《John's worries about his Harem》


 Chapter 1 - Johns Worries

    Credits: Thanks, JayDirex.


    <hr>


    Under the night sky, in the backyard of his house, there stood a lone boy deep in his thoughts while gazing at the stars.


    Ah, my both of my feet are starting to hurt. Just standing here is not making my head cool any faster...


    Something bothered the mind of the lonely boy. And so, he moved his gaze towards his wrists and started doing a monologue for some reason.


    "Become poor or be subjected to lots of torture... Such a hard choice. Not that I get to be able to choose anyways," muttered the boy to himself while looking at his wrists.


    Fresh bruises covered most of his wrists. The freshness proved that someone or something must have caused it just recently.


    "Who the hell wants to live alone with those two demonic little sisters of mine anyways? No fighting back my ass!" angrily yelled the boy while clenching his fists as he stomped on the ground with force.


    He paused a bit and turned around to look behind. There, he saw his normal looking 2-storey house, but only for a moment as he shortly turned around again to continue his rant.


    "Good, good. No one saw me say that... Now where was I? Oh, right! --They always violently attack me and I even when I call them out on it, my parents still won''t do a damn thing!" said the boy while forcing a frown and gritting his teeth.


    The boy''s his facial expression suddenly became neutral. He looked behind him again, but this time, he waited for a few seconds before turning back to his previous direction.


    "...I really hope no one saw that. Ahh~ This is so embarrassing."


    He felt goose bumps as he imagined how awkward it would be if his family members saw his little solo performance.


    After that short monologue, he turned around in order to face the direction of his house again. This time, for good.


    "Uhh, oh right, my finale. --But now that my parents will be gone for a while, no one can stop my... My revenge! Mwahaha!"


    The boy extended his right hand forward and grasped the air. From his point of view, it looked like he just squeezed the whole house with his hand.


    "John? Are you talking to someone?"


    A male voice suddenly came from the direction of the house. To be precise, it came from the second floor''s balcony which faced the backyard.


    "Mwahahaaa--? Bffkhh! Cough! Cough! What the hell!? No wait, I mean, what is it, dad? N-need something?" replied the stuttering boy named John upon seeing his father pop out of the balcony.


    "Oh, nothing. I just thought I heard someone so I came to check. What were you doing just now?" asked John''s father while pressing himself against the balcony.


    "What? Oh, haha! Nothing! I was just reciting some recipes for cooking," replied John with a smile while desperately avoiding eye-contact, despite his father being too far away for them to actually have eye-contact.


    "...Okay, just don''t sleep too late. Just like you said, you will need to cook for yourselves starting tomorrow since your step-mom and I will be leaving after midnight."


    John''s father went back inside the house after he said his words to John.


    Finally released from the pressure due to almost getting himself caught doing an embarrassing act, John decided to idle around for a few more minutes.


    "Sigh... Time to sleep. I just hope I can survive the following days of being alone with those two bitc- Err, girls..."


    John tried to head back inside the house, but before that...


    Without warning, a blindingly bright light appeared just a few meters above him.


    "Huh? What the? Can''t see," said John while blocking his eyes as he faced the hovering light from above.


    "StAte yOur nAMe."


    A voice reached John''s ears, asking for his name.


    "...Wait, what?" murmured John, not understanding what he just heard. He wanted to know who said it so he looked around. He tried but he could not discern where or which direction it came from.


    Unable to find anyone else who could possibly be the source of the voice, he reflexively stared at the unnatural light.


    "ONce aGaiN, I sAy, stAte yOur nAme."


    This time, he felt a chill down his spine.


    Wait, why is there such a bright light at this tim-- Oh shit! C-could it be... Aliens?


    He clearly heard the voice. To him, it felt like the words came from both the hovering light and inside his head at the same time.


    A static-like, gut wrenching, unrecognizable voice. He could not determine whether the voice belonged to a male or a female, or whether it came from a human at all. He only knew, no, he felt that he needed to obey and answer the voice said at any cost.


    "M-my name is John."


    He could barely contain himself as he struggled to not move a muscle while standing still like an unmoving statue.


    "...UnDerstOOd. BuT I doN''t lIke yOur nAme. Jun... Jon... Jen... Jin... Jan... YOur nAme wILL nOw bE Jan."


    "...Huh?" John could not comprehend what the voice just said. He could only stand idly, trying to decipher the meaning of the voice''s words, all while still staring at the hovering light.


    "NonOnoNo, oN sEconD thOught. Jan sOunds unfIt arOund hEre. I''lL cAll yOu John instEad. SOrrY bUt I''lL bE trOublIng yOu fOr a bIt, John."


    After the voice finished saying it''s sentence, John did not have any time to retort back with "My name is already John!" like he intended to since something else happened immediately.


    The light went down onto the ground, slowly shaped itself into a pure white crack on an empty space, its height and witdh matching that of an average door, and from within it out came a brighter beam of light which shot towards John.


    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--!!"


    Due to the sudden panic caused by the situation, John fell on his butt while shouting with closed eyes, expecting the light to hit him any moment now...


    "--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--!!"


    Any moment now...


    "--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--!!"


    .....Nothing happened.


    "--aaaaaaai think I''m going crazy... Did I just have a hallucination? I really need to go get some sleep now," said John as he slowly stood up.


    After tidying himself up, he went inside the house and headed straight to his room.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "--ake up..."


    John heard a vague voice.


    "Wake up..."


    He heard it again. This time, the voice became clearer. It belonged to a girl.


    "John! Wake up!"


    In response to the voice, John slowly opened his eyes. He found himself sitting on a chair while hunched over his desk as if in a sleeping position. Realizing that, he raised his head and looked around him.


    "Mnh... Huh? Why am I here in the classroom? ...Oh, wait. I was dreaming about that night again."


    Shortly after that, he finally noticed the Class President standing right next to him.


    "Hn? Class Prez? What do you want?" asked John as he rubbed his half-closed eyes while facing the direction of the Class President.


    "You can''t sleep during our class!!!" shouted the Class President right directly at John''s ears, fully waking him up in the process while making his head hurt. This of course, caused a minor side-effect. That effect being...


    To John, the Class President looked just like a person from inside a muted television. She kept moving her mouth without any sound coming from it. Or at least that''s how it seemed.


    Finding no quick solution to this minor problem, John decided to mindlessly stare and wait for her to finish speaking instead.


    "....And...while... And so, you get what I''m saying?"


    "...What? Whatever it is you''re trying to say, I''m sorry. My ears are still ringing right now thanks to you," said John while covering his ears.


    He of course already recovered enough to hear her properly but he ultimately decided to act like otherwise instead.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "Whatever! Just learn to control yourself, or better yet, learn to sleep on a bed instead of your desk for once," said the Class President while looking annoyed.


    "Oh yeah!? How about you try not appearing on my bed all of a sudden? Why were you even on my house last night anyways?" retorted John as he slammed at his desk.


    Although John did not know, his words attracted different types of gazes from the many classmates already listening to their loud exchange. Both good and bad gazes.


    "Y-you be quiet! Everyone will misunderstand!"


    The Class President blushed shortly before she started weakly pummeling John in retaliation. Meanwhile, John tried to shield himself despite the attacks doing no actual harm.


    "No, hey! Hey! Stop that! It''s getting annoying!"


    All of a sudden, someone banged on the huge blackboard in front of the entire class three times.


    The loud sound caught everyone''s attention.


    Every student inside the classroom, including both the bickering John and the Class President, turned to the source of the sound. It came from the female teacher banging on the blackboard with a meter stick.


    "Class President, stop that! John, you too! Stop sleeping during class hours and listen to my lecture!" yelled the female teacher while pointing her meter stick towards John and the Class President.


    "...Yes Ma''am," replied both John and the Class President. The Class President returned to her seat afterwards.


    "Good. Oh! Now that I remember it, John. I''ll go to your house today to ensure that you study and sleep on time," said the teacher as she crossed her arms after placing down the meter stick she just used.


    Oh no! Not again! I''m sure this will start the usual chain reaction! Damn, why did the teacher have to say that!?


    Not long after John thought that, his predictions came true.


    "Me too! I wanna go too!", "Same here!", "I''ll tag along!", etc. etc.


    Like the teacher, the girls of the class also stated their own plans and wishes to go to John''s house.


    Of course, except for John, all the boys of the class won''t take the events that kindly.


    "Why!? This is no fair!", "John, you lucky bastard!", "I''ll forgive you if you take me to your house!", "I''ll turn this John into a realistic zombie!", etc. etc.


    You guys wouldn''t be jealous if you know how bad this situation really is! I can''t even sleep peacefully anymore!


    John could only curse and make up excuses inside his head as the situation grew worse.


    Again, the teacher banged on the blackboard using her meter stick to call for everyone''s attention.


    "Everyone! Be quiet! I''ll start the lecture for the History now," said the teacher after looking around to make sure she successfully silenced the students.


    The students remained silent as they listened to the teacher''s lecture. John however, instead of listening to the teacher, just sank deep into his thoughts.


    "After World War Three ended, most of the powerful nations fell--"


    That dream... No, I think it was more like a memory.


    "--everyone ignored the ban on using nuclear missiles--"


    I remember now. The girls started acting weird about a week ago, or to be exact, the day my parents left for their business trip...


    "--Lots of children were orphaned so the military took them in and--"


    It was also that very same day that my sisters suddenly apologized to me. Although, I still think they''re planning something behind my back, just waiting for their chance...


    "--A few years later, after the end of the war, the side-effects of nuking each other started to show--"


    Wait, what if my sisters coerced all these girls here into staging a big prank for me? I know how much of a jerk my sisters are. If so...


    "--So when you see someone with colored hair, it''s most likely their natural hair color--"


    Even then, some girls who''s names I don''t even know are starting to act weird too. It''s so obvious. I won''t fall for their tricks anymore! That''s why...


    "--Along with physical changes came the cultural changes all over the world and... John? John, are you listening?"


    I''ll never be deceived by their fake love for me! Come at me all you want but I will neve--


    "John! Stand up and repeat what I just said!" shouted the teacher, interrupting John''s thoughts.


    John immediately stood up and tried to come up with words.


    "Ah! Huh? Uhh, err... Something about fake--"


    "F-fake? Ah, N-never mind, continue," said the teacher while blushing and covering her breasts from John''s sight.


    She looked concerned about something around her chest area, but John did not care about that due to the struggle to find an appropriate answer.


    He instead tried to make up his own answer on the spot.


    "I, uh, I mean, deceiving the soldiers and fake world leaders to--"


    Without warning, the school bell rang, interrupting John''s sentence.


    "--Oh! Time to go home! Thanks for the lessons, teacher," said John as he stood up and began quickly packing his things.


    "O-okay! I''ll go to your home after I get my things at the faculty office," replied the blushing teacher.


    Afterwards, she left the classroom with heavy footsteps while murmuring something like, "I can''t believe he found out..."


    Ah dammit! I have to hurry up or else they will catch me and force their way into my house!


    As John thought that, someone suddenly called out from behind him.


    "Hey! How''s my best friend doing? Are you free this Friday?" said a male student while giving John a smug look.


    "Sigh... Need something, Jason?" coldly asked John while continuing to pack his things.


    "Awe, don''t be like that! I''m being considerate to you since I''m your only real friend, you know?" said Jason, as he placed a hand on John''s shoulder.


    "Tch! Why you--!! Sigh..."


    Because of the passive-aggressive tone of the last sentence, John wanted to hit Jason, but he eventually managed to calm himself down. He then continued to ask Jason while having a clenched fist prepared,


    "Come on, out with it. What do you want? Why Friday?"


    "That''s more like it! You see, I''ve got these tickets for a concert here!" replied the smiling Jason while using his other hand to wave around two tickets in front of John''s face.


    "...Oh! Isn''t that the upcoming concert of that one new famous Idol called Hielo?" asked John with a curious look on his face after he finished packing his things.


    "Yeah. So what do you think? Interested in my offer?" replied Jason with a proud look, waving around the tickets even faster.


    "Yeaaaah, no. Sorry, but I have plans. Ask again some other time."


    "Man, you''re such a kill-joy. Oh well, see ya'' tomorrow!" said Jason as he left the room.


    Did I really have plans this coming Friday? Hmmm... I''m pretty sure that I made a promise to come with this one girl who I can''t really remember the name of, but... Wait, never mind the girl. I have a plan now! I''ll definitely enjoy myself this Friday! I''ll take a break from all of this turmoil, all by myself! Completely alone!


    As John thought that, he exited the room with a happy smile, not knowing what fate awaited him in the following days.


    Upon reaching the school gate, John spotted a variety of girls waiting for him.


    Girls with colorful hair, little girls, adult women who look like little girls, girls from another school, and many other girls grouped up together while waiting for John.


    Wait, why are there girls gathered by the school gate? And is that our teacher? ...Oh no.


    John did not realize that he wasted too much time talking to Jason earlier.

 Chapter 1.5 Supplementary Stories

    Sisters Supplementary Story 1 - Relative Repentance


    My name is Joan.


    I have a step sister named Cindy and an older brother named John, who I call "Big Bro" inside my head.


    Cindy came to our lives when Dad re-married after my previous Mom passed away. I was eight years old then, and that would also make Big Bro ten at the time too!


    Big Bro and I treated Cindy like a real sister. Coincidentally, Cindy and I share the same age and birthday, so we always celebrate it together!


    Dad, my new Mom, Cindy, Big Bro, and me! We were all one big happy family!


    But that''s all in the past now...


    As time passed, I became too attached to Cindy, so my relationship with Big Bro John slowly became more distant.


    When I learned that Cindy has taken a liking to Big Bro, I felt afraid. Afraid that someday, they would both leave me alone.


    That''s why I hated Big B- ...John for trying to take Cindy away from me!


    And so I started hurting John whenever I see him. He can''t do anything about it since he would be scolded if he fought back "because he was the older one", or at least that''s what my parents always say.


    Eventually, I felt that just me alone hurting John did not feel satisfying enough, so I also decided to make Cindy join the fun. She hesitated at first but eventually got used to it after so many times. However, it felt like she did not enjoy it at all.


    For years, the pathetic John always gets hurt every time he comes near us. It eventually reached the point where he would openly avoid us if possible.


    After John said that he felt afraid of us all the time, I finally said to myself that I achieved victory! That they would never leave me alone anymore. That John would not take Cindy away from me anymore.


    But if only I could turn back time, I would certainly hurt my younger self twice more than how much I hurt Big Bro.


    When I became old enough to realize it, Big Bro does not like to be with me anymore. Cindy just blindly follows me and would quickly apologize every time she does something that offended me.


    It all felt too sad and lonely.


    One day, I asked them why they were like that around me, and they pointed out my violent behavior.


    It was a shock. Me? Too violent? Violent enough that the both of them were afraid of me all the time?


    I could not get over the fact that they feared me because I was too violent.


    That day, I skipped classes and cried inside my room all by myself.


    I''m sorry, Cindy.


    I''m sorry, Big Bro.


    After that day, because it would be too awkward and embarrassing to stop so suddenly, I started to hold back the strength of my attacks towards Big Bro.


    Maybe I should find a correct time to apologize to him and stop hurting him altogether. Preferably when my parents are not home.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Author''s Notes:


    Final Version of Side Story 1!


    I only put this in here because i wanted to get on with the plot fast.


    <hr>


    Sisters Supplementary Story 2 - A Step-Sis''s Helping Hand


    They call me Cindy, but that''s actually not my real name.


    My Mom gave me a name I hated so much that I change it every time I introduce myself to someone. She doesn''t know I that do that though, but she would probably cry if I told her the truth.


    Mom said that she intended my name to be a reference to her and my previous dad''s hobby.


    Their hobby is collecting and using glass footwear, by the way.


    My Mom re-married after my real Dad died when he got pierced in the heart by a strange fork from the sky. Yep, a fork. The same kind of fork used for eating, except it''s strange and from the sky!


    His last words were: "I knew that... I would be ''silenced''... soon enough, but not- Not like this!"


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I think he was probably talking about his career in politics and how his enemies wanted to take him down.


    Even now, every time I hear about how my previous Dad died, I still could not help but think of how disappointing and how stupid it was.


    When Mom and I moved to the house of my new Dad, I felt a little shy and also sad because I knew I won''t be seeing my real Dad anymore.


    At first, my new siblings did not talk to me that much, but after a few days we became a group who could not be separated from each other.


    I felt really happy. I wont be alone anymore when my mother goes to work.


    I was also happy because I found my very first love.


    When time passed, we became older. However, for some reason, our attitude towards each other also changed.


    We no longer resemble the inseparable group we once were.


    My sister, Joan, became violent towards me and my brother, John.


    At first, it was just her being violent to John, but she then forced me into hurting John too. I did not like it. It made me feel sad every time I see John hurt, but I had no choice but to obey because Joan gets scary when she''s angry.


    <><><><><><><><>


    It''s been years since Joan became violent.


    John became even more fearful towards us now, even though I did not want it to be like this.


    One morning, all of a sudden, Joan asked me my why I always follow her blindly.


    Since I do not want her to be angry, I did not lie to her and said that it was because I was scared of her.


    Later that day, I overheard her crying inside her room.


    One day, Joan suddenly came to my room.


    The rest of the family were discussing something about the upcoming business trip tomorrow. They were all downstairs, leaving me alone with Joan.


    I was scared at first but then I calmed down when she said she just wanted to apologize to me.


    After that, she said she wanted to apologize to John too, but she thought that he would not accept her apology that easily.


    I then told her, "Leave it to me! I need to apologize to him too. But first, we should do some planning."


    We planned our apology together and decided that it would be best if we do it tomorrow, after our parents have gone for their business trip.


    The next day, Joan did the cooking and I neatly arranged the table to prepare things.


    Although Joan was not that good at cooking, she still insisted and said that it''s part of her apology.


    After finishing everything, all we have to do now is wait for John. He arrived shortly after.


    "What was that weird light last night... Oh, Good morning you two."


    "Good morning... Big Bro."


    "...Good morning, John."


    John glared at us for a while, like we were some kind of strangers who suddenly appeared in front of him.


    "Alright, out with it. What are you planning this time?"


    Both of us gulped at the same time.


    Joan decided to take action first.


    "Umm... Big Bro... about that, I''m... I''m..."


    It seems like she could not get the words out of her mouth. I decided to be the first one to apologize instead. So I said,


    "John, I just wanted to tell you that... uhh... err..."


    Ugh! I can''t find the courage to say anything as well! I feel nervious just thinking about what his response would be!


    No, we can''t go anywhere like this!


    "I''m sorry for all the trouble!" "...S-sorry for all the trouble, Big Bro!" Joan and I both said at the same time while we each held one of John''s hand with both of our own.


    For some reason, I felt something really strange and unexplainable the moment I touched John, but whatever, it''s probably not that important. It did feel like some sort of electricity traveled throughout my body though...


    "Uhh... Okay?"


    And just like that, John accepted our sincere apology while trying to yank his hand away from ours. It still felt like he was wary of us though.


    Our relationship may not go back to the way it was before, but somehow everything worked out well.


    Also, I just noticed it after breakfast, but I love John even more now!


    Since our parents aren''t home, it might be alright for me to secretly sleep in John''s room tonight!


    What''s this? Joan wants to do the same too?


    Alright, we will nurture our love towards John from now on!


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    Author''s Notes:


    Final Version of the Side Story 2

 Chapter 2 - He who got the wrong door

    John checked his phone for today''s time.


    Friday. 6:12 AM.


    Finally! It''s Friday! The day of my plan! My plan to enjoy the day alone! Well, only IF no one i know sees or catches me, that is...


    While deep in thought and with a face devoid of any emotion, John stood still in front of his house.


    My two sisters already left... But what if they were just hiding themselves around the corner and are actually trying to follow me around right this very moment? I''ll wait a bit more just to be sure


    He decided to spend some more time idling in front of his house just to ensure that his sisters really were not following him.


    A few minutes passed...


    "Alright, it''s safe. Also, it''s about time," said John while shedding a bead of sweat from his forehead.


    Not long after he said that, he started walking.


    His walk went on like usual.


    He shed two more beads of sweat.


    John took the same path he always used when going to his school.


    Again, he shed even more beads of sweat.


    He knew that walking alone will make him stand out, so he blended in with a crowd of fellow students wearing the same school uniform as him.


    By now, with just one look, anyone could tell that John''s clothes got soaked with an unbelievable amount of sweat.


    For the sake of avoiding suspicion, he made sure the actions he took today would never look unusual to others.


    "M-mommy! That guy looks really scary!" said a child towards her mother, all while pointing at John.


    To John, if anyone takes a hint of his intentions, everything would be over.


    "Hey, check that guy out. Looks like he wanna skip today''s class, doesn''t he? He should at least bring his school bag to not look so obvious," said a bystander to another, both of them looking at John.


    Whether John heard it or not, no one knew since he did not react despite being so close to them.


    All of a sudden, he stopped walking and looked around him.


    "Alright. No friends or acquaintances in sight," said John as he looked around while having his hand doing a salute.


    Then, he started to walk again. Shortly afterwards, he took a sudden turn. Obviously, his destination not the school.


    Whew... Success! Today, I officially skipped school for the first time! And I have also avoided contact with anyone who knows me.


    John stopped walking and then he went to rest on a nearby public bench.


    While lazing around, he spotted some people drinking something and it made him feel thirsty. He then proceeded to buy a drink from a nearby vending machine and returned to the public bench to enjoy it while taking a rest.


    "Sip... Ahh... Those annoying girls would usually show up and bother me by now. Sip," said John to himself as he laid back on the bench while enjoying his drink.


    "Good thing I''ve been extra cautious today! Some random girl would have sneaked up behind me and ruined my plans otherwise. What an achievement for me. Sip, sip," continued John while savoring the flavor of his drink.


    A father and child passed by John, looking at him with eyes of caution.


    "Don''t get close to him, son. That guy is crazy. Talking loudly even though no one''s around."


    "Sip, sip... Huh? Did I just hear someone? Nah, probably my imagination... Sip, sip."


    John continued to laze around on the bench while slowly drinking his beverage. However,


    "--John? Are you here? Was it your voice just n-- Oh? Ohohoho~ John, there you are!"


    Oh no. I think I''ve heard that voice from somewhere before... Ah!


    As John thought that, he looked around, only to see a blonde girl with hair that looked like drills, wearing an expensive looking dress and smiling while standing just behind him.


    The girl gave a confused look upon having direct eye contact with John.


    "...? John? What''s with that shocked fac-- Ah! You dropped your drink! Ah! Don''t run!"


    Before she could even finished her sentence, John sprinted away from the girl. This did not make the girl happy. The blonde girl, despite the hindrance in her movement due to wearing a dress, began chasing after John.


    Surprisingly, her speed exceeded John''s, even while wearing a dress. If both of them ran at the same time, she would surpass John in just a few seconds even in her current get-up.


    Not expecting the girl to chase after him with such incredible speed, John panicked and could no longer concentrate while running, causing him to crash against an old lady and be caught by the girl in the process.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Hours later, John found himself carrying a mountain of shopping bags in his arms.


    John and the blonde girl walked together within the crowded but energetic streets of the shopping district.


    They went to there to buy lots of things. Or to be more accurate, only the girl purchased whatever she liked while forcing John to carry them for her.


    Right now, they both walked in a slow pace while John alone suffered the heavy weight of the purchased goods.


    "Ugh... This is too heavy. Can I go home already? Aren''t you rich? Why can''t you just hire someone to carry these for you?" said John, struggling to keep the mountain of goods from falling off of his arms.


    "Ohohoho~ You''re not going anywhere unlessyouputyoursignatureinthismarriagecontractthatwemadetogetherwhenwewerekids!" replied the blonde girl in a hasty manner, gasping for breath afterwards.


    ...Is she alright in the head? Didn''t we just meet each other for the very first time yesterday? I didn''t even know her the day before! And she should at least pay me for this hard work I''m doing right now!


    John thought that as they both walked through the path full of people passing by.


    "Besides, this is your punishment for groping that poor old lady earlier, so I''m not paying you for this. We even had a hard time losing her when she started following you with lovey dovey eyes for some reason," continued the blonde girl as she played with her hair which looked like drills.


    "I said that was just an accident! It wouldn''t have happened if you didn''t start chasing me all of a sudden!"


    "Shut up! I wouldn''t be chasing you in the first place if you didn''t run! Here, add this to your punishment!" angrily replied the blonde girl as she threw another freshly purchased item right at John''s arms.


    She''s taking advantage of me! Oh well. It''s not like my situation could get any worse than this... Maybe.


    They kept walking while John continued to carry around the mountain of goods.


    With some difficulties, John followed the girl as she kept increasing the amount of things he carried with his arms.


    Of course, not without consequences.


    "W-wait, wait! You''re walking a little too fast!" said John, struggling to catch up to the blonde girl.


    "Over here! Can''t you go any faster? Ohohoho~ Come on, surely just carrying some of my things isn''t such a hard task," replied the blonde girl as she walked faster, not even stopping to wait for John.


    "Ugh! Damn you, you piece of-- Wah! Sorry!"


    All of a sudden, the struggling John bumped into someone after increasing his walking pace even while already having difficulties with seeing in front of him. This also caused a loud crashing sound which attracted the nearby people''s attention.


    "Oww... Hey! Watch where you''re going!" said a new voice that belonged to an angry girl. Her position suggested that she fell on her butt upon colliding with John. The impact turned out to be too strong for the angry girl due to the difference in weight between her and John who carried heavy things. Luckily, the girl did not get hit by any of the fallen goods.


    Meanwhile, John, still standing while carrying the remaining goods which survived the crash, showed a devastated look upon seeing the face of the person who bumped with him.


    Upon noticing the sound of her goods coming into contact with the ground, the rich blonde girl walked toward John''s position.


    "What happened, John? Why are all my things on the flo-- Aaah! The rare bottle of this perfume broke!" said the blonde girl as she picked something up from the floor.


    "...Did you say John? Hey, wait a minute... I remember you!" claimed the angry girl as she stood up from the floor while pointing at John.


    "N-no. You don''t know me. Who are you anyways? Haha! I certainly don''t know! We''re not even from the same school! H-hah!" denied John, as the angry girl approached him with her curled up fists.


    "My rare perfume..." said the indifferent blonde girl with tears in her eyes, not caring about the commotion near her.


    "John! You''ll pay for what you did last time, and, and, and I won''t forgive a rivaaaal!"


    "Now, let''s all calm down. Even though I don''t remember what I did last time, still, let''s settle this matter peacefully. No. No. Wait! Ow! It hurts! Stop hitting me while I''m carrying something!"


    Even though John desperately pleaded the angry girl to stop, her ears were not open for John to say anything to her. Although, the angry girl''s cheeks turned redder and redder each time she hits John.


    And just like that, John met the second girl who stuck around with him for today.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Starting with the second girl, almost every other girl John met afterwards involved the same pattern as they bumped into him by accident.


    Crash -> Argue -> Assault -> Join the group


    And it continued happening for another two hours until John could no longer count the girls surrounding him.


    "And then we.... and John was... after that we..."


    "Oh really? But we... and after that, John..."


    "What about John? For me he... Then we..."


    While walking, the variation of girls kept chatting with each other about John and his greatness all while ignoring John himself. However, they shared the same trait wherein they would blush a little every time John''s name gets mentioned.


    John this, John that, yeah! Me! Me! The god damned ME! This ME would gladly throw these heavy things on my arms right at your thick heads if... Sigh. Forget it. This is partly my fault anyways.


    John could not help but get angry at himself for letting his plans end up in failure. He felt the weight of the cargo on his arms slowly increasing as he realized just how much he screwed up.


    "I have to get away somehow..." John muttered to himself while trying to assess his current situation.


    Luckily, none of the girls reacted. This obviously meant that they did not hear him muttering something under his breath.


    As the girls kept chatting happily while ignoring John, John himself did not waste time and tried to come up with a plan to escape as fast as he could before it''s too late.


    While they walked around, he observed the surroundings, trying to find an escape route.


    ...There! That should be a good place to go. After that is... but where? ...If the girls notice, then...


    John tried his best not to look suspicious while making up an elaborate escape plan inside his mind.


    After some careful consideration, John finally decided to execute his escape plan.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Umm... excuse me, everyone!" said John in an attempt to call the attention of the girls.


    "Yes?", "What is it?", "John?", "What now?", "Hmm?" and some more girls replied in a similar fashion.


    I know this may seem like a bad move, but I know better than to arouse their suspicions.


    He kept praying in his heart for success.


    "I hate to say this, but could you all please go on ahead? I need to use the toilet," said John, not caring about how uncool it is to say such a thing in front of the girls.


    This set his plan in motion. He could no longer turn back now. But,


    "I''ll go with you, John!", "No! Me!", "Let me join you!", "How about we all go together?"


    Things refuse to go smoothly for John. This is especially true for his current plan.


    "N-no! It''s wrong for girls to go with guys when they take a shit!" quickly replied the flustered John, desperate for an answer against the advancements of the girls towards him.


    And then, without waiting for the replies of the girls,


    "Okay, bye! I''m out! Go on ahead without me!" said John, running as fast as he can towards a random direction. And since he could not run while carrying heavy things, he also threw all the shopping goods on his arms straight onto the ground, not even caring whether he broke something or not.


    "John! The public toilet isn''t that waaay!" yelled one of the girls to the already far away John after she finally noticed his strange behavior.


    Alright! Phase one of the plan is a success! Still, I feel a little guilty about dumping those heavy things onto the ground just like that. Just a little.


    John thought that as he ran as fast as he coult. His face, visibly displaying his worries about the uncertain future that await him.


    "John! Where are you going!?", "Wait for us!", "You''re not getting away!", "I won''t let you go if I catch you!"


    "Huh!? Aaah!! They noticed it so quickly!" yelled John while trying to increase his speed.


    He did his best in attempting to increase the distance between him and the girls.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Now, where''s that escape route that I saw earlier...? Should be around... Here!


    Thinking that, John slipped through a narrow passage between the buildings and continued dashing alongside its walls while hoping that he would not run into a dead end.


    Run! I have to get away! ...Wait, huh? Shit! There''s too many of them and they''re all following me!


    John looked behind him for a moment and then panicked upon seeing some girls chasing him from behind.


    No matter how hard John tried to run, he could not beat the odds of one against many.


    Luckily, John noticed an alley so he went to it. However, some girls saw John and reported his actions to the other girls.


    "Over here! I saw John going inside this alley!"


    Damn her! I''ve got to keep running! Can''t let them catch me now or it will be my end!


    He turned to random directions whenever he could in order to lose his pursuers but John focused too much on running away while looking behind him that he did not even notice the giant wall in front of his direction right after he turned.


    He almost crashed into the wall, but he managed to stop before that could happen. He then looked around.


    There are walls on all three sides. If he turns back now, the girls will still find him.


    A dead end. No other words can describe it.


    "No... Nooooooo!"


    John screamed as hard as he could, never minding if the girls would be able to hear him or not since he no longer cared.


    "Did you hear that? It came from over there!", "This way!", "Follow us!"


    Some of the girls reacted to John''s scream and he could hear them fast approaching towards his location.


    How could this happen? First, my attempt to be alone failed, and now this? I can''t do anything right!


    He blamed himself for all the misfortunes he recently experience.


    All of a sudden, John muttered, "Wait, are those doors?"


    A very large wall blocked the path in front of him, the symbol of his dead end. However, he no longer payed any attention to that.


    Instead, John finally noticed the two seemingly invisible doors each located on the walls on both sides. The doors have the same color as the walls, making them hard to notice.


    "One of these two doors could be my exit, or even both... or none," John muttered to himself while forcing a smile.


    The footsteps of the girls behind him also started to sound closer.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "He should be right around here somewhere..." said a girl.


    "Are you sure you didn''t just imagine hearing things?" asked another girl, skeptic towards the claim of the first speaker.


    "No! I heard it too!" defended the third girl.


    "Me too!" said the fourth.


    John, with eyes closed and ears pressed against the door while in a crouching position, listened to every single word the girls said.


    Finally, I''m safe. But... So much dust got inside my eyes when I opened the door... It really hurts.


    After he finished listening from behind one of the two doors, John finally moved his head away from the door.


    The number of girls outside amounted to four, according to what John could hear. None of them seemed to notice the two camouflaged doors just a few meters away from where they stood.


    "...I barely made it. I can finally escape from those girls," muttered John under his breath.


    He kept smiling all by himself while still keeping his eyes closed as he rubbed it due to the pain and itchiness from eye irritation.


    Phew. I''m glad I opened the correct door. If I chose wrong, I would''ve been toast... Wait, was the other door even locked or not?


    John kept his back against the door, eyes still closed and smile still on.


    Thinking back, his action earlier turned out to be a huge gamble. If the door he picked did not open up, he would not have enough time to move to the other door and he would not be smiling right now. It could have also been possible that both of the doors were locked to begin with.


    A moment later, the girls started talking again.


    "It might have been just your imagination. Come on, let''s go look elsewhere."


    "Sorry. He must be really far now..."


    John felt happiness in his heart after he heard that the girls were about to leave.


    Yes! Go home, girls. I''m not here.


    He smiled even more as a small form of celebration, all while still trying to rub his irritated eyes.


    But...


    "Hey buddy! I think you got the wrong door!" said a loud male voice from somewhere deep inside the room.


    John yelped and jolted in shock but he managed to prevent himself from making some more noise by covering his mouth.


    Nooooo! There''s actually someone else here!? If only I saw him earlier and warned him to shut up! Why did so much dust have to get inside my eyes at such a bad timing!?


    He blamed himself and the dust for being unable to open his eyes earlier.


    The footsteps of the girls stopped just outside the door.


    "Listen... Did you hear that?" said the first girl.


    "What? I didn''t hear any--" replied the following girl.


    "No, I heard it too!" defended the third again.


    "Could John be behind one of those doors?" correctly guessed by the fourth girl.


    "Oh? You''re right! There are doors here!" replied the second girl.


    No! They will find out! The girls will find me! ...Wait, Maybe I can hide deeper inside? Let''s see...


    John slowly, but painfully, forced his irritated eyes to open just to see what inside the room looks like.


    The inside turned out to be a spacious room. Just about the same size as a certain fitness gym that John saw on a TV ad before.


    He recognized the place. It looked like an old and abandoned martial arts dojo, complete with rusty lockers, training dummies, sparring ring and an old wide bench.


    It may be abandoned, but it showed traces of the place being used recently.


    However, for the current and most important matter, wherever John looked, he could not find a place that he could use to hide away from the girls.


    Finally, John noticed one last crucial detail inside the room.


    A man wearing nothing white shirt and white pants, sitting alone on the wide bench.


    John, despite being unable to see the man''s face clearly due to the place being slightly dark, still noticed the quite large build of the man.


    Earlier, the man exposed John''s location to the girls by saying "Hey buddy! I think you got the wrong door!" which attracted the attention of the girls towards this room.


    The said man calmly waited for John''s reply, perhaps expecting some words of gratitude for pointing out his error. Or at least it looked like that to John.


