Loving Thy Enemy
I swung my fist.
Almost in a trance.
It's not like he'd die anyway since he's a monster.
But it seemed like he could feel pain—Jayden burst into tears every time my fist connected with his face.
The sight was so ridiculous that I punched him even harder.
Why am I this angry…?
No matter how many times I slammed my fist down, the rage wouldn't subside.
“Kuh, hck, stop…!”
“You fucking bastard…! Hey, cut it out! You're gonna kill him!!”
“Get the hell away from me?”
“Hiiik…!”
Maybe it was because I was only hitting his face.
I tried punching his stomach, twisting his arms, and stomping on his knees too.
What a strange body.
Was it because he was a monster? No matter how much I hit or twisted him, he didn't break.
He bled and bruised, but nothing worse than that happened.
Then why would a monster like that reveal itself without trying to kill me?
And why did it show signs of injury when hit, despite being a monster?
Maybe regular students were bound by the academy's rules and couldn't reveal themselves except under certain conditions.
Yeah, maybe the academy itself was one giant monster.
And regular students could only break those rules and act as monsters or ghost stories in specific situations.
The thought suddenly occurred to me.
Anyway.
I was furious right now.
Why…?
Because this bastard cursed me?
Or because Noel died because of him?
Neither.
For a much more instinctive and simple reason, I was so angry my head was spinning.
Lana's reddened cheek.
Yeah, I was this pissed off for the simple reason that this guy had slapped Lana's cheek.
Maybe I'd gone crazy.
“I'll go get a teacher!”
Jayden's friends, who had been trying to stop me, realized they couldn't and hurriedly left.
Around that time,
I started coming to my senses and stopped hitting him.
“Haa, haa.”
“S-save me…, save me….”
“Huuup…!”
“Kuhuk!!”
Still angry, I kicked him in the stomach one last time.
“Kuhuk, keck…!”
I climbed back on top of Jayden, who was gasping like he was about to throw up.
Grabbing him by the collar, I looked him in the eye and said,
“You slapped her cheek, didn't you?”
“W-what…?”
Jayden asked back, like he couldn't understand my question because he was dazed from the beating.
But I didn't care and kept going.
“If you ever lay a hand on her again, I swear I'll find a way to kill you for real.”
“…A-ah, got it. I won't ever do it again…!”
He looked scared and was probably just answering to get me off him.
But for now, this was enough.
After beating him up good and saying my piece, the boiling rage started to cool down.
Once this guy's head cooled off too, he'd understand my warning and leave Lana alone from now on.
Now for the second order of business.
“So?”
“Huh?”
“……”
When I asked, Jayden froze up again.
So I slapped his cheek.
“W-wait, wait!! I'll talk!! I'll talk, so stop hitting me…!!”
Only after getting slapped did Jayden come to his senses and start talking with tears in his eyes.
“That's right…! I cast the curse…! I cursed Noel, and it passed to you…!!”
“……”
“I'm sorry…! It's just…! I must've lost my mind back then!”
I'd pretty much guessed that part already.
It was obvious.
That day when this guy, Noel, and I had a little commotion in the backyard.
Noel claimed I was her boyfriend, this guy took it as truth, got beaten up by me, and ran away.
He probably held a grudge and cast the curse afterward.
A cliché jealousy drama, plain as day.
…But the important thing wasn't who cast the ghost story curse.
“Whatever, so? How did you pass the curse on? You told Noel about that too, right?”
“……Y-yeah, that's right.”
“Tell me how.”
“Well….”
“…Ah, not enough beatings?”
When I raised my fist, Jayden, who had been hesitating, quickly reached out.
“N-no…! I'll tell you! So…! Passing the curse…!!”
And right then.
“──You two over there!! What are you doing!! Stop right now!!”
“……”
“……”
A male teacher I'd never seen before was running toward us, shouting.
Behind him followed Jayden's friends who had run off earlier.
