Chapter 93

Christina icily returns Eliza’s glare. Then, behind her, Cid goes flying. “PLAAAARGH!” Blood spews from nose and mouth as he soars through the air. “Cid?!” “Ah-ha-ha, how pathetic!” Eliza’s lackey is the one who punched him. “How could you?!” Christina cries. “He isn’t a part of this!” “That’s hardly my problem. This is what happens when you try to oppose me. Good work there, Dunder Hedd.” Her lackey, Dunder Hedd, wipes the blood off his fist and smirks. “Heh-heh-heh, all I did was give him a little tap.” “You’re amazing, Dunder. Even with just a light tap, you sent him flying all the way to the end of the hall.” Somehow that single punch Dunder threw was enough to send Cid careening a full 150 feet. “I mean, I am getting stronger,” Dunder says. Eliza twines her arm around Dunder’s and presses her chest against him. “I feel so safe around you. I love me a real manly man.” “Heh-heh, you can count on me.” “Do be careful, though. You might be the next target.” “Ha. If Jack the Ripper tries anything, I’ll kill the sucker dead!” “Tee-hee. If you do, I’ll be sure to give you a special reward.” Flashing a coquettish smile, Eliza leaves with her lackey in tow. Over in the school’s infirmary, a sexy doctor gives me first aid. “There, all finished. Try not to get in any more fights, okay?” she says, then goes back to her other work. Christina looks at me with concern. “Are you all right, Cid?” I curl my swollen cheeks into a grin. “That guy threw a nasty punch, but I narrowly managed to survive by spinning away and negating three percent of the damage.” “You should rest here for the day. I’ll come pick you up once classes are over,” Christina says, then leaves the room. I lie back on the bed and stretch my arms a little. “Heya.” Then a small girl pops out from beneath the bed. It’s Nina. “Heya,” I reply. I’ve known she was eavesdropping the whole time. “What’s up?” “I wanted to give you an update on Claire’s situation.” “Ah, sure.” “Why don’t we head to her room?” Nina’s just as tiny as ever. She leads me over to Claire’s room. The room has changed a bit since the last time I was in here. Now it’s full of medical equipment and weird-looking magic apparatuses. Over on the bed, my sister is lying completely still. “Sis…” Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. Bleeeeeeep. One of the magic devices buzzes. They had those things in the hospitals of my old world, too. “Her pulse stopped,” I say when I realize it. “This is as far as she goes…” I clasp my hands together and close my eyes. I didn’t used to believe in life after death or anything like that, but then I literally got reincarnated. If Claire’s lucky, she’ll probably end up getting reincarnated somewhere, too. I pray for her not to get reborn as a cockroach or a flea. “At least let her come back as a mouse or something.” Nina shoots me a reproachful look. “She isn’t dead.” “But the device thingy just stopped.” “That’s the sound it makes when it’s done measuring someone’s mana.” The reply comes not from Nina, but from the sexy doctor. She steps into the room, her presence all but imperceptible. “Oh, hey…you were in the infirmary, too,” I say. “That’s right—I was. Nina helped me get hired as both Claire’s physician and the school doctor. My name is Mu.” Mu gives me a deep bow. She has dark skin and full, plump lips. There are pointed ears sticking out from her silver hair. She’s a dark elf. “Wow, you’re really polite. I’m Cid Kagenou. I’m the sleeping girl’s brother.” “Oh, I know exactly who you are. It’s an honor to meet you, and I hope the work I do lives up to your standards.” “No, no, the pleasure’s all mine.” “No, no, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine.” One pleasantry begets another, and we spend a good long while bobbing our heads up and down. Mu’s a doctor, so I wonder why she’s acting so deferential. It’s kind of unusual, but I guess having a dark elf for a doctor is unusual in and of itself. Once she stops bowing, Mu begins skillfully fiddling with the machine and inspecting Claire’s mana. I’m impressed at how fluid Mu’s mana control is. What’s someone like her doing working as a school doctor? Her skills are the real deal, and the way she hid her presence earlier was fantastic, too. Man, I guess doctors these days can do it all… I don’t know the first thing about medicine, so I decide to just leave everything to her. “I had no idea you were friends with such a talented doctor, Nina. You’ve got some mad connections.” Nina laughs bashfully. “Nya-ha-ha.” “So