Kaneda Satoru's Resolve

Seishiki Otonashi recommended books about Camus to Miki Yamamura. Perhaps these books would help Yamamura better understand herself and solitude.

Camus was an undeniably charismatic man. The world is absurd, filled with absurd things. One must never despair or degenerate, but rise up in rebellion against the absurdity.

Miki Yamamura, I will observe you—whether you break the shackles of [Heaven's Mandate] or remain bound by fate forever. What an interesting experiment... In a sense, Yamamura's curse is also part of her ability.

Otonashi covered his mouth, unable to suppress a laugh.

The teacher held a swimming competition for 5000 points. Otonashi sat on the shore, thinking about Kaneda Satoru.

But it was strange... To Otonashi's left sat Miki Yamamura, and to his right, Emi Tamiya.

Whoa... How was he supposed to think like this?

Tamiya Emi was certainly pretty, but Yamamura Miki had her own charm.

Her ponytail, a bit plain... though dowdy, she was far from lacking in allure! Her drooping eyes were even more exaggerated than Tamiya's, and the slightest furrow of her brow gave off that 'natural look of disdain.' Just thinking about it got Otonashi excited...

What the hell was he thinking?! Otonashi immediately slapped his own cheeks. Was he really the repressed pervert Classmate Sakayanagi had mentioned? No way! Hmph.

Speaking of which, was Tamiya secretly closing the distance again...

Too close. This was seriously bad.

"Otonashi-kun."

"What's up?"

"By the way, you still haven't mastered swimming, have you?"

"Eh... Haha, you caught me."

Otonashi couldn't swim at all, so he'd deliberately lowered his presence. Then he'd chatted with the invisible girl, 'Miki Yamamura.'

"Do you want me to teach you?"

"Really, you would?"

The boys' champion was [Hayato Kito]. What a splendid victory. Congratulations.

During the free time after the competition, Emi Tamiya grabbed Otonashi's arm as they slowly moved through the shallow water. Otonashi, like a puppy, tilted his head back and paddled his slender legs.

[Otonashi learned → Dog Paddle [Water Skill]]

Otonashi's mind was filled with the skill-learned interface common in RPG games. If he didn't fall into delusion, right in front of his eyes was Tamiya's chest... How was he supposed to calmly learn to swim like this! Being able to see the shape and bounce so close... This humble one would die without regrets!

He took a deep breath, letting the blush on his face fade.

"I'm good now. I've got it."

Emi Tamiya finally let go, and Otonashi slowly lowered his feet to the ground.

After calming the pounding in his heart, the swimming lesson came to an end.

(Kaneda Satoru's perspective)

Monday after school—

Another day of suffering the pain of violence...

Ryuuen Sho, who ruled the class with violence, had a history of those who defied tyrants dying gruesome deaths.

No one could help him. Everyone was cowed by the violence. If the whole class had united, they wouldn't have let Ryuuen run rampant like this. In the end, they were just cold bystanders.

If he hadn't met Seishiki Otonashi, he would have submitted to Ryuuen Sho.

A dog being electrocuted? It was the same as his situation. Since childhood, his grades had never been bad—in fact, they were excellent...

This school advocated meritocracy, not academic excellence. That explained why this scumbag was in the same class as him.

No one in his upbringing had ever taught him how to turn off the [button] or how to [resist violence]. So when the electric shocks kept coming, he endured and even yielded.

But now, Kaneda Satoru was completely different.

No matter what Ryuuen Sho did, at the end of the day, he was just a scumbag who abused violence.

So resistance was correct.

[Violence with legitimacy is precisely what people deeply desire in their hearts.]

Those were Otonashi's words. He remembered them well.

What Ryuuen Sho wanted to exercise was [legitimate violence]. As long as he became the leader, his violence would be tacitly approved—it would be legitimate.

This guy had chosen an extremely clever method, and Kaneda had to admire him for it.

[Violence can never make others happy...]

[Violence can never make others joyful...]

[Violence can never make others admire you...]

[When everyone obeys out of fear, that is the manifestation of violence.]

The words Otonashi had spoken that night echoed in his ears like radio waves propagating through the air.

He was cornered in the classroom by Albert and Daichi Ishizaki.

"Hey, you four-eyes seem a bit unconvinced. Today you actually dared to openly challenge me."

Ryuuen Sho sat high above on the podium, looking down at Kaneda Satoru.

That sacred podium—only worthy teachers deserved it. A guy like Ryuuen Sho belonged in a prison cell.

"You think I'll submit to someone who only knows how to abuse violence?"

Kaneda Satoru pushed up his glasses. Even though fear of Ryuuen's violence still lingered in his heart, he had already managed not to flinch, standing straight like a man with his spine steeled.

Ryuuen Sho watched Kaneda's resolute aura and froze for a moment. The fear he had planted in him... had it just vanished?

"One vacation and you've forgotten the pain? Looks like I'll have to double down on showing you some love. This time won't be like last week's little game... Better clench your teeth tight."

Albert and Daichi Ishizaki grabbed Kaneda Satoru and dragged him to the familiar bathroom.

The tap ran... until the basin overflowed.

Ryuuen Sho drove his knee into Kaneda's stomach. Kaneda curled up from the pain and momentum.

He gasped instinctively, but a hand shoved his head into the water.

Water...

His throat, his nose—all water...

