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Shot of Silence Chapter 31: Internal Turmoil
"Right. Want. Need. Escaping is a want, not a need?" He breathed out heavily as if he was exhaling toxins that were poisoning his lungs. A bit of conscience returned by a sliver. 'Do I really want to do this...?' He stared at the taunting blood on his hand. It's not like anybody cares, right? So why should YOU care? He gritted his teeth before loosening up after reconsidering a few points. He might get some relief. But the thought of his late family getting disappointed because he wasted the life they sacrificed so much for... it was far more painful to keep in mind. And thankfully, that was the final conclusion he reached. His hand still shaking ever so slightly, he put the knife down before sliding it away from his reach, just in case the devil decided to tempt him once more for the sweet escape. He stared emptily above, taking some deep breaths to calm his aching heart. He ended up slouching down to the floor, sighing heavily. 'To think that longing for death would be more
Shot of Silence Chapter 32: Abrupt Visits
"I’m done for, aren’t I?" he muttered, dazed and barely able to form words in his buzzed mind. Heath wiped the blood coming out from his nose, uncaring that his hand was also bloodied, though it wasn't his own. He couldn’t finish them off; he was out of battery to do that, and his hits were not strong enough to be lethal. However, the twin assassins were unconscious now, thankfully, since he was not in any better condition. He couldn’t even tie them up or something, you know, as a precaution for when they woke up seeking vengeance. Heath could barely feel parts of his body; every inch of him was buzzing as if it were made of ants instead of muscles, bones, and organs. ‘Well, at least it’s not sharp pain, aha ha ha,’ he thought, though he was glad that was the case. Anyhow, "Man, I really need more exercise," he chuckled breathlessly, though what he noticed firsthand was how peaceful his head was compared to earlier. 'Wait. Is this why Master always kicks me around and drags me to
Shot of Silence Chapter 33: Feverish Chat
In the end, the excuse Heath came up with was, "Prank gone wrong, one could say," as he puffed out a hot breath and shrugged. But really, who could blame him? His head felt like it was about to explode. Each pulse of pain was like a sledgehammer against his skull. It was enough to make him question if he was even still in the same reality. God, wouldn’t the universe give him a break? Yet his plea went unheard, as his dumb reasoning only raised even more questions than it was worth. "So bad that you got this injured?" He heard someone asked. "Yes? Or perhaps they are robbers? They don't really dress like it though?" he shrugged, continuously making an excuse as he feigned innocence. "Really, sensei?" Kai definitely didn’t buy that excuse, but Zane, being the sweet angel that he is, tapped her shoulder, stopping her right there. "Shouldn't we be calling the cops then?" The blue-eyed boy asked worriedly. "Why are you dealing with them on your own?" Heath hummed. "You know my name,
Shot of Silence Chapter 34: A Reason To Stay
The brunet blinked in surprise, genuinely caught off guard by the turn of events. After enduring mistreatment from the majority of individuals in this world, save for a scant few exceptions, he hadn't anticipated such a positive outcome. Upon that question, Zane asked back, “I mean, why would we be disappointed…?” Truthfully, he doesn’t feel good asking that question; he just has a bad feeling that whatever he’s about to hear next would be heartbreaking just from the way their teacher genuinely questioned their motive before. Oh, how he hated to be right. Heath's head throbbed with the effort of holding himself upright, his weakened body protesting every movement. Yet, his determination to maintain a stable facade in front of his guests remained steadfast as he opened his mouth to answer, "Because you guys ended up walking all the way here instead of studying in our usual classroom?" Heath said, as if stating the obvious. "I mean, isn’t that extra hassle? How come none of you p
Shot of Silence Chapter 35: Taking The Trash Out
"Speaking of, what time will your housemate be back?" Kian asked after they finished cleaning up the utensils they used and tossed the trash away. "Well, he said that he needs to prepare for the school assembly as well. So perhaps later in the evening?" Heath replied easily. "Should we stay until then? It shouldn't be that long, right?" Kai asked the others, especially their homeroom teacher. Unable to see the clock clearly with his blurry sight, the brunet shrugged instead. "Nah. I really think you should go home." "What? Are you kicking us out now?" "Despite his wordings, for once I agree with Kobayashi-kun's disagreement, sensei," Zane frowned. "What if something else happens? You can barely stand up now," all the while the delinquent clicked his tongue since the pipsqueak he used to bully basically put words into his mouth. The brunet snickered, "Aww~ So you do care, Kianichy!" His eyes genuinely lit up. "Shut up!" A small tint of blush was caught by the keen eyes. "Yeah ye
