After the chaotic "night raid misunderstanding" that occurred early in the morning, the three people finally (barely) composed themselves and their appearances before heading off to school.
Koushi walked in the lead, his hands clasped behind his head, humming an off-key tune. His steps were light, and his face held an undisguised, mocking smile of someone enjoying a good show, occasionally glancing back at the two people behind him with a meaningful look.
Tohka followed closely behind and slightly to the side of Shido, her small face still flushed red like a ripe apple.
She kept her head down, avoiding eye contact, and nervously twisted the hem of her skirt. She did not dare to look Shido in the eye.
Whenever Shido moved even slightly closer, she would abruptly pull away, like a startled rabbit, her mind clearly replaying the extremely awkward encounter they had just had.
Meanwhile, Shido, who was at the center of the storm, looked utterly miserable.
His face and arms—any exposed skin—were covered almost entirely in cartoon-patterned bandages and plasters of various sizes. He walked with a limp, staggering as if he might fall apart at any moment.
This was all thanks to Tohka, who, in her extreme shame and anger, had indiscriminately launched a "barrage attack" at him using pillows, stuffed animals, and even (thankfully, she didn't throw it) Sandalphon, before finally blasting him, blanket and all, out of the room.
"Hey, hey, Shido, your'Scars of Honor' are quite unique, aren't they?"
Koushi finally couldn't hold back, turning around with a teasing smirk.
"It seems Tohka's'Shy Counterattack' packed quite a punch, almost comparable to a small Spatial Quake."
"Sh-shut up, Koushi!"
Shido retorted weakly, feeling his muscles groan with every step he took.
"It's all because of..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt the gaze of Tohka beside him—a look mixed with shame, anger, and murderous intent—and immediately swallowed the rest of his words, forced to continue dragging his "battered body" forward with tears welling up inside.
In this bizarre atmosphere, the three finally trudged up to the school gate.
However, the trial had only just begun.
Shido's "severely injured, battered and bruised" appearance stood out like a lighthouse in the darkness, instantly attracting the attention of Tonomachi Hiroto and the "Trio of Complainers"—Aoi, Mai, and Mii—who were standing at the school gate.
"Ooh—! Itsuka!"
Tonomachi was the first to rush over. He adjusted his non-existent glasses, the lenses (in his imagination) reflecting a sharp glare, and circled Shido, shouting in an exaggerated tone.
"That look... did you undergo some brutal battle? Was it a duel to defend love? Or were you attacked by jealous villains?"
"Maji de sugoi (That's truly amazing)!" Mai expressed her shock using her trademark phrase.
"Hey, Itsuka, all those injuries..." Aoi crossed her arms and leaned in, scrutinizing the plasters on Shido's face, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Did you get into a fight with someone? Or... did something unspeakable happen?"
Mii pushed up her glasses and issued a soul-searching question: "Based on our observations, you came to school with Yatogami Tohka, but she appears completely unharmed, while you are... covered in wounds. Considering yesterday's events, we have reason to suspect whether you did something rude to Yatogami Tohka, and subsequently faced... righteous retribution?"
"That's not it at all!" Shido attempted to explain, his face flushed, but his voice was so weak that it lacked any conviction.
Koushi watched with keen interest and interjected at the opportune moment, using a tone that seemed conciliatory but was actually stirring the pot.
"Oh dear, everyone, please don't misunderstand. Our Shido merely... well, when he woke up this morning, he accidentally got a little too 'passionate' and triggered some... er... 'passive defense mechanism.' Right, Shido?" He even deliberately winked at Shido.
"Koushi—!!!"
Shido wished he could leap over and clamp his hand over Koushi's trouble-making mouth.
As for Tohka, upon hearing "passive defense mechanism" and feeling the focused, increasingly curious and suggestive gazes of the crowd, the blush on her face instantly spread to her earlobes. She let out a small, miserable whimper of shame and fury.
Unable to endure this public execution any longer, she covered her face and dashed through the school gate like a gust of wind, leaving Shido alone to face the pack of ravenous "interrogators."
"Ooh—! 'Passionate' overload? 'Passive defense mechanism'?"
Tonomachi and the Trio's eyes instantly lit up like searchlights, surrounding the poor, speechless Shido.
"Wait! Let me explain! It's not what you think—!"
Shido's desperate cries were drowned out by the school bell and the cacophony of the crowd's gossip.