    John, with eyes full of despair, slowly stood up from his sitting position, faced the man taller than him, and said,


    "Fuck you."


    John said it in a smooth voice which expresses what he truly felt towards the man without making himself sound like a naturally violent person.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Listen. Did you hear that? That was definitely John''s voice just now!"


    "I think it came from that door over there!"


    "Let''s check it out!"


    "Alright, I''m opening it."


    The door slowly opened.


    Expecting John on the other side of the door, their eyes opened wide after they saw who greeted them instead.


    "Hello, girls. May I ask what is your business here?" asked a male voice from inside.


    Sitting on a bench and looking surprised by the arrival of the girls, the muscular man wearing nothing but white pants could only ask them this.


    "Ahh- Err... We''re looking for a rumored shop called ''The Leather Club''," said one of the girls with panicked expression. Obviously, she just made that up on the spot. Then, while pretending to look around, she continued with, "It should be around here..."


    The other girls did the same. They all pretended to look around, all while focusing on the room behind the man.


    The girls could not find the courage to enter so they did not find John no matter what, since they can only peek inside the room from where they stand.


    After staying silent for a while, the man finally spoke as if he just remembered something,


    "Oh, you must''ve gotten the wrong address. ''The Leather Club'' is two blocks down. Just follow this direction," said the man while pointing at a direction.


    The girls quickly apologized and turned away from the location.


    One of the girls swore that she saw one of the lockers behind the man shake on its own. Meanwhile, another one whispered to herself with, "What the hell? ''The Leather Club'' actually exists?"

 Chapter 3 - Additional "Worries"

    Currently, John found himself trapped inside a locker. He could not move even if he wanted to, thanks to the ropes constricting him.


    He could not even use his gagged mouth to speak.


    He already tried moving around and shook as much as he could in hopes that the locker would somehow open up. Unfortunately for him, it wont.


    Thinking back, if he just controlled his emotions earlier, he would not be inside this tight locker in the first place.


    A few minutes earlier...


    Despite the man''s huge muscular look, John could not catch up to the his surprising speed.


    Before he knew it, John already found himself tied up on the floor, complete with a gag in the mouth and just one step away from being thrown into the locker.


    When John heard the voices of the girls earlier, he tried asking for help by shaking the locker.


    Sadly, he would not be in here right now if his attempt worked.


    And now, even though the girls were long gone, the man still refused let John go.


    I must have offended him too much... I didn''t mean to say such a thing... I was just...


    Inside the locker, John lamented the fact that he made a huge mistake.


    All of a sudden, someone opened up the locker.


    John saw the same man that threw him into the locker earlier.


    The man removed the gag from John''s mouth.


    "Sorry... I didn''t mean what I said earlier."


    While looking down in fear, John quickly apologized to the man.


    Wait, that shouldn''t be the first thing I''m supposed to say in this situation!


    John remembered how unusual this situation is. Normally, no one would tie someone else up just for saying some offensive words.


    "Umm... That''s too bad. I thought you really meant it," replied in a soft voice by another man, right behind the man who opened the locker.


    Wha-!? There''s someone else here!? Again? And those words were really disturbing!


    John felt shocked. He thought that the room only contained him and the man in white pants.


    When he tried to look further behind the man in front of him, he saw four other muscular men, all wearing only pants and ski-masks.


    John, perhaps due to the sudden shock, became unable to move for a while.


    "Umm... Ivan, we''re done preparing here so you should get your things ready now," said one of the masked men while looking at John who still can''t get himself out of the locker, then he continued with, "But we better leave the boy here. It''s too risky to free him now."


    Based on the voice, it sounded like he''s the same man who replied to John earlier. Meanwhile, the three other masked men just silently observed the situation.


    Ivan, the man who threw John into the locker earlier, sat on the bench and stared on the ground while pondering about something.


    "...No. There''s a big chance that we might forget about him later. I have a better idea," said Ivan as he gazed at John.


    "All right. Let''s hear your idea, but only after you get dressed up," replied the masked man as he nodded to Ivan.


    Ivan finally stood up and began taking things out from another locker just beside the one containing John.


    The things he took out included: A set of clothes similar to the other men, a suitcase, some dangerous looking things, and some other unrecognizable objects.


    Meanwhile, John only observed them without moving an inch.


    The four masked men assisted Ivan with his task of taking out things from the locker.


    One masked man carried the suit case that Ivan took out and then placed it on the bench. The others did something similar.


    Every once in a while, one of them would pause to take a glance at John, who still did not move inside the locker, and then continue to help Ivan.


    After assisting Ivan, the four masked men sat on the bench. Upon closer inspection, their outfit looked similar to a military uniform of some kind.


    Ivan, now donning a ski-mask, looked indistinguishable from the four other men.


    As Ivan stood in front of the four other men and started talking about his plans, someone interrupted.


    "Wait! What are you guys talking about!?" John, finally snapping out of his shock, asked the men nervously.


    Ivan halted his current task and looked at John.


    John could not afford to let the situation go according to the men''s favor. Not that he could do anything about it anyway.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "You''ve got no choice, boy. You just have bad luck today," replied Ivan.


    But John did not understand what he meant.


    "Then If it''s about what I said earlier, once again I''m sorry!" John quickly apologized again.


    "I''m not talking about that, boy. You walked into this room without permission," said Ivan as he pointed at the entrance door, all while implying that John has no other choice but to obey them.


    If I really can''t get out of here right now, I have to at least know what will happen to me.


    John worriedly observed everyone in the room.


    "T-then, what are you guys gonna do to me?" nervously asked John, hoping that they would not do anything weird to him.


    "...."


    None of the men replied immediately. This made John even more nervous.


    "D-don''t tell me..."


    "Don''t worry, we won''t hurt you. You just have to come with us. No questions asked," Ivan quickly reassured him, since he thought that John already started to form strange ideas in his head.


    After hearing Ivan, John sighed in relief while still inside the locker.


    "By the way, what''s your name, boy?" asked Ivan.


    The four other men currently sitting on the wide bench also turned their gazes to John, waiting for his answer.


    "I... My name is John," answered John reluctantly.


    One of the four men stood up, took something from the suit case Ivan took out earlier, and then approached John.


    "Hmm... John, huh? That''s a nice name. Here, take this mask and wear it, John," said the masked man while handing John a ski-mask.


    <><><><><><><><>


    The men untied John''s bindings.


    After that, following the plan of taking John along with them, John and the five men headed for the dojo''s exit, or to be exact, the same door John used to enter the place.


    All of them wore ski-masks.


    All of them wore the same clothes, except for John.


    All of them were very muscular, except for John.


    All of them have fearless expressions under their masks, except for John.


    All of them were prepared for what they were about to do, except for John.


    If someone would take a look at the group, John would obviously look the most out of place among them.


    John also noticed that the muscular men carried one suitcase each.


    During their preparations earlier, they took it out from wherever they hid it, after Ivan ordered them to.


    After they went through the exit, they walked directly towards the only other door just a few meters away in front of them.


    John did not know anything about what they will do next. Since they told him not to ask questions, he held himself back from asking despite his curiosity.


    Just before they opened the other door, they stopped right next to it.


    What are we going to do next? I''m curious and I wanna know since they''ve decided to take me along. Not that I can ask nor defy them anyway. Who know''s what they''ll do to me?


    John thought that as he observed and waited for the other people to do something.


    One of the buff masked men, Ivan, faced the others and spoke,


    "This door is still locked, huh? ...Okay, this is it. We only got one chance at this operation."


    W-wait, what? Operation? No one mentioned anything about this earlier!


    John started to silently panic.


    The four masked men nodded in response to Ivan.


    "Take out your guns," calmly ordered Ivan.


    G-guns!? These guys have guns!?


    John panicked even more.


    Following Ivan''s order, the four other men took out high-caliber guns from their suit cases.


    "Muhammad, take out the bomb and place it here," said the masked Ivan to another masked man, Muhammad, as he pointed towards a spot on the door in front of them.


    What the-? A bomb!? Are you guys actually terrorists!? Shit! What have I gotten myself into?


    John''s face turned pale without being able to say a word as he observed everything happen right in front of him.


    He slightly backed away from the door.


    The man named Muhammad took out something with a rectangular shape from his suitcase and then he slowly approached the door while carefully handling the object in his hand.


    Seeing this, John started sweating so hard that he looked like he just took a shower.

 Chapter 4 - The Door to a life-changing Experience

    The masked man named Muhammad walked towards the door with bomb in hand.


    "Wa-wait! Stop! Stop! What are you guys trying to do!?" shouted John in a panic, attempting to stop the men.


    The men turned their attention to John, but Ivan told them to resume in doing their tasks.


    "John. I said ''no questions asked''," coldly said Ivan while observing the task of the four other men.


    "But this is wrong! We might hurt people!"


    The desperate John tried to reason with the men in an attempt to stop them from doing something irreversible.


    Ivan glared at John. Meanwhile, the rest of the men just minded their own business.


    "I know you are worried. But trust us. We have a good reason for this. Or would you rather have us ''get rid'' of you?"


    Ivan emphasized the last line, causing John to tremble in fear.


    "O-okay. But please, try not to hurt too many people," said John in a weak voice while avoiding eye-contact.


    "Don''t misunderstand, John. We''re not here to--"


    A loud explosion interrupted Ivan''s words.


    A puddle somehow formed right below John''s feet.


    Except for John, everyone else did not show any signs of being shaken by the explosion despite being so close to it.


    "Alright, this is it! Let''s go, men! John, you come with us too! Don''t refuse since it''s not safe being away from us right now!" shouted Ivan while looking around as he pointed towards the recently blasted door. His eyes often went above as if he knew that something or someone might be there.


    "Y-yes, sir!" replied John, unable to think straight as he walked towards the wreckage of the door Ivan pointed at.


    And so, the men stormed inside the door. John followed them from behind, not even daring to defy them.


    When John and the team entered the door, they first saw a spiral stairway connected to all the floors in the 30-floor building.


    Ivan and his men quickly went up the stairs without hesitation.


    Meanwhile, for John, moving just five floors up already tired him out.


    John could not help but think about the difference in strength and stamina between him and the men carrying heavy guns and suitcases while climbing the stairs.


    This made John even more fearful towards them.


    "Remember, our target is on the 13th floor," Ivan spoke to everyone without looking back as he kept climbing.


    What!? Give me a break! I can''t go that high without rest!


    Despite John''s internal whining, Ivan and his men wanted to reach the 13th floor as soon as possible, so he did not have a choice but to catch up as much as he could. What Ivan said about "Not safe being away from them" worried John.


    <><><><><><><><>


    A hallway somewhere on the 13th floor...


    Even with multiple rooms and surveillance cameras, only silence filled the entire hallway. Also, one man stood there like a statue.


    Dean Hardy, or at least that''s what his ID says, guarded the room behind him, gun in hand.


    Inside the room he watched over, one will see his Boss playing with a new ''toy''.


    Because the Boss does this whenever he feels like it, Dean got randomly assigned as the only guard during such times to prevent letting too many people know about the Boss''s strange hobby. No, perhaps this hobby could not be considered as ''strange'' when it comes to underground-related things.


    The wealthy and powerful Boss owns an underground-business organization, so no matter what he wants, no one can disobey him.


    And one such member of the said organization stood as a guard in front of the door, Dean.


    Anyone can consider Dean''s job as something very simple.


    No matter how important or urgent it is, no one else is allowed to go 6 feet within the door''s vicinity until the Boss is finished having his fun with the ''toy''.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Dean sometimes gets nightmares from his job not because he could see what happens inside, but because of the fact that he hears the screams of the ''toy'' from time to time and that whenever a ''toy'' comes out of that room, they would only be inches away from death''s door but still manage to miraculously survive long enough just to feel more suffering.


    Whatever the Boss did with the ''toys'' inside, only the Boss and Dean himself knows.


    "Everything''s fine. After this, there will be more money for me. It''s really tiring doing nothing but standing after all. Uhehe," said Dean to himself in a low voice as he showed a disgusting smile on his face.


    Dean heard the sound of something metallic chopping down, clashing against another metal.


    "S-stop... *sob* Please.... Ugh, hic... N-noo... No more... Hurts... *sob*" the voice of a crying young woman came from behind the door.


    Ohohoh! It sounds like the ''toy'' is quite young this time. I wonder if Boss will let me ''comfort'' with her for a while just before she croaks. But... She''s likely the same age as my sister. And that makes me feel bad. Just a tiny bit, hehe.


    With Dean busy thinking about things that he wanted to do to the ''toy'' like this and that, he did not notice the loud beeping noise going faster every second.


    The next instant,


    A loud explosion occurred.


    "What the--! Argh!"


    The door facing him just a few meters away, the one leading to a spiral stairway, suddenly burst out with an explosion and flew towards Dean, hitting and luckily just pushing him against the wall while knocking him unconscious in the process.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Using a powerful bomb, the door got blasted open.


    John, Ivan, and the team then abandoned the suitcases they carried and went into the hallway of the 13th floor with guns in hand.


    "Move in, now! Go! Go! Go! Check inside the doors carefully one by one!"


    Ivan''s shouts were so loud that it reverberated throughout the hall.


    What should I do? I can''t just stay silent right now. They''re about to kill people! ...Huh!? That on the door over there... OhMyGod, Is that a dead bod--


    While John thought about panicking again, Ivan suddenly spoke to him and interrupted his thoughts,


    "You, stay back. Things will be extremely dangerous from now on."


    Then why even bring me here in the first place! You guys are really thoughtful.


    John kept his thoughts to himself since he could not dare to say some sarcastic comments towards Ivan. He just calmed himself down and followed the orders.


    He remained standing near door to the stairs, the one where they came from.


    As the four masked men ordered opened the doors one by one as ordered by their leader, John felt restless.


    He could not help but think that something bad will happen soon.


    And of course, something bad is already happening right now, but that''s beside the point.


    The men opened the doors in a rapid fashion.


    Open, point gun inside, empty.


    Open, point, empty.


    Open, empty.


    Open, empty.


    Open, empty.


    The same pattern happened with all the doors they opened.


    All the doors except for one.


    A person laid unconscious near that door. A gun also laid near the person, but John did not want to even touch it, thinking that Ivan might shoot him if he does so.


    John alternated his gazes between the person on the floor and the only remaining closed door, the door no one else tried to open yet.


    "I guess no one wants to wake that guy up. And besides, this is the only door left..."


    As John muttered that, the five muscular men finally finished checking all the other doors and went to position themselves in front of the only closed door.

 Chapter 4.5 Supplementary Story - Rampages Spark

    My name is Redgina Krimson.


    I am currently in high-school and will be graduating soon after a few more months.


    I live alone in an apartment building and, when lonely, I would invite over some friends and classmates to visit me.


    But right now, I am all alone, sprawled out and crying on my bed.


    Suddenly, a rainbowish light shone brightly at the side of my bed for a slight moment, then, a middle-aged woman wearing a rainbow-themed dress appeared right on the same spot as where the light previously appeared. She sat on the bed.


    I was surprised at first, thinking of her as a burglar.


    "*Sob*, *sob*...What do you want? Take whatever you want. You can kill me too if you like. I don''t care," I said to her, since I noticed that she did nothing but stare at me. It felt kind of creepy.


    We''re all alone. No one can stop this woman from committing a crime now.


    Even if my friends are somehow able to find my body the next day, no one would bother to claim it anyway.


    "My parents just...*sob*, died and I have no relatives. My grades are failing too. What''s the use of trying to live?"


    I just said to the woman what I felt like saying.


    I felt a finger on my wet left cheek, trying to wipe away the tears.


    Obviously, the finger did not belong to me. It belonged to the woman.


    "Don''t give up so easily, dear. I have an offer that you will never refuse," said the woman who wore a rainbow-themed dress as she spoke in a soft tone, letting go of my cheeks afterwards.


    "There''s nothing left for me to do... If it won''t bring my family back, then you don''t have to say such things."


    "What if I tell you that you can let out all of your sadness and frustrations and then feel good after you accept my offer?"


    "...Yeah, sure, whatever."


    Since I got nothing to lose, why don''t I just accept whatever she proposes to me.


    I don''t even know what''s going on anymore. Did I just do drugs? I can''t remember. Maybe this woman will offer me some drugs instead, since she talked about sadness and feeling good.


    <><><><><><><><>


    In the end, I did not regret accepting the suspicious woman''s offer.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She said something about a contract, and when I accepted, the next thing I knew I became able to do impossible things like flying and lifting heavy objects with ease.


    My body lets out a red aura every time I try to activate my newly gained powers, but when I don''t use it, I become just a normal girl who could carry on with her high school life.


    Before I knew it, It became a habit for me to come flying in the city, enjoying myself whenever I have free time.


    I don''t hang out with my friends anymore because, let''s face it, who needs friends when you got powers?


    Then, one day, a friend of mine discovered my secret.


    At first she got surprised, but then after she got used to my powers, she requested that I would take her to fly with me every once in a while.


    She enjoyed it. I didn''t.


    How dare she used me for her own entertainment!


    That bitch! I''ll kill her the next time I see her!


    Wait, we will see each other again tonight...


    I woke up the next morning.


    News about the discovery of my friend''s dead body reached me.


    They said that she committed suicide by jumping off a building. The known information also said that her recent change in behavior might have been due to suicidal thoughts.


    "Oh my. I wonder why she killed herself? heheh~ Hahaha!" I said to myself, all alone in my apartment while laughing uncontrollably.


    Strange... I didn''t feel anything when I saw my friend die...


    Strange indeed.


    It did not just end with my so called "friend" dying.


    Many more died after that because they pissed me off!


    Wait...


    Oh my god.


    What is happening?


    Oh~ That''s the 20th person who rubbed me the wrong way.


    Sorry, it''s your fault that you met me.


    You''ll just have to learn your lesson from six feet under!


    H-help me... I''m losing control...


    Someone...


    Anyone...


    Stop me......


    And here''s this bitch.


    Hmm...


    How about I take her inside that one building that I recently discovered?

 Chapter 5 - Dancing Rampage in Red

    Two people occupied the room.


    One of them, the "toy", a naked young girl whose hands and feet were tied up on-- No. It would be more appropriate to say that her limbs were dangling by the ropes, right in front of her. It would already be a miracle for her to still be alive. The girl herself laid on a cold metallic table, all bloodied-up, powerless, limbless and not moving just like a frog waiting to be dissected even further. In other words, she cannot move even if she wanted to.


    The other person, the Boss, looked like a plump middle-aged man who showed signs of being wealthy enough to be enjoying lots of fatty food. His clothes also looked expensive, but they were dirtied with blood.


    On one hand, he held a huge and sharp butcher''s knife coated with blood while he held a strange but sturdy roll of nylon string on the other. He used the nylon to tie up all the "toy''s" limbs in advance to help reduce the blood loss. For some reason, the strange string merged with her skin a little bit, becoming almost impossible to see from afar, yet, with each roll it also further reduced the blood loss for some reason.


    With her limbs restricted, no, cut off, the young girl could only do nothing but let the person called "The Boss" do whatever he wanted to her body.


    ''Whatever he wanted'' being...


    With a swift chop, what appeared to be the girl''s right arm, no, right shoulder shortened for about another inch. The boss accurately chopped off just the right length. He targeted just a few centimeters away from where he tightened the nylon string to stop the blood-loss. Although physically impossible, the prevention of blood-loss could be attributed to the strange properties of the unusual nylon string, which actually got developed during the time of war as a countermeasure for wounds such as what the girl currently bears.


    Or course, in response, the girl silently flinched in pain and said,


    "S-stop... *sob* Please.... Ugh, hic... N-noo... No more... Hurts... *sob*"


    Sadly, despite the young girl''s cries and pleas, the Boss did not intend to stop. Then, while circling around the girl, he said,


    "Hihihihi~! You''re no longer screaming, yet you''re still alive. Is it because you''re getting used to the pain? For being the first to reach this far, here, have a reward."


    The boss stopped took out a small fork from his pocket. He then used it to pierce the freshly chopped chunk of meat right in the middle. The fork appeared to be sharp and sturdy enough to smoothly pierce through the bone.


    Slowly, he moved it towards the girl''s mouth. The girl of course closed her eyes and shut her mouth without any intention of going along with the Boss.


    "Mmmm! Mmm! (Don''t! No!)"


    "Hihi~, don''t resist too much! Still, please at least scream a little because I made sure there would be no people nearby to hear you. That way, I''ll be able to enjoy this even more," said the Boss as he continued to shove the meat into the girl''s lips as if forcefully applying a lipstick. The edges of the young girl''s lips became dyed with fresh red blood as a result.


    The girl''s tears flowed freely like a river as she silently resisted. She knew that even if she were to scream now, no one would be able to hear her since she already tried earlier and received no response as expected. Also, the Boss would likely use the opportunity to viciously shove the chunk of meat into her mouth.


    Even so, in her mind, she still did not give up. She kept waiting for a miracle to happen.


    Fortunately for her, a miracle will happen.


    "Hmm~? Really don''t want it? Oh well, time to end this," said the Boss nonchalantly as he tenderly removed the chunk of meat from the fork using his other hand after placing away the butcher''s knife.


    He then raised the fork over his head and slowly moved it just above the girl''s left eye. The girl, still unaware, kept closing her eyes while not giving up the hope of being miraculously rescued.


    "I respect you for lasting this long, so I''ll end you... Slowly!" said the Boss just as he prepared to repeatedly bring down the fork towards the girl''s left eye.


    But before he could do just that...


    In a stroke of bad luck for the Boss, a loud explosion suddenly rang outside.


    "What the-- Aaarrghh!"


    The loud explosion made the Boss reflexively face the direction it came from, causing him to accidentally slip from a pool of blood just below his feet.


    He slipped backwards. He tried to control his fall, but he still fell face up on the floor.


    At the same time, he accidentally let go of the unusually sharp fork he held. The angle, velocity, distance and the power of gravity caused the very sharp fork to fall straight back down onto the Boss. The landing zone? Somewhere around his crotch.


    Now if a strange fork that could effortlessly pierce a human bone were to fall down on a man''s... thing. What would happen? Unfortunately, the fork did not land on the Boss'' ''thing''. Instead, it landed and miraculously pierced the two circular objects that give meaning to the ''thing''. At the same time, the Boss'' face distorted into something unrecognizable.


    The fork held down those two objects in place. It even went through the floor. If the Boss carelessly tried to stand up, ''they'' would be ripped off. However, the Boss only cared about the unbelievably sharp pain that assaulted his entire being right now.


    If the crying young girl could move and see this scene, it would''ve eased her pain for at least a little bit.


    Suddenly, the doorknob made a creaking noise as it slowly turned.


    "Nyow! Stohp! Dhon''t open d-dah door!"


    The Boss who could not move nor speak properly due to the overwhelming pain, while still in an embarrassingly painful position, attempted to stop the person behind the door from opening it any further.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Almost every room turned out empty after they finished searching the place.


    Ivan and the masked team already opened up all the doors. All but one.


    They did not approach the door at first to avoid waking up the man currently knocked out on the floor.


    "Be careful, everyone. This is the last door. And don''t wake up that man. --Wait, why did no one take his gun yet? Tyrone, go get it," said Ivan as pointed at the gun freely lying on the ground.


    Didn''t you just shout like crazy right at the beginning? Why don''t you just tie him up like what you did to me earlier!?


    John became unable to hide the frustration displayed on his face as he looked at Ivan.


    "Hmm? What is it? Oh, we only brought guns and explosives. I forgot to bring the binding equipment," said Ivan as he guessed the contents of John''s mind.


    "Then why not just use your gun and ki-- no, never mind. Forget what I just said."


    John decided not to bother with the issue anymore since he could not find a suitable suggestion.


    Sensing that John no longer wanted to say any more words, Ivan slowly approached the unopened door.


    Ivan placed his hand on the door knob and slowly turned it.


    John and the four other men stood just behind Ivan, readying up for the worst case scenario.


    "This door isn''t locked," said Ivan as he stopped halfway through turning the doorknob. This raised the tension of everyone present.


    As Ivan continued to slowly turn the doorknob, someone shouted from behind the door.


    "Nyow! Stohp! Dhon''t open d-dah door!" said a man''s voice from inside the room.


    After hearing the voice, Ivan''s hand immediately released the doorknob.


    Only John got shocked by the sudden voice, showing the difference in mental strength between the men and John himself. This made the men look more like professionals in doing this kind of thing.


    Everyone looked at each other with a serious face behind their masks and nodded in unison, including John.


    "Based on that unconscious guy on the floor, the one inside here should be armed too. John, you stay back," said Ivan as he gestured for John to move away, sensing the incoming danger.


    After John took a step back, Ivan and the team readied their guns. Just in case, they also checked for the spare guns on their backs, spares that John could only call machine guns. As to what type of machine guns they are, John did not know since he''s not an expert on that topic.


    The next moment, Ivan kicked the door open and stormed inside, the four others followed.


    John closed his eyes and covered his ears while expecting gunshots.


    "...."


    But no gunshots rang out.


    "....Huh?"


    John felt confused. Ivan said that the man inside probably possessed a gun, yet he did not even hear a single gunshot.


    "John, it''s safe to come inside so get in here. That hallway is the most dangerous place right now. Don''t forget to drag the unconscious guy in here too," Said Ivan from inside the room.


    John hurriedly went inside the room while struggling to drag the unconscious man just as Ivan instructed him to.


    ...Geez, this is so tiring. ...Huh? Why is everyone so sile--


    His internal monologue got interrupted upon seeing the scene in front of him.


    "What the hell is that!?" yelled John as he pointed at the shocking scene inside the room. He also dropped the unconscious man without realizing it, which produced a quite worrying ''thud'' sound.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Inside the room, John saw a fat man who laid down defenselessly on the bloody floor. The man''s crotch showed a noticeable shiny fork stuck to it while sticking up.


    Surrounding the fat man on all sides, the four masked men from Ivan''s team kept all their guns pointed towards the poor person. Meanwhile, Ivan stood somewhere behind the circling crowd but his huge body alone prevented John from seeing anything further behind him.


    "....."


    John could only stare blankly at the bizarre scene in silence. He even doubted that closing his eyes right now would help erase this memory from his mind.


    "John. Snap out of it. Look over there. It''s your turn to do some work," said Ivan as he pointed behind him. Since his body blocked John''s view, he then moved to the side to let John see what he meant.


    "T-that''s... No... I understand," replied John to Ivan after faltering for a bit when he saw what or who Ivan pointed at.


    From the beginning, John would usually follow Ivan''s orders reluctantly. But this time, he willingly carried out this order without question, but still with some hesitation.


    A naked young girl laid on the metallic table, all in a bloody, limbless state and silently crying. For some reason, she did not bleed despite her wounds looking very fresh. It could also be possible that she ran out of blood, but she still showed signs of life so John did not think too much of it.


    He also saw her arms and feet tied up on a rope while rocking back and forth just above her.


    With just one look, no one will need an explanation to know what took place here. Wrong, it would be the opposite.


    The pity John felt towards the fat man, the only possible culprit in this room, instantly vanished and then it got replaced with anger.


    John silently picked up a nearby clean piece of cloth that he found lying on the floor, then he went beside the table and used the cloth to cover the young girl''s body.


    The moment the tip of John''s finger touched the girl''s skin, a small white lightning spark appeared at the point of contact, but only for a split second. Not a single soul in the room noticed this.


    At first, the girl shrieked when she felt something touch her. However, when she saw John''s face, his masked face, she suddenly calmed down and lost consciousness with a final drop of tear trickling down her cheek.


    Did she just die...? No, she''s breathing. I guess it''s safe to carry her now. She''s... Disabled. So it probably won''t be a problem if she starts to suddenly move.


    John attempted to carry the girl after he finished covering her entire body in cloth.


    However, just before he got to carry the girl,


    "Watch out!"


    Ivan suddenly shouted a warning towards John.


    "Don''t interfere with my fun, you little shit!" said a girl''s voice, originating from just behind John.


    Immediately after that, John felt a strong pain beside his stomach. He also felt his feet leave the ground at the same time.


    "Huh? Wha-! Ugh!"


    Unable to react in time, John got sent flying against the wall.


    When John looked at the direction where he flew from, he saw a girl with long red hair wearing a school uniform currently standing on the spot where he previously stood.


    Ivan and his team already assembled themselves into some kind of a formation just a few meters away from the red haired girl while pointing their guns at her, leaving the fat man all alone on the floor near the red haired girl.


    Ow... What the hell was that? ...Is that another person? When did she...


    John attention turned to the new presence in the room.


    "Oh~? Did I just unconsciously hold back? That person should have been split in half by now," said the red haired girl as she looked at her hands in curiosity.


    From how John saw it, she just appeared out of nowhere.


    John, while holding his side in pain, looked around and noticed the hole on the ceiling just above the girl with red hair.


    Did she just jump down from the ceiling? Was she the one who sent me-- Ow! Whatever, I wanna go home... It hurts... Ouch, i think some of my ribs broke.


    John held the side of his stomach harder. Also, tears started to form on his eyes.


    The air in the room became tense. No one dared to make a move.


    Everyone observed the mysterious red haired girl who came from the ceiling.


    Everyone easily noticed her red hair and the red light emanating from her entire body, coupled with the eerie smile she displayed on her face, which made her look scarier than anyone else in the room.


    If someone tries to guess her actual age, judging by her body build and the type of school uniform she wears, that someone would probably say that she is a high school girl with an age between 17-19.


    After seeing the full display of power from such a fearsome teenage-looking girl, Ivan dispelled the silence enveloping the entire room.


    "John, listen. Forget about the limbless girl. Right now, it''s impor-- Shoot, now!"


    Ivan interrupted his own sentence after he noticed the red girl trying to make a dash towards John.


    Gunshots rang throughout the entire room.


    The fat man panicked and immediately rolled his fat body towards Ivan and the team, but only after he forcibly and painfully pulled the fork away from his body, which he threw away afterwards.


    "Use the machine guns!" shouted Ivan as he swapped his current gun with the different one on his back. His four other comrades did the same.


    John already closed his teary eyes long ago in an attempt to prevent himself from seeing a horrible scene.


    These guys have no mercy! Holy shit! She''s just a girl with red flashy things!


    While thinking that, John prayed deeply inside his heart for the red haired girl''s soul.


    New rapid gunshot sounds replaced the slower gunshots earlier.


    "Ahahahaha! Haahahahaha!"


    John heard a girl''s laughter just nearby him as the shots kept being fired. He could not see whether the laugh came from the young girl on the table or the red haired girl. Most likely the former, who went all crazy after seeing such a scene, or so that''s what John honestly thought.


    At this range, those shots could not have possibly missed the red haired girl, or for convenience''s sake, the red girl. No, instead of thinking about whether the bullets missed, one should ask about her current state. She should be minced meat by now.


    John slowly opened his eyes.


    Expecting to see a gruesome scene if front of him, the results of the shooting shocked him even more.


    Despite the loud and numerous gunshots, the young girl on the bed remained unaffected and continued to sleep peacefully. This obviously meant that her tired body can even ignore the loud sounds just to get some sleep.


    But something else caught everyone''s attention.


    She, the red girl with an eerie smile on her face and with bullet holes on her school uniform, just calmly stood between John and the table while covering her eyes with one arm. Small metallic objects, lead bullets, fell all over her feet.


    "Heh. Heheheh. Is that a~aall?" cheerfully asked the red girl as she turned to face Ivan and his team.


    John, despite the pain, tried to move away slowly from the red girl and circled over towards Ivan''s direction.


    He did not know why but he instinctively felt that he should not get too close to the red girl. He made a good decision.


    By the time he reached Ivan and the team, he already recovered from the pain and can now move normally again.


    "...Then," said the red haired girl while smiling,


    "It''s."


    "My~."


    "Turn," continued the red girl in a low volume, but she could still be clearly heard by everyone.


    Suddenly, red light filled the room. John covered his eyes with his hands while being surprised as to why his eyes could not even stand the brightness from this red light.


    After the light died down, John slowly removed his hands from his eyes and looked around the room to see what just happened.


    The red haired girl''s school uniform turned into a different set of clothes.


    To be precise, it turned into a full red ballerina dress together with ballet shoes.


    What the hell? Did she just transform? It''s just like in my ja- No, wait. I think this is seriously a bad news.


    John felt that the red girl became even more frightening than earlier.


    "Everyone, are you readiiii~?"


    The red girl asked everyone inside the room in a very loud and cheerful voice.


    John, Ivan, Muhammad, Tyrone, the Naked man, Dean who just woke up from the gunshots earlier, and the two other masked men who''s names John never heard of yet.


    All of them could not move nor speak a single word due to the clear change of the atmosphere all over the room.


    Those who held guns aimed it at the red girl. Those who did not have any could only look at her helplessly.


    With her hands spread wide on the air, the red girl announced with confidence while doing a ballet spin,


    "I''ll start now! Everyone, let me enjoy this slaughter, okay~? This is what you get for stopping my entertainment!"


    And thus, John''s first battle began.

 Chapter 6 - From Nightmare to Dream to Reality

    Currently, they all stood in a large room. A spacious and in no way too small of a room for all of them.


    A metallic table faced towards the door. A young girl laid on the table while covered with a cloth used as a blanket and sleeping peacefully.


    Just a few feet away from the side of the table, a girl in a red dress did a ballet spin while emitting a strange and visible red aura. Currently, she still continued to spin around without halt.


    The door, emitting some strange red glow, suddenly began opening and closing on its own.


    Except for the noisy door, the entire room became silent due to the tense atmosphere.


    Standing in a line from left to right while facing the red girl: the fat man called The Boss, Dean who just woke up, Ivan, Tyrone, The two masked men whose names John didn''t know yet, Muhammad, and finally John himself.


    The door just a meter behind them still kept opening and closing, as if warning them not to come near.


    The room contained enough space for all of them to line up side by side and still be able to fit in three times more people. Yet, they all felt like the place is cramming them inside like a bunch of sardines.


    The red girl kept spinning.


    "We will be playing a small game~" announced the red girl, still spinning.


    The door behind the line of people kept opening and closing automatically with an interval depending on the complete spins the red girl made.


    The red girl floated upwards and increased the speed of her spinning mid-air, also reducing the intervals between the opening and closing of the door.


    John braced himself.


    He felt scared, just like everyone else near him.


    Something will happen anytime soon.


    He did not know what it will be, but he believed that something will happen.


    The red girl stopped spinning and dropped to floor like a ballerina who just landed from a spin jump. The door closed and stopped moving completely. As a result, the room became completely silent.


    "A~nd the roulette has stopped! I choose you!" said the red girl as she pointed at her front direction.


    Right in front of the the direction she faced stood a man, the man who woke up from the gunshots earlier, Dean Hardy.


    Dean, still not understanding the situation, did not move at all. The others beside him, the Boss and the masked people, already moved to another side of the room the instant the red girl stopped spinning.


    The red girl slowly walked towards Dean who lazily stood on the same spot with a confused and indifferent look.


