Chapter 360: One Punch Will Make Them Cry for a Long Time
"Please stop, Yotsuba-senpai!"
After school in the evening, Yotsuba Mahiro was intercepted by Himeragi Yukina, who had hurried over from the middle school division.
"Huh? Yukina-chan?"
Nagisa Akatsuki, who was walking with Mahiro, showed a surprised expression upon seeing Himeragi Yukina.
Since Nagisa Akatsuki was one year younger than Akatsuki Kojou, she was in the third year of Saikai Academy's middle school division, coincidentally sharing the same class with Himeragi Yukina and Kanon Kanase.
They became friends on the very first day.
Naturally, Nagisa had heard the rumors circulating around the school, but she simply couldn't believe them. How could a quiet, serious, and cute girl like Yukina-chan possibly go to the high school division's boys' restroom to block someone's way?
However, now she was confused again.
She didn't know what Yukina-chan wanted with Mahiro-nii.
But before she could speak further, Mahiro gently stopped her.
He handed her over to Yuuma, signaling for Yuuma to take Nagisa and Est back first.
Only then did he turn to face the angry girl before him, smiling slightly:
"Do we know each other, underclassman?"
"Please don't play dumb!!"
When Himeragi Yukina saw Nagisa Akatsuki, she was naturally nervous, but she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart upon seeing the other leave.
Moreover, seeing Mahiro act as if he didn't know her at all made her even more furious.
"Yotsuba-senpai, I am Himeragi Yukina, Nagisa Akatsuki's classmate. You already noticed me at noon, didn't you!"
Faced with the girl's angry questioning, Mahiro merely tilted his head with a faint smile and said calmly:
"Noon? Have we met?"
"Please don't play dumb!"
Yukina repeated it again, and Mahiro suddenly seemed to understand.
"Oh~ I remember now. You're that girl who lingered outside the high school division's boys' restroom for a long time and then sneaked in when no one was around, right?"
"..."
Yukina was about to retort but noticed Yotsuba Mahiro looking at her with an amused expression, so she swallowed her words.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to calm herself down, and sighed inwardly at her own impulsiveness.
Then she spoke again:
"Yotsuba-senpai, let me reintroduce myself. I am—"
Her words were cut short because when she opened her eyes, she found that Mahiro had already turned back and was walking far away toward the school building.
This dismissive behavior made Yukina stomp her foot in anger and let out a frustrated sigh.
After a brief internal struggle, Yukina ultimately chose to chase after him.
"Wait, hold on!"
Yukina followed Mahiro's footsteps all the way to the high school division's school building.
Seeing Mahiro enter the boys' restroom again, perhaps emboldened by her previous experience, this time she followed him inside without a second thought.
"Yotsuba Mahiro, are you trying to run away from me again?!"
Having finally caught up with her target, Yukina loudly questioned him.
"Himeragi Yukina, right? I think you could speak a little louder, preferably loud enough to attract others."
At his words, Yukina realized her voice had indeed been too loud just now. She stiffened, immediately closing her mouth and not daring to make another sound.
However, Mahiro still gave Yukina a rather surprised look and couldn't help but chuckle.
"By the way, Yukina, do you not know this is the men's restroom? How bold of you to follow me in here. Could it be you're trying to live up to the title of pervert?"
"That's not it!"
Just as Yukina was about to retort, she heard a click and instinctively turned toward the sound.
To her shock, she saw Yotsuba Mahiro casually unbuckling his belt right in front of her!
The girl's cheeks immediately flushed red, and she quickly turned her head away, angrily demanding:
"Pervert, what are you doing?!"
"What am I doing? This is a restroom. What else would I do here besides using the toilet? Have a secret affair?"
His shameless remark left Yukina both furious and flustered. She tightened her grip on the guitar strap, yet subconsciously felt there was some logic to his words. When she heard the sound of flowing water,
her cheeks grew even hotter.
What on earth was she doing?!
She really was acting like a pervert!!
While Yukina was inwardly scolding herself for her behavior, Mahiro had already finished, zipped up, and fastened his belt again.
