Even in a ruined world, morning still dawns. The fact that certain laws remain unbroken even as everything crumbles is a welcome thing. Like administering a lethal dose to a terminal patient, the sun at least casts its light upon a world soon to die.

But that is where it ends. The sun shining does not mean everyone feels hope. There are those who curse the fact that tomorrow has come, spitting out profanity through gritted teeth.

I was one such person. Beneath the slow-creeping midday sunlight, I began my day with a vulgar curse.

“…Shit.”

“Keo-eo-eo…”

The moment I spat out the curse, an obnoxious snoring sound washed over it. The instant I heard it, an uncontrollable wave of revulsion flooded through me. But instead of lashing out, I pushed myself up from the stiff sofa.

“Ugh…”

The moment I rose, a cracking sound—udu-duk—from my neck was accompanied by a surge of pain. Sleeping on the sofa was far more grueling than I had anticipated. The bed in the guard’s quarters hadn’t been particularly comfortable either, but this sofa was far worse.

“Keo-eo-eo… ugh…”

“…”

Amidst all that, the snoring came again. I cast my gaze toward the door and found that pig-like bastard drooling with his mouth hanging wide open. Because of him, I hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep recently. Tormented by his snoring all night, I would finally drift off from sheer exhaustion, only for the sun to rise before I could rest properly.

There was only one emotion I could muster on a day that began like this.

Miserable.

That was the simple conclusion I had reached after being confined to the Student Council Room for the past several days.

“Haa…”

Once again, I let out a sigh today. Since the day Lope had come and gone, I had barely left the Student Council Room. “Don’t even think about leaving until you fix that communication equipment.” That was Duke’s warning.

He had even stationed that revolting pig bastard here, lest I harbor any other ideas. True to being Duke’s friend, the nameless pig was large, stupid, and crude. He did nothing all day except pick his nose and bring me food with those filthy hands. Eat and sleep. Eat and sleep. The man was a pig in every sense of the word.

The one small mercy was that, unlike the bastards out there, he hadn’t tried to pounce on me. Whether due to Duke’s orders or not, he made no moves beyond occasionally casting leering glances my way. In that regard, he could almost be called a gentleman.

Of course, he was still someone I wouldn’t want to associate with under any circumstances. Nevertheless, I had to speak to him at least three times a day. And right now was one of those moments.

“Hey. Wake up.”

“Keo-eo-eo-eo…”

“I said wake up.”

“Keo-eo… keok…! Huh? What?”

Only after I raised my voice did the bastard stupidly lift his head. The sun had already climbed to its zenith, and it was honestly an embarrassing hour to even call lunchtime, yet he yawned and whined like a brat.

“Ugh, what… just let me sleep more. I’m fucking exhausted.”

“I’m heading out, so sleep all you want. I’m going to get Lena. So move aside.”

“Ah, shit. Then I have to go too. What a pain.”

“If you hate it that much, I can go alone.”

“Then Duke’ll throw a fit. And more importantly, are you confident going alone? Aren’t you scared?”

“That’s…”

His pinpoint observation made me trail off. The bastard then stood up with a sleazy grin.

“Can’t be helped. It’s a pain, but I’ll tag along. Let’s make it quick.”

“Fine. Lead the way.”

“Nah. I gotta watch your back. After you, Lady Roselia.”

A fleshy palm smacked against my rear with a sharp tak. That crude gesture nearly made me throw a punch. Not that it would have fazed him in the slightest, of course.

The fact that I couldn’t do a damn thing to this piece of trash was utterly infuriating. But by current Academy standards, this was remarkably decent treatment. Step into the hallway and it would take less than a second to confirm that fact.

Of course, I had no desire to confirm it all over again. And yet, I had no choice but to go out now. I took a deep breath and opened the door, announcing the start of another day.

…

The moment I stepped out of the Student Council Room, the first thing to reach my ears was a crude curse spat out by someone.

“You fucking bitch…”

“Hek… he-ek…”

“You… you fucking worthless slut.”

“Ah-heu… hahk…”

I looked up and saw a boy roughly berating a naked girl sprawled on the floor. To anyone watching, it was so clumsy and half-hearted that not for a moment did it seem genuine. If anything, it seemed like the one hurling the insults was the one consumed by fear.

As if to confirm that thought, tears brimmed in the boy’s eyes. And the same was true for the naked girl. Streaming with tears and sweat, she crawled across the floor like a dog. Her violently trembling limbs were pitiful to behold.

