Bad Meets Evil


[Bad Meets Evil, Part 1]

"W-Wait, wait, wait! I'm just here to talk—Ugh!"

The young man's words died as a fist drove deep into his stomach, and he folded to his knees on the uneven asphalt. Two sets of hands seized his shoulders, jerking him upright and dragging him down the dilapidated streets.

No one around them bat an eye. This was Fujiwara Ward, after all. The small shops and cracked apartment buildings they passed bore the same symbol embroidered into the jacket and belt of his captors. Four characters written in cursive, announcing members of the Fujiwara Senki and promising swift retribution to any vandalism in their turf.

Besides the authority wielded by the gang, the young man himself was no innocent victim. The black gakuran clinging to his bulky frame carried as many violations as the delinquents'. A ripped collar, buttons replaced with mismatched studs, and sleeves crudely cut short to show his forearms, inked with temporary tattoos.

The symbol of a rival group. Like the young man, they were a bunch of high school level athletes, brought under one banner by the soccer club's ace, Ryosuke Yuga. They found strength in numbers to shield each other from the rampant yakuza recruitment in their poverty-ridden ward, but when the Fujiwara Senki swept through their neighborhood and dismantled those same yakuza, their leader refused to bow his head under a new boot. Only half of the gang followed after Ryosuke as he fought to take over the turf freed by the Fujiwara Senki, and every single one of them was brutally beaten down for their efforts. Their leader and strongest member was now stuck in the hospital, along with several of their key fighters.

All thanks to the person before him right now.

"Boss! We caught one of those Tobashira punks snooping around!"

Dragged forward, the young man's shoes scraped against the pavement until the streets gave way to a hulking, abandoned warehouse, its once grey walls now streaked with several juvenile attempts at graffiti. Inside, a circle of gang members stood in a loose ring, talking amongst themselves. At the center, their leader stood atop a pile of wooden crates, the dim bulb above casting long shadows over her frame.

"Well? What's your business here?" asked Momofuu-ki, the Fujiwara Senki's leader. Like everyone else around the young man, she wore a school uniform, but the sailor outfit over her slender frame was not dyed in Higan's classic white and blue, instead remade in black and red. Her skirt, lengthened beyond her academy's dress code, swayed slightly as a faint breeze entered the warehouse.

"W-We..." the young man stuttered, every muscle in his body paralyzed under the sukeban's crimson eyes. The bokken resting under her arm gleamed faintly, and he could see it swinging again with brutal precision, cracking ribs and shattering jaws as she did with his comrades that night. He swore he could still see flecks of dried blood on the weapon's grain, and his knees trembled at the realization. But for the sake of his comrades, he forced himself to swallow the panic.

"We surrender," he finally stammered, each syllable trembling.

Momofuu-ki's brow arched. "What's that?"

He managed to steady himself enough to repeat it.

"The Tobashira Trailblazers, w-we surrender. We don't wanna fight."

Momofuu-ki clicked her tongue.

"You're a few days late, boy. Your vice-leader already came crawlin' to me with the news."

"T-Then... why are you still attacking us?!"

At that, the sukeban's scowl deepened. "Oi," she growled, gaze sweeping across her gathered crew. "Are any of ya dumbasses ignoring my words?!"

The circle stiffened. Every member shook their head, hands raised, voices overlapping in hasty denial.

"Wasn't me, boss!"

"Ain't laid a finger on 'em!"

"Never set foot on Tobashira, swear on it!"

Momofuu-ki turned back to the young man, her expression hard as stone. "If they say they didn't do it, then they didn't do it."

The young man's chest heaved with anger and dread. She'd trust them just like that? What about his friends? "W-What about our vice-leader? He never made it back from coming here! W-We had to find his body dumped on Shirakawa Street! H-He's in a coma right now!"

The name twisted something in her expression. She snapped her fingers. "Map."

One of her crew hurried forward, unfolding a creased map of Kageoka across the crate to her right. Momofuu-ki beckoned the young man with a jerk of her chin.

"Shirakawa, right? Step up. Show me exactly where you found 'im."

He hesitated only a moment before shuffling forward. Hands shaking from the proximity between them, he pointed to a specific spot in Shirakawa Street. Her frown deepened, the lines at the corners of her mouth pulling taut.

"What about the others? Where'd it happen?"

He pointed again, again, and again, tracing each incident he could remember. Momofuu-ki followed his finger, her scowl only darkening with each spot he marked. At last, she let out a slow breath through her nose.

"Tch. I get it now. This ain't my handiwork, nor any gang's for that matter."

Before he could ask what she meant by that, she jabbed the bokken at his chest, making him back off. "Alright, I'll solve your situation. Turn around."

The young man blinked, unsure he heard her correctly until she repeated herself.

"Turn around. You guys, too."

His confusion rippled through the Fujiwara Senki. Yet as her unyielding glare swept across the room, every head began to turn away. The young man followed suit, wary of what would happen if he didn't.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed something previously hidden by the dimness in the room and the color of her skirt. A cat. A small black bobtail curled comfortably in Momofuu-ki's lap, sides rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep.

The realization struck him dumb. She was about to stand. If she did so carelessly, she'd wake the animal. The fearsome sukeban who had sent half his friends to the hospital was commanding her people to hide the sight of herself gingerly moving a cat from her lap.

And everyone obeyed.

"Alright, stop."

