Chapter 2 - Giving Up the Peaceful Life
A short time had passed since I saw Karuizawa Kei's group and lost sight of them when I focused my attention on Elsie's hair accessory making that strange sound that indicated that a lost spirit was hiding in someone, or rather, was hiding inside Karuizawa Kei's heart.
For now, I decided to visit the convenience store to buy some things.
By now the opening ceremony must be over, since I could see several students walking through the school streets with their respective groups of friends.
Elsie was walking beside me, resulting in a few stares from some students. This could end up being a problem later. Even though she was wearing the students' uniform, she was still not really a student. And several cameras must have already filmed us. I, however, didn't think much about it. She is a demon sent from hell, and as she explained to me, normal people should not be able to see her broom and her floating purple scarf, instead they would see normal everyday things. I could assume that the floating scarf would just be a normal scarf and the broom... some schoolbook?
This got me to thinking about something.
What are these "normal people"?
Would they be the people who didn't have a contract like mine? I already assumed that I was not the only one who was working against these so-called "spirits" that escaped from hell. I just hoped that there weren't that many of these escaped spirits like that.
"Elsie, you know I can't leave this school, right?" I asked in a low tone.
"Yeah, don't worry about it, you won't have to leave this school," she replied positively.
Since I will be at this school for the next three years, I suppose I will be responsible for taking care of this place in case any runaway spirits appear in this area. This is the best school in Japan funded by the Japanese government itself, it has about 480 students. Depending on how many runaway spirits are scattered around, I can assume that maybe another one will appear after Karuizawa Kei in this school. Of course, it's only guessing, it's possible that none will appear after Karuizawa, and I really hope for that.
That way I will be able to enjoy the three years of my school life in peace, after all I won't have the responsibility of taking care of the spirits that appear elsewhere.
Given the way she answered me, she must have information about this school. Good, that way I don't have to explain to her how this school really works.
I can't risk saying anything with the chance that someone will hear, so I will wait until we are alone to question some things that are on my mind.
We arrived at our destination a short time later.
I entered the store immersed in thought while Elsie accompanied me.
"You again?"
A familiar high-pitched voice cut through my thoughts and booted me back to reality. I looked toward the voice, and with my peripheral vision I could see that Elsie also looked in the same direction as me. It was Horikita who had spoken to me. Her tone sounded a little hostile.
I couldn't understand her. When we met after I got off the bus, she had asked if we had met before. I said it was unlikely, but the familiar feeling she gives me is a little strange. I am beginning to wonder if we have really met before...
"Hello, Horikita. No need to be so hostile, you came to buy stuff too, right?"
"Yes, just a little bit. I came to buy some necessities." Horikita spoke as she examined the shampoo she took from the shelf. She suddenly seemed to freeze and looked in my direction again. To be more specific, it wasn't me she was looking at.
She was looking at Elsie behind me, who had a smile on her face.
"Who is she?" She asked coldly.
However, before I could say anything, Elsie overtook me and excitedly introduced herself.
"Hello, my name is Elucia de Lute Ima. Everyone calls me Elsie. Nice to meet you!"
Horikita who turned out to be surprised, almost knocked the shampoo that was in her hand to the floor, but she was quickly able to recover. She quickly put the shampoo and other daily necessities in her shopping basket and just looked at Elsie for a while before she opened her mouth to speak.
"Hi... I guess," she replied.
That was a bit interesting.
I thought she would respond in a hostile manner, but that didn't happen. Maybe she was taken by Elsie's animated manner? Well, that's actually a good thing.
I'm glad she didn't label me as a possible pervert because of the strange coincidences that lead me to end up meeting her. It would be very problematic for me if that happened, after all, I had some things to do, and having the enmity of the class would only make it more difficult.
Thanks to the introductions that have taken place, I can be sure that she, as well as 99% of the girls in my class, do not like perverts. To be blunt, I will basically have to completely avoid associating with the perverts in my class, so as not to tarnish my image any further. If I have an image to tarnish at all.
That presentation of mine in class was ridiculous.
I'll have to sort that out.
"She's just a friend I ended up making around here," I said.
Elsie just nodded encouragingly in agreement.
