Well then, Noel wasn’t around today, so I headed to school alone. Sure, my parents gave me permission to live with her, but I couldn’t just leave the maid abandoned, so I sent her home yesterday.
”Good mornin’, Hayato-kun!” a cheerful voice called out.
”Way too dangerous,” I said flatly.
”Hehe, sorry ’bout that ♡. But still, ya’re my master!” she replied playfully.
”Can ya cut that out at school? …Speakin’ of which, how’s the maid situation?” I asked.
”Oh! Yeah, ’bout that. Would this Saturday work?” she asked.
”Yeah, I don’t got any plans, so it’s fine,” I said.
”Great! I’ll let her know,” she said brightly.
”Got it. Thanks,” I said.
Right, same as always. The moment I reached the classroom entrance, Noel got dragged off by her classmates. Well, if someone didn’t take her away, she’d just stick to me all day long.
”Ah, Hayato… M-mornin’,” a hesitant voice said.
”Hm? Oh, mornin’,” I replied.
”Ah… Hehe…” she giggled nervously.
”Somethin’ funny?” I asked.
”Eh? Ah, no, nothin’…” she said quickly.
”I see,” I said.
She’s come to talk to me again today. I have absolutely no idea what’s goin’ on in her head. I could just use Appraisal, but that’s basically a giant middle finger to privacy. My sense of ethics is screamin’ at me. For now, I’ll hold off.
Around the end of third period, a heavy thud echoed from the classroom entrance. And then that swelterin’ gorilla of a teacher made his appearance.
”Oh! Perfect timin’-you there, Mikage!” he called out.
”Huh? What is it, Teach?” I asked.
”Could ya take these to the gym storage room?” he said, pointing to a stack of five outdoor gym mats.
Pretty big ones. No hand truck in sight. There’s no way he carried these here alone. And why would ya bring outdoor mats into the school buildin’ in the first place? Is he an idiot? Yeah, he’s definitely an idiot.
”Ya’ll do it, right? I mean, if ya refuse, it might affect yer grades…” he added threateningly.
This trash gorilla. I hate teachers in general. Ever since my memories merged, I’ve seen exactly how corrupt they are. These bastards who believed rumors and tried to label me as a problem kid from the get-go. Especially this PE gorilla-hot-blooded and quick to judge. So damn annoyin’. And he doesn’t even realize the regular students hate him too.
”Sigh… Fine,” I said.
”Good! Make sure ya put ’em away properly!” he ordered.
”Okay, then…” I said.
”Huh?” he blinked.
I lifted all five mats at once. With [Body Enhancement], this weight is nothin’. I could carry ’em with one arm.
”Wh-wha-wha-wha-” the gorilla stammered.
The gorilla and the surroundin’ students stared in disbelief. And those guys who’re always badmouthin’ me? They went pale. Maybe I should threaten ’em next time.
”Well, I’ll be takin’ these now,” I said.
Ignorin’ the speechless gorilla, I jogged to the gym storage room. By the way, the male students who saw me runnin’ while holdin’ the mats with one hand also went pale. I wonder why?
”Alright… That should do it,” I muttered.
I was only told to bring ’em to the storage room, so I tossed ’em somewhere random.
Clang.
”Hm? …Huh. Locked,” I said.
Gettin’ locked in with such perfect timin’… this has to be intentional. So the gorilla is the mastermind? An accomplice? Either way. The question is who I’ve pissed off. No idea. Pretty much every guy hates me, so that’s a lot of suspects. Should I just beat each one until they talk?
”Hmm… yawn… Ahhh? Ehhhh?” a sleepy voice mumbled.
”Seriously…” I sighed.
Just as I was about to break down the door, I heard a carefree yawn. I turned to see a gyaru.
”Huh? Ummmm… where is this?” she asked groggily.
”Ya’re the one who was sleepin’ here. Ya didn’t come here on yer own?” I asked.
”Ummm? Huh? Wait, ya’re a senior, right?” she asked.
”Yeah. Ya’re a second-year?” I replied.
”Yep-2-D, Kumagai Kirari! Nice to meetcha!” she introduced cheerfully.
”I see,” I said flatly.
”Hey, senpai, yer vibes are way too dry! A cute kouhai like me’s right here! Anyway, what’s yer name?” she demanded.
”Mikage Hayato,” I said.
”Huh? Mikage… Mi-ka-ge… Oh! Wait, ya’re that-the serial rapist!” she exclaimed, pointing at me and backing against the wall.
I’m pretty pissed off, but this is just another one of those damn rumors that bastard spread.
”Sigh…” I let out a long breath.
