Chapter 12

Chapter 5 Mastering the Peaceful Life of a Nobody! I’m being watched. I feel their gazes when I walk into class. Everyone’s watching me and whispering. “That’s him.” “The one who shit himself as he ran…” “I heard he crapped on the street so everyone could see.” I shoot daggers at Skel and Po. Their eyes nervously flicker around the room. “Th-that was a real disaster yesterday.” “G-good morning. It must’ve been tough for you.” “Yeah, morning. And today is much worse.” They wear a pair of stiff smiles, and I heave a huge sigh. “A-anyway, did you bring your chocolate from yesterday?” Skel takes out a baggie. “I brought mine,” Po chimes in. “Yeah, I guess,” I say. “All right. Come lunchtime, Operation: Give-a-Gift begins!” “Ooh, I’m so excited!” “Yeah, whatever you say.” Which brings us to lunch. We follow Skel, who claims he’ll show us how it’s done. He stands in the hallway near a classroom for the second-year students. We observe him from a distance. “He’s going for an upperclassman? Go, Skel.” “Yeah, whatever you say.” After a few seconds pass, a cute girl exits the classroom. “Uh, um…here.” Skel holds out the chocolate. “Hey, you got some business with my fiancée?” A pair of large hands clutch his shoulders. There’s a crazy-buff senior behind him. “Oh…I…I just…” “Let’s take this outside. Y’know, to talk it out.” The two of us ignore his distressed stare and turn away. “Let’s go.” “Yeah, whatever you say.” I can hear Skel screaming behind me. Po takes me to the library. It’s an enormous resource shared between the academies for dark knights and sciences. Naturally, this isn’t where the jocks of the school hang out. Though, of course, it’s not for me, either. “Which means you’re after someone from the Academy of Science.” “Yes. I’m not taking Skel’s approach. See, I did a thorough investigation on her. I know her friends; her favorite foods; her dorm room number; which bathroom she uses; her shoe size and the smell of her feet; the color of her underwear; her hip, bust, and waist measurements; and I used a cup she drank from to…” “All right, enough. Just go already.” I drag Po into the library and walk away. I don’t see what happens next. “Eeeeeeeeek!! It’s that guy! My stalker!” Almost instantly, I hear screaming behind me. The bag of chocolate sways as I walk around the library. I usually never come here. It’s nice. I speak to the first girl from the Academy of Science that I pass. “Here’s some chocolate.” “Huh?” She’s a hottie with light-pink hair. I hand off the bag of chocolate and leave. “Wait! What?” I can hear her getting all confused. I think I’ve seen her face before, but I can’t remember where. “I wonder what this is.” A cute girl with peach-colored hair in the study room cocks her head to the side. She scrutinizes the brown objects in the box with relaxed eyes. Even after taking the fragrant thing in her hand, she can’t identify it. She’s almost certain the boy had called it chocolate when he gave it to her. “Sherry, are you all right?” There’s a middle-aged man standing behind her with salt-and-pepper hair all slicked back. “Assistant Principal Lutheran…” “You promised to call me Father in private.” “Foster Father.” Sherry smiles uncomfortably. “Why do you have that box of chocolate?” “Chocolate? A boy from the Academy for Dark Knights gave it to me.” “You don’t say.” Lutheran thoughtfully strokes his beard. “That’s the luxury snack. All the girls have been talking about it. I think he gave it to you as a gift.” “What? But I don’t even know him.” “They call it ‘love at first sight.’ That’s the finest chocolate in the world. You can line up for it at the crack of dawn and still not be able to purchase it. He must have done the impossible to get it for you.” “Love at first sight…,” Sherry murmurs, her cheeks tinged pink. “How will you answer him?” “Answer him…?” “He must be waiting for your response.” “B-but I…” Her face flushes bright red, and her eyes dart back and forth. “You’re not just here to do research. You should learn how to interact with your peers. That’s what school is for.” “…I will.” He gently grins at Sherry, who’s hung her head. “Is all going well with the artifact?” “I’ve only just started.” Sherry smiles uneasily, her cheeks still slightly flushed. “That’s totally understandable.” “But I do know one thing: It’s written in a unique code.” “A unique code?” Sherry spreads documents across a table. “I’m guessing it was used by an ancient country or organization. And…it’s almost identical to the one from Mother’s research.” “Oh, Lukreia’s… She was a great researcher, too.” Lutheran closes his eyes as if remembering the past. “I need to crack