Volume Three: Academy's Rampage

If I had to describe my campus life in four words, it would be "full of ups and downs".

The next four words would be "utter chaos".

To be precise, after causing a scene in the Principal's Office and obtaining long-term leave of absence, campus life had absolutely nothing to do with me anymore.

First, there's Siyana and her brothel, and then there's Si Nan Xiao, who's caught in a crisis of chastity.

Then the Black Crows started causing trouble, and I, caught in the crossfire, had no choice but to step in and fight.

And then, now...

When everything settled down, I was finally able to slowly sort out my feelings.

Face what you have to face.

Do what I should do.

Having stumbled and fallen back to this World's Little Corner, we are now utterly exhausted.

Aside from Givinia, who mostly acted through Mind Projection, we practically collapsed into bed the moment we entered, without even taking off our clothes, which were covered in dust and dirt. It was Givinia who washed the three of us while we were still fast asleep and carried us to bed.

I had a good night's sleep, something I hadn't done in a long time.

There was no feeling of being kept in the dark, nor any sense of impending doom. For the first time, I felt that sleeping was such a comfortable thing.

I haven't had a proper night's sleep lately.

Every night, my body mutates and goes berserk due to the uncontrolled Rakshasa True Word, transforming into a mindless monster that attacks the bright moon...

"Tsk... Bright Moon..."

No, I need to rest now.

Despite the sadness, regret, shame, and heartache, all I can do now is "get some rest."

Let's leave all the sad things and the things we need to think about for tomorrow...

If it weren't for the dream, I'm afraid I would still be completely unaware of my own sins.

"... Um?"

Wait, a dream? What kind of dream?

I jolted awake, suddenly sitting up in bed and staring into the darkness before me.

My forehead was wet; I wiped it and found it was covered in cold sweat.

Why didn't I notice this before?

How did I discover the truth of the matter?

Because they saw the blood-stained sheets when passing by the laundry room? Because of their unnatural behavior lately?

Neither.

The decisive factor that enabled me to know the truth was that I saw it.

The entire event is presented from both first-person and third-person perspectives.

--But why? Why am I seeing this?--No, how am I seeing it?

Someone showed it to me.

"--Ooh!"

A sharp pain shot through my mind, and I clutched my head tightly.

That's right! There's a "person" in my dreams these past few days!

It was "he" who showed me the truth!

..."Let me see"?

No, that's not how it works...

It's me...

"I... made a wish..."

Because he wanted to know the truth, he made a wish. "I want to know the truth."

And he said--

"The price you have to pay is what you'll have to bear after you learn the truth."

"Woo! Guh--"

A wave of nausea surged through my chest, and I covered my mouth tightly, afraid that I would vomit if I relaxed even slightly!

"Hoo--ha--hoo--ha--"

After taking several deep breaths, I finally calmed down a bit.

Let's sort out the situation.

First, I unknowingly reached a critical point and went berserk during my battle with the Black Crystal.

Starting from this point, at Givinia's suggestion, the three of them—or rather, the four of them, with Shino in charge of calming the children—quickly began their operation to rescue me. Xiao Wu and Givinia were in charge of the search, while Kogetsu was in charge of monitoring me.

Surprisingly, not long after the activity began, I found myself in a state of mild brisk walking every night.

To avoid an even worse outcome, Haoyue silently endured everything, while Xiao Wu and Givinia accelerated their progress.

It should have gone smoothly, but because of Haoyue's negligence, I discovered the truth.

My mental state was severely disrupted, and I finally went berserk. However, I was first severely beaten by Fiaz and weakened, and then I devoured the Serpent's Egg, finally returning to normal.

But... was it really due to Haoyue's negligence?

It's because of a dream.

On the street, in the park, on the highway, "someone" and I were talking.

Later, in the dilapidated little room, the orange light of dusk, the bloodstained barbed wire, and my desire led me to the truth.

It exists to grant wishes by charging a price.

But he also said that he had broken free from the constraints of equivalent exchange.

What kind of being is this "he"?

I tried to recall, desperately tried to recall, but everything related to "him" was like fine sand slipping through my fingers; the more I tried to grasp it, the faster it slipped away.

"..."

I felt fear.

It felt like a giant eye was staring at me from above, making me uneasy even though it didn't do anything concrete.

It's rare for me to get up so early.

I breathed in the crisp, cool air as I walked down the deserted corridor.

At 5 a. m., most people are still asleep.

I didn't sleep well.

I finally forced myself to stop thinking about "him," but then more thoughts about him flooded my mind.

What expression should I wear when I wake up?

A foul feeling churned in my chest, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

Walk to the end of the second floor, push open the door and go inside.

This is her room.

It was also the place where I ravaged, abused, and tormented her all night long.

Just thinking about it makes me feel extremely nauseous, to the point of wanting to vomit.

I walked to the bedside and looked at her, still fast asleep.

Her long, black hair was casually draped over her shoulders, creating a striking contrast with the pure white bedding.

Normally, I would probably use overused phrases like "black hair like a waterfall" or "beautiful as an angel" to describe her beauty at this moment.

But now when I see her, I only think of a small black insect stuck in a white spider web.

I absolutely hate this feeling.

Haoyue has always been the absolute stronger one in my eyes, always so powerful and reliable.

But at this moment, she was so delicate and powerless.

Yes...

No matter how smart, powerful, resourceful, ruthless, or selfish she is, she is still, after all, a girl.

