23 Chapter 3.5 - Impulse I

It was almost a week after the Sudou incident had concluded. The person in question, Sudou Ken, had been cleared of all accusations, giving him the opportunity to return back to his club activities. The accusers on the other hand, received the ultimate price for deceiving the school. Ishizaki, Kondou and Komiya's expulsion was already written in stone.

It seems like Ryuen couldn't fund the compulsory twenty million private points, huh? If he could've done that, it would've been the best possible move.

Due to three expulsions, class C would lose three-hundred class points by default. But on the other hand, the requirements to save a single classmate was ironically three hundred class points, of course with an additional requirement of twenty million private points.

Albeit doing so would've resulted in their class completely exhausting their class points. But the thing is, we were still on our first semester. There were five more semesters in front of us, which was more than enough time for them to climb back on the rank. Points can be regained back at any given time; but once a classmate gets expelled, they cannot be reinstituted no matter what.

On top of that, not only Ishizaki was an influencer figure of class C, he was also the most loyal subordinate Ryuen could ever find, aside from Albert Yamada. Besides, class points can never reach a negative value, regardless how much the penalty was. This could've been a great leverage for them.

Which is why from a tactical point of view, saving one classmate by sacrificing points would've been more efficient in contrast to losing them all. It was the only counter-argument against my perfectly paced gambit.

I'm guessing that Ryuen had understood that fact as well; yet he failed to save any of them. In that case it was probably one of the two outcomes.

Either, his pride didn't allow him to request assistance from the others, which was probably not one of brightest moves. (AN: What a polite way of saying "Beg" LoL)

Or, he actually DID request assistance from the others, but eventually failed to produce results, which was the most probable outcome.

After reading his monologues quite a few times, I could easily guess what the answer was.

In any case, that sort of analytical view would never provide me any sort of progression whatsoever. What mattered most was the fact that we were now part of a psychological warfare. After climbing up to class C, not only had we become the target of class D; the other classes also became somewhat wary of us.

Ryuen didn't seem to attack us within the period of last few days. According to the novel/anime, his next attack would be during the Island survival exam arc, which was approximately one week away from us.

I really don't know what Ichinose's thought process was. But to help us even though we're enemies; I was sure that there was a deep layer of hidden intentions. And the cherry on the top was the fact that we had also caught attention of the star class; class A. It would've been be a pain if Sakayanagi started laying out the pavements from the early game. Hiding from the eyes of Hashimoto would've consumed a great amount of time and effort, although...

... though I don't think it'd be me whom she'd go after.

At that moment, there was no saying what could happen. Considering the fact that all the things that had occured after my intrusion never actually took place inside it's roots, and the fact that I had greatly influenced the outcome of the plot, nothing is absolute. In a realistic scenario like this, I could never afford to rely on premature information. Leaving everything to chance would be a low ello blunder.

"But more importantly, today-"

Bzz.. Bzz.. Bzz.. Bzzzzzzz......

The alarm finally went off. Marking that it was time to get ready. I got out of bed, drank a glass of water, went off to start the day.

...

...

I guess I'd better start developing my pieces too, huh?

••••••

"Haaa~!"

Yawning, I forcefully drag myself towards our new classroom. Well even though we had changed classrooms, there weren't any actual significant changes. Forty chair-tables, five fans, two windows, a podium and a blackboard. Exactly the same contents we had on our previous classroom.

"Good morning, Levent-kun. You have bedhair all over you today." a voice whispered to me from behind.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. It's um.. my hairstyle for today." I replied to Kushida.

"Haha. You really say some funny things from time to time."

"I'll take as a compliment." I began marching towards my seat; but was stopped midway.

[Meet me at 11 pm tonight. Same place where made the deal.]

[Understood.]

After resting my bag on the hanger, I heaved a long sigh and crashed upon my makeshift hand pillow. And exactly at that moment another voice called out to me.

"Good morning, Levent-kun." it was a girly, yet sharp voice.

