The Other

"Hey, watch the ball! Look out!"

A soccer ball dropped from the sky, startling the Dorm Supervisor and interrupting Yin Ge's thoughts.

Just as the ball was about to hit the Dorm Supervisor, he sidestepped and trapped it.

"Be careful!" The good-natured Dorm Supervisor kicked the ball back.

With a soft plop, Yin Ge watched the soccer ball come to a steady stop in midair.

No, it had landed in the High School Student's hands.

"Thanks!" the High School Student called out.

The next moment, the soccer ball landed on the grass. The High School Student, the School Bully, and the School Beauty began kicking it around together, looking very happy.

Yin Ge had assumed the High School Student resisted attending PE because he was afraid of being mocked by his classmates, but that did not seem to be the case.

Then... did he actually want to attend PE?

Just as Yin Ge was lost in thought, the PE Teacher walked over and stopped the High School Student.

"Want to take a break?"

The High School Student stood before the PE Teacher with the ball in his arms. "No, I'm not tired."

"Alright." The PE Teacher scratched his head and looked at the School Bully and School Beauty behind him. "Then keep an eye on him."

With that, he left.

Bang!

The sound of the soccer ball hitting the ground rang out.

For some reason, the High School Student dropped the ball and walked off to the side.

The School Bully and School Beauty followed behind him with worried expressions.

"Keep going. We still haven't decided a winner yet," the School Bully said.

"I don't want to play anymore." The High School Student's voice was muffled.

It was clear that he was very unhappy.

"Why?" The School Beauty was confused. "You were clearly having fun just now."

"Did those stinking boys say something stupid and make you mad?"

"I'll go teach them a lesson for you!"

The School Beauty stamped her foot and was about to go grab the boys who had mocked the High School Student.

The High School Student hurriedly pulled her back. "No, it has nothing to do with them."

The School Beauty frowned, took a deep breath, and looked at the School Bully. "Look at him. Whenever he's wronged, he never says anything. He just bottles it all up."

"I really don't know how you two became such good friends."

"You wouldn't understand." The School Bully stretched lazily. "If he doesn't want to play, then he doesn't want to play. I'm tired too. Let's rest for a while."

The School Beauty pursed her lips. "Fine."

The three of them walked to the side. Neither the School Bully nor the High School Student said much, while the School Beauty kept trying to start conversations.

Watching their backs, Yin Ge fell into thought.

The School Beauty might not have understood why the High School Student had suddenly stopped playing, but Yin Ge could see it.

Most likely, the excessive protection from others had made the High School Student feel inferior, killing his interest in playing soccer.

Yin Ge thought in that direction because she had once had a friend whose legs were disabled. Her friend was optimistic and cheerful, but extremely proud.

Whenever someone tried to support or help her, that pride would reach its peak.

She had told Yin Ge that the actions of those well-meaning people were actually a disguised reminder that she was different.

People would not help a normal person cross the street.

Those had been her exact words.

So later, Yin Ge came to understand that being overly strong was merely another form of inferiority.

For disabled people, the best way to get along with them was to treat them as normal people and regard them as equals.

Excessive protection would instead stir up their feelings of inferiority.

And when the teachers dealt with the High School Student, they truly were overly concerned about him.

That concern constantly reminded the High School Student that he was different from normal people!

For instance, the Head Teacher and the PE Teacher treated him as though they were afraid he would break if held in their hands and melt if kept in their mouths.

That was why the High School Student would react with "not wanting to play" when faced with their concern.

In contrast, there was the impartial Grade-Level Head, as well as the School Bully and School Beauty, who treated the High School Student like a normal person.

When he was with them, the High School Student was relatively more cheerful. He had been happy when he came to the field, and happy when he played soccer.

Could the Head Teacher's excessive protection be what caused the High School Student to transfer schools three days later...? Yin Ge pondered carefully.

"Ring, ring-ring~"

The sudden dismissal bell interrupted Yin Ge's thoughts.

The students gradually left the field, but the Dorm Supervisor was still practicing tai chi there.

Why did I have to become the Dorm Supervisor? If I can't get close to the High School Student, I can't obtain more information. What a loss... Yin Ge thought.

Just as she felt regretful, a familiar figure entered the Dorm Supervisor's peripheral vision.

The School Bully?

Why had he come back again?

Yin Ge stared intently at him and saw him walk straight toward one of the boys who had led the mockery of the High School Student. He put an arm around the boy's shoulders and led him into the restroom.

Immediately afterward, a large group of boys followed them inside, including the Poor Student.

What the hell is going on... Yin Ge was both shocked and suspicious, all kinds of thoughts flooding her mind.

Could the School Bully have staged everything himself and ordered those people to mock the High School Student?

Or was the School Bully going to settle the score with them now and avenge the High School Student?

If only I could move!

Yin Ge was anxious, but she had no way to follow them and investigate.

Worse still, the Dorm Supervisor began walking off the field!

Of all times, why now?

Yin Ge could do nothing about it.

After that, Yin Ge did not see another person bearing a Godhead for the entire afternoon.

She waited in thought until six o'clock.

With a soft plop, the entire world was swallowed by darkness.

But in the blink of an eye, the surroundings lit up again.

Yin Ge skillfully moved her arms.

Now was... Persona Time!

In less than the blink of an eye, she had left the boys' dormitory and arrived in the High School Student's classroom.

Turning her head, she saw that the other seven people were all here as well, each with a different expression.

Only the Poor Student was absent.

"Huh? Why is one person missing?" the Principal asked.

"The Poor Student is gone," the Grade-Level Head said as well.

The two soldiers were extremely observant and immediately noticed that one of their companions was absent.

Yin Ge said nothing.

She had considered it. She could find an opportunity to tell the two soldiers that she had already contained the Poor Student's Beasthood, but she could not say it in front of everyone.

After all, human hearts were hard to read. If she said it, someone might question her, making her the focus of attention and drawing another Beasthood's notice.

Moreover, the matter of the "Sage" was classified information of the Neutrino Persona Order Center. She could not reveal it, nor would it be appropriate to do so.

That was also why she concealed her identity as a White Nighter and had the two soldiers conceal theirs.

During the first game, Gu Jin had become the focus of everyone's attention because he stood out too quickly and revealed too much information.

When death was on the line, it was difficult for people to trust others. Knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing.

It would be better not to say anything. She could even use the Poor Student's disappearance to steer the conversation, muddy the waters, and mislead the Beasthood.

Thinking of that fallen soldier, Yin Ge did not feel good.

But now was not the time to be sad.

She pulled herself together and spoke in a frightened tone. "H-He... could he have been killed by the Beasthood?"

As she spoke, she also watched the expressions on everyone else's faces.

If anyone showed a confused expression, that person might very well be the Killer.