Twisted

“This will do…”

Standing before the mirror in his new school uniform, Lilo meticulously adjusted his collar and cuffs.

Because he was a “student,” he paid extraordinary attention to such minor details.

“Oh, heading off to school?”

The owner of the breakfast shop where Lilo worked the early morning shift pulled back the curtain of the changing room.

He happened to witness the formal attire of the Vice President of the Saint Tias Academy Student Council on his first day in office.

Wiping his oil-stained hands, the owner pulled a stack of bills from his pocket and handed them to Lilo.

“Here, this week’s wages.”

“…Mm.”

“Honestly, I quite like an honest kid like you, even if you are a bit difficult to get along with. Are you sure you won’t consider staying on here?”

“I’ll be late for school.”

“I’m trying to keep you out of the kindness of my heart, you know? At least give me a proper response.”

“…Is this also one of your duties as a ‘Boss’?”

The owner was speechless for a moment, then gave a helpless smile.

He turned to the back kitchen, grabbed a lunch box, and handed it to Lilo.

?

“I didn’t pay for this.”

“It’s a gift. One look at you and I can tell you’ve never eaten anything decent. Even if you’re just a temp, taking a little care of you is part of a ‘Boss’s’ responsibility.”

“…Thank you.”

The owner wanted to pat Lilo on the shoulder to encourage him, but thinking it wouldn’t be good to soil such a fine uniform, he settled for a verbal blessing.

“Do your best with the Student Council work.”

After all…

You’re the only “Genius” from our slum district who managed to enroll in Saint Tias.

After returning his neatly folded work clothes to the shop owner, Lilo took the gifted lunch box and left the breakfast shop.

This was a slum, a “gutter” no one cared about.

There were eleven other places like this in the city—special districts established by the mayor specifically to house the “paupers” who came to the city for work.

Though such a description was blunt and rude, the disparity between rich and poor here was exactly that vast.

“Where are you going today?”

“Wherever they need moving, I guess…”

“Sorry, Boss, I’m so sorry, I’ll fix it right away.”

“Blegh! This hangover is killing me… Gag!”

This single street was packed with countless people scurrying back and forth just to make ends meet.

Despite being called the Dream City, second only to the capital, and rumored to be a land of concurrent wealth and opportunity, the reality was that this was the final destination for most.

They lived in cheap rentals, walked through crowded streets, and shuttled back and forth in a straight line between the slums and the world outside.

The passion they once held…

Had been eroded by the material lust and decadence here, gradually becoming numb.

Eventually, they would assimilate into the city without even knowing it, becoming just another cog in its machinery.

“Not here either?”

Lilo crossed out the name of the breakfast shop in the notebook he carried.

Beep, beep—

The school bus pick-up service Lilo had specifically applied for upon enrollment arrived punctually at the stop to welcome its final passenger.

The bus was empty; Lilo found a seat at random and sat down.

Although it was the last bus, the fact that there wasn’t a single other student was truly eerie.

In fact, two weeks ago, there had still been a few scattered students on board.

“I didn’t expect it. So you’re the one who stayed until the end?”

Perhaps the driver couldn’t stand the loneliness either; since there was no one left to report him for slacking off, he simply opened up.

Even if he was just talking to himself…

“I bet the guy taking over my shift that this term would be a total wipeout again. I didn’t expect a greenhorn like you to survive.”

“Counting the earlier buses, are there actually three of you who held out this time? Hah, it would have been smarter to drop out and transfer early, yet you managed to stick it out for three months. You young people…”

So-called dreams…

In this city, they aren’t worth even a single banknote.

Ignoring the murderous glare of the sentry guard, Lilo stepped onto campus exactly a few seconds before the gates closed, just as he did every day.

Although the guard saw this repeated behavior as a provocation, in reality, it was simply the result of Lilo squeezing out every possible second to work his part-time job.

“G-Good morning, Vice President!”

Students returning from early morning club practices in the Activity District happened to run into Lilo.

Only a few days ago, they were strangers who wouldn’t even exchange a nod, but once the status changed, it was worlds apart…

“What luck.”

But Lilo felt no joy in this class shift.

He merely watched the receding backs of the club members and felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, the President of the club he joined was a good person and didn’t force him to participate in activities.

Well, a two-person club probably didn’t have many activities worth holding anyway.

“Waaaaah! Don’t just daze off, Student Lilo! Class is starting! I’ll deduct your credits!”

By sheer coincidence…

The cute, tiny homeroom teacher, Teacher Xiaohuo, was rushing toward the teaching area carrying a stack of quizzes that was half as tall as a person—well, by her standards.

Because they were piled too high, she could barely see the ground beneath her feet.

“…”

Such a thick campus atmosphere, yet Lilo felt nothing in his heart.

He was just a “student.”

His current goal was simply to get through his school life completely, without causing trouble for anyone, without repeating a grade or receiving disciplinary action, and to graduate smoothly.

