Crackdown Crisis: Three Points Left
“Mmm…”
It was the night of the day I’d taken special measures.
After talking things over with the Gallery folks, I’d gone to bed.
That much was certain.
But then—
‘Huh…?’
My consciousness snapped awake.
‘My body won’t move.’
It was sleep paralysis—the kind people get when their energy is low.
‘Will it pass if I just wait…?’
It was my first time experiencing it, and I was pretty startled, but after everything I’d been through at the academy, I stayed calmer than expected.
‘Weird.’
I was only surprised that my body really wouldn’t move at all.
Wait…?
But how can I see my surroundings when my eyes are closed?
And then—
Shhh…
‘What the—’
Something rose beside the bed.
A sudden tension filled the air and my heart started pounding like crazy.
The figure that had stood up next to the bed softly called my name.
“Ares…”
‘Ellie…?’
In the moonlight streaming through the window, I could just make out her face.
It was Ellie.
‘Why is she here…’
While I was still wondering why she’d appeared from under the bed, she spoke again.
“Ares…”
Her voice came out strangely seductive as she began unbuttoning her shirt.
‘Ellie?!’
My eyes flew wide open—or at least I thought they did.
Either way, I could only watch as she undid every button.
One. Two.
Once the shirt was completely open, her hands moved to her skirt.
Slide…
The buckle came undone and her skirt slipped down.
Now she was in nothing but her open shirt and underwear.
Swish…
She climbed into bed beside me.
“Ares…”
‘Ellie, what are you—’
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My body still wouldn’t move, but every sensation came through crystal clear.
If anything, being unable to move made everything feel sharper.
The careful way she lay down beside me.
The warmth of her body pressing against my arm.
Even the scent of her drifting over as she rested her head on my shoulder.
“Ares… Ares… I…”
She took my hand in both of hers, guiding it between her legs.
“Haa, Ares… I…”
‘E-Ellie!’
Her soft chest pressed against my forearm.
She leaned into my shoulder, hugging my arm while moving my hand with both of hers.
Every time my hand moved, her body trembled.
“I like you… haa… Ares… you’re my favorite.”
Her breathy voice tickled my ear.
One hand slipped under my clothes while the other kept guiding mine between her thighs.
Her free hand stroked down my stomach and chest.
“I like you… I like you… I like you so much… haa… you’re my favorite person in the whole world…”
Her movements grew more intense.
She buried her face deeper against my neck and nipped at my skin.
“Hnn… hnnn…!”
Twitch. Twitch…
Her hand grew slick as she trembled, heat radiating from her body.
“Ares…”
But she wasn’t finished.
She reached back to unhook her bra—
“━━━Ares, that’s five million points deducted for improper heterosexual contact.”
Ms. Bell’s head popped out from under my blanket.
“Aaaaaah!!!”
I bolted upright.
“Haa… haa… It was… a dream?”
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Morning light was already creeping in.
Apparently I’d had a nightmare while experiencing sleep paralysis.
…Or was it a nightmare?
Ellie suddenly doing that didn’t really feel like a nightmare…
‘Still, I thought I was screwed for real…’
The sight of Ms. Bell at the end still made my hands shake with terror.
“Only thirteen points left…”
Right after yesterday’s incident, I’d complained on the Gallery, but the conclusion was the same as before.
Just be careful not to lose those last thirteen points.
That was all I could do anyway.
‘Still, just in case…’
I used the master key to open a locked drawer and took out the puppet doll, stuffing it into my bag.
The doll had already used up its power during the school-wide second-place ghost incident.
‘If this can block a fifty-point death penalty even once, that’d be great…’
According to the Gallery guys, the exact punishment for failing grades or fifty-point deductions varied.
But they all ended in death for any normal human.
Still, if the puppet doll could tank one fatal hit…
Maybe I could survive the punishment by treating it as already received.
‘…That’s probably just wishful thinking.’
Most of the Gallery crowd had been skeptical.
They said punishments usually kept going until you were dead.
Anyway.
From today—Wednesday—until Friday.
I had to do everything I could to avoid breaking any rules.
