"Hey, you. Jima, right?" Yugo called out. "I’d say sorry for bothering you while you’re so wiped out, but... honestly, I don’t feel bad for you in the slightest. You’re the mastermind behind all this, aren't you? How do you plan to settle the score?"
"Guh...! Yu—Yugo...!" Jima flinched, his body trembling as he let out a groan filled with pure spite.
There wasn't a hint of remorse in his eyes, but it seemed Yugo had already given up on expecting any.
"Look, I’m no monster," Yugo said. "I have no intention of beating on a guy who’s already this broken. I’m just going to report everything to Professor Castle. I’ll leave the punishment for you and your Fifth Dormitory lackeys to the school staff. I won't lay another hand on you."
"Guh... damn it...!"
"You sure you're okay with that?" Hex interjected. "I know I already worked him over, but your blood has to be boiling too, right? A little extra payback wouldn't hurt anyone."
"It’s fine," Yugo replied. "To be honest, he’s just too pathetic for words. Bullying him anymore would just leave a bad taste in my mouth. I’ll just consider the beating you gave him as my proxy. Besides, it’s not like I’m letting him off for free."
Truly, looking at the wretched state of Jima now, Yugo felt more pity and exasperation than anger. What the man had done was infuriating, but kicking a man who was already down would only make Yugo feel worse. After confirming to Hex that he’d leave the rest to the teachers, Yugo idly spun the second Blaster—the one Jima had intended to use as a decoy—around his finger.
"I’m taking this Blaster you prepared as a nuisance fee for everything you put us through. Consider that our settlement."
"Hmm... honestly, that seems like a bargain for him," Anhel mused. "But there’s no denying that having a second Blaster would be convenient. I suppose it’s a fair enough price to squeeze out of these losers."
"It’ll make a perfect spare, and we can use it for testing when we add new functions," Fee added. "If you’re okay with it, Brother, I have no objections."
The school would handle the official penalty, but Yugo would ensure he was compensated for the trouble. Fee and Anhel both agreed with the decision to end their involvement by confiscating the decoy Blaster. They might not be able to give it the exact same specs as Yugo’s primary unit, but a second set of armor would undoubtedly prove useful.
The rest of the group nodded along with the engineers' assessment. It finally seemed as though the chaos was coming to an end.
"Right! Let’s head back to the room," Yugo said. "Ann, sorry to ask, but could you run a diagnostic on the Blaster I got back? I’m worried it might have been damaged while those amateurs were handling it."
"I was already planning to. Honestly, you always find new ways to give me more work..."
"And I’ll start adjusting the new Blaster for you, Brother," Fee offered. "We’ll need it ready if we’re going to put it to use, right?"
"Thanks, you two. Oh, and Hex—since you’re already here at the dorms, why don’t you stop by? I think we’ve still got some juice left. We can have a little Duel Celebration."
With the Case Complete Mood hanging heavy in the air, the group chatted as they prepared to head back to Yugo’s room for one last gathering before calling it a night. It had been a long day filled with unexpected turns, and they were certain the trouble was finally over.
But then again, a fool wouldn't be a fool if he knew when to quit.
"Damn it...! Damn it all!!" Jima roared. "How did this happen? Why me...? Pieces of shit!!"
"J-Jima-san! Please, calm down—"
"Like hell I’ll calm down! You bastards are completely useless! How did you lose to a guy like Yugo so easily? You morons!"
As Yugo’s group turned to leave, Jima’s rage finally boiled over. He began venting his mounting frustration on Avad and his other subordinates. Yugo and the others watched the display with cold, clinical disdain, witnessing a man whose ego had been bruised far beyond his small capacity to handle it.
"Ugh, how pathetic," Anhel groaned. "There’s nothing uglier than a man throwing a tantrum."
"He’s the one who blew himself up," Fee added. "I don't even feel sorry for him. I’m just disgusted."
"B-Brother, what should we do? He's really losing it..."
"Ignore him," Yugo said flatly. "If you think of having to deal with his hysteria as Avad’s punishment, it’s actually a pretty good fit. It’s a waste of time to give a guy like that any more of our attention."
"Yugo's right," Hex agreed. "There's no point listening to a loser’s howl. Just let him rot."
The group was in total agreement. They turned their backs on the screaming upperclassman and began walking toward Yugo’s room—until Jima’s next words shattered the peace.
"God damn it! It’s all because of that Blaster! If I hadn't used that piece of shit magic item—that literal pile of trash—I never would've ended up like this!"
"...Hah?"
"B-Brother...?"
Yugo stopped dead in his tracks.
Fee’s face went pale. He had heard the low, dangerous growl that escaped his brother’s throat an instant before he stopped. But Jima was too far gone in his own delusions to notice, continuing to scream his spiteful frustrations into the air.