Academy SP 〜An Ex-Mercenary Reincarnated as a Mob in a Gal Game. I Ditched My Bodyguard Job to Enjoy High School Life, but When the Ultra-Rich Heroines Were About to Get Killed, I Stepped In… and Somehow Built a Harem Powerful Enough to Control Japan〜 - Chapter 91, 92 & 93

Chapter 91

Side: Ayaka

“Gugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

Wakou’s ear-splitting scream echoed through the room.

A sickening crack—like stone or brick shattering—rang out, and blood sprayed across the floor.

(……………………!)

I saw it.

Just below Wakou’s nose—
More precisely, his upper jaw—had caved in.

“Aa… Aa… Aaa…”

Maybe it was because his mouth was filling with blood.
Or maybe because his upper jaw had been completely destroyed.

I couldn’t tell.

But Wakou’s scream had turned into something choked—like he couldn’t even force the sound out anymore.

“How is it? Did a whole new world open up for you?”

“Aaa… Aa… Aaa…”

Looking down at Wakou—blood, teeth, and torn flesh spilling out—Takahashi spoke to him.

But at this point, there was no way Wakou could form proper words.

“What ‘villain’? Acting like being evil makes you great—that’s some middle school mindset. Just how small was the world you grew up in?”

“AaAa… Aa…”

“Well, whatever. —For an idiot like you, this should be a good wake-up call.”

Saying that, Takahashi raised his elbow once more.

“Aa… Aa… Aaaaa!!”

Wakou forced out a broken cry, trying to resist—but—

The elbow came crashing down without mercy.

CRACK…!!!

Again—

The same.

That same sickening sound of something breaking echoed through the room.

“Gubaaahhh…!!”

Wakou spewed blood.

From his shattered lower jaw…

From the nose down, his face had sunk in—like a toothless old man—
No… at this point, it didn’t even look human anymore.

His eyes rolled back completely as he collapsed.
His red tongue lolled out from the side, hanging loosely—like a lifeless dog’s.

“Wakou…!”

Urabe’s voice called out—but it rang hollow.

“……………………”

Even Kojima’s usual smirk faded for a moment, his expression turning serious.

(That’s… brutal…)

That was what I honestly thought, seeing what Takahashi had done to Wakou.

But at the same time—

I knew I couldn’t look away.

(Because Takahashi came for me… I’m still alive like this…)

And when I thought about everything Wakou had done to innocent people—

This outcome felt… inevitable.

I didn’t know how others would see it.
Some would probably say that everyone has human rights.
Some might even condemn what Takahashi was doing.

But I…

At the very least, I believed there was a kind of justice in what Takahashi was doing.

The people here—

This was the kind of thing it took to deal with them.

And more than anything—

If he was fighting for my sake, then how could I not stand by him?

As I looked at Wakou—no longer even sure if he was alive or dead—

My resolve quietly, firmly settled within me.

No matter what form it took—

…I would see this through to the end.

But still, there was an unsettling tension in the air.

Takahashi—

It felt like he was consumed by a level of anger far beyond anything normal.

What was this…?
Why was he this angry—?

“Hehehehe…!”

Just then, Kojima let out a creepy laugh.

“Hehehehe… fuhehehehe…! This is fun…!!”

It was enough to make me wonder if he had taken some kind of dangerous drug.

“Just got out of prison, and now I get to fight a cocky little brat like this—man, I’m getting excited. To think you pushed Wakou this far… hehehehe…!”

Saying that, Kojima drew the dagger in his hand.

The blade gleamed faintly in the dim room.
A faint smell of blood lingered on it.

“Today’s my lucky day. I get to let my blade drink plenty of blood. I even sliced off that guy’s fingers earlier…”

“Ugh…!”

Hearing that, frustration welled up inside me.

Imamura’s fingers—

This man had cut them off with his own hands.

It was too cruel.

“And then—”

But the next words Kojima said left me stunned.

“I even got to stab some bitch right in the gut…!”

“What…!?”

A student… what was he talking about?

The last thing I remembered was Imamura being attacked—
After that, Urabe knocked me unconscious, so I didn’t know what happened next.

But from what he said…

Did that mean someone from the “Academy SP” got stabbed?

No way!

At that moment, I turned to look at Takahashi.

And a chill ran down my spine—so intense it felt like my entire body froze.

〇

Side: Isoyama

“H-Hey! They said the ambulance will be here any minute!”

Hearing Ootani’s words, I finally let out a breath of relief.

Judging by how long it took after the call, that gang must’ve caused serious chaos at the scene.

But still—

At least now, there was finally some hope.

All that was left—

Was Takahashi.

“…I wonder if Takahashi’s okay. We sent him off alone…”

Saeki muttered, clearly worried.

