Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 5 (section)

==BBBE Chapter 5: Encounter==

===Part 1===

The square window outside had turned dark sometime during her work, and the veil of night had completely fallen. She realized that time had passed much faster than she thought when she finally started to see the end of her work. She had been so focused on her task that her shoulders and back ached, and she leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms wide.
Then, she glanced at the round clock on the wall beside the whiteboard and was surprised.

"What time is it already?! Oh, no..." She had been working with her back to the clock, so she hadn't noticed. Haruka sat up straight, twisted in her chair, and widened her eyes at the time. She needed to get home soon or she would be too late to prepare dinner.However, she was almost done. She thought about coming back early tomorrow morning to finish up, but…

"I can finish this in another hour. Let's do it!" She was the kind of person who believed in finishing what she started today. She took a sip of green tea from the bottle beside her and, with renewed vigor, pulled the next document towards her.

That's when it happened.

"Huh?" The door to the student council room suddenly opened. Haruka turned around in surprise, and a familiar teacher entered.

"Oh, Isa-san. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so late." It was already thirty minutes past the official closing time. The reason Haruka could stay so late without worrying was because Isa, who was in charge of the keys, had told her to use the room as long as she needed.

"No, it's fine. So, how are you doing? Almost finished?" Isa looked around the student council room, his tone much softer than he usually was in class. He was carrying a large bag. He probably planned to go home as soon as Haruka was finished.

"I'm sorry, just a little more." She wondered if she was staying too late. With that thought in mind, Haruka returned to her desk to try to make some progress.

“Hayami, you’re doing great. Staying late all by yourself,” he said.

"No, it's nothing." It felt strange being praised by Isa. She smiled vaguely and continued writing. As she extracted the necessary information from the documents, Haruka suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Isa-san, you were absent yesterday. Were you feeling unwell?"

"Oh, no," came a reply with a hint of a smile, as if he had forgotten until it was mentioned. "Actually, my health has been quite good lately."

Haruka felt a shiver run down her spine at the way he laughed, as if the words were caught in his throat.

And then it happened. The sound of the student council room door locking. Haruka stopped and turned around.

"..Isa-san?" Isa was inside the student council room. He stood with his back to the locked door and slowly approached Haruka, his gaze fixed on her.

"Do you know... that right now, just the two of us are in this school?" Isa, who usually had a stern expression, smiled wickedly. His tired eyes held an unusually intense light. 
Haruka jumped up from her chair with a start. Something was wrong with Isa. Feeling an instinctive sense of danger, she ran towards the back door of the classroom. She pulled the door to open it, but it was locked.

"No way, why..." The door hadn't been locked from this side. Frantically, she pulled it again and again, then realized. It was locked from the other side.

At the sound of a small noise, Haruka turned around in surprise. She saw Isa setting up what looked like a camera on the desk. For a moment, her gaze shifted from Haruka to the camera. Determined to escape, Haruka sprinted toward the front door, but Isa quickly noticed and spread his arms to block her.

"Where are you going, Haruka-kun...?" 

"Get away from me, Isa-san!" Haruka looked at Isa sternly, her voice trembling as she shouted. But Isa only smiled more deeply. He took a step closer, as if to corner her. Haruka took a step back. Breathing heavily, Isa reached for his clothes and began to awkwardly remove his wrinkled shirt.

She couldn't bear to look. Haruka let out a strangled cry and shrank back, covering her face with her hands. She heard the sound of his belt buckle being undone. The sound of the zipper being lowered, followed by the sound of his pants being discarded.

"Isa-san... please stop..." Haruka trembled violently. A paralyzing fear gripped her. She couldn't escape. She didn't know how to escape.

"Haruka-kun. Look at me," Isa said in a threatening tone. Haruka, trembling, slowly lifted her face.

"Ah!" She let out a sudden scream and covered her mouth with her hands. 

Isa, now stripped naked, stood there in a bizarre form. His stomach sagged in a way typical of most middle-aged men, but not completely. He stood there, his exposed flesh partially concealed by a perverse, black leather harness. In his hand, he held a whip with a number of leather belts attached to its black handle, which he had probably taken out of a bag. Isa held it out to Haruka. 

“Come on, Haruka-kun, beat me with this!”

“Wha- what are you saying?”

“Beat me and insult me. Pig, this pig, this happy pig! Oh, I don't care what you do to me!” 

Overwhelmed by the situation, Haruka's fear receded like a wave for a moment. Instead, she was engulfed in confusion and bewilderment. Her thoughts came to a halt. ''‘What is he saying?’''

“P... pig?”

“Yes! Exactly! Keep going! Oh wait, I almost forgot...!"

Haruka stood there, bewildered. Isa, realizing he had slipped into a trance-like state, panicked and then switched to a state of urgency. Grabbing the bag at his feet, he pulled out a black object. Holding it with both hands, he spread it out.

It was a costume designed to resemble a swimsuit, but with a far more intricate and suggestive design, intended to expose the wearer in a sexually provocative manner. It was a female bondage outfit, even more sexually suggestive than the one Isa was already wearing. When Haruka realized what it was, her confusion melted away, replaced by a dawning understanding of Isa's intentions.

And so, Isa made his request. 'Now, Haruka-sama, please put this on. I prepared it especially for you... here!'”

“N-no way! Absolutely not!" Haruka shook her head vigorously, her whole body rejecting the idea. But Isa, undeterred, inched closer and closer. It was a repulsive sight. Feeling her blood run cold, Haruka rallied and ran again, desperate to put distance between herself and Isa. But Isa grabbed her arm, even though he shouldn't have been that close yet.

"No..." 

"Put it on... You will wear it!" 

"No!" Isa pulled hard on Haruka's arm as she struggled to break free. It was an incredible strength. Her body was easily dragged over to his side.

Isa pushed Haruka down onto the row of desks. Holding her resisting wrists together, he pressed them against the cold surface, tearing her sailor uniform blouse apart from the collar in one swift motion.

