Wise School Life (7)

To change one person's perception, an intense shock is necessary. Especially when it comes to human relationships. Want to show that you've become a completely different person? The method is simple. Just keep acting in the exact opposite manner of that person's original attitude, without any pretense. Then, at the right moment, tell them the truth.

"……So you're saying you're not Idel von Rheinland?"

After two weeks of preaching the mysteries of physics and revealing my identity, Ire's attitude had changed noticeably. She wore an expression that clearly said, "Is this guy insane?"

No, seriously, why?

"The truth is, you're from another world, you read something I wrote, and then you fell into this world. Now you're doing all this to get your doctorate again……"

"That's right. It's the truth."

"You expect me to believe that?"

Fair enough. I wouldn't believe it easily either. But the evidence was overwhelmingly solid. Her name, the skills she used, her constellation, the names and numbers of the Outer Gods clinging to her, events from previous regressions—everything. Once I laid it all out, Ire's complexion turned deathly pale.

She spoke cautiously.

"……Even if what you say is true, there's no guarantee you're a good person. So prove it. Prove that you're not a bad man."

I chuckled. I pulled the security buzzer from my pocket.

"If I pull this, Sonia will come running right away. The receiver is remotely connected no matter how far away she is. And as long as she's here, you can't beat her."

"So? What are you going to do with that?"

"A gamble."

I set the buzzer on the ground and kicked it away. Then I pressed the button to release the restraints. As the devices binding her body loosened, Ire collapsed weakly to the floor. She staggered and leaned against the wall. The sight of her struggling to rise like a newborn kangaroo was pitiful. I offered her a chair.

Seated, Ire caught her breath and looked at me. Her eyes were strangely red. Not bloodshot—her irises themselves had changed color, and thick black tears of blood were streaming down.

"Finally, finally……"

A sinister aura emanated from her.

Click. Ire Haslen—no, Sapaul, who had seized her body—drew a gun forged from Fron.

"……I can kill you now, human. Farewell."

Shhhk! The first bullet grazed my earlobe. It was a close call.

"What? I definitely aimed for the forehead, kgh!"

Ire's consciousness was still resisting. I failed to respond in time, but I seized the opening and struck her wrist. The gun Ire dropped vanished like an illusion. It didn't matter—she could simply create another one.

There was only one way to avoid gunfire: take the rear and close the distance. I kicked Ire in the abdomen, forced her knees to buckle, and made her kneel. Ah, this was exactly the self-defense technique I'd learned during military training.

"You…… predicted this?"

"I know the Southern Holy Sanctuary isn't 100% safe. By the way, you were thinking about something else while we were talking, weren't you?"

"Ha, human."

Sapaul twisted her body with a bizarre laugh.

"Don't underestimate me."

My survival instincts screamed. I made a split-second decision and leapt away from Ire's body. Immediately afterward, countless iron bars erupted from where I'd been standing, interlocking like a chessboard. Even one hit would have been instant death.

"A lowly lifeform like you dares to provoke our kind? I'll make you pay the price."

"Scratch?"

"What?"

Even I was surprised by what I'd just said. But now that it had come to this, there was no stopping.

"Honestly, it's ridiculous that an Outer God would get offended by something like this. Getting scared over a single resonator? Oh my, how adorable. Outer Gods aren't all that special, are they?"

Wait, what the hell. When death is staring me in the face, I just start babbling whatever comes to mind. Is this also a survival instinct?

Rumble. The room began to vibrate like a wave.

"……As expected, you must die here."

I grinned back just as sharply.

Time limit: 30 minutes. While preventing this guy from escaping outside, I also had to protect myself. Until the sanctuary's effects returned and Ire regained her senses—

"Bring it on, you pathetic bastard."

I had to hold out.

The 20 billion loss must have been shocking—Seti had regressed into a child. Rustila was on her way to beat up Idel after receiving a hit request from her. Verdia and Zermel, who had become more like servants than watchers by now, accompanied her.

"You even brought your sword, miss."

"There are always 'what if' situations. If Idel is in danger, or if he's cheating—"

"Excuse me. You two aren't even dating yet."

"Right. So if something unexpected happens, I want to talk with the other person first."

The two androids trembled. Rustila's gaze had been quite sharp. Of course, the best case was not needing the sword at all.

Upon arriving at the sanctuary, a familiar face greeted the group. It was Sonia, Idel's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dedicated android with her trademark blunt expression.

"It's been a while, miss."

"I'm looking for Idel. Do you know where he is?"

"Young master is in the recovery room over there. He said he's doing something important and that no one should enter without a special signal…… Miss, come back! Miss!"

Rustila hopped and skipped until she reached the door. Just what had happened that he hadn't even checked his messages? Suspicion, worry, and anger mixed into an odd feeling.