So everyone else was thinking the same thing too.

Wakita got stabbed…

And that guy—was seriously pissed.

I get it.

I’m pissed too.

But Takahashi—

This might sound crazy, but… you’re not going to cross it, right?

…That line.

I still want to keep going to school with you…

…like normal.

〇

Side: Ayaka

(Takahashi…)

Looking at his profile, I felt a kind of fear I had never experienced before.

It was like countless needles piercing through my entire body all at once—
That kind of overwhelming, terrifying sensation.

…I see.

Now I understood.

The true source of Takahashi’s anger—

“You’re the one…”

Veins bulged at his temple, his eyes wide as he glared straight at Kojima—

With a face like a demon, Takahashi spoke.

“You’re the bastard who stabbed Wakita…!!”

Chapter 92

Side: Ayaka

“Hehehe…! Something wrong, huh? You’re looking pretty pissed off! That glasses guy—he your friend or something~?”

Kojima stuck out his tongue, mocking Takahashi in a teasing tone.

“Come to think of it, did he die? Hehehe…! Didn’t expect I’d end up killing a kid, but hey—he brought it on himself for going against us, right!?”

…Killed?

That guy with the glasses… his name was Wakita.
The one who fought desperately to protect me—someone I owed my life to.

And yet, I treated him coldly…
In the end, I even threw him aside.

Even so, he still bravely stood up against the Tosa Family.
And he even told me not to blame myself more than necessary.

That guy—

Was he saying he killed him while I was unconscious…?

“No…!”

Frustration and grief welled up inside me, almost bringing me to tears.
That was the one thing I absolutely didn’t want to happen…!

“—Wakita is alive.”

At Takahashi’s words, I lifted my head.

“R-Really?”

“He was wearing a stab-resistant vest, so it wasn’t fatal. By now, he’s probably already been taken by ambulance.”

“I-I see…”

The tightness in my chest loosened all at once.
Thank goodness… I felt truly relieved.

But—

When I looked at Takahashi again, I could tell—

His anger had only grown stronger.

“But Wakita was really close to dying—… If things had gone wrong, he would’ve been dead…!”

Clenching his fists, Takahashi glared at Kojima.

Even from the side, it was enough to make me feel scared—
And yet, Kojima just kept grinning like nothing mattered.

“Hehehehehe…! What, revenge!? You wanna get revenge or something!? Against me!? Against me, huh!? Hehehehehe…! God’s watching, you know? God’s watching you! Hehehehehe!”

As he kept rambling, I started to feel that something was off.
His words were gradually losing all sense.

(What’s wrong with him…? He’s sweating like crazy too… what is this…?)

Then, with a tired shrug, Urabe spoke up.

“Looks like Kojima finally snapped. He was popping ‘pon’ with the boys earlier.”

…Drugs?

“Guy’s been craving it ever since he got out. I told him to stop, but the idiot went and shot himself up anyway. Heh…! Now that he’s like this, there’s no stopping him anymore.”

Urabe’s smile twisted into something cruel.

“This guy… he loves stabbing and slicing people with his blade. Before he got caught, he killed three yakuza. You know what their bodies looked like after that?”

The answer to that sick little quiz—

Came straight from Urabe’s mouth.

“—They were all chopped into pieces. Kukuku… right, Kojima?”

“Hehehe…! Hehehehehehe…! Hehyahehehehehehe!!”

Kojima licked the blade of his dagger, a look of pure ecstasy on his face.

“Hehehehe…! Ahh, brings back memories…! You know, this blade—its edge isn’t as sharp as you’d think. You can’t just slice things clean in one go…! But that’s what makes it good! Gikogikogikogiko… you aim between the joints and saw through them, little by little… and during that time, the bitches let out these insanely high-pitched screams, you know? That’s what makes it irresistible… just irresistible…! Ehehehehehehehehehehehe!!”

(He’s insane—! This man, Kojima…!)

I didn’t know if it was the aftereffects of drug use, but the skin under his eyes had turned pitch black, and his complexion had gone pale.
That eerie appearance made him look like a grim reaper—someone who had come to harvest human lives.

“Kojima. Hurry up and finish it.”

Urabe gave the order.

…I see.

This calm confidence of his—

Came from having a monster like Kojima on his side.

He might be mentally unstable, but his skill was real.
Especially with that dagger—there was no doubt he was highly skilled.

After all… he had sliced off Imamura’s fingers so easily.

(Unarmed… this is dangerous—. Is there anything here I can use as a weapon…!?)

I might not look it, but I had won multiple naginata tournaments.
If only I had a long pole…
Or something—anything—I could use for Takahashi—

That was what I was thinking, but—

Takahashi—

Slowly walked straight toward Kojima.

“T-Takahashi! Don’t! Even for you, going up against someone with a weapon barehanded is too dangerous!”

