CHAPTER 11: THE CRUSHED EGOS
A deathly silence still blanketed the massive canteen of Hakuru High.
In the center stood the Senior Leader of the Student Council, Souma Kanzaki, like a god of death.
Right before him lay the school's biggest monster—Akuro Yoshibe—sprawled on the floor like a living corpse.
The entire crowd held its breath.
No one even dared to blink.
But amidst this terrifying, suffocating silence, hiding right behind a vending machine in a dark corner of the canteen, someone was failing to hold their breath.
This was Kashi—the school's unofficial commentator and gossip monger.
Kashi was trembling violently in his spot.
He gripped his brand-new, gleaming smartphone with both hands.
Hiding his face and body completely behind the vending machine, he was recording the video of this death-match and Akuro's downfall.
His fingers were shaking so badly against the screen that the video was turning out blurry.
It's over... It's all over...
Kashi's mind screamed in panic, his teeth chattering in fear.
The Demon of Hakuru High... folded in just 5 seconds?
These Student Council members aren't humans, they are monsters.
If even one of them lays eyes on me...
my family won't even find a single piece of my corpse...
Beads of cold sweat dripped from Kashi's forehead and splashed onto his phone screen.
He desperately wanted to stop recording and run away, but his feet felt glued to the ground.
He couldn't move an inch out of sheer terror.
And before Kashi could even catch his breath, the light hitting his phone screen was suddenly blocked.
A massive, dark shadow loomed right over him.
It felt as if an entire mountain had been erected right in front of him.
Kashi's heartbeat completely stopped for a second.
Terrified, he slowly raised his head.
Standing right in front of him, glaring down at him, was the Discipline Committee Head—Genji Ichimonji.
Genji's presence was so heavy and suffocating that Kashi felt as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs.
Genji's gaze held such a terrifying mix of death that it made Kashi's very soul tremble.
"Hey, pipsqueak,"
Genji's deep, gruff voice echoed, striking Kashi's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Hand over that mobile."
Kashi was completely terrified.
His throat was so dry from fear that no sound came out.
His hands were shaking so violently that the phone began to slip from his grasp.
No... my phone... Kashi thought.
His dad had gifted him this phone on his last birthday.
It was nothing short of a treasure to him.
In a panic, Kashi clutched his phone to his chest, as if trying to protect it.
Genji's eyes grew even darker.
His patience was breaking.
He cracked his neck slightly, producing a sharp *krrk* sound.
"Are you deaf?!"
Genji roared in anger. His voice unleashed terror in that section of the canteen, causing the few remaining students nearby to step back in fear.
"I only say things once, not twice.
Hand me your mobile...
right here, right now!"
Tears of fear welled up in Kashi's eyes.
Seeing the incarnation of death standing before him, Kashi cried and extended his precious phone with trembling hands to save his own life.
Genji grabbed the phone with his massive hand.
He looked into Kashi's eyes—eyes that held not a single ounce of mercy.
And without a second thought, he squeezed the brand-new smartphone with just one fist.
CRACK! KRRRCH!
The glass screen shattered into thousands of pieces.
The phone's metal frame bent with a horrifying crunch, and the entire body of the phone was brutally crushed in a single motion.
Along with the glass of that phone, Kashi's heart shattered into a thousand pieces too.
Genji tossed the trashed phone onto the ground.
"You love making videos, huh,"
Genji said in a cold, ruthless voice.
"Now enjoy the fruits of your labor."
"People like you are worse than the ones who throw punches.
At least they fight with fists.
You feed on blood with your cameras."
Just then, amidst this terrifying atmosphere of death, a strange, playful, slow-clapping sound echoed from behind.
"Oh man, you actually broke his mobile!"
Crying and wiping his tears, Kashi looked toward the sound.
Walking over with a chaotic, joker-like vibe was the Treasurer, Kyousuke Shidou.
He wore a bizarre psycho smile that absolutely did not fit the tense situation.
Kyousuke stepped forward, looked at the crushed phone, and burst into loud laughter.
"Now what is this poor lunatic going to show when he goes home?
What will he tell his dad—that phones get smashed with fists at school?
Hahaha!"
Genji glared at Kyousuke in anger, a vein popping on his forehead.
"This isn't my fault, you idiot!
It's the Student Council's rule.
Anyone who ruins the school environment or records and promotes such disgusting violence will meet this exact fate...
you damn joker."
A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Kyousuke's orange eyes, but he immediately put his joker mask back on.
"Hey man, calm down, calm down,"
Kyousuke smiled, raising his hands in the air.
"Too much anger is bad for your health, Genji."
Meanwhile, Kashi was scared out of his wits.
He was seeing stars in broad daylight.
My new phone... the EMI wasn't even paid off yet.
If they find out at home, I'm dead... I'm finished.
If I had known, I wouldn't have recorded the video at all!
What am I going to do now?!
Kashi started sobbing like a little child. All of his 'Commentator' arrogance had washed away in his tears.
