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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
Shot of Silence Chapter 39: Afterschool
At last, the assembly is over. To summarize the important information from that lengthy session, the midterm week is approaching. And honestly, Perry-sensei is even more hyped up about it than the students themselves. He is especially giddy since the Chairman’s decision to appear in the assembly will definitely play a part in the level of difficulty of tests. After all, surely after the disorderly events that happened today, the teachers would do everything in their power to please the big man. Excited as they are, Lillian asked Heath to actually go home for the day instead of joining them for a mini meeting about the exams. The agent left no room for him to argue since she half-threatened the brunet with calling his cousin to pick him up if he continued to be stubborn. Orion teased him about it, but if he’s being frank, Heath never meant to stay anyway. He has a plan for the day, and it seems like his nosebleed has created an opportunity for him to slip away more naturally than if h
Shot of Silence Chapter 40: Ring of fire
Heath had to pause reading the full report he bought yesterday due to Henko’s interference. But now that he's booked a hotel room, away from innocent bystanders, and while he’s waiting for the two spies to make their next move, he's rereading the full reports.‘Right. So, it seems like I’m back to this point in my life.’He wishes that his gut feeling is wrong about Nyxen in this life. However, his Enhanced Insight is rarely wrong. And for heaven's sake, why does the report only get darker?His father, the man who's also bestowed the title of The Young Lion in this life and the leader of a branch family, was killed along with his men and the entire branch family, as they went against the don's will. The man was never married to Anastasia, thus making Heath a bastard son. Yet it was because he found out that the love of his life had a connection with the old don that he could not fulfill her dream of marriage. So instead, he made sure she was safe until there was a kind man who could f
Shot of Silence Chapter 41: Messages
As the clock struck 3 in the morning, the lone figure dissolved his light magic, making him fully visible again as he sneaked back to the hotel room where he was staying.Taking off the mask, Heath revealed bruised lips. They weren’t inflicted by the enemies; rather, they were evidence of the countless times he had nervously bitten them during intense moments. His face was pale, and beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, indicating the tension he had endured. He closed his eyes briefly, his colorful irises dimming back to their original brown color, as he attempted to clear his mind from the heartbreaking scene he had just witnessed.Children and teenagers alike... soulless and just so empty. Inevitably, he knew he couldn't look away; they were no longer alive. It was pitiful, infuriating, sad, and honestly, he didn't know what to feel anymore. The former royalty rushed into the bathroom, his face turning green, but nothing really happened as he just stood before the sink for a
Shot of Silence Chapter 42: After The Tests
"YELLOW, MINA-SAN!" The home economics teacher exclaimed, bursting into the classroom with exuberant energy. He was laden with four huge plastic bags, resembling a modern-day Santa Claus delivering treats to eager children. Ignoring the branches stuck in his hair and the scratches on his cheeks, he seemed to be brimming with excitement for some reason. His eyes literally sparkled as he addressed his students."Omg, Heath-sensei? What happened to you???" Nia shrieked, noticing the disheveled state of the brunet, who looked like he had just run a marathon.Heath shrugged off the concern with a casual wave of his hand. "Don't mind me! Just crashed into some trees, no biggie! Anyway, I’m here as your sweet angel. Here! Snacks!" With a flourish, he deposited the plastic bags onto the teacher's table and wiped the dirt off his face, though his troubled expression betrayed his inner turmoil."Wait, what brought this up, sensei?" Saito's curiosity echoed the unspoken question in everyone's mi
Shot of Silence Chapter 43: Dereliction
"Ano, sensei?" Hearing the call, Heath halted and turned his head to the boy with glasses. "Yeah?" For some reason he's rather wary of what this student would say. "Why did you beat yourself up this badly over a mere exam?" Surprisingly, it was Jiro, the boy who interacted the least with others. Honestly, nobody ever expected this coming at first. Jiro was known as the quiet one in class, rarely speaking unless absolutely necessary or when his studies demanded it. His reserved nature often kept him at the periphery of classroom interactions, and his sudden inquiry caught everyone off guard. It was a departure from his usual demeanor. Jiro's typically stoic facade melted ever so slightly, evident in the slight furrow of his brow as he voiced his question. His inquiry hung in the air, prompting a collective pause as the significance of his words sank in. For Heath, it was a moment of revelation. The fact that Jiro, of all people, was speaking up spoke volumes about the gravity of t
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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
