Volume Three: Academywide Rampage - Eve of the Storm

In short, I'm so sorry!!!

This is the first time in my life, apart from when I was asking for New Year's money, that I've bowed so deeply.

The targets were, of course, those few women.

"I'm sorry... and thank you! Besides those two things, I really don't know what else to say..."

I've always been very careful in my interactions with people since I was a child, and I've never encountered a situation where I had to apologize to someone very sincerely. That's why I was at a loss for words at this moment.

"Ah, ah, Ye, you don't need to feel so guilty! Anyway, everyone's efforts weren't in vain, right?" Xiao was the first to react. She blushed and waved her hand as if she was the one who was wrong, not me. Her timid personality is really easy to deal with.

"It was just a small favor for me. Compared to me, someone else did much more," Givinia said with a smile, glancing at the person standing next to her.

"..."

Haoyue put on her familiar white cheongsam again, and she looked much better today. For some reason, her face was a little red, and her gaze towards me was somewhat evasive.

Seeing her like this makes me shy too. Did I steal a kiss from her while she was sleeping? Calm down!

"Bright moon." "Mm."

"I'm sorry, and thank you."

"Um." "..."

"..." quiet--

Both of them fell silent.

Following the usual plot development pattern, I would probably hug her and cry my heart out, saying things like "I'm sorry for hurting you all this time, sob sob sob." Then she would gently stroke my head with a motherly smile and tell me that it was all her own choice and that I shouldn't be sad. And then our relationship would naturally take a step further and go straight to third base.

However, when I devoured the Serpent's Egg, the negative emotions that filled my heart were washed away by the intense anger, so my emotions are not so strong at this moment, and naturally I won't burst into tears.

Instead, it prevented the plot from progressing further.

"Ah~~~ I'm going to make breakfast for the kids now, you guys chat!"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Xiao gave an embarrassed smile and slipped away.

"Um... I won't be a third wheel anymore. If you two want to talk, go to the bedroom. Bye~"

Givinia smiled kindly and disappeared into the void. Hey, why do I feel like your smile is a little wicked? What do you mean, "Let's talk in the bedroom"?

Is it the legendary "there's always a reward after a great battle"? If that's the case, then in typical classic RPGs, the time before and after a boss battle is always a good opportunity for some action!

"..."

After a moment's hesitation, I made up my mind.

"Let's go to the bedroom, Haoyue."

"Bedroom..."

"Then you took off your clothes."

"Huh? Are we really going to do this now?"

"Hey, stop starry-eyed! I have other things to do!"

"Who is 'the other person'? The affair partner?"

"You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

Ah, so that's how it is--

"That's strange, where's Xiao Wu?"

Xiao Wu is the only one not here.

Is that secretly proud and aloof person deliberately refusing to listen to my apologies and thanks because they're too shy? That's kind of cute.

"Sister Sakura Dance's words have been spoken."

Monet, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, appeared. She was carrying bowls and plates, probably preparing breakfast for Xiao.

Do you know where she went?

She lowered her head slightly, her expression turning somewhat distressed, and her voice trembled violently.

"... She went to visit the graves."

"Visiting graves!?"

"Do you still remember the three people I told you about when the club was first founded?"

"I remember you, it's you, Xiao Wu, and there's someone named Margaret... Ah!"

I suddenly remembered.

I asked her, "Where's Margaret? I don't remember any kids in the club with that name."

She answered me--

"Dead, committed suicide."

After that, she never told me why Margaret committed suicide.

Because she didn't know either.

"So... Xiao Wu went to see that girl named Margaret?"

"Yes..."

"Then why don't you go?"

If I remember correctly, they were good friends when they were alive.

Monet shuddered violently.

"I want to go too, but... I don't have the courage."

She sobbed softly, tears streaming down her face.

"I dare not... Not to mention the cause of her death, I couldn't even see her one last time, I couldn't detect the signs of her suicide... When I go to her grave, I can always hear her blaming me, blaming me for not saving her, blaming my stupidity... If this continues... I will never dare to go see her again."

"..."

Ultimately, they were the weak ones.

The Central United Academy is located in the suburbs.

There is a small cemetery here.

Despite being a cemetery, it lacks any gloomy or terrifying atmosphere. The carved fences divide the area into sections, and the pink and white gravestones are surprisingly heartwarming. The locust trees along the path are lush with leaves, and warm sunlight filters through the leaves. The flowers offered at the graves are placed in a special nutrient solution provided free of charge by the cemetery, so they won't dry out for months.

Xiao Wu dressed as usual, except that she had changed her lining and stockings to black. She silently walked to a small tombstone at the very back and placed a bouquet of white Yuri and gardenias in front of the grave.

My hand gently brushed across the obsidian tombstone, across the large characters on it:

Margaret Greenson is buried here.

"It's been three years..."

It's been three years since I created World's Little Corner.

Who could have imagined that the club, which was founded almost on a whim, would last so long?

The past events are still vivid in my mind, as if they happened yesterday.

Lying in bed at night, the face of that beautiful yet melancholic girl still flashes before my eyes. Sometimes, when I'm alone, I recall her soft, weak whispers and her rare smile.

"Who... who are you? Why are you helping us?"

He happened to be passing by and on a whim rescued her and Monet from being surrounded by a group of delinquent girls, which made her wary of him.

