"I'm not..."
Ho Fei-yu instinctively wanted to refute what Ayato Tsubakino called him. But catching sight of the gratitude on his gentle face and the lingering red marks from the beating, he didn't have the heart to finish his sentence.
"Not what, you idiot! Who told you to help him up? I wasn't finished yet!"
Seeing Ho Fei-yu help Ayato Tsubakino up made Izumi Nogami furious. They were just two pigs to be slaughtered at will, yet they dared to ignore her, take action, and talk among themselves.
For a notorious delinquent gyaru to be so slighted! If word got out, how could she still hang out at school? Wouldn't she be mocked by the other gyaru groups?
Izumi Nogami became angrier the more she thought about it!
"Idiot, remember my name is Izumi Nogami. In this classroom, you can disrespect the teachers, you can ignore the Class Representative, but! You absolutely cannot disrespect me! Understand!?"
Izumi Nogami glared, reached out and casually grabbed a chair, slamming it heavily on the floor with a bang. She then lifted her foot and viciously stomped on the chair, which produced another dull sound. She pointed her thumb at her flushed cheek, staring at Ho Fei-yu with arrogant dominance.
The class instantly fell silent. The subtle sounds completely vanished. It seemed everyone was intimidated by the actions of the gyaru, Izumi Nogami.
Izumi Nogami enjoyed this atmosphere of sole dominance. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for Ho Fei-yu to show weakness. As soon as he showed any hint of cowardice, she could press her advantage, leaving an indelible impression on his mind. Then, for the next three years of high school, she could manipulate him as she pleased.
Thinking of this, Izumi Nogami became inexplicably excited. She looked forward to that moment. The black-haired, black-eyed boy in front of her was inexplicably attractive to her. She had felt this strange pull since their first meeting, though she couldn't quite explain it. Perhaps it was the unrestrained look in his eyes that seemed out of place in this world.
If she could tame him, it would be a very satisfying achievement. Using him for errands, bullying, or even... would be a good asset to show off to other gyarus.
"I'm a fortune teller."
Ho Fei-yu didn't answer Izumi Nogami's question but smiled.
Ho Fei-yu had his own way of dealing with these self-proclaimed delinquent gyarus.
"Huh!? You donkey, what are you talking about? A fortune teller? An Onmyōji? Have you gone crazy? Hahaha~"
Hearing this, Izumi Nogami burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. What era was this? And he was talking about feudal superstition.
"Oh no, Izumi, was he scared silly by you?"
"Heh, that's what happens when you mess with Izumi."
Sae Hinata and Minako Sanada commented in unison, looking at Ho Fei-yu, who was speaking nonsense, with a mocking gaze.
"What are you?"
"I'm not what!"
Izumi Nogami answered subconsciously.
"I am a what... no, I am not a what... no, no, no! Am I a what... no, no, ahh! Am I or am I not a what!?"
Izumi Nogami felt something was wrong right after replying and immediately corrected herself. But that didn't feel right either, so she tried again. Yet, nothing she said seemed right. Finally, her mind became muddled, and she was so flustered she couldn't speak clearly.
"Pffft."
The silent crowd in the classroom couldn't help but laugh at Izumi Nogami's comical performance. Even Sae Hinata and Minako Sanada did the same.
"You pig! You dare to mock me!?"
Realizing that Ho Fei-yu had tricked her, Izumi Nogami's face turned crimson. She first glared at her two best friends, then immediately reached out, grabbed Ho Fei-yu's collar, and looked at him furiously.
"Apologize."
Ho Fei-yu only responded calmly.
"Huh? Apologize!? Are my ears ringing? Did you tell me to apologize? Hahaha, what a huge joke! Even my parents aren't qualified to ask that, huh!? And you think you are?"
Izumi Nogami seemed to have heard the biggest joke ever. Her angry expression was instantly replaced by mockery.
Forget it, no more nonsense. Izumi Nogami decided to strike and teach Ho Fei-yu a lesson. She was determined to make him understand today that the dignity of a gyaru was not to be violated. If she didn't get enough satisfaction, she would skip class and drag him somewhere deserted to continue.
Izumi Nogami kicked the bothersome chair away. Her one hand still gripped Ho Fei-yu's collar tightly, while her other hand quickly raised up and swung toward Ho Fei-yu's face.