The boy risked a glance over his shoulder. The cat now stretched out lazily atop one of the crates, still sound asleep, ears flicking slightly. Momofuu-ki stood tall, bokken over her shoulder, expression as merciless as ever. Wisely, nobody said a word.

"You." she pointed at one of her underlings. "You'll take care of Kuro-tan from now on. Make sure he eats better than you do. Madoka will take you to the vet so he gets his shots."

"Yes, Boss!" the girl barked, face flushing as she scrambled toward the crate.

It was another mental blow to the young man. He had expected to have intruded in a strategy meeting or a public punishment. Instead, she assembled her crew here to decide which of them could take Kuro-tan home.

Still, he recalled his own Tobashira Ward. The streets there were flooded with strays, eyes glowing out of dark alleys, ribs poking through their fur as they scavenged. He could not recall such sights while being dragged around Fujiwara. Could this gang really be...?

His train of thought was derailed as Momofuu-ki strode past him. She did not wait for anyone, and her gang followed, ushering the young man along with not-so-gentle shoves.

"You heard the boss, Trailblazer boy," one muttered.

"Yeah, move along," another added.

The young man staggered back into the street, his mind a storm of questions. If no gang got to his friends, then who did?

The only thing certain in his mind was that Momofuu-ki would handle it.


[Bad Meets Evil, Part 2]

As Momofuku Chikata, known to her people as Momofuu-ki, walked down the main street, the air grew taut, and people began to fall in order.
A vendor and customer stopped shouting prices at each other, several delinquents shuffled back into their doors, and a pair of boys roughhousing stopped mid-swing to smile shakily at her. Her eyes were twitching with annoyance, and her entire frame screamed murder, a tangible aura that made hairs on necks stand up.

Simply put, she was pissed. The ones who kicked those rival gang members while they were down were not delinquents, yakuza, or even humans at all.

It was a supernatural occurrence. She didn't remember every single detail those student council dumped on her, but the gist of it was the barriers between the human world and the spirit world had been thinning over the years, and nowadays their fractures bled into the city. The mysterious accidents, the inexplicable deaths, almost every piece of chaos making her duty as a gang leader infinitely harder could be traced back to this [Idea World].

Creatures from that place couldn't strike anywhere, though. They were bound to certain pockets where the material and ideal bled into each other. But it just so happened that every single place that kid pointed out in her map had been a [Bleeding Zone].

"Hmph," she mumbled under her breath, "I'm not using that damn door."

Higan's student council had a gate to help transport people into those zones, but it was a school day today, and Momofuku had been blatantly skipping it to do her own thing. She wasn't in the mood to explain herself or catch a lecture. She also had no intention of dragging her whole crew into this. Most of them were told about the [Idea World], but only a select few had the power to brave it.

Thus, her first stop was an abandoned apartment block at the edge of her ward. An early target for a government renovation that never fell through. It was barred by iron gates, its windows were barricaded to prevent settlers, and there were caution signs and tapes all around it.

However, beyond the gates was a thin girl with short, light hair. She crouched low and fiddled silently with a set of picks, her fingers teasing the front door's rusty lock.

Momofuku leapt over the gates and strolled towards her.

"Dawn," she called, "You been around Tobashira since that turf war we had the other day?"

Belladonna Sola—nickname Dawn—did not pause in her work, but turned slightly to her leader.

"... No. I stay here. Less noise." Her voice was flat, as if she didn't think her whispers belonged in the air.

Momofuku nodded once. "Right. I got a job. [Idea World] stuff. You got time to tag along?"

A soft click answered before Belladonna did. The lock surrendered under her picks, and the door creaked an inch open. She stood, tucking her tools neatly into her pants' pockets, her expression unreadable.

"... I'll come, Boss."

A sharp grin twitched at the corner of Momofuku's mouth before fading beneath her usual scowl. "Let's go, then."

Side by side, the two girls left Fujiwara Ward, the taller sukeban radiating menace while the quieter girl clung next to her like a shadow.

Soon, they were greeted by narrow streets twisted between half-collapsed wooden houses and lopsided apartment blocks. Tobashira Ward smelled of rust and stagnant water. Shuttered stores lined the main drag, their faded signs half-buried in grime, and stray dogs slunk in the alleys, sniffing through piles of garbage.

Momofuku and Belladonna found their next member sprawled at the base of a lamppost, head tilted awkwardly against the metal, a cigarette butt smoldering next to his open hand. The sukeban strode up, kicking it away and prodding the young man's ribs with her bokken.

"Itsuki. You alive?"

"..." His broad chest rose and fell, slow and steady.

She crouched before him, tugging at his shirt with one hand, and pulling at his hair with another. That was when his eyes flickered open. For a moment, they locked gazes, and then Momofuku continued to check him for injuries. Nothing life-threatening, only some bruises turning his ribs purple, and a light swelling in the back of his head.

She leaned back on her heels with a heavy frown.

"So, what had you napping on the sidewalk like some drunkie?"

Itsuki's voice was low and gravelly from sleep. "Yakuza rats. Caught a couple of them sneaking back here... I put them down. Was on the lookout for more."

Momofuku grunted, not happy with the answer, but persuaded enough.

"Wouldn't it be better to lean against a wall...?"

They turned to Belladonna, who had tilted her head in confusion. "Resting like this... twists the back. Bad posture."

Momofuku rolled her eyes. "As if he cares. Bet his body passed out here 'cuz the lights let him see the trouble coming."

Itsuki grunted, shifting slightly. "... Hm. That's right."

