I couldn't contain myself as I readied myself and swung my hand, which held that knife. Now, all I had o do now was stab myself with that knife and that would warrant his expulsion, rewarding me with 20 million points.
When my blade was descending swiftly, his left hand reached out to me. He was probably trying to grab it. But that ain't gonna happen!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Wha-!?"
But what happened next was beyond my imagination.
He lowered his stance and his hand didn't try to grab my hand, and instead let his hand be pierced by the knife I was swinging.
My smile immediately disappeared.
"You... Ayanokoji!"
No one in their right mind would deliberately get themselves stabbed. This guy, just what the hell is he thinking?
"That knife, or to be more accurate, that petty knife, it's the one I bought, isn't it?"
"The fuck are you on about...?"
"You were going to stab yourself in the thigh with my own knife. After that, you'd raise a fuss to the school about your injury, and use that as evidence to get me expelled. That was your plan, wasn't it?"
"Ha! So even though you managed to piece it all together, you still came an' got stabbed yourself? You outta your mind?"
I managed to stifle a dry laugh but for the first time in my whole life, I was shaken.
"This was the best way to completely shut you down. Besides, I don't think we're that different. After all, you came here fully prepared to sustain a major wound as well."
That was true.
"It seems like there's some sort of pseudo-special exam in effect that was only given to a limited number of you first-years. And based on your conversation with Nanase, it sounds like the premise of that exam is to have me expelled. So to that end, you began to spin up a plan. It'd start with you luring us out here and forcing us into a fight. Then, after smacking Sudō and Horikita around a bit, you'd say that I pulled out a knife that I carried with me in case of an emergency and stabbed you with it in a fit of rage, eventually leading to my expulsion. That's the absurd narrative you were trying to build this time."
This guy had a scary insight. There was no way for him to know what we were planning but he laid it out as if he had been there when we formulated this plan.
"I'd heard you were hot shit, but you seemed pretty fuckin' wimpy to me, so I didn't really think all that much of ya. To think you'd come an' let yourself get stabbed... How'd you know the knife was yours?"
"I've done some investigating of my own. As of yesterday, I was still the only one to have bought that model of Petty knife. So it's only natural that I'd put the pieces together upon seeing you pull out the exact same one."
My hand was still holding the knife that was piercing his palm. If someone were to see this situation, I was without a doubt to get expelled.
I tried to let go of the knife but he used his hand to lock my fist in place.
"...The hell? Who the fuck are you... ?"
His palm was severely injured but he still had that much strength in him. Even in my top-notch condition, he easily overpowered me with the strength of his hand, that had sustained damage of that level.
I had fought many opponents before. Whether they were adults or trained martial artists, they stood no chance against me. I had heard quite a lot about Ryuuen but he wasn't that strong. No way in hell would he be able to ever defeat me.
Sudou who had a good physique was definitely stronger than the rest, but he was still not a match for me.
I had never been overpowered in my life before, but right now, this guy had managed to ignite a new feeling in me. This was the first time I had felt what that feeling was like. For the first time, I felt fear. No, it would be more accurate to say that I have seen fear and devil personified.
"Now then, what's next? Even though I'm the owner of the knife, you're the one who stabbed me with it. Moreover, an investigation will reveal that you tried to buy the same model of the knife before. If you can't find a way to talk your way out of this, you'll be expelled, Hōsen."
This motherfucker!
"So you thought this far ahead...!?"
I glowered at him for a moment. But he didn't waver.
Before now, others would always get scared after looking into my eyes, but right now, the roles were reversed. I was feeling fear for the first time.
I felt fear when I looked at those eyes which possessed such immense darkness that made me feel like not even the brightest of light could erode that darkness his eyes held.
I had lost. This guy had crushed me completely both physically and mentally.
This guy made me realize what fear felt like. I would savor this feeling. And one day, I promise you, that I would be the one to claim your head, Ayanokoji.