Already shaking like crazy thinking I might lose those 13 points and hit a dead end today…
Is there seriously no other way besides just scraping by with my last bit of HP??
‘Bonus points exist…?’
Well, it wasn’t that strange.
If there are demerit points, there should be merit points too.
That kind of system is pretty common in schools.
‘Maybe Ms. Rapori knows something…’
She’s a teacher, after all.
She’d definitely know about school rules like that.
No point wasting time—might as well ask right away.
I also needed to get the puppet doll recharged with magic anyway.
“Po-po-po, you’re asking about merit points?”
“Yes. I was wondering if you knew anything about them…”
“Of course I do. I’m a teacher, after all.”
“Really?!”
The fact that she knew about them meant the system actually existed.
Ms. Rapori smiled brightly and gently patted my head.
At the same time, her enormous chest swayed right in front of my eyes.
‘Crap, eyes down, eyes down!’
I quickly looked away.
Dangerous.
I’d just done that special ritual yesterday to clear my mind, but apparently even that couldn’t stand up to overwhelming power.
“Little friend, do you need merit points?”
“Huh? Ah, yes… Could you give me some?”
I looked up at her hopefully.
Ms. Rapori tilted her head with a gentle smile.
“Po-po-po, how cute. But I’m sorry. Even though we’re close, I can’t give out merit points without a proper reason.”
“Ah, r-right. That makes sense. …Then, could you at least tell me the criteria?”
“The criteria?”
“Yes, like what kind of actions earn them…”
“Hmm. I don’t have everything memorized either… How about we meet during lunch?”
“Lunch…?”
“I’ll organize everything and bring it then. I’m free in the afternoon anyway, so I can recharge your doll at the same time.”
She glanced at my bag, clearly having noticed I needed magic.
“Thank you! I’ll be counting on you!”
“Po-po-po, then study hard this morning and I’ll see you later.”
“Yes!”
Ms. Rapori said she’ll give me the list!!
I just had to wait until lunch.
At lunch I’d go to Ms. Rapori, get the puppet doll recharged, and receive the merit point list.
Of course, I could’ve run straight to the staff room right now, but honestly, it didn’t matter whether I got it now or at lunch.
Besides, I wanted to get it from Ms. Rapori.
‘Ellie’s late…’
Class was about to start and attendance would be called soon.
I stared at Ellie’s empty seat, wondering what was going on.
I’d felt guilty toward her after finishing the special ritual, so I’d planned to greet her first thing this morning.
Was she late?
Just as I was thinking that—
Slide.
The back door opened and Ellie walked in.
When I turned around, our eyes met.
“Hehe…”
She blushed and gave me a small wave.
‘What? She looks happier than I expected…’
I waved back, tilting my head in confusion.
When I checked the diary this morning just in case, there hadn’t been anything unusual written in it.
The diary only went up to Friday.
I’d checked to see if anything would happen to me before then.
Of course, since the future could change based on my actions, the diary didn’t mean much during this crackdown event.
Still, there hadn’t been anything in Ellie’s diary that would make her this happy.
‘Well, if she’s happy, that’s fine, right?’
Even after sitting down, Ellie kept glancing over at me.
Whenever our eyes met, she smiled bashfully and blushed.
She didn’t usually look this cheerful.
At least she didn’t seem upset, so I felt relieved.
Then lunch arrived.
‘Finally…’
The moment the bell rang, I shot up from my seat.
I’d grab my bag, head to Ms. Rapori, get the list and the magic recharge.
After that, I just had to focus on earning merit points.
A simple, straightforward plan.
But then—
“Ares! Want to have lunch together?”
“I accidentally bought two of the new lunch sets today…”
“Let’s eat together, okay?”
“Uh, w-wait… I’ve got something to do, so…”
Right after lunch started, several girls who usually approached me blocked the door and clung to me.
Thanks to yesterday’s ritual, I managed to keep my eyes from wandering to certain parts of their bodies, but—
“Huh? Just today, okay~?”
“I want to talk with you more.”
“You don’t have plans, right? You’ve been eating alone lately~”
They were closing in.
Like a death sentence.
Subtly touching me while they spoke.
‘No way…!’
