Chapter 3: Classroom of School Caste Justice
27: As the Villain
Bl00d had gushed from his chest, leaving a dark red stain that had spread from the wound to his abdomen, now dried and caked.
He was slumped in the chair, his hands tied behind his back. I could see that his feet were also bound with rope.
It matched the state that Makoto had talked about.
“W-wh-why…huh?”
Ryugo’s mind had gone completely blank.
The information sent from his vision was being judged by his brain as a murder case. However, an enormous amount of work was required to output that.
“You’re really surprised.”
Enka circled around the corpse while smiling.
The movements of the long, black-haired girl were light, as if she were dancing in a flower field. It was unbelievable that she was facing a corpse inside a rusty, abandoned factory.
“Do you know who killed him?”
“…You or the bunny suit girl. Or maybe both of you.”
At the very least, he managed to spit out some kind of deduction.
Even so, the worst-case scenario that he had envisioned had come to pass.
Despite the intense shock, he tried his best not to stop thinking.
The sensation of death that he could feel on his skin.
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Something that he had thought existed on the other side of a wall had appeared right before his eyes. And it was close enough to reach out and touch.
No, death was trying to touch him.
“Yup. Tanuki-kun is smart. The correct answer is me.”
“How? According to Makoto’s testimony, Haruyoshi went missing after the end! How could you have killed him!? Don’t tell me you were there too?”
“I wasn’t there. But I had connections.”
“Are you in cahoots with the bunny suit girl?”
“No, no. I don’t know anything about that person. Besides, how I killed Haruyoshi-kun isn’t really an important issue.”
“Then why did you kill him?”
“Because it was necessary. Because it was okay to kill him.”
Enka pulled out the knife roughly and wiped the caked-on Bl00d off with her finger.
“Now it’s my turn to ask you a question, Tanuki-kun.”
“What?”
“What do you think of me, someone who has killed a person?”
Would he be killed if he gave the wrong answer? While searching for his pocketknife, he estimated his odds of winning if this turned into a fight.
To be honest, he didn’t think he would lose, but it would be better if he could settle this peacefully.
“You’re a murderer. I think you should turn yourself in to the police.”
“That’s right. So, could you put that more directly?”
“Huh?”
“What am I to you?”
“An enemy.”
“An enemy, huh?”
“Evil.”
The moment she heard that answer, Enka smiled happily. She narrowed her eyes, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
What was there was…excitement and delight.
“Yup. That’s right. Murder is a bad thing. A bad person like that needs to be taken down by a champion of justice.”
The tip of the knife suddenly pointed towards Ryugo. The blade that had lost its shine due to Bl00d gave off a heavy pressure, making him recoil in spite of himself.
The curse created by the information that she had killed someone.
With that, even a mere butter knife can have the intimidation of a naginata.
“Last question. What will Raccoon-kun do with the bad guys?”
Taking out his pocket knife, Ryugo felt uneasy but prepared himself.
“Make them pay for their crimes.”
“That’s right. Otherwise… a champion of justice…”
“What’s your goal? Are you really the one on the phone? Did you hypnotize Aira and the others?”
“So many questions. But this is important for Raccoon-kun. It’s a crucial test to become a cool champion of justice.”
Enka slowly approached.
Was it out of leeway, or was she being extremely cautious?
–Don’t take me lightly.
Ryugo kicked an empty box that was nearby towards her.
“Wha!?”
A noisy clatter reverberated.
Seeing Enka surprised and taking a defensive stance, he closed the distance.
“You…”
Dodging the knife she hurriedly thrust out, he twisted her arm. He then pushed her down, pinning her on her back and straddling her.
Ryugo stomped on Enka’s other arm with his foot and took her knife. Now she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
And as a finishing blow, he pressed the tip of the knife against her shoulder.
“Don’t resist. I’ll stab you.”
“I lost in an instant… B-but that’s not the right line… That makes me sound like the bad guy…”
“Did you hypnotize Aira and the others?”
“Yes… I manipulated things behind the scenes so Aira could dominate the class…”
“For what purpose?”
“I told you… I wanted Raccoon-kun to become a champion of justice…”
Ryugo became furious and tightened his grip on her arm.
“Is that what you were doing this for!? I… I respected you!”
“But I respect Raccoon-kun too…”
“Enough. You can tell the rest to the police. Now, let me check your phone–“
“–Dodge it, Raccoon!!”
As a third party’s voice cut in, he sensed a presence closing in from behind.
The moment he instinctively defended himself with his arm, an intense shock and pain struck him, and he was sent flying. He rolled along the ground, stopping after about three rotations. Dust swirled, irritating his skin and hair.
Bright red Bl00d trickled down from his lacerated arm, which had been cut open by the surprise attack.
“Gah… aaagh…!!”
Despite writhing in agony from the bone-jarring blow, he kept his eyes wide open.
Gather information.
Don’t miss a single thing.
Ignorance can get you killed.
Through his blurry vision, he saw a large man standing protectively in front of Enka. He was probably the one who had delivered the kick.
