Tsuyuki glares at Ryuken. Mie & Kouga looks at him as well, feeling uneasy.
KENZAKI: Is... something wrong?
RYUKEN: (chuckles nervously) Sorry, guys. My mom's not an easy person to-
TSUYUKI: Ishinara.
RYUKEN: Huh?
TSUYUKI: What do you know about your mother?
RYUKEN: ... my... mother?
KENZAKI: Tsuyuki?
TSUYUKI: Kenzaki, did you feel anything different about her?
KENZAKI: What are you talking abo-
TSUYUKI: Just answer me.
KENZAKI: ... she was just a Regular.
TSUYUKI: All that's left is his father, then.
RYUKEN: W- what about my dad?
TSUYUKI: You said your dad went out on a business trip, right?
RYUKEN: Um... yeah.
TSUYUKI: What kind of business?
KENZAKI: Tsuyuki, this is not what you think it is.
TSUYUKI: Of course, it's what I think it is! He's a damn Hellblood, and you know that very well the moment you felt his Sense.
RYUKEN: Hell-what?
KENZAKI: No, he's not a Hellblood! And I thought I told you not to say anything!
KOUGA: We... already knew about it.
KENZAKI: Wha?
MIE: ... she told us.
KENZAKI: ... Tsuyuki...
TSUYUKI: They're gonna find out either way.
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: ... Mie, Kouga... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but... like I said, he's not a Hellblood.
MIE: But... him being one makes sense, right?
KENZAKI: What?
MIE: T- think about it. A Demon can only Sense their own kind, right? The Stone Ape is chasing after him maybe because... he might be related to some other Demon that the Stone Ape knew.
KENZAKI: But that's not how it is.
TSUYUKI: Then, what is it then? You told me you Sense a Demon in him. And clearly, that Stone Ape is after it.
RYUKEN: (whispers) A Demon... in me?
KENZAKI: Because that's not how Hellblood's souls work!
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: A Hellblood has... a different frequency compared to a Demon. Even if they are related, they are not capable of Sensing it. He can't be a Hellblood because he was never one.
KOUGA: Then... he's a Demon?
RYUKEN: (shock)
KENZAKI: No, he's human. Just like us.
TSUYUKI: He can't be a human and a Demon in one body!
RYUKEN: (stands frozen in shock)
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ...
KENZAKI: ... you're right. But that's what I Sense in him.
RYUKEN: (quickly turns to Kenzaki)
KENZAKI: When I met him, he just felt like any other human. But, when I shake his hand, his soul starts to burn brighter, like a Sixther. Then, I... I can feel it... I can Sense it. Fragments... pieces of a Demon, latching itself onto him... like... like a parasite.
RYUKEN: (touches his chest, in disbelief)
KENZAKI: Look. I understand if you're scared and cautious about all this. Just like all of you, I don't know why Ryuken is who he is. I still don't understand it either.
TSUYUKI: ...
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ...
KENZAKI: But everything happened when he touched that sword. And it happened for a reason. We just have to find what it is.
RYUKEN: ...
KENZAKI: And... Ryuken.
RYUKEN: Ah?
KENZAKI: I know that you're more frightened than any of us here. I can't tell how you must be feeling after what you've just heard.
RYUKEN: (looks down, processing his thoughts)
KENZAKI: (holds Ryuken by his shoulders)
RYUKEN: (looks up, facing Kenzaki)
KENZAKI: But I won't let anything happen to you, Ryuken. We'll get through this together. I promise you... I promised your mother... that I'll keep you safe.
RYUKEN: (slowly looks back down, nods hesitantly)
TSUYUKI: (sighs impatiently) Either way, whatever he is, we have to report him to Central.
KENZAKI: (eyes widen, sharp turns to Tsuyuki) No!
TSUYUKI: What?
KENZAKI: You can't. (walks to Tsuyuki) Whatever you do, we can't report him to Central.
TSUYUKI: Are you out of your mind?! First, you don't want to report about a Level 4 running around town, and now, you're saying you can't even report this guy? What's the big deal?!
KENZAKI: If we do, you know where they'll take him.
TSUYUKI: So what? That's where all the Hellbloods go.
KENZAKI: He's not-
TSUYUKI: I heard you! He's not a Hellblood! You already said that a hundred times! But you can't expect him to join the Academy.
KENZAKI: ... that's the plan.
TSUYUKI: What?
KENZAKI: I'm planning to register him to the Academy.
TSUYUKI: (bewildered)
KOUGA: Ca- can you do that?
TSUYUKI: He can't do that. You can't do that!
KENZAKI: But I am.
TSUYUKI: Are you saying you're going to smuggle a Hellblood into the Academy? Do you really think you can get away with that?!
KENZAKI: No.
TSUYUKI: (madly confused)
KENZAKI: But Mie can.
TSUYUKI: What?
MIE: Wha?!
KENZAKI: Mie, you're a true Seal Specialist. I know you are. You confuse his Sense from Trackers like me. And I believe you can make a new seal that would block his Demon Sense completely.
MIE: L- like the Stone Ape?
KENZAKI: Yes.
MIE: Uh...
KENZAKI: ...
MIE: ... it's not... impossible...
TSUYUKI: No, Mie. You won't do that.
MIE: Ah?
TSUYUKI: Kenzaki, do you even understand what you are saying?
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: You're thinking of sneaking this... kid into the Academy, dragging Mie with you, telling her to fake his Sense, and pretend that he's one of us?!
KENZAKI: He is one of us.
TSUYUKI: He's not! He belongs to the Integration Program!
KENZAKI: I won't let them take him there!
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: ...
RYUKEN: S- sempai...
TSUYUKI: (seething with rage) Why are you being so soft? Why are you being so protective of him?
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: Why are you so GODDAMN stubborn?!
