Chapter 23: When Did Everything Become Like This?
In the open space between the buildings, I was being protected once again by my servants.
I was kept back from the danger, and again, I'm forced to do nothing but watch and wait.
Takeru: [Y-Yes Ma'am. We're actually at the academy. Actually——]
Eliot: [We're fine. We're just spending time together. If you'd lend me Yuna for a few hours, that will be much appreciated.]
Takeru was on a call with my mother who had called just a few minutes ago.
She always does that to check up on me and seeing as how frequently she does that, Takeru and my bodyguards will be the ones responsible if I were to be hurt.
Grandfather knew that and so he swiped the phone away from Takeru and ended the call briefly after talking to my mother.
Eliot: [Are you an idiot!? If you told her that we are in a perilous situation, you will suffer the repercussions! I did you a favor by doing that. Now, go and take Yuna away to a safe place!]
Takeru: [Y-Yes sir. I shall do just that——?!]
While they were all busy arguing with such, I already slipped away from when they were all looking.
Eliot: [——What are you doing?! Find her!]
They were all professional bodyguards, but against me, it's like playing hide and seek.
I already know their quirks and personality, and with that information, it's easy to see a gap that I can take advantage of.
A gap where I was able to slip away undetected.
Hoshoujo: [I'm not going to sit still. I'm not going to make the same mistake!]
I dashed in the direction of the library. The sky was turning orange as dusk arrived, I just realized that it has been almost hours since we last visited Najimi.
Why am I going all this way for someone that I barely know though? Why am I...?
Boom.
I heard a loud crackling explosion inside the library. It was subtle, but it was loud and bright enough to make me stop.
It sounded like an explosion, but why is the library still intact?
Hoshoujo: [There's only one way to find out!]
I rushed in and opened the doors, but to my surprise, it was deathly quiet.
There was no one, but I could have sworn that I heard an explosion.
Hoshoujo: [——Mendou!?]
There was a bit of a sudden scuffle I heard in the inner part of the library and as I rushed to see what was happening, however...
Hoshoujo: [What... are you doing?]
Mendou: [W-Wha——?! What are you doing here?!]
I saw Mendou on the floor, writing something on a random book.
Hoshoujo: [That's my line!]
He was just there, writing something as he closed it abruptly.
Was he studying? But he wouldn't be even able to pass through the guards at the gates.
Just how did he get here?
Anyways, he shouldn't be here! It's dangerous!
Hoshoujo: [What are you doing here?! You shouldn't be here!]
Mendou: [U-Uh... Studying?]
This idiot. He's clearly lying but something was a bit off about him.
He should have heard the building crumbling from here, and moreover, running towards here after hearing a warning from the dean is not what someone normal would do.
He's an extraordinary idiot.
Hoshoujo: [Get up, we're going.]
I pulled him up by his arm, but as he stood up, there was a photo album that he dropped.
Yet, it wasn't any other photo album.
I immediately recognized it from the cover and the size.
This was something we were looking for since.
Memories that might help Najimi bring his feelings back.
Hoshoujo: [Where did you get this——?!]
Suddenly, just as I picked it up, I saw Mendou standing on the other end of the aisle.
It was far away. How did he get there so fast?
Mendou: [——Hoshoujo!]
Huh? He just shouted at a very loud volume. His face even looks very concerned.
Am I in danger?
Nightmare Mendou: [Aha... I guess he was able to get out faster than expected.]
Hoshoujo: [Huh?]
Suddenly, the Mendou that I had tugged in spoke. His face was not covered in black haze, similar to the one that saved me before.
However, this one didn't feel like it was going to save me.
An ominous feeling would shiver down my spine.
There was no way, that such things exists...
And there, my consciousness blacked out.
Everything should all just be a dream, right?
Then, it's fine for me to fall asleep...
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Nightmare Mendou: [Oop. I guess I overdid it.]
Mendou: [——Hey! You bastard!]
Nightmare Mendou: [Hey! Language. Just because our parents aren't here doesn't mean you can go around calling anyone that!]
Mendou: [——Ngh.]
Alright, hear me out.
That nightmare Mendou is a nightmare.
Supposedly, nightmares are lingering regrets of those who died abruptly and come back to life a few or hundred years later.
