Chapter 162: Fanatical Psychopath
The reason Anya was acting this way and was not having her usual composure was because her love for her sister was fierce—but her devotion to Mika was something else entirely, a fanatical worship that bordered on obsession.
Yet, no matter how much it grated her to see Charlotte hugging him, Anya wouldn't dare act against her while Mika was present. His rules were ironclad.
So even if both of them stripped down and started bangin each other on the spot, she'd only bite her teeth, look away, and swallow her rage.
But still, Mika knew her too well, her psychopathic tendencies meant that suppressed anger would find another outlet, and that thought made him wary.
To defuse the tension, he made a snap decision, letting go of Charlotte with one hand and, to Anya's shock...catching her by the waist, pulling her into a hug.
Now he held both sisters in his arms, Charlotte on one side, Anya on the other, to the crowd's utter disbelief and the envious glares of the boys, who looked ready to weep with jealousy.
Mika expected Anya to melt, to gush about how honored she was to be hugged by him, her saint, her god. But when he glanced at her, he froze.
For the first time, her trademark smile was gone, replaced by a look of pure bafflement, her lips parted, her eyes wide with shock. She looked like she'd swallowed a fly.
"Anya, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice laced with confusion. "Why do you look like that? Is it the hug? You don't like me hugging you in front of everyone? Worried it'll hurt your reputation as head of the Disciplinary Committee?"
He loosened his grip, ready to let her go, but Anya shook her head frantically, pressing herself closer.
"No, no, Mika, don't let me go!" She blurted, her voice trembling with panic and awe. She then pushed her glasses up, her eyes scanning him up and down as if seeing him for the first time as she went on to say, "It's just...I never expected you of all people to hug me out of nowhere like this"
"I mean hugs from you are like treasures, Mika, rare, precious things I think about every night because they don't come often. After all, you always keep your distance, always so careful, so reserved."
"But now, hugging me in front of all these people? You, who likes to stay low-key? I'm just...I'm shocked, that's all!"
Mika nodded, understanding her reaction, but before he could respond, Charlotte piped up from his other side, her voice smug and proud.
"Honestly, Anya, I felt the same way at first! When Mika started being so open with his affection recently, I was caught off guard too. But you shouldn't be that surprised."
She puffed out her chest, as if she'd discovered this change first.
"After all, this is a new Mika, you know, a changed Mika!...He's not that shy, distant boy anymore."
Anya's eyes narrowed, her shock giving way to curiosity.
"What do you mean, changed?" She asked, her gaze flicking to Mika's face. "He looks as handsome as ever, maybe even more so, if that's possible...What's this change you're talking about?"
Charlotte shook her head, her smugness growing.
"It's not his appearance, Anya. It's his heart. Recently, Mika's been way more open with us. He promised he won't be that cold, distant guy he was before. He said he'll treat us the way he did when we were kids, openly, warmly. He's not gonna push us away anymore."
Anya's eyes widened, her breath catching as she stared at Mika.
"Is this true, Mika?" She asked, her voice trembling with hope. "Is what Charlotte's saying true? You're really not going to push us away anymore?"
Mika sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips, as he decided to use this opportunity to reveal his intentions so that she won't be so doubtful in the future.
"Yeah, it's true. I've been thinking about how I've acted lately, and it wasn't right. I was too cold, too distant, and you didn't deserve that...I'm not saying I'm gonna go all lovey-dovey or anything, but I'm done keeping you at arm's length. You deserve better than that, both of you."
Anya's breath hitched, her eyes shimmering as if her wildest dreams were coming true. And then to Mika's surprise, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"I'm so happy, Mika!" She said, her voice thick with emotion. "So, so happy! I actually never told you because I didn't want to upset you—but honestly it always hurt, how distant you were."
"I always wished you'd treat me like you did when we were kids, back when you didn't push me away. But I kept quiet because I didn't want to disappoint you, but to hear you say this now...I feel like crying!"
"Alright, alright, no need to cry, Anya." Mika patted her back gently, his voice soft but teasing. "You've got a reputation to uphold, you know. Can't have the Iron Maiden sobbing in front of the whole academy."
Anya laughed, a shaky sound, but then her expression shifted, a flicker of curiosity crossing her face. She pulled back slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"But what brought this on, Mika? What made you change like this? Not that I'm complaining, but I'm curious...What happened?"
Charlotte, still clinging to Mika's other side, answered before he could.
"He said he just had a realization or something, but I don't buy it."
She shook her head, her tone confident.
"I think it's because of the accident. That's when he started acting—"
The moment the word "accident" left her mouth, Charlotte froze, her hand flying to cover her lips as if she'd said something forbidden.
But it was too late.
Anya's eyes glinted with a dangerous light, her smile curling into something sharp and scary. She turned slowly to Mika, her voice deceptively soft.
"Accident?...What accident is she talking about, Mika? Did you get hurt?"
"I-It's not a big deal, Anya." Mika gave an awkward smile, trying to brush it off, knowing exactly how she would react in a situation like this. "Just a truck that slid off the road. Charlotte and I were fine, no injuries...Nothing to worry about."
Anya nodded, her smile tightening. "Good, good. I'm glad you're fine."
It seemed as if she agreed to what he said without any protest, that is until she leaned forward and asked,
"But...do you happen to know the driver's name? Or maybe the license plate number? Anything about them?"
