Chapter 28: Winter Interschool Festival (4)

"I’ll kill you, Lars! I’ll kill you!"

Ryan drew his fist back as he vaulted over the stall counter.

"Ryan, please, no!"

Emily’s plea went completely ignored.

With one knee still planted on the counter, Ryan threw a straight punch at Lars’s jaw, but the blow stopped just short of its target.

"What...?!"

Lars’s fingers had snapped shut around his wrist.

Ryan’s fist hung only a few inches from Lars’s face. No matter how much strength he put into it, he couldn’t force it any farther.

Ryan tried to yank his arm back, but Lars’s grip once again kept him from moving at all.

"Well? Weren’t you going to show me what happens to people who fuck with you?"

Lars’s faintly provocative tone, combined with that subtly mocking look, only fueled Ryan’s anger even more.

"Lars, please... at least you listen to me..."

Emily frantically looked around.

She was searching for someone willing to put an end to the fight.

But she quickly realized no one had any intention of stepping in.

If anything, some people were even egging them on.

"Come on, Ryan! Kick his ass!" someone shouted.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" others began chanting in unison.

Some had already pulled out their phones to record the scene.

Most, however, were backing away from the stall to stay out of trouble.

Ryan drew back his free hand for a second punch, but that one ended the same way.

A moment later, he found himself with both arms stretched out in front of him, Lars gripping him by the wrists.

Ryan’s blazing glare met Lars’s icy stare.

Lars curled his lip slightly.

"Pff... pathetic."

Ryan threw his weight forward, trying to knock Lars over.

He never got the chance.

Lars suddenly shoved both of Ryan’s arms back against his chest and hurled him over the counter.

Ryan went crashing backward and landed flat on his back on the grass of Miskatonic’s vast courtyard.

"Enough, Lars! I said enough!"

Emily grabbed one of his arms and yanked hard.

Lars slowly lowered his gaze to her hand.

She let go immediately and took a step back.

"L-Lars, please... stop..." she stammered, her voice trembling.

Lars stared at her for a moment.

"Stop, you said?"

He turned his gaze back to Ryan, still sprawled on the grass.

"...That’s exactly what I intend to do."

The people still nearby backed away from Ryan as he got back to his feet, his face now almost as red as his hair.

Anyone who had even heard of him knew that keeping their distance was the smartest thing to do right now.

"I’ve been going easy on you so far, but now I’m really gonna kill you!" Ryan growled.

"If your punches were even half as dangerous as your threats, I’d probably be shaking in fear."

By then, Lars had already stepped out from behind the stall.

He stood motionless in front of Ryan, his hands buried in his pockets and his shoulders relaxed.

A ferocious, almost animalistic growl tore from Ryan’s throat as he charged Lars head-on, throwing himself at him like he was going for a tackle.

Lars didn’t move a muscle.

At least, not until Ryan was almost on top of him.

Only then did he twist his torso slightly and raise one leg, planting his foot squarely in Ryan’s chest.

The impact stopped Ryan dead and sent him flying backward, tumbling heavily across the grass.

Absolute silence fell over the crowd.

The only sound left was Ryan’s harsh coughing.

With every spasm, small sprays of blood burst from his mouth.

Fighting ordinary humans is always so damn complicated...

If Lars had hit Ryan with his full strength, he could have sent him flying clear over Miskatonic’s gates without any difficulty.

And yet, despite trying to hold back, he had still overdone it.

A vampire’s body grew more powerful with every passing century.

That was why, after each awakening, Lars always needed some time to get used to controlling his strength against ordinary humans again.

This time, Ryan couldn’t get back up nearly as quickly as before.

He pushed himself up on his arms, panting, while blood ran from the corners of his mouth.

When he tried to stand, a sharp pain shot through his chest.

His legs gave out, and Ryan collapsed back onto the grass, instinctively clutching his side.

An experienced player like him knew that kind of pain all too well. Breathing hurt. Moving hurt even more. One or more ribs had to be fractured.

What little common sense his anger hadn’t already swept away was screaming at him to let it go.

But his pride smothered even that last shred of reason.

Lars took a step toward him.

Then another.

This worthless mortal will pay for his arrogance.

I’ll make sure he never even wants to look at me again for the rest of his miserable life.

He was about to take a third step when two small arms suddenly wrapped around his torso from behind.

"E-Enough, Lars... ENOUGH! Can’t you see he can’t even get back up anymore?!"

Emily clung to him with all her strength, planting her feet firmly on the ground and pulling him backward as if she could actually stop him.

"E-ENOUGH! ENOUGH! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! E-EVERYTHING!"

Her voice broke.

A moment later, Lars felt the fabric of his uniform grow damp against his back.

Emily had buried her face against him and was trembling.

"Enough... I’m begging you..."

Lars stopped and tilted his head back slightly.

"Let go of me. Now."

Emily obeyed without a word and, as she released him, staggered back a few steps.

Her head remained lowered. Tears rolled down her cheeks one after another, falling onto the grass like heavy raindrops.

"W-Why did you do it...?" she murmured in a tiny voice. "I was so happy to see how much effort you were putting in... For a moment... I really let myself believe that maybe you cared about all this, at least a little. That at least you understood how much it meant to me..."

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

Even the last few onlookers began drifting away in silence.

"...I was such an idiot to rely on you..."

"If you knew who I really am and what I’m capable of, you wouldn’t think that. Believe me."

Lars turned his back on Ryan, still lying on the ground in agony, and headed back toward the stall as if nothing had happened.

As he passed Emily, she suddenly stiffened.

Lars slowed slightly and leaned toward her.

A shiver ran down her spine when his calm, icy voice brushed against her ear.

"If I hadn’t appreciated all the effort you put in, Emily... do you really think you would’ve been able to stop me?"

Emily slowly parted her lips.

But no sound came out.