Kyoya observed the scene in mute silence.

In fact, the world seemed muted to him as he stared at the perfect result of his experiments. Before him, living and breathing, with no signs of disabilities, was a male body. One that went through countless experiments to become a monster— a Damocles Sword, before turning into a human again.

He was so weak, Kyoya did not doubt that he would be able to put the male to death regardless of how dangerous he used to be, of how at some point, people called him the God of Death.

To be honest, Kyoya did not believe that the former target would use the antidote. The target was too prideful to use it but also overly cautious to throw it away. A good hitman or assassin would not be one without backups. Therefore, within the underground surgeon's calculations, the target would take the serum— no matter how sick the sight of both it and Kyoya made it.

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his wrist, a somewhat deranged smirk carefully covering his usual pleasant smile.

He exhaled.

The smirk halting and receding just as fast as it came before a practiced simper overtook his lips. He spared the limp body another glance— delight and interest tingling at his senses.

How to put it, he did not care for saving the world.

The mere thought of an unknown event, though? Now, this was interesting.

He'd have to communicate the unfolding events to Takashi, he mused, somewhat excited. Or maybe Karasuma would tell the raven head before him. Not that it mattered to Kyoya.

Kyoya did not care for the male whose name he wasn't even sure of. Such trivialities had nothing to do with him, as a scientist, the male in front of him was more of a lab rat, a test subject than a human being.

He had this nagging feeling that Takashi would feel pity for the man.

After all, getting entangled with the government in this form, it was apparent what the male's outcome would be.

::

Mitsukuni awoke from the rough night with a yawn. His eyelids were still heavy as he stretched his limbs, his mind going back to the night's previous events and how it ended for Karma. After all, after sending his childhood friend a text to tell him he was going back, Mitsukuni did not receive more than an 'okay, be careful, rest well, see you tomorrow.'

He pulled his quilt to the side, jumped down, and went to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he retrieved his uniform. Today was graduation day, he had butterflies in his stomach, and a sense of anticipation bubbled in the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't his first time graduating, but he couldn't help the excitation. Maybe because it was the end of a period of his life, or perhaps it was the inner child that came with his biological age that took control. Either way, a broad, bright smile covered his lips.

Mitsukuni combed his hair. He readjusted the hem of his shirt's cuffs and picked Reiko— who he honestly dearly missed when Takashi confronted him, up. He skipped downstairs for some breakfast. While Gakushu needed to go early as the Student Council President, Mitsukuni was merely required to be on time to receive his diploma. He greeted his parents, who specifically made time for today, and grandparents with a smile.

"Right, Mitsukuni, do you need us to drop you?" his mother asked as she stirred her coffee. Her eyes were on the tablet in her hands as she carefully read the latest news article, a ghost of a frown on her delicate eyebrows. Mitsukuni felt like he knew why she was frowning.

The boy hummed, taking a bite of his scrambled eggs before swallowing. He wiped his mouth with one of the silk napkins and gently shook his head. "No need, Mother," he denied with a grin. "I shouldn't be late even if I go by foot!" he cheerily chirped.

"This" is not what I meant.

"Now, now, let Honey do what he wants. He's not a child anymore," Madame Kannazuki interrupted her daughter with a gentle smile on her lips. She pushed a cup of pudding toward Mitsukuni. "Here, Honey, eat up," she coddled.

"Hehe, thanks, Grandmother," Mitsukuni grinned as he accepted the sweet. He plunged his spoon in it before relishing in the savory treat.

"No need, no need," Madame Kannazuki happily refuted as she petted her grandson's hair.

Mitsukuni scarfed the pudding down before finishing his glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, bade his family a quick bye, and climbed the stairs to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he went to his bedroom to pick his bag up and hurried to the entrance.

"I'll see you later!" he bade in a childishly sweet voice before closing the door. His parents and grandparents would come to school later. The students were summoned earlier for late minutes preparation.

Outside, no one waited for Mitsukuni. After all, Gakushu and Ren, who usually walked with him, were part of the Student Council. They needed to go to school earlier than him. As for Karma, Mitsukuni hadn't arranged to walk with him— it was slightly complicated with the night that preceded them. What's more, today was graduation day, and it was more than expected for the redhead to spend time with his classmates until the end.

His honey-brown eyes swept the street. He took note of some students with similar uniforms, all of them being third-years without surprise, and began his walk to Kunugigaoka Junior High. Of course, Sweets was in his arms, a specially ordered foulard around her neck, and the cameo with Reiko's profile pinned to it, courtesy to the twins.

Mitsukuni's sole disappointment was no seeing Takashi or Kyoya as both were officially part staff. He supposed they needed to be there earlier or had some more pressing matters to attend. Mitsukuni felt somewhat relieved not to see Takashi first thing in the morning. He wanted some time to think without the raven hovering behind him— it never felt so suffocating before. Maybe because the age gap was so big, Takashi's words came out more assertive and persuasive to Mitsukuni.

He pulled his phone and went to his social applications, where notifications were blowing up. Social media flooded with news of an overlord, ready for world domination that supposedly chose Kunugigaoka's class 3-E as its headquarter— oh, that felt familiar.

Roughly, the multitude of posts depicted the demon's tyranny over the class of poor students. How they, for the most part, were brainwashed into submission. There were speculations about how they developed Stockholm Syndrome, but for the most part, information was blurry and gossipy.

It was hard for someone like Mitsukuni, who once dabbled into the publishing industry, to take all of this seriously. Even more so when there was no head or tail to the articles and when he knew most of the information first hand, though he wasn't exactly proud of this achievement at the moment.

