Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

“Bang!”

Those who forcefully burst through the iron door and rushed onto the rooftop were several adult men whom the girls did not recognize.

However, their identities could be identified by their uniforms and firearms—

Police officers.

Upon seeing the dozens of girls at the edge of the rooftop, their expressions also showed surprise. But their footsteps didn’t hesitate for a moment.

…They probably noticed the situation from downstairs! Without shouting “be careful” or “stop” like in TV dramas, the police officers rushed forward with agile movements, reaching the edge in the blink of an eye.

As professionally trained experts, although this bizarre situation of dozens of girls swaying precariously at the dangerous edge of the rooftop might be a first for them, it wasn’t too difficult to handle.

At this point, there was naturally no time to worry about minor concerns. Several strong adult men grabbed the high school girls’ arms and shoulders, saying “Sorry!” while unhesitatingly pulling their fragile bodies away from the rooftop edge.

Since they had been holding hands, they were already in an unstable position. Under the irresistible external force, the girls participating in the suicide gathering couldn’t maintain their balance and fell to the ground one after another, tumbling like gourds.

…

As the person at the center, Mitsue was likewise pulled back from the rooftop edge—which was no different from a cliff—by her companions as everyone lost their balance.

Although these delicate high school girls inevitably suffered bruises and surface skin abrasions from colliding with the cement ground in this process, it was far better than the tragic outcome of falling from the rooftop, with brains splattering and bones shattering throughout their bodies.

“Ha… ha…”

With both hands supporting her from behind, legs inelegantly spread apart, sitting awkwardly on the ground, Mitsue’s expression was frozen, her mouth hanging open. She looked like a fish thrown onto shore, helplessly opening and closing her lips on the verge of suffocation.

She could finally breathe fresh air. The heart beneath her chest began to revive from its near standstill caused by excessive fear and panic, resuming its beating.

Her hands and feet were as cold as a corpse.

At this moment, a slight warmth of blood flow finally surged up from within her body.

Yet her body still couldn’t stop trembling.

Mitsue no longer had the mental energy to continue pretending to be a spiritual leader in front of the girls.

Because her mind was completely blank.

“Are you alright?”

The police officer standing nearby asked about Mitsue’s condition while using his radio to call for nearby support and an ambulance.

The police officer’s voice helped Mitsue regain her scattered willpower. After focusing her mind, she immediately remembered something important—

“Kazuko…!”

Because her voice was constantly trembling, Mitsue’s tone sounded unusually sharp.

After attracting everyone’s attention, she swallowed, her face pale, seemingly trying to relieve the dryness in her throat. Mitsue’s gaze swept over the surrounding girls, then settled on a particular girl, staring fixedly without moving away.

“It’s Kazuko… you, why did you…”

Perhaps due to mental confusion, her words were fragmented and chaotic.

“Just now, the person who wanted to pull us down… it was you, why did you do this?”

Before Asami Yuko left this group, she had mentioned “something.”

“At last week’s regular gathering, an idiot went too far during wrist-cutting practice and fainted from excessive blood loss. Everyone at the gathering, including Thick-Brows, panicked and sent her to the hospital. She’s currently recuperating.”

The name of this “idiot” was Ohashi Kazuko.

A week later, she returned here, joining Mitsue-sama’s gathering again.

“Kazuko, you…”

Before she could finish speaking, as if seeing something terrifying, Thick-Brows drew in a sharp breath and didn’t continue.

At this moment, everyone’s attention on the rooftop was focused on Ohashi Kazuko.

However, she seemed completely unaware of this, huddling in a corner near the door, her empty gaze staring into the distance.

“Why why why why why why why is it like this…”

Kazuko’s braids had come loose, her messy hair covering her cheeks. The girl muttered to herself while unconsciously biting her fingers, as if it were a reflex action when troubled.

“Why won’t Mitsue-sama die with me is it a lie it’s a lie it’s a lie it’s a lie it’s a lie it’s a lie it’s a lie…”

After a while, she suddenly started to laugh strangely, “hehe,” her gaze firmly fixed on Mitsue, who was curled up not far away.

“Let’s die together. Hey, okay? Mitsue-sama, Kazuko loves you so much—”

Halfway through her words, a fierce light flashed in Ohashi Kazuko’s pupils.

“You won’t?”

“Die with me.”

“You don’t want to!”

“Die.”

“Die die die.”

“Die die die die die die die!”

As if to strengthen her persuasiveness, the girl’s teeth suddenly clamped down hard. Blood flowed from between her teeth.

“Eek—?!”

Mitsue herself, facing this malicious attack, naturally trembled uncontrollably in fear. The expressions of the other girls were equally terrible, pale and bloodless.

But all this was just the beginning.

Ohashi Kazuko’s gaze was empty and vacant, her body trembling constantly as if feeling cold. To dispel this chill, she began to chew her fingers vigorously.

It was the expression of someone casually chewing snacks like cookies. Kazuko seemed completely insensitive to pain, with blood and flesh bits oozing from the corners of her mouth.

With the momentum of someone about to gnaw all ten fingers to stumps, Kazuko opened her mouth, smiling distortedly while spitting out half a broken bone.

At this, even the police officers were momentarily stunned. Although only about ten seconds had passed, she had already used the biting force of her teeth to tear off large chunks of flesh from her palm, like a wild beast shaking its head forcefully.

For a moment, it was as if everyone had been soaked in ice water, a chilling sensation rising from their feet, freezing them in place.

…

“Hey! What are you all spacing out for?!”

At this moment, a clear female voice suddenly came from above everyone’s heads.

Long hair fluttering in the wind. Somehow, Asami Yuko was standing at the edge of the water tower, hands on her chest, looking down at everyone.

“Assistant-kun, stop her quickly!”

Before her words had fallen, the young man standing behind her unhesitatingly jumped down, using the momentum of his descent to knock over the girl who was continuously mutilating and devouring herself.