Facing the desperate pleas of Kanroji Nanami and the others, Katsura Kotonoha fell silent.
Kanroji Nanami's face instantly turned even paler.
"Gui, you… say something!"
Koizumi Natsumi, Oyama Keizo, and Mori Kitaru also had grim faces, breaking out in cold sweat.
If Katsura Kotonoha refused to forgive them, they would die!
"Hmph ~!"
However, Katsura Kotonoha suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Do you know what I've been through during this time? Because of your rumors, every day I enter school, people look at me with those strange eyes."
"Everyone shunned me, disliked me."
"Boys stared at me with lustful eyes, do you know how scared I was?"
"Forgive you? Easy to say. You hurt me, and now you ask me to forget all the pain and pay for your actions? Don't you think that's incredibly shameless?"
As she spoke, the four, including Kanroji Nanami, instinctively clenched their fists, showing expressions of shame and unwillingness.
It was indeed shameless.
If it weren't for the deadly threat, they would never have admitted their mistakes.
Katsura Kotonoha actually wanted to forgive them; after all, her personality was truly gentle, and she didn't like to hurt others.
All this time, she had silently endured others' cold violence and been shunned by everyone.
It turned out that everything was the result of these people's rumors.
Look how awful their words were.
Saying she was a compensated dating girl, saying she was a slut who liked to seduce men, it was as if they denied her everything and deeply trampled on her personality.
And yet, she had done nothing wrong, merely being pretty and having a good figure.
She might be able to forgive them.
But Katsura Kotonoha felt she couldn't let Lin Mu's efforts go to waste. These people should receive the punishment they deserved; otherwise, they would never learn their lesson and might do similar things in the future.
"You… what exactly do you want? Katsura Kotonoha, we've already humbled ourselves and are kneeling here begging for your forgiveness!"
Kanroji Nanami, with tears in her eyes, couldn't help but clench her fists and let out an unwilling roar.
She was completely broken, and coupled with extreme fear, she was on the verge of collapsing.
This was a threat of death.
No matter how bad they were, they were still just high school girls. Who wasn't afraid of death?
Katsura Kotonoha didn't say anything about forgiveness, but simply turned and walked towards the rooftop stairs.
"I have other things to do, so I won't talk to you anymore, Kanroji. You all take care of yourselves."
"Wait, don't go, we'll die! We're bad, and we're shameless, but we don't deserve to die!"
Koizumi Natsumi and the other two grew anxious, rushing over to hug her calves, crying and pleading:
"Please, save us! Gui, we all know we were wrong!"
Katsura Kotonoha was quite helpless.
She just didn't want to forgive them, but seeing them break down, crying in fear, she suddenly felt so good.
This is the fate that those who bully her deserve!
Lin Mu, thank you.
After secretly thanking someone, Katsura Kotonoha took a deep breath and pointed out a clear path to these bad classmates.
"If you want my forgiveness, you must publicly apologize to me in class tomorrow and personally explain your rumors about me being a… slut, a compensated dating girl. Otherwise, there's nothing more to discuss."
After speaking, Katsura Kotonoha suddenly burst forth with strength, moved her feet, broke free from their embrace, and left the rooftop.
Oyama Keizo, Koizumi Natsumi, and Mori Kitaru were also broken, just like Kanroji Nanami.
They all sat limply on the ground, stunned.
Katsura Kotonoha had already given her demand.
It's either public humiliation and exposure of their actions tomorrow, or immediate death. Choose!
Kanroji Nanami's phone also vibrated. She picked it up and her body trembled.
Lin Mu: "Do as Kotoha says. Apologize publicly and admit your mistakes tomorrow, otherwise, you know the consequences."
He agreed to add her as a friend, naturally, to deliver a fatal blow at this opportune moment.
Not just anyone could form a contract with a Familiar; someone like Kanroji Nanami, he wouldn't even want her if she were given to him.
