The sun was shining brightly—a perfect day for sunbathing…
Inside Shuchiin Academy, Diego lay sprawled across the windowsill of the Far East Magic Club, lifting his head to watch the leaves fall one by one. A faint melancholy inevitably crept into his heart.
Son of a bitch!
Don't let me find out who made this garbage game!
I saved up for half a year's worth of pulls—and they all sank like that!
When it came to games, Diego's luck was abysmal beyond belief. Yet the worse it got, the more it fueled his competitive spirit—trapping him in an endless death loop.
"Dio, what are you doing?" Takanashi Rikka opened the clubroom door and stared at the figure in front of her in slight surprise. After all, Dio rarely came here. "Dekomori, do you know?"
"death~ death~"
Behind her, Dekomori Sanae shook her head blankly. Her twin tails swayed along with the motion.
"I'm pondering whether spaghetti has any better solution than mixing it with No. 42 concrete, and why apples can't just be called 'bananas'?" Diego turned around, met their eyes, and spoke with utmost seriousness. "If I killed yesterday's self, then how does the current me exist? Would a shredder that shreds shredders get shredded by a shredder?"
"And most crucially—why is 16 times 55 equal to 880 and not 28?"
Takanashi Rikka and Dekomori Sanae looked at each other, full of question marks.
"In human language: ko no Dio is super bored. Is there anything fun to kill time with?" Diego let out a long breath and asked directly. "Dekomori, you've got the most devious ideas. Give me something explosive enough to rival the Big Bang—like 'Bucchigiri?!' getting an anime adaptation or whatever."
With the sports festival approaching, the four members of Kessoku Band were busy preparing for their stage performance. Hori had recently become obsessed with cheerleading practice, and Kitagawa Marin was also involved in the event.
Hayasaka was accompanying Shinomiya Kaguya to complete intelligence gathering before the festival to ensure everything went perfectly.
As for Fujiwara Chika—she was still a bit short of godhood, but she was already beyond human.
Diego himself had signed up for the horse racing event. But with his horsemanship already at the pinnacle, there was nothing worth practicing.
So for once, Diego found himself in the rare predicament of having no one to "high-iron-duck" with. He specially came to the stronghold of Takanashi Rikka and the others—they were currently preparing what they claimed was a mysterious ritual to summon the holy angel Gabriel.
Dekomori Sanae's twin tails bounced as she tilted her head upward, thinking hard for a moment before replying hesitantly: "There actually is some news in third year lately. Ishigami Yuu from our class got suspended."
"Huh? Why? What kind of news is that? Even the most elite schools have one or two people on leave, right?"
"If it were just that, it wouldn't be a big deal. The reason for his suspension is: stalking the girl he likes—Ootomo Kyoko—and violently attacking the boy she's dating, the drama club president Ogino Mitsuhiro…" Dekomori Sanae furrowed her brow slightly, showing a trace of contemplation. "But I know him pretty well. I don't think he'd do something like that."
(P.S.: Ishigami Yuu had severe chuunibyou in middle school.)
"I happened to be in class when he hit the guy. The girl's boyfriend got beaten really badly. And after beating him up, Ishigami even advised the girl to break up—said her boyfriend was human trash."
"Normally speaking, would a stalker go that far?"
Aside from her chuuni-silly side, Dekomori Sanae was genuinely top 1 in third year. She quickly laid out her doubts.
"So in other words, you think there's some misunderstanding in this matter…" Diego listened to the whole story with interest. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk—knock knock—the tempo steadily increasing. He grinned. "Since Dekomori thinks there's a problem, there definitely is one. So let's assume—everything that Ishigami Yuu said is true…"
"In other words, the girl's boyfriend really is trash. He has some kind of leverage over her—photos she can't let anyone see, that sort of thing. Ishigami Yuu sacrificed everything, even willingly took suspension, just to protect the girl…"
"Interesting. Too interesting! I've decided—this Dio is getting involved in this incident."
Diego loved causing trouble and wasn't afraid of it. If trouble didn't come to him, he'd go looking for it.
Takanashi Rikka looked at him with full admiration and praised, "As expected of Dio! The terrifying dinosaur from another world eradicates injustice with absolute power! So cool!"
"Huh? No, that's not it. I just want to watch some juicy gossip." Hearing Takanashi Rikka's words, Diego's pupils went blank. His tone returned to calm.
Though if he happened to squash a disgusting bug along the way, that was fine too…
Soon, the corners of Diego's mouth stretched wider and wider. The smile looked almost pathological. The deep-seated malice he usually kept hidden began to dominate his thoughts.
