episode_0058

The girl, who appeared to be the leader, treated me very roughly. It was an unpleasant feeling to have my hair grabbed and be forcibly lifted.

“You know Martin, right?”

“Yes.”

“We’re Martin’s friends. So we came to fix your bad habits.”

“Ah.”

Martin? Is it that guy who used to brag that his older sister was the boss of the Freshmen Management Committee? That blond delinquent. I remember him looking at Daphne with lecherous eyes. So I taught him a lesson a few times.

Was this their revenge for that?

“What? ‘Ah’? Are you kidding me?”

– Slap!

She slapped me, I don’t know what she found so offensive. Ouch, she’s hitting me again. At this rate, my face is going to swell up like a pufferfish!

[The pain felt by the individual is dispersed among the clones, slowing it down – Reduction Rate: 5%]

Those damned brats, when they hit me, I could feel a slight flow of mana. If I didn’t have the ability to disperse pain to my clones, I would have been crying and throwing a fit.

“You said your name was Violet, right? Do you remember what you did?”

I searched through my memories.

“You stole my wallet and took my phone, didn’t you?”

“The second time we met, you even stripped off my clothes. Of course, you put them back next to me after trying to take them!”

Ah, if I had known this would happen, should I have beaten them more thoroughly? I was a bit too complacent. Who knew what I did back then would come back like this.

I saw Daphne, looking distraught and not knowing what to do inside the barrier. She was stomping her feet, but couldn’t approach. The guys who had drawn their sword energy kept hitting the barrier a few times. She looked quite tired, seemingly unable to move as she focused all her energy on maintaining the barrier.

The leader girl poked my head with her index finger.

“You’re worried about that bitch, aren’t you? You should’ve just stayed still, why did you have to act up?”

But, how on earth did they drag her here?

“She acted all kind, you know, asked her to help because her friend collapsed, and she followed us all the way to the alley. What a complete idiot. Just because she uses some unique ability, she acts all special…”

The brat prattled on without being asked. Only then was my question answered.

Daphne was the kind of person who would immediately help if someone asked for it. These pieces of trash, they exploited a kind individual’s good will!

“She tried to activate her barrier and run, but we struck her with sword energy, and she was too surprised to move. Hey, how long have we been hitting her?”

“About two hours, I think? It’s damn sturdy, wouldn’t break.”

The brats cackled.

Daphne’s condition looked very bad. Thanks to her unique ability, she didn’t show any visible injuries, but she seemed extremely fatigued. It appeared she had used a lot of mana.

Judging by how the barrier fluctuated with each strike, it looked unstable. It might break soon.

“What do you want…?”

“What we want?”

The leader girl gestured, then stepped back. The subordinates behind her took out their smartphones and showed me the screen.

“There, you see?”

On the screen, there were several photos of a girl in only her underwear. That’s me, isn’t it?

As I was startled, the kids snickered. Some of them… now I realized, were taking out their smartphones and recording videos in real time.

“Idiot, do you understand the situation now?”

So this was why my clothes were stripped? Fortunately, there were no other marks on my body.

“How many people are there?”

“All 12 you see. All Polaris students. Their skill level is unknown. Their only weapons are swords. That one who seems to be the leader… you see her magic staff, right?”

“Hahaha! Why are you already scared? Anyone would think you got screwed over?”

The brat held up the smartphone with my photos like a treasured sword, sneering.

“Martin and his sister are really angry. If you don’t want this spread around school…”

His sister? Was that what he ordered?

As I listened, I was appalled. It sounded like they wanted me to record an ‘apology video’ and comply with all sorts of bizarre demands.

“Ms. Ruzilin! No! Everyone, it’s my fault. I’ll do it instead, so…”

Behind me, Daphne burst into tears. Judging by her attitude, she might drop the barrier and kneel at this rate. Before she could say anything else, I pretended to accept their demands.

“So, I just do as you say, right? I’ll do it right away. Please let Daphne go.”

“Oh really? Then stand up. First…”

“What an idiot, is she really going to do it? Hahaha!”

I met eyes with Daphne, who was whimpering behind me. I blinked my eyes several times in succession and gave a slight nod, signaling her to stay still.

Did she understand?

She read my signal with a confused look, then, though doubtful, nodded her head.

The leader girl and her subordinates surrounded me, watching. One of the male students took out his smartphone camera. I felt no shame at being the subject, but I wanted to spit on those faces stained with malice.

“All right, follow what I say…”

I raised my arm. I made a gun shape with my right hand and aimed it at the arm of the guy holding the smartphone. Then, I lightly opened my mouth.

“Bang!”

“What are you doing…?”

What do you think? It’s a shooting signal!

Three whistling sounds were heard, and then three crossbow bolts successively struck the male student’s palm and arm.

“My hand! Ugh… ughhh!”

The brat clutched his arm and wailed as the pain registered belatedly. I saw one bolt perfectly pierce through both the smartphone and his palm. Perfect.