"Kyaa!" Haruka let out a loud scream at the loud sound of the cloth tearing. Isa threw away the white cloth he had torn off. The large tear ran diagonally across the uniform, exposing Haruka's pale pink bra and white skin. Touching her soft belly with the palm of her hand, Isa gave a sly smile.

“Come on, Haruka-sama, let’s get dressed!” Isa's hand slid across her skin and reached for Haruka's skirt. Haruka struggled desperately, writhing on the desk. Her skin was ripe with a bad feeling.

“N… Naoto-kun… Naoto-kun!”

She tried desperately to kick Isa away, her trembling body moving with all its might. But she was trapped between Isa and the desk. His fingers brushed against the hook of her skirt. “No, Naoto-kun! Help meeee!” she cried out. 

“Roger that!"

Haruka closed her eyes tightly and screamed. The next moment, the door to the student council room was blown open. Naoto kicked the door down and burst in. He leaped over the fallen door and punched Isa right in the face. His fist, which had turned crimson in mid-air, sank deep into Isa's nose. Isa, who had been holding Haruka down, was blown back and fell to the floor. Naoto pulled Haruka away from the desk. 

"Naoto-kun...? Is this real...?" Haruka stared at Naoto blankly and collapsed to the floor. Naoto patted her on the head. 

"Perfect timing, wasn't it?" She forced a smile, but as soon as Naoki touched her head, she burst into tears, her composure shattered. "Naoto... Naoto..." she sobbed, her voice cracking. She buried her face in her hands and cried uncontrollably. 

Naoto tried to comfort her, "It's okay now. Don't cry." But when he leaned in, she clung to his neck and wept even harder.

Supporting his weight against her, Naoto gently placed his hand on Haruka's head. It had been a long time since he saw her cry like this. Haruka didn't usually cry much. When she was sad, she could say she was sad; when she felt lonely, she could express her loneliness. Because of that, she often smiled in front of others. She believed that having even a little more time smiling peacefully, rather than lamenting and grieving, made both herself and others happier. Naoto couldn't even begin to count how much peace he had received from her smile. But now, Haruka…

She was crying, overwhelmed by emotions she couldn’t even express in words. The sensation of her cold tears seeped into Naoto’s chest.

“...I’m sorry. Just sleep for a bit.” Whispering softly in Haruka's ear as she clung to him, Naoto slid his hand from her head to her neck. He applied a little pressure with his fingertips. Suddenly, Haruka lost all strength from her body and leaned against Naoto. He carried Haruka to the corner of the student council room and laid her down on the floor. 
Haruka was unconscious. Naoto took off his school uniform jacket and covered her torn clothes as if she were a crying child who had fallen asleep.

“You bastard…”

Fury bubbled up from the depths of his stomach as Naoto turned to see Isa on the other side of the classroom, holding his face and writhing in pain. He felt like he was about to vomit. Looking down at the man in the bondage suit, moaning incoherently as his nose flowed with blood, Naoto roared with burning passion.

“How long have you been doing this? Get up! I’ll beat you up as much as you want, so come at me, you masochistic bastard!”

===Part 2===

At Naoto's forceful voice, Isa's body jolted and trembled. The slumped figure awkwardly rose. With his blood-stained hands hanging limply and an extreme hunch, Isa directed his hollow, murky eyes at Naoto. 

“Ki-chi-chi.”

Naoto gasped at that sound. There was no doubt that the sound came from Isa. A hard, light sound, like an insect wriggling, could be heard from his half-open mouth, smeared with flowing blood.

“Come to think of it, he’s Spinner’s Apostle…” The eerie sound, the distorted posture, and the vacant eyes—this confrontation reminded Naoto of the abandoned apartment complex from that time. That time, he had his right arm bitten off and was buried under rubble. But he couldn't afford to be so pathetic this time.

(I have to bring her back safely… If I don’t, Yuki will kill me)

To spur himself on, Naoto glanced over his shoulder. He could see Haruka lying there, powerless. But right beside her, Raquel was there, somehow.

"Raquel!?"

“It’s such a foolhardy thing to run off on your own, leaving your master behind. A thoughtless single-celled organism. How ridiculous.” Kneeling beside Haruka and peering at her, Raquel looked up and said in a haughty yet somewhat sulky tone. “I’ll keep an eye on Haruka. So fight without holding back.”

“You have a knack for showing up at the right time... That helps. I’m counting on you,” Naoto replied sarcastically, turning back to face Isa. With Raquel here, he felt reassured. If push came to shove, she would probably run away with Haruka, even if it meant abandoning Naoto. At worst, as long as Haruka was safe, that would be enough.

“GAAAAAAH!” A shrill, menacing sound erupted from Isa's throat, slicing through the air. The voice carried an unpleasant stench that lingered in the atmosphere. It was the voice of a monster, not a human. Realizing that he had crossed a boundary into an extraordinary situation, a thread of crisis and tension tightened within Naoto.

"Come on!" In response to Naoto's defiant challenge, something long and thin shot out of Isa's back and lunged towards him. "Whoa...!" Naoto barely managed to leap sideways, avoiding the attack that was aimed to impale him on the floor from a diagonal angle. The classroom floor shattered where the attack had struck. Naoto scowled at the sight.

It was a pair of insect legs. They resembled the legs of a beetle or mantis, but they were covered in a harder exoskeleton, thicker, and built solely for the purpose of killing prey. They were black. The two legs protruded from Isa's back, piercing through the flesh and skin.

"Damn..." He had known this would happen, but seeing this grotesque transformation firsthand sent a chill down his spine. Even though he was a half-vampire or immortal, he didn't have the heart to accept such a monstrous sight. Disgusting things were disgusting, and scary things were scary.

“You’re backing away. What happened to the bravado from earlier?” Raquel's scornful voice came from behind. Naoto clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Shut up, you bystander!” But that light retort gave Naoto a small measure of calm. This was no time to be messing around. Swallowing the tightness in his breath, he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

“GAAAAAAH!” With a roar that no human could produce, Isa lifted the two monstrous legs that were embedded in the floor. Once again, he swung them around to pierce Naoto, and with a powerful kick, he launched himself towards his target. "AAAARGH!" 