Activating the dick-energy creature's exclusive skill: black face—making it impossible to read his expression.
His tone full of wicked amusement, he said:
"Heh heh… I'm just really curious. If I expose the entire truth—what kind of spectacular expression will that completely clueless stupid woman make? What will her face look like~?"
"Her trusted boyfriend cheating on her with two boats… the benefactor who helped her suffering a fate worse than death because of her…"
"Way too interesting!"
Even though his personality had been somewhat softened by Alicia and the others, the unfathomably deep malice still lurked within Diego.
"So evil…"
"It's super cool, okay? No matter what—this Dio is still helping that pitiful bug. He's gotta repay this great Dio-sama."
After correcting Takanashi Rikka's word choice, Diego tucked Dekomori Sanae under his armpit in one motion and leaped out the window.
"Dekomori, let's go—take me to your classroom!"
"Nooo death! I can walk by myself death! It's so high—terrifying!!!"
Farewell, my first apostle.
So nice to have nothing to do with me!
Takanashi Rikka energetically began her mysterious summoning ritual.
"Come forth, great holy angel—Gabriel!!!"
However, a gust of wind blew past. Nothing happened.
...
—Inside Dekomori Sanae's classroom—
"Roar roar—this is where Ishigami Yuu beat that guy up, huh." Diego looked around the classroom, pinching his chin and commenting. "It's already been restored to normal, though…"
Sniff sniff…
"Hmm—there's still a faint smell of blood. Not bad. He hit pretty hard. I like it."
Diego's eyes showed a trace of appreciation. He reached toward the spot with the strongest scent of blood and swiped his hand across it.
"Go forth, terrifying beasts!"
Diego released several small dinosaurs. After letting them sniff the scent, he gave the order to capture the owner of the blood.
Then he casually sat on the desk behind him.
"This Dio is pretty familiar with the smell of blood. This is the unique scent of a head wound. That guy probably looked decent before—his face is ruined now, right?" Diego rubbed Dekomori's head and asked with a grin. "Dekomori, am I right?"
"Completely correct death!" Dekomori Sanae nodded. Her throat moved as she swallowed hard. She thought to herself:
Dio-sama looks so scary like this. I absolutely cannot provoke him in the future death!
"Hmm~♪♪" Diego hummed a tune while having the wind spirit carry Dekomori Sanae away—because the next scene might be a little inappropriate for children.
Hm… since there's only one person's blood scent in the classroom, the general outline of the incident is already clear.
Basically: using a sob story to guide the flock, publicly labeling Ishigami Yuu as a stalker in front of everyone, and using public opinion to push him completely into the abyss.
Not long after, the small dinosaurs returned to the classroom dragging a half-dragonized person.
Pfft!
"Well done, little dinosaurs. You finally brought that guy named Ogino Mitsuhiro." Diego patted the small dinosaurs' heads.
Then Diego looked mockingly at Ogino Mitsuhiro kneeling before him and began narrating on his own: "Hey, do you know about cuckoos? They're birds that don't raise their own young. They lay their eggs in other birds' nests for parasitism—letting the foster parents incubate and raise their chicks. Once the chick hatches, it uses its larger size to push the foster parents' real chicks out of the nest to their deaths—so it can monopolize the food and care…"
"You… who are you?"
Ogino Mitsuhiro was scared out of his wits. His speech was slurred. He had no mood to listen to Diego.
He had just checked into a hotel room when he inexplicably lost consciousness. When he woke up, the first thing he saw was the blond man in front of him—while he himself had lost control of his body and couldn't move. All he could do was speak.
Bang!
Ogino Mitsuhiro's head slammed into the floor and was ground against it until the skin bled.
"Shut up. Who gave you permission to interrupt…"
"While comparing to a cuckoo might not be entirely accurate—two days ago, Ishigami Yuu played the role of the foster parents' chick. Ootomo Kyoko was the foster parent. And you—you were the cuckoo chick."
"As for me—I just really want to see what kind of expression the foster parents make when they realize they've been feeding the wrong child…"
Diego's words were like a devil's whisper—tightly gripping Ogino Mitsuhiro's lifeline.
"I got a bit sidetracked—" Diego cracked his neck with popping sounds and pressed his hand against Ogino Mitsuhiro's head. "I don't have any obligation to educate you. I just want your memories."
"Memory Spirit—investigate immediately."
...
"I know—I've already booked the room. It's fine. She won't find out."
