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Chapter 250: Raise the Hatchet Against Her!
🕑 Added 2025-03-31 16:58:47 +0000 UTC[You don't have habits like wedging a leaf in the door or tilting the handle to mark entry.]
[But the moment you step inside—you feel it.]
[You have mild OCD; your entryway is always spotless.]
[But now, as you stand at the entrance and scan inside—there's dirt. Dust. Scattered.]
[Barely visible—but to your keen eye, unmistakable.]
[Someone tried to clean up… and failed. Someone's been here.]
[The silent, dim room only magnifies your sense of unease.]
[Without reacting, you flick the light on and cautiously step forward…]
In the real world, Minami Shouji closed his eyes.
The simulation scene played vividly in his mind.
Location: ground floor of STARRY, his room.
After a full day of school, Minami had just returned, ready to drop his bag and relax.
But within two seconds of entering—
He felt it.
Someone had been here.
"…"
Taking in his surroundings, Minami didn't shout or call for help.
What would be the point of involving Kessoku Band? None of them were exactly fighters. They'd only get in the way.
As for fleeing—
He didn't know if the intruder was still inside, or already gone.
Either option had its risks.
And besides… if that person was behind this—
Minami Shouji didn't hesitate—he even acted completely unaware, casually closing the door behind him.
Then he took off his shoes and stepped inside.
Everything in the room was exactly as he'd left it.
Yesterday's leftover mandarins still sat in a plastic tray. The heated table and its cover looked just as it did the day before.
Minami gave the room a quick, casual glance, then—appearing to lower his guard—slung his school bag off his shoulder and moved to sit down—
Snap!
A crisp sound rang out behind him!
A small figure lunged at him from behind!
The sharp crackle of electricity filled the air!
A petite figure in a hooded coat burst from the closet.
Her hand raised!
Her feet stomped forward aggressively!
The stun gun in her hand sparked to life with a harsh buzz.
It was set to low voltage—not enough to cause serious harm.
But a direct hit would still immobilize him temporarily.
I've got him!
That's what the small figure thought as the stun gun closed in, nearly touching Minami's waist.
Anyone watching would probably think the same.
She had the advantage—a surprise attack, bursting out first, securing the initiative.
Half a second more and this handsome young man would be down, incapacitated on the floor.
However—
Smack!
Minami's school bag, still heavy with books, suddenly swung out with force.
With natural strength and years of athletic training behind it—
In an instant, the bag slammed into the girl's hand, knocking the stun gun away!
"Eh?"
Wide-eyed, she stared blankly at the flying stun gun and Minami's calm expression.
Stunned, the petite figure made a confused sound.
She couldn't process what just happened.
This… this wasn't right.
She'd planned everything perfectly.
The next step should've been moving Minami's unconscious body elsewhere.
So why was Minami, who was supposed to be unconscious—
Fighting back?
She couldn't understand it.
But she had come prepared—she had backup plans.
Snapping out of her daze, she reached for her next move.
But—
"Too slow."
Minami didn't even look.
Without hesitation, he hurled the book-laden bag straight at her face.
She instinctively raised her arms to block—
Pain shot through her limbs!
Her small frame reeled as her arm went numb.
Minami always carried books. Lots of them.
Aside from materials for Kessoku Band, he had several thick literary novels inside.
A bag like that, swung with full force, could've left even an adult bruised and dazed.
Just as the figure in the black hooded coat breathed a sigh of relief—thankful the bag hadn't smashed her face—
She realized something terrifying.
Minami Shouji was already standing in front of her, moving at a speed she couldn't even process.
The next moment—
He was holding the stun gun, the one that had been hers, and—without hesitation—pressed it into her side.
Crackle, crackle—
Her body spasmed from the jolt.
The hood fell away.
Revealing the stunned, delicate face of Satou Matsuzaka.
Her usual serene expression was gone—replaced with pure shock.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
According to her script—
Minami Shouji should be lying on the floor, helpless, ready to be dragged away by her.
This isn't right.
This isn't the plan.
It's completely reversed!
It's illogical!
Why was she the one on the ground, at his mercy?
Because it was a low-voltage shock, her body wasn't injured—but it was numb and limp, her strength gone.
Her mind, however, remained clear.
And all she could do was watch—watch as Minami calmly opened her bag, pulling out a cloth soaked in something pungent and chemical.
"Ether? Hm, this'll do."
Minami spoke to himself.
Huh??
Satou was stunned.
Truly confused.
Why did Minami look more experienced than her, the attacker?
Shouldn't he be calling the police? Restraining her? Turning her in?
Why was he using her tools?
Why did he look like the assailant now?
With incomprehension in her eyes, Satou could only lie there, helpless, as Minami approached—cloth in hand.
And then he pressed it firmly against her mouth and nose.
She tried to resist, tried to hold her breath—
But it was useless.
No one can suffocate themselves by will alone.
At a certain point, her lungs screamed.
She gasped—and inhaled deeply.
And as the drug took hold—
She slowly slipped into unconsciousness.