how’s my sister looking?” “Her life isn’t in any danger, and she’ll wake up eventually. To elaborate on the specifics of her condition, her unstable mana reacted with the new crest on her right hand—” When Mu begins earnestly explaining things, I hold up my hand to cut her off. “Ah, okay, cool. As long as she’s not gonna die, then it’s all good.” “M-my sincerest apologies for my impertinence.” “Like I said, it’s all good. The question then is, When’s she gonna wake up?” If possible, I’d like her to rest for a loooong time. “If we wait for her to wake up on her own, it should take somewhere from a few weeks to a few months. It all depends on how her mana adapts.” “Gotcha.” “We could forcefully induce her to awaken, of course, but that could have lasting effects on her magic circuits—” “Ooh, hold up, that’s bad. Can’t be doing that, now.” “I agree. Damage to one’s magic circuits is nothing to make light of. If we want to do what’s best for Claire’s body, we need to…” As I completely ignore the rest of Mu’s explanation, I steal a glance at my sister as she peacefully dozes away. “If only we could let her sleep forever,” I murmur. I mean, all she ever does is nag me. The moment the words leave my mouth, the mood in the room goes ice-cold. Nina’s eyes widen, and Mu inhales sharply. “If that’s what you truly want…,” Nina says, her voice so grim it’s like she’s announcing the end of the world. Mu kneels, her gaze resolute. “Your will is great, and you see further than we ever could. I know not where this path of yours leads, but I will follow it until my lungs no longer draw breath.” “Uh…” The energy in here just got very weird very quickly. Overwhelmed by the strange tension in the air, I hurriedly backpedal. “I—I was just kidding…” You really can’t be taking the things I say that seriously. “Oh, geez, it was just a joke…?” “How impish of you. I thought my heart might very well stop.” Just like that, the two of them are all smiles again. I gotta say, it’s odd how relieved Nina sounds. “A-anyhow, I can see that my sister’s in good hands.” With that, I flee the room. What was up with the mood back there? I take a brief moment to reflect. Okay, sure, maybe that was a little insensitive of me. In my defense, though, Claire’s been weirdly tenacious ever since she was a kid. She’s got this bizarre ability to bounce back from stuff—bizarre enough that I’m able to laugh off the fact that she’s in a coma. After dinner, Christina, Kanade, and I play some Old Maid in the bedroom. “Oh no, Miss Eliza sounds really, really mad! I’m gonna die. I’m totally gonna die,” Kanade wails as she takes a card from my hand. Ooh, she took the Old Maid. “Don’t worry,” Christina reassures her. “The manor is under heavy guard, and if worse comes to worst, you have me to protect you.” “But…but what about that giant guy Miss Eliza had with her?” “Oh yeah, that guy,” I remark. She’s probably talking about the man Eliza had working as her bodyguard back in the white fog. The same one who punched me. “You mean Dunder Hedd?” Christina asks. “Yeah, yeah, him. I heard that his dad has ties to organized crime, and that they use illegal mercenaries to quietly off people. Apparently, they sell off the organs of the people they kill, turn their flesh into ground meat, and use slimes to melt their bones so there’s no body left to identify… I’m gonna diiiie.” “That’s Earl Haushold Hedd you’re talking about. There are definitely some nasty rumors about him, but I doubt he would have the nerve to attack the manor.” “I’m out,” I announce. The card I just took from Christina gave me the last pair I needed. “Cid, you traitor!” Kanade yelps. “If we get attacked, I’m using you as a shield.” “All right.” “Oh,” says Christina, “I’m out, too.” “Whaaat? How do I keep loooosing?” Because one hundred percent of your thoughts get written all across your face. Not like I’m gonna tell her that, of course. “Look, is Old Maid even any fun with three players?” I ask. “It’s a blast!” Kanade replies without a moment’s hesitation. “If you say so.” I guess there’s no accounting for taste. “Well, I’m gonna go take my bath now.” “Whaaat?!” “We agreed we’d get to take them in the order we won, remember?” “But I was just about to start my comeback…” I ignore Kanade’s grumblings and head for the bathroom. “Kanade, do you want to play, just the two of us?” Christina offers. “Yeah!” I don’t like the sound of that one bit. Christina’s taking her bath next, and that means I’m gonna be stuck alone with Kanade. Actually, maybe