“Teacher…!!”
Seeing the approaching teacher, Jayden urgently called out to him.
For a truant delinquent, his reaction was pathetically dumb.
More importantly, I was out of time.
“Hey…! Answer me already?! Tell me how to pass it on!! What are the conditions!!”
I shook Jayden by the collar and demanded an answer to my earlier question.
Just then, the teacher reached us and grabbed me from behind.
“You little shit! Stop right now?!”
“Answer me!! How do you do it!!”
But whether I was grabbed or not, I didn't care and shouted at Jayden.
Then.
“K-khehehe….”
Supported by his approaching friends, Jayden stood up and gave a twisted smile.
“You fucking bastard….”
“Phehehehe…!”
Had he lost his mind?
Jayden's fear had disappeared.
No, that wasn't it.
He hadn't lost his mind.
This bastard….
──He was relieved that a teacher had come, and now he was getting cocky again.
Since he wouldn't get beaten anymore.
“Ares…, you son of a bitch….”
Jayden grinned while drooling and spoke to me like he couldn't contain his joy.
“The curse? You can pass it on as much as you want.”
“……”
“It's a curse that requires offering your soul. …So you can only pass it on to someone you truly care about.”
“……What?”
“P-phehehe…! Hahahahaha!! Serves you right, you dumbass─!!”
Jayden spat out the words while looking at me, still restrained.
Like he'd been waiting for this exact moment.
“Noel passed the curse to you because she liked you!! So if you want to live, pass it on to someone you love like crazy!! Hahahahahaha!!”
He explained the condition for passing the curse.
“……”
But for a moment, I couldn't process the condition in my head.
And shortly after.
“You…! You son of a bitch…!!”
Realizing who I could pass the curse to, I ground my teeth as heat rushed to my head.
Jayden gave me a twisted smile and continued mockingly.
“Why? You're gonna pass it on anyway, so why get so mad? You know what?! Noel heard this method and immediately passed the curse to you!! Hahahahaha!! You only meant that much to Noel, you dumbass!! Hahahahahaha!!”
“You fucking bastard, I'm gonna kill you─!!”
“Boyfriend my ass!! You can't even risk your life for her!! …I liked Noel more!! If it were me, I would've risked my life!!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!”
Seeing him shout with such glee, I struggled and tried to lunge at him while still being held back.
Just one hit….
I wanted to hit him just one more time.
But I couldn't.
“Stop right now?! Come with me first!! I'll call for you later, so come running the moment I do! Got it?!”
Still grabbed by the teacher, I was dragged away from Jayden.
As I was pulled away, Jayden kept shouting to provoke me.
“Serves you right, you dumbass!! Hahahahahaha!! Go ahead and save your precious life while realizing how shallow your affection really is─!! Phehahahaha!!”
Stop fucking around
Stop fucking around
Stop fucking around you son of a bitch
“Even if you slapped her cheek, wasn't that a bit much?”
“……I'm sorry.”
“Haa, well. The other side seems to be at fault too.”
“……”
“Inseok, still, your grades are good and your reputation among the teachers is solid, so I'll let it slide this once.”
“……Yes.”
“……”
“……”
“……That girl, …is she your girlfriend?”
“……”
The teacher who had grabbed me took me to the counseling room and heard the whole story.
After understanding, the teacher decided to handle it within his own authority this one time.
However.
What should I do…? What am I supposed to do…?
I couldn't hear any of that conversation.
This fucking…
Crunch….
My fist clenched.
Just now,
I'd heard how to pass on this damn curse.
But…, the targets I could pass it to were limited.
──Only to people I truly cared about.
“Alright, hurry back to class. I'll say it again—there won't be a next time.”
“……”
After the lecture ended, I stood up blankly and headed back to the classroom.
Even while walking there,
Only one thought occupied my mind.
Should I just die…?
If things continued like this, I'd end up offering my soul through the two-choice question.
