I slammed my head on the desk, exhausted from all the exams.
"You okay?"
A familiar female voice...
I looked up—it was Alice.
She was holding two homemade apple pies and some juice.
"Looks tasty, Wonder Girl."
"?!" "Huh?"
"N-nothing."
Okay? Alright, give me that apple pie.
The smell hit my nose—irresistible.
Seeing Baron chill and munching on his pie after all those tests, I didn't hesitate and took a bite.
"How did you two do on the tests?" Alice sat down, placing a stack of papers on the table and started writing something.
"Terrible."
"Like shit."
"...Are you two even taking this seriously?"
"No, it's just that our skills are too good for those tests." Baron replied.
'These two are hopeless…' Alice sighed and kept writing.
"Uhm… What are you doing?" I leaned over, curious.
"Oh, just listing which clubs our classmates are joining."
Clubs?
"Wait, are you two not planning to join any?" Alice looked at both of us.
Baron and I exchanged glances.
"Sounds boring as hell. Not going."
"Is there money involved? If yes, I'll consider it."
"Baron, if you keep acting like this, you'll never find unexpected joy in life. And Kai, not everything revolves around money," Alice scolded us.
"You hear that, Baron?" I nudged him with my elbow.
"Ugh, you're not my mom." Baron made a punchable face, like a spoiled kid.
"...Sigh, if you two don't grow up, that's gonna be a problem."
"Hey, we're only 15. Still young, so much to explore. We only have three years left, might as well enjoy it to the fullest," I said, lying back on the desk.
"Wish I could think like you..." Alice sighed again and packed up the papers.
"You two, get out of the classroom so I can lock the door."
***
"..."
A boy with glasses was reading a math book in the library.
Suddenly, he glanced out the window and noticed Kai and Baron saying goodbye and parting ways.
"..."
He pushed up his glasses, closed the book, and put it away.
He was none other than Rudy from Class F.
"Kai... his resistance to hypnosis is surprisingly strong. I'm impressed."
He sat down in the librarian's chair, looked over a notebook, and jotted something down.
"If possible, he might be the key to taking down that bastard."
His face turned cold and menacing—clearly filled with hatred for whoever he was talking about.
The door creaked open, revealing a tanned, blonde-haired guy walking in.
"Damn it, I was so close. She was about to fall for me, just as planned... but suddenly, some random Class F student showed up and stole my moment. Pisses me off."
He plopped into a chair, put his feet on the table, and pulled out a cigarette.
"Good thing no one's here. So quiet, phew..." he took a drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Hmm?"
His eyes landed on a purple book sitting on the shelf.
Something about it drew him in, almost like it was calling to him.
He walked over and pulled it out.
"Hypnosis Book?"
What the hell? Sounds kinda weird.
He chuckled at the title, but decided to read it anyway—maybe for laughs.
Or who knows? If he actually learned hypnosis... Hehehe.
"Hey, that book's basically softcore porn, and it's not allowed in the academy."
A voice behind him made him jump.
He turned around and saw Rudy, who snatched the book from his hands, giving him a sharp glare.
"I don't know who snuck this garbage into the library, but if I catch you reading it again, I'm reporting you to your class advisor."
"Ah!! Okay!!"
"Then get going. I'm about to close the library."
Grumbling, the blonde guy left.
Once he was gone, Rudy immediately tossed the book into the fireplace, watching it burn.
"This is the tenth one already—way faster than last time."
He stroked his chin and made another note in his personal journal.
Most of these books shouldn't exist in the library in the first place.
Yet every time a certain type of person shows up, one of them mysteriously appears and draws them in.
Thankfully, he always managed to intercept them before anyone got the chance to read them.
With that responsibility in mind, he had taken the job of librarian—to keep an eye on things.
And through that role, he learned the typical "targets" of these books:
Bullies.
The bullied.
Fat kids.
Losers.
Mega perverts.
"Tch."
The memory of the one who turned him into this made his blood boil, but he forced himself to stay calm.
"That bastard... whatever power he's using to create these books and give them such specific triggers—and that terrifying level of hypnosis on top of it..."
Just as he finished the thought, he felt a wave of intense mana ripple through the academy for a second, then vanish.
"He's doing it again... damn, that guy's seriously meticulous, no matter how punchable his face is."
For some reason, Rudy had immunity to the hypnosis—maybe due to his high Spirit stat or something else.
"There's not much time left. In one more week, he'll be able to hypnotize the entire city. I have to team up with Kai now."
Kai resisting the hypnosis was incredibly rare, especially for a Class F student. Even top-tier Class S students couldn't resist it.
'Sorry, but I need you as a chess piece.'
He thought to himself as he sat back down and began writing again in his personal notebook.