this is fine. Surely even she’s gonna realize how stupid two-player Old Maid is. Shortly thereafter, Kanade and I end up playing two-player Old Maid. It’s the dead of night, and a group of masked figures slink across the quiet grounds of the Hope manor. Their weapons are drawn, and they’re waiting for the moment to strike. “Is it time yet, Father?” “Don’t be hasty, Dunder.” Among them, Dunder Hedd and Haushold Hedd share a quiet exchange. “But they turned off all the lights already.” “We put Viscount Shinobi in charge of surveillance for a reason. We wait for his signal.” “If you insist, Father,” Dunder replies, not sounding convinced in the slightest. “Don’t you worry, Dunder. I intend for you to get all the credit for tonight’s raid.” “Really?!” “I’m past my prime, Son. Not long after you graduate, I plan on stepping down and letting you take my place on the Nightblades.” “Heh, I’m gonna tear that Christina bitch to shreds. That’s what she gets for messing with me.” “We’ve got two targets tonight: Christina and Kanade. Duke Hope is waiting for us with that evidence.” Dunder lets out a mocking laugh. “Poor sap, getting sold out by her own father.” “It was the only smart choice to make. The Hope family’s stood strong for generations. He can’t let it get crushed over the actions of one idiot girl. Remember, we promised that we’d spare the duke in exchange for that evidence. Don’t go killing him by mistake, now.” “Heh-heh. I know, I know.” “And be careful. There’s a boy staying in the same room as the targets. If I remember right…his name is Cid Kagenou.” “The little runt who was hanging out with Christina, you mean? What should I do with him?” “He doesn’t matter, but we don’t want any witnesses. Might as well kill him while you’re there.” “Got it.” “Don’t forget your job, Son. Viscount Shinobi is in charge of surveillance, we Hedds are in charge of the raid, and Marquis Jet is in charge of keeping the manor surrounded.” “They’ve got nowhere to run, huh?” “Nope. If anything goes wrong, the surveillance and sieging teams will move in to provide backup. Our attack team even has an assassin from the Lawless City, and the siege team has both a dark knight who made the Bushin Festival primary rounds and the Sword Devil, a master of the White Tiger style who got excommunicated for his wicked deeds. Not even a miracle could save them.” “Heh-heh. This is what you’re best at, Father. You make sure to win the fight before it even begins. It’s like you always say: The best kind of battles are the ones you can’t lose.” Haushold Hedd’s mouth curls into a smirk. “Ha-ha, I do say that.” “There’s the signal from the surveillance team, Father.” “At last. Let’s do this.” With that, the figures begin invading the manor. Christina stares up at the ceiling as she lies in her bed. The room is filled with the sound of Kanade’s snoring and Cid’s light breathing. She can’t get to sleep. It has nothing to with Kanade’s snoring and everything to do with what happened that morning. Every time she thinks about those two men strung up on the fountain, it sends a twinge through her heart. The duo used violence to achieve their ends, then got brutally killed when faced with a greater power still. It’s all about power. Raw power transcends everything. Laws, morality, and influence are helpless before it. She extends her arm toward the ceiling and chuckles. “Heh-heh…” When she does, she hears the quiet sound of fabric rustling. “Is one of you up?” she asks her two roommates. There’s no reply. “Kanade? Cid?” Kanade’s snoring and Cid’s light breathing are the same as ever. “Was I just imaging things?” Then she hears the click of the door opening. “…Who’s there?” The door stops halfway. She can hear someone breathing from the other side. “Did you need something?” Christina asks as she grabs the sword lying by the side of her bed. Any member of the staff would have answered immediately, and it’s odd how the guards by the door haven’t been reacting. For the next little while, Kanade’s snoring is the only noise in the room. Then… “Kill them.” On that signal, a group of people dressed all in black surge into the room. “Wake up, you two!!” Christina shouts, then flips Kanade’s mattress over and hurls it at the intruders. “SNRRRRRRK… Hweh?! Wh-wh-what’s going on?!” Kanade stammers. Christina tosses her a sword. “We’re under attack!” As she shouts out her answer, she blocks a slash from a brawny assailant. She tenses her grip a little to test his strength. He’s strong. This guy knows what he’s