It is now in the afternoon, and I am currently in my dormitory lying on my bed deep in thought. The guys were out for a seminar, so I unexpectedly found some time alone.

I was defeated, tired and alone. And yet, the pain in my chest still reminded me of the one-sided confrontation.

「Shit… it still hurts...」

Feeling a dreadful sense of loss, I sighed heavily. Slowly rubbing the knife wound resting there, I started to recollect the things that had happened a few hours earlier…

The woman who had targeted my life for the black card in my possession, wouldn’t let me go that easily. Interrupted by some kind of steam that came out of my neck, it was inevitable she would come after me a second time when it dispersed.

As I had anticipated, the woman immediately dashed forward to strike me with her knife again when her vision became clearer. But this time, it didn’t seem like her second attempt contained any killing intent. However, her cuts came quick and many, as my body revealed multiple red slits almost instantaneously!

But once again, when my body was on the verge of getting hurt, I entered the monochrome space. The pain assaulted the places which had been slashed, making my blood boil and condense around it---!

【Body tolerance has dropped to 0%.】

This time however, once ‘body tolerance’ had reached 0, those words inside my head gave me a different response.

【Warning. [Hyperbolic] is now inactive until full recovery.】

Following a faint whirring in my head, I could feel the rejuvenating effects I felt until now, lessen considerably.

Recovery---- it must be talking about my body’s ability to resist the pain that came from this strange phenomenon. And every time it did, my wounds would miraculously disappear.

No matter how I looked at it, this [Hyperbolic] was some kind of ‘healing factor’!

It seems like ‘body tolerance’ was like a HP gauge in games, and if it reaches 0, I would no longer have that kind of self-recovery effect on my body. Naturally, I wouldn’t want to be hurt in the first place, as the healing was a slow and painful process, a double-edged sword which messed with my senses when I ‘returned’ to the real world. If I were to experience it too many times, I’m afraid that I would go insane before I even faced death properly.

And something told me that it had to do with the existence of the black card as the red text seemed identical to the one I saw on the ATM’s screen. Come to think of it, I had felt a prick on my finger yesterday while I retrieved it. Did it inject me with this ‘ability’ back then?

There’s no use thinking too deeply about it. The origin of the black card was already a mysterious one to begin with. I should be grateful that I am even alive.

That’s right, I wasn’t in a state to be excited about this superhuman development. If the woman tried to attack me again while I could no longer use this strange ability, I was dead for sure!

It was impossible to fight back as my senses were constantly blurred by the aftereffects of that healing ability, and even if I was in top condition, I probably wouldn’t be a match for her. The way she ducked and weaved her body around like a snake made her movement unpredictable. And because it felt dangerous to randomly react to her assault while I was disoriented, I would always find myself defenseless by the time the knife had struck me.

I wouldn’t be surprised about her tactical reflexes, as the militant uniform that she was wearing suggested a certain amount of experience with that kind of CQC.

『...It looks like it’s true.』

「...」

Fortunately, the woman no longer seemed intent on continuing any further. As she stared at the chest wound that was patching itself up slowly this time, the woman flicked the knife around her fingers dexterously.

While breathing heavily, I clutched my weakened body with both knees collapsing to the floor. My frown deepened as my vision blurred once more. Feeling a sense of defeat, I couldn’t do anything but glare at her as if she were my mortal enemy.

Her fingers stopped moving around the knife after observing the subtle change in my facial expression. Her head lowered, obscuring her expression with one side of her fringe. Before long, she muttered with a low, threatening voice.

『...Change of plans.』

The woman narrowed her eyes after meeting with my gaze, and I thought I saw a smile for a moment.

...Was she going to spare me?

After returning her knife to its sheath she suddenly fished out a phone from a pocket, and started tapping on it rapidly.

---𝆕𝅗𝅥

It was then, a familiar melody started to play inside my bag, causing me to tense up again. At this timing too, there’s no way right? She has my phone number? Don’t tell me--!!

When I hurriedly took my phone and slid down the toolbar, I realized that ‘location service’ was active.

N-No way...

『Don’t be too surprised.』

She slid out an object behind the phone.

And it turned out to be the student ID that I had given to that office lady yesterday…!

