Chapter 2 – Acquitted

Anthony Cross.

A 16 year old delinquent.

Member of the Cross Family.

This was the person whose body I now possessed.

It's been two weeks since I was reborn here.

At first, it was quite hard to believe but as time passed, I was able to wrap my head around it.

It stopped bothering me.

However, there was still a strange feeling in my gut.

The thought of which made my throat dry with curiosity.

One half of the two weeks, I spent in the prison hospital.

The second half, I spent trying to fathom what had happened.

I was reborn, surely.

But not just into any world at all.

You wouldn't believe it if I said it.

…Maybe you would.

Maybe you would even wish to be in my place.

I was reborn into the world of My Villain Academia.

Hahaha!

Fate surely has some jokes up her sleeves.

Who would have thought?

The book that left me fuming was where I found myself in.

There was no doubt about it.

The names I had picked up over the past 14 days were enough for me to know.

I recognised some of them.

Some of them I have also forgotten.

There was no way this was not My Villain Academia.

******

"Anthony Cross."

I looked up and toward the bars of my cell.

Three officials were standing there.

Each one had a metal baton and was fully equipped.

This was to help them against any kind of resistance.

Even as we were juveniles, it didn't stop whatever punishment they wanted to dish out on us.

Not even a little bit.

If any one of us fucked around, we were definitely gonna find out.

…But for me, that no longer applied.

I lazily rose to my feet as they called my name, making my way towards them.

As I approached and extended my hands.

Clank—

The sound of my bondage permeated my ears one last time.

Handcuffs were immediately thrown around my wrists.

I looked at them and they looked at me.

"Time to go, kid," one of them said. "At least you made it out alive."

Yes. He was right to feel that way.

Anyone who had suffered the kind of blunt trauma this body suffered would be dead already.

Most definitely, I was here because I had mysteriously possessed this body.

That was the only reason I was still breathing.

Otherwise, Anthony Cross would have been gone for good.

I took my time to recall just who the character of Anthony Cross was and it took me a while since he had not been part of the major cast.

I did recall a certain Cross in the story but he was not this young.

Now, with full access to the memories of this body, I recalled who this was.

Anthony Cross.

Son of the Cross Family Patriarch, Gladius Cross — the Bulldog.

The Cross Family had played a role during the early parts of the story but not Anthony.

…This was simply because Anthony had truly died in the story.

He died before the 15th chapter even, if I recall correctly.

His death was one of the triggers and seeds that sprouted into what would become the Mafia War.

In the novel, Gladius had not taken kindly to the death of his son.

Seeking an eye for an eye, he spilled blood just like Anthony's had been spilled.

…And in the realm of villainy, blood spilled never ends most of the time.

Thus, a full blown Mafia War started until the heroes were forced to intervene and settle it.

Pfft! Heroes.

Another set of pathetic punks.

Dogs of the government, who knows nothing but what would benefit them.

I was disgusted with the heroes of My Villain Academia, even wishing the worst deaths on some of them.

As I recalled some pathetic things that were written in the original novel, my bowels churned.

Anyways, back to the officer.

"...At least you made it out alive," he said.

I simply smiled.

Not because of what he said.

I smiled because I knew why he said it.

The person who had wished me dead had been killed.

The killer was yet to be found and while fingers pointed at me, I had a credible alibi.

…I was still at the Prison Hospital at the time of his death

He was dead and gone, and that was what mattered to me.

…Nothing else.

His eyes were gouged out and throat slit open.

A personal vendetta kind of murder.

I looked the officer in the eyes, with a smile beaming on my face as I shrugged.

"I guess," I said, nonchalantly expressing my indifference to the news.

"It's dangerous here, you know."

Squeakkk—

The bar of the cell squeaked open as I walked out.

"One has to watch their steps. Otherwise, they would fall."

I could feel the rays of accusations that shot out from the eyes of the officers.

I could hear them tagging me as the murderer but regardless of whether this was true or not.

…There was no evidence.

It was a mystery.

…An enigma.

******

"Cross. Here are your belongings."

I stepped forward what seemed to be a counter.

There was a plumpy, black, middle-aged woman behind the counter.

Her hair was an afro style one and her eyeglasses were big, the size of that for three people.

This had me wondering if it was not too much weight on the face.

I pulled my belongings closer to me, examining them to be sure they were truly me.

Casting one last glance at the lady and this damned place, I turned and walked away in the escort of two officials.

I would have left here 2 weeks earlier if not for the incident that happened.

This guy had fought the wrong fight and had his head bursted.

Thus, extending my stay here.

Who the hell fights at the tail end of their sentence?

Sigh—

Like 6 months inside this place is not hectic already.

As I approached the gates, the two officers stepped back, allowing me to perceived the outside world of My Villain Academia.

I paused for a moment and relished it.

It was exactly as I had imagined and no different from my previous world.

At least, not yet.

"Yo, Tony!"

My attention immediately shifted to the direction I heard my name.

Finally, a familiar face in my memory.