"Ann-yeon-gha-seyo~" I greeted back.

"You have a few bedhair today. Are you not going to fix them?" asked Horikita. As a reply I gave her the same answer as Kushida.

"It's my hairstyle for the day. Do I not look handsome with this?"

"Far from it. You look like a zombie who's about to eat anyone who comes in it's way." another existence joined the conversation.

"Thank you for your opinion, Ayanokouji."

"Seriously Levent-kun, have even slept last night?"

"Not a single blink."

"I see."

"Are you not going to ask me why?"

"I'm sure you had your reasons. That's why I'm not going to bother you by asking."

Well, that's convenient.

I hadn't been getting any sleep for the last few days. Funny enough, it wasn't because of any obscure reason such as depression, stress, anxiety etc. No. In actuality it was because I was born to be an insomniac and I was engineered to be an insomniac!

Jokes aside, I usually get three to four hours of sleep at night. The rest of the hours are attained after returning back to the dorms.

But that's not the problem for now.

I look towards Sakura's seat. She's hadn't come yet. Despite not being the best student in class, her attendance record was close to perfect. Unlike a slacker like me, she was never late. At least that statement was true up until last few days.

This is fine. This is how things were supposed to go.

___

As much as I enjoyed being a third wheel next to two of my neighbor's argument, at the very next instant Sakura entered the classroom. Judging by her body language, she trying to avoid our gazes. And it seemed to have worked for the others.



Without wasting a single second, I approached her.

"Good morning, Sakura-san." I gently greeted her.

"Eh? Oh, it's Levent-kun! G-good morning!" Sakura cast her eyes down, as if she had something on her mind. She looked a little odd, like she was nervous. It was as if she couldn't settle down.

"What's wrong? Are you doing okay?"

"Huh?"

"You look kind of distressed. Is there something you need to talk about?"

"I..."

"...."

"I'm- I'm fine."

You are most certainly not fine. I know you're not fine. But I can't disclose that information to you. Because I'm supposed to be an ignorant fool.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You don't have to worry about me."

"How can I not be worried, Sakura-san?"

"...."

Sakura went silent. Her mouth agape from astonishment. And her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"!!!!"

Ah, now that I look back into my previous speech, I just realized that I had said something unbelievably cheesey. No wonder why Sakura was embarrassed. To hear such a dramatic line from your crush; this would kill anyone of her age. Why did I have to run my mouth when it wasn't necessary? I guess the part about me being a fool is true.

Well, there's no crying over spilled milk.

"Um..." suddenly a gentle smile formed in her face. "You know, Levent-kun. I'm glad that you worry about me, haha."

"Is that so? Then I'm glad you are happy with it."

"But really, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine."

Don't talk, Levent! There's no need to add anything more.

"If you're ever in trouble, please don't forget contact me, okay?"

"Hmm." Sakura nodded with a feint smile on her face.

"Alright then." I went back to my seat.

I hope you do exactly what you did in the anime. If not... then the only individual who would end up regretting is you, Sakura Airi.

"You've been talking a lot lately."

"Hm?"

As soon as I sat down, my female neighbor asked me with a sharp voice. Intrigued, I faced towards her with a quizzical look.

"I'm talking about Sakura-san. Could it be that you actually like her?"

Her expressionless demeanor gave off a terrifying aura. More importantly, she didn't even bother hiding her glare.

"What brings you to that conclusion?"

"Well you have been circling around her ever since Sudou got accused." accused Ayanokouji.

Boss, I'd much rather you not put any more oil on the fire.

"It seems Levent-kun here has found his next partner. Aren't you glad?" Horikita spat out cold words.

"You are far off from the truth, you two."

"Oh really? Then what might be the truth then?"

It's not possible for me to explain that. Doing so might result in my plan being a complete failure.

"I have approximately zero reason to explain my intentions. Besides, my machinations are beyond what you two could possibly imagine."

"Of course they are." Horikita gave a sarcastic reply.

