“You go ahead. I’ll come later.” Sakura held Hisagi’s arm gently.

He gave a soft nod and walked off without another word.

“Ken, why did you cry?” Sakura turned sharply, her eyes piercing through him like needles. “Don’t tell me that silly reason you told everyone.”

“Sakura, don’t press too hard.” Kazuma stepped in quietly, his voice even. “It’s… not related to you.”

“Not related?” Sakura didn’t even glance at Kazuma. Her eyes stayed locked on Ren. “Everything about you is related to me. Isn’t it? So tell me. Can’t I know the reason?”

“What I said to Hina was true.” Ren’s voice came softly, as if dragged from a deep place within him. “I… I didn’t lie. Not even for that moment.”

****

Darven stood with arms crossed, staring after Riyaka as she ignored him once again.

“Hey, can’t you listen to me once?” he called out, stepping after her. “At least look at me!”

“If you follow me again,” she warned without even turning, “don’t blame me for what happens next.”

“What did I even do?” Darven jogged beside her, grinning despite the tension. “Seriously, say it! I didn’t do anything wrong.”

At that moment, Minu and Saya walked by, chatting softly among themselves.

Darven lit up as he spotted them. “Oh! Minu, Saya—you passed too, huh?”

“That question we should be asking you.” Minu raised an eyebrow, her tone sharp. “We could’ve submitted two more unused crystals if your pair hadn’t interrupted in the middle. Hmph.”

Riyaka blinked. “Oh? You did that much too?”

“No, no! That was my partner’s idea!” Darven waved his hands frantically in defense. “I didn’t even touch anyone—not a scratch!”

“Go away, idiot.” Riyaka flicked her hair sharply and turned away.

“C’mon, ask anyone about me—they’ll say I’m a nice guy.” Darven followed with that same sheepish grin.

She finally stopped, turned halfway, and gave him a scathing glare. “Oh, you’re the great Darven, huh? All will know about you? Go.”

“I told you I like you.” Darven came beside her again, refusing to give up. “Can’t you just say yes already?”

“You have no shame.” Riyaka spun around, eyeing him from top to bottom. “Asking like that with that look? First, wipe off that creepy grin.”

Darven blinked. “Okay, okay,” he said, turning serious. “Look, now it’s off. Tell me now?”

She took one slow step back. “Are you mad? You think if you make a serious face, I’ll say? Ugh. Stop following me.”

Just then, Anvitha passed by, narrowing her eyes. “Darven… again?”

“Anvitha-sama, just look at me!” Darven beamed at her, voice overly bright. “Do I not look handsome? I can cook too!”

Anvitha didn’t even look at him. She just reached out and tugged his ear hard.

“Ow—OWW!!”

“You made just chips, not a banquet,” she hissed, yanking his ear harder. “And if she likes you, she’ll tell you. Don’t follow her like… like this.”

She turned to Riyaka. “Go on, I’ll handle this fool.”

Riyaka offered a grateful bow. “Thanks, Anvitha-sama.” And walked off—head high, hair flipping like the final blow.

Anvitha turned back to Darven. “Uff... You’re really hopeless.”

“I just followed her, not every girl,” he muttered, still holding his sore ear.

Anvitha’s glare deepened.

“Okay, okay! I’ll stop. You’re being so cold, Anvitha-sama.”

“GO.”

“Hehe, I’m going.” Darven backed up with his signature grin plastered on his face.

“Still smiling like a fool… truly shameless.” She sighed and shook her head.

“You gotta chill, Anvitha-sama!” Darven winked at her.

“You want a flying slap?” She raised her hand threateningly.

“Nope!” Darven darted away before she could swing.

As Darven disappeared, Anvitha’s glare melted away. She stood still for a beat, eyes soft, lips curving ever so slightly. One hand brushed against her mouth as she shook her head with that faint smile. ‘Idiot… hopeless fool…’ she thought.

But before she could turn away, Darven suddenly stepped out from the corner, leaning forward with a teasing grin.

“Anvitha-sama… are you smiling?” he asked as he came closer.

She blinked, startled. “Hey—you! You didn’t leave?!” She raised her hand instinctively.

“Aa! Anvi aunty, stop, please!” He held up his hands quickly. “I really like her, okay? Today I just… dared myself. With other girls I can talk normally, but with her… I just pretending to be fine on the outside.”

Anvitha sighed, crossing her arms. “Hmph… fool. If you keep behaving like this, who will fall for you? Stop acting like a clown.”

“That’s not it, Anvitha-sama!” Darven protested, pouting. “This is just how I am!”

She rolled her eyes. “Hey, just call me aunty. Why are you being so formal? No one’s even here.”

Darven scratched the back of his head. “Before… it slipped when you raised your hand… but I’m normal… Well, I’m going now. But, Anvitha-sama… you need to tone down your anger, you know.”

Anvitha’s lips formed a mock pout. “Idiot! Did I hit you? I’m cool!” Then she smiled softly, a warmth peeking through her usual firmness. “It’ll happen when it’s meant to. Don’t worry so much.”

