The Devil's Bargain

My school days were...

"W-what was that?"

"Whose voice was that?"

"......"

What was that just now? A strange, disembodied voice that sent shivers down my spine. Had anything like this ever happened in the world of memories before?

However, the voice threatening to kill everyone didn't return, and the world of memories continued to unfold. Kaits and his party decided to ignore the inexplicable phenomenon for the time being and focused on the scene before them.

"......"

"I know you probably won't believe me, but it's the truth."

Kaits and his party were just as bewildered by the sudden statement. Could she really read minds? It wasn't that they didn't believe the concept itself.

Even in a world far removed from skills or Ryunar, supernatural abilities existed, albeit rarely. The girl before them was likely one such case. But there was something that didn't add up.

Mind reading.

In Elynar, where all sorts of superhumans ran rampant, it might seem like nothing special, but there was no ability as simple and powerful as this. Being able to read an opponent's moves in advance during combat was a massive advantage, and in the case of deep-level mind reading, one could even uncover hidden trump cards. And that wasn't all. In daily life, business, and politics, there was no ability quite like it. If anything, mind reading truly shone in those arenas.

That was why it was hard to accept. How could someone with such an ability be suffering so helplessly? Perhaps sensing Kaits and his party's skepticism, Suyeon began to explain for herself.

"Actually, my power to read minds is a little different from standard mind reading."

"Hmm."

"And even if it were standard mind reading, those kids are a much more powerful class of people than you'd think. If you don't believe me, shall I read your mind? It's hard to believe, but right now, Mr. Drae is..."

Drae waved his hand as if to say "never mind," and spoke in a tone that suggested he hadn't been distrustful to begin with.

"Didn't you ever think of fighting back with that power?"

"I did. That's why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I agonized over it, and eventually concluded that I wouldn't fight back. Because I would end up losing, and I'd suffer terrible things as the price for my rebellion."

Drae listened silently, not even blinking. Was he distracted by Suyeon's body? Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and her proportions were well-balanced. It was a figure that was hard to believe belonged to a high school student—the kind of body women considered ideal. Suyeon noticed Drae's gaze and pressed even closer.

"But when you appeared, I felt the urge to try and fight back. I wanted to escape being bullied, even now. I saw hope."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. It was. So... will you help me? If you do, this body... even if not all of it, you can do whatever you want with it."

Suyeon pressed her body against Drae. Her words were calm, but perhaps she was terrified; her body was trembling, if only slightly.

Drae, being pressed right against her, couldn't have missed it. Yet, he didn't seem particularly excited, and Kaits' party felt a secret admiration for his attitude. It must be incredibly difficult not to try and take advantage of someone's weakness, especially when the target was such a beautiful girl.

Raeband clenched his fist without realizing it. Wasn't there a line that would be appropriate here, even if it was a bit cliché? Something like, "I just want to help you purely."

Unlike his rough exterior, Raeband loved fairy tales and was very fond of cheesy lines. The Scholar didn't say anything, but he too expected a heroic move. Soon, Drae opened his mouth.

"Not really."

"...Excuse me?"

"You're, how should I put it, flat-chested. I'm not in the mood."

"......"

Suyeon opened her mouth, then closed it, gasping as if trying to say something. She didn't seem to find the right words. The two watching were the same. What kind of fucking idiot was this guy? Was that really something to say in this situation?

Leaving everyone's shock behind, Drae shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway, you want to get out of this situation, right?"

"...Yes. I think it'll be possible if my mind reading and your peculiarity combine."

"If I help you, is there any merit for me other than that skinny body of yours?"

Raeband clicked his tongue internally. Even if the talk of merit was understandable, why the hell would he act like such a piece of shit about her "skinny body"?

Just then.

A man's voice, indifferent and even somewhat playful, echoed. It sounded like Drae's monologue, but it wasn't his voice. There was only one explanation for this: it was highly likely a phrase deeply imprinted on the owner of the memory. Perhaps words from someone precious to Yeodre.

Suyeon couldn't answer and was deep in thought when Drae said,

"Is helping you a good thing? I mean, would anyone consider it a kind act?"

At the sudden question, Suyeon blinked once and opened her mouth.

"Helping others is usually an act of goodwill, but whether it's good or bad depends on the content."

"......"

"But helping someone in trouble, no matter what it is... I don't know if it's 'good,' but couldn't you call it kind?"

"In other words, kind?"

"Yes. Probably..."

Watching Suyeon trail off, Drae nodded.

"Fine. I got it."

"Does 'fine' mean you'll help me?"

"Yeah."

What was the sudden change of heart? But whatever Drae's change of heart was, it probably didn't matter to Suyeon. A smile spread across the lips of Suyeon, who had been near-emotionless the whole time.

