Chapter 22: — “Death Game: Part 2”

The masked goon flinched the moment the door slammed open. His eyes widened at Riku barreling in. In a panic, he spun on his heels to run—

“Oh no you don’t!” came Akari’s voice, sharp and cold like a blade of ice.

She raised her palm toward him. A rush of glowing symbols spun into the air around her fingertips, forming a circle of frosted light.

“Frostbind.”

A flash of blue light burst beneath the goon’s feet, and in an instant, ice climbed up his boots, freezing him to the concrete floor. He staggered and fell face-first onto the ground with a thud.

Riku stomped toward him, fists clenched and jaw trembling in anger.

“You’re not getting away, bastard.”

Kenji followed close behind, eyes narrowed, jaw twitching. Without a word, he grabbed the goon by the collar and slammed him against the nearest table, the metal legs screeching under the sudden weight. Akari waved her hand, canceling the spell now that he was restrained.

Meanwhile, the girls rushed to Mika, still tied to the chair in the center of the room. Her face was red and damp from tears, but the moment she saw them, her shoulders trembled with relief.

“Mika!” Sakura cried, already kneeling down to undo the knots.

“Hold still, we’ve got you,” Miyuki added, struggling with the rope.

Once free, Mika didn’t hesitate… she immediately threw her arms around Akari, burying her face in her sister’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered through quiet sobs. “I’m sorry for the trouble… all of it…”

Akari’s heart clenched. She hugged Mika tightly and stroked her back.

“Don’t apologize,” she murmured, voice soft. “None of this is your fault.”

Behind them, Kenji and Riku stared the goon down. With a shaky hand, the masked figure reached up and peeled off the mask, revealing a familiar face.

Riku’s eyes widened. “Keigo?”

The same Keigo who had stood beside Otogi during that school fight weeks ago. One of the lackeys who’d run his mouth and caught Riku’s foot to the ribs.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Kenji muttered, grabbing him by the shirt and yanking him forward onto the table.

Keigo didn’t resist. His body was limp, his expression twisted in shame.

“Talk,” Riku barked. “What the hell is this? Why’d you kidnap Mika?!”

Keigo squirmed beneath Riku’s grip, arms pinned tight against the metal table. The others surrounded them, watching with tense eyes, as if expecting him to explode into smoke at any second.

“I-I didn’t want any of this,” Keigo muttered, barely loud enough for them to hear. “When I first met him… the demon… he didn’t even look like one. He looked human. Almost friendly. Said I could get revenge for what happened during that fight… said I could get back at you, Riku.”

Riku’s grip tightened.

“I was stupid, alright?! I thought it’d be simple. A rematch or something. But then he… he told me the first step.” Keigo swallowed hard. “Kidnap your girlfriend. And then trap you all in those stupid games.”

Silence dropped like a blade.

“…Woah, woah, woah. What do you mean, ‘girlfriend’?” Riku snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut steel.

Keigo blinked up at him, confused. “I-Isn’t Mika your g-girlfriend?”

“W-WHAT?!” Mika shrieked from behind him, turning as red as a strawberry. She spun away, covering her face with both hands. “D-Don’t just say weird stuff like that!!”

“She’s not my girlfriend!!” Riku shouted, slamming Keigo a little harder into the table without meaning to.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it! I just assumed!” Keigo cried, flailing pathetically.

Kenji shoved Riku aside, grabbing Keigo by the collar himself now. His voice dropped, low and cold.

“What does the demon look like?”

Keigo’s breath caught in his throat. His eyes shifted, focusing on Kenji’s glowing red irises.

He froze.

His mouth opened, just barely.

“…W-Wait… y-you—”

“WHAT DOES HE LOOK LIKE?!” Kenji roared, slamming him back down, voice echoing through the room like a war drum. “SPEAK, OR I’LL KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT!”

Keigo whimpered, beads of sweat forming along his hairline. “I don’t know! I don’t know anymore!” he cried. “He… he looked normal, but his eyes… he had this… presence, like he could kill you just by looking! When he said to kidnap your friend, I tried to back off… I SWEAR I TRIED!”

Riku crossed his arms, still glaring. “Then why didn’t you?”

“Because it was already too late!” Keigo snapped back. “He showed me his face, said if I backed out, he’d make my family disappear. You think I wanted this? I didn’t! I was terrified!”

There was silence again. Everyone stared down at him.

His breathing was ragged. His voice cracked.

“I’m not a killer. I never was. I just… I made one bad choice, and it snowballed into this. I didn’t know what else to do…”

Riku looked at him for a long, tense second… and then finally stepped back.

Akari narrowed her eyes. “We’ll let you go… this once. But if you show your face again—”

“I won’t,” Keigo said quickly, already scrambling to his feet as Kenji let go. “You won’t see me again. I swear it.”

Keigo stood shakily, rubbing his wrists, eyes darting to each of them like a cornered animal.

“Get out of here,” Riku muttered, voice low but firm. “Before I change my mind.”

Keigo didn’t argue. He backed toward the exit without another word, then turned and ran, disappearing into the darkness beyond the rusted doorway.

Silence lingered for a moment, thick with everything left unsaid.

Riku exhaled slowly and turned around. His eyes drifted across the group before landing on Sakura and Miyuki.

“You two,” he said, serious now. “I need you to keep an eye on Mika at school. If the demon’s using her to get to me, she’s not safe.”

Sakura nodded immediately, her usual playful expression gone. “Got it.”

Miyuki gave a small salute, then dropped it with a rare, serious look. “She’s basically our little sister. We won’t let anything happen.”

Mika blinked. “W-Wait… What about you?”

Riku turned to her. For a second, his expression softened.

“I’ve got Akari.” He looked over at her, and she gave him a silent nod of reassurance. “And Kenji, too. We’re handling the demon stuff from this end.”

Mika frowned, still hesitant. “…But you’ll be okay?”

Riku offered a small, tired smile. “I’ll be fine. I promise. Just trust me, alright?”

Mika hesitated a beat longer, then finally gave a quiet nod.

“Okay.”

They all stood in that quiet room, broken crates and flickering lights casting long shadows across the walls, the aftermath of chaos still echoing faintly in the air.

And in the center of it all… hope, like a stubborn ember, still burned.