    "Hey! Are you dumb!? Get away from her!" shouted John towards Dean. The red girl did not seem to mind John''s shouts.


    Only after John''s shout did Dean realize that the grinning red girl moving towards him looked creepy and dangerous. Really dangerous. Dangerous enough that everyone else present tried to away from her.


    Panicking all of a sudden, Dean sprinted towards the door behind him.


    After the door stopped moving earlier, no one cared enough to notice that something seemed strange about it, perhaps due to the current circumstances.


    As Dean opened the door, a red mist rapidly filled the door''s gap and then it instantly solidified, clogging the doorway fully.


    He tried to punch the red solidified mist as hard as he could, but to no avail, it did not get destroyed.


    "H-hey! You! Use your gun to--"


    Dean immediately ordered one of the Masked men who held a gun.


    "Too laa~te!"


    A girl suddenly interrupted and spoke from behind Dean. He turned around only to see the red girl.


    "Aa...aaah! Get away from me!"


    Not knowing why he feared the red girl, Dean shouted as he attempted to move away.


    But...


    A crunching sound entered everyone''s ears.


    The red girl gripped and crushed both of Dean''s hands using her own, despite looking like not having enough strength to do it.


    "Aaaah!"


    Dean screamed in pain and agony as he crouched to the ground.


    "...Too noisy~" said the red girl as she held both sides of Dean''s head using both of her hands.


    "Shoot that girl! We have to save him!"


    Ivan who merely observed the situation up til now ordered the team quickly in an attempt to try and save Dean''s life. They did not have the time to care whether Dean will also get hit or not.


    Once again, rapid gunshot sounds filled the entire room.


    And yet, the red girl did not even flinch and just turned her face away from the direction of where the gunshots came from. Some bullets even managed to hit the solidified mist blocking the door but it did not even get scratched. Even the red girl''s clothes were undamaged. Some bullets also managed to ricochet and hit some parts of Dean''s body.


    The next moment...


    Everyone heard a loud splatter. It sounded just like someone squishing a bubbly sponge.


    It looked just like she flattened a big rubber ball using her hands. Not even an ounce of effort displayed on the red girl as she did it.


    The gunshots stopped. Continuing to fire any further would be pointless.


    The room became silent again. This time, a strong scent of fresh blood permeated in the air.


    As the red girl relaxed her hands, Dean''s remains sagged and fell to the floor like a marionette with its threads severed.


    Another scene that John could not forget just got carved into his mind.


    The red girl flicked her hands, removing some of the blood off of it in the process.


    After that, she flew and did a ballet spin again as she said,


    "Just so you know, trying to escape is useless, okay~? Ahahahaha! Spin, spin~"


    This is hopeless... We''re all going to die in here...


    John could not help but think about bad thoughts as he stood in shock the entire time.


    He looked towards Ivan and his team''s direction.


    They were all busy gathering at one spot, ignoring the red girl.


    He did not know when they began doing it, but the 5 masked men were already whispering to themselves. John could not hear them.


    The red girl she stopped spinning and dropped down again. Everyone turned their attention to her.


    "Time for round two~!" gleefully announced the red girl as she pointed towards her front again.


    In front of her lay the table with a soundly sleeping but limbless young girl on it.


    Oh no! She''s gonna go for the girl!


    John immediately tried to come up with scenarios inside his mind about how to save the sleeping girl.


    However, contrary to John''s expectations, the red girl did not move.


    "Oh? That bitch, huh? Can''t touch her yet. She''s going to be my main dish later...mumble mumble," said the red girl to herself while giving a cold look. A moment later, she flew up and started spinning again as she continued saying, "All right! This time, it''s round two! For real!"


    She didn''t have to say ''mumble'' out loud... No, wait-- Shit! If the other girl is exempted... Son of a bitch! We''re next!


    John began panicking on his own like how he usually does.


    He looked towards Ivan and his team once again only to find out that they resumed whispering to each other, still not caring about the red girl. John also spotted the Boss cowering in the corner, but he decided to ignore him for now.


    "Hey, Ivan! This isn''t the time to be chatting, isn''t it!? Hurry and do something! You have guns, use it!" angrily shouted John while facing the men talking to themselves. This caught their attention so they beckoned for John to come closer.


    He approached them.


    "Hmm, what''s this? You guys have a plan? Okay, I don''t mind. I''ll give you a chance to fight back since it won''t be fun otherwise. I''ll give you a slow count of ten seconds, alright? One~" carelessly said the red girl as she kept spinning mid-air.


    "John, you have to do as we say. Rest assured, we know what we''re doing since we have some information about that girl," said Ivan while pointing at the spinning red girl.


    "Did I hear that right? You guys might be interesting after all... Two~"


    "But--"


    "No questions, John."


    Ivan quickly cut off John''s words before he could complete a sentence.


    John closed his mouth and nodded in response.


    "...Three~"


    "Alright, everyone gather up. This is what we''re going to do..." ordered Ivan as he beckoned for everyone to come near him.


    "What about that man over there?"


    John pointed towards the cowering fat man, the Boss, in the corner.


    "...Four~"


    "Forget about him. He''s not our responsibility," coldly replied Ivan while giving the Boss a look of disdain.


    "But why are you including me?" asked John while pointing at himself with his thumb.


    "...Because you''re just an innocent civilian. Don''t ask anymore."


    "...Five~"


    "Alright, here''s the plan--"


    "I have another ques--"


    "Shut up, John."


    "..."


    "...Six~"


    "Ugh, we lost so much time. Tyrone and Lee, R-3. Me and Muhammad, R-5. John, since you can''t fight, you stay close to Satou."


    "...Seven~"


    "Who the hell is Satou!? Come on, you and Muham-something are the only ones I can recognize behind your masks!" yelled John while looking around in an attempt to find Satou.


    "...Eight~!"


    "That guy over there is Satou," said Ivan as he pointed at the masked person just beside John, he then continued with, "Alright everyone! Get into your positions! Countermeasure R-3 and R-5 will be used!"


    "What you just said doesn''t make sense to me, but, whatever!" complained John as he went towards the person called Satou.


    Everyone else also got into their positions as ordered by Ivan.


    "...Niiine~!!!"


    "Men! Prepare! This is the target, codename: Red Rampage!" shouted Ivan as he aimed his gun at the red girl.


    Ivan and the four men who had guns aimed it at the red girl whom they called "Red Rampage".


    I don''t wanna die, I don''t wanna die! Don''t wanna! I just wanna go home!


    John prayed in his heart for his own safety, him alone.


    "...Ten!!! Time to start! Round two is you!" announced Red Rampage as she stopped spinning and dropped down.


    She then pointed in front of her.


    The next moment, her new target became known to everyone. She pointed at John.


    No! She picked me! I''m dead! Dead, dead, dead! Mom, Dad, I''m sorry for everything! My sisters, I forgive you for rea--


    John started panicking more than he ever did before. However, someone suddenly interrupted his thoughts,


    "John! You baka*! She''s coming for you so don''t just stand there! Get away!" shouted the man named Satou right at John''s ears. (*TLnote: Baka means Idiot/Stupid)


    "But how can I get away!? We''re all trapped here!" retorted John as he started moving away fast from the grinning Red Rampage coming for him, leaving Satou behind.


    "Don''t worry! She''s actually very slow. Just stay alive. We have a plan," said Satou as he convinced John who started having doubts.


    That doesn''t make me feel any safer! Also, how do these guys know so much about this girl in the first place!? Actually, wait, she really is taking her time. And her creepy smile too...


    While still running, John tried to imagine what would happen to him if he gets caught. This made him shudder in terror.


    "John, Move faster! Men, don''t shoot yet!"


    Ivan gave out orders as usual while observing the entire situation inside the room.


    John obeyed Ivan and increased his pace. Since he could not run in a straight line, he just circled around the room.


    Red Rampage showed a face of enjoyment as she slowly chased John around while following his own trail.


    Dammit! I can''t shake off the feeling that something is going to happen... And is she really that slow? I actually think she''s just pretending.


    John made himself worry needlessly as he focused on running away from the slowly chasing Red Rampage.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Alright, we''ve successfully turned John into bait, but... We still need some more time...


    Ivan thought to himself as he observed the behavior of Red Rampage.


    "Muhammad, are you done analyzing yet? We can''t execute R-5 without knowing our target''s capability," asked Ivan towards the person beside him without removing his eyes from Red Rampage.


    "...It should be done in... Alright, it''s done. We''re ready to execute R-5."


    After hearing his comrade''s reply, Ivan gave a silent nod before saying,


    "Okay. We will begin on my signal. Let''s hope Lee and Tyrone finished preparing as well. We can''t have an innocent civilian die in front of us."


    They are now ready to execute the thing they called "counter measure R-5".


    Ivan observed the situation one last time.


    John still kept running around. Everyone distanced themselves from Red Rampage even though they were not her targets yet. Meanwhile, Red Rampage continued to chase John slowly without harming anyone else she passes by, like the cowering Boss for example.


    Hmm... It looks like Tyrone and Lee are ready too. Satou is... Ready. Alright, this is it.


    After thinking that, Ivan took one last look at each of his comrades. After he finished checking if everything went accordingly, he then shouted,


    "Men! Commence operation! Target is Red Rampage! Team 1 is R-5 and Team 2 is R-3! Satou, protect John at all costs!"


    The five muscular masked men readied their guns as they slowly spread out.


    Gunshots rang out afterwards.


    <><><><><><><><>


    John focused on running.


    He did not care about anything else. He just kept running around the room. If he stopped, he will die. Stopping will mean certain death.


    All of a sudden, a loud voice entered his ears. It belonged to Ivan.


    Due to focusing too much on running, he did not understand what Ivan said, but a moment later he heard loud gunshots.


    The guns produced loud and rapidly repeating sound of gunshots.


    "-aa! Ow! Ow! Stop! That hurts!"


    John heard a girls voice coming from just behind him.


    He got curious, but he did not stop running, determined to not let a moment of carelessness get the better of him.


    "John, you can stop running now. Get behind me."


    ...Who said that? My ears were still ringing from the gunshots... Gotta keep moving... It''s probably from that way.


    Even though John could not recognize the owner of the voice, he still followed it willingly.


    When he faced towards the direction of the voice, he found Ivan. After feeling a slight relief, John finally noticed another person, Muhammad, who stood just two feet away from Ivan.


    John immediately ran towards Ivan''s back, not letting the slow walking Red Rampage have a chance to catch up to him.


    He looked behind him just as he reached Ivan, expecting Red Rampage to still be walking towards him.


    To his surprise, the girl called Red Rampage no longer chased him. While standing still on one spot, she covered her eyes with her hands.


    John did not understand what happened.


    "Rrrgh! You pieces of shits really did it! To go for my eyes like that... Looks like you know quite a lot about me."


    The angry girl, Red Rampage, removed her hands from her undamaged eyes and looked towards Ivan as she said those words.


    "Yes. We''ve been monitoring you recently, Red Rampage. And that''s all you need to know," replied Ivan while cautiously keeping his eyes on the girl.


    Two people crept behind Red Rampage, although, she did not seem to notice them yet.


    "Dammit! No more fun and games now! Guys with guns will die first! I also won''t forgive you for giving me such a lame name!" angrily shouted Red Rampage while tearing up her hair.


    "Ivan! Stop making Red Rampage angry! It will only make things worse!" scolded John towards Ivan as he distanced himself from Ivan, believing that being close to the man right now will only risk his life.


    "Rrrrgh! Shut up! Don''t call me thaaaat!" shouted Red Rampage as she dashed towards John to everyone''s surprise.


    Oh shit! I just dug my own grave! W-wait, where''s Ivan!? Did I just move away from him earlier!? Shit! Move, my legs! Mooove!


    While cursing inside his mind, John could only stand still in fear as Red Rampage dashed towards him. His tired legs already showed signs of giving up on him. John regretted the fact that he did not go out and exercise his body more.


    All of a sudden...


    "John! Look out!"


    Someone pushed John away in the brink of time, saving him from Red Rampage''s clutches.


    The person who pushed John away in turn became Red Rampage''s hostage.


    "Muh- Muhammad!? Damn! Ivan, let''s help him!" said John with pleading eyes after realizing that his carelessness caused Muhammad''s capture.


    "I''m on it!" quickly replied Ivan as he aimed his gun at Red Rampage. Specifically, he aimed it towards her eyes.


    "Oh~? I wouldn''t do that if I were you!" said Red Rampage as she casually waved around Muhammad like a lightweight toy while holding him by the neck.


    "U-ughhooaaahh~"


    Muhammad moaned in pain after being moved around like a doll. Although, for some reason, he blushed every time he lets out a strange sounding moan.


    Damn! Even Ivan couldn''t just shoot her... Is there something-- Oh, wait... Those guys, are they...


    As he thought that, John noticed the two male figures creeping from behind Red Rampage. Based on the girl''s lack of reaction, she probably did not notice the two behind her yet.


    "Those two, three, Ivan is four... Wait, where''s Satou?" asked John to no one in particular after counting the masked men inside the room, including the two behind Red Rampage. Luckily, the girl paid no heed to the reason why John looked behind her.


    "I''m here. Gomen, gomen*, I was too far away from you earlier." (*TLnote: Gomen means sorry)


    John jerked a bit and looked behind in shock as he heard Satou''s voice from the back. Red Rampage chuckled a bit after seeing this scene.


    "Hehehe~ Are you guys doing a comedy act or wha-- Ow! Dammit, my eyes again! Stop doing this! It only irritates me!" screamed Red Rampage as she let go of Muhammad in an attempt to rub and cover her eyes.


    Just now, Ivan did not shoot with his gun. So how did Red Rampage''s eyes get damaged?


    After John realized this fact, he noticed that the two people behind Red Rampage held knives. It looked like they just finished slashing something with it. Of course, the two slowly backed away from Red Rampage as she thrashed around while rubbing her eyes.


    The recently freed Muhammad quickly went towards Ivan.


    "Err... I''m sorry about earlier," quickly apologized John while looking on the floor as he walked towards Muhammad.


    "It''s okay. It wasn''t your fault, John. Now, let''s attack while she still can''t see!" said Muhammad in an attempt to reassure John. Then, he quickly dashed towards Red Rampage.


    Ivan and the others, excluding John, quickly followed up on Muhammad.


    In no time, they surrounded Red Rampage who still kept rubbing her eyes.


    "Aaarghh! My eyes hurt so bad! You guys will pay for this!" angrily roared Red Rampaged as she furiously rubbed her irritated eyes. For some unexplainable reason, it looked unsettling.


    "Men! Hold her in place now! This is our only chance!" quickly shouted Ivan in response to Red Rampage''s shouts.


    Four of the masked men quickly held Red Rampage''s four limbs in place using their bare hands, not even concerned about her display of inhuman strength from earlier.


    "Wh-what!? Stop holding me! Hnng! W-why won''t you guys budge!? This is technically rape, I tell you! Rape!" said Red Rampage as she struggled to get free.


    "We haven''t been monitoring you for nothing, Red Rampage. Also, this isn''t qualified as rape so stop making excuses and just accept your punishment," coldly replied Ivan to the struggling Red Rampage as he pointed his gun at her forehead.


    Oh no! They''re about to kill her! I... I can''t watc-- No, I have to stop this!


    As John thought that, he quickly went over to Ivan and grabbed his gun.


    "Stop! Ivan! Stop!"


    "What are you doing!? Let go of my gun or else--!"


    "Ahahahahaaa!"


    A loud laugh interrupted Ivan''s retort.


    Red Rampage, still being held in place by the four muscular men, laughed like a maniac. This made it obvious that the interruption came from her.


    "You guys certainly are fun to watch! Did you actually believe that I become weak if my eyes get hurt? Get a clue!" said Red Rampage without moving an inch while still being held by the men.


    Everyone could not move in shock, including the four men trying to hold Red Rampage in place.


    "Everyone, get away!" quickly shouted Ivan in an attempt to snap everyone out of their freezing state. The four men suddenly let go of Red Rampage and distanced themselves from her.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Everyone made sure to keep their distance from the girl.


    "Ahahaha! ''Oh no~ I get weak if my eyes are damaged!'' Did you actually believe me when I said that on a camera? Complete with subtitles using pen and paper? Looks like your ''Monitoring'' actually backfired! Ahahahaha!" said Red Rampage while holding her stomach in laughter.


    "Hahahh! If you hadn''t given me such a lame nick name, I would''ve spared you. Alright~, time to end the game, for real this time!" she continued while showing an eerie grin on her face.


    Red Rampage then walked towards the limbless young girl sleeping soundly on the bed.


    "As thanks for making me laugh, I''ll show you a scene that you won''t forget! Enjoy the view, okay?" said Red Rampage as she slowly reached for the limbless young girl''s head.


    Everyone could not move.


    The hopes that they all placed on Red Rampage''s supposed weakness turned out to be an illusion.


    This made her many times more scarier.


    A strong enemy with no weaknesses.


    Red Rampage casually picked up the limbless girl by her head. This caused the cloth covering her to fall off, revealing her in her birthday suit, minus the limbs of course.


    Just like with Muhammad, it looked like she just carried a doll with one hand.


    "Urgh..."


    The limbless girl moaned as she felt the pain of her head being gripped by Red Rampage''s hand like a ball.


    "Hee~y! Wake up! Wakey, wakey! Slap, slap, slap!" said Red Rampage as she slapped the cheeks of the sleeping limbless girl.


    This caused the sleeping girl to fully wake up.


    "Urgh... Ow... Everything hurts... R-redgie...?"


    Instead of fear, a confused look appeared on the limbless young girl''s face.


    "Oh my~! I''m so sorry that I woke you up, you bitch!" said Red Rampage as she held up the limbless young girl higher.


    "Ow... What''s happening...? I think I just had a bad dream... Wait, why can''t I feel my limbs...?" said the limbless young girl, seemingly out of focus while listlessly staring onto an empty space.


    "Alright, everyone! See this bitch? She''s awake now! You''re about to see some shit~!" cheerfully announced Red Rampage while pointing at the limbless girl with her free hand.


    None of the people inside the room thought that they could do anything about it. They all despaired at the thought of hopelessness. That they would die anyway so what difference would it make? That kind of thought appeared inside their minds.


    Logically, everyone did not think that they could help the poor girl.


    Everyone but one.


    This... This! This is inhumane! How could she do that!? Didn''t that girl know Red Rampage''s name!? If they know each other, then why is she trying to kill that girl!? I... I can''t stand this! If we''re all gonna die here anyway, then I''m going to die trying!


    While thinking that, John looked around and saw everyone else''s faces devoid of any hope.


    Seeing this, John angrily dashed towards Red Rampage with a clenched fist.


    "John! No! We need to have a plan!"


    "Abunai*!" (*TLnote: Abunai means danger)


    "Yo! Don''t!"


    "Oh my! Stop!"


    "Don''t, kid!"


    The five men shouted for John to stop, yet he did not listen to them.


    "Oh? What''s this? ...John, was it? Wanna die first?" arrogantly said Red Rampage while swinging around the limbless young girl in one hand.


    "Aaaaaahhhh!" shouted John as he raised his fist while he ran.


    He planned to punch Red Rampage.


    But before he accomplished that...


    Oh shit! I should''ve just used a gun! It''s too late now! My fist is about to touch her and it''s gonna do nothing! Then, its going to go snap, snap and crack, crack!


    He realized his mistake too late.


    When his fist landed on her cheek, Red Rampage did not even budge an inch. However, at this moment, not a single person in the room noticed the tiny white spark that appeared for just a split-second when John''s fist and Red Rampage''s skin came into contact with each other.


    "*yaaawn~* Too noisy. You really didn''t need to shout when trying to pun-- Ahh! Uhhnnng!"


    Red Rampage, although supposedly unaffected by the punch, suddenly let go of the naked limbless girl and then placed her hands onto her own chest, acting as if her chest started to hurt.


    W-what just happened? Is she just pretending to be hurt again? Anyway, I''ve got to safely get that poor girl away from her!


    Although dumbfounded at first, John quickly recovered his senses and went over to the naked limbless girl, hesitating and blushing before carrying her to safety with his arms.


    The girl weighted lighter than she looks, which did not surprise John. For obvious reasons, of course.


    Either way, he started moving towards Ivan while carrying the girl.


    "...Wait. Please..."


    A girl''s voice suddenly called John from behind. His heart sank deep in regret for showing his back to the enemy.


    Oh shit! She was just pretending earlier! Dammit! Gotta run fa--


    The girl from behind did not let John finish his thoughts upon suddenly shouting,


    "--Wait! Please! I beg you! Uu- Uuuuu!"


    The girl''s voice sounded just like that of someone about to cry. No, the voice suddenly started crying without warning.


    John turned around. What he saw surprised him and made his eyes open wide. Everyone else in the room also gave the same reactions as John.


    He did not see a standing "Red Rampage" holding her chest in pain. Instead, he saw a teary-eyed normal looking black haired girl wearing a school uniform full of holes. Or at least that''s how the girl appeared in John''s eyes due to his distance. Upon closer inspection, the "new" girl looked like a crying homeless person with tattered clothes who''s nose became filled with snot from suddenly crying.


    Also, after feeling some movement, John reflexively looked at the girl in his arms.


    The limbless girl in John arms showed signs of slowly waking up, but her nude state, coupled with her slowly waving black hair, placed a worry on his mind. To divert his attention, he immediately looked back at the other girl, the one wearing a tattered school uniform.


    "Just... Who are you?"


    John could only ask that.


    At this moment, the naked girl in John''s arms appeared to have fully regained her senses. She then stared at the girl wearing a shredded uniform in bewilderment, but she did not say a word.


    "*sob*...It''s still me. I''m the one from earlier, but the me from earlier is... Not me at the same time... Uu- Gah! it''s so hard to explain!" shouted the crying girl wearing a school destroyed uniform as she pounded and kneeled on the floor, she then continued saying, "Listen... John, was it? I don''t know what you just did, but thank you for giving me this chance."


    The girl slowly stood up and took a deep breath while holding her chest. Then, she said,


    "Please... Ki- Ahh. I''m scared. But,"


    She trailed off for a bit, which made the others worry, but she continued after noticing the worry looks of everyone else in the room,


    "Ki-... Kil-... Please kill me!! ...Ah, I said it."


    Then, the girl collapsed on her knees with tears flowing from her lifeless eyes, staring on the floor and spacing out while wondering if she really said her earlier words. And, after realizing and accepting the reality that she really did say it, she began shaking and holding her head while repeatedly muttering "I don''t wanna die" in a low volume.


    "W-wait, wait! What are you saying to me all of a sudden!? What the hell are you talking about!? I can''t just--"


    "No! Do it! I was fully aware of everything during those times that ''she'' did it! So, please! Hurry up! I can feel her coming back!" interrupted the school uniform girl as she cried shortly afterwards and resumed muttering the words "I don''t wanna die" again and again, this time, with sobbing in between.


    John''s feelings became conflicted. As he heard the school uniform girl''s sobs, he looked at Ivan in hopes of getting some form of help or advice.


    To John''s surprise, he saw Ivan already walking towards the crying girl, gun in hand. A small handgun.


    John gently placed the naked young girl on the floor and covered her with a nearby blanket. After that, he immediately moved in front of Ivan in an attempt to block his path.


    "Don''t get in my way," said Ivan as he coldly looked at John in the eyes.


    "No. One death today is too much already."


    John stood still, not letting Ivan go any further.


    "She already killed lots of people before. If you let her live now, you will be held responsible for the deaths of the victims in the future!" angrily said Ivan while looking towards the corpse of the only dead person in the room. John followed his gaze.


    "..."


    John could not retort.


    But...


    "...So what? I still can''t let someone die right in front of me," said John as he spread his arms in front of Ivan. He strongly opposed against killing the girl.


    If one knows their current circumstances, this scene would make anyone cringe hard at the mere sight of it. Specifically, at the sight of John and his cliche good guy act.


    "You did nothing when that man died earlier."


    Ivan pointed towards a bloody mess on the floor near the door.


    "I can''t refute that... Even so..."


    But John kept getting in Ivan''s way.


    He looked at Ivan and the four masked men behind him. He also saw the fat man, the Boss, still cowering in the corner.


    Suddenly...


    "--Ughk!"


    John made an embarrassing sound as he fell to the floor after losing consciousness due to a sudden sharp pain from somewhere on his body.


    Someone struck him from behind.


    John could not remember what happened afterwards.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Some time later...


    "John, wake up."


    A male voice caused John to wake up.


    When John opened his eyes, he saw Ivan. John also noticed that he could see the ceiling just behind Ivan. He realized that his body is laying face-up on the floor.


    "...Ivan? What happened? I couldn''t remember..." asked John as he attempted to stand up from the floor.


    "I''ll tell you the details later, John. Right now, since everything is fine, we''re gonna do some thorough probing on this criminal. Understood, Johnny boy?" said Ivan with a flamboyant tone towards the end while giving a wink. This sight gave John goose bumps for some unknown reason.


    "...What criminal?" asked John while looking around.


    "This guy."


    After Ivan moved to the side, John saw an unconscious fat naked man tied up on the bed. Four other men surrounded him on all sides.


    "....."


    John left his mouth hanging and became speechless.


    "Go wait outside, John," ordered Ivan as he pointed at the door with his thumb. For some reason, he winked at the end of his sentence just like earlier.


    "Okay."


    Since the situation with Red Rampage appear to be resolved, John did not question them any further in an attempt to avoid hearing something he did not want to hear. He then went towards the door without hesitation.


    On the way, he noticed a figure beside the door.


    A cloaked girl sat on the floor beside the door. No, it would be more appropriate to say ''placed on the floor''. Her missing limbs became more noticeable due to the relaxed atmosphere, however, underneath her cloak, John saw that first aid and bandages were already applied on her wounds.


    Meanwhile, on the side opposite from the girl, there lay a suspiciously clean and dust-free man-sized area on the floor. The area where a man once died. Suspiciously clean indeed.


    "You..."


    Before John could say his next words, he suddenly remembered about the events from earlier.


    "...."


    The young girl just kept staring at him with a smile. However, this scene made John feel a slight unease due the presence of the unnaturally clean area just a few feet away from the said girl.


    Oh, right. On that area... Near that door... There should be...


    As John thought that, he attempted to ask the girl a question,


    "What happened to--"


    "Thanks, John... Did I get your name right?"


    The girl interrupted John before he could finish asking about the missing dead body.


    "Ah... Err, yeah. Wait... Damn, I forgot my question. But, never mind that. Let''s go outside and wait. They''re probably going to do something nasty to that guy over there."


    Since John forgot about what he wanted to say, he just invited her to go outside the room and wait with him for a while.


    "That guy... Okay."


    The girl showed a hint of fear in her eyes, but only for a moment before she gave John a nod.


    John exited the room after hearing the reply.


    "Um... John."


    "..Ah! Right, sorry. Anyway, you seem completely calm for someone who''s gone through... that."


    After apologizing, John quickly picked the girl up and relocated themselves outside.


    He found a spot and sat there. He placed the limbless girl next to him.


    So... This is kind of awkward. I should start up a conversation. What should we--


    While John thought that, someone suddenly spoke loudly from inside the room.


    "W-wait! What are you guys going to do!?" said a male voice from inside the room.


    "Nonono~ Wrong question. You should ask ''Who'' are we going to do. And the answer would be... You!" said five different voices in unison from inside the room.


    "Nooooo!!! D-don''t touch me there! S-stoooop!"


    After hearing the screams from inside, the girl gave John a cold and silent stare.


    Wow. This could not get any more awkward. And now, this girl is staring at me like that! She probably thinks that I''m friends with those scary guys!


    John silently stared back at the girl as he slowly turned pale from hearing the male screams coming from the room.


    "Stoooooop!"


    "......"


    "......"


    "Aahh! NoOOooOOO!!!"


    "......"


    "......"


    "NyoooooooOOooOOOooommmFFF! Mffffphh!!!"


    "......"


    "......"


    John and the girl only stared at each other with blank faces as they listened to the screams coming from a single voice inside the room.


    Because of the awkward atmosphere, John decided to crack a joke.


    "Hey, looks like that guy... is fucked!" said John with a smile while expecting for a reaction from the girl.


    "John, I don''t understand why someone is screaming inside. I want to check," demanded the girl as she completely ignored what John just said.


    Thanks for ignoring my joke. I think I''m gonna jump off this building... Wait, what did she say!?"


    "Huh...? Ah! No-no-no-no-no! I ''REEEALLY'' think that you should not open that door right now!" said John as he held up the girl to face her in an attempt to convince her from being curious, then he continued with, "They''re probably doing torture and all sorts of gay shit like that behind that door."


    "No! I wanna know! If you wont let me see, then I''m gonna scream and tell them that you touched me in weird places! Although... I don''t really mind if you do..."


    The last part did not seem to reach John''s ears but he focused on the remaining parts, the words, tone, and threatening attitude that reminded him of his sisters the most. This sparked some anger inside John''s heart.


    He decided to wordlessly carry the girl and then approached the door for both of them to see the events inside.


    The door knob turned with a clicking sound.


    Accompanied by a not-so-loud creaking noise, John slowly opened the door.


    John and the girl, both in front of the door, witnessed something that they wish they never saw.


    There lay a crying fat naked man with all of his wrists tied up on the bed while having a ball gag strapped to his mouth.


    Meanwhile, John also saw five naked muscular men ''feasting'' on the helpless fat man.


    Upon closer inspection, John realized that the buff men''s appearance differed from each other. To be precise, they did not come from the same race. Specifically: Caucasian, Black, Middle Eastern, and two Asians.


    This could also be called a sausage fest. An inter-racial sausage fest. Or in John''s very own words from earlier, "All sorts of gay shit."


    To the girl, she already went through enough hardships for today to not let this kind of scene affect her. In fact, she enjoyed seeing the fat man on the bed undergoing it while crying.


    To the full-on male John however, it gave him a quite devastating effect. No matter how much he heard from the others about how people should normally accept this kind of behaviour, none of those word matter to the current John who found himself fully exposed to such a scene, and at such a close range that even he could notice the previous scent of blood in the room being overwritten by the scent of something else unexplainable.


    I shouldn''t have looked. I shouldn''t have looked. I shouldn''t have lookedI shouldn''t have lookedIshouldn''thavelooked!


    John felt his heart stop for a bit. Although, he only imagined it. Probably.


    Despite seeing death in action today, this scene gave a bigger impact to John than any other.


    And thus, John passed out on the spot.


    "Wah-! Ow! Careful! You''re still carrying me! ...Ah, he''s out cold."


    <><><><><><><><>


    "..No...Ivan...yet..He''s...-king up."


    "Shushh, he''s waking up."


    John opened his eyes as he woke up from the disturbing noises. He realized that he is currently on a bed right now.


    His head hurt.


    Explosions, gunshots, and screams. He could only remember those things when he tried to recall his latest memory.


    He sat up and looked around.


    From what he could see, he is inside the room of a tall building that looked like it belonged to an expensive hotel. Looking through the slightly far window, he saw the night sky. This made him reflexively look at the digital clock above the window and then he saw the date and time.


    May 7, 2032. Friday. 11:03 PM.


    It''s already late and he did not go home yet. This will be a problem.


    But he also saw another problem.


    Five brawny men stood just a few feet away from him. All of them stared at his face.


    One of them, a man of Middle Eastern descent, approached to his side with a glass of milk in hand.


    As he gave the glass of milk to John, he then said, "Umm... Drink this. Until your matter is settled, we can''t let you go around freely yet so we''ll be ''taking care'' of you for now."


    However, the Middle East man "accidentally" stumbled and "unintentionally" touched "John''s place" in the process.


    This made John remember what made him faint. Memories, bad ones, flowed into John''s brain.


    After staring at the glass of milk in his hand for a while, John finally calmed down and accepted his current situation.


    He looked around for a bit and realized that this room differed from what he remembered. He confirmed that this is a different room.


    He closed his eyes and tried to recall what made him faint. This time, in detail.


    If they were women, I could just laugh it off as a joke and then let them do what whatever they wanted. But this is an entirely different story! They are men! Five! Brawny! Men! I''ll be crushed!


    While thinking that, John also made sure to not let his emotions slip out from his actions.


    John saw no other choice but to obey the Middle East man.


    While drinking the milk, John thought deeply of what he should do next.


    Halfway into finishing the milk, John felt something strange and stopped drinking entirely.


    The Middle East man''s hand felt chilly. Yes, John felt the hand.


    The man did not remove his hand from "that place" yet.


    John looked at the Middle East man beside him. The man breathed roughly despite not sweating up or having signs of doing a recent heavy work.


    Please get your hands away from me...


    John thought to himself, unable to speak it out in front of the muscular man.


    Then, John remembered that he still did not see his body nor did he check it for injuries yet.


    Even though he did not feel any pain, he still needed to check just to be sure.


    Although it cannot be avoided, he made a mistake by doing so.


    At first, he checked his naked upper body for injuries. He confirmed that someone gave him first aid on the part of his body where he got punched and sent flying away earlier.


    Next, he checked his lower body. He only saw his underwear. His other lower clothes could not be found anywhere.


    Lot of scenes of what could have possibly happened during the time he became unconscious came to his mind.


    And then, he lost consciousness again, spilling the remaining milk all over his upper body.


    A soft but low-pitched sounding "Oh my..." came from the Middle East man''s mouth.


    Those were the last words he heard before completely losing consciousness for the rest of the day.

 Chapter 6.5 Supplementary Stories

    Before Encounter Supplementary Story 1 - Mission Briefing


    We, the secret service of the government, got called over for a new assignment.


    We went to a building disguised as a coffee shop. After talking to the waiter by using a bunch of code words that only specific people know, me and my team managed to get ourselves the permission to access the secret area. An underground area only accessible through this specific method.


    Naturally, as the leader of our group of five, I lead the way after we entered the secret area. Since we already came here before, I already know which way to go.


    As we walked, we happened upon an attendant of sorts.


    "...Good evening, Mr. I. This way, please."


    After giving the cold greeting, the female attendant turned around and gestured for us to follow. Of course we already which path we should take, but it would be rude if we did not comply. And so, she guided us through a maze of hallways that would make any first-timers lost the moment they set foot in it.


    We silently followed the attendant and eventually reached a normal-looking door leading to a room. Leading to an office, to be exact.


    "Please wait here," said the female attendant before leaving all five of us to stand outside the door all by ourselves. After a while, she disappeared right after turning around the corner.


    When I looked around, the place looked huge and desolate. The unexpected cleanliness of the place only made it feel more deserted.


    I felt someone poke my shoulder from behind.


    "...So, what should we do until then?" asked one of the four men following me, followed by the sound of rushed footsteps. Ahh, I am familiar with this sound.


    When I turned around, I found my friends forming an incomplete circle as I expected. Naturally, I filled the gap to complete the circle of men. We only do this as a habit, not for any particular reason.


    "Say, Muhammad, do you have any suggestions to kill some time while we wait?"


    I asked one of my friends since I also don''t know what to do.


