Chapter 167: Strip You Bare, Piece By Piece

Normally, whenever a problem occurred in the academy involving Mika—it was Anya who stepped in.

It had happened several times at the beginning of the school year, because back then almost everyone wanted to test him.

Many students had tried to provoke him, picking fights, mocking him, calling him the "cursed one." or sneering at his ties to the Battle Angels. Mika had been dragged into countless messes—not because he sought them out, but because others made him their target.

And every time, Anya had been the one to clean up the aftermath. She made sure there was no evidence left behind, no official report that could damage him.

She pulled strings, silenced witnesses, scrubbed records clean so that Mika’s official profile at the academy remained spotless.

Rumors floated freely, yes—but Anya didn’t care about rumors. As long as his record stayed clean, as long as he was untouchable on paper, she could live with the rest.

But then came that incident...The one with Maria.

It had been too public, too raw. Mika, enraged beyond reason, had dragged those boys out in front of the whole academy and forced them to eat filth.

The scene had spread like wildfire.

For a short time, it even reached small media outlets before the Battle Angels suppressed it and wiped it away.

And for Anya, who thought of herself as Mika’s guardian, this was the ultimate failure. She had promised herself to shield him from such disgrace, and yet, in that moment, she couldn’t. She despised herself for it.

But more than that...she despised Maria.

In her eyes, Maria had been the trigger, the one who instigated Mika’s rage, the one who had caused him to lose control.

If Maria hadn’t been involved, Anya told herself, Mika would never have gone that far. It was Maria’s fault. And that resentment had never died and why she was confronting her now.

Charlotte, standing to the side now, saw it clearly in her sister’s eyes, the anger, the venom barely hidden behind Anya’s smile.

She knew better than anyone that seeing Anya angry was never good—especially when Mika was around. She opened her mouth, ready to say something, to stop her before things went too far,

But Anya leaned forward, her eyes gleaming dangerously, and spoke first.

"Come on, Maria." She said softly, her voice sugar-coated malice. "Why are you so quiet? I asked you a question. You should answer me, right?"

But Maria only, arms folded, smirked faintly, unamused.

"I have no obligation to answer anything you ask." She said bluntly. Her voice was calm, steady, cold. "I haven’t committed any crime. I haven’t broken any rules. I came here for one reason, to pick Mika up." She gestured faintly toward the door. "So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way."

She turned to leave, but Anya immediately stepped in front of her, blocking her path with a bright, mocking smile.

"Now, now. Don’t be in such a rush." Anya teased. "I’m not asking for your life story. Just a few words about that case. Surely you can manage that, hm?"

"...Especially since you were the cause of it. The source of all the trouble."

Maria’s eyes hardened.

"I have nothing to say about that." She replied flatly. "And even if I did, I wouldn’t say it to you. You may be someone Mika considers family, but to me?...You’re irrelevant. I don’t care who you are or who your mother is." Her voice sharpened. "Now move."

The moment she said those words, the air dropped several degrees. Charlotte quickly grabbed Anya’s shoulder, panic rising in her chest.

"Anya, stop it." She whispered urgently. "She didn’t do anything else, don’t push it further—"

"Or else what?" Anya’s smile widened, but her teeth were gritted beneath it.

Maria’s defiance twisted something inside her, a rage that she struggled to contain, so much so that she ending up saying in a threatening manner,

"You say you have nothing to say? Then what if..."

Her eyes glinted cruelly.

"What if I have you up on the auditorium stage, in front of every student in this academy—and strip you bare piece by piece?"

Charlotte’s breath hitched. The room fell silent.

Anya’s voice dripped with hatred continued as she painted her vision.

"I’ll start with your shoes...Then your socks...Then those braids, you’d look so much prettier without them. After that, I’ll take your glasses...You won’t even see the humiliation you’re going through."

Her words twisted darker with every syllable.

"Then your shirt and tie...I’m sure the boys will cheer at the sight. And oh, those plump breasts of yours, you’ll have them out for everyone to see. Such a shame about your shirt, but at least everyone will enjoy the view."

Her eyes gleamed with sadistic delight.

"And finally—your skirt. Do you know how many of them are dying to see what’s under there? Even the teachers themselves wouldn’t be able to control themselves when they see that round, perky ass of yours bouncing free."

Her words dripped with hostility, echoing through the silent lab like curses.

But just as she was about to continue—

"STOP IT, ANYA!"

Charlotte’s voice cracked as she screamed, grabbing her sister violently by the shoulders and shaking her.

"Stop It Right Now!"

Anya blinked, her cruel smile trembling as if she were waking from a daze. She turned, ready to snap at Charlotte for interrupting—but the words froze in her throat when she saw her sister’s face.

Charlotte’s eyes were filled not with anger, but with pity. Her lips trembled as she pointed, her voice breaking.

"Anya...Mika is watching. So, don’t say another word or...or...you know what will happen."

The name alone was enough to shatter her, that she had forgotten about in the heat of the moment.

Anya’s breath caught in her throat and slowly, stiffly, she turned her head.

And she saw him.

Not the Mika who smiled so easily, who teased and laughed with them, who was always calm and unshaken...This Mika was different.

He stood a short distance away, his expression still calm, his lips curved in a faint smile...But his eyes,

His eyes were black. Cold. Empty.

He was looking at her not as family, not even as someone familiar, but as a stranger. A stranger who had crossed a line.

The sight pierced Anya like an arrow. Her pupils shrank, her face went pale, her body trembled as though she had been doused in freezing water. Sweat rolled down her temples.

For the first time, the Iron Maiden looked afraid.