To avoid that….
I'd have to throw someone I cared about as bait instead.
People I care about…
In this goddamn ghost story academy, there weren't many people I truly cared about.
About three.
Lana, Ellie, Claire….
Wait, Lana was a monster, so maybe she didn't count?
“Ares.”
“……”
And at that moment, as if reading my thoughts, Lana's voice came from ahead.
“……”
“Are you okay…?”
Lana stood in the hallway, looking at me with a gentle smile.
Before I knew it, the hallway was filled with students.
Apparently first period had ended.
Lana continued.
“Hey, …want to keep playing the balance game?”
“……”
Lana.
──Was she someone precious to me?
“……”
“Hm?”
If not, then even if I played the game she was suggesting now, there wouldn't be any problem.
“……”
“……”
“No, I'm not in the mood.”
“……”
But I refused.
I wasn't confident.
No matter how I thought about it….
It felt like the curse would pass to Lana.
This fucking, fuck…
Through second period.
Through third period.
Through fourth period, my mind was filled with chaos.
And then lunchtime came.
“A-Ares…. Want to try this?”
“…Ah, yeah.”
“Here.”
Today I ate lunch with Ellie.
“……Are you okay?”
Ellie asked worriedly, noticing my unusual mood.
Ellie….
Maybe because it wasn't confirmed she was a monster.
For some reason, I felt confident she was someone I cared about.
If it was Ellie, I could probably pass the curse to her.
Definitely.
“Hey, Ellie.”
“Yeah?”
I roughly chewed and swallowed the Vienna sausage Ellie had given me and asked her.
“Am I… precious to you?”
“H-huh?”
Ellie was startled by my sudden question and blushed.
“U-uh, well….”
After hesitating for a moment,
She glanced around nervously and gave a small nod.
“……”
Then I asked the final question.
“Then… would you die to help me?”
“……Huh?”
This time she didn't blush—just looked surprised.
She stared straight at me.
She seemed more concerned about my condition than understanding the intent behind my question.
Worried eyes.
And then she answered.
“Yeah, I can die… for Ares.”
“……”
“Why…? Is something wrong? If you need my help, tell me anytime….”
Swish….
Ellie's small hand carefully overlapped mine.
When I looked at Ellie, our eyes met and she smiled shyly.
She could die for me.
…Those words didn't sound like a lie.
They felt sincere.
There's no way I could do that…!
My mind grew even more chaotic.
If Ellie's chances of being a monster were higher, could I have passed the curse to her?
Or if she'd said she couldn't die for me, could I have done it?
I didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
…I couldn't pass the curse to Lana or Ellie and make them die in my place.
What the hell am I supposed to do…
I didn't post anything in the gallery I usually relied on.
Because it was obvious.
Those guys were on my side.
──Not on Lana or Ellie's side.
If I want to live…, they'd probably tell me to abandon Lana…
They were rational.
Because they were third-party observers.
They'd tell me to pass it to Lana, who was definitely a monster, and live.
So I couldn't post anything more in the gallery.
If I saw that kind of majority opinion.
My resolve might waver.
What the hell am I supposed to do…
The dilemma continued.
While agonizing over it.
I kept hitting the same wall and returning to the start.
Before I knew it, the last class ended.
Students started heading home.
“Ares.”
“……Claire.”
While walking alone down the hallway, lost in thought.
When I looked up at the familiar voice, Claire was standing there.
She looked at me with her usual gentle smile.
━ He looks kind of listless
Claire's inner voice reached me.
━ Did something happen?
━ Watching something lewd might help…
━ No, that's just my standard…
As usual, there was a huge gap between her outer and inner thoughts.
“What's up?”
“Well, I came to get the cross back.”
“Ah….”
At those words, I finally remembered the cross I'd borrowed yesterday.
The one I'd picked up again under the dorm building on my way to school.
It was in my bag right now.
