Chapter 12

The smart thing to do, if Yuuma had been thinking clearly, would have been to find a hiding spot and scout out the situation, like they had done when spotting the Conehead Bruiser in the lobby. But as soon as he saw that his friend was in trouble, he couldn’t help getting involved. “Hey, what do you guys think you’re doing?!” The four students ganging up on Kenk spun around, startled. Yuuma realized immediately that they were all boys from his class. Haruki Hokari, student number 36. Takato Sera, student number 29. Youichi Oono, student number 24. And of course, Teruki Sugamo, student number 28. Hokari and Sera were always hanging out together. Hokari’s hair was shaved up high on the side, while Sera’s hair was long. They were both good at skateboarding and liked to dress up in street gear, even though they were only in elementary school. They were the two troublemakers of the class. Oono, meanwhile, was on the basketball team, and Sugamo was the soccer team’s star player. In other words, these four boys represented the top of the popularity food chain. As soon as Sugamo saw Yuuma and Sawa, he pointed the mop he was gripping in both hands in their direction. “It’s the Ashihara twins! Don’t come any closer! I’m on to you…!” Sugamo’s voice was just on the cusp of dropping. Yuuma knew from the sound of it that Sugamo had been the one accusing Kenk of being a monster. Yuuma was about to retort by asking what proof he had for saying something like that, but the words died on his tongue. Sawa had grown horns and wings, and even Yuuma’s own hair had changed color slightly. It wasn’t going to be easy to explain those changes, and Yuuma really didn’t want to try. Sugamo and the other three boys, however, didn’t seem to be displaying any changes yet. At least not from what Yuuma could see from this distance. Fortunately that meant that they were probably unaware that people could sprout horns and wings or have their hair change color. Sawa was doing a pretty good job of hiding her horns and wings under the windbreaker, and it would be hard to notice the change in Yuuma’s hair without shining a light on it directly. Yuuma decided to go on the offensive. “…Where do you get off, Sug, calling us monsters?!” Yuuma shouted, balling his hands into fists. Sugamo shouted back, his voice even angrier. “How else do you explain it?! You killed that crazy giant beast, didn’t you?! Only another monster could do something like that!” Yuuma was almost tempted to agree. At first, Yuuma had just assumed that Sugamo’s emotions were getting the better of him, but his reasoning made a lot of sense. How was Yuuma supposed to refute that? Sure, most of the Conehead Bruiser’s HP had been whittled away by the burning alcohol, but even Yuuma was surprised that had worked. And that was before even mentioning that Sumika Watamaki had delivered the final blow. Yuuma probably wouldn’t believe them, either, if he were in Sugamo’s shoes. Come to think of it…something doesn’t add up. What made me think to summon Watamaki at a time like that? He had already been waist deep in the Bruiser’s mouth at that point. The situation seemed hopeless. Yet somehow he had managed to readjust the bent metal bar while also pulling out Sumika’s monster card and summoning her at the same time? Talk about an amazing feat—impossible really. But something had felt strange. It was like everything else had stopped. What was that all about?