He slightly frowned, pursing out his lower lip into a pout. Although it didn't target him, he didn't like how they pitied and victimized 3-E. He knew 3-E, though not exceptionally well. Karma was part of them, and if there was one thing Karma wasn't, it was a fool ready for a brainwash.

With mild irritation, he stuffed his phone in his school bag. He didn't need to bother with the news. He could ignore them. Once he made enough money and took over the family, bringing those fake journalists to their knees would be a piece of cake. If there was one thing that Mitsukuni was, it was overprotective of his people; Karma happened to be one of them.

"Oh, Kannazuki!" a voice called out from behind the blond. Mitsukuni felt someone friendly hit his back in greetings before trotting to his side. He didn't totter from the force as the other party perfectly gauged it and instead turned to face the newcomer.

A smile brightened Mitsukuni's complexion. "Sa-chan! Good morning," he grinned as he greeted his vice-captain.

Sawamura returned Mitsukuni's grin with ease before lazily shaking his head. "Man, can't believe we're already graduating," he wryly drawled. "I heard you're not staying in Kunugigaoka next year?" he asked with raised eyebrows as he looked down to stare at the shorter teen.

Mitsukuni hummed with a shrug. "Yeah, I'm going to Kyoto," he confirmed with a nod. "There's a school dorm near the high school," he explained to the taller male. After all, he couldn't rent out an apartment at his age, and his parents— mostly his grandparents, would never approve.

"'S that so," Sawamura mused before grinning. "Guess I won't have to cover for you during club activities anymore," he joked. He paused before slyly looking at Mitsukuni. "About that, shouldn't you treat me before going?"

Mitsukuni easily beamed at the request. "Mhm, no problem," he said. "How about going after the ceremony? Or this weekend?" he proposed with a tilt of his head. Although he loved sweets and desserts the most, Mitsukuni also knew how to appreciate good cuisine or food in general.

Sawamura took a moment to ponder the date. "This weekend sounds good," he muttered as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I've got some family over tonight. My mom got us a table at some fancy restaurant," he explained with a shrug.

The shorter nodded. "M'kay, this weekend it is," Mitsukuni confirmed. "You have any request?" he asked as he began to think of the different places where he could bring the other.

The two males conversed until they reached Kunugigaoka Junior High. Once they entered the building and put on their indoor shoes, they separated. They weren't in the same class and had different matters to attend.

In class, the headteacher gave them a small speech before handing out a few forms and ushering them to the gymnasium where the graduation ceremony usually took place.

Truthfully, the graduation ceremony was a formality.

As the Judo Club president, like every other Club President, Mitsukuni would need to drop by the school again after the ceremony to arrange the latest matters before the next Club President officially took his functions. It probably was a second-year that Sawamura trained. Fortunately, Mitsukuni could bring his trusted vice-captain to help him with this matter he knew almost nothing about.

Well, that was a matter for another time.

The ceremony went on without a hitch, the only problem being the mass of reporters waiting to interview class 3-E outside— surprisingly.

"Congratulations, Ma-chan!" Mitsukuni chirped as he reached his childhood friend, who stood with some other 3-E students. He didn't comment on the redhead's pale complexion or the melancholy air around the students and merely smiled at them in greetings and acknowledgment. He did not think it was his place, nor was it the time to ask about the reason why.

"Yeah, you too, Mitsukuni," Karma returned as he patted the shorter's head.

Mitsukuni grinned, his gaze flickered behind Karma to the figure of an unknown man before going back to his childhood friend. "I'll call you later, let's celebrate with Shu-chan!" he beamed before waltzing away, not waiting for an answer.

Karma hummed, waving at him before turning back to his classmates. They'd need to go out at one point, whether they wanted to see those cameras and microphones or not.

The redhead felt someone brush against his shoulder and abruptly looked up. His mercury-colored eyes met a pair of clear violet ones.

"Oh? Why so scared, Karma?" Gakushu taunted with a smirk. "Did you forget I was here?" he rhetorically asked with a dubious raised eyebrow.

Karma snorted. "Oh, my mistake. If the great you would lead the way then," he joked before following the A-class out, 3-E in tow.

Mitsukuni walked up to Takashi, who sat with the parents, the unknown man beside him. He felt a bit jumpy from yesterday but also knew that Takashi's feelings were justified. He didn't hold it against the raven head and would never say that he felt burdened; nevertheless, it left a bitter aftertaste in Mitsukuni's mouth to know that his and Takashi's relationship could actually never go back to how it used to be. He plastered a grin on his face, the smile both plastic and genuine, before he caught Takashi into a hug. "Takashi!" he cheered. "You came!"

The raven grunted, gently petting Mitsukuni's head. Indulgence and patience replaced the eve's feelings hidden in his pupils.

The pair of honey-brown eyes flitted to the male beside the icy-blue eyed male. He raised a curious eyebrow.

Perhaps, Takashi saw or sensed Mitsukuni's shift in attention. He gestured to the male beside him.

"This is Kannazuki Mitsukuni," he introduced to the mute male beside him. The other returned the words with a large grin.

Mitsukuni observed the stranger before snapping his neck to look at Takashi. Pure wonder marveled at his face, Mitsukuni's eyes seemed to ponder over the previous day's event as he tried to connect the dots.

"Is that your target?"

Takashi blinked, unmoved by the question, while the unknown man flashed Mitsukuni an approving smile.

"You could say it that way."

Next up, Epilogue— which, by the way, comes into two parts :)