There is not a single lie spoken, yet Takemichi feels deceived. That feeling comes entirely from the man standing in front of him now - Kimura Kenji.

The first time Takemichi meets him is when Taiju has already helped him build up half of his forces. That day marks Takemichi's official debut before his newly formed army, announcing who the true leader is and which gang they now belong to.

At the time, Takemichi thought it was nothing more than an ordinary meeting. Taiju introduces the man to him, saying that this is someone he values greatly. The man introduces himself in an overly serious manner - first bowing deeply in a gesture of great respect, then extending a handshake that makes Takemichi feel slightly awkward. He is far too used to natural behavior, or the rough and crude manners common among delinquents.

This man carries an air completely different from the others. That is the only thing Takemichi's mind registers back then.

But now, looking back on it, he realizes it is not just the air that is different.

That day, countless suspicious gazes are directed at him. Only this man looks at him with something else in his eyes. Even now, Takemichi still cannot understand what that look truly means.

There is also what Taiju tells him - that the man claims to have met Takemichi before, and that he joins Black Dragon out of admiration for him. This information throws Takemichi into deep confusion.

There are many things about him that catch Takemichi off guard. First, he comes from a wealthy family living in an upscale residential area in the heart of Shibuya. Second, despite his refined, scholarly good looks and dignified appearance, he is a genuine playboy. At only seventeen, he is already a VIP at major nightlife venues in the city. His social circle consists of sons and daughters of powerful conglomerates across Tokyo. He once says that when he talks about "running wild across Tokyo," what he really means is indulging in his own endless parties.

He is certainly not a spy from any delinquent gang. Quite the opposite - he belongs to the upper class. His family's social standing is far higher than even the Shiba family's. His life has never once had anything to do with the word delinquent.

This does not reassure Takemichi. Instead, it makes him feel even more unsettled.

And he hates the mask the man always wears - the kind that makes him impossible to read, impossible to understand, impossible to know what he truly wants. His movements are elegant, his attitude unfailingly respectful, his smile always resting on his lips. He looks so proper, so upright, that no one would ever suspect he could harbor the intent to kill someone.

"Hanagaki-sama."

"Stop using that honorific. It gives me the creeps - especially when you're older than me. Use something more appropriate."

The moment he hears the address, Takemichi cuts him off. He truly cannot stand that overly ceremonious way of speaking. The man visibly deflates, his expression turning so dejected it almost looks pitiful. At that moment, Inui suddenly feels like punching someone.

"Hanagaki-kun or Hanagaki-san is fine."

Seeing that, Takemichi does not bother to scold him further. He forces himself to suppress his discomfort and focuses on understanding the situation. There is clearly something hidden behind this man's decision to join Black Dragon.

"Hanagaki-san, I'm sorry for not telling you about my background. It's just that joining Black Dragon is my own wish, and things like where I come from don't feel important to me. Now that I've explained everything, and everyone has already looked into my past, I can prove that I'm not a spy for anyone."

"Like you said, your background doesn't matter to me anymore."

Takemichi replies coldly. The other man's face grows more and more disappointed by the second.

"I don't want to beat around the bush. You say you joined Black Dragon because you met me before and admired me after that - but I've never met you. And I've never had some grand goal of conquering the delinquent world either, like you explained when you said you wanted to kill Kisaki because he stood in my way."

The moment Takemichi says this, Kimura loses his composure. He grows visibly agitated, speaking to him in a rush.

"I know you might not remember me, but I come here because of you. You are the one who says that one day you will become the number one delinquent in Japan, that you will make everyone kneel before you. You say that to me - outside Bar X. Right there."

His agitation draws the eyes of the other three people in the room. They look at him, then turn to Takemichi. Anyone familiar with Takemichi knows that what Kimura says sounds completely absurd. But for someone who knows Takemichi's secret - knows that his appearance is not something only he possesses - the truth becomes clear almost instantly.

"You're sure you met me?" Takemichi asks him.

"Even though you wear a mask the whole time and hide your face, I'm certain it's you."

Kimura answers without the slightest hesitation.

Always wearing a mask, huh? That only fits those two even more.

Takemichi falls into silence. His gaze turns distant and cold. Even as Kiruma looks like he is sitting on a bed of fire, Takemichi remains quiet, watching him. Seeing this, Kiruma suddenly stiffens, looking back at him with an expression Takemichi cannot make sense of.

Because of Takemichi, the air in the room grows thick and suffocating.

No one knows what is going on inside his head.

Takemichi does not know whether he feels surprised or not. Ever since he hears Taiju say that guy has met him before - and that those words are not a lie - an uneasy premonition settles in his chest. And he realizes it, doesn't he? If it is not him, then there are still two other "Takemichi" for that man to meet anyway.