    "Didn''t I just ask you since I also don''t know what we should do?" replied Muhammad with a perplexed look.


    Everyone else scrambled their brains, trying to find and activity to do in the mean time.


    Standing around idly is such a chore, after all. It could also be possible that something like last time would happen, that time when they forgot about us completely and made us stand on this very spot for hours. Of course our boss apologized afterwards, but we''re the kind of bunch that get restless when doing nothing so we''d like to avoid such things in the future.


    "Err... It may sound childish, but let''s play rock-paper-scissors instead," suggested one of my other friends while having a wry smile.


    Hey, what''s with that look? We''re not going to think that you''re childish, so relax a bit. Although, I could not say that to him since I might hurt his feelings. Apparently, he can handle physical pain, but when it comes to words and emotions, he''s like a different person, especially when you look at his muscular body.


    "Anyone agree with Lee''s suggestion?" I asked in order to get their consent. Of course, I already knew what they would say.


    "Yes, let''s do it," said Muhammad.


    "Hai!" answered my other friend, Satou. Apparently, that means "Yes" according to the other language he''s proficient at.


    And finally,


    "Uh huh, let''s," replied the other friend of mine, Tyrone.


    After hearing all of their answers, Lee smiled a little bit, but seeing such a light smile from a muscular man seems like... Never mind. Not like I could say that to him anyways.


    And so, we decided to kill time by playing rock-paper-scissors.


    A few minutes later...


    "Alright! I win again! Haha! Let''s do the next round! Rock! Paper! Sciss--"


    "Umm, excuse me-iieek!!!"


    Although regrettable since I just started winning straight, upon hearing a woman''s voice, I quickly shut my loud mouth and my friends also followed suit by changing their expressions into neutral. We arranged our selves neatly, with me in front and the others forming a reverse V shape behind me, and then we faced the woman. Maybe quick our actions startled the woman? She looks ready to turn tail and run any second now.


    "...Kind sirs, please refrain from those kinds of behaviour while inside here. Sigh... I still can''t get used to you guys, really," said the woman while holder hear forehead after she gave a sigh.


    "Sorry about that. Could you please forget about what you just saw? It would be bad for our credibility if negative rumors about us were to spread around here," I said to her while handing her a thin stack of green bills from my pocket while maintaining a smile on my face.


    "Huh? What could you be talking about, I wonder?" asked the woman in a sarcastic tone while receiving the money with her head turned to the side while also keeping a fake smile on her face.


    The woman then opened the door, talked to the person inside, and ushered us in. For some reason, the woman stayed outside. It must be related to what we''re about to discus with our boss.


    After getting inside, the last person to come in closed the door. The room is sound proof so no sounds could be heard from outside.


    There, we come face to face with our boss who sat behind a desk. A lady who goes by the name of "Madam", or at least that''s what the name plate on her desk says.


    Silence filled the room.


    "Please have a seat, gentlemen," said Madam while pointing at a couch in front of her desk.


    Could we all fit in there?


    We silently try to sit and... Oh, we can sit just fine.


    Again, silence ruled over the room. None of us wanted to speak with or against Madam. One wrong word and you''ll get a bullet hole right between your eyes, and the government would even turn a blind eye on it. I think that''s how the rumor about our boss goes. It can''t hurt to be safe.


    Then, deciding to break the silent atmosphere, Madam opened her mouth and spoke,


    "Okay, let''s review the mission. I trust that you already know a little of what you''re about to do?"


    "Nothing of the sort, Madam. All we know is that we''ve been selected for this mission because of special circumstances," I replied while trying not to move a muscle. Madam must have asked that question in order to see if the information about what we''re about to do got leaked.


    "Good," said Madam while keeping an eye contact with me.


    "....."


    "....."


    Hey, stop that. Your serious face is giving me goose bumps. Engaging in a staring contest like this all of a sudden is a little too much... Even my team mates are feeling the same as me right now. To put it simply, we''re scared of her.


    After a while, Madam cleared her throat and finally broke the silence. Thank god.


    "Ahem! Excuse me. Let''s begin," said Madam while raising a stack of papers on her one hand.


    Next, she spread the said files on her desk.


    When I tried reading a page, I noticed something written about a violent girl in red. But before I could ask questions, Madam quickly explained the situation to us.


    "As you can see, your current mission is unusual. This time, your target is something we decided to call ''Red Rampage''," said Madam while pointing at one of the papers, the one bearing an image of a red haired girl in a red dress.


    What followed were our usual exchanges concerning how we should deal with the said mission, the time and place, the potential danger, so on and so forth.


    As our little meeting went on, we discovered how dangerous our target truly is this time. Something about an invincible body? Don''t joke with me. Something like that can''t even be called human anymore.


    At one time, we even doubted one of the information about our target having a weak spot in the eyes. How could something so ridiculously strong possibly have such a weakness? And it didn''t help that the target herself even willingly gave away the information for some reason.


    After a while, our discussion finally ended.


    I felt a little anxious, so I voice some of my opinion as I stood up from the couch.


    "Madam, isn''t this a little too much for us? Couldn''t you just find some other team who are better than us?"


    Madam raised an eyebrow upon my question.


    That''s quite rude, you know? At least answer my question first. It''s as if you expect us to just silently accept this ridiculous request.


    "Sit down, that was only the first mission. I have another one for you," said Madam while taking out another stack of papers from under her desk. Then, she spread the new sheets of paper on the desk again just like last time, and she continued with, "And besides, we think that only your group could pull this off."


    Great. Another one?


    But I can''t exactly complain, so I just silently sat back down together with my team mates.


    Wait... Now that I look at them, aren''t they looking conflicted? Looks like they don''t want to accept such a ridiculous mission too.


    "...And what might this second mission be about?"


    I asked in order to get straight to the point. I could also feel my sweat dripping down my back.


    It''s obvious that this next request would be even more absurd! When I look back at our previous missions, most of the time, the follow-up ones would be an impossible task. And we''ve failed in fulfilling every single one so far.


    Sensing our uneasiness, Madam gave a light laugh and shrugged her shoulders while saying,


    "Don''t worry! This isn''t like any of the previous secondary missions."


    Although she said that, it still doesn''t make us feel any better.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "You guys should have realized by now that it''s impossible to kill this ''Red Rampage'' with normal weapons," said Madam while showing a smug look. So she''s aware about it, huh?


    All of us silently nodded in unison.


    "But don''t worry, just like what it''s said, you don''t have to kill the target. Just contain her like this, whoosh!" said Madam while grasping the empty air with her hands as if catching a fly.


    "Yes, you have a point. But how?" I asked, since I do not know of any correct approach to this mission.


    Then, as if waiting for me to say that line, Madam stood up and picked up one of the papers from her desk.


    "Exactly! Now this is where your second mission comes into play," said Madam as she approached me. When she reached my location, she then handed over the paper that she picked up to me.


    I try to read its contents.


    "What is this, exactly?"


    Those were the only words I could mutter.


    "There''s this one other person with strange abilities that we''ve recently heard rumors about. I believe that you can use that person''s abilities to help subjugate ''Red Rampage''," said Madam while showing a clear smile on her face.


    She''s just that confident that we will succeed in this. I think. She''s totally not pretending to be confident just to make us accept this mission without thinking too much about it. Totally not.


    And so, I read the contents of the paper about the second mission again.


    [Subject: John the harem master]


    [Suspected ability: Charisma manipulation for females]


    [Exact Location: Unknown]


    Wait, his location is unknown?


    "Sorry, but could I ask something?"


    "Hm? What is it, Mr. I?" asked Madam with an innocent look as if she did not have any idea of what is currently going on.


    "Where can we find this John?"


    Then, at that very moment, as if a switch got turned on, Madam''s attitude changed completely.


    "Hah!? That''s your job. Not mine. Now, scram! Dismissed! You bundle of sticks for burning can go enjoy yourselves as usual after finishing this mission for all I care. Just don''t slack off now, you hear me!?" said Madam with a face full of contempt, a completely different attitude from what she showed us earlier. This is her true color. We''re already used to this by now.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Author''s Notes:


    Final Version: Chapter 6.5 Story 1


    In the edit this time, I switch the point of view from Madam''s into Ivan.


    Madam''s personality also got changed, along with the personality of her subordinate who only briefly appeared in this chapter.


    <hr>


    Before Encounter Supplementary Story 2 - Friendship


    This is amazing!


    I just learned today that my best friend secretly has magical powers. At first I didn''t believe it myself but when I saw her do it a second time, that was when I realized that I haven''t been dreaming.


    Of course, she did not know that I knew all along. But I''m gonna tell her later!


    I hope she will take me when she flies around next time!


    And so, later that day I decided that I should tell her the truth about me knowing her secret.


    *ring* *ring*


    Oh? I got a text message. Let''s see...


    [From: JSN]


    [Subject: Meet me tomorrow]


    [Message: Could we meet tomorrow? I have something important to tell you. I will specify the location later.]


    ...Tomorrow? I''m not very sure if I will be free tomorrow. Never mind, it''s not urgent right now. I still have to tell my best friend that I know her secret.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "...and you''re telling me that you''re not scared of me?"


    "Yes! In fact, I like you that way!"


    I finally said it to my best friend. It looks like she thinks people will be afraid of her if they knew, but I''m about to prove that wrong. I''m not that kind of person. Especially to my best friend!


    "...I see."


    "What? Did you say something?" I was sure I heard her just now.


    "Nothing, nothing~. Hey, do you want to fly?" She asked.


    Oh yes! This is it!


    "R-really!? Can I!? I mean, how could I refuse when-- Whaaaa!"


    All of a sudden, she grabbed me and we started to fly at high speed.


    "S-slow dooooown!" I said to her. But secretly, I''m enjoying it. This is quite fun.


    "Hahaha~ Are you scared now?"


    "N-no! Just this much can''t even make me feel fear!" I retorted. Geez, do you really have to be mean?


    "Oh really? Then here we gooo!" We flew faster.


    "Aaaaaaah! Mommiiiie!!!" Even though I kept shouting, I still enjoyed it.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "...Whew, that was fun! Let''s do it again tomorrow!" I said as I cling to her like a koala.


    "Yes. See, you, to-mo-row~"


    After that, she left while having this strange smile on her face. She must be happy too.


    Oh no! I probably took too long playing around! What if my dorm manager locks the gate!?


    What time is it now? ...Oh? I got a message.


    [From: JSN]


    [Subject: Time]


    [Message: Meet me tomorrow. Do you remember the family restaurant we used to go as kids? Let''s meet there at night.]


    ...Oh. I think I already know what this ''important'' thing is.


    But... I''ll leave it up to him if he mans up. I might consider accepting.


    Anyway, I should head back now. It''s actually still early so I''m not yet locked out.


    <><><><><><><><>


    The next day...


    May 6, 2032. Thursday.


    It''s Thursday.


    On my way to school, I bumped with my best friend.


    "Oh, hi. I''m busy right now. Let''s meet again tonight. I''ll go to your house and pick you up."


    "Huh? But I''ve got--"


    "Bye~ I have to go to my school now."


    She didn''t even listen to me. She had to go to her own school since we''ve got our own studies to keep up with.


    I can''t blame her for that, but still...


    Oh well. I''ll just send a message to JSN that I can''t make it tonight.


    ...Huh? Oh, darn. I probably left my phone on my room.


    I''ll just pick it up later when I get back.


    My meet up with my best friend is still at night.


    After the school lessons were finished, I hurried to my dorm room so that I can send my message to JSN on time.


    But...


    "Knock knock! Are you there, Chloe? It''s me, Redgie! Change of plans, I came to pick you up early."


    "Huh? Oh! I''ll be right there, Redgie! Just give me a minute to change my clothes."


    I deleted the message I that was just about to send and hurriedly changed my clothing.


    Since my best friend, Redgina, came to pick me up early, I might have some free time tonight.


    I just hope I won''t be so late that JSN will have to wait and entire hour for me.


    scuffle... scuffle...


    "Aaand I''m done! Here I am, Redgie. Where are we going?"


    "Hmm... We''re going to go to a fun place. I''m sure you''ll enjoy it," she said with a grin on her face.


    That smile... Is she planning to prank me? Well, I''ll just go along since it''s her.


    <><><><><><><><>


    The next thing I knew, I was inside a locked room of some sort of a building.


    "...Redgie? Where are you? This... This isn''t funny anymore!"


    I stomped my feet with force after saying that, hoping to get her attention just in case she''s actually hiding.


    I kept calling out to her, but to no avail, she can''t be seen anywhere.


    I am alone in this locked room.


    I thought Redgina would come back since she said "I''ll be back soon~" earlier before I heard the click of the door. I didn''t even know why I willingly entered this place. What did I expect?


    There aren''t even any windows here. This is going too far even for a prank.


    I heard a clicking sound.


    Oh, came from the door and it is opening.


    "Redgie? What took you so long? I thought you were--.... W-who are you!?" I said due to my shocked upon seeing who entered.


    It was a man. No, there were two of them.


    One is a fat man wearing lots of accessories and the other is a shady-looking man holding a gun.


    They''re both grinning as they approached me with scary looks on their faces.


    No... What is happening? Someone, help.


    "Redgie!? Are you there!? Help! Come here quickly!" I screamed as loud as I could, hoping that she could hear.


    "Now, now, missy. Shouting too loud is bad for your throat. It would be sad if I can''t hear your beautiful voice anymore... Heheheeeh," said the fat man as he laughed.


    No...NONONONO. What is this...? Ugh, don''t touch me there!


    "H-help! Someone! Heeeelp! Argh! Let go of me! NOOOOO!!!" I shouted as I attempted to get away, only to have the other person catch me.


    My screams echoed throughout the building but no rescue came that time.


    The next day, I was already tied up on the bed, naked.


    I''m fine... Nothing hurts... Is someone approaching? ...Ah! It''s the fat man!


    But h-he''s holding a knife! No no no, please no!


    No! I have to get away-- Ah! I can''t move! It''s like I''m paralyzed! No! He''s getting closer!


    "No! No! S-stop! Don''t come any closer! Uuu... Uuwaah! *Sob*" I begged him as I started crying.


    "Eheheheeh! Welcome to the Pain train! Choo-choo, Missy! Eheheheh! Heheheeh!"

 Chapter 7 - Waking up from Nightmares

    "Wak...it''s... -orning!"


    John''s consciousness started to slowly come back.


    "Wake up, Big Bro! You''re going to be late!"


    Said the two sisters as they shook the person under the blanket.


    Shake shake shake shake shake


    "Ugh... H-hey, stop that. I''m already awake," said the person being shaken violently.


    Shake shake shake shake shake


    ...Huh? That''s weird. Why am I in my bed? ...Oh.


    "So... It was a dream after all, huh? By the way, stop that!"


    "what do you mean, John? Anyways, we''ll go first so get up or you''re gonna be late. You should really thank those nice guys who brought you here since they carried you around while you were sleeping," said the sister named Cindy slowly stopping the shaking.


    "Mmmngh... Okay, okay. Just stop shaking me."


    "Hurry up, Big Bro. We''re going to leave first since we''re already done dressing up. Don''t forget to lock the door, okay?" said the other sister named Joan as she left the room together with Cindy.


    Sigh... Alright, time to get up since I might be late for... Um, late for what? School maybe? Yeah, maybe... Ouch, my ribs hurt a bit... Nevermind, it''s okay now.


    John stood up, did his usual morning routine, and then went to the dining table on the first floor. After he ate the food Joan prepared in advance, he washed the dishes and then he went back to his room on the second floor to change into his school uniform.


    He looked at himself in the mirror.


    Alright. I look normal today. But why did I have that strange dream? And... Why can I remember what I did yesterday?


    After some more preparations, he went downstairs and exited the house. John is now ready for today''s school.


    "And then... Lock. Alright, I''m done. I should go to school now because I''m probably late already. I can''t even see any students walking around anymore."


    With a fast pace, John walked to school while following his usual path.


    Huh? I can''t see any fellow students anymore. Maybe it''s already...


    "Oh dammit! I''m really am late right now! Looks like I have to run!" said John while doing some warm-up exercises on the spot, which earned him some extra glares from the people around him.


    Suddenly, he dashed forward without even caring about why the people around are looking at him strangely. No, he did care a little.


    Don''t stare at me like that! I already know that I''m late for school!


    Finally, John reached the school gates while gasping for breath.


    But at that moment, he realized the horrible truth.


    I decided to ignore it because I thought it was just my imagination... B-but... No way...


    As John thought that, his heart sank after realizing the cruel fact that rendered his efforts of going to school meaningless.


    After seeing the school being empty, John could no longer deny the truth.


    "Oh, right. There are no classes today... Damn."


    The school is closed for today.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Five men watched from behind a wall as John he agonized by himself near the school gate.


    "This is bad. We couldn''t find the right timing to get John. It also looks like he''s mentally unstable. Is that why he''s wearing that school uniform on a day like this?" said one of the five men while trying to hide his large body.


    "You''re right, Ivan. But what do we do now?" anxiously asked the person beside Ivan.


    "Don''t worry, Muhammad. I have an idea."


    "Alright. I''ll trust your judgment."


    After the man named Ivan signaled the four other men to follow, they silently circled around John without being spotted by him or anyone else nearby.


    <><><><><><><><>


    May 8, 2032. Saturday. 9:11 AM.


    "Damn, why didn''t I notice? My sisters weren''t even wearing school uniforms earlier," said John as he looked at the date on his phone for the first time today.


    Ahh... And I''m even wearing a school uniform. No wonder the people are staring at me like I''m a crazy person. Sigh... This is embarrassing.


    After thinking that, he began walking away from the school gate.


    John avoided his usual path from earlier, the one filled with many people. Instead, he selected a desolate path.


    "This way should be good. There''s no one walking around this path. I''ll go here instead so that-- Wrlghr-Mfff!"


    John''s solo conversation suddenly got cut off as someone from behind covered his mouth and dragged him into a dark alley.


    "Cover his eyes and put him in the car after tying him up," said a familiar male voice.


    Huh? Didn''t I hear that voice from somewhere before? More importantly, I have to get away!


    John thought to himself after a soft cloth-like object covered his eyes.


    "Mmfff!(No!) Lmff(Let) mff(me) mfoo!(go!)"


    "..."


    Only silence accompanied John''s muffled sounds as he felt big arms forcibly placing him into what seems to be the trunk of a car.


    Based on this tight space around me... I''m in the trunk of a car. Wait, me being able to know tha--


    The sound of something closing with a thud interrupted John''s thoughts. The entire space felt hot after the supply of fresh air got cut off.


    Nooo! This feels like the time when my sisters locked me inside the trunk of dad''s car! I''m scared!


    John could only reminiscence about his traumatic past as he heard the start up sound of an engine.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Two girls stood idly by the entrance of an amusement park.


    "Haahhh... Why is Big Bro taking so long? Cindy, can you try giving him a call?"


    "Sorry but I can''t. I forgot to bring my phone with me."


    "Sigh... It would be bad if we keep waiting here. Though we got all excited and went ahead first, we can''t go back now so let''s just go inside already, Cindy."


    "You''re right. Maybe he''ll catch up later. After all, we''ve already planned for this trip a few days ago. It''s not like John would forget about it, right?"


    The two neatly dressed sisters, Joan and Cindy, conversed as they entered the amusement park.


    They walked around for a while, but...


    "Hey, Joan. Let''s stop for a bit."


    "What is it, Cindy?"


    "I feel like someone is watching us..."


    "No, there really is a group of girls looking our way right now. Look, can you see them?" said Joan while pointing at a certain direction.


    Cindy then squeezed her eyes as hard as she could towards the direction where Joan pointed at. Not far from them, she spotted a group of girls facing their way while trying to hide. Although, they failed in hiding since Joan already spotted them.


    "Oh, they suddenly faced away. Wait... Aren''t those girls a little familiar?"


    "Hmm? You''re right. They''re the girls who frequently visit Big Bro. Wait, why is his teacher here too? Anyway, lets go and talk to them."


    The two sisters exchanged nods and then walked towards the familiar group of girls.


    "...Where?" "I can''t see him." "Where''s john?" "Was our information wrong?" etc etc


    As the sisters approached, they began hearing the mumbling of the girls.


    <><><><><><><><>


    The screeching of a tire resounded as the car suddenly stopped moving. After that, the sound of a car door opening followed. Then, footsteps slowly came closer and the sounds stopped just right outside the locked up John''s location.


    After a clicking sound, the trunk opened and fresh air suddenly filled the inside, which filled John with a pleasant sensation. He hadn''t felt this good in a while. Still, he could not relax.


    "Mmf! Mfff!"


    But John''s eyes were blindfolded and he still got his mouth covered by something in addition to him being tied up.


    John wriggled as he felt a burly arm wrapping around his waist. A moment later, the arm carried him like a pillow.


    Oh no! Where are they taking me!? Did they abduct me to ask for a ransom? D-didn''t they know that my parents aren''t that rich anymore?


    There was only the sound of several footsteps as John wriggled around while trying to figure out his situation.


    "What the!? What are you doing!!?" shouted a female voice.


    In response to the female voice, the person carrying John placed him on what seems to be a couch. His bindings were still not undone.


    "Didn''t you say to take him here by any means?" asked a familiar male voice.


    "Yes, I know. But I didn''t expect you guys to be this extreme. Sigh... Untie him now. We might be scaring him," replied the female voice.


    Huh? What? This isn''t kidnaping? They''re letting me go just like that? No, I can''t trust them yet.


    Somebody untied John and removed his blindfold.


    "We''re sorry, John. Next time, we will be gentler," said the female voice.


    I... I would prefer it if there will be no more next tim-- Huh?


    "...Ivan? You guys were real?" asked John towards Ivan after seeing him and the four other men inside the room.


    "What do you mean, John? Anyway, she''s Madam. She is the one who wanted you to be here," coldly replied Ivan as he pointed at the woman sitting behind a table, no, a desk.


    "...Madam? Anyone care to explain?" asked John as he looked around.


    From what he could see, he is currently in a small room one could call an Office. John is seated at the couch while the muscular men, Ivan and his four men, surrounded him from both sides. In front of John, Madam sat behind a plain circular table. On either side of the Madam were silver vaults that looked like they contain something valuable.


    "This is what''s going on, John," said the Madam as she waved around a stack of papers. Upon closer inspection, John found more papers were scattered on the desk.


    The large red text on the stack of papers held by the Madam caught John''s attention.


    It said: "Top Secret".


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Yeeeey!"


    "Wheee!"


    "I''m really enjoying this!"


    "Hyahahaha! Hahahaa!"


    A group of girls shouted with joy as they rode an attraction in the amusement park. Out of the group, two girls remained silent up till now.


    "...Say, Cindy."


    "What is it, Joan?"


    "I want to beat these girls up later. Wanna come and join me?"


    "No! Don''t do that! Every single one of them is John''s friend. What would he think if he learns that you beat up his friends?" replied Cindy in a shouting manner while waving her hands in panic.


    "But... They''re so annoying. But I also don''t want Big Bro to get mad at me... Urgh, I don''t know what to do..."


    "It''s alright. I understand you. Let''s just endure it for now and wait for John to come."


    "If you say so, Cindy..." said Joan as she continued sulking.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Red Rampage... Friday, May 7, 2032... Case Closed?" muttered John as he read the files on his hands.


    This... This can''t be. T-then, that dream was actually real!? N-no! Where... Where are...


    "Where are the two girls!? Weren''t they with us yesterday? What happened to them?" asked John as he glued his eyes on the files.


    Suddenly, memories gushed out of John''s mind.


    I... I remember now! I remembered it like it happened just yester-- No, wait. I remember it all! I know that poor girl should be safe by now, but the other one is...


    "You-- You guys... Did you... Kill her? Did you kill the girl in red?" asked John as he glared at Ivan.


    All of a sudden, John felt a weight on his shoulder.


    Someone placed a hand on his shoulder. Reacting naturally, he looked towards the direction where the hand came from. He saw the man named Muhammad, who he remembered as one of those who struggled with him yesterday.


    "John... She''s--" said Muhammad before his words got interrupted.


    "P-please don''t touch me! sob, sob," said John as he instantly cut off Muhammad''s words.


    I, I also remember what they did to that fat guy. I don''t want to be near these guys... sob, sob. I think they''ve also tainted me that time i was asleep...


    John thought to himself as the memories of why he passed out yesterday surfaced on his mind.


    "Muhammad, let go of John! What did you do to make him cry!?" shouted Madam due to John''s sudden change in attitude.


    "Nothing of the sort, Madam. I don''t know why he''s acting like that. And John, stop that. You''re making me look bad... Alright, Ivan will do the talking so we''ll stay silent from now on," said the man named Muhammad as he raised his hands and distanced away from John.


    "You didn''t do anything. Don''t worry. Just... Just don''t touch me. Any of you guys, don''t touch me. I beg you," replied John while on high alert as he stood still.


    "Do you completely remember what happened yesterday, John?" suddenly asked Ivan while keeping some distance away from John.


    John jerked a bit after hearing Ivan''s voice.


    "N-no... Not completely. I just know that I fell unconscious three times yesterday. sob, sob. My memories were muddy. And that... When I woke up in that room... You already... Just like the fat guy... To me... Sob, sob. And now, I just learned that you killed the girl..." replied John as he sobbed in between the words.


    "Oh... Hahaha! Looks like we have a misunderstanding," said Ivan as he scratched the back of his head.


    "Sob, sob. Misunderstanding?"


    "Yes, John. You got things wrong. We didn''t do anything to you and we certainly didn''t kill anyone yesterday," replied Ivan while smiling in order to reassure John.


    So things weren''t that bad...? Oh, this makes me look like I''m crying over nothing. I better stop acting like a little brat now.


    A muffled ringing suddenly echoed from somewhere in the room.


    "I''ll be explaining in a bit, John. So please wait while I answer this phone call," said the Madam as she took out an old-model phone from one of the silver vaults.


    Wait, those vaults aren''t locked? If I try to take a look at the insides as a prank, will they shoot me? Also, I just noticed, but what''s with Madam''s hair style? Is it just her personal style to dye the ends of her hair with green?


    John thought as he stopped his sobs and observed the Madam who spoke on the phone in a low volume that even he couldn''t hear.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Take that!"


    Punch.


    "And that! And that! This too! Yah! Take this!"


    Punch, punch, jab, kick, kick.


    "J-joan! Stop that! I think that''s too much!"


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Ohoho, no, Cindy. I''m just getting started! Take this!" replied Joan as she gave a strong punch afterwards.


    "No, Joan. You really should stop attacking that big teddy bear. Look, everyone is looking at us, including the girls!" said Cindy as she hid her face in embarrassment.


    "No! It''s my prize anyway so just let me take out my anger on this one! I can''t believe Big Bro! It''s been hours! Why is he still not here!?" angrily roared Joan.


    Everyone, including Cindy, immediately distanced away from her. They felt that there is danger in approaching her right now.


    Joan continued attacking the poor teddy bear on the floor that she got from a game earlier.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "To fill in the gaps of your memories, let me tell you what happened yesterday. Remember, this is based on what these guys reported to me, understand?" said the Madam after she return the phone inside the vault.


    "Y-yes Madam," replied John as he straightened his back while sitting on the couch.


    "Hm? What are you looking at? You''re curious about what''s inside these vaults? Sorry, but I''ll have to shoot you on the spot if you try to look," said Madam in a seemingly unconcerned tone.


    Immediately after that, Madam told John the events that transpired yesterday.


    "First... And then... After that... Then... And finally..."


    Madam carefully explained to John in a manner that even he could simply understand.


    John got caught in everything because he met Ivan at their base of operations by accident. Then, a ''surprising'' thing happened which is why they decided to ''secure'' Red Rampage instead of killing her for being deemed too dangerous. After the operation, the men nursed John''s injuries and took him to another room somewhere in the same building where for some reason John fainted after waking up, which is why they had to figure out John''s address by checking his ID to take him home.


    Or at least that''s the summary of the Madam''s explanation.


    "Did you get all that, John? I''ve already simplified it for you," asked the Madam while mimicking the gesture of holding a gun while pointing at John.


    "Um, Yes. Thanks. I understand now," replied John, although, feeling a little uncomfortable.


    So that''s what happened. Still, they left some things unexplained. But why didn''t she mention anything about the ''act'' that Ivan and his friends did? Also, they already know where I live!


    "By the way, John."


    "What is it, Madam?"


    "There''s another reason why I wanted you to come here," said the Madam as she held another stack of papers with "Top Secret" written on it.


    Pressure suddenly filled John''s heart.


    What is it this time? Oh no, wait. What if she''s threatening me!? I know their ''Top Secret'', but they know my address! Oh man, I really screwed up!


    John''s paranoid mind began imagining things as sweat started to form on his back.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Somewhere inside the amusement park, there lay on the floor the remains of a teddy bear. Beside it stood a girl breathing heavily as if she just finished doing heavy physical work.


    Everyone within the vicinity stared at the girl from a distance.


    "...Okay. Joan, are you satisfied now? You''ve been doing this for hours. You even scared John''s friends away," said Cindy as she slowly approached Joan.


    "Huff, huff. Yes. I think I''m tired now. Let''s go home already, Cindy."


    "You ''think'', huh? Well I think we should punish John a bit when we get home. Just for today."


    "No... I don''t want Big Bro to be scared of us. Let''s get something to eat first before we go," replied Joan as they both walked towards a food stand nearby.


    As they got closer, they happen to pass by a sobbing person sitting all alone on a bench while talking to himself.


    Curious, they both tried to listen to his words as they slowed down their walking pace.


    "Sob, sob. I reserved tickets for two in advance but she didn''t even reply to me... She could have been here with me right now. Sob, sob. Am I not good enough? Maybe I should ask John for some advice."


    "You know John!?" "You know my Big Bro?" simultaneously asked the sister as they instantly approached the crying person.


    "Waghh!" screamed the freshly startled person.


    Of course the poor guy possibly meant a different John but the two sisters would react to anything that mentioned John in their mind''s current state.


    <><><><><><><><>


    John got taken into the middle of a different room. A very large room.


    A large metallic coffin-like object with a hand sticking out from a small hole in the middle stood in front of him. He could not see what the back of it looks like, but he noticed some wires were sticking out from behind the metal coffin.


    "Try touching the hand, John," said the Madam as she stood behind John.


    "I... Don''t think I wanna touch that. Seriously, it looks like a corps-- Oh my god! It just moved!"


    "Stop hiding behind the door. Look around you, there are people on stand-by in case something happens."


    "But I don''t want something to happe-- Okay, okay I''ll touch it! Just don''t let these guys come near me," said John as he pointed towards the approaching Ivan and his four men.


    John got into position as he prepared himself to touch the mysterious hand sticking out of the metal coffin.


    Oh man. This is just like in those horror movies. What if it grips my hand and crushes it? Or what if this hand is actually cursed?


    As John thought that, a group of old men wearing lab coats surrounded him and the metal coffin. They all looked like mad scientists from a sci-fi movie and each of them had an ecstatic smile on their faces.


    Lots of computer monitor filled the room and each one of them is monitored by a mad looking scientist. A big screen is displayed at one end of the room, showing a green line that zigzags every second.


    "Madam, these guys are scaring me," said John as he looked at the mad scientists.


    "You''re not the only one who thinks that, John. By the way, don''t touch me!" replied the Madam as she moved away from John while having a panicked face.


    Ah. Even the Madam is like that towards me... No one actually wanted me in here, huh? I want to get away from this place.


    John steeled himself.


    This is it. There''s no turning back now. Here, I''m raising my hand now. No, wait, I need to take a deep breath. Now, raise my hand and--


    "Sigh... Just touch the god damn hand, John!"


    "Y-yes Madam!" said John as he closed his eyes and touched the hand by the finger.


    Nooo! I''m scared! Something will happen! Something will-- Huh? Nothing happened?


    A long, loud beep interrupted John''s thoughts.


    "It''s confirmed. The heart stopped! I repeat, the heart stopped!" said one of the scientists.


    W-whose heart stopped? Oh no! Is it mine? Did I die after all!?


    Thought John as he slowly opened his eyes while he nervously looked around.


    The big screen with a green line displayed caught his attention first.


    "Huh? Did that green line just stop moving? That doesn''t represent me, right?" asked John with a dumbfounded look as he let go of the mysterious hand and held his chest instead.


    "Nope. But congratulations, we''ve now confirmed your abilities," replied a scientist near John.


    "Huh? Why are you congratulating me? What abilities?"


    "You''ve said too much, new guy! Get back to focusing on your work immediately!" shouted the Madam towards the scientist who replied to John.


    "U-um, yes Madam! I''m so sorry! Mr. John, please forget what I said earlier!" said the scientist in a respectful tone despite being obviously older.


    Immediately after that, the scientist distanced himself away from John and went to work on some computer.


    John looked at the Madam.


    "Madam, care to explain things?" asked John.


    "Alright, Ivan. Return John to his home and come to my office afterwards."


    "Yes, Madam," replied Ivan.


    Huh? She didn''t answer my question. H-hey, wait! Why is Ivan coming closer with those things in hand? No, no! Don''t tie me up aga-- Nooo!


    "I told you earlier to not be rough... Never mind. Just return him home. Just you, Ivan. I have another work for these four," said the Madam as she pointed at the four silent men standing beside Ivan.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "So, you''re both John''s sisters?"


    "Yeah. But are you really Big Bro''s best friend? I don''t remember him mentioning anybody named Jason."


    "Ugh... Not only does John not think of me as a friend, he doesn''t even bother mentioning me to his sisters!? What good is there in us being classmates then?"


    The two conversed as they both sat on the bench while Cindy stood by the food stand while waiting for the food to be ready.


    A while later, Cindy came back with street food in hand.


    "Here, Joan. Here''s yours too, Jason," said Cindy as she handed the food to the two people sitting on the bench.


    "Thanks," said Joan as she moved to the side in order to give space for Cindy to sit on the bench.


    "Thanks, but why did you give me one too?"


    "Aren''t you crying just now? It should help you cheer up a bit. And no, don''t bother paying me," s+aid Cindy as she took a bite from her food while attempting to sit on the newly freed space on the bench.


    "If you say so. I like free things so I''ll accept this without shame," said the young man named Jason as he took a bite on his own food.


    They focused on eating their food for a while. After they finished, Joan opened up a conversation despite Cindy still chewing on her last bit of food.


    "So, why were you crying just now, Jason?"


    "Bfffgh! Cough! Cough! H-hey, that''s not a nice thing to ask, Joan!" said Cindy after spitting out the food she just choked on.


    "No, no. It''s okay. I could use someone to talk to anyway," said Jason with a sad face.


    After staring at him silently for a while, the sisters finally said something.


    "...Okay. Go on, speak up. But we''ll go home after this. We''re just here to listen since you''re Big Bro''s friend."


    "...Tell us. I''m curious about why someone claiming to be John''s friend is crying after all."


    "I keep telling you, I''m his best friend. Anyway, here''s my story..."


    <><><><><><><><>


    The car stopped. When he looked outside, John could see that it''s already night time.


