His enemy was his defender? That didn’t make any sense. Confused, he frowned at Koichi, who shrugged with the same puzzled expression.

“Let’s not focus on casting blame. We have to find a solution.” She swept her gaze toward Ryuichi. “While it’s true that he’s Ryukage’s child, we have to decide what to do with him.”

Give him a break?

Only he felt that way as an uproar began again.

“He’s too dangerous to be kept alive.”

“He’s a threat to not just us but the entire world.”

Hanzō Hattori stepped forward.

Ryuichi’s ego deflated even more as he braced himself for the worst denouncement yet.

Hanzō, the man who’d brought him to Mahō-jō in the first place, was after his head.

The man he owed everything to. Of course Hanzō hated him. Why wouldn’t he? Ryuichi had placed both of his children in jeopardy and burned his home to the ground.

Ryuichi wanted to die from the shame of it all.

To his shock, it was Kasumi who came to his defense again. “We can’t kill the boy, regardless of what you think. He’s the only one who can make sure the others return to their worlds. We have to have him to close and lock the gates.”

Several of the councillors nodded in agreement.

“Then we kill him?” the old man asked.

Ryuichi gaped at the random question.

Kasumi ignored it. “As we’ve said, he’s a danger to all those around him.”

Hanzō and several other councillors nodded in agreement.

Kasumi allowed her tail to swish. “I think a compromise is in order.” She cast her gaze around them to make sure they were listening. “I’ve been consulting with Masaru⁠—”

The crowd erupted again into boos and jeers that shredded Ryuichi’s soul.

“What does that monster know about anything?”

“He’s worse than that brat!”

Ryuichi really wanted to die in that moment when their hatred cascaded over him.

Kasumi growled at them and wrestled control back from the shouting men. “Listen to me. We need solutions, not blaming. As I’ve said, I believe we can create a compromise that will satisfy all of you.”

Not likely, given this depth of hatred.

Masaru appeared out of nowhere to stand next to Kasumi. He refused to meet Ryuichi’s gaze.

Kasumi spoke in a calm and even tone. “There’s only one answer: banishment. We cannot defend against another round of attacks, and he cannot go unwatched. For everyone’s sake, he must be banished and sent to another school.”

Wait . . . What?

There was a loud cheer in the crowd. The support was unanimous.

Ryuichi felt sick. And not just from his chest wound. He felt like the vote was not just a decision on what to do with him, but that it was also a measurement of his worth as a human being.

And the people voted against him.