Shot of Silence Chapter 36: Main Building
To prevent its underachievers from negatively impacting the rest of the student body, Class I-9 was relocated away from the main building. It had become a tradition for 'the worst of the worst' to utilize the old building instead of integrating into Aetheridge Academy's main campus. This segregation practice had been ongoing for years prior to the government's secret deal with the chairman. Normally, neither the students nor the teachers of this class were allowed to set foot on the main campus. The only exception was during the school assemblies held every semester, of which, of course, Class I-9 members were not informed beforehand."I swear, this is some sort of torture," Jitsuo exhaled heavily, while Jiro huffed while wiping the dust and mud from his glasses, "It is. Knowing them, it was meant to be a form of torture," he said in agreement.Not only did the assembly occur in the middle of a hot day, but the students also had to trek all the way from their secluded class location,
Shot of Silence Chapter 37: Psychological Warfare
In the end, after taking a short break of 1 minute, they continued their journey as Lillian led them. By now, there were only 3 minutes left, definitely not enough time to clean up their uniforms, so they were like, "Forget it."And so here they stood, about to enter the gymnasium in a line. Their class would be the shortest line compared to other classes, which easily doubled or even tripled their numbers, and the messiest in appearance. It was honestly easier to gawk at them than to pretend that these ‘clowns of the academy’ didn’t exist."This sucks, why are we even here, again?" Nia mumbled in complaint once they arrived at where they were supposed to wait. Unsurprisingly, they’d be entering from the backdoor, unlike other classes.Just like their classroom, their place was also prepared in seclusion.Trying to be the positive voice of the group, Jitsuo smiled a little, "at least we made it on time?""Somehow or another," Zane sweatdropped.Everyone there knew what would happen to
Shot of Silence Chapter 38: Unknown Favors
In the meantime, the dean, Nezu, is still yapping about the school achievements which somehow, to him, equals to his achievements. There is barely any important information in his speech; most of it is empty bragging, and the only thing that would perk up the students’ ears are sprinkles of mockery aimed at their black sheep. Who else but Class I-9?"Indeed, if you're not studying hard, you won’t be a successful part of society.”There’s a pause as the dean openly smirks, “Yes, that is true. If you’re not careful," the dean said, eyeing that certain group who’s different than the others, "—You could end up like certain other good-for-nothings!"“Pffft…!”“Keke…!”Stifled laughter is shared. It is the only time they’re actually allowed to be ‘accidentally’ loud.Sadly, that kind of abuse is normalized around there."Now now, we mustn't laugh at their expense," the mutt says as if he didn't snicker by the podium.Only now Heath realizes why exactly Kai decided to ditch, 'Yeah, it wouldn
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Chapter 60: Decision makers
“Henhen?”“Hmm?”“What are you doing, man?”“Resting.”Heath sighed as he turned to his right, where the blonde man lay down. “You do realize this bed has no space for two grown-up men, right? Why are you here?”Henko just grinned as he looked to his left. “If we sleep on our sides, it’s possible!”“Haa… geez.” The brunet facepalmed before chuckling. “A sleepover at this age, my dude?”“Sleepovers aren’t limited by age.”Heath sweatdropped at the curt reply. “Can I at least get why you insisted? Aren’t I usually the one being all clingy?”“Yeah, yeah, you are. So it’s my turn now.”“But I’m still sick. Weren’t you the one who told me to sleep early today?” Heath arched a brow, questioning. Yet Henko remained quiet.“?”Not only did the blonde ignore that question, but he was also actively avoiding the topic without avoiding Heath entirely.“Henko?” Heath prompted, concern creeping into his voice.Henko sighed deeply, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers he was searching fo
- Shot of Silence
Chapter 59: Piles of Options
In the end, towards Agent K’s offer, Heath said that this decision was not his alone, since he lived with his cousin who knew nothing of the I-9 class's true nature. Which is why he couldn’t just put his signature on it yet, thankfully, the smiley man agreed to let him go.“You can just send me an email of it when you have the time. Please consider my sincere offer wisely, Sagara-san. After all, you’ve worked hard when it should have been our responsibility.”His words seemed well-intended, and a bright smile was present, but for a moment there, Agent K's smile looked absurdly evil. Heath couldn’t hide his flinch as he tried to mask the blaring alarm in his head at the sight with his own smile. The juxtaposition of the agent's demeanor with the sinister undertones was unsettling.He had wondered why Agent K switched up so fast all of a sudden. But now he realized why the smiley man, who never seemed to actually smile with his eyes, hadn’t been grilling him further despite the chances.