    "We''re here, John. I''ll remove the ropes now so don''t move."


    "O-okay, just don''t touch too muc-- Hey! Where are you touching!?"


    "Stay still, you''re shaking the car. I''m not doing anything strange... And here we go. All done, you''re free. You can go home now. In fact, we''re already right in front of your house."


    "I''m amazed that you managed to do all that while still being seated on the driver''s seat. Where did you learn to do that rope thing?"


    "I''ve learned it with Muhammad and the others when we were still young... Anyways, we''ve gone off topic. Get out of the car. We''re done."


    "Done!? O-okay!"


    John immediately exited the car after that.


    After getting out, he looked back and said his farewells to Ivan through the car''s window.


    "Goodbye, Ivan~" said John in a happy and flamboyant tone with a large smile on his face.


    "Yeah. Bye, John," replied Ivan with an indifferent attitude.


    Yessss! I''m finally free~!!! I guess this is the last time I''ll see Ivan. Maybe.


    "By the way, John."


    "Yes~?"


    "You should hurry and get inside the house right now."


    Immediately after Ivan said that, the car drove away and disappeared from John''s view within seconds.


    "...Hmm? I wonder why he said that," asked John to himself as he stood in front of his house.


    A moment later, he finally noticed.


    H-hey. Why are these people looking at me strangely? O-oh! I know! It must be my school uniform!


    "Ah- Ahahahah! Don''t stare at me like that. I just mistakenly thought there were classes today so I wore a school uniform," quickly explained John towards the nearby people staring at him.


    Despite that, a neighbor John knows well approached him and said something that John himself couldn''t ignore.


    "So it''s like that, huh? Despite so many girls around you... So that''s why none of them is your girlfriend yet. I understand, John. I won''t spread this information around the neighborhood. Your secret is safe with me. Although, I don''t know about the others who saw," said the neighbor while pointing at the other people still staring at John.


    What was that about? Wait... No way. It. Can''t. Be...


    Finally, everything clicked into place inside John''s mind as he stood still like a statue.


    Supposedly, what if a car were to suddenly appear and park somewhere?


    What if that car never opens and instead begins shaking violently from the inside?


    What if, after the car stopped shaking, a guy suddenly comes out of the car with a satisfied expression?


    What if, just like what John did earlier, the guy who came out of the car said ''goodbye'' with a happy and flamboyant tone towards another guy inside the car?


    What would people think about what just happened if they saw it from the outside?


    Someone patted John''s shoulders. When he looked, he saw that the patting hand belonged to the neighbor.


    "I understand, John. We have our own preferences after all," said the neighbor while showing a condescending look.


    "N-no! It''s not like that!" denied John.


    "Yes. ''It''s not like that'', right?" said the neighbor with a wink.


    "Noooo! I keep telling you it''s not like thaaaaaaaaa---!" shouted John as he ran towards his house with tears in his eyes.


    <><><><><><><><>


    With a clicking sound, the door opened as the doorknob turned.


    "We''re hooome!"


    "We''re back, John. We know you''re here so come out."


    "Yeah! Come out, Big Bro! You have guts to forget about our plans for today!"


    "She''s right! As punishment, we''re going to sleep inside your-- Oh, Joan, he''s here... Huh? Is he crying?"


    As they searched the house, the two sisters found their older brother sobbing alone in the lounge while laying in fetal position on the sofa, still wearing the school uniform.


    "Sob...Sob... My life is ruined... I can''t go outside anymore... Maybe I should start researching about the way of the NEET?"


    "Eh? What are you talking about, Big Bro? And why are you wearing your school uniform? Aren''t there supposed to be no classes today?"


    "I think John forgot more than just our planned trip, Joan. Let''s give him some space for a while."


    After that, the two sisters continued staring at the sobbing John in silence.

 [ARC 1 END] Chapter 7.5 Supplementary Story - The Girl in the Box

    "....."


    No sound... Only silence.


    "....."


    I can''t hear anything even if I try to listen...


    "....."


    I can''t speak. I can''t move my mouth. I can''t move my tongue. I can''t swallow my own saliva.


    "....."


    I can''t move at all.


    What''s going on?


    Where am I?


    Why is it so dark?


    "....."


    Someone? Anyone? Please, if you''re out there then say something!


    "......................"


    Only silence...


    Silence...


    Silence..


    Silence.


    ..........


    ......


    ....


    ...


    .


    Oh, that''s right. I remember now.


    That time...


    <><><><><><><><>


    May, 7, 2032. Friday.


    My consciousness slipped a bit back there, but I''m okay now.


    Hauughh... My chest hurts like hell... Wait. Are these tears in my eyes?


    "Move away, John."


    "No. One death today is too much already."


    I could hear the voice of two guys arguing.


    What are they talking about? Not that I care anyways.


    I tried to stand up... I did but with difficulties.


    My legs are wobbling.


    Must... get... away.


    No, wait. I''ll leave a little goodbye present for them.


    Let''s see... That boy looks easy. He can''t see me since his back is facing me. His back also covered me, so the other guy he''s arguing with probably can''t see me.


    Are they still arguing?


    In any case, I try to move towards the boy.


    ...Why is my hair black? Isn''t it supposed to be red by now? Oh, never mind. It''s slowly turning red now.


    The four other huge figures inside the room finally noticed me, but it''s too late!


    Now I''ll just raise my hand and... pow!


    "--Ughk!"


    The boy collapsed after making that disgusting sound. Strange. His neck should be cut off by now. I wonder why I''m holding my strength back against this boy lately? Well, whatever.


    Heh. This is really easy. With this I can get ou--


    "Urghhhh!!! Huff... huff... Hngggg!!!"


    I fell on the floor as my knees give in.


    Dammit! Why is my chest hurting right now!?


    Oh no, no, no! My consciousness is fading....


    ........


    ......


    ....


    ...Huh? Why did I just attack this boy again? No, wait. So it happened again.


    Ah... Ouch, my chest hurts too, just like earlier.


    Wait a minute. Now that I look around, there are other people here besides this boy.


    Five men are pointing their guns at me. One is a fat man cowering in the corner trying to hide himself from my view. Another is-- no, it''s just a corpse. And the last one laid on the floor is...


    "C-Chloe!?" I shout towards my best friend.


    In order to get closer to her, I try to move my legs, but I can''t control them. I''m stuck kneeling on the floor.


    Why is me best friend lying on the floor in such a horrible state?


    "Redgie... Is that really you?" replied my friend in a weak voice.


    So it really did happen. I did some things unconsciously again.


    Recently, I''ve started feeling like everything around me is just a dream. But right now, I''m pretty sure that I''m completely awake. There''s even this almost unbearable pain in my chest to further prove it.


    "You! What happened? Are you aware of what you''ve done!?" shouted a male voice.


    When I turned to look, I saw a muscular man pointing a gun at me from a meter away. He glances at the collapsed boy from time to time. From what I can remember based on my muddy consciousness earlier, he''s probably the one arguing with the boy called... John, was it?


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "...What I''ve done?" I asked in a confused tone, still kneeling on the floor. I really mean it. I don''t know what I''ve done.


    But I think I already have an idea about what he means. After seeing the corpse laid on the floor and the devastation of this entire place, I''m pretty sure this is related to what my body does when I enter that dream-like state.


    "This is an interesting situation... It''s black now... So her hair color is just a sign of the change, huh?" murmured the man to himself, although I could still hear it fine from here.


    I''m really confused right now.


    I looked towards my poor limbless friend on the floor, since I noticed that she wanted to say something.


    "Redgie... I''ll never forgive you..." she weakly said to me before resting head and finally closed her eyes.


    ...What a cruel thing to say, isn''t it? Not that I can''t understand where she''s coming from.


    Oh, but the pain in my chest is slowly going away...


    Wait, I just noticed, but why are my cheeks wet? Am I crying all this time without knowing it?


    The sound of gunshots entered my ears and holes were drilled into my body. 6 gunshots in total, all from a single gun.


    Both of my knees were shot, my elbows and shoulders too. He hit all the joints on my limbs. I could feel my body being shot as the bullets pierced my bone and flesh, but I can''t feel the pain. Still, I could feel blood pouring out of my body. All of it feels weird.


    Ah... Earlier, only my legs were unable to move. Now, I can''t even move my arms anymore. But it''s okay, the only pain, the one in my chest, is starting to go away.


    "I apologize, but I have to do this. Be grateful because we were originally gonna have to kill you," said the man who shot me while reloading his gun. The four other men behind him began approaching me too, all while pointing their guns at me.


    Oh well, I''m starting to get sleepy too.


    "Oh my... Ivan, her hair is turning back into red. What do we do?"


    "Let''s just hope she doesn''t regenerate like a cheating bastard. If all else fails, let''s try throwing the boy at her."


    Those were the last words I heard before I closed my eyes and blacked out.


    <><><><><><><><>


    ....Yes, that''s right. That''s what happened.


    I never entered the dream-like state after that.


    And now my consciousness is back again.


    But why am I in such a dark place?


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    This silence is scary.


    Is this the afterlife? Is this hell?


    Did I finally go crazy and went to kill off myself?


    Maybe I deserved it after all... But where''s my Mom and Dad? They should be in here too since this is the afterlife.


    All of a sudden, I felt a touch on my right hand even though I don''t see anything.


    Why did I just feel something in this-- Auuugghhh!!! Uggghhhh!


    Dammit! My chest hurts again! Why! Why why why why!


    Isn''t this supposed to be the afterlife? Why is there still pain!?


    I can''t even move my body to press on my chest.


    Aaaghhh!!


    Someone...! Anyone...!


    Help....


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    "....."


    Despite the pain and my cries for help inside my mind, I only received one thing as a response.


    Silence.


    ......


    ....


    ..


    .


    I don''t like this.


    My chest still hurts.

 [ARC 2] Chapter 8 - The Transfer Students

    May 10, 2032. Monday. 9:07 AM


    "Class, I have an announcement," said the female teacher after checking the time on her digital wristwatch.


    Every present student turned to the teacher''s direction. All but one.


    "Hey, John. John. Did you hear that? An announcement, she said. What will it be about?" said a male student behind John.


    "...Whatever. I don''t care. Leave me alone," replied John in an weak voice with a face glued to his desk.


    "Is something wrong, John? Why are you talking to me like that? I''m your best friend, remember?"


    "You''re the only one who says that, Jason. Leave me alone," said John, still not raising up his head.


    "You two, be quiet! And John, are you sleeping during the class again? Class President! Deal with John for-- Oh right, she''s absent today."


    John slowly raised his head to reveal his red, wet eyes to the teacher.


    "...Did you just cry recently? Still, that is no excuse to sleep in my class. So, everyone, listen to me! You will have new classmates today. Transfer students, in fact," said the teacher with a seemingly uninterested expression, though she gives John a glance from time to time.


    "Wow!", "Whisper, whisper!", "Transfer students? They exist?", "I can''t believe this!", "John will snatch them away again if they''re girls!", "Who shouted ''Whisper''?", Noise filled the whole classroom as the students started gossiping with each other.


    John, still not interested, planted his face back to the desk.


    "There are seven of them. My, aren''t they too many? We don''t have enough seats... Boys, get seven chairs from the storage room," said the teacher.


    Seven male students voluntarily exited the room to follow their teacher''s orders.


    "Whoa! These are the... transfer students?", "There are two girls too... tsk!", "B-but these guys look kinda scary!" etc. etc.


    The shocked voices of the volunteers who saw the transfer students first could be heard outside, still, John kept planting his face on the desk.


    "Alright! While we wait, let me introduce the first one! You, come in."


    As the teacher said that, a girl with blonde hair and ringlets came stepped inside the room silently while lowering her head.


    Responding to the silence of the blonde girl wearing a school uniform, the entire room became silent.


    "Umm... Err... My name is... Elssie. Elssie Crimloard," said the blonde transfer student in a shy fashion.


    "Whoa... She''s a beauty. But..." said one of the male students as he looked at the blonde girl before directing a hateful gaze at John.


    Elssie looked around the classroom for a bit. After showing a disappointed look, she returned her gaze to the floor and played with her ringlets using her fingers.


    "Okay, Miss Elssie. Just stand over that side for a bit while we wait for the chairs to come," said the teacher as she pointed at the vacant side of the classroom.


    Elssie followed the teacher''s instructions all while facing the ground.


    "Now, the next student should be... Come in, please?" said the teacher, conflicting emotions showing on her face.


    Next, a huge black man wearing a school uniform bulging with muscles stepped in.


    "......"


    The entire classroom became silent. No one could utter a single word. Still, John kept planting his face on the desk.


    "Err... Class, don''t be like that. Would you like to introduce yourself, Mr Transfer Student?" said the teacher, showing a troubled expression.


    "The name''s Tyrone Jones. But you can call me Tyrone."


    T-this voice... I remember... One of Ivan''s...


    As John thought that, he felt his heartbeat rate raise.


    Only after hearing this familiar voice did John finally raise his head.


    "Y-you!? Uhh, erm... e-e-ey! N-nice to see you here! Ha-ha! Ha-ha!" said the stuttering John while forcing a laugh.


    "Yo! Did I surprise you, John? Why don''t you give me a nice, warm, welcome? We''re gonna be classmates!" replied Tyrone as he went to stand beside Elssie.


    I think I''m going to puke! You don''t even look like you''re young enough to be called a student! How old are you anyway!?


    John could only think that as he tried to wipe his moist eyes which already started showing small amounts of red liquid from the tear glands.


    "Did you say ''John''!?" said the blonde girl with ringlets, Elssie, all of a sudden.


    "Huh? Who''s tha-- Ayiiee! It''s you!" screamed John as he finally realized the presence of Elssie.


    "Ohohoho~ John, my fiance! Why did you abandon me in my time of predicament?" said Elssie as she placed the back of her hand near her mouth with the sudden change of mood.


    "What predicament!? And I''m not your fiance! We just met last week!" replied John immediately since he could feel the stares full of killing intent right behind him.


    After hearing all of this, the entire classroom became silent again. When they finished absorbing the situation, the noise returned.


    "Oh, so we have another comrade!", "She''s knows John too?", "S-she''s too much for me! I can''t surpass her!", "Maybe I should make John my fiance too?" etc. etc.


    As the girls whispered among themselves while the boys kept imagining John being smashed inside their heads, four muscular men wearing school uniforms entered the room.


    "Hi, John. It''s us again. We''ll be your classmates for the rest of the school year," said Ivan while waving his muscular hand at John.


    John suddenly tightened his buttocks out of instinct.


    "H-hi guys! Nice to see you again, huh? Heheh, heheh.... Please stay back."


    That day, John''s school life changed forever.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Unsurprisingly, Ivan and the three others showed up together as well.


    Today, one by one, they appeared in front of John with the order of Tyrone, Muhammad, Satou, Lee, and finally, Ivan.


    "No! Why are you guys here in my school? And transferring to my class even!?" shouted John as he finally stood up from his seat right after the introduction of the last male transfer student, Ivan.


    "Thanks for the warm welcome, John! I''m sorry I''ve been so cold recently, but that was just how I am around people I''ve never met before," said the blushing Ivan with a wave of his hand as he showed a rare smile towards John''s direction.


    No! That smile''s too creepy! Don''t show such a face in front of me or you''re going to give me nightmares! Is it not enough when you messed up my reputation back in my neighborhood!?


    While thinking that, John paled as he imagined the possibility of a dark future ahead of him.


    "So you guys knew John already, huh? I''m sorry but you''re gonna have to save the talk for later. I''m calling in the last transfer student now," interrupted the teacher indifferently as she saw John and Ivan''s intimacy.


    "Okay, teacher. Bye for now, Johnny boy," replied Ivan with a wink while walking towards where the transfer students were supposed to stand in wait. The four other muscular friends of Ivan gave John a wink too.


    John tightened his buttocks even more.


    "Dammit, John! I didn''t know you have such cool friends! Is that why you never call me your best friend, huh? Huh!?" said Jason as he shook John who displayed a blank look in the eyes.


    "Okay, the next one is a girl. You can come in now!" said the teacher in a loud voice.


    After the teacher''s announcement, a young girl with waist-length black hair in pony-tail entered the room. She''s also wearing a school uniform.


    She caught John''s attention the moment she entered.


    "H-h-hi. M-my name is..." said the girl in a very weak voice.


    Before she could continue speaking, she suddenly looked around the room with the eyes of a scared child. No hint of smile could be found on her face.


    After hearing her voice, John could no longer let his focus stray from the girl. No, he could not ignore the girl even if he tried to. After all...


    "Uuu.. Aaa.. Um... My name is..." said the girl before she looked around the room without finishing her sentence again.


    T-this girl! This girl is... That day... Last Friday... She was--


    Before John could finish his thoughts, someone from behind suddenly spoke.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Is that you, Chloe? You transferred here?"


    "H-huh? W-who called... Ah! Eieek!" shrieked the girl called Chloe upon hearing Jason''s voice.


    She looked around the room with a panicked look on her face. But when she saw John, she suddenly displayed a relieved and smiling face as she went on to hug him.


    "...A-ah! John! John! You''re here! John! Don''t leave me again!" said Chloe while hugging John with all her might.


    Why does she have limbs!? And why is she going to school right away? Why did she even transfer here? Damn, what is actually happening right now!? And her limbs! It''s not even a month yet, but they''re there! Why did her limbs magically pop back just like that?


    John could only be confused as he accepted Chloe''s hugs with a wry smile while having a conflicted look at the same time.


    Of course, some of the bystanders watching them are not going to take this scene with smiles on their faces while they wish John good fortune.


    <><><><><><><><>


    The seven male students who volunteered to get the chairs finally arrived.


    "The chairs are here--! Oh? Look''s like they''ve already started," said one of the seven male students.


    When they entered the room, they didn''t look surprised upon seeing the other male students, except for the newly transferred ones, causing an uproar.


    Already understanding what caused this situation even before seeing it with their own eyes, they joined the rioting males without hesitation. But only after placing the chairs in place and calling over the transfer students to let them have their seats.


    "Joooooohhhn!", "You shall experience my ''nut cracker''!", "Snippity-snip! Something small is going to get nipped!", "So new, yet so snatched!" etc. etc.


    All kinds of curses being shouted at John could be heard. Of course, none of the males meant what they said. Maybe.


    Strangely, despite most of male students acting wild, the one behind John just behaved in his chair without moving.


    Jason, sitting still on his chair, just looked at John the entire time. No, to be exact, he stared at the new girl acting intimate with John, the girl named Chloe.


    Jason''s mouth moved.


    "Get away from him, woman. I always wanted to lick John''s balls," said Jason in a female voice.


    No, the voice actually belonged to a girl staring at John with weird eyes who, by chance, happened to sync her voice with Jason''s mouth.


    Unfortunately, the noise of the entire classroom drowned out Jason''s voice as he said something while staring at Chloe.


    Whatever the words that really came out that time, only Jason himself knew.


    <hr>


    (Note: Don''t like side-stories? You can skip these parts then!)


    <<<<Jason''s Anonymous Posting Corner # 1>>>>


    Tap! tap! tap! tap! tap! tap! tap! tap! tap!


    Inside an enclosed space, a dark room with the doors locked and the curtains shut, the sound of the violent tapping of a keyboard rang out.


    Upon closer inspection, the computer screen displayed a forum about anonymous posting. A place where everyone is free to say whatever they want.


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    [Thread Subject: Seeing your crush in person]


    [Replies: 157 posts]


    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 158]


    --------Message Body--------


    So this crush of mine transferred to my school today. I was really happy. I could finally go and have my advances on her so that I can confess my love without fail, unlike last time where I got ignored. But there''s this problem. My best friend(LOL not anymore) turns out to have already met her before. What''s more? They''re even intimate with each other! It''s as if they''re already a couple! I can''t take this!


    My best friend(LOL no more) already has a harem chasing after him, but he''s still not satisfied? And now he''s going to take my crush away too? No man! No! I won''t stand for this! I will do everything it takes to protect my girl! She''s my one and only true love! No one can replace my pure little angel! I won''t let that best friend(LOL) of mine become too intimate with her!


    I want to be the one take take away my girl''s purity! We will share our first kisses and have our first time together when we''re at the correct age! Only I can touch her! Anyone else who dares to even try and kiss her shall die! I will never give her away! Neveeeeeeer!!!! My sweet little angel will stay pure for me and me alone! With my effort, we will be a happy couple together!


    LoL sorry for the long post XD


    Also, she''s my childhood friend and we haven''t seen each other for a long time. I still have her number though. I got it from her parents.


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Broken Heart.jpg]


    [Captcha: NevErgoNna getNtReD]


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    "And now... Hit the ''submit'' button. There, and done. Let''s wait for replies... The guys here are friendly so I will get some sympathy for sure," said the person who typed the post.


    After a few minutes of waiting, a reply suddenly came up.


    "Oh, here''s a reply! Let''s see what it says..."


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    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 179]


    --------Message Body--------


    I''m seeing a lot of rants on this thread. I''ll try to give advice to some of them here.


    To Post#158


    Man up and get over it, you fucking faggot! Your crush is probably not a virgin anymore! She''s a slut! Face it, cherry boi! I bet she even pleasures fat old men for money! Do you even know how she lives her everyday life, sucking off every random "hot guy" she meets?


    This is reality. Yes, she''s your childhood friend, but she didn''t see you for a long time. Do you expect her to remember even your name and save herself just for you? Well the answer is a big NO! Don''t believe me? Then go ask her yourself, you raging homosexual!


    If you''re so insistent on staying pure for her, and her only, then you might as well start watching online gay videos and practice how to sleep with men! Girls in this world are just not pure like how they are in your children''s books, so start accepting reality! And no, I don''t believe your harem bullshit!


    To Post#165


    I know it''s been a shock when you found out after she told you. I feel bad for your troubles too. But there are a lot of girls in the world, anon. Just like your crush, most of them probably had a man before, which doesn''t suit your preferences, but at least there are sure to be one of the few out there who are also inexperienced and believe in true love just like you do. Stay strong, anon!


    To Post#170


    It''s okay. Don''t let it get to you, because.... And... So in the end you will... In short, don''t feel too bad.


    To Post#174


    We got your back, bro.


    To Post#177


    Don''t lose hope. You can do it!


    And that''s all the advice I can give. Have a nice time, guys! :D


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Phallic Object.jpg]


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    ".....Okaaaay. They''re just a bunch of delusional people anyways. Maybe I should go outside and play. Time to shut down the computer," said the owner of the computer as he shed a single drop of tear.


    With a press of the power switch, the computer screen turned black.


    "Big Sis! I''ll go out for a bit!"


    "Okay Jason, but be sure to get back before dinner because I''ll be extremely lonely if I eat alone," replied the sister from the kitchen.

 Chapter 9 - New Residents

    John checked his phone to see the current time.


    May 10, 2032. Monday. 8:24PM


    Inside John''s house, ten people are currently gathered in the living room. The tense atmosphere already began the moment the guests arrived, still wearing their school uniforms.


    They discussed something.


    And just now, they''ve just finished talking.


    I''m screwed! Mom, Dad, when will you get back home? Please hurry! I need help! If only I''d known this would--


    "--that''s why we all decided to do this. John... John? Are you listening, John?"


    "Huh...? Ah, right! Yes, Ivan! Yes of course! You don''t need to worry! Hahaha!" replied John with a soaking wet forehead.


    "You understand the seriousness of the situation, right? These girls will stay in your house for now," said Ivan as he pointed at the two female guests while directing a serious look towards John.


    The four other men behind Ivan also directed their serious gazes at John.


    "Y-yes! Yes, of course!" quickly replied the panicking John while straightening his back.


    W-why should these girls live here!? We can handle the living expenses if there''s just one, but not when there''s two of them! We wont last an entire week at this rate!


    John looked at the girls Ivan talked about.


    Both of them, clad in school uniforms.


    One of them sat at the corner of the sofa while fidgeting around, the blonde girl named Elssie Crimloard. The other one, the black-haired ponytail girl Chloe, clung to John like a sticky gum, never letting go even for a moment.


    "Now wait a minute! Why did you guys suddenly barge in here and ask us to take care of these girls?" suddenly interrupted Cindy from the sides.


    "Yeah, she''s right. This makes no sense. Why should we do what you say?" quickly followed up Joan while hiding behind Cindy as she peeked at Ivan with uneasy eyes.


    The two sisters who observed everything from the beginning objected to the circumstances upon finally understanding the situation.


    "Now, it''s not like we''re asking you guys to do it for free! We''re ready to pay up-front if that''s what you like. Also, please let us talk to your brother in private for a while," said Ivan as he took out a stack of green bills from his pocket and slammed it to the floor.


    The two sisters examined the stack of green bills, and upon seeing the text "2032-Issue Bonds" together with "100$" being written on it, they immediately responded to Ivan at the same time, displaying a big smile on their faces.


    "Okay, deal! We''ll let them take John''s room.", "Well, why didn''t you say so? Big Bro can go sleep on my bed tonight."


    The two sisters picked up the stack of bills then went on to the second floor while humming happily.


    Really? Bribery did the trick? How cheap can you jerks be anyway? Well... At least it saved us from the incoming financial trouble.


    John thought that as he silently thanked his greedy sisters.


    "Since you''ve listened to my explanation earlier, you know why we made them stay in your house, right? So that''s all and we''ll see you tomorrow," said Ivan with a serious expression before leaving together with the four other men silently.


    No! Wait! I actually don''t know why since I didn''t pay attention earlier! Repeat all of what you said again! --Not that I could say that to them after paying us with cold, hard cash.


    John complained in his mind as he began thinking of what to do next.


    A moment later, after Ivan exited the house.


    "Whoa! Why are there so many girls here!? Men, let''s scare them away! Graaaarghh!" shouted Ivan from outside the house.


    "Yes, sir! Graaarghh!" replied the four men at the same time.


    John could not see the situation outside but he could hear it.


    "Aaaaahhh! Run awaaaay! John, we''ll be back for youuuu!"


    ...Did I just hear some girls screaming? Nah, probably just my imagination.


    The already pale John dismissed the noise outside as just his imagination. He did not want to think about any more problems for tonight.


    With Chloe already clinging to him, John turned around to face Elssie who still fidgeted around.


    "Okay, girls. Let''s pick your rooms for tonight!"


    "Umm... Uh.. Nnn.." Elssie still kept fidgeting without sparing John a glance.


    "John, I want to stay with you! I''ll even sleep with you if needed!" said Chloe while tightening her grip on John.


    "N-now wait a second! I don''t think it''s a good idea to say such things out in the open. By the way, hey you. What''s wrong? Is something bothering you?" asked John as he approached the girl sitting on the sofa, Elssie. Meanwhile, the other girl still kept clinging to him.


    "Umm... Where? Where...?" replied Elssie, fidgeting even more.


    "Where''s what?" asked John a second time while struggling to stand perfectly still due to a certain someone clinging to him.


    Although a normal boy would find enjoyment in this situation where are girl clings to him, John could hardly ever be called normal due to a certain set of sisters instilling some sort of trauma in him.


    Memories of when his sisters tried to twist his joints while clinging to him resurfaced inside John''s mind. Right now, he is doing his best to hold himself back from reflexively whacking Chloe away.


    "Y-you know what I''m talking about! Don''t make me say it! So, where is it?" said Elssie while blushing and fidgeting.


    "Again, where is what? I don''t know what you''re talking about!" asked John again, in a louder and much more annoyed voice this time.


    "T-the, the... The toilet..."


    "...Why didn''t you say so earlier?"


    "H-hey! Answer me now! This is an emergency! Where is it!? I can''t hold it anymore!"


    Elssie suddenly stood up from the sofa and did a tap dance while holding down on her crotch. Or so that''s how it looked like to John.


    "You''ve got nice dance mov-- No, I''m sorry! Don''t hit me! Just go upstairs and enter the second door on your right," said John while shielding his face with one hand.


    "Hmph. You should have said so sooner!" said Elssie as she started running for the toilet.


    Now, after resolving everything today, John''s tension finally eased. So did the tension in his buttocks which he subconsciously tightened earlier for some reason.


    Chloe''s grip tightened again all of a sudden.


    "Now what? And could you please let go of me?" asked John as he looked at Chloe who still clung to him.


    "No!" replied Chloe while shaking her head.


    "Come on! You''ve been like that since we saw each other at school this morning! I can''t move properly if you don''t let go!"


    "No!"


    The two kept repeating this exchange until...


    "Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!!"


    "Nooooooooooo!!!"


    The loud screams from upstairs could suddenly be heard. It belonged to John''s two sisters.


    Oh no! What happened!? Don''t tell me... Damn, I''ve got to hurry!


    John silently tried to remove Chloe''s hands, but failed, so he ended up reflexively whacking her with his hand instead. In doing so, Chloe fell to the floor, but she did not show any signs of anger from what John just did, for some strange reason.


    "Ah! John, wait! Don''t leave me!" said Chloe as she reached her hands for John without moving an inch from her position for some reason.


    "I''m sorry! I don''t know why I did that, but please forgive me! I''ll be right back," said John while rushing towards the source of the screams from earlier.


    John passed by the toilet room, which contained Elssie for quite some time now, and headed straight for the room of his two sisters.


    "What happened!?" shouted John as he opened the door with force.


    "T-the... T-the... The..." said Cindy with teary eyes, looking at the object on the floor while hugging the crying Joan.


    John looked at the object Cindy pointed at.


    There lay, on the floor, the stack of green bills from earlier.


    "Alright, what''s there to cry about that? It''s not like there''s actually a bomb inside or something, right?" said John with a confused look, then his face turned into fear as he followed up with, "...Wait a minute."


    Oh shit. What if it''s really a bomb and they just wanna silence us to--


    "No, not a bomb! Even worse! It''s not money! It''s fake!" said Cindy, interrupting John''s thoughts.


    John immediately picked up the stack of green bills and examined it. Some parts of where the prints should be located were not there.


    Although not actually worse than a bomb, what Cindy said is still true. Ivan gave them fake money.


    Visions depicting each of them starving to death with their skeleton-like bodies flashed inside John''s mind.


    "...I don''t care anymore. Give me a lighter, Cindy," with an angry face, John asked for a lighter from Cindy.


    After getting a lighter from Cindy''s pocket, John proceeded to burn the stack of fake money without hesitation.


    Surprisingly, the house did not burn down despite igniting something on the second floor, a floor consisting of mostly wooden materials.


    <><><><><><><><>


    A car containing five people drove through the serene streets. The night sky made it harder to detect the car with human eyes due to its dark color.


    "Is it okay to leave them like that, Ivan? Shouldn''t we at least give them real money?" said the person on the passenger seat.


    "Wait, what do mean? Those were fakes? How do you know that, Muhammad?" asked Ivan while driving the car slowly.


    "Umm... When I was preparing our funds, I think I confused the ones for display and the real ones earlier. You gave them the ones that I gave you, right?"


    The car suddenly screeched loudly after Ivan slammed his foot on the break.


    "You what!? We have to go back now!"


    Ivan immediately turned the car around and started driving as fast as he could, but...


    "Wait, stop the car! Ivan, I see someone!" said Tyrone from the back seat while pointing beyond the car''s windshield. A few meters away from them, a lone girl stood by the sidewalk facing their direction with a blank look on her face.


    "Yeah, me too. Isn''t it dangerous for a girl to be alone around these parts at this time of night?" replied Ivan while turning off the car''s engine.


    "That girl is... I think we should go get her. No one is around. Lee, Satou, can I count on you for this?" said Muhammad while looking at the two other passengers from the back seat just beside Tyrone. They became the very danger that Ivan just talked about earlier.


    "Hai." (TL note: Means ''Yes''), "Yes. It will be quick."


    The two replied, cracking their knuckles.


    "...You do understand what I''m saying, right? I mean you should go get her, not kill, just capture," said Muhammad with a worried face.


    "Yeah, we know. We''re just kidding," replied Lee with a smile, opening the car door and taking as step outside afterwards. Satou silently followed up from behind.


    Silence filled the car. With three people silently sitting inside, Ivan felt the awkward atmosphere so he decided to start a topic.


    "...I''ll just ask, Muhammad. We''re abducting young girls now? Isn''t this quite a bit..." asked Ivan with an anxious look on his face.


    "No, no. Don''t misunderstand, Ivan. Hey Tyrone, you know why I''m doing this, right? We checked the incident''s files together after all," said Muhammad while looking alternately at both Ivan and Tyrone.


    "Nah, I don''t get you at all. You''re really creepy sometimes, you know? You even extend to girls now? You breakin'' our vow?" replied Tyrone while displaying a sad look on his face.


    "Please don''t be like that. You know me. I have a good reason to do this, since I recognize that girl," said Muhammad while pointing at the girl being approached by Lee and Satou.


    "Hey, young lady," said Lee with a smile on his face as he approached the girl while waving a hand at her.


    Satou just remained silent beside Lee, yet he also displayed a smile.


    "Ah... What is it?" asked the girl as she looked at the two, still with a blank look on her face. She didn''t even show a surprised reaction.


    However...


    "Satou, do it," said Lee.


    "Hai! (TL note: Yeah) Young girl, caught!" responded Satou as he held the girl by the wrists.


    The girl finally showed a reaction for the first time. A shocked reaction.


    "A-ah... Ah! Aaa-- Mfff!"


    Despite being held by Satou, the girl attempted to turn around and scream. But due to Lee''s follow-up action, her mouth could no longer make any noise after being covered by a cloth as she struggled.


    A few seconds later, the girl finally stopped resisting and fell unconscious.


    "...Alright. Satou, let''s take her to the car."


    Satou silently nodded.


    Without difficulty, the two muscular guys carried and placed the girl inside the black car waiting for them.


    "You know, I feel bad about doing this without knowing the reason," said Ivan before starting up the car engine.


    "It''ll be fine. You should trust me since I''m the information expert here," replied Muhammad white pointing to his chest with his thumb.


    Ivan started driving afterwards.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The door to the toilet room opened.


    Out came a blonde girl with ringlets, Elssie Crimloard, having an entirely different personality from before.


    "Ohohoho~! I feel like I was just born recently!" said Elssie while covering her mouth with the back of her hand .


    She looked around the second floor hallway before saying,


    "...And what was that scream just now? Oh, an open door. I wanna take a look inside."


    Elssie stepped inside the open door next to the toilet room, only to find three people with tears in their eyes. There''s also a burnt object in the middle of the room.


    "*Sniffle*, *sniffle*... Just why?" muttered John while rubbing his eyes as he faced the ceiling. His sisters also sobbed while hugging each other.


    "E-er... What happened here? Ah! W-why are you crying, John!?" said Elssie in a panicky voice as she slowly walked towards John.


    "*Sniffle*... Nothing happened. Come on, lets go downstairs. *Sniffle*..." replied John as he exited the room. Elssie, with an unsure expression, silently followed him afterwards. She somehow understood that John did not want to talk about it.


    Upon reaching the lower floor, a crying and shivering Chloe entered their view.


    "Y-you too, Chloe? Why is everyone crying all of a sudden?" said the confused Elssie as she took a seat on the sofa.


