Ryouma could only cover his head and duck as every glass and bottle behind the bar came smashing into him now that Goto had the upper hand.
Drenched in alcohol, it seeped into the hundreds of small cuts on his body made by broken glass. It stung. It burned. It dripped into his eyes along with blood running from his scalp and blinded him.
With Ryouma's concentration completely broken, the men began to move again, and the bartender's sobs became audible.
"Get his ass!" someone shouted.
Unable to find a rag, Ryouma wiped his face with the shirt he was wearing and hoped he didn't get tiny shards of glass in his eyes. He heard someone approaching as broken glass crunched under their feet.
"Stop," he commanded, and those footsteps ceased. His vision was blurred, but he could tell that the man at his mercy was holding a knife. Ryouma pointed at his own neck. "Stab yourself."
Not one, but two different cries of pain echoed out as the bartender stabbed himself with the ice pick as well. An unintended consequence, but a welcome one. That was two down.
"This is why I keep telling you idiots to cover your ears!" shouted Goto.
Ryouma dashed out from behind the bar and made a run for the exit. He was nearly there when he was suddenly blindsided by a chair flying his way, knocking him off his feet. Before he could even catch his breath, Ryouma was dragged away from the door by an unseen force.
Coming to a stop in the middle of the room, he tried to move, but something was holding him in place. The remaining four men crowded around him.
"What should we do with him?" He recognized that one as the guy who tore the beads off his wrist.
"Huh?" grunted Goto.
"Obviously, we should kill him," said another, wrapping a cord around his hand. Sudden pressure squeezed around Ryouma's neck. That made at least two sorcerers he was up against.
"M-maybe we should wait for the boss," said a younger, twitchy-looking guy.
"Huh? What are you all saying?" Goto asked loudly.
"Goto! Turn off your music, dumbass!" snapped the bead guy as he yanked one of the earbuds out of Goto's ear.
"H-hey!" Goto snatched it back quickly. "I need this in case he says something!"
"It's fine! He can't say anything like this," said the other sorcerer with a sadistic smile.
Ryouma let out choked grunts as the pressure around his neck increased with every loop of the cord. He needed a way to break the concentration of the sorcerer, but the oxygen deprivation was making it hard for him to even think. He could only focus on the light from the lamp hanging directly above, shining right into his eyes.
With a loud pop, the bulb burst.
"What was that?!"
The pressure around Ryouma's throat eased, and he took in a deep, rattling breath. One by one, the bulbs in the lights started to burst around them. With each pop, he could breathe easier and move more freely.
"Shit! It's him doing it!" The sorcerer squeezed the cord that was still wrapped around his hand.
As pressure like an invisible rope tightened around his throat once more, Ryouma thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out the injector pen. He bit the cap off the pen and jabbed it into the sorcerer's leg.
"Sh-shit…" the sorcerer grunted.
Ryouma coughed and wheezed as the pressure instantly released.
Whatever it was in that vial, it was fast-acting. In a matter of seconds, the sorcerer dropped to the floor. That was one more down.
BANG—!
A sudden, sharp stinging sensation hit Ryouma's side. He whipped around to see the young, twitchy guy shakily holding a gun, ready to fire again.
Ryouma didn't even care that he was shot. He couldn't have asked for better timing. A maniacal grin stretched across his face as he issued his command. "Shoot those guys."
With a look of horror, the twitchy guy held up the gun to the person closest to himself and pulled the trigger. The bead guy was down. But before he could take aim at the next person, the gun flew out of his hands, landing across the room. With half the lights out, it was hard to see where it landed.
"Y-you fucking idiot! Why'd you bring that?!" shouted Goto, cowering behind the bar.
"I… I'm s-sorry!" sobbed the twitchy guy, dropping to his knees. He curled into himself and clamped his hands over his ears.
Ryouma let out a sharp laugh. So now he catches on, huh?
Admittedly, this wasn't as much of an issue as the one wearing earbuds. That was a tougher defense to crack, and he probably wouldn't even be able to get near him. Ryouma leaned forward and pried the twitchy-now-sobbing guy's hands away from his head.
"Go steal that guy's earbuds," he commanded in a low voice. When Ryouma let go, the other man sprang to his feet, heading for the bar. There were only two of them left now—he had to end things quickly.
Ryouma leaned back on his palms and sighed. Everything hurt. He'd overexerted himself to an unnecessary degree this time, further shortening his own life. As long as he could see Midoriko again, that was all that mattered.
"Hey! W-what the hell do you think you're doing?!" shouted Goto from behind the bar as the other guy disappeared from view.