"Ugh...!" This time, one of the insect legs swung around from the side, its sharp claws aiming to clamp down and pierce him. He couldn't dodge it. Naoto used both his arms as shields to block the attack. His right arm held up perfectly, just as he had envisioned. It was as if he were wearing a metal gauntlet, his strength allowing him to withstand a force that was impossible for a normal human. But his left arm... it wasn't so lucky.

“Ugh... ugh...” It felt like he'd been hit hard with a metal bat. An unpleasant sound echoed as his forearm bent at an unnatural angle in the middle. Instinctively, he shook off Isa's leg, which he had blocked with his right arm, and swung at the other one that had broken his left arm. It was hard, with a heavy weight inside. Dodging under the leg that had been sent flying, Naoto escaped. As he did so, his eyes caught something.

The number above Isa's head had decreased. From '674' to '672'.

(It decreased! That means...!)

He was taking damage. A mere 2, but by simple calculation, if he hit that number about 340 times, he could reduce it to '0'. It wasn't impossible to defeat him. There was still hope.
Circling around to Isa's right, Naoto pulled his broken arm closer to protect it.

"...Huh?" Noticing something strange, Naoto looked down at his left arm. It was supposed to be broken just a moment ago. But now, it was moving normally, without any pain. "Oh, right, it heals...!"

Dodging a grab from Isa's human arm as he turned around, Naoto kicked him in the shin. He wanted to land another punch, but one of the monstrous legs swung down, slicing his shoulder, and Naoto jumped back.

"Ugh..." A red stain spread across the floor. But under Naoto's hand as he pressed down on his shoulder, the wound was already healing and disappearing. "Well... this is pretty handy, isn't it?" 

Wiping his bloody hand on his pants, Naoto smirked. The only problem was that it still hurt like hell each time.

(If I have regenerative abilities, why can't it be more convenient in other ways...? I guess it doesn't offer that kind of service.)

The monster on Isa's back thrashed around, digging its claws into the floor as it chased after Naoto. Some of them caught Naoto, tearing his shirt and flesh. Heat and pain shot through his cheek, his thigh, and grazed his side. Naoto moved as quickly as he could, but the confined space of the classroom made it difficult. The desks were also a major obstacle.

"Damn it..." Naoto picked up a desk that was blocking his escape route and threw it at Isa. But the monstrous leg swung up and knocked it aside, sending it flying through the window. He tried again with a chair and another desk, hoping to hit something at least once, but all he managed to do was shatter the ceiling light and have the shards rain down on the creature.

"Running away? How boring." A heckling voice came from the sidelines, as if to taunt him.

"Shut up!" He shouted back angrily, but even Naoto knew that he couldn't keep running forever. And he didn't want to ask Raquel for help. Isa's attacks had torn the ceiling apart, shattered the walls, and sent chairs and desks flying. Raquel had created an invisible barrier to protect Haruka from the debris. He couldn't bring himself to ask her to stop.
As if bored of the chase, Isa suddenly turned around. His cloudy eyes, which seemed to be out of focus, landed on Raquel and Haruka. Raquel gasped and stepped forward to protect Haruka. Ignoring them, Isa raised his two monstrous legs and charged straight ahead with a groan.

"You bastard!" Naoto kicked the floor hard and jumped. Isa's legs swung down, trying to grab both Raquel and Haruka. He barely made it in time. 

"Ugh..." The sharp, black claws pierced through both of his arms, which he had raised as shields, and then tore into his abdomen. But only the tips of the claws had reached him. They hadn't reached Haruka, or Raquel. 

"Naoto!"

"I'm... fine..." Naoto forced a brave smile in response to Raquel's startled voice. He was secretly relieved. It was strange to hear her voice like this, as if she were genuinely worried about him.

"Don't underestimate me!" Roaring with all his might, Naoto tightened his fists around the arms that were impaled. With all his strength, he pushed back the black, piercing weapon.He could feel the hard object being pulled out of his abdomen. Then, raising his right arm, Naoto used the arm made of Raquel's blood to support his weight while freeing his left arm. 
The wound burned. He wanted to cry. But the harsh reality of the situation made him swing his remaining right arm, ignoring the spreading wound. The claws that had been embedded in him were pulled out with force.

At that moment, Raquel unleashed a shockwave of wind aimed at Isa's now exposed abdomen.

“GAAAAAAH!” With a deep, air-filled groan, Isa's body was forced back towards the window. 

Naoto checked the number above his head. It hadn't decreased much. It wasn't a fatal blow. But he had gained some time. While Isa was recovering, Naoto's wounded body, which had been spitting blood, began to heal and return to its original form.

Isa cracked his neck and stood up. Naoto struggled to regulate his ragged breathing, trying to suppress his growing anxiety. The odds were against him. Thanks to Raquel's half-vampire transformation, Naoto's physical abilities had increased significantly. But his stamina wasn't infinite, and the pain still made him flinch. He couldn't keep running forever.

(But what am I supposed to do? Hit him another three hundred times?)

That was absurd, he'd run out of energy and die. He could only withstand the full impact of Isa's attacks with his right arm. The rest of his body couldn't handle the shock that his right arm could. On top of that, he had to protect Haruka, even with Raquel's help.

(Protect... her?)

He thought back to Clavis. That incredible man had protected Naoto, Raquel, and Haruka while fighting against both Valkenhayn and Relius. While Naoto was struggling against Isa's four arms, Clavis had effortlessly cut through the countless hands that Relius used to restrain his movements. 

The image of those beautifully sharp cuts flashed through Naoto's mind. Come to think of it, his own arm had been cut by Clavis, leaving a perfect, clean cut.

"Ugh..." Suddenly, Naoto grimaced in pain. A perfectly clean cut. The thing that could create such a cut must be... extremely sharp. That thought dredged up something from the depths of Naoto's memory. It was a vivid memory, filled with the smell of blood.

