A Tyrant's Will

Volume 2: Chapter 4.1 - My Unordinary School Life

A violent storm tore across the horizon, illuminating the battlefield. From within the chaos, three rival armies emerged.

The first was fractured by internal conflict, yet remained the strongest by far. The second was led by a powerful figure, but its soldiers were weak and unreliable. The third was united by trust, with consistently capable members throughout.

The second army, caught between the others, seemed to be in the weakest position. The top group sought to crush their every advance, while the third pushed relentlessly to overtake them.

But they were not to be underestimated. Rather than retreat, they went on the offensive.

They struck hard, shattering the third army and delivering a devastating blow to their morale. Seizing the momentum, they turned their attention to the first faction, boldly demanding a declaration of war.

And they won. Against all odds, they toppled their enemies and claimed the top spot, as the rest could do nothing but watch.

Off to the side, a fourth group lingered in silence, far too weak to make any meaningful impact. That was where I belonged. Tucked away in the shadows, I watched the chaos unfold and the storm rage on.

It would've been nice to remain there forever, untouched by the conflict. But if we ever hoped to improve our situation, we'd have to jump into the fray sooner or later.

For now, though, I'd savor this moment of peace and quiet, enjoying my freedom exactly as I'd always desired.

"Ayanokouji-kun, do you have a moment?"

My thoughts snapped back to reality. It was as if the devil himself had whispered in my ear. My computer-like mind instantly calculated every possible combination of words and actions to best get out of this situation.

Should I pretend to be asleep? No, that wouldn't work. Since I was already sitting upright, there was no way I could pull it off convincingly.

I could also just pretend I didn't hear her. Maybe if I feigned being deaf, she would get annoyed and leave on her own. I decided this was my best course of action.

"Ignoring me, are you? If you don't respond right this instant, I will bestow additional punishment onto you."

Surely, if I ignored her a second time, she'd get the message and leave me alone. That seemed reasonable, right?

Suddenly, a sharp blow landed against my side. I let out a small gasp, hardly believing that this girl could hit so hard.

"Ah, now that got your attention, huh?"

"That's not fair. You can't just hit me out of the blue like that," I replied.

"Why not? It was the quickest and most efficient way to get you to drop your pathetic act, wasn't it?"

Well, I suppose she had a point. But still, using violence as your first move couldn't possibly be considered normal behavior.

"Okay, but don't you think what you did there was a little excessive?"

"Not at all," she replied. "If anything, your deliberate attempt to ignore me fully justified that response. Perhaps if you'd acted like a normal human being and answered when spoken to, you could've avoided the punishment, Ayanokouji-kun."

"'Sorry, but can we do this some other time? I don't feel like talking right now.' Would that have been better?" I asked.

"I suppose it's an improvement. However, that is still an unsatisfactory response, as I don't recall giving you permission to veto my demands."