"Alright, you can turn around now."
Mahiro pressed the flush button as he spoke:
"Now, tell me. What did you want to say to me earlier at the school gate?"
Hearing this, Yukina turned around, looking at the person before her with slight disgust. Only after confirming his clothes were properly arranged did she relax slightly.
Then, she faced Yotsuba Mahiro squarely, replying in a somewhat precocious, stiff tone:
"I am a Sword Shaman of the Lion King Organization. By order of the Three Saints of the Lion King Organization, I have been dispatched to monitor you, who can control the Fourth Primogenitor."
Although he had known this would be the answer from the start, hearing it firsthand still struck him as somewhat amusing.
That woman, Shizuka Koyomi—he really found her a bit hard to judge.
She was the one who had been monitoring him before, and now she sent this little girl instead, whose skills were so poor and inexperienced.
It would have been more useful if they had just tied themselves up and delivered themselves to his bed.
No, he'd have to go give Shizuka Koyomi a beating later; otherwise, that woman's mind still seemed a bit muddled.
Noticing the strange smile curling at the corner of his mouth, Yukina frowned slightly and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"Of course I'm laughing at the foolishness of Shizuka Koyomi, Endou Yukari, and Shirona Kuraki. Sending a little girl like you to monitor me—what do you think you can actually accomplish?"
Mahiro spread his hands matter-of-factly. Just as Yukina was about to argue, he stopped her and continued:
"Don't rush to defend yourself. You must have heard about the Lion King Organization's actions by the time you arrived on this artificial island, right?"
Himeragi Yukina: "..."
The girl remained silent, merely tightening her grip on the guitar case strap.
Regarding the Lion King Organization's affairs, she truly didn't know much. Although she had grown up and been trained within the organization since childhood, she knew very little about the outside world.
Simply put, she was like a blank sheet of paper, untouched by any color—a very innocent girl.
But innocence aside, she wasn't a fool.
On her way here, she had been constantly wondering: as someone who had just finished training and was still a rookie,
did she really have the ability to monitor someone who could completely control even the Fourth Primogenitor?
Seeing no reaction from her, a faint smile curled at the corner of Mahiro's lips as he continued softly:
"Think carefully, Himeragi Yukina. Did the Lion King Organization really send you here just to monitor me?"
His voice, like a bewitching melody, lingered in Yukina's heart.
After a moment, the girl finally broke free from her silence, lifting her head to gaze intently at him with burning eyes as she declared firmly:
"Trying to bewitch me with words—you truly are an extremely dangerous presence."
This response somewhat surprised Yotsuba Mahiro.
This clumsy girl, who would even explain her role as a monitor to the very person she was monitoring, hadn't fallen for his trap? Was the Lion King Organization's brainwashing technique really that formidable?
But whether she was fooled or not didn't matter much—it was merely a whim of his, a bit of amusement, and success or failure was irrelevant.
What mattered most was that he had clearly seen the struggle in her eyes just moments ago.
Once a seed of doubt is planted, it will eventually take root and sprout.
That was enough.
With this thought, Mahiro cheerfully strode toward the exit of the restroom.
Yukina once again shouted loudly and firmly:
"No matter what, I will stick to you every step of the way to monitor you! Don't even think about using your tricks to continue causing harm!"
"Heh, suit yourself."
Mahiro was about to reply like this and leave with a cool, indifferent demeanor.
But just as he brushed past Yukina, he immediately halted his steps.
Because Yukina's shout had caught the attention of a few male students who hadn't left the school yet. Hearing the noise, they quickly followed the sound to the men's restroom.
"What's going on? I think I heard a girl's voice in the men's restroom."
"I think I heard it too."
"Let's go check it out!"
...
Hearing the murmurs from outside, the girl paled in fright.
Mahiro turned back and saw the girl standing there, flustered and at a loss. He couldn't help but sigh.
"Ah, you really are a fool. Why did you have to shout so loudly?"
