[ HARU'S POINT OF VIEW ]
Koshimizu-senpai rushed to the man and checked his pulse. The tension in the air eased slightly when she confirmed he was still alive.
"It looks like he's been trapped here for a while, and no one noticed," Murayama-san observed.
Fujimoto-senpai crouched down, carefully inspecting the unconscious man before lifting him slightly. "But don't you think it's strange? He had food supplies." His eyes scanned the empty containers scattered across the floor. "If this was just an accident, why does it seem like he was prepared to stay here for a long time?"
Koshimizu-senpai let out a deep breath. "We don't have the answers yet, but we need to get him out of here first."
Fujimoto-senpai nodded before partially transforming his upper body for extra strength. He hoisted the man onto his back with ease. "Should we take him outside and continue the mission afterward?"
"I think so." Murayama-san agreed.
With that, we decided to carry the man and leave the building. But just as we were about to step out of the room, the ground suddenly trembled beneath us.
"What the hell?" Fujimoto-senpai exclaimed.
The low rumbling beneath us sent everyone on high alert, and we immediately took off, sprinting toward the exit. But, of course, things wouldn't be that simple.
Hundreds of blood-red eyes glowed menacingly in the darkness ahead. A deafening chorus of screeches filled the air, making it impossible to communicate. We skidded to a stop and turned back—only to be met with the exact same horrifying sight.
"Oh no! We're surrounded!" Koshimizu-senpai shouted.
"Shit... shit shit shit shit." Fujimoto-senpai muttered, his body trembling slightly.
A small hand gripped my arm tightly. It was Murayama-san. "W-What should we do!?" she asked, fear evident in her voice. It was almost hard to hear her over all the noise.
I quickly pointed to the other end of the hallway. "Murayama-san, I'll handle this side, please handle that one."
"Eh!?" she yelped before finally mustering her resolve. "O-Okay!"
She would handle the direction leading to the exit, slowly tearing through the monsters while I blocked the ones behind us.
Well then, let's get started.
"Fujimoto-senpai, Koshimizu-senpai, please help her clear the monsters as much as you can," I said as I stepped past them.
"Leave it to us," Koshimizu-senpai replied, determination clear in her voice.
I took a deep breath and extended my arms forward. One after another, dozens—no, hundreds—of monstrous rats slammed into my barrier, desperate to break through. With each passing second, the strain of holding it up grew heavier, harder to maintain.
A quick glance behind me showed my clubmates steadily clearing the path. Koshimizu-senpai unleashed chain after chain of electroshocks, sending jolts through clusters of enemies and taking them down in one go. Murayama-san kept pushing forward, blasting the monsters back with bursts of wind. While her attacks weren't strong enough to deal serious damage, they were invaluable in keeping the creatures at bay. Meanwhile, Fujimoto-senpai multitasked—one arm carrying the unconscious man, the other slashing through any monster that got too close.
Good. They're gaining distance.
"Haru!" Murayama yelled from afar.
Cracks snaked across my barrier, creeping toward the center. That familiar mix of headache, nausea, and tightness in my chest nearly made me lose balance. I turned my head and saw them—already at the exit—while I remained behind, holding back the swarm of monstrous rats threatening to flood the hallway again.
"Go ahead!" I shouted, hoping my voice would cut through the deafening screeches. I assumed they heard me, but all I got in response were gasps and looks of disbelief. "I need to hold them off!" I added, but my words didn't seem to register. They just stood there, frozen. "Get that man out and call for help! I'll wait for you!"
"I'll stay with you!" Murayama insisted, taking a step toward me—until Koshimizu stopped her.
"No! There's nothing more you can do here!" I shot back. "This isn't a Code Yellow Expedition! There was a mistake! Call for help before my barrier collapses!"
Reluctantly, they turned and rushed out of the building. If they truly believed me, I should be the only one left here by now.
I exhaled, steadying myself. "Well then," I muttered, turning back to face the horde. "Let's see what you've got for me."