Good thing she didn't ask what class Elsie was from, otherwise it would have been a bit problematic, after all she wasn't a student.
Looking at the shampoo she put in her shopping basket, I noticed that it was the cheapest. I thought the girls would pay more attention to the type of shampoo they used, but I didn't choose to speak that out loud.
"You weren't at the opening ceremony because you were with her?" Horikita suddenly asked that question.
If I answered something like "I accidentally ended up making a contract with the commander of hell, and because of that I have to capture escaped spirits who escaped from hell. But to do this I have to conquer the person that the escaped spirit has chosen as host" she would call me crazy?
"Actually, I just thought the opening ceremony was going to be boring, so I didn't mind going there. I ended up running into Elsie by coincidence, since she skipped the opening ceremony too, so we just kept walking around, until I decided to come to the convenience store."
"Exactly!" Elsie next to me agreed. "Also, Kami-"
"Hey, what's that?" I said quickly.
Whenever it looked like Elsie would end up talking too much, I would step in, commenting on something. My instincts tell me that if I let her speak freely, I would deeply regret it. I, of course, followed my instincts. They were of great help while I was in that place, so there's no reason why I shouldn't follow them.
"What?" Horikita who was curious, looked at the place I pointed to.
In the corner of the convenience store, I saw individual portions of food and supplies.
At first glance, they looked the same as everything else, but there was a big difference.
"Free...?"
Curious, Horikita picked up one of the items. I could feel Elsie with her head over my shoulder, looking at the items.
Daily necessities such as toothbrushes and bandages were placed in a box labeled "free." The garbage can also had the words "3 items per month" written on it, and it was obvious that they were different from the other goods.
One point was equivalent to 1 yen, and my class received 100,000 points this month.
Even after receiving 100,000 points, there are still free items?
"I wonder if this is an emergency aid for those who have spent all their points. This school is incredibly tolerant, isn't it?" I said.
"Well, isn't it nice that they give a handout to people who have used up all their points?" Elsie tilted her head.
Indeed, it is a good thing if you only think so. But a school that is funded by the government, being that tolerant? Even if Elsie has information about this school - if my assumption about it is correct - she is still very naïve. There's no way a government-funded school expects nothing in return after giving away so many points like that.
"What kind of idiot could 100,000 yen in a month?" Horikita thought aloud, dumbfounded at the idea that this could be possible.
Given the situation within my classroom, I'm sure most of my classmates will spend a lot of points on not-so-necessary things, like games or junk, hoping to get 100,000 points next month. In fact, I think Karuizawa is the same way. Maybe I can start working on that.
The teacher said from the beginning.
This school judges students based on their merit.
Speaking of my class teacher, Chabashira. She as well as Horikita gives me a familiar feeling. Moreover, I am sure she flashed a smile at me while she was explaining things. Is this just a bizarre coincidence, or is there something more...?
"Hey, shut up! Wait a second! I'm looking for it now!"
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed outside the store.
"Hurry! Everyone's waiting!"
"Oh, really? Then tell these sons of bitches to complain directly to me!"
It looked like there was trouble. Two boys were staring at each other when they started to fight. The one with a disgruntled face was the very familiar red-haired guy. He was holding the noodles in one hand.
I decided to intervene with Elsie behind me.
"What's going on here?" I asked.
"Oh? Who are you?"
I intended to speak amicably, but the red-haired guy mistook me for another enemy and glared at me.
"My name is Ayanokouji, I'm from your class. I spoke up because I thought there was trouble here."
After a few words, he calmed down. His name was Sudou, and he apparently forgot his student card. I really don't blame him too much for this, I consider it normal for him to have forgotten that student cards are basically our money inside this school. I offered to pay for it, and he accepted and thanked me.
After the situation was resolved, Horikita came up to me next to Elsie.
"You don't look afraid."
"Afraid? What would I be afraid of? Because he looks like a delinquent?" I asked confused.
"I don't think he's that bad," Elsie said. "Besides, I'm sure Kami-sama could teach him a lesson!"
"Kami-sama?" Horikita asked confused and turned toward me.
Don't call me God in front of the other students...
