Chap. 10 - Merger [4]

"I walked away."

"Hey, where are you going?" Hayden asked, puzzled, his eyes following my every step.

Actually, I was glad Hayden was willing to help, but "I'm heading to the cafeteria."

That wasn't my style. I've always preferred to defeat my enemies without plans and information. That way, I can sharpen my instincts and mind during battle.

"To the cafeteria? Aren't you curious about them?" Hayden shouted, genuinely serious.

"Knowing the enemy's strengths and defeating them isn't my thing."

Over the years, I've only been taught how to fight properly. Thinking that today I have an enemy's weakness, it would completely change my style.

"So you're not interested in who's the strongest among them?"

I was stunned to hear that.

Hayden smiled, "Maybe you're also not interested in how strong the enemy is? Like lifting mountains, for example? Or splitting seas?"

His words sent shivers down my spine. I decided to turn back and listen to him.

In Hayden's mind, "I knew this battle maniac would only be interested in the word 'strong'." Hayden's expression turned eerily serious, like a cartoon villain who just got an evil idea.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we will explain about the six demon kings." They both stepped onto the basketball court, their faces full of excitement.

We applauded, the roar of cheers filling the room. This was going to be an interesting story.

"First, the six Demon Kings: they are not just about strong schools, but tough leaders who rule over them. However, the students there are also incredibly strong," Chiko explained, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

"It is said that one leader can defeat a thousand schools," he continued, adding a dramatic flair that silenced the entire room. Chiko swung his hands passionately, as if illustrating the limitless power of these leaders.

Hayden and I looked surprised. "What? A thousand schools?" I exclaimed, astonished.

"A thousand? Does that include the woman Tomoe fought?" Hayden tried to reason, his expression serious.

That means they're really strong. "I knew that woman was actually strong, but she was hiding her strength."

"So, are you sure you can defeat her if she's serious?" Hayden stared at me, waiting for my answer hopefully.

I heard his question and smiled. "That woman hasn't even shown all her abilities yet. But neither have I."

Hearing my answer, Hayden smiled broadly. "So that's how it is," he said.

"Yes, including that woman. Back then, chaos erupted in the schools, all because of the six Demon Kings who were still in their first year. This chaos made them angry, at first only five schools faced them.

But unexpectedly, they lost so easily. Seeing that, they came back with a hundred schools. However, even a hundred schools couldn't defeat them.

Then they came again with a thousand schools. The result was still the same, they still lost. And finally, they brought three thousand schools, but in the end they still failed to defeat them."

Feeling powerless, they decided to stop visiting them, the result of which was they became obedient to the Six Demon Kings."

"Isn't that almost all the high schools in Japan? With troops like that, they still lost. How crazy are they?" Hayden still tried to make sense of it.

"That's right, but it is also rumored that only three of the Six Demon Kings fought, there are still three more who did not fight."

They sounded very strong, defeating three thousand schools with only three people.

"Among them, the strongest is Shitto, Netami Shitto, the leader of the high school kangen. It is said that he is almost a gangster."

"That the other demon kings bow down to him," the first explanation from Chikoa and Chiko further raised my fighting spirit.

"Explanation number two: Their name is-"

"Wait, you're not going to explain their weaknesses, are you?" I interrupted suddenly.

"About that," Chikoa replied calmly, "they don't have weaknesses, so we don't know what their weaknesses are."

Hearing that, I felt relieved. It's not fun looking for treasure if you already know what's inside.

In Hayden's mind, "Why is he so relieved, even though they don't have weaknesses?"

"Alright, we'll continue. Their names are-"

Suddenly, the bell rang.

Hearing that, Chikoa and Chiko quickly got off the basketball court and ran to their class. We were still in place, watching them run away.

"That's enough, they're just diligent students," Hayden said.

Actually, I was curious why Hayden knew they were diligent students. He seemed to have known them for a long time.

"Wanna go to the cafeteria?" Hayden asked.

"Sure."

We went to the cafeteria during class time. It was empty, so we could order whatever we wanted. Miyu looked like she was enjoying her meal.

[In Hayden and Tomoe's class,]

"Alright, kids, today we'll continue yesterday's lesson," Ms. Celsi said when she first entered the classroom today. She looked back and saw two empty desks.

"Tomoe and Hayden didn't come again?" Ms. Celsi asked.

"They already came, Ma'am. I saw them in the cafeteria earlier," one of the students said.

Ms. Celsi furrowed her brow, signaling that something was wrong.

The dismissal bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

Hayden and I were in the cafeteria, deciding to leave after finishing our meal.

As we walked towards the gate, suddenly Ms. Celsi appeared in front of us as if waiting.

She looked at Hayden and me, then hurried over to us. Her face showed frustration, her cheeks slightly red.

When she got close to us, she suddenly pouted: her lips protruded forward, showing her annoyance.

She kept approaching until her face was very close to mine, creating a tense moment about what she wanted.

Miyu looked frightened and sneaked behind me.

After a moment of staring at her, she turned around and left. "What's wrong with her?" Hayden asked in surprise.

I was also surprised by her behavior earlier. Everything happened so quickly. Seeing an expression like that from Miyu, I really didn't expect it.

After that, we continued walking. When we reached the gate, we saw three people waiting at the end of the street.

They wore high school uniforms that I had never seen before, different from the Kencho high school uniform. They shouldn't be part of the school.

Hayden and I tried to keep walking, but one of them with short hair and blue eyes called out, "Excuse me, are you Tomoe and Hayden?"

"... Yes," I answered hesitantly.

Her eyes sparkled, "We want to talk to you-"

"No," we answered simultaneously.

The light in her eyes dimmed, "But we wanted to invite you to a Restaurant."

"I agree," we said.

"Great, then let's meet at the café across the street tomorrow. See you tomorrow," she said with a bright smile.

After that, they left, and we decided to go home.

[TO BE CONTINUED]