"Wait, what is this all about anyway? Why am I suddenly being antagonized for having a few conversation with someone? Could it be that you're feeling jealous?"

"Wha-what makes you say that? Why would I be jealous for you? I don't care whoever you're seeing. It's none of my business." how obvious~

If you're about to ask me if I know everything; my answer would be: yes, I'm fully aware of the scenario. To be honest, it was painfully obvious to me.

But if you're going to ask how I feel about this...

Well sorry. E is going to kill me if I give any spoilers.

"My point exactly. In any case, I am feeling sleepy. So I sincerely request you to let me sleep in harmony." I replied in monotone.

"Unfortunately, it's already time for homeroom." Ayanokouji replied.

"Brilliant."

••••••

It was already afternoon. The classes had ended for the day. Either the students were on their way to the dormitory; or they were taking a stroll outside for some fresh air. But I, on the other hand, was sitting next to the seaside bench contemplating what could happen if a tsunami were to strike us out of the blue.

Indeed, it'd be devastating. Yet the government somehow decided that it would be the best idea to construct a dorm based institution in the middle of the sea away from the mainland. To have this level of concern for our safety clearly shows how logical this fantasy world is.

However, one things for sure. This wonderful scenery... I will never get tired of it.

"Maybe I have some sort of a connection towards the-"

"Oiii, Levent-kun!" a familiar voice broke my train of thoughts. I turned back only to see an even more familiar figure running towards me. A certain citrus angel if I were to be poetic.

But I was more curious about her lack of self-awareness. I mean if there was another alternate universe where my name was "Lenny Aozaki", and I had the femininity level of Ichinose's, I most certainly wouldn't be running like her as my chest would bounce like two water balloons.

"Good afternoon, Ichinose-san." realizing that I was being indecent, I averted and affixed my gaze upon her eyes instead of the ones below.

"Ha.. I'm soo out breath!" Ichinose stopped running and gasped for air. In any case, why were you running in the first place? It's not like I was going anywhere.

"Relax. Have a seat." I patted next to me, which was... admittedly quite the bold move, even for me.

But surprisingly, she took me up for the offer and sat right beside me. She didn't even consider about the rumors that would spread if we were spotted like that. Well, not like it's any of my problem though?

After a brief moment of recuperating, Ichinose giggled.

"Hehe... Sorry you had to see this embarrassing side of me."

"It's okay. I actually think you looked quite cute to be honest."

"Eh? No way! W-why would I look cute like that? Haha, stop making fun of me!"

Alright... I unintentionally spoke my mind. Brilliantly done, Levent.

"Sorry." I have to avert this awkward air! "But I'm kind of curious. It's already late now. What brings you here? Aren't you going back to your dormitory?"

"Oh about that. I was going back; but then I saw you. So I thought I'd say hi."

"And that's why you started running?"

"Ehehe please don't mention it. I don't know what got into me that time."

"Well it happens to the best of us."

This reminds me of that time when I got uncontrollably frustrated by Horikita's immaturity. I initially didn't intend to do that; but I guess the 'me' from then did?

In any case, now that Horikita is slightly mature now, I guess all's well if the end is well.

"What about Chihiro-san? Did you manage to make up with her?"

"Well, it was kind of awkward at first to be honest."

Ichinose turned her head down in thought. However the next instant, her smile returned brighter than ever.

"But we somehow managed to get along again! Thanks to you."

Huh? What? How?

"Me? Where do I fit in the picture?"

"Well, you pushed me to be true to her. If you didn't put some sense into me, I'm sure things would've ended differently."

"Well, I only told you what I had in mind. In that scenario, I was only being a catalyst, not the reactors. It was only because of your own courage and effort that you manage to get the 'happy ending'. Don't me too much credit for doing nothing." what I said was from the bottom of my 'head'.

"That's not true. It is you who's not giving yourself enough credit."

"Oh, so now we're debating on who's more insignificant, eh?"

"Hahaha! I know, right? But for real though, sometimes you say some interesting things, Levent-kun. And with a straight face too!"