I shouted.

Weapons could easily overturn any difference in martial skill or physical ability.
No matter how skilled a fighter was—one stab from a blade, and it was over.

Even someone weak could turn things around with a single lucky strike.
That unfairness—yet strange sense of equality—

That was what a weapon was.

That’s why I tried to stop him.

But—

Takahashi kept closing the distance with Kojima, completely unfazed.

“Hehehehe…! You’ve got guts, kid! You’re probably wearing a stab-proof vest too, right? But everything else is wide open, yeah? My blade’s gonna cut right through youuu!!”

At that moment, Kojima spun the dagger in his hand with a sharp whirling sound.
It was a level of knife handling you wouldn’t expect from someone high on drugs—more like a skilled performer.

Then—he flipped his grip—

And brought the blade crashing down at Takahashi in one swift motion.

“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”

That thrust—aimed straight at Takahashi’s head—

…Fast.

So fast I didn’t even have time to look away from the disaster about to unfold…

The blade came straight down toward Takahashi’s face—

Smack!!

But—

Takahashi grabbed Kojima’s arm.
The blade stopped right in front of his eyes.

“Hehya!?”

Kojima’s eyes went wide at the unexpected block.

But what was truly shocking came next.

“Hehyaa!? M-My blade… where—!?”

Kojima looked down at his right hand—

The hand that should’ve been holding the dagger.

And then—he found it.

In Takahashi’s… hand.

“Y-You…! W-When did you—!?”

At a speed the eye couldn’t follow, Takahashi had already snatched the dagger away.

He gave it a quick glance—

Then muttered just one thing.

“…Pathetic. That’s not how you use it.”

At that moment—

A sharp flash glinted from his hand.

The next instant—

A clean, straight line split across Kojima’s forehead—

And he let out a scream.

“HeeeyaaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?”

Chapter 93

Side: Yuuji

“Guhhh…! You bastard…! You bastard…!”

Kojima pressed a hand against the cut on his forehead, glaring at me with pure hatred.

I glanced down at the dagger I had taken from him.

(The white-sheathed dagger, with its wooden handle, isn’t exactly easy to use. The grip tends to slip. But the one Kojima had was wrapped with anti-slip tape—kind of like a tennis grip.)

I tested it, switching between a normal grip and a reverse grip.

(Yeah… looks like he modified it to be somewhat practical.)

I casually glanced over at Urabe.
He was staring at me in shock.

Maybe it was because I handled the blade like it was second nature.

Well, it’s not exactly normal for a high schooler to be this used to something like this.

Even if I explained it, he wouldn’t get it anyway.
Too bad for him—

I’m not just some ordinary high school kid.

“How dare you…! You actually cut my forehead with my own bladeee!! You damn god freak! God freak! Divine punishment! This is divine punishment! Divine punishment!”

While Urabe stood there stunned, Kojima kept rambling nonsense as usual.

At this point, he might not even be seeing reality anymore.

“I’ll kill you…! I’ll kill youuu!! Empty the mind! Clear the body! Open the souuuul!!”

Shouting that, Kojima fumbled under his clothes.

—Yeah. Go on, pull it out already.

Did he really think I hadn’t noticed?
That he had another dagger hidden under his clothes.

“Slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice slice!!”

Screeching like some crazed insect, Kojima pulled out another dagger—this one decorated in black—and drew it.

Its shape was similar to the one I had taken…
But there was one clear difference.

From that blade—

There was a faint, acidic smell.

From experience, I immediately recognized what it was.

“Poison—”

“Huh?”

The one who reacted was Ayaka.

“The blade’s coated with poison. Probably some neurotoxin.”

At my words, Kojima broke into a wide grin.

“Hehyahyahyahya! Bingooo! If this thing cuts you, it’ll feel like your flesh is melting from the inside out—crazy pain, you hear me!? Ahh, poor soul!! So damn pitiful!!”

Laughing like he had already won, his eyes bloodshot from the drugs, Kojima looked like he’d transformed into something else entirely—like some kind of second form.

“Takahashi—fighting someone that unhinged is dangerous! No matter how strong you are…!”

Ayaka warned me, her voice trembling.

Anyone would panic seeing a guy like this holding a blade.
Most people would run without even thinking.

Especially this guy—he was clearly used to killing.
His track record was as bad as it gets.
It made sense to see him as a serious threat.

But—

“Relax, Ayaka.”

“Huh?”

“This guy… he’s small-time.”

I said it plainly—then raised the dagger I took from him.

“Come now, loser. Try landing even one hit on me.”

“Haaah…!?”

Hooked instantly by my taunt, Kojima—

“You bitch!!”

—came slashing at me with that poisoned blade.

“—Wait! Kojima!”