Dreams?

From the moment he stepped into this city…

He never had any.

Noon…

Inside the Student Council room.

“It’s your first day as Vice President. How does it feel?”

Livia asked Lilo.

The Student Council was, after all, a student organization and could not carry out activities in a way that ignored academics.

Therefore, most of the members’ gathering time was during the afternoon.

“Too noisy.”

Lilo replied truthfully.

Indeed, aside from being greeted by people he didn’t know, Lilo had no extra feelings.

The students in the academy seemed to notice his existence more than before, but otherwise, nothing seemed to have changed.

“First impressions are usually the deepest. With you being so gloomy, it’s natural that people are afraid to approach you. After all, who knows what you’re like in private? Perhaps… you’re a cold-blooded murderer, for all they know.”

“…”

Lilo couldn’t tell which of Livia’s words were serious and which were teasing.

“So, is there anything else? If not, I’ll be taking my—”

“Of course there is.”

In retaliation for Lilo interrupting her last time, Livia returned the favor.

“There is a document that needs your signature. Your first task as Vice President.”

With that, Livia handed a folder to Lilo across the desk.

?

Needs my signature?

Pulling out the document, the photo that caught his eye made Lilo perk up.

“Ah, Student Watt.”

“…It’s Kent.”

Livia kindly corrected him.

“Oh. So, what does this mean?”

Lilo pulled out a letter of forgiveness from the back, pointing to a line of black text.

“President, are you saying you want me to forgive him for everything he did to me?”

“Yes. Kent has already submitted a sincere self-reflection to the school regarding his violent behavior toward you. He has also guaranteed he will apologize to you in person later. If you wish, there can also be a sum of compensation.”

“…”

To be honest, Lilo wasn’t holding a grudge.

There were only so many hours in a day; he wouldn’t waste his resentment on someone whose name he couldn’t even remember.

Therefore, it didn’t matter to him what happened to Kent.

However…

“Then, what about that girl?”

Lilo vaguely remembered there was a victimized girl in the room back then.

The President’s response, however, was…

‘Who cares?’

“…”

The atmosphere in the Student Council room instantly became heavy.

Lilo’s weary, dark eyes stared straight at Livia across the desk, but she offered nothing but a polite smile.

“…True. I don’t know that girl either, and I never intended to save her from danger. As you said, President, Kent knows he was wrong, and I can get compensation. As for her… who cares?”

Lilo pushed the folder back to Livia.

“Can I take this as a rejection?”

“I have always believed that if someone does something wrong, they should be punished. The reason I don’t hate Student Kent is because he was already arrested by the police. He has already paid the price for his actions.”

Lilo looked at the photo on the file and spoke expressionlessly.

“Even if he just compensates me, that is a punishment he deserves. I could extort a heavy sum from him. But that girl… he should pay the price for what she suffered. He will repay my share sooner or later, but this share…”

‘He won’t escape this either.’

Hahaha!

Suddenly, Livia abandoned all decorum and clutched her stomach, laughing for a long time…

“I thought you were quite innocent, but I didn’t expect you to be so stupidly cute.”

Livia wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, all the dignity of a Student Council President gone.

Then, right in front of Lilo, she tossed the document into the nearby trash can.

“Paying the price? What a strange phrase. But indeed, what Kent did has damaged the academy’s reputation. What is even more unforgivable is that he actually got ‘caught.’ How lacking in rigor. A complete and utter failure.”

Livia regained the dignity of a President once more.

That confident, arrogant, and majestic aura.

“Saint Tias does not need such trash; he won’t be coming back. Using this incident as a starting point, we can also take the opportunity to publicize your deeds as Vice President. After all, you’ve just taken office; establishing authority is an essential step.”

So that just now…

What was the point?

A test?

Lilo felt confused; he only felt that this President’s personality was exceptionally bizarre.

“Can I go now?”

“Go? Why? Isn’t your first task still unfinished?”

Lilo turned his head to look at the trash can. Didn’t you just personally throw my first task in there, President?

“So, what is my first task as Vice President?”

The moment Lilo finished speaking…

Livia, the President who prided herself on her arrogance, actually climbed onto the desk. She reached out toward the expressionless Lilo and slowly tilted his chin up.

The two of them were face-to-face at such close range for the first time…

Staring into those beautiful and rare violet eyes, Lilo realized that deep within them—no, even deeper than the “deepest part”—something bizarre was spreading and festering.

It was an “abnormality” that did not belong to a normal person.

It was an “otherness” that did not belong to this world.

It was…

A chaotic, twisted “Monster”!

“Your first task in the Student Council is very simple. In fact, this will be your job from now on, Vice. Presi. Dent. Lilo~”

Livia spoke with a smile.

But that smile was dark and deep, like a venomous snake, devoid of any warmth.

“I want you…”

“Now, here, at this very moment…”

‘r*pe. Me.’