“Rush senpai! Hum, what do you want with me?”
“Ah, sorry about this. I actually want to ask something of you… Can you hear me out?”
“Y-yes! If it’s from you, gladly!”
“Thank you! I knew you would say that!”
This female student was called in secret by Rush, and her heart jumped when she saw his cheerful smile.
She was a middle schooler, and held feelings of admiration and love towards the older student that was Rush.
Being called by him, into a place away from people’s eyes no less… Could it be a confession!? She hoped, but this was the reality.
Still, she was happy that Rush was counting on her, and the fact that he trusted her enough to ask something that was secret made her happy.
She worried about him when she heard a bad rumor not too long ago, but it seemed he had bounced back.
And since it was the Rush she liked so much, she threw him a question.
“So, what should I do? How can I help you?”
“Ah… You heard about it too, right? That I lost a duel to Yuugo Clay the other day?”
“Y-yes, but that’s because he cheated… Right?”
She asked Rush based on the fragments of information she heard, and he responded with a big nod, before continuing, with a frustrated expression on his face.
“He cheated. But regardless of how he won, the truth is, I still lost a duel to him. And I still don’t know how he cheated.”
“I understand! You want me to investigate it and find proof?”
Asked the girl, as she thought of the hated noble who did nasty things to steal victory away from her dear Rush.
Yuugo was a lustful guy, so if a girl like her pretended to be a fan and got closer, he would certainly let his lewd thoughts take over and let her stay near him.
Then she would get closer, gain his trust, and find proof of his wrongdoings. That was surely what Rush wanted of her.
Just thinking about acting as though she liked that Yuugo made her feel disgusted, but… She would take it, because the one asking was none other than Rush.
He had a strong sense of duty, so once it was all over, he would surely thank her and try to repay her, she thought.
And then, he would accept her feelings… Is what she imagined, but Rush shook his head and denied it.
“No, that’s not it. I don’t care about how he cheated anymore.”
“Eh…?”
The girl looked at Rush, surprised to hear something different from what she was expecting.
He took out a black crab claw from his pocket, put them in front of her, and looked at them.
“Finding out what tricks he used doesn’t matter. What matters is beating him even if he does use dirty tricks. I can do that. I’m strong. And with this, I can polish my strength even further. But it’s still not enough, I want to get stronger and stronger…!”
“Sen… Pai…?”
She thought something was not right.
The Rush in front of her was not the person she liked. He was intense to the point of being a little annoying, but his brilliance was now clouded somehow.
And the black claw he was holding released something ominous.
The moment she saw Rush look at something that was clearly evil with fondness in his eyes, a chill ran down her spine, and she took a step back.
“…Oh, that’s right. I haven’t told you what I want to ask you yet. You told me you’d gladly do it, right?”
“Eek…!?”
And the moment she looked into Rush’s eyes, she saw how abnormal they were.
There was madness in them. It was like something completely different from the person she knew.
“I’m strong. But I want to be stronger. Strong enough to not lose to anyone in this world. Not just the strongest magic knight, but the strongest being. But for that, I need sacrifices. I will take people’s feelings and get stronger. That is what a hero is about. You idolize me, and I believe in you, so… I want to take you as sustenance for us like the others.”
“A-a-ah…!?”
Her instincts raised alarm bells. She knew her life was in danger.
Rush was not normal. She had to run away, or…
“Help! Someone help…!!”
Her body trembled as it was paralyzed with fear, and she tried as hard as she could to move it to run away from Rush, but… Like that other day, he saw her between the claw, and whispered.
“…Good. I’ll eat you.”
Clack. Was the sound of Rush closing his claw.
And when he opened them again… The female student was not there anymore.
“Cleanly eaten. That’s proof that it’s growing. You’ve become smarter and stronger, but… You’ve become demanding too.”
Rush smiled awkwardly, as he talked to something that could not be seen, and was not there.
He put the black claw back in his pocket, and whispered quietly.
“You said you want to eat younger lives, and I tried my best to respond, but… You’re not satisfied with middle schoolers? If you want to go even younger, those would be elementary students, but.. I think it would be bad to eat any more students of the academy. I have to think of something…”
He said as he was about to leave, but he suddenly stopped.
He looked intently at the place where the female student stood last, and with an unchanging expression, offered words of gratitude to her.
“Thank you, I won’t waste your feelings. I carry the feelings of the ones who were sacrificed, and will become stronger… So watch me from heaven. Watch me become the strongest being…!”
That was what started the mysterious and frequent disappearances in that city.
No one knew yet that the perpetrator lurked in the Luminous Academy, a place that educated magic knights who would protect the peace of the world and its inhabitants.
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I need more!
Who is the scumbag here I wonder, the one who care those around him or the one who take people’s life for granted? like a certain kamen rider once said ‘The moment you play a hero, you’re disqualified’ you don’t play a hero, you BE a hero, there a difference.
the real scumbag is the guy who couldn’t take two seconds to look at the deranged madman he let loose cause he was too busying thinking about getting his dick wet.