Something wet beneath his feet.

Something lying in his line of sight.

It had already died and turned into a black mass, but before that, it had been Naoto's mother.

The thing that had taken his mother's life... the thing that had turned her black.

Soaked in blood, it was so beautiful it was frightening... a blade.

A sharp sound tore through the air. Isa closed the distance in an instant, aiming for the slow-reacting Naoto, his monstrous leg raised high with a clear intent to kill. The thrust was incredibly fast. It was meant to pierce not only skin and flesh but also bone. The prey was already captured and doomed. With such certainty, the black, gleaming, sharp claws were about to—but against the monster's intentions and Raquel's anxious anticipation, they did not pierce flesh or bone.

Instead of the wet sound of blood spattering, there was a clear, resonant clang of metal. Isa's monstrous attack had been deflected by something. Raquel gasped sharply. Her golden eyes widened in shock. When had this happened? Perhaps in just an instant, between one blink and the next.

Raquel was speechless at the figure standing before her.

It was Naoto, but he was not ordinary. He had transformed. His hair was now white, his eyes were red and slanted. And in his hand was a red, glowing sword.An opaque, crimson mass, formed from congealed blood, had become a sharp and menacing sword in Naoto's hand.

A blade of blood.

"Kiiiieeeeee!" Isa roared in frustration and swung his monstrous black legs again. Naoto, transformed with white hair and red eyes, glared at his enemy with unwavering hostility and flashed the sword in his hand. The crimson slash was heavy yet light, describing a beautiful arc. It sliced through the air and cleanly severed the two monstrous legs with a cool sound. Red droplets danced in the air.

"Ah..." Raquel let out an involuntary gasp. It was a sound of admiration. Tears streamed from her wide-open eyes for some reason. An unfamiliar emotion filled her chest. A feeling of sadness that was almost overwhelming.

[[File:BE1-10.png|frameless|right]]

Warming her cheeks with tears, Raquel stared at Naoto. She didn't want to miss a single moment of this scene, and watched intently without blinking. 

"GU, GAAAHHH!!" Despite the elegance of the slash, a hoarse cry rang out. The leg, severed from the middle down, spattered a dark green liquid instead of blood and bounced back with the recoil. Dragged by the momentum, Isa's body was thrown backward. And then…

"Uoooooh!" Naoto roared and took a deep step forward. The blood-stained blade was no longer in his hand. His hair and eye color had returned to normal. Gathering strength in his legs, abdomen, shoulders, and arms, Naoto swung his fist with all his might. It was his right arm that he thrust forward. In the dimly lit classroom, his fist, which roared as if it were alive, was dyed crimson. He drove his fist straight, heavily, into Isa's chest.

“Gubuuuu…” The impact of the fist, driven deep, must have reached his internal organs. Isa convulsed a few times at the point where Naoto's fist had penetrated... and then collapsed to his knees.

===Part 3===

When the rampaging Isa fell silent, the classroom suddenly became eerily quiet. All Naoto could hear was his own ragged breathing and his pounding heart as he stood there with his fist still thrust out. He couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. But as he looked down, his shoulders heaving, and saw Isa lying there convulsing like a dying fish, he finally let out a deep breath.

"I... did it..." He dropped his arm, which had been extended without strength. He took a few steps back, tripped, and fell to the floor. He was exhausted. Was it relief? Or maybe he didn't care anymore, it was over, he had won.

He glanced at the number still above Isa's head: '217'. He was still alive. Naoto breathed heavily, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.

(Thank goodness he's still alive... those numbers are bad, but... please don't die.)

He didn't like Isa. There was the matter with Haruka, and with Kana, and the Apostle's influence, and...

Naoto might have understood that, but even so, he felt he couldn’t forgive Isa. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to kill him. He hadn’t come here wanting to commit murder or to vent his frustrations.

But then…

“... You’re not going to kill him?” A voice called from behind, and Naoto, his breath still ragged, turned his head to look at the speaker. It was Raquel. Although her tone was stern, Naoto somehow understood that she wasn't blaming him. He shrugged with a wry smile.

"What? Weren't you going to ask him questions?" He needed to investigate the Azure and Spinner. Isa was an important lead. But Raquel walked over to Naoto, her expression unyielding.
"You don't think you can save him, do you?" 

"What? You think it's impossible?" That was unexpected. Naoto forced a smile. "Well, you know, unlike the last guy, he still looks like Isa, and he doesn't seem to have those things coming out of his head..." 

As he spoke, Naoto realized something. The bug men in the deserted housing complex had also seemed dead, but then their heads had suddenly split open and bugs had come out. 

Raquel seemed to have the same thought. They exchanged tense glances and turned back to Isa at the same time. As if waiting for that moment, Isa's body began to tremble violently and then jumped up like a wound-up toy.

"Watch out!" Naoto, who had been slumping, pushed himself up off the floor and shoved Raquel behind him. But then, there was an unexpected interruption.

Countless dry, crackling sounds. At the same time, Isa's body, which had risen in front of Naoto, began to tremble convulsively. His limbs exploded with flesh and bodily fluids.

"Wh-what?!" Without a scream, Isa fell face down on the floor again, still in a defensive posture. The disgusting bodily fluids of the bug creature stained the classroom floor. Then, a group of people in full black gear burst through the entrance that Naoto had broken through earlier. They were like a police SWAT team. There were about ten of them. They each carried formidable-looking firearms, quickly took up positions in the corners of the classroom, and raised their muzzles as one.

The earlier cracking sounds had been gunshots.

Red laser pointers sought out their next target. The small red dots converged on Raquel. Holding his breath, Naoto shielded Raquel with his back again. Several red dots wandered around, searching for a target.

"Ugh," a voice out of place interrupted the tense atmosphere.

"Oh dear, look at the mess this classroom is in," she exclaimed with a sigh. Naoto jumped at the sound. It wasn't entirely unexpected, though. He'd completely forgotten about her, but she had mentioned she would be keeping an eye on things.

