Wild Dog

Let’s clear up the current situation.

I am currently seated in a chair; the height feels nearly identical to the standard desks and chairs at Saint Tias Academy.

There is a high probability I am still on campus. My hands are bound behind the backrest—the restraints feel like… handcuffs? If so, as long as I dislocate my thumbs, breaking free shouldn’t be an issue.

Although my eyes are blindfolded, I can feel a faint warmth from the sun on the left side of my body, so this isn’t a basement. If I’m above ground, I can try to jump through the window immediately after breaking free.

The probability of falling to my death from the third floor is 50%. Considering there aren’t many high-rise buildings in the academy, the probability of my survival isn’t small.

Roughly estimated, it’s about 20%.

Worth a try.

Fortunately, my mouth isn’t gagged. Before choosing an extreme escape route, I can still attempt to communicate.

“Can we settle this?” Lilo asked in a flat tone.

“I don’t know how I’ve offended you, but if possible, please give me a chance at atonement. I’ll even lick your boots if that’s what it takes.”

He said this because he heard the crisp sound of footsteps pacing nearby—most likely high-heeled boots, the kind his landlord often wore.

“You’re quite the nonchalant one, aren’t you?” the other person replied.

“Hardly. I’m so scared I’m about to wet my pants.”

Unfortunately, Lilo was a terrible liar. His voice was so devoid of emotion that he didn’t sound like a kidnap victim; he sounded like someone digesting a free lunch.

However, judging by the voice, this wasn’t some greenhorn kid, but a mature, steady adult.

Why would an adult kidnap a minor like me?

“You have questions for me, don’t you? Otherwise, I can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t gag me.”

“And if I don’t have questions?”

“Then I’m going to chatter at you all day. Despite appearances, I’m quite good at talking people to death.”

This was a lie. Aside from textbook knowledge for the end-of-month exams, the only things in Lilo’s head were the weekend discount schedules at the local supermarket.

“…Start by telling me your background.”

“You can look that up on the campus intranet using my student ID and password. My password is my birth—”

A cold, sharp metal object pressed against Lilo’s neck.

“Do you think I’m joking with you?”

“Clearly not. Though, as a side note, you’re holding the knife backward. You shouldn’t threaten people with the spine of the blade.”

“…”

This guy… does he really not know the meaning of fear?

“Of course I’ve seen your student files. What I want to know is why you entered Saint Tias.”

“It’s the highest institution in the Empire. Isn’t that title enough? Is there something wrong with a ‘student’ wanting to enter a hall of power that offers a shortcut to the top?”

“But I doubt its allure would be enough to make a delinquent with a record like yours in middle school buckle down and study.”

“People change.”

“From the bottom of the school to the top entrance score?”

“It took me a year.”

“A year isn’t enough time to domesticate a rabid stray into an obedient, loyal dog.”

“…What are you trying to ask?”

“Who is the ‘Master’ behind you who ordered you to enter Saint Tias?”

Instantly, both sides fell silent. The atmosphere stiffened to the breaking point.

Orders? Master?

No… you’re wrong.

“No one… ordered me.” Lilo’s voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz. He hung his head, looking profoundly dejected.

“What?”

She never ordered me to do anything. She was just an idiotic teacher. A hopeless, foolish woman.

The person across from him didn’t catch Lilo’s muttering and instinctively leaned in to hear better.

However…

“It’s dangerous to approach a stray dog without permission.”

Lilo snapped his head up.

He didn’t immediately break his thumbs to escape the cuffs, but he lunged forward using the strength in his lower body. In an instant, Lilo’s teeth were mere millimeters away from the woman’s slender neck!

“Don’t forget, Miss, that even a young stray has the strength to tear your throat out.”

And you’ve likely forgotten one more thing.

Actually…

“Humans are no different from stray dogs. We’re all ‘beasts’!”

Even with his eyes covered and hands bound, Lilo projected an eerie, suffocating pressure. The shackles only served to highlight his ferocity. It was a raw malice directed toward the very concept of “humanity” and civilized logic.

He loathed “humans.”

That hatred had never dissipated. Even if he masked it with a stiff, bookworm persona, he couldn’t hide the bloody violent instincts etched into the depths of his soul.

Thump!

The woman’s legs suddenly gave out, and she tumbled backward onto the floor.

Even she was stunned. Me? Scared? Scared by a child so much younger than me?

“That’s enough. You can leave now.”

The person watching from the shadows finally spoke.

“I-I’m sorry, Miss.”

The adult woman scrambled out of the room in disgrace. Lilo sat back, knowing the real player had arrived.

“Is this some kind of prank?” he asked the owner of the voice. “Treasurer Mutina.”

The blindfold was removed. Lilo’s eyes couldn’t adjust to the bright light immediately, but the familiar voice had already betrayed her identity.

A few meters away, Mutina sat in her wheelchair, covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

She still seemed unable to handle being in a room with the opposite s*x. She didn’t answer; instead, she signaled Hecate to bring “it” out.

It was… the dagger Lilo had hidden in the secret compartment of his bag.

“Bringing a weapon to school, Vice President?”

Lilo wanted to protest her going through his private property, but her next words killed the thought instantly.

“Why were you stalking me?”

Exposed. Even though he had disguised himself that weekend, he had still been caught. Where had he slipped up?

“…If I said I was just a perverted creep who likes following girls, would you let me go?”

“Still stubborn even now, Vice. Presi. Dent?”

At Mutina’s signal, the half-drawn curtains were pulled back.

Lilo’s heart sank—he had misjudged the situation.

The view outside wasn’t Saint Tias at all. Sometime during his unconsciousness, he had been transported into a skyscraper. Below lay a panoramic view of Jormungandr, with the city horizon stretching into the distance.

“Your earlier composure was based on the assumption that you were still on campus, thinking we wouldn’t dare do anything to you, right?” Mutina sneered. “How naive. Both you and Shishi, who sent you, seem to think I’m just a toy you can manipulate at will.”

But in reality…

“You are the pawns.”

Mutina snapped her fingers, and a group of women in black tactical gear instantly assembled at the door.

“I don’t enjoy torture, but if you don’t intend to tell me about Shishi’s mission, your plan for infiltrating the Student Council, and your purpose for stalking me…”

“I won’t mind making your life a living hell.”

Mutina watched him with the playful cruelty of a cat cornering a mouse.

“After all, you’re the perfect ‘lab rat’ the Student Council scouted, aren’t you, Vice. Presi. Dent~?”

Lilo: “…”

This woman… has she misunderstood something?