The others saw it too. Charlotte’s friends gawked in disbelief.

Just moments ago, Anya had been spewing cruel threats, her dominance suffocating. Now, with just a glance from Mika, she looked stripped bare, small, trembling, broken.

Even Maria frowned, confusion flickering across her face. She had been the one under threat, yet suddenly it was Anya who seemed cornered, her confidence shredded.

She almost opened her mouth to ask what had happened, but before she could—

"Anya."

Mika’s voice rang out. Not cold. Not loud...But calm. Too calm. Eerily calm.

"Follow me."

He turned and began walking toward one of the private rooms at the far end of the laboratory. His footsteps were steady, his back unreadable.

And Anya’s entire body shivered in response. It felt as though he had just condemned her to eternal damnation. Yet she couldn’t refuse.

With her head bowed low, her face pale and stiff, she followed him quietly, her every step heavy with dread.

Charlotte watched them go, her lips pressed tightly, her heart aching. Her eyes softened with pity as she whispered to herself. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her sister, for what fate awaited her beyond that door.

Meanwhile Maria, who had been watching silently until then, tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering across her calm features. She stepped closer to Charlotte, her voice cool but edged with genuine interest.

"Can I ask a question?"

Charlotte turned toward her sharply, her gaze annoyed, as though she didn’t want to be bothered in the slightest.

"I don’t have time for your antics right now." She snapped, her voice tense. "I have better things to worry about than you."

But Maria didn’t flinch. She simply shook her head, her tone steady.

"I’m not trying to fight with you. I’m asking because it’s about the very thing you’re worried about."

She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly, her tone frank.

"Just a moment ago, your sister, the Head of the Disciplinary Council, stood in front of us all like a tyrant. She acted as though no law bound her, as though she could do anything she pleased. I’ll admit it..." Maria smirked faintly. "...even I felt a little intimidated. And I don’t scare easily."

Charlotte blinked, then let out a short, amused laugh despite herself.

"Of course you did. It’s only natural. Even the king faltered under Anya once."

Maria raised a brow. "The king?"

"Yes." Charlotte nodded, her eyes softening with memory. "When she was still young, she attended a council audience with the King of the Human Frontier, Augustus Constantine...And do you know what she did?"

"She stood there, bold as ever and actually demanded that certain laws be changed—laws that were unfair to the common people. And even the king, the sovereign himself, hesitated before her. He faltered under her pressure."

"That’s the kind of person Anya is...So yes, it’s only natural you felt intimidated."

Maria tilted her head in intrigue.

"Then why..." She asked slowly. "...did she suddenly falter? Why did she look as if she’d seen a ghost?"

"One moment, she was promising to strip me down in front of the entire academy, her voice dripping with malice. And then...all it took was Mika watching her, and she stopped. Completely. All the blood drained from her face, and she looked like she didn’t even dare breathe."

"Even now, she looks like she’s walking to her execution." Maria’s eyes narrowed, sharp with curiosity. "So tell me. What happened? What makes her so scared? What makes her pull back so suddenly whenever Mika is involved?"

Charlotte hesitated. Her lips pressed together, her gaze shifting downward as though weighing whether to speak. Her hands fidgeted, betraying her unease.

Maria, however, wasn’t done. She gestured toward the private room where Mika and Anya had disappeared.

"By the looks of it, with her power, Anya could have crushed me in so many ways just now. She had every chance to...And yet she didn’t. And it’s the same with you as well."

She glanced at Charlotte who wasn’t expecting to be involved.

"Every time I meet you, it’s the same, you want to pick a fight with me, I can feel it. You hate seeing me near Mika. But you never do anything. Not really. And the reason..." Maria’s eyes shifted back to Charlotte. "...is always him, isn’t it?"

Charlotte bit her lip, silent, as Maria pressed further, her voice sharp but steady.

"Why do Boht of you hesitate? Why are you both so afraid of going against Mika’s wishes?"

"Why does someone as ruthless as her, who can reduce people to lumps of flesh—suddenly look like a terrified child in front of him?"

Charlotte stood still for a long moment, her chest rising and falling with quiet breaths. Finally, she let out a long sigh, shoulders slumping.

"Honestly." Charlotte admitted. "I don’t want to say anything about this matter to you. It’s...it’s too sensitive. Between me, Anya, and our other sisters and mothers. It’s something we’ve sworn never to tell outsiders." Her eyes hardened slightly. "It’s family business...And you’re not family."

Maria’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she stayed silent, as Charlotte continued, her voice heavy.

"But...if I don’t tell you, I know you. You’ll go to Mika directly. And with how much he trusts you, he might tell you. And I don’t want that. I don’t want him to have to remember that day. I don’t want him to go back to that moment. So..."

She raised her gaze to Maria’s.

"I’ll tell you myself. But only if you promise me something."

Maria’s brow arched. "Promise?"

Charlotte nodded firmly. "Promise me you won’t ever bring this up to Mika. Not a word. Not even a hint. You can ask me what you like now, but once I tell you, this matter ends here. Do you understand?"

Maria studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Fine. I won’t bring it up to him. I’ll take your word for it."

"Good." Charlotte exhaled, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. She leaned back against the table, her gaze distant and her voice grew softer, heavier as she said,

"Then listen carefully. The incident that changed everything...the reason Anya falters before him, the reason none of us dare go against Mika’s wishes..."

She hesitated, her lips trembling faintly. Then, finally, she whispered:

"...It’s because of what really happened that day."

Her words hung in the air like a curse, and Maria’s sharp eyes narrowed further, waiting for the truth.