Teasing

The blade swept across the man's nape, the rapidly swung longsword becoming a streak of silver beneath the moonlight.

It sliced through his throat. The tip of the bright silver blade was stained a dark red by blood. Sheathed and standing still, blood continuously dripped from its point onto the ground. As the thugs remained completely unaware, the figure slowly retreated into the darkness.

"Tap... splat—!"

Only then did the corpse with its severed neck collapse. Its head rolled aside, blood spraying from its neck and finally drawing the attention of the bald man and the others nearby.

"Gulp." A punk with a mohawk and a shotgun swallowed hard. Seeing his drinking buddies, the friends he used to eat, drink, and fool around with, die just like that... the hands gripping his shotgun began to tremble...

"W-We're going to die. We're definitely going to die!" He looked at the bald leader in terror. "Boss, let's run. This tough one isn't easy to deal with. We've already lost two brothers..."

"Slap!"

The bald man slapped the mohawked punk across his pimple-covered face. The force knocked a tooth loose in his mouth. "Damn it, she's just a student, and she doesn't even have a gun! What are you scared of? Is she gonna eat you?!"

"B-But we can't find her. In an environment like this, if she keeps picking us off one by one..."

"Everyone form a circle around me! Point all your guns outward! The second you see a shadow, open fire! You hear me?!"

"Y-Yeah!"

They answered reluctantly, their nerves stretched taut. The slightest rustle made them jump like startled birds. Beads of sweat kept sliding down the bald boss's head, striking the ground and kicking up dust too fine to see.

He was panicking inside as well. He had been a thug all his life and had faced plenty of threats, but none had been serious—at worst, he would break an arm or leg and spend a few months in a hospital bed. But now... he could really die!

He never should have ordered his men to attack this vehicle. Next time—next time, he definitely wouldn't attack vehicles. He would only rob people fleeing on foot!

Everyone's minds were running wild, including Busujima Saeko and the others inside the carriage. Aside from the gunfire at the beginning, which had terrified them, the thugs' conversation made it sound as though Kurumi was not in danger. Instead, she had killed several of them!

They finally relaxed. Though they felt guilty about being unable to help Kurumi, they obediently remained crouched in the carriage, hoping only not to cause her trouble. The weapons in their hands... against those thugs, it was better to run whenever they could.

In the darkness, a wine-red eye appeared and vanished like a ghostly glimmer, like the gaze of the Grim Reaper. Five left. Her narrowed eyes held a trace of a smile, but those people definitely did not want to see it!

Her swiftly advancing figure made not a sound, just like a ghost! She slipped behind the car closest to the thugs and waited for the perfect chance to kill!

Assassins were sometimes just like snipers. They could crouch in one place for days and nights without moving, all for that one fatal strike.

Of course, for those punks who had only just evolved into thugs... this kind of situation was a little too suffocating.

The crackling flames mixed with the alarms of the vehicles hit by bullets earlier, making everyone increasingly irritated.

Autumn had arrived long ago, yet everyone's backs were soaked with sweat. When the cold wind blew past, goosebumps rose all over their bodies, and they shuddered.

The man who had just shivered relaxed slightly and turned toward the companion beside him, just about to speak...

"Splat—!"

Kurumi's katana darted out like a viper, its fangs precisely biting into his throat. The instant it pierced through, she pulled it back, then used the momentum to roll away.

"Aaaah—!"

Before the companion beside him could react, blood splashed over his face. His taut nerves snapped, and he screamed to vent his emotions, firing his shotgun toward the direction Kurumi had fled!

"Bang! Bang bang—"

The remaining three hurriedly turned and pulled their triggers at the spot the shotgun had struck. Muzzle flashes flickered without end... Clearly, they had wasted even more ammunition. By now, they did not have many bullets left from the police station.

"Slash—splat—!"

Kurumi swiftly circled behind them. While they were still firing madly, she casually took another life with one stroke. A one-hit kill! Without lingering, she immediately vanished into the darkness.

"Hee hee hee~"

Like an orchid blooming in a mountain valley, refreshing and intoxicating, its seductive undertone was unmistakable.

With the Charm Mark activated, no matter what she said, her voice carried an alluring charm. Kurumi's voice had already been exceptionally seductive; now, it was even more soul-stirring~

Those who heard it became dazed for a moment before snapping awake. "Boss... she's a demon. She's the embodiment of everyone who died in hell, crawling back up to take revenge on us! We can't beat her, run!"

"Bullshit! Even if she's a demon, I'm gonna catch her and fuck her! Open fire! Fire hard! If you kill her, chop her into mince and feed her to the dogs!"

The bald leader's eyes bulged wide, the whites bloodshot. If looks could kill, Kurumi felt she could have slipped away by now~

But now, with only two underlings left, the commander without an army chuckled. "Hee hee hee, then I won't hold back."

Killing people was far more fun than killing Dead Bodies. One slash at a Dead Body, and it had no thoughts, could not feel fear—it was no fun at all... Looking at the terrified expressions of the three remaining men, Kurumi felt a surge of delight. This was what she wanted...

The bald man and his two companions had reached the brink of collapse. Watching their companions fall one after another, they felt as if they were going mad!

"This has to be a dream, it has to be a dream! If I die, I'll wake up, right? Come on, kill me! Kill—"

"Slash—!"

Kurumi flashed behind him and drove her katana into his back, piercing straight through his heart!

"As you wish."

His eyes closed, immersed in his beautiful dream. Like an old film reel, scenes played back and forth in his mind as he recalled his entire life...

With a thud, he crashed onto the ground. Blood slowly gushed from the hole in his heart, dyeing a large patch of ground red...

Her calm voice was scattered by the cold wind. The remaining two immediately turned and fired, but hit nothing.

"Bang bang bang—!" The muzzle flashes continued until every bullet in their magazines had been emptied.

"Aaaah!" The bald leader's last underling viciously hurled his shotgun to the ground, then screamed as he ran toward the other side of the highway.

"Get back here, damn it!" Watching his subordinate run farther and farther away, the bald man seemed powerless. He began carefully observing his surroundings as he backed away step by step.

"Slash—thud!"

He looked toward the sound. The underling who had run off moments ago was now separated from his head!

At last, he saw the ghostly attacker clearly... He could not believe it. He had assumed she was some sort of assassin from an international organization, but she was actually a stunningly beautiful girl who looked like a student!

"Ha~ Don't move! Or I'll put a hole in you!" The bald man aimed a police pistol at Kurumi, believing he had the situation under control. He did not consider at all why Kurumi had not disappeared into the shadows again.

"Hee hee, mister, you're so funny~ Don't kill me, okay? I won't dare do it again~"

"Don't move! Throw down your sword! Then crawl over here like a bitch!"

Her coquettish voice entered his ears. He had originally wanted to shoot her dead immediately, but somehow, he changed his mind.

If he did not get something back from her, how could he face his dead brothers? The bald man, making excuses for his filthy thoughts, was quite satisfied with that reasoning.

"Bang!" The gunshot rang out...