Chabashira PoV
I'd like to ask two questions.
Question number 1: Does the Devil exist?
Before answering that question, let's have a short review on what IS exactly the ' Devil'. At least, to what most people would associate that word to.
According to most beliefs, especially those in Judeo-christian religious beliefs, they'd state that the devil is the personification of all that is evil. The darkness that swallows everything it can take in. The devil is believed to be an entity that deceives human beings to turn against God and righteousness. To partake in evil acts that turns your entire soul pitch black.
To ultimately, have you tumble and fall from grace, and become irredeemable and impossible to save even by God himself.
Now, I hope that brief review has helped refreshed your mind a little on what the ' Devil' is believed to be.
With that, let's go back to my question; Does the Devil exist?
You can take all the time you need to gather your thoughts, and form your sure-fire answer.
But...in my opinion.
The devil does not exist.
A being who commands Hell, a being who holds the power to corrupt minds with a slip of its tongue, a being who has the power to destroy the world and succumb this land into its fiery inferno...
I do not believe such a being exists.
However,
There are some who states that the Devil can be anything you think it to be. That you shouldn't chain yourself to the beliefs of the majority, to the word of the Bible and religion. To summarize, a small percentage of people would state that the concept of the devil does exist, rather than a direct entity of all that is evil.
So that brings up my second question.
Question number 2: Could the devil exist?
Could the concept of the devil truly manifest into a human entity among us?
Could the devil take form in a human being and poison others with its maliciousness?
Could someone, a human being born of flesh and blood, truly become the devil stated in the religious texts? The devil incarnate, so to speak.
Of course, throughout human history, there is a record of certain human beings that caused massacres and unexplainable murders that people will often associate to being the true act of the devil.
Adolf Hitler.
Joseph Stalin.
These two men are often in debate for the worst human being in human history, and are placed in the topic of being the closest to the devil incarnate.
But even so, these two people held personal beliefs. They believed that they were in the right, and they should be given the power to command their beliefs to be realized upon the world. That all their killing was for the greater good. That the purging was justified.
And thus, these ' human' trait breaks away from the concept of the devil. Which is to become an entity that swallows everything it can take into its darkness. A being of pure evil.
So, could there ever come a time in when a human being is born into this world, who craves nothing but chaos? A human being that is deemed worthy of the title of ' Devil' ?
I walked down the hallway, the clanking of my heels interrupting the once tranquil silence.
Could the devil really exist?
Could there be a human that can never be understood by other humans? A human truly capable with the title of ' Devil' ?
A figure leaned at the corner of the wall, that area was devoid of students and school staff. That figure was humming to himself, awaiting my presence. I soon arrived and the humming comes to a halt as his golden brown eyes look to me, his iris seemingly glowing as the light reflected it within the dark.
A human...who will corrupt other humans into doing misdeeds?
He gives me a chilling smile.
Could it be the boy staring right at me?
Could he be the devil?
" Thank you once again for your assistance, Chabashira-sensei. The plan was a complete success and happened just like I thought it would. Without your help, the chances may have lowered, so I am grateful for your kind cooperation into improving our class rank." He said to me.
" I plan to develop my classmates into becoming strong for the future. Since cooperation is the number 1 key to victory when it comes to these games that decides whether we live or die. I have to do whatever it takes to slow down my adversaries and give way to my allies." He chuckles. " Actively taking the lead was never really my agenda but... someone competent enough has to do it."
"..."
" Anyways, see you tomorrow, sensei." He waves goodbye and heads off. I look to his back as it moved farther and farther away.
I then recall back to that certain day he came to my office and informed me of his plan....
---------------------------------------------------------------
( Flashback to that day...)
" Ayanokoji....are you aware of what you're planning to do?" I ask him once.
He smiles, nodding.
I subconsciously gripped my folder a little tight as I glared at him.
" I'm sure you already know that the teachers here are--"
" Suffering just as much as the students?" He interrupts. He then continues to speak without the slightest care. " If that is the case, then you could say that what I'm about to do, is nothing short but a proper distribution. In this hellish environment, everyone is equal due to the suffering and horrors set by the director." He walks closer to me. I instinctively took a step back.
" If everyone here is equal as you say....." He leans closer to my ear and whispers his next words.
" Then everyone in this environment is free for me to use and discard."
He dropped the act for a moment there, his light tone replaced with a chilling one. He was serious about this. This is his true nature, a being that doesn't care for the well-being of others as long as it can serve his ultimate goal. He leans away while I stare at him in silent disbelief.
