Volume 1 Chapter 6.3
Citrus Magic, Sequins, and the Glitter
of Counterfeit Coins Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
Jin can still vividly
recall what happened on that fateful day.
It was the day,
approaching his thirteenth birthday, when Jin and Rusty, the man who had raised
him, were holding a celebration party together.
It was right after he
had swindled a trader out of a large sum of money by posing as a boy with a
psychic ability to foretell the future as well as his guardian. The trick had
been done many times before, but the scale of the job was the largest Jin had
ever undertaken.
The red-faced Rusty
slurped down a bottle of high-quality liquor that didn't fit the shabby
hut-like house, and said.
"Listen, Jin,
being a scammer is not a good business."
"Indeed. It takes
a lot of time and effort, and it's very risky."
"As long as we
are in this business, we must always maintain a line between us and the rest of
the world. We can't settle down in one place or have a deep relationship with
someone. We have to live in solitude, constantly fighting the fear of being
caught lying and thrown in jail or hell."
"But you have me,
so don't worry. You will never be alone."
Rusty did not reply to
the words Jin had uttered out of anxiety.
After downing more
than half of his remaining liquor in one gulp, Rusty met Jin's eyes head-on.
"Jin, you're
still a kid. You're not like me, who lost my way a long time ago. You can
forget all the skills I taught you and go on with your life as a normal
person."
"Wait, what are
you saying? Are you telling me to wash my feet after all these years?"
"...... Well, it
wouldn't hurt to know that you have a lot of options. You're no longer just a
kid on the street waiting for charity after all."
While being roughly
patted on the head, Jin sensed a disturbing sign.
─Always observe your surroundings and be sensitive to
signs of danger.
That's what Rusty had
told him many times. The current conversation felt exactly like a sign of
danger to Jin.
In fact, his
premonition came true.
By the time Jin woke
up in the late afternoon and realized that sleeping pills had been slipped into
his drink, it was already too late to do anything about it.
It was not until a
week later that he learned what had happened to Rusty.
What was featured in a
newspaper that was being handed out on the streets was a fearless smile that he
had always seen up close.
[Rusty Yellowkid-Wale,
the <legendary scammer> who made a fortune through credit fraud posing as
a psychic, was finally arrested! His longtime misdeeds have come to an end
thanks to the determined pursuit of the <White Knights>. For nearly 20
years, Rusty has been single-handedly deceiving the masses......]
Until he read this
article, Jin knew nothing about Rusty.
He did not know that
Rusty was being hunted by the <White Knights>. Nor did he know that Rusty
had figured out that he couldn't escape any longer.
The fact that the
<White Knights>, a special agency, had made a move probably meant that
Rusty had been recognized as an enemy of the empire. Jin didn't even want to
imagine how the great sinner who had deceived the country for so long would be
treated in prison.
Jin repeatedly
condemned his weak self, who had been stupidly put to sleep with drugs and
unilaterally saved without a word of farewell.
There was nothing else
a helpless child could do.
Jin's thoughts were
interrupted by a knock at the toilet door.
He wondered how long
he had been here, sitting on the toilet with the lid down. He flushed once and
exited the toilet, so as not to look suspicious.
A pale-faced male
student rushed into the toilet room in turn. The other toilet had been closed
for a long time, and a small line of people were waiting outside the toilet.
This must be a sign that many of the students were extremely nervous.
No wonder, Jin
thought.
Three students in the
entire grade have already been expelled from school as a result of the last
<Chase Tag>.
If the opponent gains
more seconds than one's own points, one will lose everything at that instant─many students must have been reminded of such a cruel
reality once again.
And it was no
different for Jin himself.
The day after he and
Nina went out to town, Jin received a declaration of war from Bennett.
Jin had 103 points, so
even if he were to lose the upper limit of 50 points in this <Chase Tag>,
it would not be game over for him.
However, Jin's
reputation as an [unknown powerhouse] that he had built up to this point would
be shattered.
Jin walked to the
front of the gymnasium, where everyone was assembled, and tried to sort out
Bennett's abilities.
- Psychic ability to summon a fire puppet that can think autonomously.
- Not only does the puppet automatically chase after its enemies, but it can also change its shape at will.
