Chapter 54

I run and I run. Faster and faster. I cannot wait even a single second longer. I need to reach it. I need to arrive at the Academy. I must help. I must slay the foes. I must protect those that I love.

No one else shall die tonight.

And yet, when I arrive, I see Uyeno’s body lying right at the front of the gate. The head seems to be missing. From the wounds on her neck I can clearly see that her killer was most likely Kida herself. If she didn’t get found out by Sherlock and didn’t die against me, she probably would have taken on Uyeno’s identity completely… Though it never came that far.

The very fact alone that this lie can safely lie around here and no one is doing anything about it… scares me. Yes, it scares me.

After all, if someone would notice the body, they would immediately tell someone. And thus they would hide the body or something like that… But they do not.

This makes me think of two possibilities that are equally terrifying: Either they cannot find it since they are too overwhelmed by something else, like attacking Yokai. The other option is that there is no one left who could… No, I won’t even think about that possibility. It is just… impossible. I won’t accept it, not even in the slightest.

I enter the academy and quickly look around. Somewhere there has to be someone. Please, just… there has to be someone!

The inside of the academy is quiet. It is quiet and dark, despite its windows.

There is no light anywhere that aims to light up the halls. Is it already that late?

It feels exactly like when I first arrived at the academy. Everything feels incredibly quiet… The last time it was as quiet as this, nothing was wrong. Everyone was resting quietly and I was new. I did not want to disturb anyone and just made my way directly to the Headmaster’s office. This time… while everything feels the same, everything looks the same, everything sounds the same… It just isn’t the same. The context of this scene changes absolutely everything.

I make my way to the headmaster's office yet again. Something inside of me clings to this hope… Is it merely me not accepting the possibility of the worst possible events? Or is it perhaps… I have no idea.

I have no idea what the hell I am trying to achieve here.

But something inside of me wants to look at the office. At the very first room of this academy I have ever seen. Something inside of me needs to see the Headmaster. Needs to see that she is okay.

I do not knock. “Excuse me.”

I slowly open the door. On the other side, lying on her chair with a large hole in her head, is Miss Headmaster Shinohara Masuyo.

She is - of course - dead.

“I won’t let anyone else die”, huh? Well, that didn’t work out…

No, no! It will work out! After all, no one… died after I came here.

She must be dead for longer… And Uyeno was dead for quite some time as well!

From this point onwards… I… I won’t let anyone die!

There will be no other victims!

I breathe faster and faster. My vision starts getting blurry. I grab my sword even tighter. When I notice that it doesn’t help me, I directly grab the blade itself and thus hurt myself.

It hurts like hell. I never knew this thing was that sharp… Well, figures. It was able to cut through quite a lot up until now. I hope it will help me out from this moment on as well.

I slowly leave the room. Despite regaining a clear state of mind via cutting myself back into reality, my hand hurts and my body is only moving slowly. As the blood drops down onto the ground I am remembered yet again. Back when I came here for the first time, I was absolutely covered in blood as well. Ah, the second time, when I just came back from slaying the Tengu, as well… After the task I tackled with Uyeno as well…

Just how often did I let my blood drop onto this floor here?

I… I hope it will drop here far more often. I hope I will walk down this floor, covered in blood hundreds of times.

I cry out. Please, anybody! If there is anybody, if even a single living soul… Please, answer me! Tell me that I am not alone! Tell me that I am not the only person in this Academy! Please, anybody… Please, just answer me…

I leave the main-building and slowly enter the training-grounds. No one reacted when I cried for anybody when I was walking through the halls. Thus, I concluded that there was no one left here.

I slowly approached the sand-field.

And when I arrived there, I already saw them from afar.

The two students I had talked to first: Aki and Aomade.

They stand side by side. In front of them was a blue snake with small wings. Instead of a serpent-like head rested a woman’s head. She grins widely.

The “Jinja-Hime”, an A-Rank Yokai, was in front of them.