" And another thing, how did everything come to this? This school which was funded by the government. You'd think that the security of this school would be top-grade and yet, it was clearly overthrown by the current director, Lumine for reasons I'm yet to know. " his piercing gaze penetrated soul. It was as if he could read my mind.
" None of the staff likes Lumine one bit, so clearly nobody was on her side from the beginning. And yet, she still managed to topple the hierarchy of this school and turn it into the hell the students are familiar with today. With that, I'm led with the assumption that there was a person whom she used as her little pawn in all this...."
"..."
" You were that pawn, weren't you, Chabashira Sae?"
" Chabashira-sensei....what the hell did you do?!"
No....it's coming back to me.
" S-Sae-chan....you helped her...?"
Stop it. I'm already in enough pain-
" CHABASHIRA-SENSEI! SAVE US!"
" SENSEI! PLEASE!"
"S-Sensei....why are you just standing there..."
" Are you really going....to let us die...?"
Stop it....don't look at me with those eyes...
" Sensei..."
I began breathing heavily, but I didn't notice. The voices......their voices were too loud...
" Your body language says it all. It confirms my assumption. there is no reason to doubt your biggest sin." I hear the boy say.
" Sensei..."
" Sensei....we hope that you burn in hell..."
" They must have cursed you with their last breaths. Perhaps wanting to condemn you to the deepest pits of hell for causing their deaths."
" One day sensei...your time will come too....you disgusting bitch!"
" I HOPE YOU DIE!
" I HOPE YOU ROT!"
" I HOPE YOU BURN!"
I feel a hand smoothly placing itself on my shoulder. I looked up to face his nearing expression. What I saw wasn't just the eyes of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
No.
Behind him, stood the previous students of whom I let perish. Their eyes of hatred staring right at me, cursing me. Their faces were blurry, but their eyes were clear and told me everything I deserved. Their resentment, hatred, and despair all targeted towards me. And the one leading the charge was the boy staring in front of me. His golden eyes slowly turning dark as moments pass...
" You wish to redeem yourself. I'll give you that chance." he says to me. I didn't just hear his voice. I heard all of their voices cursing me. The person in front of me.....has become my deepest and gravest sins personified.
" Just do as I say, and soon the voices will stop."
.
.
.
.
After emptying one of the lockers in the office, I quickly stepped in and luckily I was able to fit just fine. This locker was placed at the corner west side of the room. The chances of anyone looking towards this locker is pretty slim but not impossible. There were tiny holes for me to see what's happening from the outside, although barely. But I can clearly make out Ayanokoji standing in the middle of the room and humming to himself with a tune I wasn't familiar with.
The door knob begins to rattle, I slowed down my breath immediately so as not to make any audible breathing noises. I have to keep silent and keep calm. But I wasn't asked to do just that. I slowly slid my cellphone out of my pocket and opened the camera app. I made sure to mute my phone beforehand.
And then, I saw her walk inside the room. She had chest-length brown hair, purple eyes, and a slim but well-endowed figure. Her purple orbs immediately landed on Ayanokoji's figure, the latter's humming stops as he turns to look at Hoshinomiya. He straightens his back before introducing himself.
" My name is Ayanokoji. I've been waiting for you, Hoshinomiya-sensei." He says.
" Oh~?" Hoshinomiya's attention has been piqued, clearly. She steps towards him. I began silently recording this interaction, opening the locker just slightly, just enough for my camera to capture the scene.
" My my! I never would've expected a young handsome man like yourself to wait for me here!" She beams, already in front of him and observing his expression with a hum.
Ayanokoji smiles slightly. " I'm flattered, Sensei. Having a beautiful woman compliment my looks is quite a stroke for my ego. I should be careful." He shoots back smoothly.
" Oh~ And a charmer as well! Lucky me!" She says, clearly getting turned on by this. This woman....just can't seem to rid of her bad habits.
" Oh wow...you have broad shoulders, Ayanokoji-kun..." She says in awe as she gets a feel on Ayanokoji's shoulders with her hands, slowly making its way down to his arms.
" Sensei, are you sure you should be touching me like this?" Ayanokoji asks. " It would be bad if someone were to walk in and misunderstand this." He says.
Hoshinomiya didn't seem to listen as she began getting a feel on Ayanokoji's chest. " Wow...your upper body feels...magnificent..." She says, her hands slowly making its way down there.
