One week has passed since the assassination attempt on Rei. In the aftermath, the academy temporarily relocated Hinata and her family into a housing unit, promising financial aid for reconstructing their home. Meanwhile, the heroes involved in the battle have been absent from school for recovery and intensive questioning.

  It is now Monday October 21st. The first day back.

  Josuke enters the classroom, but unlike his usual boisterous self, he remains completely silent. The air is heavy with speculation, the room buzzing with hushed whispers. The students, having seen the news, struggle to process what they witnessed. What was Rei? Was he even human?

  Hinata notices Josuke's silence and hesitates before speaking.

  "I'm going to visit Rei now that the questioning is over," she finally says. "Are you coming?"

  Josuke doesn't even look at her. His voice is cold, distant. "No. I don't want to see that monster."

  A deep tension fills the space between them. Hinata clenches her fists, frustration and sorrow welling in her chest.

  "We need to be there for him," she insists, her voice trembling.

  Josuke closes his eyes, his mind flashing back to the third trial. Haikito's words echo in his head.

  "No matter what, remain his friend."

  Josuke scoffs to himself. Is this what Mr. Haikito meant?

  Doubt fills his mind, but his decision remains unchanged. Without another word, class ends, and Josuke walks away, leaving Hinata behind.

  Hinata stands outside Rei's hospital room within the academy. She hesitates.

  She knows what everyone else thinks. They see Rei as a monster. A vessel. Something inhuman. But she remembers something else—the boy who protected her during the first villain attack. The boy who stood in front of danger, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

  She takes a deep breath and steps inside.

  Rei lies unconscious, his body still. Beams of blue light pulse beneath his closed eyelids, creating an eerie flickering effect that illuminates his face in rhythmic intervals. The quiet hum of medical equipment fills the room, but the atmosphere feels anything but peaceful. Each flash of blue light beneath Rei's eyelids seems to whisper of the battle waging within—Hikito, his twin, attempting to seize control of his body while he lies vulnerable.

  Sama and Fumiko stand in the background, watching in silence. They barely know Rei, but something compels them to be here and present for Hinata. Even if they don't speak, they hope for his recovery.

  Hinata slowly approaches the bedside. She sits down and clasps her hands together. "Rei... I don't know if you can hear me," she starts, her voice unsteady. "But you have to come back."

  Her throat tightens, and she swallows hard. "I don't see you as a monster. Not a vessel. You're just Rei. You're good. And I know you just want to live peacefully."

  She reaches out, instinctively wanting to hold his hand.

  "Don't."

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  The sharp voice of a medical expert monitoring Rei startles her. She jerks her hand back.

  "If you touch him, you might interfere with the changes happening in his body," the expert warns.

  Hinata stiffens. The words send a chill through her spine.

  It reminds her of something—of when Kage touched Rei during the trials. The way Kage had pulled back immediately, his voice tight with unease.

  "It felt like my soul was about to be absorbed."

  She looks at Rei, eyes wide.

  What is happening to him?

  Fear lingers in her chest, but she clenches her fists and forces herself to breathe. No matter what he's facing, she believes he will win.

  As Hinata maintains her vigil at Rei's bedside, miles away in the shadows of the underworld, another drama unfolds—one that will shape the destinies of both Rei and the Assassin's Guild.

  While Rei remains in an uncertain state, far from the academy, Kage stands before the Assassin's Guild Tribunal. His hands are tied behind his back, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.

  The room is dimly lit, adding an ominous weight to the proceedings. Three officials sit high above him, their presence judgmental yet indifferent. High-ranking assassins stand along the edges, watching in silence. Kage's return has shaken the guild—he is their top-ranked assassin, a legend in his own right.

  Even now, bound and awaiting judgment, he is respected and feared.

  Before the trial begins, Kage wordlessly opens his hand.

  One of the officials steps forward—Elder Kagami, head of the tribunal. His weathered face bears the scars of countless judgments past. With ceremonial precision, he slices Kage's palm, collecting his blood in an ornate chalice. The blood is mixed with samples from the other trial participants, including Elder Kagami himself. This ritual is ancient and necessary—for Elder Kagami's concept, Judgement, requires the blood of all involved to manifest its power and ensure a truly fair trial.

  The room stills as Elder Kagami drinks from the chalice, his eyes closing momentarily as he absorbs the essence of those to be judged.

  Then, something grotesque manifests.

  A mysterious, towering figure appears behind Elder Kagami—its back abnormally large, its mask shifting unnaturally. This is Judgement personified, the physical manifestation of Elder Kagami's concept. The mask's mouth is a straight line by default, two hollow eyes watching unblinking. When truth is spoken, the mask smiles; when lies are told, it frowns. No deception can survive in its presence.

  Elder Kagami speaks, but his voice is now a deep, distorted resonance that shakes the bodies of everyone present—the voice of Judgement itself.

  "The Trial of Judgment begins."

  Kage remains still. He has witnessed this before. He knows how it works.

  The questions begin.

  "Did you interfere with an official contract?"

  "Yes."

  The mask remains neutral.

  "Did you have personal motivations for this interference?"

  "No."

  The mask's mouth curves into a faint smile.

  "Did you act against the interests of the guild?"

  Silence. Kage's gaze remains locked ahead. Then, finally—

  "No."

  The mask continues to smile.

  One of the officials leans forward. "Yet, you still disrupted an execution. You understand why we cannot let this pass without consequence?"

  "I do."

  Another official speaks. "Why did you interfere with another assassin's contract on the boy?"

  Kage's voice remains steady. "To uphold my contract with Haikito regarding the boy."

  The officials exchange glances, murmuring amongst themselves before continuing.

  "Does that mean even using something as drastic as a shrine technique?"

  "Yes," Kage responds without hesitation. "I did not use the full abilities of my shrine. Rather, I used it to delay my brother's final blow."

  A moment of silence hangs in the air.

  Kage remains impassive, yet inwardly, a thought lingers.

  I don't mind this punishment. He had known the price of his interference the moment he acted. The Assassin's Guild followed its laws, and he followed his own. That was the balance. But one question stuck with him. Did Haikito know this would happen? Was this all part of his plan?

  The high-ranking assassins exchange glances, some intrigued, others unreadable. The officials lean back, considering their final decision.

  The judge's voice cuts through the silence.

  "Kage, you are sentenced to 28 days in the Torture Chamber."

  His mana will be completely depleted.

  His concept will be locked away.

  A pause. The weight of the verdict settles in the room. A silent acknowledgment that no one, not even their strongest, is beyond the law.

  And yet, Kage does not flinch.

  He simply bows his head slightly in acknowledgment, as if the decision was already expected.

  The chapter ends as the chains on his wrists tighten, and the doors to his punishment open.