SHIGEO’S SICKNESS—
APRIL 13, 2011

Shigeo's morning routine is mechanical, almost robotic. He shuffles through the motions of preparing for school with a distant detachment, his mind still weighed down by the events of the previous day. The shower offers little solace, the warm water failing to wash away the lingering sense of unease that clings to him like a persistent shadow.

Dressed in his school uniform, Shigeo boards the bus with a heavy heart, his gaze fixed on the floor as he seeks refuge in solitude. But as fate would have it, Taylor occupies the seat opposite him, her presence a stark reminder of the rift between them. He averts his eyes, pretending not to notice her as he sinks deeper into his own thoughts.

Glancing out the window, Shigeo catches sight of his reflection staring back at him, eyes hollow and burdened with exhaustion. Dark circles underscore his weariness, a testament to the sleepless night spent fretting over Reigen's whereabouts.

"Winslow High," the bus driver announces, jolting Shigeo from his reverie. With a resigned sigh, he gathers his belongings and steps off the bus, his movements sluggish and devoid of enthusiasm.

As he trudges towards the school building, Shigeo feels the weight of the day bearing down on him like a leaden cloak.

Sometime later while in the middle of the English class, someone excuses Shigeo from the class. A man wearing professional attire is waiting for Shigeo outside the classroom.

"I'm Glenn," the man says, his tone carrying an air of formality amidst the subdued atmosphere of the hallway. “How about a walk?”

Glenn's proposition for a walk catches Shigeo off guard, his uncertainty evident in the hesitant nod he offers. "Umm... It is fine, I guess," he murmurs, though his curiosity is piqued, wondering what this unfamiliar man might want from him.

As they step outside the classroom, Glenn, clad in professional attire, introduces himself as a colleague of Reigen's, presenting his badge and a somber-looking armband denoting his affiliation with the PRT.

Shigeo, feeling a knot of apprehension forming in his stomach, follows Glenn's lead as they make their way towards the park. Glenn speaks proudly of Reigen, his words laced with admiration, but Shigeo finds little comfort in the conversation. The weight of Glenn's presence only serves to deepen the unease gnawing at his insides.

Arriving at the park, Shigeo listens as Glenn's tone shifts, becoming more solemn and grave. "I am sorry to inform you, but Reigen Arataka has been killed in action," Glenn delivers the news with a stoic demeanor, his words hitting Shigeo like a sledgehammer. The world seems to blur around him as he struggles to process the shocking revelation.

"What?" Shigeo's voice is barely a whisper, choked with disbelief and a sudden wave of grief crashing over him like a tidal wave. Glenn's next words feel distant as if coming from another realm. "This is his armband," Glenn hands Shigeo the black armband, a stark reminder of the reality he now faces - one without Reigen's guiding presence.

Shigeo stands there, frozen in disbelief, as Glenn's words echo in his mind. The news of Reigen's death feels like a heavy blow, knocking the wind out of him. He clutches the black armband tightly in his hand, the reality of the loss sinking in with each passing moment.

Glenn's presence beside him offers little solace, the weight of the situation pressing down on Shigeo like a suffocating blanket. He struggles to find words, his throat tight with emotion as he grapples with the overwhelming sense of loss.

Minutes tick by in silence, each one stretching into eternity as Shigeo wrestles with his grief. Ten minutes pass, then more, but still, he remains silent, lost in the depths of his despair.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Glenn breaks the silence, bidding Shigeo goodbye and leaving him alone in the park. As the PRT agent disappears from sight, Shigeo's composure crumbles, and he collapses to his knees, tears streaming down his face unchecked.

His emotions threaten to overwhelm him, his psychic powers flickering dangerously at the edges of his control. Desperate to regain his equilibrium, Shigeo fumbles for the vial of pills tucked away in his pocket.

With trembling hands, he unscrews the cap and tips the entire contents into his mouth, swallowing them down in one gulp. The medication floods his system, dulling the intensity of his emotions and soothing the turbulent storm raging within him.

Gradually, the chaos subsides, and Shigeo finds himself enveloped in a numbing sense of calm. He sits there in the quiet of the park, the weight of his grief still heavy upon his shoulders but now tempered by the comforting embrace of the medication.

Despite the risk of overdosing, Shigeo finds a strange sense of relief in the temporary respite it offers. For now, at least, he can push aside the overwhelming tide of emotions threatening to consume him, if only for a little while longer.

Shigeo walks like a zombie with the intent to return to class and get his mind off his grief, that’s when he notices Taylor and Sophia coming to a confrontation just by the hallways near the locker.

Shigeo's steps falter as he witnesses the confrontation between Taylor and Sophia, their heated exchange slicing through the air like a knife. Sophia's aggression is palpable, her taunts cutting deep into Taylor's resolve.

Sophia, her smirk laden with malice, sneers at Taylor's defiance. "Taylor, you are getting braver huh? You dare hit me back?" She rubs her nose, a trickle of blood staining her finger.

Taylor, though visibly shaken, meets Sophia's gaze with a defiant glare. "Yeah, I am done with it… You might as well kill me, bitch."

Sophia's laughter rings out, sharp and mocking. "Heh~! The little bug now knows how to fight?" She feints a left hook before delivering a vicious uppercut. "Is that it? You are my bitch, fucker!"

"Fuck you!" Taylor lunges for Sophia's hair in retaliation, desperation evident in her actions.

Sophia effortlessly dodges Taylor's grasp, her movements fluid and calculated. With a cruel smile, she slaps Taylor across the face. "No! Fuck you!" Grabbing Taylor's neck, she delivers another slap and another, and another, each blow landing with brutal precision.