KENZAKI: ... I've seen what it's like. He doesn't belong there. No one does.
They both intensely stare at each other. The rest could not let out a single peep.
Tsuyuki, infuriated with what she is facing.
Kenzaki, standing still with his decision.
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: ... I'm reporting him. (walks away)
KENZAKI: Tsuyuki-
TSUYUKI: I'm reporting him, and that's that! (continues to walk away)
MIE: Yuki-chan!
KOUGA: ...
RYUKEN: ...
KENZAKI: ... I'll charge you.
TSUYUKI: (walks away)
KENZAKI: I can charge you for disobedience!
TSUYUKI: (stops) Do it. Do it then! (faces Kenzaki) If you do that, then I'll charge you for treason!
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: ... please, Tsuyuki. I know it's hard for you to understand, but please... I don't want to see us fighting like this.
TSUYUKI: (glares furiously, turns around, walks away)
KENZAKI: ...
MIE: ...
RYUKEN: ...
KOUGA: ... I'm with Kenzaki!
TSUYUKI: (halts, turns around) What?
KOUGA: (walks to Kenzaki and Ryuken) I'm with them.
TSUYUKI: ... Kouga... if you join him, you would just be another victim to his moronic idea.
KOUGA: I know. But I trust Kenzaki.
TSUYUKI: ... why would you-
KOUGA: In the few years we've been under his wing, he has always taken care of us. He never let us down, even when he comes up with some... ridiculous plan that somehow ended up working. He treats Ryuken the same way he has been treating us. And I'll treat him the same way.
RYUKEN: ...
KOUGA: I'm gonna back him up, no matter how crazy it is. And... and...
TSUYUKI: ...
KOUGA: (sweating) I- if you charge him, then... I'll deny your accusation and... charge you for disobedience as well.
TSUYUKI: W- what?
KOUGA: (whispers) Oh, boy... I'm dead...
TSUYUKI: ...
KOUGA: ...
TSUYUKI: ... so that's it, huh? You're willing to break the Code... all for him? ... you really want to be criminals that bad?
KOUGA: W- well... at least, you get to fit in, right? (smiles nervously)
TSUYUKI: (instantly furious) What did you say?!
KOUGA: (braces for pain) Ah! I'm sorry! Bad joke! Bad joke!
KENZAKI: ... but that is true.
KOUGA: Eh?
KENZAKI: (moves forward a little) Starting by tonight... we are all criminals.
MIE: ...
KOUGA: ...
RYUKEN: ...
KENZAKI: And Tsuyuki...
TSUYUKI: (glares angrily)
KENZAKI: You have to know... that if we all charge against you; you may have no hope in the Order.
TSUYUKI: (fizzing with anger)
KENZAKI: And if you do decide to charge us, what do you think will happen?
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: Which side do you think they'll lean on? Who do you think they'll listen to?
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: A rookie officer and his Academy juniors... or an attempted murderer?
RYUKEN: (shocked, whispers) ... wha?
KOUGA: ...
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: (clenches her fist, boiling with rage)
MIE: (looks back and forth at Kenzaki & Tsuyuki) Uh...
TSUYUKI: MIE!
MIE: Ah!
KENZAKI: ... Mie.
MIE: Um... uh... (turns to Tsuyuki)
TSUYUKI: (stares sharply at Mie)
MIE: Er... (turns to Kenzaki)
KENZAKI: (stares calmly)
MIE: Mm...
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: ...
MIE: ... (walks to Kenzaki)
TSUYUKI: (in disbelief)
MIE: ... I'm... I'm sorry, Yuki-chan.
TSUYUKI: ...
MIE: I just... I just wanna help Ishinara-san...
TSUYUKI: ...
KENZAKI: ...
KOUGA: ...
RYUKEN: ...
TSUYUKI: (stares coldly at the ground, laughs hopelessly) ... this is great.
KOUGA: ...
RYUKEN: ...
TSUYUKI: (whispers) This is great... this is great... this is great... (starts walking around in circles) this is great... this is great... this is great...
KENZAKI: Tsuyuki...
TSUYUKI: This is great, this is great. This is great! This is great. This is great... this is great, this is great, this is great. This is great! This is great! This is great. This is great. This is great, this is great, this is great... this is great, this is great, this is gre-
MIE: Yuki-cha-
TSUYUKI: THIS IS GREAT!!!
BASH!
Tsuyuki punches a wall, small pieces of the cracked paint fell to the ground. She stood there silently, with her fist firmly stuck on the impact zone. The rest watches her quietly.
She slowly takes her fist off it, bruised. She takes a deep breath, the deepest she has ever taken, and exhale it all out. She feels calmer, or at least she thinks she is.
Step by step, she walks back to them, taking a breath each time, exhaling after. With her head still facing down, she goes to where they stand.
TSUYUKI: (exhales on her last step, pauses) ... okay. Alright. Let's pretend that the last 5 minutes didn't happen.
KOUGA: ...
TSUYUKI: Like you said... many... many times... he's not...
RYUKEN: ...
TSUYUKI: (pauses, takes a deep breath and exhales) ... he's not a Hellblood. Fine. (shrugs her shoulders) Whatever.
MIE: ...
TSUYUKI: But we still... have... one more problem.
KENZAKI: ...
TSUYUKI: (stares coldly into them) How the hell are we gonna deal with that f******g ape?
...
In the centre of Machi Town, where many small buildings stand low over the calm traffic, a giant creature is sitting on the tallest apartment building. He seems to be in a quiet, meditative state.
His bright, yellow eyes quickly open, alerted. He stands up and looks at the woodland outskirts of the town. He stares deeply into it, believing that the answer he seeks, lies within the greenery, waiting for his arrival.
BEIRUL: ... Master.
End of Chapter 10
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