****

Ren and Kazuma stood before three guards—Kyouji, Daen, and Kanzou—who sat slumped against the wall, bruised, mouths gagged and breaths ragged.

Kazuma crouched before them, gaze firm but calm, and reached forward to untie the clothes from their mouths.

The guards gasped for air, eyes wild with confusion and fear.

“W-What do you want?” Daen stammered.

“No.” Kazuma tilted his head slightly, his voice cold. “That’s the question we should be asking you.” His eyes hardened. “Why did you kill him?”

All three guards froze as a thick silence swallowed the room.

“K-Kill?” Daen blinked rapidly. “What… what are you talking about?”

“Don’t act innocent.” Kazuma stood slowly, every movement deliberate. “We’re from the same village—you know that. Don’t deny it. And if you want to leave here with your legs intact… talk.”

Kanzou muttered, “You’re mistaken. We didn’t—”

Shing!

Ren stepped forward, drawing his katana with a clean, chilling sound, his eyes dark, like storm clouds.

“Move aside, Azuma,” he muttered, his voice low and sharp. “They’ll spill everything when they see their blood on the floor.”

Kazuma extended an arm, stopping him. “Don’t rush,” he said tightly, anger simmering beneath the words.

“I’m trying not to let him loose.” He turned sharply to the guards, his glare hardening. “But if you keep playing dumb… no one knows what’ll happen next.”

Kyouji gulped. “We… we had pressure. From—”

Daen’s eyes widened in alarm. “Hey what are sayi—!”

But it was too late.

Kazuma moved with lightning speed, gripping Daen’s collar and slamming him against the wall.

“I KNEW IT!” he growled, voice reverberating through the room. “Someone higher—that’s the only reason cowards like you would go that far. Now spit it out—WHO?!”

“Chief… of the town…” Kyouji lowered his gaze, barely able to meet their eyes.

Ren’s grip on his katana tightened.

“I figured.” Kazuma didn’t even flinch, his tone icy. “But tell me—why did he order it? Why does he want to kill? And don’t try to lie. We already know the real person behind this, but I want every detail in depth.”

Kanzou glanced nervously at the other two, sweat running down his neck.

“We… we don’t know anything.” Kanzou muttered in a trembling voice. “He just told us. We followed it.”

“I already said… they don’t talk without doing anything,” Ren muttered darkly.

“Ken, remember?” Kazuma raised his hand slowly, palm out. “You’re the one who told me… what comes out of fighting and bloodshed?”

Ren turned away, grumbling, “Still… you saw her, right? Yesterday.”

Kazuma narrowed his eyes at the guards. “So you’re saying… you don’t know anything? Fine. I know something. Now you say—what did he order you? Why did you kill him?”

The three exchanged nervous glances in silence, sweat beading on their brows.

“He… he gave us three needles, with threads tied to them.” Kyouji’s voice shook as he explained. “He told us to place them around where citizens live and watch carefully. If the thread changes color, we report it. If not, we shift it after a month.”

“Say it clearly.” Kazuma glared, his voice tightening. “You’re still hiding something… uff. You’re nervous, fine, I get that. But one thing—if the colour changes, then what? And you still didn’t answer the second question!”

“H-He said… if it changes, then… then he’ll tell us clearly. The full details,” Kanzou mumbled, shrinking back.

Kazuma growled, “Every time, do I have to ask the next thing like spoon-feeding a baby? Say it all in one go!”

“We didn’t see any thread change.” Kyouji looked down, then added quietly, “And he told us something too—he said some intruders came into the kingdom long ago. At Hiru village.”

“Huh?” Kazuma froze, pupils shrinking. “Who are they? Why is he after them?”

Ren activated Mind Voice. – Hey. We’re the intruders, right? Then why ask again?

Kazuma replied inside his head, – Calm down. They still don’t know it’s us. Let’s not reveal yet.

“He didn’t tell us exactly,” Daen said, voice hesitant. “Just… to look for anything unusual. Anyone stronger than normal. Around the age of twenty-five to forty…”

Kazuma’s eyes widened slightly.

Ren’s voice came again inside, – So… it’s not confirmed that we used forbidden art.

Kazuma rubbed his temples. – Yeah… that explains it, but not fully. He said around twenty-five too, right? We know what they’re searching for… but every time I think about it, my mind just stops at one point. One thing still doesn’t make sense.

“Okay. Now it’s my turn to ask.” Ren stepped forward and gently shoved Kazuma aside.

Kazuma blinked. “H-Hey! We already got most of the info! We know what they’re searching for and How—”

Ren crouched down in front of them, his voice dropping low. “I didn’t ask what. I want to know why.”

Kazuma raised an eyebrow. “That… even the chief may not know.”

“Well, I don’t need it now.” Ren smirked faintly, eyes narrowing. “I may be stupid, but my brain sometimes works, you know? You three—listen.”

He stared at them coldly. “We’re from that village. You know it. You saw us on the first day of the tournament. Didn’t you even feel we might be the intruders?”

“If you were them… you would’ve saved him,” Daen hesitated. “But we thought… maybe you just weren’t there at the time. And if you are them, why would you even participate in this tournament? You came for revenge, right?”