“Raccoon!!”
He could hear the sound of two pairs of feet running towards them.
Looking at the face that had helped me up, I felt a shock for what felt like the hundredth time today.
“Kouki!? And Misato too…”
My best friend, who I had barely been able to contact since he transferred schools, was here with Misato for some reason.
After looking at Ryuugo, they turned to Madoka and went pale.
It was probably because they were seeing a corpse that was clearly dead in anyone’s eyes.
“…Is she dead?”
“It seems that way…”
It was an unbelievable fact.
What Ryuugo and I had been doing was just an extension of our daily lives, trying to get rid of the school caste surrounding Iraq.
What was in front of us now was a symbol of the extraordinary.
Death.
But we couldn’t afford to be confused forever.
“Kouki. Why are you here?”
“You were being deceived by Madoka.”
“Huh?”
“I was the one who made the promise with you on the phone.”
“Then you’re the one who gave me that app…!? And why is Misato here?”
“Let’s talk about the details later. Look.”
Not only the man who had knocked Ryuugo down, but also one tough-looking man after another had gathered with weapons.
There were eight of them.
They lined up as if to surround Ryuugo and me.
They didn’t seem to be acquaintances of Madoka’s.
Their expressions were uniformly blank, like faces drawn in the sand, and it was clear that there was no will behind them.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s this?”
To Ryuugo’s bewilderment, Misato replied with disgust.
“You have it too, don’t you? The app.”
“You know about it too. Or rather, is that an ‘order’… There are eight of them?”
“Ten.”
Madoka smiled triumphantly as she brandished her smartphone.
“I can hypnotize (experiment) ten people.”
“No way…”
“The level is ‘300’.”
“Wh-what!?”
Ryuugo’s current level is ’62’.
It had gone up a little thanks to visiting Makoto and helping to arrest the shoplifter. What I got was ‘Attitude: Yandere’.
It should be a fairly high level, but there’s still a gap of almost five times.
And the number of people I can hypnotize is still only two.
“I’m still using it on Ira and Makoto-kun, so that makes eight. Oops, I revealed my hand. Oh well.”
Madoka shows overwhelming margin, but it’s still unclear how much of that story is true.
That’s because ‘orders’ require a consumption of levels. If she’s manipulating eight people, it would be a huge amount.
Perhaps, this situation is making them forget about those men and even causing them to lose their sense of self.
And the penalty for attacking Ryugo.
It’s not hard to imagine that these factors combined are causing an enormous consumption level.
“Madoka, I don’t understand. Your level should have dropped significantly after this. Is it really necessary to do all of this?”
“Leveling up is like saving money. It doesn’t really mean anything. But if we don’t do this, Tanuki-kun might reconcile with Airan and the others. But it’s not right for a defender of justice to forgive such an evil person, is it? Right? A story that forgives a villain who has hurt so many people…”
“There are plenty of those, idiot. Don’t talk like you know so much.”
“But…”
“Ah, you’re trying to add conditions now, aren’t you? That’s against the rules.”
“But…”
“Stop struggling. Causing trouble with your superficial knowledge. Are you a rebellious child? A know-it-all. Should I suffocate you by slamming my recommended shonen manga into your face?”
“Even so, Tanuki-kun has to become my ideal hero.”
“Whatever. I don’t care about justice or heroes or anything like that.”
Anger began to bubble up inside me.
Manipulating and hurting people for trivial reasons, making everyone around you do as you please.
That’s no different from what Airan is doing.
“Listen up… I’m… angry!!”
I direct the anger I once felt towards Airan and Makoto at Madoka.
“I’m going to… beat you up right now!!”
“What can you do, even if you’re angry? I’m surrounded by my private army. You can’t win, and you can’t escape.”
Madoka laughs, spreading her arms wide as if she were a villain.
Always putting on an act.
I point my smartphone at her as if to counter her.
“Don’t underestimate me. I always prepare for the worst. I even predicted the possibility that you would be my enemy.”
“Even so, I don’t think you can do anything with an app.”
From behind me, Koki grabs my shoulder and says, “She’s right. Hypnosis can’t be used on someone who is already under hypnosis.” He tells me something I already know.
But then he looks at the screen of Ryugo’s smartphone, and his eyes widen like saucers.
“No way! Tanuki, what have you done…!”
“Making quick decisions is one of my strengths.”
“Can this be undone!?”
“I’ll think about that later. …Come on!!”
When I shout, Madoka tilts her head.
“Who are you calling?”
Katun, katun, katun――――
The sound of multiple footsteps reached my ears.
The footsteps are not in sync. But the pressure they exert is substantial. Their arrival is certainly not welcome. The devil’s followers.
They are gradually approaching us.
“……………………!”
For the first time, Madoka’s bright eyes show a hint of distress.
From behind us, a haughty girl’s voice rings out.
“Looks like things are getting a little crazy here, Tanuki.”
“You’ve arrived.”
Ryugo turned around and saw several boys standing there, with one of them seemingly the leader.
“Aira.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”