Even so, he clings to the belief that this is nothing more than an accidental encounter. It seems like those two brats must have done something to catch Kiruma's attention, eventually leading to this situation. Yet one thing keeps weighing on his mind - he says he fears Kisaki interfering with his conquest of the delinquent world.

Why does he say that? Why does he pin a goal on him, a goal Takemichi never sets for himself? There is no way he says something like that without reason.

It is "you" who says it!

The feeling is ridiculous. Takemichi is truly naïve, placing all his trust in those two, thinking they are merely wandering around, getting into fights because of their impulsive, competitive nature.

He does not know what Take and Michi have done, are doing, or want to do - but becoming the number one delinquent in Japan, making everyone kneel before them?

That can never be something childish or trivial, like he once believed.

This is betrayal.

His "self" is betraying him.

The joy and excitement vanish instantly. Everything in front of Takemichi turns blurry, his head grows heavy. A flame of anger and anxiety erupts inside him, and he wants to burn everything here to the ground.

What are you two planning to do?

What are you really plotting?

Will this hurt his friends?

He thinks everything is within reach, yet now his own existence becomes an unexpected variable.

He hates this.

He hates waking up and not understanding what is happening. He hates the illusion of happiness, only for everything to collapse back into chaos.

He hates suffering. Why can he not be truly happy, even once?

Is it possible that "he" now becomes the one who destroys all his own efforts?

Why does this happen?

Is it because he is so weak that he cannot even control himself?

He is a lunatic.

He will destroy everything - will everyone be able to accept that? Will they hate him? Will he be abandoned? After all this effort, does he end up alone again?

"They will live happily ever after... but without you?"

There will be no him...

There will be no him.

Everyone will be happy when he is gone!

Depression makes Takemichi's emotions dangerously unstable. Thousands of thoughts crash into him at once. He does not know if it is because of this instability that, among those thoughts, one particularly abnormal idea suddenly emerges - something unlike anything before. Or at least, he thinks so.

For a long time, Takemichi vaguely senses that something inside him is different from before. But this time, it is unmistakable. Something dark is swallowing his mind, staining part of his inner world in shadow, carrying with it a chilling coldness.

Inui, Kokonoi, and Taiju all slowly observe Takemichi's expressions and movements. Something about him makes them uneasy.

Takemichi does not say a single word. His fingers tap rhythmically against the table, his face completely blank. Inui and Kokonoi have never seen this side of Takemichi before, and they can say - without exaggeration - that this version of him scares them.

Takemichi's head tilts slightly downward, his fingers still tapping at a steady pace. The tension on everyone's faces deepens. Only Taiju manages to keep his composure, his gaze fixed intently on every small movement Takemichi makes.

"Inupi-kun, Koko-kun, Taiju-kun. The three of you, go outside for a moment."

Takemichi speaks in a tone that leaves no room for refusal - cold, commanding. The three exchange glances, then quickly comply. Only after the sound of the door closing echoes through the room does Takemichi finally move toward him.

Takemichi steps out of the shadows in the corner and into the sunlight spilling through the window. He stops about three steps away. The light cuts across his body, dividing him in two - light below, darkness above. The shadow obscures part of his expression, while his blue eyes gleam with the same light as a predator locking onto its prey.

Kimura's body trembles slightly. The black pupils in his eyes dilate as he stares at the person in front of him.

"I'm really angry right now."

Takemichi's voice drops low. Despite his words, his tone remains unnervingly calm.

"The person you saw isn't me."

"N-No - "

"I have no reason to lie to you." Takemichi snaps, cutting him off.

Kimura takes a shallow breath. Beads of sweat form on his skin, tension wrapping tightly around his entire body. How could he not be tense? The small figure before him looks at him as if he is nothing more than prey - not attacking outright, but circling, toying with him, dragging it out. Just trying to read Takemichi's thoughts is enough to stretch his nerves to the limit. This pressure -

"Kimura, I'm not the person you admire enough to join Black Dragon and swear loyalty to," Takemichi says flatly. "So leave Black Dragon."

"Never," Kimura answers immediately. "I won't leave Black Dragon. Even if you don't believe me, I'm sure of it - I came here because of you. I'm not mistaken."

The corner of Takemichi's lips curls upward. His gaze sharpens.

"Oh? Is that so?" he says softly. "So you're saying you'll stay here and serve me? That you'll be loyal to me?" His eyes narrow. "You're good at acting, Kimura. I can't trust you."

"What do I need to do to prove what I'm saying?"

He looks at Takemichi with determination - desperate, even - to stay. Even now, he insists it's because of him.

Takemichi's smile stretches wider. A cruel glint flashes through his eyes. Kimura's words land exactly where Takemichi wants them to.

"Kneel."