As the gang stood stunned, not knowing what to do amidst the sudden change in situation, the Violet squad, masked and ready, entered the building.

“Charge! Charge!”

Crossbow shots rained down, targeting their arms and legs. The surprise volley scattered them in chaos, and about three of them were incapacitated with bolts in their limbs. Sadly, I couldn’t subdue all of them. They quickly came to their senses, drew their respective weapons, and began deflecting the arrows.

Amidst the chaos, Clone 5 subtly retreated. Mana particles shimmered, and replicated clothes immediately draped over my body. The rest was for the other me’s to handle.

“Hey! Duck!”

The leader girl pulled out a long staff as tall as herself and lightly tapped the floor. White magic circles appeared and vanished on the gang members’ bodies. Bolts bounced off them with a white flash before even reaching their bodies. However, while they focused on defense, the assault teams, with Violets holding riot shields in front, seized the opportunity to enter the building. Immediately, they engaged in a brawl with the gang.

The rear assault team arrived first. First, I needed to secure Daphne.

“Ram them!”

Clone 12 and Clone 23 rammed into two boys with their shields. These were the guys who had been pounding on the barrier earlier, tormenting Daphne without letting her rest.

While they flinched from the impact, eight Violets who followed immediately stabbed their limbs and struck their heads with hammers.

“Ughh! Arghhh!”

“My leg!!”

As they were incapacitated, I rushed towards Daphne.

“Are you okay? I came to rescue you!”

“Haa… I’m… okay…”

The barrier was dispelled, and Daphne stumbled out. She barely managed to stand with our support. Now that I saw her, her mana was almost depleted. It would have been a disaster if we had been late. She was too exhausted to walk, so I had her sit down nearby to rest.

While Daphne was safely secured, other assault teams charged at the gang.

“Block them! Block them! Dammit! Argh! Argh!”

“Argh! Get off me! Hit this! Hit this!”

Their resistance was stronger than expected. They blocked with shields, and relentlessly stabbed and charged with swords and spears, and we were starting to suffer casualties one by one. Compared to the brats I’d faced before, these guys knew how to fight a bit.

Nevertheless, since we overwhelmed them with numbers, we ultimately had the advantage.

“Cough… ugh!”

The current number of us here, including the original Clone 5, was 34, a result of using all our mana and even consuming mana supplements to deploy them.

The surrounded brats struggled fiercely, but soon fell to the ground.

Only the leader girl with the staff remained. We surrounded her.

“…Get out of my way!”

“Argh!”

The gang leader girl created a shockwave, knocking us down, and started to flee. We chased her. I quickly pulled out a crossbow and shot her in the leg.

– Thwip! Thwip thwip!

“Arghhh!”

A shrill scream echoed through the dim building.

“Damn it! Get lost! Go away!”

I saw a bolt lodged in her leg. The brat raised her staff and struggled, firing magic bullets. Two or three Violets who charged fell, but then over ten Violets rushed forward and apprehended her.

“Arghhh!”

“Now, let’s resolve this through conversation.”

These damned brats, if they were just thugs, I would have beaten them up and been done with it, but they seriously took photos of me in my underwear and threatened Daphne. If there hadn’t been a barrier, something quite ugly would have happened. I need to repay them exactly what they tried to do to me.

Clone 5, having taken out a hammer, approached the leader girl.

Suddenly, a powerful shockwave swept through the area once more. I thought she was sufficiently subdued, but was she not?

As the girl raised her arm, a violent sphere of flames began to bloom in her hand. We panicked and immediately retreated. It seemed she poured a lot of mana into it, as the fireball, which was fist-sized, instantly grew to the size of a bowling ball.

“…Die!”

We scattered in panic, running in all directions as the brat unleashed her final desperate fireball.

“Get down!”

“Run!”

The moment I ducked to avoid the fireball and looked back, oh no! I had forgotten something important. Daphne was in the path of the flying fireball. Her terrified face was clearly visible. It was too late to avoid it!

“Ah… no!”

The Violets nearby immediately raised their shields and shielded her with their bodies. The fiery red fireball directly struck us.

A light green glow spread rapidly. However, it quickly faded and disappeared.

– Boom!

The deafening roar echoed through the building.

Clone 5 immediately rushed over and struck the girl’s head with a hammer. She instantly fainted. The startled clones immediately rushed to the site of the explosion. Clone 45, who had held the shield and was directly hit by the fireball, shattered into pieces, and Clone 27, who was behind her, was burned completely black.

Fortunately, because we acted as shields, Daphne was unharmed.

No, no!

Daphne was unconscious and lying on the ground. She wasn’t moving.

“She… she’s not breathing! What do we do!”

Alarmed by Clone 5’s words, I checked on her.

She was breathing faintly. I barely managed to calm my pounding heart.

But what’s wrong? Why isn’t she waking up? We clearly blocked the attack!

Blood began to trickle from her head. From the looks of it, she was hit by shrapnel.

“Recovery potion! Get the recovery potion! Now!”

