The Delinquent Monster
Several days had passed since the monster appeared. Fortunately, there had been no attacks from ghost stories during that time. The only ongoing issue was the relentlessly boring problem of the delinquent club Sca.
Even after that day, I, along with Rone and the other faculty, continued patrolling the academy grounds, hauling them off to detention the moment we spotted any. Yet Sca stubbornly refused to crumble. What unfolded between Sca and the academy's teachers was nothing short of war. And in the meantime, the academy's condition grew more dire by the day.
When I first arrived, Everlight Academy had been a grand, luxurious educational facility worthy of its prestigious name—a perfect archetype of a Western fantasy academy, so pristine it could have been a movie set. That was the Everlight Academy etched in my memory.
...Yes. Past tense. In other words, the academy now looked entirely different.
Profanities and vulgar scrawls painted everywhere. Looting and violence by delinquents in spots out of teachers' sight. The students' faces no longer held any spark of vitality—only fear and exhaustion remained. Even that much was only held in check because the teachers and Rone never let up in repelling the thugs.
It felt like the place had transformed into an entirely different space overnight. No matter how much stronger Sca had grown lately, could they really act this boldly?
...Something was definitely off. Violent clubs added spice to the romance fantasy genre, sure—but I'd never heard of one wreaking this level of havoc.
Was this tied to a ghost story somehow? I broke out in cold sweat recalling the nightmare of the infinite loop ghost story, but quickly shook my head. No. This wasn't like time rewinding or people being replaced by grotesque entities overnight. Sca's scale was unbelievably massive, their ferocity astonishing—but ultimately, they were just ordinary delinquents. No supernatural beings, no bizarre phenomena; just the antics of common thugs.
If a slightly larger delinquent group qualified as a ghost story, we'd have to suspect every incident in the world as one. And above all...
Muchia Leoporte
Classification: Human / Male / Student
Gift: ???
Traits: Once a wayward youth, he strayed down a crooked path and was reborn as the leader of Sca, Everlight Academy's longstanding shadow and perennial troublemaker.
No matter how many times I used Observation, the status window showed nothing suspicious. This left me baffled. For now, no hasty conclusions—I'll watch carefully.
But contrary to my worries, the operation to dismantle Sca reached its end sooner than expected. After relentless investigations, Rone and I had located their hideout: the academy's disused old teachers' building.
The rundown, abandoned structure was covered in even filthier graffiti than the trashed 1st Main Building, crammed with delinquents who'd hunkered down there instead of attending classes.
"...Who would've thought the old teachers' building of all places was their base. 'The darkest place is under the lamp'—that's exactly what this means."
Rone muttered gravely, gazing at the delinquents' den from afar. Seeing it, I couldn't help but ponder just as seriously.
...This wasn't just 'under the lamp'—it was the lamp itself. Even if disused, it was still academy property, a massive building no smaller than the current 1st Main Building. Yet no one noticed it had been seized and occupied by thugs? And these bold squatters went undiscovered for days until Rone and I 'happened' to stumble upon them?
Everything felt unnatural. Actually, thinking back, things had been off since Muchia first stormed the academy with his crew.
No prestigious academy would harbor a delinquent club numbering in the hundreds. At first, I chalked it up to romance fantasy tropes—an exaggerated plot device. But...
No matter how I racked my brain, the web novel I'd read made no mention of a delinquent club called Sca attacking the academy. I'd assumed my memory had faded since reincarnating—most details were gone anyway. But try as I might, I couldn't recall any such group. As if it had never existed.
So was this a ghost story, as Elaine suggested? But the teachers' meeting confirmed Sca had deep roots spanning decades—not some sudden emergence.
Confusing.
"Ahh! That's the academy's 'old fogey'!"
Damn. Lost in thought too long. One of the thugs loitering near the old building spotted us and yelled, rallying his buddies. As their base, the building swarmed with them in seconds—we were surrounded.
"Mr. Allen! Get behind me!"
The moment we were encircled, Rone swiftly stepped in front, shielding me. Soon, the thugs bellowed war cries, and the brawl erupted.
In a way, it was predictable: Rone held her own against multiple foes. She'd effortlessly taken down Muchia and his goons during my first lecture and the day after. But optimism had limits. These old-building thugs outnumbered those groups, and some wielded wooden bats or steel pipes. Plus, she had to protect me—a handicap.
She might win regardless, but I had no intention of testing her limits.
The fight barely started when I pulled a fist-sized disposable firecracker from my pocket and launched it skyward without hesitation.
It streaked up in a blaze of orange smoke, forming a long signal plume pinpointing the old building.
"Allen Trading Company's goods are the best in the woooorld!!!"
A primitive flare. I didn't accept the scouting role on a whim. Embarrassing as it is, I'm selfish—I wouldn't dive into danger without insurance. Put another way, I took the risky job because I had a reliable backup.
Thankfully, the teachers' vigilante squad arrived before Rone was in real peril.
"Mr. Allen! We saw the signal and came!"
"What!? This many...!!"
They gawked at the sheer number of Sca thugs—far beyond expectations—but that was it. Unlike the first raid's chaos, they were prepared this time. The huddled delinquents were swiftly subdued.
Thus, Everlight Academy's deep-rooted scourge, the delinquent club Sca, was dismantled.
.
.
"...So, with all the key executives—the club's core—captured, Sca is effectively disbanded. The detained students will face discipline based on their offenses, and the ringleaders will be expelled without exception. Muchia's escape is the only loose end, but even accounting for that, Sca's done as a delinquent club."
"...Yes. So this whole mess is finally over."
With all Sca incidents resolved, I briefed Rone at the faculty meeting.
No obligation to tell her, but she'd led by example rounding up members these past days—not exactly a stranger. We'd even grown closer patrolling together.
Yet she seemed oddly subdued despite the news.
"You alright, Miss Rone? You look down."
"Oh, no, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? We crushed the delinquents wrecking the academy for days."
"Good to hear. Ah, sorry, but I should head back. Post-cleanup will be busier than dismantling them. I only came here to find you, actually."
"...I'm a bit tired too. I'll go rest."
"Makes sense—you've been nonstop. Buildup fatigue, probably. Take it easy for a while, Miss Rone."
I bid her farewell and returned to the office for paperwork.
...Guess my ghost story hunch was just paranoia. Sca members were subdued and jailed without any anomalies, and disbanding proceeded smoothly despite my vigilance.
Seems it really was just a mundane incident. I sighed in relief and grabbed the files. Plenty left even post-dismantling: graffiti, property damage. Endless claims.
Thus, the academy returned to normal.
.
.
...Or so I thought.
"From now on, Everlight Academy is under our 'Clo'! Everyone, drop to your knees!!"
Until a criminal syndicate dwarfing Sca struck again.