『It’s easy to obtain someone’s phone number in this day and age.』

The woman walked towards me again with a casual stride, and I on the other hand was helplessly lying on the ground, motionless.

『Give me the bag obediently this time, and you won’t be hurt.』

I had no other choice, so I let go of the bag that I was hugging tightly with all my life, and watched painfully as she started helping herself to the stack of money and the black card inside.

It hurt even more when I saw every stack of note vanishing into the pockets around her attire. Those were… mine…

Ah! She’s taking my wallet too!

『Don’t worry, they’re all for safekeeping. I’ll return them to you later.』

The woman continued after giving me a glance.

Safekeeping…?

「...Later?」

Was she really going to return them? Along with the black card? No, I shouldn’t have any more expectations...

『...』

No matter how much I desired my questions to be answered, she no longer talked, and continued rummaging through my bag with a focused expression.

Amongst some of the valuables, she had unexpectedly taken the grape-flavored pearls Yamo-san had given me with her. Was she trying to check if it contained some kind of wiretapping device? She had dumped out its contents within the containers without leaving a single one intact, and then she crushed the transparent pearls with her boots.

When she had finished, the woman then gave me an impression like she was finally about to leave. However----

I didn’t have time to heave a sigh of relief before she took out her knife again...

-----And pointed it straight at my eye.

『One more thing.』

She spoke coldly as I carefully swallowed my saliva.

『Firstly, one word about this, and you’re dead.』

When I nodded immediately, she paused for a few seconds before letting me go.

Right. It’s no longer possible to run. If I have now come clear within the sights of X, I have nowhere else to run.

My life is now at the will of this woman, or rather, the organization behind her.

『Secondly...』

...There’s more after all.

『I know taking your valuables isn’t enough to make you listen. I can still tell that you are trying to resist.』

And so in order to break me completely, she’s trying blackmail now, is she?

『Come to think of it, you have a little sister---』

My eyes turned red almost immediately at the casual mention of her. Because to me, Yama was the only family I had left.

「----Don’t you dare touch my sister! ---Kuhh!」

The moment I tried to raise my head, the woman pressed her feet and pushed it right down, just like a dog. The words she spat out after, was like splashing cold water on me.

『Look at your current situation and tell me again. Are you in a position to make any demands right now?』

I looked down lifelessly and clenched my fists, the nails cutting into my palms, creating deep incisions.

「...I’ll do anything you tell me to, so please don’t do anything to her.」

『Looks like you really treasure her very much. ...Don’t worry, I don’t do things that I’m not forced to. If you still treasure your life, and those around you, you will follow my instructions very clearly from now on. Are we clear?』

「...Yes.」

I nodded feebly, my voice no longer had any semblance of resistance in it . She was right, and I was wrong in resisting. I should have remained like the coward that I was...

『Open your phone now. There should be a set of coordinates sent to you.』

I caught the phone weakly as she threw it back to me.

When I unlocked it, there was a message sent from an unknown number. A set of coordinates was written just like she had said.

What was she planning to do now?

Glancing at a small retro watch on her wrist, she continued.

『Two hours from now, I want you to go to that place and meet up with me again.』

「...」

『Where is my answer?』

She raised my chin with her knife, and looked at me seriously.

「...I understand.」

『Good answer, but I’ll give you my word just in case. Should you try anything funny… The things that I have said, I will execute without hesitation. Do not force me to show my hand.』

A double meaning, which leaves no room for refusal. Taking my silence as confirmation, the woman stood up promptly and began to leave.

『You should know this by now, that the moment that you’ve used it, there is no longer any turning back.』

She was right. I asked for this. There is no turning back.

The woman left me some words as she parted ways with me:

『Now that Noir has accepted you, you should prepare yourself for everything that is going to happen to you from here on. Because in various ways, your life is about to change completely.』

The recollection ended there, and I too got out of bed.

Recalling the life that I’d lived for all these years, and all the things that I had once taken for granted, I slowly fell into a state of melancholy. But there was no other choice. I had to go to this place. In order for the worst to not happen, I just had to listen to that woman. And hopefully, it wouldn’t be as bad as it sounded.

After leaving a note that I was going to go out so that they wouldn't question me, I grabbed some essentials and put them in my empty bag. Feeling that it was about time, I left the campus bitterly.