- The condition for activation is to keep staring at the light of a match of a specific brand for at least 10 seconds.
- The only weakness is that when the match is extinguished, the fire puppet also disappears with it.
Once again, this power
is so extraordinary that it is hard to believe it is at the level of a student.
The activation
conditions are somewhat difficult, and the autonomous thoughts are probably
some kind of a bluff. Perhaps it is just programmed to perform complex actions
in advance. However, even so, it is still more than powerful enough.
To begin with, it is
unusual when the details of one's ability are so well known.
This is nothing but
the reverse side of the fact that Bennett thinks that it is perfectly fine even
if the activation conditions and weaknesses are known.
Therefore, Jin decided
to take immediate action.
At lunchtime today, he
approached Bennett from behind on his way to the cafeteria and succeeded in
inserting his hand into the pocket of his coat, which contained a matchbox.
Outstanding
pickpocketing skills. Taking advantage of the crowd, he read his opponent's
line of sight and center of gravity, and then took advantage of the moment of
greatest distraction to complete the job. This degree of skill is nothing less
than child's play to Jin.
Even if the contents
of the matchbox had been replaced with a different brand of matches, Bennett
would not have noticed.
The instructor called
his name. It is almost time to fight.
Jin switched his
thoughts and followed Bennett, who was heading into the gymnasium first.
"You'd better
give up as soon as the game starts."
Bennett smiled thinly
as soon as they faced each other at their designated positions on the field.
"From what I've
heard, your psychological abilities are not suited for this kind of game.
Besides, I don't want to hurt people in a futile fight either."
Jin remained silent
and observed Bennett's expression.
A look that is neither
conceited nor careless, a look that is convinced that his victory is the
planned outcome. It was a type of expression he had not seen in many of the
people he had deceived.
"Well, you know
what?"
Jin decided to move
his mouth to disrupt the other party's concentration, even if only a little.
"I really feel
for you. If you were lost to an inferior student like me, you'd lose all the
credibility you've built up so far ...... Oh, and that merrymaking party might
be dismantled, too."
"......
Unfortunately, I'm not going to underestimate you. Even if you are someone who
survived a <duel> against Nina. I don't know what kind of dirty tricks
you used after all."
Bennett said in a low
voice. He sounded as if he was holding back the urge to speak too fast with the
power of reason. This is the characteristic of a person who is angry right now.
─Looks like his boiling point is lower than I thought.
While calmly judging
the situation, Jin put a vicious smile on his face.
"But why are you
getting involved with me? You're giving me the creeps though."
"Are you
pretending to be insensitive?'
"Not that I'm
against being prejudiced, but if it's a romantic thing, I'm not sure I can
handle it."
"Wha, you can't
be serious."
"Or, is it
perhaps because of that? Are you perhaps still mad at me for leaving the
meeting at that time?......"
"Enough, it's
becoming unpleasant."
Bennett told the
instructor standing outside the field in a cold voice that rejected everything.
"Let's start now,
Instructor Isabella. My back's feeling cramped."
As soon as the
starting whistle blew, Bennett lit the match he had taken out of the box.
Jin is still within
reach once he overcomes an obstacle, but Bennett has yet to chase after him. He
has not moved from his starting position and is just staring at the flame
flickering at the tip of the match.
Bennett seems
confident that the <Executioner of Immolation> will be summoned in the
next 10 seconds.
If the matchbox had
been switched, such a future would never have come.
"You look so
relaxed, huh, Jin. You are about to be burned you know?"
"No need to
worry, you can't attack me. It has been decided since the beginning."
"......What do
you mean?"
"Why don't you
figure it out for yourself? Maybe it'll be a good exercise for your
brain."
Jin did not miss the
unstable emotions seeping into Bennett's face.
He was unable to grasp
what kind of moves his elusive opponent was going to make.
If that were the case,
there was no other way but to take advantage of that suspicion.
"Let me give you
a prediction. Your psychic abilities won't work on me."
"Haha, on what
basis ......?"
"If you're not
sure, why don't you try it? Look, I'm not going anywhere."
Ten seconds after
lighting the match, Bennett looked downward. He was probably in a desperate
situation because there was still no sign that his puppet would be summoned.
