Chapter 98

1.

There’s a saying, “One Hit Wonder.”

It refers to a phenomenon where a work created out of a single fleeting moment of brilliance enjoys tremendous popularity for a short period.

To put it more simply, it’s the occasional ‘flash in the pan’ success that artists or creators experience.

However, this term is usually used in a negative context because, in most scenarios, it’s nearly impossible to replicate that past brilliance or inspiration.

Can you recreate a famous piece you made back then under current conditions?

Can you write something exactly the same as before with the memory of your past writings?

The answer is, impossible.

Because the me of today is fundamentally different from the me of the past.

Therefore, the true owner of the work made at that time isn’t the current me, but rather my past self.

That’s the story of a “One Hit Wonder.”

It is said that humans can turn into angels or devils depending on their alcohol levels, and children or adults depending on their age.

Ultimately, humans are ephemeral beings who undergo dramatic changes with the flow of time.

Recognition and meaning attached to things also change with time.

Humans, within this peculiar flow of time, possess nothing—perhaps more accurately, no one knows for sure.

A famous parable that aligns with this is the story of ‘Theseus’ Ship.’

If, over time, the ship’s components corrode and are gradually replaced until all parts are new, can it still be called the same ship as before?

If everything changes in an endless transformation, it can no longer be considered the same as before.

This principle applies to people as well.

Human cells are periodically replaced, and after about a year, all the cells in the body change, erasing those of the past.

Thus, if the past and the present differ, and something changes in ways we don’t notice within the flow of time, then:

Am I the same person as I was in the past?

Furthermore, is the Aris of today the same character as the Aris from the original work I remember?

In this situation where I, an impurity, am involved, isn’t the Aris I remember vividly just a phantom that’s remained in my memory?

…

Well, I didn’t intend to indulge in such heavy philosophizing.

I didn’t plan to delve this deeply into the subject.

Just—

“Because I realized there’s something only the present me can do. That’s all.”

It’s considered a poor strategy to get lost in something just because you’ve fallen into a mental trap.

What’s more disgraceful than living in fear, staying motionless, and then regretting it as doom approaches? So, I will move. Move first and think later.

When you come to think of it, it’s quite a funny situation—when did I start prioritizing thinking over action?

“If I don’t know something, I should just ask.”

If I can’t answer the question myself, I should ask someone who can, right?

So.

“I’ll briefly visit Trinity.”

“…What?”

“I’ll go meet the seer and ask what I need to.”

“Is this really an issue we can address so casually?!”

“Not possible? What do you mean?”

“No…!!”

Himari was at a loss for words, clutching her neck.

Judging from Amy’s exasperated look at me, it was clear this wasn’t a trivial matter.

“Of course! The mystery of prophecy, or the technique, is something treated as top-secret by every academy! It’s not something to discuss as casually as going to the convenience store!”

“Hmm, that much.”

“Is that all, Hiiro…!!!”

I roughly understood why Himari was so shocked.

The mystery of prophecy is considered top-secret, on par with the president of the student council, and is one of the most potent forces of the respective academy.

Hence, declaring that I intend to meet a seer means invading the very core of Trinity alone.

“Hiiro, Trinity might seem like a gathering of pious and chaste maidens on the surface, but in reality, it’s different. It’s a nest of snakes, or more precisely, a den of sinister monsters.”

“…Is that so?”

Since that’s pretty much what was revealed in the original story, and it was no surprise given that anyone could tell from the internet that Trinity wasn’t a congregation of ladies but a den of vipers, what was there to worry about?

But Himari vigorously denied my point of view with a fervent shake of her head.

“That’s not what I mean, Hiiro! When I say monsters, I mean it literally! Mika from Tiparty, Tsuji from the Justice Realization Department, Mine from the Rescue Knights, and even Sisterhood whose strength no one can measure—Trinity is a place full of hidden monsters behind the lady-like facade!”

“…Oh.”

“Meeting Trinity’s seer is practically the same as declaring war on all of them!”

Certainly, hearing about the lineup, it did seem intense.

But—

“It seems doable.”

“Hiiro-!!!!!!”

“No, no. Don’t be mad—I’m just asking you to listen.”

It’s not like I’m forcing through this just for the sake of it.

After calming down, Himari listened to the detailed plan and then only muttered under her breath with a scrunched-up expression.

“You’re insane, really…”

“Wow. Hiiro, you’re crazy!”

I shrugged.

Even I think it’s not a plan concocted in the right mind.

2.

Trinity Comprehensive Academy.

