Chapter 131: The Righteous Gang Beating
Kobayashi came out of the examination room and happened to see Raishin Akabane strolling in the central courtyard. He called out and walked straight towards him.
Perhaps his voice was a bit loud, or perhaps it was because they were both new students, or perhaps it was because they both had a girl of a different style but equal cuteness following behind them.
In any case, they were very conspicuous.
Raishin didn't care about being looked at, but being stared at by a group of people like a zoo animal still made him feel uncomfortable. He immediately moved to a more secluded corner.
Unlike the smiling Kobayashi, his expression was not quite right.
"Although I already guessed it, I still have to ask. Don't tell me you used some improper method to get in?"
"I did! I forged an admission application!"
"Don't forge things!"
Raishin couldn't help but retort, staring with dead fish eyes at the audacious fellow in front of him.
If you thought about it for a moment, it was obvious.
The Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machinart was, after all, one of the top academies in the world. The application process was quite troublesome. It required both proof and a background check. Even with an acquaintance pulling strings for him, it had taken him nearly half a year to get a reply.
And the person in front of him, who didn't even have an application yesterday, had just waltzed in today. What's more, the grade ranking list in his left hand indicated that he had already completed the exam.
If you told him there was nothing fishy about that, he wouldn't believe it.
In truth, Kobayashi had just had RyuZU use her [Imaginary Switch] to run to the principal's office, "borrow" an invitation letter for a look, and then use the same high-level forgery techniques as a certain goddess to create a fake one.
When he handed it in, he had been a little nervous that it would be seen through, but he had unexpectedly passed the assessment with ease and was successfully enrolled.
He couldn't help but lament that the academy's security, from top to bottom, was too lax. He was truly worried about the safety of the students and teachers here.
Did they let their guard down just because this was one of the most prestigious academies? Or was it deliberate? If that were the case, then that professor named Kimberly was a very big problem.
A woman full of mysteries.
Raishin also complained, "I was originally looking forward to studying here, but after something like this, I'm already starting to have my doubts. Is this really the Royal Academy of Machinart, with its excellent security and privacy?"
"Don't say that, Akabane-kun."
Kobayashi patted his shoulder and retorted in kind, "You know, there are many places that are called unknown, hidden holy grounds, but in the end, they're like public toilets that anyone can just walk into and out of as they please. Can you imagine that feeling?"
"How could there be a place like that!"
Raishin shot him a look.
Then his eyes kept darting towards the ranking list in Kobayashi's left hand. Although he was just making small talk and didn't say it outright, it was clear from his appearance that he was very concerned about it.
Is he trying to compare, or is he just curious?
"What, what? You want to know my rank, Mr. Second-to-Last?"
"Tsk."
Raishin pouted, annoyed.
As I thought, that teacher told him about my poor written exam results. On top of that, this guy is so smug. He must be different from me; his rank must be very high.
Kobayashi didn't keep him in suspense. He directly unfolded the list, revealing the ranking on it.
"Look, 1234th! A nice smooth number, right!"
"...You bastard, what's there to be so proud of? Although I'm 1235th and second-to-last, your 1234th is still third-to-last!"
"Er, Akabane-kun..."
"Wh-what is it? Why are you looking at me with such a pitiful expression?"
Perhaps because Kobayashi's smugness had been so hate-inducing, Raishin's brain couldn't quite make the turn. Panicked, he hadn't noticed his own mistake.
It was Yaya who reminded him. "Raishin, you are second-to-last, but he is fourth-to-last. Because there is one person between you two. And your rank has also dropped from 1235th to 1236th."
"...Huh?"
Raishin's mouth opened slightly, moving up and down, but nothing came out.
He could only look gloomily at the automaton who had corrected him with a smug expression, suspecting that she was not his companion but a spy sent by the other party to crush his spirit.
"Thank you for reminding me, Yaya."
"You're welcome, Raishin! It's what Yaya should do!"
"—I wasn't complimenting you!"
The young man's scolding and sharp gaze made the excited kimono-clad girl shrink her shoulders. Their antics made Kobayashi see the shadow of his companions from another world. No wonder he didn't feel any sense of unfamiliarity after meeting them only a few times. It must be because their personalities were quite similar.
But the initial ranking wasn't important. They had all gathered here for that one thing.
—The Night Party.
Held once every four years, it was a zero-sum game to select the most outstanding puppeteer of the era, where one hundred participants would fight until only one remained.
Similar to a battle royale game, to see who gets to eat chicken tonight.
Originally, Kobayashi wasn't interested. He just wanted to get into the academy's library to learn high-end knowledge. Fighting and killing didn't suit him. He just wanted to be a quiet, handsome man, or a purely sneaky bastard.