Entering the student council room, littered with broken glass and overturned desks, was Kiiro Hikagami. Dressed in a tight skirt with a deep slit and high heels, she looked completely out of place with her nonchalant complaints.

"Hehe, Naoto-kun. I'm here," she said, placing her hand lightly against her cheek and raising a shoulder, her face innocent. Raquel tensed behind Naoto. "Oh, well, that's enough of that. Why don't you all start cleaning up?" Kiiro waved casually at the black-clad figures standing guard around her, then gave instructions to Naoto in a completely different, indifferent tone.

The makeshift security team, moving with a trained precision, removed the red pointer from Raquel and holstered their guns. They quickly led something in from the corridor. Following them were three men dressed in white, not black, wearing white lab coats, rubber gloves, and white hats and masks. A stretcher, like the ones used in hospitals, was carried in, and the men in white lifted Isa's body onto it.

"Hey, wait a minute! What are you doing with him...?" Watching the methodical work, Naoto felt a strange sense of urgency and tried to stop them. But before he could, Kiiro stepped forward to block his way. "Hey, move..."

"That was amazing just now..." Her eyes were slightly flushed, tinted with a peachy hue as if painted on, and her lips, parted ever so slightly, seemed to... to somehow invite lust. With a shuddering, longing sigh, Kiiro let her fingers glide over Naoto's arm. She grabbed his right hand, pulling it firmly to her chest. Naoto's hand sank into her voluptuous breasts, pinching them between her soft tresses, and she pressed herself close to Naoto. 

"Come on, touch me properly. Can’t you tell how my heart is racing?" Feeling as if he was being drawn into a sensation he couldn't comprehend, Naoto instinctively tried to pull his hand away. But Kiiro held onto his hand tightly, not letting go.

As Kiiro said, beneath the pressed chest, an unusually rapid heartbeat thudded violently. It felt anything but normal. The excited and heightened heartbeat intensified with the sensation in Naoto's palm. As Kiiro had said, Naoto felt an abnormally fast heartbeat thumping beneath her pressed chest. It was far from normal. The sensation of Naoto's touch seemed to intensify the rapid beating.

"Oh... Naoto, you're going to get me into so much trouble... You're egging me on… Hey…” Kiiro said, coaxing Naoto’s hand down her chest and gradually sliding it further. His hand traced her unprotected belly between her ribs, and by that time, she moved his hand past her navel and trembled slightly.

“Hah... come on. Cut me into pieces with 'Blood Edge', Naoto-kun...” 

“’Blood Edge'?” Naoto frowned, confused by the unfamiliar words.

“Yes, that’s right…” With her mouth slightly open, her breath coming out in short, unsteady gasps, Kiiro led Naoto’s hand towards her lower abdomen. Immediately, Naoto pulled his hand away with force, slapping Kiiro’s hand away.

“No, don’t.” But she quickly grabbed his hand again, whining like a child who's had their toy taken away. She pushed past him and tried to bury her face in his chest, clearly determined not to let go this time. "Let go!" Naoto demanded, his eyes narrowing in a fierce glare.

Kiiro smiled, her lips curving into a smirk. "Amazing," she mused, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You don't like being watched? I don't mind, but... you're so shy, aren't you?" 
"What are you talking about? Let me go already." It was a disgusting feeling. A truly disgusting feeling, and Naoto could feel a prickling sensation along the bridge of his nose. Even that harsh expression made Kiiro's cheeks flush slightly, and with a single blink, a sharpness glimmered amidst her alluring demeanor.

"Should we help that guy, Isa?" Kiiro licked her painted lips seductively as she whispered the question, her eyes fixed on Naoto. Naoto returned her gaze with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Behind Naoto, Raquel, who had returned to Haruka's side, watched the scene unfold with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. With a look as if to gauge Kiiro's movements, she cast glances toward both of them. 

Leaning closer to Naoto, Kiiro pressed her plump lips to his ear. "You want to help him, don't you? If Naoto-kun says so, I'll make a special exception. The corruption isn't too bad yet, and I can arrange treatment. ... I'll do anything Naoto-kun wants."

"R-Really? You can help him?"

"Hehe, impressive, right? This is the 'power of the organization.'... It's completely different from some incompetent girl somewhere. What I can do for you is on a whole different level. Don't compare me to a vampire." It seemed she was purposely letting them hear. While whispering to Naoto, Kiiro chose a volume loud enough for Raquel to hear.

Raquel glanced at Naoto once, then lowered her gaze to hide her expression. Although Naoto couldn't see it, she was biting her small lips in regret.

Kiiro let out a short, suggestive laugh and lightly raised her hand. At that signal, the lab-coated individuals, who had been waiting for instructions, quickly carried Isa, who was on a stretcher, out of the student council room. Where were they taking him, and for what purpose? Naoto couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just for treatment since he had become a Spinner's apostle.

"Oh, by the way. I’ll show this to you too, Naoto-kun." Subduing her earlier seductive demeanor, Kiiro put on a girlish expression and gestured to one of the black-clad soldiers, who brought her a small tablet. With practiced ease, she navigated the screen and opened a video file. She leaned close to Naoto and showed him the video. The familiar room appeared on the screen. And in that room, two familiar figures were shouting through a distorted voice. 

“Look, what's wrong with you? Tell me what you want! You pig!” 

“Please! More, more, please, Kana-sama!” 

“A lowly pig shouldn't speak human words! A pig should squeal like a pig!"

"B-buhiiiii!"

What unfolded was a picture-perfect S&M show. Naoto didn't want to think about who the black-haired dominatrix was, laughing loudly while wielding a whip, or who the man was, trembling with pleasure as he was whipped and crawling on all fours.

(She’s definitely a “queen.”)

The way she wielded the whip was so dignified that she seemed to be enjoying herself, even though she was being forced to do it. 

"There are plenty more, you know~. Which one do you like?" Kiiro asked, looking up with a teasing tone. Naoto took a step back, his expression sour.

“I'll pass.”

“Oh really? That's too bad, there were many more interesting ones...”