the code that Mother researched right before she died.” The face examining the documents was that of a brilliant researcher, no question. “It’s just the right job for you.” “Thank you.” When Lutheran lightly pats her head, Sherry is bashful. “Where is the artifact now?” he asks. “A knight is guarding it in the other room.” “You’re not holding on to it?” “Only if it’s necessary. It’s important for me to think in peace. Plus, I get too nervous around the knights.” “I see. Cough, cough… E-excuse me…” Lutheran turns away to hack. “Foster Father! Are you all right?” Sherry panics and rubs the back of a skeletal man with sunken-in cheeks. “I-I’m fine. It’s okay.” Lutheran calms his breath. “And I was just feeling good the other day. I guess illness can be unpredictable.” “Foster Father…” “Don’t worry about me. More importantly, I received another message from the college town asking if you’d like to study abroad.” “The college town, Laugus…” “The most brilliant scholar in the world has acknowledged your research. If you study in Laugus, your skills will only improve. It’s a fantastic offer.” Sherry shakes her head. “I can’t leave you alone sick, Foster Father.” “You don’t have to worry about me, Sherry.” “I would have died if you hadn’t taken me in when Mother passed away. I’m going to help you…for helping me,” she states with tears forming in her eyes. “Sherry…you’re a wonderful daughter,” Lutheran replies with a kind smile. “Good luck on your research. And eat your chocolate.” “…I will.” Lutheran exits the study room. Sherry puts the chocolate in her mouth. “It’s sweet… It’s delicious.” She reaches for a second piece. I’m on my way back home after an Alexia-less, Skel-less, Po-less day. The campus has assumed the orange hue of the setting sun. I walk through the campus, where there aren’t many students, when a girl suddenly approaches me. Her uniform indicates she’s in her second year at the Academy of Science. Her dark-brown hair is pulled back into bun. A drab pair of glasses covers her dark-brown eyes. But a seasoned extra can tell: She’s an inconspicuous beauty who’s pretending to be a minor character. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” I’ve heard that voice before. “Nu?” I whisper. She nods in reply. It’s crazy how a change of hair and makeup can conceal an elegant woman. “Are you planning on going to school here?” I ask in a hushed voice. “No, I’m just borrowing the uniform. It helps me blend in with the others.” “I see.” I don’t know most of the students here. As long as she’s in uniform, there’s a good chance she’ll stay undetected. “Where do you want to talk?” “Let’s head to that bench.” There’s no one near the seats that overlook the campus, and the two of us sit under the dazzling glow of the sunset. Nu surveys the academy. Behind her glasses, she narrows her eyes. If her life had gone differently, she would have been in her second year. Until the day she was abandoned for being possessed, she always believed she would have a peaceful, successful future. But that ended up being nothing more than a fantasy. For little did she know, everything she took for granted—her friends, family, life itself—rested atop a thin tower of ice. Nu was a happy child who didn’t know what lurked underneath that fragile construct. Her eyes observe the students in envy and sorrow, and she recognizes a few of their faces. In many social circles, Nu was known as the daughter of the marquess, living an affluent lifestyle. But that time in her life has passed. She’s been erased from the history of her household, as if she never existed. She wonders how many of her friends still remember her. Maybe they talk about her. But she guesses they’d rather spread hateful rumors. That’s what happens to the possessed. There’s no reason she has to meet Shadow at school in daylight, but she can’t relinquish her last shred of hope. She wants to believe she has a place in a tranquil corner on this campus. She wants to relish in this foolish dream. Nu smirks. She has no place to call home, but she has comrades who share the same goal. And sitting right next to her…is her beloved master. He started fighting all by himself. Even if he was the last man in the world, he would continue to fight. His existence is what keeps the Shadow Garden afloat. People are frail and want to rely on something definite. If god is essential to Earth, then Shadow is essential to the Shadow Garden. But she believes he’s better than god. If she opens her eyes, she can see him—and if she reaches out, she can touch him. “Hmm? What’s up?” “There’s something on you.” Nu wipes a stray thread off his shoulder and looks