    "John! *Sob*... Don''t leave me again!"


    Upon seeing John, Chloe immediately stood up and clung to him like usual.


    "Ah... *Sniffle*... No, let me go... I just want to sleep right now. Let me take you to your room upstairs," said John while still trying to shake off the clingy Chloe as he went upstairs. He completely stopped crying a moment later.


    Elssie quietly stood up, then she followed John and Chloe to the second floor.


    "Alright, you two can sleep here. I''ll use the sofa on the living room instead," said John while pointing at the door towards his room. Then, while pointing at Chloe, he continued saying, "And Elssie, please deal with this."


    "Alright. But John, can''t you use the room of your parents?" asked Elssie while pulling Chloe away from John''s body.


    "I''d... rather not. I''ve seen something in there before that I wish I shouldn''t have," replied John while remembering about his past, suddenly shivering afterwards.


    "Okay... Goodnight," said Elssie, closing the door after successfully getting Chloe inside.


    "Joohn! Noo!"


    "Stop that, Chloe! Let''s not trouble John any further. This is his house."


    "B-but..."


    "No buts! We have to go to sleep so let''s change into our sleeping clo-- Oh, right. We didn''t bring anything..."


    "...This bed is too small."


    "Shush! We can''t complain now. We''ll be troubling John if we go outside."


    "Sigh... I should get some sleep now. My eyes are getting heavy," said John after overhearing the exchange of the two girls inside the room.


    John went to the living room, going for the sofa.


    However, before he could lay down on the sofa,


    The doorbell suddenly rang.


    Dammit. Who is it this time? I really want to sleep now, you know?


    John thought that as he reluctantly went for the door.


    Before opening the door, he peeked through the its peephole first to see who rang the doorbell.


    He saw Ivan and his usual gang. This time however, they brought another girl with them. An unconscious girl wearing casual clothes being carried in Ivan''s muscular arms.


    "...What do you want, Ivan?" asked John with a slight hint of anger after opening the door.


    "We have another favor. Here, take her," replied Ivan as he handed over the unconscious girl to John.


    John accepted the girl with his arms, not even questioning what Ivan meant about the favor. The girl felt surprisingly light weight.


    "Okay, thanks John. Bye!"


    After Ivan said that, he and his group turned around. But before they could take a step, John spoke to them.


    "Aren''t you forgetting something, Ivan?" asked John while laying down the girl beside the wall.


    "Huh...? Oh! Right. Sorry about earlier. Here''s the pay, for real. It''s real this time, so don''t say anything more," said Ivan with an apologetic face as he handed John another stack of green bills identical to the ones earlier.


    "...Tch! I''ll take it anyway."


    John clicked his tongue as he reluctantly accepted Ivan''s payment.


    "Alright, we''ll be going now. See you at school tomorrow!"


    Ivan and his group finally left.


    John closed the door and placed the unconscious girl on the living room''s sofa after picking her up.


    "Hmm... this girl looks familiar. Ah, forget about that. I wanna sleep now so I''ll deal with this junk first," said John as he went to the kitchen with the stack of green bills in hand.


    Before he did the deed, he took and examined the top-most green bill just to make sure.


    "Yup. Same as before. This one''s a fake too," said John while nodding to himself, convincing only him and nobody else.


    After that, he finally did it.


    He switched on the kitchen''s gas stove and set fire to the stack of green bills.


    There. That should do the trick. You can''t fool me twice, Ivan. But I''ll still ask for proper pay tomorrow... Yaaawn! I better get some sleep now. I think the floor is good enough to sleep on.


    He then proceeded to go back to the living room, the place where he left the unconscious girl earlier.


    John laid down on the floor next to the sofa for a few seconds before saying,


    "Oh, that''s right. I could''ve used those as evidence against them for... Never mind. I''ll think about it tomorrow."


    And then, he fell asleep.


    If he just took the time to glance at the remaining bills, he would have noticed that the rest of the green notes were real. John happened to only examine the only fake bill on the stack cash that Ivan gave him. Why Ivan placed a fake on top of it? Nobody knows. It could simply be due to habit.


    <><><><><><><><>


    ...rustle....


    ...rustle, rustle.....


    ...rustle.....


    The sound of rustling leaves reached John''s ears.


    ".....What''s this? Where am I?"


    John, not familiar with the place, looked around his surroundings.


    Trees with orange colored, rectangular shaped leaves stood all over the place.


    "Why am I here? Is this a forest? These trees don''t look normal... Ah! They''re moving!"


    John attempted to run away, but can''t.


    Like a person running on a treadmill, John jogged in place as he looked behind him, only to see extending tree roots coated with blood coming for him.


    "No! What is happening! No, stay away! Noooooo!"


    And then John woke up, realizing he actually slept on the cold floor without even having any pillows or blankets.


    "Noooo--! Oh, it was just a dream..."


    In response to the sound John made, the girl on the sofa woke up and looked around her surroundings.


    "Whyaa! What was that for!? ...Huh? Wait, John? Where am I?" asked the girl after seeing John laid down on the floor, all while trying to recover from the shock of being suddenly woken up.


    "Huh? You know me? Well, you do look familiar after all..." replied John as he took a look at the girl''s face.


    Wait, she''s the Class President!


    <<<<Jason''s Anonymous Posting Corner # 2>>>>


    He ran as fast as he could.


    "Huff, huff... I finally made it home. Big Sis! I''m back! And you''re not gonna believe what just happened!" said Jason as he opened the door.


    Jason''s sister immediately greeted him on the door.


    "Oh, welcome back. And of course I''m not gonna believe you. Why should I listen to your excuses for being late? You made me eat dinner alone," replied Jason''s sister while crossing her arms with an angry look on her face.


    "Huh? Fine then. You didn''t even believe me when I told you that five ''obviously older than the average student'' guys transferred to my class. You''re always like that, so I''ll just post it on the internet since the people there will believe me."


    Jason headed straight for his room and locked himself up. Booting up his personal computer afterwards.


    "Let''s see... This thread should be good. Now I''ll type it like this!"


    Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap


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    [Thread Subject: Crimes and Crime Witnesses]


    [Replies: 235 posts]


    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 236]


    --------Message Body--------


    I caught a live abduction on video!


    Earlier, I spoke with a friend of mine. (She''s a girl btw) And after she said something about a missing brother, she started acting strange. So I decided to follow her around.


    Now this is where it gets serious!


    I followed her while hiding myself from plain sight. But something strange happened. All of a sudden, two guys, who I recognized, appeared out of a black car . They took my friend forcefully and she struggled for a bit.


    Of course, me knowing the obvious thing to do, I took out my phone and recorded the whole thing! I''ll send this to the police. With this, everyone will know what kind of friends a certain damned ''best friend'' of mine has! And a certain girl will also start admiring me too for doing this dangerous thing! Everyone will call me a hero!


    A small part of the video is attached to this message by the way. I can''t let you guys see the full version or someone will take my credit.


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Exclamation_Mark.jpg]


    [Attached Video: Kidnapping_Video.mp4]


    [Captcha: ImPOrtant34 W1Tn3S]


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    "Aaand, hit the submit button. I''m done! Whew, looks like I might become a true hero tomorrow!" said Jason with all smiles on his face.


    He scrolled down and read around for a bit.


    "But I feel like something''s wrong... What could it be?"


    And a moment later, he finally received a reply.


    "Oooh! This is it! They''ll prase me for my hard work! Click!"


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    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 316]


    --------Message Body--------


    To Post#236


    Nice job letting your friend get raped, retard!


    How does it feel like to be able to film her final moments before she gets discovered as a dead body in the dumpsters? Oh and by the way, based on our ridiculous ''new international law'', do you think the police wouldn''t arrest you for not helping? Either you send the video to the police anonymously and not get the credit or let yourself get arrested while proclaiming yourself as a hero who let her get ravaged inside a car.


    Your choice, you delusional hero.


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Handcuffs.jpg]


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    It was then that he finally realized it.


    "Ah... No wonder I felt like something''s wrong..." said Jason as he looked at the phone in his hand. The one containing the video of his Class President getting abducted.


    Jason played the clip again and watched it closely this time, with lifeless eyes.


    "Nah. I probably won''t be able to do anything against those muscular guys... Probably not..."


    Jason convinced himself as he watched the clip over and over again.


    The next day...


    During breakfast, Jason stated his thoughts to his Big Sister on a whim.


    "Gulp...Hey, Big Sis," said Jason after swallowing his food.


    "Gulp...What is it, Jason?" replied the Big Sister, also after swallowing her food.


    This way, the two conversed as they ate.


    "Gulp...What would you do if you saw someone being kidnapped and you know you can''t fight against the kidnappers themselves? What if those kidnappers didn''t know you were watching them from the sidelines?"


    "Gulp...What kind of question is that? And anyway, I''ll at least throw some rocks or something at them to let them know someone is watching. That should at least be able to make them hesitate, right?"


    "Gulp...W-would that even work?"


    "Gulp...Well, even if it wont, at least I knew I tried to help the poor victim, right? And that would make me feel better if it were to happen for real."


    "Chgk!! Cough! Cough!"


    Jason suddenly choked on his food.


    "J-Jason! Are you alright!?" asked the concerned Big Sister as she rubbed Jason''s back after coming over to him.


    "Cough... Y-yes. I''m sorry. I''ve been blinded by my desire... I''m such a horrible person..."


    "Hmm? What are you apologizing for? Are you crying? Sigh... Just hurry up or you''ll be late for school. And I still have to go to work too," said the Big Sister, still rubbing Jason''s back as he attempted to recover from choking.

 Chapter 10 - Swearing

    Inside the classroom, everyone minded their own business. Meanwhile, although they just transferred, the new students blended in with any situation easily whenever something happened.


    Cursing John, fawning over John, chatting with friends while glaring at John, observing John from afar silently, and also some things qualified to be considered normal. A male student listening to music via headphones for example.


    Strangely enough, never minding the two female transfer students, no one questioned anything with the unusual situation about five muscular older guys transferring to this class.


    And so, with the addition of new classmates, the classroom looked different than usual, yet still feels the same. Or so that''s what the situation looked like a few minutes ago.


    Just now, the sudden breakdown of a certain someone attracted almost everyone''s attention. The entire class became silent because of this.


    One would immediately think of John as the cause whenever there would be a commotion. However, this ''someone'' causing a commotion right now is not John.


    "I''msosorry!Ishould''vehelped!I''msosorry!Ishould''vehelped!"


    "...Stop making a noise, Jason. I can''t concentrate," said John with a frown while facing Jason who kept saying the same words over and over again.


    "I''m so sorry!-I should''ve helped!-I''m so sorry!-I should''ve helped!-" repeatedly muttered Jason with lifeless eyes while gripping the end of the desk with his hands.


    Everyone else nearby stared at Jason with faces of confusion, probably wondering inside their minds as to what his problem is--


    "I can''t hear Hielo''s songs well, so will you shut up!? No one cares about your problems!" shouted a male classmate wearing headphones not far from behind Jason.


    --Or maybe they did not care at all and simply got annoyed.


    And speaking of the student wearing headphones, although it may be not normal for this school to let someone wear headphones during classes, no one can stop the students from breaking the rules right now since both of their only dedicated law enforcers, the class''s Teacher and the Class President, are currently absent.


    John decided to ignore Jason and turned his back to him.


    Sigh... Why is everyone acting like there''s nothing wrong with five muscular guys staying here? ...Nah, I shouldn''t be worrying about that for now. More importantly, what time is it right now anyway?


    As John thought that, he checked his phone for the time.


    May 11, 2032. Tuesday. 11:45 AM.


    Alright, it''s almost time for lunch. When the bell rings, I''ll try to ask Ivan for last night''s compensation if I have time... Wait a minute... The girls are glaring at me again!? When are they gonna get tired of doing this malicious prank?


    As he looked around him for clues, John kept thinking about what to do within the next hour and also about how to avoid the girls. However, his attention instantly focused Jason who stood up all of a sudden.


    "...Everyone, I have something to say!" said Jason while having a lowered head as he stood up from his chair.


    Everyone, including the transfer students who just minded their own business a few minutes ago, also turned their attention to Jason as he spoke those words.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Hurry! Run faster! I already took a trip back home to get my school uniform so I don''t care if I''m late! Why did I even find myself waking up inside John''s house this morning anyway!?


    The Class President thought that as she ran through the school''s hallway while carrying her school supplies, heading directly for her classroom.


    Due to the Class President''s rush, she could not react in time to stop her momentum when a Teacher suddenly showed up from the side.


    "Aaaaaah! Move awaaay-- Aaaah!"


    "Huh!? What the-- Yaaah!"


    Both of them violently crashed and fell on top of each other.


    "Uhnn... Why were you running?" asked the Teacher as she attempted the remove the Class President laying on top of her.


    "Uh... I-I''m sorry. I just arrive here and I was late so-- Huh? Why are you here, Teacher? I thought you already started the class," replied the Class President upon realizing that she actually bumped against her class''s Teacher.


    The two of them managed to get up on their feet and slowly walked together while tidying up their clothes as they continued their conversation.


    "Today was my scheduled visit to my sister''s hospital, so I just arrived here late too."


    "Ohhh, right! I forgot that you have to do that every now and then. Once again, I''m sorry for what happened just now."


    "No, no! It''s okay. It was my fault too since I didn''t loo-- Wait, what''s that noise?"


    The two of them stopped upon hearing loud shouts from somewhere.


    "I don''t know... It sounds like it came from... Ah!" said the Class President as she pointed at the door a few meters away from them.


    The door of their classroom.


    Without hesitation, the two of them ran for the classroom and opened the door quickly.


    A shocking sight greeted them afterwards, leaving their mouths hanging open.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Aaaaah! Someone stop them!!!" screamed a girl from afar.


    Screams were heard all over the room, but it mostly came from the girls.


    The room became messy due to the current activity. Chairs got scattered everywhere.


    Everyone who happened to be near the commotion stood up and got themselves away from the group of people causing the said commotion.


    Oh my god! Why is this happening!?


    John thought that as he tried to make sense of the situation inside the classroom.


    A group of male students were beating up Jason in front of the everyone as they asked questions like,


    "Who did it!?", "Why didn''t you do anything!?", "You''re that piece of shit who posted it online last night, aren''t you!?", "Why did you let that happen to my homework''s savior!?"


    While shielding himself as the boys kept beating him up, Jason replied with, "N-no, stop! Please! Ow! I''ll tell you who did it, but not n-Ow! It''s too dangerous! Ow! Stop that!"


    "Hmph. You better tell us later at lunch," said one of the boys while cracking his fists.


    The group of boys immediately stopped swinging their fists, leaving Jason lying on the floor with a swollen face and some possibly broken bones.


    T-this is scary! Even though I knew about what Jason was talking about, I still can''t make myself interfere to stop him from getting beaten up any further! I''ll have to apologize to him later. I can''t let everyone else''s aggression turn on me.


    John thought that while sweating in fear as he helplessly observed the poor Jason struggling to stand up.


    Oh, that''s right! Ivan can hel-- ...Never mind.


    John looked at Ivan''s group, only to find them just casually chatting among themselves, seemingly not caring about what happened to Jason.


    These guys! I''ll definitely have a word with them later! If they keep on act--


    "What is happening here!?" A familiar loud female voice interrupted Johns thoughts.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The voice belonged to their classroom''s Teacher and it came from the entrance.


    John looked at the entrance and he spotted the Teacher wearing an angry face. Meanwhile, the Class President just stood behind her with a shocked expression.


    What do those old people say again...? Oh right, it''s "Jesus Christ!" Or whatever that means... Please, just don''t include me in the punishment of these guys, Teacher.


    John swore inside his mind as he crouched on his seat in an attempt to make himself smaller, hoping the Teacher won''t notice him.


    "Oh shit! Looks like Teacher saw us beating up Jason!" said one of the male students who beat up Jason, his legs shaking in fear.


    "Fuck! It''s Class Pres! This faggot Jason lied to us! Let''s beat him up for lying!" shouted another while pointing at Jason who displayed a shocked face.


    "Don''t say that, you dumb shit! Look! She''s even angrier now!" angrily said another while pointing at the Teacher.


    "Oh fuck! Why won''t you guys fucking stop swearing already!? You sons of bitches know our Teacher fucking hates swear words, right!" said another.


    "Who cares about that shitty old hag? We''re angry so let''s beat the shit out of that bitch too!" replied another as he pointed at the Teacher using his middle finger.


    "Yeah! You''re right! I''m charging in! Oh, and let''s make her angry too so that we''ll be equal! Everyone, keep saying ''Fuck''! Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck!" said another as he started running towards the Teacher while clenching his fists all while he yelled like a mad man.


    "Me too! Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck!" followed up by another, also while clenching his fists as he charged at the teacher.


    "Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuuuuuuuck!!!!!!"


    For some reason, all the angry boys charged at the Teacher while yelling corrupted words over and over again like a broken record.


    Everyone else became silent. Only the voice of the angry male students echoed throughout the entire classroom.


    ...Again, Jesus Christ! It''s like you guys have a death wish! Even Jason already got himself far away from your group despite his injuries! And Ivan''s group... Ah, they''re gone. When did they find the time to get out of the room?


    After John thought that, he closed his eyes while crouching down even more. He also covered his ears.


    Of course, John did not see what happened next, but he heard horrible sounds,


    "Ahhh! No! Stop!", "It''s breaking! S-stoop!", "Aaa! My arm!", "Ugh!", "Nooo!", "Aaaghh!"


    There were also occasional snapping sounds and loud thuds, followed by grunts and screams.


    After the noise of the male students ceased, John slowly opened his eyes.


    The sight of a mountain of bodies greeted him afterwards.


    On top of the mountain stood the female Teacher, gripping an iron meter stick tinted with a small amount of red as she breathed heavily while looking around the room with bloodshot eyes. Everyone wondered where the meter stick came from.


    Oh god, It happened again. When will those guys ever learn? And for her to look that scary even when wearing her work clothes... We really shouldn''t mess with Teacher.


    John thought that while involuntarily shivering from the sight of unmoving bodies.


    The school bell rang a few seconds later.


    The other students who were left unharmed tidied up the messy room.


    The Teacher went back to her own chair, leaving the pile of unconscious bodies to display themselves in full glory.


    And as if on que, the Class President entered the room silently and went for her chair, placing her things on her desk afterwards.


    Sigh... It''s lunch, so we''re saved. Oh, the Teacher is calm now... How quick. Wait, where did her metal stick go? Did she hide it under the desk?


    John eased his tension and sat properly on his chair. Everyone else who watched the commotion happen did the same too.


    All of a sudden, with a plopping sound, something clung behind John.


    "Oh shi--" John cut his words short, then, he looked at the Teacher.


    She''s glaring back at him.


    "--Oh sh-shiiieeieney! Will you stop doing that, Chloe?" said John after inventing a new word, all while stiffly observing the Teacher for reactions.


    "Hmph."


    The Teacher just looked away from John while crossing her arms.


    "...Shieieney? ...John, let''s have lunch together," said Chloe while burying her face on John''s back.


    "Now wait a minute! L-look! Look! The girls are coming this way so get away before they try to copy you!" yelled John as he shook off Chloe using a small amount of force with his hands.


    "Aahh!" surprisingly, even this small amount of force turned out to be enough to make Chloe fall on her back. She did not even try to stand up and just bobbed her shoulders quietly while lowering her head.


    Geez, she fell just like that!? I don''t care anymore! ...Now where did Ivan and his friends go off too? I can''t believe they just slipped away from this room during the entire commotion.


    Thinking that, John stood up and went outside the classroom in order to look for Ivan.


    <<<<Jason''s Anonymous Posting Corner # 3>>>>


    "Ow... That really hurt..." Jason muttered to himself inside the infirmary while laying on a bed after being treated, now looking like his entire head got wrapped in tissue paper. The other beds were also fully occupied by some of his classmates who were in a similar state.


    Jason tried to move both of his arms and wriggled his fingers.


    "Good... I can still move them. Now, where''s my phone... ah, here it is!"


    He then operated on his phone.


    Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap


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    [Thread Subject: Just me venting frustrations]


    [Replies: 0 posts]


    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 1]


    --------Message Body--------


    Damn! It turned out that my efforts were useless! And on top of that, ''that guy'' treated my little angel like a trash! He just left her on the floor crying! What the hell!? This makes me more angry at him than the others who injured me just now!


    When I get out of this room, I''ll look for that bastard and punch him in the face!


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Not Available in Non-Gold Mobile]


    [Captcha: 3333333333333]


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    "And, submit! ...I''m getting sleepy. I should rest for now. That John will really get it after I wake up," said Jason as swung his arms hard in an attempt to punch the air.


    This caused his phone to slip from his hand.


    The sound of a breaking glass followed.


    "...Oh shit."

 [RRCS] Christmas Special Extra Chapter - Johns worries about his family!

    These events happened months ago before the fated business trip...


    "Ho! Ho! Ho!"


    A loud laugh reverberated throughout the snowy neighborhood, disturbing the silent night of this Christmas Eve.


    In the backyard a certain house, four people stood with dumbfounded looks, gazing at the source of the laugh.


    "Hey, Mom... Could you tell Dad to stop already? He''s really, really embarrassing," asked Joan with a frown, pointing at the man in a Santa Costume standing on top of the roof of their house.


    "Huh? How did he cli-- ...A-ah! No no no! That''s not your Dad! That''s obviously Santa!" replied the Mother in a panicky voice as she showed an obviously forced smile on her face.


    The two other people, John and Cindy, just watched the exchange between the Mother and Daughter with blank looks on their faces.


    "Ho! Ho! Ho!"


    The costumed man on the roof still continued to laugh, not noticing the commotion below.


    After giving a skeptic look towards her Mother, Joan gathered some snow from the ground and made a fist-sized snowball. She prepared to throw the snowball, aiming for the man on the roof.


    "Wait-wait-wait-wait! What are you planning to do with that!?" Asked the Mother as she quickly placed herself in front of Joan to block her view.


    "This is like an insult to me! How old do you think am I!? Just give me my gift already!" angrily yelled Joan, side-stepping before quickly moving past her mother, snowball in hand.


    "Aaah! Honey! Watch out!"


    As the Mother warned the man on the roof, Joan threw the snowball with all her might.


    "Ho! Ho! Ho! H-- Ophh! Wha-whoaa! Aaaaa--!"


    *Thud!*


    The man in Santa Costume, standing unsteadily on the roof while laughing, got hit on the face and fell a few meters down with a loud thud.


    The Mother immediately rushed to the location while screaming.


    Meanwhile, Joan just calmly walked back inside the house after saying, "Hmph. It''s cold and boring in here. I''d rather watch the television than to be with you losers."


    Such a fall would normally be considered fatal no matter how one looks at it. It would be impossible to ignore the victim and not call for an ambulance.


    However, both John and Cindy who observed everything from the sides did not seem to be concerned. Instead, they started their own conversation while standing idly.


    "Looks like I''m right about how Joan would react on this... Dad should''ve listened... Well, at least the snow is thick."


    "...Yeah, but don''t you think the sound of the fall was a bit too loud?"


    The two exchanged words as they hugged their own shoulders. Apparently, even their winter coats could not protect them completely from the cold winds.


    "Hey, Cindy."


    "...What?"


    "Why aren''t you joining Joan right now? On trampling the efforts of our parents I mean."


    "...Don''t lump me in together with her. How many times have I told you already? She was just forcing me to join with her."


    "Liar. This is why I hate you two. Why didn''t Mom and Dad send you girls to a rehabilitation center yet anyway?"


    "How rude. Sigh... It''s getting cold so let''s go inside. Look, even Mom already dragged our unconscious Dad inside."


    After the two finished their conversation without even making eye contact the entire time, they went inside the house.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Inside the master''s bedroom, a man laid on the bed while being nursed by his wife.


    "Owww... My head hurts. And I think I broke my neck too," said the man, holding his head in pain.


    "You''re fine, dear. The fall only gave you minor injuries. But still, the children didn''t like our little presentation..." replied the wife with a concerned tone, still treating the man''s injuries.


    "No, don''t worry about that. It''s my fault. I should''ve listened to John''s warning," said the man in a mocking tone.


    The wife made him drink something afterwards.


    "...Just take a rest for now. I won''t let our hard earned free time with the children go to waste. I''ll figure something out."


    After saying that, the wife stopped nursing the man and walked outside the room after taking some of the many gift boxes on the floor with her.


    The man felt sleepy all of a sudden.


    "Wai-- Ahh... She used the sleeping-- Okay, I''ll leave it to you... But... don''t, mix up, the, with... zzzzz..."


    The man''s words entered no one''s ears as he slowly fell asleep.


    <><><><><><><><>


    The television showed the Christmas Special of a certain show.


    "...Tsk. I can''t believe all the shows right now are also boring," said Joan as she watched the television with blank eyes, hugging her knees while sitting on the floor.


    "Come on, Joan. Cheer up. At least we''ll finally get Christmas gifts from our parents this year."


    "!!!"


    Startled by the sudden voice from behind, Joan looked behind her only to see Cindy.


    "...So what? I''m still mad! This is their first Christmas with us and they try to pull off an embarrassing stunt like that!?" yelled Joan as she stood up to face Cindy.


    Due to the sudden action, Cindy got startled and backed away a little bit.


    "Uh-uhmm, don''t get mad at me. I didn''t do anything wrong," said Cindy as she signaled for Joan to calm down using her hands.


    Upon seeing Cindy with a fearful expression, Joan stopped moving and showed an almost crying face as if she saw something sad.


    "...Ah. Sorry. I didn''t mean to scare you like that," weakly apologized Joan, looking on the ground as she said it.


    Despite the occasion being Christmas Eve, the atmosphere of the entire house became gloomy.


    John watched the conversation of the two sisters from afar, not letting the two of them notice his presence.


    "Oh, so those two demons can also get sad like that too, huh? Nyehehehe~ Look''s like I might enjoy watching them suffer for the upcoming days!" said John with a smile, rubbing his palms together as he slouched while standing.


    After a few seconds, John straightened up his posture and looked around him for a bit.


    Confirming no one''s around, he resumed his earlier pose while saying,


    "Nyehehee~ I should tell Mom and Dad to keep doing what they''re doing! With this, I might be able to see the beauty of the cute teary eyes of my sisters!"


    "Uh huh. And? What would you do next?"


    "Nyehehehee~ I''ll engrave it to my memory so that I can tolera-- Wait, what!? A-aahh!"


    John screamed upon realizing that his Mother sneaked up behind him. The two sisters didn''t react despite the loud scream, so they may not have noticed or just didn''t care.


    "Y-you, you heard everything?" asked John, trying to keep a poker face as he stood up straight while averting eye contact.


    His mother, who for some reason hid her hands on her back, just gave him a wordless smile as she stared at him without moving an inch.


    "Ahahahah... Say something... Please."


    Smile.


    "Ahahahah-haha-haha--"


    Smile.


    "--Hahaaa... Can we please pretend nothing happened?" asked John, this time while making eye contact as he forced a smile to imitate his Mother.


    Only then did John''s Mother finally respond.


    Still with a smile on her face, she showed the things she kept hidden on her back.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Two identical red boxes wrapped and tied with ribbons. She held one in each hand.


    In short, they were gift boxes.


    "Please deliver this to your sisters, John. Who knows? They might shed some cute tears of joy after receiving it from you," said the Mother as she held out the two gifts towards John.


    John blushed upon hearing his Mother''s words.


    "O-okay. Sure. Haha!" said John as he reluctantly received the wrapped boxes, feigning ignorance of his Mother''s choice of words.


    John started walking slowly towards his sisters, gifts in hand. However,


    "John," suddenly said his Mother from behind.


    He turned around and saw his smiling Mother''s full figure a few feet away.


    "Y-yes, Mom?"


    "I know you''re fond of your sisters, but please limit yourself to Cindy only," said John''s Mother with a concerned face.


    "W-what are you talking about!?" asked John, almost letting go the gifts in the process.


    "Isn''t it obvious? You and Joan are blood-related so it would be bad if you got her preg--"


    "No, stop! You''re not making sense so you must be misunderstanding something. Let''s just talk about it later."


    John suddenly interrupted his Mother upon realizing where the conversation would go.


    "...Is that so? Okay then. Hurry and give them the gifts."


    "Yeah. I was just about to do that," said John as he started walking towards his sisters.


    "Since your Dad doesn''t know about this yet, we''ll talk about this later. Alone."


    After John''s mother said that, she walked away and went up the stairs just behind her.


    "I just told you that you''re wro-- Sigh, whatever. Where is my gift anyway?" replied John as he walked without looking back, holding the two gift boxes tighter.


    Of course, since his Mother already went upstairs, she didn''t hear the reply.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Zzzzz... --Ahh!"


    Feeling a stinging pain on his olfactory senses, the man sleeping on the bed woke up.


    "Mhmm, and I was just dreaming about my dead ex-wife... Why did you wake me up with that?" asked the man, looking at the bottle held by his wife just standing beside him.


    He saw the words ''Instant Wake-up'' written on the label of the bottle.


    "I tell you now; I already gave the girls their gifts!" replied the wife with a smile on her face.


    Feeling a bit dizzy in the head, the man only gave his wife a perplexed expression. However, after a few seconds,


    "...Oh! The gifts! Did they lik-- No, wait... Did you check if you gave them the right ones first?" asked the man, still laid on the bed despite struggling to sit up.


    "Huh? I gave the girls the two red ones, their favorite color. Why? Is something wrong?" replied the wife with a confused expression as she took a seat on the bed.


    "......." The man did not move for a few seconds, staring blankly at his wife.


    "Aaaaaaaaah!", "Hyaaaaah!!!"


    A moment later, a scream erupted from outside. Judging by the pitch of the voice, it came from the two girls.


    "....."


    "....."


    It took an entire minute for the two of them to realize that those were screams.


    Despite the body pains, the man forced himself to stand up and dashed outside the room.


    "Ah! Wait for me!" shouted the wife as she followed the man outside the room.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Five seconds after the girls screamed, this Christmas already became a nightmare for John.


    John, with teary eyes, curled himself into a ball as he laid down on the floor.


    "I''m sorry! Ow! I didn''t know! Why me!? Ow!" said John as he defended himself while receiving kicks from his sisters.


    Kick, kick, stomp, kick, stomp, drop kick, football kick, kick.


    The sisters wordlessly used all kinds of kick on John as they glared at him with fierce eyes.


    "Ahw! Shtohp! OW! Pleash!"


    Despite John desperately begging them to stop, the sisters did not listen and instead increased the force of their kicks.


    "How cunning, John. You wanted us to have these as our gifts?" asked Joan as she continued kicking John while holding two flesh-colored rod-shaped vibrating objects in one hand.


    "She''s right, John. This time, I''m willingly beating you up," said Cindy, also kicking John while looking at him with a frown.


    "No! I did nothing wrong!" replied John, still shielding himself while laying on the floor.


    Although, that reply didn''t ease down the situation. Instead, the girls showed an even fiercer expression.


    "Y-you! Did nothing wrong, huuuhhh!? Come heeere!" angrily yelled Joan as she picked up John by the hair.


    "No! No! Please! Really!" said John, struggling to get himself away from Joan.


    Cindy stopped kicking. Then, after she stepped back, she silently watched the two of them from the sidelines .


    "See this, my faggot brother? These are the gifts we received."


    Joan pressed the vibrating objects she held against John''s face.


    John, with even more tears flowing out of him, wordlessly nodded.


    The two vibrating objects Joan held against John''s face, no one would ever imagine those things being gifted to girls as young as her.


    Toys not suited for children. Or in other words, adult toys.


    Joan pressed the Dil-- Adult toys intended for women against John''s face.


    "Now, my faggot brother, you will become a full blown faggot!" said Joan as she raised her hand holding the two vibrating adult toys.


    "No! No! Nooooo-- --Mpphfff!"


    Joan swiftly jammed both of the toys in John''s mouth as he screamed.


    *Thud*


    She let go of John afterwards, letting him powerlessly fall down with a thud.


    *Vrrrrrmmmm*


    *Vrrrrrmmmm*


    Only the echoing sound of vibration remained as John silently cried without moving.


    A few seconds later, both of their parents arrived.


    "What happened!? ...No, don''t tell me. I think I know. That''s your Mom''s gift..." said the father as he displayed a sad face, struggling to stay standing up as he looked at the sad scene.


    Meanwhile, the mother''s delayed reaction appeared a few seconds later.


    "...Ah! What happened here!? Oh is that-- J-John!" said the mother with a surprised look upon seeing John''s state.


    Everyone present could only look at John''s pathetic state.


    "Mfff(Please) *Vrrrmmmm* fmmm(don''t) *Vrrrrmmmm* mphhh...(look...) *Vrrrmmmm*" muttered John as his tears trickled down on his cheeks.


    Inside John''s mind, this Christmas became the worst day of his life.


    Well, at least for now. Since he didn''t know yet. About the events that will happen in the near future.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Author''s Notes:


    Ah! Yes, Christmas! Time to celebrate! Hurray!


    This is a Prequel chapter. Extra chapter. Christmas chapter. Or whatever you wanna call it.


    This is a chapter designed to be a standalone in case anyone hasn''t read the chapters yet. I don''t know if I succeeded on that part though.


    It seems like I''m bad at writing comedy as long as it doesn''t involve dark elements. I need to practice.

 Chapter 11 - One and Two

    After curiously observing the injured students being sent to the infirmary, John finally remembered what he planned to do.


    "Oh, right! I still have to find Ivan!"


    He then started walking fast all over the school for a few minutes, searching for Ivan or any of the four men usually accompanying him.


    After a while, he gave up.


    "...I give up. I should just eat my lunch first," said John as he walked back to his classroom dejectedly.


    He then picked up his lunch box from under his desk and went out of the classroom afterwards.


    John looked at the time on his phone.


    May 11, 2032. Tuesday. 12:23 PM.


    "Sigh... I''ve already checked almost every possible place but I still can''t find them," said John as he walked through a hallway inside the school building.


    With lunch box in hand, John continued walking until he reached the school''s canteen. A place where all the students gather to eat with their friends or alone.


    "...When did they add that large unnecessary sign over the entrance that says [A place where all the students gather to eat]?" complained John as he took a seat on a vacant chair.


    He looked around the school canteen.


    Living up to its description, the only thing the students did inside were to eat and eat. Nothing else, except for the occasional chats.


    "...Oh, there''s someone doing homework here," said John upon spotting a male student in the corner writing on a piece of paper that John assumed to be the homework.


    "Hey you! No one''s allowed to do anything other than eat and talk here!" suddenly yelled someone from afar.


    John turned his head to look at where the voice came from.


    "Huh? Oh, it''s the so-called ''Absolute Guardian''," said John as he observed a man in a security uniform walk with heavy steps toward the student doing homework near the corner.


    After the man labeled ''Absolute Guardian'' reached the student who concentrated on the homework, he literally dragged the student out of the canteen while grabbing by the neck, only after ripping the homework apart in front of the pale faced, teary-eyed student.