He then grabbed her wrist, pulling her into the nearest restroom stall, while his other hand covered her mouth and closed the door behind them.
"Mmph..." Coming to her senses, Yukina struggled desperately, like a wildcat.
With an arm wrapped around her waist, she seemed particularly panicked.
"Shh, don't move! If you keep struggling, I might just push you out!" Yotsuba Mahiro whispered into her ear.
At this warning, Yukina indeed stopped struggling, but at the same time, she felt like crying.
She had already earned a reputation as a pervert for barging into the men's restroom at noon. If she were discovered in the men's restroom again now, and with Yotsuba Mahiro no less, she would truly have no way of staying at this school any longer!
But Mahiro's thoughts were entirely different from hers.
He had to admit, Yukina smelled quite nice, and her body was soft. Both the feel of holding her and the faint, pleasant fragrance she emitted were rather comforting.
It was just that the height difference was a bit too much.
Mahiro stood nearly 190 centimeters tall, while Himeragi Yukina was only 156 centimeters.
Holding her felt like holding a child.
For some reason, he felt a bit guilty...
No, the Little Emperor was even younger and smaller back then.
Moreover, he himself is scum, a great villain who would destroy the world!
With that thought, the lingering guilt instantly vanished, and it even felt justified. He immediately tightened his embrace around the girl in his arms.
Completely unaware of the girl's burning, flushed cheeks and increasingly icy gaze.
"Is anyone in there?"
A moment later, a student outside walked over and knocked on the toilet door where Mahiro was. The sudden knocking made the girl in his arms tremble slightly, her heart pounding wildly.
"If the door is closed, of course someone's inside. What are you knocking for?" Mahiro replied in an impatient tone, remaining calm under pressure.
"Oh, sorry, sorry."
After the words fell.
Yukina heard the footsteps growing fainter until they disappeared, and her cold voice immediately rang out.
"Yotsuba-senpai, how long are you going to hold me?"
"Did I stop you from leaving?"
Mahiro shot a glance at the girl in his arms, his tone tinged with mockery.
The next second, Yukina, blushing, broke free from Yotsuba Mahiro's embrace, opened the toilet stall door, and walked out. At the same time, she looked at him and said:
"You really are dangerous."
"?"
Mahiro slowly formed a question mark in his mind. Meeting the girl's gaze and hearing her suddenly come to such a baffling conclusion, he found it utterly ridiculous.
"Hey, what's with that attitude? I just saved you, didn't I? Is this how you repay your savior?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Yukina pull a silvery-white object from her guitar case.
It wasn't a musical instrument but a spear emitting a cold light, shimmering with a crimson hue under the fading sunset.
The sharp spearhead was already aimed at him.
The tip extended side blades, resembling the variable wings of a fighter jet or a cross-shaped spear.
But Mahiro felt no sense of danger. Instead, he even offered a critique.
"Hmm, the spear is good, but the wielder isn't much. I can see now—none of you in the Lion King Organization know anything about manners."
Shizuka Koyomi was like that, and Himeragi Yukina, also educated by the Lion King Organization, had a similar disposition.
Haa...
Yukina ignored Mahiro's words, gradually emptying her mind. A quiet exhale flowed from her lips.
"Snowdrift Wolf!"
In an instant, a silver light flashed past.
She turned.
The spear spun around her waist like a ring of flowing light, its sharp edge slicing through the air and leaving deep marks on the tiled walls of the toilet.
Then, she thrust forward fiercely.
"All flash, no substance."
That was Mahiro's assessment.
At the same time, he raised one foot and stomped down hard the moment the spearhead approached.
Thud!
A loud reverberation shook the narrow space.
The strike that should have defeated her opponent was now firmly pinned under Yotsuba Mahiro's foot. Yukina's pupils contracted sharply, completely unable to believe it.
"How did he do that?"
As a Sword Shaman, though she wasn't proficient in curses or divination, her close combat skills were solid. With the aid of Snowdrift Wolf, how could he have pinned it down with just a single stomp?!
If that's the case...
