Shina let out a heavy sigh. The irritation that had built up over this day—one that wasn't even over yet—might just break her personal record in that regard. And she couldn't even vent it. School was not the place for that. Especially for her, as a representative of the Koyama clan, it was improper to show emotions in public…
"Damn you, Sindzi!" Shina thought furiously, punching the toilet door with her fist. "And Kino's no better! What was she thinking, running her mouth like that? No, I get that she's partly right, but… all the demons of the Christian hell, I don't go around pointing out her flaws to others! Whatever Sindzi is, it's none of her business."
With a sharp motion, tossing back a strand of her black hair, Shina stepped up to the mirror and looked into her own eyes.
"And still, even so, Sindzi crossed every possible line! The brat literally humiliated me in front of my friend! If not for my parents, I'd have made him pay! A couple of bruises wouldn't have been enough!" she thought with a sadistic anticipation, imagining Sindzi's "beaten" face. "But unfortunately, that's just a fantasy. Grandpa is completely on that snitch's side. And Mom… at best she'll twist my ears off if she sees even a single bruise on him! At least for the next week."
Shina heard the sound of the door opening and girls' voices. The girls were clearly passing time the usual way—gossiping.
And Shina probably wouldn't have paid attention to their chatter if not for one thing. Among the gossipers was Kino. And they were talking about Sindzi.
Taking advantage of her two-and-a-half-second lead—that was exactly how long it took to walk from the entrance to the stalls, as she and Kino had once calculated—Shina slipped into one of them.
— …can you imagine what that freeloader said? "I'm doing my best not to stoop to your level"! — Kino mimicked Sindzi. — To hear something like that from a stray! Such disrespect! And fine, even if it were just to me—but to Shina-san! How dare he open his mouth against the heir of the family that took him in?! — her voice was full of outrage.
— And what are you going to do about it? — came another voice, accompanied by the sound of running water from the sink.
— I won't let this slide! First and foremost for Shina-san's sake! We can't allow the shadow of that loser to fall on our friend!
"What is she planning now?! Just what I needed! Only I have the right to beat the crap out of Sindzi! Well, and Mizuki too."
— Weren't they acquainted since childhood?
— That's irrelevant.
"What a bitch," Shina thought with involuntary admiration. "Looks like she's about to rope someone into this."
— Well, if you say so…
— Of course. So, even Shina-san, with all her kindness, will stop associating with him if he's publicly beaten and humiliated at the same time. A man must be able to stand up for himself! And if you can arrange that, Shina-san will only come to despise him. And of course, she'll stop talking to him.
— Why me?
— Because if something goes wrong, I can shield you from Shina-san's anger. You, however, cannot shield me.
— Fine… so how do I do it?
"Kino really knows how to pick her tools," Shina thought, pressing her forehead into her palm and shaking her head.
— Oh, you poor thing. You're a pretty girl—can't you make use of that?
— Well…
— I see. Alright, are you done? Then let's go, I'm not explaining everything in the restroom.
"What a pain!" Shina thought irritably, leaving her hiding spot. "And what am I supposed to do now? I can't just let them go through with it, can I? Or can I? On one hand, Sindzi might finally realize he's too weak. On the other, I'd have leverage over one of the students if needed. Though with her brains… do I even need that? And she's doing it for my sake, supposedly. But Kino—that's a different story. She's been getting way too comfortable lately, acting like being friends means she can do anything. I do feel a bit sorry for Sindzi, but all of this is ultimately for his own good. I should drop by his place tonight too and show him my 'disapproval,' otherwise if I ignore it, he'll get completely complacent."