Kyousuke took a deep breath, pulled out some expensive notes from his pocket, and tossed them in front of Kashi's sobbing, tear-stained face.
The notes fluttered in the air and landed at Kashi's feet.
"Aw, don't cry my little boy,"
"Come on, smile.
You should be grateful I'm in a generous mood today."
Kyousuke said with a psycho, condescending smile.
"Here, take the money.
Buy a new one.
But don't do this again...
calm down,
calm down."
"Take it.
Consider it compensation for your stupidity.
And interest for your silence."
Seeing the money on the ground, Kashi's sobbing stopped instantly. Forgetting his dignity, he picked up the notes from the floor while still crying and nodded frantically in panic,
"T-Thank you, bro..."
"People cry so loudly over a broken phone…
but when a person gets broken right in front of them,
everyone suddenly becomes silent.
Funny world, isn't it?"
The Student Council hadn't just broken Kashi's phone; they had crushed his self-respect under their feet forever.
On the other side, the atmosphere in the VIP corner of the canteen had completely changed.
Sitting in her chair, Meiko Fujiwara was now seeing the terror of death in broad daylight.
The girl who, for the past hour, had sadistically smiled at others getting beaten and bleeding, who viewed violence as an 'entertaining movie', was now reduced to a state like a terrified, shivering cat.
Her eyes stared at the Student Council in sheer terror.
What... what are these people doing here?
A monster like Akuro couldn't even last a minute against them...
Just then, the click... click... click... sound of walking heels stopped right in front of her table.
Trembling, Meiko slowly raised her gaze.
Standing right in front of her was the Girl Leader of the Student Council, Satsuki Kiryuin.
Satsuki's aura was so overpowering that Meiko began finding it difficult to even breathe while sitting there.
Satsuki's gaze held such an arrogant, absolute power that it pierced straight through Meiko's soul.
With a cold, mocking smile, Satsuki said,
"My, my, Meiko, your face has completely withered.
Looks like you've received quite a massive shock?"
All the blood drained from Meiko's face.
Her usual cunning and manipulative power had evaporated from her mind.
She quickly resorted to her remaining ego and a facade of fake innocence.
"S-Satsuki-san..."
Meiko stammered, her hands gripping her skirt tightly.
"It's nothing like that.
I have no relation to this,
you're thinking wrong!
Akuro started the fight himself,
he brought me here and made me sit...
I have no role in this!"
A lethal glint flashed in Satsuki's eyes.
She let out a small, entertained laugh.
"My, my," Satsuki's voice dripped with a cold, sweet poison.
"No one spins tales better than you.
You lie like a cunning fox. You should be getting roles in movie dramas instead of these high school fights, Meiko."
Meiko started trembling violently.
Satsuki's words had ripped her fake mask right off.
"What... what are you saying,
I don't understand anything.
You've got it all wrong,
it's nothing like that, Satsuki-san!"
Satsuki slowly took a step forward.
The scent of her expensive perfume was making Meiko lose her senses.
"Well, well... I know a lot about you,"
Satsuki said, looking straight into Meiko's eyes, her voice now completely serious and dangerous.
"You trap boys in the web of your beauty, brainwash them, and use them like your personal toys.
Don't make the mistake of thinking I'm a fool.
I am not like those idiotic, desperate boys who fall into your trap."
Meiko's eyes widened in fear.
All her 'Queen Bee' feelings had turned to dust. Satsuki leaned in right in front of her.
"Say, there's something on my mind... care to listen?"
"Power isn't making boys kneel for you, Meiko.
Power is making someone smile…
while destroying your entire life."
Satsuki slowly brought her face right next to Meiko's ear.
Even though the noise in the canteen was low, Satsuki's voice was audible only to Meiko.
Satsuki whispered a deeply guarded secret into her ear...
(A dark secret, a disgusting truth that only Meiko knew, which absolutely no one in the entire school had the slightest clue about).
Satsuki finished her whisper, pulled back, and gave a highly dangerous smirk .
"How beautiful…
the girl who played with everyone's hearts
is now begging silently with her eyes."
Meiko's breath hitched. All the strength was sapped from her legs, and the ground slipped from beneath her feet.
She froze utterly in her chair. Cold sweat began breaking out on her face and forehead.
Her gaze went as blank as glass, and now, only absolute terror resided in those eyes.
In a panic, Meiko looked at Kenchon, who lay on the floor soaked in blood, brutally beaten by Akuro just on Meiko's single cue.
Today, Meiko realized that true power doesn't lie in manipulating someone, but in making their very soul tremble.
The girl who used to smile watching others get beaten was now experiencing the exact same fate.
Her status and ego had been completely ground into the dirt by fear and shame.
She was completely broken from the inside. Without lifting a single finger, without landing a single slap, Satsuki Kiryuin had delivered a psychological death to Meiko Fujiwara's ego and her entire existence.
The people in Hakuru High who considered themselves players were finally realizing today that they were nothing but trash
in front of The Student Council.
(CHAPTER 11 ENDS)