"I guess I hit
the mark after all. I'm honestly surprised myself. So what are you going to do,
Bennett? Are you going to go after me yourself?"
Bennett hung his head
and his shoulders seemed to be trembling. Is he that frustrated?
──No, he is not.
Jin noticed a fatal
fact.
Bennett was now
desperately stifling a burst of laughter.
"It's
hilarious...... very hilarious, Jin. You don't even know that you've been
fooled by me this whole time."
A blazing fireball
formed in front of Bennett's eyes.
The fireball kept
growing like a living creature, and in no time at all, it transformed into a
human form.
"......Are you kidding
me?"
The scheme that Jin
devised during the lunch break had been for naught.
The <Executioner of
Immolation> which was summoned without a hitch, rushed at him, scattering
sparks of fire.
"Uwaaaah!"
The spot touched by
the fire sparks was hit by an intense pain that felt as if it melted the marrow
of the bones.
Even rolling on the
ground was not enough to extinguish the fire. The spark of fire, which was once
very small, spread rapidly, covering Jin's entire left arm in the blink of an
eye.
When Bennett, who had
approached him before he knew it, tapped him on the shoulder, he could think of
nothing else to do but endure the pain.
"Calm down. It's
not like you're going to die"
Bennett told him in
the most heartless way possible.
"Those flames are
a little special. Not only can I control its temperature and shape, but I can
also control its lethality. With the current configuration, you won't get
burned, even if your whole body is engulfed in flames. ......Unfortunately,
though, the pain is the same as that of ordinary flames."
The fact that Bennett
spoke with a tone of voice that even sounded compassionate was unnervingly
frightening.
A flame that never
kills when touched is not something pacifistic.
Never kill the
opponent, only continuously inflicting pain ─ what a torturous ability.
Bennett blew out the
match, and the flames that had covered half of Jin's body disappeared.
"Now it's your
turn."
Suppressing the urge
to run away, Jin's thoughts drifted back and forth.
Calm down. Think about
the situation calmly.
Even if he could
summon the puppet without any problem, it would still take him 10 seconds to
activate his ability.
All I have to do is
touch any part of his body before then.
"............Ha?"
Even so, his faint
hopes were easily shattered the moment after the whistle blew.
Less than two seconds
after Bennett lit the match, the <Executioner of Immolation> was summoned
again.
When one thought about
it, it was rather unnatural that such sensitive information about the
activation conditions of psychic ability was being circulated.
It was more reasonable
to assume that Bennett had spread misinformation and had misled those around
him into believing his fake weaknesses.
"Haha, you don't
have to be so frightened. After all, you're the demon now."
Unable to control the
fear that was etched into his body, Jin could not take a single step.
Only one turn was
needed.
With just that one
turn, Jin had lost more than 50 seconds of the game.
"With this, the
game is over. I win."
"Don't screw with
me......."
Jin could not contain
his overflowing emotions.
"What kind of
trick did you pull, Bennett!?"
"Trick, huh
...... is that what you call it?"
Bennett had a troubled
look on his face, as if he were trying to persuade a whining child.
As it was, he
approached Jin slowly and whispered in a voice that the instructor could not
hear.
"It's more than
obvious that you're no match for me. ......That's why you tried to switch the
contents of the matchbox, right? But too bad. I replaced it with a spare matchbox
before this game started."
".......What are
you talking about?"
"Aa~, don't play
dumb with me. I've already proven it. As expected, lighting the match you
swapped out didn't trigger my ability. ......That was a close call."
"............"
"With this, you
do understand, no? You are not worthy of Nina. No, I think that your very
presence in this academy itself is nothing but a bad joke."
For the first time in
a long time, Jin remembered.
Is this the taste of
defeat?
Bennett is not just a
monster. He is also a schemer who is willing to manipulate information in order
to defeat his enemies.
As Jin could do
nothing but stand there, the relentless words rained down on him.
"If you still
don't understand, let me give you a piece of advice. Let Nina go at once. You
have no right to hang around with her, you are not worthy of her. ......If you
won't back down like a grown-up, I'll really burn you down next time, so be
prepared."
All Jin could do was
stare in utter dismay as Bennett headed for the exit with a blank expression on
his face as if he had completely lost interest.
End of Chapter 6
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