CH 4.1

Empress

Shiki is brought to a deserted parking lot.

“Orifushi, You’re taking me for a fool, aren’t you? Hey!”

“Ouggh!? “

Kawato kicks him in the stomach, and he backs away in a stagger.

Normally, he would have ended there,

“Again!”

Taking advantage of the Empress’ absence, he slammed his fist into Shiki’s face, which he had never aimed at before because the wound would stand out.

“……!”

Frowning at the unfamiliar pain, Shiki backed away.

Or rather, even if he tried to resist or defend himself badly, he would have aroused Kawato’s anger, so there was nothing he could do but back away even though he was being punched and kicked.

“Ah? Why do you look like you’re the one in pain? I think my ribs are broken because of you! Hey!”

Shiki backs away while enduring the pain in his cheek.

Kawato’s words, [Because of you!] referred to the body slam Shiki had given him to rescue the black-haired girl.

Needless to say, the ribs thing was probably a complete lie, just an excuse to hurt Shiki more than usual.

“You’re really tough, aren’t you, Orifushi-kun?”

“I’d like to see you fall down for once.”

Kawato rolled his sleeves in response to the request of his cronies who were watching the event while smoking cigarettes because they were outside of the school.

“Well, look at this.”

Then he landed a powerful right hook, assuming that his opponent would neither counterattack nor evade.

Shiki’s body moved to the right as he was hit on the left cheek.

“Come onn! “

Kawato followed up with a left hook to the right cheek, causing Shiki’s body to move to the left.

Kawato continued to alternately land hooks, and with each blow, Shiki’s body moved to the left and right like a metronome.

Shiki’s mouth is full of iron taste due to the repeated blows to his cheeks.

It was a miracle that not a single tooth was broken yet.

( Please finish soon-please finish soon-please finish soon… )

That’s all he could wish for as he continued to be beaten.

He keeps getting beaten up, trying to keep his mind off reality as much as possible.

By escaping from reality, he also escapes from the pain that strikes him on both cheeks.

――A weak person like me cannot stand up against violence even if I face it properly.

――So I escape.

――I ran away, only hoping that everything would end soon.

Eventually, when the number of times he has been hit reaches 20, Kawato stops moving.

“How the f*ck… can this guy… still be standing…? “

Breathing hard, he spits out angrily.

Shiki’d like to reply that it’s because he’s escaping from reality, but that would only cause him unnecessary anger.

If he tries to move his mouth now, he can feel the pain in his cheeks and mouth cavity.

So, he will not say anything and continue to escape from reality…

” ……uh? “

Suddenly, Shiki’s consciousness is forced back to reality when he sees a girl behind Kawato in his field of vision.

It seems that he is not the only one who has noticed her presence, as two of his followers drop their cigarettes in their mouths and stare at her.

Kawato, seeing Shiki and the others and realizing that there was someone behind him, looked back with a puzzled “Huh?” ――Then he stiffened as if he became a stone statue.

Because she, the one who was behind Kawato, was,

“E-Empress… “

Kohinata Karin, or [Empress], looked at Kawato, who reacted in the same way as Shiki a while ago, then twisted her face in displeasure.

“I don’t understand why everyone always calls me by that lame nickname.”

Karin walks with her hands in the pockets of her Sukajan (tn: Something like a baseball jacket), casually walks past Kawato, and stops in front of Shiki.

The white stick in her mouth, the miniskirt, and the loose socks are the same as when she wears her school uniform, Shiki thinks to himself in the corner of his mind.