"......You looked at all of them?" He couldn't even guess how many there were in total, but judging by Kiiro's cheerful tone, it was clear that it wasn't just one or two more. Still, Isa's tastes were something else entirely. Turning the screen toward Naoto, Kiiro blinked mischievously from behind the tablet.

"So, I'll keep this video at the Mitsurugi Agency," Kiiro said. 

"Keep it? You're not going to get rid of it?" Naoto furrowed his brow, displeased. He had naturally assumed they would dispose of it.

Kiiro shook her head, her hair bobbing from side to side. "It's insurance, just in case. Kirashima Kana probably won't expose this herself, but if her parents start making a fuss, we'll be in trouble." She said this as if it were for Naoto's benefit.

In other words, if they didn't want this video to become public, they should avoid causing unnecessary trouble. It seemed she intended to use it as leverage.

Knowing Kiiro, she probably had already investigated not just Kana Kirishima's parents but also her relatives, looking into what kind of people they were and their tendencies. That thought made both the Mitsurugi Agency and Kiiro as a person quite terrifying.

“...By the way, how is Kirishima-senpai?” Naoto asked Kiiro, sounding resigned. He had left her crying in front of Isa's apartment. 

“I’m sure Kiiro-san was taking care of that follow-up.”

Kiiro smiled and handed the tablet back to a nearby black-suited soldier. "Of course, the Mitsurugi Agency is protecting her. Oh, and don't worry, I'll have this classroom restored by tomorrow."

Naoto glanced at it and looked around. There was something else he was curious about. 

"They're not here, are they? Those guys." 

"Which guys?" 

"Valkenhayn and Relius." If those two with their extraordinary fighting abilities were here, they could have easily knocked Isa unconscious in seconds. Realizing his own weakness, Naoto felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips.

Seeing Naoto secretly crumpling up his feelings of powerlessness in his fist, Kiiro feigned surprise. "If Clavis Alucard were here, I would quickly call for them, but it’s a waste of resources to bring those people out for a small fry like this. They’re expensive, you know.”

(…Expensive.)

Naoto couldn't help but chuckle, surprised by the sudden mention of money. He didn't know that 'slayer of the undead' was a business. Were they like mercenaries? It was funny to imagine those monstrous duo worrying about annual salaries and bonuses.

But Naoto turned his chuckle into a sigh and slumped his shoulders. He felt like everything was going exactly as Kiiro wanted. He felt like a puppet. But there was nothing he could do. He had no one else to rely on.

"Thanks for everything... So, what's the catch?" 

"Catch?" Kiiro's eyes widened in surprise. Naoto glared at her. 

"In a situation like this, you're usually about to bring up a 'favor' or something, right?" Treating Isa, securing Kana's video, protecting Kana herself, and even fixing the damaged classroom couldn't possibly be out of the goodness of her heart.

However, Kiiro burst out laughing as if she couldn't believe it. She placed her hand on Naoto's cheek and smiled. "Oh, Naoto-kun. Didn't I tell you? I can do anything for you, Naoto-kun. Really, anything. I could give you everything I have right here, right now."

Kiiro's words gradually became more heated. She slid her hand down Naoto's neck and wrapped her arms around him. As she smiled, her sweet breath brushed against his ear. "But if you prefer it that way, I'll consider this a 'loan'. If you want to pay me back, well... how about becoming much, much stronger, so strong it sends shivers down your spine?"
What did she mean by 'stronger'? Without explaining, Kiiro continued with her sticky, lingering presence.

She quickly distanced herself from Naoto as if the intimate contact had been a lie. Twisting her body as if to create a pose, she turned to him with an innocent girl's smile. For some reason, Naoto felt a chill from that smile. It was as if she completely trusted him. He couldn't understand how she could have such a look on her face.

(I’ve only met her twice, right…?)

No matter how much younger Naoto was, that wasn't the kind of expression one should direct at someone they had only met twice. He couldn't shake that feeling.

"Well then, leave that man to me. I'll contact you if I find anything out. ...Even if I don't find anything, I might contact you anyway," she said, her voice cheerful as she waved goodbye lightly. She led the remaining black-suited soldiers out of the classroom. 

That’s when it happened.

"Naoto!" Raquel's voice rang out in alarm, and the sound of shattering glass echoed down the corridor. The light had shattered. In an instant, the corridor was plunged into darkness.
"What the-!?" In the hallway, Naoto could hear the murmurs of the soldiers who had gone ahead. This wasn't the Mitsurugi Organization's doing. Then…

Naoto rushed out into the hallway.

A faint moonlight shone through the small window in the corridor. In the unreliable dim light, several soldiers were wandering around, their guns pointed in different directions, searching for their enemy. And behind them... darkness began to swell ominously.

“Hey, watch out!” Naoto's shout was meaningless. The swelling darkness, making a sound like dragging a heavy sandbag, quickly swallowed up the Mitsurugi Agency’s soldiers. A muffled scream and a futile gunshot rang out, and even the scream was swallowed up by the darkness. The darkness expanded, filling the corridor, and made a crunching sound as if chewing something hard.

(Are they... being eaten...?)

Thinking this instinctively, Naoto recoiled and took a few steps back. Eventually, the darkness shrank as if it were being drawn in, and then vanished completely. The men were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a single man stood there.

The faint moonlight was too dim to see clearly. Raquel, who had followed Naoto into the hallway, gasped as she stared at the man. Seeing Raquel, the man laughed. With the corners of his mouth drawn up, he spread his long arms wide in a grand gesture, as if he were about to sing an opera.

"Ah... as expected, how beautiful. Moonlight suits you so well. I would have preferred to meet you under a more divine full moon, but... even so, I can feel my body trembling with excitement at the sight of your fragrant, biting appearance. Oh, how I have been looking forward to this day. It is an honor to meet you... 'Raquel Alucard'."

