The next day, the academy looked strangely bizarre.
Somehow, the atmosphere among the students felt heavy and subdued.
The air was dark and oppressive, a stark contrast to the quiet and peaceful ambiance the academy usually had.
The students wore expressions of fear and intimidation.
And occasionally, as I passed through the campus, I spotted students who looked like troublemakers.
…What’s going on?
Did I get transferred to a different academy overnight?
Something felt off, but if asked what exactly was off, I couldn’t quite pinpoint it— it was just a subtle, unsettling vibe.
With a bad feeling creeping up on me, I stayed on edge while working.
And sure enough, it wasn’t long before an incident erupted.
A loud uproar, loud enough to be heard inside the faculty office.
Mixed in were the screams of students.
Startled by the sudden commotion, the teachers rushed outside to find the cause, and I, half-despairing, joined them.
Seriously, another ghost story unfolding in just a day?
Is this going to be a daily routine where I have to deal with one ghost story after another?
Finding the source of the disturbance wasn’t hard.
Dozens of delinquents had gathered at the main entrance of Building 1, and no matter how hard you tried to ignore them, it was impossible.
The delinquents glared threateningly at the students and faculty.
It was a scene straight out of a manga about Japanese delinquents from the 2000s.
…Is this another ghost story?
Or is it just a regular gathering of troublemakers?
No. Even so, this is too much.
Sure, Everlight Academy is far larger than a typical academy, but…
Where did all these delinquents even come from?
Is this physically possible?
Is this kind of situation common in romance fantasy settings?
The delinquents occupying the entrance hurled threats and taunts at students trying to enter the academy.
The students were terrified, and even the faculty, faced with such an unrealistically absurd scene, were at a loss.
Meanwhile, I was left wondering whether this was part of a ghost story or just an ordinary academy incident.
First, I should probably ‘observe’ the situation…
Then, Rone appeared.
“What is the meaning of this?! Stop this at once!”
At her sudden appearance, the delinquents froze mid-action.
Soon, Mucia stepped forward from among them, wearing a vicious grin.
“Keh heh heh. It’s ‘you’ again? You just never learn, do you? Always getting in my way.”
So, is he the leader of this delinquent group?
Muzia, looking far more menacing than yesterday— no trace of a student left in him—stretched his limbs as he emerged from the crowd.
Yesterday, he already looked like the epitome of a delinquent, but today was on a whole other level.
His uniform was torn in places, with sharp edges sticking out—where on earth did he even get something like that?
“That’s my line!”
“Today, I won’t hold back just because the ‘old farts’ are watching! Get her, boys!”
“Ooooh!!”
Mucia spat out the blade of grass he’d been chewing and barked orders at his gang.
The delinquents, itching for a fight, rushed at Rone— one girl against a swarm of guys, each at least two heads taller than her.
The sight was both pathetic and horrifying.
Everyone watching held their breath, bracing for screams.
But what happened next defied all expectations.
Contrary to what people assumed—that she’d be brutally overwhelmed— it was the delinquents who were utterly crushed.
Now I understood why Rone hadn’t shown any fear toward Mucia and his gang the day before.
Was her Gift from the physical enhancement category?
Generally, Gifts don’t push human limits beyond what’s possible.
So, if she took down multiple larger opponents alone, does that mean she’s transcended human capability?
The answer is: “No.”
Just like how amateur fighters with over a decade of experience can sometimes take down street thugs single-handedly, a professionally trained fighter and an ordinary person operate on entirely different levels when it comes to physical combat.
Rone’s Gift didn’t just grant her strength and speed— it also gave her reflexes and techniques akin to a professional fighter.
In real combat, weight classes matter, but the gap between a pro and an amateur is even more absolute.
“Damn it!! I’ll remember this debt.”
Soon, Rone was the only one left standing unscathed.
Muzia, dragging his beaten comrades away, hurled curses before fleeing.
The students who had been watching erupted into cheers for Rone.
She played it cool, but her pride was unmistakable as she stood tall.
…What the hell is going on?
“What on earth is happening…?”
Beside me, Elaine, who had appeared at some point, muttered as she watched the delinquents flee.
“When did you get here?”
“The academy’s atmosphere felt off since morning, so I thought it might be another ghost story. Seeing how things played out, it does seem like one.”
“No. Sorry to disappoint, but this probably isn’t a ghost story. At least, I don’t think so.”
Here is the properly spaced version of your text with a blank line between each paragraph:
Elaine widened her eyes in disbelief at my words.
“You’re saying it wasn’t a ghost story?”
“Yeah. I thought it might be tied to one, so I observed from a distance, but at the very least, none of the students involved in the brawl were disguised ghost stories.”
[Mucia Leoforte]
[Classification: Human/Male/Student]
[Gift: ???]
[Characteristics: Once a diligent and outstanding student, albeit with a somewhat rough personality, this young man has since strayed from the right path due to a series of minor incidents. Now, he is nothing more than the leader of a pack of delinquents, far from the promising youth he once was.]
I recalled the message window I had observed.
A status screen that labeled him as an ordinary human, not a ghost story. The description, too, held nothing unnatural.
In other words, as unbelievable as it was, this absurdly contrived phenomenon was not the work of a ghost story but a natural occurrence.
“Huh? So you’re saying they rampaged through the academy with a gang of delinquents—in their right minds?”
“Surprisingly, yes.”
“Are they idiots? Those students.”
“I agree. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like this is a situation where you need to step in.”
At my words, Elaine walked away with an ambiguous expression- somewhere between relief and disappointment— while I tried to dismiss the incident and return to my daily routine.
.
.
.
But, of course, slipping back into normalcy was out of the question.
Naturally, this incident couldn’t just end as a trivial affair.
