What is the most important thing in summer? Staying cool! Aside from that, nothing beats hiding at home in the air conditioning.
Lying quietly on her two-meter-wide bed, Fujiwara Yumi felt utterly refreshed in body and soul. Although being a popular figure and skipping off-campus events might drop her exposure, she didn't care.
The only benefit of an elite school was that the spotlight was determined from birth. Even if she did nothing, she could enjoy the highest level of attention.
Therefore, let those boneheaded nobodies go out and socialize; letting their makeup melt under the blazing sun was their reward...
"Ah... truly wonderful..."
"Hello! This is the Fujiwara residence. Who are you looking for?"
Just as her consciousness was drifting toward the clouds and Yumi was about to fall asleep with a smile on her face, an unusual commotion downstairs caught her attention.
Logically, no one should show up during the holidays without an appointment, so they probably weren't looking for her...
"Looking for Yumi? A classmate from school? You must be joking! Please leave, or I'll call the police!"
"Wait... wait! These... we can talk! My husband will be home soon..."
"No! No! Please come in..."
"???"
The situation seemed to take a sudden wrong turn. Hearing her mother's tone shift from agitated to weak and slightly panicked, Fujiwara Yumi sat up with a start.
It wasn't for nothing; although her mother was just a full-time housewife, she usually held her own even against the NHK fee collectors.
While her father's stinginess played a part, hers was the only house in the entire villa district that had never paid the NHK TV fee—a point of pride she took quite seriously.
But today, her usually feisty mother sounded like someone had grabbed her by the throat. This couldn't help but make her worry!
"..."
Quietly putting on her slippers, she frowned and walked down the hallway to the stairs. However, when she peeked toward the living room, there was no one in sight!
Unusual point +1. Meeting guests in the parlor was a Japanese tradition. Unless it was a private matter or a very close friend, Japanese people rarely invited others into the inner rooms.
One could tell just by the little nameplates hanging on their respective bedroom doors—even family members didn't barge in easily. How could her mother let an outsider in?
"Listen to me... we had no idea about this..."
"I'm sorry! I don't know where you got these things, but if it's compensation you're after, there's no need to involve the child..."
Continuing her pace, she saw no one in the dining room or the garden. Yumi crept closer to her parents' bedroom and finally heard a faint voice again—
"Madam Miki, since we were able to find our way here, the issue isn't compensation. You should be clear on that, shouldn't you?"
This time it was a man's voice. He didn't sound very old, but his voice was full of vigor—likely a physically large adult?
Hearing the word "child," Yumi's first thought was her older sister. After all, her sister had caused plenty of trouble in college, leading to phone calls home.
College wasn't like high school. Her family's connections could intimidate a small-time principal with no real power, but out in the world, no one gave a damn...
"I understand! I understand... at least please wait for the child's father to return. He will talk with you—"
"Regrettably, we don't have the time. Madam, now! Right this instant! Call Fujiwara Yumi out! Otherwise, we'll see consequences that none of us want!"
"...Can't this really be settled privately?"
It was about her?!
Her train of thought was cut off. Yumi's eyes widened, and she pinched her chin to think.
She had mostly stayed home recently, or gone out with her girlfriends. She hadn't done anything bad enough to lead someone to her front door, had she?
As for before the holidays, that scope was a bit broad. She had offended too many people at school to count, but she shouldn't have left any traces!
Thinking of this, she quietly cracked her mother's bedroom door open a sliver.
Fortunately, Mr. Fujiwara hadn't skimped on the renovation; the precision bearings made almost no sound. At the same time, the scene inside the room came into view.
First, facing away from her, was a shirtless, muscular man. He sat on the sofa with half his body leaning forward, his bulging, corded muscles looking terrifying!
To his left and right sat two women with pink hair. She could only see the tops of their heads and couldn't make them out clearly.
"Madam, we are willing to settle this privately. After all, no one wants the child's future development to be affected..."
