Original Author: Korota
Date Submitted to Syosetu: 2013/05/14

---- "You are the devil," someone said.

I see, so I am not a human? Oh, that's a good one. It's so funny, it makes my stomach twist.

---- "This is all your fault," someone said.

Well, that's delightful. It means I got the results I was after.

---- "I'll kill you," someone said.

If you're capable of killing me, go ahead and try. Though I doubt any of these losers can do anything except bark at me.

These unsightly humans never cease with their vitriol. I actually admire them for the variety of insults they come up with to hurl my way.
They're trying so desperately to damage me in some way, but their words are nothing more than a "reward" to me.
No matter how cruel their words are or how inhumane their insults may be, they become nothing more than a tribute to me, the victor.
It doesn't matter what they say anymore. No amount of exquisite slander can overturn the outcome or bring me down.
Do they not even understand that? They restlessly move their mouths in anger, spouting out childish insults one after another.

(How worthless.)

It doesn't whether someone's intentions are good or bad. What is needed is results.
Only those who produce results will be recognized. It doesn't matter what methods are used, those who obtain the desired results are the winners.
Those who show mercy to their enemies will lose their footing in an instant. It is the height of folly to let emotions get in the way of victory.
Use anything that can be used. If anything might become a burden, discard it without hesitation.

That is the wise and right way to live.

---- "You are wrong," someone said.

Then can you beat me? Doesn't look like you can. If you say I am wrong, beat me and prove it.
Words that are not backed by reality will not convince anyone at all. In the end, they're nothing more than nonsense.

(I am right.)

If you want to deny it, go ahead.
You can criticize me all you want.
If you really think that will change the outcome, then you're free to believe that as much as you want.
You poor, miserable fool.

(There's no way I'm wrong.)

I turn my back towards the people cursing at me and push on forwards towards the path I decided.
I will shake off the hands that are extended to me, ignore the stares that are directed at me, and forget everything as I live only for myself.
I ignore all the words coming my way and focus on reaching for success.
All this hatred is proof of my victory.
These insults are cheers that oppose success.

Yes, I will gladly accept any slander.

"You ----."



As I continue to triumph, these words continue to reach my ears.





---- "Murderer," someone uttered this word.





"...!?"

A chill runs through my body, and I stand up with a jolt.
The chair I was sitting on makes a loud noise and falls to the side. The textbook and writing tools on the desk scatter all over the floor.
All of my classmates just stare at me in surprise. Even Ms. Ueda, who was in the middle of teaching the class, has her mouth open and stares at me in shock.

"...Huh?"

Who am I? Where am I? What have I been doing up until now?

(Calm down.)

The panic lasted only for a moment. After I control my trembling and fully return to consciousness, the information that sunk down floats back up to the surface.
This is a school. The people here are my classmates. Ms. Ueda is teaching the current class and is also my homeroom teacher. Right now, I'm in the middle of class. I am... that's right, I am Mitsuki Shiba.
As I return to reality, the confusion lifts and I sort through my jumbled-up thoughts.

Ah, it seems I fell asleep in class. What I saw earlier was a nasty dream. Honestly, how unsightly.
The fact that I had such a nightmare was probably my punishment for dozing off in class. That's quite a severe punishment for dozing off for only a few minutes.

"Shiba, are you okay?"
"Yes."

I'm fine. I'm actually still a bit confused, but I can still reply calmly.
I take a quick deep breath to try and calm down my restless, pounding heart so no one notices.
Before scolding me, teacher picks up what I dropped and places it back on my desk. A classmate sitting nearby puts the chair that fell over back in place.

"I'm glad you're attending class, but I'm sad you fell asleep while I was teaching."
"Ahaha, tell that to Hinatan."
"Hayase is awake and properly paying attention in class."

I look at Hinatan, the habitual dozer, and see that teacher was right. She is awake and smiling at me. She even waves at me with a smug look on her face.
Hinatan is always awake at times like this, isn't she? I guess it's because it's fourth period and lunch is next.

But it's not good to doze off during class.
I have to properly apologize. I open my mouth, but teacher suddenly looks at my face and looks worried.
Eh? What is it? Do I have drool on my face?