doing. Christina shifts the angle of her sword to fend off his attack. She knows she can beat him. Her attacker’s stance is shot, and she thrusts her blade into the tip of his shoulder. “Rrgh! Now you’re really asking for it!!” His voice is rough and sounds oddly familiar. Christina tries to press her advantage, but another five attackers cut her off. “I told you to be careful!! Stand down!!” “B-but, Father—” “Not another word out of you!!” The brawny man’s father shoves him aside and takes up a stance in front of Christina. He appears to be the group’s leader. “Hwehhhhhhhh?! What?! I’m gonna die?! I’m gonna die here?!” Kanade wails as she narrowly manages to survive her two assailants. And as for Cid Kagenou… …he’s trying to quietly slip out the window. “Ah…” When he meets Christina’s and Kanade’s gazes, he flashes them an embarrassed smile— “Well, I’m out!” —and quickly leaps out the window. “T-TRAITORRRRRRRRR!!” Kanade shouts. “Curse you!! I’ll come back as a vengeful spirit and haunt you for thiiiiiiiis!!” “Don’t let him escape! After him!!” On the group leader’s orders, three of the attackers follow Cid. “That really helps,” Christina whispers. Cid manages to draw the attackers away. Now there are only six left, and one of them has a badly injured shoulder. The situation still isn’t good, but it’s at least potentially manageable. All Christina needs to do is hold out a little, and her guards should notice the commotion and come to help. “You probably think you have help coming,” the leader says. “Is that what I’m thinking, now?” “There’s no point trying to hide it. I know all about how you spend top zeni beefing up your defenses. Bad news, but those guards ain’t coming. There’s another team dealing with them as we speak.” “Gosh, I appreciate you being so thorough. The Nightblades must really be desperate for this to work.” He’s probably not lying. All of a sudden, her odds of surviving look a whole lot worse. Christina didn’t expect the Nightblades to devote so many resources to this. “Laugh while you can. The Nightblades are unshakable, even now. This here is just a father looking out for his son.” “That would make you Earl Haushold Hedd, then. I thought I recognized your son’s voice.” “I don’t have any idea who that is,” Haushold Hedd lies, then gives the order. “Kill them.” The men in black surge forward. The one in front slashes at Christina. “Rgh…” But she hasn’t given up yet. She dodges the man’s attack, then tries to reposition over to Kanade before she gets surrounded. However, her plan gets interrupted before it can even get off the ground. With a shupp, the body of one man in black shifts. “Huh? Wha—? AHHHHHHHH!” He lets out a scream as his torso slides right off his legs. “Ahh… H-help…!” With a feeble moan, he reaches out his hand. He’s already beyond saving, though. “How did you do that?!” Haushold Hedd glares at Christina. “That man was one of the strongest dark knights in his city-state!” The men in black warily inch away from her. “No, no, that wasn’t me.” The thing is, Christina didn’t do anything. She dodged his attack, but that was all. He’d been cut in half before they even clashed. Christina isn’t nearly powerful enough to cleave a talented dark knight in two without anyone even noticing. “Then who else could’ve done it?! What are you hiding—?” Haushold Hedd’s eyes go wide as he trails off mid-sentence. The two dark knights attacking Kanade have just been bisected in exactly the same manner. “Wait, huh? Am I awakening? Is my secret true power finally coming into bloom?!” Kanade sounds a smidge excited about the prospect. “That’s impossible. How did you…? Wait a minute. Your sword.” Haushold Hedd notices something. His gaze falls on Kanade’s weapon. “Why isn’t there any blood on your sword?” “Huh, there isn’t.” Sure enough, Kanade’s sword is completely clean. It’s obvious to everyone present that she wasn’t the one who did it. Then they hear the whoosh of fabric rustling. Everyone’s gazes snap toward the source of the noise. The sound is coming from Cid Kagenou’s bed. However, Cid has long since fled. Now there’s someone new in his bed. The figure is lying there with its back to them, lit only by the moonlight. “A clown drenched in blood…,” someone whispers. The clown rolls over to face them. His red-stained mask is smiling. Dunder Hedd shrinks away. “Eek…” Haushold Hedd, on the other hand, remains calm. “I take it you’re Jack the Ripper,” he says, then gives an order to his men before turning back toward the bloody clown. “The