Two words fall with icy finality. A clear, unmistakable order.

Kimura stares at him in shock. Takemichi's indifferent expression makes it clear - he has no intention of repeating himself.

Watching Kimura stand there, frozen and staring, Takemichi thinks this is usually the limit of anyone's tolerance. A normal person would already be furious - would have punched him on the spot. Especially a rich young master like this one. There's no way he passes this test.

But then again, this guy is never "normal" to begin with.

Just as Takemichi decides to drop it, Kimura's tall body suddenly lowers.

This time, Takemichi is the one caught off guard.

Kimura actually kneels at his feet. Then he looks up at him.

Takemichi frowns, cursing silently under his breath.

There is not a trace of humiliation on Kimura's face. Instead, he even smiles at Takemichi - sweetly. His expression looks satisfied, as if he has just offered a gift. Absolute submission.

Damn it. Take, Michi, just what kind of freak did you guys drag back for me? Is this that legendary M-type personality? Rich people really do have unstable minds, huh?

"Anything you desire, Hanagaki-san."

Takemichi looks down at him from above. He feels no fear toward the man's madness, nor any discomfort at the sight of him kneeling at his feet - something that would have surely made him panic and break out in goosebumps in the past. Instead, something stirs inside him, urges him forward, excites him so much that he cannot hold back a delighted laugh.

"Ah... this is really driving me crazy."

After that burst of laughter, Takemichi's attitude changes instantly. He roughly grabs Kimura by the collar and yanks him up. A bright smile blooms on his cherry-colored lips - sweet, yet cruel.

"You'd better remember every word you just said. You're here because of me. Forget that masked bastard for me. That's not me, and I hate being mistaken for someone else. What belongs to me is mine - it doesn't come from anyone else. Your loyalty is the same. It belongs to me. From now on, you're officially my dog, Kimura."

Ah - this is it.

This very presence is what captivates him, what brings him here in the first place.

Such a fierce, overwhelming gaze comes from a body that looks so fragile, as if it holds no power at all. He knows there is far more hidden behind those clear, sky-colored eyes.

Just like Takemichi himself. He is kind, compassionate, warm, and gentle with everyone - of course he is. But he is also selfish, possessive, obsessively driven toward his own goals, thirsting for power, hungry to control everything. He is the greediest person Kimura has ever met. And yet no one sees it, because his mask is far too perfect, because his purpose appears far too noble.

Watching him shake a powerful gang to its core, hold them tight in the palm of his hand and toy with them at will - it fills him with indescribable pleasure. And seeing him crush minds, strike down the leader of Tenjiku with brutal force, while still appearing in others' eyes as a saint full of mercy only pushes his excitement even further, to the point where he almost loses control and reveals everything.

Pure beauty walking hand in hand with darkness?

He travels a long, long road just to find him.

Takemichi is the one who brings him intense, electrifying emotions - things he never finds in his dull, colorless life. More addictive than nicotine in cigarettes, stronger than alcohol that clouds the mind, even surpassing the high of every stimulant he has ever taken.

He willingly becomes a slave just to savor that sensation - like electricity surging through his body and leaving him numb, like a thrill racing down his spine and making his heart pound wildly. He is ready to throw everything away for that rush that sets his blood boiling, keeps him restless, makes every single cell in his body tremble and writhe with stimulation.

I will peel away every layer of your true self, my god.

"I can see that calculating look in your eyes."

The warning rips straight through the fantasies forming in his head. Takemichi releases his grip from the man's collar, then lightly slides a finger under his chin, forcing him to lift his face and meet his gaze.

"If you're going to be a dog, then be loyal. Don't scheme against your owner. Don't make me any angrier than I already am. We're going to have plenty of time to get to know each other from now on. So make sure you prove your worth properly, Kimura-kun."

He shudders, his face flushing red with excitement. The look in his eyes grows even more intoxicated, and the sly smile blooming across his face makes Takemichi want nothing more than to smash it to pieces. If the guy isn't good-looking, just how grotesque and perverted would that face be? The thought alone makes Takemichi's skin crawl.

Takemichi honestly doesn't know whether getting involved with this man is a blessing or a curse. He doesn't feel a single trace of something good coming from him. But right now, this is the one person who can help him understand what is really going on - without dragging others into danger.

His heart aches. Fear, chaos, pain swirl inside him. More than anything, Takemichi feels powerless - powerless when he remembers the moments when "he" hurts them. He can't control himself. The darkness swallows him whole.

This is nothing like a hero.

For the first time, a truly lethal thought slips into his mind...

And it is directed at himself.

Takemichi does not allow "himself" to harm them.

If one day he truly hurts them - if he destroys their happiness - then he will kill himself.

What could be more tragic than a hero who turns into a villain?