Laters better than never.

Chapter 13 (witch hunt 2/?)

Smoke.

At first, Arisu thought he was imagining it, but the burning sensation in his nose and throat told him otherwise. His breath hitched. He was already struggling to breathe with all the tape over his face, and now the room was filling with smoke?

He jerked in his chair, trying to break free, but the bindings were tight. He forced the chair to jump, using all his strength. The moment it tipped, he crashed onto the floor, pain shooting through his side.

Was this really how he was going to die? Not in a game—but because he had been stupid enough to trust Chishiya?

At the time, it hadn't seemed like a mistake. Chishiya wasn't exactly friendly, but there was something about him that made Arisu feel like he was... worth following. Maybe it was his intelligence. Maybe it was something else. But right now, none of that mattered.

If he wanted answers, if he wanted to confront Chishiya, then he couldn't die here.

The door creaked open.

Usagi?

No. The person didn't speak at first, just moved toward him through the smoke. Then, something was placed beside him.

A moment later, the ropes around his wrists and ankles were cut, but the tape over his face remained.

And then, finally, the person spoke.

"I'm only doing this because Kuina felt bad. And it was on my way."

Arisu froze.

Chishiya.

The same person who had put him in the situation for him to be tied up was now setting him free?

Before Arisu could react, Chishiya was already walking away.

The moment he was gone, Arisu ripped the tape off his face in a few painful motion, gasping for air. His lungs burned, and his vision swam, but he didn't have time to recover. He grabbed the whatever chishiya had left for him and stumbled out of the room, his mind racing.

Niragi rested his sniper rifle against his shoulder, scanning the terrified people below through the scope. Screaming. Running. Begging for their lives.

He couldn't help but smirk.

And yet, as his finger hovered over the trigger, his mind drifted—back to a place he'd buried deep.

"Come on, let's do this! Steady, aim—"

The baseball slammed into his face, knocking him to the ground. Laughter erupted around him.

High school.

His own personal hell.

"Did you see that?!" The other boys jeered as he clutched his bleeding nose, his broken glasses slipping from his face.

"Stand up! We're not done with you yet!"

A rough shove to his shoulder.

"If you don't move, you can have lunch. Pissy rice soup."

More laughter.

More humiliation.

Niragi tightened his grip on the rifle.

Never again. Never again would anyone treat him like that. He wasn't weak anymore—he was the one in control. And he would show them.

His finger pressed against the trigger—

"Don't you get tired of bullying people weaker than you?"

Niragi's head snapped to the side.

Chishiya.