at his profile. “Please don’t tell Gamma about this. She’d be so mad if she found out I snuck onto campus in broad daylight.” “You got it. But I was really surprised. That makeup makes you look totally different.” “My face is bland, so it’s easy for me to change my appearance. I’ve always been good with makeup. I guess you could call it one of my old hobbies.” “Wow, and your Mitsugoshi persona?” “When I’m there, I make myself look much older than I really am.” “I see. By the way, how old are you?” “It’s a secret.” Nu flashes a beguiling smile. “I’m here to report on the incident yesterday with the man in black.” “Great.” “I interrogated the pretender but couldn’t get anything out of him. I suspect rigorous brainwashing destroyed his psyche. Judging from his other physical characteristics, I believe he is a Third Child.” “Huh?” The Children of Diablos. If the Cult finds impoverished orphans or young citizens who possess even the slightest bit of magic, its members will snatch them from the streets and raise them in a special facility. There, the children undergo brutal training and brainwashing. They’re loaded with drugs, and it’s said that fewer than 10 percent of them manage to “graduate.” The Third Children are those in the 10 percent who are deemed worthless. They only exist to be sacrificed and abandoned. With minds too corrupted to leak classified information, the Thirds are more powerful than the average knight. The Seconds are mentally stable. The few Firsts in existence are said to be the greatest warriors in the world. Nu doesn’t tell Shadow that, of course. She doesn’t think she has to explain common knowledge to him. “The Cult is clearly pulling the strings in these incidents. I imagine their purpose is to lure us in.” “Hmm.” “But that isn’t their only goal. The other day, we confirmed the existence of a Named First Child in the capital. He’s called Rex, the Game of Betrayal. I’m guessing they’re gathering for a particular purpose. Right now, we’re not sure where Rex is, but we’re currently investigating the matter.” “Hmm?” The Named Children. They are the Children of Diablos who have made extraordinary contributions to the Cult. Most of the Named are First Children, but there are rare cases of a Second. There are Named who have risen through the ranks to the Knights of Rounds, which is why it’s said this title is the gateway to success. And one member of the Shadow Garden used to be a Named First Child. All this information has been provided by that same woman. But Nu skips over these details, of course. She figures he already knows this. “Please be careful. The Cult is up to something. We’ll keep investigating and report back as soon as we know more.” “Hmm.” The evening sun is sinking beneath the horizon. This dim glow of the sun turns the clouds vermilion. Nu fans her neck, which is slightly sweaty from the heat, and stands up. After stretching beside her, Shadow rises to his feet. There could have been a future where they spoke as lovers and spent their days together at school. Nu smiles wistfully, imagining what might have been. And even if it’s a moment of indulgence… “Hey, don’t you know how to escort a lady?” “Escort? You mean like this?” He sticks out his left arm, and she links with him, walking side by side, and smiles. This was the future she should have had. A male student screams from far away. “Shit spillerrr!!” Nu crossly clicks her tongue. She recognizes the boy who ruin the mood. He’s the piece of trash who would constantly hit on her in social circles. She decides to beat him up afterward. Next to her, Shadow looks around nervously for some reason. Nu squeezes his left arm. Who’s the strongest dark knight in school? Two years ago, the answer would have been Iris Midgar. After she graduated, there would come a time when no champion reigned over the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights. At least, that was what everyone thought. But a champion appeared out of the blue. An unexpected person assuming an unusual form rose to absolute dictatorship over the academy. And her name is Rose Oriana. She’s a transfer student from the land of art and culture, known as the Oriana Kingdom, where she is daughter of its ruler, King Raphael Oriana. The Oriana Kingdom and the Midgar Kingdom are allies. And although she was expected to transfer to the Midgar Academy for Dark Knights, no one ever imagined she’d become the unrivaled champion at school. Frankly, it doesn’t matter whether it was expected. The problem is Rose Oriana is my opponent in the first round of the preliminary tournament. I do have the option to withdraw. Skel got tough love from