Chapter 19: ○○○○ Monster (1)

For me, who had already faced and dealt with two ghost stories, the regular academy classes were no challenge at all.

After finishing the lecture, I left the classroom with a relaxed smile.

But that aside, the three characteristics of a Gift…

Thinking about the fact that the person teaching it was directly violating two of the three characteristics, it only made me laugh.

The first characteristic, innateness, which could only be obtained through innate means, was something I had already contradicted.

I had gotten the Observation Gift after defeating the infinite loop ghost story.

The second characteristic, finiteness, was the same.

The abilities that manifest through Gifts are diverse, but in the end, they are just abilities that even a ‘normal’ human could perform.

[Elaine Astria]

[Classification: Human / Female / Student]

[Gift: Strong Willpower]

[Note: Sadly, she became entangled in ghost stories on the very first day of school. However, she possesses strong willpower and, despite her fear, tries her best to face the ghost stories head-on.]

However, the translucent status screen that appeared before me clearly showed something that an ordinary person would never be able to do.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Why are you still here? The class is over, aren’t you leaving?”

I asked, looking at Elaine who was staying by my side as if it was natural.

“Well, you never know when another ghost story will pop up. So, I should stay by the teacher’s side just in case.”

Could a ghost story really show up just like that?

…I wanted to say that, but the sad reality was that I couldn’t deny her words.

I had already encountered a ghost story at least once a day.

Still, I didn’t want to agree with her, so I made up an excuse, one I didn’t even believe in myself.

“But even so, do you think ghost stories will just keep appearing one after another like this? Shouldn’t it be about time for a break?”

It was then.

“Aaaaahhhh!!”

A student’s scream pierced my eardrums.

“…No way.”

“Let’s go.”

Elaine and I ran toward the source of the scream.

There, several students were surrounding another student.

What’s going on?

Luckily, it looked like just regular school bullying.

“D-Don’t do this…”

“Hey, if someone hears, they’ll think we’re bullying you.”

“W-We’re actually bullying…”

“What? Say that again.”

“Heek!”

It was the kind of clichéd commotion you’d expect to see in an old comic book.

When I turned my gaze, I saw a group of troublemaking students bullying a few who looked timid.

And upon closer inspection, one of the delinquents had a familiar face.

To be precise, it was a face I’d just seen during the lecture.

The one who appeared to be the leader of the delinquents was the blond male student who had shown a rebellious attitude during class.

“Hey. If you bump into someone, shouldn’t you apologize? Am I wrong?”

“B-but you were the ones who walked into us…”

Just from overhearing, I could easily picture the situation.

The first thought that crossed my mind upon witnessing the scene was…

So even a prestigious academy has its share of delinquent students.

And not just ordinary troublemakers— they were organized enough to form a whole group.

That was my takeaway.

It was such a clichéd sight that it almost felt unreal.

Come to think of it, this was a world that had been masquerading as a romance fantasy novel for three years, except for the few months leading up to the graduation ceremony.

Though it had a slightly outdated feel, it made sense that a picture-perfect group of delinquents could roam the academy.

Having finished that thought, I let out a sigh and approached them before their harassment could escalate.

I wasn’t usually the type to intervene in such matters, but since I planned to work as a teacher at the academy, I figured it’d be good to build a positive reputation.

“Elaine. This doesn’t seem like a problem involving ghost stories, so stay put. I’ll handle them first, and then we can—”

“Stop it right now!”

But someone stopped them before I could.

And that someone wasn’t a teacher— it was a student.

A girl I recognized.

She had been in the same lecture hall, listening to my class just moments ago.

Given how enthusiastically she had participated, it was only natural I remembered her.

She had fluffy hair and a petite frame.

Her attitude was brave, but to anyone watching, her actions were reckless— she was at least a head shorter than the delinquents.

“Ooooh? What’s this? This tiny ‘brat’…”

“Ganging up on one person like this… Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Who asked you to butt in?! You think we’ll go easy on you just ‘cause you’re a ‘girl’?”

Doesn’t this feel off?

Every word they spoke was unnecessarily exaggerated.

It was like something straight out of an old Japanese gangster manga.

But despite the overwhelming difference in size, she stood her ground fearlessly against the delinquents.

