The day passed in a blur of anxiety.
Lunch was a tactical nightmare (Rengoku, the loud guy with the flame hair, ate everything at the cafeteria before I could even get in line), and PE class was just me dodging dodgeballs like my life depended on it—because with my current stats, a rubber ball to the face would probably hospitalize me.
By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted. My "Social Battery" meter was flashing red.
But the mission wasn't over.
I stood in front of the Science Prep Room. The sign on the door read: Chemistry Club - Members Only. (Do not drink the beakers, Zenitsu.)
I took a deep breath. Okay, Muzan. You are the Lord of Demons. You have lived for a millennium. You can handle one petite high school girl.
I opened the door.
The smell hit me first. Formaldehyde, ethanol, and... something sweet. Something intoxicating.
The Lily.
My blood sang. It was here. I could smell the distinct, celestial aroma of the Blue Spider Lily hidden beneath the chemical stench.
The room was dim. Glass cabinets lined the walls, filled with jars of preserved organs and colorful liquids. In the center of the room, standing over a bubbling beaker, was Shinobu.
She was wearing a lab coat over her uniform. It looked disturbingly like a doctor's coat.
"You came," she said without turning around.
"I’m a man of my word," I said, stepping inside. I scanned the room. Where was it? Where was the flower?
"Close the door, please," she said. "Ventilation is key."
I closed the door. The click of the lock seemed incredibly loud in the quiet room.
Shinobu turned around. She was holding a syringe. Just a casual, massive syringe filled with a bubbling purple liquid.
"So, Kibutsuji-kun," she smiled, tapping the side of the syringe. "I’ve been analyzing the blood sample you gave during the physical exam last week."
My blood ran cold. Oh no.
"Really?" I squeaked. "Find anything... interesting?"
"Very," she stepped closer. The liquid in the syringe hissed. "Your white blood cell count is zero. Your cellular structure is unlike anything I’ve seen in Homo sapiens. In fact..."
She stopped right in front of me. She was so short she had to look up, but I felt like I was the small one.
"It’s almost like you’re not human at all."
She raised the needle.
"Care to explain before I start the dissection?"
[Crisis Alert: Identity Compromised. Fight or Flight?]
I looked at the syringe. I looked at her dead, smiling eyes. I looked at the locked door.
Well, I thought, sweat dripping down my back. This is going to be a long semester.
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.