"What's this?"
Ayumu Matsubara jogged out from the school gate and immediately spotted the striking figures of Ryouka and Akihiko. "Oh, An, you're already out here. I thought you were still in the bathroom waiting."
"Waiting?"
"Didn't we agree to go home together?"
"..." We never really agreed, did we?
"Our homes are on the way, so we can walk together," Ryouka explained. "Also, after what happened earlier… there might be retaliation. Walking together means I can protect you both better."
"Ryouka, you're amazing!" Ayumu said with a smile.
Akihiko: "..."
How should he put it?
It wasn't that he doubted Ryouka's fighting ability, but Ayumu's habitual reliance on her left him feeling indifferent.
Still, since they were going the same way, walking together for a bit wouldn't hurt.
"An, I heard you got into a fight with Anshi today?" Ayumu asked. He had gone to buy a drink earlier and only heard about it when he returned to class.
"Yeah," Akihiko nodded.
"Why?" Ryouka quickly interjected.
Akihiko's thin, frail appearance made him look like an easy target for bullying. Having grown up with a childhood friend of the same type, Ryouka was particularly sensitive to this.
"It's nothing, just messing around," Akihiko said. He couldn't exactly say it was because Anshi had made lewd comments about her.
That would've been social suicide for the guy. Anshi Masashi had already been set straight by his Personality Correction Fist for his minor mistake, so Akihiko decided to spare him some dignity.
Ryouka carefully examined Akihiko's face and noticed a faint redness on his cheek, as if he'd been slapped.
"If you get bullied, tell me," Ryouka said seriously.
Akihiko smiled faintly. "Where did this onee-san come from? Ryouka onee-san?"
Ryouka's face flushed red. "N-no, it's not like that... just... be careful, okay?"
"Hmm..." Akihiko responded noncommittally.
"I didn't expect your math scores to be so good, Akihiko," Ayumu continued. "That problem in class, I thought the answer was '1' too... it was so deceptive."
"Just luck," Akihiko replied.
[Actually, it was Ai-chan's...]
The system abruptly tried to chime in, but fortunately Akihiko's thoughts scattered quickly enough to suppress it instantly.
"And during break, I saw you reading a book full of kanji! I couldn't understand that at all!" Ayumu became effusive with praise.
As for the math problem with the answer '0,' Ryouka could probably guess which one it was. After all, both classes had the same math teacher, and the deceptive nature of that question was still fresh in her memory. She'd been fooled by it too... but ultimately, it was still within the scope of their textbook. With careful attention, one could arrive at the correct answer.
A book full of kanji...
That wasn't something ordinary high school students would read! It was too difficult! Especially since young people these days were using katakana more and more...
"Can you understand it?" Ryouka asked cautiously, using a gentle tone.
She didn't want to make it sound like an interrogation.
"I can."
Akihiko didn't hide this fact.
For him, understanding kanji was a skill etched into his bones. He saw no reason to conceal it and even spoke with a hint of pride.
"That's amazing," Ryouka praised without doubt. "There are so many characters I don't even know how to read."
"Japanese kanji are manageable, but authentic Chinese characters are the real challenge," Ayumu explained knowledgeably. "I once saw a program that said in China, they euphemistically refer to 'going to the bathroom' as 'convenience.' But if someone tells you 'I hope you'll come when it's convenient for me,' it definitely doesn't mean 'I hope you'll come when I'm using the toilet.'"
A classic Chinese joke.
Akihiko hadn't expected to hear such a joke in this country. He smiled faintly.
More, give me more.
But Ayumu didn't continue.
Because a sinister voice rang out behind them:
"We meet again!!"
The voice brushed past their ears like a chilling wind.
Ayumu jumped with a start, letting out a startled "Uwaa!" as he practically leaped behind Ryouka.
Yamato Aihara.
The bespectacled man who had fled in defeat after Akihiko's previous ambush had returned.
This time, there wasn't a trace of his formerly feigned cheerfulness—only unbridled malice. Behind him stood a blonde guy and his gang of delinquents.
And their numbers had grown since last time.
The same setup, the same location...
Right on this street again.
For some reason, this street remained eerily devoid of passersby.
There were only two factions present—Akihiko's group and Yamato's group.
Though referred to as "two groups," Akihiko's trio was vastly outnumbered by Yamato's faction.
"Ayumu…"
Ryouka stepped in front of Ayumu, then turned to Akihiko and said, "Kobayashi-kun, you should hide too…"
But instead, Akihiko stepped forward, shielding Ryouka behind him.
"You again?" Akihiko's voice was calm, steadier not only than the trembling Ayumu but even more composed than Ryouka. "Not afraid I'll call the police again?" he asked.
Yamato stuck out his tongue and sneered, "Call the police? Maybe earlier, but now you won't get the chance…"
"It's never too late to call the police. It's not like you can actually kill me." Akihiko rolled his neck. "As long as I'm alive, I can report you afterward. The worse my injuries, the harsher your punishment."
"About… that…" Yamato's smile darkened. "I've thought of that too. So we'll capture Ryouka… and take some 'exquisite photos.' If you dare call the police… well, Ryouka might end up socially ruined. Would you really want that?"
'Exquisite photos'…
Though phrased euphemistically, Ryouka immediately understood the vulgar implication. She snapped, "You—how shameless!!"
"Hehe, serves you right for crossing me—and us," Yamato Aihara chuckled. "We should've settled this last time, but you ruined everything…"
"Hold on."
Akihiko raised a hand. "Aihara-san, let's get one thing straight."
"…What?"
"Even if I don't call the police, you won't just let us go, right?"
"Seems you're self-aware…"
"So the options are: Don't let us go → Take photos → We don't report → You keep blackmailing us → Maybe take more photos… That's the cycle, right?" Akihiko counted off on his fingers. "Or: Don't let us go → Take photos → We report → You can't blackmail us… Which one sounds better?"
Akihiko's 'logical reasoning' nearly made Yamato explode. "You don't care about Ryouka's reputation at all?!"
"After what you'd do, what reputation would be left?" Akihiko tilted his head. "Besides, with so many of you involved, everyone's complicit. Compensation would be demanded—millions from each family, I bet. None of you are rich, so it'd ruin you. Ryouka and I could take the money and go anywhere. Why stay in Japan to be shamed? My Chinese is pretty good, and in this day and age, money buys immigration. Meanwhile, you'd be locked up for a decade, your families bankrupted, your parents crushed by their sons' crimes… And when you get out, you'd be branded 'rapists.' I wonder who'd really be 'socially ruined' here."