"...Shiba, are you perhaps not feeling well? You look pale."
"Ah, I've been exposed. Today I wasn't in the mood to put on my makeup properly."
"That's not what I'm talking about."
"Well, to be honest, I'm feeling a little sluggish."

I might be able to control my feelings and my expression, but changing my complexion is not something I can do. I'm not even sure what my face looks like right now.
If it's bad enough for teacher to get worried, I kind of want to take a look at it. What if I look like a zombie?

"If you're not feeling well, you can rest in the infirmary, so... what do you say?"
"Yay! I got teacher's approval to skip!"
"You do not!! Go to the infirmary and rest properly!"
"Yes, ma'am!"

I leave the classroom as if I'm being kicked out.
My classmates laugh at me in amusement, but Ayu looks at me with concern.
It seems she saw straight through me since we've known each other for so many years. I'm a bit worried that I couldn't fool her, but I can't help but feel a little happy about that.
Ms. Ueda also looked angry on the surface, but I could tell that she was worried about me.

I let out a breath.

As soon as I was alone, the nauseous feeling I had been holding back begins to rise up in me and I feel sick. The sickening words keep creeping into my head and I feel dizzy.
The dream I saw earlier should now be nothing more than a "dream". I understand that, but I am beginning to suspect if the current reality might be more of a "dream" instead.
I get the feeling that I should not be here and I get the urge to run away from school. My feet almost go toward the entrance to the school.
But I can't. I have to stay here. This is where I belong. Even if I don't deserve it, I want to be here.
That's why I have to hurry. I need to hurry to the infirmary as she told me to.

(...Ah. There's something I need to do.)

Perfect timing.
Since I could move around freely during class, I'll have to take advantage of this time.
Before going to the infirmary, I decide to make a short detour.



＊



After finishing my task, I knock on the door of the infirmary.

"Hey there."
"Oh, Shiba. You said you were going to attend classes properly and now you're skipping already?"

When I entered the infirmary, the school nurse, who was sitting on a chair, greeted me with a look of exasperation.
Of course, I'm quite familiar with her since she often provides me with a bed.

"What a horrible thing to say. I'm really not feeling well today. Besides, I even got permission from Ms. Ueda."
"Is that so? Then, do you want to rest on the bed?"
"I will. If you sleep with me, I'm sure I'll feel better right away."

The nurse glances at me suggestively, smiles bewitchingly, and crosses her legs in an inviting gesture.
Those moderately thick thighs and slender legs fascinate me and there's a part of her that I can just barely see.
Aah, that's nice. I can't get enough of it. Catching glimpses of panties is the best.
If she were a bit younger, I'm sure she'd captivate more of the schoolboys.
My tastes cover a wide range, so I have no problem with women or even people (especially women) in their 40s.

"Fufufu, are you sure about that? You might not be able to sleep once you experience the techniques of an adult."
"Hehehe, that's exactly what I want. Let's see which of us comes out on top."
"...You're the same as always, Shiba. Are you really feeling unwell?"
"Of course. I just had a dream about my own mother sticking her tongue out with a moronic face while dancing around in a g-string. I feel so sick that I'm close to throwing up."
"I don't know how to even respond to that. My condolences."
"Hey, nurse, what color are your panties today?"
"Just be quiet and go to sleep. I'll wake you up at noon."
"Okay."

I get into bed and pull the blanket over me. The nurse closes the curtain.
It's a shame there doesn't seem to be any other students besides me... but since I have this space all to myself, it might help me calm down.
On the other side of the curtain, I hear the sound of the nurse writing and clicking on her pen. This is the perfect ambient noise to help me calm down.
When I turn my head, I find the window is slightly open. The early summer breeze coming in gently caresses my skin. Ah, this feels comfortable.
This truly is such a pleasant space with nothing to complain about. If I'm here, I'll surely be able to sleep well.
However, even though I close my eyes, I could not fall asleep. I just lay on the bed while still awake.
I don't get much sleep to begin with, so maybe I can't sleep because I dozed off earlier.
I got bored lying here doing nothing, so I take my cell phone out of my pocket and fiddle with it while talking to the nurse.