"Yes! He's helping me to-"
"Just a joke," I cut Elsie off, sending her a look telling her to shut up. She seemed to get it since she didn't try to say anything else. "She just likes to make fun of me, wanting to embarrass me in front of other people. Don't pay any attention to what she says, please." I pleaded.
"...Right," Horikita replied.
She was clearly having a line of thought along the lines of, "You two seem pretty close for people who have just met."
"You don't seem afraid of him either," I quickly changed the subject.
"Obviously, that's because only defenseless people would be afraid. If he acted violently, I could easily keep him under control."
Whenever Horikita says something, it is always something unusual. First of all, when she says "keep him under control," what exactly does she mean? Is she carrying some kind of anti-molester spray? Or maybe she is confident in her physical abilities? Well, we can't know for sure.
"We'd better finish up here. We'll be a nuisance to the other customers if we take too long." She said.
I just agreed and we started to finish our shopping. When Horikita was a little ahead, I whispered in Elsie's ear, telling her to be quiet and not to say anything unnecessary. However, I could feel Horikita's gaze on me when I said this.
We finished our shopping. After presenting the student ID to the machine, the transaction was completed quickly. It was even faster because there was no need for change.
"It's really usable as money..." I muttered.
The receipt showed the prices of each good and the remaining amount of points. The payment was made without any problems. While waiting for Horikita, I poured hot water into the noodle cup I bought. I had bought two, one for me and one for Elsie. She was basically imitating what I was doing. I thought it would be harder to open the lid and pour the hot water in, but it was surprisingly easy.
"How is it that the school benefits by giving us so much money?"
"I don't think they benefit," I said, drawing her attention back to me. I could see Elsie staring at her noodle cup with bright eyes. "See, this school is pretty weird. Since our year has about 160 people, by simple calculation, the high school must have about 480 people in total. Even in a month that's already 48 million yen. In a year, 560 million. Even if it is supported by the government, it still seems like an exaggeration to me."
Why was I saying this to her? Well, it won't make any difference anyway, after all, what I was planning to do was going to expose me, whether I wanted it to or not.
"You seem pretty good at calculus," after some thought, she told me that.
"Even if you say that, it's just something normal. Anyone could do these calculations."
That was a truth. I mean, there's no such thing as someone so dumb that they can't do something that easy. Right?
"I see. Well, it's like you say. Even though I don't think I need to warn you about this, be careful how you use your points," she warned.
"I'll keep that in mind."
I never intended to throw my money at random expenses originally, but her point is valid. However, I really hoped that she had captured what I meant by all of this. I guess I expected a lot from her.
"Speaking of which, isn't she going to buy anything?" Horikita pointed to Elsie who was eating her noodles inside the store. "You seem to have paid for her, although they only cost 150 yen, it's not good to keep paying for other people. She can use her own money, can't she?"
Actually, no, she can't.
"Just like Sudou, she forgot her student card. Don't worry, I won't make a habit of it, I assure you."
After finishing the transaction, Sudou was waiting in front of the convenience store.
Seeing me leave, Sudou waved his hand at me. When I also waved to return the sentiment, I felt a little embarrassed and happy at the same time.
"Are you going to eat here?" I asked him.
"Of course I am, it's common sense."
"I'm going to my room," Horikita said as he left. I just said goodbye.
As I approached Sudou with Elsie behind me - still eating her noodles - I quickly heard several familiar voices.
"Hey, let's go buy some things to eat!"
"We have plenty of points, we can buy quite a few things."
"What do you think, Karuizawa?"
"Yeah, let's go!"
Karuizawa Kei and her group of friends entered the convenience store I was in.
"Kami-sama..." Elsie whispered to me.
"I know, but I won't be making any moves today."
Elsie looked at me with bright eyes.
"So, you mean..."
"Yes," I replied, knowing what she was going to ask.
One thing I could confirm was that no one but me or Elsie seemed to be able to see the white "necklace" on my neck. I really wanted to stay away from it all, but that is something impossible. Elsie seemed to be a little afraid that I would ignore the runaway spirit inside Karuizawa.
"Hey, are you in first grade? That's our spot."