way you showed up, it’s like this was exactly what you were hoping for. I always knew you were an assassin working for the Hopes.” “H-he isn’t!” Christina cries. “We don’t use assassins!” However, Haushold has no interest in anything she has to say. “How much are they paying you? Whatever your rate, they’re definitely getting their money’s worth. You’ve cost us a lot of men.” He looks around at the corpses of the brutally slaughtered dark knights. “Each of them was a respected member of the underworld. I find this all a bit hard to believe, but I guess this is where we stand…” Haushold Hedd lets out a weary sigh. All the while, the bloody clown just keeps lying on the bed with that same smile plastered on his mask. “I have to accept the reality of the situation. The way I see it, standing against you would hardly be a wise course of action. Even if we fought you and won, we would still suffer tremendous losses. And you’re in the same boat. Not even you can go up against the Nightblades and walk away unscathed.” The bloody clown’s shoulders quiver slightly in laughter. “It’s in both of our interests to strike a deal here. I’ll pay you triple. You don’t need to fight with us; all I ask is that you walk away. I’ll make sure no harm comes to your reputation from this. What do you say?” The clown’s shoulders shake harder. He’s laughing under his breath. “…What’s so funny?” The shaking comes to a sudden stop. Then the clown gradually sits up. Slowly but surely, he points his finger at each assailant in turn. It’s almost like he’s making some kind of choice. The finger stops on one attacker in particular. The man in black gives the clown a puzzled look. “What are—?” The clown snaps his fingers. A moment later, the attacker’s head goes flying. “How did he do that?!” Blood gushes up like a fountain as the beheaded attacker falls limp. Dunder Hedd drops to his hands and knees and begins crawling away. “Eeeeek! F-Father, I want to go home!” However, the bloody clown has already started searching for his next target. His finger glides past Dunder and lands on the assailant next to him. “W-wait, don’t!” Although the dark knight lets out a panicked yell, he’s experienced enough to immediately take evasive action as he does. Tragically, though, it’s not enough to stop the top half of his head from exploding when the clown snaps his fingers. The mouth still connected to his torso flaps open in an attempt to say something, but all that comes out is a bloody froth. Next, the bloody clown points his finger at Kanade. “Huh, me?! But why?! AHHHHHH!” However, he stops on her for only a brief moment before sliding his finger over to the attacker behind her. Then he snaps his fingers. “Ah…” The man’s dumbfounded head flies off. All that remains now is the father and son, Haushold and Dunder Hedd. Dunder clings to his father’s legs. “Eeeek… Father, Father, we need to get out of here.” Haushold Hedd has just witnessed four of his dark knights get massacred in the blink of an eye, and he can’t conceal his shock, either. “So…no interest in negotiating, then?” he says. “No, perhaps the fact that you intentionally left me alive means you wanted to make a show of force to secure yourself a better bargaining position. Perhaps we can still talk this out.” The bloody clown offers no reaction. “First of all, let me apologize. I clearly underestimated your talents. I have no idea how you managed to attain such strength, but it truly is a sight to behold.” A bead of cold sweat trickles down Haushold’s face. “But the thing is, I have this manor surrounded, and I just sent the signal to my men. Before long, the team besieging the manor will be here to back me up. That group includes not just the finest of Viscount Shinobi’s and Marquis Jet’s men, but also the Sword Devil, a master of the White Tiger style. You may be talented, but not even you could face such a force and emerge—” The bloody clown interrupts Haushold’s speech by leaning down and rustling around in its blanket. When it does, it becomes clear that the bed is oddly lumpy and stained a dark shade of red. Eventually, the clown retrieves a pair of heads. “Wha—?” Haushold recognizes their faces. “That’s Viscount Shinobi…and Marquis Jet, to boot…” The two heads have been impaled with a four and five of spades, respectively. “You’re telling me you took out the entire siege team?! That’s impossible. You’re just a single man!” That’s enough to push Haushold all the way over the edge. “What the hell even are you?! What is it you’re