Am I that apathetic?

"Is that so? I only speak what's in mind." which is probably a deed what most humans do.

Bzzt~ Bzzt~

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. After pulling the out of my pocket, I turned on the screen.

"Why are you suddenly so silent Levent-kun? What happened?" Ichinose asked me.

I showed her the phone.

There was a notification on top of the screen; a message to be exact. The senders number was already listed on my contacts as "Sakura Airi". And message contained only one word.

"HLEP!"

••••••

My phone's tracking data displayed the entrance of the electronics store. Not to be put off, Ichinose came running after me and stuck close. As we approached our destination, I was incredibly winded. I had to stop and catch my breath. Just as a precaution, I looked at Ichinose and ordered her to call the authorities.

"Please don't contact me anymore!"

"Why would you say something like that? You're my treasure... Ever since I first saw you in a magazine, I've loved you. Meeting you again here, I felt like it was destiny. I love you... I can't stop feeling this way about you!"

"Stop... Please, stop it!" Sakura shouted. She took all the letters out of her bag. It was a pile of letters, all containing overly cheesey and disgusting paragraphs.

"How do you know my room number? Why do you keep sending these?"

"Why? Of course I would know your room number and send you letters. It's because our hearts are connected."

Sakura had been suffering ever since she started school her. That man knew her identity, and she had to deal with his attention every day. However, Sakura had had enough and, thanks to her newfound courage, was going to break away. She'd decided to free herself from him here and now.

Her resolve from before made sense now.

"Please stop it. It's bothering me!"

She tossed the bundle of letters to the floors, rejecting the man's unrequited love.

"Why... Why would you do something like that? Even after I wrote out my feelings to you!"

"D-don't come any closer!"

The man closed the distance between him and Sakura. He walked with an intensity that made it look as though he were about to attack. Latching onto Sakura's arm, he shoved her up against the store's shuttered door.

"I'll show you just how much I love you now... If I do that, then you'll understand, Sakura."

"No, let me go!"

Ichinose tugged on my sleeve. Apparently, we couldn't leave things alone any longer. But instead of listening to her warnings, I...

.....

[Wait.] I whispered to her in a way that it's inaudible to that man. Saying so, I open the camera app and changed it to video recording mode. I wanted to wait until we could catch him in the act with something definitive.

[What? We can't let this go on!]

[I know that it's wrong and this is painful to watch. But I swear we will punish this deplorable human.]

[But Sakura-san is suffering. If we don't stop this now, she's going to suffer more!]

[I understand. But you need to stay calm in this scenario. The modern society that we know is hopeless. If we want this man to receive the punishment that he deserves, we will need verifiable evidence to prove his guilt. Without that, everything will be for nothing.]

[I know. But-]

[I'm sorry. I really am. But I'm asking you to please bare with me.]

I started recording the scene. The man pushed Sakura to the ground while holding both her hands tightly. With the other hand he started undoing his belt. I waited until his underwear was shown. When the man was almost half naked, I had decided that it was enough.

I stopped recording and gave my phone to Ichinose as a precaution. Then I borrowed her phone for apparence's sake.

[You should go get the police. I will handle that man.]

[Are you sure? Isn't it dangerous to take on an adult like him all by yourself?]

[It'd be better and much more efficient that way. We need an anchor to bring the police here. I can't leave to handle that man now can I?]

[Oh, that makes sense.]

[We're wasting time. Hurry.]

[Please be safe Levent-kun.]

Ichinose ran off towards the main road. I, on the other hand, voluntarily stayed to take out an adult by myself. Yes, I was painfully aware of the dangers a teenager could face if they were against an oversized adult. However... I'm not a normal teenager.

Click!

"Huh?!" both the clark and Sakura looked at me with utter disbelief.

"Le-levent-kun? You came?!" Sakura asked me in a weak voice. Dismissing her, I looked at the person above her dead in the eyes.

"It seems I've caught a vile pig trying to defile my precious friend." I coldly let out.