As I watched Sudou and Elsie chew their macaroons, a group of three boys came out of the convenience store carrying similar foods.
"Who are you guys? We got here first. You guys are blocking our way. Get out." Sudou said.
Our way, huh? Looks like he's counting on me here, since he hasn't met Elsie yet.
"Did you hear that guy? 'Get out' he said. What a cheeky brat."
The three laughed at Sudou. Sudou stood up and threw his noodles on the floor. Soup and noodles splattered everywhere. Elsie looked a little startled and hid behind me.
" 'First year brat' are you guys trying to make fun of me?"
Sudou has an extremely short fuse. He is the kind of person who tries to intimidate the other party, not the other way around. He seemed to be very angry with these boys.
However, I knew exactly what they were planning.
"Kami-sama..." Elsie whispered looking scared.
Come on, you're a demon, why the hell are you afraid of mere students? Also, stop calling me God.
However, looking a little to the side, I immediately noticed Karuizawa Kei and her friends looking over here from inside the store. They were carrying bags of various things. After her, the others I remember from the class presentation. Satō Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
They seemed to be whispering among themselves.
Wait a minute...
"Elsie," I caught her eye. "Girls...they like tough guys?" That was the right word, right?
It's a little weird to ask a demon this, but I'm guessing that all those stories people tell about appearances are wrong. Elsie's appearance is exactly like that of an ordinary human girl, so I'm going to assume that at least most demons are more like us than people believe.
She seemed a little confused as to why I asked that question, but she answered anyway.
"Yes," she shook her head several times. "However, they don't like very scary boys."
Again, you are a demon, that in itself would be scary to most people...
I quickly analyzed the situation. Tough kids, but not scary, huh.
I can assume that Sudou falls into the scary category she was talking about.
"Those second years are talking some bullshit. We're already sitting here."
The second-year students put things there too. And then they started laughing. At this point, I distractedly picked up my cell phone and pretended I was answering some message.
"Yes, we are here too. So fall out, this is our place."
"You've got some guts, you little shit."
Sudou was not intimidated by the difference in numbers. It looked like a fight would start soon.
It was time to act.
I put my cell phone away in my pocket, and gestured for Elsie to go over to the girls who were looking at the mess. As she passed me, I whispered something in her ear.
"Wow - so scary. What class are you guys in. Oh, wait, never mind. Let me guess - you guys are in class D, right?"
"So what!" Sudou shouted.
After Sudou said that, all the veterans looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
"Did you guys hear? They're in D class! It was really obvious!"
Just as Sudou was about to answer them, I put my hand on his shoulder. At first he seemed surprised, after all I had put a little pressure on him. He was very angry, but before he could say anything, I said.
"Leave the rest to me, just watch."
I approached the three second year boys, with their hands in their pockets.
"Oh, look, guys. Now it's the other dog that came!" The middle one commented, making the other two laugh.
Act tough without looking scary. How the hell do I do that? Well, let's just try this.
"Your useless words won't work on me," I cut them off sharply. "Besides, who are the real dogs here? You've only been barking since the beginning, but you haven't done anything." I allowed myself the luxury of saying those words loud enough for the girls inside the store to hear.
"What the fuck are you talking about, huh?"
They seemed to be enraged by my comment. Does the fact that I am saying it without any expression increase the effect? Well, if that is indeed the case, this is the first time I am grateful to have my face unexpressed.
"I'm saying you're pathetic," I stated.
At that moment the guy in the middle came running up to me and grabbed the collar of my uniform with one hand.
At this moment I could feel the tension that was all over the place where I was standing. Sudou seemed to want to intrude, but he stayed put where he was. He was probably conflicted, after all, I was totally confident in this situation. With my peripheral vision, I could notice Elsie pointing at me while saying some things to the girls.
It seemed that Elsie was doing her job right.
Karuizawa Kei and the other two were showing surprised looks.
I really wasn't planning to make any moves on this first day, but then these three showed up. I still have to fix my pathetic presentation later, but for now, I think this is enough.
"Don't think you're so fucking smart!" He shouted as he put strength into his grip. "You're going to face hell soon, so I want to see you think yourself up when it happens!"