after?! What do you want?!” Spittle flies from his mouth as he yells. The bloody clown leisurely pulls out a single playing card. It’s the six of spades. “Eek… EEEEEEEEEK!” A single glance is enough for Haushold Hedd to realize who that card is meant for. He takes cover behind his cowering son and uses the younger man as a shield. “A-are you serious, Father?! Let go of me! Let gooooo!!” “EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!” As Dunder Hedd tries to shake off his father, the clown draws back his arm to lash out with the six of spades. Then the sound of glass shattering fills the room as a lanky dark knight leaps in through the window. “Heh-heh-heh… There you are, Jack the Ripper,” the newcomer says. His voice is calm, and his presence is intense. When he pulls his naginata from its sheath, it glints in the moonlight. “W-wait, you’re…you’re the Sword Devil!! You’re still alive?!” Life returns to Haushold’s voice. He pokes his head out from behind Dunder and grins. “Here I was, thinking I could enjoy a heart-pounding fight to the death for the first time in ages, when all the weaklings around me drop dead and this guy runs off. What a disappointment.” As the Sword Devil speaks, his gaze doesn’t leave the bloody clown for an instant. After all, he gets it. That clown’s strength is on par with his own… “Who even is the Sword Devil?” Christina shudders at how sleek the man’s magic is. He must be one of the top dark knights in the world. “It’s little wonder you haven’t heard of him,” Haushold explains. “He’s a martial master from the distant land of Wakoku.” “A martial master?!” Christina is familiar with the term. Across the sea, there’s a land of carnage called Wakoku where people hone their combat skills. Over there, the people who stand as the pinnacle of strength are called martial masters rather than dark knights. Wakoku is closed to foreigners, so information on the country is scarce, but every so often, a martial master comes to Midgar on a journey to grow stronger, and they’re always a force to be reckoned with. “What’s more, he made such a name for himself in one of Wakoku’s four great schools that he was slated to become the youngest assistant instructor of the White Tiger style in history. However, he slew nine disciples in his quest for power and got excommunicated.” “Hmph… That’s all in the past. Things have been a bit boring since I arrived in this nation, but to think I would get to face off against a martial master as strange as you…,” the Sword Devil says as he readies his blade. “Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha, Jack the Ripper!” Haushold roars. “I bet you’re so terrified of the Sword Devil, you want to flee! What happened to all your confidence from before?!” The Sword Devil lowers his center of gravity. “Here I come.” Kanade gulps audibly. The clown snaps his fingers. The moment he does, the Sword Devil’s body blurs as he dodges something. A hole explodes in the wall behind him. “Flicking, huh…?” the Sword Devil mutters in delight. “Impressive that you’re able to muster such strength with so little windup. Against anyone else, that would have ended the fight right there.” Jack the Ripper seems a little surprised. The Sword Devil fixes his gaze on his opponent like he’s trying to gauge his strength. “But that won’t work on me. I don’t need to see when your presence tells me everything I need to know…” With that, the Sword Devil closes his eyes and readies his weapon. “Come at me, Jack the Ripper. None of your strikes will find purchase on—” Before he can finish the sentence, an anticlimactic pop rings out. “What…?” The Sword Devil’s head goes flying. Now headless, his torso slowly collapses to the ground, and blood gushes out from his neck hole. Meanwhile, his head tumbles across the floor and blinks up at Jack the Ripper in confusion. “Hah…” With a small exhale, the clown readies the six of spades. “Th-that’s impossible…” Haushold Hedd scuttles backward. “Eeeeek! Stop, stop, stop! I-I’ll have you know that we’re being backed by a powerful force. The mighty Cult of Diab—” The six of spades cuts him off by sinking into his forehead. “But…why…?” At long last, Haushold Hedd breathes his last. After making sure his target is dead, the bloody clown turns his gaze over to Christina and Kanade. An odd tension permeates the silence. Kanade trembles like a newborn fawn. “This is the part where he kills us… Where he gets rid of all the witnesses…” Contrary to her predictions, however, the bloody clown simply