“What did you say?” Hiroshi questioned, with natural amounts of skepticism. her of them had any iion of helping them or siding with them. Seiji seemed to Hiroshi just as na?ve as Yuki. So he didn’t know what to think of him standing before.

  Looking around, Seiji found that they were starting to surround him. His first impression on them wasly the best. So it didn’t really surprise him too mubsp; Though he couldn’t start a fight with them when he hem. “I said I’m going to help you.”

  “And why would you do that? You’re with Yuki.”

  “Because I believe – or rather I want to believe that we’re all still Yuki’s friends.” He saw Yori and Haruo in the back of the group pushed aside by those with greater suspis, possibly even grudges. “Yuki’s right now pnning on taking everything upon himself because he believes it’s his responsibility. That’s a plicated matter that is just going to be an argument that none of us wins.”

  “What’s your point?”

  ‘Damn, this is harder than I expected. I figured this guy was still seeing Yuki as a friend and would just jump at the ce to help. Didn’t think he’d be so stubborn…’ A moment to mash his teeth together gave him the pause he o gather up his words. “Yuki’s got a pn to deal with everyoh his powers. But this is still aire school we’re talking about. That’s more than he or I handle by ourselves.”

  Crossing his arms, Hiroshi shifted his weight a little, sizing up Seiji. He only had a brief introdu to him before and it was mostly through fists. So he had not really had the ce to really learn his character. “And so you want our help? Doing what? All of them are already a lost cause.”

  “Yuki doesn’t believe so.”

  “Yuki’s na?ve.”

  “He knows what Takako’s doing to everyone!”

  Everyone suddenly became very still. Seiji had their attention pletely for the first time. He made a bold cim. Something none of them figured out. Because they didn’t uand what happened, killing was their only option.

  Hiroshi had to admit his curiosity in what Yuki had figured out that they were uo do. He kept his stoid unmoving stao hold his strong position. “And what did Yuki figure out?”

  “She is using mind trol on everyone. That is her power, through it she is able to make everyone do whatever she wants.”

  ‘That seems a little obvious, but something we sidered. Though we still couldn’t get to Takako to stop it anyway.’ He raised his eyebrow to Seiji as his only physical rea to the statement. “Even if that is the case, she still trols an army. Take her out, what about the army?”

  This was the part that got a little precarious when Yuki expi to Seiji. “Yuki believes there are two possible outes. One, when she is shutdown, everyone is freed from her trol immediately. Or two, she is uo make new verts, but her army still is brainwashed.”

  “And what does he pn to do about option two?”

  “Fix them all with his powers.”

  The thought of having an end and even a solution to returning peace had everyone around Hiroshi being visibly excited. Hiroshi almost didn’t reize the looks on their faces. He saw hope in their eyes for the first time sihis all began. Something that he had been uo provide them. All he could give was darkness. Yet Yuki showed up and brought hope. ‘Even if it is all a lie or fails, this is the strohat they’ve ever looked. This might be our only bsp; Yuki…’ Hiroshi focused ba Seiji. “What are you then, you said you wao help. It wasn’t just this information was it?”

  “No, I know what Yuki’s pns are and how we’re going to deal with Takako.” He pulled off the shielding device that Yuki made for him. Bearing it in his hand, he showed what else he offered. “And I have a way to bat her powers.”

  Chapter 318 – Stolen Pns

  “This is an iing device,” remarked Phoibe, leaning over Seiji’s shoulder. She had followed him in, though kept rgely an observer position.

  “ you recreate it?” Hiroshi asked.

  “I’m a little insulted you’d even have to ask that question.”

  “The done. Yuki’s going to make his move soht?”

  “Yeah, he’s doing some st prep work. I don’t have long before I o be back.”

  Hiroshi opehe crowd allowing Seiji in. ‘This still isn’t ideal, but I have to take the ce to finally end things. In the end, that’s all that really matters…maybe he find a different way…ohat I didn’t think ossible anymore.’

  The expnatio quickly as the pn wasn’t too plex. Some found it a surprisingly bold move, but also a reckless one as well. However, Seiji vihem that Yuki was fident in his ability to pull it off.

  As Seiji walked out, Phoibe handed over the device again. “You finish it?”

  “Of course! There’ll be enough for those that are fighting.”

  “Good.” He looked back at Hiroshi. Yori and Haruo stood o him. Everyone was on different sides. It happened so quickly. He hoped things turned out for the better at the end of this. “I’ll be going now.”

  Once Seiji disappeared from the hall, Hiroshi started barking out orders for everyoo get ready. The liveliness of the room quickly ged. Everyone looked ready to fight again. All they had to look forward to before ossibly finding someohat they krying to kill them. It wasn’t that that ged with what they were doing. In fact, it was even more likely that they would run into someohat they k the school. But it was the hope that they could be ged. The killing could finally end.

  Yori followed up behind Hiroshi and Tatsuya waiting until they were alone. It was just him and Haruo now. “Have you thought about what happens after?”

  “What do you mean?” Hiroshi questioned, a little caught up in the positivity of everyone else. He tried to keep stoic, but it was difficult.

  “I mean, those people have been killing their friends against their will. Once freed from that, what do you think will happen to them?”

  “If Yuki’s correct, they aren’t guilty.”

  “Ign whether people will actually believe that, I’m not even talking about that.”

  The grave tone Yori brought sobered Hiroshi up quickly. He didn’t know what he was trying to get at. “What’s your point?”

  “I’m talking about the psychological damage done. Not just from being trolled, but when their scious catches up with what they’ve done. Even if everything works out, which seems unlikely, what happens to the people permaly tormented with their deeds? No matter how things py out, this isn’t going to be a smooth or happy ending for anyone.”