As the name suggests, it’s a deeply religious academy. Unlike other academies, Trinity is not a unified entity but rather a coalition of various academies that came together.

Fitting its coalition of numerous academies, it boasts the largest area in Kiburatos.

The devout image of religion and the ideal of piety and purity form an outward impression that is practically the opposite of Gehenna.

Whereas Gehenna embodies chaos from excessive freedom,

Trinity symbolizes internal fractures from excessive oppression and religious laws.

Angels, demons, virtues, and sins.

The differences lie in what each prioritizes; hence, it’s inevitable for stark contrasts to arise.

The image of Trinity as a ladies’ academy stems from this discrepancy.

Additionally, the notable features of Trinity include:

It being affiliated with the Catholic mission school, its political system centered around Triparty, and an implicit stratification system among the students.

Of course, there are numerous accounts regarding Trinity’s various settings and characteristics, but they might not be that crucial.

Because the most defining characteristic of Trinity lies in its ‘duality.’

While outwardly creating an image of being neat and sophisticated, the hidden truth becomes apparent when observing the atmosphere or hearing various sounds amplified by extrasensory perception.

As I focused my concentration and extended my extrasensory perception,

“Hmm, dieting lately, were you? I think ordering salad for a friend would be best.”

“These days, the profits have decreased. Any tourists left to exploit…?”

“Ah, you mean that person? Hmm. Although I’ve been hanging out with them, it seems they consider themselves a friend without meeting the level, so I made sure to keep my distance today.”

“Ah, damn Justice Realization Department…!”

That’s enough… stop listening…

I feel like I’m going crazy.

The voices reaching my ear are all delicate female tones, but the content is deceptively sinister and unpleasant.

Is this the real face of Trinity, or just an extreme minority?

“…It’s scary.”

I chuckled bitterly while once again scrutinizing the streetscape of Trinity.

Unlike the light and chaotic atmosphere of Gehenna, Trinity’s streets offer a peaceful and orderly impression of an autonomous district.

The streets are filled with maidens eating snacks with innocent smiles and occasional buskers playing not the heavy metal or various genres from Gehenna or other academies but highly cultured sounds of violins and flutes.

The exterior and the interior are distinctly different — as different as heaven and earth.

This is the ‘duality’ of Trinity that I mentioned.

It’s the fundamental problem of this academy and simultaneously an unavoidable source of conflict.

‘This is why disputes happen here all the time.’

The frequent crimes in Trinity mainly involve kidnappings and terrorism against maidens, or extortions of money, but they also include various conflicts and hate crimes among the maidens themselves, albeit covertly.

Certainly, I had an inkling from the game, but seeing it in reality makes the reasons much clearer.

‘The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.’

Like all religions, Trinity is entrenched with a closed-off atmosphere. Moreover, the teachings emphasized to the students are idealistic and unrealistic due to the religious aspects.

Under the religious value system, various laws and commandments, high moral standards, and diligence are necessary to be evaluated as suitable ‘maidens’ of Trinity.

An environment where students monitor each other, strive for perfection, and conceal their weaknesses and flaws.

Under the control of an obsessive cleanliness and peace, people inevitably experience stress.

And in an atmosphere where the academy discourages expressing that stress outwardly, it seeps deeply into their inner darkness and gnaws at them.

Of course, most adapt to the environment and become literal ‘maidens.’

“Not all humans can have the same personalities.”

Some Trinity students have become cunning, sinister, and view differences as flaws.

Religion, through its scriptures and commandments, instills absolute values and sets moral standards, but it also has the adverse effect of neutering creativity and fostering narrow-minded thinking. Religion restricts all human actions and thoughts within the confines of scripture.

This is my interpretation of the dual nature exhibited by the students of Trinity.

“While Gehenna resolved issues by instilling fear, what can be done here? It seems impossible.”

Of course, life in Trinity is usually peaceful, and incidents don’t occur as frequently compared to other districts.

That’s why I postponed my activities in Trinity for later, but in any case, conflicts in Trinity differ from those of others.

Scuffles in other academies often involve guns—disputes with the Helmet Gang, student fights, bank terrorisms, or simple riots.

But in Trinity, disputes often occur in different forms: with words rather than guns, political battles instead of fist fights. At best, it’s highly cultured, and at worst, it’s insidious.

Still, exceptions are always there.

Regardless of how calm and closed-off Trinity might be, it’s an autonomous district within Kiburatos.

And it’s common knowledge that Kiburatos inevitably sees disruptions.

—Bang!

