"Using a drug for such a pointless test... I really don't know what to say to you."
Star Color sat in the back seat of the car, a tissue stuffed up his nose as he tilted his head back.
During the [Advanced Nurturing High School Entrance Exam], Star Color had used a drug that could improve his [physical fitness] for the athletic test.
"Even with the drug's help, your athletic score was still appalling. Is the difference in your hearts really that significant?"
The woman in the suit glanced at Star Color in the rearview mirror, while he rested his head in his hand and watched the scenery stream past the window.
Star Color noticed the gaze of the woman who had been by his side for two years. She'd said something easy to misunderstand. Strictly speaking, she was his [bodyguard].
"I didn't expect you to take an interest in school. You even left the [Gambling House] for it."
"I've never been interested in gambling or cheating themselves. They were just ways for me to survive."
"You sure have a lot of nerve, [Human Scum]."
"That nickname really never sounds right, no matter how I hear it."
Star Color waved a hand.
"How many years do you have left?"
Star Color fell silent.
"Even if I stay alive, what's the point? I'm just an ordinary, talentless deadwood, the kind you see everywhere. My interests and my life have no value."
"When a man like me steps into society and makes female friends, I have to spin around them like a top, wearing my self-abasing, servile heart on my sleeve. That's the only way to make the corners of their mouths lift."
"Ah, there you go again, pouring out your usual trash thoughts."
The woman sighed.
"I'm in a place like this. How normal do you think my thoughts could possibly be?"
"Fair enough."
She thought back to her time with this brat. He had no luck at gambling, and his techniques were atrocious, yet he always managed to win with some bizarre trick... This kid was no [normal-minded] gambler. Every time, she had to clean up his mess afterward. She had no idea how he'd become a [Gambling Officer].
" Ayanokouji Atsuomi is my prey. I'm going to slowly strip away his influence... Shigemori Sakayanagi is one of his allies, too, so I want to find a way to throw a wrench in his plans."
"According to the information, his beloved daughter, Sakayanagi Arisu, will be attending this school, too. As a young lady, she'll definitely be in the best class, so I need to find a way into Class A. If Plan A fails, I'll just put Plan B into action."
Star Color rambled on, then suddenly asked, "Can I have a drag?"
"My car isn't a place for you to smoke."
"Mean."
Star Color stuck out his tongue, his cheeks puffed up in a pout.
"Acting cute won't work. Plan B? You mean kidnapping his daughter? Same old Human Scum style—vile and underhanded."
"Kidnapping? You could call it that. The end goal is to break her mind. To destroy Shigemori Sakayanagi completely, from beginning to end."
"Tch. It doesn't suit your face at all. You're a disgusting creep with a rotten personality."
The woman, who had already witnessed Star Color's methods, felt disgusted from the bottom of her heart.
"Do you know about the concept of parallel worlds? We're just on the edge of one branch of the world lines. Different people exist on each branch. But there's one being called [Destiny]. [It] keeps the whole vast, tangled web of world lines running."
"Sounds like a fanciful theory from a third-rate sci-fi movie."
"Think whatever you want."
Silence fell, and the two enjoyed the quiet.
Star Color had once observed another world line and seen the [Rabbit Monster] that destroyed the world... Sakayanagi Usagi. A [kindred] who wiped out the [Advanced Nurturing High School]...
(Author's previous book, which was taken down)
Like two people reflected in a mirror, their essences were the same. But the obsessions that created them were worlds apart...
For a time, Star Color studied [Mysticism], [Ancient Christianity], [Kabbalah], [Feng Shui], [Alchemy], [Demons and Angels], [Monster], and the [Cthulhu Mythos].
Those were all systems of power from other dimensions...
There'll be more stories about Star Color's gambling outside the school later. They'll be more exciting than the school stuff...
For now, I'm still laying the groundwork, so the plot's moving a little slowly.
I wonder whether everyone prefers slice-of-life stories or a fast-paced, dramatic plot?
And thanks so much for all your support!
Before you continue