Chaos Mate ~Revenge In This Chaotic Academy~ - Chapter 56: A Master's Order

Chapter 56: A Master’s Order

That night, we were eating dinner with Dad and Mom.

She must have been trying to make something for “young people,” but the menu was so childish I wanted to ask if it was a kid’s meal. On the plate was a hamburger patty, fried shrimp, and a small pile of spaghetti. The rice bowl had chicken rice, and the soup was consommé. You’re treating me way too much like a kid, Mom.

“Come, come, don’t be shy. There’s plenty more!”

Her smile… her smile is terrifying.

Dad had also been served the same kid’s meal and looked incredibly awkward. Honestly, I don’t think I’m a bad person for thinking, ‘Serves you right.’

And besides, Mom, you know I don’t even like meat that much. Is this bullying? Am I being bullied by my own mother? I could almost cry.

While I was lamenting internally, I just… ate the kid’s meal with the eyes of a dead fish. If I dared to complain, I’d be the one who gets killed.

As we were eating in silence, Dad spoke up.

“Right, Madoka. Tanimoto-dono said… to come to the training hall later. He wasn’t expecting you back, but apparently, he has something important to discuss.”

“Shishou is? …Got it.”

Motoki must have reacted to the word “Shishou.” “Hm? Who’s Shishou?” he asked. I ignored him.

Dad looked at us, resting his cheek on his hand, his gaze sweeping from left to right.

“Still, your company is quiet. The air is heavy.”

That’s ’cause they’re scared of you and Mom. …Is what I couldn’t say to his face.

“They’re just nervous. In a few days, they’ll be just as loud as the guys here.”

“I have no memory of being loud. Please correct yourself.”

“Incidentally, I also have no memory of being loud.”

“I wasn’t talking about you two, Mogami and Naruse!”

“Then me?”

“Me-nya?”

Maybe because I was sitting in the middle, I felt cornered, getting half-lidded stares from all four of them.

“Man, Mom’s food is the best.”

I said it with a wry smile, in a total monotone. Mom just narrowed her eyes, as if to say, ‘You’re taking responsibility for your own words.’

I looked to Dad for help. He looked away.

This is bad. I’ve got no solution. If I say, “Kidding, kidding,” I’ve lost.

My options were limited to one.

I stuffed the entire kid’s meal into my mouth, swallowed, and got the hell out of there.

I felt the concentrated weight of their stares on my back, all of them thinking, ‘He ran,’ but I pretended, with all my might, not to notice.

※

I entered the dojo next to the house. Shishou was already there, sitting in the center.

I entered and sat in seiza (formal kneeling) in front of him.

“It’s nostalgic… training for the sword here, Shishou.”

“It is. Training… and the place where you first challenged me. Back then, I thought you were just a cocky brat who couldn’t see anything. There’s no trace of that now.”

“Th-That’s because Shishou trained me so much… and… my sister, too.”

My expression flickered for a second. I forced it back to neutral. Shishou‘s face became serious. The air grew heavy, suffocating. I felt like I was being… pressured. No, I was being pressured.

For Shishou to put pressure on me… this wasn’t an ordinary talk.

“I heard you enrolled at Saiou Academy. I believe I warned you to stop.”

“I have… a purpose… I must fulfill at that academy. That’s why… I couldn’t follow your warning. I’m sorry.”

I bowed my head. Shishou crossed his arms.

“I never expected you to disobey me. What is this ‘purpose’ that moves you so strongly?”

“Revenge. For my sister’s killer. She didn’t commit suicide. She was murdered. And the killer… is in that academy. So I’ll use any means, no matter how much it hurts… I will drag her foe to hell.”

Hearing my words, Shishou‘s eyes sharpened.

“That is the wrong choice. You are trapped by the past.”

“This is revenge… to move forward. It’s for my sister, yes… but it’s also revenge… to find my own ‘closure’. I’m not trapped by the past… I’m ‘settling’ it.”

“It’s meaningless if you die. I can see it… your heart is in tatters. Madoka, your actions are contradictory.”

“!”

I couldn’t answer. The pressure was one reason, but… Shishou really is amazing. He’s seen right through my mental state, something no one else should have noticed.

…No, Mogami… has probably seen through it, too.

