Multiverse travel starts from a crossover right?

Yawning, I dragged myself toward the terrace, successfully bunking yet another class. Why? Because I already knew what they were teaching. I could sit there, nod like a good student, and pretend I gave a damn.

Yeah, no. Not in the mood today.

After basically paying Kazuomi to be my friend, my mood was already in the gutter. That bastard. I should start charging interest on emotional damage.

I strolled through the corridor, minding my own business until I wasn't.

What was that?

A cat?

The sound was weird, but hey, I had time to kill. So, like the dumbass protagonist of a horror movie, I changed course and followed the noise.

I passed by empty classrooms, of which there were way too many. This school was huge. State-of-the-art facilities. Top-tier infrastructure. More budget than common sense.

And yet, despite all that, here I was.

Skipping class.

Investigating a possible cat.

Peak decision-making.

Then, mid-step, I froze.

That wasn't a cat.

I narrowed my eyes. Listened closer.

The sound was off.

A muffled voice. Then another. I leaned against the door.

"Hehe… don't worr… …body will come…"

A pause. Then another voice, lower but clear enough.

"..ah… this …oor… empty… your… won't b ..eard."

I frowned.

Two male voices.

And that stifled grunt? A girl.

I didn't need a detective hat to figure out what was happening in there.

A rape.

Now, that raised some questions.

Should I save her? Yes.

Can I save her? Yes.

Do I need to save her? No.

Will I save her? Yes.

Will I call the authorities? LMAO, no.

Because let's be real, who knows what kind of bullshit they're blackmailing her with?

What if she panicked? What if she denied it? What if she pointed at me and screamed, "HE ATTACKED ME!"?

Then what?

Who's solving that problem?

Exactly.

1… 2… 3

CRACK!

The lock snapped under my kick.

I shoved the door open.

And there it was.

The crime scene.

A girl lay on the floor.

Shirt shoved up, exposing a pink bra.

Skirt hiked up.

Panties with, hold up, bunnies?

Cute.

Wrong place, wrong time, wrong aesthetic.

Her mouth was gagged. Tears pooled in her eyes.

Not from my year.

Senpai.

I barely glanced at her before locking onto the problem.

Two bastards.

One standing. Holding a camera.

The other crouched over her, hands too close to her panties.

Conclusion: No physical contact yet.

That was about to change.

Camera guy was the first to react. "Hey"

Wrong move.

I was already on him.

Fist. Jawline. Impact.

CRACK.

His head snapped sideways.

His body followed.

He collapsed, unconscious before he hit the floor.

The camera slipped from his grasp, straight into mine.

Now, for scumbag number two.

He tried to get up.

I didn't let him.

A sharp pivot.

A brutal kick to the stomach.

Air? Evacuated.

Lungs? Temporarily out of service.

He crumpled, clutching his gut, wheezing like a fish on land.

Temporary knockout.

Two down.

I exhaled, adjusting my stance, scanning the room.

Alright.

Now, time to clean up this mess.

I crouched, picking up the camera while glancing at the girl. She was still processing everything, her wide eyes darting between me and the two unconscious idiots on the floor.

I flipped through the footage.

The video was short, just four minutes. Shirt unbuttoned. Skirt hiked up. No actual assault yet.

Which meant I got here just in time.

But something nagged at me.

Was she their first target?

Doubt it.

This kind of shit didn't start in the middle of the school day.

Which meant these two had done this before.

I turned to the girl. "How did they get you?"

Silence.

I didn't like silence.

I met her gaze, voice low, sharp. "Speak."

She flinched. "I… I…"

I tuned her out for a moment, patting down the bastards' pockets.

School IDs.

Yep, same year as me.

Money.

Taken.

Nothing special.

And, oh.

Dozens of condoms.

I raised a brow. Damn, someone was optimistic.

"So, let me get this straight, your friend called you here, and these two were already waiting?"

Sayuki nodded, her voice still shaky.

I clicked my tongue. Classic setup.

"Name?"

She hesitated for seconds.

"Sayuki Tokihara," she muttered.

"And your friend?"

"...Yuki Yuika."

I let that sit for a moment.

Then I sighed.

A setup.

A betrayal.

A dumbass with a camera.

And a condom collection that screamed "overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."

"Adjust your clothes and go to class."

Not that I needed to tell her, she was already doing it.

As she reached the door, she hesitated. A whisper.

"…Thanks."

And then, gone.

I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. Well. That happened.

I turned back to the unconscious duo, stepping over the one still wheezing on the floor.

I can't leave them.

Not when they saw my face.

Killing them? Not an option. I haven't crossed that line.

Not yet.

And besides, why waste good trash when I can recycle it?

I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone. Screen lit up. Camera app open.

Because, really, did they think I kicked that door down without recording? Amateurs.

If this were a video game, I just unlocked the blackmail skill tree.

Sure, someone like Ghost-Maker would've ended them on the spot. Clean. Efficient. Psychopath chic.

But me?

I like options.

I crouched beside Camera Guy, flipping through his pockets. Phone. Wallet. Spare battery. Nice.

Then, a smirk tugged at my lips. Bingo.

An SD card.

I slotted it into my own phone. Scrolling… scrolling… and there it was. A folder.

[PRIVATE. DO NOT OPEN.]

…Wow. They really named it that.

I tapped it open. And yep, this wasn't their first time.

Videos. Pictures. Multiple girls. Some unconscious. Some crying. Some—

I locked my phone. No need to see more.

That was leverage.

Sayuki Tokihara… Sayuki Tokihara…

Her name still nagged at me.

Where had I heard that before?

I snapped my fingers.

Hold up.

Isn't she…

********

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