Agonizing...

Kaneda's hand gripped the fabric of his pocket...

"Either submit to me, or keep suffering this pain. Choose."

Kaneda Satoru gasped for air and spat out viciously.

"My choice is..."

"Fuck you, Ryuuen Sho!"

He pulled a bag of flour mixed with chili flakes from his pocket and flung it into Ryuuen's face, then threw the hardest punch of his life straight at Ryuuen's nose.

Vision blinded, with the chili's stinging effect, a person's instinct is to rub their eyes or curl up to protect themselves. Even a tyrant was no exception.

"Are you laying a hand on me?! Kaneda Satoru!"

Ryuuen Sho locked onto Kaneda with blurry vision. Kaneda pulled a can of insecticide from his backpack. Tied to the can's body was a strange mechanical contraption.

(Friday night)

"Why are we taking apart this microwave that looks brand new?"

Kaneda Satoru looked puzzled at Star Color, who was expertly disassembling the appliance.

"To make a weapon."

Tools acquired, batteries acquired, wires acquired, insecticide acquired. Star Color inventoried the needed items.

Then, to clear up Kaneda's confusion, Star Color pulled a lighter from his pocket, pressed it, and a small flame appeared.

"Kaneda, guess the principle behind a lighter."

"Electric ignition."

"Bingo! So what if we make a big electric igniter and attach it to the insecticide?"

"A makeshift flamethrower?"

Kaneda Satoru caught on fast—truly a good student. Looked like the typical science type.

"Insecticide contains flammable components, like propane, butane, and other hydrocarbons."

"And if we throw a handful of flour in Ryuuen Sho's face first, then ignite it—what happens?"

"A dust explosion?! Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"

Star Color just smiled faintly, sitting in his chair and watching Kaneda. That bone-deep, terrifying grin...

"His grades are crap anyway. A little scare is enough. Using behavioral and information gaps to fool an idiot like him—that's the basics of being a con artist. Flour is only flammable under certain conditions, and that bag will scatter on the floor soon. So no worries!"

"Besides, if you don't make him afraid, next time the bullying will only get worse. Kaneda Satoru, are you ready for mutual destruction? Forget it—even if you're not, I'll help you anyway. I've already contacted the Student Council's vice president. That guy can keep Ryuuen in check for a while."

"Then there's only one answer!"

Kaneda's glasses gleamed as he suddenly shouted, startling Star Color.

"What the hell, you scared me."

"I'm going to make sure Ryuuen Sho never bullies the weak again!"

"Eh, well, having resolve is a good thing."

The insecticide had been modified by the two of them. A metal spring clip was added to the spray nozzle—when the upper and lower contacts touched, it would instantly activate the electric igniter. The insecticide would spray out from the can, and passing through the high-temperature arc, it would turn into flames.

(The insecticide won't backfire, but it's still dangerous. Do not imitate.)

Kaneda Satoru aimed to the right, away from where the flour had scattered, and pressed the insecticide. The roaring flame and the sound of the electric arc tearing through the air—no human could suppress their primal fear. The terror of thunder and lightning, etched into humanity's DNA by their ancestors, had become tangible.

"If you take even one step forward, I'll aim the flame at the space between us. The dust in the air and the dust on your face will ignite, causing a dust explosion. Then we'll both end up crippled!"

Kaneda Satoru prayed inwardly that he didn't understand the mechanics of dust explosions. In truth, flour dust explosions required specific conditions—when flour particles float in the air and mix with oxygen to reach a certain concentration, only then does a fire source trigger an explosion.

Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humanity, and humanity used flame to conquer nature. With fire, humans could cook food and keep warm; with fire, humans could forge weapons...

Ryuuen Sho stared at the roaring pillar of flame and Kaneda Satoru's so-called "lie," completely unwilling to advance.

He had brought two underlings: a nigger who couldn't even speak Japanese properly, and Daichi Ishizaki—brawny, simple-minded, but at least a normal person. Neither of them had good grades either, so Kaneda Satoru had managed to bluff them as well.

"As long as knowledge still has its uses, I can keep crushing trash like you with my mind. I don't care how vicious your methods are—if you dare come at me, even if it means mutual destruction, I'll teach you how to spell 'death'!"

Ryuuen Sho stared at Kaneda Satoru in disbelief. He had thought Kaneda was just another boring good student like the ones from his middle school—someone he could bully at will. But this situation had completely exceeded his expectations.

He had wanted to plant fear in everyone's hearts, but instead, it had backfired and ignited this guy's will to fight? He could feel that fearless, cheetah-like look in Kaneda Satoru's eyes. Had this guy super-evolved?

"Kaneda Satoru! You really make me see you in a new light. I thought you were just some boring good student. I never expected you to dare resist me! I'll come for you every day, every hour, no matter when. During class, between classes, after school, during breaks, while you're eating lunch, while you're in the bathroom, on your way back to the dorm!"

"Can you endure the violence I'll bring down on you for these three years?! Kaneda Satoru!!"

Ryuuen Sho let out a villainous laugh, like a declaration of war... Just as Star Color had guessed. Only now did Ryuuen Sho feel fear toward Kaneda Satoru—though not yet to a certain degree...

"Oh? How interesting. Unifying the class through violence?"

At that moment, the bathroom door slid open.

The blond-haired man revealed a smile, looking at the redhead before him.