While the two men fought amongst themselves, Ryouma lifted his bloody shirt to examine the wound. Lucky for him, it seemed that the bullet had just grazed him enough to make him bleed profusely. But even through all the blood, he could tell that the curse had spread even more. Ryouma exhaled and wiped his hand across the wound, stopping the bleeding with his powers.
An aborted yell came from behind the bar, followed by a loud crash, as the man Ryouma had sent after Goto flew over the bar and into a pile of furniture. He was down for the count.
Goto sprang out from behind the bar, bloodied, with only one earbud in. He let out a guttural scream as he rammed something into his open ear.
"Whoa…" gasped Ryouma as he climbed to his feet.
Blood trickled out of Goto's ear as he pulled out the cocktail ice pick and threw it at Ryouma's feet. Wearing a shirt made up of several different patterns, what the man lacked in fashion sense, he made up for in tenacity.
***
Midoriko slammed the bedroom door behind herself and slumped down to the floor. She sobbed quietly, tears streaming down her face, as the reality of her situation set in.
She was going to be treated like a brood mare—producing more neutralizers for her father's own ends. Soon, Itoko would also be wrapped up in these horrific schemes since he sought to use her power as well.
What strange hell had she been sent to? Could she trust that Ryouma would be spared? If it was all a lie and he was killed, then what did she even sacrifice herself for?
There was a soft knock at the door, pulling Midoriko out of her downward spiral.
Akira called out from the other side of the door. "Miss Midoriko? Are you okay?"
"Cut the formality, asshole," she snapped, wiping away her tears. "You knew about all of this, didn't you?"
Akira loosened his tie. He'd expected her anger, her hatred, and even her rejection, but what he hadn't expected was her complete and utter revulsion. She was justified in all of it.
"About the marriage, yes." He clenched his fists. There was no point in an apology. What he'd agreed to and kept from her was irredeemable. "B-but I didn't know about the stuff with Nishikawa!" His throat felt dry as he continued speaking, feeling compelled to at least defend himself. "...Or whatever his name is."
"I don't believe you…"
"You don't have to believe me! Or trust me! Just–"
"Just what…? What are you even talking about?!" She pounded on the door, raising her voice. "When have you ever not lied to me?!"
Standing there in front of that door, Akira finally understood what he was feeling for Midoriko above all. He pitied her.
"Right now! I'm telling you the truth right now!" he retorted, matching her volume before lowering his voice again. "And, like, stuff about myself. My hobbies, school—that was all true, too." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Midoriko, I like you."
"So what? Do you think that makes up for everything else?" she scoffed. "What do you want from me? To screw me or just screw me over?"
Akira pressed his forehead against the door and sighed. "Right now, I just want to help you."
"You can help by going away!" she yelled, slamming her fist against the door.
Honestly, what was this guy's damage? Why was he suddenly growing a conscience? She had half a mind to open the door and punch him in the balls. Midoriko waited for another one of his pathetic retorts.
"Fine," he said, sounding defeated. "But if you want to run away, I'll buy you some time."
Midoriko pressed her ear to the door and listened to his retreating footsteps. Was he serious? What did he even expect her to do to run away? Sneak out the front door??
She grabbed her purse and pulled out the phone. Her thumb hovered over Xiaoming's contact information for a moment before typing out a message to him. Not knowing whether he was alive was scarier than knowing if he was dead.
'Are you alive?'
Midoriko closed her eyes and held her breath. Then, the phone vibrated with a notification. Exhaling, she slowly opened her eyes, unsure of what to expect.
'Yes. Somehow…'
She had so many questions, but they could wait until later. If Akira meant what he said, then getting out of there was the most important thing.
'Can you open up a door for me if I send you a picture?'
'I've been trying to get to you, but I can't get it to work. Master Ryouma said he'll come for you.'
Ryouma…? Xiaoming was able to speak to him? Her heart thumped. So he was still alive? And he wasn't giving up on her?
The phone buzzed again with another notification that went ignored by Midoriko. She held the phone to her chest, crying. Midoriko wanted to apologize to Ryouma for what she told that woman to say. She knew that he'd understand, that he'd forgive her and offer his own apology, but still.
More than anything, Midoriko wanted to tell him she loved him.
Midoriko looked at the bedroom door. If she was able to use magic if she really tried, then couldn't she create one of those magic doors? Ah, but she didn't know where he was. To open one, visualizing a space was half the work. Even if she wanted to go home, all she could picture in her mind's eye was his face.
She was at the mercy of waiting for him, but she wasn't sure if she could wait. She wanted to see Ryouma so badly that it hurt. Midoriko wished he would just appear in front of her right that instant.