    Yep... Still the same as usual. This is why I both fear and love this place.


    John thought that as he took out his lunch box and opened it.


    Then, he started eating slowly.


    "Munch, munch. There''s still plenty of time till next class so I''ll just look for them again after I''m done eating."


    <><><><><><><><>


    "...So this is all of the report?" said Ivan as he stiffly stood inside the Male Restroom.


    In front of him, a male Faculty Staff held a stack of papers. Both of them, alone inside the room.


    The Faculty Staff nodded in reply to Ivan''s question. Ivan then received the stack of papers from the other person.


    "Alright then. Tell the rookie agent to come here ASAP. You may leave now," said Ivan as he signaled for the faculty staff to leave the room.


    After the Faculty Staff left the place and closed the door, Ivan skimmed through the stack of papers he held in his hands.


    "Sigh... Despite just starting to know John and his surroundings better, looks like we''ll have to part ways for a bit," muttered Ivan while standing alone in the Restroom as he waited for the other agent patiently.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Munch, munch... Gulp. Ahhh, I''m done," said John as he packed up his lunch box.


    He then stood up and went outside the canteen.


    After walking for a while, he halted and faced the direction of a certain door.


    "...I need to pee," said John as he walked towards the door to the Male Restroom.


    However, upon getting closer, he saw a small sign hanged on the door.


    "Ah, damn! It''s out of order! Someone must''ve drawn a giant octopus with phallic-shaped tentacles inside again!" yelled John as he slowly turned away from the door to the restroom.


    John already walked a few meters away, but all of a sudden, a male student passed by him.


    Curious, he observed the male student and saw that the student went for the restroom''s door.


    Hey, isn''t the restroom out of order? Should I tell him...? Nah, let''s see what happens.


    John thought that as he silently gazed at the male student from afar.


    The male student, not noticing John watching him, only stood idly in front of the restroom''s door.


    After a few seconds, the male student suddenly knocked on the door repeatedly with a patterned delay on each knock.


    ...Huh? Why is he doing that? I don''t think the door will-- Oh, the door opened. So someone was inside all this time?


    Thought John as he observed the male student entering the restroom.


    "Now then... I really need to pee but the closest available restroom other than this one will take five minutes to walk..." said John as he started walking around in small circles, glancing at the restroom''s door from time to time.


    Five minutes later...


    Still walking in circles with a lunch box in hand, John finally decided on his course of action.


    "Alright! I''ll just go in. But... Why hasn''t he come out yet? Never mind. This is an emergency anyways," said John as slowly walked towards the restroom''s door.


    He did not realize how much time he wasted while walking in circles.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Two people talked inside the restroom while standing like statues.


    "...and so... with that... which could possibly mean... But my written-version report got shredded in pieces earlier, sorry," said a male student while showing an apologetic look at the end of his sentence.


    "Mhmm, is that so? It''s alright. Thanks for your report. Oh, and here''s the early bonus you''ve requested from our ''oh-so-generous'' Madam."


    After saying that, Ivan handed over a wad of cash to the male student in front of him.


    The male student reluctantly accepted it and replied, "Thank you. I really needed this." as he held the money in his hands tightly while slowly developing tears in his eyes.


    All of a sudden, Ivan made a shocked face as if he saw something incredible for the first time--


    "Oh! Hey, Rookie! I just remembered something. I have the replacement transmitter here. You requested us to have your old one replaced, right?" said Ivan as he took something out from his pocket. A wire as thin as hair, almost invisible to the naked eye if one does not look at it closely. He held it carefully in his hands.


    --Or alternatively, that''s just how his face looks like when he suddenly remembers something.


    Ivan then inserted the wire on an almost undetectable slot which perfectly fits it, located near the pocket of the student''s pants. On the other side of the student''s pants, another similar wire popped up from a similar slot as if reacting to the recent insertion of the new one. Upon closer inspection, the wires actually go through the skin.


    "Wah--!" yelped the male student in shock. However, he did not try to resist.


    "Please wait a bit. Replacing a broken current-issue transmitter by yourself is slow, so let me help you," said Ivan as he held the student in place using one hand, grasping and scuffling the student''s rear pocket with the other.


    The male student only closed his eyes as he held the money on his hands tightly, accepting Ivan''s actions without resistance.


    They never noticed the door being opened silently.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Despite wanting to rush, John slowly entered the room without making a noise.


    A stunning view immediately showed itself in front of John, causing him to almost release his excess liquids on the spot.


    After being paid for service, an unwilling male student with closed and teary eyes silently awaited his fate while being sexually harassed by a macho man. Or so that''s how it looked like to John.


    More importantly, the said offending man turned out to be Ivan.


    What. The. Hell? Ivan was actually here all this time? And doing this kind of stuff!?


    John thought that while standing still on the spot as he silently observed the two, even forgetting to close the door.


    If someone were to pass by and see this scene through the open door, they would probably think the same as John.


    Luckily, nobody passed by yet.


    "Mmmm... Hmm... Hmuhmmm... There, done," said Ivan as he removed his hands from the male student.


    John reflexively backed away, accidentally hitting the door behind him in the process which caused it to close without noticeable noise.


    "...Didn''t have to... make those grunts and humming sounds..."


    "Did you say something?" asked Ivan after noticing the male student murmuring to himself.


    "Ah-! N-nothing! Anyway, thank you for the money!" replied the male student as he turned around and attempted to walk out of the door.


    However,


    "W-wah! Ahwawa, wawa, wahtuu-doo! What to do, Ivan!?" yelled the male student as he stopped in his tracks while pointing at John.


    "...John. So you saw us, huh? It can''t be helped then," said Ivan as he shook his head side to side, then he continued with, "Since you''re not entirely unrelated to this and that it''s also convenient, looks like I''ll have to... Fill you in."


    After hearing Ivan say those words with a cold look, John started panicking.


    Oh no, oh no, oh no! I should get out right n-- Ah! The door''s closed!


    As John thought that, he immediately reached for the door''s handle and twisted it, only to hear a clicking sound coming from the unmoving handle.


    "It''s no use, John. That door is modified in case something like this happens," said Ivan while slowly approaching John with heavy footsteps.


    Then why allow it to happen in the first place!? At least lock the door properly! I wouldn''t have entered this room if you just locked it!


    The male student who held a wad of cash immediately moved to the side in order to move away from Ivan, not even uttering a single word as he alternated his confused gazes between the two other people.


    "W-wait! I didn''t see anything! I promise I won''t tell! You don''t have to ''Fill'' me in!" said John with a scared face, pushing his back against the door as he watched Ivan approach slowly.


    Ivan stopped moving and instead stared at John in bewilderment.


    "...? Are you sure you''re not misunderstanding something again?" asked Ivan with a concerned look as he observed John.


    After hearing that, John immediately calmed down.


    "...Is it fine for me to go? I want to take my leave now..." muttered the male student who silently watched from the side.


    "Is, is that so? O-okay then, my bad," said John while showing an apologetic face, then he continued with, "Just let me take care of my business here for a moment... Don''t look. Especially you, Ivan."


    After saying that, John released his accumulated tension at the proper place.


    The sound of a zipper being opened freely echoed inside.


    Next, the trickling sound of water followed.


    John looked behind him to check if the two other people were peeping at him.


    "Hey, I saw that! Don''t look."


    <><><><><><><><>


    Even with Ivan''s careful explanation, it took five minutes to clear up John''s misunderstandings.


    Since the male student left during the middle of the explanation, only John and Ivan remained inside the restroom.


    "...Should I really be learning about all this stuff? I''m not gonna go and mysteriously disappear on my way home later, right?" asked John with a hint of fear on his face.


    "Don''t worry. I think it''s better for you to know about this sooner," replied Ivan with confidence in his tone as he smiled at John.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    John pondered for a moment after hearing Ivan''s words.


    "Oooka~y. By the way, what would you have done if it wasn''t me who entered in here earlier? ...No, never mind. I don''t wanna hear it anymore," said John, still wearily keeping his distance from Ivan.


    "Haha. This is not a well thought out place for a meeting, I suppose."


    "...."


    "...."


    "...."


    "...."


    The two, running out of words to say, awkwardly faced each other while standing in silence inside the restroom.


    ...Now what? What should I say? I feel like I''m forgetting someth-- Oh, right! The money!


    John thought that as he cleared his throat in preparation to speak.


    "Ahem! By the way. I have something to say about the money you gave us last night," said John while averting his gaze from Ivan.


    "Hm? What about it? I''ve already given you the real ones, remember?" asked Ivan with a confused look, then he continued saying, "It was my mistake when I confused those with the fake ones at first, so I''m sorry about that. Did you dispose of those already? Please do."


    The fake ones were meant for Ivan and his group to fool enemies during buy-bust operations against drug syndicates, but Ivan decided not to tell John that since he did not need to know.


    "......"


    Wait, what? What did he just say to me? If the ones he first gave to us were fakes, then... The next bundle was... Genuine... And the word "Genuine" means something that is not fake.


    As the pale John thought that while spacing out, Ivan already noticed something wrong about John.


    "John? What''s wrong? Did something happen last night while we were out? There should be nothing wrong since we already placed your house under surveillance."


    "Oh shit... Ooohh, shit. Ooooooohhhhh~" said John slowly as he stared blankly on the floor.


    Ivan frowned upon hearing John''s words.


    "...Is something wrong after all?" asked Ivan as he slowly leaned his head over to John.


    Hearing this, John snapped back to reality and faced Ivan with an apologetic look.


    "Ah! Uhhmm... Ivan, is it okay if I can ask for more money?" asked John while scratching the back of his head.


    "Hm? Why? Didn''t we already give you enough money to last for half a year even with Chloe and Elssie?"


    Ivan showed a more confused look after trying to figure out the reason behind John''s words.


    "Ahahaha! It''s nothing, really! I was only asking because I think my sisters might become overconfident and end up spending too much," said John while intensifying the action of scratching the back of his head.


    After hearing John''s words, Ivan only gave a worrying look and then said, "...You really should be careful on spending. Our sponsor, the overly generous Madam, is running low on funds recently after all."


    "I-is that so? Oh, that''s right! I remember now! Girl number one-- Um, I mean, Elssie is actually kinda rich! I''ll just ask her instead! Hahaha!" said John while forcing a smile on his face, still scratching the back of his head.


    Hearing this, Ivan face showed a pained expression.


    "...Actually, John, don''t do that," said Ivan as he looked at John directly in the eyes. Meanwhile, it became John''s turn to be confused.


    "Huh? W-why? But I need to--"


    "Just don''t. By the way, now that you mention her..." said Ivan in an attempt to interrupt John''s words. But before he could continue speaking...


    A ringing tone resounded. It came from Ivan''s pocket.


    Ivan took out an old-model cellular phone, but he only gazed at it for a few seconds before placing it back into his pocket.


    "...So, it''s time. I''m sorry, John. We''ll have to end this conversation right here. But first, let me open the door for you."


    After saying that, Ivan twisted the door handle in a strange way and then, with a weak clicking sound, it opened.


    "There. That''s how you open this door. Hm? What''s that confused look on your face? Don''t worry, this door will turn back to normal tomorrow," said Ivan with a proud look on his face while doing a thumbs-up towards John. No wonder John could not open the door on his own earlier.


    "...Okay, thanks. I''ll get back to class now, but I''m already late anyways," said John as he walked towards the door. Suddenly, he turned around to face Ivan and said, "Oh, and before I go, what were you trying to say to me earlier about Girl number-- Err, Elssie?"


    "Hm? Nah, forget about it. You''ll know soon enough, or maybe just go and ask her yourself."


    After Ivan said that, John exited the restroom afterwards.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Inside the classroom missing almost half of its students, John sat on his assigned chair.


    The usual female teacher continued to lecture the class as usual, not minding the missing students.


    "Sigh... Where could Girl number one be? And Chloe-- No, Girl number two''s not here too. The class already started... Wait, could they be...?"


    John pretended to write on his notebook while muttering to himself.


    It''s not like his almost below-average grades will increase even if he gets serious in studying. Or so that''s how John thought about listening to the teacher''s everyday lessons. Also, for some reason, he arbitrarily decided inside his mind to call his two new female residents as Girls number one and two.


    "No, that can''t be. Ivan said that there were people guarding us... In other words, we''re all being under surveillance..."


    Bored with pretending to write, he decided to draw instead.


    "Should I ask Girl number one about what Ivan was talking about..?"


    Unable to decide on the theme for the drawing, he drew whatever floated on his mind instead.


    "But if she learns about what her father did to Girl number two... No, what if she knows already?"


    The drawing looked like a scribble made by a child, with stick figures labeled using arrows.


    "Nah, I''ll just ask her anyway since I''m curious."


    John did not realize that he just drew something that would definitely cause a certain someone to commit a crime, with John himself as the victim.


    In an instant, someone from the side grabbed the notebook John just sketched on.


    "Oh my? What''s this? Doodling instead of listening to my lectures?" said the female teacher as she held the notebook on one hand.


    Oh no! Why didn''t I notice her approach me!? Damn! I must''ve been too concentrated on thinking!


    John thought that as he regretted his careless actions. He really did not notice the teacher approach him.


    "Hmm? Ah! Why would you draw such a thing!?" yelled the teacher as she glued her gaze to the drawing on the notebook while blushing, yet showing a furious face at the same time.


    "...Huh? Can I see it? I didn''t realize what I was drawing just now," said John with a confused look while beckoning for the teacher to show the drawing.


    The teacher immediately showed him his own drawing.


    John''s eyes widened upon gazing at the potentially disastrous drawing he made with his own hands.


    <<<<Jason''s Anonymous Posting Corner # 4>>>>


    Ah, dammit! I was inside the infirmary the entire time so I couldn''t catch John! I''ll really punch him hard next time I see him.


    Jason thought that as he opened the door to his house.


    "...I''m home."


    "Nn? Jason? It''s already so late. What took you so lo-- Oh my god! What happened to you!?" yelled Jason''s sister upon seeing him covered in bandages.


    Jason only gave an unenergetic look towards his sister as he said,


    "...Nothing. Nothing that you can help me with, that is. I''ll head to my room directly. Don''t disturb me."


    He then started walking towards his room.


    However, before he could, his sister held him by the wrist.


    "Ow, don''t touch!" angrily said Jason as he swatted his sister''s hand away.


    "...Hey, tell me. Are there people... Bullying you?" asked the sister reluctantly as she held Jason by the wrist again, preventing him from moving forward.


    Once again, Jason swatted away his sister''s hand.


    "It''s none of your concern," said Jason as he walked towards his room.


    However, his sister did not attempt to stop him this time.


    "...But it is my concern. Sigh... Maybe I should ask Madam about this. She has undercover agents deployed all over the school right now, I think."


    Jason did not hear the mumble of his sister since he already holed himself up inside the room.


    Right after entering, he instantly booted up his computer without even bothering to change out of his school uniform.


    He did not even bother to check if the door got locked.


    "Ehehehe. After drawing that kind of thing, you expect me to go easy on you, ''best friend''? Hehehe!"


    Click here, click there, and then,


    Tap, taptaptaptaptap, tap, tap, taptap, taptaptaptaptap, tap tap


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [Thread Subject: Combat Lessons with /k/arate Anon Teacher!]


    [Replies: 36 posts]


    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 37]


    --------Message Body--------


    Hello, great Anon Teacher. I would like to learn how to correctly punch someone with full force.


    And because this is mandatory, here''s my reason: I want to punch a certain person for justice.


    No, I don''t need any other techniques. I just want to learn how to punch with pure power.


    Please teach me, thanks.


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Snapshot_of_John''s_drawing.jpg]


    [Captcha: Tkshli Paunch]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Jason laid back on his seat for a bit.


    "Sigh... should I really be doing this?"


    ...


    ...


    ...


    "Why the hell not? Just you wait, John... Oh, a reply. Finally!"


    Click!


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    [Name: Anonymous]


    [Reply Post # 45]


    --------Message Body--------


    To Post#37


    Nice picture! I''m actually turned on by stick girls getting pumped by stick guys! Her stick hips are obviously made for bearing stick babies!


    Anyway, here''s your lesson. I know what you''re hinting about based on your picture.


    Watch everything and don''t skip a video: (Link) www.gaagel.com/search/fisting</a>


    --------Message Body End--------


    [Attached Image: Disgusting_face.jpg]


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    "Huh? Fisting? That sounds like punching alright. Let''s see... First result is this video with no thumbnail, Big Sister''s Fist Fest."


    Click!


    (Aughhh~ ahhh~ ahhn~)


    *Splat, splat, splat!*


    (Hrrmh! Yeah, baby! Yeah! Ughh! Uhh!)


    *Pound, pound, splat!*


    (Ahh~! Fist! It! Harderraaaahhh~!)


    A fleshy scene exposed itself on the computer screen.


    "...Ah. It''s just porn."


    Jason then tried to close the video showing the pink scene. However, before he could do that...


    All of a sudden, the door opened without a knock.


    "Jason, I know you''re depressed, so we need to tal-- .........."


    (Ahh~ Haaahhh~ Aaaaa~)


    *Splat, splat, splat!*


    The sister froze in shock as she alternated her gaze between Jason and the meaty scene displayed on the computer screen.


    "N-no, wait! Big sis! This is not what it looks like!" hastily denied Jason as he forcefully shut down the computer.


    "Big S-sister''s... Fist Fest, huh?"


    Jason''s sister only showed a blank look as she read the large title on top of the video while color drained from her face.


    "No! You''re wrong! This isn''t what it looks like! I was just watching a martial arts video!"


    "You''re actually adopted."


    The door banged loudly upon being closed by his expressionless sister with extreme force.


    That night, the two siblings barely spoke to each other.

 Chapter 12 - "Red" Thoughts

    After school, John went to his house directly.


    He realized that his sisters already arrived home, so he greeted them and asked,


    "Ey Cindy, did Girl num-- Err, Chloe and Elssie arrive here already? I didn''t see them at school after lunch."


    "Yes. They''re upstairs right now. Apparently, your school principal told them to go home early. That''s what Elssie told me," replied Chloe as she watched the TV, not even sparing John a glance.


    Meanwhile, Joan did not pay attention to John and just danced to the tune while immersing herself in watching the performance of the singer being shown on the TV.


    "Sing with your hearts~!" sang Joan while swaying side to side as she focused on the TV.


    "Dancing like staaa~rs!" followed up Cindy, also swaying in sync with Joan as they both focused on the TV.


    The two sisters followed the tune of the singer performing live on the television.


    "But before everyone starts, let me mend your hea~~rt''s... ScaaAaaAaAAAa~rs!"


    Unexpectedly, with a failed attempt at a high-pitched voice, John continued where Cindy left off with the song, all while dancing accordingly to the tune.


    "--Big Bro!?"


    "--Wah!? John?"


    The sisters only gave him a shocked look after they moved their gazes to John.


    "...What? I do listen to Hielo''s songs from time to time," said John in a relaxed manner while showing a smile on his face. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to say, "Nothing wrong with that, right?"


    "This is the first time I''ve heard Big Bro sing..."


    "To even know the official dance moves... Are you secretly a Hielo fan?"


    Joan and Cindy both gazed at John with perplexed looks as the said those words.


    "...Hey. What''s with those looks? It''s embarrassing me. I regret doing it in your presence already so please forget what you just saw."


    John blushed while he covered his face. After that, he proceeded to go upstairs.


    <><><><><><><><>


    All right, Elssie and Chloe should be staying in my old room. What should be the first thing I ask to Elssie...?i


    John thought that as he stood in front of the door to his old room.


    His hand reached for the door handle but then he retracted it just before touching its tip. And reached again, and retracted it again, and again, and again.


    This showed his obvious hesitation in facing the girls just behind the door.


    "Sigh... Whatever. All I have to do is ask."


    He knocked on the door.


    "Who is it? Come in, the door''s unlocked," said a female voice from inside.


    "It''s me. I''m coming in."


    John opened the door and went inside.


    "..."


    ...Now what? Should I ask something like ''You got money, right''? ...No, wait. I can''t do that.


    John thought that as he stared at the two girls inside the room.


    Elssie played with Chloe''s hair. Meanwhile, Chloe herself just slept on the bed without being aware of it. Both of them donned clothes borrowed from John''s sisters.


    "Ohoho~ I''m enjoying this. Chloe is just like a puppet because she always obeys my commands! She even played dead when I told her to act like a puppet with its strings cut!" said Elssie while staring at John as she combed Chloe''s hair using her hand.


    I think you meant ''Marionette with severed threads''... Never mind that! I have to say something.


    Thinking that, John racked up his brain to come up with the appropriate words in this about-to-be awkward situation. And so, he decided to ask a random, but quite appropriate question,


    "Uh, umm, err... Since you girls didn''t bring anything when you came and it''s been quite a while already, I just wanna ask if you''re planning to get some of your old clothes from your house..."


    After she heard this, Elssie''s expression turned sour. John saw this as a bad sign.


    Without waiting for a reply, John shut the door and went back downstairs.


    "Oh man. I can''t ask her just like that. I think it''s better to ask when we''re alone. Her problems must be serious because even Ivan seemed concerned about it."


    While sitting on the stairs, John just muttered to himself as he pondering about something.


    Sigh... Now that I think about it, I haven''t asked my sister anything yet. Why are they so suddenly nice lately? If only they do something so that I can have an excuse to punch them.


    John thought that while cupping his face with his hands. For some reason, his recent thoughts steered towards being malevolent.


    All of a sudden, the image of a girl in a red ballerina dress flashed inside his mind. He remembered the violence of the girl in red as she did things inside that certain room. The kind of things that, when you look at it objectively, actually help reduce stress as long as she ignores the consequences.


    This memory sparked something inside John''s heart.


    He began wanting to do the same. He wanted to do things similar to what the girl in red did.


    "...Oh, that''s right. I forgot about it. I haven''t had my revenge against them yet."


    John clenched his fists as he looked at the direction of the living room. The room where his sisters currently lazed around.


    Wait, I can hear my sisters. What are they talking about right now?


    He closed his eyes and focused on the voices of his sisters.


    "Hey, Cindy. Have you noticed?"


    "Noticed what? What are you talking about, Joan?"


    "I feel like someone is always following us every time we walk outside."


    "...Now that you mention it, I also feel like there are lots of people watching us."


    "So, it''s not just me, huh?"


    Oh, that''s right. Ivan mentioned something about guards and surveillance assigned to each of us. So this is what he meant, huh?


    While thinking that, John stood up and walked towards the living room.


    How will they react when I piss them off? They''re so nice nowadays that I''m not even sure anymore. Maybe I should try doing this...


    Thinking that, John steeled his resolve in doing something that he might regret later.


    "Hey, my lil sisters! What''s up?"


    John waved at the sisters who watched TV as he greeted them. Of course, the sisters did not see John since they have their backs turned towards him.


    "Huh? Not now, Big Bro."


    "Yeah, not now, John."


    The sisters still ignored him while gluing their eyes on the television.


    Suddenly,


    Someone slapped Joan''s back. A slap strong enough to create a loud noise.


    "Ack! What the hell!?" angrily yelled Joan as she looked behind her with clenched fists, only to see John with a smug smile on his face.


    "Hey, I said, what''s up?" said John with a sadistic smile on his face while waving his open palm in front of Joan''s face.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Seeing John''s figure, Joan only said, "Oh, it''s you... What did you do that for?"


    And then she returned to her previous position without even waiting for John''s reply.


    After seeing his sister''s reaction, instead of the relief that a normal person would usually feel when being forgiven for doing something wrong, John felt intense anger for some reason.


    "Tsk! ...Hey, what''s with that reaction?" asked John with a furious look as he grabbed Joan''s shoulder.


    Cindy gave a surprised look as she silently watched everything happen.


    Joan, reacting to John''s question, turned to look at John while having a confused expression.


    "Huh? What''s with what? What you trying to accom-- Ow! You''re gripping too hard! Let go!"


    Joan swatted John''s hand away from her shoulders as she stood up while facing him.


    "What the hell is wrong with you today, John?"


    Cindy finally interrupted and got herself in between the two after seeing the tears welling up in Joan''s eyes.


    Meanwhile, Joan kept putting on a brave front as she faced the angry John.


    "Sniffle, hic... Why are you suddenly angry, Big Bro?"


    After John saw his sister''s pathetic almost-crying face, his anger immediately subsided.


    Everyone became silent. Only the television made sounds as it broadcasted a breaking news about people being found dead on their beds.


    So this is how she reacts when someone does that to her? How unlike the usual her... Wait, w-what am I doing!? Oh no!


    John thought that as he panicked upon realizing what he just did.


    "I-I''m sorry. I didn''t think you would react like that... I''m only testing you because this isn''t like you at all. You would normally retaliate violently..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Even after John''s apology, the sisters only gave him a silent stare.


    This made John feel awkward.


    The doorbell suddenly rang.


    "...I''ll go get it."


    Seeing this as an opportunity, John immediately excused himself the get out of the awkward situation.


    "Damn, I should apologize properly later... Shit! Why would she even act like that anyway? I can''t bring myself to have my revenge if she''s like that."


    John only talked to himself as he walked towards the house''s main entrance.


    The doorbell rang again. And again. And again. Like a child pressing a doorbell for the first time, someone continued mashing the doorbell button without mercy.


    "I''m comiiing!"


    He then opened the door, only to see...


    "Yo! What''s up? Starting today, I''ll be staying with you, Johnni boi."


    Carrying a small luggage, the huge and muscular Tyrone stood in front of the entrance while wearing casual clothes as he smiled towards John.


    <---Jason''s Worries About... #1--->


    After a whole night of silent treatment from his sister, Jason finally went to bed.


    "Phew! Not talking at all is surprisingly tiring. I can''t stand the pressure at all."


    He laid down on the bed as he recalled what happened earlier.


    "...On second thought, I don''t wanna recall it anymore," said Jason as he covered himself in blanket.


    He then closed his eyes and went to dreamland.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Jason found himself sitting inside a small office room.


    "What was I doin-- Ah, right. I''m here to interview a newcomer," he said to himself as looked at his surroundings.


    When he looked at his body, he saw that he wore nothing but underwear. However, he did not feel cold despite being almost naked.


    "Oh, what a nice couch. I like to have one just like that on my home some time."


    Jason muttered to himself while looking around the small room.


    "Speaking of home... I wonder my sister works in something similar to this kind of place."


    Someone suddenly knocked.


    "You may come in," said Jason as he stared at the door, excited to see who will enter.


    "E-excuse me for being late. Is this the right room?"


    The knocking person turned out to be Jason''s sister.


    "S-sis!? Why are you here?"


    "Are you the one who will interview me?"


    "Hey, don''t ignore my last question! Why are you here!?"


    "What!? Y-you want me to start right now?"


    Jason''s sister blushed while glancing at him from the side. She then placed her hands on her clothe''s top-most button.


    "H-hey! Big Sis! Stop ignoring my words!"


    "I-if you say so, I''ll do it then..."


    "What the!? Why are you stripping your clothes!? S-stop that!"


    "I''m doing this for my brother so that we could have a meal three times a day..."


    "No, no, no, no! Put your clothes back on! I''m right here! You''re brother is right here and is thinking that you''re disgusting!"


    "If it''s just this, then I can endure... For my brother."


    "I said stop ignoring my words! No! Don''t go near me! Halt your footsteps! Stooop! Aaah! Why can''t I move from this chaair!?"


    All of a sudden, just when the sister''s distance became three feet away from Jason, her naked body immediately bloated and turned into a huge orange ball.


    "...What the?"


    Jason could only stare at the ball with a dumbfounded look as he struggled to stand up from his chair.


    Despite wanting to get away from the odd looking ball, his butt felt like it got stuck to the chair with a super glue.


    "Dammit! I have to get away from this chair!"


    Jason forcefully pulled himself away from the chair, however, his attempt failed.


    He flailed around as hard as he could.


    The orange ball suddenly started to show signs of movement.


    It vibrated and slowly melted. Then, the orange molten liquid slowly molded itself back. This time however, it molded itself into a shape of a giant humanoid beast with goat horns and rough looking hands.


    "Oooh shiit! Mama, help mee! Big Sis turned into a scary monsteeer!"


    Jason started screaming and then struggled even harder as he attempted to stand up from the chair holding him in place.


    The orange colored monster''s hands suddenly excreted a red liquid. Then, it reached for Jason and grabbed his arm.


    "N-noOooOO!!!"


    And then Jason woke up.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!"


    Jason screamed as he got up from the bed.


    "...Huh? It was all a dream?"


    He then started looking around his room and covered more parts of his body with his blanket.


    "What a scary dream... And my sister is in it too... I should probably not mention this dream to any-- Ow! Why is my arm hurting?"


    Jason held his left arm.


    To him, it felt like a someone just finished squeezing it hard.


    Busy with examining his mysteriously injured arm, he did not notice the low-visibility orange mist slowly escaping through the window.

 Chapter 13 - Safety

    Tyrone and John faced each other as they sat on the sofa in the living room.


    For some reason, John kept his distance from Tyrone by sitting near the edge of the sofa. Meanwhile, Tyrone sat on the other side as he showed a worried expression.


    The sisters who watched television earlier already disappeared after they wordlessly walked upstairs together.


    "Did... Something happen? What''s with the silent treatment from your sisters?"


    Tyrone asked John worriedly as he opened the small luggage he carried. Then, he took out a stack of papers from within it.


    John glanced at the papers Tyrone held and then replied,


    "It''s nothing much. We just had a small fight. That''s all."


    "Really? If you say so," said Tyrone while shrugging his shoulders, he then continued saying, "By the way, I know that you wanna know why I came, but read this first."


    Tyrone gave the papers to John. He accepted it without hesitation.


    "Sigh... I''m not so surprised anymore, but I still worry," said John as he read the papers from top to bottom.


    A few seconds later, John crumpled the papers he held into a ball.


    "Dammit, not again!" yelled John as he threw the crumpled papers on the floor and then stomped on it while frowning.


    "Oh... Good thing those were the backup copies. Anyways, John, please treat me well. I''m your newest house mate."


    Tyrone smiled as he extended his hands towards John.


    "Awe! How am I gonna explain this to my parents when they get back?"


    "Don''t worry. We already called your parents and they said that it''s fine."


    After jerking for a moment when he heard that even his parents knew of their situation, John hesitantly shook Tyrone''s extended hand.


    "Tch! Welcome to our house then. Please keep a distance of at least 1 meter away from me, starting right now."


    <><><><><><><><>


    The next day...


    "Mhhmm... Ah, I''m awake now..."


    John rubbed his eyes as he sat up on the sofa.


    "Sniff, sniff... Hm? Someone''s cooking? Did I wake up earlier than usual?"


    He stood up and followed the aromatic scent all the way to the kitchen.


    Upon entering the kitchen, he heard the sounds of hot oil frying something.


    Since he just woke up, he could not focus his muddy mind. He even walked around with eyes closed most of the time.


    "...Hi. You girls are cooking this early again?" said John while trying to keep his sleepy eyes open as he wobbled around while facing the ground.


    "Hey, Johnni. Are you usually up this early?"


    Wait, that doesn''t sound anything like my sisters...


    John thought that as he became alert and opened his eyes wide upon hearing the deep male voice coming from the kitchen.


    When he looked around, he saw the muscular figure of Tyrone trying to cook near the stove while wearing an apron.


    After that, the morning proceeded without incident and everyone inside the house silently ate their breakfast at the dining table. Yes, silently.


    Then, everyone went to their respective schools.


    After the sisters went out of the house first, John and the remaining people formed a group and walked silently to their school together. However, someone from the neighborhood shouted, "Hey John! You''ve brought another man home, I see!", but John ultimately decided to ignore it.


    As they walked on the way, John finally broke the silence and said,


    "Tyrone, not to be rude, but, could we all keep some distance from each other? I really want to walk alone right now."


    Hearing this, Tyrone glanced a bit towards Elssie''s direction before replying to John,


    "...You should have heard of this from Ivan already, right? I can''t leave any of you alone. Some kidnappers might appear all of a sudden. Like that one," said Tyrone while pointing at a random bystander far away from them.


    A bunch of uniformed men attempted to approach the bystander. In response, the bystander prepared to run away, but shortly before he could, one of the uniformed men took out a gun and shot the bystander with it. They did not even make a noise. The next moment, the uniformed men threw the body of the said bystander into a van.


    What the!? They just killed a man in plain sight!


    John looked at Tyrone as he waited for an explanation.


    "Hm? Oh, don''t worry. That person''s not dead. Our deployed guards use tranquilizer so we can still interrogate them afterwards," said Tyrone in a nonchalant manner as if nothing wrong happened.


    "That''s not the issue here! What do you mean ''kidnappers''? And why is everyone else just looking away as if nothing happened!?" replied John while pointing at where the bystander previously stood.


    The next moment, John heard the sound of a closing window. He reflexively took a look at the source.


    "Look! That grandma that lives on that house over there totally saw that happen! I bet she''s calling the police right about now!" said John while pointing at the window that just recently closed.


    "Don''t worry. That won''t happen," replied Tyrone while giving a thumbs-up as he reassured John. However, this made John worry for the Grandma''s safety instead.


    Suddenly, a memory of his conversation with Ivan flashed inside John''s mind. About how all of them got placed under surveillance.


    "Whoa! Then what about my sisters!? Kidnappers are after them too?"


    "Relax, they have their own guardians secretly assigned to them."


    John breathed as sigh of relief after he heard Tyrone''s reply. At this moment, a nearby girl decided to butt in on their conversation.


    "What are you guys talking about just now?" asked Elssie while holding Chloe''s arms as they walked together closely.


    John looked at Elssie and gave a sigh before replying with,


    "Sigh... It''s nothing. Listen, can you girls go on ahead?"


    "Oh? Okay. See you at school. Hey, Chloe, let''s walk faster!" said Elssie as she increased her walking pace while dragging Chloe along.


    "A-ah? S-slow down! Please don''t hold my arms like that!"


    "Ohohoho~ Just follow me obediently like usual! Now, lets run!"


    After confirming that the girls were already at the distance, John and Tyrone stopped walking.


    Although it was my order, why didn''t you stop them? So much for not leaving any of us alone.


    John thought that as he internally criticized Tyrone.


    However, John did not worry about the safety of the girls anymore after seeing some uniformed men secretly following them from a distance. He deduced that those men were allies upon seeing Tyrone''s calm reaction.


    Next, they looked at each other.


    Deciding to start up a conversation, Tyrone said,


    "...Y''know, I think you should prevent yourself from physically coming into contact with mentally unstable girls next time."


    "Why? And what do you mean by saying that?"


    "Nothing, just a random thought. Let''s walk slowly. There are still a lot of important details for you to know, in case you didn''t know them already."


    The two of them began walking slowly just as Tyrone replied.


    "So, you''re probably gonna tell me why you''re not with Ivan and the rest, right?" asked John as he moved three inches away from Tyrone.


