Chapter 45: Is That It?
After comforting Kaori Shirasaki for a while, Shizuku Yaegashi looked up at Kouki Amanogawa, who was blocking Daisuke Hiyama, and said, "Kouki, could you step aside? I want to ask Hiyama one more question."
Kouki had no objections to his childhood friend's request and immediately stepped aside.
Shizuku looked at Daisuke Hiyama, her expression heavy, and asked, "Hiyama, why did you do it? We are all classmates, how could you do such a thing?"
In his hypnotized state, Daisuke Hiyama had no defenses and revealed all his inner thoughts.
"Why? Why does Shirasaki like a loser like Nagumo? Why is she so good to him? What makes Nagumo better than me? I can't stand him. I want him dead. Shirasaki… no, Kaori belongs to me. Heh… hehehe… hehehehe…"
After speaking, Hiyama's face twisted into a manic smile, but his eyes remained lifeless. This bizarre scene made Shizuku and the others feel a chill down their spines.
Eriri watched the scene and felt it was time. She turned to Arifureta, who was leaning on her shoulder, exchanged a look, and they both smiled with anticipation. Then Eriri raised her right hand again.
Snap!
Another crisp snap of her fingers resounded. Daisuke Hiyama, who had been in a trance, suddenly regained his senses, and the crazed smile vanished from his face, replaced by a look of fear as he realized what had just happened.
This was all part of Eriri's plan, to keep Hiyama aware of his words while under hypnosis but unable to stop himself, and then wake him to face the consequences of his actions.
Upon regaining his senses, Hiyama realized he was doomed. The exposure of his plot to harm a classmate meant he'd face severe punishment, even death. Suddenly, he glanced at Eriri, realizing she was the cause of his predicament, and rage flared within him.
"Nagumo wasn't killed by me! You have to believe me! She's the one who made me say those things!" Hiyama pointed at Eriri, frantically denying, while slowly inching toward her.
"Are you still trying to deny it?" Kaori Shirasaki said viciously, refusing to back down.
"It wasn't me…" Hiyama insisted, but he had crept within a few steps of Eriri. Suddenly, he turned and lunged at her with his dagger, shouting, "It's all your fault! Why did you do this to me?"
"Eriri, watch out!"
Seeing Hiyama's sudden move, Shizuku Yaegashi's face changed, and she quickly tried to draw her weapon to intervene, but the scene that unfolded stunned her.
…
As Hiyama's dagger approached Eriri's chest, he thought about his deal with someone, and a crazed smile appeared on his face, as if he had already planned how to deal with Eriri's body.
Eriri watched the incoming attack with a mocking smile, making no move to dodge or defend herself, while Arifureta looked at Hiyama with an expressionless face, as if seeing a dead man.
When Hiyama's dagger was less than forty centimeters away, Eriri slowly raised her right hand, extending a finger. Though it appeared to be a slow motion to others, her finger moved with blinding speed to block the dagger's tip. In the next second, the dagger struck Eriri's finger.
Hiyama's crazed smile froze instantly. He stared in disbelief at Eriri, who hadn't even flinched, his mind blank.
Eriri looked at the dazed Hiyama and said mockingly, "Is that all? Your weapon isn't sharp enough to pierce my finger."
Eriri's words snapped Hiyama back to reality. He wanted nothing more than to get away from Eriri, but he found himself unable to move even a finger. An unprecedented fear overwhelmed him.
The scene left Kouki and the others utterly astonished. They couldn't believe Eriri's strength, that she could stop Hiyama's full-force attack with just her finger.
"How boring." Eriri stretched and yawned, seemingly uninterested.
Then she slightly flicked the finger pressed against the dagger tip, and a massive force crushed Hiyama's body, making blood seep out from all over him. His body flew back past the crowd, landing at the far wall.
"Ahhhhh!"
Curled up against the wall, Hiyama screamed in agony from his injuries.
Hiyama's plight angered Kouki Amanogawa. He turned and glared at Eriri, asking, "Why did you do that?"
"He attacked me with a dagger. Isn't it normal for me to retaliate?" Eriri replied, amused by Kouki's question.
Yet Kouki persisted, "But you had already subdued him; he couldn't resist. Why did you have to hurt him?"
"Are you insane? Does Eriri need your permission to do anything? Who do you think you are? Know your place. Keep talking, and I'll kill you now," Arifureta, who had been silent, could no longer tolerate Kouki's self-righteousness.
"Exactly, I couldn't have said it better myself. So, kindly move along and stop bothering me," Eriri said as she patted Arifureta's head.
"You…" The sudden reprimand and threat of death stunned Kouki. As he prepared to argue further, Shizuku interrupted him.
"Kouki, that's enough. Eriri did nothing wrong. Hiyama brought this on himself."
"But…"
"No buts. Come with me. Stop bothering Eriri."
Shizuku quickly pulled Kouki away, having noticed the warning look in Eriri and Arifureta's eyes.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone