Chapter 92
Chapter 92
"It's kind of fascinating."
[The Lord of Chaos stares at you, asking, what is?]
Nari blinked, looking at the envelope of money gripped tightly in her hand. Before going to school, she had registered and sold the items she looted after clearing the Gate last night to the management bureau.
Since she was an ordinary Awakener and not a Hunter, a huge commission was deducted, and the money that came into her hand wasn't much since they were low-grade items, but it was still a large sum for Nari, who was a minor.
"...It's amazing. Just, well. The fact that I can earn money like this."
Nari, who kept saying it was amazing, put the envelope of money into her inventory. Now, she planned to do the things she couldn't do because she didn't have money.
[The Lord of Chaos stares at you, asking what you'll do with the first money you earned.]
"I don't know. Maybe buy winter clothes, or cut my hair.... There are many places the money needs to go. I'll be able to spend this winter a little warmer."
Nari muttered, recalling the winter padding jacket on sale at the department store. If she could continue to do this, her life would become a little more stable.
Was she intoxicated by the comfort that money provided? Nari suddenly snapped out of it and shook her head. Even so, those conditions were unacceptable. She couldn't let people die in exchange for her own misfortune, could she?
[The Lord of Chaos shakes his head, saying, I don't know why you think like that.]
"If people die.... No, no killing people allowed."
[The Lord of Chaos whispers to you, saying, people die every day anyway.]
Nari just shook her head at that. She bit her lip, having realized that the Constellation with whom she had a provisional contract had the appearance of pure evil.
Yes, as soon as she graduated from school, she would get a job right away. Then she could live within her means without needing a contract or anything.
Nari, thinking that, passed through the school's main gate. Since the third period was already beginning, it was quiet except for the students on the sports field.
[The Lord of Chaos shakes his head, saying, I don't know why you even go to school.]
"I have to graduate from school. Only then can I do anything."
[The Lord of Chaos stares at you, saying, can't you just take the high school equivalency exam?]
At that, Nari looked down at the floor again. She knew that her actions wouldn't be understood by others.
If she didn't want others to recognize her, she could apply for a name change. She could take the equivalency exam instead of going to school.
But she didn't want to do that. She was afraid the civil servant would recognize her when she applied for the name change, and she was also scared of stepping outside the institutional boundary of 'school,' which was established to protect students.
More than anything....
"Nari, are you here? You're a little late today, did something happen?"
After passing the central entrance and standing in the hallway, the homeroom teacher stood in front of Nari. A faint look of delight crossed Nari's face when she saw her. Nari shook her head and said,
"No. I just... I uh, I overslept."
"I see. Still, thank you for coming to school. I was worried since I didn't see you."
The middle-aged female homeroom teacher smiled kindly at Nari. Nari clenched her hands and bowed her head at the words that she had been worried.
"T-That kind of thing... won't happen. Thank you for worrying about me."
"Don't mention it. It's music class right now, so everyone will be in the music room. If anything happens, be sure to tell me."
"Yes, I'll go. Thank you."
Nari bowed her head deeply without making eye contact with the teacher. The Lord of Chaos sent an indirect message in front of her.
[Aha, so you go to school every day because of that teacher? The Lord of Chaos looks at you.]
"...."
Nari didn't answer and only her earlobes turned red. If she didn't come to school, the teacher worried about her.
In fact, she was the type of person who would even call to check if Nari was home safe if she didn't show up for a few days. So, Nari didn't want to disappoint the expectations of such a person. The Lord of Chaos displayed a message in front of Nari.
[Nari, The Lord of Chaos strokes you, saying don't trust people too easily.]
"...What? My teacher is nice."
Nari grumbled sullenly at that. The Lord of Chaos sent another indirect message, but she didn't read it and swiped it away.
She didn't like the fact that he was denigrating the single lifeline that supported her. The Lord of Chaos was about to say something again, but Nari ignored him and opened the music room door.
Clank, when the door opened, the classmates and the music teacher looked at her. Nari inhaled sharply as her mind instantly felt blank.
"I uh… I’m sorry for being late."
"It's alright, go sit over there."
Nari nodded. While she looked for a seat and sat down, the students' gazes didn't leave her.
As the student next to her continued to stare intently, Nari just avoided their gaze and fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt.
Soon, the student wrote something on a Post-it note and handed it to Nari. Nari bit her lip when she saw it.
'You better stay after class.'
Ah, it seemed she had drawn attention by coming late today. It was meaningless to try to leave the music room first now.
They would clearly trip her or block her physically. Nari tightly closed her eyes. It had been quiet for a while, but today's school day looked like it would be tough.
* * *
"Ugh...."
Thwack! Nari was lying face down on the music room floor, trembling. The student and her group laughed heartily and approached Nari.
"Hey, hey, hey, get up. Hmm? Why are you already crumbling like that?"
They forcibly helped Nari up and chuckled. The violence being inflicted after a long time felt unfamiliar.
It was clearly intentional, as no one would come here since it was lunch break immediately after music class.
I am a human without feelings. I am a person without a heart. This time will pass, too. So, if I kill my heart and act like a robot during that time, it will be fine.