Belladonna's gaze slid up the street, then to a nearby balcony. "But a rooftop would be safer. Higher. You'd see further."

Momofuku blinked. Her crimson eyes cut back to Itsuki, expecting a retort.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. What was he now, the authority on sleeping in the streets? "I'll think about it next time," he muttered.

Momofuku extended a hand, hauling him up with a single pull. "Great. Now tell me, did ya run into any [Bleeding Zones] in here?"

Itsuki rolled his shoulders. "Nope. Just idiots."

"Figures." Momofuku grumbled, then set her glare on him again. "Anyway, don't listen to Dawn's enabling. You're a member of the Fujiwara Senki. Don't let me or any punk catch you sleeping in the streets like a bum." With that warning, she was already turning down the street. "I gotta handle some stuff. We'll talk about those yakuza later!"

She had barely taken a few steps before Itsuki called after her.

"Boss. Is any of this related to him?"

The sukeban waved him off. "Nah, supernatural shit. Don't sweat it. And try to pass out at your place next time, you hear?"

"Or a rooftop," Belladonna added, earning a sigh from him and a glare from Momofuku.

Itsuki and the two girls went their separate ways.

"Welp, I've checked in with everyone. Let's go to a [Bleeding Zone], Dawn."

"... what about Onguuchi-san?"

"Madoka? She's in class right now," provided the serial truant. "What about her?"

Her fellow class skipper blinked. "Are you not going to ask if she was in a [Bleeding Zone] with the Trailblazers?"

The sukeban snorted. "Of course not."

"... eh? Why...?"

When running any organization, mistakes in the chain of command were inevitable. Momofuku trusted her gang members to behave while she wasn't around, but if confronted with a possibility of the opposite, she would go right at them and demand some goddamned accountability, for the sake of the reputation she and other members built from the ground up.

"Cuz she's Madoka."

With one exception. She had absolute faith in her childhood friend.

The befuddled Belladonna was forced to keep following the gang leader.


[Bad Meets Evil, Part 3]

A corner turned, and the world went wrong.

Deep into Tobashira Ward, the street before Momofuku and Belladonna sagged and shimmered, buildings drooping like melting wax. Signage twisted into ancient symbols, their vocabulary changing to fit eras long gone. Yet the people around them continued with their days. Housewives with grocery bags hurried past, tired salarymen brushed by, and a child skipped past them, tugging at her mother's hand. Their senses were blind to the other world.

Belladonna tilted her head, pale eyes scanning the [Bleeding Zone]'s borders.

"... It's stabilized."

Momofuku nodded. "[Zona Oscura]... watch out for human enemies, too."

They paced the warped street in silence, Belladonna's eyes flicking from gutter to rooftop, Momofuku scanning every shadow.

Then, a wet, slapping sound caught their attention. From an alley, something dragged itself into view. A creature the size of a dog, glistening like molten asphalt. Something slick and black dripped from its limbs, which barely held form. Its shape rippled between rat, pigeon, dog, never settling, never whole.

Twin white cavities blinked with emptiness.

The [Nightmare Foundling] froze as it met their eyes, then darted away on malformed limbs.

"Oi! Don't run way, you slimy bastard!" Momofuku shouted, but her chase died as soon as she reached the alley it had left.

A line of high school students slumped against the walls, their faces pale. Each one bore a Foundling clinging to them, their black tendrils sunk into temples, chests, hearts. They drained the spark of dreams and ideas, feeding on what made one human.

Spit hit the ground behind the girls. Ordinary passerby didn't slow their steps at the sight, only casting disgusted glances and bitter mutterings at the slumped students.

"Damn kids nowadays..."

To them, it was just another corner of a forbidden zone, filled with drug-addicts. Under their gazes, these youths would lose themselves, becoming shells devoid of hope and despair.

"... [Simply Red]!"

No longer.

BOOM!

A shadow stirred above, and then a red comet crashed on the street, cratering the pavement. The school girl oni bared her fangs with a grin, muscular body thrumming with reckless energy.

"ORA!"

Before the Foundlings could recoil, Momofuku's [Idolon] blurred forward. Wind whirled in a cyclone below her feet, turning her into a spinning storm of violence.

"ORA! ORA! ORAORAORAORAORAAAA!!!"

Her kanabo swung again and again, each blow a thunderclap popping the dream-sucking creatures like rotten fruit. Tar splattered the walls, pavement, and even the air itself, but when the dust settled, it was already over. The Foundlings dissolved into oily smoke, the students breathed an unconscious sigh of relief, and [Simply Red] stood grinning.

The red oni puffed her chest and looked at her user, expecting some form of praise. Momofuku pointedly ignored her, walking towards the rescued victims—

"Hark!"

An arm cut off her path. Under the [Bleeding Zone]'s warped light, Belladonna had already shifted into her [Idolon], a pale knight in dark armor with a leather jacket on top.

"An enemy approaches," [Dawn] continued, her head snapping upward.

Momofuku heeded her call, a not a moment later, the shadows in a rooftop coalesced into a silhouette.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?!"

Unlike the ever-shifting Foundlings, this shadowy creature had the permanent shape of a man. The white gaps in his body were not eyes, but instead a wide, mocking grin, and a gaudy white chain around his neck.

He leaned over the rooftop's edge, grin sharpening, head pointed straight at Momofuku. "Ahh, of course. Of fucking course it's you. Who else would come stick their nose in and ruin everything?"