Ren grabbed Daen by the collar and slammed him into the wall, his voice shaking with rage.

“Ahh, so you already had that backup!” he snarled. “Even if someone dies, you have your cover story! You planned this. You wanted no one to question!”

“Stop! Ken, that’s not what we need!” Kazuma yelled, stepping closer to intervene.

“I’m not that idiot!” Ren turned sharply, eyes blazing. “You might know what they have, don’t you, Azuma? From the beginning, they were backed by something. I want to hear it from their mouths!

His eyes flared blood-red as he turned slowly toward Daen. “You. You’re the one who was stabbed on the left side of his neck… right?”

Daen’s lips trembled.

Ren’s voice dropped, but the heat behind it seemed to scorch the room.

“Say it. Louder, for somebody even when you don’t know if they were still in that village… or had shifted away… you still killed one innocent man?”

The three guards gulped.

“W-We… already thought… but we wanted to check once.” Kyouji stumbled through his words, voice cracking. “And we didn’t see anything unusual…”

Ren glared, his eyes nearly twitching with fury. “So you planned it? Planned to kill someone just to lure them out?”

He turned to the other two, teeth gritted. “And you two… right? You’re the ones who killed him. SAY what was your backup!”

“W-We… we thought one guy who talks rough would be easy to blame,” Kanzou’s voice cracked, shaking as he spoke. “So we wrote a letter… about the kingdom’s sensitive details… forged with his handwritin—”

He stopped mid-sentence, frozen by the rage burning in Ren’s eyes.

Kazuma’s fingers twitched. ‘I knew it…’ he thought. ‘You would lose it here. That’s why I tried to stop…’

Ren didn’t blink, his low voice carrying like a growl through the room. “Why did you stop? Huh? Continue.” He didn’t shout.

He ordered.

“W-We… we placed that fake letter near his house,” Kanzou flinched as he spoke. “If someone asked… we’d just say we saw him acting suspicious. And after he left that place… we checked that letter.”

Ren’s fingers curled into a fist.

He slapped Kanzou across the cheek—a loud, unforgiving crack. “Haa?! What did you say now?!”

Silence.

Ren locked eyes with Daen. The air froze. “You’re the main one. Talk.”

Sweat rolled like rain down Daen’s neck. “W-We came to the village the next morning after… that day. He was still there, sitting at the same spot. We thought… maybe he was looking for the letter…”

Ren’s voice dripped with acid. “Was he searching?”

“N-No…”

Shing.

Ren unsheathed his katana and rested the blade against Daen’s wrist.

“Then continue.”

“Ken… don’t. We still need them alive,” Kazuma’s voice tensed as he spoke.

Ren didn’t break eye contact. “Don’t worry. I’m in control.”

“We went to him… he was just sitting, his sake bottle on the ground,” Daen stuttered, voice cracking. “We told him—w-we wanted to talk about the letter…”

Ren’s stare never moved.

“He didn’t respond… he moved lower…” Daen choked on his words. “We thought he was going for a weapon… so I—”

SHHK.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Ren’s katana sliced clean through Daen’s wrist, severing his hand.

The scream echoed. The other two froze—eyes wide, pupils shaking.

Even Kazuma stepped back, shock flickering in his eyes. ‘He did it…’

Ren’s voice is now a blade sharper than steel. “He didn’t raise a hand. Didn’t move against you. And you stabbed him in the neck because of what? Because you want him to not talk?”

His katana now pointed like judgment itself. “Kyouji, right? You were there too, right?”

Kyouji stumbled back, palms out. “I-I was just watching! From far away! I didn’t touch anything! Please don’t—don’t do anything—”

Ren didn’t even flinch. He turned toward Kanzou. “Say the real version.”

“H-He was just… just sitting,” Kanzou’s voice cracked as he spoke. “He thought we were just talking nonsense. He reached for his sake to leave, not fight… that’s the real version…”

Slice.

Ren’s blade sang again.

“AHHHH! My fingers—!!”

Ren’s eyes burned. “You held his collar, right? That’s enough.”

Daen stared at his wrist.

He blinked and stared again.

His hand was back.

“H-Huh? My hand…?!”

Ren tilted his head. “Oh, it’s back. Yours too—your fingers are still safe… floating inside my vast space. You’ll get them soon. Just wanted you to feel… the pain.”

He continued, “Now. Give the needles.”

Kazuma blinked hard. “Oi—what was that technique? I thought you really cut it—”

“Did you see anything fall? No pieces, right?” Ren smiled casually as he wiped the blade on his sleeve. “It’s called Phantom Rift Limb Cut. It looks real, it feels real… and it hurts like hell.”

He turned to Kyouji, his tone dropping into a pit. “You watched from afar, right? In my view… because of you, he died. So you have to… well, wait…”

Kyouji’s mouth opened, but no words came.

Ren’s eyes locked on Daen. “And you…” he leaned closer, voice sharp, “In front of the villagers… didn’t you say, ‘Because of his nature, he got that situation’?”