Chapter 45: Thugs "Did you really not sleep with Emma?"
"I know I'm handsome, but no, I didn't."
"Being handsome has nothing to do with it."
"If you told people you slept with Emma, who would actually believe you?"
"… …"
Rio shut his mouth, silenced by my flawless logic.
Because of the chaos this morning, every person I ran into was asking if I'd slept with Emma. I tried to claim I hadn't, but that only seemed to pique people's interest further.
Should I have just kept my mouth shut?
But how could I stay still when The Union was involved? It wasn't like those bastards were going to play nice just because I was staying quiet.
Takeo, who had stormed out of the classroom in a rage, was nowhere to be seen. He'd probably skipped class to go to The Union. He was likely whining to that son of a bitch he calls 'Big Brother' right about now.
Since things had come to this, I couldn't just sit back and watch… but honestly, I wasn't sure what to do.
You couldn't just sweep away those cockroach-like bastards all at once. Even if you took out the leaders—the Four Heavenly Kings or whatever—new trash would just rise up to take their place.
In the game, Park Yu-jeong, who belonged to the rival group, eventually swallowed The Union whole, which put an end to any retaliation.
It wasn't a bad method, but that only happened after Park Yu-jeong fell completely for Akito. If I gave her that kind of power now, there was no telling what she'd do. I couldn't give even more power to a girl who was already terrifying.
After some thought, I sent a request to Turk to gather evidence of The Union's crimes.
Whatever the case, I had to strike first.
Those Union bastards were the type to hurt the people around their targets. If I didn't stop them in advance, they might go after Yume or the massage shop.
As for the others, they were Wygdrasil students and members of Greyhound; what could the thugs even do to them? Even Rio and Masayoshi, who seemed like small fry here, were considered elite talents out in the real world. They could beat the living hell out of some thugs who acted tough just because they'd learned a bit of magic.
For now, I needed to gather evidence to prove I was in the right when trouble inevitably started.
"I knew I could count on you, Akito! Thank you!"
As Emma hugged him with a bright smile, Akito gave an awkward, embarrassed grin.
Ever since the deserted island, Emma had been following Akito around, acting as if she were his girlfriend. Shiori and Kurumi were hardly pleased by this.
And was it just Emma? With Ailee and Angelica joining the Research Society, the number of competitors around Akito was steadily increasing.
Since joining the society, Angelica had been acting passively, as if something had gone wrong, but Shiori and the other girls just dismissed it as part of her personality.
Right now, Shiori's biggest problem was Emma, who was currently pressing her vulgar chest against Akito.
"Chika, is something wrong?"
"Huh? Why?"
"I thought… if it were you, you wouldn't have let that pervert be."
"Ah, more importantly, what happened earlier?"
At Shiori's question, Chika looked flustered and tried to change the subject. She already knew the whole story, but she wanted to hear it from Akito's own mouth.
Why is he hiding it? The Akito I know would have come clean proudly.
At Chika's words—showing she still trusted Akito—everyone silently turned their gaze toward Akito and Emma. It was a topic they had been avoiding because Akito seemed uncomfortable, but now that Chika had brought it up, they could finally hear the truth.
As expected of Chika.
Praising Chika for scratching exactly where it itched, Shiori shot a displeased look at Emma.
"Did you sleep with that insect?"
"Huh? No. Why would I sleep with someone like him? It's physiologically impossible. Absolutely impossible."
"Then what were the thug and the insect talking about?"
"Who knows? I'm just so sexy that they probably had some delusions and started fighting among themselves. Boys are just like that, aren't they?"
Seeing Emma shamelessly feign ignorance, Shiori furrowed her brows. Emma was the type Shiori hated most—a shameless person who couldn't be reasoned with and who brazenly spouted claims that no one would believe.
As Shiori ground her teeth in annoyance, Akito spoke up first.
"I'm sorry. I'm the one who slept with Emma."
"… … B-Brother? Ah… ahaha… there's no need to protect a woman like her."
Everyone was shocked by the bombshell. Shiori's lips trembled as she tried to deny reality. However, Akito spoke the truth with a bitter expression.