Momofuku raised an eyebrow, not recognizing him or his voice. "The hell are you supposed to be?"

"[I'm Shady]!"

"No shit, asshole. I'm asking for a species. Yokai? Idea? Idolon?"

[I'm Shady] lazily spread his arms. "Why don't you rub some braincells together and figure it out, Momofuu-ki?"

Before Momofuku could retort, [Dawn]'s voice cut through the air. "Momofuu-ki, hold! The rescued fail to recover."

The sukeban's eyes snapped back to the fallen students, and she swore under her breath. [Dawn] had put it lightly. The boys they freed from the Foundlings were not only failing to recover, they were actively getting worse. Over their exposed skin, black sigils coiled like chains, spreading across their bodies.

The marks pulsed faintly, and threads of light seeped into the air, drawn toward the grinning figure above.

"No wonder the Foundlings even got them in that state..." Momofuku began, her voice raising with each word. "You're draining them dry and leaving them to rot, you bastard!"

Without the Foundlings atop their bodies, she could also see their temporary tattoos between the chain sigils. These were members of the gang she defeated not long ago.

This creature was the culprit behind it all!

Dawn's hand went to her scabbard, her knightly stance firm. "To prey upon innocents who cannot even glimpse the truth... thou shame thyself, villain."

[I'm Shady] scoffed, grin faltering slightly. "... who cares? It's not like they see me in the real world anyway."

Momofuku's lips curled, her canines flashing in a dangerous smile. "The real world, huh? An [Idolon], stealing life force from gang members... I can tell who's behind you now, Shady!"

A bokken was pointed at the evil shadow, followed by kanabo and longsword.

"And I'm gonna kick his ass in the real world, just like last time!"

The shadow rippled, fury burning through the darkness. "You won't even make it to my room, bitch! And it's [I'm Shady]!"

The [Idolon]'s form unraveled, melting back into the rooftop's shadows. With his exit, the borders between real and ideal began to quiver. The warped world destabilized, stitched seams trembling without his [Zona Oscura] to hold them steady.

Then came the pain.

All three of them dropped to their knees as searing heat carved across their skin. The same black chains marring the students now spread across their necks and wrists, slowly creeping across their bodies. Their strength bled away, each heartbeat pumping more of their lifeblood into [I'm Shady]'s unseen grasp.

"What manner of witchcraft...!" [Dawn] grunted, her incarnated form flickering at the edges. "... has he somehow weaponized the Mark Of Death?"

Momofuku grit her teeth, bracing herself on her bokken. "No! This one only works as long as we're not facing him head on." That's why the un-awakened students keeled over so quickly. "But if we face the user and beat him, every mark will vanish."

"Then let us take the fight to him."

She pulled Momofuku up by the arm. [Simply Red] stepped in next, crouching low and hooking one massive arm under her user's stomach. With a single beat, the oni lifted her up and surged to the skies. [Dawn] leapt after them, bouncing from building to building, her cloak whipping in the wind.

"Where dost thou lead us?" she called, accelerating her own time to match their pace.

"I know who the user is now. The one draining those gang members is none other than their own leader, Ryosuke Yuga!"

[Dawn]'s eyes sharpened. "... he lies still in a hospital bed, struck down by thy hand. His [Idolon] must be possessed from afar, until his stolen vigor is enough."

Momofuku nodded grimly, crimson glare burning hotter. For her, the act of turning on one's own gang was the ultimate betrayal.

"We're gonna storm his room and force Shady to take the ass-kicking for him."

As they cut through the [Bleeding Zone], [Simply Red] spotted the last rogue Foundling that ran from them earlier. With a swing of her kanabo, a gust of razor wind sliced it into nothing before it could let out a dying cry.

Then, they landed back in the human world. Around them, the [Bleeding Zone]'s warped colors shattered like glass. [Dawn]'s armor dissolved mid-step, shrinking her to the sweater-clad form of Belladonna Sola. Simply Red faded too, her form translucent, clinging like a phantom over Momofuku's shoulder. Even stripped of their supernatural power, the two suburban daredevils never broke stride. They parkoured through the city, lungs burning as ethereal black chains coiled ever tighter over their bodies.

The sun was setting when the pair neared Hoshizora General Hospital, both frowning the moment the building loomed into view. Its outline shimmered unnaturally, and a giant banner floated above its name. The characters branded on it constantly changed, unable to decide the competition it extolled.

The entire thing had become a self-contained [Bleeding Zone], likely stabilized by their target.

They pushed past the threshold. Belladonna's demure frame stretched into [Dawn], black regalia glinting under the bright lights. Simply Red landed behind Momofuku, palming her weapon. Inside, the atmosphere was another barrier on their path. The sterile air of the hospital seemed to amplify a hundredfold, and every set of eyes turned to them with spite.

"Ruined everything..."

"Damn Fujiwara bitch..."

"She crippled him...!"

Or rather, they turned to Momofuku. Nurses, patients, janitors, their chorus of curses bounced off the sukeban's proud frame, but rebounded onto her accomplice. For a moment, Belladonna's voice peeked through.

"Boss..."

"Hm?"

"Wait for reinforcements? Yuga's hospitalization: two weeks now. Ambient negativity: far higher than the last zone. Traps: likely."

[Simply Red] planted a firm hand on her ally's shoulder, grinning encouragingly. Her user pursed her lips, calculating her words.

"We're on the clock here, Dawn. Not just us, but everyone he's marked over the past dozen days. Besides..."