"Why?" Mika's eyes narrowed, his tone cautious. "What exactly are you planning to do?"
Anya's smile widened, her voice lilting with a chilling glee.
"Oh, nothing much. I'd just find them, rip the skin off their body, slowly, of course."
"Then I'd grow it back, rip it off again, grow it back, over and over, until they're a broken, sobbing mess...Simple, really."
Hearing this, Mika didn't even flinch. He had known she would say something like that.
It was so very Anya: one moment affectionate, the next, terrifying. No matter how warm her hugs felt, she could turn into a psychopath the moment someone touched the wrong nerve.
Of course, he couldn't give her any real information. That driver...he had already taken care of it long ago. So, calmly, he said, "There's no need for that. The police already dealt with it. You don't have to intervene."
But she didn't back down. Instead, her eyes gleamed, the cruel smile twisting even sharper.
"But Mika, think. No matter what happens to you, I know you'll survive, because you're you. But imagine if you weren't. Imagine if you were just a mortal man. That truck could have crushed you, and you'd be...gone."
Her smile dropped into something crueler, colder, sharper.
"Just the thought of it makes me sick. Makes me want to scream...And the only way I could calm it down would be to strip that driver's flesh from his bones, until he begged for death."
Charlotte shivered visibly. Even she, who had seen Anya's wrath before, hugged Mika tighter for protection.
But Mika's face hardened, his voice suddenly sharp, cutting through Anya's mania.
"Anya." He said slowly, eyes boring into hers. "I told you, didn't I?...Let this matter go."
The way he said it, authoritive, absolute, snapped her back. The dangerous spark in her eyes dimmed, her shoulders eased. Slowly, she nodded, her smile curling back into place.
"Of course, Mika. If you say so, then I won't. You don't need to worry."
"Really? Are you sure?" He studied her, unconvinced. "I don't want to turn on the news one day and hear that the driver's been found somewhere...missing his skin."
"No, I truly won't." Anya shook her head confidently before saying reverently, "Once you say something, it becomes my law. Your words are my rules, Mika...If you forbid it, then I will never do it."
Mika exhaled through his nose, amused and unsettled all at once before asking, "Then let me ask you this, what if I told you to do something? Something reckless. Like...put your own face into that machine over there. Would you do it?"
"Of course." Anya replied without hesitation. Her eyes shone with a frightening sincerity. "The moment you say the word, I'll do it...If you want, I can do it right now."
She took a step toward the still-glowing flux generator, as though daring him to test her.
"Hey, hey, no." But Mika grabbed her arm quickly, pulling her back in disbelief. "That's not what I meant. There's no need to prove yourself like that. Calm down before you do something insane."
"Yeah, Anya, listen to him!" Charlotte, still clinging to Mika's side, also nodded vigorously, her face nervous as she glanced at her sister. "I always knew you were a bit off in the head, but this? Saying you'd throw yourself into that machine?"
"...That's next-level crazy. Even I think that's too much, and I'm not exactly normal either."
Anya only smiled, almost proudz while Mika shook his head as he said,
"I already know you're not exactly normal when it comes to me. You've done some...messed-up things in the past. But listen..."
His tone softened.
"...I want you to prioritize yourself, more than anything. I don't ever want to hear you talk about hurting yourself. Even if I told you to, I don't want you to do it...Understand?"
For a moment, silence. Then Anya's eyes gleamed, her lips trembling into a radiant smile.
"Of course, Mika! If your order is that I should not listen when you tell me to hurt myself, then that becomes my law too. If you tell me to suffer, I will disobey...because you commanded me to."
"That's...not quite what I meant." Mika muttered, but before he could correct her she suddenly lunged forward, throwing herself into his arms again.
"I'm just so glad." She whispered fiercely, clinging to him. "So glad you're finally open with me. In the past you never said words like this, never. And now you say them so shamelessly...I'm so happy!"
Feeling her embrace, Mika sighed, resigned, and patted her back gently.
But then, all of a sudden, Anya stiffened. Her head tilted, nose brushing lightly against his collar. Her eyes narrowed, and a polite smile spread across her lips, but there was nothing kind in it.
"Mika..." She said sweetly, too sweetly. "Forgive me for asking...but what is this smell on your body?"
Mika felt a chill run down his spine, while Anya's glasses caught the light as she pushed them up with one finger as she said,
"It isn't Charlotte's scent. I know hers. This is...different. Feminine. Almost as if some other girl rubbed herself against you."
Her smile sharpened.
"So tell me, Mika...Who exactly is she?"
Mika's heart sank. Of course. It wasn't just Yelena or Charlotte who had that cursed nose. All of them did. Every single girl in his family could sniff out even the faintest trace of someone else on him.
But all of a sudden—just as Anya's voice dipped into interrogation—the heavy doors of the lab slammed open.
Bang!
The crowd startled, heads whipping toward the entrance, thinking that another batch of students arrived for support.
But this time it wasn't more students.
It was a group of professors. Their posture was upright, their robes neat, their faces lined with age and authority. The very ones who governed the Research Block itself.
Their eyes blazed with purpose as they swept into the chaotic scene.
And Mika, recognizing the look of determination on their faces, already knew, another annoying storm was about to break...