Chapter 4

Elysentient Academy of Knowledge is an elite high school for those who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of ultimate knowledge. It is renowned as the number one high school in the world, known for its high rate of successful students. Graduates from Elysentient Academy are guaranteed a successful life, given the invaluable education they receive at the academy

But little did they know, behind the prestigious facade of a school renowned for its ability to push students to their maximum potential, lay a dark truth. Unbeknownst to them, a vigilante resided on the other side of the school.

***

[7:55]

Five minutes passed as Tsukasa drove his car to the school, accompanied by Miyu who still felt nervous about the past incident at the convenience store, "Forget what you see earlier..." Tsukasa told her not to dwell on what happened at the convenience store, but she couldn't help but continue thinking about it.

As soon as they arrived at the school, they were greeted by an empty atmosphere. No students or teachers could be seen in the schoolyard, as it was already well past the school's entry hour. The only place they could be was in the classrooms.

When Tsukasa stepped out of his car and parked it in an empty parking lot, "Tsukasa... Thank you..." Miyu thanked Tsukasa without even looking at his face, her nervousness evident in her small voice.

Tsukasa turned his head and looked at Miyu, noticing her expression of gratitude. He tilted his head in confusion, "huh? what for?"

"Thank you, for coming and saved me on that convenient store" Miyu appeared visibly nervous, holding her hand and fidgeting with her fingers.

Tsukasa didn't reply to her gratitude, but he smiled and nodded at her, saying, "You're welcome..." With Tsukasa's smile and nod, Miyu's cheerfulness returned, and she responded with another smile on her tiny face

Miyu thought to herself about Tsukasa, who had smiled at her,"He can be warm and friendly at times, not always cold and intimidating" she pondered, "What an interesting person"

But Tsukasa stopped and turned his head to Miyu, "You're coming with me to the principal's office" The sudden realization hit her, and she knew that a punishment was waiting for her.

"AHHHHH!! I STILL HAVE TO FACE HIM!" Miyu panicked, while Tsukasa placed his palm on his face,"How could you forget something so important?"

***

*KNOCK-KNOCK*

"Come in please" A knock on the door was met with the raspy voice of a firm old man, granting Tsukasa and Miyu permission to enter the room.

The moment Tsukasa and Miyu entered the room, the air became charged with a sharp tension focused on both of them. As she realized this, a chill ran down her spine.

"I brought her here... later then" Tsukasa was talking to the principal as he brought Miyu to his office, just as he had promised, "Good.. and probably learn some manners on your study yeah?" The principal stared at Tsukasa with intimidating, cold eyes, but it didn't faze Tsukasa. He returned the stare before confidently walking through the door

But before he walked away, Tsukasa turned his head, looked at Miyu, and gave her a sign of encouragement, saying, 'Good luck!

"He acts so rudely to the principal!? Could he get detention for that? Doesn't he know? But the most important thing is, what kind of luck do I need here!?" Miyu thought to herself, feeling confused by Tsukasa's disrespectful behavior towards the principal. She was worried about the potential consequences he might face.

But that would be a different matter for her. Now she was left alone with the principal, which meant she might receive a punishment as well..

The principal sighed before focusing all of his attention on Miyu, '"Hikari..." With a nervous and fast-beating heart, Miyu replied when the principal called her, "Y.. Yes.. Yes, Sir!!" She stood up and placed her hands behind her back.

"What are you doing? Do you think this is some kind of military school?" The principal was confused by Miyu's behavior. Once again, Miyu felt embarrassed as she realized what she was doing in her panicked state, "N.. No, Sir! S.. Sorry, Sir!!" Miyu bowed down to the principal, looking apologetic.

"I bet you already know why you are here, right, Hikari?" The principal sat behind his desk, folding his hands and resting his chin on the back of his hand. Miyu, who already knew the reason for her presence, could only nod and brace herself for the potential consequences.

"Yes Sir!!"

The principal stared right into her soul before letting out a deep sigh, "You know that this school has a rule, right? You are allowed to have a part-time job, but it must not interfere with your studies. Do you understand me, Hikari?" The principal asked with a strict tone, although he understood that Miyu was working a part-time job.

"i understand very well sir!!" Miyu answered with a bold tone, she could answered a different answer or maybe defend herself, but in this state she could only just agreed with the principal.

"We have maintained a strong reputation for our school for more than 15 years. You definitely don't want to destroy that reputation, right Hikari?" The principal reminded her of how Elysentient Academy had maintained its strong reputation as a top school. Certainly, the principal wouldn't tolerate one student undermining the entire reputation by consistently being late.

Miyu nodded to him obediently, well aware that she didn't want to tarnish the reputation further by consistently arriving late to school.