━ Honestly, I could've gotten it later
━ But this gave me an excuse to see him after school
━ Should I ask him to walk together?
━ He seems troubled…
Claire's inner thoughts about worrying for me came through.
“……”
Yeah, Claire was definitely one of the people precious to me.
Maybe not as much as Lana or Ellie.
But she was still an important friend.
I could pass the curse to her.
“Claire….”
“Yes?”
But.
“H-here. I brought it because I was going to give it back anyway.”
“Ah, so you had it.”
I couldn't bring myself to pass it on.
I couldn't betray her when she was worrying about me in her heart.
Then I'll just…
Die.
I couldn't pass it to Lana.
Couldn't pass it to Ellie.
Couldn't pass it to Claire either.
There was no choice left but to die like this.
“……”
“Ares…?”
My hand holding the cross trembled.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…!!
Despair and rage surged up at the same time.
Why?
Why did trying to survive always drag me into these goddamn ghost stories?
Noel and I weren't even real lovers.
Even if all these ghost stories were shitty and vicious.
The fact that there was even a possibility of surviving by sacrificing someone precious… was the most fucked up part.
“……”
“Ares….”
And then.
Swish.
Claire overlapped both her hands on top of mine, which had been trembling while clutching the cross.
The warm heat that transferred through them stopped the shaking.
━ He looks angry…
━ Who made Ares this angry…?
Claire's inner voice came through.
And her actual voice followed.
“Don't be angry, Ares.”
“……”
“Even if you don't follow Christian doctrine…, anger only torments yourself.”
“……Claire, that's not it.”
Wanting to help somehow, Claire tried to calm me with a serene voice.
I was grateful, but.
It didn't help the current situation at all, so it meant nothing.
Still, I couldn't coldly reject Claire's kindness, so I quietly listened to her words.
“But I say to you.”
However.
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
“……What?”
“Hehe, it's a verse from the Gospel of Matthew. Whenever I get angry at someone, I think of this verse.”
“……”
“Then my heart feels at ease, and the various worries caused by the person who made me angry tend to resolve easily.”
“……”
At Claire's words.
──Something flashed through my mind.
“So Ares, even if you're not a believer, try following this verse once……”
“Claire….”
“Yes?”
I tightly grabbed Claire's hand.
“Kyaa?!”
“That's it…! That's it! That's the answer!!”
“E-eh?! W-what?!”
Claire, flustered enough to trip over her words, blushed and her eyes trembled for a moment. Her panicked inner voice also came through.
━ Ares is being so manly…!
━ In movies, this is when they'd kiss—!!
━ B-but I just recited a Bible verse…!
━ Still, his hand is so, so reliable…! Feels like it'll melt…!
But I didn't have time to play along with Claire's fantasies.
I had to move as fast as possible.
“Thanks, Claire!! I'll do what you said!! And I'll definitely repay you for this later!!”
“Y-yes…?”
I let go of Claire's hand and ran down the hallway.
My head was clear.
“So…, this student?”
“Yes! You can do it, right?”
“I can, but…. Will it even mean anything? Only for a day….”
“A day is enough to get some action!”
“…Huh, action…, with this student…?”
“No, that's not what I meant…. Anyway, please do it quickly! The sun's about to set!!”
I urgently shouted at the teacher who was carefully examining the photo.
The photo in his hand was one I'd barely managed to get by stopping by the faculty office on my way out of school.
“Then please lie down on the bed.”
“Yes!”
Following the teacher's instructions, I lay down on the bed.
A process I'd done before.
I relaxed comfortably and closed my eyes.
“Now, then ……──please open the door in front of you.”
And shortly after.
After everything was over, I got up from the bed in a daze.
In front of me.
The hypnosis rehabilitation teacher from Wonder Hospital held out the photo I'd brought and asked.
“What is this student's name?”
“……Jayden.”
“Who is he?”
At his question, I smiled and answered.
“──My love.”
I had come to love my enemy.