"N-no! That's wrong! You're wrong!"

"Wrong? You're belts are undone, you're pants are down, you're on top of my precious friend. Which part am I getting wrong, sir?"

"You're wrong. It's just...yeah, that. She said she wanted someone to teach her how to use a digital camera, so I said I'd teach her one-on-one. That's all."

"One-on-one teaching? Now don't tell me you always teach your students how to use a digital camera while being on top of them, half-naked? Without the camera even..." I closed the gap between us.

"I.. uh... Listen man, this is not what it looks like!"

"Then enlighten me. Do tell me what this looks like... All of that pile of 'love letters' you wrote; all that speech you gave about 'Fate'. Seriously, how deplorable of an adult can you be?"

"Ha ha ha ha! What are you talking about? I really don't...know what you're talking about."

I sat down to face him directly.

"You don't know what I'm talking about, huh?"  I crouched in front of him and shook Ichinose's phone as a sign. "You do realize that I recorded everything, right?"

"N-no way!"

I took a deep breath and let it out once before standing up.

"Imagine the headline.'Electrical store clark arrested for an attempted sexual assault on a high school girl'. More than anything, that girl is a gravure idol "Shizuku". You do realize the fact that you're on top of hell, right? I mean, you will now be labeled as a pedophile for eternity. You're social life is over. Not only does this affect you, it affects your family as well. Think about all the shame you will have brought upon your family's name. All the backtalking they'll be subjected to for your selfishness. It goes without saying that your parents are going to regret ever giving birth to you. Listen to me very carefully and I mean it for your own good..." I leaned close to his ears. With gentle and polite voice i whispered.

"Go hang yourself. You're better off dead."

"Eek!"

He let go of Sakura's arms and got up from her as an attempt to escape. Only a few steps and I grabbed on to his shoulder.

"Caught you."

"Wha-" as soon as he looked back, I punched him straight at his nose.

"Agh!" I gave an upper cut on his jaws.

But that wasn't enough to drop him. So I kicked behind his knees. He fell on his back like a bag of garbage. As soon as he dropped, I got onto him. And just like he was grabbing on to Sakura's arms, I grabbed on to his.

"Don't run. Stay down. Die."

Before he could say anything, I put a fist on top of his lips. The impact caused sever pain in my fingers, but I didn't care.

I began repeatedly punching that person. Each punch was intended to make him feel excruciating amount of pain. For the sin he was about to commit, I voluntarily took it upon myself to reprimand him.

"St-stop!" the man stammered in-between a punch.

"Stop it man!" I didn't stop.

"Ow!! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I swear I won't do it again!" the man spitted blood. But I punched even harder.

"I said I'm sorry! Please stop! It hurts!!!" why am I not stopping? Why am I punching even harder?

"Augh!! FUCKING STOP YOU BRA-gh!!!!" I kept punching and punching and punching... So much so that my hands were filled with red. Eventually the man stopped talking and started spitting out inaudible noises.

"St-uph!"

D

"Levent-kun, please stop! That's enough!" suddenly a voice cried out to me.

My hands stopped mid-air. I finally regained consciousness. When I came to, that molester was lying in front of me, unconscious. I punched him so much that, he had blacked out.

"....."

I forgot that no matter which world I was at, i would always be an idiot.

Sakura was sitting right next to me, watching it all. She was already scared of what was going on. But if she witnessed what I was truly capable of, things would've been even more troublesome for me.

I got off from the unconscious clark. When I checked inside his pocket, I found his phone. I immediately unlocked it with his finger. After opening his points app, I was met with a considerably large amount of private points.

That was the initial reason why I attempted this unnecessary act in the first place.

Thank you for your for being a scumbag. You gave me the chance to fill my pocket.

I decided not to completely rob this man out of points, so I only sent half of the total amount. Few seconds later, a notification popped up saying that one million private points had been sent to my account.

After writing a few words on his notepad, I threw his phone inside his blazer.

