Chapter 131 131: Watanabe's Corruption
However, unlike before, Yui's head didn't snap to the side as it usually would. It remained perfectly still, as though Watanabe had struck something solid—something unyielding. It was as if she had just slapped a slab of stone.
The sting of the impact radiated up Watanabe's arm, her palm throbbing. But Yui… she didn't even flinch. Her soft, delicate features remained unchanged, as if the blow had been nothing more than a gentle breeze brushing against her skin.
Watanabe's breath hitched. Her fingers curled instinctively, recoiling slightly as confusion flickered in her eyes.
"You don't seem to see yourself for what you truly are," Yui said, her voice light and airy, carrying an almost playful lilt. "I mean, have you ever really looked at yourself in the mirror? Maybe not, considering how blissfully ignorant you are."
The words slithered under Watanabe's skin, igniting something feral inside her.
"What… did you just say?" Her voice cracked, a tremor of barely contained rage making her fingers twitch.
Yui's gaze lazily drifted toward the other three girls standing nearby, watching with eager anticipation. She tilted her head, her lips curling in mock contemplation.
"And you three," she continued, her tone almost pitying. "Don't you think you should do the same? I mean… you're all kind of meh. But unlike Watanabe-san here, at least you have a chance with the boys you like. I mean, let's be real—the ones you're in love with are just about on your level, right?" She offered them a sweet, saccharine smile before turning back to Watanabe, her voice dipping into something more pointed, more venomous. "Oh, but Watanabe-san… I'm sorry to say this, but no matter how much makeup you put on, Takahashi-senpai still wouldn't ever look your way."
Her words dripped with amusement, yet the meaning behind them was razor-sharp.
They weren't just insults.
They were a declaration.
Watanabe's expression twisted, her lips curling into a snarl. Blood pounded in her ears, her face flushing with pure, unfiltered rage.
Without thinking, she lunged.
The slap cracked through the air like a whip.
Then another.
And another.
Each blow was harder than the last, her palm colliding against Yui's cheek with brutal force. The impact reverberated through the room, a sickening rhythm of flesh against flesh, amplified by the soundproofed walls.
And yet—
Yui didn't so much as blink.
She remained standing, her body completely still, her expression unchanged.
That smile. That smile.
It was as if she was mocking her. As if she was enjoying this.
Something inside Watanabe snapped.
"I'll ruin your fucking face! I'll destroy it so badly you won't even recognize yourself anymore!"
Her hands clenched into tight fists, her nails digging into her palms as she pulled her arm back and threw the first punch.
Her knuckles collided with Yui's cheek in a brutal crunch, sending a sharp jolt up her wrist. The force behind the blow should have sent Yui reeling. It should have done something.
But she didn't even budge.
Watanabe threw another punch.
Then another.
And another.
Her fists slammed into Yui's face, over and over, raw knuckles pounding against soft, unblemished skin. The pain lanced up Watanabe's arms, burning through her muscles, but she didn't stop.
She couldn't stop.
Her vision blurred with fury, her breathing grew ragged, her arms trembled under the sheer force of her own strength—
And still, Yui smiled.
It was infuriating.
It was terrifying.
Watanabe's strength was draining, but her rage was endless, fueling her like a wildfire. Her body screamed at her to stop, to rest, but her pride wouldn't let her.
Not when Yui was still looking at her like that.
Not when she was still smiling.
By the time Watanabe finally staggered back, her body swaying with exhaustion, she could barely lift her arms. Sweat dripped down her forehead, her breath heaving in sharp, ragged gasps.
And yet—
Yui remained untouched.
Not a single bruise marred her perfect skin.
Not a single mark, not even the faintest sign of redness.
Watanabe's stomach twisted into a knot.
"H-How…?"
Her voice was weak. It wavered.
For the first time, fear flickered in her eyes.
The other girls were staring too, their faces drained of color, their excitement long gone.
Yui finally moved.
She lifted a single finger to her lips, tilting her head ever so slightly.
"It's a secret," she purred, her voice light, teasing. She struck a playful pose, winking as she pressed a finger against her lips.
Then, her smile widened—almost unnaturally so.
"But if you really want a clue…" She leaned forward just a fraction, her voice dipping into something softer. Something colder. "It's because I'm far more beautiful than you think, Watanabe-san."
