DECEPTION (Female Reader) [SAKAMOTO DAYS]

36: "Memories"

As I continued my stroll through JCC, a loud crash from above drew my attention. I glanced up just in time to see Kanaguri get blasted out of a window by an old woman who looked absurdly strong.

"He's already in a fight? Well, whatever." I muttered, waving the situation off like it was nothing.

Suddenly, the speakers buzzed to life, filling the air with a strange static before the sound of clapping echoed throughout the building. In an instant, the people around me stiffened, their eyes glazing over as if they had become lifeless dolls. Club Jam was on the move. With a simple clap of his hands, he’d gained control of everyone nearby, turning them into puppets at his command. Now, with a mere push of a button, he was directing them all to destroy the JCC database.

'Sheesh, all this chaos just to recreate the massacre of the JAA? How theatrical.'

Navigating my way through the building, I pushed through the hordes of brainwashed students and staff, dodging their rigid, puppet-like movements. I finally made it to the greenhouse area, where Kanaguri had crash-landed. As I opened the door, I couldn’t help but cuss with a smile—one that wasn’t relief but rather irritation.

"Kanaguri! You saggy, hairy, black asshole nutsack!" I called out, waving mockingly.

Kanaguri turned toward me with a gleam of excitement in his eyes, pointing his camera in my direction as if I were the star of the show. "Finally! The instigator is here!" he declared with dramatic flair.

My eyes darted past him, and I froze for a moment. Akira was rushing toward the old woman who lay on the ground, clearly beaten by Kanaguri. Akira’s voice cracked as she screamed, "SENSEI! NO!"

In an instant, I dropped my mocking demeanor and put on a concerned face. "Akira!? You haven’t been brainwashed like the others?" I asked, my tone filled with faux relief.

Akira looked at me, her face stained with tears. "Miss (Y/n)... You really did come to JCC like you said you would..."

'So, she remembered.' I noted internally.

"Meeting again like this... it’s a twist of fate befitting a protagonist!" Kanaguri shouted, his voice filled with glee. He pointed his camera back at Akira, zooming in dramatically. "My eye never fails! To think that she would cross paths with the main antagonist, the 'Ultimate Puppet'..."

I shot Kanaguri a sideways glance. 'Akira is Kanaguri’s protagonist?' Then, my eyes fell on the old woman lying unconscious. Her features and presence clicked in my memory. 'So, this is Etsuko Satoda, one of the names I overheard before.'

Kanaguri continued, speaking with a disturbing level of enthusiasm. "I was right to kill her! What a beautiful expression our heroine produced in her grief!" he exclaimed.

Before I could react, a blur moved past me, and Sakamoto appeared, striking at Kanaguri with incredible speed. Kanaguri narrowly dodged, shifting back a step. Sakamoto didn’t even spare me a glance. "(Y/n)... You’re not just here for an investigation, are you? You always seem to show up wherever X is involved." he said, exasperated. "Let me handle this."

I raised an eyebrow. 'So this Etsuko Satoda... Sakamoto's teacher from eight years ago.'

Kanaguri’s voice cut through the tension, calm yet thrilled. "Your sensei is dead, Akira Akao. The tears trail softly down the young girl’s cheeks—"

He was cut off by Sakamoto’s fist swinging at him again. But Kanaguri danced back, his camera still rolling, narrating as if he were filming an epic movie scene. Well, he is making a movie about the clash between Slur and JAA after all. 'I’ll have to keep an eye on him... I don’t want him discovering any twists about me.'