Nari, who was repeating this to herself as self-hypnosis, squinted her eyes. The students in front were grimacing.
"It's creepy how this bastard is muttering and smiling to herself lately."
They used to say they didn't like her sitting gloomily in the corner of the classroom, but now they were saying they didn't like her smiling. She wanted to say, Isn't it just that you don't like the sight of me? but since it was obvious it would only make things worse, she remained silent.
"You can't be happy, you know that. Yes? You have to keep crawling and shriveling up in that corner like a grub every day, alright? That's your atonement for what your mother did, understood?"
A student who had lost her family in the aftermath of a Gate hit Nari. Nari meekly lowered her gaze. She didn't know how things had come to this.
There was nothing that could protect her from the world's violence. Just then, a black indirect message popped up in front of Nari.
[The Lord of Chaos looks at you, asking, should I get revenge for you?]
"...!"
Nari stared intently at the black message. The Lord of Chaos sent a message again.
[The Lord of Chaos opens your Status Window, saying, you can do that now.]
Nari only moved her eyes to look at the Rank on the Status Window. S-rank. This rank was good enough to take care of all the students here and wipe her hands clean.
[The Lord of Chaos stares at you, saying, you know that talking to the teachers won't solve anything anyway.]
Yes, this was something she had to solve alone anyway. There was no one around Nari, and no one had the capacity to resolve this matter for her.
So, she had to solve it herself. But the reason she couldn't bring herself to do it was,
'Nari, you must always live by making the right choices. No matter how unreasonable the options presented to you are, you must make the right choice.'
It was because of her mother's teaching. She could fight with the students here, but harming someone was still a choice she couldn't easily make.
Just, let's just finish the remaining few years of school life quietly. Just as she thought that.
"Is anyone in there?"
Knock, knock, someone knocked on the music room door. It was the homeroom teacher's voice. The students quickly covered Nari's mouth, perhaps worried that Nari would say something.
"Why are the lights on here? Did the music teacher leave the door open again...."
Clank, the sound of someone unlocking the locked music room door with a key was heard. Nari, seizing the moment, bit the students' hands with her teeth. Thinking that perhaps there was someone who could save her, she ran with all her might toward the door.
"Teacher!!"
A voice mixed with tears burst out of her mouth.
"Teacher!! P-Please help me. Please I...!"
Nari grabbed the music room door. She felt the students who were bullying her become tense.
It was an opportunity. Nari, holding the doorknob, shouted desperately for help.
"Teacher, Teacher. Please help me. Please, please help me. I really feel like I'm going to have bad thoughts if this continues. Teacher, please...!"
Amidst Nari's desperate voice, the sound of the key turning back was heard. Nari's hand stopped, and her eyes widened.
Soon after, the sound of someone's footsteps leaving was heard. A shiver ran down Nari's spine. Seeing her like that, her classmates laughed loudly.
"Hey, was asking for help just now real? She really doesn't seem to know."
Doesn't know what? Nari thought and turned around. The students approached Nari, laughing loudly.
"Hey, you really didn't know?"
"Our homeroom teacher's son died during that disaster. Do you really think she likes you? It's just a sense of duty, a sense of duty. No one is on your side in this school."
So, just die already. Nari's mind became blank after hearing those words.
No one is on my side at school. Since school was the world to Nari, the student, that meant no one was on Nari's side in this world.
The hope she briefly held disappeared, and her body trembled, feeling truly abandoned in the world alone. She didn't know what she had done to get to this point.
[No.]
A black indirect message appeared in front of the trembling Nari. The Lord of Chaos immediately sent another indirect message.
[The Lord of Chaos smiles, saying, your ally is right here ;)]
Nari's breathing quickened. There was no one on her side in the whole wide world. If this provisional contract ended, there would truly be no one left next to Nari.
And isn't this place already hell, not reality?
Since they still have the system of guilt by association in hell, this must be hell, not reality. It doesn't matter if hell is destroyed, right? Thoughts followed one after another, and a smile appeared on Nari's lips.
"What the, why are you smiling?"
The students looked at each other. Nari laughed for a long time, then raised her eyes and looked around. Her eyes were gleaming with madness.
"I'll sign it. The contract."
[The Lord of Chaos smiles, saying, I'll proceed with the procedure right now.]
[The Lord of Chaos earnestly assures you that we will never betray you.]
"What? What are you talking about? Huh...?"
"H-Hey, what's this?"
"I don't know...!"
Black psychic power erupted from Nari's entire body. Soon after, the black psychic power writhed throughout the music room. The students then started collapsing one by one.
[Contract is complete.]
[Status is fixed.]
[Constellation '◼◼◼◼' is provisionally registered in the System.]
[Receiving contract gift from the Constellation :: 'Half-Scissor Set of Evil Dream and Lucky Dream']
Contract completed. Upon seeing that message, she spoke dryly, no longer the discouraged female student from a moment ago, but with a confident attitude.
"Huh, that was easy."
And so, Nari changed from an existence that always had nightmares to the nightmare of the world itself.