CHAPTER 20 - The School Rules. Part 2

CHAPTER 20 - The School Rules. Part 2

Everything's settled. I didn't have to do much.

Those who tried to rape that girl are already receiving their punishment, and I left no evidence at the scene. No one saw me, and I made sure to get home quickly and stay alert for anything.

Ninda covered her face when people were near, so no one recognized her, though that wasn't entirely necessary, thanks to the power of the legendary illusion ghost.

And the old man, leader of that ghost-hunting organization, will ensure her protection.

Everything's fine. That organization is more powerful than a criminal syndicate; they can give her a new identity and even a new face.

Ah… So lazy… But I was the one responsible, so I had to do something… Well, I only did it because if they found her corpse, Sylphie would've felt awful, and I'd rather avoid delays with her.

I turned on the bathtub faucet and sighed.

"So? How'd it go?"

Legendary ghost Number 4, the ghost of bad luck, appeared beside me.

"Hahahahaha! You should've seen their horrified faces! Some of them shit their pants! Saik, you're the coolest guy I've ever met! You show no mercy to anyone! It was so satisfying watching them beg for mercy while you ripped their hearts out! Kya! I missed your evil, sadistic side so much!"

… I thought I was used to it, but it's still weird seeing a little girl say that.

She looks like a five-year-old girl… She's adorable, but that personality of hers strips away the cuteness and makes her terrifying.

Black eyes with purple pupils that match her violet hair, and a white dress stained with blood. An appearance fitting her sadistic personality.

She doesn't scare me because I'm her master, but that doesn't make her any less terrifying.

"I'll say it again. How'd it go?"

"Everything's sorted. Both criminal organizations have practically vanished from the map. Now keep your promise."

"Yeah, yeah. Let me bathe first. Bye."

She nodded.

"Wash your butt, master!"

She disappeared, and I took a deep breath.

I can relax for a while longer. No one's trying to kill me anymore.

The ghost-hunting organization suspects me, but if I keep a low profile, they won't do anything.

Their moral code forbids them from killing innocents unless necessary. What a stupid rule, but knowing them, there must be a reason they have it.

I used legendary ghost Number 4 to make the luck of all members of those two criminal organizations worse.

Thanks to that, the investigations public security organizations were conducting to arrest Ninda's father finally got the evidence they needed.

And the remaining members were killed by Shadow. Thanks to their bad luck, they had no chance of escaping Shadow.

Last night, I killed the remaining members I hadn't gotten to yet.

Why did I do all that? Revenge? No. I did it for one reason.

"To keep my peaceful school life."

With Ninda and her friends messing up my school life, I couldn't enjoy it. The only way to get rid of Ninda quickly was to make her lose everything.

She no longer has family or money. She lost everything… Well, I admit that was a bit extreme, but I couldn't help it; it was the idea that convinced me the most.

And that way, I killed two birds with one stone. I secured my peaceful school life and eliminated the criminal organization that included Yuki's killer… I think.

I don't know her killer, but Yuki's mother was a member of the rival criminal organization to Ninda's father. Logically, I assumed the killer belonged to Ninda's father's organization.

I'll never tell Yuki what I did. She's traumatized by murders.

I could see terror in her eyes when I killed those rapists in front of her.

If I want her not to fear me, I must never tell her I'm a killer… I kill bad people, but I'm still a killer.

"I've always said I'm not a good person… I never will be, no matter how hard I try."

My principles forbid it.

… I really don't want to lose Yuki.

•

•

As promised, I arrived at the café to study with Sylphie.

… A normal café… Nice place.

I thought it'd be one of those boring, embarrassing places with women dressed as maids, but thankfully, it's a normal café.

It smells delicious.

I took a seat, and a waitress approached me.

"Good afternoon. What would you like to order?"

"I'd like two cups of coffee and two slices of chocolate cake, please. That's all for now."

"Your order will be ready in a couple of minutes."

"By the way, I'm looking for Sylphie. If you see her, could you tell her Saik is here?"

"Oh. Fufu. Are you her boyfriend?"

