The Web

Sakayanagi Narimori and Wolf Spider sat there in silence, watching each other without a word.

Suddenly, a man who looked like a secretary burst into the room, shouting in a rush, "Chairman, Kato Satsu from Class D, he...!"

"He beat a staff member to the point of injury, right?"

Before the secretary could finish, Narimori cut him off.

The statement left the secretary stunned; there was absolutely no one who could have reached the Chairman faster than he had.

Yet, looking at the situation, the Chairman seemed to already know about Satsu's situation, which was fundamentally impossible!

"Yes..." the secretary replied, dazed.

"I know. Get out!"

Seeing that it was not the time to speak, and despite the myriad of doubts in his heart, the secretary wisely took his leave, leaving the room to Narimori and Wolf Spider.

"How is it? Mr. Chairman, I didn't lie to you, did I?" Wolf Spider said with a smile.

Narimori's expression was far from pleasant; what he hadn't expected was that the man before him obtained internal school information faster than the school staff themselves.

It was as if he were a prophet. Not long ago, Wolf Spider had approached Narimori and accurately predicted that Satsu would beat a staff member to the point of severe injury or even death.

When Wolf Spider requested that Narimori leave the matter to him, Narimori had initially refused in no uncertain terms.

If this were true, it should be handled by the school authorities, not some outsider from who knows where.

But Wolf Spider had accurately recited all of Narimori's personal information, even down to what he had eaten for breakfast.

Realizing that his visitor was no simple character, Narimori eventually conceded, allowing Wolf Spider to handle the matter on the condition that the school retained the right to change the final decision.

"Since you already knew about this beforehand, I assume you have already taken action?" Narimori asked.

"Of course! Barring any accidents, everyone at the scene, including the young master, is currently in the security room," Wolf Spider replied affirmatively.

"Who exactly are you people? What are you trying to do?"

Wolf Spider did not rush to answer. Instead, he pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket and lit it. After exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, he said heavily, "The Web."

"In any case, the young master will need you to put in some extra effort over these next three years, Chairman."

Wolf Spider did not reveal their true purpose; he knew full well what the consequences of saying it out loud would be.

Given his clearance level, merely speaking their name was already the limit.

"I will not allow a madman who might kill someone to remain in this school!"

Narimori slammed his hand against the desk, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.

"Kato Satsu must be expelled!"

Facing Narimori's roar, Wolf Spider showed little reaction, saying calmly, "Your daughter is young, and her health is poor. If something were to happen to you, what would become of her?"

"Are you threatening me?"

There was no ashtray on the desk, so Wolf Spider simply used the surface to crush the cigarette butt. He then blew the smoke into Narimori's face and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Please believe us, we have the power to do so."

No sooner had he spoken than a red laser dot appeared out of thin air on the desk, moving slowly until it stopped right at Narimori's temple.

"Mr. Narimori, I really don't want my clothes stained with your brains, or... those of a student."

A long time later, Narimori sat alone, leaning back in his chair. He pressed a button on his desk, and the secretary immediately pushed the door open.

"Bring Arisu here, and also...!"

Narimori's lips trembled; the words seemed difficult to utter.

"Chairman?"

"Help me... contact Ayanokōji... Atsuomi."

Meanwhile, in the pure white security room, the atmosphere was cold and severe; the air felt as if it had been frozen solid.

Satsu and Ichinose sat facing each other, the only three people in the room.

The four walls were so pristine they lacked any extra decoration, making even the shadows of the occupants appear exceptionally sharp.

Though her own face was filled with fear and vigilance, Ichinose still spoke in a soft, gentle voice to soothe the girl in her arms.

"It's alright, Chihiro. It's okay, we are safe here."

Ichinose patted Chihiro's back gently, trying to calm her down, but the effect was poor, if not non-existent; Chihiro could not stop crying.

She looked up slightly, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Ichinose as she said, "But I'm still scared. He isn't even wearing shackles; there are no restrictions on him at all."

Hearing Chihiro's words, Ichinose couldn't help but look at Satsu, who sat opposite them.

He sat there, the madness that had possessed him completely gone. The twisted smile had vanished, replaced by a pair of rational eyes.

His black hair was a tangled mess, and the dried blood of the clerk clung to several strands of Satsu's hair, the dark red color resembling congealed rust.

His hands were also stained with blood, though most of it had dried into a thin, crusty layer.

However, the wound on the back of his hand caused by the fruit knife still hadn't stopped bleeding, and fresh blood continued to seep out.

Kato Satsu didn't pay it any mind, letting the blood slide slowly down his index finger and splatter into tiny crimson flowers on the floor.

"What exactly happened to me just now? I never intended to strike with such force." (Kato Satsu)

"It felt like the bloodthirsty instinct of a wild beast; I was completely unable to control that surge of emotion, forced to watch helplessly as it swallowed my reason whole." (Kato Satsu)

"That wasn't an emotion a human should have. This body... there are secrets I don't know about. What exactly did the original owner... experience before taking his own life?" (Kato Satsu)

Accompanied by the dull thud of the iron door opening, the gazes of Kato Satsu and the others converged on the entrance.

Wolf Spider walked in, followed by two men and two women in security uniforms; the men carried various items, including clothing and medical supplies.

The women had a clear objective, walking toward Ichinose and the other girl to soothe their emotions with soft whispers.

After Ichinose and the other girl were led away, Wolf Spider finally spoke slowly: "The truth of the matter has been investigated."

"All the surveillance footage from the scene captures your madness, and we have reason to suspect you suffer from a mental illness."

"Furthermore, it is a confirmed fact that the clerk intended to commit assault; you were merely acting in self-defense."

Kato Satsu remained silent, sitting in his seat and listening quietly to Wolf Spider's words.

"You are free to go, but you should clean yourself up before you leave."

As he spoke, the two men behind Wolf Spider stepped forward to tend to Kato Satsu on the spot.

The latter offered no resistance, struggling to suppress his fluctuating emotions to avoid falling back into that state of loss of control.

"Something this big, and it's just over like this?" (Kato Satsu)

Leaving the security room, Kato Satsu looked up at the sky; the sunset had long since passed, and he had wasted quite a bit of time.

"Oh no! The party!"

On the other side of the city, inside the hotel.

Snow Spider's phone rang incessantly as she received a flood of messages.

Anderson leaned in and asked, "Is it news from Wolf Spider?"

"Yes."

Snow Spider opened her phone and read the messages out one by one.

"1. It has been confirmed that the young master suffers from mild hemophilia, just as we suspected."

"2. The young master's mental state is in an even worse condition than anticipated."

"3. This incident involving the young master has been properly resolved, but he will certainly be under secret surveillance by the school for a long time to come."

"4. The young master's right palm is suspected to be permanently crippled."