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Chapter 58: Recount
By the time the sun rose the next day, the students were called to get ready to go home as their trip duration was over. Heath, despite still not being fully recovered, had no choice but to pack up as well.‘Thankfully, the fever has dropped a lot,’ he thought. While he was still warm, overall he felt fine, and his core was mostly fixed up, enough that he could check the number of people in disguises around their group.‘At least the government seems to have finally pulled themselves together,’ he mused. It was for the best, really, after their major failure last time.That being said, ‘Lil’ bro isn't here?’ He looked around. ‘No, he's not the only one missing,’ his brief search was, however, interrupted by a call.“Looking for someone, Heath-sensei?”The brunet blinked before smiling with his eyes, to show his emotions despite his mask. “Oh, Jitsuo-kun! Glad to see you up and about~”The boy grinned back at him in response. “The medic told me to take it easy for a while and get lots
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Chapter 57: Investigation (pt. 3)
“To be honest, I didn’t think that they were kidnapped,” Heath said, his voice steady despite the strain he felt. When the device was activated, Heath initially didn’t think the situation was that grave. “I thought my students were entangled in a gang fight or something.”“Pardon?” Agent K's eyebrow arched in surprise.Heath scratched his cheek a bit, appearing embarrassed. “My students, they're good kids. But some of them can be… sassy at times. Yeah, let's put it that way. And they're capable of defending themselves. So, um, yeah. I was worried that my students got into trouble, which is why I was rushing. But the scale of trouble they were in was something out of left field. Had I known that they were kidnapped and not just losing a street fight, I would have called Miller-san instead of Perry-sensei.”Heath's voice was calm and measured, every word carefully chosen. Above all, he was not lying. His enhanced Insight had declined the idea of a simple street fight and alarmed him tha
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Chapter 56: investigation (pt. 2)
Asher had been the last to go among his guardians. That aloof guy had been the strongest, the ace of his cards back in the day. He didn't know how the man was killed, but Ernesh had been considerate enough to spare him the brutal details. Back then, Heath didn’t have the mental capacity to take in the entire truth either. Asher's death was odd. Being the strongest among his guardians, it was hard to believe he was killed because of a mole. But at the time, Heath had no reason to doubt his sworn brother. Detecting no lies in the man's words, he could only bitterly accept the fact that all the true Veridiania had been wiped out, leaving only him.Out of all the Quadradirmias, only Heath Veridiania and Ernesh Mazzanti, along with his guardians, were left while Umbranox had fallen and Eventidea couldn’t continue either, being close to ruin. Asher's death made him question whether he could carry on at all. Ernesh was the only reason he could see the end of the coup. That’s why his betraya
- Shot of Silence
Chapter 55: investigation (pt. 1)
Heath sat on the edge of the bed in his dimly lit hotel room, the shadows from the sparse lamps casting an eerie glow on the walls. His feverish state was evident; his face was pale and slick with sweat, a damp cloth draped over his neck in a futile attempt to cool his burning skin. Despite the discomfort, he forced himself to maintain a semblance of composure.Seeing his state, Lillian wanted to push back the questioning session. After all, there’s just no way that the searing heat on his skin is a mere facade. Despite her own suspicions, Heath has been nothing but cooperative. Lillian knows herself well enough to know she doesn’t get emotional easily, yet when it comes to this brunet, she always feels this bubbling anxiety whenever the man is not okay. It’s suspicious.This wasn’t the first or second time she felt this way. This is the third time she has witnessed this civilian being hurt. ‘Is it because I’m getting used to his bubbly self that seeing him like this shakes me so much?
- Shot of Silence
Chapter 54: Recuperate
‘I'm so beat…’ and that was such an understatement, he knew.Perry had been incredibly helpful in guiding him to his bedroom per his request because, at the moment, even breathing was a chore. Lillian and her buddies, whom he was so sure would have questioned him then and there, were apparently lenient enough to let him go when he was caught dazedly staring at the wall or the ceiling multiple times. Thankfully, no one really quizzed him about his condition since no injuries were found, assuming he was simply exhausted from running miles.“Heh heh…~” His condition was bad, but not as bad as he thought it’d be. It was actually surprising that he wasn’t bleeding out somehow, but perhaps it was because he’d been training on his own time, and even more after the ambush by the Leilian brothers. Regardless, he found his situation to be rather amusing.‘The recoil.’ He could feel his core cracking inside due to the strain. Just because he knew how to use magic didn’t mean he should have pushe
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Chapter 53: Rescued
“Phew, what a troublesome bunch.”After making sure that everyone was unconscious, Heath combed his hair before dusting off his outfit. At first, he thought it would be hard to deal with them, but in fact, he had been overestimating his enemies by a couple of notches. He had expected them to at least tear his outfit, land a strong hit once, or worse, shoot him. But none of that ever happened, and luckily, his clothes weren’t tainted with blood. Feeling a bit proud that he could control his power merely by judging from his appearance, he then counted his victims.‘24 down.’The last three people were not pursuing him.Throb.Scowling as his feet began to move again, it seemed like there was no time for him to rest. His enhanced insight was acting up again, and since he wasn’t in any immediate threat, his second hunch was about his missing students.Throb.‘Don’t just agree with me, gosh,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. He scanned the area once more before mumbling curses under his br
- Shot of Silence
Chapter 52: First contact
"You bastard!!!"No guns yet; it seems like they chose close combat instead. 'Well, lucky me, that would make things easier.'A fist was launched, but Heath easily ducked it and immediately followed with a roundhouse kick. The blow connected, sending the guy sprawling."T-That can't be...!"That last guy had been on the heavier side indeed. He was probably one of their best fighters, which is why this last man standing was left quivering, in disbelief that his comrades were defeated so easily.Well, it turns out, despite his scare, he seems to know how to assess the situation. And now Heath was facing the fearful weapon he had dreaded.The guy aimed and desperately shot in Heath's direction as if it were his lifeline. Which, quite frankly, was not far-fetched.BANG! BANG! BANG!'It has a line projectile, so once he fires, if he misses, he misses.'Unlike some magic that can chase after its target, bullets don't work that way, which is relieving because that means Heath could just move
