Sanity Lost

Asaba Kotone bought dozens of books in one go.

He remembered that when he had saved Kobeni Higashiyama in the Library, she had been holding a book about history.

So half the books he bought this time were history books, while the other half covered a variety of genres.

Asaba Kotone stowed all the books in the Kamui Dimension, grabbed a quick lunch somewhere, and then returned to school.

Before entering the school gates, he sent Pochita back into the Kamui Dimension.

After the afternoon classes ended, it was time for everyone to clean up.

Several classmates asked Asaba Kotone questions as they worked.

"I heard you started your own Reading Club, Asaba. What do you do there? Just read books?"

"Can I join your Reading Club, Asaba? I like reading too."

"That sounds nice. Too bad I'm already in the Art Club, or I'd want to join the Reading Club too."

Some classmates who currently had no club wanted to ask Asaba Kotone about joining the Reading Club. Some had never joined a club, while others had left their previous clubs and had yet to join new ones.

They actually wanted to join the Reading Club not for the reading, but because Asaba Kotone had founded it.

Taking part in club activities alongside this prodigy Devil Hunter was something new and exciting for them.

Most Japanese students were like that. In schools in Japan, handsome boys, pretty girls, and students with excellent grades were not actually the most popular. Instead, they were more likely to provoke jealousy and be ostracized, though outright ostracism was rare.

The most popular students tended to be those who excelled in a particular field or had a special talent. Those who had won awards in competitions were even more popular and admired, such as upperclassmen in the Baseball Club or upperclasswomen in the Archery Club.

Asaba Kotone, a prodigy Devil Hunter who had received extensive media coverage, commanded even greater respect and admiration from his classmates. His good looks certainly helped.

Standing nearby, Gotō Iwen listened to their conversation with Asaba Kotone, and the jealousy he already struggled to control rapidly reached its breaking point.

He had invited each of those classmates to join the Devil Research Club before, but every one of them had turned him down.

Now, seeing them approach Asaba Kotone of their own accord to ask about joining the Reading Club instantly ignited Gotō Iwen's volatile jealousy.

"Asaba..."

Asaba Kotone was about to answer his classmates when he suddenly heard Gotō Iwen call his name from behind, but something sounded strange about his voice.

Gotō Iwen had only spoken his name, yet in that brief instant, his voice had changed from normal to low and hoarse.

It sounded a little like... a devil's voice?

Asaba Kotone's eyes widened slightly. As if realizing something, he immediately turned around.

Gotō Iwen stood with his head lowered, his expression hideously twisted and alarming veins bulging across his face.

His back, in particular, had swollen in an uncanny way. Masses of black flesh sprouted from it, rapidly piling together to form an enormous eyeball.

The huge eyeball was an eerie green, with a faint blood-red aura, and was a full two or three times the size of Gotō Iwen's head.

The bulging masses of black flesh and the horrifying eyeball all showed that Gotō Iwen had become a monster.

"G-Gotō, what's happened to you?!"

"We're done for! A devil! Gotō's turned into a devil!"

"Run! Hurry!"

The other classmates nearby noticed Gotō Iwen's terrifying appearance too. Some froze in place, dropping their cleaning tools to the floor, while those who reacted quickly took to their heels.

Kobeni Higashiyama was one of those who froze, too frightened to move.

Only Asaba Kotone remained calm, with nothing more than a slight furrow in his brow. He asked Gotō Iwen, "Gotō... did you make a contract with a devil?"

Gotō's condition made him neither a devil nor a fiend or a weapon human. Instead, he somewhat resembled Yuko from the original story, who had contracted with the Justice Devil.

Devil Hunters who made contracts with devils generally retained their normal human appearance. When using a devil's power, they usually summoned a part of that devil's body to attack.

But Yuko, who had contracted with the Justice Devil, had not only gained the ability to read other people's thoughts; she also transformed completely into a devil when using its power to attack.

Gotō Iwen's condition resembled Yuko's. Parts of his body had already become devil-like.

Gotō Iwen gave no answer. Extreme jealousy had overwhelmed his reason, leaving him almost incapable of thought. His only impulse was to kill Asaba Kotone, then kill the classmates who had made him jealous.

"Kill... kill you..."

Asaba Kotone was still waiting for Gotō Iwen's answer when Gotō suddenly erupted. Muttering "kill you," he fired something like an air bullet from the enormous eyeball rising from his back.

With his Mangekyō Sharingan, Asaba Kotone clearly saw the movement of the air and easily dodged the air bullet with a tilt of his head.

Bang!

It punched straight through the wall behind him.

Meanwhile, the school authorities had learned that a devil had appeared and immediately sounded the appropriate alarm. Teachers quickly and orderly led their students to safety.

They also immediately requested help from the police and private Devil Hunters. Even though the school authorities knew Asaba Kotone was on campus, they still had to take the necessary measures in a situation like this.

"Looks like we can't have a normal conversation. I'll remove that thing from your body first."

Asaba Kotone realized that Gotō Iwen had almost entirely lost his awareness and reason. This was very different from Yuko, whose reason had only been somewhat influenced by the Justice Devil, while her awareness remained clear.

His left eye immediately focused on the point where the black mass of flesh joined Gotō Iwen's back. Kamui's spatial distortion tore and twisted the connection apart, and the entire mass of black flesh, along with the enormous eyeball, fell to the floor.

But something black immediately began writhing on Gotō Iwen's back again, as though it was about to grow back.