"Sister Sakura Dance... can I call you 'neechan'?"

She treated them to a nice meal, and her mood quickly calmed down; children are so easily satisfied.

"Really? Is this where Sister Sakura Dance is staying now? Can we stay here too?"

"If you have nowhere to stay, this is fine too" -- that's what I think I answered back then. After Lucy died, because she didn't want to stay in that place filled with too much regret, she moved to a new house, which is now World's Little Corner.

"Sister, Monet suggested we start a club, what do you think...? Is it a good idea? That would be great!"

Why would someone who always dislikes trouble agree to such a childish and ridiculous suggestion? Was it to fill the void in her life after Lucy's death? Or did she simply want to do something? Xiao Wu had long forgotten what she was thinking at the time, but when she thought of that girl with the always gloomy face showing the happiest smile after hearing her affirmative answer, she felt that it was all worth it.

"Sister Sakura Dance... I baked a cake the way you taught me... Would you like to try it?"

In this World's Little Corner —before Shino joined, it was called the Pajama Enthusiasts Club —the early days of its formation seem like a dream. Xiao Wu, who had just lost Lucy, found someone who was almost like family again, helping Monet and Margaret get rid of the troublesome girls at school, and they also found a rare place of peace.

Each gets what they deserve.

It would be fine if things just continued like this.

But why--

With Xiao Wu's exceptional eyesight, she could accurately read the girl's lips even from nearly a kilometer away.

"I'm sorry... Sister... I... really am... a filthy person... a piece of trash among the weak who can never find happiness... Haha... I've... completely..."

As if realizing that Xiao Wu was rushing this way, she smiled sadly in Xiao Wu's direction, her back to the setting sun.

Then, he jumped off the roof.

She transformed into a demon, accelerating to the extreme, charging forward like a madman, but missed by just a fraction—a difference of only a few centimeters. The girl's long hair even brushed against her fingertips.

Then, a flower of blood and brains bloomed before her.

"... Tsk!"

Xiao Wu shook her head violently, trying to shake off the vivid, nauseating memories.

They swept away the fallen leaves on the ground as quickly as possible, removed the weeds, and wiped the tombstone clean—a series of actions performed with fluid grace.

After everything was settled, Xiao Wu bowed to the tombstone one last time and then hurriedly left.

It was practically like running away.

When I think of Margaret, I can still recall her words, actions, voice, and smile.

But when I got to the cemetery, my most vivid memories were of the moment her head hit the ground.

And in that final moment, she uttered those three words after "I am... completely..."

"It's hopeless."

What were her feelings when she uttered those three words?

"No... it's not that you're beyond saving, it's that I couldn't save you..."

Xiao Wu's voice trembled slightly.

A prickly sensation came from my fingertips.

She let out a soft moan as she followed the lines downwards.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?"

"No, it's alright..."

"It doesn't look like it's okay at all."

I looked down again, examining the horrible scars closely.

It's intricate and densely packed, like a bus route map in a metropolis.

Scratches, tears, bite marks, and layers of tearing marks on the genitals.

It has been torn and repaired so many times that even its shape has become distorted.

"Don't look at Xiao Ye... she's gotten so bad..."

Haoyue squeezed her legs together in embarrassment, revealing a sullen expression.

Seeing this, I gained a deeper understanding of my own sins.

It also gave me a new understanding of the phrase "wasting resources".

No one would do something like turning such a beautiful woman into this grotesque mess.

"Really..."

Although it's not my place to say it, her body is really creepy.

So...

"Lie down and don't move, Haoyue."

"Xiao Ye?"

I roughly pinned her down on the bed—not to do that, of course. No matter how perverse my sense of humor, I could never lay a hand on a girl who had been ravaged like this.

As soon as I concentrated, a large amount of blood began to seep from my body, flowing more and more until it flowed around the bright moon like a small river.

"This is--"

"I told you not to move. Also, open your mouth."

There's something I absolutely have to try.

A large amount of blood clung to her body like a membrane, and a small amount of blood was forced into her stomach by prying open her jaw.

"Ugh... gurgle... gurgle..."

Blood flooded her mouth and nose, and her mammalian instincts made her struggle to breathe. Seeing this, I quickly spoke up.

"Don't struggle! Let the blood fill your trachea and lungs. It might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but it will get better soon! And don't breathe!"

Upon hearing my words, she immediately quieted down, demonstrating her trust in me.

A little while later...

"... Gurgle?"

She opened her eyes in the blood, slightly twisted her neck to look at her body, and then widened her eyes in surprise.

The scars are fading.

No, it's not as simple as the scars disappearing. My body, which had become weak due to overexertion during this period, has also become stronger. My slightly sunken cheeks have also become plump and regained their former luster. The unsightly appearance of my lower body has also returned to its beautiful shape, like a flower bud about to bloom.

Although it's invisible to the naked eye, it's the same inside the body; damaged organs are being nourished and are rapidly healing themselves.

"Xiao Ye, this is--"

"It's probably one of the new features after the upgrade."

Creating Blood Beast – in essence, it's about my blood becoming like the Serpent's Egg, generating "life force" that can be used not only to create servants but also to heal physical injuries.

In other words, I am now a human-shaped self-propelled emergency room.

To put it simply, you can be a summoner and a healer at the same time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monthly Votes! Monthly Votes ~ I don't want to be seventh forever!