Before knocking, she pressed her ear to the door. Because it was soundproofed, she couldn't hear much. But when she enhanced her senses with Ether, faint sounds began to reach her.

— Ah, hngh, kgh.

Moans. One woman's voice, one man's voice. The two voices intertwined alternately. The sound of bodies rolling on the floor came with them.

Rustila flinched in shock and grabbed the doorknob. It wouldn't turn. It was locked from inside.

"Rustie, something's wrong. I sense a strange energy inside."

Her constellation, Vega, warned her. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind at once. Rustila immediately drew her sword and heated it. In just one second. The roaring blade slammed into the door. Two horizontal cuts, two vertical cuts—perfectly slicing out the door panel, which fell backward, finally revealing the interior.

"Idel! Id, el……?"

The smell of sweat hit her nose. A humid aura and murky fog warmly moistened her cheeks. Rustila looked down at the floor like a broken-jointed doll.

"Die, die already!"

A girl was straddling Idel, a dagger aimed at him. Idel desperately resisted, pushing the girl away. It was a tense tug-of-war.

"Rustila, you came at the perfect time! Help me……!"

Assessing the situation. Assessment complete. Idel was not at fault. It was simply that one more thieving cat had appeared, eyeing the handsome and capable man.

"What are you doing to my Idel!!"

Rustila kicked the girl over. She was startled by her own action, but quickly corrected her thinking. The thing emitting that strange energy was none other than an Outer God.

"Rustie, that child is being possessed."

Idel rolled over and lay in front of the door.

"Ah, shit, that hurts like hell."

"A-are you okay?"

"I'm okay but also not okay. More importantly, thanks for showing up exactly when I needed you. As expected, only you……"

"Only you." That single phrase made her heart, which had remained calm even during countless training sessions, begin to pound. Rustila touched her flushed cheeks and looked straight ahead. A dark, murky energy was enveloping the girl. It was unmistakably the aura of an Outer God.

"……I understand what happened."

The girl had been possessed by an Outer God and tried to kill Idel. Up to that point, it could be considered a mitigating circumstance. However, the fact that their bodies had been pressed together, rubbing against each other, rolling around…… that could never be forgiven.

"What, are you guys here to die too?"

The girl pulled a gun from thin air.

"Then die."

Rustila felt the flow of Ether. For some reason, the Ether that had grown faint was gradually gathering again. The Outer God probably only had a few minutes left to struggle. Rustila recalled what she'd learned from Nier. In this situation, what should she do? Which skill should she use?

She reached a conclusion. Quickly and concisely, without endangering life—

Subdue.

***

Rustila's single strike purified the entire recovery room. Thanks to the massive stellar energy sweeping through and neutralizing all the Fron. Sapaul could no longer use techniques that relied on Fron. Forced to fight with bare hands, he was beaten like a dog on a hot summer day by the arriving Sonia and retired.

Thus, the situation ended. This reduced the number of Outer Gods in Ire's head by one, and Sapaul lost even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his comrades' trust. He would probably split soon. It hadn't been intentional, but good was good—an unexpected gain.

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but admire her. To think that Rustila had reached the point ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠where she could freely use Omega-rank techniques.

"Ha, I almost died for nothing. Rustila, as expected, only you……"

I hugged Rustila with all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my strength.

"U-uaaah."

"Ah, right. My clothes are dirty right now. Sorry."

Just as I was about to pull away, Rustila hugged me back tightly instead. The warm, soft sensation, the sound of her heartbeat, the floral scent that brushed past me—everything felt vivid.

Rustila whispered into my ear.

"……As long as you know."

It was a seductive voice. Ah, wait. This position might be a little dangerous.

***

Zernya sat emptily in the student cafeteria. She hadn't seen Idel today. So she was enjoying a solitary meal in high spirits. Cube steak with onions was her lunch today. Normally, she would have given about half of those onions to Idel, because his father had asked her to.

"Why is he asking me to manage his son's diet?"

Zernya grumbled, but there was no helping it. He was someone she would see day and night once she entered the main department. If she listened well, her grades would be good and her path to success would open up.

For several weeks, she had been feeding Idel onions, beans, oysters, eel, crab, shrimp, sesame, and pumpkin. Especially onions—she always served them with vitamin supplements. This too was at his father's request.

"……"

Suddenly, she grew curious.

"Search, search."

Zernya chewed her steak while looking up the effects of onions.

The main component of onion smell is allicin. When combined with vitamin B1, it produces alithiamine, which has excellent effects on enhancing vitality.

"What."

Similarly, the included components selenium and magnesium promote the secretion of sex hormones.

"What!"

The aforementioned vitamin B stimulates the parasympathetic nerves to heighten sexual arousal, and quercetin is also known to have a positive effect on prostate function.

"……"

In the southern region, there is a custom of newlyweds sharing onion dishes to spend a passionate night.

Zernya threw her phone away.

……My knowledge has increased.