[ FLASHBACK: Two days ago ]
The Fujimoto club sat around the long table in our clubroom, the club president seated at the far end. In front of him, his laptop screen glowed faintly, illuminating his overwhelmed yet composed expression.
"A total of 57 emails, Haru-kun," he said, his voice calm despite the absurd number. "57 requests have been sent to our club."
"That's insane," I muttered.
"The top clubs in this school receive around 80 requests per week on average," Koshimizu-senpai added from the opposite end of the table. We all turned to her as she spoke. "Even for an above-average battle club, 57 is a tough number to reach."
She had a point. We used to receive none at all, actually.
"This is probably thanks to Haru-kun," Fujimoto-senpai remarked with a grin. "Word got out about you going toe-to-toe with a Code White opponent, and now our club's reputation has skyrocketed."
I scratched the back of my neck. "It's not like I actually defeated it."
Fujimoto-senpai stood up and strode over, giving me a firm pat on the back—maybe a little too hard. "Man, you don't get it!" he laughed. "Most of us couldn't even imagine pulling off what you did. Nope, not a chance!"
"He's right, Haru-kun," Koshimizu-senpai chimed in.
Fujimoto-senpai let out another loud laugh. "Damn, meeting you and bringing you into the club was a huge blessing!" he added, his enthusiasm borderline embarrassing. "You deserve a reward or something!"
"A reward?" I looked up at him.
The group fell into brief silence, pondering the idea, only to come up with nothing.
"What do you even want, Haru-kun?" Koshimizu-senpai asked.
"Nothing in particular," I replied.
Fujimoto-senpai scratched his head. "Man, it's kinda frustrating how little we actually know about you, Haru-kun. You're always so quiet—only speaking when necessary." He sighed. From my perspective, I already said too much. "Hey, Murayama-san," he said, turning to her across the table. "You've known him longer than we have, right? Any ideas?"
She shook her head. "Not really. We only met at the start of the school year when Kazuki introduced him to me."
Fujimoto-senpai let out a dramatic groan. "This is bad. We have no idea how to reward you at all…"
Murayama-san lifted a finger, a spark of inspiration in her eyes. "How about…" We all turned our attention to her. "How about letting him choose our first expedition?"
Fujimoto-senpai and Koshimizu-senpai's eyes lit up.
"That's brilliant, Murayama-san!" they exclaimed.
And so, I found myself sitting in Fujimoto-senpai's seat, scrolling through the emails on his laptop while my clubmates huddled behind me. The inbox was filled with all kinds of requests—escort missions, exterminations, and more.
The excitement behind me was almost tangible.
"These are all interesting missions," Koshimizu-senpai remarked.
I kept scrolling until I reached request number 28. A familiar name caught my eye. Almost laughable.
I'd met my fair share of strong individuals. Despite their differences—ideals, goals, fighting styles—they all had one thing in common.
They were always hungry for a challenge.
Standing at the top, they rarely found anything that could get their heart pumping. No stimulation, no danger—their strength was just for show. So when an opportunity arose to test their limits, they'd always foolishly and arrogantly dive in for the thrill.
"What's wrong?" Murayama-san asked.
"Is that what you've picked?" Koshimizu-senpai leaned in closer to the screen. "Monster extermination, Code Yellow… Uh… request sent by… Watanabe?"
. . .
. .
.
[ END OF FLASHBACK: Present ]
My footsteps were quiet against the barrier beneath my feet. I refused to step on the blood-flooded floor.
Chunks of cleanly-sliced rat flesh were scattered throughout the hallway, and the walls were painted in blood. Though this wasn't the worst stench I'd encountered, I quickened my pace. Aside from how unbearable the air was, my clubmates might return soon.
I didn't have to search for long.
After climbing the stairs to the second floor, I was met by none other than Watanabe Ichika. She stood across from me, arms crossed, a demonic grin stretched across her face.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, 715-san."
[ END OF CHAPTER ]