Of course, if it were Aoyama Nanami, he would definitely agree immediately.
Seeing this message, Kanroji Nanami finally couldn't help but cry.
She quickly sent a message, pleading with him.
"Please, can you change your demand? This way, we won't be able to live at school! You men like that kind of thing, right? I'm still a virgin, how about I give you my body?"
She threw caution to the wind, wanting to gamble with her body.
Lin Mu: "No. It's better for girls to cherish themselves. Besides... do you think you can compare to Kotoha in beauty or figure?"
Lin Mu's words dealt a critical blow.
Kanroji Nanami broke down again, slumping to the ground, tears streaming uncontrollably.
She was rejected even when she offered herself.
At this moment, she felt utterly ashamed and heartbroken.
Lin Mu: "To err and to mend is good. When you bullied Kotoha, did you never consider that you might also be bullied in the same way?"
"Apologize publicly. What's more important than life?"
Kanroji Nanami's body trembled.
This was a threat!
A blatant threat!
There was no room for negotiation left.
Tomorrow was destined to be the day their social lives ended, if they still wished to live.
Of course, Lin Mu had no interest in the lives or deaths of a few girls.
As long as they weren't red-named, he had no intention of utterly destroying them.
Killing a few girls would only worsen his image in Katsura Kotonoha's eyes, which would be counterproductive.
Kotoha didn't know the red-named individuals he had killed before, but these girls were Katsura Kotonoha's classmates.
If he actually killed them, given Kotoha's gentle personality, she might not be very happy.
Therefore, making them suffer social death and be looked down upon by everyone was the best punishment.
While thinking, Lin Mu had already greeted Shiina Mahiru and the others and arrived at the entrance of Shen Ye Academy.
He had promised to pick her up, and he couldn't go back on his word.
Katsura Kotonoha, who had arrived at the entrance, suddenly saw a handsome and dashing figure, and her delicate body trembled.
A strange flutter arose in the maiden's heart.
Facing this man who showed her kindness, changed her situation, and resolved her predicament, she felt immense gratitude.
"Hey, why are you standing there like a dummy? I've already waved at Gui, and you're not coming over. It makes me look awkward."
Lin Mu jogged over, saying in an exasperated tone.
Katsura Kotonoha's face flushed, and she quickly bowed to him, "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Lin Mu to actually come pick me up. I thought those people were just spouting nonsense."
Lin Mu rolled his eyes at her, and without further ado, he casually took her small hand and, under the envious and surprised gazes of others, slowly left the entrance of Shen Ye Academy.
With her small hand held, Katsura Kotonoha's delicate body trembled. She had a slight fear of men, but feeling the warmth of his large palm, she still tried her best to control herself.
Thinking of what he had done for her, her heart warmed again.
Instead, she felt less resistant, and her cheeks involuntarily flushed.
"I'm not saying you're wrong, but Gui, how could you give such a private item as your phone to others? Do you know what kind of messages Kanroji sent me using your phone?"
Katsura Kotonoha's mouth dropped open in surprise, "Th-that actually happened? What... what messages did she send?"
Lin Mu gave her a sideways glance and casually said, "What else could it be? Asking me to go to bed together, doing naughty things at night. Basically, whatever was most provocative."
Katsura Kotonoha almost fainted.
She immediately regretted it, realizing she shouldn't have trusted Kanroji Nanami.
She had been so foolish at the time, actually believing that she was just borrowing her phone to make a call or something.
However... she also felt fortunate.
If she hadn't been so timid, and had a momentary lapse of judgment not to take back her phone, how would Lin Mu have known about her situation and helped her out of her predicament?
He was like a white knight from a fairy tale, descending from the heavens to save her from danger.
As for those who were punished by heavenly fire, Katsura Kotonoha believed that Lin Mu must have had his reasons for doing so.
Even though she had already realized that his identity was not simple.
But she didn't want to ask too many questions.
The warmth in her palm, she only wished it could linger a little longer.