"Hey, Yami Tsukishiro… isn't this a little too one-sided? You're not secretly holding a grudge against her, are you?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka rubbed her temples, helplessly complaining in her heart.
This guy is seriously such a pain…
Yumiko had only just awakened her Gene Lock, and she already wanted to fight Chisato head-on.
Kaguya, Haruno, and the others nearby frowned instinctively, clearly caught off guard by how things had escalated.
Among everyone present, only Kato Megumi remained completely calm.
She glanced at Yami Tsukishiro quietly, her eyes thoughtful — as if she had already anticipated how this would play out.
Yami stood there, expressionless as ever, his face calm like still water. His lips moved slightly.
"Yumiko. Begin the summoning."
Receiving the order, Yumiko gave a small nod.
Her gaze sharpened instantly.
She slowly raised both hands.
A blue magic circle appeared in midair, shimmering with an otherworldly glow — like stars scattered across a night sky.
"Red."
The moment Yumiko called out softly, the magic circle trembled violently.
In the next instant, a blinding crimson light erupted from its center, bursting outward like molten lava from a volcano.
Then—
A figure clad in red gradually emerged.
A humanoid silhouette took shape before everyone's eyes.
The moment the figure fully manifested, a suffocating pressure flooded the training ground like a tidal wave.
Chisato's face went deathly pale.
She stared at the enormous presence before her, shock freezing her in place.
"T-This… what is that thing…?"
Kato Megumi's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the red figure.
Her thoughts flashed back to that day.
There really was a man in red…
Yumiko planted her hands on her hips, lifting her chin proudly as she announced,
"Yes. I'm a contracted envoy.
This is the third-level monster I contracted with — Red."
"Third level?!"
Haruno blurted it out before she could stop herself, her mouth hanging open.
The shock rippled through her chest.
A first-level ability user… summoning a third-level existence?
That was absurd. Completely unreasonable.
What confused her even more was where such a monster even came from.
How could something like this exist — and how had Yumiko managed to contract it?
Her mind was filled with question marks.
Yukino was stunned at first, but her gaze soon shifted toward Yami Tsukishiro, who stood calmly as if this was all expected.
"…It's him," she thought.
That was the only explanation that made sense.
"So that's why," Chisato muttered, finally understanding.
No wonder Yumiko was arranged to fight her.
They were both at third-level strength — this was a fair match.
At that moment, Yami spoke again, his tone calm but precise.
"Chisato, remember — don't hold back your attacks.
Yumiko, this fight is purely to test Red's power."
Chisato curled her lips into a grin, eyes shining with excitement.
"Heh. Don't worry. I get it.
Let's see what this thing can do."
The instant she finished speaking, her body blurred.
A violent gust exploded beneath her feet as she entered her deified state.
Her posture lowered, center of gravity shifting as she kicked off the ground like an arrow loosed from a bow.
BOOM!
The ground shook.
A deafening shockwave tore through the air as she surged forward, her movements leaving afterimages behind.
Her figure shot straight toward Yumiko with overwhelming momentum.
"HA!"
Chisato roared, channeling all her power into a single kick aimed straight at Yumiko's head.
The strike came down like a tiger pouncing from the mountains — brutal and unstoppable.
"…Huh?"
A flicker of doubt crossed Chisato's mind.
Why wasn't Yumiko dodging?
Before she could react, it was already too late.
She could only throw a punch with everything she had.
BOOM!
A deep, heavy impact echoed across the training ground.
Then—
Silence.
"...!!!"
Everyone stared in horror.
Yumiko's head had been completely blown apart.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The stench of iron filled the air.
The sight was grotesque — brain matter scattered across the ground.
Even those accustomed to violence felt their stomachs churn.
Kirisu Mafuyu and Kojima Kana couldn't take it anymore — they turned away, retching.
"T-This…"
Chisato froze, panic flooding her chest.
Did I… use too much force?
Guilt and unease surged through her.
No one noticed that Yami and Yumiko themselves remained perfectly calm — as if scenes like this were nothing new.
Click.
A strange sound echoed.
Everyone stiffened.
From Yumiko's severed neck, flesh began to squirm.
In the blink of an eye, fresh muscle and skin burst forth, rapidly reconstructing a brand-new head.
The regeneration was instant.
Terrifying.
"…!!!"
This was far beyond normal comprehension.
There was no healing light. No energy buildup.
And yet — she recovered.
"H-How is that even possible…?"
Chisato's shock vanished, replaced by burning curiosity.
Her eyes gleamed as she stared at Yumiko again.
"So it regenerates…"
She straightened, excitement surging through her body.
This fight wasn't ending anytime soon.
If anything, it was just getting started.
As expected—
The battle intensified rapidly.
The situation became far more thrilling than anyone had anticipated.
No matter how fiercely Chisato attacked, Yumiko never dodged.
When her right arm was shattered, she countered immediately with her left.
And the severed arm regenerated in an instant.
Then—
Sharp bone whips erupted from Yumiko's back, tearing through the air with terrifying force.
That was only the beginning.
A scarlet river of blood flooded the training ground.