"No, I barely know her; we're just friends."

"I see, I see."

Huh? She winked at me and… she's smiling in a weird way.

Women are weird. Why did she do that? Did I just get flirted with? Girls flirt by winking, don't they? Or that's what I've seen on TV.

"I'll let her know."

She walked away, and I took out my phone. Ah, whatever.

I hope the chest is open already; I need to clear that dungeon if I want to get those upgrade materials.

I can't progress in the main mission with my character's current level; I need to upgrade.

"…Yeah."

I can upgrade my sword now.

Perfect.

That chest gave me the exact number of magic stones I needed.

I'll upgrade the sword and then…

["Cristal" requests to join your world.]

Wow, she's online. Perfect, she can help me.

I accepted the request.

I hope she helps me; I'm struggling to progress. A little extra help would be nice.

[Hi! 😁 Could you help me collect Minkfak horns?! 🥺👉👈 Please! 😭😊]

Ah, a message… Too many emojis… I'm not used to using those… And I'm not used to receiving them either… What should I do?

Hmm… I think… A simple affirmative response is all that's needed… I guess.

[Alright. Follow me.]

Good, a short message.

[Yay! Thank you so much, Saik! 😀😊]

Well, I have 10 minutes free. With my level, it's easy to get those materials.

•

•

Twenty minutes later, Sylphie's shift ended.

She approached me. Wow, she looks adorable in her uniform, but why is her face so red? I guess she's tired from working. I shouldn't be too hard on her today.

"S-Sorry for keeping you waiting; I had to clean the bathroom."

"Ah, don't worry, I was playing, so I didn't notice the time… Wait, I need to say goodbye to someone."

[Cristal, I have to go, we'll play tonight, okay? I need to study.]

A few seconds later, I got a response.

[No problem, thanks for helping me. See you tonight!]

I exited the game and put my phone away.

"Done. Sorry, I was playing with someone."

"Don't worry."

We took out our books, and I offered her the cup of coffee and the slice of chocolate cake.

"Here, you'll need energy; I'm kind of strict."

"T-Thank you so much."

She didn't try to refuse it? I'll take that as a sign of progress. She's so easy to manipulate… Though that's also a bad thing.

Ah, a relaxing afternoon of studying. A relaxing school life.

Ah… This is what I mean by "peaceful school life." No evil ghosts messing with my life. No ghost hunters bothering me with their harassment. A quiet school life.

Studying with someone else is a good idea, but I already had Noel; I didn't need Sylphie.

… Ah… Speaking of Noel, he followed me.

I looked at Noel, who sat next to Sylphie.

"Thank you so much for helping my daughter study. I'm here to teach you how to teach her. I know my daughter perfectly; I know the ideal teaching method for her."

I nodded slowly. It's a good idea.

My workload just decreased.

…

…

…

I feel… sad?

I glanced at Noel as Sylphie finished some math exercises I gave her.

He's stroking her head, or at least pretending to… Ah…

I stood up and sat next to her, right where Noel is.

"W-What's wrong, Saik?"

"Please don't misinterpret what I'm about to do. My mother used to give me head massages to help me memorize, and it worked pretty well. Can I give you one? I want to see if it works for you."

"W-What?!"

"A massage…?" Noel said, confused.

"I want to see if it really worked or if it only worked because my mother did it, using the excuse that it was for memory, just to stroke my head. Well, I guess all parents show their love that way."

Noel smiled and nodded, understanding my hint.

"Thank you."

"Y-Y-Y-Yes, c-c-c-of… C-Clear! T-Thanks!"

I closed my eyes and absorbed Noel. You have one minute.

I handed over control of my body.

•

•

(POV - Noel)

Am I… in Saik's body? I thought this wasn't possible without destroying the person's soul.

Fufu. Well, we're talking about Saik; he probably used his power to make this happen.

So, now I'm Saik… And I have my daughter in front of me. My sweet, little Sylphie… My blood.

Huh? My hand is moving on its own… Yes, I understand, Saik. I can't waste any more time.