She jabbed a thumb at herself. "I've beat that punk once, alone. Awakened or not, you and I won't lose."

The lady knight nodded sharply, a new resolve lighting her eyes. "Alright... point me towards our foes."

Together, they strode toward the reception, and Momofuku slapped a hand on the counter.

"I'm here to make a visit."

The nurse trembled at the audacity, her face twisted into pure hatred. "You...! How dare you...! YOU WON'T LAY A FINGER ON HIM!"

The floor shook. Something shone behind them, and the trio turned in time to see molten gold pooling at the center of the lobby. It began to solidify into a hand, then another, and finally the monster dug itself from the liquid metal. It was a trophy with arms and legs, ribbons dangling from its back like a cape of medals. The head was a hollow cup, spilling blood and water.

2010.
2011.
2012.
CHAMPION.

No. It was blood, sweat, and tears. Many years were carved on the [Bigger Idea], accolades that could have been.

A monument of wasted potential.

The creature snarled in a jagged, metallic voice, and the un-awakened people in the hospital sunk in deep bows.

"Haven't you done enough, Momofuu-ki?! Are you going to shatter his dream again?!"

The trophy's golden light was absorbed by the darkness beside it. [I'm Shady] shimmered into existence, putting one arm around the monster's torso in a half-hug.

"Of course she will! It's always violent people like her trying to ruin everything!"

"Yuga~!" the trophy wept, tears flowing faster from its top. "You were the star of our Matsukaze High! A jewel of japanese soccer in the making! Why did you have to join a gang?!"

The [Idolon] threw his head to the ceiling, fist shaking with rage. "Those damn yakuza were poaching my club-mates for cheap muscle! How the hell could I compete without a team?! We needed that strength in numbers!"

Their voices grew together, feeding into each other's misery.

"But they left you out to dry! Half of them ran away when it was time to fight another gang!"

"It's all her fault!"

"All her fault! What if you never make a full recovery after what she did to your knees!"

"My dream!"

"Your dream!"

"And now she's stopping you from making a full recovery! We have to take her life!"

"I have to! I'm going to suck her into a husk—!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY! YOU'RE BOTH ANNOYING!"

"..."

"..."

Momofuku's teeth ground audibly as she glared bloody murder at the duo, cowing them with a superior fury. They avoided her gaze, preferring the hospital's clean floor.

"No one forced Yuga to form a gang. No one forced him to fight me. And I'm sure as hell no one is forcing him to drain people for a dream that MIGHT be dead. He chose all of it! If you got the guts to hurt others, you better have the guts to take a beating yourself."

Responding to her user's fighting spirit, the oni lowered her stance, kanabo held with both hands and ready to swing.

"And if you didn't get that through your thick skull, then I'll beat it into your soul! [Simply Red]!"

[I'm Shady] immediately slipped backward, avoiding the oni's strike and fleeing higher into the hospital. The [Vengeance Link] between him and the girls snapped tight again, earning pained hisses.

"Seize them!"

At the trophy's summons, the hospital erupted. Every patient, nurse, doctor, janitor, and technician hurled themselves at the trio like rabid hounds.

For a split second, Momofuku and [Dawn]'s eyes met, and the lady knight turned around, vaulting over the reception counter without a word from her leader. She easily tripped up the nurse charging at her, and followed up with a paralyzing curse. While her opponent struggled to get up, [Dawn]'s hands blurred, navigating through the terminal.

"Stand thy ground, Momofuu-ki! I shall divine Yuga's chambers!"

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"

Meanwhile, Momofuku and her [Idolon] protected their ally. The oni's kanabo tore arcs of wind through the air, sending bodies flying like dolls. The sukeban's bokken cracked against skulls and ribs, knocking down waves of zombies to get paralyzed by Dawn's abilities.

Finally, a victorious cry rang from behind the deadly duo.

"I have found it! Room 97!"

Momofuku could only grunt in response, wiping the sweat from her brow. "We're going up, then!"

[Simply Red] grinned, grabbing her user and ally in a whirlwind, then smashing through the ceiling with a headbutt. Mighty gales blew away the rubble, protecting her charges. Again and again she repeated the feat, busting through floors, hauling them ever upward through jagged holes. The zombified hospital staff simply could not keep up with their vertical movement.

However, they soon struck a metaphysical roadblock.

The next floor did not resemble a hospital at all. Space itself had stretched wide and warped into a glowing field that somehow smelled of fresh grass. Stadium lights blazed overhead though no fixtures existed, and chalk-white lines spread below in real time. Red jerseys manifested over the trio, carrying the Fujiwara Senki's symbol.

On the opposite side of the field stood nine zombies in battered orange jerseys, belonging to Yuga's school team. The golden trophy shimmered into existence at the centre circle, a ball at its feet, a captain's jersey loose over its inhuman torso.

"First to score!"

A referee's whistle signaled the first kick-off.

"Dawn, be the goalkeeper!"

"I shall stand as the fortress wall within the penalty area! No ball shall reach the net while—"

"I get it, I get it, just move!"

One girl retreated into the field, while the other two jogged forward.

There was an implicit understanding between the three of them that this battle was a desperation play from the [Bigger Idea]. To twist space into a stadium and force the rules of soccer onto awakened fighters must have cost the trophy monster most of its power. It could not hold on for long. However, the same was true for them. The brands of vengeance had already crawled into their torsos, siphoning their life away.

Victory had to be swift.

