a dumbass gets isekai'd: the novella

20. the power of horned boys shines within you

The man with horns stared back, confused. "What is...popping?" Yuu heard him mutter. They felt his eyes study them. They wanted to turn around and run back into the dorm, but that would probably make the situation even more awkward.

"Oh my, what a surprise. You are a human child."

"...Yeah, I guess?"

What is a pretty otherworldly being doing on my doorstep?

"Do you live here? This place is supposed to have been abandoned long ago. I like to wander around here during my nightly walks, for it is a quiet place."

"Yeah, I've been living here for a few days now. Sorry, but who are you?"

The horned man looked surprised. "Who, you say? You do not know of me? Really? Hm, I see. Oh my, this is quite unusual indeed."

"Sorry, my brain feels like badussy right now, so maybe we have met, but I just don't remember."

"Hmm, I'm afraid I haven't seen you around as well. What name do you go by?"

"I'm Yuu, I'm supposed to be the prefect of this dorm."

"Yuu? What an unusual sounding name. I am...no, I should stop there. Not hearing my name would be better for you."

"Why?"

"If you knew who I was, it would certainly leave a chilling impression. Let us have you stay ignorant of this world's ways, shall we? Feel free to call me whatever you want. Though, it might make you someday regret that decision."

Okay damn, am I talking to a criminal? He's being so mysterious.

Yuu nodded and pretended to understand, even though they had no clue what was going on.

"Hm, even so...now that there are people living here this place isn't exactly abandoned anymore. It appears I must find another place on my next walk. I shall excuse myself now."

"Oh ok, have a good evening."

Yuu blinked as the man exploded into green sparkles. They stood there for a few minutes before trudging back inside.

"...Man, what the fuck?"

____________________________________

Leona was in his room, scheming his little schemes, when Ruggie walked in with his dinner.

"Thanks for all your hard work today, Leona. Oh, and I brought you your dinner. That other job's been going pretty well, too."

"You're pretty sensible, huh, Ruggie?"

"Of course I am. Anything's doable if it's for you, Leona!"

"Listen to yourself. You're doing this for your own good, aren't you?"

"Aw, don't be like that. This is for our sakes. We're of the same opinion about overturning this world. Even the hyenas served the King of Beasts to overturn the situation they were in. I'm just doing the same thing."

"Then do your 'hunting' properly. Don't leave any evidence."

"Shishishishishi! Not leaving any traces is a hyena's specialty, after all. By the way, which player should we target next?"

"Let's see...how about a wolf who stands and eavesdrops on other people's conversations?"

"Eh!?"

Ruggie followed Leona's gaze towards the door.

"You're there, aren't you, first year brat?" Leona growled. "Kinda rude for you to listen in to others' conversations like that."

Jack had been found out, so he had no choice but to reveal himself.

"What are you doing here at this hour? Are you so homesick that you need someone to sing you a lullaby?"

"Should I sing for you? Shishishi!"

Jack got straight to the point. "I want to know the reason you're doing this."

"I see now. You want to hear a bedtime story, huh. Fine, I'll tell you. For two years in a row now, we've always lost at the first match against Diasomnia and Malleus. Eliminated in the first round, constantly.
They're consecutive winners. Ever since we went against them, our dorm, which was known for making opponents tremble, look like weak kittens now. And our pathetic plays were broadcast to the entire world. What do you think happened afterwards? The dorm head was deemed incompetent and all the professional league offers for Savanaclaw dwindled to zero."

"That's...It's because you simply needed to do more."

"It's as you say. Until last year, we weren't living up to our true potentials at all. Only an idiot would think he'd stand a chance against those monsters. We knew we'd lose already, but it's not like we have no plans. I doubt that the foundation of our dorm, the King of Beasts, would stand for us being pathetic."

"Even so! Doing something as low as cheating is wrong!"

"Wrong? Jack..." The dorm leader got off of his bed and stood in front of the freshman. "I'm doing this because I'm concerned about the students' futures, you know? If the whole world sees us defeat Malleus, all those offers will come back to Savanaclaw together with our dignity. Malleus will be inducted to the Hall of Fame next year, so we have to win this year. And you're saying that you'll ruin this chance because of your blind justice? Are you planning on ruining your seniors' futures?"

Jack still wasn't convinced. "Th-that's-!"

"Using any means necessary to win in life is a given. It doesn't matter if it's cheating or not."

"Shishishi, this school is a dog-eat-dog world. Being a goody two shoes will just kill you."

"I'm sure you can take Malleus on if you play to your full potential, prefect! I still remember your play 3 years ago-"

"Don't speak as if you know anything about me!" Leona snapped. "Play with all I've got? How stupid. No matter how much effort I put in, nothing will change. Get out now if you still want to see the light of day."

Having heard enough, Jack slipped out, leaving Leona and Ruggie alone once again.

"That guy's gonna be a problem. Should I do him next?" Ruggie asked.

"No, don't. Even if he tells Crowley about it, he doesn't have any proof. It would be difficult for us without his skills. Just keep an eye on him for now."

"Yessir."

Jack's words lingered in Leona's head, bringing back some unpleasant memories.

"Tch, that bratty 1st year talks like my older brother."

____________________________________

"Lillia."

"Yes, Malleus?"

"...What's a badussy?"

"PFFFT-"