The next day.
For Kael, the morning and noon were uneventful, merely feeding a certain paramecium and appeasing a certain pufferfish.
In the afternoon, as school was about to end, Chiba Academy was enveloped in a lazy atmosphere.
Kael had completed his final round of equipment inspection and was walking towards the tool room to pack up and leave.
He habitually glanced at the small grove behind the teaching building—a place where students occasionally sought quiet or… settled "private grievances."
Today, his gaze fixed on the edge of the grove. Several girls in senior uniforms were surrounding a familiar figure, pushing and shoving.
The one in the middle, head bowed, long purple hair trembling slightly, was Raiden Mei.
Kael's brows furrowed instantly.
He recognized those girls; they were a notorious clique in the school, from wealthy families, who enjoyed ganging up and ostracizing others.
The news of ME Corp's incident and Raiden Ryoma's imprisonment had clearly spread, and they naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to "kick him when he was down."
"Oh, isn't this our young miss, Raiden Mei? What, no one came to pick you up today?"
"I heard your dad went to jail? Serves him right! Acting so high and mighty all the time!"
"Still dare to come to school? You've got some nerve!"
"Exactly, just looking at her is bad luck!"
Their harsh words cut into Mei like knives. She bit her lower lip tightly, clutching the hem of her skirt, her body trembling slightly from humiliation and fear, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Kael quickly walked over and stood in front of Mei, looking calmly at the aggressive girls: "Students, school is out, why aren't you going home? What are you doing here?"
His sudden appearance startled the girls. The leader, with striking red hair, recognized Kael and showed a hint of disdain: "Kael, school staff? This is none of your business, we're just chatting with the 'former' young miss."
"Does chatting require physical contact?"
Kael's voice grew colder, his figure still firmly blocking Mei. He could feel Mei lightly gripping the back of his work uniform, as if clutching a lifesaver.
"Did we touch her? Which eye did you see that with?" The red-haired girl crossed her arms, arrogant, "Kael, school staff, you're just a repairman, just mind your wrench and stop being nosy! Do you believe I'll tell my dad to talk to the school board and have you fired?"
The other girls also chimed in:
"Exactly! What's a school staff so arrogant about!"
"Get lost! Or we'll teach you a lesson too!"
Kael looked at their arrogant faces, a surge of nameless anger rising within him, but reason told him that as a school staff, he couldn't lay hands on students, otherwise it would only bring greater trouble to Mei and himself.
He suppressed the urge to strike, only using his body to shield Mei, his tone still restrained: "Bullying classmates is forbidden on campus. Please leave immediately, or I will report you to student affairs."
"Report to student affairs? Hahahaha!"
The red-haired girl seemed to hear a joke, "Go ahead! Let's see if student affairs believes us or a school staff! I'm telling you, my dad is…"
Before she could finish, the screen of Kael's personal terminal, the special Destiny device disguised as an ordinary electronic watch, suddenly lit up, displaying a tiny number that only he could see—17:00:00.
Work off time.
Almost at the instant the numbers changed, his previously calm eyes instantly became sharp as blades.
The girls who were still shouting abruptly stopped, as if an invisible hand had choked their throats.
They looked at Kael in horror, feeling as if the air around them had solidified, and an instinctive sense of fear made them involuntarily step back half a pace.
Kael slowly took off his dark blue work jacket and casually draped it over a low branch nearby, his movements unhurried, yet carrying a chilling sense of oppression.
His gaze swept over the pale-faced girls in front of him, a cold curve appearing at the corner of his mouth:
"Now, I'm off work."
Before his words finished, his figure moved like a phantom!
The red-haired girl only felt a blur before her eyes. Before she could clearly see the movement, her wrist was seized by an iron-like hand, an irresistible force came, and she was swung up, the world spinning!
"Bang!"
A clean and swift over-the-shoulder throw! The red-haired girl slammed heavily onto the soft grass. Although she wasn't seriously injured, the tremendous impact and fear instantly stunned her. Her internal organs felt displaced, and she grimaced in pain, unable to make a sound for a moment.
The other girls screamed in fright and turned to run.
But Kael was faster!
He sidestepped a girl's wildly flailing claws, and his right hand, like a knife, precisely struck the side of her neck, the force perfectly controlled. The girl didn't even hum, softly collapsing to the ground.
Immediately after, he shifted his feet, closing in on another girl, using his left hand to parry her attempting to scratch arm, and his right leg whipped out like a lash, sweeping against her calf.
The girl cried out "Ouch!" and lost her balance, falling face-first.
The entire process took only two or three seconds, clean and precise, as if practiced countless times.
There were no fancy moves, only the most effective and direct methods of subduing, full of the style of Destiny Valkyrie combat techniques.
