043 Problem Students - Part 4 - Karl’s POV
I adjusted my colr, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
The White Tiger uniform fit snugly—not quite perfect, but close enough. Not bad for a stolen uniform.
I took a moment to roll my shoulders, getting a feel for the fabric. It was stiffer than ours, the cut sharper. More elite. The second-years from White Tiger carried themselves like they were untouchable. Arrogant bastards.
Stuffing my original uniform into my bag, I leaned against the wall outside the locker rooms.
Mark and Mirai were taking too damn long.
I scowled, tapping my fingers against my arm.
I wanted to tell them to hurry the hell up, but I knew better than to rush this.
Patience.
This wasn’t the kind of thing I could force. If we were going to pull this off, we had to blend in. Act the part. White Tiger wasn’t just another building—it was a fortress. Their students were elites who had survived the first year.
First and foremost, we have to be careful.
If we were caught before we even got inside, this whole thing would be over before it began.
I knew that. Thus, the uniform.
…Still, the waiting made me itchy.
Too much time to think.
Too much time to remember.
A bitter taste filled my mouth.
"You think you’re better than us, don’t you?"
The voice was mocking, sickly sweet.
I could still hear it.
My older sister—tall, strong, proud—was on the ground.
I saw the blood first. A dark smear against her white uniform.
A White Tiger uniform.
"Come on, say something," another voice taunted. "Didn’t you say you were gonna be number one?"
I saw the way her hands trembled as she pushed herself up.
She should’ve stayed down.
But that wasn’t who she was.
She stood—even when they knocked her down again.
Again.
And again.
Until she wasn’t standing anymore.
I had been too young. Too weak.
I could only watch.
I could only listen as they ughed—as if it was all some kind of joke.
As if she wasn’t even a person.
I clenched my fists, shaking the memory off.
Not today.
Today, I wasn’t a helpless little brother.
Today, I wasn’t just going to watch.
I was going to give them a taste of their own damn medicine.
Mark and Mirai finally stepped out of the locker room.
Took them long enough.
Mirai was pulling at her skirt, an expression of absolute misery on her face.
"This is too short," she compined, tugging at the hem as if that would magically make it longer.
I gave her a ft look. “Deal with it.”
It wasn’t like I had options. The uniforms were stolen, sure, but at least the pstic wrapping was new. "If you want my cooperation on future team efforts, you better py along," I added. "Consider this part of our team-building."
Mirai let out a suffering sigh. Mark, on the other hand, was checking his sleeves, adjusting the fit.
"So?" Mirai asked, still trying to fix her skirt. "What’s your motive for picking a fight with an entire css?"
I paused.
How much should I tell them?
I didn’t see myself as maniputive.
But if I wanted them to have my back, I had to phrase this carefully.
Mirai was a righteous type. She wouldn’t go along with this if she thought it was just some random revenge stunt.
As for Mark…
He was a simp.
If Mirai agreed, he’d follow.
I exhaled, crossing my arms. "It’s to teach someone a lesson. Someone did something bad, and I need to give them payback."
Mirai narrowed her eyes. "That’s… vague."
I shrugged. "I only need to deal with the one responsible. But the problem is—the entire css might try to stop me. That’s why I need backup."
Mark frowned. I could practically see the gears in his head turning. Doubtful. Suspicious.
Mirai, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.
Then she nodded. "I did promise to help you. And I’m not against giving payback where it’s deserved."
Mark fake-coughed.
Mirai turned to him, grinning. "Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Mark. We of Pioneer Css look after our own."
I blinked.
Huh.
I honestly didn’t expect Mirai to say something like that.
The three of us piled into a cab.
I took shotgun. Because I could.
Mark and Mirai squeezed into the back seat while I stretched my legs and rexed. The moment the cab started moving, I casually said, "By the way, I don’t have money, so one of you has to pay."
I turned to Mirai.
Mirai turned to Mark.
Mark let out a slow breath. "Karl, why don’t you pay? Your dad’s a professor here, isn’t he?"
I froze.
How the hell did Mark know that?
I gnced at him, but his face was unreadable.
Mirai cut in, "I just lost my part-time job, so I don’t have the money. If you could pay, Mark. I’ll owe you. Pwetty please?"
Mark sighed, pulling out his wallet. "Fine."
I couldn’t believe that worked.
Such a simp.
I smirked but didn’t push my luck.
The cab driver dropped us off a few blocks away from White Tiger.
Mark had suggested it.
"Why aren’t we going straight in?" Mirai asked, stretching her legs.
Mark looked at me. "Because I need to hear Karl’s pn first."
That got me quiet.
The ESPer Academy was divided into four major facilities, one for each year level:
Bck Tortoise– First Years.White Tiger– Second Years.Azure Dragon– Third Years.Vermillion Bird– Fourth Years.Each facility functioned as a self-contained system, with its own unique buildings, security protocols, and even separate dormitories.
That meant the ID system wasn’t universal.
Our Bck Tortoise IDs wouldn’t work here.
The White Tiger building, in particur, was known for its unorthodox security measures. Instead of relying on faculty or automated systems, they employed their own student body as security. It was both a sign of trust in their discipline and a power py—only the strongest second-years got the role, and they weren’t shy about throwing their weight around.
Which meant sneaking in was going to be a problem.
Mark frowned. "So, you’re telling me we came all the way here without a working pn?"