I placed my hand on Sylphie's head… The last time I stroked her was before I died… For the first time in a long while, I got to stroke my dear Sylphie, my beloved daughter.

If I could hug you and tell you I'm your father, I would, but I can't. I want to, but this body isn't mine, and I don't want to put Saik in danger, not after everything he's done for me… No… For us.

Sylphie, your mother stopped drinking and now has a job. And you've become more sociable and can smile genuinely… Both of you can move on with your lives without my help… Help…

I made so many mistakes with your mother… I thought taking care of her was enough. As long as she was happy, I was happy, and I never considered the possibility that I might die before her. If only I'd been mature enough to see the harm I was causing your mother by overprotecting her, none of this would've happened.

Daughter… forgive me.

"Saik? Why are you crying?"

Am I… crying? Yes, I wanted to cry, but I didn't think Saik would allow it… Thank you.

"It's just that… I miss her so much."

I miss you both so much. I saw you every day, but it hurt not being able to touch or talk to you… But now that you're both doing better, happier, I'm happy.

"Saik…"

… She hugged me… No, she's hugging Saik, but feeling my daughter's embrace is enough to fill my being with joy.

"I understand you. I miss my father so much too."

And I miss you, daughter, but… I think it's time to let you go.

Be happy, daughter.

"I love you."

I left Saik's body.

"That was the last thing I heard from my mother… Ah… Sorry about that, Sylphie."

"Thank you for letting me say that, Saik."

I love you, daughter, and I always will.

•

•

(POV - Saik)

After two hours, we finished studying.

No wonder Noel was one of the most respected teachers at the school. They even gave his daughter a scholarship.

He knows a lot of study methods.

I feel smarter… Well, considering how stupid I am, feeling smart after studying so much is pretty easy.

"T-Thank you so much for helping me today, Saik! I understood everything you explained… T-Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow, same time."

"C-Clear."

I paid the bill and left the place.

I'll do my nightly exercises and keep studying.

It's already 8 p.m., it's late. Yuki's probably starving. What should I make for dinner?

"W-Wait, Saik!"

Sylphie?

I stopped and turned to look at Sylphie.

She caught up to me and offered me… a toy?

Ah, no… It's a trinket… A keychain… A little cat from a famous anime.

I don't watch much TV or anime, but I have to admit it's adorable.

"T-Take it! T-Thank you so much for… helping me… Thanks to you, the girls stopped bullying me… And you're helping me study too… You help me a lot… T-Thank you so much."

"Daughter, I'm so proud of you! Saik, she couldn't even talk to guys, but she talks to you with no problem! Marry her, please!"

No, thanks.

But I'll accept the keychain; the cat is cute.

"It's nothing, we're friends, that's what friends do… I guess… It's my first time having a friend."

Though I don't really consider you a friend, Sylphie.

"Thank you so much."

I took the keychain.

It's cute; I'll put it on my backpack.

"…By the way, Sylphie…"

"Yes?"

"…No, nothing… Thanks… I have to go, I need to do homework… See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," she said, smiling.

I walked away.

I wanted to tell her not to depend on me so much, but I can't tell her that yet. It's too soon.

I'll make her independent through actions, not words.

•

•

I arrived at a park and sat on a bench.

Noel sat beside me, and I sighed. It's about to happen soon, I can feel it, and I don't want Yuki to see; it might scare her.

"Ah… It was a long day."

"Saik, you're perfect for my daughter… If she falls in love with you, what will you do?"

"Reject her."

"Ouch… That immediate response hurt."

"Noel… I've never fallen in love… And I can't fall in love either… I treat Sylphie like a friend. If she falls for me, it's her fault. I'll reject her immediately if she confesses her feelings."

"…Is there nothing I can do to convince you?"

"Yes."

"What do I have to do?"

"Go back in time and prevent my parents' deaths. Can you do that?"

"…Ah… You have your hidden reasons… I won't ask about it… Though it's a shame, you're a good guy."

Noel looked up and smiled.

"For the first time in a long while, my daughter is happy… Her smile is genuine… And it's all thanks to you… In one week, you managed to bring Sylphie's smile back… If that's not true love, I don't know what is."

