School Caste and Mind Control App

19: Collapse

Ryuugo called someone from the bathroom stall, his stomach still upset.

It was Aira.

“Raccoon?”

She sounded surprised.

It was no wonder she was suspicious, since he had just called her out of the blue after they had just parted ways.

Ryuugo told her what he needed, despite his stomach pain.

“Tell me what you were about to say earlier.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“What did the doctor say?”

Aira didn’t fall down the stairs.

This was supposed to be proof of that.

Besides, if this was a possessor’s doing, then Aira’s conversation with him earlier must have been interrupted somehow.

If he pretended to leave and then called her from a bathroom stall, the possessor might let his guard down.

“Seriously? You called me just for that? Are you an idiot? I told you it was nothing.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing. Tell me.”

“Why do you want to know something like that?”

Of course she’d be suspicious.

Ryugo didn’t hesitate to answer her directly.

“Because I’m worried about you.”

“Wh-What the heck!? That’s creepy!”

She yelled so loudly that I thought my eardrums would burst.

I almost threw my phone, but I managed to stop myself.

I guess you could say I was worried.

The person who attacked Aira was probably the owner. I could think of a few reasons why they might have attacked her, but none of them were worth making a big deal about.

The real reason I called was to find out who the owner was.

The person on the phone had told me not to “look for them.”

But strange things keep happening.

Could I just turn a blind eye to it?

Of course, I couldn’t do anything that would jeopardize the caller’s plan.

I wouldn’t go that far.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“…”

Is she struggling to think?

Or does she really not remember?

I can’t tell from this end.

My stomach was starting to feel better.

A moment later, my phone beeped.

“The doctor said that my injuries don’t look like they’re from falling down the stairs. He said they look like I was hit with a bat or something.”

“A bat…?”

“Yeah. Aira saw some bruises too, and they looked like they were from a bat. But if I was hit with a bat, I would have noticed. Especially if it happened multiple times.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“But Aira doesn’t remember being hit…”

Did it happen after she fell down the stairs?

Or were her memories erased?

— “Level insufficient.”

That’s what it said when I tried to use “Free Input” to erase Yuka’s memories.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, but that my level was too low to execute the command.

I did some research and found out that “Free Input” can’t do anything. The available commands increase as you level up.

That means this hypnosis app can erase people’s memories.

But if you try to do something that drastic, it will consume a lot of your level. You can’t do it multiple times.

And beating someone with a bat multiple times is completely unacceptable.

It would be counted as a bad deed and would cause a significant decrease in your level.

Was there a reason to go that far?

I went back to the original question.

My level dropped by “3” just for answering a simple question.

In terms of memory, it would be “10” at the very least.

It would also vary depending on the scope of erasure.

“Do you have any ideas about how you got injured?”

“No, I don’t. I hit my head and passed out.”

“Which stairs were you at?”

“At another school building.”

“Why were you there?”

“It seems I was going to the library with Misato. Aira has a bit of a memory loss so she doesn’t remember.”

“That’s a lie.”

“Why?”

“You never read books. It looks like you’d die just looking at the letters.”

“This guy says the most prejudiced things.”

It is indeed prejudiced, but it is also true that I find it odd that Aira and Misato would go to the library.

If that’s true, then the culprit would be Misato.

However, I don’t know the motive for this either.

“Well, that was helpful. I’ll hang up now.”

“…Wait.”

I was about to pull the earpiece out of the speaker when I was stopped.

A moment of hesitation.

I could hear the sound of dripping water.

A hospital announcement.

Aira’s breath was picked up by the microphone and transmitted. After a while, I finally heard her voice.

“…If you’re free, listen to my complaints again.”

“Huh? Is that all you have to say after keeping me waiting?”

“Shut up!”

She hung up on me.

“What the hell!”

I never thought that Aira would ask me for such a favor. Was yesterday really that helpful to her?

Come to think of it, I’ve never heard her complain before.

Those who rule by fear never show their weakness.

Or maybe it’s because she didn’t have anyone she could truly trust.

The fact that she approached me after the hypnosis was lifted and wanted to talk more could be called progress.

If we can continue to build a trusting relationship, I should be able to end the class domination.

……I think I’ve said something like this before.

“It would be easier if I could just beat her up and be done with it…”

Reality isn’t like a comic book.

I wiped my butt and left the stall.

“Even if I ‘order’ her to stop, it’s impossible at her current level. It’s too early to force her. Peaceful options are also out of reach. I guess I have no choice but to keep chipping away at it…. ..”

