Chapter 140: Human Response???

“Liar.” Ayame moved faster than Rina expected, pressing the paper talisman against Rina’s bare forearm.

The effect was immediate and agonizing.

Holy energy burned through Rina’s skin like acid. She screamed, jerking away, but Ayame held firm, pressing the talisman harder against her flesh.

“Confess,” Ayame demanded. “Tell me what you’re planning. How many students have you corrupted? Is Kanzaki one of your thralls, or is he your partner?”

The pain was unbearable. Rina’s vision flashed violet, and a raw, strong feeling erupted up from the Soul Seed: rage, a deep hunger, and the instinct to survive at any cost.

Her hand shot out, fingers almost elongating into claws, aiming straight for Ayame’s throat.

She was going to rip it out. She was going to kill this bitch who dared…

The bathroom door slammed open.

“Rina, stop!”

Akira’s voice cut through the haze of rage and pain like a knife. Immediately, Rina felt something else override her instincts: the bond, the connection, and the absolute command that came with it.

“Ai, what the hell is happening in there?” Akira had demanded when the alert came about a minute ago.

“Rina’s energy is under attack by something holy… I’m guessing Ayame cornered her. Rina’s about to go Stage 2 aggressive. If she kills Ayame, this whole thing falls apart.”

Akira had run.

Now he stood in the doorway of the girls’ bathroom, activating Heart Strings with desperate intensity. He grabbed the silver-blue thread connecting him to Rina and yanked it hard, forcing a specific emotional state through the bond.

Submission. Vulnerability. Fear.

Rina’s claws retracted immediately. Her eyes filled with tears… real tears, triggered by the emotional manipulation but fueled by genuine distress. She collapsed to her knees, the talisman falling away from her burned arm.

“What the hell are you doing to her?!” Akira shouted at Ayame, his voice cracking with perfectly performed outrage.

Ayame stumbled back, shocked. “She was attacking me! She’s a demon!”

“She’s a seventeen-year-old girl!” Akira dropped to his knees beside Rina, pulling her into his arms. “Rina, are you okay? Let me see your arm.”

The burn mark was vivid and angry, already blistering. Rina sobbed into his chest, her whole body shaking.

“It hurts,” she whimpered. “Why did she hurt me? I didn’t do anything!”

“I know, I know,” Akira soothed, glaring up at Ayame. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Did you just assault her with some kind of… what even is that?”

He pointed at the talisman on the floor.

Ayame stared at it, then at Rina, with clear confusion on her face. A demon should have fought back… should have maintained aggression… should have revealed their true nature when cornered.

But Rina was just… crying, like a scared human girl.

“She’s not human,” Ayame said, but her voice had lost its certainty. “I felt the demonic energy. I saw her eyes glow.”

“Her eyes are brown, you psycho!” Akira’s hand moved to his phone. “I’m calling the police. This is assault. You burned her!”

“No, wait…” Ayame held up her hands. “I can explain…”

“Explain what? That you’ve been stalking me and my friends? That you cornered Rina in a bathroom and attacked her with some weird religious item? Yeah, I’m sure the police will love that explanation.”

“You don’t understand. There are things in this world that…”

“That what? That justify hurting innocent people?” Akira stood, pulling Rina up with him. She clung to him, still crying, her burned arm pressed against his chest. “Stay away from us. From all of us. If I see you near Rina, AOi, or Mia again, I’m filing a restraining order and grtting you expelled.”

He started to lead Rina toward the door.

“Wait,” Ayame said desperately. “Kanzaki-kun, please. Just listen…”

“No. You listen.” Akira turned back, his eyes hard. “I don’t know what your problem is. Maybe you’re paranoid. Maybe you’re mentally ill. Maybe you just get off on hurting people. But whatever it is, deal with it away from us.”

He left, half-carrying Rina out of the bathroom.

Behind them, Ayame stood frozen, staring at the talisman on the floor. It should have worked… it should have forced a demon to reveal itself or flee. But Rina had just… cried.

Human tears. Human pain. Human fear.

Had she been wrong?

Her phone buzzed. Her father.

“Report.”

Ayame picked up the talisman, examining it. The holy energy was spent, but there were traces of something else on it. Not demonic corruption, but… something.

“Inconclusive,” she typed back. “Suspect showed unexpected response to purification attempt. Requires further investigation.”

“Do not engage directly again without backup. You’re being too careless with this whole thing. If you’re wrong about the target, it could compromise the entire operation.”

“But dad…”

“Don’t ’dad’ me. Get your bearings right, or I might have to pull the plug on you. Understood?”