  Tatsuya saw Hiroshi go quiet as the weight of it all finally hit him. He stepped in for him. “We’ll figure something out then. Right now, we’re not even there yet.”

  “I’m just making sure you stay realistic, because if we do succeed. That is likely the first thing we’ll have to deal with oakako is stopped. They won’t give you time to think.”

  “We’ll e up with something!” insisted Tatsuya, trying to push Yori off. Hiroshi didn’t need anymore problems stacked up on top of him. Especially ohat he po shoulder himself. ‘You’re too much like Yuki at times, man… Ohing at a time though…’ Turning things around, Tatsuya o know something as well. “While we’re talking, why are you still here? You’re part of Yuki’s group.”

  It had finally e up. Yori khat they would eventually ask. Fortunately, it was a simple answer. “I’m only here for my sister. I was ruly part of Yuki’s circle.”

  “Yuki get you to her just as much as we .”

  “But I feel like you uay better than him. He’s far too idealistic.”

  “And what about him?” He pointed over to Haruo, who he had met only in passing before in school. The guy was a plete mystery to him before and even now. Especially now, since he never knew what he was thinking. He just stood around.

  Yori shrugged his shoulders having just as much of an answer on Haruo as they did. And Haruo was clearly not giving them any answers. He succeeded better than a being stoic to the point of being areme. “He just is. I don’t really have an answer on him, though I don’t expect that you’ll get o of him that’ll help you either. Just trust that he’s on our side.”

  “I see.” Tatsuya spped Hiroshi on the back to knock him out of his funk. He didn’t want him stunned for too long on the deeper meanings of what their battle would mean. It wasn’t something any of them o think about. “We’ve got people willing to fight and a pn of our own now. It’s time to get moving. Right, man?”

  There was a little hesitation in Hiroshi’s voice, but he nodded in agreement. “Right. We o get moving soon.” It was more burdens. Ohat had to be taken.

  Seiji nded ba the rooftop where Neriood. She kept her distance, maintaining her position as a ral observer. “Did he notice?”

  “No. He’s been busy with his pn. Do you think all of that was necessary?”

  He crossed his arms and walked out towards the edge of the roof. In the distance, he could see the movement of Yuki. It was the one part of the pn that Yuki never expio him. He just said it was important for the fight. “Having more allies is better for something like this. As exg as I would find it fighting hundreds of people, I o get to Saki and the others. If they be a distra then that’ll make it easier for us to save Saki, Yumi and Fumiko.”

  Neriared at Seiji’s back looking a little surprised to hear such words from him. “You’re just using them?”

  “You make it sound like I’m evil or something.”

  “I didn’t—“

  “It’s alright. I went behind Yuki’s ba this. So I’m ly the best friehinks I am. I left him alone for a year because I was afraid. Despite everything that happened, Saki’s a better friend for Yuki than I ever have been. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I get her back for him.”

  She had trouble saying anything more to him. ‘There’s a lot I still don’t know about him. He’s an idiot a not. He cares deeply for his friends, but is hurting himself because of them. He’s so much of a tradi…’ Nerine walked up o Seiji. Even though he was hurt and she could see it, there was nothing she could do for him. She barely knew him. There was nothing she could offer him. “You care. Even if you o get a little dirty, you care. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”

  W to keep his status, Seiji hardened his features a little. “Such things never really bothered me. I have a code and I don’t kill, but I’ve never really thought about being much of a good person. I just like fighting aing out my strength.” He saw Yuki starting to move back towards them. It was the rendezvous point for them. “Yuki’s a lot of things. But right now how he is, he is a light that o be protected. It’s started to go dim once more. I’m blind on a lot of things and don’t care about anything else. That makes me pretty selfish, the one selfless thing I have is what I do for him.”

  “You don’t have to justify yourself to me.”

  Seiji gnced over to her, a little fused by what she was meaning. He didn’t really have much time left with Yuki almost on them. “I’m surprisingly chatty around you.” It was an odd o leave off on, but he jumped away to meet Yuki in the middle. They were already spotted.

  “How’d things look around the neighborhood?” Yuki nded on the roof and stepped a little towards the ter to meet Seiji.

  He had done a little scouting as promised to him. There was thankfully enough time to get both in after he returned from Hiroshi. “There’s a few groups out, but I’m guessing most of them are still hold up in the school.”

  “I wonder what they’re pnning now?” Gng over his shoulder, Yuki stared back at the school. It stood in silenbsp; A stramosphere came from it. They all felt the ominous aura. Their destination was an uling pd they had only looked at it from a distance.

  Seiji didn’t know how long he could keep up his fa?ade for Yuki. He pushed towards moving. “You ready now?”

  “Yeah, that excited to fight?”

  “No, I just want to rescue our friends. They’ve been in there for too long.”

  “Yes, I know. We’ll save them all.” Yuki started to float both of them up leaving Nerine behind. The pn had them making an aerial assault on the school. It was the easiest way to break into the school and the least amount of students or other people that they would have to front along the way. He would be able to drill straight down to Takako’s room without dealing with anyone else.

  The ohing that he didn’t have trol over was his Field. It was rger than he would want for their assault, but he couldn’t trol it that well. Their approach would be spotted quickly, but he still had the first move. L down overhead, he waited for his Field to collide with the school roof. He moved closer and closer.

  “Yuki?”

  They move closer already clearly in range of his Field and nothing ged. His Field didn’t do anything. Nothing ged. Something was wrong. “They’re blog my power somehow.”

  “What?! They kneere ing?”