It’s true. My heart… is in tatters, on the verge of breaking. It hasn’t changed in two years. In a way… I’m aware… I’ve been self-destructive ever since I lost my sister.

Physical pain… I can just freeze my body and not feel it. But freezing my heart… is meaningless. No matter how much I freeze it, no matter how much I feign an empty mind… the unhealable wound just… slowly spreads.

Maybe… I just chose the path of revenge… so I wouldn’t have to look at this wound.

Silence continued, then Shishou looked me in the eye.

“Quit Saiou Academy, Madoka. That is an order… from your master.”

Did I hear that right? Quit…? Why? I haven’t… I haven’t gotten revenge yet.

Wait. Don’t just argue. He won’t change his mind unless I convince him. Think. State my will. Give him a reason.

“Shishou… I don’t understand. Why must I quit?”

“The ‘you’ right now… has no ‘future’ in mind, even if you get revenge.”

“I’ll think about ‘after’ when it comes! That’s why I chose ‘revenge to move forward’!”

“Stop decorating your goal with words. You don’t even have an image of what comes after. It’s meaningless. If you truly want to move forward, you must imagine the future first. Just walking isn’t enough. If you can’t see the destination… the only thing waiting… is ruin.”

I’m not trying to deny what he’s saying. I know. He’s… worried about me. He’s trying to… hammer in a wedge… before I become a demon of revenge.

But… it’s… different now.

I decided… to protect. I don’t want to lose anyone else.

That’s… why I was able to resolve… to return to being the Ice Queen.

No… to surpass the Ice Queen.

It’s… not just sadness… anymore.

“I… I thought I wasn’t trapped by the past. But… without realizing it… my revenge for my sister… was fading. The one who reminded me of that resolve… was Mogami. Mogami… stayed by my side. She was my ally.”

That’s right. If it was just revenge… my heart would be desolate, and I’d be helpless. But… what’s inside me now…

“She… helped me… without a thought for herself. I… I want to be her strength. It’s not just for my sister anymore! The ones who killed my sister… they might kill Mogami, too. And not just her… Motoki, Naruse, Kumi… That’s why… I’ll finish my revenge before that! Even if it’s your order, Shishou… I will not leave Saiou Academy… until my purpose is fulfilled!”

I put all my resolve into those words. Shishou‘s eyes widened. Silence.

Then… he smiled. Faintly.

“…For a woman… or for comrades… A rare ‘principle of action’ for you, but… not bad. If you have a firm purpose… besides revenge… I have no need to stop you.”

“Then… I can stay?”

“So I said. Do as you wish. …Still, for you to say the same thing… he did…”

Shishou muttered the last part, his face a mix of happiness and sadness.

“…Shishou?”

“It’s nothing. Just… walk the path you’ve chosen. If you stray… I’ll stop you, even if I have to kill you. So don’t worry.”

I scratched my cheek, giving a wry smile. “I’d… prefer… if we could avoid the ‘killing’ part…”

“True. Well then. Enough talking. Shall we… ‘talk’ with swords?”

Shishou grabbed a bokutou (wooden sword) from the corner… and pointed it at me.

“Y-You’ve gotta be kidding…!!”

In the end… my voice didn’t reach him. For the next hour… I received “training”… for the first time in a long while.

Even the Ice Queen… was no match for the strongest swordsman, Tanimoto Kento.

Everything… hurt.

※ Kento’s POV

After the training, I saw Madoka off. I pulled my black smartphone from my breast pocket and called a certain person.

“It’s me. As I thought, he won’t stop. It was… just as he predicted.”

‘I see… understood. Then we’ll just support the brats. We have to do what we can before the Scarlet Phantom’s power grows. …Suffering through a ‘killing game’… is enough for our generation. I’ll tell Mogami. I’m counting on you to babysit the brats.’

“I know. But my disciple… wasn’t trained so softly that he needs a ‘babysitter.’ He’ll manage. I’ll focus on my work. You… ‘muscle-brained idiot’… just… keep watch on the ‘Island.’ I’m hanging up.”

‘W-Wait, Tanimoto!! A message from Yanayatsu. …’Make sure Madoka doesn’t find out about his ‘Ability’.’…’

“…Goes without saying. That is… the promise I made with Mogami.”

I ended the call, put the phone away, and sighed.

From here on… I have to put my own body on the line.

We will not… repeat the tragedy.