Chapter 83

“…I know you hate the Kihara inside yourself,” said Byouri. “Even if it was to protect those elementary school kids from the slasher, you immediately chose homicide as your solution. I just don’t see why you hate the other Kiharas.” “I was curious,” said Kagun, his voice remaining quiet. “Yes, I killed the slasher to protect my students. Not that the courts acknowledged my crime. But who was that slasher to begin with? It couldn’t have been… Yes, it couldn’t have been a villain coincidentally appearing to spur me into action. Right?” “……” “He was a pawn. A pawn serving you.” It wasn’t a question. Kihara was only getting confirmation. “You’re a genius at making people give up, after all. Burning away a person’s reason at a time of your choosing is easy for you. You could corner some normal kid and make him into a slasher. And above all, if the idea of giving up is fundamental to your actions, then…” “Well, come on.” Byouri slowly rose from her prone position and dusted the snow off herself. “A Kihara helping people? A Kihara respected by children? Think of it from the perspective of someone who gave up right away. The very possibility of a Kihara like that is troubling. As our representative, I needed you to give up for real, Kaggy.” “We’ve compared answers. Nothing exciting. But I’m glad I heard it from you personally. This trigger was more effective than I’d imagined.” Kihara and Kihara, verifying their answers. Model answers. And “hope” was naturally not the solution they came to. “Ultimately, the kid you made a slasher was just another victim.” Kagun’s impassive mask twisted slightly, showing reasonable anger. “…And I sent him to his grave without even thinking about it. I was the evil one. I can never take it back. And now the memory of the victim’s death is stained by the title of ‘slasher.’ This is just a token act of revenge. And only when the two perpetrators fall—you and I—will this revenge be complete.” The truth had been revealed; that was all. This wasn’t over. But he wasn’t going to push all the responsibility on the mastermind and try to run away from it. He’d bring his own deeds to an end. The teacher Byouri once tried to reject now barred her way. “Oh, well, that is a problem. I suppose you still haven’t given up yet, Kaggy.” A cracking sound echoed throughout Byouri’s body as she laughed. Clearly, she was preparing to attack. “The dead slasher isn’t the only one you want to protect now, is it? Maybe it’s the possibility of Kiharas like little Nayuta existing, or the Academy City denizens like Maria Kumokawa, or even outsiders like Saflee Opendays and Shuri Oumi. It doesn’t matter to you. That’s the kind of teacher you were before, after all.” Mistakes. Failures. The expert at making people give up smiled widely, intending to do a perfect job once again. “I’ll have to break you for good this time. Making others give up is the one thing I never gave up on, even after giving up on everything else!” And so the clash between Kihara and Kihara began.