Just as her palm was about to connect with Ho Fei-yu's face, it was caught. The grip was so strong that Izumi Nogami's hand was completely immobilized.
Izumi Nogami wasn't annoyed by this. Seeing Ho Fei-yu smiling and his attention almost entirely focused on the movement of her hand, a flash of cunning crossed her red eyes. She took the opportunity to raise one leg, aiming her knee straight for Ho Fei-yu's groin.
As a suke-ban, Izumi Nogami knew the male weakness. The movement of her hand was a feint, a distraction to draw Ho Fei-yu's attention. The powerful knee strike below was the real killing blow.
Thinking that she would soon see Ho Fei-yu crying in pain, Izumi Nogami's eyes lit up with excitement, and her body began to feel hot again.
"Your next line is: Haha, too late~"
Izumi Nogami's attention was fixed on Ho Fei-yu's face because she wanted to enjoy her masterpiece immediately. She saw Ho Fei-yu realize her true intention and try to counterattack, but it was already too late. She wanted to twist the knife, but before she could speak, Ho Fei-yu beat her to it.
"Haha, too late~"
"What!!?"
Izumi Nogami was astonished after finishing the sentence. She couldn't believe Ho Fei-yu knew what she was going to say. Moreover, Izumi Nogami realized that her thigh was tightly clamped between Ho Fei-yu's legs, and her sneak attack had failed. She couldn't help but gasp in shock.
"Heh, what's so surprising about that? People like you, who have no brains—called gyarus to be polite, but low-IQ delinquents otherwise—it only takes an ant-sized brain to know what you're thinking."
Although Ho Fei-yu was smiling, his words were full of sarcasm, belittling people like Izumi Nogami.
"You! You pig! Let go of me! Or else, or else..."
Being mocked so fiercely, the image-conscious Izumi Nogami couldn't tolerate it. She angrily raised the hand that was grabbing Ho Fei-yu's collar. In her fury, she acted purely on instinct, and predictably, it was also captured.
"Hehe, apologize, and I'll let you go."
"Apologize? Never! Sae, Minako, hurry up and help me!"
Now Izumi Nogami was dangling like a little chick in Ho Fei-yu's grip. Helpless, she had to call for outside assistance.
"Wow, even Izumi couldn't handle him. Interesting."
Sae Hinata, the dark-skinned gyaru, said this while untying the school jacket from her waist, seemingly preparing to give her all.
After carefully putting the jacket away, Sae Hinata began to stretch properly. First, she rotated her neck, then twisted her hands. When she was ready, she took a stance, looking ready for a fight.
"Hahaha, Sae is a yellow belt in Taekwondo! Get ready to be beaten till you cry! But if you let me go now, I might be able to tell Sae to go easy on you."
Unfortunately, all she got in return was Ho Fei-yu looking at her like she was an idiot.
"Sae, go!"
"Take this!"
The dark-skinned gyaru performed a textbook roundhouse kick toward Ho Fei-yu, who was still immobilized, shouting with considerable fighting spirit.
Sae Hinata was very confident. Because Ho Fei-yu was holding Izumi Nogami, she couldn't move, but force is reciprocal. Therefore, Ho Fei-yu shouldn't be able to move either. Wasn't he just a fish on a cutting board?
"Ah! Sae! Why did you kick my butt? Kick him!"
"Huh? Izumi, I'm sorry! I didn't realize he could jump with you! The position changed, and I accidentally..."
Hearing Izumi Nogami's accusation, Sae Hinata awkwardly scratched her head. She hadn't expected the supposedly certain strike to land on her best friend, and quickly tried to explain.
'I have to say, Izumi's butt is really bouncy~'
Sae Hinata muttered internally, feeling the elasticity transmitted through her leg just now.
"Hmph! Hmph!"
Sae Hinata attempted to kick several more times, but each time she narrowly missed hitting her best friend, leaving her quite exhausted.
"You're a man! If you've got guts, stand still!"
Seeing Sae Hinata panting, Izumi Nogami angrily shouted at Ho Fei-yu.
"..."
Predictably, she was met with Ho Fei-yu's idiot-like gaze again.