" Sensei." Ayanokoji grabs both of her wrists with his hands, putting her sexual touch to a hault. Still keeping that smile on his face, he begins addressing her. " Let's not go that far, shall we? A teacher and student being caught in a scandal like this.....both our lives would be jeapardized. So please don't try it." he tells her, sternly.
" I'm curious on how big is it though~" She teases.
" I don't feel the need to share that information with a woman unless she's engaged to become my wife. Which is, not happening anytime soon." he brushes away her flirtations before letting go of her hands and then taking a seat.
Hoshinomiya seems to be content with that for now, but still decides to take the seat right beside him. She's being pushy, it makes me wonder if Ayanokoji is annoyed by this, or he'd already expected this beforehand.
I'm willing to believe either.
" So, what business do you have with a young and beautiful teacher like me?" She says.
Why can't she act her age...
" I'd like for you to announce a new set of materials to your class and replace the ones given for the midterms."
Huh? He's going straight to the point.
" Pfft, what?" Hoshinomiya giggles. " What are you saying?" she begins laughing to herself while Ayanokoji looks to her with that same smile. The character he's putting on for show has yet to crack.
" Didn't think you were a joker, Ayanokoji-kun-"
" I'm not joking."
" So you're actually serious? Hahaha! Now that is funny!"
" But...." Hoshinomiya stops laughing and drops her smile. " I'm afraid I can't do that."
" Kind as I may seem, I am still a teacher here at this school and I have rules to follow. Even if you offer me private points, I doubt it will be enough to pay for a faculty member's special services." She says. She was no longer smiling but her tone of voice still remained the same. Just a bit more serious than before.
" My private points won't be enough to buy your services? Is there a set amount of private points that only you teachers know? Or perhaps.....you're intentionally trying to raise the price to a level in which I could not pay."
Hoshinomiya only smiles in challenge. Indeed there is a set amount of points that only teachers know when buying certain things, and that set amount will only change via director's orders. But in this situation, I'm willing to bet that Hoshinomiya is doing the latter of what Ayanokoji had suggested, intentionally raising the amount to her favor up to the point where Ayanokoji could never hope to pay.
This is her way of protecting the status of her class.
Unfortunately...
" That's unfortunate. But are you really sure? Complying to me will benefit you a lot more than you think." Ayanokoji says.
" Kid, I'm not foolish enough to comply with just that. I'm quite the greedy teacher, but betraying my students to satisfy that greed? That's something I'd never do. " She says.
I felt a pain in my heart when she said the latter. To never betray your students in order to satisfy your greed....I.....that's something I wish to correct. If only I did that, then they'd still be here and I'd still be respected as a teacher-- no, I don't care about that. As long as they're alive and safe.
But it's too late for that now. The damage can't be undone.
" Is that so? How noble of you." Ayanokoji nods, " Even someone with a character like yours has a soft spot for the students under you. Perhaps that's the bare-minimum anyone would want from a teacher, so I applaud you for that." He says. I feel like that was meant to attack me personally.
" However, that's not a satisfying answer to hear from you, sensei. I didn't want to have to do this, but I have no other choice." He sighs.
" Hm?" Hoshinomiya remained unfazed but soon....
" Come out, Chabashira-sensei." He calls out to me.
" Huh? What're you--"
I opened the locker door and stepped out. Ayanokoji looks over to me and gives me a nod, while Hoshinomiya slowly turns her head to me. Her expression of shock slowly morphing into one of sheer disgust. This was an uncomfortable situation for me.
" What are you doing here." She glares at me, the always smiling cheerful sensei gone as the air turned cold between us.
" Hoshinomiya-sensei. I had Chabashira-sensei record something for me during our talk."
" Record...?"
Without another word, I began playing the video for the three of us to hear.
The video showed the scene of Hoshinomiya seemingly flirting with Ayanokoji and feeling him all over. The room was silent as Hoshinomiya's face turned blank at the video. It included her almost feeling his lower region after all. This was a serious matter and she of all people knows that. While Ayanokoji flirted back as well during the video, it doesn't erase the fact that Hoshinomiya started and escalated it further than he did. In any other school, once this video gets leaked and shown to the principal, Hoshinomiya would've been fired while Ayanokoji would potentially get suspended for a few weeks ( but more likely to get away with nothing ).
" Haha....hehe..." Hoshinomiya chuckles darkly before looking at me with a smile.
" So nothing about you has changed, hm?" She says to me. " You're still a little pawn to be toyed with. And this time, Ayanokoji-kun seems to be your player. How pathetic." She mocks me.
