That night, everyone was fast asleep in their beds. Dekisugi had already drifted into peaceful dreams.
Daichi Yayahara, however, was wide awake.
First, he needed to cultivate. Second, he'd been humiliated again today. And third—the most important reason—he was waiting for that call to come through. He wanted to see just how dumb that idiot really was.
If he got the evidence he needed, Karizaka would get a firsthand demonstration of a mage's power.
Just like the night before, the clock ticked past midnight. Daichi still had plenty of mental energy, but he stopped cultivating and walked silently over to the phone.
He remembered the prank calls had started around this time last night. He waited by the phone.
Sure enough, it rang.
The moment it rang, Daichi picked up, straining his ears to catch any sound from the other end.
There was only faint breathing—and utter silence.
"Hmph. Still trying to play dumb, huh?" he said, then snapped his fingers. The Invisible Sprite he had cast earlier exploded immediately.
And at that moment, the other side let out a panicked scream—the exact sound Daichi had been hoping for.
Once the noise settled, Daichi spoke. "I told you yesterday—better hope I don't find you. But now? I know who you are. Just you wait. Hehehe…"
With that declaration, he hung up, feeling refreshed. He returned to bed and slept soundly.
The caller didn't try again that night. So Daichi decided: he'd go easy on the kid tomorrow.
———
Hello, my name is Karizaka. I'm ten years old and in fourth grade. I'm a top student—never scored below 95.
But I'm not happy at all. Because ever since school began, one person has always overshadowed me: Dekisugi.
Every time, he's first place. I'm always second. No matter how hard I try, I can never surpass that mountain.
I've had enough of the misery of being "forever number two." And just when I was about to reach my limit, life played one more cruel joke on me—Daichi Yayahara.
He's just like Dekisugi. Every subject, every test: perfect scores.
It was bad enough being stuck at second. Now I don't even get that! Why is life so unfair?!
I decided—I would get revenge. I don't know Daichi well, but I know Dekisugi like the back of my hand. I even know the number of the phone in his room.
So I hatched an evil plan: I'd call Dekisugi every night, disrupt his focus, ruin his studies. That way I'd claw my way back to second place—and then, deal with Daichi. Once he was out of the picture, I'd be number one. Undisputed.
Last night, I secretly dialed Dekisugi's number—but the one who picked up wasn't him. It was a voice I didn't recognize.
Ha! It was Daichi Yayahara, that bastard! He's living with Dekisugi now? Perfect. I can take both down at once!
I quickly hung up before they could hear my intentions.
I called again, and again it was Daichi answering.
Frustrated that I couldn't get to Dekisugi, I kept calling, determined to keep at it until he picked up.
But this time… it went wrong.
His voice came through the line, like a devil whispering: "Still trying to play dumb, huh?" Then I heard a sharp snap—a finger snap?
Before I could react, something exploded behind me. I jumped out of my skin.
It was loud, but I wasn't hurt.
I tried to steady my breathing. Just as I was about to hang up and call back later, the voice came again—cold, menacing.
He said he knew who I was. That voice… that laugh… no human should be able to laugh like that.
I dropped the phone. Thank God the cord held it up, or it would've hit the floor.
But that voice echoed in my head all night. I couldn't sleep.
The next morning, I felt like a zombie. And somehow, those two jerks looked perfectly fine?
I couldn't accept it. Why was I so weak? Why did a few words scare me so much? No—I'd go all the way tonight!
That night, just after midnight, I called again. But the phone was picked up in less than a second.
I tried to stay silent, fake it.
Daichi's voice came through instantly: "Still playing spooky, huh?" Then snap.
I didn't even have time to wonder what he meant—something blew up behind me. I screamed.
There was a noise, but again, no injury.
As I calmed down and prepared to call back again, his voice returned.
He said he knew who I was.
It wasn't something a human could say. I could barely keep hold of the phone. I almost dropped it again.
The call ended.
But his voice… that laugh… it wouldn't leave my mind.
What would happen if I went to school tomorrow? I'd be doomed, wouldn't I?
I stood in a corner, frantically thinking of a solution. My hair literally fell out from the stress. Eventually, I fell asleep there.
The next morning, my parents woke me up, and I had no choice but to go to school. I couldn't explain why I was scared.
As I passed by Class 2, that bastard was standing at the door, eyes closed, looking calm. Clearly he didn't sleep well either. My calls had worked.
But then… he opened his eyes and looked straight at me.
He smiled.
That smile chilled me to the bone. I felt like a beast—no, a demon—had spotted me. Only hugging the wall gave me any comfort.
He knew it was me. I was sure of it. But what would he do?
I watched him as I inched toward the classroom. Luckily, he didn't move.
But the way he looked at me made my skin crawl.
I ran into class and collapsed into my seat with a deep breath.
Then my chair snapped. I fell hard.
Everyone rushed over to help, blaming the chair's poor quality.
But I knew the truth. He did this. It had to be him.
I had no proof. No one would believe me. I just had to endure.
They gave me a new chair. I thought I could finally sit in peace, but then it was time to hand in our homework.
I reached into my bag—and my homework was gone.
No way. I'd packed it last night. I know I did!
But missing was missing. And a few minutes later, I was standing outside, being punished by the teacher.
He was there again. Standing at the door. Watching me.
That bastard. He did this too. He's the reason.
And it wasn't over.
Back in class, I sat down again and felt something stiff beneath me.
I reached under my pants—it was my homework notebook?!
I wanted to take it out right away and prove I'd done it, but I couldn't exactly pull my pants down in class. I had no choice but to sit awkwardly through the period.
When class ended, I headed to the bathroom to fix it—but suddenly, my pants fell off. And the homework fell with it.
Humiliated, I quickly pulled my pants back up and rushed to hand the notebook to the teacher, who was still in the room.
He accepted it with a strange expression, flipped through it—and then furiously threw it at my head, yelling at me to stand outside again.
I didn't understand until I picked it up.
Every page of homework… was blank.
That bastard. Daichi Yayahara. I've had enough. If I go down, I'm taking him with me!
I turned and charged toward him.
I saw him sitting in the corner.
I screamed and lunged, but some classmates held me back. I struggled, but couldn't move.
So I shouted, "What do you want from me?! You stole my second place, humiliated me in front of everyone, erased my homework—what more do you want?! I'll kill you!"
Red-eyed, I yelled at him, hoping to see any emotion in his face—anger, guilt, anything! Just not that damn cold, smug expression.
But I was disappointed.
He kept smiling, calmly watching me. No response, no acknowledgment—just that look, like someone watching an animal in a zoo make a scene.
That's all I was to him?
Everything I'd done, all my effort… was nothing more than a clown show to him?
My vision blurred with tears. I wanted to strangle him—but I couldn't move.
In the end, I collapsed to the floor and sobbed.
(End of Chapter)
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