"..."
The Music Classroom was eerily silent.
It was the unruffled composure Dekan had maintained ever since entering.
It was his unbelievable ability to control the school's broadcast system.
And it was the bizarre way he manipulated the other demons like an evil god.
All of it made the Demon Students' skin crawl.
Dekan had come here as if specifically to hunt them down.
Whether they tried to play dirty or fight fair, he would use the rules to turn their tactics against them.
It felt as though he were the ruler of the school!
There was no resisting him!
This time, the Music Teacher said nothing.
He simply started playing the piano.
In his eyes, the Demon Students' fate was already sealed.
He might as well finish up quickly and send this plague on his way.
That guy was bad news in every sense of the word.
Nothing about Dekan's performance or behavior was something a Demon Student could pull off.
The Music Teacher had already formed a few suspicions.
He was most likely the principal's plant, sent to catch people breaking the rules!
If Dekan stayed any longer, even he might end up in danger.
"Ding, ding-ding..."
The music began, but the Demon Students were already so dazed they didn't know what to sing.
So Dekan pretended to hold an imaginary microphone, his face full of mockery, and started singing to the Demon Students.
"No, no, no~"
And so, accompanied by the music, Dekan sang whatever he pleased.
The Demon Students' faces were filled with despair.
Even as they struggled with all their might, their voices couldn't overpower Dekan, who had control of the sound system.
Watching Dekan's utterly calm smile, they couldn't stop trembling. It was as if they were standing at the edge of a cliff, about to be shoved off.
That made three wrong answers from them.
"What a shame."
The Music Teacher sighed and stood up.
Next came the Music Teacher's killing spree.
Everyone but Dekan was slaughtered. The Demon Students' screams rang out as they were wiped out to the last...
The entire stage had become a slaughterhouse, thick with the stench of blood.
The Demon corpses scattered all over the stage seemed to leave Dekan with nowhere to set foot.
"You can leave now,"
the Music Teacher said with a frown.
He had strictly followed the rules, so Dekan had no reason to give him trouble.
Yet Dekan showed no sign of leaving, standing right where he was.
The Music Teacher grew increasingly uneasy.
"It's not time for class to end yet,"
Dekan said with a smile.
"You're free to leave. I'll give you a Demon Pass as the rules require."
As he spoke, the Music Teacher took out a familiar red Demon Ticket and held it out to Dekan.
But Dekan looked at it with distaste, then turned his gaze away.
He seemed too lazy even to take it.
The Music Teacher's frown deepened.
That simple test only confirmed his suspicions: this guy wasn't a student at all.
The Demon Students at this school were bound to crave a Demon Pass desperately.
In a way, the Demon Pass was a get-out-of-death-free card!
Even if this guy had stolen control of the broadcast system, the principal couldn't let him keep doing whatever he wanted.
If the Demon Pass truly held no appeal for him, then he had to be someone who'd come to the school temporarily!
"Were you sent by the principal?"
Vigilance filled the Music Teacher's eyes as he asked, his tone probing.
"You're clever. Unlike the other teachers, you actually managed to figure out who I am."
Dekan didn't answer the question directly.
His words still carried a hint of mockery, but at last he looked the Demon Teacher in the eye.
He seemed to have just spotted a rare clever one among a bunch of fools.
The Music Teacher's heart began to pound.
During the break earlier, the Music Teacher had heard some rumors—
Some strange incidents had taken place at school that day, and several teachers had been targeted one after another.
The methods used were extremely bizarre. It was as if they'd been lured into breaking the rules, then died without knowing why.
He couldn't help feeling relieved. Thankfully, he'd been well-informed and hadn't broken any rules just now.
Seeing the Music Teacher's expression, as if he'd just survived a major disaster, Dekan figured he'd filled in most of the blanks himself.
"But..."
Dekan changed tack.
He raised his index finger slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint smile. He let the silence linger meaningfully for two seconds before speaking:
"Someone even higher up."
The Music Teacher's pupils contracted sharply.
Higher up than the principal?
A flurry of guesses flashed through the Music Teacher's mind, but he didn't dare pursue them.
The other demon's identity had to be beyond anything he could imagine!
Demons like him, who seemed well-mannered and unlikely to fight, were actually the most terrifying.
You could never guess how strong they really were.
He would appear as the perfect Prey, then, just when you thought victory was assured, reveal a power so overwhelming it left you hopeless—and crush you like a toy!
The Music Teacher was nearly certain that if he'd shown even the slightest favoritism toward the Demon Students just now, his corpse would already be cold.
Even if Dekan didn't act himself, the principal would show up—or an enforcer Demon even more terrifying than the principal.
"Don't worry. You're a teacher who follows the rules, so we won't give you any trouble. We just have something we'd like your help with."
Dekan lowered his hand and clasped it behind his back, regarding the Music Teacher with a rather kind expression.
In an instant, his presence seemed to become warm and approachable.
"..."
The Music Teacher knew the demon before him was a smiling tiger, but he finally let out a breath of relief, his expression easing.
As long as the other party wasn't here to make trouble for him, that was all that mattered.
"Then may I ask what you need my help with, sir?"
The Music Teacher's tone became much more respectful.
"Please don't tell any other demons what I'm about to say. If word gets out, not even the principal will be able to protect you. Do you understand?"
Dekan spoke in the same unruffled tone.
The Music Teacher nodded gravely.
Dekan continued:
"As you know, many teachers at this school still don't teach by the book and think they can get away with it. They're so pleased with themselves, thinking they can deceive everyone. In fact, we've been unhappy about this for a long time, so today we launched this special operation."
"..."
The Music Teacher fell silent, cold sweat running down his back.
If he hadn't been careful, he might have been the one caught just now.
"In the past six hours alone, several teachers who broke the rules have been caught. I'm sure you've heard a little about it, haven't you?"
Dekan asked.
The Music Teacher hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"You were lucky. Of course, just lucky. You passed our screening."
There was a veiled warning in Dekan's words. "But everyone has a day when their luck runs out, don't they?"
The Music Teacher fell silent again.
He had no idea how to respond to Dekan's question, which carried more than a hint of intimidation.
"But luck isn't something you can't improve through your own efforts. Wouldn't you agree?"
Dekan placed a hand on the Music Teacher's shoulder and stared into his pupils, as if trying to peer into his soul.
~~~
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