Yet! There are some occasions where they are manifested through special means like excessive fear and worry.
Nightmare Mendou: [In any case, this girl is cute, don't you think?]
Mendou: [I dare you to do anything to her.]
To be specific, this nightmare version of mine was created through the book that Hoshoujo's grandfather wrote.
A fear which was named specifically for me.
"Where Mendou Kotaro, Najimi's best friend, starts to like Yuna."
Her grandfather feared that I'd like her and that it would make things complicated for her granddaughter.
BUT, TO THINK THEY'LL CONSIDER THAT HAPPENING?!
Maybe, it's fine to assume that since it's a given that anyone would have a crush on her.
However, the date where that fear was listed was a few years ago and I haven't even met Hoshoujo yet.
It only means that they've been planning this whole time and anticipating that I'd be involved in it.
I should have expected that their inquisitiveness and overly habit of planning run in their blood.
They were planning way ahead of time that they didn't expect something like this to happen. Or maybe, they've always been expecting this to happen, that's why it was in the book?
Either way, my nightmare is a troublesome issue, not to mention that the other two are out there, acting on their own.
Mendou: [Can you just hand her over here?]
Nightmare Mendou: [No, can do, sire. You're going to erase me the moment I do.]
Mendou: [Well, yeah, that's what I'm hoping to do.]
Can't they just give themselves up?
Nightmare Mendou: [You're not... doing everything by your own will.]
Mendou: [...]
Just what are these things saying? He's me but, there's no way that I'm going to listen to myself.
He's too close to Hoshoujo and the book of fears for me to act. If I move wrongly, then I might as well just hurt Hoshoujo.
This needs my special move. I have no other choices now.
Nightmare Mendou: [So, let me go and I'll——?!]
He did not expect this at all.
Mendou: [Please don't leave and have a truce with me.]
If anything can defeat me, it would be me.
Nightmare Mendou: [Well, uh. Why are you bowing down with your whole body?]
I was doing a dogeza. Begging myself would be the last thing I would do so that's exactly what I did.
Mendou: [...Why? Have you heard of the great distraction?]
Besides, I'm not going to go through this begging.
It's just a big ruse.
Nightmare Mendou: [Great distraction——?]
Pong.
The sound of the baseball bat hitting the head resounded for a few seconds.
Behind the Nightmare was a blonde tall man who held it, hitting the Nightmare's head with complete power and accuracy that washed it away instantly.
If you wondered who that is, he was the most annoying guy ever.
Mendou: [——Weiss!]
Weiss Masunaga, Najimi's butler.
Weiss: [HAHAHAHAH! YOU'RE BEGGING YOURSELF?!]
Weiss is the same as me. He hunts down Nightmares and protects Najimi from them.
Since Nightmares are an empath that takes everyone's negative emotions and powers their own, Najimi is supposedly not a good target but because of closed feelings that are bursting to come out, Nightmares would want to break him to get that power.
Mendou: [Shut up! Did he send you here?]
Weiss: [Of course! He wouldn't let his weak friend just go alone in a fight. Besides, I'm also your frie——BWAHAHAHAH!]
Ok, this bastard should die——.
He keeps laughing like something's funny, and I don't even...
Mendou: [Oh...]
I looked at my pants and it was been lowered the whole time.
Weiss: [What a pervert!]
Mendou: [T-This was because of earlier! I had to use my belt as a weapon to get out of a trap!]
Let me explain...
Earlier, the Nightmare version of myself closed me in some kind of magic barrier, and so I had to break it by putting all my force and magic into one point that I can slam against it.
Well, of course, my best was the answer, and I whipped it out and did exactly that.
Weiss: [No one would believe you if I told this story! Gahahah!]
He's a real pain in the ass to deal with.
Mendou: [Whatever! Clean up here! I'll take care of Hoshoujo.]
I picked up Hoshoujo who was unconscious. It was a good thing that my Nightmare version still let her down slowly after being hit.
Maybe he wasn't intending to fight, but a nightmare is a nightmare. They aren't supposed to be here.
Weiss: [What are you going to do now?]
Mendou: [Well... I'll normalize them. They don't fit being involved in this kind of thing.]
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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