The last remaining girl, seeing her three companions instantly taken down, was scared out of her wits, plunking down on the ground, tears and snot streaming, screaming incoherently: "You, you dare to hit us! Do you know who my dad is?! My dad is…"
"Slap!"
A crisp slap interrupted her words.
Kael didn't use much force, but it was enough to shut her up, leaving a clear red mark on her face.
"I don't care who your dad is."
The girl was stunned by the slap, covering her face, both shocked and angry, crying out: "My father is Yamashita…"
"Slap!" Another slap, symmetrical.
"My father…"
"Slap!"
The third slap landed, and the girl completely broke down, bursting into loud sobs: "Stop hitting me! I'm sorry! I know I'm wrong! Waaah… "
Only then did Kael stop, looking down at her and the other three, either groaning or unconscious on the ground, his eyes like he was looking at a few ants: "Get out. Don't let me see you bullying people again."
The girls, as if granted a great pardon, scrambled to help each other up and fled from the grove in disarray, even forgetting to utter threats.
Kael watched them disappear at the end of the grove, then slowly exhaled, the sharp aura around him gradually receding.
He turned and looked at Raiden Mei, who had been standing still.
Mei was clearly stunned by the scene she had just witnessed. She looked at Kael, her purple eyes filled with shock, fear, and… a trace of incredible gratitude.
She had never seen Kael like this, so… powerful and ruthless, completely different from the usually gentle and silent school staff.
"It's alright."
Kael walked up to her, his tone becoming gentle again, as if the terrifying figure who had subdued four people in an instant wasn't him.
He looked at her pale little face and still trembling body, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently patted her shoulder, "They probably won't bother you again."
Feeling the warmth and comfort of his palm, Mei's taut nerves finally relaxed, and tears uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.
She lowered her head and sobbed softly: "Th-thank you, Mr. Kael… I'm sorry, I caused you trouble again…"
"It's not your fault."
Kael comforted her softly, "Come on, it's time to go home."
However, just as Kael released Mei and was about to retrieve his work jacket, the red-haired girl's unwilling, tearful roar came from afar outside the grove:
"Kael! You just wait! I'll be back!!! My dad will definitely not let you off!!!"
Kael paused, shaking his head helplessly.
Truly… a standard villain's exit line.
He picked up his jacket and said to the still-sobbing Mei: "Don't mind her. Let's go home."
Kael: Bah, did you really think I was some kind of model student back then… (Easter egg)
A few days later, Chiba Academy Dean's office.
The Dean looked at several "concerned" inquiries on his desk from different school board members. Their content was largely the same, all serious complaints about a school staff named Kael "violently assaulting students," demanding the academy immediately dismiss him and hold him accountable.
The complaint letters were fiercely worded, even attaching "injury assessments," and threats from parents to "withdraw investments if not dealt with."
The Dean felt an immense headache.
He knew, of course, that Kael was someone arranged by "the higher-ups," with a non-simple background. But this time, it involved multiple student parents with backgrounds, so the pressure was considerable.
He tried to contact the mysterious channel that arranged Kael's employment, wanting to understand the situation, or at least get a statement that could appease the parents.
However, his messages were like a stone sinking into the sea.
Just as he was in a frantic state, preparing to grit his teeth and appease the parents first, his computer screen suddenly went black. Immediately after, an unfamiliar encrypted interface with the Destiny organization emblem forcefully popped up.
The interface displayed only one line of cold, red capital letters:
"TARGET: Kael. CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET. ANY INQUIRY OR HOSTILE ACTION WILL BE CONSIDERED A DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST DESTINY. PROCEED WITH CAUTION."
Immediately after, all complaint letters, investigation requests, and even his internal personnel records at the academy regarding Kael were instantly and completely deleted and shredded by an invisible force before the Dean's eyes, leaving no trace.
The Dean froze in his chair, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
Dean: Me declaring war on Destiny? Is this real or fake!?
At the same time, the families of the girls who tried to use their family power to retaliate against Kael also encountered varying degrees of "accidents"—family company stocks inexplicably plummeted, important cooperation projects were repeatedly obstructed, and even the tax authorities "just happened" to start special audits… Within a few days, these originally arrogant families were in a desperate situation, unable to cope.
They vaguely felt that they had somehow provoked someone they shouldn't have, and kicked an iron plate they couldn't possibly move.
"Dad! What exactly happened? That Kael…" The red-haired girl anxiously questioned at home.
Her father slumped on the sofa, his face haggard. Looking at his daughter, he finally just waved his hand weakly, his voice hoarse:
"Don't ask… Daughter, we… we seem to have been 'set up' this time… Let's just accept it."
Otto: Amused.