"Don't confuse love with gratitude. She's just grateful to me for helping her, that's all."

"And you also saved my ex-wife… Saik… Thank you… Thank you so much… Everything's okay thanks to you… Iris promised to be a better mother… Sylphie has a reliable friend… Everything's okay…"

Ah… It's about to happen.

Noel started glowing, and I sighed.

"We had a deal."

Realizing what was happening, Noel started crying, but he wiped his tears and smiled at me.

"I'm sorry. I won't be able to keep helping you. Forgive me."

"Nothing can be done… Thanks for teaching me study methods… Goodbye, Noel."

"No… Thank you, Saik… Thank you so much."

He closed his eyes.

"Sylphie, Iris, be happy."

Noel turned to dust and dispersed, heading to the afterlife. Paradise or hell, I don't know.

"You ran out of regrets, huh? I'm jealous."

His daughter gained a friend, and his wife stopped drinking… He must trust me a lot to let go of his regrets so quickly.

I thought he'd stay longer to confirm his wife was truly okay… But he didn't… He really trusts me… He thinks she'll be fine because she has my help… He left me with a big burden on my shoulders.

I have to live up to his expectations. After all, I owe him. I have to fulfill my part of the deal.

"Goodbye, Noel."

•

•

While Saik rested in the park, a new danger was approaching.

91 was reading news on her computer while eating potato chips.

She still suspected Saik, but she didn't have the evidence to confirm it.

"He killed again yesterday… Shadow returned and forced the old man to protect a girl… Why is that girl special to him…? Fufu. I'll find out."

(Epilogue)

Hmm… Yeah… A little more… Perfect.

"So?"

"D-D-D-Delicious!! Give me a slice, a slice! A big one, please!"

After finishing adding the chocolate bars around the cake, I took a picture and cut it.

I don't use social media, but since Sylphie gave me the recipe, I have to do what she asked. She told me to send her a picture of my cake when I made it.

I don't know why, but she has her reasons.

"Here, Yuki."

She took a bite of the cake slice and started jumping.

"Delicious! It's so delicious, Saik! Thank you, thank you!"

Well… She's helped me a lot this week. It's the least I can do for her.

"I'm going to take a piece to Sylphie; she gave me the recipe, so I owe her."

After putting cake slices in my backpack, I grabbed my things, and we left the house.

A new week of classes began.

Last week, a lot of interesting things happened.

I helped Sylphie and her mother, destroyed two criminal organizations, and helped Noel go to paradise.

Last week felt eternal. I hope this week is calmer.

I'm supposed to have a peaceful school life. Last week was anything but peaceful.

Today is a new day; I should forget my problems and enjoy the present.

"Mmmm! It's delicious!"

Seeing Yuki enjoy the cake slice she was still savoring in her mouth makes me a bit excited because of how adorable she is.

I stroked her head.

"When we get back, you can eat more."

"Thank you!"

She floated and hugged me.

"Thank you so much, Saik!"

"You're welcome."

Having company is nice. Yuki's company makes my life less boring.

In the past, everyone thought I was weird and stayed away from me. I got too used to solitude. But I admit having Yuki by my side makes my life more fun.

I consider her my little sister.

•

•

(Extra - I'll Surpass You)

(POV - Ram)

As every day, I wake up, and though the sun is just beginning to peek timidly through the window, my world is already immersed in a solitude as familiar as the walls of my room. I slip out of the sheets with cold elegance, and as I walk to the bathroom, the echoes of silence accompany me.

The hot water from the shower cascades over my body, a daily ritual that contrasts with the icy feeling of being submerged in an existence where human presence is as fleeting as the morning mist. I put on my uniform with precision, every fold and button carefully aligned, as if the symmetry of my appearance could compensate for the asymmetry of my life.

Breakfast, that daily moment of human connection, is a solitary encounter with an empty table. My parents, as always, are lost in some corner of the world, busy with the endless commitments of their businesses. But in this monotonous routine, I find small delights. The freedom to wander naked through my home without being questioned, to choose my food without restrictions, and to surrender to sleep whenever I wish.

