"Uh, oh, me, me, really…?"
"Haha, you didn't mishear, Aira. I'm serious. Rather, thank you for confessing."
"..."
Sierra and I stared blankly at the unbelievable sight.
"Why on earth…?"
And Sierra blurted out the exact same question that was currently in my mind.
'Seriously, why…?'
Is Damien truly attracted to women who defy him?
Is that why, in the original story, he fell for Sierra after she slapped him?
'No, maybe he's just a pervert who enjoys pain….'
In this incomprehensible scene, even ridiculous assumptions came to mind.
But honestly, short of that, Damien's actions were inexplicable.
Especially since it wasn't anyone else.
It was Damien, who had been so strict with his own sister.
"Hey, Emil."
"Hm…?"
"Maybe, in fact, President Damien liked Aira Senior from the start?"
"What…?"
"But it's true, isn't it? It's only been a day? …Of course, Aira Senior, who confessed suddenly, is strange. …But the President accepting it is also strange. Plus, he suddenly asked her on a date."
"..."
Sierra's words made quite a bit of sense.
'Could it be… he genuinely liked Aira from the beginning…?'
However, in the original story, Damien showed Aira no interest at all.
That's why Aira became hostile towards Sierra, who Damien *did* show interest in.
'No, but… come to think of it, in the second timeline, he even took Aira away and made me irrecoverable….'
The Damien I experienced in the second timeline was a truly wicked man.
He was wicked in a different sense from Bran, who cut off my fingers and humiliated me.
'Considering he went that far… perhaps Sierra is right, and he genuinely liked Aira from the start….'
That feeling was almost obsessive.
Of course, the 'hard mode' aspect might have influenced it too.
"That might be the case."
"Right? …Haa, well. Maybe it would have worked out even if we hadn't helped."
"Yeah…."
Aira and Damien, visible in the distance, were smiling happily.
They looked truly like a couple in love.
Our plan to fulfill Aira's unrequited love thus ended successfully.
"Haa~, it was still fun."
At that moment, Sierra quietly moved back and muttered that.
Then, she reached out a hand to me, still inside the wooden box, and smiled sweetly.
"You too, right, Emil?"
"...Not as much as you enjoyed it."
"Eh~, you seemed really engrossed, though. Anyway, let's go back now. From now on, it's truly their happy time."
"Well…, I suppose so."
So I took Sierra's hand and got out of the box.
And as I carefully exited the dark alleyway, I glanced back at Aira and Damien, who were sitting on a fountain bench.
'This should be enough.'
Although they looked happy.
The end for those two would not be good.
An unhappy future awaited them.
…Let that be my satisfaction, instead of revenge.
With that, I wore a bitter smile.
"Hehehe, what, what~, Emil, you were enjoying it too, weren't you?"
"..."
"Can't you tear yourself away? But we really have to go now. Come on, let's hurry."
"...Right."
However.
Sierra, smiling brightly, spoke to me.
At that, my bitter feelings vanished as if by magic.
'This is enough.'
I chose her feelings over revenge.
If I had chosen revenge, my relationship with Sierra might have become very strained.
And so, I completed my fourth act of revenge.
***
"I succeeded! Emil! Sierra! Thanks to you two, I'm dating the President!"
"Ah, I see. Congratulations."
"Hehe, I knew you'd succeed."
The next day.
During lunchtime, Aira met us on the rooftop and announced that she was now dating the President.
But Aira tilted her head with a questioning look at our reaction.
"You don't seem very surprised…? Why not…?"
"..."
Indeed.
Normally, people would be surprised and disbelieving at the sudden news of Aira becoming the President's girlfriend.
'I can't exactly say I already knew because I was tailing them….'
As I was feeling awkward and avoiding Aira's suspicious gaze.
"Ah, ahh! Well! Hehe, actually, I thought the President also had feelings for Senior!"
"What…?"
Sierra hastily explained a fabricated reason, as if making an excuse.
"Well, it was… a feeling, I guess? I just had that kind of hunch!"
"..."
At Sierra's words, Aira stared at Sierra in silence for a moment.
And then.
"Oh~, is that it? Hahaha, truly~, if you knew, you should have told me earlier!"
Aira fell for Sierra's lie.
'It's a relief she seems to be in a good mood right now.'
It seemed that the joy of becoming Damien's girlfriend made her overlook minor suspicions.
Thus, the incident where I almost got caught tailing Aira passed safely.
"You, you two think so too…? The President must have had some feelings for me, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked me on a date either...."
After that, I listened to Aira's bragging for a while.
She seemed truly happy.
And as I was listening to Aira's excited bragging.
"Ah, by the way, Emil."
"Yes?"
"The President said he wanted to see you for a moment. Can you spare some time after school?"
"…The President?"
At the sudden mention of an interview, anxiety preceded my questioning.
'What does he want to talk about, seeing me alone…?'
Just a few days ago, when I was alone with him, I was suspected as a culprit in the student disappearance case.
"Ah, surely the President doesn't know that we helped Aira Senior, does he?"
"What? Th-that can't be…."
"Hehehe, it seems he's calling only Emil separately to express his gratitude?"
"Is that so…, did the President know too…."
However, the two who were unaware of that fact laughed without worry and didn't think much of it.