To this end, Kobayashi had said, "I want to enter the top floor of the library to study high-end knowledge."
But the teacher, Kimberly, had said, "You can't. Because your rank isn't high enough."
And he had said, "I need to learn high-end knowledge first before I can raise my rank."
She had then retorted, "Then go and learn."
And he had retorted back, "That's why I came to you, to get into the library!"
She had refused. "No. Your rank isn't high enough."
...
Am I here to do the Luke Raid?!
DAMMIT, AQUA!
Suddenly caught in a dead-end loop, he felt a massive headache coming on and began to doubt if this academy had any reasonable educational arrangements at all.
However, she did offer another method.
—Participate in the Night Party.
As long as one became a member of the Night Party, even if they weren't one of the top thirteen, most of the library would be open to them. And if they performed exceptionally well, they could even receive guidance and training from some of the stronger individuals. For him, it was all pros and no cons.
...Although he said that, he still felt that she really wanted him to participate.
Could it be that she has seen that, compared to theory, I actually focus more on practical combat? Mmm, very possible. After all, I'm fourth-to-last in theory. If my practical skills are also trash, then there's really nothing to look at. She probably thinks that since I'm from the Far East like Raishin (a forgery), we must be the same type of puppeteer.
"So, you're also participating in the Night Party?" Raishin asked.
Kobayashi nodded. "That's right."
"Then we're enemies."
"Don't say that. We're not enemies until we've qualified for the Night Party, right? And even if we participate, we can still be friends."
He quickly waved his hands, telling him not to hold such malice towards him.
"Besides, we still need a spot to participate in the Night Party, right? I believe that helping each other to get a spot is the wisest choice right now."
The Night Party wasn't just something you could join whenever you wanted. Even if there were 100 spots, you still had to qualify to become one of them. And the two of them had just arrived; the qualifying exam period had long since passed.
With not much time left until the Night Party began, helping each other was the best option. Otherwise, if the two of them, who both wanted to participate, were to target and trip each other up, the end result would only be that neither of them could participate.
"Then, there's only that one way?"
"Ah. After all, that's what the teacher was implying."
—Snatch a spot.
Since they didn't have one, they would just have to take one. In any case, this Royal Academy of Machinart did not prohibit battles, especially concerning the Night Party, which was to select the strongest puppeteer to claim the crown of "Wiseman." The academy was more than happy to see puppeteers fight to the death with everything they had.
The students who could participate in the Night Party would all receive a pair of gloves. If the gloves were taken, it meant they had been defeated in the Night Party. By the same token, if they were taken outside of the Night Party, it meant their qualification had been snatched.
"Akabane-kun, who is your target?"
"That one."
He pointed at a blonde girl who happened to be walking into the central courtyard from another direction, indicating that she was his next target.
—Charlotte Bellow.
The person he was pointing at was, of all people, the 6th-ranked of the top thirteen, the strong one known as "Tyrant Rex."
Kobayashi raised an eyebrow, unable to help but be surprised. "To set your sights on one of the top thirteen right from the start... your goal is lofty, Akabane-kun."
"I suppose so. After all, my final goal is..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but he clenched his fists, his expression darkening considerably, as if he held some deep-seated grudge.
Kobayashi didn't say anything. He really didn't want to get involved in the other's family drama.
(Specifically, you can substitute what Itachi did to Sasuke for what Raishin's older brother did to him, a perfect substitution. And on top of that, his older brother cut his little sister into six pieces. And I mean that literally.)
So scary, so scary! The people from the neighboring island country are all so twisted in their thinking! The sand-for-brains isekai people are much better to get along with!
"Raishin..."
"Sorry, Yaya."
Reminded by her, he came back to his senses and said to Kobayashi, "Wait a moment. I'll be right back."
"Wait, are you planning to fight here?"
Kobayashi looked around. This was the central courtyard that ran through the academy. It could be said to be the main artery connecting the various lecture halls, the eight dormitories, and the cafeteria. During lunch break, students would gather here, and it would be packed to the point of being impassable.
A fight here would affect other people.
However, he explained, "You've misunderstood. I'm just going to issue a notice."
"A notice?... You're quite arrogant, Akabane-kun."
Kobayashi touched his forehead.
So-called "notice" is just a provocation, right? He really has a nice way of putting it.
"Can't be helped. Let's go together."
"You don't have to. It has nothing to do with you."
"No. From the moment I entered the academy with you and greeted you so familiarly, even if it has nothing to do with me, those guys will forcibly tie the two of us together."
"Is that so? I feel a little sorry about that."
"It doesn't matter. Besides, we had already decided to team up, hadn't we?"
He decided to back him up. He couldn't just let him go and issue a challenge alone. If he got beaten up, he could at least rescue him.
