"Who'd you fight this time?"
The beautiful nurse asked with a sigh.
Through the opening of her white coat, I could see the massive pair of breasts underneath.
Her blouse was stretched to the limit.
God… that size…
No. Focus.
"I fought a villain," I said calmly.
"That's not funny. Tell me properly before I report this to your professor."
"Ask Momo. I'm not kidding."
"Momo knows who you fought?"
"Yes. She saw everything."
"That's strange… If it were Momo, she would've run to the professor the moment you tried to punch someone. Why hasn't she reported anything?"
"The fact she stayed silent proves I fought a bad guy, doesn't it? And look. There's no student here who got beat up."
"…Fine. I'll let that slide."
Same thing every time. I had a trash reputation here.
Sometimes I wondered if they'd just expel me.
Ken, you dumb bastard…At the very least, you could try not to piss off the entire faculty.
The whole academy hated me, but the nurse seemed to have some sense of duty.She treated my right hand with surprising care.
I rotated my wrist, looking at the thickly wrapped bandages, when she spoke again.
"You know drinking or smoking delays healing, right? Don't do it."
"I don't."
"I mean don't do it outside the academy either. I saw you on the street last time smoking and drinking with your friends. The school rules don't apply off campus, but…"
"You're saying if I want this to heal faster, I should stop."
"Exactly."
"Thanks."
"…? Did you just thank me?"
She stared at me, genuinely shocked.
I just smirked, lifted one hand in a lazy wave, and walked out of the nurse's office.
Situation handled… more or less.But now came the cleanup.
I turned the guy's face into a pancake.
He'd probably try to get revenge somehow…
I was thinking about all that when..
"Ken!"
Momo's panicked voice echoed from behind me.I couldn't help the small smirk tugging at my lips.
I turned around. "What now?"
"T-The department head told me to bring you to the faculty office…! That villain filed a complaint against you!"
"But he's a villain??"
My expression twisted with pure annoyance.
"Just leave it."
"What…? Are you crazy? Do you know how serious this is?! A... Anyway, come on!"
She tugged at my uniform with her tiny hands, struggling to pull me along.
Would've been nice if she grabbed my wrist instead…Damn shame.
Clicking my tongue dramatically, making it obvious how little I wanted to go, I followed Momo toward the faculty office.
* * *
"He was a villain…! He touched my thigh… he's a disgusting creep… Ken actually helped me! I told you already…!"
Momo stood beside me, defending me with everything she had.
Ahhh… so this is why you don't miss school.Good thing I went to bed early last night.
The professor in his sixties, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, listened quietly before giving a gentle smile.
"Don't worry too much. The heroes found out he was a villain with a long criminal record. He's been arrested multiple times for groping. Any lawsuit he tries won't go anywhere."
Momo let out a relieved breath.
"R-Really…? That's good, but… then why is Ken getting punished…?"
"Because he didn't just hit the man. He beat him. Five teeth were knocked out. Someone anonymously reported the situation… and they said you even tried to stop Ken, yes? Didn't you think it was excessive?"
"… I… did think that, but…"
So there was someone else who watched the whole thing unfold?? What a dick for just spectating...
"If even the victim thinks it was too much, what do you think that person believed? Probably that he was going to kill the man. They were terrified, saying they couldn't believe a student like this was in our academy."
"T-That's ridiculous…! Are you punishing Ken just to protect the school's image?!"
Momo kept trying to argue.I cut in with a bored expression and asked the professor,
"So what do I have to do?"
"Clean the first-year boys' restroom for two weeks. Considering how you're always causing trouble, getting cleaning duty is merciful. It wasn't your intention, but you did catch a villain the heroes wanted, and you protected Momo as well. So we'll end it here."
Two weeks until vacation, huh?Cleaning toilets that reek the whole time… god, I don't want to.But it can't be helped.
Like he said, honestly, this is a pretty cheap price to pay.
I nodded and asked again,
"And the lawsuit? It's definitely taken care of?"
"You have my word."
"Then I'm good."
"But listen. If you skip a day or miss even a single morning during the punishment, you're out. Even if your intentions were good… the violence went too far. You're in a dangerous position. You know what your reputation is like in the academy now, don't you?"
"More or less. I'm leaving. Have a good one."
I shrugged and walked out of the faculty office.
Right away, Momo hurried out after me.
"Ken! Stop for a second!"
"Can you not yell? My ears hurt when you screech like that."
Momo flinched, leaning forward as if she wanted to complain, but she stopped herself.She took a deep breath.She regained her composure surprisingly fast.
Once she'd calmed down, she spoke steadily.
"Do you even know what 'out' means? If you're absent once, you're expelled."
"I know."
"Then why did you accept it? Planning to make another classmate do it for you?"