“Understood.”

She left the bathroom, mind racing. Nothing about this case made sense. The energy signatures, the incidents, the responses… it was like trying to solve a puzzle where half the pieces were from a different box.

’Maybe I should have taken the dossier and compare with my own findings…’ she thought to herself, but her pride and need to prove herself killed the thought as soon as it formed.

But she would figure it out.

She always did.

—

Akira led Rina to an empty classroom, locking the door behind them. The moment they were alone, Rina’s crying intensified, but now it was mixed with shaking laughter.

“Holy shit,” she gasped. “Holy shit, I almost killed her. I was going to rip her throat out with my bare hands.”

“I know. I felt it through the bond.” Akira examined her burn. It was already starting to heal, the Soul Seed’s regenerative properties kicking in. “How do you feel?”

“Shaky. Hungry. Angry.” She looked up at him. “Thank you for stopping me. If I’d actually hurt her…”

“She would have been justified in whatever she did next,” Akira finished. “And SPIU would have been all over this place within hours.”

Rina wrapped her arms around herself. “She knows what I am. Maybe not exactly, but she knows I’m not normal.”

“She suspects. But she also just saw you cry like a regular human. That’s going to create doubt.” He pulled out his phone, texting Ayaka. “We need to be careful from now on. No more solo encounters with Ayame. And you need to practice controlling your aggression response better.”

“I know. I just… the pain triggered something. My body reacted before I could think.”

“That’s why you need to train. Maybe later at night when everyone is asleep, Ayaka and I can help you learn control exercises.”

Rina nodded, then suddenly grabbed his shirt. “Akira, I need… after that attack, the stress, I’m hungry again. Not emergency level, but close.”

He could see it in her eyes… the violet tinge creeping back, her breathing getting heavier.

“Can you hold out until tonight?”

“Maybe. If I go feed passively from the crowd before I leave school.” She pressed closer. “But tonight, I’m going to need more than passive feeding. That bitch scared me, and fear burns through essence fast.”

“Tonight,” Akira promised. “But for now, go find somewhere crowded. The cafeteria, the courtyard, anywhere with lots of students. Just… be subtle about it.”

“I will.” She kissed his cheek, lingering for a moment. “My hero. Always saving me.”

“Just try not to need saving so often.”

She laughed weakly and left.

Akira waited a few minutes before heading out himself. As he walked through the hallway, his phone buzzed.

Mia.

“Where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere. We were supposed to walk home together.”

Shit. He’d completely forgotten about Mia in all the chaos.

“Sorry, had to help Rina with something. Medical issue from earlier. I’m heading to the front gate now.”

“Is she okay?”

“She will be. I’ll explain when I see you.”

“You better.”

When Akira reached the front gate, Mia was waiting with her arms crossed, looking annoyed. But the moment she saw him, her expression softened.

“There you are. I was starting to think you’d ditched me for Rina.”

“Never. Come on, let’s go home.”

As they walked, Mia kept glancing at him sideways. “You know you’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately. Rina. Is there something going on?”

“She’s been helping with the festival stuff. And today she had that medical episode. I was just making sure she was okay.”

“Right. The medical episode.” Mia didn’t sound convinced. “Akira, if there’s something you need to tell me…”

“There’s nothing. I promise.” He took her hand, activating Heart Strings subtly to reinforce the trust bond. “You’re my priority, Mia. Always.”

The GREEN jealousy thread dimmed slightly, and Mia squeezed his hand.

“Okay. I believe you.” She leaned against his arm as they walked. “Just… don’t forget about me while you’re helping everyone else, okay?”

“I won’t.”

But even as he said it, Akira knew he was juggling too many things at the same time… too many people, too many secrets, too many crises.

And eventually, something was going to drop.

[AYAME SHINOMIYA – SUSPICION (RINA): 78% → 65%]

[REASON: Unexpected human response to holy purification. Requires reassessment.]

[AYAME SHINOMIYA – SUSPICION (AKIRA): 18% → 25%]

[REASON: Defensive behavior suggests possible awareness of supernatural elements. Or genuine protective instinct. Unclear.]

[WARNING: Ayame will be more cautious in future encounters but will not stop investigating.]

[MIA – JEALOUSY LEVEL: MODERATE]

[WARNING: Continued time spent with other girls increasing risk of confrontation.]

[RINA – ESSENCE LEVEL: 45% (STABLE FOR NOW)]

[NEXT FEEDING REQUIRED: WITHIN 8 HOURS]

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