"Thank you, Mr. Drae. I will definitely repay you later..."

"Then let's see you tomorrow."

"...Excuse me?"

"I said let's see you tomorrow."

"Oh, um... shouldn't we discuss this and that..."

She was a mind reader. As someone who had been bullied for a long time, she surely had things she'd thought through and strategies in mind.

But Drae shook his head.

"See you tomorrow."

"Ah, yes..."

Suyeon's inner thoughts leaked out, and Raeband suddenly wanted to smack the back of Drae's head. Raeband had also come from a terribly poor background. He had experienced countless instances of unprovoked bullying by those in power and held a fierce hatred for it. That guy must have never experienced unprovoked violence. He could only act with such insincerity because he didn't know the desperation of those who had been through it.

As Drae left, the scene of Suyeon's house blurred and soon changed to the school landscape.

I looked up. Checking the date inscribed in the sky, it was the next day. Looking at the time, it was peak arrival time.

Suyeon was, as always, called out by Shin Jin-pae and Kang Gu-han, forced to sit between desks they had chosen at will, and subjected to sexual harassment disguised as conversation. The students who had been kicked out of their seats were pretending to have a fun chat.

"Smells good, doesn't it? Pretty girl."

"......"

"I heard your family situation isn't great, but I guess you can afford proper perfume?"

Shin Jin-pae sneered, but Suyeon kept her head bowed and didn't answer. He didn't seem to feel much displeasure at that reaction, surprisingly, and just chuckled it off. Instead, Kang Gu-han giggled, brushing her hair back with his fingers.

"Our pretty girl. She's got such high pride. That's why I like her."

Kang Gu-han leaned his arms on Suyeon's desk and grinned.

"When I think about how submissive you'll be later, I get a hard-on, you know?"

The lackeys around them snickered. Shin Jin-pae was looking at his smartphone, searching for something. And then.

Creak.

The classroom door opened, and a male student with a lethargic face entered, dragging his indoor shoes. Drae had arrived. Shin Jin-pae took his eyes off his smartphone, looked at him for a moment, then looked away. Just as Suyeon had said, he seemed slightly bothered by the mysterious male student.

But that would end soon. Once they judged that this man named Drae was nothing special and just quiet, they would start bullying him properly, if only out of resentment for the time they'd spent probing him. Raeband found it pathetic how these pieces of trash played with the weak, thinking they were the strong, but he wanted to see that frustrating Drae kid get what was coming to him.

And then.

Drae hung his bag on the hook at his seat and walked with long strides somewhere. Straight to... in front of Kang Gu-han.

"...Huh?"

Kang Gu-han blinked at the shadow suddenly cast over him. As Drae looked down at him, his fierce face twisted even more savagely, as if he thought he was being looked down upon. But for a boy of his young age in a peaceful world, he was cautious.

"What? Is this your seat?"

A probing question. But Drae said something completely off-base.

"Kang Gu."

"...?"

Did he get the name wrong on purpose, or did he really not know it? Raeband swallowed hard, thinking that if it were that bastard, the latter was seriously possible.

"Are you good at fighting?"

"...What the fuck are you saying, you asshole?"

Clatter.

Kang Gu-han, who stood up while shoving his chair with fierce momentum, was 190cm tall. With his realistically large height accompanied by such savage momentum, even the surrounding students, who weren't the targets of his killing intent, were flinching.

What is that guy thinking? While Raeband and the Scholar tilted their heads, Kaits muttered,

"He intends to fight."

What did he mean? As the two looked at him, Drae said,

"Seeing how you act, I guess you are good at it."

"What, you fucking asshole? Are you looking down on me?"

"Let's fight."

"What? This, what..."

The words couldn't be finished.

Pow!

With a sound that was almost cheerful, a fist was planted into his cheek. It was originally aimed at his chin, but it seemed Kang Gu-han had barely managed to turn his head just before impact.

"You fucking..."

Kang Gu-han, who was about to pounce, staggered. Even though he had clearly avoided a direct hit, there was considerable damage.

"You fucking... Ugh!"

A follow-up strike. A fist flew aimed at his philtrum, and blood sprayed from Kang Gu-han's mouth. Meanwhile, Drae, who had raised his fist again...

"......"

He stopped.

"Eh? What? Why stop? Why is that line coming out now?"

While Raeband was flustered, unable to understand, Kang Gu-han, having regained his posture, landed a low kick. It was a clean form that clearly showed he had learned martial arts.

It's over.

Raeband squeezed his eyes shut. There was no way an ordinary person who hadn't learned anything could withstand that power...

"Oops... that hurts like hell."

...He could.