an upperclassman in a body slam. Po got disciplinary action for sneaking into the girls’ dormitory. Which basically means I can get out of the preliminaries if I make up an excuse. But now that I think about it, losing to the undefeated champion in the first round is exceedingly normcore. It’s fitting for a minor character—there’s no mistaking it. I won’t be withdrawing. My mission is to partake in the most normie fight in the world—for normies, by normies! Which is why I’m now drawing my sword in front of a huge audience. Princess Rose Oriana is standing right before my eyes. With her honey-colored locks elegantly curled, Rose dons stylish fighting gear and wields a slender sword. The curves in her face are gentle, her figure is stellar, and everything about her is just plain chic. It’s what one could expect from the princess of the country of the arts. To top it off, Rose is also Student Council president despite being a transfer student in her second year. Thanks to her beauty, strength, and popularity, people are cheering enough to rock the stadium. No one is shouting my name. I sort of wish they would cheer for a fellow countryman, but whatever. This is the stage for a side character. The best one of all. My sword violently shakes in my hands. I wonder if I’ve ever felt this nervous before a fight. She could claim victory, commit murder, vaporize me without a trace, but that’s all too simple. No one wants to see a cop-out. They want to see me lose harder than anyone else. How does one define normie-ness? I’m stepping into philosophical territory here. But have no fear. I’ve mastered the Forty-Eight Hands of Minor Mystery technique in preparation for this day. “Rose Oriana versus Cid Kagenou!” the judge announces. Electric sparks shoot from our eyes—her honey-colored irises and my normie ones. Hey, Rose Oriana. Can you keep up? Keep up in the ultimate fight with a background character! “Let the battle begin!!” Rose’s rapier begins dancing through the air the moment the match starts. It draws beautiful, sharp spirals as it approaches my chest. If I was a real side character, I wouldn’t be able to react in time. But I can see it. I see it…and I don’t flinch. I can’t let her see a single reaction. Why? ’Cause that’s how we roll. I won’t move an inch until the rapier hits my chest. The tip of the weapon is blunt for this preliminary round, but that doesn’t mean I’ll come out unscathed. The rapier touches my chest. At that moment, I make my move. Without showing any other movements, I lunge back using the strength in my toes, and I use the force of the rapier pushing against my chest to add a spin. From a secret pocket near my wrist, I tear open a bag filled with blood that I collected for this day. All this has taken less than ten deciseconds. I’m spinning backward as I spout blood like a fountain. “PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEGH!!” As a ruby tornado, I create a beautiful masterpiece of splattered blood. I call this my Hidden Normie Technique: Spinning Guard, Bloody Tornado. I clumsily bounce off the floor and roll over. The cheers from the audience shake the arena. “Guh…guh…gyaaaaaahhhhhh!” I slice open another bag and start spewing blood everywhere. It’s perfect! Everyone in this venue totally buys that I’m a side character. I almost flash my pearly whites after my perfect-ten performance, but I stop myself. It isn’t over yet. That’s right. This isn’t the end. “Gurg, ga-aaah, AAAAAARGH!!” I rise to my feet, pretending I’m literally ten seconds away from death. Yeah…that’s because there are still forty-seven techniques left. How is he standing? Rose Oriana is stunned by the boy who keeps getting back up no matter how many times she knocks him down. He’s soaked in blood, and no one can tell if he can lift up his sword. He doesn’t look like he can fight— No, it’s a miracle he can even stand. Although her sword is thin, her attack certainly isn’t light. The tip of her blade may be blunt, but the magic inside of it is real. If she got one decent shot, he’d be rendered useless. But…exactly how many times has she hit him? It wasn’t just once or twice. Even though he endured at least ten strikes, he still rises to his feet with unrelenting vigor. How is he still standing after all that? His body has exceeded its physical limits, but his eyes seem devoid of death. His fierce gaze tells her he still has something left to do. That’s right. His soul surpasses the limitations of the body, and his unyielding soul is holding his broken being together. His valor leaves a deep impression on Rose. How badly does he want to win this battle and why? He must have a