"What the hell was that?"
Alistair stared at a thin crack in the hallway wall. He had felt a sudden chill and stopped just in time to see the sliver of a fissure. It pointed directly toward the chapel.
Mana traces? He used [The Hunt]. The trail led back to the church. He assumed it was just Anna and didn't think much of it.
He reached the Kendo Club and knocked. "Come in," Sakura's voice called.
She was sitting at a tea table, still in her practice uniform. "Alistair-kun, you're early."
"You asked me here, didn't you?" Alistair sat down. "What's on your mind?"
"No rush. Have some tea." Sakura's eyes were calm, lacking their usual predatory fire.
Alistair took a sip. It was good tea. But then he noticed two other cups on the table. Nina and Tomomi were just here... but I waited fifteen minutes after Nina left. Why are the cups still full?
Suddenly, Sakura leaned forward and refilled the empty cups.
Shit. It's an ambush! Alistair tensed, ready to summon his Stand.
"The fawn arrives early. So impatient," a familiar, cold voice said from behind him.
Alistair sighed. He should have known. Sakura's calm face was just a mask. Now, her eyes were burning with hunger.
[THE WORLD]!
The gold-armored spirit manifested behind him. Alistair was at his peak now. With the Tiger Talisman, he wasn't the same kid Shima Izuki had bullied.
"Wow... it really is majestic," Alisa Kurusu said, stepping into the light. She looked at the Stand with genuine admiration. "What kind of magic is this, Alistair?"
"It's my ability," Alistair said, confused by the lack of immediate hostility.
"Such a shame. I'd love a bodyguard like that," Alisa pouted.
"You aren't here to fight?" Alistair asked.
"That was the plan," Seraphina said, holding her strange dagger. "But seeing you now... I think you're qualified to be an ally."
"Wait, Seraphina? We aren't going to take him?" Alisa looked shocked.
Seraphina ignored her. "You're about halfway to Transcendence, aren't you?"
"Close enough," Alistair said vaguely.
"I won't fight a battle where I don't have a guaranteed win," Seraphina said, her tone arrogant yet pragmatic. "So, let's be allies. I'll cover for you in this school—any trouble you cause, I'll sweep it under the rug. In exchange, when we have a problem, you stand with us. Deal?"
Alistair considered it. That dagger felt dangerous, and having the Student Council President as a "fixer" would give him total freedom. "Fine. But I'm not dying for you. If we're outmatched, I'm out."
"Fair. Survival is the priority."
"And you'll cover for anything?" Alistair asked.
"As long as it's not a public massacre. Keep your 'activities' behind closed doors, and I'll ensure no one finds out. I know your... appetites."
"So what do you get out of this?"
"I want you to release your true nature," Seraphina said with a small smile. "Be as decadent as you want. Humiliate the people you don't like. Break them. Just don't kill them—or if you do, use your healing to make sure there's no evidence."
Alistair realized then that they were harvesting negativity. Their "cup" artifact fed on malice and suffering. The more chaos Alistair caused, the faster they grew. It was a symbiotic relationship of debauchery.
"Deal," Alistair said.
"Then I'll leave you to your 'night' with Sakura," Seraphina said, bowing slightly.
"Wait! What about me?" Alisa pouted. "Can't I play too?"
Seraphina sighed. "Fine. You're already too corrupted to purify anyway. Alistair, show her what 'bliss' feels like."
Alisa licked her lips and smiled at Alistair. "Count me in, Alistair-kun!"