled up.
"Give it back!" Hayama screamed, lunging forward with a face like a demon.
"I'll grant you a final release."
Toya's azure eyes focused on the point of death on Hayama's chest. In a blur of motion, he appeared directly in front of him.
He reached out and pressed a single finger against that fatal point. As his power grew, he no longer needed a weapon to trigger the end.
.....
A crisp, shattering sound echoed as the point of death was destroyed.
Hayama froze instantly. His body began to crumble, turning into flakes of black ash that drifted away into nothingness.
The sight was a massive shock to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. Even though they knew Toya was capable of incredible things, watching a person dissolve into ash right before their eyes was a terrifying experience.