Drae just frowned a little and shook off his leg; he didn't fall.

"Huh?! What is this... Ugh!"

Pow!

Flustered by the unexpected situation, Kang Gu-han staggered after being hit by the same low kick, and as Drae took the opportunity to push him, he fell. Kang Gu-han, who was panting while lying on the ground trying to grasp the situation, soon screamed in rage.

"You fucking asshole! Are you really crazy!!"

"Fuck off."

After that, it was a brawl. No, a dogfight. Whether you learned martial arts or not, real combat is always different. Gu-han forgot his martial arts and entered a dogfight, and Drae... occasionally flinched and stopped, then had to take punches on his guard for no reason. Seeing that, Raeband's eyes sparkled.

The sluggish fight continued. Unable to watch, Shin Jin-pae secretly went behind Drae to smash his head, but was blocked, and it became a 2-on-1. Still, it was a much better level of fighting than ordinary boys. At the very least, it was a sight that caused agitation among the students watching.

"What are you guys doing right now!!"

The fight ended just as the homeroom teacher entered. Afterward, naturally, only Drae was scolded. Even when asked why he did it, Drae just stared blankly and looked elsewhere.

The classmates' gazes toward Drae changed significantly. Thoughts from that time swirled.

'He fights unexpectedly well. What was his name?'

'I thought he was a loser, but he's holding his own against Gu-han?'

'Did he learn something?'

He seemed to have been subtly ignored, but his stock rose sharply because of this incident. The strange thing was that no one thought Gu-han was weak.

The narration added an explanation. Anyway, it seemed Yeodre had firmly imprinted himself as a person. And after school, he was called to Suyeon's house and scolded.

"It would have been nice if you had at least discussed it with me."

"......"

"You don't think they won't touch me anymore because of this, do you?"

"Probably not."

"Yes. They won't. Drae-ssi, you probably did it to draw attention to yourself. Those kids won't be able to act recklessly if there's a fatal enemy that could threaten them."

Drae didn't answer. However, it seemed certain that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his intention was similar to that.

"But those kids aren't pushovers."

"Is that so?"

"I suppose."

The last part was said by Raeband. A moment ago had been quite satisfying, but thinking about what came next was bleak.

"I don't know what it is, but that guy Drae definitely learned something."

He didn't know what he had learned, but since there was a dojo at his house, it must have been some kind of martial art. The reason he kept flinching must have been because he tried to do something as he had learned, but the angle didn't come out right, or something like that. Drae was strong for his age. But that was the end of it.

As Suyeon had said before, he seemed to be better at fighting than expected, but what would he do after this, having only fought Kang Gu-han? Here, there was only Drae's martial prowess, but on the other side, there were many forces besides Kang Gu-han. Being a person of power, they could use all sorts of methods. For now, he might not seek help from others because of the pride of that age, but that would be short-lived too.

Drae couldn't handle their backing. What would have happened if Shin Jin-pae had joined in properly and fought just a moment ago? But Suyeon seemed to have a different thought.

"That's why we need to make our own allies."

"Allies?"

"A primary shield so they can't touch us recklessly."

"...?"

Suyeon smiled broadly.

"Do you know who the student council ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠president of our school is?"

"I don't."

"Then do you know what is inseparable from those in power, what they absolutely cannot ignore?"

"......"

When he didn't even answer, Suyeon smiled bitterly.

"That is the attention of the crowd."

"Attention."

"I think the student council president is our escape route."

Meeting the gaze of Drae, who was looking at her silently, Suyeon smiled delicately.

"Let's try to get close to her."

The scenery twists.

Kuaaaaa.

The stage of the changed scenery is the school again. To be precise, a spacious room with office desks placed here and there. Checking the date inscribed in the sky, it's the next day. Drae was standing in a room deeper inside what was presumed to be the faculty office. He was suppressing a yawn as if bored, and next to him, Kang Gu-han was grinding his teeth, eyeing Drae with a threatening face. Whether or not that was the case, Drae was calm and composed.

Correction again. Raeband also thought when he was young that the punk who stole kids' pocket money in the slums was the strongest and most vicious guy in the world.

That was a story for later, and the very fact that he could remain like a dog barking while a comparable opponent was grinding his teeth in that situation was proof that his courage was great. Just then, the door opened, and a woman walked in. No, rather than a woman, she should be called a girl. She looked very mature and dignified, but she was strictly a student in a school uniform.

She stared at Drae.

A truly, very pretty girl with a cold impression. Raeband felt like he had seen her somewhere before.

She walked in, dropped a pile of documents onto the desk in front of the two men, and let out a sigh.

"Both of you. Do you know why you were called here?"

"I don't know?"

"Me neither."