The ball snapped across the field, zombies moving with jerky but unnerving coordination. Momofuku and [Simply Red] charged to cut off strikers and wingers, but they were too outnumbered. The enemy team stormed into the penalty area with short passes between them, and [Simply Red] hesitated to use her physicality to foul them, knowing the referee would be biased against her team.

The zombie striker lurched, planted his foot, and swung. The oni lunged across the shot path, but her opponent adjusted mid-swing, slamming the ball from another angle—

THOOOOOOOOOMM!

TICKTOCKTICKTOCKticktocktick...

[Dawn] focused. She estimated the strength of the zombie's kick, calculated the ball's curve, and determined where it would meet the net.

...tockticktockTICKTOCKTICKTOCK

Time resumed. The ball streaked towards the goal, but the keeper was already there. Her gauntlet swatted it from the air with perfection, hurling it back into play.

"Nice save!" Momofuku called.

[Simply Red] trapped the rebound with her chest, a sharp grin splitting her lips.

Her counter-attack was demonic. She bulldozed through the enemy team's defense, nearing the penalty area at thrice the zombies' speed. Then, she kicked the ball forward, spun, and started back-flipping violently across the field, catching up to a pass to herself with a whirlwind around her.

"[Spinning Shoot]!" Momofuku's made-up-on-the-spot technique volleyed toward the goal.

The opposing keeper never had a chance.

Fujiwara Senki: 1.
Yuga's Dream: 0.

The enemy team despaired, and Momofuku spun around, taunting the phantom audience in the stands with middle fingers. [Simply Red] mirrored her, and the two began to circle each other, dancing in celebration.

"Hell yeah! Take that!" the sukeban cheered, only to freeze as she caught herself mid-spin. Her cheeks tinged pink, and she coughed into her fist, glancing aside.

"... you two are taking this to the grave."

[Dawn] nodded, accepting the oath. The oni girl just winked, tugging at her fading jersey to wipe at her sweaty face.

"No... it can't be... we lost..."

The golden trophy crumpled on all fours, clutching at false grass. The green pitch quickly gave way to cracked tiles and flickering fluorescent lights, revealing the hospital's ninth floor, with unconscious staff freed of their mind control.

"If only... our team had its ace... our eleventh member..." The trophy's voice rang from the end of the corridor. Its body was rapidly breaking apart after losing a battle under its own enforced rules.

"Hehehe...."

A familiar laugh slithered from one of the rooms.

"The ace only takes the stage when all hope seems lost."

Leaving Ryosuke's bedside, [I'm Shady] stepped into the scene, closing the door behind him.

"He carries the team's wishes..."

As the girls ran towards their enemies, the shadow crouched low, firmly grasping the trophy's shattering body.

"And brings them glory!"

With the sound of shrieking metal and the trophy's scream, he pulled his ally apart, showering himself in its remains. Golden blood replaced replaced his white teeth and filled his chain, glinting gaudily under the hospital lights.

"Now, [My Name Is]...!"

"ORA!"

His body blurred to the side, avoiding the kanabo's swing. "Tch, [My Name Is]...!"

"ORA!"

Another whirlwind strike tore in his direction, forcing him back. He skidded against a wall, frame trembling in rage at the interruption.

"[My Name Is]—"

"ORA!"

Finally, [Simply Red] landed a blow.

It didn't even push her opponent back.

"[Slim Shady]!" the evolved [Idolon] declared, swinging back with a counter that sent the oni hurtling towards her allies before she righted herself with wind.

"Cheeky bitch," he spat. "Used to scare the piss outta me, I'll admit. But you're weak now. All three of you are."

Simply Red's chest heaved, her grin wavering for the first time as beads of sweat dripped down her scarlet skin. Momofuku's bokken sagged in her grip, her breaths shallow. [Dawn] clutched her sword hilt like a lifeline, trembling with the effort of holding herself upright. With [Slim Shady] in sight, the mark no longer sapped their life forces, but it had been present while they sprinted across an accurately-sized soccer field.

"Boss..." [Dawn] staggered forward, voice wavering between gallant and meek. "I have a way to relight the fire in our veins...! But it has a charge time."

Momofuku spat blood on the floor and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. The feedback on that last attack was nastier than she expected.

"I'll buy all the time you need. [Simply Red]! We're not dead yet!"

The oni gave a sharp nod and thundered across the floor again.

"ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAOORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA!"

The air quaked as the two [Idolon] tore into each other again, steel and shadow clashing hundreds of times, splitting the hospital's walls and floor with their blows.

Behind them, [Dawn] closed her eyes, her scabbard glowing faint with gathering light.

As the oni's swings continue to lose her reckless strength and speed, she adapted. Her kanabo no longer swung wide, instead twisting like a lever and trapping [Slim Shady]'s arm between hers, only for her to follow up with a horned headbutt. Winds rippled beneath her, tailwinds boosting her steps, headwinds grinding him to half his pace.

It bought time, but not victory. Inch by inch, [Slim Shady] pressed her back, his gold-streaked grin glowing hotter as his dark chains wrapped tighter. Their battle drifted closer to [Dawn]'s position, each shock wave rattling her concentration.

His fist met the oni's chin, bouncing her off a wall. She snarled, then lunged in a last ditch move before he could reach Momofuku. The hallway shook as the oni locked her opponent in a bear hug, her kanabo clattering to the floor. One of his arms escaped in time, swinging wildly but always meeting its mark. Each strike made Momofuku's body jolt with shared pain, ribs screaming, lungs burning. She grit her teeth, refusing to cry out even as blood welled at the corner of her mouth.