Urabe shouted from behind, trying to stop him—but this drugged-up idiot didn’t listen at all.

(I’ll make you understand—trash.)

The reach of a dagger is limited.
That kind of distance is easy to read.

I stayed just outside the blade’s range—
And slipped past his strike.

Then, I stepped right into his guard…

Slash—!!

Like an upward reverse cut with a sword, I carved up from his abdomen toward his chest.

In that instant—

His clothes split, his skin tore open—
And blood sprayed out.

“Gaaaahhh!? It doesn’t even hurt, you idiot!!”

But Kojima didn’t flinch at all—he kept swinging at me again and again.

Well, he’s a drug addict. 

No fear, no pain.

Right now, he was basically a walking zombie.

(Idiot… Even zombies aren’t immortal.)

I dodged another slash—
Then, timing it perfectly, I countered—cutting into his body.

“Damn youuuuu!!”

That exchange went on for a while.

No—looking at it properly, Kojima wasn’t landing a single hit, and he couldn’t defend either.

Bit by bit, it turned into a one-sided beatdown.

“Haa… haa… haa…! Huh…? My vision’s getting all blurry…?”

Finally, Kojima’s movements started to slow noticeably.

Looks like he finally realized.

He had already been cut more than six times.
And the blood pouring out was steadily draining his strength.

“What’s wrong, loser? That all you’ve got?”

“Heh… hehehe…! D-Damn it…!”

I taunted him, and he tried to push himself—but he could barely even stay on his feet anymore.

“—You’re small-time.”

I said it straight to his face.

“You feel guilty about all the people you’ve killed—that’s why you run to drugs, right? That’s all there is to you on the inside. —You talk big about killing, but I can see right through how weak you really are.”

“Y-You bastard…!!!”

Kojima still tried to act defiant… but from where I stood, it was just pathetic struggling.

Sure, he’d killed a fair number of people—
A real murderer, no doubt.

But inside?

He was a coward.

Most of his kills were probably ambushes anyway.
And the number of people he’d killed?

At best, it was just within this so-called “peaceful Japan.”

And even that was enough to push him into relying on drugs just to keep himself together.

That’s the kind of man Kojima is.

From the perspective of someone like me, a former mercenary…

That kind of mental weakness isn’t even worth talking about.

“—No way… That brat…! Why the hell is he that skilled with a blade!? He’s even better than Kojima…!?”

Urabe finally spoke, his voice filled with shock.

Used to handling a dagger, am I?

Of course I am.

I’m a former mercenary.
And I spent ten years fighting in real combat in the Middle East.

In wars between poor countries, weapon failure is always just around the corner.

Unlike the French Foreign Legion, which had solid funding, firearms in the Middle East often broke down.
Running out of ammo with no way to resupply—that happened all the time.

I went through that kind of situation over and over again.

Sure, I brought my own weapons when I could—but if they broke on the battlefield, that was it.
No replacements.

So what do you do then?

Simple—

You use a knife.
You cut the enemy down.
You stab them to death.

I still remember it clearly.

Unlike guns, knives leave something behind—
That sick, direct sensation of killing someone with your own hands.

Crack!!

I drove a front kick straight into Kojima’s face.

“Guhyaaah!?”

Kojima fell flat onto his back.
The poisoned dagger flew from his hand, clattering across the floor.

Without missing a beat, I pinned him down—

Straddling him.

No matter how much killing you’ve done in the underworld… to me, that’s nothing more than easy work.

In the Middle East, because guns break down so often, a lot of enemy soldiers are skilled with knives too.
And most of them are hardened fighters who’ve survived brutal, high-intensity battles.

When you’ve fought people like that head-on, risking your life—

Then from my perspective…

What Kojima’s been doing doesn’t even count as real experience.

“Hey, Kojima.”

“Heh… hehehe…!?”

Straddling him, I glared down—and for the first time, his face showed real fear.

“Must be nice. Easy job you’ve got, being yakuza.”

“Hehh…??”

“Playing around in Japan’s cozy little underworld, fighting cheap gang wars… cutting off the fingers of an unarmed guard… stabbing kids who can’t even defend themselves—And that’s enough to keep your yakuza pride intact, huh?”

“Heh… hehehe…!?”

“So you like picking on the weak, huh…? Then I’ll make you understand.”

I firmly pinned down Kojima’s right arm with my leg.

“—How it feels… to be the one getting picked on.”

Then, I brought the dagger down.

That familiar sensation returned.

The sound of flesh being cut, the feeling of the blade sliding between joints—

Splaaash!!!

Blood burst out like a fountain.

“UGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Kojima let out a shriek.

What was he screaming for?

All I did was make him pay for what he did to Imamura and Wakita.

I just—

Cut off everything below his elbow.