I'm sure Karuizawa and the other girls heard this.
I have finally achieved my goal.
Checkmate.
Slowly I took my left hand out of my pocket and grabbed the hand he was using to grab the collar of my uniform. He looked like he wanted to speak, but I interrupted him before he could.
"To think that you would fall into your own trap, I am really surprised at your idiocy."
Emotionless, expressionless, I remained calm as I squeezed his hand that was being used to grab the collar of my uniform, causing him to yell and release me quickly.
"You shit!" He yelled as the other two went to check on him.
Karuizawa and Elsie, finally left the convenience store.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and played the recording of their speech. They quickly froze.
"I wonder, according to what I got today, I am sure that you are not allowed to reveal such information. I wonder what will happen if I show this to the school board."
"Wait! We'll do anything, just delete it!"
"Yes, delete it!"
It seems that the punishment is quite big due to their desperation. Maybe they will be expelled?
"Give me all your points," I demanded.
"Eh, points?" Karuizawa's surprised voice said that.
I could feel Matsushita paying quite a bit of attention to me now.
"We can't give away all our points!"
"That's ridiculous!"
"Ask for something else!"
In response, I just looked at them normally. For some reason, they walked away, and I can feel Sudou surprised behind me.
"So cool..." Satou Maya's voice said in a whisper, but I heard it anyway.
Cool? Was I making a cool expression in her eyes? Or was it just the appearance?
"You are not within your rights to demand anything. Give me your points before I lose my patience."
After some complaining and a little crying, they finally handed over all their points to me, I erased the audio in front of them, and soon after, they ran off saying they were going to get even on this.
I sent a glance at Elsie, and she quickly nodded her head cheerfully and left the place. My colleagues didn't notice her leaving, since they were totally focused on me.
"Man, that was amazing. Is that what's up with your grip?" Sudou said.
"I had to use all my strength to be able to stop you, you almost fell into their trap."
"Hey, what do you mean he almost fell into their trap?" Matsushita asked quickly.
"You heard what he said, right?"
"Him trying to scare you?" Satou asked.
"No, what he said before. That we are going to experience hell. They pissed off Sudou by wanting him to attack them, that way they could blackmail him with points. There are cameras everywhere, you know."
"Wait, what!" Sudou shouted as he looked at the seats. The girls did the same.
There were about 4 cameras filming the place where we were.
"I will tell you this, be careful with the points you spend. I'm sure we won't get 100,000 points next month."
"What do you mean by that? Chabashira-sensei said that we would get 100,000 points at the beginning of each month." Karuizawa replied with a little... anger?
"Yes, she told us, right Matsushita?" Sato agreed with her.
Matsushita, however, said nothing, causing the two to look at her.
"Actually... she didn't say that."
"What? I'm sure I heard her say that." Karuizawa insisted.
"Ah, I'll just go," Sudou, who was being left out, just started to walk away. "Explain these things to me tomorrow, Ayanokoji."
"Bye, Sudou."
I ended up staying with the three girls who were arguing with each other.
I sighed a little at that.
I didn't want to waste time on these things, I just wanted to enjoy my school life these three years, but it just got crazier than when I was in that place. Is this some kind of divine punishment or a prank? Is it a way for the gods to tell me that I can't have a peaceful life?
I swear that if I meet one of these "gods", I will make them think 69 times before they try to use me as a source of their entertainment.
"The teacher said this at the beginning, 'this school judges students based on their merit'." I spoke suddenly and walked back with my hands in my pockets. "Think about those words carefully."
With that, I walked away, ignoring the shouts of the three girls.
It was about 5:00 pm.
When I left the girls, I met up with Elsie and brought her to my room when it was about 2:00 pm. However, she left soon after, saying that she was going to get information about Karuizawa Kei from her boss.
I didn't know what kind of information she went to get, but any kind of information is useful. I myself used internet-sensei to research some things while she was away.
Yandere, Tsundere, Kuudere and Dandere, while I was doing my research, I came across these names. Apparently, they were what some "types" of girls were called.