"Haha—you overheard? Sorry about that—yeah, it's with my girlfriend~~~~"
"I was planning to keep it from her… Ishigami Yuu, you actually went and investigated me?"
"So—what do you want? Blackmail?"
"Hmm… that's tricky. If I want to keep dating her, I can't let you spill this…"
"…Right—I've got an even better way to settle this. You like Ootomo Kyoko, don't you?"
"Then come to my house today. I can knock her out—let you have the first…"
"…You dare hit me?! Don't forget—I still have nude photos of her on my phone!"
"…You've vented enough, right? Can you stop now? Everyone's gathered around. If you keep hitting my face it'll be trouble. Please stop."
"Everyone's talking about us. If you stop now, I won't do anything to her. Sorry—but I can't fall because of something like this. If you leak even a word, the one who suffers will be her!"
"Ishigami-kun—the things you did are exactly what a stalker would do. I know you like Ootomo!! But no matter how much you hit me—I'm not breaking up with her!!"
"No matter how much you like Ootomo! Love obtained through violence isn't real, Ishigami-kun!!"
...
Bang!
The force of Diego's foot deepened again—controlled to cause pain without killing.
"No wonder you can act in drama club—so theatrical."
Diego looked at the video on his phone with satisfaction and nodded. The Memory Spirits worked together to store Ogino Mitsuhiro's memories into the device. With this, the key prop to make Ootomo Kyoko's expression collapse was in hand.
Next—time to have a little chat with Ishigami Yuu.
After Diego left the classroom, Ogino Mitsuhiro finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"By the way—next you'll be overwhelmed by guilt and turn yourself in to the school to reveal the truth. Then you'll get arrested because of the photos on your phone. After that, your pride will explode from shame and you'll hang yourself in prison."
A light, casual sentence drifted over. Ogino Mitsuhiro lost consciousness again. The dinosaur took control of his body.
...
At Ishigami Yuu's house…
Since his suspension, Ishigami Yuu had locked himself in a small room. The school told him to apologize properly and write a letter of reflection—otherwise he'd remain suspended at home.
The room was pitch dark. It was impossible to tell whether the curtains were closed and lights off—or whether the lamp inside Ishigami Yuu's heart had completely gone out.
I usually stay home alone playing games all the time—but this is the first time I've felt so suffocated being alone. If it weren't for Dekomori Sanae still coming to play games with me every day, I'd probably be close to breaking down.
Ootomo Kyoko was just my classmate—not really someone I knew well, and certainly not someone I liked.
Ever since back then, I'd already been drifting on the fringes of everyone. Yet even facing someone like me, she would openly come over and talk to me.
She really is a good person. My feelings toward her were only that much.
I don't know whether she doesn't calculate or simply can't—she always had that silly smile on her face.
No matter what—for someone on the margins, just having someone take the initiative to talk to you feels like salvation.
Please—always let her keep that smile. Never let any shadow fall on it. I once made that wish.
…But the reason wishes are called wishes is because most of the time—they can't come true.
At some point, Ootomo got a boyfriend—Ogino Mitsuhiro. The complete opposite of me: someone right in the center of the crowd, universally adored. Even I—who cursed any couple I saw without exception—rarely hoped she could be happy.
Until that day, when I accidentally overheard that man's phone call. He lied to me. So I started investigating him—and sure enough, he was stepping on two boats everywhere using his status.
I don't know which manga influenced me back then—my sense of justice was overflowing. I couldn't forgive cheating or one-sided harm—those irrational behaviors.
I couldn't forgive a good person getting hurt.
If I actually liked her, things might have been simpler. I did something unnecessary—that was my failure.
That guy—even used his own girlfriend as a bargaining chip.
There are occasionally these kinds of "villains." I knew that. But when someone like that actually appears in front of you for real—my mind just goes blank.
Facing Ogino's lighthearted, joking words—I only remember wanting to smash his face so badly no girl would ever like him again.
He fooled the crowd with cheap tricks. I got suspended for a month. My parents and teachers were all disappointed in me. But facing their accusations—I still refused to write that so-called letter of reflection.
Because I wasn't wrong!
Just when I thought another day would drag on in torment like this—a man shining like the sun burst into my house and freed me from the heavy numbness.
God—at least in this moment—I have my own god.
Bang!
Diego smashed the glass window with one punch. Piercing sunlight flooded the entire room. He pried open the cage-like security bars and jumped inside.
"Perfect—arrival successful!" Diego fixed his hair, turned toward Ishigami Yuu, took out the suspension notice, cleared his throat twice. "Mm… gloomy front bangs. You're Ishigami Yuu, right?"
