The muttering soon became cheers.
"Oh my god. It’s Haruto. He is so handsome and heroic."
’But I am also handsome.’ Ohta thought to himself.
"To think that he will still decide to stand up for the cheating trash that made him lose his position as the best in his class."
’Trash?’ Ohta’s eyes twitched, turning around to see the idiot that called him trash.
"I knew it. There was no way Haruto lost during the mid semester test. That trash nobody must have pulled some underhanded methods."
"Yes. I heard about that too. He definitely cheated. See, he can’t even stand up to bullies. I bet he also used underhanded methods to win against Sofia."
As the whispers continued, Ohta’s annoyance quickly navigated from the audience to Haruto.
"This asshole. Is he really using me to catch clout, right now?"
"Ranked seniors." Ohta began, voice but respectful, but still authoritative. "Don’t you think it beneath you gang up on one poor, lowly, insignificant junior?"
’Damn it. Three strikes. This boy is really begging me for a beating.’ Ohta tightened his fist.
But Haruto’s next words stopped him.
"Or are you lower than trash, yourselves?"
The three bullies paused.
They wanted to advance but held back.
The short one in the center thought to himself, ’damn it. Things were not supposed to go like this. The deal we had with that masked fellow was that we beat the white haired nobody to an inch of his life.’ He looked up, at the masked figure at the stairs.
’Of course, we might loose points for it. But the money they are willing to give is too much to resist. I and my brothers can finally upgrade our equipments. And they said we could also keep these brass knuckles.
Why did a Nobunaga brat have to appear here?
We may be three, and it’s a lot. But what will happen when the Nobunaga family come for us?’
At such a time, a transmission was sent to his mind.
He smiled.
"Ranked junior Haruto." He spoke up, "you might not know this, but I and my brothers are merely heroes of Avalon.
We heard of the injustice you and lady Sofia suffered at the hands of that trash, and merely thought to know if it was true."
Haruto frowned at those words. It was only yesterday, but everybody had been talking about it so much that it was really starting to get on his nerves.
"We didn’t even intend to cause him harm, but then we learnt of lady Sofia’s terrible condition in the hospital." The bully suddenly began shedding tears, "are you aware that beautiful junior, with a bright future will never see the light of day again?
He could not defeat her in proper Life and Death combat and used his under handed means as a demonic cult member to ambush her and infect her with the 7 Lotus Rainbow Fruits Of Memory. "
The crowd gasped.
Haruto’s frown got deeper. With what these bullies just said, there was no way he could stand before them in support of Ohta.
What will people say? That the Nobunaga family were in support of Demonic cult members?
His family could be ruined.
But what was he to do. Obviously he did not believe them, but what if the crowd?
He did not even need to look, he could already hear the whispers.
A drop of sweat fell from his forehead.
[Ding]
The alert came in Ohta’s mind.
[Public opinion has been swayed against you.]
[Your Reputation has been dealt a critical damage.]
[Reputation precedes a man. If you can’t protect it, Tarnish it yourself]
Ohta already had a bad feeling when the bully began talking.
The kingly lesson system only confirmed his thoughts.
Also, what happened yesterday in the tree garden was unfortunate.
But Ohta remembered that efforts had been made to keep it a secret by the enforcers.
The only thing that had been made public was the fact that Ohta won that fight.
After all, it could cause wide panic if people knew that demonic cult members were operating within the school.
Even Boppa was warned several times by the enforcers not to leak any information.
This was asking a lot of a battle merchant. But even Boppa that went to dangerous places for profit loved his life.
He would keep his mouth shut.
Ohta looked towards the stairs again. That masked figure was still there.
It had to be them.
The bullies could not have known if information had not been given to them.
Ohta thought of directing the attention of the enforcers tracking him to the masked figure.
But where was the fun in that?
This people believed they could mess with him and go unscathed.
He was going to give them a taste of their own medicine.
But first.
He rose to his feet, a grin on his face.
"You are right, ranked senior. How did you even figure it out." Ohta chuckled low and evilly. "You know, that’s why those enforcers behind are watching my every move." Ohta pointed.
Everyone turned. Noticing the two ordinarily dressed fellows in the crowd.
Before being identified, hiding in the crowd was easy. But now that Ohta had exposed them, their presence did feel off to the students.
After all, these were not students.
"Shit!" One of the enforcers cursed. Their cover had been blown.
But Ohta was not yet done. Now, that he had used the enforcers as proof of his fake identity, he was going to have fun.
He stepped forward, wiping the blood from his mouth, such that it stained his cheek in a careless arc.
Against his fair skin, and white hair, it made Ohta look frightening.
"You know demonic cult members must finish a ritual once they start it right?" Ohta advanced slowly—one step at a time.
"And you just began one by letting me see my blood." He looked up at the bully in the center.
Ohta let the lingering devil aura linger in his gaze.
A sharp red glow.
The bullies were shocked.