Her gaze locked onto Watanabe's, unblinking.
"And nothing you do will ever change that."
Suddenly, an abyssal darkness surged around Yui, swallowing her whole. It slithered across the room like a living entity, spreading its inky tendrils until it consumed everything—the walls, the ceiling, even the light itself. The suffocating void devoured the karaoke room, leaving nothing but an eerie black expanse where reality once existed.
Watanabe and the others could do nothing. No matter how hard they struggled, no matter how much they willed themselves to resist, the overwhelming abyss consumed them entirely.
Then, amidst the pitch-black nothingness, two glistening orbs surfaced. Yui's eyes, once bright and playful, now shone like twin voids, absorbing every trace of light. Her lips curled—slowly, deliberately—into a devilish, almost sinister smile.
"Come and get me, Okumura-senpai~"
Her voice was soft, teasing. Yet it echoed unnaturally, reverberating through the darkness as if the abyss itself had whispered those words.
***
Yuuna's eyes snapped open, her breath hitching.
An unnatural pulse thrummed through the air, an invisible tremor rippling beneath her skin. Her heart pounded in sync with it, as if something—something—was calling to her.
She sat up abruptly, her silken sheets slipping off her shoulders. The room was still, yet the very air felt wrong.
She had wanted to sleep beside Kouhei tonight, craving the warmth of his presence. But after the Love Link with Hina, she figured he needed the rest.
Yet now—
"The mana flow in the atmosphere…" she murmured, her brows knitting together. "There's an anomaly."
As someone deeply attuned to mana, Yuuna could sense the disturbance as clearly as a tremor beneath her feet. It wasn't just a ripple. It wasn't some minor fluctuation.
It was a rupture.
A shift so unnatural, so wrong, it sent a cold shiver racing down her spine.
She couldn't pinpoint the exact location—yet. But she would.
Yuuna swung her legs over the bed and rose in one fluid motion, her nightgown billowing slightly as she strode toward the door. She moved with urgency, her footsteps light yet purposeful as she sent out a silent summons through the mansion.
One by one, they gathered.
Hina. Nagisa. Kozue. Aria. And Kouhei.
All stood before her, their expressions sharpening as they sensed the gravity of the situation.
"There's an anomaly within the territory," Yuuna stated, her voice unwavering. "This could be the work of the Fallen Angel."
Silence.
The air in the room grew heavy.
The Fallen Angel.
Yuuna clenched her fists.
If they didn't act now, this could spiral into something far worse—far more catastrophic than anything they had faced so far.
"Yuuna-san."
Kouhei's voice rang clear. Strong. Determined.
"Allow me to go with you."
Yuuna met his gaze, her eyes searching his face. She saw no hesitation in his expression. Only resolve.
A moment passed. Then she nodded.
"Very well," she conceded. "But you're staying within the Love Link Container." Her tone was absolute. "We're bringing it in case of an emergency."
"Yes."
If the situation escalated beyond their control, they would have no choice but to use the Love Link Container. And if things became dire—
They might have to initiate a Connective Love Link.
With two women.
Or more.
With everything in place, the Yuuna Faction moved out, heading straight for the source of the disturbance.
***
The moment they arrived, an eerie stillness enveloped them.
The city, normally alive with activity, was now a ghost town. The air was thick with an unnatural silence, pressing down on them like an unseen weight.
It wasn't even midnight. And yet—
Not a single sound.
Not a single soul.
Something was wrong.
Then—
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Slow. Unwavering.
The dim glow of the streetlights barely illuminated her form, casting eerie shadows across her silhouette.
Yuuna's sharp gaze flickered over her.
A woman.
Dressed in their school uniform.
Her posture was relaxed, yet there was something off about the way she carried herself—something unnatural in the stillness of her frame.
Then—
Klang.
Metal scraped against the pavement.
A massive sword glinted in her grip, its jagged edges catching the faint light.
But Kouhei—
His breath caught in his throat.
His eyes widened in shock.
Because now that she had stepped fully into view—
Now that the shadows had peeled away—
He could see it.
The sword—
It had three faces embedded into the blade.
Twisted. Frozen in expressions of agony.
And they were smiling.
What do you think?
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