What's it like to become an idol out of nowhere?
Silvain was sitting quietly in class when a group of underclassmen—both boys and girls—crowded around the doorway, tiptoeing to catch a glimpse of the man who had defeated Aso Koji.
"Is it the guy with glasses? He looks kind of plain. Maybe he would be a little more handsome if he took them off."
"Aiya, Miho, you're mistaken. He is the one behind him. His smile is so sunny. He's totally my type."
Their chatter quickly drew the teacher's attention.
"Everyone, hold on a moment. I'll go see what's going on."
After the teacher stepped out, Yuko Tachikawa chuckled softly.
"Silvain-kun, you've become the number-one celebrity on our school forum. According to their posts, your swordsmanship is even better than the masters on TV. It's just a pity I didn't get to witness it myself."
Shinichi, seated in front of Silvain, hadn't checked the forum the night before, so he had no idea what had happened.
"They're just messing around."
Meanwhile, Migi had secretly started playing with Shinichi's phone under the desk again. It logged into the school forum, where most of the hot topics were about Silvain, along with some discussions about recent serial murders.
Soon, Migi found a video of Silvain going up against five people the day before.
The camera was shaky, making the footage somewhat blurry.
"Shinichi, he's incredibly strong. If he were parasitized by a Parasyte, he'd be terrifying," Migi whispered into Shinichi's ear from inside his collar.
"Really? That's kind of exaggerated, isn't it?"
"No. His reaction speed is far above average. If possible, I think you should try learning swordsmanship from him."
"Forget it. I'm not interested in that kind of thing," Shinichi replied, shaking his head.
Yuko Tachikawa noticed Shinichi talking to himself and asked in surprise, "Are you muttering to yourself?"
"No, I'm… reciting something."
Seeing Shinichi's awkward reaction, Yuko furrowed her brows slightly but didn't press the issue.
By then, the teacher had already asked the students outside the classroom to leave.
Time passed quickly, and before long, it was already the last PE class of the afternoon.
"I'm sorry, but I don't plan on dating right now. I hope you understand." Silvain politely turned down yet another girl. Ever since the video went viral, more and more girls had been giving him love letters. On top of that, tons of people were asking for selfies and autographs.
"Seems like having too many admirers isn't that great either, right, Silvain-kun?" Yuko teased while linking arms with Rimi Murano. The two watched Shinichi playing basketball.
"It's definitely a little annoying," Silvain replied with a shrug.
His gaze shifted toward Shinichi on the court. With Migi's help, Shinichi was clearly showing off. Every shot he made landed perfectly, almost never missing.
"But now someone's stealing my spotlight." Silvain smiled.
Hearing that, Yuko shouted at Shinichi from the sidelines, "Satomi says if you score one more point, she'll forgive you for what happened last time!"
"Hahaha, if you say that, he'll probably give it everything he's got," Silvain joked as he looked at Satomi Murano, who was visibly shy.
"Anyway, I'll leave you to watch the game. I'm heading to the Kendo Club."
With that, Silvain left the gymnasium.
On the way, a familiar figure blocked his path. It was none other than Aso Koji, holding a steel baseball bat with a group of his lackeys behind him.
"I was gonna teach you a lesson at the school gate, but you went and hid. So, where's all that arrogance you had yesterday?"
Aso Koji tapped the steel bat against the ground, the sound sharp and clear.
"Be smart and come with us quietly."
Silvain glanced at the group without saying a word, then followed them out of the school.
They led him to a secluded alley. A dozen rough-looking young men were smoking there. When Aso Koji brought Silvain over, they immediately surrounded him.
"Word is, you're pretty famous around lately." The gang leader, a blonde-haired guy with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looked at Silvain with clear disdain.
Sigh.
Silvain shook his head. "This revenge setup is so cliché. And why do guys like you always talk so much?"
"Baka! You're about to die and you're still mouthing off?" Aso Koji snapped. He raised his baseball bat and swung it at the back of Silvain's head.
The thugs spat out their cigarettes and picked up iron rods, joining the assault.
Bang! Silvain turned instantly, his fingers transforming into steel blades. He caught the incoming bat mid-swing. The bat's surface caved in, Silvain's blade-like fingers sinking into the metal, leaving visible indentations.
Aso Koji didn't even see what happened before the bat was ripped from his hands.
"You're just wasting my time." Silvain kicked one guy down, then lifted the steel bat and slammed it down. The sound of bones cracking rang out as his target's arm bent unnaturally.
The thugs and Aso Koji's crew were terrified.
But Silvain wasn't. The bat in his hand made sharp whistling sounds as it swung, followed by the groans of thugs hitting the ground. If they'd been trained fighters, this would've been tougher, but sadly, they were just street punks used to ganging up on the weak. They had simply picked the wrong guy today.
It took five or six minutes.
Silvain had broken one arm on every person present. It was physically exhausting work.
"Alright, stop pretending to be dead. I didn't even hit you." Silvain raised a leg and kicked Aso Koji in the gut.
"He really passed out?" Silvain crouched down and lifted Aso Koji's eyelid. Turns out the guy had actually fainted from fear. Silvain had thought he was just faking it.
"Here are the rules. Head to the hospital now, and you might be able to save your arm. But if I find out any of you call the cops, the consequences won't be as simple as a broken limb." Silvain wiped blood off his face and turned to the gang leader, his eyes narrowing. "I don't think you want to find out what it's like to be tied up in concrete and dumped in Yokohama Bay."
The gang members on the ground nodded frantically, none of them daring to speak.
As for Aso Koji's classmates, Silvain hadn't touched them. Their frightened eyes told him his warning had left a lasting impression.
With that, Silvain slowly walked out of the alley.
(To be continued.)