Suddenly, gunfire shattered the streets’ calm.

Even in Kiburatos, where gunfights are common, the sudden sound startled those walking the streets; the maidens flinching in fear could be seen.

They quickly moved in the opposite direction of the sound, showing a desperate desire to avoid getting caught in unnecessary commotion.

“What happened? What’s going on..?”

“Wasn’t that, definitely gunshots?”

Of course, there were still those who hadn’t fully grasped the situation and remained in their spots questioning.

This kind of situation gives different perceptions of Trinity in various ways.

Smiling faintly, I leapt off a building rooftop.

Boom!

The shock was absorbed through the energy channeled into my legs, and unlike before, I felt almost no pain.

It was thanks to applying the art to my lower body to cushion the impact.

I raised my head after pushing my hood back.

In contrast to the me of old who might have panicked in this situation, the current me could calmly endure the onlookers’ gazes.

“Everyone, step back. The villain is coming soon.”

Through the mask’s amplification, my voice reached everyone on the streets loud and clear. Hesitant ones finally realized who I was, and they quickly moved out of the way.

“Is, is that Silk?”

“Isn’t that Silk?”

“What’s Silk doing here…?”

While the questions poured in, they were hardly worth answering.

Ignoring them, I fired my web shooter towards the direction of the gunfire and soared into the sky.

As I began my movement toward the likely location of the villain, from the ground below I could hear murmurs like ‘Is that Silk?’, ‘That’s…!’, ‘It’s Silk! Silk has come!’

It seems news of me has reached Trinity.

A sense of pride welled up, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Even among the dual-natured students, their admiration for the hero seemed genuine.

Upon arrival and seeing the three-dimensional facets of Trinity, while smiling at the situation, my gaze grew cold as I focused on the villain far away.

The enemy detected by my spread extrasensory perception was fleeing from me at an incredible speed.

Not by human running—it was rather…

“They must be in a car.”

An enemy type I’ve confronted multiple times before, and also a common method seen in movies.

“I need to go faster.”

The Justice Realization Department will arrive soon.

Exhausting myself dealing with them immediately after this wouldn’t be worth it, so it’s better to finish quickly and leave.

And I should try out the newly devised technique, too.

Until now, most of my mobility depended on webs. Taking Spider-Man as a model, and with the lack of better means, it was mainly about gliding between buildings.

But now, I have a way to boost my mobility differently.

Qing.

The limitless application of my unique force.

I channeled that power into my feet.

As if stepping on an invisible foothold, I channeled the art into my legs and strongly pushed off. The brief pain of my legs feeling like they would burst was followed by the invisible force releasing itself, and my body began moving forward gradually pushed by the impact.

Bang!

Subsequently, my body shot toward the enemy like a cannonball.

Like Iron Man using repulsor thrusts to soar through the sky toward the enemy in films, my body surged toward the opponent at frightening speed.

Even though it was simply utilizing mass to “lightly” propel myself forward, from others’ perspectives, it appeared as if I were a missile flying at supersonic speed.

And the many onlookers of this scene could only share the same sentiment.

“…Is that person human?”

“Isn’t that beyond superhuman abilities?”

“Silk, have you transcended humanity…!”

Until now, Silk’s incredible combat prowess and high-tech equipment had been enough to make people marvel. However, this moment of Silk’s demonstration left no room for anything beyond admiration.

Rather, it planted the feeling of “awe.”

As for the perpetrators of the incident, the members of the Helmet Gang who were directly facing this monstrous figure—

“Shiiit!!! Drop the car immediatelyeee!!!”

“Kiiiiaaackkkk!!!!!!”

They screamed in fear and surrendered.

The leader of the Helmet Gang jumped out of the car, holding the abducted Trinity student, and rolled on the ground. Her subordinates followed suit, and after they escaped the car, the abandoned vehicle turned toward a wall in its movement.

Bzzzt!

In that instant, everyone present witnessed it.

As if a meteor had fallen, Silk descended from the sky, stopped in front of the high-speed moving car, grabbed it with one hand, and stopped it instantly.

Furthermore, they saw Silk crumple the car hood with the sheer grip strength in one hand.

“Surrender.”

“Yes, we will! Please let us!”

“Alright.”

The situation was resolved.

But in that moment, Silk inadvertently instilled a different kind of fear in Trinity, something different from the fear in Gehenna.

From this moment on, a conviction sprang up in the hearts of all the people in Kiburatos.

That Silk might possess strength comparable to, or even surpassing, the strongest in each academy.

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