“Ah…”

The boy seemed to share a similar thought, letting out a guilt-ridden sigh. At that, one of the men standing behind him barked out.

“Hey, you fucking bitch! Are you not barking? Who told you to stop!”

“Um… maybe we should stop…”

“You stay out of this. We’ll handle the education. Hey. Not barking? Bark!”

“Hek… w-woof… woof…”

At the harsh command, the girl bawled like a dog with a tear-soaked voice. Each time her voice rang out, the boy bit his lip and trembled.

But the men watching didn’t seem satisfied. The man who had shouted earlier clicked his tongue and spat on the ground.

“Doesn’t feel genuine. This won’t do. She needs to be hit more. Ed.”

“Y-yes… what?”

“Teach her a lesson. She’s not listening.”

“But…”

“What. Or should we do it ourselves?”

“No! I… I’ll do it.”

The boy finally stepped forward. The girl, though hanging her head, straightened her back and raised her hips as if accustomed to the routine. Her sweat-dampened skin bore several bright red handprints.

Ever so slightly, the boy’s hand rose. But it didn’t rise very high. After hesitating for a long while, the boy uttered a word he shouldn’t have.

“Sis…”

“It’s okay, Ed. It’s okay…”

“Sis… I…”

“Ed. Should we just do it ourselves after all?”

“Ah…!”

The man’s voice rang out once more. There was no more time to hesitate.

At last, the boy raised his hand high. And, spitting out a curse, he brought it down on his sister’s backside with all his might.

“You fucking bitch!”

“Ah-ha-ahk!”

“Fuck… nobody asked you to talk. If you’re a dog, bark like a dog!”

“A-ang… woof…! Woof! Woof woof!”

“Bark! More! More!”

“Woof! Woof woof! Woof!”

“Puh-eup…!”

Another’s tragedy was always a comedy to those watching. The men watching laughed heartily, showering the scene with mockery and jeers.

“Good job, Ed! That’s right! You gotta know how to manage your own dog!”

“Look at her dripping. Must be in heat.”

“Ed! Give her tits a squeeze too! That bitch loves having her nipples played with, you know!”

“Ugh… you like that…? You like that, you bitch!”

“Eh-ehk…! Uh-hik… uh-heh… woof… woof woof… woof!”

“That’s… that’s… fuck…”

Egged on by the men’s words, the boy grabbed his sister’s breasts and twisted her nipples mercilessly. The girl screamed in agony, yet arched her back with a sliver of twisted ecstasy. What emotions the boy felt watching that, I had no desire to imagine.

After torturing her for a good while, the men seemed satisfied and approached Ed. They draped arms over his shoulders, pretending to be buddies.

“That hit the spot. That’s how you educate. Got it?”

“Haa… ah… yes. Bro.”

“Cute. Real cute. Well then, shall we go get some action? What do you say?”

“…Yeah. Got it.”

The boy said so while gripping his waistband. Beneath the clothes he struggled to pull down, the boy’s unmistakably swollen crotch was visible. Whether it was my imagination or not, it seemed slightly damp.

Had his sister noticed that fact too, I wondered.

“…Let’s go.”

I stopped thinking about it and headed toward the hallway. It was someone else’s problem, anyway. Keeping up with my own affairs was overwhelming enough as it was.

And more than anything, that was merely a fragment of this rotting Academy. In this situation, it was nothing more than scenery to walk past. Nothing more, nothing less.

As I stepped into the hallway, the Academy’s grim reality laid itself bare, accompanied by the noise of flesh entangling with flesh.

“Haa… hah… haa…”

“Oh… oh-oh…”

“Uh-hik… hik… eh-ehk…”

“Ah… too lazy to go to the bathroom. Should I just do it here?”

“Eh…? W-wait… ugh…!”

“…”

There were far too many things to walk past. Even if I wanted to close my eyes, I couldn’t—some vermin’s hand might graze my body if I did. In the past, people had at least maintained a semblance of decency by coupling inside classrooms, but now no one bothered with such things anymore. As the end of the world drew nearer, the very concept of privacy was being brutally obliterated.

That said, it was no excuse for the countless bodies sprawled across the windowsills.

“Ah… ah…”

“…”

“Hik… huh-hik…”

“…”

“Uh-heh-eh…”

“…”

With every person I passed, each voice cried out for salvation. Status. Grades. Past. Even gender. Regardless of anything, the weak were brutally violated by the strong. It was like the territorial marking of beasts—every step I took was thick with the stench of human bodies.