For Everlight Academy, a gathering of the world’s most elite students, to be assaulted by delinquents was an unprecedented event.
Even if it were an ordinary academy, the fact that a prestigious institution—filled with carefully selected talents, nobles, and even royalty.
It had been attacked by mere delinquents was hardly something that could be dismissed as a simple student scuffle.
The academy’s faculty immediately called an emergency meeting, and soon, the topic of discussion centered on Mucia’s delinquent circle, “Ska.”
“This is beyond unacceptable! We knew the delinquent group ‘Ska’ was growing day by day, but to brazenly attack the academy during class hours? This is the consequence of the academy’s leniency toward delinquent students for far too long!”
“What else can we do? ‘Ska’ didn’t appear overnight. It’s a delinquent circle that’s been rooted in the academy’s underbelly for decades. Countless faculty members have tried to dismantle it before, but they’ve all failed.”
As the topic of Mucia’s delinquent circle came up, each person added their own frustrated and somber remarks.
…From what I’m hearing, this is a much larger and older organization than I thought.
“Um, Professor Lydia. Is this ‘Ska’ group really that notorious?”
At my question, Lydia’s expression darkened as she parted her lips.
“Yes. As embarrassing as it is… ‘Ska’ is a delinquent circle so old that most of the current faculty don’t even know its origins. Its influence extends far beyond the first-year building—it spans all of Everlight Academy. Practically every delinquent in the academy is directly or indirectly tied to Ska. Rumor has it they have hundreds of members. But until now, they’ve never openly caused such havoc within the academy…”
“Even a prestigious academy has students like that, huh.”
“I’m sorry… It’s the fault of the faculty for failing to properly guide them.”
“Ah, no—I didn’t mean to blame you, Professor Lydia. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
Flustered, I reassured the self-reproaching Lydia while thinking to myself.
This runs deeper than I imagined.
Just yesterday, I thought it was just a small group of delinquents puffing themselves up, but from what’s being said in this meeting, it’s on a completely different scale.
The student who warned me yesterday didn’t give off that impression at all…
But if this delinquent circle is this deeply rooted and massive, then the chaos they caused today makes sense.
So it really wasn’t a ghost story after all.
Meanwhile, the meeting progressed swiftly.
The faculty’s attitude was unusually passionate.
If they had been this passionate earlier, they might have uprooted the delinquent circle long ago.
As a new teacher who hadn’t been at the academy long, I had little to contribute and simply listened quietly.
Soon, the discussion shifted toward using this incident as an opportunity to completely eradicate the delinquent circle, “Ska.”
“Heheheh. Then, let us conclude. As of this moment, the faculty of Everlight Academy hereby declare war on the delinquent circle, Ska. Our objective is the complete dissolution of Ska! Action protocols will follow the guidelines set in this meeting. Meeting adjourned!”
With Professor Fresian’s declaration, the meeting ended, and the faculty dispersed to carry out their assigned roles—except for those with lectures to attend.
To be honest, with only three years left until the end of the world, rooting out delinquent circle members seemed like a waste of time…
But it was true that allowing such a massive delinquent circle to remain in the academy would do no good.
Even delinquents should know their limits.
If their scale grew too large, leaving them unchecked might even interfere with the suppression of urban legends.
Besides, taking this opportunity to elevate my standing among both students and teachers wouldn’t be a bad idea.
.
.
.
As I finished the meeting and stepped out of the faculty office, Rone was standing there as if she had been waiting.
“Miss Rone? Do you have business in the faculty office?”
“Not exactly. I came to lend my strength in guiding the delinquent circle, Skar.”
Just in case, I asked if she had other reasons for coming, but unsurprisingly, she seemed very interested in dealing with the delinquent circle.
However, it’s unthinkable for a teacher to rely on students for help.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but this is a matter for the teachers to handle. Miss Rone, please trust us and focus on your academy life.”
“Huh? But I already got permission from the teachers.”
“…From the teachers, you say?”
“Yes. I asked them to let me help since my Gift would make dealing with the delinquent circle easier.”
Now that I think about it, during the meeting, there was talk about having already secured an assistant or something…
Are they in their right minds?
To hold such a confident meeting and then end up borrowing help from a mere student to resolve the situation.
Do they have no sense of professionalism as teachers?
“…Just to be sure, may I ask what your Gift is?”
From what I’d seen of her fighting delinquents, it seemed like a physical enhancement-type Gift, and a fairly high-level one at that.
But her answer was somewhat different from what I’d expected.
“Ah. My Gift is the ability to embody justice.”
“Embody justice?”
“Yes. When I face an unjust situation, I can wield power commensurate with realizing justice until it’s achieved. That’s my Gift.”
“…I’ve never heard of a Gift like that before.”
For a moment, I doubted whether such a subjective and ambiguous Gift could exist, but then again, the Gift I’d acquired also deviated from the standard norms.
Gifts vary wildly from person to person, so perhaps a Gift like hers is possible.
Her Gift was beyond my expectations, but at the same time, it made sense why the teachers had chosen her as an assistant.
Certainly, her Gift was an exceptionally suitable choice for dealing with delinquents.
“That’s quite a unique Gift.”
“Unique… I see. So it’s not special, just unusual.”
At my words, Rone’s expression darkened.
?
Why does she look so down?
In any case, it’s clear that her Gift would be useful against the delinquent circle.
In the end, I decided to accompany Rone.
As a newly appointed teacher, it wouldn’t look good for me to unilaterally reject a decision made by the other teachers.
Moreover, Rone herself was even more passionate about reforming the delinquent circle than I was, so even if I tried to stop her, she’d probably go after them alone.
In that case, it’s better to keep her close and monitor her to prevent her from getting into dangerous situations.
Honestly, her Gift was a reassuring asset.