reason he can’t allow himself to lose. There is an immense difference in skill. He doesn’t have so much as a one-in-a-million chance, but even then, he refuses to give up. His fiery eyes glare at Rose. It isn’t over yet. This isn’t the end. Rose is moved that the tenacious spirit of a hero can defy death in the face of an undefeatable opponent. She has great respect for him, offering her deepest apologies for assuming it’d be an easy victory. He’s certainly hopeless when it comes to a sword fight, but as for the battle of spirits, Rose has completely lost. “You’ll perish with my next attack.” Which is why she chooses to end it quickly. If he keeps this up, he’ll get up until he dies. That and…she didn’t want to kill a promising young fighter. No one is cheering in the arena anymore. Everyone watches the boy in horror. Her sword reaches the apex of magic on this day. The sky quakes, and the people in the audience, concerned, mumble to one another. “Looks like you’re not giving up.” His eyes burn brighter and brighter, not even slightly fearful of her oncoming attack but instead displaying an insatiable determination to fight. He leaves her with no choice but to unleash her full power. Rose’s sword hums through the air. “Stop!! That’s enough. This battle is over!” The referee steps between them and ends the match. He judges it would be too dangerous to continue. Rose is relieved, simply put. But the boy feels differently. “Come on! I’ve still got thirty-three left…” His eyes are screaming, I can still fight! “The winner is Rose Oriana!!” A mighty applause congratulates Rose. She waves back at the audience before bowing deeply to Cid, who’s in a heap on the floor. I was almost brought to the first aid office after preliminaries, but I slip away when no one’s looking. That was a close one. If anyone saw I was unscathed, it’d be a huge mess. Had I stayed any longer, I might’ve had to start taking swings at myself. I leave through the player entrance and walk down an empty hallway. I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to show off the rest of the thirty-three esoteric techniques. Or I bet I’ll have a good opportunity to use them before then. “U-umm…” “Hmm?” An unfamiliar student calls over to me out of the blue. I don’t recognize her voice. I’m not sure, but I feel like I’ve seen this peach-haired cutie in her uniform for the Academy of Science before. “Are you hurt?” “I’ve just barely avoided…anything serious…maybe?” I casually pose with my hand to the wound on my chest. “I’m glad to hear that. I watched your fight.” “O-oh, really.” “I don’t usually watch battles, but I thought it was really cool the way you stood up over and over again.” “Er, ‘cool’…?” “Yeah…” Her cheeks turn pink, and she nods. To think a normie is cool. Geez, she has weird taste. I guess there were a lot of spectators, so it isn’t too odd there were oddballs in the bunch. “Um, here…” She timidly holds out a small pouch. “What’s this?” “I baked you cookies. In return for the…” It must be a thank-you for putting on a good show. “Thanks.” I figure Why not? and take them. She smiles cheerfully. “I-if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to start off as friends.” “Friends? Sure thing.” My general policy is to not embarrass women—with a few exceptions. “Yay! Foster Father, I’ve made a friend!” Foster father? I follow her line of sight to see a middle-aged man walking toward us. He has black, slicked-back hair with gray streaks. I know I’ve seen this skeletal fellow before. “Assistant Principal Lutheran…” I’ve heard the assistant principal of this school is a master swordsman who’s won the Bushin Festival. Which means this girl who loves him as her foster father must be… “Sherry Barnett…!” “Yes?” According to my personal research, she has the most potential to become the main character in the Academy of Science. I believe she’s supposed to be in a position where she gives the protagonist advice, solves the greatest mysteries, and creates powerful, Boss-toppling devices. I never thought I would have to fight someone from the Academy of Science, so I honestly didn’t care and forgot all about her. “You must be Cid Kagenou.” Assistant Principal Lutheran stands next to Sherry. “Yes.” “Any injuries?” “I—I was miraculously… Oh yeah. Maybe she went easy on me?” The assistant principal strokes his chin, quietly confirming my suspicion. “Yes, I think Rose was holding back. But you must get yourself to a doctor.” “Yes, absolutely.” I absolutely won’t be doing that. Lutheran nods and places a hand on Sherry’s shoulder. “This girl always has her nose in her research, so she doesn’t have many friends.”