As I washed my hands and was about to leave the restroom,

“Phew, I’m gonna leak.”

“Hmm?”

“Ah”

I bumped into Makoto.

His broken finger was in a cast.

Come to think of it, he was also here at the hospital. I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to give him the handouts besides giving them to Airu.

Well, I was the one who broke his finger anyway.

“You…”

Makoto started to say something.

I remembered his earlier mutterings about “bursting.”

Ryugo quickly spread his arms wide and blocked his path.

“Whoa there.”

“W-…Get out of the way! You’re in the way!”

“Duck, duck, goose, duck, duck, goose”

“Hey… Seriously, you really… I’m about to burst! Get out of the way!! I’ve been holding it in this whole time because of the treatment!!”

“Duck, duck, goose, duck, duck, goose”

“I’m really going to kill you!! I said I’m about to piss myself!!”

“Duck, duck, goose, duck, duck, goose”

“If you don’t move, I’m going to kill you, you damn idiot!!!”

…Ugh!

The moment Makoto raised his voice and threatened him, something strange happened.

His eyes suddenly widened, and all the energy drained from his body.

He trembled slightly and then,

“Ah…”

The dark liquid began to spread from the inside of his thighs, which he had been tightly squeezing together.

The stain slowly continued to spread, finally reaching his ankles.

The inevitable conclusion arrived.

A clear liquid trickled down from the hem of his pants and fell to the floor.

It was the first sign of “its” presence in the outside world, and at the same time, it signified the complete collapse of the wall.

Makoto must have tried everything he could to prevent this from happening. However, the invader that had emerged from his body laughed it off as “pointless” and mocked him.

The destruction of dignity was carried out decisively.

The situation was now clear for all to see.

It was etched onto the floor as an undeniable fact.

Yes… the symbol of defeat in the battle against “the urge to urinate.”

“……………………”

“……………………”

Ryugo slipped past the stunned Makoto and gently patted him on the shoulder.

“…Sorry about that.”

He never thought he would be the one to pull the trigger.

Feeling guilty, he left the scene.

By the way, there was no penalty.

◆

Uga Makoto returned home, still depressed.

Today alone had destroyed him both physically and mentally, draining him of all motivation. And it was all because of that man.

Watanuki Ryugo.

No matter how many times he was beaten, he would get back up, brandishing his ridiculous sense of justice like an idiot. No matter how many times his fangs of rebellion were broken, he would always bite back like a starving wolf.

Makoto had had enough.

Next time, he would make sure he wouldn’t be able to stand up again.

To get Aira in a good mood, he needed to create a paradise in the classroom. Anything that went against her wishes had to be eliminated. That was Makoto’s role.

In exchange, he had been promised support for his music career.

It was the last wish of his late father.

However, after being interrupted so many times these past few days, his position had become quite precarious.

If his support was cut off, he wouldn’t be able to face his father’s portrait.

Makoto had no talent, so he had no choice but to suck up to Aira and let her carry him. Even then, the CDs he had released had flopped.

There was no need to panic. He was still young.

That was what he told himself, but he couldn’t shake the anxiety that suddenly crept into his mind.

“Welcome back, Makoto.”

In a modest apartment, his elderly mother greeted him.

“I heard you broke your finger? You have to be careful. Is it okay? Will it heal properly?”

“Ah… The doctor said it’ll heal soon.”

“That’s a relief.”

He couldn’t possibly tell her the details of what had happened.

His mother didn’t need to know what he was doing at school.

He wanted her to live out her days in peace.

He looked at his father’s portrait in the living room, then shifted his gaze to the electric guitar next to it.

The well-maintained heirloom gleamed like new, waiting patiently to be played.

But he couldn’t play it.

Not since he had lost its mate.

This was the last one.

‘Makoto, when you grow up, I want you to play music with my guitar.’

Every time he thought about it, his heart felt heavy.

The promise he had made with his father before the accident, like a will, bound him.

“I’ll do my best…”

“Makoto, you have a friend here.”

“Huh? Who is it?”

Makoto got up reluctantly, annoyed that someone would come at a time like this.

It was Haruyoshi standing in the doorway.

“Hello, Makoto.”

“…What is it? Do you need something?”

“I have something interesting to tell you.”

“Something interesting?”

Haruyoshi nodded and answered in his usual monotone voice.

“Yesterday, Tanuki and Aira were playing together in front of the station next door.”

“…………huh?”