"What... are you talking about? Why did you... do this? WHY!?" Haru collapsed to the ground, asking in disbelief. He wished to reject the reality unfolding before him, but the pain and bleeding from the bolt in his chest made the truth of his friend stabbing him undeniable, like the clear dark sky above.
"Oh? You still have the energy to shout? Despite being on your deathbed, you sure are a tough guy, Haru." Akio chuckled and said, "Wait, are you perhaps asking for the reason behind my actions? Isn't it quite simple? I just simply hate you, and it's not something that I recently started doing, but ever since we became friends."
"W-What--!!" Haru opened his bloodied mouth in shock, not believing what he was hearing. But before he could ask, Akio twisted the bolt within his chest, causing excruciating pain to Haru until it broke in half.
[4 HP Remaining] Haru's system pointed out his remaining health but his emotion and body were badly hurt to notice it. It was a wonder how he was still able to speak.
"Oh, it broke." Seeing one broken half within his hand, while the other still stuck in Haru's chest, he threw the one in his hand and went in front of Haru.
As he crouched in front of Haru, locking eyes with him, Akio continued, "Do you know how long I've been waiting for a moment like this? For three damn years, we've been together—and not once did I stop loathing you."
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Haru shouted, his blurry eyes glaring at Akio.
"You should be asking why, not what," Akio said, voice calm but bitter. "And if I had to put it simply—I'd say I just hated your existence."
"I don't even know why… Maybe it was just how you were everything I wasn't. Carefree, easygoing, relaxed… like life never weighed on you. It sickened me. Yeah, this is my ugliness that I hid deep. But at least I've acknowledged it."
"What the hell are you saying…? Was there ever a time I treated you or anyone differently just because I had it easier!?" Haru asked, even as the strength in his body seemed to fade.
"You didn't," Akio admitted. "But you also never considered how much your background still affected people around you. Your father's money paved the road for you while I was stuck scraping through—juggling schoolwork, part-time jobs, university prep, after-school lessons… everything.
"So you know what I decided? I'd wash away my envy by becoming your friend. Then I'd slowly take everything you treasured. And in the end, I'd crush you—emotionally destroy you."
With a faint smile, he added, "Crazy, right? I also kept wondering how long it'd all work out. But somehow… the opportunities just kept falling into place."
Haru's chest tightened with a surge of emotional pain, so sharp and sudden that he couldn't speak—he could only stare at Akio in utter disbelief, as if the world around him had just crumbled.
Akio then shifted his gaze to Aki, who was encased within the chains, and said mockingly, "Hah. Looks like you weren't able to save her. Pathetic, aren't you?"
"Don't bring her into this!!!" Haru shouted, fearing that Akio might do something to her.
"See, this is what I also dislike about you. Aki this, Aki that. I was sick and tired of you always blabbering about her, not to mention how weird you two are together." As he spoke about Aki, Akio's lips curved into a devilish grin, and he continued, "You know, your father once asked for my opinion regarding the relationship between you two, and guess what, I was the one who told him that you treated Aki like a sister and wanted one like her."
"Wha--?"
'There's no way something like that actually happened, idiot… but who cares? If you hadn't been so open about your personal life, maybe these lies wouldn't have work,' Akio thought, amused as he watched Haru's reaction with silent satisfaction.
Akio laughed, his voice laced with mockery as he continued weaving his lies. "Guess I was the reason your parents remarried without a single worry about you two."
"You know what's even more hilarious? It was my idea for them to spring that little surprise on you guys—that sudden marriage announcement. Even though they were barely around and had no clue what either of you wanted, they still went along with it. I still can't believe how clueless your parents were—didn't even know what their own kids liked."
"Don't say a word about him. You don't know anything about my father!!!!" Haru shouted.
He scoffed, then added with a twisted grin, "Oh? Believe it or not, I was the main reason behind your separation."
"You think I'll believe that crap!?" Haru's voice shook with rage.
But such was the way of Akio—blending lies with the truth.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention it. Remember when your reputation suddenly took a nosedive after you started ignoring Aki? That was also me. I was the one spreading rumors about you," Akio said with a chuckle. "You never suspected a thing—probably because you never cared much about stuff like that. Being the student council president had its perks, you know."
"What…?"
His tactic was working perfectly. Had Haru been in a more stable emotional state, he might've caught the bluff. But Akio was deliberately exploiting this fragile moment to completely shatter him from the inside.
Haru's pulse pounded in his ears.
'Liar. That's a lie. Right?' But the smirk on Akio's face made his stomach churn.
Every word he spoke struck deeper than the bolt lodged in Haru's chest. It wasn't just betrayal—it was the sickening realization that someone he had trusted, someone he once called a friend, had been poisoning him from the shadows all along.
Haru, ignoring the pain, asked with emotions as if his heart was being crushed, "If you just hated or loathed me, then why didn't you just separate yourself from me!? Why did you become close with me!?... And now, why the hell are you... killing me!? Did all those time we spent together were nothing to you!?"
But Akio looked as if Haru had told a joke and laughed as he said, "As I said, I just wanted to have my own fun slowly destroying the things you cherished. And my dearest friend, do you still think that there is something wrong with what I am doing?"
He pointed around, gesturing to the shattered surroundings.
"The world we knew is gone," he continued, his voice filled with an eerie calm. "A new age has started—one where I don't have to be chained by morals, social norms, or any kind of law. I can do whatever I want."
He paused, savoring the moment. "And honestly, I didn't want to kill you this soon. I planned to drag this out a bit longer, to fool you more before ending it. But..."
His eyes darkened. "My System, or rather, a Devil named Momo, with whom I made a contract, is a little different from the ones you all have. And he gave me a quest, with a reward that's too tempting to refuse."
'What? System--!?' Hearing the word 'System,' Haru's mind immediately went toward Mimi, but before he could think further, Akio spilled another shocking truth.
"For the extravagant reward, the quest was quite simple – Stab you in the back with the very bolt that you gave to that dumb-head Kuga."
"W-What are you saying?" Haru's eyes widened as he realized something hidden behind his words.
"The very same thing you are imagining, Haru." Akio let out a good laugh as he continued cherishing the dread on Haru's face, "Despite the threat of that monster, I was literally laughing inwardly when I showed you Kuga's crossbow earlier. Ha-ha. You did not show even a slight doubt about it. And, oh yeah, I lied about not meeting Kuga and others."
"What have you done!?" Anger surged within Haru as he realized the intention behind Akio's words, and he couldn't help but panic about Kuga and the others well-being.
"The same thing I have been doing till now - manipulating people."
Akio then placed his hand on Haru's shoulder and brought his mouth to his ear as he continued, "You have no idea how much I enjoyed and cherished their screams when not just Kuga but the other fools too who came to the auditorium, thinking it would be their shelter with food, only to restart their worst nightmare of being encaged and be eaten alive."
"AAAKKIOOOOO!!!!!!!"