"Hey, nurse. If you're in a competition you can't afford to lose, would you do whatever it takes to win?"
"Hmm? Let's see... if it were me, I would want to win fair and square. I wouldn't be happy if I won by cheating."
"Ah, I guess that's the case."

I'm sure that's correct. That's the normal and decent way of thinking.

"Well, if something I really can't give up is on the line, I'll compete without worrying about keeping up appearances. I'll do whatever it takes as long as I get the victory I want."
"Are you talking about your mixer dates?"
"I-I'm not!! I'm competing fair and square in those!!"
"You have a lot to work with, so why don't you be more daring? If you're just a bit more aggressive with that lewd body of yours, I'm sure you'll get a partner in no time."
"Oh, really? I guess I can wear something that shows off my chest more and go for a pair of short tights~ W-wait, why are we talking about this!? Just be a good kid and go to sleep already!!"
"Ahaha,  do your best~!"

The nurse is sulking and won't talk to me, so I had no choice but to concentrate on my cell phone. As I'm doing that, I hear the door to the infirmary open.
Oh, has a real sick person arrived? If that's the case, maybe I should sleep with them. Of course, it depends on who the person is.
They chat with the nurse about something. Right after their conversation ends, I hear footsteps approaching me.

"Miki."
"Ah."

The curtain suddenly opens and Ayu, who looks like she's about to cry, stands before me.
The moment she sees my face, she lets out a relieved breath and chuckles.

"...Are you feeling better now?"
"Yup, fully recovered. I just didn't get enough sleep."
"I was really worried about you. It's rare for you to get sick, Miki."
"Ahaha, thank you very much for going out of your way to visit me when I'm sick, Miss Ayuta!"
"Geez! Miki, you idiot!"
"Ah, but the lunch bell hasn't rung yet, has it? Shouldn't you be in class?"
"...I left... because my stomach was hurting."

She mumbled awkwardly.

"You're skipping class!"
"I had a stomachache just earlier! It somehow got cured on the way here!"
"I get it. Let's just leave it at that."
"Thanks, but... what's with this feeling of defeat!?"

Seems she was so worried about me that she even ended up skipping class.
Ayu is quite sensitive when it comes to people getting sick. She gets excessively worried over even the most trivial incidents.
After all, her beloved papa has a frail body and tends to get sick often, so that might be why she's so concerned about these things.
I'm happy she's worried about me, but I don't want her to neglect her studies for my sake.
In that case...

"I think I'll report this to your papa."
"Ah, don't do that!"
"Keep it down in the infirmary, you two..."

After Ayu and I talk for a while, the chime signaling lunchtime rang. At the same time, my stomach rumbled.
After thanking the nurse, we leave the infirmary together. On our way back to the classroom to eat lunch, Ayu remembered something and let out a short "Ah!".

"You're going to talk to Ishii after school today, right? I'll go with you."
"Eh? Isn't today the day that the DVD you've been looking forward to goes on sale?  Don't you have to go buy it?"
"Ugh... don't worry about that. I placed a reservation for it at the bookstore so I can pick it up on my way home after."
"I heard that if you buy the DVD at that bookstore, you get a special poster as a bonus. It's first-come, first-serve."
"Really!? But I already couldn't go with you yesterday, so I'll accompany you today."
"It's fine. I also have some minor business to attend to today, so we'll mount our attack on Ishii tomorrow."
"Mmm... If you say so, Miki."
"Anyway, I hope you get that poster."
"Yeah, I'll have to hurry after homeroom!"

After that, the topic changes to Ayu's favorite DVD, which we talked about all the way until we arrived at the classroom.
Ayu was in a trance explaining which scenes were interesting and which scenes were godlike and it was a bit tiring keeping up with her, but she seemed to be enjoying it so much that I didn't want to spoil her fun.

"So, that's when the protagonist's secret is revealed! The protagonist actually knew the heroine from a long time ago and the thing he gave her was actually---"
"I was planning to watch that DVD! You just gave a serious spoiler."
"Don't worry! You can enjoy it even after being spoiled."
"Eeeeeh."
"So, the crimson handkerchief the heroine found in the attic was actually..."

