“EEK!” two girls squeaked.
Shindo hadn’t bumped into either of them, but he made such a sight that the two girls making their way up the stairs couldn’t help but cry out in fright. Seeing as these proper, young ladies rarely beheld something as outlandish as a tall man race by them at the fifth-floor landing, the startled squeaks they issued were hardly surprising. All the more so considering the man in question never acted so uncouth before!
“Mr. Shindo?” one of the girls asked, staring after the man in bewilderment as he continued to race down the stairs without pausing to offer an apology for startling them.
“I-I wonder what happened” the other pondered.
The two looked at each other, blinking their eyes in surprise. However, these young ladies lacked any sense of danger. Their puzzled expressions quickly turned to smiles.
“Doesn’t he look wonderful when he’s in a hurry?”
“Absolutely amazing! I love how gallant he is!”
Unfortunately, the cause for Shindo’s urgency was anything but peaceful.
✦ ✦ ✦
IF a man literally lost his head, it was impossible for a fountain of blood to come gushing out. However, all of the blood pooling in Kurihara’s head rushed toward the decapitating wound and erupted out. It splattered all over Satsuki’s head...as if in punishment for unleashing the blade-like energy wave...
The head popped off like a volcano blowing its top. It flew like a ball to the wall on the far side of the room where the arrangements for the school exhibition were on display. The head bounced off the wall and rolled into a vase that was still empty. It remained precariously on its perch, ready to fall at even the slightest touch. The vase it landed on was none other than the one Satsuki was supposed to use the following day.
Warm rain drizzled over her head. It was red rain. Although it didn’t last long, it was enough to dye Satsuki’s body red... It was as if she was garbed in red clothing...
“...Ah...”
Kurihara’s head went flying before her very eyes. An emotion filled with insanity flashed for an instant like a light before vanishing. Satsuki was unable to peel her eyes from the lifeless body of the man that blew its top off.
What is going on...? What is that...? Well, what? Am I responsible for all this? Did I do this...? There was no one to answer her questions. And she couldn’t comprehend the sight before her.
The door to her heart was still open. Unable to close the door, more and more noise seeped through. But in her current state, it remained nothing more than noise.
I did this? I killed him? Me? I killed this man? Is that why...I’m drenched in blood...? Because...I killed him...?
“Ah... Nooooo...” Satsuki realized her body was trembling violently. She just killed that man with powers impossible for any normal person to wield. Now she was dyed red in his blood.
I killed him... Satsuki was unable to process any other thought. Her heart rejected all others.
You damned monster! a voice unburied from the depths of her memories screamed. Go to hell! Freaks like you shouldn’t even exist!
“Stop...” she cried. Her heart pounded so furiously, it felt as though it was about to burst out of her trembling body. She was nauseated and her head throbbed.
Satsuki’s pretty, almond eyes bulged so wide it was a wonder they didn’t pop out. And her mind was filled with nothing but the echoes of reproachful voices torturing her.
Monster! You’re a monster in human’s clothing! You have no right to pretend you’re one of us!
“...No...” Satsuki whimpered. Please stop... Please...I’m begging you...
Her mind had all it could take. It was so painful, she wondered how nice it would be to simply give up and embrace insanity. If she was insane, her extraordinary powers would never trouble her again. But as her heart was about to reach the brink, it latched on to the image of a man. The man who’d protected her ever since she was little. He’d constantly shielded Satsuki from her own powers. Perhaps that was why control failed her when he wasn’t around.
“...Shin...do...”
Miss... the image of Shindo said as he proffered his hand. He offered the gentle smile that was reserved only for her.
“...Shindo...”
Perhaps it was because of him Satsuki made it this far through life without going insane. Or committing the unthinkable.
“Shin...do...”
Her heart was on the verge of breaking. Her mind was about to crumble. But she had someone to protect her through thick and thin, supporting her through it all.
He had promised, “Miss, I will always be at your side.”
Where are you...? Shindo...? Did I take a human life with my powers? If you saw this, what would you say?
All of the warmth suddenly fled from Satsuki’s trembling body. Her heart was consumed by one possibility.
Would you also call me a...“monster”?
Shindo’s smiling face served as the pillar of support for Satsuki’s heart. But she imagined his smile twist as disgust filled his eyes. Then he spat the one word she dreaded most from him: Monster...
Backed into the far corners of sorrow, the wail that escaped from Satsuki sounded as pathetic as a newborn kitten being strangled.