"I agree. I also don't like it," Akito echoed reluctantly, while Gyouma vanished into the building.
"I'd usually agree, but let's examine the facts. I've seen where that Ugly Bastard comes from. It's a huge building, probably loaded with cash. The son was competent enough to break into a secret laboratory... Their goal is questionable, but I wouldn't doubt their capabilities."
"So, you're scared!?" Nazuna challenged.
"No," he said. "But if you stopped shoving bananas into your monkey brain, you'd realize he could've come with the cavalry to free his boss. But he didn't. He came alone. Why would he come alone to free their oh-so-important boss? Look at how he dresses, too. A luxurious tuxedo, aside from the scar, freshly shaved beard, 40,000 yen haircut, smooth and full skin..." He pointed out as he looked to the side towards the henchman who stood on the other side of the roof, patiently waiting for the group to finish their discussion.
"...In short, he's eating good. And a well-fed person does whatever he can to protect the hand that feeds them," Yuuto summarized.
Nazuna fell silent as she looked over towards the man, frustration coloring her features.
"That means he must've been dissatisfied with his boss and sees this as an opportunity."
"...What do you think made him do this? If he's as well-fed as you say, it must've been something extreme to make him betray the person who gave him all of this," Akito said.
"Who knows? He mentioned his kid, so maybe it's about his family," Yuuto replied with a shrug. "But this is a good opportunity. Just in case, I'll go with him to make sure he follows through with what he promised about killing them. I'll let you know when it's done," Yuuto said as he walked past the group towards Scarface.
"Wait," Nazuna said, stopping Yuuto by placing her palm on his shoulder. "I want to do it."
Yuuto then looked at her as he placed his palm onto hers.
The way she acted as soon as they met and the way she spoke... He knew. She didn't just want to make sure they're dead. He could tell by the look in her eyes.
She wanted to be the cause of it, more than anything.
"Revenge and killing someone you consider an enemy doesn't feel as good as it's cracked up to be. It's dull... and just not worth it," Yuuto said, his expression blank and somewhat distant.
"Well, shit, Sakurai, I never had the chance to find out, so I guess I'll have to disagree with ya'. I'm GOING," she said, violently pushing his palm away and walking past him.
"You're not," Yuuto said, firmly stopping her and placing his hand on her arm.
She sighed deeply and placed her hand atop his, but with such force that his palm started to crack under the pressure.
"..!" Yuuto furrowed his brows momentarily.
"I remember how you beat me last time," she started, her voice full of disdain, her body still turned away from Yuuto. "That chloroform's a neat trick, but there are no bodies you can hide under around here, and I doubt you have any gadget like that on you this time. You better remove that hand of yours before I turn around, Morii. Or this won't be pretty," she warned calmly, increasing the pressure with every second.
"Nazuna...! While I don't agree with Sakurai, this is going too far—" Akito began.
"You shut your mouth, Akito. You damn coward. Ryuuji was like a brother to you. How could YOU, of all people, take this crazy bastard's side here!?" she interjected, her head frozen in place.
"Nazuna... You said... You said it yourself..!" Akito started, his loud, booming voice piercing through, "Ryuuji wouldn't want us to be like this! He'd want us to carry on and not sink to their level—"
"WELL, FUCK YOU! RYUUJI'S NOT HERE TO STOP ME, IS HE!?" she snapped, turning her head towards him, tears filling her eyes as she violently pushed Yuuto's hand away.
Akito was taken aback, his eyes widening at her tears.
Scarface lifted his gaze upon hearing Nazuna's piercing scream, turning his head to the group with a deep sigh as he took out a cigarette case from his pocket, lighting one up after putting it between his lips.
'I guess this was bound to happen sooner or later, considering what they've been through... Better let them sort this out right now. I'd rather not let this bubble up and interfere with what we're about to do later.' He thought with a deep huff and puff, a cloud of smoke floating between his eyes and the group.
"I KNOW! I KNOW I SHOULDN'T CRY AND ONLY SMILE, BUT WHO CAN DO STUFF LIKE THAT!? I WAS FORCED TO KILL HIM MYSELF, AND NOW THE SAME SCUM RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME... AND YOU TELL ME I HAVE TO BE MORALLY SUPERIOR TO THEM WHILE LISTENING TO THIS SPLIT-PERSONALITY FREAK!? THE HELL WITH THAT!!" she shouted as she wiped her tears.
