Chapter 21 Theft
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The locker door groaned open, and I froze.
Where my change of clothes should have been, I found only crude, vulgar graffiti scrawled across the metal and my bag dumped out in a heap, its contents scattered. The mess reeked of spite.
‘Ah, this is a total disaster.’
I had been in underwater training class—preparation for someday facing aquatic magical beasts—so whoever did this struck during that lesson. Which meant the culprit wasn’t one of my classmates there with me… unless one of them was an accomplice. After all, I skip class often. Predicting the one day I actually attend would be risky without inside knowledge.
Still, at least my uniform hadn’t been cut to ribbons. Just harassment, then. They must have finally learned that attacking me outright only ended painfully for them.
”How awful! Reina-chan—who would do something like this?!”
Lucia’s voice rang behind me. She must have noticed how I stood there, unmoving, refusing to change.
‘I knew it.’
Her voice drew others, and soon classmates gathered, drawn by the commotion.
‘Hmm, these bullying events are proof that Homo-chan’s reputation and everyone’s favorability are dropping nicely. But the downside is that these events can cause time loss… especially if the protagonist finds you, it’ll drastically shorten the distance between you.’
Judging by her words, things were progressing as planned, but it wasn’t a situation I could honestly celebrate.
More importantly, so this was bullying… I’d noticed the avoidance and the frequent, pointless confrontations, but I hadn’t realized it was outright bullying. It made me feel pathetic, and I hated it. Considering my usual behavior, maybe it was inevitable.
”Reina-chan, are you okay? Did they do anything else to you?”
”…None of this concerns you.”
I knew getting closer to Lucia would be inconvenient for the voice, so I gave her a cold response. A flicker of hurt crossed Lucia’s face, and guilt gnawed at me, but I told myself it was necessary and turned away. Regardless of the voice’s convenience, I didn’t want her to see me in my pathetic, bullied state.
”Heyyy! Alcott-chan, looks like you’re in big trouble!”
”Oh no! Who did this?!”
With a glance toward the source of the grating voices, I saw two flashy girls standing there. I assumed they were classmates, but I didn’t recognize their names or faces.
”Hey, is it just her underwear that’s missing?”
”Ew, seriously? So a pervert stole them? That’s messed up, right?”
‘Seriously, this is too underhanded…’
Though their words sounded like concern, their faces were alight with amusement, like spectators at a show. I didn’t need any evidence. I instinctively knew they were the culprits.
”So, Alcott-san, are you going to go pantyless and braless all day today~?”
”Whoa, that’s even weirder, isn’t it? Hilarious.”
‘Yeah, that’s it^~’
I clenched my fists, reacting to their blatant malice. It was too late, far too late… I already knew everyone hated me, and that the voice basically enjoyed watching my humiliation.
”That’s a terrible thing to say! A classmate is being victimized!”
As I tried to bury the pain like usual, Lucia suddenly raised her voice, stepping in front of me to shield me.
‘Who said you could yell like that, brat?! (Yelling)’
”Huh? What’s your problem all of a sudden?”
One of the girls, who had been openly mocking me moments before, scowled.
”You’re both girls! You should understand how violating this is! Why can you be so cruel?!”
Watching Lucia, her small back hiding me as she desperately tried to shield me from their malice, stirred indescribable emotions within me. I knew I’d been terrible to her, often ignoring her when she spoke to me. Yet, she greeted me every day and tried to include me in conversations. She wasn’t even a friend, just someone I treated poorly, and yet she was getting involved in trouble to protect me.
”…I…”
I wanted to say something—thank her, or at least tell her she didn’t need to worry about me—
‘This is a time loss, so hurry up and change.’
”…”
I snapped back to reality at the voice echoing in my head. I couldn’t afford to be swayed by emotion. If I wanted to thank Lucia, I had to continue treating her coldly, just like before, to prevent the voice from targeting her too.
‘I can’t wait any longer! Hurry up and get out!’
Urged on by the voice, I changed into my uniform without putting on any underwear. The fabric felt strange, too close.
”You should show a little more consideration—Ow!”
As soon as I finished changing, I pushed past Lucia, who was still shielding me. I gave the two girls a single glance before leaving the locker room.
”Reina-chan…”
”Ugh, what was that…”
”Her attitude is awful.”
”Reeves-san was trying to help her, and that’s how she acts?!”
I slammed the door shut behind me, cutting off the classmates’ voices, and walked alone down the hallway, wiping tears from my sleeves.
‘Honestly, Homo-chan… just give up already.’
Yeah, I thought so too. If only I could give up, it would be so much easier.
* * *
”Hey, maybe that girl is—”
Even after the underwater training class ended, the day wasn’t over. I followed the voice’s commands, reading assigned books in the library, disrupting specific classes, and only attending my own lessons when it was convenient. This meant more time spent moving around, and as time passed, I gradually noticed more and more eyes on me. Was something unexpected happening? I strained my ears to listen—
”—That girl, she’s not wearing anything under that right now, is she?”
”—!”
I could feel my ears burning. Looking around carefully, I sensed not only mocking and strange glances from girls but also leering, appraising stares from boys all over my body. In my peripheral vision, I saw the two girls from the locker room watching with amusement. They were the source of the information.
‘There’s a pantyless pervert wandering the school grounds, is that for real? This is already a major incident.’
A strange tension ran through my body, freezing me in place. I wasn’t sure if I was standing or walking properly.
”—Oops, I slipped!!”
A male classmate, seemingly on purpose, fell at my feet with a loud cry. His eyes were filled with malice and curiosity, his gaze fixed on my skirt—
”—!, ~~~!!”
My face flushed with shame, and my mind felt like it was boiling with anger and disgust. Driven by intense impulse, I raised my foot to kick him—but the voice stopped me.
‘Perfect timing, let’s get you some more sexual experience.’
The voice in my head froze my body. I couldn’t move.
”Huh? What? Is this… a service?”
‘Oh, you’re loving this, aren’t you!?’
With my leg still raised, I was frozen in place, making it easy for the boy to see under my skirt.
‘You guys get a good look too.’
Realizing that, I felt utterly pathetic.
”Hey, how was it?”
”Seriously, she wasn’t wearing any, lol.”
”No way? How was it?”
”Unlike the rumors, she was super pretty and actually had hair lol.”
‘This part is sexy, erotic!’
”Whoa, nice~! Maybe I should slip too!”
”Me too! The floor feels kinda slippery today, right?”
”What are you even talking about lol.”
‘Let me join too~ (Genuine Crazy Smile)’
Fortunately, the boy quickly got up and left, but the conversation he had with his friends, loud enough for everyone to hear, showed no consideration for me. The boy’s direct confirmation of the rumors spread the truth about my current situation to everyone present.
”She was blushing like crazy and tearing up, maybe she’s still a virgin.”
‘Homo-chan is a virgin, confirmed.’
After that, the hushed conversations around me were unbearable. I covered my ears, ignored the voice’s protests, and ran away. The composed, haughty girl who always acted so superior was now a victim of underwear theft, her skirt’s contents exposed, unable to bear the whispering gossip, she fled. Behind me, I heard the classmates erupt in excitement.
”Serves her right.”
”I won’t be bored for a while~.”
”Hmph, good riddance.”
”Pathetic.”
”A disgrace to the academy.”
”Wonder if she’d let me if I asked.”
I averted my eyes, I covered my ears… but the countless gazes and words stabbed into my hunched back, piercing my heart.
Notes:
• –
• Lucia – A female classmate of Reina with the (Regeneration) blessing, a power of immense value, unaware of the world government’s interest in her abilities.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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