Katsura Kotonoha was currently being cornered by four girls. Three of them were the same troublemakers who had snooped around the infirmary earlier that afternoon, led by a girl Kawashima Toya hadn't met yet—likely their ringleader.
"What do you think you're doing?" Toya called out, stepping forward to intervene.
"Oh? And who are you?" The leader, Kato Otome, looked at the handsome young man with suspicion. He didn't look much older than they were.
Obuchi Minami leaned in to whisper, "Big sis, that's the new school nurse, Kawashima-sensei."
"Hmph. Just a school nurse?" Otome remained unimpressed, her lips curling into a sneer. "Listen, Sensei, school is over. Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Why don't you just go home? Isn't it exhausting enough being a corporate drone all day?"
"Quite the attitude," Toya said, shaking his head. "As students, you should really learn some respect. You ought to be trying to get along with your classmates."
He was giving them one final chance to walk away. If reasoning didn't work, he was prepared to use a different method: meeting violence with violence.
Otome scoffed. "Sensei, you might be good-looking, but stay out of our business. It's after hours. As far as I'm concerned, you aren't a teacher right now."
A thin smile played across Toya's face. "You're absolutely right," he said softly. "If you don't see me as a teacher, then I don't have to see you as a student. I can just treat you like a common delinquent."
"And to be honest, I'm quite good at dealing with delinquents."
Toya adjusted his cuffs, his gaze turning cold as he stepped toward the group.
"The method for dealing with punks is simple: you just need to beat some sense into them."
Seeing Toya stepping up for her, Kotonoha spoke up, her voice trembling. "Kawashima-sensei, please... you don't have to do this. Just let them be... I'm already used to it."
"That won't do," Toya replied. "I might just be the school nurse, but you're still a student of this academy. It's my job to ensure your safety."
When it came to bullying, if he had the power to stop it, he saw no reason not to lend a hand. Besides, he needed the exercise.
"Once we're done with this delusional nurse, we'll get back to you," Otome sneered. "Get him!"
The four girls charged at once, completely oblivious to the massive gap in strength. They seemed to think that having numbers on their side made them invincible.
"Stay down." Toya's eyes were filled with disdain.
Ten seconds later, Toya stood over them, looking down at the four girls groaning on the pavement. "If you're still not convinced, feel free to get back up."
"S-Sensei, we're sorry!"
"We were wrong! We won't mess with Katsura-san again!"
Otome stared up at Toya with pure terror, frantically apologizing. The other three followed suit, their voices cracking as the pain brought them to the verge of tears.
"Since you're calling me 'Sensei' now, I suppose I can give you another chance."
Toya reached down and gently helped Otome to her feet. "I trust you've realized the error of your ways," he said warmly. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."
"W-we won't touch her, I promise!" Otome stammered, her hand shaking as she held onto him.
To her, the man standing before her was no longer a handsome teacher—he was a demon. The four of them had rushed him, yet they hadn't even been able to graze his clothes before they were neutralized.
She knew he hadn't even been trying. If he had used his full strength, they would likely be in the hospital.
"Club activities are over. Go straight home," Toya said flatly.
Given permission to leave, Otome and her lackeys scrambled away as fast as they could. Toya turned to Kotonoha, who was still standing there, looking awkward and unsettled.
"Katsura-san, I know that keeping your head down and enduring it feels like the easiest way out," Toya said gently. "But if you keep backing down, people like that will only become more emboldened. If you can, try to stand your ground. And if you ever feel like you can't, come find me."
With that, Toya gave her a nod and continued on his way. Kotonoha watched his retreating back, her heart a whirlwind of emotions. He had made her feel safe—protected.
Kawashima-sensei...
Toya looked down at his sleeves and sighed. I shouldn't have bothered unbuttoning my cuffs for four high schoolers. I took them too seriously.
He had expected Otome and her gang to be a bit more formidable, but they were just posers. The bullies were actually more fragile than the girl they were picking on.
.....
Commercial District
Toya decided not to head straight back to the faculty dormitory. Going home right after work felt a bit too lonely.
He wandered through the streets, watching the crowds. Most people were walking in pairs or groups.
Now I feel even more lonely, he thought with a sigh.
He decided that going back to play games and mess with Gabriel was a much better plan. He stopped by a convenience store, picked up a few snacks, and headed back to his room.
Once settled in, he logged into his game and was immediately greeted by a flood of messages. They were all from Gabriel.
Oh? She wants a truce?
Toya watched as Gabriel's character ran toward him in the game world. Something felt off. He had killed her character more times than he could count; someone with her personality didn't usually forgive and forget so easily.
She isn't wearing any gear at all. She really does look like she wants to make peace.
Toya was skeptical, but the lack of equipment made him lower his guard.
He was about to accept her request when Gabriel suddenly swung a basic knife at his character. The screen was instantly filled with a wall of damage numbers—all of them nines.
I... are you serious? A script-kiddy?
Seeing the impossible damage output, Toya immediately realized what she had done. Gabriel had turned into a cheater. The "peace" message was just a ruse to make sure he didn't dodge.
Fine. If that's how you want to play. Let's see how you handle the anti-cheat system.
Toya let out a cold laugh and hit the report button on her profile.
In an instant, Gabriel's character, which had been spamming taunts in the chat, was forcibly disconnected.
A system message informed him that the user had been banned for thirty years. Toya's character respawned on the spot, all his lost gear restored.
Looking at the pile of high-level equipment that had dropped from Gabriel's banned character, Toya smirked.
"Do you think the developers are idiots? Even if you're going to cheat, you don't make it that obvious."
.....
Meanwhile, in an apartment in Tokyo, Gabriel stared at her screen in a daze. The ban notice glared back at her.
"Wait... how did I get caught? The guy said the script was undetectable!"
"Dammit! I just spent a month's worth of food money on that gear! Now that Scum Fox has everything..."