"Yeah—but who are you…?"
"I'm next term's student council president—Diego Brando."
"But the student council election hasn't even happened yet?"
"Not important. This Dio doesn't lose." Diego shook his head and tossed the notice into Ishigami Yuu's face with a light laugh. "Revocation of Ishigami Yuu's third-year suspension from Shuchiin High School. The school has now confirmed that Ogino Mitsuhiro is suspected of sexual misconduct…"
"That's… real?!" Ishigami Yuu stood up excitedly. Tears of joy streamed down his face as he carefully examined the notice. "Wuu… I… I…"
"That's not important right now. You've been locking yourself in this room—are you hungry?" Diego tossed him a small bread.
"Uh… a little, yeah."
Diego—the savior of the hungry—casually slung an arm around Ishigami Yuu's shoulders and teased: "Listen, Ishigami—I actually came here because I have a question for you. I've got this Chinese composition topic.
Ahem—test-taker Ishigami Yuu, please listen carefully.
Suppose you are a country mouse living a life of freedom but never enough food. Your good friend in the city, Li Hua, writes you a letter inviting you to live in the city. He describes the delicious food there in detail and promises you'll always be full. The only downside is having to avoid being chased by cats.
Now you need to write a reply letter in Chinese telling him your decision. Would you accept or refuse?"
Ishigami Yuu calmed himself, thought for a moment, and answered: "I'd probably refuse. I'd stay a country mouse. Even if I don't have enough to eat—at least I'm free."
So why do I have to learn a foreign language just to make foreign friends?
"…" Diego's brow furrowed slightly—then relaxed. A playful smile tugged at his lips. "I see. I put in quite a bit of effort to uncover this incident—so you have to repay me. You're an expert at data processing. Next term's student council—you'll be my accountant and help me out. Whether you actually join or not doesn't matter—as long as you handle the data for me.
For certain reasons, I must become president. But personally—I just want to be a hands-off boss. So I'm looking for suitable people."
"That settles it, Kana~"
Diego left on his own. After he was gone—for the first time dominated by a Chinese question—Ishigami Yuu suddenly realized something.
My window!
Ishigami Yuu stared at the broken window in distress.
...
As expected—Ishigami Yuu chose to be the country mouse. He yearns for emotional fulfillment—willing to get hurt himself just to protect that stupid woman.
So should I consider letting that stupid woman off?
Heh heh…
But Ishigami—do you know what I would choose?
I would choose to be the cat that toys with and preys on both mice!
Ishigami Yuu is kind—what does that have to do with this Dio Brando? This Dio is going to ruthlessly crush the flower without a care. If you don't break down crying and kneel in repentance—then wouldn't this whole day be a waste?
"Hey—you're Ootomo Kyoko, right?"
Diego found the other protagonist of the incident. His face was full of wicked amusement as he held his phone in front of Ootomo Kyoko—brimming with malice.
"Interested in watching a video?"
"It's pretty convenient now… but why…?"
Soon, her gaze was drawn to the video recording on the phone.
Ironclad evidence lay before Ootomo Kyoko. Her smile froze. Her face paled. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She clutched her head—looking utterly broken—muttering: "No way… this can't be… it's a lie… I wronged Ishigami…"
In an instant, tears streamed down her face. Her expression collapsed completely. Powerless, she slumped to the floor—tearing at her own hair like a madwoman.
Diego shook his head, walked over to the thoroughly broken Ootomo Kyoko, crouched down, and smiled with thick sarcasm: "Strange—this Dio just wanted to see you break down emotionally, repent on your knees, then use the excuse 'I can't accept him taking photos of other women' for revenge. How did it end up making me look like the villain? Am I really that bad?"
"Aaaaahhh—!!!" Ootomo Kyoko continued sobbing in agony.
"Shh—shh—shh—don't be scared, don't be scared. It's okay…" Diego pressed his hand on Ootomo Kyoko's head and erased her memories of the entire incident. "Everything will disappear cleanly."
"…Whether it's fear… or any other emotion… everything…"
"『Memory Oblivion』."
After Memory Oblivion took effect, Ootomo Kyoko fainted in the classroom. Diego stretched lazily and left with satisfaction.
Mmm~!
Seeing this scene feels so refreshing! My whole body feels amazing—this day's hard work was totally worth it!
Well… since my junior wants her to know nothing—I suppose this Dio can grant that too.
But if she remembers later—that's no longer this great one's problem.
Today's result: Diego—victory!
(The savior of the hungry successfully gained a data-processing expert hungry slave)