The term Yandere comes from Yanderu (病んでる), which means sick. It is a term used to characterize people who possess high insanity. Yanderes are the opposite of Tsundere, they show their feelings openly (sometimes very openly, which turns out to be strange or even frightening), are obsessed with something, and are also jealous. They are capable of extremely violent behavior, capable of attacking or even killing someone.
Tsunderes are the opposite of Yanderes. Tsunderes are aggressive, but they usually do not hit as hard as Yanderes. They have difficulty in expressing feelings, especially if it is the person they love, so instead of confessing, they end up using aggression.
Dandere is shy, and doesn't know how to express her feelings. The big difference between the Dandere and the Kuudere is that the Dandere is not cold, she is just more reserved, another difference is that the Kuudere can socialize in a "normal" way, while the Danderes can't because of their shyness.
"Kuu" means calm, which is one of the characteristics of Kuuderes. They are cool, mature people; they are even considered the adult version of the Tsunderes. Kuuderes are usually sincere and sensible, without showing any feelings. The "real" side of the Kuudere can be explored if you decide to understand them and succeed, you may end up discovering a caring and gentle side.
That was really interesting, I didn't think they had that many types of girls.
Of all these, Yandere is definitely the scariest of all. I really hope I never meet a Yandere girl, I am sure she would scare the hell out of me.
This research was done on the basis of helping me win Karuizawa Kei. I didn't have any training or anything, so I had to rely on the help of internet-sensei.
Who would have thought that one day I would debase myself like that.
Me, the Masterpiece of the White Room.
The Perfect Human is winning over the girls?
I almost laugh at this thought.
Almost.
I really needed all the help I could get to get a girl.
Hey, you there.
You who are reading these lines. That's right. How about doing something useful in your shitty life, and giving me a little help here?
While I was wandering around in my monologue, I heard someone knocking on my bedroom door.
I quickly got up and walked over, and it was Elsie.
"Kami-sama, I did it!" She declared as I closed the door.
"Stop calling me a god," I said. "I hope you didn't call me that way when you were talking to Karuizawa and the others." The instant I said that, I see her turning her head to escape looking me in the eye.
Ah, whatever.
"Did you get the information?"
"Yes!" She said while without a purple scarf swayed in a way that destroyed all laws of physics. "Look!" She said as she showed me a peculiar goal.
Moving closer, I saw that a transparent screen grew. I couldn't help but compare it to a cell phone, only much stranger. Well, maybe it's the cell phone they use in hell.
Wait, there's internet in hell?
Ignoring these thoughts, I took the object from Elsie's hands and was surprised.
There was a picture of Karuizawa Kei, containing all the information about her.
It even had their measurements, but that's not important here.
I sat down on the bed and started reading the information, and after about half an hour, I finally finished. There was a lot of important information. As soon as I finished reading, my supercomputer mind thought up a perfect plan in about a few minutes.
I already knew what I had to do.
It is the second day of class.
We were Chabashira-sensei entering the room.
I could see some idiot classmates showing off some things they bought. They seemed very happy about the fact that they would get 100,000 points next month, although that was not going to happen.
The information about Karuizawa Kei...
Chabashira-sensei entered the classroom.
"Class is about to begin, everyone in your seats."
"Chabashira-sensei," I raised my hands, getting her attention.
"Yes, Ayanokouji?" She asked with a small smile. I could feel that sense of familiarity.
I could feel Karuizawa and the other two looking at me along with Horikita and Sudou. Apparently I had gained the attention of the whole room in a few seconds.
I quickly began to think of various things.
The necklace around my neck, which would cut off my head if I didn't fulfill the contract.
I was forced to make a decision.
I had to do what I didn't want to do at all.
To win Karuizawa Kei I had to give up my peaceful life as a normal student.
This was necessary for this conquest to succeed.
Therefore, I will declare it here and now.
Hellmaster Doukurou.
"I have some questions that need answers."
I will make you pay for the end of my goal of living a peaceful life.
So, it looks like Ayanokoji is going to have to get some attention, eh.
Karuizawa Kei's conquest should take another 2 chapters.
Place your bets, who will be the Yandere of the story? Of course there has to be one :)
And this ending? You really didn't expect Ayanokouji to just accept all the shit that was thrown at him, did you? Doukurou beware.