"I'll give you a minor punishment for your tardiness: clean the pool at our sports center. And remember, don't ever repeat this again" The principal, make a serious face once again and allowed her to leave his office.

Miyu stood up and bowed to the principal, saying, "Yes, sir! Thank you very much, sir!" It was clear that Miyu was behaving like a programmed robot, with stiff movements and responses. She couldn't mention anything about her part-time job; all she could do was agree with the punishment

***

[8:10]

Ten minutes had passed since Miyu's conversation with the principal in his office. She looked down, drained of energy for the rest of the day, a clear indication that she had received some form of punishment. Suddenly, someone slapped her on the back.

*SLAP!!*

Miyu flinched and was taken by surprise when someone suddenly slapped her back. "HEUNGGHHHH!!!" she exclaimed, ready to retaliate, until she turned her head and saw a fox girl with white hair and a small braid on her bangs.

"Ughh... Sakura" Miyu groaned as she held her back and rubbed it slightly. She addressed Sakura, "What's with that gloomy expression, Miyu?" Sakura was brimming with energy upon discovering that Miyu had made it to school despite missing the first subject.

"Ahh... it's nothing... really... ouch! Ouch!" Miyu forced a fake smile on her face, though Sakura could easily see through her facade as she pinched her, "You know we've known each other for a long time, so it's hard to miss when something seems off, right?"

Sakura was being pushy with Miyu, sensing that she was hiding something. However, Sakura's intentions were pure as she genuinely cared for Miyu. Miyu responded with a smile on her face, saying, "You know, I went to the principal's office today..." Sakura's eyes widened upon hearing that Miyu had been to the principal's office.

"Eh!? Really? What happened?" Sakura's face was filled with wonder and curiosity. Miyu had never been to the principal's office before, or at least Sakura couldn't recall it ever happening. Considering Miyu's consistent lateness and her habit of skipping the first subject, it was no surprise.

"You're definitely making fun of me, aren't you?" Miyu stared at Sakura with annoyance, knowing full well that Sakura was aware of what had happened when she entered the principal's office.

"Well, I mean, you've never attended the first subject's class even once. It's probably normal for you to go to his office, isn't it?" Miyu's face grew even more dejected as she heard Sakura mentioning how she was always late to school. Meanwhile, Sakura laughed awkwardly, sensing the discomfort in the air.

"Urghh... Did you have to bring that up? You know I'm working as a part-time cashier near the station, right? It's hard to maintain a good sleep when you have a midnight shift" Miyu explained, her voice filled with the frustrations of a tired student. Just then, Sakura surprised her by placing a cold can of energy drink against her cheeks.

"HIEKKKKHHHH!!?" Sakura burst into laughter, finding Miyu's startled expression amusing, "Well, cheer up, will you?! Having a job like that requires excellent time management skills. The fact that you're able to attend school and maintain good grades is proof that you're doing your best, even if you're always absent from the first morning class" Miyu's eyes widened at the unexpected compliment, and she couldn't help but give Sakura a smug look in response.

"Since when did you become so wise?" Miyu, feeling a sense of confidence, couldn't resist teasing Sakura in return when she playfully teased Miyu, knowing her well enough to give her a good-natured ribbing. However, Miyu didn't seem to mind the teasing as she took the can from Sakura, opened it, and started drinking while walking towards their next class

"Either way, you still haven't told me what happened in the principal's office"

*GULP-GULP*

The sound of Miyu chugging the whole energy drink in less than a minute made Sakura wonder what really happened to Miyu inside the principal's office, as she seemed drained of energy, "You know we have a pool in the school's sports center, right?" Sakura nodded, thinking about the pool, "Uh huh... What about the pool?"

"I'm going to clean the pool after school as a punishment for always being late to school" Once again, Sakura burst into laughter, unable to contain herself upon hearing that Miyu would be cleaning the school's pool all by herself.

"Hey!" Miyu shouted at Sakura in complaint, not appreciating being laughed at and teased. "No, I'm... Sorry, but... you know that... that pool... it's kinda deep, right!? I mean-" Before Sakura could finish her sentence, Miyu already knew what she was going to say. "Yeah... Yeah, the pool is 5 meters deep, and here I am, only 5 feet tall" Miyu frowned, realizing how small she was compared to the average student.

Sakura, still laughing, attempted to speak but stumbled over her words, "I'm sorry... but... you... you know... you... are... indeed small... compared to other students..." In a school where the average height was around 5.4 feet, Miyu stood at only 5 feet.

"Yeah... yeah... whatever" replied Miyu with a hint of annoyance, while Sakura continued to laugh. They entered their next class, with Sakura's laughter filling the air and Miyu still wearing a frown due to Sakura's teasing about her height.