Truly, an admirably courageous sight.

But the surprising thing wasn’t just her.

The delinquents who had heard her shouting were brazenly— almost shockingly so— threatening the female student who was much smaller in stature than them, and they seemed dead serious about it.

This could turn into a real mess.

“What in the world do you think you’re doing in the sacred academy?!”

“Tch. What a buzzkill. You’d better count yourself lucky, bitch.”

When I stepped forward and raised my voice, even they couldn’t openly defy a teacher, so they scowled and slunk away.

Look at the way they talk.

Their exit was so cliché, it was like they’d learned how to be delinquents from some old comic.

I considered catching one of them to lecture, but in the end, I chickened out and gave up.

Instead, I approached the student who had just been harassed by the troublemakers.

“Thank you. You saved me.”

“Not at all. I arrived too late to do anything properly. You should direct your thanks to this young lady here.”

As I said that, I turned my gaze toward the female student who had stood her ground against multiple delinquents without flinching.

“You must be… Miss Rone, right? Rone Justia, correct?”

[Rone Justia]

[Classification: Human / Female / Student]

[Gift: ???]

[Characteristics: Having just enrolled in the academy, she is brimming with excitement about her life here.]

Before she could even answer, a semi-transparent window appeared before me, as if confirming that the information I recalled was correct.

Her name was Rone Justia.

She was the petite student with fluffy hair who had enthusiastically asked questions during my lectures, making the class more engaging.

Unlike Elaine, her gift details weren’t visible.

[To view more detailed information about this individual, you must increase your understanding of them or further enhance your ‘Observation’ ability.]

…The moment I thought that, another message appeared before my eyes.

It seemed that because I didn’t know much about her beyond her name and face, there were gaps in the information displayed.

“Huh? You know my name?”

“Of course. I make sure to remember all the details about the students who attend my lectures.”

“Ah… I see.”

For some reason, Rone looked disappointed.

“In any case, Miss Rone, while your courageous act of jumping in to help someone is commendable, it was also very dangerous. From now on, please consider your own safety before rushing to aid others.”

“Oh, that’s fine. I have a gift, so…”

“A gift…?”

Did she possess some kind of special gift?

Before I could voice my question, the student who had been bullied by the delinquents asked with concern,

“…But are you really okay? You got on Mucha’s bad side.”

“Mucha?”

“I’m talking about the leader of those students from earlier.”

“I know the name. That student also attends my lectures. But what do you mean by ‘getting on Mucha’s bad side’?”

“That Mucha student… the rumors about him aren’t good. From what I’ve heard, he’s the leader of a delinquent group called ‘Scar’ within the academy…”

“Scar? There’s a group like that in the academy?”

For a prestigious academy, it sure has everything.

Wait, no. Shouldn’t I look at this from a romance-fantasy perspective?

Even though this world’s genre is cosmic horror and supernatural tales, before it drifted into horror, it was originally a romance-fantasy setting.

If it’s a romance-fantasy, then for the sake of forced crisis development, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be one or two delinquent groups that don’t fit the academy’s atmosphere, right?

“I’m worried that because you helped me earlier, you might have caught Mucha and his group’s attention for no reason…”

The student Rone had helped spoke in a concerned voice, worried that Rone might be in danger because of them.

But despite the student’s anxious tone, Rone smiled confidently and replied.

“Thank you for your concern. But it’s fine. As long as I have my Gift, I won’t lose to delinquents like that. And thank you too, Professor Allen.”

The student and Rone exchanged words of gratitude before parting ways.

After the two left, Elaine suddenly reappeared beside me and said,

“At least it wasn’t a ghost story. That’s a relief, Professor Allen.”

“Calling school violence a ‘relief’ isn’t the right way to put it.”

“W-well, that’s true, but honestly, weren’t you also relieved it wasn’t a ghost story, Professor Allen!?”

“But I didn’t say it out loud, did I?”

“Eek…!”

I teased her with those words, and surprisingly, the rest of the day passed without any other unusual incidents— just an ordinary, peaceful day.

For the first time, a day went by without getting tangled in any ghost stories.

If every day could be this peaceful, that’d be perfect.

.

.

.

And the next day.

The academy was overrun by delinquents.