The man's voice, which he sang as if reciting poetry, was indistinct in the night shadows, but Raquel, who could not see his expression clearly, was captivated by his voice. He could feel the uncontrollable excitement trembling within him. The man inhaled deeply, filling his lanky frame with air, as if trying to absorb every trace of Raquel’s presence in the room into his lungs. And then he spoke. 

“As you graciously invited me, I have arrived. I am Spinner Superior.”

===Part 4===

Placing his wide hands over his chest, Spinner Superior bowed deeply toward Raquel. He was an eerie man. Even though it was dim, there was light. The pale moonlight created shadows all over the corridor of Shinkawahama First High School. But he was deeper than those shadows. Tall and thin, his limbs were long and shadowy, making it doubtful if he was really there. His gray hair was neatly combed back, and his black clothes had a quality that made them look expensive even in the dim corridor.

"That's... Spinner Superior..." Naoto uttered, his voice strained. Next to him, Raquel carefully inhaled. Clenching her small hands into fists, she adopted a resolute demeanor, staring boldly at Spinner without a trace of fear.

As he received her gaze, Spinner looked around slowly and tilted his head. "And... where is Naoto Kurogane?" he asked politely, as if inquiring of a princess. His sharp, slitted eyes fixed intently on Raquel. On his pale, sickly face, a strange tattoo covered one cheek.

Raquel slightly moved her head to indicate Naoto next to her. "He's over there."

"...Huh?" Spinner asked again, looking puzzled, pausing for a beat. Moving his sharp jaw, he hesitated over his words, then asked again with confusion in his narrow eyes. "Raquel Alucard. I apologize, but where is Naoto Kurogane?" He repeated Naoto's name, but he never looked at Naoto. It was as if he had completely excluded 'Naoto Kurogane' from his mind and didn't even care about him.

(Why is he talking about me...?)

Naoto had never interacted with Spinner directly. Spinner was chasing Raquel, and Raquel was looking for Spinner. That was supposed to be the relationship. Confused by the unexpected conversation between Raquel and Spinner, Raquel grabbed Naoto's arm and pulled him close.

"He is Naoto Kurogane," she said. The instant she said that, Naoto's body was slammed hard against the corridor wall, as if he had been struck by something heavy.

"Ugh…” He couldn't understand what was happening. The sudden shock was so unexpected that he couldn't even manage a proper defensive posture, and he hit the back of his head against the window frame. He could feel his back crack against the wall.

Sparks flickered at the edge of his vision. For a moment, his sight threatened to fade into darkness, but as it blurred and then cleared, Naoto held his breath at the sight of Spinner’s expression before him.

"...Don't you dare touch my Raquel  Alucard... you lowly creature." His suppressed tone was filled with an extraordinary rage. Spinner’s eyes widened as he glared at Naoto, unleashing a merciless killing intent that seemed utterly insane.

"Oh, how disgusting... For trash like you to touch Raquel Alucard is a capital offense. Don't get cocky just because you disposed of a mere Apostle, you piece of garbage." Spinner took a large step forward, dragging his shadow behind him. "I can't stand it. I can't possibly stand it... My Raquel Alucard being soiled by the breath of trash like you. I must crush you as soon as possible..."

Muttering to himself, his voice echoed loudly through the corridor. His unnaturally long arms rose ominously. In response, the darkness behind Spinner stirred. It was the same darkness that had eaten the soldiers earlier.

"Damn it!" Naoto tried to get to his feet, pushing off the floor. But his body wouldn't move the way he wanted it to. To be honest, his body was at its limit. The hand he had put on the floor to get up was shaking weakly.

"Naoto, run!" Raquel's voice rang out sharply. Her words seemed to further enrage Spinner. The darkness swelled and slid across the corridor toward Naoto. But then, something came flying in with a slicing sound, cutting through the darkness and scattering it away. Slowly, Kiiro stood in front of Naoto and Spinner.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't get cocky, just because you're a mere 'magician'. I'll 'disassemble' you." She smiled wickedly. Naoto couldn't see what had cut through the darkness. It certainly wasn't the gun that had incapacitated Isa. It was something more mysterious... a Drive.

[[File:BE1-11.png|frameless|right]]

His fun ruined, Spinner retracted the excitement in his eyes and fixed his gaze on the new intruder. With a bored expression, he ran his long fingers along his tattooed cheek. 

"Is this Drive... Kiiro from the Mitsurugi Agency?" He muttered blandly, then closed his eyes and laughed—a professional smile. "......What does 'Mosaic' think it's doing?"

That seemingly solitary remark changed Kiiro's complexion instantly, filling it with murderous intent. The swelling malice, like it was about to explode, transformed into a sound that tore through the air, approaching Spinner. However, Spinner lightly tapped the floor with his leather shoe, summoning darkness from beneath his feet. The darkness curled and formed a sphere that enveloped him, as if watching bubbles burst in reverse. Whatever Kiiro had released was swallowed up by that darkness and disappeared.

Once again, the darkness shifted to reveal Spinner in the hallway. The eerie man with tattoos on his face had not changed his stance even slightly since shrouding himself in darkness. However, it seemed he hadn’t completely avoided harm, as there was a deep gash on his right shoulder. If you looked closely at the wound, you could see countless maggot-like insects gathering and making a sound like chewing flesh, repairing the torn flesh. With her eyes narrowed and her expression tense, Kiiro opened her arms as if preparing to fight.

"I'll 'annihilate' you right now..."

"Oh dear... what do you think you're doing? It's pitiful for a mere puppet to be so presumptuous." As if not intending to take her seriously, Spinner calmly brushed aside a stray lock of hair with a languid gesture. But darkness still lingered at his feet. Even though she was a trivial opponent, there was no reason to overlook her. As if obeying his master's will, the darkness trembled at Spinner's feet.

Then—

"Wait," Raquel's unwavering voice echoed. There was an undeniable power in her voice. It was a voice that was different from magic or a Drive, a voice that belonged to Raquel Alucard. 
"Retreat now, Spinner Superior. It's not time for you and I to fight." Raquel spoke to Spinner with a strong, almost prophetic weight, as if giving an order. Her intervention carried a force that was both commanding and impossible to defy, causing Kiiro to sharpen her voice sharply.