After that I went towards Sakura who was going through an episode of fear, regret and anxiety. I gently sat on the ground beside her. To make sure the blood doesn't stain her clothes, I wiped them on my blazer.

"Sakura-san, are you okay?"

"Levent...kun. How are you here?"

"I exchanged contact information with you, remember?"

Wait, Ichinose has my phone. So, how am I supposed to show that to her?

"I guess I'm no good after all... I couldn't do anything by myself in the end."

"Well, you don't always get to throw someone's letters to the ground like that. I honestly thought that was cool." I pointed to the mess of multicolored paper scattered everywhere.

"Uh.. Hehe..."

"Oii! Levent-kun! Sakura-san! Are you okay?"  I could hear Ichinose's alongside three other people's voice.

"Looks like they're here. You should be sa-!!!"

Before I could finish my sentence, Sakura hugged me. It was so sudden that I didn't even have the time to prepare. Her breasts were pressing against my chest and my arm. Jeez. What a klutz. Even though it was a comfortable and a pleasing sensation; at that moment I wasn't able to think of anything other than my objective. To comfort Sakura.

"Uwah~! I was scared, Levent-kun! I was so scared! I thought something unthinkable was going to happen to me!"

"It's okay... Sakura. Cry. You can cry on my shoulders for as long as you want. Don't hold back. Slowly, let it all out." I gently patted her in the back. Her pink blond hair gave off a sweet fragrance. It was almost addictive. If Sakura needed a wall where she could lean on, I would gladly be that wall. For now, only for this moment, I will let myself carry her scars on behalf of her.

"You did good, Sakura-san. I'm proud of you. And I'm sorry."

I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that.

"Why are you apologizing, Levent-kun? It was not your fault."

Sakura misunderstood. I was far from being kind. I knew everything from the very beginning and I could've prevented this if I wanted to. Guess what I did? I had decided to push her towards that direction, even after knowing what was waiting for her.

I even went as far ahead as to imagine what would've happened if I simply left you there.

That's why, Sakura, don't forgive me. Let me repent in my own way.

The police officers alongside Ichinose finally reached the crime scene.

"Whoa! Levent-kun, did you... do that to him?"

I nodded my head. The officers quickly surrounded the molester.

"He seems to be badly wounded and unconscious."

"Take him back to the car."

The officer-in-charge ordered the other two who picked the man up by the shoulder and started dragging him towards the direction they came from. He then looked at me with a puzzled look. He was probably wondering how I managed to brutally injure a man of that size. But ultimately he decided to give us some space.

"Sakura-san, are you okay?" Ichinose knelt down with a worried expression.

"I'm...fine. Levent-kun saved me."

Ichinose looked at me. After looking at me for a second, she casted her gaze down. She was probably feeling uncomfortable after witnessing my cruel and objective decision making.

Well if that's one of the casualties, then I guess there's nothing I can-

"I'm so sorry, Levent-kun?"

That was unexpected...

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked.

"Back then you were only thinking about Sakura-san's safety. You thought about the future all the while dealing with the current situation. I, on the other hand, was being a nuisance to you."

Hoh?

"You are wrong, Ichinose-san. You were not a nuisance. In fact, you provided probably the best possible support I could ever receive in a scenario like this. And also, don't worry about what happened previously. Any normal human being would react like that. So I don't blame you. Good job, Ichinose."

Ichinose blankly stared at me for a while before saying anything.

"You're amazing aren't you, Levent-kun."

"There's nothing about me that I find amazing. You're just exaggerating. More importantly, let's get Sakura to somewhere comfortable."

"Right."

The day ended perfectly just like how it was in the blueprint. Not only did I manage to get Sakura to grow, I had also gained Ichinose's respect. And the cherry on the top was all the points.

Objective complete.

Current Class Ranking:

Class A ----------------- 1004 CP

Class B ----------------- 662 CP

Class C ----------------- 307 CP (D → C)

Class D ----------------- 192 CP (-300) (C → D)

Current balance: 1,646,970 ¶¶