Dawn's aura flared beside her, sword raised as a symbol of triumph.

"The rite nears its end! Our stamina will return!"

A final punch, and [Simply Red] fell on her back. Momofuku let herself sag against her comrade's side, one hand clutching her side.

"Forget stamina! Give us some raw power!"

"It's over, Momofuu-ki!" their enemy cried out, fist swinging forward to crush her human skull.

Yet the light of dawn was ever faster. It burst outward, latching onto the faint gales lingering to his frame, left behind by [Simply Red]'s elemental strikes.

"AAAGHHHHHH!"

The winds of erosion erupted across [Slim Shady]'s form, ripping him apart and flinging him down the corridor in a shrieking heap.

With one final howl, their opponent dissolved, vanishing from the Bleeding Zone. [Dawn] sheathed her blade with a soft breath. Her posture slowly relaxed as the dark brands evaporated from her skin, returning her strength. The same happened to Momofuku beside her, no longer clinging to her arm for support.

"Yatta~!"

The two looked down on the floor. [Simply Red] flashed a toothy, exhausted grin, raising a weak thumbs-up. Momofuku and Dawn took a burly red arm each, dragging their battered comrade to her feet. The three of them trudged down the hall, stopping before Room 97.

The door flew open with a bang.

Momofuku and [Dawn] strode in first, shoulders squared, eyes burning with righteous anger. The sukeban planted one foot on a visitor's chair, one hand on her hip, another resting her bokken on her shoulder, her chin tilted high with a cocky glare. Beside her, the lady knight pressed her sheathed blade on the floor, one hand on the pommel, the other swept gallantly to the side as they declared judgment upon their foe.

"It's over!"

[Simply Red] clapped at their entrance, so mesmerized she bumped her head on the door while entering.

"... yeah, yeah, I get it already."

From the bed, a tired voice muttered back.

Ryosuke Yuga laid swaddled in casts, right leg suspended by straps, left arm cocooned in bandages. Despite the damage, his sharp, handsome features peeked out beneath the bandages, with stylish brown hair in messy tufts that hadn't lost their luster.

"What now?" he asked flatly. "You gonna beat me up while I'm like this? Real brave of you."

Their awesome poses deflated in an instant. Momofuku kicked the chair away, clicking her tongue.

"Hm. Figured you'd be in better shape after suckin' up so much life force."

Ryosuke let out a bitter little laugh. "I got a whole lotta new bruises just now. Besides, most of it went right back the second you crushed [Slim Shady]. That vitality wasn't mine to keep unless I pushed them into comas.

"Temporary HP..." the geek inside [Dawn] mumbled, and Ryosuke nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah... temporary. That's all it ever was."

His words snapped something hot in Momofuku's chest. She stepped closer, making him tense up. "You're talking about them like cattle, damn it! Those punks bled and sweated beside you. They were your teammates! Your friends!"

"They abandoned me when I needed them the most! Where was that friendship when I was up against you?! They just wanted to stand behind me and hope I would carry them! It was like that on the field, and it was the same shit when we played delinquent! I get it, I chose all of this! But they had responsibility, too!"

His right hand trembled against the sheets, his voice falling into a ragged whisper. "I don't have a team... I don't have friends... I don't have a gang... all I got left... is soccer. But even that might be gone now. What's the point? By the time I get out of here, there won't be time to train for nationals. And this knee..." he glanced at his bound leg, his throat tight. "... if it gives out again, it's over for good."

Tears streaked his face as he looked away, unable to bear their stares.

"..."

Momofuku said nothing, walking forward. Ryosuke's eyes widened in alarm as she loomed closer.

"What're you—don't come any closer!"

The sukeban stopped at his bedside, staring him down.

"Oi, Yuga." Her voice was steady, stripped of bravado. "You ever lost a soccer match before?"

"... yeah."

"You scared of losing one more?"

His lips trembled. "I'm scared I might never win again."

"Did you feel like that after those other losses?"

"... this is different—"

"Bull-shit," she cut him off without hesitation, her tone snapping like a whip. "A loss is a loss, dumbass. But as long as you're alive and willing to stand back up, you can always try again. So what if you don't make nationals this year? You still have your senior year to try. So what if your team's dead weight? Recruit new blood, who gives a damn about soccer like you do.

"But my knee..."

"Are you delusional?! Do you think you're the first athlete who's been busted up? Hell no! Plenty of pros played after injuries! Some of them played through injuries! If you're too scared to put it all on the line, then you never belonged on the big stage in the first place, and this was just a wake-up-call!"

Her voice thundered at the end before she collected herself, huffing and walking away.

"Tch. I'm done playing nurse. The Fujiwara Senki runs this turf now. You won't hafta worry about yakuza poaching your classmates anymore. If this pathetic whining is all your dream amounts to, then bye-bye. But if you got anything left in that stubborn skull of yours..." She glanced over her shoulder, glaring at him.

"... I'll watch you at nationals."

The room went quiet, the hum of the hospital machines filling the silence. Momofuku strode toward the door, followed by the other girls.

"... Oi."

Ryosuke's voice cracked out before she could leave. The sukeban looked back. His hand, trembling, extended toward her. Resting over his palm was a shimmer of gold dust, the remnants of a [Bigger Idea].