"It's my fault. I should have spoken up then and cleared up the misunderstanding… but I was so flustered… I was such a pathetic guy."
"No, Akito, you did it for me."
As soon as Akito revealed they had slept together, Emma hugged him and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder as if they were lovers. Seeing Emma change her attitude the moment they were caught, fire ignited in Kurumi's eyes, while Shiori muttered with a dazed expression.
"But I'm… I'm right here… I could have satisfied Brother's desires…"
"Was it when you two went out at night on the deserted island?"
Ignoring Shiori, Ailee asked in a cold voice. Akito gave a small nod, and Emma teased the other girls, saying it had been a passionate night.
Strangely, however, Chika didn't feel angry at all.
Is it because I already knew…?
She still liked Akito, and she still hated seeing that bitch acting all high and dry next to him, but the intense rage she usually felt didn't flare up. Instead, the other girls trying to take Akito's side in this situation felt strange to her.
While Chika was feeling confused by this sense of dissonance, Angelica raised her hand and spoke hesitantly.
"Then… that means Yeon-woo was falsely accused…"
"Falsely accused? It's not like Lord Akito did it on purpose."
"Ah, right… a misunderstanding. I'll call it a misunderstanding."
When Kurumi glared at her sharply, Angelica changed her wording and continued.
"But then Yeon-woo is being harmed. He almost got into a fight with Takeo earlier…"
"That man's usual behavior is the problem. If he acted properly, there wouldn't have been any misunderstanding."
"Whether his usual behavior is a problem or not, the one who suffered damage right now is Yeon-woo. So—"
As Kurumi tried to pin the blame on Yeon-woo, Chika spoke up, sounding frustrated. Everyone stared at her blankly, not expecting her to take Yeon-woo's side. Chika stopped talking, seemingly flustered by their gazes.
"You've been acting strange lately. Did something happen between you and that guy?"
"Don't try to link us like that. Even my patience has its limits."
As the atmosphere turned hostile with Chika and Kurumi glaring at each other, Akito quickly stepped between them.
"No, don't fight. It's true that I'm in the wrong. I'll go apologize to Yeon-woo and Takeo."
"Why apologize? I told you Takeo and I are nothing."
"Brother… Brother's cock…"
Normally, when the girls in Akito's group had a war of nerves or when the atmosphere turned serious due to Akito's indecisiveness, Shiori would step in to settle things. However, she was currently out of her mind, unable to recover from the shock. With no one to stop them, the group fell further into chaos.
Yeon-woo had accepted a loss in hopes of maintaining the relationships within Akito's group, but ironically, his very existence was beginning to cause subtle cracks in the group.
"Hey, why the long face? Drink this."
Keiji, the leader of The Union, approached Takeo with a friendly air and handed him a canned beer.
"Ah—I don't drink anymore. Sorry."
"Right, you're a Wygdrasil student now. That place is pretty strict, huh? I heard there are plenty of older guys there, but they won't even let you drink?"
"It's not that… I need to stay in shape. I've been focusing on reinforcement magic lately…"
"Well, nothing can be done about that then."
Keiji nodded, popped the tab on the beer he'd offered Takeo, and drank it himself.
The two had grown up together in the same neighborhood. Though they weren't blood-related, Takeo looked up to Keiji, who was a few years older, like an older brother and followed him faithfully.
After finishing the beer with a refreshing sound as if to show off, Keiji slammed the can down on a dirty table and put his arm around Takeo's shoulder.
"Don't worry. Your big brother will take care of everything."
"Huh? No, it's fine. I'll handle it myself."
"Forget it. Not between us. I've already talked to the boys and had them do some investigating. For now, just go back quietly and attend your classes."
On the day he'd fought with Emma after returning from the deserted island, Takeo had also vented to Keiji about what happened. He wasn't asking for anything; he just wanted to talk to someone to relieve his frustration.
It was the same this time, but Takeo looked at him in surprise at the mention of an investigation.
"You did an investigation? Brother… you shouldn't mess with them recklessly."
"Hey—I told you I've washed my hands of that stuff. You know that. Why bring up stories from when we were kids?"
