"So, care to explain why someone who vanished so long ago suddenly showed up now?"
Judai turned toward Taniguchi, who stood behind him in an Obelisk Blue uniform.
"And why you're interfering with my companions' perceptions too, Taniguchi Senior?"
Taniguchi looked Judai up and down in surprise for a moment before speaking slowly.
"They said you were a little different. It seems they were right."
"They?" Judai put one hand on his hip. "If you mean those Mr. Ts who get off on being abused, then yeah, we're pretty familiar by now."
Taniguchi said flatly, "You underestimate the power of the invincible Darkness. Sooner or later, you'll pay the price."
"So that's your purpose?" Judai asked. "You came here to make me pay?"
But Taniguchi shook his head.
"No. You were not my original target. Infiltrating this academy silently, without drawing anyone's attention—altering perceptions was all for that purpose.
It was preparation for an opportunity to finish someone in a single blow."
Judai frowned. "Finish someone in a single blow?"
But there was no need to ask further. Judai immediately understood what he meant.
"I see. The person you wanted to ambush was Kira, wasn't it?"
If someone had gone to such lengths to infiltrate the academy to ambush a person, and that target was not him—
The answer was obvious.
There was probably only one person in this academy worth that kind of treatment: Kira.
Just like Fubuki before him, this Taniguchi Senior had clearly been completely Assimilated into Darkness's puppet after disappearing from the Old Dorm. His appearance now was purely to serve as Darkness's enforcer.
"So you people weren't even targeting me. Honestly, that stings a little."
Judai laughed.
"Kira's been gone for so long, I thought I'd at least risen to become your number one threat