Night fell quietly. Dark clouds swallowed the moon, and after a distant roll of thunder, a light rain began to fall.
Inside his room, Shimizu Koji had nothing in particular to do. He took his bamboo sword from his shoulder bag and gazed out at the curtain of rain beyond the window. His thoughts drifted, returning to his encounter with Tetsu Moroha a few days earlier.
True kendo.
Koji wasn't someone wholly devoted to the way of the sword, but he was undeniably interested in it. At present, it was his only real means of self-defense and combat—setting aside fists and kicks.
As for guns… that required access, and came with far too many complications, especially with the police.
If he couldn't master the power of his Sharingan anytime soon, then learning what "true kendo" really meant might be a good path forward.
But what exactly was true kendo?
Koji found the idea strange. Wasn't it just slashing, striking, and thrusting? Surely there wasn't something as ridiculous as sword energy involved.
Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts and reached for the window to close it—when suddenly, a rapid series of footsteps sounded below. At least four people.
He paused and leaned out to look.
At the villa's entrance, Xiaolan was walking through the rain under a shared umbrella, her hand held by Ota Masaru. Their destination was the pitch-black forest.
…A walk?
Koji's gaze shifted. Sonoko and Conan followed closely behind, crouched low and moving quietly.
"What are they doing…?"
His eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
From what he knew, this situation made little sense. If it was a date, then why were those two tagging along? To interfere? To spy?
He dismissed the second idea almost immediately. Sonoko might be boy-crazy, but she wasn't the type to do something so tasteless. That left only one possibility—she was trying to sabotage it.
The forest ahead was dark, the rain unrelenting. Ayako had joked earlier about him protecting Sonoko, but given the circumstances, Koji decided he should follow and take a look.
Taking his bamboo sword, Koji glanced at the distance from the second floor to the ground and jumped straight down from the windowsill.
Splash.
He landed lightly, barely disturbing the puddles, and quickly locked onto Sonoko and Conan as he followed after them.
With his speed, he soon trailed them at a comfortable distance.
Surprisingly, the two worked together with perfect coordination. Without exchanging a word, they peeked, ducked, crawled forward, and hid behind trees in perfect sync—almost like a rehearsed act.
Then—
"Ah—!"
A crack of thunder echoed, followed by Xiaolan's scream.
Koji hesitated for a split second, wondering whether this was some strange romantic moment or a real emergency—but Sonoko and Conan had already dashed forward.
When they reached the scene, only a flustered Ota Masaru was there. He jumped when he saw them.
"Uh—y-you—Miss Mouri was frightened by the thunder, I—"
Sonoko and Conan were too busy searching for Xiaolan to pay him any attention. His awkward smile went completely unnoticed.
Less than a minute later, another scream rang out—this one unmistakably filled with panic.
Koji stopped hesitating.
He bypassed the others and rushed straight toward the sound.
"W-who are you?! Ah—!"
Koji arrived just in time to see Xiaolan narrowly avoid a powerful swing from the cloaked, bandaged figure wielding an axe. She fell to the ground in the process.
The axe struck the earth with tremendous force, embedding itself deeply.
"Shimizu-kun!" Xiaolan cried out when she saw him, relief flashing across her face.
The attacker yanked the axe free and raised it again.
Koji didn't respond. He stepped in and swung his bamboo sword upward in a sharp arc.
Though the motion was awkward for most people, Koji's strength made up for it—the axe was knocked clean from the attacker's hands.
The bandaged figure froze, clearly stunned. After casting a fearful glance at Koji, they turned and fled into the darkness of the forest.
Koji took a step to pursue—but then glanced back at Xiaolan, still sitting on the ground, trembling.
After a moment's hesitation, he returned to her side and helped her to her feet.
"Xiaolan!"
"Xiaolan!! Shimizu-kun!"
Sonoko and Conan finally arrived. The embedded axe behind Xiaolan startled them badly, and they rushed over, hugging her and speaking anxiously.
"I-I'm fine," Xiaolan said shakily. "Sonoko, Conan… Shimizu… thank you."
After making sure Xiaolan was alright, Conan walked silently over to Koji.
"Did you find anything?"
Koji shook his head.
The forest was too dark, and the attacker clearly knew the terrain well. There was nothing to be gained from chasing blindly.
Still… Koji had a suspicion.
"You take Sonoko and Xiaolan back first," he said calmly. "I'll look around a bit more."
"I'll help too," Conan said immediately.
"No. Go back."
Koji's tone left no room for argument.
Conan paused, then followed Koji's gaze downward—to his own small frame. He clenched his fists, frustration clear on his face, but in the end, he turned and left with the others.
Once they disappeared into the villa, Koji glanced at the dark forest and headed back as well—but instead of entering, he moved quietly to the shadowed side of the building.
About twenty minutes later, just as he was frowning and preparing to leave, a sudden noise came from the woods.
Koji instantly tensed and slipped silently toward the sound.
Earlier, Ikeda Chikako had left the villa alone, exiting through the back door. Ayako had escorted her to her room beforehand, so no one noticed her departure.
Takahashi Ryoichi, whose original plan had been disrupted by Koji, was already waiting at their agreed location.
He hadn't dared return. Koji's gaze earlier had filled him with fear, as if he'd been seen through completely.
The note he left ensured Chikako would come. All he had to do was wait.
By now, his plan was already in ruins. With too many unexpected variables, he no longer cared about exposure.
No matter what—
She had to die.
And soon enough, Chikako arrived, just as he hoped. Angry and unsettled, she had barely stayed inside before leaving again, following the message into the forest—completely unaware of what had happened earlier.
She didn't even get the chance to call out before Takahashi lunged at her like a beast lying in wait.
When Koji arrived, rain soaked the ground, washing over dark stains that marked where a life had ended moments earlier.
The silence was heavy.
"Well… you're here," Takahashi said hoarsely.
"Too bad. You're too late."
He tossed something aside carelessly and turned to face Koji.
There was nowhere left to run. Yet even now, his twisted excitement drove him to provoke Koji—to draw a reaction.
But Koji neither flinched nor looked away.
He raised his bamboo sword, and with a soft whistle through the air, its tip stopped just short of Takahashi's forehead.
"You still want to fight me?"
Takahashi stiffened. Any remaining courage drained away at those calm words.
"…I never thought a first-year high school kid could be this terrifying," he muttered.
"If it weren't for you—!"
He laughed weakly.
"But it doesn't matter anymore. She's dead. That's enough."
Rain streamed down his face, mixing with tears. Whether he was crying or laughing was impossible to tell. His voice was unstable, his mind clearly unraveling.
Koji didn't press him.
He didn't need to.
After rambling to himself for a while, Takahashi looked up again.
"Aren't you curious?" he asked.
"Speak," Koji replied. "I'm listening."
"…You're frighteningly calm," Takahashi said.
Koji said nothing. Instead, he turned his wrist—
Smack.
The flat of the bamboo sword struck Takahashi across the face.
Cold and precise.
A defeated man should act like one.