It seemed Itsuka Shido's school life today was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Just as Tonomachi and the Trio surrounded Shido, examining his "Scars of Honor" as if they had discovered a new continent, and Shido, unable to defend himself, wished he could disappear on the spot—
A slightly abrupt but strongly rhythmic cell phone ringtone sounded from Koushi's pocket.
"Hmm?" Koushi subconsciously pulled out his phone, a flicker of confusion crossing his mind. "At this time... who would call me? Speaking of which, according to the'script,' shouldn't Kotori have secretly sent Shido's dark history files to that idiot Tonomachi Hiroto this morning? Why hasn't anything happened yet? Did my appearance as a 'variable' cause a shift in the world line?"
"Wait, could it be?"
As these thoughts raced through his head, he glanced at the caller ID—a completely unfamiliar number.
A wicked angle slowly curved his lips. Koushi pressed the answer button and put the phone on speakerphone.
However, the next second, a highly magnetic male voice, solemn yet possessing a strange rhythm, like the lead singer of a church choir, clearly transmitted through the receiver. Because Koushi had activated the speakerphone, even the people nearby could faintly hear it:
"—Hear me, beings wandering between the mortal world and the nether realm! I am the 'Dark Flame Master,' who controls annihilation and the end! Here, I establish a contract, using the demonic flames of destruction sealed in my left eye, the eternal frost borne by my right arm, summoning the servants of the abyss, and weaving the threads of fate..."
The voice was beautiful, like an aria, but the content being recited instantly drained the color from Shido's face, turning his furious blush into a deathly pale white.
This... this was clearly an excerpt from the "Dark Covenant Document" he had painstakingly written over several nights during his severely chuunibyou phase in his second year of middle school—a document he had thought was incredibly cool and domineering!
It was the dark history among dark histories, something absolutely nobody should ever know!
Tonomachi Hiroto and the Trio of Aoi, Mai, and Mii were also drawn by the sudden, magnificent voice, which sounded like a drama CD voice actor, and temporarily let the poor Shido go.
"Wow... that voice... it's so nice! Who is that?" Aoi couldn't help but exclaim.
"It sounds like a professional voice actor reciting lines!" Mai agreed.
Tonomachi, however, was more interested in the content. "But the content... it sounds thrilling! Full of power and mystery! Is this the work of some great author? Do either of you know who wrote it?" He excitedly looked at Shido and Koushi, seeking an answer.
Shido and Koushi subconsciously exchanged glances.
Koushi's face held an undisguised expression of "Uh oh, here it comes," even carrying a hint of schadenfreude. He raised an eyebrow at Shido, as if saying, "See? What's meant to come will always come."
As for Shido, after the initial horror and feeling of social death, his entire face was so red it looked ready to bleed. His toes frantically curled inside his shoes, and he wished he could use Sandalphon to cleave open a crack in the earth and dive into it immediately.
He desperately sent pleading signals to Koushi with his eyes: "Hang up! Please, I beg you!"
On the other end of the line, Kannazuki Kyohei seemed completely immersed in his "performance," continuing to recite Shido's mortifying chuunibyou manuscript in that emotionally charged, chanting tone:
"...Hereby I declare, all who obstruct my dominion shall have their souls devoured by the black flames and their time frozen by eternal frost! Kukuku... My power is unfathomable..."
"Aaaahhhhh—!!!" Shido finally couldn't bear the public execution any longer. He let out a stifled, desperate groan, covered his head with his hands, and crouched down, completely giving up resistance.
Koushi looked at Shido's state and finally burst out laughing. He said lazily into the phone, "Alright, alright, your radio drama recitation was excellent, but we are students and need to get to class now. Shall we stop here for today?"
The person on the other end paused, seemingly reluctant to stop, before Kannazuki's serious reply came through: "Understood. I wish you success in all your endeavors today." He then hung up the phone.
Koushi put away his phone and gave a meaningful smile, looking at Shido, who was still squatting on the ground pretending to be an ostrich, and Tonomachi and the Trio beside him, who were still curiously asking, "What exactly was that just now?" and "Who wrote it?"
It seemed that the world line might have shifted slightly, but certain "traditional programs" might be late, yet they would never be absent.
And Itsuka Shido's dark history would always be one of the most amusing toys in the hands of Ratatoskr (especially a certain Commander).
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