"This stuff... it evolved [I'm Shady]. Take it. I don't have any use for it anymore." his tone was sharp, dismissive, but the weight in his eyes betrayed gratitude he couldn't bring himself to say aloud.

Momofuku eyed him for a long second, then stepped forward, letting the sparkling grains drift into her palm with a smirk tugging at her lips. Ryosuke looked away, cheeks tightening with pride he couldn't swallow, and the girls finally left him to his silence.

Fujiwara Senki: 1.
Yuga's Dream: 1.

The tension slowly bled out as the door closed behind them.

On the way down the hall, [Dawn] tilted her head at her leader.

"Ought we not mention the matter of the student council? It would be... prudent. They are eager to recruit awakened such as him."

"Bleh," the sukeban stuck out her tongue. "If they want him so bad, they can crawl down here and ask themselves. I ain't runnin' recruitment for another faction."

Suddenly, Momofuku dragged a thumb across [Dawn]'s chestplate, smearing the [Idea World] material she'd gotten. The lady knight looked down in curiosity.

"... I feel no different."

The sukeban turned to her other side, wiping some across [Simply Red]'s white blouse.

"..." The oni girl tilted her head, then shook it, signaling the same as her fellow [Idolon].

Momofuku scowled. "The hell do we do with this, then?"

Simply Red narrowed her crimson eyes, then bent down without hesitation, inhaling the remaining dust straight from her user's palm.

"...!"

The air cracked. A gale blasted through the corridor as the oni's body convulsed with raw energy. In the blink of an eye she was gone, bolting down the hallways like a kid on a sugar high.

Momofuku and [Dawn] stood frozen, staring. The sukeban scratched the back of her head, sweat trickling down her temple. "... huh."

She shifted the gaze to her ally. There was still some gold dust on her chestplate. "Are you gonna...?"

The lady knight stiffened. "I'll... figure out something else."

"... fair."


[Bad Meets Evil, Part 4]

By the time they left the hospital, the sun was leaning westward, and the two girls walked side by side in silence, exhaustion weighing on their shoulders. The ghost of [Simply Red] went ahead of them, still buzzing with residual energy, occasionally bounding ahead to flip over a streetlamp or vault across a railing before circling back.

Soon, their path suffered a marked change. Immaculate hedges, polished stone paths, and pristine white buildings standing tall as though untouched by the chaos outside.

Higan Academy's [Truth] could not be further from its surface, however.

The serial truants waited, and the flow of students began to thin. Laughter spilled from a gaggle of girls in short skirts and loose cardigans as they exited the gates. Among them, a vibrant presence stood out immediately. Sun-kissed skin, flowing blond hair with dyed violet strands, painted nails catching the light.

"Mo~mooo!" Madoka Onguuchi called, breaking from her friends with a whimsical bounce. Arms stretched wide, she went in for a hug, then froze, eyes widening as she took in the sight of her leader's bloodied uniform and the sweat still dripping from her brow.

"Girl, you look like you were spat out of a horror movie," Madoka said, backing up a step.

"Hmph. Those weak-ass slashers would have nothing on me."

Belladonna offered a nod. "... Battle report: [Nightmare Foundling]. [Bigger Idea]. [Rogue Awakened]..."

Madoka fell into step with them, eyebrows raising at every enemy added. "Umu... you two are always so reckless... Dawn-chan, you have to stop enabling Momo when she goes on her rampages."

Momofuku bristled immediately. "Oi, don't go blaming Dawn for that. She fought like a true Fujiwara Senki, with overwhelming fighting spirit and even greater skills. You should have seen her on that soccer field."

"Soccer field?" Madoka repeated in confusion before nodding in agreement. "Hm, I can see it. Dawn-chan always seems low-key, but that's 'cuz she's hiding some crazy ninja skills."

"Hm. She should try the sport for real. The girl's team is way better company than those weirdos from the Computer Science club."

Belladonna's cheeks warmed beneath her pale hair, her voice dropping to a hush. "... my [Idolon] did most of the job..."

Madoka giggled, looping her arm through her friend's. "Kyaa~! Look, we made her blush! So cute, Dawn-chan."

"... I-I'm not..." the girl stammered rather unconvincingly.

Momofuku cleared her throat, saving her member from dying of embarrassment. "Anyway. Madoka, I'm gonna need your help patching up the Zones in Tobashira."

"Kuki-chan and I will be on the job!" she accepted with a playful salute.

"Secondly," the sukeban continued. "I found an owner for Kuro-tan. You're going with them to the vet."

Madoka gasped. "Kuro-tan found a home?! Of course I'm going! I'm gonna buy him so many cute outfits..."

"Thirdly... I'm gonna need a cram sesh on what I missed in class today."

The gyaru blinked, then burst into laughter, tossing her head back. "Momo, is this like, your way of making up for the fact I wasn't in the big fight? You're drowning me in chores here!"

"Yep, that's exactly it," her childhood friend admitted without mercy.

Madoka's laughter only grew at that, and she threw her arms around both girls, pulling them into her perfume-scented orbit. "Eh, I forgive you, bestie! But one of you can just text me next time so I can help. Or Kanna-p!"

"... don't throw Jinguuji-san under the bus..." Belladonna murmured softly.

"I'm not~! She likes helping with supernatural stuff..."

The three girls left Higan Academy behind, the setting sun at their backs as they bickered amongst each other.

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Pub: 08 Sep 2025 15:06 UTC

Edit: 08 Sep 2025 17:00 UTC

Views: 30