"I'm going to do it... I don't care what I become anymore. And I don't care if you disagree, either of you," she spat out. "The one person who could've actually stopped me is dead." She turned to face Scarface again.
"I'm still alive," Yuuto confidently said, gripping her arm again, even tighter this time.
Nazuna let out a low growl, gritting her teeth. "You won't be soon. Honestly, with you being a mental nutjob, I'm surprised you lasted this long... But I'm offering you a choice: either take your stinkin' hand off me, or I'll push you off this roof, Morii. Crazy or not, I EARNED KILLING THOSE FUCKERS FOR RYUUJI."
"NAZUNA! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Akito yelled, trying to approach past Yuuto.
She immediately snapped her body away from Yuuto's grasp again as Akito drew near and forcefully pushed him off, making him tumble and fall on his behind.
"Egh..!" he grunted, bracing himself as he hit the ground.
"You REALLY think your word means anything to me anymore?" she snarled, her voice more sinister as she swallowed hard, her breathing uneven as she glared at Akito. "You fucking suck. The only reason you became a part of our group was because Ryuuji felt sorry for you getting your ass beat all the time. I only wanted just us to be together. But you had to butt in and ruin what we had." Venom laced her every word.
Yuuto silently began clenching his fist.
"Nazuna... Stop... You don't mean th—" Akito said, shaking his head as if trying to brush off her cruel words.
"Wanna know what I mean?" she interjected, smiling maniacally as she looked away briefly.
"tl;dr, I hate you. I always have hated you. I knew you had feelings for me, but I honestly was never bothered, since you were too meek and stoic to do anything about it... In short, a convenient coward thinking himself cool. And mostly because Ryuuji was there. Nothing ever bothered me when I was with him," she said.
"..." Akito looked down, feeling a dam being closed in his throat, unable to let out a single word, while Yuuto merely stood aside, his expression unreadable.
"And the past few weeks... I tried. I really did. Acting cheerful. Acting like I was the happy person Ryuuji always thought I was. But even he didn't really know me. He never realized... I could only muster a smile because he was there with me... With him, I really felt like I had everything," she admitted, her voice strained.
"...And now..."
She turned her gaze back to Akito.
"I have NOTHING."
Akito let out a soft gasp, sitting defeated on the ground, his mind in turmoil.
"So, fuck off. Both you two, and that scientist or whatever. I'll do whatever I want," she concluded as she turned around, walking hastily toward Scarface.
"Nothing you say will ever stop me," she declared, already halfway to the henchman.
"Man..." Yuuto said after a deep breath, "Ryuuji's the weakest cuck I've ever seen, dying like a dog to his make-believe heroine without ever managing to save her."
"Sa..!!" Akito's eyes widened as he looked at Yuuto, expecting to see anger or mockery on his face. But all he saw was a blank, calm stare aimed at Nazuna...
... Who came to a full stop.
"The fuck... you just said...?" she growled. Akito, and even the henchman, could feel her ever-growing wrath, watching the situation unfold; almost dropping the half-finished cigarette from his mouth.
'Shit... This might be bad. Hiroki Morii might've pushed it too much, way too soon with those words,' Scarface thought, his leg starting to grow restless as his attention on the group intensified.
'That bastard...!!! Is he CRAZY!!!? Nazuna right now... That'll send her over the edge!!' Akito thought, his face tensing in anxiety.
"That offer from earlier, monkey. I'll take it. One on one, you and me. Right here, right now. You beat me, and I'll accept you going there and become a ghost-ridden murderer." Yuuto calmly challenged.
"Sakurai!" Akito erupted, the dam in his throat collapsing in an instant as he sensed the incoming storm. "I don't know what you're thinking, but even you can't beat her!!" he yelled.
"After the shit you said about Ryuuji, I was about to kill you anyway... But I see... A one-on-one with me...?" Nazuna exclaimed.
"Yeah," Yuuto flatly affirmed.
Nazuna let out a mocking, loud chuckle.
"AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughed loudly to the heavens, Akito's heart twitching at the sight of Nazuna's state.
All strings of reason grounding her have all snapped in an instant. "Ahaha... I've no idea what you're thinking... But this isn't some anime where we do a friendly match, lie next to each other all exhausted and beaten, and make up," she resolved. Her expression darkening as she turned to him, her chin lowering as she glared at Yuuto, "I'm going to fight you the same way I did when I killed Ryuuji. I won't stop myself from killing you if I get the chance, Morii," she declared.
Yuuto nodded, his gaze calm and unwavering.
"I won't lose, so you don't have to worry about me like that. This is just a hunch, but you don't have to go easy on me if you plan to," he resolved as Nazuna got into a stance. Akito, unsure of what to say, stayed still, quietly observing the events unfolding before him. Scarface watched from afar, his cigarette already nearly finished.
'... I thought I might have to step in,' He thought, carefully looking at the group, more specifically, at Yuuto's calm gaze, 'But Hiroki Morii seems like he has a plan. I'll let it play out, and if it's too dangerous... I'll stop them.' He thought with yet another sigh, 'Killing that boss of mine... is the right choice. Look at how much grief he caused to just a bunch of kids... Disgusting,' he thought to himself as Yuuto also got into position.
"You crazy fuck. I will NEVER go easy on you. I will curse you even after you fucking die," Nazuna hissed as she got into a stance, while Yuuto stood calmly.
"You're being emotional, so I won't tell you how arrogant you sound, talking as if you know everything... Especially about killing someone. Murder is... seriously overrated," he stated.
"I never said I knew anything about that," she retorted. "But I just want to do it. You're not my father, brother... And let's be honest, you're not qualified to be either with how fucked-up your brain is." She let out a forced, almost manic chuckle. "What else, you were never my friend. Just someone strong I was interested in. And even then, I only ever wanted to meet you to get a reaction out of Ryuuji..."
"...Because I loved him. More than anything in this world," she declared. Akito's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing Nazuna's words.
Yuuto breathed deeply. "I also knew someone who just wanted to do something because she thought it would feel good. Her life eventually turned to shit because no one cared enough to stop her, regardless of how she felt," he said, cracking his neck as he approached her. "You don't know how blessed you are," he added, glancing briefly at Akito. "But then again, a kid rarely ever does. Double when said kid is grieving. Triple when said kid is a brainless ape." Yuuto's approach was calm and steady.
"You can try and talk me into submission all you want, Morii. But the truth is, as a crazy bastard who forfeits his previous identity for seemingly no reason, you don't have a lot of credibility. Was that supposed to make me rethink what I'm about to do...?" she called out with a wide smile.
"No. Just an FYI," Yuuto replied flatly as he cracked his fingers. "You think you're an adult? Or someone better than me, or him?" He asked, nodding at Akito, "You think you have what it takes to step over that edge where there's no return?" he said, now glaring at her.
"Yeah, I do," she spat out, her muscles tensing as she returned his glare.
"Okay. In that case, I'll fight you as if you were an adult... As well as someone from beyond that edge you're oh-so eager to cross." he said with a sigh, his hands in his pockets as he drew nearer and nearer.
'Right now... my body is exactly like my original body from my world. I'm at my prime,' Yuuto thought as he was now mere four steps away from Nazuna.
"... YOUR FUNERAL!!" she yelled, lunging at him with all her might and grief. Her teeth clenched so hard, they were on the verge of cracking.
Akito, no longer able to hold still, decided to rush to Yuuto's aid.
'...That's why I can't afford injuring it anymore,' Yuuto thought as Nazuna, Akito, and Scarface all froze in place.
Yuuto then pulled one hand out of his pocket, wielding the TimeStop™ Watch he had used earlier. He approached Nazuna, who was about to fall over from the imbalance of the posture she was frozen in, and caught her just before she hit the ground, gently laying her on the concrete floor as he looked at her solemnly.
"This is how someone from beyond that edge fights, monkey brain," Yuuto said as he sat next to her still form, looking over to Akito, who also stopped in place just as he began his sprint.
"They never play as fair, and are as straightforward as you are,"
He gently scolded.