Yukina's eyes regained their determination as she forcefully pulled Snowdrift Wolf from beneath his foot, leaping backward to create distance.
At the same time, she tightly gripped the spear with both hands and solemnly chanted a prayer as if in devotion:
"—O divine child of Suanni and exalted Sword Shaman, I beseech thee here: the dawn of demon-breaking..."
In an instant, Snowdrift Wolf in Yukina's hand transformed once more, with inscriptions resembling the Tree of Life appearing on the cross-shaped spearhead.
That was the Divine Oscillation Wave Drive Ritual.
The Cursed Power within Yukina's body continuously poured into Snowdrift Wolf, amplifying the power of the Seventh Style Assault Demon-Slaying Spear.
A powerful wave of Cursed Power surged from the spear's shaft.
Seeing this, Mahiro's eyes flashed, and he immediately closed in!
"What are you doing, what are you doing? Did you think I'd just wait for you to finish your incantation? Idiot!"
He threw a fierce punch.
The fist vibrated the air, sending white circular shockwaves rippling outward from around it.
Yukina was forced to halt her prayer, raising Snowdrift Wolf in an attempt to block.
However, she had ultimately underestimated Mahiro's fist.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed.
Yukina, along with Snowdrift Wolf, slammed hard against the wall, instantly covering it with fine cracks.
Intense pain shot up her spine, rendering the girl completely immobile.
When she looked down at Snowdrift Wolf in her hands, her eyes were filled with utter disbelief and shock.
"...It's... broken..."
Yes, it was broken.
Snowdrift Wolf had snapped cleanly in half at the center of the shaft, perfectly dividing the entire Seventh Style Assault Demon-Slaying Spear (Schneewalzer) into two pieces.
The earlier punch hadn't struck Yukina directly—it had instead channeled its force through the entire length of the spear!
The sharp cross-shaped spearhead was now covered in dense, intricate cracks, like ice-crackled porcelain, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Yukina couldn't believe it, her gaze gradually growing vacant.
One of the only three Heavenly Department Relics in the world, the Demon-Breaking Holy Spear, had been destroyed just like that!
"Alright, alright, I didn't cheat with magic or anything—pure physical strength. Don't worry if you can't understand it, you'll get used to it. But enough playing around; I'm off to settle things with your boss."
With that, Mahiro stepped around Yukina and headed toward the men's restroom door.
He wasn't lying.
At full strength, even the Chaos Bride Giada couldn't withstand it, let alone a mere Sword Shaman.
Turning Yukina into paste with a single punch wouldn't even be a dream.
But as he reached the door, Mahiro suddenly stopped and spoke up:
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, Yukina-senpai—your panties are showing~ But the pure cotton pastel checkered cute style really suits you. Later, see you tomorrow~"
Mahiro left.
His words lingered in the cold air.
A long time passed before Yukina snapped back to reality. She tugged at her skirt, tears glimmering in her eyes, and silently placed the two broken halves of Snowdrift Wolf back into the guitar case. Hoisting the somewhat heavy case, she staggered out of the restroom.
She felt the icy chill permeating the air in the hallway.
For a moment, humiliation, frustration, and resentment—all kinds of emotions—welled up in her heart at once.
She never imagined that on her very first day on the mission, she would be toyed with by the target in every possible way.
In the end, even Snowdrift Wolf had been destroyed.
That punch made her realize the gap between them.
She now had no idea how to face the Elders' questioning.
She didn't know what to do anymore...
But in fact, Shizuka Koyomi's situation was even more miserable than Yukina's.
When Mahiro found Shizuka Koyomi, the woman was staying in Motoki Yaze's apartment.
"Ma... Mahiro-kun?"
Opening the door, Motoki Yaze looked particularly surprised at the sight of Yotsuba Mahiro standing at the entrance.
But Yotsuba Mahiro completely ignored him, tilting his head to avoid his body and looking at the plain-looking girl who appeared in the entryway. He immediately revealed a nuclear-friendly smile and said gently:
"Hinado-senpai, come out and talk?"