“Don’t get in my way... little girl.” There was none of the usual seductive ease. Her voice and gaze were as cold and sharp as metal, a side of Kiiro that Naoto had never imagined. 
However, despite Kiiro’s readiness to attack and her sharpened hostility, Spinner seemed to have completely forgotten about her at Raquel's words. He simply let the darkness retreat at his feet, behaving as if he were perhaps in a cheerful mood.

Mustering a strange, ominous smile, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

"I understand, Raquel Alucard. I merely came to pay my respects tonight," he said, bowing respectfully again. Keeping his body bent and his head bowed, Spinner looked up at Raquel. His gaze was like a spider's web. The sticky thread, while eyeing its prey, did not bind it so tightly as to show respect for its beautiful wings. He grinned, his eyes smiling. "The next time we meet, please bring the real 'Naoto Kurogane' with you. You must have been testing me, but... even someone like that trash is insulting to me."

As if delivering a line in a stage play, Spinner bowed and sank into his own shadow with a sound like dragging a sandbag. And just like that, he disappeared.

The school regained its stillness once more. The hallway was littered with the shattered fragments of stick-like light fixtures, extending far down the corridor. The clouds that had covered the day in a gloomy haze seemed to have been swept away by the wind. The moonlight shone brighter than before. 

Bathed in the white moonlight, Kiiro opened her mouth without looking back at Naoto, keeping her head down. "...I'm sorry, Naoto-kun. I'm going home too..."

Her voice was weak, unlike her usual self. With her hands clasped together, trembling slightly as if she were holding back tears, Kiiro turned away from Naoto as if to turn her face away from something. Naoto watched her leave, dumbfounded. It might have been his imagination. Maybe he had mistaken the glass shards and moonlight, but... it seemed as if he had caught a glimpse of tears streaming down Kiiro's cheeks.

The members of the Mitsurugi Agency all departed, leaving Kiiro behind. The area was still horribly damaged, but it would probably be completely restored by the start of school tomorrow. Just like the residential area that Raquel and the Bug Man had rampaged through, which had been restored overnight.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of glass breaking nearby. When Naoto looked up, Raquel was there.

"Pathetic," she said disdainfully, extending her hand to Naoto. A white hand, much like the moonlight. Beyond it was Raquel's face, with skin the color of moonlight, and her mouth, which always wore a defiant expression, was slightly curved into a smile.

(Ah... she's smiling, isn't she?)

He realized that he had never seen her smile before. As he thought about it, Naoto placed his hand on hers as if being drawn in. Spinner had said that moonlight suited Raquel. Although he disliked the idea that the opinion came from him, he couldn't help but agree. 

Raquel, with her hand outstretched in the moonlight, was beautiful. Her golden hair shimmered fantastically in the moonlight. Her eyes, a slightly deeper color than her hair, were like the most beautiful jewels in the world.

"What are you doing?" Raquel frowned, puzzled, as she continued to hold Naoto's hand, who didn't seem to be trying to get up. Naoto snapped back to reality. He had been completely captivated.

"Oh, sorry. Let's get Haruka home before anyone comes," he said hastily, trying to cover up his embarrassment. With Raquel pulling him along, he got up and returned to the student council room to retrieve Haruka and the school uniform jacket he had draped over her.

The uniform was completely torn up after being attacked by Isa and Spinner, those two monsters. This shirt and pants were practically new, and now they were ruined.

(Uniforms are surprisingly expensive...) Naoto thought. If only clothes could return to their original state like his body. While mulling over such a convenient thought, he slung the unconscious Haruka over his back. He put the undamaged uniform jacket on Haruka.

"Let's go."

"Yeah." It was already well past dinner time. As they left the school, Naoto and Raquel made their way home, trying to stay out of sight.

...It had been a long day, to say the least.

When he had been asking around about Kana at school during the day, he never would have thought that such a major event would be waiting for him at night. The sky still had some clouds, but it was filled with bright moonlight. A crescent moon, not quite full or new, elegantly looked down at the earth.

“By the way...” Naoto turned to Raquel. With her long blonde hair swaying, Raquel turned to him.

“What?”

“Why did Spinner know my name earlier? Did Isa tell him?” Given that he was a supposed Apostle, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to have such connections, but it seemed unnecessary for Isa to inform Spinner of Naoto’s name. Moreover, the fact that Raquel lived with Naoto had only come to light after Isa had started skipping school.

“Oh,” Raquel said, her tone casual. “Do you remember when we fought Valkenhayn Hellsing before? I left something written on the wall.”

“Yeah, I remember. I couldn’t read it, though.” It was next to the vending machine behind the game center, though the vending machine had been brutally destroyed by Valkenhayn.
Raquel moved her fingers in the air, as if writing letters. “I wrote, ‘If you want me, make the servant Naoto Kurogane yours. If you can do that, I will become yours. Raquel Alucard.’ ...That’s what I wrote.”

“...Huh?” Did he hear that wrong? Didn't Raquel just say ‘defeat Naoto Kurogane'? When Naoto looked up at Raquel, confused about what she meant, she smiled slightly, a smug, superior smile. 

"Still, this is troublesome. It seems I've given quite the misunderstanding ...It seems Spinner thought that an opponent on the level of Father was waiting for him." Retracting the slight smile she had shown, Raquel placed her hands on her hips and mouth, deep in thought. Her long ponytail swayed behind her like a tail with each regular step.

"Anyway, that's how it is. Do your best, servant," she said, sounding as if she didn't feel any responsibility at all, and she continued walking down the night road with light steps. 
Naoto, taken aback, stopped in his tracks and stared at the scene in shock for a moment.

"You..." To the self-proclaimed master's vampire girl, who had planted such an absurd seed in his mind, Naoto shouted so loudly that it echoed around him. "Are you crazy?!" His echoing voice stretched out into the distance and was swallowed up by the soft autumn night.

It was the end of one curtain. And the beginning of another.





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