Perhaps not expecting even Drae to be cheeky, the girl's eyes twitched. Kang Gu-han looked somewhat intimidated, which was rare.

"No, this bastard picked a fight first!"

"Speak about that later. Did you say your name was Yeodre?"

"Yes."

Drae was still calm. It looked like he was being cheeky at a glance, but in fact, he seemed to have nothing on his mind.

The narration added an explanation. What was puzzling was why it wasn't informing us about the current situation through Drae's monologue? Considering that other worlds of memory were noisy enough with the owner's monologue, it was a truly strange world of memory.

"Do you know who I am?"

"No."

"...Phew."

She pressed her temples as if her head hurt. Kaits flinched without realizing it because that gesture looked exactly like someone else's.

"I'm 'Seo Ye-rin'. Remember that well."

"Yes? Why?"

"Because I think we'll be seeing each other often."

It was a declaration that you are a troublemaker, but the idiot didn't seem to understand and tilted his head.

"? Hey."

"...? What? Me?"

Kang Gu-han realized that the annoying guy was looking at him while looking around. Drae pointed his finger at Seo Ye-rin and asked,

"Who is this person? Is she a teacher wearing a school uniform?"

"......"

"I guess it's because she's mature."

"I am the student council president."

Instead of Kang Gu-han, who was dumbfounded, Seo Ye-rin answered.

"Remember that well. Truly, I think we'll be seeing each other for a long time. Yeodre-ssi."

"This is another ominous..."

I thought he would do some monologue now, but the student council president he needed to seek help from wasn't a good relationship. Since he said "seems like," it was a bit ambiguous. Seo Ye-rin, who was staring at Drae as if glaring, let out a small breath, and this time turned the arrow toward Gu-han.

"Gu-han."

"Why."

To Kang Gu-han, who answered bluntly to Seo Ye-rin's call, she said,

"Please stop. Do you know how desperate the teachers were to send me instead?"

"Ah, fuck. If it's annoying, you could just refuse, right?"

"......"

"...Ah, I got it. I got it. I'll be careful. I can go now, right?"

"Phew. Yes. Drae-ssi, please stay."

After glaring at Seo Ye-rin, who was nodding her head, and then glaring at Drae, Kang Gu-han went outside.

Drae didn't leave.

"Still, it seems he knows how to grasp the situation."

"......"

I wonder. That was the Scholar's thought. Seo Ye-rin meant that even if he left now, there was a risk of falling out with her, the president, but Drae's intention would be completely different.

"Drae-ssi. I don't know what you were thinking when you picked a fight. No, you probably didn't pick a fight, but were picked on. Because people around are afraid of that man. So even though you are the victim, they testified that you picked the fight."

Seo Ye-rin, who revealed it surprisingly honestly, put her hand on the desk and leaned her upper body close. Because of that, her huge breasts were emphasized, creating curves, and her objectively pretty face was filled with worry.

"I'm saying this for your sake. Stay away from that man."

"How can I stay away when he's clinging to me?"

"...I'll handle it."

"Besides me, could you handle someone else?"

Seo Ye-rin twitched her eyebrows at Drae's words. After she crossed her arms again and thought for a bit, she said,

"You were thinking of meeting me from the beginning, right? Because my schedule is tight, so it's generally hard to meet me. You caused a commotion to meet me, too?"

It was true that he wanted to meet her, but did he cause a commotion on purpose? That wasn't it. But Drae didn't deny it.

"State your business."

He immediately stated the business he had thought of.

"There is a girl in my class who is being bullied."

"......"

"So, could you call Seong Si-hyun and Han Si-young?"

"Excuse me?"

"......"

Seo Ye-rin took a few seconds to think and opened her mouth.

"Suddenly, why those people? As far as I know, they wouldn't be suffering any damage."

At Seo Ye-rin's natural answer, Drae said confidently,

"You have to fight force with force."

"..."

Seo Ye-rin thought for a moment. The scenery ripples.

A moment later.

Inside the room that was thought to be the faculty office, the two men and women who were the leaders of the girls playing with the class president I saw earlier were standing.

"Why did you call us? President."

"Me. I was discussing where to go play with the kids?"

The president pointed at Drae with her chin. When the two looked at Drae, he smiled.

"What? You have something to say? Was your name Yeodre?"

"What business do you have?"

At Han Si-young and Seong Si-hyun's question, Drae's smile deepened. Or rather, it became evil.

"I know your secrets."

"...?"

"?"

"About your lovers."

"...!"

"...!"

The two people's complexions turned pale, and Drae made the smile he always showed. In other words, he made an annoying smile and said,

"If you don't want to get caught, cooperate."

Raeband thought. Isn't this guy the villain?