~ Friday, the eighteenth of October, 8:03 ~

The long corridor he had walked in the first day, as he first discovered the situation he'd gotten himself into, was the background to his stroll towards the classroom of class 1-2. Something strange occurred to Kaharu as he walked down the corridor filled with people, displaying those same eyes. Not only did he notice the fact that they weren't attacking him, meaning that orders probably had an expiry date to them. But also the fact that it almost seemed normal to him.

After several days of this being his normal day, the fact that the students of Akumu High School were controlled by someone didn't bat an eye from Kaharu. It almost seemed normal at that point, which was a scary realization for Kaharu to make. He may have been trying to take down the person behind it, retaining his morals, but for what reason did he actually do it?

He'd assumed and went into it with the goal of restoring freedom to the students, but by the time Friday had come, Kaharu felt like he was going against the perpetrator purely for personal reasons. A creepy, hollow, blast of emotion rippled through Kaharu's heart as he quickly stopped himself in his tracks. It was strange to think back to a time when that very silent corridor was filled with lively students, engaging with each other in youthful conversations and gossiping about people, including himself.

Even though he disliked that, maybe that was selfish. For him to decide the fate of hundreds of students just because he didn't like what they had to say about him. But he'd gotten such a large responsibility without even meaning to, the title of a god candidate seemed to be heavier than he'd wanted. He'd been attending the shrine every day still, but had avoided talking about the situation with the gods there. Judging from how the three-boned geezer attitude from the 'test' he took, Kaharu didn't think he'd get much information out of him.

Not only that, it was his fight. Kaharu didn't want to give it directly to anybody, and even if Kosuto was involved, he was still at the helm of the ship.

With that motivation reignited, Kaharu continued to walk down the corridor until another object caught his attention.

A stereo radio sat on the window counter a couple of meters ahead, colored in several odd colors. Magenta, violet, yellow, and burgundy.

Kaharu smiled as he realized what it could be and immediately reached down into his pockets, and soon it bulged out for a couple of moments. People scattered away as the 'classes' started, leaving the corridor even more empty as even the ominous squeaky sounds their shoes would make had been eradicated. That silence soon stopped as the radio made a white noise, seemingly tuning in into something. A popping noise that startled Kaharu broke that noise as the exact same high-pitched voice from yesterday made its introduction

"Hello, Kaharu Kahari. I, your God, have decided to contact you through this to bring sense into you. A man who knows when to give up is one that has a truly wise quality to them, and I suggest that you find that voice within yourself quickly. Let reality hit you.

Kaharu Kahari, I hereby order you to submit!"

Another bulge was formed within Kaharu's pockets as he dug them in yet again. He then smiled to himself as Kaharu went on with his walk, without the message having any effect on him at all. His road ahead wouldn't be long, but surveillance was abundant.

…

- So it didn't work!? -

Amatsuyu scratched his head harder as the pure frustration of it got to him yet again, the most frustrating part not being its functionality, but the smug smile on Kaharu's face.

- Why does it not work!?

Well, it's probably because he's also, presumably, a God Candidate. So we're on equal footing in terms of statu---

Us, equals!? How foolish of one to even try and assert such a claim. That puny fool playing god shan't even compare himself to us, a truly tragic sight, his attempts are. He keeps resisting our conquest of control, like a rebellious rat. But even though he may be evasive, a rat has no power against a human when it comes down to it.

Yeah! I… concur, I guess. All we have to do is approach him somehow and attack him when he isn't paying attention. If we can get the first strike, we can win!

But his powers…

Shut up. -

Amatsuyu smiled to himself as he stretched his arms wide across the stall he'd stationed himself in. If he'd finish off Kaharu, and the lurking Kosuto, then maybe he'd finally get the courage to do the thing he wanted deep down. Amatsuyu had an insatiable desire to compare himself, and the sight of Kaharu during lessons as he passed by was infuriating. Kaharu in the company of other people like he was, all wearing smiles, wasn't pleasant to him. The time he spent outside of class with his friends was fun, but there was something hollow about them. He'd thought that they were interested in him as a person, but as soon as the topic went outside of romantic, social, or fiscal successes, there was a bland look to their eyes. Everything was the way it was supposed to, but yet everything was hollow. Everything was empty.

Maybe if he proved himself better than the detestable character of Kaharu, that would mean something. Maybe Chiriko would be…

*BANG*

Amatsuyu slammed his head against the bathroom-stall wall, the topic brought up way more than he wanted to consider. There was only one road ahead of him, it was straight and simple. His road to success could only be attained in one way.

*SURIIIN*

The door was opened as Amatsuyu took a step outside of it, he had some stuff to take care of first.

…

By sneaking very carefully around the school, Kaharu had almost made it to his destination. The hallway where he'd almost gotten killed in ran along his left as he proceeded up the hallway, past a classroom packed with students. There was no longer any specific need to go around and cross off people in his handbook, as he'd already successfully narrowed the list down to a couple of people. He now had a way to find out who the perpetrator was, even though he had an ominous hunch as to who it was.

The way to his destination was filled with people in the hallway, who were perhaps having a break from class, that still posed a potential danger. There were no guarantees, and a new order could've been issued that made Kaharu the target again. So he tried to keep out of the sight of the students as his heart started racing more and more. A gentle reminder that the situation he was in wasn't really one to be taken lightly, even though he'd survived so far. The person behind the voice sounded like someone who'd gotten out of their mind for real.

Kaharu could actually die. That thought made Kaharu's mind race even more, as it looked like a field filled with mines was in front of him. One wrong step could lead to his demise, although he was satisfied with his usual balance, a mistake was a mistake. They could never be predicted.

Precautions could be taken to avoid them as much as they could, so Kaharu's steps were lighter than they usually were. Even if he triggered one, an escape route would be necessary. The blast radius couldn't have been that large anyway.

*TAP*

His heart dropped to below the minefield in front of him as the tap on his shoulder woke him from a deep concentration. His eyes quickly drew up to see if concern was necessary for the situation, it wasn't.

"Kaharu, you look frightened, what's going on? Kuhuhu"

Kaharu instantly straightened his back as he retorted

"You bastard! How dare you come late today!? Don't ever touch me again!"

Kosuto took a step back in surprise as he said

" 'Ever'!? What does that even mean!?"

Kaharu shrugged Kosuto's comment off as he walked into the room in front of him.

Akuma High Schoo's Broadcasting room.

…

*Shake*

Like a snake in danger, Amatsuyu's legs were vibrating against the clean floor underneath him. His absolute confidence in his head had gotten unstable, his upper hand was running out. The superior hand he was dealt with had been given an indefinite stalemate to their war, if he was incapable of winning even when his power usage was at its best. What was the point? That was the whole reason he'd done it to begin with, an attempt to give validity to his lifestyle. He needed to win.

The three puzzle pieces were ultimately useless in their attempt to provide fair stability to Amatsuyu's inner. One took the lead and the other, confused one, followed in its stead as it compelled them. Only two pieces were required for the actions he took, and he was about to embark on a final stand. It didn't matter if it wouldn't hold in the long run, all he needed was a little bit of time.

- All I need is some time to set up everything properly. Then…

Then, my victory would be assured. I just… -

Amatsuyu stood up and started sprinting to the location projected on his screen. He would stage his desperate final stand there.

…

Right ahead of Amatsuyu was the notorious figure of Kaharu, a form he'd had to watch for a couple of days at that point. It carried many emotions with it, but Amatsuyu threw them away as he neared him with a very distant Kosuto lounging around.

"Hey, Kaharu...!"