And then she sighs, shaking her head and shrugging. " Oh well, but what's done is done. Can't change the past now, no matter how much you want to." She directed that to me.
" But, I think you shot a little too far high, Ayanokoji-kun." She says with a smile, turning to Ayanokoji. The latter raises a brow.
" Did you intend to threaten me by showing this to the director if I don't comply with your wishes?"
" Yes."
" Do you really think the director would care? Even a tiny bit?"
She grins. Ayanokoji stares at her in silence, not saying anything. I had a feeling this would be the case. Hoshinomiya knows how to turn the tables, given that she and I, along with the teacher of Class D ( Arisu's class ) , were alumnus of Advanced Nurturing High. And Hoshinomiya was just as cunning as she is now from back then.
Indeed, would the director even care? This plan would've worked if it were any other school. But in this type of school where the rules bend to the director's will.....it's hopeless, no? But this is unusual, I'm sure that Ayanokoji wouldn't have missed such a crucial detail in his planning. It's out of character for him to waste his mystery factor with such a mistake like this.
" Heh! So all this hype was for nothing!" She beams at him. " You've come far, and done wonderful. As a teacher, I respect all your efforts throughout the games so far. But this is quite a misplay for you, Ayanokoji-kun. " She says.
" Well then! This was quite the eventful afternoon. But it's getting late and I'm quite tired." Hoshinomiya says as she stretches her arms. " I'll be going now. I am pretty tired today."
" Bye bye~"
She heads to the door, humming to herself cheerfully. Ayanokoji was yet to say anything or maybe he really didn't have anything to say at all? I wonder what's going on inside his head. It's difficult to predict what he might do next in a seemingly hopeless situation-
" Do you play poker, Hoshinomiya-sensei?" He calls out to her without looking.
Hoshinomiya halts just as she was about to open the door. Why did he say that all of a sudden?
" What's with that question, Ayanokoji-kun? Now that you've got nothing to say as a comeback, you intend to make small talk? How bland." Hoshinomiya giggles, and yet she still stayed. Why is that?
If she didn't care, then any other person would've expected her to leave without a second thought.
" Nothing. Just thought I'd ask....because..."
" Your poker face is not too shabby, Hoshinomiya-sensei."
" Poker face?" I finally decided to speak. I needed to know where he was going with this and why Hoshinomiya still isn't leaving.
" Yeah." he nods. " From our interaction, I was observing her way of speech, expression, body language, and discerning her character from what she shown to me at least. Then I came to the conclusion that Hoshinomiya sensei might go well with poker, and then that conclusion turned to: Hoshinomiya-sensei must like to play poker." he says.
" The way she came at me with words carried through subtle aggression in order to create an illusion in where this situation was hopeless to begin with. A nice bluff to use the director's interests to your favor, and also the fact that we aren't in an ordinary school. And then masking it gently with oozing confidence to throw me off the track entirely and leave the conversation just like that." He explains in detail. How did he discern this much? And he worded it in a way that suggests that it's not an act of desperation but rather straight fact, especially when Hoshinomiya is still here to listen.
" Now you're just speaking out from your ass, Ayanokoji-kun. Don't you think you sound a little desperate?" Hoshinomiya says.
" But you sound a little defensive there, sensei." he responds in a heart beat. " Could it be that you do indeed play poker?"
" And if I do, what of it?"
" Then you must be drowning in debt."
" Huh?"
I stood there wide-eyed. This interaction was shifting to Ayanokoji's favor once more.
" Everything I mentioned so far, are simple tricks that any poker player should apply in a game. But these tricks began turning into your habits, which were clear for me to identify." he says, " That opens the theory of you entangling yourself in the art of gambling. Your character fits nicely into that category, the way you didn't hesitate to get a feel on me gave me the impression that you had a risky character."
He slowly walks towards her, not breaking off their eye-contact.
" And those who possess risky characters are very likely to partake in gambling for the thrill of it, or for the greed. And yours, I determine to be the former."
" As far as I know, from what Lumine said and from what Chabashira-sensei herself had confirmed.....it's that everyone here has chains they can't break free off. And all those chains trace back to Lumine one way or another." He stares her down like he did to me.
Hoshinomiya looked petrified as she dares to look into his uncomfortable gaze.
" In your case, endless amount of debt must be the root of your stay. Debt you cannot pay. Debt that will drown you if ever you escape from this place." He reaches for her hands and gently caresses her palms.