[Your training paid off. Knowing she would strike, you easily subdued Satou Matsuzaka.]
[A so-called "yandere" is still just a girl with mental instability. Even if she has some physical ability, she's no match for your natural strength, size, and reflexes.]
[You caught her the moment she let her guard down—and used her own tools against her.]
[When she woke, it was already 7 p.m.]
[You were sitting at the heated table, finishing test materials for Kessoku Band.]
[Sensing her gaze, you turned around.]
The simulation memory surged.
Satou didn't know how long she'd been out.
After inhaling ether, time seemed meaningless.
When she finally awoke—
The sunlit sky had turned to deep indigo, scattered stars twinkling faintly.
Her body felt heavy.
So heavy.
She couldn't move freely.
Her limbs, still under the drug's influence, were weak. Even lifting an arm felt like trying to lift a mountain.
No…
She couldn't even lift a finger.
Just opening her eyes and glancing around was enough to reveal the truth—
At some point, her body had been tightly bound in thick, coarse rope.
Her arms tied behind her back.
Her ankles lashed together, each loop tight and secure.
These were the very supplies she had ordered online.
Yet now, they'd been used against her in the most unexpected way.
She tried to open her mouth—
Only to realize, to her horror, that her lips were sealed shut with duct tape.
Satou Matsuzaka's expression went blank.
The way she looked now… she was the perfect image of a victim in a crime drama.
Hands and feet tied, mouth taped shut, trapped in a soundproof room (STARRY's rooms were designed with professional-grade soundproofing), unable to breathe through anything but her nose.
Not even able to cry for help.
But who would know?
She was supposed to be the attacker.
Minami Shouji was the one who should have been lying here.
Her brain stalled, trying to process it all.
She struggled to lift her head—barely managing a centimeter.
And that's when she saw him.
Minami Shouji, sitting calmly across from her, warming himself at the heated table.
Pen in hand, scribbling something on paper.
As if sensing her gaze, he looked up.
"Ah, you're awake."
His voice was calm.
As though he hadn't just drugged and tied her up himself.
That cold, dispassionate tone—
It made Satou think of those emotionless serial killers from thriller shows.
"Wait a bit, I'm not done writing."
Minami didn't care what she thought.
He just picked up his pen again, continuing to draft test questions for Kessoku Band.
Satou could only stare at him.
She didn't understand him.
Shouldn't he have called the police by now?
Why tie her up?
She couldn't comprehend his thoughts.
She could only watch him write, helpless.
Until he finished the last stroke of his pen—
"All done."
Minami's voice broke the silence. He gathered the papers.
While organizing them, he spoke plainly:
"You're probably wondering why I knocked you out with drugs, tied you up, and didn't call the police right away."
"…"
Satou said nothing. She couldn't—not with her mouth sealed.
Minami didn't care.
He kept talking.
"The reason's simple."
He slid the test sheets into his bag.
"I wanted you to experience what it's like—having someone break into your space, tase you, drug you, tie you up for no reason."
"Now then—"
He stood up, walked to her, and asked calmly,
"How does it feel, Satou-san?"
"…"
Electrocuted.
Drugged.
Tied up, gagged.
Laid out like livestock.
She hadn't had the chance to resist—she'd been stripped of even that.
That feeling…
Satou wanted to respond.
But her mouth was still sealed.
Without a word, Minami ripped the tape off her lips.
He wasn't worried about her screaming.
STARRY's soundproofing was flawless.
And there was a rock show blaring below—the walls shook with bass. Her voice wouldn't even register.
"Being treated like this… doesn't feel good."
Her voice was soft.
No yelling, no resistance—just a quiet answer that followed Minami's words.
Because now she understood.
Being tased, drugged—it was terrifying.
And as she met Minami's calm gaze—
She couldn't even lift her head in defiance.
"I'm honestly relieved to hear you say that, Satou-san."
Minami Shouji nodded slightly, then continued, "Now let me explain why I didn't call the police."
He raised one finger in front of her eyes.
"Because calling the police is pointless."
Yes—
Calling the police would achieve nothing.
At most, Satou Matsuzaka could be charged with trespassing and attempted assault.
Those charges weren't severe.
And considering she was only sixteen—a minor—
The worst she'd face was a week or two in juvenile detention before being released.
That meant nothing to Minami Shouji.
Rather than waste time with a useless report, it was better to talk things out directly—lay everything on the table.
Under Satou's gaze, Minami stood up.
With light steps, he walked toward the kitchen.
The clatter of metal rang out.
And Satou saw it.
Gripped tightly in Minami's hand—a gleaming silver kitchen knife, catching the light with a sharp flash.
He held it firmly.
Step by step, he walked toward her.
Satou's pink eyes widened slightly.
But it wasn't fear she felt.
Having never known joy or sorrow, fear was foreign to her too.
Instead, she was worried.
If Minami truly killed her…
How would he dispose of her body?
Minami was the first person to make her feel joy—to awaken the desire to possess.
She couldn't take her eyes off him.
That's why—
She didn't want him to suffer punishment for killing a soulless creature like her.