I only had thirteen points left.
If I got surrounded by girls throwing themselves at me like this, I had no idea when those points would disappear.
‘I have to run…!’
I gave up on convincing them.
I turned around immediately.
Running in the hallway was forbidden, but this was still the classroom.
If I dashed for the front door and escaped, they’d probably give up.
With that thought, I kicked off the floor.
At the same time—
“Kyaa!”
“Aaaah!”
I crashed into a girl passing by.
Thud!
“Ow ow ow… Ares, are you okay…?”
“……”
The moment I fell, I realized.
This girl…
She’d pulled me down with her as she fell.
Naturally, my face landed right in her chest.
“It’s so soft you didn’t get hurt, right…? If you’re okay, want to stay like this a little longer?”
“……”
The soft, warm sensation against my face.
The girl’s suggestive gaze.
And at the same time—
A chill ran down my spine.
“Ares.”
“Aaaaaah!!”
I turned toward the voice beside me and locked eyes with Ms. Bell crawling out from under a desk.
She walked over and began assigning points.
“━━Ten points deducted.”
“……”
Three points left.
Until my death.
Only three points remained.
Only 3 points left…!!!
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it…!’
I rushed straight to Ms. Rapori’s room.
Only three points.
Just three points left until my dead end.
‘I have to do something…! Anything…!’
I hurried to her door with frantic steps.
First, I had to recharge the puppet doll.
Then check the merit point list and earn points—any points—however I could.
“Teacher…!!”
Bang!
I burst in without knocking.
Ms. Rapori looked up in surprise.
“Oh my, what’s wrong, little friend?”
“Quickly…! Please recharge the magic first…!”
“Po-po… Understood.”
Even my rude entrance was met with a gentle smile.
She patted her lap.
“Ah, I…”
“Po-po? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… Could I sit somewhere else instead of your lap this time?”
“Why?”
“Sitting on your lap would… violate the rules…”
Fear outweighed any disappointment.
If I sat there, Ms. Bell would probably appear immediately and deduct points, triggering my dead end.
“It’s fine, little friend.”
“Huh? W-wait…!”
But Ms. Rapori smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me onto her lap anyway.
“The improper heterosexual contact rule only applies between students.”
She whispered in my ear while gently stroking my hair.
“R-really…?”
“Po-po-po, of course. So you can act spoiled like usual.”
“T-Teacher…”
Maybe it was hearing that it wasn’t dangerous.
Her soft embrace felt even more comforting than usual.
“Shall we begin?”
Zzzzzing…
Ms. Rapori began channeling magic through me to restore the doll.
“Ugh, ah… T-Teacher…”
Since she said it was okay to act spoiled, I unconsciously turned and buried my face in her chest.
She gently patted my head and held me close.
The mature scent mixed with a sweet milky aroma.
Feeling her warmth and scent, the anxiety that had been shaking me finally began to calm.
“See? No points deducted, right?”
“You’re right…”
“So just relax for now, little friend.”
“Teacher…”
“There, there.”
Still dazed from the magic, I buried my face in her chest and acted as spoiled as I wanted.
Knowing no one would deduct points no matter how much I enjoyed the soft sensation…
It felt like heaven.
Of course, I knew crossing the line would be dangerous, so once the magic was done, I quickly climbed off her lap.
“Here’s the merit point list. I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Yes! Thank you so much, Teacher!”
“Po-po-po, how cute…”
I checked the list and hurried out of her room.
‘Points… points… What can I earn right now…’
Just like the Gallery guys predicted, earning merit points was much harder than losing them.
Things like school volunteer work, being a role model for others, helping teachers…
Unlike demerit points that could be lost through simple actions, merit points required more proactive effort.
‘But I only have three points left… I have to do something…!’
After checking the list, the fastest thing I could do right now was [Helping a teacher].
Even though it was only worth one point, if I went to the staff room and offered to help every teacher I could find, I might recover around ten points.
There was still time before lunch ended.
I had to start immediately.
So I headed for the staff room.
Knock knock knock.
Slide.
“It’s Ares. Excuse me…”
I entered carefully, worried I might lose more points here.