And then, with a soft tone, he spoke,
" It would be a shame if Lumine really chose to dispose of you once she sees this video..."
" You have a point saying that more likely than not, she wouldn't care one bit. However, you forget one crucial thing about the cruel director; that she's a sadist to her very core."
" D-Don't touch me!" She pulls her hand away from his grip and musters the strength to feign anger towards him, but even I can tell that behind that facade is nothing but genuine fear. Her thoughts must be messy and insecure now.
" Lumine has nothing to lose if she were to kick you out or even kill you, all for the laughs. Do you seriously think you mean anything to her? If I propose the idea to her in an entertaining manner, then she'll likely act on it. She can replace you with one of her own employees to take your spot as Teacher of Class A. If it means seeing you suffer, she'll gladly approve-"
" WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Hoshinomiya roars out with every shred of emotion. " WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? DID I DO ANYTHING WRONG TO YOU? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE ME SUFFER MORE THAN I ALREADY AM!" She cries out.
I was shell-shocked at the sight. Tears were pricking the corner of her eyes.
" Why....WHY THE HELL MUST YOU PLACE MY LIFE ON THE LINE!" She grabs him by his blazer's collar. " For the past few years...I spent coping.....because of these damn chains. " She grits her teeth to seem more angry than sad, but her falling tears said otherwise.
" I can't help myself...I can't save my students. This is the only thing I can do for them. Just endure until I finally turn rotten." She looks down to the ground, but her grip still stayed strong on his collar.
" But these chains....it's not because of the director. It's because of your selfish homeroom advisor...." her voice breaks, " I may gamble my life away and all my money. I may surround myself with debt. I also carry my own sins."
" But Chabashira...that bitch gambled the lives of her students..."
....
" She helped that wicked woman achieve her goal and changed this environment to literal hell. Chabashira is a nasty human being. And then you come around to make things WORSE." She looks up to him with burning anger. " JUST LEAVE ME AND MY STUDENTS ALONE! Please......"
" I beg you....p-please...."
And the tears finally fall without reservation. She could no longer hold them back. I felt like crying too but I'm not given that privilege. She's right, I'm a nasty horrible woman. I don't deserve the right to cry when I let my greed consume me.
I can't blame this on the devil.
" I do not care." He says, with indifference in his tone and expression. He grips the woman's shoulders and forces her teary eyes to look deep into his.
" If you truly wish to stay and protect your students. Then do as I say." He bluntly puts.
Hoshinomiya, through her sobbing, was once again filled with fear.
He smiles at her mess of a face.
" I do not care about your ambition or wishes. I will put you to use, no matter what. Even if it means holding everything you hold dear hostage." He says.
how....how could he say that...?
Everything he's doing...
Is the act of a devil.
" Announce a new set of study materials for your class. And convince the other teachers to do the same. That is all, Hoshinomiya."
And the boy wins.
Hoshinomiya Chie....has no choice but to comply in order to protect what dignity she has left by protecting her students.
Her students.....the one thing she refuses to gamble...
----------------------------------------------
( Back to the present...)
That's what happened. The sheer horror I felt as I watched him break her down.
He used Hoshinomiya, because he knew that out of all of the classroom advisors, she'd had the most influence. She knew her way around lying to others. Eventually, Sakagami-sensei and Mashima-sensei fell for her lies and switched the materials as well and I eventually followed as to not be suspicious via Ayanokoji's wishes.
But after the deed had been done, he told me to delete the video in front of Hoshinomiya. At the time, I wondered why he would allow the video to be deleted? He's basically untying Hoshinomiya's leash and once again letting her run on her own terms. But now I understood, if Hoshinomiya sensei were to take back her word, then the trust between students and teacher will dampen and become weaker within her class. That'll prove a huge obstacle for her class to overcome and Hoshinomiya knows that, which is why she hadn't done anything against Ayanokoji's expectations....
This boy....
It really raises the question of whether or not he is the devil...
But even after what had transpired...
I don't think he's the devil.
Because even he has goals to carry. It's unclear what they may be, but he doesn't seek destruction. Why else would he untie Hoshinomiya's leash when the plan is secured?
Wouldn't the devil kept the video no matter what? To act as leverage?
He didn't do that, simply because his goal had been achieved for now.
He has goals....just like a human.
That's why, he's not the devil.
But if he were to truly erase the last human aspect he has left...
Then...
The devil could truly exist within that boy.
CHAPTER END....
Hi :)
Bye ;)