Would be funny if I made someone else do it.
"You seriously think I'm guaranteed to skip?"
"… Yeah. You usually do."
"Heh… fair. But..."
I let my voice trail off and slowly looked her up and down with sly eyes.She took half a step back.
"W-What? What's with that look? Creepy…"
"If I get expelled, you'd be thrilled, right? Clapping like a seal, overjoyed. I don't wanna see that."
"… Who said I'd be happy…"
"You didn't? You were dying to kick me out."
"I... I wasn't dying to do that… don't put words in my mouth…"
"So you did want me gone."
"… I… I mean, honestly, I did think that at one point…"
Can't even give me a polite lie? How cold…
"At one point?"
"But not now…! This situation is so unfair… so just… please show up for the next two weeks. Don't be late. Then the professors might start seeing you in a better light… You want to graduate from the academy too, right?"
"Me? Do I look like I care?"
"Ken, when someone's worried about you, don't act all slippery. At least pretend you understand."
She suddenly snapped at me.Alright, time to back off.
I pressed my lips together for a moment, pretending like her intensity got to me.
"…Fine."
Maybe I surprised her.Her big eyes got even bigger. Double their size.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"You're not just saying that because you hate listening to my nagging, right?"
I never planned on skipping in the first place.
"No. I'll show up. Satisfied?"
"… The extra words make me suspicious, but… I'll believe you."
If only she knew how much strength that one sentence gives me. My resolve to add you to my harem just got stronger.
Two weeks of scrubbing toilets, here I come.
So that Momo might look at me and think
"Maybe… maybe he can change after all…"
* * *
As soon as the last class ended, I kicked open the classroom door and walked out.I didn't forget to give Momo a quick glance too, like I was about to make a run for it.
I went straight to the boys' restroom at the end of the hallway. A few classmates were hanging around chatting, so I spoke in a low, deadpan voice.
"Get out. I gotta clean. Go mess around in another stall or something."
"S-Sorry… we'll leave soon... huh? Clean?"
They perked up their ears like they'd misheard. I grabbed a hose from the cleaning locker with the most annoyed face ever.
"Starting today, if this toilet gets clogged, I'm finding the bastard who did it and splitting him in half."
"….."
"Think I'm joking? Try me."
"W-What if it wasn't us…?"
"Still killing you. So tell everyone to keep the place clean. Bathrooms should be used cleanly. That way the next guy doesn't feel gross. Did you even wash your hands?"
"Uh…? Huh…? What…?"
"Just get out."
"Ah! Uh, okay…"
Once I chased out the confused guys, I hooked the hose to the faucet and started spraying the urinals.
Then, while I was mopping the floor...
"…You're doing pretty well."
Momo's voice came from behind.
Knew it, Momo. I knew you'd come.
That's why I acted like I'd bolt before leaving the classroom.
Without turning my head, I answered,
"Here to watch me?"
"Well… you looked like you were gonna run away…"
"I keep my promises."
"…That's good… but Ken, isn't mopping supposed to be last?"
"Is it?"
"Usually, yeah."
"So what, I start with the toilets?"
"Mm-hm. That'd be better."
Taking her advice, I grabbed a plunger.
"But you know this is the boys' restroom, right?"
"I know. No one's here anyway."
"Stop bothering me and go."
"I'm gonna watch today. Gotta make sure you're being thorough."
"Your friends must be waiting for you. Don't you guys usually walk home together when you don't stay to study?"
"We usually do… but I'm the class rep, so I should check… and you helped me too…"
"Grateful? Then help me clean."
Momo folded her arms. Clear refusal.
I let out a small scoff and headed to the stall in the far corner.
Inside sat a majestic, colossal pile of dog-like filth… and I yelled from pure rage,
"Are you FUCKING kidding me?!"
This wasn't acting. This was my soul screaming.
Why the hell doesn't the water flush? Whoever did this, I'm actually killing him.
Barely managing to pull the handle down, I stepped out with every muscle in my face twisted in disgust.
"Disgusting fuckers…"
Momo giggled quietly like she found me hilarious.
Still turned halfway, she spoke.
"So… can you finish today at this rate?"
"Take a look yourself. Then ask that again."
"No thanks. And you really shouldn't call people… um… those names. Don't you think it's too much?"
"The fucker who dropped that mountain of shit is the one being too much… damn it… this sucks."
"Stop cursing. Makes you sound cheap."
Sure. Tell me again later, and maybe I'll try.
I tore off some toilet paper, and plugged my nose before entering the next stall.
The toilet lid was shut tight. Somehow, that made me even more uneasy.
Doing this for two whole weeks… my future already feels dark.
But at least Momo is here today… So I'll stop complaining and just work hard.
If I want to add Momo to my harem, I need to build up a good image, right?