‘Maybe I should ask my homeroom teacher first.’
I looked toward the desk I’d visited before—
“Huh…?”
I spotted a familiar back.
“Mmm…”
“Honestly, that was an accident! There’s no way it should’ve been ten points!”
“But the deduction is at the supervising teacher’s discretion…”
“Merit points are at the homeroom teacher’s discretion, though!”
“Ugh… Well, fine then. …Oh, there you are. Hey! Ares!”
“Ares…?”
At the homeroom teacher’s call, the girl with the purple ponytail turned around and looked at me.
Lana had been talking with the teacher.
Under both their gazes, I carefully approached the desk.
“Is something wrong…?”
“Ah, nothing serious. Ares, you got first place in the whole school this time, right?”
“Yes… I did.”
“So we were discussing whether that counts as [Being a role model for others] and if we should award merit points for it.”
“Huh?”
When I looked at Lana, she met my eyes and smiled softly.
The homeroom teacher continued.
“There’s no reason not to. Plus, you were unfairly deducted points before. So, as a special case…━━twenty merit points.”
“What?!”
“You little punk, how do you manage to rack up forty-seven demerit points in just three days? …Though the supervising teacher was pretty harsh too. Use this to recover and be more careful from now on, got it?”
“Y-yes…”
I felt dazed.
I’d rushed here desperately just to earn even one point…
And now I’d recovered twenty.
“That’s great, Ares, right?”
“……”
On the way back to the classroom, Lana bumped her shoulder against mine playfully and smiled.
“Did you… tell the teacher about me…?”
“……”
I asked her with a face that still couldn’t believe it.
Lana closed her mouth for a moment, then looked away and answered quietly.
“But… you lost ten points because of me…”
“……”
She blushed slightly, looking embarrassed.
‘Still, why…’
I was still confused.
She was a supernatural being.
Someone who wanted me dead.
Someone trying to kill me.
…So why would she help me?
‘Is this… also part of confusing me?’
NightRat always said Lana was doing this so I’d choose her at the graduation ceremony.
That made it even more confusing.
Was the girl in front of me right now—blushing and meeting my eyes—being genuine or not?
“……”
“Ah~, lunch is almost over. I haven’t eaten yet. What about you, Ares?”
“I haven’t either…”
“Hehe, then want to sneak some food together later?”
“No… What if we get caught? We’ll lose points.”
“We’ve got over twenty points now~. Can’t you at least do this much?”
After that, Lana and I chatted awkwardly as we walked back to the classroom.
Lunch was almost over.
‘The real problem starts now…’
But I still couldn’t let my guard down.
I still had the worst debuff of all—the girls’ overwhelming popularity.
Even the twenty points I’d just earned thanks to Lana could disappear at any moment.
Slide.
When I opened the door and stepped inside—
“W-what the heck is this…”
“Ugh…”
Lana and I stopped in shock at the disastrous scene.
We stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the classroom.
It was a complete mess.
Most of the desks were overturned, and the students were huddled against the walls with terrified faces.
And in the center of it all—
“Ah, ugh, A-Ares…”
Ellie met my eyes and turned bright red.
“Ellie…?”
“Ugh…”
She lowered her head shyly for a moment, fidgeting with her fingers in a way that didn’t match the situation at all.
Then she walked back to her seat, righted her fallen desk, and sat down.
“What…?”
While I muttered in confusion, the other students finally started moving, fixing their desks and returning to their seats.
At the same time, they kept glancing at me.
Not just the boys— even the girls who’d been clinging to me earlier were watching me with frightened eyes.
Then Levin, who had been organizing her desk, approached and explained.
“Ellie… got really angry…”
“…Ellie did?”
“Yeah. She said if anyone touched you… she’d kill them.”
“……”
I finally understood what had happened.
Standing beside me, Lana muttered to herself.
“…Ellie’s not easy either.”
“……”
She really wasn’t.
To think she’d solve the problem with the girls clinging to me like this…
“Ugh, haa…”
During afternoon classes, I glanced back at Ellie several times.
Whenever our eyes met, she looked away shyly and lowered her head.
She seemed different from the cheerful Ellie I’d seen that morning.