"You really shouldn't mess with them. This is my business."
Because of its image as a school, many people tended to look down on Wygdrasil, but it was actually one of the government's most vital institutions. The teachers weren't just there to teach; most of them were veterans who had excelled in the field and were also tasked with protecting the Source and the students.
"And the guy saying it's his business is sitting here skipping class?"
"… …"
"That's why I'm saying I was curious about the whole story. You can find out that kind of stuff through legal means too. Just go back to Wygdrasil for now."
"But…"
"But what? Isn't this the time you should be studying hard? You're the one who's going to be the most successful out of everyone I know. Don't ruin your future over something like this. You need to become someone I can brag about as my little brother later."
"… Thanks, Brother."
His heart feeling lighter, Takeo thanked Keiji with a softened expression and headed back to Wygdrasil.
After he left, a scruffy-looking man approached and sat on the sofa opposite Keiji.
"That crybaby is still whining as usual."
"Ha—you couldn't even say a word in front of him, you dumbass."
Keiji had been the perfect 'cool older brother' while Takeo was there, but the moment he left, his true colors showed, and his voice turned frivolous.
"Well, he's a grand Wygdrasil elite. How could a lowly guy like me even talk to him? Fuck, I was laughing my ass off inside when he said he was staying in shape."
"Hahaha, who would've thought he'd actually get into Wygdrasil? I guess I'm just lucky with the people I meet."
"You might be lucky, but he sure isn't. Fuck, the way he looked at you was so sparkly, I bet he'd even offer you his ass later."
The man sneered at Keiji and tossed a manila envelope onto the table.
Keiji opened the envelope and saw a photo of Yukina inside. He shifted his posture and lifted his sunglasses slightly to get a better look.
"Ooh, fuck, I really want to eat her up. Is this that guy's fuck-toy?"
"That bitch is terrifying. Look at the photo; she's looking right at the camera. I was taking it secretly from a distance, but she noticed immediately and came after me."
"Did you get caught?"
"I did, but she didn't seem to have much experience with the world. I swapped the camera's memory card for a different one and showed her I hadn't taken anything, and she apologized without even doubting me."
"Did you use that as leverage for anything?"
"No, I'm telling you, she's fucking scary. The moment I pressed the shutter and lowered the camera, she was right in front of me. If I hadn't made an excuse and swapped the memory card, I would've been caught instantly."
The man explained the situation vividly, emphasizing how strong Yukina was.
They might act tough in their neighborhood, but they couldn't touch Wygdrasil students who already possessed the skills of proper mages.
"Tsk… what a waste. If we could just get some drugs into her, we could use her until we're sick of it. That Emma bitch ran off too, right?"
"She's gone. We were going to use Takeo as bait to lure her in slowly anyway. Now that they've had a falling out, there's no hope there."
"Did you try contacting her?"
"She only hung out with us because she liked Takeo. Even though her legs are like automatic doors, remember how she'd get disgusted if I even brushed against her? Of course she's ignoring my calls. Or did she block me? That bitch."
In reality, there was too much of a power gap for someone like Keiji to do anything to Emma or Haruna. They could act tough against civilians, but to suppress a Wygdrasil student by force, they'd have to gather all their lieutenants just to catch one girl. Even then, there was no guarantee they'd actually win.
However, Keiji, a lowlife who had lived his life taking everything by force from ordinary people, felt even more desire for the women he couldn't easily have.
Licking his lips while looking at Yukina's photo, Keiji pulled out another photo and placed it on the table with a grotesque smile. It was a photo of Haruna.
"You said she's his sister?"
"Yeah, and the woman next to her is the one looking after the kid. Looks like they're from a rich family."
"You don't do these things head-on. You have to use your head."
The man immediately understood Keiji's meaning, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"A little girl is good too. It'd be amazing to take the older sister right in front of her."
"We'll soak her in drugs and make her leak all over the place in front of her sister."
"Like usual?"
"Yeah, like usual."
The two looked at each other and laughed disgustingly.
The thugs, believing themselves to be clever, failed to realize they were currently sticking their heads right into the tiger's maw.
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