Chapter 12: Party (Please Collect!)

Hearing this, Niino Li looked up and locked eyes with the girl beside him—the stranger Okura Sa'u had mentioned.

His heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes were long and soft, brimming with a watery gaze, faintly holding a certain desire—familiar, yet he couldn't recall where he'd seen her before.

"Oh wow, this is Niino Li—he's a very reliable guy," Okura Sa'u said, setting down his beer can and pulling Niino Li, lost in thought, over to introduce him excitedly to Taniguchi.

"Looks pretty young—never been to a place like this before, right?" Taniguchi, seeing Niino Li's vacant stare and sparse speech, leaned back into the sofa, losing interest in him.

The short-haired girl, Ringo, wasn't as aggressive as Taniguchi; she simply found his face delicate and his demeanor calm, giving off a pleasing impression.

I'll get her contact info later.

Okura Sa'u bristled at the other's dismissive gesture and was about to argue further with Taniguchi when Niino Li grabbed his arm, signaling him not to act rashly.

The air in the private room remained electric; Ishida Kawakami and Takagi Ryosuke had replaced the previous boy, Hiramatsu, and began the first round of singing competition.

Colorful beams of light spun and lashed against the walls, splattering like raindrops in a sudden downpour.

Taniguchi and Hiramatsu, seated across from Ringo, took turns chatting up the new girl, completely ignoring Niino Li and Okura Sa'u sitting to the side.

The girl always wore a smile; though she rarely spoke, her occasional nods were enough to send Taniguchi and Hiramatsu's adrenaline soaring, their faces flushed an eerie red under the dim room lights.

"Okura, I'm going to the restroom," Niino Li said, thinking he could handle the KTV environment—but the alcohol fumes and blinding colored lights made it hard to breathe.

Is this what my trait "alien to strangers" feels like?

He sighed silently, suppressed his discomfort, pushed open the unattended door, and stepped out, glancing back at this world of desire and madness as he walked.

The bulb mounted in the ceiling's false layer above the hallway flickered twice—Niino Li stood where he'd just come from, yet sensed something odd.

Too quiet—

The hallway still glowed with warm, dim yellow lights that flickered intermittently; dark shadows were cast upon the walls. The ceiling was low, giving Niino Li the illusion he could reach up and touch it.

It wasn't short—he remembered walking in taking about a minute and a half.

Long, within reach—what matched Niino Li's only impression was—

A coffin.

"Niino-kun!"

A hand landed on his shoulder—

It felt like an instant, yet an eternity.

A chilling sensation slammed over Niino Li's entire body; his mind had no time to react—he dodged sideways and leapt several meters away.

"What's the matter? You're this much of a coward, Niino-kun?"

Hearing the clear laughter behind him, Niino Li turned to see Ringo, who had been sitting with the stranger girl, bent over, pointing at him and laughing loudly with no decorum.

"Ringo-san, why did you come out too?" Niino Li walked slowly toward her.

The rain outside had grown heavier; the night wind howled, car horns pierced the rain and walls with faint sounds, mingling with the booming music—like the dying gasps of a dying man.

"Of course I came out to use the restroom—what, sit there watching Taniguchi and Hiramatsu fawn over Ifuyu-san?" Ringo curled her lip and shrugged at Niino Li.

"Aren't you all here together?" Niino Li noticed her distant tone toward Ifuyu.

School bullying?

Ifuyu's eyes flashed again in his mind—he immediately dismissed the thought.