Because of me, she has suffered too much.

She was truly sincere towards me, devoted herself wholeheartedly to me, and was willing to endure hellish pain for me.

But what about me?

Did I respond directly to her feelings?

Have I clearly stated my position?

No, compared to those--

Have I ever truly looked at her?

No...

Looking back on everything between us since we left the capital.

I can't believe I've never actually looked at her face closely.

I was shocked when I was kissed in public, but that was all; I didn't have any other special feelings.

"... No way."

What exactly do I feel for her...?

Does that mean I don't actually care about her at all?

That's impossible.

Because when I saw the truth, my pain and despair were absolutely genuine.

But am I truly saddened by the bright moon?

Or is it that I simply can't stand the fact that "someone is suffering because of me"?

"No... that's not right either..."

Haoyue and I are very similar beings.

She is an extreme egoist who exists outside of ordinary moral values, only donning a glamorous facade to conceal her distorted nature in order to survive normally in society.

She only loves herself.

She considers things that interest her as part of herself, which is why she shows love.

To her, I was her kindred spirit, her understanding one, the object of her destiny—and that's why I received her highest love.

What may seem like a distorted process is actually far more genuine than ordinary, boring romance.

Because there is nothing false in it.

She helped me understand myself; she allowed me to truly exist in this other world according to my own will.

She is also an invaluable treasure to me.

No matter what, what I'm going to do will not change.

I must apologize to her.

I sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching her, taking the opportunity to examine her face closely.

Look at her cherry-pink lips.

"..."

Why don't you give it a try?

To initiate a kiss on someone, or something like that.

I couldn't help but move closer--

Then he immediately pulled his head back.

"What am I doing? I'm acting like an idiot."

I shook my head, forcefully banishing these strange thoughts, and got out of bed.

"What? Is it because of guilt that you've lost your mind? Or is it just the heat? Taking the initiative like this isn't like me at all..."

I sneaked into her room early this morning just to check on her. Since she's in stable condition, there's no need for me to stay here. I'll just go out and wait for her to wake up.

I turned my head away from her and rushed towards the door, feeling for some reason that my limbs were a little unresponsive.

I just stood there at the door.

Suddenly I couldn't walk anymore.

A moment of stunned silence, then two, then three seconds...

"... cut."

I tossed my head and strode back to the bedside.

He looked down at her as she slept soundly.

Looking at her innocent sleeping face.

Completely unsuspecting, ready for you to pick.

Ye Jiang detection radar activated! Beep beep beep beep beep! Target confirmed! Commence attack!

I lowered my head as fast as I could and roughly brought my mouth to it, cutting off all thought and ignoring the wonderful sensation. I just rubbed, licked, sucked, and kissed randomly. I didn't do anything like secretly sticking my tongue in!

After finishing as quickly as possible, I immediately looked up, trying to ignore the string of saliva that stretched out, exuding an overwhelming aura of eroticism, and vigorously wiped my mouth with my sleeve as if trying to erase evidence.

"Tch... I can be impulsive sometimes too. I just had a whim, don't take it seriously."

I blurted out that sentence to the still-sleeping moon, and with my mind still a bit muddled, I quickly walked out.

"..."

Just before leaving, I turned back and added one more sentence.

"It really was just a spur-of-the-moment decision! Don't get me wrong!"

I tossed out another sentence and strode out of the room.

I'm so kind and thoughtful to have added this extra explanation!

Three seconds after I stepped out, I poked my head back in.

I'm serious!

It sounded like he was speaking to her, but also like he was speaking to himself. After saying that, he immediately closed the door and left. This time, he was really leaving.

Seriously...

After returning to the house, he squatted in the corner and drew circles.

"She's still asleep, she won't hear me even if I explain... What am I doing...?"

So, how would she react if I did this to her while she was awake?

I tried to imagine it.

"Oh? Oh oh oh oh? Xiao Ye, you're finally willing to take the initiative? Yue! Jiang! Great! Victory! Today is the 'World Anniversary of Taking Our Relationship to the Next Level with Xiao Ye'! So, when are we going to get our marriage certificate? Who should we invite to the wedding? Wow, I'm so excited and happy!!!!"

That's roughly the kind of reaction that guy would have.

I shook my head, got up, and went back to my room.

As it turns out, even though I was an "understanding person," my understanding of Haoyue was still not deep enough.

In the now tranquil bedroom, Haoyue, who had been pretending to be asleep for a long time, silently opened her eyes.

"... Ugh..."

There was no exaggerated celebration; she simply rubbed her burning cheeks and let out a cute little cry.

Then, while still in that position, roll around in the blankets to the left, then to the right, then back to the left.

"I was kissed on my own initiative..."

Just thinking about this unexpected surprise made her heart race. She tried desperately to recall the feeling at that moment, but the warmth that lingered on her lips vanished quickly, impossible to hold onto.

Overwhelmed with regret, he curled up in a ball and rolled around.

"Waaaaah, why am I pretending to be asleep? Am I shy? Can I be shy too? Ah!"

Thump!

I accidentally rolled off the bed and landed solidly on the floor.

The back of his head made intimate contact with the floor.

"Ugh--QAQ"

However, this collision also made her realize something.

Tsuki-chan suddenly realized that she was actually a masochist.

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What? You're saying this chapter has no plot? Well, the real climax is coming up, so let's give it a break first. Besides, psychological scenes are harder to write than action scenes.