Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen: The Spider

Watching the once beautiful Wakaba instantly transform into a monstrous entity filling the entire doorway, Niino Li's mind felt as if it had been instantly pierced through by a blade.

A warmth called blood flowed over the surface of his brain, boiling as if it possessed its own consciousness.

He felt sick.

"Can't decide yet? You should learn to use polished, flowery words to charm girls when they're around." Wakaba leaned back, her slender arm slowly rising as she murmured to herself.

The fingertip she extended brimmed with murderous intent, its pale skin aimed directly at Niino Li.

Crimson, nearly invisible silk instantly slashed through the darkness, severing toward his throat.

Yet Niino Li had already launched his attack a fraction sooner.

At this moment, Wakaba's upper body still retained its human form, seemingly to better savor the hunt.

No sign of resentment surged forth—what state of Ghost Spirit is she? Can I kill her?

The room's space was extremely confined, with sofas and a coffee table as obstacles—unsuitable for a leaping, overwhelming strike.

He silently crouched, lowering his center of gravity, fixing his gaze on the positions of the sofas and Wakaba.

"I don't like multiple-choice questions."

Niino Li became a ghostly shadow, ignoring the nauseating stench, skimming swiftly along the carpet toward Wakaba's flat abdomen.

Not aiming for a fatal wound—just enough to gauge the gap in strength between himself and her.

"Thud."

A faint, brittle sound echoed; his right forearm instantly went numb.

Niino Li felt as if droplets had brushed across his palm, like his hand had been dipped in icy water and then withdrawn.

Numbness, tinged with a sweet pain.

"How disgusting—I hate people who use violence!"

She chanted her lines mechanically, devoid of emotion.

A breeze-like tickle brushed against her exposed calves, arms, and face; Niino Li instinctively wiped at it, only to smell a thick scent of blood on his palm.

In the unseen darkness, the entire room seemed saturated with the silk Wakaba had silently released.

He was like an ant trapped on a web, struggling helplessly as she advanced, her sharp limbs slicing open his chest.

"I'm joking—I love guys like you, Niino-kun. How could I ever dislike you?" A rustling sound arose; Niino Li stared intently at the blurred black mass ahead, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

His heartbeat accelerated relentlessly; his awareness sharpened to clarity.

If she truly ensnared him in silk, the real death trap would be if he didn't pass out.

His gaze shifted to the phone that had fallen onto the carpet; the light behind him still illuminated a corner of the room, unmoved.

On the sofa to his right, three corpses lay—among them, the largest one, thrown to the floor by the impact of their clash, revealed half a purplish-gray face.

"Ishida Kawakami?" Niino Li was surprised—he'd assumed the three corpses would be Hiramatsu and Taniguchi, who had been harassing Wakaba, and Riko, the first one he'd found.

Who were the other two corpses?

Suddenly, a flash of insight darted through his mind; a gray thought surged within him.

In a fleeting instant—

Wakaba's face faced Niino Li, arriving before him in the blink of an eye.

"Don't ignore me. Let me teach you how to get along with girls."

Niino Li's hair stood on end; he clenched his fist, stabilized his stance, and smashed his fist into her face without hesitation.

Yet, after his decisive, brutal strike, he clearly felt something pierce through his chest.

He heard the sound of his heart being punctured.

More painful than the agony itself was the sensation—it felt like fear, yet also like an indescribable pleasure.

The icy chill racing down his spine was so intense it nearly drove Niino Li mad, as if gripped by the palm of a giant ice giant.