Chapter 22: 21 - Only Fair

Well, this sucks. I was currently in an empty training hall with the group I'd been sorted into, while our new instructor terrorized the first group of four. After forming the groups, he made us draw lots to decide the order in which each group will take him on. He had also insisted on the other three groups waiting their turn in empty training halls instead of watching, in other words, only one group was allowed inside the training hall he was using at a time.

The group I was in was to go last, so that was good, but I wasn't exactly stoked about my teammates...I had ended up in a group that included Bytra and Misaki. The other member was Kiran, which wasn't so bad, I guess.

"Just my luck, stuck with the Dud," Sighed Misaki with a look of disappointment.

"Just my luck, stuck with a bitch," I responded, imitating her tone and sigh.

"What did you just-!?"

"Knock it off...you're too loud," Grumbled Kiran, who'd been dozing off while leaning against the wall.

"Hmph, whatever."

Tch, why's she acting like she's been wronged here, she started it. The group that had gone in first and was currently engaging the instructor included Tairo, and with him not around, Bytra was quieter than usual. That, and she seemed to be wary of Misaki. Hm, let's think this through...Bytra was originally from the West Quadrant, before moving to the North Quadrant where she fucked me over. And she claimed to have been an outcast there, which means there was a good chance that she'd been bullied...huh, could it be...

"<Activate Anomaly, Tier One: Save>," I mumbled under my breath inaudibly, before speaking up, "Hey, bitch, which Quadrant are you from?"

"Excuse you? Why in the world should I answer that-?"

"Jeez, bitch, stop being a bitch and answer the question," I cut her off with a shrug.

I'll probably undo this once I've had my fun, so no need to be subtle. From the look on Bytra's face, it looks like I might have hit the nail on the head...Misaki was likely one of her bullies from before she moved to the North Quadrant. But it didn't seem like Misaki had recognized her yet. I should fix that.

"You fucking Dud, how dare you speak to me like that!?"

"Wow, a great Prodigy like you can't even answer a simple question, guess not all Prodigies are hot shit, huh," I responded with an innocent look.

I didn't know much about her or if she was easily manipulated, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to bring her pride into question.

"Tch, don't think you can manipulate me, you fucking Dud...I don't know why you care, but I'm from the West...now, why did you-?"

Huh, it actually worked. Now, then, time to divert her attention...

"Oh, what a coincidence! Aren't you from the West Quadrant too...Bytra?" I inquired, a look of panic appearing on her face as I glanced at her coldly and added, "Do you two know each other? You seem to keep looking at her restlessly, like you want to say something, so I was just curious..."

"Huh? No, we don't-...actually, now that you mention it, she does look a bit familiar...your face is ringing some bells but I can't quite put my finger on it," Frowned Misaki, staring at Bytra closely, who shriveled back nervously.

"Y-you must be mistaken...I've never seen you before in my life," She replied shakily, and not very convincingly.

"Hold on, I know that meek mumble...," Her eyes began to widen with recognition, before it clicked and she exclaimed, "Oh, that's right, Loner Tramp!"

Bytra flinched and averted her gaze, trembling slightly as Misaki said that name. Not the most creative nickname, but I liked how simple and straightforward it was. And fitting too.

"D-don't call me that...," She stuttered, a miserable look crossing her face.

"Haha, holy crap, it really is you! To think that a slutty bitch like you actually turned out to be a Prodigy, what a joke!"

Let's see if I can add a little fuel to the fire...

"Oh, so you do know each other. How nice, a reunion between old school friends," I chimed in with an innocent tone.

"Friends? Hah, don't make me laugh, Dud! This bitch was a total freak and nobody liked her, acting like she was better than us just because she's cute and attractive."

"I didn't-," Bytra began to defend herself weakly, but Misaki didn't let her finish.

"And then, just because the rest of us didn't treat her like a queen like she wanted, she got all pissed off, and in retaliation, she fucked three of our classmates' boyfriends, coldly ruining their relationships for no apparent reason. And then she just up and left, having done the damage," Sighed Misaki with a dramatic sigh.

It was so obvious that she was lying, the way she said all that reminded me of Tairo...

"I never did any of that...that was...that was you-!"