***
Time passed, and it was after school.
As Aira had told me, I came to the student council office to meet Damien.
"..."
My hand didn't easily reach out.
'I hope it's nothing serious….'
Perhaps, as Sierra said, he called me to thank me for helping Aira.
'No, if that were the case, he would have called Sierra too….'
In any case.
Ultimately, I wouldn't know the answer unless I opened the door.
Knock knock.
I knocked on the student council office door.
[Come in.]
When a reply came, I opened the door and entered the student council office.
"You're here. Have a seat and make yourself comfortable."
"Yes…."
I sat down, wary of Damien's polite demeanor.
Soon, he brought a steaming cup of tea and placed it before me.
Then, he sat in the seat opposite me.
After taking a sip of tea, he opened his mouth.
"Are you aware that I've begun dating Aira?"
"...Yes, I am."
"Hmph, as expected. You helped Aira."
"..."
Unexpectedly, what came out of his mouth was similar to Sierra's conjecture.
'Is this really just a thank you for helping her…?'
If not, there would be no reason to start with such an opening.
So, feeling a little more at ease, I picked up the teacup.
And then.
"Actually, I don't particularly have feelings for Aira."
"...Huh?"
I immediately stopped the teacup I was about to bring to my lips.
Unable to comprehend what I had just heard, I subtly looked at Damien.
He was smiling faintly with clear eyes, looking at me.
"Hmm, you look surprised. Why so surprised? Is it wrong for me not to have feelings for Aira?"
"It's not that it's wrong…, but then why did you accept her confession?"
"She confessed, and I had no reason to refuse."
"..."
He accepted a confession for such a trivial reason?
It was incomprehensible.
"Why so, Emil? …Should I not have accepted Aira's confession? …Or is it troubling that I have no feelings for her?"
"..."
What was even more incomprehensible was.
Those questions, as if he were probing my intentions.
What answer was he trying to find with those questions, I wondered.
And I found out the answer faster than I expected.
"Haha, my apologies. I was curious about your reaction."
"..."
"Allow me to speak frankly again. The reason I accepted Aira's confession."
Damien said that, then took a sip of the tea he was holding, and answered.
"I accepted her confession to survive."
"...What did you say?"
"You couldn't possibly not know. Emil."
"..."
Damien looked at me with sharp eyes.
"The three missing students. I was asked by the academy to investigate them. It was decided that I, as the student council president, could investigate quietly and discreetly."
"..."
"And I found something out. That is…"
Damien placed his teacup on the table and smiled faintly.
"The fact that all the missing male students had feelings for the female students you had approached."
"..."
The conversation was flowing in the direction I had feared.
With trembling hands, I set my teacup down on the table.
Clearly, Damien suspected me as the culprit in the case.
…I wasn't wronged.
After all, I was the cause.
However, there was still a part I found hard to understand.
"...What does that have to do with accepting her confession?"
And to my question, Damien tilted his head and replied.
"Hmm? Wasn't it?"
"Huh…?"
"All the missing male students had good relationships with the female students you approached, and then their relationships worsened."
"..."
"And I obtained information that you received confessions from those women. ...So, I thought the reason the male students died was related to the confessions."
"...So you accepted Aira Senior's confession because of that?"
"Hmm, if I had refused her there, and her feelings had turned to you and she confessed to you… then I might suffer a similar fate to the other male students."
"..."
His delusion was excessive.
…However, his information was accurate.
'I hadn't paid much attention to how I was perceived, thinking it was just about receiving confessions…'
I probably just looked like a playboy.
The things I had thought of that way became information and reached Damien's ears.
…And Damien had drawn a conclusion based on that information.
This time, the target was Aira.
And another target might be himself.
He speculated as such and concluded that he should accept Aira's confession.
"What do you think, Emil? …Is it troublesome? Should I have refused the confession there? Or should I have harbored feelings for Aira? Hm? What was the outcome you desired?"
"..."
Damien asked me, looking at me with an intrigued gaze.
As if he intended to definitively resolve the three disappearance cases with this matter.
"...No, there's nothing particularly troublesome."
But it didn't matter.
'Because I didn't kill them in the first place.'
I would face him confidently.
Even if he suspected me, and even if I was the cause.
I was not the one who killed them.
"I just felt pity for Aira Senior, who truly liked you."
"...Is that so."
At my words, Damien withdrew his sharp gaze.
He then picked up his teacup again, savored the aroma, and drank his tea.
Seeing that, I stood up from my seat.
There was nothing more to say.
"Please excuse me."
"..."
The President didn't stop me, and I walked towards the door, intending to leave the student council office.
And just as I was about to open the door and leave.
"Emil."
"..."
"Do you think there will be more missing students from now on?"
"..."
Damien asked me that, speaking to my turned back.
To that, I replied briefly without turning around.
"No, I don't think there will be."
"..."
It was an honest answer.
After all, I wouldn't be targeting other female students from now on.
'Then the same thing as before won't happen.'
However Damien chose to interpret this answer, I had answered honestly.
And.
A few days later.
***
After the student council elections concluded, at the inauguration ceremony where the new student council president was appointed.
That morning.
Damien was found dead, hanging in front of the academy's main building.