I ignored them all and walked forward. But that was easier said than done.

“Ah…”

“…!”

One girl, looking particularly drained, collapsed right in front of me, blocking my path. Where her partner had gone, I didn’t know, but her wrists were tied to a broken windowsill so she couldn’t go anywhere.

Amidst all that, the words “In Use” written across her lower back stood out conspicuously. Not because it was unusual, but because since yesterday, many people had been sporting such labels. Their territorial marking was evolving in all sorts of ways.

“Kheum… hm.”

Meanwhile, the pig bastard escorting me let out an uncomfortable cough. Watching these scenes was evidently making him restless. Feeling a surge of revulsion, I quickened my pace. There was no telling how long that bastard would maintain his self-restraint.

Fortunately, I arrived at the staff duty room faster than usual. But I couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. The real problem might be only just beginning.

“Hoo…”

“What’s wrong, Roselia. Scared to knock?”

“It’s nothing like that.”

As I hesitated, the pig bastard stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong. I couldn’t show weakness here, so I forced myself to knock casually.

“Duke. It’s me, Roselia. I’m here to get Lena.”

“…”

“Duke. Can you hear me?”

“…Ah. What is it. It’s Roselia.”

I knocked again, and only then did a sluggish voice crawl out. But that didn’t mean the door opened right away.

“Why’d you come so early. Take your time.”

“We need to fix the communication equipment quickly. Right?”

“That’s true. Hold on a sec. Gotta get ready.”

“Fine. Hurry up.”

I gave a brief reply and leaned against the wall beside the door. Soon, murmuring voices began to drift out from inside.

“Get that down now.”

“…”

“Move it. You guys stop too.”

“Ah, got it, Duke. Hey. Piss off.”

“…”

“Where are you going. You made the mess, you clean it up.”

“…”

Why were my ears so sharp? Was it because I had eavesdropped on others’ conversations so much as a child? Even those childhood antics felt like karmic retribution, weighing on me with disproportionate force.

The commotion continued for nearly ten minutes before finally subsiding. Sensing the time was right, I peeled my back from the wall, and the door slowly opened.

But the face that met me the next moment was not Lena’s—it was Duke’s.

“Ah, been waiting, Roselia.”

“…Don’t worry about it. Where’s Lena?”

“Right here. The girl’s having trouble walking.”

“…”

Only then could I see Lena, wrapped tightly beneath his arm. Her face was hidden as she kept her head down, but her clothing and the state of her nails gave me a rough sense of her condition. By today’s standards, she looked considerably better than on other days.

Though her legs were still trembling violently.

“Alright. Go on, Lena. Help Roselia out.”

“…Yeah.”

“You too, Roselia. Give it your best. Everyone needs to do their part. Right?”

“I know.”

What did he even do himself? I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and tried to turn away. But then Duke called me back.

“By the way, Roselia.”

“Hm?”

“Are you actually making any progress?”

“Yes. Of course. Just a little more and it’ll be done.”

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

“…”

Duke stared at me in silence. In moments like this, I should have met his gaze brazenly, but the memory of last time made me avert my eyes involuntarily. When he raised his arm, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

But it was only to release Lena from his embrace. He shoved her forward and shrugged.

“Finish it. One way or another.”

“Yeah… got it. I’ll figure something out.”

“You help out too, Lena. Got it?”

“…”

“I asked if you got it, Lena.”

Duke asked again, but Lena only hung her head without a word. Stupid girl. Was answering really that difficult? Sensing that leaving things as they were wouldn’t end well, I hastily intervened.

“Then we’ll be off, Duke. Lots of things to try.”

“…Fine. Both of you, go. Quickly.”

He spat out the words curtly and slammed the door shut. It was a hostile response, but I felt a small measure of relief that the situation was over.

Even so, Lena kept her head down. I let out an unfiltered sigh and spoke bluntly.

“Lena. Let’s go.”

“…”

“Lena. I said let’s go. Can’t you hear me?”

“…”

Only then did she lift her head. And looked me straight in the eye.

The gaze of the weak, who had been cowering before an overwhelming force, was sharper than expected. Or perhaps neurotic was the better word. I couldn’t be sure which it was, but the deep shadows under her eyes and the bloodshot irises radiated unmistakable hostility. She stared at me with those eyes for a long while before finally opening her mouth to speak for the first time.

“What are you staring at. Fuck.”