"Ha~ So many people, are they throwing a party?" Alistair yawned in boredom, following the attention-grabbing group of one man and six women.
"Taking the train? Are they really going home?" Alistair watched them board the train, pouting slightly out of disinterest, but followed them on anyway. It was a good way to get home directly.
...
Clang.
The train doors opened at the Kūzacho station. Alistair stood up and noticed the seven-person group also standing. They happened to meet face-to-face while disembarking.
"..." "..."
They all recognized Alistair from the gathering. They nodded and walked ahead. Takaaki Anjō, the Blond Guy, looked at Alistair a few more times. He felt Alistair looked somewhat familiar. He considered that maybe they had interacted a few times at the gathering; boys with such cute and pure faces were rare, so he might just feel familiar.
By the way, do all these people live in Kūzacho? I haven't seen them on my way to school before.
Alistair mused. Although he was now flexible with his class attendance, he had gone on time for a day or two previously. Why hadn't he seen these girls and that Blond Guy even once? He had met the Blond Guy at the Radiance Nightclub, so it wasn't surprising if he lived here, and given his delinquent appearance, Alistair wouldn't be surprised if he skipped school, so Alistair didn't dwell on the Blond Guy's origins.
What Alistair found strange were the girls. He hadn't paid attention to what they said before, but it was so late; shouldn't they be going home? Or did they have more activities planned? A party with the Blond Guy?
Carrying a hint of curiosity, Alistair, who had originally intended to go straight home, followed them, trailing a few dozen meters behind. As he walked, Alistair realized, Isn't this the way back home? Only they had to pass near the small shopping street first.
Then, Alistair noticed something interesting—the Blond Guy led the girls into the Radiance Nightclub.
"Oho, it looks like it really is a party~ If so, how can I not join in?"
Alistair rubbed the vein-like lines extending from the ring on his middle finger with his left thumb, showing an interested smile.
...
"Fellow underclassmen, this is a nightclub where I used to work. The karaoke section has truly excellent facilities and environment. I also have a bit of pull here and can get you a discount." Takaaki Anjō slung his arm around the Blonde Senior's shoulder, his tone quite enthusiastic, causing the girls to slightly change their opinion of him.
"I thought Senior Anjō was a delinquent, but he's actually such a warmhearted senior." The Bob-Haired Girl patted her chest, pretending to be relieved.
"Yeah, Senior Anjō's look is very misleading." The Brown-Haired Girl chimed in agreement.
"By the way, who is this person? She's so quiet." Takaaki Anjō asked, looking at Kasumi Haruno, who stood out from the crowd. He had already set his sights on this girl at the gathering but hadn't found an opportunity. Now that they were on his turf, he absolutely had to find a way to take down this girl.
"Her? Haruno-san, the senior wants to get to know you. You can't make the senior beg, can you?" The Bob-Haired Girl's expression instantly soured. Kasumi Haruno's looks and breast size were streets ahead of theirs. She was practically a slut, yet she pretended to be pure. Who was she trying to fool? Her tone turned unpleasant.
"Hello, Senior Anjō. I'm Kasumi Haruno, from Class 1-G. Please be kind to me." Kasumi Haruno introduced herself timidly, giving a bow.
"Ah, don't worry about it. You can come to me with any problem in the future." Takaaki Anjō scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. The Blonde Senior next to him looked numb, but her eyes held a hint of pity for Kasumi Haruno.
"Alright, let's go inside. If we delay too long, it'll be time to go home before we get much singing done." Takaaki Anjō said. With that, he walked in first. The others rushed to follow. Kasumi Haruno stood in the back, thought for a moment, sent a text message, and then walked in as well.
Alistair stood across from the nightclub. In the depths of his pupils, a pink-purple vertical slit slowly appeared, adding a touch of the demonic to his naturally cherry-blossom pink eyes.
"This black gas... it's already overflowing. Why didn't I notice it before?"
In Alistair's sight, the entire nightclub was permeated with black gas, dark as ink. It looked deeply malicious, like a vision of hell, but to Alistair, this was heaven!
"Sigh~ This feeling is marvelous~"
Alistair walked into the lobby, freely absorbing the black gas. Although he couldn't absorb all of it, the sheer volume was enough to strengthen Alistair to the point where he could take on five or six people without even using the Ox Talisman. The feeling of his body being constantly reinforced was almost addictive.
Despite his dark thoughts, Alistair remained outwardly casual and natural, not drawing any special attention from others.
By the way, where did that Blond Guy take them? Oh, I see.
Alistair had been wandering around inside for a while, momentarily losing track of them. Just as he was getting annoyed, he saw the Blond Guy, Takaaki Anjō, exit a room.
Alistair looked around. This was the karaoke section. Did they really come here just to sing?
Then Alistair saw the Blond Guy order some drinks, pull out a packet of something unknown, and completely empty its contents into one of the cups.
Drugging them? Interesting. I recall he had the Blonde Senior with him, right? Is she an accomplice? Shouldn't I go and intercept this?
Alistair rubbed his chin and smiled. He watched Takaaki Anjō pick up the drinks and head back and immediately followed.
"Ah ha ha ha ha, the drinks are here!"
Takaaki Anjō, using a goofy voice, handed out the drinks one by one.
"Senior Anjō, what you just said was so funny. You're really entertaining." The Bob-Haired Girl said with a laugh.
"You have to have a sense of humor, right? By the way, Junior Haruno, why aren't you drinking? I specifically picked this based on what you girls wanted." Takaaki Anjō said, looking at Kasumi Haruno, who was holding the drink somewhat distractedly.
"Huh? Oh." Kasumi Haruno, distracted by the time, took a large gulp of the drink.
"Well, it's getting late. We'll take you girls home in a little while." Takaaki Anjō said.
"No need, no need. The four of us can walk together, but Junior Haruno will have to go back alone." The Brown-Haired Girl said to Takaaki Anjō. Her tone held not worry, but a touch of schadenfreude.
"Is that so? Then I'll have the Senior Girl and myself take her home." Takaaki Anjō smirked. This was a God-given opportunity.
"Really? Well, okay then. Senior Anjō is such a nice person." Although it was a compliment, the Brown-Haired Girl's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
But if she knew Senior Anjō's real intentions, she'd probably be delighted, wouldn't she?
"Then it's decided. The four of you should leave first. I'll take Junior Haruno home with your senior. See you tomorrow." Takaaki Anjō looked at the already slightly dazed Kasumi Haruno. He could already picture himself pinning her down and couldn't help but smile proudly.
"Okay, Senior Anjō, we'll be going now. See you tomorrow!"
The four girls waved to Takaaki Anjō and left the private room together, leaving the somewhat dazed Kasumi Haruno sitting alone on the couch.
Kasumi Haruno checked the time and stood up.
"Senior, I need to go home now. I'll be leaving. See you tomorrow."
With that, Kasumi Haruno prepared to leave, but Takaaki Anjō quickly blocked the door with his bulky body, stopping her.
"You can't leave."
Kasumi Haruno looked at Takaaki Anjō, who was blocking the doorway and smiling menacingly. She then looked at the unresponsive Blonde Senior, and feeling her mind getting fuzzier and her body growing hotter, her heart sank.
BOOM!
"Open the door! Water meter check!"