I frantically took out a recovery potion from my inventory and injected it into her. Since there were no bandages, I quickly tore off some clothes and wrapped them around her head.

“Daphne’s hurt! What do we do? What do we do?”

“Hospital… we need to go to the hospital! But where do we go? The infirmary?”

“First, um… Irene! Let’s call Irene!”

Clone 17 called Irene, her hands trembling.

“…Violet? What’s wrong?”

“H-Help!…”

The Violets, carrying the unconscious Daphne, hurriedly rushed outside. The chaotic scene from moments before was now left only with the groans of the injured gang members and the quiet sniffles of the Violets.

The Violets remaining on the scene were agitated.

“…She’s not going to die, is she? Surely not…”

“No, she got the recovery potion, didn’t she? She’s breathing, so she’ll be fine.”

The Violets, gripped by shock, fell silent.

As my startled heart calmed, questions suddenly surged within me.

Why did Daphne have to get hurt?

You guys started the fight first, didn’t you? At the very least, *I* was the one who stole the wallet. So shouldn’t *I* be the only one who gets hurt? Why?

Tears gushed out before I knew it.

No, it might be my fault. It was my mistake.

Yes, some of it is my fault. If I had blocked it properly, she might not have been hurt. Or perhaps I could have pulled her out of the line of fire faster? I should have just taken her outside from the beginning.

Indeed, was there any reason to play such a ridiculous clown act, even going so far as to feign compliance? Was I too careless?

Yes, it might have been my fault. Daphne got hurt because of me.

Every day, I caused trouble, acted childish, and got annoyed, but she still smiled and let it go. And yet, I did something foolish again. She might have gotten hurt because of me.

Yes. I am foolish and pathetic! I should have subdued them immediately so they couldn’t resist. How could I have given them an opening to counterattack? Still, the primary cause is someone else. It’s those brats.

Seeing the gang lying prostrate before me, nausea welled up.

I grabbed the leader bitch by her hair and poked her to wake her up. In my frustration, I screamed.

“Ah…?”

“Why! Why did you do that! Why!!”

“Y-You crazy bitch! What’s wrong with you? What did I do wrong?”

At her shamelessness, my mind went blank for a moment. What did she just say? It felt like lava was surging in my chest. What did she do to deserve acting like this?

My teeth ground together. At some point, my mind cleared and calmed down. I understood what it meant for one’s head to get cold when too angry.

The Violets quietly gathered the prostrate gang members in one place. They collected all their cell phones and sent them to the Violet dorm in the central district.

I took out chains and handcuffs and bound them. After they were restrained, I started asking questions.

There was a lot to ask.

“This, you were talking about that Martin guy’s older sister, right?”

“What? I don’t know…! I didn’t say anything like that…”

The leader bitch, after observing my expression, mumbled her words.

It felt like someone was pushing my back in my head. Just do it.

Yes, it’s necessary. Don’t these inhuman things need a real lesson, etched deep into their bones?

My head was spinning. I want to cry, I’m so angry, so annoyed. I can’t stand it. But my thought process is unnervingly clear. I’d rather it be murky like muddy water. The things I need to do are too clearly visible. That’s why it feels bad.

The night air was cold, but it wasn’t enough to cool my anger.

I couldn’t just stand by.

I pulled out a handful of recovery potion syringes from my inventory that I had accumulated and never used.

“I’m going to ask some questions now, and I want you to answer truthfully. Understood? Exactly who ordered this, where they live, and why they did it…”

“Go screw yourself, you crazy bitch!”

I struck the tip of her finger with a hammer.

“Arghhh! Stop! Argh!”

“You see the recovery potion here? It’s not even midnight yet. We have plenty of time.”

I swung. Swung. Swung harder. Injected the recovery potion. Hit again. Injected again. The night was long, and the conversation wasn’t short. There were also several people to converse with. Swung again. Clang, clang!

I don’t even know why I’m doing this.

***

The night was long, and much could be done.

The next day, I was finally able to meet the source of all these problems. Perhaps because so much happened last night, I felt a bit mentally fatigued.

It was a shame; if I could have met them then and settled it cleanly, it would have been better. But when I visited at night, only their family was there.

If that had been the case, there would have been no need to use the ridiculous rules of this doomed academy.

I perched on a desk in the clubroom—now used as the management office—and waited for a long time.

Soon, I saw a female student burst through the door.

She scrutinized me with a gaze full of doubt, and then I could see sparks in her eyes.

So she knows who I am. No need for introductions, then.

She was a female student with an arrogant expression and long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Her features were pretty, but her malicious eyes ruined her entire impression. And her current red and purple bruised appearance was even worse to look at.

Though I contributed to her looking like that, so I have no more to say.

“Hello, Martina.”

“Hey, you, you! What did you do to my younger sibling… to my younger sibling!”

Instead of answering, I pulled out a work glove and casually threw it. I just wanted to do it. My intention was for the flying glove to slap her face.

Unfortunately, that bitch immediately caught my glove. How quick.

“You know who I am, right? This is a duel, you damn bitch.”