Saki Yoshida's memory fragments began to surface.
She remembered now.
When she had become 'friends' with those mean girls, they had indeed registered her on a certain website, claiming it was a great part-time job. At the time, she was desperate to join their circle, so she hadn't pressed for details.
Could it be... this escort website?
But it was just someone else registering her. She had never actually worked as an escort, nor would she do such a thing for money... she even hung up immediately on calls from strangers.
In fact, Saki was still a virgin!
However, such an explanation was weak and powerless; no one would believe that claim. Everywhere she went, students sneaked curious glances at her, and even the teachers' attitudes had become subtle. The black-haired girl, who had instantly become the school's focus, felt immense pressure.
She wanted to escape this place. Her eagerly anticipated high school life had instantly turned into a nightmare... But, even if everyone misunderstood me, Alex... he shouldn't look down on me. He knows the truth; he won't think I'm a frivolous woman.
Clutching at a lifeline, Saki pulled out her phone, looking at her friend's profile with a strained, pale smile. "If it's Alex..."
However, the ordeal wasn't over.
After class, Saki Yoshida, isolated and shunned, found her path blocked by a group of boys near the back wall of the teaching block.
"Hey! Yoshida-san, everyone heard. You're working as an escort, right?"
"I never would have guessed Yoshida-san was so... beautiful," Saki's looks, figure, and demeanor made the male students' eyes light up. "No wonder some old guys are drawn to you... they must be rich, right?"
"I never did that kind of thing!"
This was maybe the tenth time she had explained, and Saki's words grew weaker and weaker. She could only purse her lips, her expression blank.
"Who would believe that? But don't worry, Yoshida-san, even if you are an escort, we won't discriminate against you," the boys said, then suddenly scanned her voluptuous, well-defined figure with vulgar stares, smiling maliciously. "It's just that, since Yoshida-san has already done it with old guys, you probably wouldn't mind helping us out, either..."
"W-what are you even saying?!"
The black-haired girl trembled, stepping back until her back hit the wall, her hands clamped over her chest. She couldn't believe these boys would say such things.
Among this group of male students were unruly boys with dyed blond hair, seemingly honest boys, and even honor students. Yet, in front of Saki, all these different types stood united, revealing their true faces, exposing the demons deep within their hearts. They all stared at her with lustful eyes.
Saki Yoshida couldn't believe that these boys would actually...
"What does it matter? You've slept with old guys, haven't you? Why should an escort girl worry about this? Are we not better than those old guys? Honestly, the pressure at school is high, too. We need to release some steam. Yoshida-san, you wouldn't mind helping us, would you?"
Those twisted smiles made Saki's face pale and her lips tremble, her mind slowly nearing the breaking point. "I won't—! Doing this in school, aren't you afraid that..."
"Ha?"
A chorus of mockery erupted.
"Yoshida-san, don't you know about the rumors and your status in this school? Even the teachers don't care about you anymore, so why would they punish us for this?"
Just then, a few passing girls walked by, catching sight of the scene with the boys surrounding Saki. They cast a look of disdain at her and, as expected, didn't intervene, leaving while giggling amongst themselves.
"That's how it is," the boys' crude stares grew more wanton. "Also, the suggestion of you hooking up with us has been agreed upon by all the boys in the school. That means... Yoshida-san, from now on, you'll be serving all the boys in the school, becoming everyone's escort girl—"
"The boys are all very excited. Don't worry, as long as you serve everyone well, Yoshida-san can continue to live a normal life in this school. Everyone will take care of you. Isn't that great?"
Great?
How could she possibly accept this kind of thing?
The brown-haired girl nearly bit through her pink lips, her mind buzzing. She couldn't believe how these boys could utter such shameless words. No... it wasn't just shamelessness...
All the boys in the school?
What was the difference between that and being a slave?
Whether they were good students or bad students, honor students or delinquents, in Saki's eyes, all these boys revealed the same ugly, nauseating true face.
The girl lowered her head, her flowing black bangs slightly swaying in the wind. Her hands were tightly clenched over her chest, forming fists. Her exact expression couldn't be seen, but it must have been terrible.
"Alex..."
A faint sound, quietly chanting a certain young man's name. Saki was only one step away from collapsing, but... the sight of Alex's face in her mind reignited hope.
Perhaps the happiest thing that had happened to her in all these years was meeting Alex.
If I hadn't met him, I might have despairingly submitted to them. But now, even if I'm ostracized by the whole school, even if everyone bullies me, I don't want to submit to them!
"I won't—!"
"I don't care if you all planned this or whatever! If you try to force me, that's rape!!"
"...You bitch!"
Buzz—!
The furious-faced boy seemed ready to strike, but his raised fist froze mid-air. The world seemed to be cast in a gray-white hue, along with the firm, serious expression on Saki's pretty face.
Not just them, but the members of the track team on the field, the students chatting in the hallway, the teachers in the faculty office, the couples nestled in the small grove...
The entire school was enveloped by an invisible force. Even the birds in the trees stopped chirping. The bustling school fell into instant silence.
Except for... Alex and Mira Tsubaki, who were standing on the rooftop.
"Sigh..."
Alex had one foot propped on the railing, his hands in his pockets, looking down upon the school. Every move happening below couldn't escape his eyes.
The Time-Stop right now was his doing.
"Alex..."
Mira Tsubaki looked at the grim expression on the young man's face, pausing before she spoke.
"Those bastards... F*ck! How dare they have an orgy without inviting me?!"
Uh...
The wind blew Mira's long hair. She swept the strands away from her forehead, which was lined with black lines. "Alex, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious, Mira. Don't you think this school is perfect for an orgy?" Alex smiled, his expression unnaturally bright. "Look at those boys, every one of them is starved for sex. Tsk, tsk, tsk. If you didn't know better, you'd think this was some kind of Debauched Academy."
Mira Tsubaki was speechless.
"However... a Debauched Academy isn't necessarily a bad thing. I took a quick look, and quite a few girls here are attractive," Alex's smile gradually turned wicked, a hook in the corner of his mouth. "I'll give those boys a demonstration of what a true Devil is."
When Alex had no bottom line or moral compass, that was truly Hell.
"Alex..."
"What is it, Mira? Are you going to try and lecture me?"
"Well..."
"Don't say anything more. I know you might see my actions as highly immoral, but it's for Saki's sake, isn't it?" Alex wiped away non-existent tears, shaking his head.
"No..."
"As long as everyone becomes the same, as long as all those women become my slaves, no one will look down on Saki, right? Doesn't that make perfect sense?"
As for the boys?
Let them all rot!
"So I was just going to say—" Mira's eyes twitched wildly.
"Mira! There's no need for unnecessary words! Today, no matter what, I will turn this school into my Debauched Harem!!"
"..."
Having been interrupted repeatedly, the elegant lady rolled her eyes in frustration. "Yes, yes, yes, turn all the women in this school into Alex's debauched harem. I just wanted to ask... isn't using your Time ability like this a huge drain on your energy?"