It's a lonely life, yes, but I try to find pleasure in it.

I grabbed my things and left my apartment, leaving behind the echo of my solitude. The building's elevator descended, a physical descent that only underscored the persistent loneliness that envelops me like an unshakable shadow.

I headed to school, that peculiar enclave that presents itself as a constant challenge. The idea of expelling students for a single academic failure is drastic, but my good grades keep me far from the danger zone. I don't worry about others; my focus is an arrow aimed solely at myself, an advantage that simplifies things.

If my classmates fail, it'll be their own incompetence that gets them expelled.

Wow… It's Saik, the weird guy.

He's the only one who escapes my analysis. His actions and personality are an enigma, a constant challenge to my ability to understand. In this peculiar corner of my life, he stands out as an anomaly, a puzzle with no apparent solution.

He's the only one who surpasses me… How is it possible that he's better than me? He falls asleep in class and is a slacker.

How can he surpass me? This makes no sense.

I watched him leave a store with a bag of lollipops… Does he really spend his money on candies? What is he? Maybe a pervert trying to lure kids with sweets?

His obsession with candies is one of the many things I don't understand. Looking at his neck, arms, and face, it's evident he has a body free of excess fat. In fact, he has well-defined muscles. An excellent body. How is that possible if he's constantly eating candies?

This makes no sense at all.

That guy's mere existence is baffling.

"But one day, I'll surpass you."

My thoughts echoed in the air, a silent promise that faded with the morning breeze. I work harder than you. My studies are a priority I take more seriously than you… It's not fair that you're better than me… It's not. Each word resonated with a bitter echo, an internal confession of my frustrations and a silent challenge thrown to the universe.

•

•

(Extra - A Friend)

(POV - Sylphie)

My mother made me breakfast and lunch, gestures that are now a kind routine in our daily life. She's changed a lot lately, as if I've gotten my old mother back. Since she overcame her suicide attempt, she's a better person, and every day I feel grateful for that change. I couldn't bear the thought of losing my mother. I already lost my father, and the mere idea of losing my mother was unbearable.

After a pleasant shared breakfast, we both left the house. My mother headed to her job, and I made my way to school. Before, going to school was a terrifying experience. I feared the mockery and bullying from my classmates, but that fear has vanished thanks to a special person.

"Saik!"

My eyes lit up when I saw Saik, and without thinking twice, I ran toward him. He's the only person I can consider my friend, and thanks to him, my life has improved significantly. Since he came into my life, school bullying is no longer a shadow haunting me, and his help with my studies is making a positive difference in my future grades.

"Good morning, Sylphie."

"G-Good morning, Saik."

As always, he offered me a lollipop, and with gratitude, I accepted it. Saik is a good guy, someone I can fully trust. He doesn't look at me with lust or ulterior motives; he's just a genuinely kind person.

"…"

I couldn't help but look at his face, trying to appreciate the kindness in his eyes. Any girl who sees Saik's eyes would agree with me. He's a cute guy, someone who doesn't care about his appearance or others' opinions. An awesome person.

… But I can't help my heart racing when I see him. It's not love; I barely know him, but there's something about his company that draws me in an inexplicable way. I need to control these feelings since I barely know him. It'd be weird to fall for someone I hardly know.

"What's wrong, Sylphie?"

Uwaaaah! He caught me staring at him!

"N-Nothing."

"I see."

Saik ignored my gaze and kept walking. I need to be more discreet, think before letting my emotions take over.

… Alright, we arrived at school. A new school day began. Before, I'd be nervous and scared, but now I feel calm. I'm no longer a lonely girl; I have a true friend. A friend who eats with me. A friend who helps me study… A true friend. I close my eyes for a moment, grateful for the friendship that has brightened my life. A friend who has helped me discover the joy of each day at school.

(Author's Words: I finally finished the first volume of my first non-isekai novel. Saik is becoming one of my favorite protagonists. I hope you follow the work. Please share the novel on your social media if you liked it; that would help me a lot. And leave comments, I'd appreciate it.)