Aura: Koga Maryuin’s Final Battle

AURA 34

It was the next day that magic marker had turned Ryouko’s desk into Hoichi the Earless.
“This is terrible.”
As dull to ill-intent as she was, that was the first time I ever saw Kobato-san show her anger. Though that was just how terrible the scribbling was.
Ryouko gazed absentmindedly at her desk with no reaction. I thought it was just her normal attitude, but something was a little off.
“Are you feeling alright? Want to trade desks? It’ll just be temporary.”
“…… No issue. Carry on……”
Her attitude vaguely different from usual gave me a chill. Even I didn’t know where her human boundary line was drawn. Ryouko wouldn’t show me her weakness in the right stages to judge.
“It is an issue. We have to bring this to a class committee.”
“… Yeah, I don’t know about that.”
There’s no greater loss of dignity one can experience than the moment their bullying becomes a topic for everyone to discuss. In the first place, it would only resolve the matter through spur-of-the-moment means.
“Ichirou-kun, that’s cold. When they’re being so terrible,”
The fact Ryouko was a woman gave way to quite a few sexual lines. Rather, that was the majority of them. There were quite a few gruesome bits of text mixed in. I could tell by instinct the culprit was female. How should I put it, this was a woman’s malice.
“… This is unforgivable.”
Kobato-san wiped her tears. The perpetrators were the Takahashi Group Kobato-san had close ties with. Though it seemed the two former nobles had yet to realize it. I wanted to avoid getting the two of them involved.
“For now, we should at least wipe it off.”
When Itou made the proposal, I couldn’t remain stationary.
“This one won’t go away without paint thinner,” my experience spoke.
“Paint thinner? Where can we find that? The art room?” Said Kobato-san.
“I can run to the DIY store and—”
“If you’re fine with the modeling stuff, I’ve got some here.”
The one who called over was the Yankee who sat to Itou’s right, Yoshizawa. He tossed a bottle of lacquer thinner over to me.
“… I’m in your debt.”
I knew Yoshizawa from P.E., where I’d been grouped with him from the start of the year.
From the bottom of my heart, I detested the P.E. Teacher’s orders to “Pair up with whoever you want”. That’s got to be a teacher-sanctioned torture. On the first P.E. class of high school, as a countermeasure, I took the initiative to pair up with Yoshizawa (who everyone was keeping distance from). When it came to these types, I knew from experience you could have a relatively decent interaction if you dealt with them one-on-one. As time proved, that was true.
“Then I’ll be borrowing this.”
I had to get it done before too many people arrived. I pushed the desk up by the window, venting it as I roughly erased the scribbles. Without offering any help, Ryouko observed from right beside me with deep intrigue.
“Thinner stinks, but you have to put up with it.”
“No problem.”
I gave Yoshizawa my thanks and returned the paint thinner. It was fresh to interact with him outside of P.E.; but what was he going to use the thinner for? Perhaps curious about the look I gave, Yoshizawa pulled around half of a plastic model box (a tank) out of his bag.
“What, you want to join the model club?”
“No, sorry for doubting you.”
So he was in the model club. That’s a surprise.
“Muh! This smell is… the lingering fragrance of Orgone Energy! Don’t tell me, a monster?”
Upon entering the classroom, Hero Andou swiftly threw his body against the teacher’s desk. Let’s just leave him be. He was followed by Ozaki, and Ogino, and the other unfriendly girls who complained, “It smells. What’s this?” “I might get a headache” as they came in. This all started with that Ooshima gal you all worship, okay? I contained the urge to inform them and left them be.
“… It should be dry, let’s take a seat.”
“A seat shall be taken.”
“Are you a princess or something?”
The witch’s dignity crumbled the moment she sat in the chair. Ryouko let out a short scream as her hips sprung up.
“What’s wrong!?”
“… Urgh,”
Groaning like a while beast, she stroked her own bottom and carefully plucked out a single thumbtack painted the same color as the chair’s wood.
“… Well now.”
That was in bad taste. The ill will had suddenly multiplied.
There hadn’t been any writing on the chair. In hindsight, that was quite an intentional oversight. The scribbles were bait. No, they were an attack while simultaneously serving as bait.
This wasn’t light harassment anymore. I could only think it was edging on serious bullying. Even yours truly who was more pitiful than anyone felt too irritated to write the tack off with a groan.
But I immediately hit the brakes.
A cynical voice in my head whispered, so Ryouko’s being bullied, so what? Save her? When she doesn’t intend to change in the slightest? The fact that Ryouko doesn’t intend to wear a uniform, even if she does have Dorisen’s permission is evidently rubbing a portion of the girls’ nerves the wrong way. The one who needs to compromise is Ryouko, you don’t even have to think about it. While these means of bullying are in bad taste, it was hard to say this was a just enough cause to defend to my last breath.
I looked at Ryouko.
Her large, spherical eyes were fixed motionlessly on me. I felt she was seeing through me all the way to my heart.
Her expression pleasantly cool as if it had been immortalized in a painting. She lacked the heat of emotions. Even now, I couldn’t peek into what this cosplay witch was really thinking deep down. There were no two ways about it. From Ryouko to me, it was an unmeshing one-way street.
“… What are the damages?”
“Exceedingly light.”
Perhaps Ryouko wanted to be protected by me.
Perhaps she was silently making her plea.
But had she forgotten? I was the sort of person who couldn’t permit deviation. A weakling who feigned normal to protect himself. I wasn’t a warrior. I couldn’t fight. I ran, escaped and avoided. With all of my power, I finally managed to barely be able to manage that. I had no human power at all. For example, the fact Ozaki-san’s attitude change didn’t irritate me. I felt the same way. No one wanted to sit next to someone they found creepy.
That’s why, while one side of me was enraged that the thumbtack had gone too far, it coexisted with a part that saw it as inevitable.
“What’s wrong?”
Kobato-san and Itou returned with a wet rag.
I hesitated whether to tell them or not. Taking my eyes off of Ryouko, I had them escape to a point in space where they wouldn’t have to collide with anyone. I hid the pin I’d received in the palm of my hand.
“No, it’s nothing.”
That’s right, she’s an otherworldly witch whose mind doesn’t stop on the petty quarrels of mankind.
“Good morning. Please get in your seats.”
The mad existence in a pink cardigan, Dorisen arrived. The students chatting returned to their seats at once.
“Sit down.”
I directed the voice at no one in particular. Ryouko stroked the chair surface before quietly taking her seat.
For some reason, I was unable to ascertain her face. When I knew without looking, without anger or despair, it would be the same poker face as ever.