Morishita's revenge

Ai Morishita had prepared thoroughly for this day.

For victory, Ai Morishita had resolved to burn her bridges.

The moment to wash away her humiliation had come today.

To sink the "Takahashi Ren," she stood brazenly behind Takahashi Ren, firing one shell rolled from eraser crumbs after another.

"Direct hit!"

The first shot landed precisely near the back of his head.

However, the gap in strength between the two sides was simply too great.

"As expected, a single shot isn't enough to do any damage."

She loaded all the crumb shells she had rolled beforehand onto her palm.

"Behold our army's most powerful weapon! Gatling gun-fire!"

This time, a dense barrage of crumb shells shot out in one continuous burst.

Surely this would do some damage...

As though checking the damage, the "target ship," which had remained silent all this time, finally stirred slowly.

"Are you trying to tickle me?" Takahashi Ren did not even turn around.

Faced with such mockery, Ai Morishita fired off several more shells.

"That's enough."

"Nowhere near enough!" Her gaze grew even firmer. "To defeat evil once and for all, I, the holy maiden Joan of Arc, will sacrifice everything."

"What do you have to do with a holy maiden? You're clearly the evil one here."

"For love and peace, even if the world misunderstands and insults me, I will keep forging ahead."

As she spoke, she prepared to load more shells.

"You really are asking for it." Seeing that Ai Morishita was getting full of herself again, Takahashi Ren felt it was time to throw some cold water on her.

Seeing that the enemy had sounded the horn and was about to launch a counterattack, Ai Morishita tensed.

Takahashi Ren picked up the whole eraser and made as if to throw it at her.

Ai Morishita reacted quickly, immediately shielding her face with a book.

Heh, a petty trick like that was nothing before her wealth of combat experience.

Takahashi Ren merely gave it a gentle toss. The eraser traced an arc, sailed over the book, and landed precisely on top of Ai Morishita's head.

"Ow!" She clutched her head in pain.

The "Joan of Arc" was sunk in a single hit.

She really was terrible at this, yet kept coming back for more.

"If you're the holy maiden Joan of Arc, then I'm the Demon King." Takahashi Ren retrieved his eraser. "Do I really need to tell you what happens to knights who come to slay the Demon King?"

"Damn it, just you wait." Ai Morishita delivered another loser's speech.

The classmates around them who had witnessed this "battle" all cast looks of approval and admiration at Takahashi Ren.

Ai Morishita returned to her seat and resentfully pulled out her notebook, found the page with a pig's head and "Takahashi Ren" written on it, and viciously added another mark.

Seeing that the outcome had been decided, Ishida and Toba Shigeru came over.

"Wow, why is Takahashi the only one who can get the better of Morishita?" Ishida asked in puzzlement.

"I know. It's like type matchups in a game. Takahashi is her natural counter." Toba Shigeru was thoroughly convinced.

"Makes sense. That's Takahashi for you, easily doing what we can't," Ishida said with admiration too.

"Maybe." Takahashi Ren smiled.

"Still, there might be another reason." Toba Shigeru raised his eyebrows.

"What do you mean by that?" Takahashi Ren asked.

"Don't play dumb. There's definitely something between you two."

"What are you talking about? It's just classmates messing around."

"Ha, that's how sparks start, with messing around," Toba Shigeru teased.

"What are you two talking in riddles for? What something? What sparks?" Ishida looked completely lost.

"You don't get it?" Toba Shigeru smiled with an air of mystery.

"Nope."

"If you don't get it, you're not ready yet. Keep watching and learning. In this department, you're just a little girl."

"Whatever. Like I care," Ishida said, pursing his lips.

"Really? Then I won't explain."

"Tell me, tell me. I was kidding."

Toba Shigeru leaned over and whispered a few words to Ishida. Only then did understanding dawn on Ishida.

"You don't even get that? What have you been studying all this time?" Toba Shigeru teased.

"They don't teach this stuff in textbooks," Ishida retorted. "You make it sound like you've experienced it yourself."

Silence was Cambridge that morning.

One sentence had left both of them stumped.

Toba Shigeru and Takahashi Ren were both armchair experts.

When the noon bell rang, the three of them went to the cafeteria to eat.

On the way, Toba Shigeru suddenly sighed. "Ah, it sure is nice to be handsome."

Takahashi Ren followed his gaze. It was their classmate, Satonaka Satoshi, surrounded by several girls.

"Can't be helped. He's number one on the handsome guys ranking, after all," Ishida added. "Still, he's got nothing on the readers."

"There's a ranking for that? They really have too much time on their hands." Takahashi Ren looked away.

"The first-year girls made it. There's also a rich people ranking, a disgusting people ranking..." Ishida counted them off on his fingers.

"Out of the three of us, only you made a list, Takahashi. Seventh on the talent ranking." Toba Shigeru patted his shoulder.

"All the judgments other people make about you aren't worth one ten-thousandth of your own. No need to worry about them." Takahashi Ren offered his view.

He had never cared for this sort of thing. He had his own set of standards.

"Well said. Those people should hear that too." Toba Shigeru applauded in approval.

Ishida, meanwhile, quietly mulled it over beside them.

"It's Kushida!" Toba Shigeru's eyes lit up, and he excitedly waved at someone a short distance away.

A girl with short brown hair turned around and politely gave them a small wave.

"Who's that?" Takahashi Ren asked.

"Kikyo Kushida from Class D. She and Ichinose are known as the 'two little angels.'"

Had angels descended to earth? Takahashi Ren rather wanted to see for himself.

"How do you know her?" Ishida looked suspiciously at Toba Shigeru.

"She came up to me a few days ago and asked to be friends."

"She did?" Upon hearing this, Ishida put on a stern expression and gave him a punch. "Keeping that from us? That's not very friendly of you."

"It slipped my mind. Sorry, sorry." Toba Shigeru smiled apologetically.

After club activities ended, Takahashi Ren stayed behind alone to practice a little longer, and was the last to lock up and leave.

The hallway was deserted, and hardly anyone remained in the entire school building.

As he headed toward the stairs, he unexpectedly caught sight of someone going upstairs. Her profile looked somewhat familiar; she seemed to be that Kikyo Kushida he had just heard about today.

Then another boy followed behind her.

Takahashi Ren stopped. Although he was a little curious, if they were going on a date, it would be inappropriate for him to follow.

Just as he was about to head downstairs, a low curse faintly reached his ears.

"So annoying."

"So damn annoying... I'm so pissed off... Why doesn't Horikita just die...?"

Kushida cursed under her breath as though reciting an incantation.

A dull thud followed as she kicked a door.

Had those words really come from that "little angel," Kushida?

A fallen angel seemed more like it.

It was not hard to tell from her words that someone named Horikita had upset her.

Horikita? Come to think of it, the Student Council president was also named Horikita. Could it be...?

But Takahashi Ren had never heard Kushida's voice before, after all, so he could not be certain it was her. And what was the relationship between her and the boy following her?

Full of questions, he kept close to the wall and, driven by curiosity, slowly climbed the staircase leading into the abyss, one step at a time.