The two exchanged a look, nodded, and walked towards the central courtyard.
Charlotte Bellow had a proper appearance and a well-proportioned figure. She was a beautiful girl who shone with a dazzling light. It was just that her face currently wore a cold and displeased expression, which ruined her fairy-like beauty. Furthermore, the aura she constantly exuded was full of hostility, like a ferocious tyrannosaurus.
Even though the courtyard was packed, wherever she went, everyone quickly retreated, creating a 5-meter domain around her.
It was like a bus packed like a can of sardines. The moment two people start arguing and fighting, a large space suddenly opens up for some reason.
And while everyone was quickly retreating, two people, on the contrary, quickly pushed through the crowd and approached her.
"...I must apologize to you, Sigmund. It seems there are indeed flies who dare to challenge us."
The dragon on top of her head spoke.
He hadn't heard what was said before, but he estimated it was also something about thinking he and Raishin were idiots who were bold enough to challenge her.
He was a little angry.
However, he had misunderstood. They had just been discussing the topic of love, because Charlotte had compared herself to a Rafflesia that attracts flies.
"You must be Miss Charlotte Bellow?"
The moment they met, Raishin seemed to be deliberately reciting a speech. He had a deliberately arrogant smile on his face, his head slightly raised, looking quite disdainful.
She narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
He continued to provoke her, "A second-year student, one of the top thirteen. Your registration code is [Tyrant Rex]. You're practically a dinosaur."
It seemed his mouth was quite poisonous as well.
"Since you know that much, what do you want? What's your business with me?"
"I want you to give me your qualification to participate."
"...Is this a challenge?"
"No. It's a declaration."
She let out a deep sigh. Then, a cold killing intent burst forth.
"Are you an idiot?! Or... do... you... want... to... die?!"
The fierce aura of a tyrannosaurus descending upon the world swept through the entire courtyard. The students, afraid of being caught up in the affair, all retreated further, and the once-impassable courtyard once again opened up a space large enough to be called a battlefield, which was both surprising and amusing.
Just at this moment, a huge iron ball came flying over, smashing straight towards the unmoving Charlotte. It was so fast that it was impossible to dodge.
"Hey!" Raishin shouted.
However, Kobayashi had already rushed out and tackled her to the ground. But in fact, he wasn't needed at all, because her dragon automaton—Sigmund—had instantly grown larger, transforming into the thickest of ramparts, and had blocked the incoming iron ball with a swing of its wings.
In a cloud of black mist, Sigmund transformed into a giant body, 3 meters tall and about 8 meters long. Its crimson eyes glowed in the thick mist, and its wings spread outwards, a terrifying sight that blotted out the sun. A tyrannical aura burst forth again, and the surrounding students immediately scattered in terror.
And Sigmund did not hold back. A beam of light seemed to slowly fill up, from its lower abdomen to its upper jaw, and then it bloomed. As it opened its mouth and roared, the surrounding air vibrated, and a fierce beam shot out, completely melting the iron ball.
Then, many more automatons appeared and began to besiege them. The entire courtyard was thrown into chaos.
But in the middle of the tense and exciting battle, under the cover of Sigmund's huge body, a man and a woman were, on the contrary, being lovey-dovey.
...My mistake. They were just frightened.
Not by the sneak attack, but by the man in front of her.
His hands were behind his head, and her small self was held in his arms. She understood that she had been protected.
But this inconspicuous man who was always following Raishin... to dare to treat her like this...
No, on closer inspection, he was quite handsome.
He wasn't quite a pretty boy, but his proper features and the mysterious, friendly aura he exuded were indeed full of a certain Eastern charm.
After a brief daze, her face immediately flushed bright red, and she said breathlessly, "Wh-what are you doing?! Let me go, quickly!"
Although a brawl had suddenly broken out, they were still enemies. A delicate girl being captured by an enemy... what would happen was self-evident.
Her shout was slightly panicked, and her body trembled slightly.
But he didn't do anything strange to her. After saving her, he decisively let go. The girl, having left his embrace, felt a little empty.
Just as she was preparing to use a condemnation to cover up her shyness, she found that the expression on the man who had been on top of her was not good.
"To actually... to actually gang up and sneak attack..."
"Eh?"
She blinked.
Actually, being ganged up on and sneak-attacked was just a daily occurrence for her. She was already used to it. Don't tell me this man was speaking up for her?
The girl's heart skipped a beat.
However—
He shouted angrily, "Don't they know that ganging up and sneak attacks can only be used by the side of justice?! By doing this, aren't they saying that I'm the villain?!"
In an instant, the girl's mood did a complete 180, and she looked at him with a trace of resentment.
She was certain of one thing.
—Kobayashi was an idiot.
(End of Chapter)