A tiny sound, inaudible to normal people, came from behind him, but to Miyazawa Yuu, it was a glaring signal!
He nudged Busujima beside him. The "bad girl" gave him a reproachful glare but then followed the plan, handing even more concrete evidence to the distraught madam opposite them.
"If you still don't realize the gravity of the situation, please look at this. It clearly shows your daughter hired thugs to hurt someone. I'm afraid this has moved beyond the realm of a civil offense!"
"No... impossible!"
Clutching her short skirt, and facing the combination of an unconventional muscular guy and "delinquent" girls, Madam Fujiwara Miki's ample body leaned forward nervously as she snatched the evidence into her hands.
But the truth couldn't be faked, and the fake couldn't be made true. The more she read the printed sheets, the more horrified she became, not even noticing that her fingertips were tearing the edges of the paper.
"But it is the truth..."
Crossing his legs and feeling the weak gaze coming from behind him, Miyazawa Yuu slung an arm around Busujima Sakurako and threatened arrogantly: "Madam, if you need another copy, I have plenty more!"
"No! No need. I believe what you say..."
Feeling like a lamb stared down by a tiger, Fujiwara Miki didn't know what "meat pressure" was, but the youth before her undoubtedly exuded a very unsettling aura.
Combined with this "hard" evidence, she felt that if she said one wrong word, the person before her truly might expose the situation.
As for whether her family had the weight to clean up such a mess, she didn't dare gamble. She could only lower her posture further to buy time.
"Please... our family has some money. we can definitely provide you with the corresponding compensation!"
"Madam... haven't I said it already? This isn't a matter of money~"
Maintaining his arrogant attitude, Miyazawa Yuu slowly leaned forward, resting his hands between his legs, staring at her with even more oppressive eyes.
At the same time, Busujima Sakurako and Fujiwara Chika stood up together. According to the plan, they walked to either side of the madam, forming a triangle as if to trap her in a net.
However, Chika's expression looked a bit like forced labor. After all, the innocent and kind girl couldn't keep up with a scumbag's train of thought—that was only natural!
"Mom..."
Fury suddenly flared in her eyes. Seeing her virtuous mother about to be bullied, Fujiwara Yumi was instantly enraged!
No matter what these three were here for! She couldn't let them act so willfully in her own home...
"Madam, these things are evidence of your daughter bullying others. If this gets reported in the newspapers, I'm afraid it won't just be her—the Fujiwara family will be ruined, won't they?"
"Gack!"
The sound caught in her throat. Yumi's hand on the door froze mid-air, her eyes suddenly filled with absolute terror—
Impossible! The things she did were very discreet, as long as those girls who followed her lead didn't defect...
Recalling her unreliable friends, she suddenly realized how stupid she had been. Those girls probably never deleted their Line messages, did they? If those leaked, she would be in deep trouble!
"Everything is negotiable! What exactly do you want?"
"Madam~ You wouldn't want your daughter's reputation to be ruined, right?"
The terrifying voice crashed into her eardrums again. Fujiwara Yumi was drenched in cold sweat despite the summer heat—this plot, this phrasing, why did it all seem so familiar?
Then, looking at the arrogant blonde hair on the muscular man's head, her throat and hands began to tremble simultaneously. As her throat uncontrollably produced a rattling sound, two lines of tears fell.
However, she didn't dare let anyone notice; she could only use her other trembling hand to cover her mouth!
"I... I understand. Whatever your demands are, please feel free to make them!"
"!!!"
Her mother stood up. This time, Fujiwara Yumi didn't even dare to look. She hurriedly closed the door, leaning against it as she curled up, burying her head between her knees.
She didn't know why she was doing this. Obviously, if she just screamed, she could solve everything.
But her leverage was in the opponent's hands. If the truth really came out, her middle school career wouldn't just be affected—it would be a total disaster.
Her life and her mother's life were intertwined; one of them was bound to fall into the abyss. For the first time since she was born, the girl felt the meaning of bone-chilling fear!