    "Oh, that''s good. You catch on quick. Naturally, I can''t tell you the important details, but I can tell you that they''re currently out of the country and will probably be back here within a week."


    "Is that so? Well, I guess I''ll leave it at that then. Also, can you tell me more about these ''kidnappers''?"


    "Oh, that? Didn''t Ivan already tell you?" asked Tyrone as he kicked a nearby stone along the path they walked.


    "Our last conversation got interrupted by a conveniently inconvenient phone call, so no," said John while trying to keep his distance away from Tyrone who slowly closed the gap between them bit by bit.


    "Oh, is that so? Well, I''ll tell you so listen to me. I''ll keep it short," replied Tyrone as he quickly shortened his distance with John while using the conversation as an excuse.


    John gulped, but due to Tyrone getting close, not due to the anticipation of what he would say.


    "Remember the fat guy who chopped Chloe up back then? Apparently, he was Elssie''s father."


    John stopped in his tracks while showing a shocked face. In response, Tyrone also stopped walking.


    Tyrone expected that reaction, so he continued,


    "Now that he''s fallen, or should I say, locked up behind bars while being carefully guarded by ''us'', his Rivals and Enemies in business could no longer reach him, so they wanted to take out their anger on his daughter instead."


    "Wait, wait, wait! What does this have to do with me and my sisters? Aren''t they just targeting Girl numb-- err, Elssie? Why would they try to kidnap us as well?" replied John while showing an annoyed look.


    In truth, he is currently considering to give up Elssie to the enemies just so everything would be in peace... But he quickly gave up on the idea.


    Wait, why am I thinking like that!? What is wrong with me lately?


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Oh, that? That''s because you kept Elssie in your house. ''Everyone who helped her is an accomplice now'', that''s how the enemies see it. Hahaha! Also, because of all this, that Elssie girl has nothing on her," said Tyrone as he laughed in response to John''s question.


    So it''s you guys who are at fault here, huh? Well, in the end, we still accepted some money for Girl number one to stay at the house. Some burned-to-ashes money, that is.


    "You don''t have to get so worried, John. This is all according to Madam''s plans. In truth, we''re just using you and your house as a bait to lure out some of the bad underground syndicates. But even that is only a side-job for us."


    John did not understand most of Tyrone''s words. No, he did not want to understand. He wanted to remain oblivious to the danger all of them currently faced.


    After that, John decided to keep silent until they reach school.


    He already knew that nothing good would come of it if he tried to scold them for their actions or even try to understand them, so he decided not to pursue the matter any further.


    And just like that, they reached the school safely.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Upon reaching the classroom, John immediately encountered a hostile Jason.


    "Why are you so mad all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong to you?" asked John towards Jason who directed a malicious look at him.


    Of course, John already considered the possibility of Jason finally snapping just like all the other males inside his class, but he thought that it would be impossible for the usually easy-going Jason.


    The next moment, Tyrone showed up from the side.


    "Oh, so you brought a buddy to protect you, eh? Just wait till you two get separated from each other," said Jason while glancing at Tyrone who stood beside John. The dangerous words caused Tyrone to be concerned, but he did not take it too seriously.


    John decided to ignore the angry classmate and move on. Both he and Tyrone went to their respective seats. Meanwhile the seats of Ivan and three others remain vacant.


    This way, the class proceeded with no problems.


    A few hours later...


    John looked at the time on his phone.


    May 12, 2032. Wednesday. 12:02 PM


    Still sitting in his chair, John looked over his shoulder and decided to speak to Tyrone who sat far behind him.


    "Hey, Tyrone! I''m concerned about something, so let''s go eat lunch together," said John while showing a worried look.


    "Alright. Let me call the two girls first," replied Tyrone as he waved his hand towards a particular direction.


    You can''t call them over just by doing that... What the!? They''re coming over here? Did they practice doing this before?


    While thinking that, John watched the two girls, Elssie and Chloe, approach Tyrone. The girls spoke to Tyrone for a bit before the latter stood up and went over to John''s location.


    "We''re ready, John. How about we go to the canteen?"


    "Alright, but you didn''t have to bring those two with us."


    John looked behind Tyrone and he saw the two girls blushing while they glanced at him. Also, he did not notice, but every other girl inside the classroom did the same.


    After that, they proceeded to the school canteen together.


    They picked a four-sided table and then quietly ate their food.


    Just as John and Tyrone finished eating theirs, John decided to strike up a conversation while waiting for the girls.


    "Hey, Ty. Can you stick around with me for today? I feel that something bad will happen if that Jason spots me walking all by myself," said John while looking around the place restlessly.


    "Why? What''s wrong, Johnni? Care to tell me the reason? Although, I noticed him acting strangely earlier too."


    "Yeah. I just feel that he''s acting different today. And when did I allow you to call me Johnni?"


    "Heheh, sorry."


    Tyrone shrugged his shoulders while showing a carefree smile at John. He then observed the two girls who just silently ate while staring at them.


    The girls reacted to Tyrone watching them.


    "Munch, munch... What? Munch, munch," asked Elssie as she paused her movements right before inelegantly placing a spoon inside her mouth. Meanwhile, Chloe silently gave a questioning look towards Tyrone as if saying, "Is there something on my face?"


    "Hmm... Chloe, come with me for a bit, only after you finish your meal. Don''t worry, it won''t take long. We''ll come back to John later." said Tyrone while placing an elbow on the table.


    After Chloe heard Tyrone say that, she stopped eating for a moment and then looked at John, looked at Tyrone, looked at John again, then gave a nod to Tyrone afterwards, before continuing to eat her food.


    A few minutes later, Chloe finally finished eating. She went away with Tyrone, leaving John behind together with the girl who still kept eating her meal.


    John calmly observed Elssie eat while resting his chin on the table.


    "...Can you eat faster?"


    "Ohohoho~ You can''t force a lady to-- gekh! Cough! Cough!"


    "Oh no! Don''t talk while you''re still eating! Water! Here''s water!"


    John immediately handed Elssie his unfinished bottle of water while panicking. She accepted it without hesitation.


    "Gulp, gulp. Ahhh... Thanks."


    "Phew! Don''t do that again," said John as he slumped down on his chair.


    "......"


    "Hey."


    ".....?"


    "Can you stop staring at that bottle and start finishing your food now?"


    "......"


    "Give me that."


    John suddenly snatched the empty bottle away from Elssie''s grasp.


    "Aahh! Nooo..."


    Elssie tried to reach for the bottle from the other side of the table but John extended the bottle away from her. This almost caused her long blonde hair to touch the food on the table.


    "Sigh... Leaving you and the other girls aside, don''t you think Girl num-- Chloe, is acting really weird? By weird, I mean crazily obsessed weird," asked John while holding the bottle up in the air.


    "Reeaacchh-- Guh! Huh? What do you mean? She seems normal to me. Although I literally only ever see her talk when you are nearby. Is that strange?" replied Elssie while still desperately reaching for the bottle.


    Hearing this, John gave a sigh before accurately throwing the empty bottle at the trash bin from a few meters away. Elssie made a sulking expression afterwards and then proceeded to eat her meal again.


    "Sigh... This one''s no help at all. Now eat faster or I''ll leave you here," said John as he stood up. This prompted Elssie to rapidly consume her meal, which resulted in her choking once again a moment later.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Another few hours later, the school lessons finally finished without any trouble happening. Although, Jason still kept eyeing John from afar.


    Lots of students walked through the school gate together. This included John, Tyrone, and the two girls they live together with.


    "John. When we get back home, I''m going to show you a video," said Tyrone with a calm look as he showed his phone to John.


    John gave an uninterested look as he casually replied with,


    "...Oh, we''ll watch with that? It better not be a ''video for mature audiences''. Anyway, I''m bored. Let''s go to an amusement park today for a change."


    "Is that so? Alright. Since Ivan and my three other buddies aren''t here, I guess I could do something like this every once in a while. I''ll just give a call to ''the guys'' to double our security in case it''s crowded."


    Tyrone nodded to John in agreement. He then faced the two girls beside them and asked,


    "Miss Elssie, Chloe, are you girls fine with this? We''ll go to an amusement park right now."


    "Ohohoho~ Why not? Sounds like fun!" replied Elssie while covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Meanwhile, Chloe just nodded silently with a blank look on her face.


    However, as they conversed about this, they did not notice Jason who blended himself within the crowd as he stared at them from a few meters away.


    "Wherever you go, I''ll follow you... Except for when you''re entering your house."


    Jason muttered to himself. However, this attracted attention from the people around him, which caused them to back away from him.


    Luckily for Jason, John and the three others did not notice. Although, Jason also did not notice the gazes of some men in uniformed suits staring at him from afar.


    One of the uniformed men took out a mini-radio and spoke to it,


    "This is security unit number 22, requesting other units to keep an eye on that strange kid at my 3 o''clock."


    Of course, Jason did not hear that nor did he realize that the men in suits considered him as a suspicious person.

 Chapter 13.5 - Another Lonely Day

    Me and my Big Bro fought each other last night.


    Oh, honestly! Why did he have to do that? I almost made a mistake of attacking him... Not that I could blame him anyway.


    I realized that he''s been holding down all of his emotions towards us. Maybe he just happened to snap last night.


    I better be obedient and just silently accept his revenge. This way, I won''t feel guilty about what I did to him when we were younger.


    Or so I thought he would take his revenge on me.


    I kept silent as I waited for him to do something, in which what I expected him to do, at most, would be to scold me.


    Also, for some reason, even Cindy did not speak to Big Bro too.


    So, I asked her when we were alone,


    "Hey, Cindy. Why are you not talking to Big Bro too? Unlike me, he probably doesn''t hate you so it''s okay to act like you used to."


    "Ah? So you really were being silent on purpose? Don''t worry about it. I just thought that it would be fun if I try to imitate you being silent."


    "Heh, just don''t complain when Big Bro nags at us."


    Just like that, we became silent for the whole morning''s duration.


    On a side note, I never expected that creepy black guy to cook so well. I must have him cook for us from now on.


    <><><><><><><><>


    On the way to school, I walked together with Cindy.


    We usually do this every morning. I''ve gotten so used to it that I would feel uneasy if Cindy doesn''t walk with me in the mornings.


    But lately, we''ve been noticing some strange suited guys tailing us. I wonder what they want.


    And so, we reached our school safely.


    I split up with Cindy since she belongs to a different classroom from mine.


    Our boring class proceeded as usual.


    But during the entire lecture, I could not take my mind off of Big Bro. I wonder what he is thinking right now.


    Bored, I checked my phone for time despite the female teacher still doing her lecture.


    May 12, 2032. Wednesday. 11:47 AM


    Oh, it''s almost lunch...


    "What are you doing, miss Joan!?"


    "Wyaah!"


    I shouted in a panic when the female teacher suddenly asked me a question.


    Looks like she realized that I''m not listening to her.


    I quickly hid my phone back inside my pocket.


    She walked to my side and then asked again,


    "Were you using your phone just now?"


    "Uh, err... I wasn''t..."


    I fiddled around while trying to lie my way out of the situation. Seriously, please stop questioning me now, teacher.


    However, almost everyone in my classroom hates me. And so...


    "Teacher, teacher! I saw her use a phone just now!"


    A nearby female classmate of mine said that as she pointed at me. The others also followed up by saying to the teacher that they saw me too.


    That damn girl. Giving me away like usual! I''ll make her pay later! ...Ah! She''s snickering at me!


    "You bitch! --Ah!"


    I hurriedly covered my mouth after blurting out a vulgar word right in front of the female teacher.


    That damn girl! She''s laughing at me right now! I won''t care even if you''re not alone later! You''re gonna go down!


    "Miss Joan... Your phone, please," said the female teacher as she extended her palm to me.


    "But..."


    "Phone! Now!"


    I reluctantly gave my phone to the teacher.


    "I''ll confiscate this for now. I will return your phone by the end of the week. I hope you don''t do this again... Not that you will listen to me anyway."


    This teacher! You''re making me look like a fool!


    Dammit! Everyone is laughing at me!


    "Oh no! Joan, your phone got confiscated~ I wonder who''s responsible for that~ Hahahaha!"


    That damn girl! You gave me away and now you''re laughing directly at my face? Looks like you didn''t receive enough beating yet.


    No, no, wait. I can''t be like this. This is exactly why my Big Bro is being distant from me. I should take a deep breath and calm down...


    I heard the ring of a the school bell.


    And just like that, the bell signaled the beginning of our lunch time.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Lunch time, inside the cafeteria.


    "Sorry for being late, let''s eat now, Joan!" said Cindy as she sat right across me while opening her lunch box.


    "Yeah..."


    I sloppily opened mine. Not that I could muster any more energy after what happened earlier.


    "...Did something happen again?" asked Cindy with a concerned look. She probably noticed my gloomy expression.


    "Yeah, nothing much. Just the usual happenings inside my class. By the way, I will beat someone up today... Forget it. I change my mind."


    I played with my food using by spoon as I said that. I can''t bring myself to eat yet when I think of my problems.


    Upon hearing me, Cindy gave a sigh and said,


    "You really should lighten up your attitude, you know? You know that''s the reason other people are so afraid of you."


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    "Don''t point your fork at me. That''s dangerous. Anyway, you''re right, but it''s not like I can do anything about it anymore. It''s already too late for me."


    "Sigh... There you go again with that negative attitude of yours. Stop playing with your food and eat up."


    I did as she said and started consuming my lunch at a slow pace.


    While both of us were eating, a girl who seems to be same age as me suddenly sat beside me.


    Hey, don''t get all chummy on me. Who are you anyway? Go away, you''re disturbing me... But I could not say that since I am busy chewing my food.


    "........"


    "........"


    The girl and I just wordlessly glanced at each other while Cindy just didn''t care and only continued to munch on her food. Hey Cindy, I need help here.


    "Um..."


    The girl is trying to say something. Hurry it up while I''m still chewing my food! You may not get the chance to speak later.


    "Umm... You''re name is Joan, right?"


    She''s asking about me. Am I starting to get popular around here?


    I couldn''t speak because of my still full mouth so I only gave her a nod.


    "Ahem! Umm, here. Please take this," she said as she handed me a piece of paper with pictures in it.


    Huh? What''s this for?


    I accepted the paper and then swallowed my food. I then asked,


    "What''s this for? It says here... Free rides. Isn''t this a coupon for the amusement park nearby?"


    Hearing me say that, she smiled and nodded towards me energetically. What''s with this girl?


    "Uh huh! We''ve learned about what happen to you earlier so the secu-- Err, I mean, ''we'' decided to give you this to cheer you up. Bye."


    And just like that, she waved at me and hurriedly left before I could ask her any more questions.


    "...''We''? What does she mean by that? Hey, Cindy. Do you know that girl?"


    "No, I don''t know that girl. So, something serious did happen earlier! Tell me what it''s all about! "


    "All right, all right! Just stop waving that fork near my eyes! That''s dangerous!"


    I told her what happened in detail afterwards.


    "You what!? Your entire class ganged up on you and your cellphone got confiscated!? Alright! Take me to your classroom!"


    She hurriedly packed up her unfinished lunch and tried to stand up.


    Oh no, this is bad. I have to stop her before she does something that will get us both into trouble!


    "Stop! Stop! Just let it go! It will turn into something big otherwise."


    I quickly held her down and force her to take a seat.


    Cindy held her head in disappointment and said to me,


    "Oh, is that so? Sigh... Okay if that''s what you want."


    "Hey, don''t worry about it. It''s no big deal. And besides, it''s probably my fault that their attitude is like that towards me."


    I started eating my lunch in a hurried manner. Cindy also opened up her lunch again and started eating it.


    "Munch, munch. Sho, Joan, will you go tho ze amushment fark lather?"


    "Gulp. Please swallow your food first before you talk. And yes, I might as well go there later. Wanna come?"


    "Gulp. Nah, sorry but I can''t. I have some work to do later so you''re gonna have to come alone."


    "Part-time work, huh? It''s true that you''ve been helping out a lot lately. But Big Bro doesn''t notice that you''re contributing to our budget though."


    "Yeah... Sigh, but it''s okay. As long as we can still eat our meals three times a day then it''s fine for me to work. And besides, we need to buy clothes for those two girls. It feels weird that we''re even letting them borrow our underwear. Why did they not bring their own clothes anyway!?"


    "Haha, they were probably sent to our house in an emergency while they were still having a bath or something. Yeah, like that would ever happen. Anyway, Cindy, are you sure you don''t want me to help with taking a part-time job?"


    We both finished eating our meals and started packing up our lunch boxes.


    "Don''t worry about it, Joan. It''s not a big job so it will only take me thirty minutes at most. I''m more worried about you. Are you sure you wont get lost? You''re pretty susceptible to getting lost when you''re alone."


    "Hahaha! I''ll be fine. And besides, I always wait for you everyday to finish your work so it''s a nice change of pace."


    We stood up and started walking together on the way to our classroom.


    "Hehe, sorry for always making you wait, Joan. Let''s just meet up again later. You can just walk to the amusement park in seven minutes, right?"


    "Ah, err, although it''s kind of lonely for me to go alone, but... See you later, Cindy. Just wait for me to pick you up at your workplace when you finish your shift."


    "Oh, that''s right. You have no phone. Alright then, it''s my turn to wait. See ya."


    And so, we split up with each other and headed for our respective classrooms.


    I''ll go to the amusement park later, after we finished our lessons.


    Even though I am alone, I still have a genuine ticket for free rides!


    I just hope that I won''t get lost in such a big place...

 Chapter 14 - "Red" Activity

    Earlier, John and the group decided to go on an amusement park.


    It took them thirty minutes to arrive at the place.


    "Huff, huff, huff... Why did we have to walk when we could''ve just called a taxi?" complained Elssie while using the silent Chloe as a crutch as she tried to catch her breath. Upon closer inspection, Chloe''s breath also became heavy.


    Hearing this, John tensed up and tried to find excuses. He then said,


    "Sorry. I have my reasons... And besides, this is a good exercise for our body, since you''ll never know when you''ll need to run a marathon in order to not get chased by a killer magic girl and die! Hahaha!"


    As John forced a laugh, everyone stared at him with worried looks on their face, including the nearby strangers.


    "Hahaha!"


    "....."


    Tyrone placed a palm on his face as he muttered, "Good god. I never knew he was that affected by it..."


    "Haha! Hahaa, Hah..."


    "...Mommy, look! There''s a crazy person over there!" said a child from a few meters away.


    Thanks to the child, John blushed as he finally realized his awkward situation.


    "Haah... Eherm! Alright, please forget what you just saw. Let''s go inside already..." said John as he started walking towards the entrance of the park.


    However...


    John felt a sharp pain on the side of his head.


    "--Ow! Who threw this rock!?" yelled John as he looked around while holding a small piece of fallen rock.


    "Not me," said Tyrone as he shook his head from side to side.


    The two other girls also shook their heads from side to side. And for some reason, the nearby bystanders did the same as they looked at John.


    How the heck did they manage to move their heads together in sync? Awe, forget it. We better go inside before more rocks will come flying at me.


    While thinking that, John used hand gestures to call over Tyrone and the girls, then he said, "Come in already."


    After that, the four of them finally entered the Amusement Park.


    John displayed a happy face as looked around the place.


    He saw many people walking everywhere. Also, he gazed at the multiple food stands and attractions arranged neatly in rows and columns.


    "Wow! I''ve never been here before. Although now that I''m here, I can vaguely recall something about a planned trip. But, whatever."


    John muttered to himself while walking all over the place. His group struggled to catch up to him amidst the crowd.


    "John, don''t stray too far. We might lose sight of you," said Tyrone in a slightly loud volume. Loud enough for John to hear even when around the noisy crowd.


    "Oh? Okay! I''m just sight seeing so don''t worry!" shouted John while walking fast.


    John continued loitering around.


    All the walking around while trying to follow John made the tired girls become even more exhausted.


    "Ahh, I''m tired. Let''s go ride an attraction so we can take a rest, since there are no vacant seats around," said Elssie as she clung to Tyrone''s buff arm. Chloe also clung on the other arm. Both of them used Tyrone as a way to rest by literally hanging on him.


    "Yea, I agree. Hey John! Let''s go find a ride with many seats on it, okay?" shouted Tyrone while struggling to keep himself in balance due to the girls on either side of him.


    However, John did not reply.


    Instead, he just stood in place as if he became a statue.


    Oh no! They will notice it! I should have just gone alone.


    As John thought that, he slowly turned around to face Tyrone and the girls.


    He then gave them a warm smile and said, "Let''s split up, okay? You guys can go have fun, I''ll catch up later!"


    And then he dashed like a mad man while skillfully dodging the people he passed by.


    "But the securi-- Ty... He''s gone. Oh well, this place is heavily guarded so its okay."


    Tyrone could only mutter that since John already left before he finished his sentence.


    Tyrone worriedly glanced at the girls on either side of him.


    "You girls are tired, right? Let''s find something to ride."


    "But what about John?" asked Elssie while still clinging to Tyrone.


    "Oh, it''s fine. Don''t worry about him. As long as he won''t run too fast, the ''security'' can keep an eye on him. Now, where should we go?" replied Tyrone while looking around the place.


    Upon finally spotting a suitable ride, Tyrone said, "Let''s go there.", and started walking together with the girls.


    Just as Tyrone went for the counter, he acted like he remembered something and then he asked the girls.


    "Yo, girls. I don''t have any money on me right now. Did John, by chance, leave any spending money on you?"


    The two girls only shook their heads from side to side.


    <><><><><><><><>


    "Huff, huff... Phew! This should be far enough. I hope they don''t notice," said John to himself as he tried to catch his breath.


    He looked around and saw that the area did not look as crowded as the other places. One might call the area ''Desolate''. Not even his "Security Guards" could be seen anywhere at all. John probably lost them on the way.


    "This place must be in the corner of the amusement park..."


    John walked around for a bit and found a vacant public bench.


    He quickly occupied the free space and slumped down on it.


    "Sigh... I can''t let them know that we don''t have money anymore."


    While muttering to himself, he took out his wallet and checked its contents.


    "Damn, this is all we have left. Should I tell Tyrone? We barely even managed to buy enough food for all of us yesterday..."


    The sound of a small stone hitting the concrete floor echoed. But John did not notice it.


    "No, I can''t tell him yet. He might ask about where the money they gave me went..."


    The sound came again, yet John still did not notice.


    "My parents... No, they denied my request for money last night. Ah, I''m not so sure now~ What to do... What to do..."


    It came again. Still no sign of John noticing the sound.


    He closed his eyes for a bit and tried to think deeply.


    Clack.... Clack.... Clack.... The sound repeated three times, but John refused to notice it again.


    ".......What to do?"


    Once again, the clacking sound of a small stone hitting the concrete resounded.


    Huh? Come to think of it, what was that noise just now? Should I open my eyes and see-- Ow!


    While thinking that, John suddenly felt a sharp pain behind his head.


    He opened his eyes in reflex and saw that there were a bunch of pebbles scattered all around him. They all slowly kept increasing in numbers as they came flying from behind.


    John looked over his shoulder to see where it came from, but...


    "Ow! Sonuvabich!"


    A pebble hit him straight in the forehead.


    "Alright! That''s it! Show yourself!" shouted John as he stood up and looked towards the direction where the pebbles came from.


    After that, the pebbles stopped coming.


    John heard some noises behind a thicket, right in the direction where the rocks came from.


    "Ahw! Stop! No! Yougotitwrong! Stop!"


    "Ohhh, nooo~ I''m just getting started! Chew on this!"


    "Sto-- Mfff!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    He heard two familiar voices coming from behind the said thicket. One coming from a pleading male, the other coming from a disturbingly familiar happy female.


    John waited for a few seconds to gather his resolve.


    He gulped and then started slowly walking towards the thicket.


    Right there, he saw...


    "So... You finally showed your true colors after such a long time," muttered John as he watched a scene unfold right in front of him.


    Anger and a little bit of delight filled his heart.


    Then, he gritted his teeth and silently rushed forward while clenching his right fist.


    The color of his pupils turned into red as he ran. They literally turned red.


    Of course, John did not notice that physical change in his body.


    <---Jason''s Worries About... #2--->


    "Wherever you go, I''ll follow you... Except for when you''re entering your house."


    Jason muttered those words with deep feelings of hatred.


    He glared at John from afar, all while making sure he keeps his proper distance in order to not get noticed.


    If only John did not act like how he did, Jason would not feel this kind of anger towards him. No, not just anger. Just like the other boys in his class, he also felt envy and jealousy towards John due to him being favored more by the girls.


    However, Jason''s anger did not come from John monopolizing all of the girls. It came from the sight of John mistreating the girl Jason admired so much. To him, it felt like seeing the girl you liked going on a date with a delinquent, only for her to get abused and used up like a tool, but she still keeps returning to the delinquent while desperately begging for affection.


    Although, such logic only works for masochistic women, but that''s how Jason interpreted Chloe''s actions towards John.


    John and his group started to move. Jason followed.


    When he looked at Chloe for a bit, he saw her usual expressionless state, which actually looks pretty unusual for Jason.


    "Chloe... When I tried to speak with her before, she didn''t even say a single word to me. Damn you, John! This is all your fault!"


    Jason kept following John while blending himself in with the crowd.


    "...Now that I think about it, why is this crowd conveniently going through the same path as John?"


    He looked around him as he walked according to the crowd''s pace.


    "...John... Heh, hehehe... John...."


    When Jason heard that, he turned to look at the source. He saw a girl breathing heavily while focusing her sights on something or someone from afar.


    Similar words also came from the people beside the girl, no, the next one as well, no, the next next one, no...


    Only then did Jason realize something so obvious.


    "Why is this crowd composed of only girls...?" muttered Jason under his breath while drooping his shoulders down in order to not stand out too much.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    <><><><><><><><>


    Some time later, Jason realized that they already reached an amusement park.


    "Oh... I went here before. Alone."


    After seeing John standing by the entrance, Jason moved away from the crowd of girls and instead transferred to a much normal-looking crowd nearby.


    He lowered his posture so as to not get noticed, and then he heard a laugh.


    "Hahahahahaha!"


    It came from John.


    Jason immediately felt the urge to punch the face of the laughing John.


    "No, I can''t do that... His scary friend is nearby. I can''t risk it," said Jason while holding his trembling right arm.


    He looked around him and found a small pebble on the ground.


    A brilliant idea suddenly flashed inside his mind. He then said,


    "Oh! With this, he can''t know that it was me! Hehehe. Now I''ll throw it like this aaaand..."


    The projectile he threw hit John.


    "--Ow! Who threw this rock!?"


    Jason struggled to hold back his laughter as he tried to pick up some more pebbles on the ground.


    "Pfft! H-hehe, serves you right! Now I''ll get some more ammo and move to another spot... Wait a minute. What is this strange feeling I''m sensing right now?"


    When Jason looked behind him, he saw countless girls giving him death stares.


    "A-ahahahaha! I-I didn''t do anything," said Jason as he let go of all the pebbles he collected, causing all of it to fall to the ground like raindrops.


    "You... You. Hurt. Our. Joooohnn!"


    "See ya! J-Dash! Whoosh!"


    After waving his hand at the girls, Jason immediately dashed as fast as he could. Naturally, the girls gave chase.


    The noise of their commotion blended in with their surroundings, so John and his group did not notice anything.


    On the other hand,


    "Security unit number 48 here. We''ve lost sight of the suspicious boy. Should we pursue? ...Oh, he''s harmless? Copy. We''ll leave him be."


    <><><><><><><><>


    After some time of running around, Jason finally managed to lose the girls.


    In exchange, he lost sight of his target. He also found himself lost in a desolate part of the park.


    And so, he decided to take a break for a bit.


    "Awe man, my stamina must be quite something. I''m still not exhausted even after all that running," said Jason unconvincingly while laid flat on a field of grass right beside a thicket.


    After finishing his rest, he decided to stand up and continue his search, but...


    "Whoa, wait a minute. Is that John?"


    He saw John sit on a bench just a few meters away from him.


    "Lucky me! He''s alone so now I get to pun-- Wait, what if his scary friend is nearby but I just can''t see him? If that dude saw me punching John... Since we''re also classmates... No escape. Death... Alright, I better make sure first."


    Due to hesitation, Jason decided to make do with just throwing pebbles instead.


    With a bunch of freshly collected pebbles in hand, Jason leisurely threw them towards John''s direction.


    However, Jason did not notice the girl behind him who happened to pass by. The girl slowly approached him.


    "Throw, miss. Throw, miss. Throw, nice hit. Throw, oh, I hit him agai-- Phwa!"


    All of a sudden, he felt a strong force and a sharp pain on his cheeks.


    The next moment, he saw his view tilting to the side. It took him half a second to realize that someone punched him hard enough to make him fall like this.


    "Tch. After all my efforts of shaking away those creepy stalkers back there, this is the first thing I see? Now, tell me why you did that to my brother, you trash," said a female voice from nearby with an angry tone.


    When Jason tried to take a look at the source of the voice, he saw a familiar girl.


    "Ugh... H-hey, aren''t you-- Gah!"


    "Shut up."


    However, before Jason finished talking, the girl interrupted him with a kick to the gut.


    The girl then tried to speak while digging her foot deeper into Jason''s stomach.


    "Now then. I guess I''ll let you experience what happens when someone messes with my Big Brother right in front of me. Look around us, there are no witnesses. I''m free to do anything and I can even get away with it even if you try to tell everyone."


    She then raised her foot at kicked Jason in the stomach again and again.


    "Ahw! Stop! No! Yougotitwrong! Stop!"


    As Jason curled himself on the ground, the girl mercilessly kicked him. However, his suffering did not end there.


    The girl stopped kicking Jason.


    "Ohhh, nooo~ I''m just getting started! Chew on this so that you can shut up!" said the girl as she picked up some of the fallen pebbles and forcefully shoved those right into Jason''s mouth.


    The girl''s strength surprised Jason. He could not resist nor fight back even if he wanted to.


    "Sto-- Mfff!"


    "Hahahaha!"


    While laughing, the girl kicked different parts of Jason''s body all while also throwing pebbles at him at point-blank range. In no time, bruises already became visible on his exposed skin. It would be no surprise if he also broke a bone or two.


    Jason, unable to fight back, closed his eyes and prayed for everything to be over soon.


    But the next moment...


    "Hahaha-- Ghurgh!!!"


    Jason heard an unladylike grunt coming from the girl. The girl also stopped kicking him.


    But the girl did not stop giving out grunts.


    "Guh! Gha! Urgh! Ugh! Oof!"


    Jason also heard loud thuds in sync with the girl''s grunts. It seemed like...


    Unable to contain his curiosity, Jason opened his eyes.


    Never in his dreams did he expect to see such a scene in real life.


    A strong punch hit the girl. Strong enough to cause a loud thudding sound from her flesh.


    "Gah! S-stop! I was just trying to--!" cried the girl while desperately trying to stand up as she shielded herself. But John interrupted her before she finished explaining.


    "Shut up! You can''t fool me anymore! Not only were you not satisfied with throwing stones at me, you even hurt other people too!? Take this!" said John while punching the girl through the gaps on her defenses.


    Punch.


    "Kghah!"


    Punch.


    "Ugyah!"


    Punch.


    "Phuh! P-please stop!"


    The girl tried her best to keep herself from falling. Two words kept repeating inside her mind. ''Run'' and ''Away''. But she could not accomplish that if she falls down. Realizing this, her tears trickled down non-stop. Even if she tries to crawl her way out, it would be too slow.


    Meanwhile, John kept mercilessly beating her up as she tries to stand.


    Every time John''s fists hit the girl''s body, it produces a loud ''thud'' which shows how much power he placed behind each punch. He did not intend to hold back.


    Again, the girl tried to stand up, but...


    Punched again.


    "P-plea-- Gyah!"


    John punched her in the gut as she shielded her face, causing her to crouch down and reflexively shield her stomach with both arms.


    She tried to stand up again.


    Another loud thud came from her body.


    "S-Sto-- Phuwa!"


    John punched her unprotected cheeks as she shielded her stomach. This caused her to almost fall on her back but she managed to keep her feet steady. She reflexively shielded her face this time.


    But...


    Punch.


    "N-no mor-- Ghu!"


    This time, she finally became unconscious and fell face first directly onto the ground. John reduced her into this pitiful state.


    Noticing her lack of reaction, John stopped his follow-up kicks and muttered while looking at the fallen girl,


    "If it was just me, I would''ve turned a blind eye for a few more times... But you''ve even laid your hands on other people now. When I saw you being so happy doing it to someone else earlier, I couldn''t help but get angry as I remember all those things you did to me."


    Of course, due to being unconscious, the girl did not hear that. John only said that in order to try and justify his unjustifiable actions. He only convinced himself.


    He turned away from the girl and started walking towards Jason''s direction. He then continued muttering,


    "Too bad, the slightly kinder Cindy isn''t here to protect you... This is a taste of your own medicine so I won''t apologize, Joan."


    After that, his red pupils started to turn back into their original color.


    When John reached Jason, he asked,


    "Oh, I didn''t realize that it''s you, Jason. Are you alright?"


    At this point, John''s eye-color completely returned to normal, so Jason did not notice the strange change in John.


    Jason spat out all the rocks inside his mouth and tried to stand up, only to fail.


    "Ow! My leg..." said Jason as he sat up while holding down his right leg. He felt something hard sticking out of his leg.


    "...Sorry about that. I apologize for what my sister did," said John with a smiling face as he pointed at the unconscious girl.


    "Ow! But... What the hell? That''s your sister... Ow! I shouldn''t touch this."


    John only gave him a wry smile and showed him his phone. John then said,


    "I know, right? But it''s complicated, so you wouldn''t understand. Just let me call an ambulance for both of you."


    John started dialing on his phone.


    Meanwhile, Jason muttered to himself in a volume that John could not hear,


    "...But it''s you who didn''t understand. Although, hehehe, this could be considered as my payback. Your sister for my Chloe."


    After John finished his call, he placed his phone on his pocket and sat right across Jason.


    "Are you confused about why I''m acting so calm right now?" asked John while showing a smile.


    "You know... Instead of directly calling for an ambulance, you could have called over nearby people first. I don''t think that''s calm. You just wanna act and think like you''re calm."


    Jason only replied with a silent nod as he focused his gaze on his injured right leg.


    "Ahh, you''re right. Also, I don''t know why I just did ''that''. By ''that'', I mean brutalizing my own sister. It just felt like it''s natural for me to do so... But I don''t feel bad about it though," said John while scratching the back of his head.


    "...That''s actually kinda creepy. Please don''t do that anymore, especially to other girls... Ow! Ow! Dammit!"


    John took a closer look at Jason''s leg and said,


    "Does your leg really hurt that much-- Holy shit! Your bone is sticking out! Don''t worry! I''ll stay with you till help arrives! The ambulance is on its way!"


    "Huh? Aaah! You''re right! Why didn''t I notice it before!? Aaaaahhh! AAAaaah! Shiiit!"


    And just like that, the two chatted idly until help arrived.


    John did not even show any concern for his sister during the entire duration.