...This is fine.
I don't want to show this girl anything unsightly or filthy.

"Miki, are you listening?"
"I'm listening."

I want this pure and kind-hearted friend of mine to keep smiling innocently like this.



＊



After school.

Today, I didn't get called to the student guidance office or ask anyone to meet me. I've been quiet lately, so I haven't been lectured by any teachers either.
Even so, I didn't leave school and walk toward a certain place. It was the clubroom for a certain athletic club.
Even though that place had nothing to do with me, I've been there once before so I didn't get lost.

"...Here we go"

Having arrived at the desired clubroom, I check the plaque hanging on the door to make sure and knock twice.
I hear some whispers and noise coming from inside and after a short pause, the door slowly opens.
I take a small breath and turn to greet the person who comes out.

"Hey there, soccer boys! I just came to see if you're giving your all in your club activities!"
"You're so damn noisy. You're... Shiba, aren't you? What do you want?"
"You trying to play indoor soccer in the clubroom or something? Isn't it a bit cramped?"
"Did you come here to say that? You're so damn loud. We're taking a break right now."
"That certainly seems to be true."

I peek into the clubroom through the gap between the boy standing in front of the door and see five club members inside. All of them are eyeing me suspiciously.
Inside the clubroom, soccer balls and cleats are lying around. Certainly what's expected from the soccer club, but there were also some unidentifiable things and some clothes scattered around the room.
Yup, this certainly is a room for a boys' athletics club. I would have preferred to not go inside, but that's not an option right now.

"Whatever, just go home. We're about to start club activities."
"Oh, is that so? Sorry about that. However, I'd like to ask you something before that."
"Hm? If you have something you want to ask, then hurry up and spit it out."
"It's something that you probably don't want to talk about out in the open. For example, something about smoking... you know?"
"..."

The boy who seems to be the team captain signals the club members behind him with his eyes, and then silently invites me in.
I expected them to stubbornly refuse to allow me in, so it's a bit anticlimatic to be able to just walk in like this.
Well, this situation looks like a weak lost sheep wandering into a wolf's den, so I guess they weren't on their guard at all since they thought I couldn't do anything.

As soon as I entered the clubroom and closed the door, I was immediately overcome by a strange smell and dust. This is terrible. I want to quickly get this over with and leave.

"So, what did you want to ask?"
"Cough, well, instead of asking something, it's more like I came here because I had something I wanted to say."
"Something you wanted to say?"
"Yeah. Thanks to all of you in the soccer club, I'm being suspected of smoking and it's causing me a lot of trouble."
"What? That has nothing to do with us. We don't smoke, so quit it with the false accusations."
"Unfortunately, it's no use feigning ignorance. I found a lighter and cigarettes in this clubroom. I also happened to discover some empty beer cans."

I took out my cell phone and showed them the pictures I took a few hours ago.
I stopped by this clubroom before going to the infirmary. These photos are the evidence I collected during that time.
The photos I took show the items perfectly.

"Wh-when did you take these!? How did you even get in here!? That's trespassing, you can't just come in here without permission!!"
"Actually, I'm a descendant of ninjas."
"Seriously?"
"No, that's a lie."

I borrowed a key and went in through the front door like a normal person. As for how I got the key... that's a secret.

"Shit. Damn you."

Looks like a different member of the club got provoked and spat that out. I could feel their anger gradually rising and the air becoming tense.

"So, will you all admit to smoking and drinking?"
"These pictures aren't enough proof! These could be fake. Do you think the teachers will believe these pictures with just your testimony?"
"These pictures aren't my only proof. I checked all your social media as well."

As soon as I said that, the color on everyone's faces changed. It seems they understood what I'm saying.

"You even checked our accounts...?"
"I've already saved all the logs and transferred them to my cell phone and my home computer, so there's no point in deleting them now.
It may be none of my business, but shouldn't you stop bragging about your crimes on the Internet? You never know who might be watching."
"..."
"That's why I've come to urge you all to turn yourselves in. I'm sure the punishment will be lessened if you all honestly admit it.
For example, an indefinite suspension of club activities could be reduced to just a few months."

If I show the photos