"..."
Watching the second-year senior suddenly drop to his knees, Knox immediately thought of a certain scene from MyGO!!!!!.
...Even across worlds, Soyo and Sakiko are still chasing me!
Fortunately, he managed to keep a straight face. Otherwise, the senior in front of him would probably think Knox was laughing at his desperate situation.
"I'm begging you! If you don't join our club, I'm dead!"
The Curse Research Club president tightened his grip on Knox's pants, looking as though he had already thrown away every shred of dignity he possessed.
Knox quietly looked down at him while desperately holding back his laughter.
After calming himself down, another thought crossed his mind.
In the original story, this senior was under immense pressure from Professor Bahil to recruit Simon...
So... does that mean I'm included this time as well?
At first, Knox felt a tiny bit of sympathy for him.
Just a tiny bit.
Unfortunately for the senior, that tiny bit of sympathy vanished almost immediately.
Because Knox noticed...
The senior was trying to pull a rather strange stunt.
Then...
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed through the air as the curse that had silently crept toward Knox suddenly shattered into countless black runes.
"...Huh?" The Curse Research Club president stared blankly.
Knox simply sighed.
"Senior, I do feel sorry for your situation, but even if you're desperate, I don't think you've reached the point where you should cross the line that you shouldn't cross, right?"
Before the senior could answer, the scattered runes suddenly gathered together again. However, instead of returning to their original form, they rearranged themselves into a completely different curse.
"W-Wait... wait a minute!"
The curse immediately flowed back toward its original caster.
"WAIT! WAIT A MINUTE! STOP IT!!!!"
Shhhhhhh...!
The black curse seeped into his body.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then...
The light gradually disappeared from the senior's eyes, leaving behind an empty, soulless stare.
As for what kind of curse Knox had rewritten it into?
Just imagine watching BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! from episode one all the way to the final episode.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Can you stand watching the ridiculous scene where CRYCHIC disband?
Can you hold your laughter when Soyo kneels before Sakiko?
Hell, even the author can't.
Looking at the pitiful senior, Knox could only give him one point of pity and nine points of "blame yourself" out of ten.
Just as he was about to continue walking...
"Wait for a moment!"
Knox let out a small sigh.
"...Another one?"
Once again, a second-year blocked his path.
This time, it was a blonde young woman wearing a long coat embroidered with crimson threads. The moment she appeared, the surrounding students instinctively stepped aside, allowing her to walk straight toward Knox.
She stopped in front of him and introduced herself with confidence.
"I'm the president of the Haematology Research Club 'Sadam'."
"I see." Knox smiled politely and gave a small nod. "My name is Knox Aznable, a first-year student."
"Of course I know! Only blind boars can't recognize you!"
"..."
For a brief moment, the atmosphere became strangely awkward.
After all, it hadn't even been a minute since several second-years around them had been scratching their heads, trying to remember why Knox's face looked so familiar.
In other words, what she had just said could only be described as a perfect case of friendly fire toward her fellow second-years.
"I have been informed about your new blood type, KX-1. This is no longer a matter of talent in magic or summoning. As far as we know, you are the first and only person to possess this type of blood!"
She crossed her arms before continuing.
"If you join the Haematology Research Club, Sadam, we will mobilize every resource at our disposal to study KX-1."
Her eyes shone with unconcealed curiosity.
"Based on the current reports, KX-1 exhibits two extraordinary properties: Diffusion and Corruption."
She raised two fingers.
"Diffusion allows the destructive reaction to spread almost instantly after contact. Rather than remaining at the point of impact, it propagates throughout the target from the inside out, greatly amplifying the damage."
She lowered one finger.
"Corruption, on the other hand, is even more fascinating. Instead of simply destroying its target, KX-1 appears to leave behind a mark that attempts to impose its own influence. It is not ordinary contamination, nor simple blood manipulation. It is closer to... forcing the target under its own authority."
She looked directly into Knox's eyes.
"If we can fully understand these two properties, KX-1 may become one of the greatest discoveries in the history of Haematology. Its applications wouldn't be limited to blood arts alone. Magic, enchantments, biological enhancement... the possibilities are nearly limitless."
"So....join us."
She had been waiting for Knox to appear. And with good reason.
"The appearance of KX-1 blood will turn the world upside down. When the day comes to publish our findings, I intend to place your name right after mine."
Those had been the exact words of Sillage, the professor who had accepted her as his direct disciple.
Sillage understood that taking Knox in as his own disciple was practically impossible. After all, despite possessing KX-1, Knox rarely used Haematology in combat.
Because of that, the professor had come up with another approach.
If Knox couldn't become his disciple directly...
Then the next best option was to have him join the Haematology Research Club, Sadam.
Perhaps, after spending enough time researching blood arts through the club, Knox would gradually develop an interest in Haematology and eventually switch his major of his own accord.
At least, that was the scenario she had imagined.
Unfortunately...
It shattered the very next second.
"Excuse me, Senior. Although this may sound rude, I don't think your offer means much to me."
Crack!
It was as if the sound of her imagination shattering echoed inside her head.
"W-What?! Why?!"
"Senior," Knox replied with a friendly smile, "based on everything you've said so far, you should already know who I am, right?"
"Of course!" she answered without hesitation, even though she had no idea where this conversation was heading. "Not only are you famous as the White Devil, you're also a well-known musician and author!"
"Then you should also know that, with my current reputation, I have more than enough connections." Knox shrugged lightly. "If I ever wanted someone to research my blood, joining Sadam wouldn't be the only option, would it?"
"!!!"
The blonde senior froze.
Because he was right.
She searched for something to say, anything that could prove him wrong. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with a single argument.
No...!
My future is on the line! I have to think of something!
Before she could think of another argument, she instinctively raised her head, intending to stop Knox one more time.
Unfortunately, the white-haired first-year had already disappeared into the bustling crowd without anyone noticing. Her eyes instinctively wandered around the square, hoping to catch sight of him again, but no matter where she looked, Knox was nowhere to be found.
"Ah..."
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, only for the words to stop at her throat. In the end, she could do nothing except stand there blankly, staring in the direction where Knox had left, while the students around her quietly exchanged glances, unsure whether they should comfort their club president or simply pretend nothing had happened.