The Hand

“Hehe. You’re all captivated by my handsome looks, aren’t you?”

Below the dormitory building, amidst the focused spotlights, Ewan, still perched atop the massive, deceased body of the monster, maintained his cool, “Thinker”-like pose.

Feeling the gazes of shock, admiration, and a hint of something he couldn’t yet decipher, Ewan felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

Due to the original’s misdeeds, and the Newspaper Club’s rumors, he had been suffering from the effects of prejudice for some time now. But now, he finally had a chance to show off, and even if he couldn’t completely erase the prejudice in an instant, it would at least improve his image in the eyes of others.

At the very least, they would know.

He.

Ewan Campbell.

Was not a scumbag who cheated on thirteen girls.

Nor was he a pervert who only thought about hitting on girls.

But a real man who would stand up in a moment of crisis!

Did you see that, Ryan?

Right now, all the cute underclassmen girls are surely looking at me with eyes full of admiration.

Wahaha! The day that I, Ewan Campbell, am popular with the ladies has finally arrived…

“But—”

“Why isn’t he wearing any clothes?”

At that very moment, a voice as innocent as a child’s rang out.

Like the little girl in the fairy tale who bravely spoke the truth.

Eh?

Ewan froze.

Not wearing clothes?

Who’s not wearing clothes?

The chill of the early autumn, combined with the little girl’s innocent words, made Ewan subconsciously look down. And then—

He saw, not surprisingly, a certain part of himself that, if exposed in public, would get him arrested by the police for indecent exposure.

“No way…”

The smug grin on Ewan’s face instantly froze.

The memories in his mind began to rewind at high speed, all the way back to the moment he had taken off his clothes and drunk the potion the senior had given him.

And then, like a video recorder, it began to replay the scenes he had just experienced, bit by bit.

From then, until now.

Half of that time, he had been looking for clothes to wear.

But had he put any on?

…No.

He had forgotten.

In the heat of the battle with Ryan, he had completely forgotten.

—The fact that he was completely, utterly naked.

“Aaaaargh—! Ryan, you bastard! You’ve ruined me!”

Forgetting something so important is one thing, but why didn’t you remind me?!

You just let me jump down, completely naked?

And in front of hundreds of people?

Oh my god. Just kill me now.

Crack—

Just as Ewan was in the throes of shame and indignation, he heard that sound again.

From the original’s memories, he remembered it. It was the sound of a special magic called “Recording Magic.” Due to an imperial decree, all common Recording Magic had to make a “click” sound when used.

And so, in the quiet of the night.

Click.

Click.

Click.

A chorus of clicks.

“You… you all, stop taking pictures! It will have a bad effect on Mr. Campbell!”

As the secretary of the student council, Vera naturally could not allow such a criminal act to occur. She rushed forward, her face red, to stop the crowd. At the same time, magic surged from her hands, and the sound of a camera shutter, so fast it could only be heard as a single, continuous click-click-click-click-click—

“…”

He was numb.

Ewan’s eyes were vacant, like a dead fish.

Oh, heavens. Please, just send someone to strangle me.

I don’t want to live anymore. If this goes on, even if I’m a real man, I’ll cry…

“Waaaah…”

That’s right. I’ll cry just like that.

Huh?

Wait.

That’s not me crying.

But I’m the one being publicly executed. Why is someone else crying?

Ewan subconsciously followed the sound of the crying and found that it was not coming from the students around him, but from the holy scripture that he had just pierced?

What the hell? Can a damn book cry?

“This is—”

Vera suddenly felt a terrifying chill rise up from the soles of her feet. Her flushed face instantly turned pale. The ominous feeling that had not dissipated even with the holy scripture’s appearance now struck her heart like a great hammer.

Without a moment’s hesitation—

“Ewan Campbell, run!”

“Eh?”

Ewan was stunned for a moment, then he quickly came to his senses. He no longer cared about the shame of his current naked state and immediately began to beat a hasty retreat.

He had already been seen by everyone. What did it matter now?

His life was more important!

“Waaaaaaaaah…”

In the instant Ewan turned, the crying from the holy scripture grew even more sorrowful, like a ghostly wind, chilling him to the bone.

Gurgle, gurgle…

Ewan felt the dead flesh and blood beneath his feet begin to writhe again.

Like a swarm of ants drawn to honey, they frantically surged toward the now-tattered holy scripture.

The wailing from the scripture temporarily stopped, replaced by the joyful sound of devouring flesh and blood.

“Don’t tell me…”

Watching the horrifying scene before her, Vera’s mind was clearer than ever before. She suddenly realized where the feeling of wrongness had come from.

That monster… had appeared too logically.

Using a beautiful hostage to draw hatred, being besieged, corrupted by rage, becoming a monster, and then being besieged again.

It all made perfect sense.

But the development of the situation was far from their initial demand for Ewan Campbell to show himself.

It was as if the cultists’ real goal was not Ewan Campbell at all.

But… to be besieged.

To be besieged by countless spells.

And thus, to obtain… a massive amount of magical power!

And now, it had succeeded.

And so, as the massive amount of magic-infused flesh and blood was devoured by the holy scripture, the thick book floated into the air, its pages slowly opening like a great, dark gate.

And then, from the deep darkness between its pages, the faint sound of footsteps could be heard.

Something… was coming out!

“Don’t just stand there! Attack with magic, quick!”

Vera frantically ordered the stunned crowd. Even if the flesh and blood was immune to magical attacks, the holy scripture itself was not. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been dodging before!

They had to destroy it before the thing inside came out!

And so, hundreds of brilliant spells were cast at once. Even Vera herself began to chant her most powerful spell, frantically attacking the holy scripture.

But it was too late.

Or perhaps, the moment the magic in the flesh and blood had reached a certain critical point, it was already too late.

A hand had already reached out from the book.

A long, slender, pale hand.

The hand opened its five fingers and aimed at the surging torrent of magic.

With a gentle squeeze.

A sharp, tearing sound, like cloth being ripped, echoed in the air. The howling wind that had been whipping through the area suddenly stopped.

It was as if space itself had frozen before that seemingly delicate hand.

The brilliant torrent of magic was compressed by an invisible, great force, shrinking, and shrinking, and shrinking.

Finally, like a child’s favorite candy, it was tossed into the darkness between the pages of the holy scripture.

Gulp.

A swallowing sound could be heard.

So satisfied.