Within the blood, grotesque shapes formed — massive hands rising like waves, crashing toward Chisato one after another.
"This is insane…!"
Chisato dodged desperately, moving with incredible agility.
But even when she leapt into the air, the blood-formed hands dragged her back down.
There was nowhere to run.
In the end—
Her source energy ran dry.
She could no longer maintain her deified state.
Breathing heavily, Chisato finally raised her hand.
"I surrender."
"…!!!"
Only then did everyone truly understand.
The assessment—
Had come to an end.
Yumiko ranked first.
Of course, that was excluding Kato Megumi.
The remaining trainees were then ranked one after another, until the full standings of the fifteen trainees were finally confirmed.
"Yumiko, you're way too strong… why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Yui Yuigahama clutched Yumiko's hands tightly, lowering her voice in complaint, clearly dissatisfied.
Hearing Yui's half-pouting words, guilt flickered across Yumiko's face — but deep down, she couldn't help feeling a small sense of victory.
"A-Ah… Yami Tsukishiro told me not to say anything," Yumiko explained hurriedly.
"He said he wanted to give everyone a really big surprise."
"…Yami-kun?"
Yui, who had always been unusually sensitive when it came to Yami Tsukishiro's name, immediately caught onto something.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yumiko," she asked carefully, suspicion creeping into her voice,
"Since when did you get that familiar with Yami-kun?"
"Ah—this…"
The moment the question landed, Yumiko snapped out of her excitement.
Only then did she realize what she had just said out loud.
She froze.
Just as she was about to panic—
"Yumiko," a calm voice called out,
"Can we talk for a moment?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri Spencer Sawamura had walked over together.
"O-Oh! Sure! I'll be right there!"
Like someone granted a last-second pardon, Yumiko immediately agreed, grabbing the opportunity to escape and slipping away with them.
"..."
Yui stood there silently, watching Yumiko's retreating figure.
A thoughtful look slowly settled in her eyes.
Yumiko was brought to a quiet, deserted corner.
Utaha crossed her arms.
Eriri planted her hands on her hips.
The two of them stared at Yumiko like predators sizing up prey.
Yet Yumiko showed no fear.
She lifted her chin, straightened her back, and met their gazes head-on — proud and unyielding, like a plum blossom standing tall in winter.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.
A heavy, tense silence spread like thick fog.
Minutes passed.
Neither side spoke.
Finally—
Utaha was the first to give in.
She clicked her tongue, shifting her weight impatiently.
"Alright, let's stop wasting time," she said flatly.
"Let's get straight to the point."
"We've heard about you… from Yami-kun."
At those words, a strange light flickered in Yumiko's eyes.
Yami had promised her that, one day, he would properly introduce her to Utaha and Eriri — openly, honestly.
She wanted to stand beside him as his real girlfriend.
She knew it would take time.
Even so, she had always carried that quiet hope in her heart.
What she hadn't expected…
Was that happiness would arrive so suddenly.
Yami already told them? This fast?!
The news hit her like a bomb, stirring a storm of emotions — surprise, nervousness, joy — all at once.
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
But she knew better than to lose herself now.
"Tch…"
Eriri muttered, clearly unhappy, her cheeks puffed out so much she looked like she could hang an oil lamp from them.
"Why is Yami-kun like this?" she complained.
"Isn't it enough to have a cute and charming girl like me?"
"And now he's going after a Yumiko who even has blonde hair like mine!"
Jealousy practically radiated off her.
Seeing this, Yumiko's lips curved upward just slightly.
She narrowed her eyes, glanced Eriri up and down, and instantly understood exactly where it hurt.
She didn't say a word.
Instead, she subtly puffed out her chest — exaggerated, deliberate — like a proud peacock flaunting its feathers.
Then, in a calm, almost casual tone, she said:
"Ah… I'm still a little sore from being pinched that day.
It seems Yami-kun has a special preference for… well-developed figures."
"???"
Confusion slammed into Eriri's face like a truck.
She froze, eyes wide, brain short-circuiting.
After a second—
Her face turned bright red, like an overripe apple.
Grinding her teeth, she forced out the words one by one:
"T-That's nonsense! Yami-kun clearly said that someone small and delicate like me is also very cute!"
The moment she finished—
"Pfft—"
Laughter burst out.
Utaha and Yumiko completely lost it.
The serious atmosphere collapsed like a broken dam.
They looked at each other—
And immediately—
"Hahaha!"
The two burst into laughter at the exact same time.
"S-Sorry, hahaha… Eriri, I just thought of something funny."
"Mm-hmm, hahaha… yeah, same here."
They laughed and apologized simultaneously.
Only Eriri didn't laugh.
She stood there stiffly, like she'd been hit with a restraining spell.
Slowly, she turned her head toward Utaha, eyes filled with pure fury.
"Didn't we agree to interrogate Yumiko together?" she snapped.
"So why does it feel like you two suddenly teamed up to bully me?"
A strange realization crept over her.
Somehow…
She was the one being judged.
Her gaze drifted — unwillingly — toward their chests.
Eriri's world instantly lost all color.
Gray.
Empty.
She lost.
She lost badly.
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