Shigeo watches the altercation unfold, his mind swirling with questions. Why isn't Taylor using her powers when Sophia is using hers? Ah, ~Sophia is only using hers sneakily and sparingly with dodging. That’s how Taylor’s ass is being handed down to her.

Just as he's about to turn away, Sophia's voice cuts through the chaos, addressing him directly. "Hey you creep, yes you, druggie… Come here…"

"I don't want to," Shigeo responds, and his voice is chillingly cold.

"What? Ugh… How dare you!?" Sophia's frown deepens, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "Come on, you won't regret it."

"Regret what?" Shigeo's brow furrows in confusion, his gaze flickering between Sophia and Taylor.

Sophia's grip tightens on Taylor's hair, emphasizing her words with a cruel shake. "Oh, suck it… I know you have a crush on Taylor. You wanna shag her? Yeah, a good shagging should be able to fix Taylor up… Hey, maybe you can sell her to ABB. You're Japanese, yes? Ah— you're that kid with a dad from ABB! Isn't this perfect? Come here… creep, help me with Taylor and help yourself." Her words drip with malice, sending a chill down anyone who hears her.

Not Shigeo though, he is not in any state to register emotion, because if he dares do as such— he’ll break.

Taylor winces in pain, her voice strained as she interjects, "Not him, Sophia… You don't understand… Shigeo is dangerous."

Sophia scoffs, rolling her eyes in disdain. "Wow, what a drama queen. So are the two of you actually a thing? Maybe you shagged her already, druggie? What is it? Come on, creep, answer! Fuck… this is getting boring."

Shigeo doesn’t know how to answer that, but admittedly, he just wants to go. So he turns around, intent on leaving the bullied and the bully alone.

"No wonder your dad got killed," Sophia says, bored. Shigeo turns around to see Sophia’s mischievous grin on her face. "Is it foster dad? Nah, who cares? That's what PRT troopers are for - cannon fodder. That’s what got him when he butts into a cape’s work."

How can she be so callous about Reigen’s death? And what does she mean by ‘cape’s work'? Before he can ask, the girl continues, "But seriously, ABB? Far from it, your dad is a fucking poser and you are just as bad, druggie? Maybe your dad is corrupt, and that's what gets him killed?"

The girl's words hit him like a ton of bricks. How does she know all of that? And then it hits him - she must be a Ward. "How do you know all of that?" Shigeo asks for confirmation, his voice trembling with anger and confusion.

“I see… You are affiliated with the PRT, a Ward even…” Shigeo deduces: the clues are Sophia having powers, being cocky, acting all-knowing about Reigen and PRT.

“Huh? What the fuck are you talking about?” She grins happily, relishing in what she perceives as Shigeo's fear, but she's got it all wrong.

Shigeo is nothing but numb to any perceivable human emotion at this point, especially with the drugs coursing on him “That’s the only reason you know about Reigen… Maybe you even had a hand in his death for all I care. You are clearly incompetent, arrogant, and not right of mind. I am sorry, I shouldn’t say that. All of us are not right of mind.”

“What are you on, druggie?” Sophia frowns, realizing only now something is wrong.

“Me? I am on anti-depressants, the heavy kind… Since there is no Reigen anymore, I guess it doesn’t matter if I want to hide or not…”

That’s the day Shigeo Kageyama finally snapped.

#ERROR#

[2%]

[21%]

[58%]

[76%]

[94%]

[100% Broken]

In the hallways of Winslow High, Sophia's voice trembles with panic as she floats midair. "What is happening!? I cannot move."

Shigeo's gaze remains fixed on Sophia, his expression unreadable. "Taylor, Sophia is a cape too..."

Taylor's eyes widen in shock. "What? I… She…"

Struggling against an invisible force, Sophia's desperation grows. "Fuck, I cannot move!" With a surge of shadowy energy transforming her flesh, she manages to slip partially free from Shigeo's telekinetic hold.

However, it is futile.

Shigeo tightens his grip, his voice chillingly calm. "And if my deductions have been right all along, then she is a Ward, or at least PRT-affiliated."

Recognition dawns on Taylor's face. "I recognize those powers… she is Shadow Stalker… Shigeo, what are you going to do now?"

A sense of resignation colors Shigeo's tone. "Me? I am tired of being sick, Taylor… I am tired of being scared when will I suddenly lose control? At least now, I will choose when and where I will lose control."

With deliberate slowness, he begins to compress the space around Sophia, contorting her body at unnatural angles with his telekinesis.

Taylor's protest is barely a whisper. "T-this is wrong, you are going to kill her…"

Shigeo’s resolve is nothing but feeble, and motivated by a need to release, he finally lets go: of his rage, his emotions, and everything. "Everyone is sick, Taylor, and only I know it… There are ghosts in each person’s heart. Some were more tolerable than others, and some… I just want to exorcise."

Sophia's pleas grow more frantic. "N-no! Don’t! Please st-stop, stop! Don’t you know who I am!? I am Shadow— fuck!" Blood trickles from her eyes, nose, and mouth as she is compressed further, her body contorted into smaller and smaller fragments.

Taylor's conflicting emotions play out on her face as she watches in horror. "Shi-Shigeo! S-stop! You are killing her!"

"That’s the entire idea," But Shigeo remains resolute, and his actions are unwavering. “The first time I killed, I couldn’t remember how I did it… But the second time? I think I will not forget this for a long time.” With a final, merciless squeeze, he reduces Sophia to a crimson-stained mass. Careful not to spill a drop, he deposits her remains into a nearby trashcan, a grim testament to the shard of insanity hiding in Shigeo’s heart.

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#Villain, Hero, or Anti? #Sophia Hess's Death #Reigen Arataka's Death #Give Hearts if you want me to continue