"Sorry, you need to speak up, Loner Tramp, I can't hear you! But I'm sure you weren't about to just blame me for something you did, with no evidence, no less?"

"N-no, I was just...never mind," She trailed off miserably.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, wimp," Laughed Misaki condescendingly.

I think I won't use my ability to undo this after all, this was great!

"You did all that on purpose, didn't you...man, you're awful," Remarked Kiran in a deadpan tone, as Misaki continued taunting Bytra.

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"Oh, I know."

"Still, that was some impressive manipulation..remind me not to get on your bad side," He replied with a stifled yawn.

No, it wasn't that I was good at being manipulative, it was just that Misaki had been ridiculously easy to manipulate.

"Well, all that aside...we should probably come up with some kind of plan for our turn," I suggested, as we got the notification that the first group was done.

It had only been twenty minutes, but I'm guessing they either gave up or got knocked out. Possibly even killed, though that was a lot less likely. Not impossible though.

"Oh, please, like I could actually get any worthwhile help from a Dud and Loner Tramp here. And this guy's eyes are gross, talk about bad luck, I got stuck with such a shitty group," Groaned Misaki disdainfully.

What a...bitch.

"...that was uncalled for," Muttered Kiran, his dark, sleep-deprived eyes glaring at her.

"We're hitting uncharted bitchiness levels here, bitchiness is currently...over nine thousand!" I gasped dramatically, tapping the side of my glasses like a scouter while looking at her.

"Tch, you've got some nerve, Dud."

"Talk about a retro reference," Remarked Kiran, seeming to be slightly amused, though it was hard to say with that mask covering the lower half of his face.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand...I think it's safe to say that we can interpret your words to mean that you plan on fighting the instructor by yourself, with no help from us, right? Since you're clearly sooo much better than us, we'll agree to that, and take on the roles of your cheerleaders, from the sidelines of course. Agreed? Agreed!"

"Then it's settled," Nodded Kiran, playing along with no hesitation.

Bytra stayed quiet, unable to even look directly at Misaki. Pathetic, I can't believe I let this wimp deceive me.

"I never said anything like that, you-!"

"Oh, I was mistaken? Then you want our help after all? Sure, I don't mind. Well, go ahead, ask us to help you...or maybe I was mistaken about being mistaken?" I inquired with an innocent tilt of my head.

"Why...you...conniving...little...," She growled angrily, her eyebrow twitching with irritation.

Hm, I don't have any grudge in particular against this girl, sure I didn't exactly like her since she called me a Dud and stuff, but that much I could usually ignore without a problem...no, I'm not messing with her because I especially hate her or anything like that, I'm messing with her because it's fun.

"Well, guess that settles it. You're gonna solo this fight, and you can rely on our moral support," I concluded, even though I had no intention of actually cheering or anything...no, I'll hang back and wait for her or one of the other two to give me an opening.

Anyway, the conversation died down after that, and the four of us waited in silence for our turn. Some might consider it an awkward silence, but I felt perfectly comfortable. Still, it was a pretty long wait before it was finally our turn.

"It's about time," Muttered Misaki irritably, standing up as we received the notification that it was our group's turn.

She stormed off by herself with a huff, before the rest of us even got back on our feet.

"Let's get this over with so that we can go home," Yawned Kiran, following after her.

Right, let's do this. As I stood up and stretched, I felt a grab on my sleeve before I could head after them.

"Tch, what do you want?" I growled, pulling my arm away.

"Why...wh-why did you-...?" Bytra trailed off, staring at the ground.

"You really are pathetic, aren't you? And you seriously have the nerve to ask me why? It's simple, I saw that you didn't want her to recognize you, so I made sure that she did, nothing more, nothing less. After all, you played a big part in making my school life miserable, so this is only fair, wouldn't you agree?"

"I..."

"And don't think I'm done with you yet...I won't stop till I'm satisfied in that I've made you suffer just as much as you made me suffer. Now, then...we should get going!" I remarked cheerfully, walking towards the door without giving her a chance to reply.

She can act meek and miserable all she wants, she won't be getting my sympathies...no matter what happens, I have no reason to feel sorry for her. After all, she brought this all on herself...

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