"Alright, let's take attendance. Abe."

"Here."

"Ishikawa."

"Here."

Our homeroom teacher was going through the attendance list.

"Tachihara."

"...Here."

"Chigasaki."

"Here."

...He completely glossed over me, as if I didn’t even exist. This teacher has never really paid attention to me. It was stupid of me to think I could ever talk to a teacher like him about being bullied.

"Tsuyuhara? Is Ryuichi Tsuyuhara here?"

"Hey, sir! Why are you calling my full name?"

"Huh? Well, you’re the student council president, right? I have to call you by your full name, or I might get cursed."

"No curses here! Just call me like you do everyone else!"

"Haha, come on, Ryu. You’re the student council president. You should get used to it."

"Why don't you try taking after Tsuyuhara a bit, Onodera? Your test results last time were terrible."

"Ugh, that came back to bite me..."

"Hahaha!"

The upper social echelon of the school was laughing, as they usually do. This is their everyday life. They enjoy their high school life with their friends while secretly tormenting those they dislike. Just watching them laugh like that stirs murderous thoughts in me.

One of the reasons Tsuyuhara sits atop the school's social hierarchy is because he’s the student council president. He's smart, his club activities have earned him awards, and on top of all that, he's got the looks of a model. He's popular with both the teachers and students. And, as a bonus, his father is the director of the largest hospital in the area—Tsuyuhara Hospital, where my mom works as a nurse.

How can a guy like him, who seems to have it all, get involved in bullying? I just don’t get it. Worse still, these guys are incredibly good at hiding their harassment from the teachers.

They’ve also involved the whole class in the bullying by assigning everyone a role, like watching out for teachers or stuffing garbage in my locker. That way, everyone becomes a co-conspirator, and no one dares tell the teachers.

Even if someone, like me, reports the bullying, the class covers for each other, and no one would ever believe that the model student council president could be involved. I wish he'd use his brains for something more productive.

Class began, and other teachers noticed the change in me, which was a relief. I guess I was quite memorable before, in a bad way, because of my size. Honestly, the fact that my homeroom teacher didn’t notice my transformation is kind of unbelievable.

Explaining my sudden physical change to every teacher, though, was a hassle. Some didn’t believe me at first, but after I recounted past incidents from their classes, they accepted it. My classmates kept staring at me during both class and lunch, but that was inevitable.

Ding, dong, dang, dong.

The school day ended, and homeroom was over. Tsuyuhara and his gang were glancing at me, but they hadn’t left the classroom yet. I guess I’ll head to the roof and wait for them.

"Well, well. I thought you’d run away, but you actually showed up."

"Yeah, I figured it was time to put an end to all this."

"Seems like it's not just your body that’s changed. You’ve gotten pretty cocky too. I gotta give you props for keeping that attitude in front of all these people."

On the roof were the usual five bullies, along with eight more guys with dyed hair and delinquent looks. They weren’t Tsuyuhara’s friends; they were probably Isozaki’s crew. It turns out that despite Tsuyuhara being a model student and Isozaki being a thug, they’ve been childhood friends since they lived nearby.

"Hey, Ryu. You asked me to bring people, but let me handle him first. I’m gonna beat this guy to a pulp!"

"Jeez, Takumi, you and your bad habits. A one-on-one fight is so outdated. Besides, with how confident Tachihara is, I bet he’s hiding something. Ryu even said his grip strength was off the charts this morning. Maybe it’s not just plastic surgery—he could’ve gotten some kind of body modification surgery."

"Pfft, body mods? Come on, Ryu. This isn’t a comic book."

"Actually, Kaori, it’s real. Overseas, they’re developing tech to implant machines in muscles to help elderly people move by responding to electrical signals from their muscles."

"Wow, that’s amazing! Ryu, you’re so knowledgeable!"

"That’s so cool! Like a cyborg, right? Awesome!"

Well, I didn’t know that. Ryu is smart, especially with his dad being a hospital director. Still, thanks to my Calm Composure skill, I remained unbothered despite being surrounded. The moment I turn this skill off, my legs would probably start shaking uncontrollably.

"Enough talk! I’m coming for you!"

Isozaki charged at me, throwing punches wildly. He really didn’t think this through. I could dodge him, but it’s better to show overwhelming power to guys like him.

Swish, swish.

I easily dodged his punches. This is thanks to my Evasion skill, which lets me sense and dodge enemy attacks. It also makes time feel like it slows down a bit when I’m dodging. I wonder if martial arts masters see the world like this.

That said, the Great Mage also passed down combat skills like Evasion and Swordsmanship. What exactly was he fighting against...?

"Huff… Huff... Stop dodging and fight me for real! Are you mocking me?!"

After dodging over ten punches, Isozaki finally got frustrated. If I fought him seriously, I might kill him. But I think I’ve dodged enough.

"Alright, I’m coming."

I kicked off the concrete, closing the distance between us in an instant.

"Wha—?!"

I raised my right hand and flicked him on the forehead.

Wham!

"Gah!!"

Isozaki flew backward, crashing to the ground in front of Tsuyuhara and his gang. Wow, just a flick sent him flying like that. It’s straight out of a manga.

"Ugh..."

Good, he’s still alive. Thanks to the suppression skill, I was able to exert the level of strength I desired.

"...Are you really human?"

"That's rude. I look human from any angle, don't I?"

"No, you look like a monster from any angle!"

I never thought I’d see the day when Kaori would be the one to make a comeback. I understand why she might want to respond like that.

"So, is the violence over? I’d like to have a word with you."

"Don’t fall for it! This has to be some trick! Just watch out for his right hand! If we all surround him and attack at once, no human could handle it!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"Damn, I almost fell for it!"

"Alright, everyone, let’s go!"

With Tsuyuhara’s command, the remaining eight delinquents surrounded me. Yep, that’s a solid order. He’s got the talent and charisma of a leader. But wait, one of them is pulling out a metal bat! Don’t these delinquents know how to hold back anymore?

"Let’s go, on three!"

"Here we go!"

"Die!"

At the command of one delinquent, all eight of them charged at me simultaneously.

"Hard!"

"Ow!"

I didn’t do anything. I simply took their attacks head-on with my body. My strengthened physique had become so hard that I would take damage from punching or kicking me. I think I’m okay, but I still decided to catch the metal bat with my right hand.

"Y-You monster..."

Seeing me effortlessly block the metal bat that was swung down with all their might while receiving the other attacks from the delinquents, the one who swung the bat muttered in disbelief.

I guess that’s how it looks from their perspective. Now, let’s make sure to control my strength and—bam!

"Gwah!"

"Ugh!"

I casually threw the delinquents back, knocking them unconscious. Normally, controlling my strength would be tough, but thanks to the suppression skill, it automatically adjusts without me even having to think about it.

One by one, I knocked each of the delinquents unconscious until only four remained. I turned to the stunned four, still in shock from the scene before them.

"Now then, let’s talk."