walks away. His footsteps squelch as he goes. “Wait!!” Christina calls out to him. His power is transcendent, nigh divine, and she yearns for it. “Wh-what are you trying to achieve?! You’re the one who left Shoddi Goodz’s documents for me, aren’t you?!” The bloody clown stops in his tracks. “Why me? What is it you want me to do?” He offers her no answer but turns his mask’s ever-present smile her way. “Hee-hee-hee…” A small laugh escapes his mouth. Then he hurls a card. Christina instinctively brings her sword up to block it, but the card simply grazes her cheek on its way to impale Kanade in the side of her head. “HYEEEEEK!” “Kanade?!” Kanade collapses, blood trickling from her wound. “Hee-hee-hee!” The clown leaps out the window. However, Christina can’t give chase. “Are you okay, Kanade?! Talk to me!” Not when Kanade’s life is in danger. Kanade is a friend she can speak her mind to without having to worry about family politics. Christina has never had one of those before. “Kanade! Kanade!” Kanade has a pulse. She’s still breathing. I just need to make the bleeding stop…! “Oh… Christina…” “Pull yourself together, Kanade!” Kanade lays her trembling hand on top of Christina’s. “It’s fine… I’m already…too far gone…” “No you aren’t!” “I know my own body better than anyone else…” “No, you don’t know anything. Hang in there. You’re going to be fine!” “Please…I have a dying message I need you to hear…” “It’s not going to come to that!” “Please, Christina.” Kanade looks at Christina, her gaze dead serious. “Okay,” Christina says. “It’s not going to come to that, but if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll hear you out. If the worst comes to pass, I’ll make sure to convey your message to your parents back in your hometown.” “Thank you, Christina. But I have nothing to say to them.” “Huh?” “My dying message is this!” Kanade’s eyes snap wide open. “It’s for that traitor Cid Kagenou! You’re dead freakin’ meat, buddy!! Get ready, ’cause I’m gonna put a deadly curse on you!!” With that, she gently closes her eyes. “Kanade! Kanade! You have to wake up!!” Kanade doesn’t so much as twitch. “I need to clean up the bodies in here, so you can’t just go to sleep!” Christina grabs the playing card affixed to Kanade’s head and wrenches it free. “Ow!” Kanade yelps. “This blood isn’t yours.” “Huh…? I’m alive?” Kanade reaches up and touches the side of her head in a daze. “It’s fine. There isn’t a scratch on you, Kanade.” “What? But…but the card was stuck right in my head…” “It was stuck on with blood.” Kanade leaps to her feet, her face bright red. “D-damn you, Jack the Ripper!” “Wait, hold on. There’s something written on the card.” “Huh? Lemme see, lemme see!” The card Christina’s holding has a poem written on it in blood. “WELL, HELLO, YOU BOASTFUL NIGHTBLADES HERE’S TO KILLING ALL THE NAUGHTY BOYS AND GIRLS I COUNT AND COUNT AND COUNT THAT’S ALL I EVER DO BUT EVERY SO OFTEN I LIKE TO PLAY MY LITTLE GAMES” “I wonder what it means,” says Christina. “He went out of his way to leave it for us, so there must be some sort of meaning to it…” Then the door to the room slowly swings open. “Hey, guys! Glad you survived!” In comes an unremarkable dark-haired boy sporting an oddly disingenuous smile—Cid Kagenou. Christina breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you’re okay.” Kanade, on the other hand, begins threatening him like a common street thug. “Hey, hey, hey, Ciddy-boy! You’ve got a lotta nerve, waltzin’ in here after that heinous betrayal you pulled!” “Hey, for the record, I nearly died.” “Oh, you did, huh? We almost bit the dust ourselves ’cause of the way your coward ass hit the bricks! We’d have been goners if our good buddy Jack the Ripper hadn’t come.” “Oh, wow, Jack the Ripper was here?” All of a sudden, Kanade sounds like her normal self again. “Yeah! He showed up all heroically like zip, zing, zoom! It was mega-awesome!” “Well, that’s good.” “It totally was! Oh, and then he took out this Wakoku martial master in a single… Freakin’ hell, that ain’t the point! We’re talkin’ about your punk ass here, Cid Kagenou.” “Oh, right.” “All traitors can eat shit! How dare you make a run for it and abandon me to die!” “Sorry about that.” “You think an apology’s gonna get you off the hook, asswipe?! Time for you to get…the pummeling punishmeeeeent!” With that, Kanade tackles Cid’s legs, hops astride him, and begins punching him all over. “How ya like them apples?!” “Oh nooooo. Please stoppppp.” The pummeling punishment continues for some time.