”Wh-why… Wait, did ya bring me here?! Are ya gonna r**ape me right now?!” she panicked.
No, this is obviously a trap. Someone’s waitin’ to catch me attackin’ her. Yeah, I’m not about to let ’em have their way. And they’re definitely nearby. Might as well break somethin’. Yeah, let’s break somethin’.
”Hey!” I shouted.
CRASH!!!
”KYAAAAAAA!” Kirari screamed.
”GYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA!!” a male voice shrieked.
The first scream was from Kumagai. The second was from whoever was watchin’-they just got slammed by the door I punched flyin’.
”Ah, a-ah… No way-the door is, it’s-it’s completely blown off…” Kirari stammered.
”Hey,” I said.
”Y-yes?!” she replied.
”To be clear, I got zero interest in ya. I don’t need the kind of girl who judges people based on rumors,” I said coldly.
”Wh-” she started.
”More importantly, get lost. I got business with the idiots who locked me in here,” I said.
Ignorin’ Kumagai, I stepped outside. There stood a male student holdin’ a camera-and the gorilla. And that male student… yeah, he was from Noel’s Fan Club.
”Hey there, Teach. And you, Fan Club guy. You two really went all out, didn’t ya?” I said.
”Eep! EEEEEEEEEK!” the student squealed.
”Wh-y-you-wha-what are ya plannin’ to do?!” the gorilla stammered.
”Hm? What am I plannin’? Ya tried to set me up. Repayment is only fair, right?” I said.
”WA-GWOOOF!” I punched the noisy gorilla square in the face.
He flew a few meters and crashed into a nearby storage shed.
”Whoops. That shed’s totally dented,” I observed.
Since I’d wrapped the punch in [Recovery], the gorilla wasn’t injured. Oh wait, the crash damage probably didn’t count. That makes sense. I walked over and used [Recovery] on the unconscious gorilla anyway.
”Now then. You’re next,” I said.
”Eep! EEEEEEEEEEEK!” he screamed.
”Whoa, where do ya think you’re goin’?” I cut off the fleein’ student in an instant.
”Wh-how-in a-huh?! Eep!?” he stammered.
”I’ll take my time askin’ ya questions… after I’ve made sure you’re in a lot of pain,” I said darkly.
”EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!” he shrieked.
”Phew. That was refreshin’,” I said.
I beat the male student black and blue, then gave the gorilla a few extra hits for good measure. Used [Recovery] on both, and fixed the dented shed with [Regeneration].
”Now then… I didn’t really wanna use this since it’s basically inhumane, but for criminals, it’s fair game, right?” I muttered.
With that, I used [Hypnosis Eye] to put both of ’em under and made ’em confess everything. Pretty much what I expected-they planned to film me “attackin’” Kumagai, use it as “evidence” of rape, get me expelled, and then have me arrested.
”So ya drugged Kirari Kumagai-the one with the bad reputation-put her to sleep, and left her in the gym storage room?” I confirmed.
”Yes, that’s correct,” the hypnotized student replied.
”I see. I see…” I said.
Now then, I added a few more commands through hypnosis. I never attacked Kumagai, and obviously they didn’t get any photos. Well, they got footage of me enterin’ the storage room, but that’s it. So I commanded ’em to confess everything they tried to do-directly in front of the principal and post it all on social media. It’s gonna cause a scandal at school, but I don’t care.
One more thing-I programmed a flashback of the earlier pain to hit ’em whenever they felt hostility toward me. Hypnosis is surprisingly useful. I got zero intention of usin’ it for anything sexual, but for tormentin’ criminals, it’s perfect.
Trivia:
- Hayato’s casual use of hypnosis on the PE teacher and fan club member reveals a growing comfort with morally questionable abilities, despite his earlier hesitation to use Appraisal on Noel out of “privacy concerns.”
- The false serial rapist rumor traces back to an unnamed “bastard” from Hayato’s past, suggesting a recurring antagonist or a systemic campaign against him.
- Hayato’s specific threat to “beat each one until they talk” implies his investigation into the conspiracy is ongoing and may escalate.
- The PE teacher’s mention of grades as leverage hints at a pattern of blackmail within the school’s faculty.
- Kirari Kumagai’s drugging and placement in the storage room indicates the conspirators had premeditated access to substances and logistics.
- Hayato’s repair of the shed with [Regeneration] shows he values maintaining a low-profile despite his destructive outbursts.
- The fan club member’s participation suggests Noel’s popularity indirectly creates enemies for Hayato.
- Hayato’s willingness to program pain flashbacks indicates he is moving beyond reactive self-defense toward proactive psychological deterrents.