"Ugh, this sucks. Everyone else is off playing cards and having fun, while we're stuck here sweeping up dead leaves like idiots," one of the girls muttered, frowning deeply as she worked her broom with visible irritation.
"I'm telling you, there's no student council around here. Why don't we just ditch this and call it a day?" another girl suggested, her eyes glinting slyly.
The last one, smaller and meeker, shrank her neck back and protested, "Better not... If the student council catches us slacking off, we'll get hit with an even harsher punishment."
These three girls were classmates and close friends. After a recent incident, the Beautification Committee had assigned them to clean the tree-lined path as punishment.
As they chatted, their conversation inevitably turned to the source of their current misfortune.
"Seriously though, I looked into it. She's just a scholarship kid—probably dirt poor. And yet she turned us down? Who the hell does she think she is? If it weren't for her drawing the student council's attention, we wouldn't be in this mess."
Now that the enchantment card's effects had worn off, and facing the oppressive authority of the student council, their resentment naturally redirected itself toward the one person they could still blame: Naoki.
"Totally. Acting all pure and innocent… Bet she was just waiting for the highest bidder to buy her company."
"Hah! You saw how she cozied up to the Beautification Committee chair that day to say thanks? I'll bet she was trying to seduce her way into the student council. Too bad they didn't even give her the time of day."
Their mutual resentment, now with a shared target to vent on, turned into escalating mockery and cruelty.
…
Naoki, Passing By:
What are the odds? Of all the ways back to the classroom, she had to run into these three.
Naoki didn't feel especially angry, even though she had just overheard them badmouthing her. After all, she had taken advantage of these girls while they were under the influence of her Charm Card.
So for now, it was probably best not to cause a scene.
Just as Naoki was preparing to quietly sneak down the path back to the school building, the trio happened to glance in her direction.
"Hey, isn't that—?"
"Well, well, if it isn't our poor little victim of 'harassment'!"
Fueled by lingering anger over the incident, the three girls immediately rushed over and surrounded her.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Utsugi-chan. Why not stop and chat with us for a bit?"
"Yeah, seeing us stuck out here like this… Don't you have anything you'd like to say?"
Naoki could tell from their expressions that they were itching for a fight. She looked around.
Perfect. It was activity period, and most of the students were inside, caught up in the heat of gambling. There wasn't a soul around.
She stepped back a few paces, eyeing them warily. "What… do you want?"
The three exchanged looks—one sneering, another scowling, the third smirking with cold amusement.
"What do you think? You got us stuck out here cleaning in the wind. The least you can do is show a little… goodwill."
Despite their desire for revenge, they knew that as long as they were still regular students and not livestock, doing anything overtly aggressive could get them reported to the student council—and that would backfire badly.
"How about a gamble?" one proposed. "If you win, we'll drop the whole thing."
Hearing them invoke Hyakkaou Academy's preferred conflict resolution method, Naoki secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"And what do you want to wager?"
One of the girls grinned nastily. "Well, we've got no tools out here, so let's keep it simple. Just a game of rock-paper-scissors."
Naoki considered for a moment. "Fine."
"No money involved. We'll go three rounds—each of us takes turns playing you. Best two out of three. But there's a twist: every time you lose, you take off one piece of clothing. How's that sound?"
Naoki immediately recognized this for what it was: a setup.
Three rounds. If she lost two, she'd be down two articles of clothing. Her jacket was one thing, but after that, whether it was her shirt or skirt, she'd be dangerously exposed.
Meanwhile, even if the girls all lost, they'd each only have to take off a jacket—not exactly a risk for them.
This wasn't a proper bet. It was a petty, humiliating game to mess with her.
She had no intention of playing along with such a shameless challenge. But then again, maybe… this was the perfect opportunity to turn the tables.
After all, these girls had only ended up punished in the first place because of an order from Miharu Taki, the Beautification Committee Chair. Now, they were taking it out on her.
If Sukura found out about this, even if she couldn't be directly blamed, she'd likely feel at least a little guilty.
From what Naoki had observed during the day, Sukura didn't seem like a cold, heartless person.
And even if sympathy didn't bloom from guilt, these girls' behavior was still a direct defiance of her authority—openly defying punishment and mocking the victim. Naoki was fairly certain someone like Sukura wouldn't let that slide.
So maybe… letting herself be bullied, just a little, would leave a lasting impression on the committee chair. A pitiful one.
Positive emotional attachments usually stem from one of three things: admiration, companionship, or sympathy.
Admiration for the strong, sympathy for the weak, and the bond of shared experiences—these were the seeds of deeper connections.
And sympathy worked fast. Just like admiration, it could stir powerful emotions in no time at all.
Even in a school that celebrated survival of the fittest, not everyone was a heartless beast.
"...Alright."
Naoki gave a reluctant nod, as though she had no choice but to agree.
She still had two experience points left. Time to draw a card.
System: Congratulations, host. You have obtained the special ability: Telepathy. When used, you'll be able to hear your opponent's thoughts relevant to the next match.
A perfect card for this kind of mind game. No need to draw another.
"Let's get started."
Her first opponent was the small, timid-looking girl. She didn't seem nearly as hostile as the other two—probably just tagging along so as not to stand out.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Naoki casually threw down rock. No real reason, just felt like it.
She had heard that most people tended to pick rock in the first round, but those who overthink might switch it up. There was psychology behind it, sure, but with only a few seconds to decide, she hadn't had time to form a strategy.
Her opponent threw paper.
"Ah, paper? I lost."
She'd lost the first round—just her luck.
The trio's gazes were hungry, predatory. Naoki hesitated for a moment, arms folded over her chest, then slowly took off her jacket.
Maybe the girls had been under the Charm Card's effect before, because now their eyes were locked on her, unblinking.
"Wow, our little underclassman is really cute, huh?"
"Her skin's so pale..."
The top button of her blouse was undone, revealing just a hint of smooth white skin and a delicate collarbone.
This setup… felt oddly familiar. Shouldn't a heroine be falling from the sky to save her about now?
Naoki glanced around.
Still no one.
With a sigh, she resigned herself to the next round.