Mirai turned to me, arms crossed. "Karl, don’t tell me you didn’t think this through."
I grinned. "Of course, I have a pn."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Let’s hear it."
I pointed at them. "I recruited you two. Now, deal with it. The two of you… are the rest of the pn."
Mirai defted.
Mark just stared at me.
Mirai sighed, exasperated. "That’s it. I’m calling this off."
I smirked. "Are you sure about that?"
She hesitated, just a fraction of a second, which was enough for me to know she wasn’t completely sold on abandoning this.
Mark sighed for the nth time today. "I have an idea."
Mirai raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Mark rubbed his temple like he was already regretting speaking. "I can share my psychic invisibility, but it’s difficult to maintain. However..." He gnced at Mirai. "It’d be much easier if you shared your luck."
Mirai snapped her fingers. "Oh! I should be able to do that."
I scowled. "What does that even mean?"
Mark extended a hand toward me. "Just hold my hand."
I recoiled. "Why?"
Mirai sighed. "Just trust him, Karl. Why? Scared of physical contact?"
I grimaced. Everything in my being rejected the idea of willingly touching Mark, but if this was what it took to get in... Fine.
After some trial and error, we figured out how to combine Mark’s invisibility with Mirai’s luck distribution. It took some focus, but eventually, the three of us stood in a triangle, holding hands in a ridiculous circle formation.
I scowled at our posture. "This is embarrassing."
Mirai snickered. "We probably look really stupid."
"Picking a fight with second-years is stupid." Mark didn’t even hesitate. "I’ll steer. Just follow my lead."
I grumbled but didn’t argue. At this point, I had to admit Mark’s ability was useful, even if the way we had to use it made me want to punch something.
We moved carefully, our awkward circle slowly inching forward as we synchronized our steps. It was like some bizarre ritual, but as we walked, I could feel the strange sensation of Mark’s invisibility wrapping around us, yered with the unnatural ease Mirai’s luck granted.
The White Tiger gates loomed ahead.
Unlike the Bck Tortoise building, which had a massive iron gate, the White Tiger entrance was sleek and modern, with towering reinforced gss panels and polished steel beams. A row of twelve booths lined the front, each equipped with a scanner for student IDs. Security monitors hung overhead, tracking every person who passed through.
This pce was too clean. Too orderly. Too rigid.
Yet, something strange caught my eye.
The guard outpost, usually manned by two students, was undergoing a shift change. The previous guards had just left, and instead of two repcements, only one student took over.
Weird.
Security here was supposed to be strict—why was there only one?
But hey, that just worked to our advantage.
I smirked. "Guess it's our lucky day."
Mark stared at me. "It’s going to be a problem if we don’t have an ID."
I raised an eyebrow. He was clearly waiting for me to produce something.
I sighed and jerked my wrist toward Mirai. "Hold this."
Mirai blinked in confusion but did as I said, gripping my wrist lightly, so as not to cut her luck and mess our invisibility. With my barely freed hand, I reached into my jacket and plucked out a student ID.
Mark’s eyes narrowed. "And where exactly did you get that?"
Mirai leaned in to examine it and then immediately recoiled. "Wait… is that blood?"
I clicked my tongue. "It’s mine," I lied smoothly.
Mirai frowned, unconvinced. "Are you hurt?"
"Nope. All good." I stuffed the ID into the scanner before she could ask more questions.
Mark was still eyeing me. "You really expect us to believe you just happened to bleed all over a second-year’s ID?"
I groaned. "Look, the guy picked a fight with me first, alright? It’s not like I go around mugging students for fun."
Mirai crossed her arms. "You literally did that, though."
I ignored her.
Mark sighed. "Whatever. Just get in the booth already."
We squeezed inside the tiny scanning booth. It was meant for one person, and we were three people holding hands. Naturally, it was uncomfortable as hell.
"Move over!" I grunted, elbowing Mark.
"I can’t move over," Mark shot back. "That’s your knee in my side!"
Mirai huffed. "Both of you, shut up! And Karl, stop breathing on my neck!"
"I can’t help it! You’re in my space!"
"We’re all in each other’s space!" Mark groaned.
The scanner beeped. The ID was accepted.
We all froze.
Then Mark muttered under his breath, "I hate that this is actually working."
We stepped out of the scanning booth, finally past the gate, and I was about to bask in my own genius when I felt it—
Someone was watching us.
A girl stood right in front of us.
She had silver hair that cascaded down her back, crimson eyes that gleamed under the sun, and an expression that was far too amused for my liking.
Mirai let out an exasperated groan. "How were we found out already?!"
I grinned and nudged Mark. "Hey, she kinda looks like you. Maybe you two are long-lost cousins."
Mark did not look amused. "This isn’t funny."
I could see the muscles in his jaw tighten as he recognized her.
"That’s the Rank One of White Tiger," Mark said grimly. "Student President of the Second Years. The Bloody Queen of White Tiger—Gwendolyn Quentin."
Mirai gulped audibly. "Wait, the Bloody Queen?"
Gwendolyn smiled, slow and deliberate, her crimson eyes shining with something dangerous. "Oh, please. Just call me Gwen."
She took one step forward.
"As for how I found you… well," Gwen tilted her head, "that’s why CCTVs exist."
My stomach dropped.
Mark cursed under his breath.
Mirai tensed.
Gwen’s smile widened.
"So, tell me…" She pced a delicate hand on her hip. "Who wants to die first?"