"Don't take another step, you lying bastard!" Hikari screamed.
Airi gasped, her voice barely a whisper.
"Hikari…?"
Takamura's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What… What are you doing here?"
"It's good I came," Hikari said, her voice trembling, her eyes filled with pain. "Now I finally see what kind of person you are… I was so stupid to ever love you."
Takamura chuckled coldly. "Love? Don't flatter yourself. I never loved you. You were just a convenient stepping stone… my way to get closer to Airi."
Hikari froze, tears welling up. "I… I always knew. Deep down, I knew. But I still fell for you anyway. I saw you trying harder than anyone else, even when you knew your team was going to lose… and I admired that." Her voice cracked. "That's the version of you I fell for. But that person… never existed."
Airi stood silently, her hand over her mouth, watching the tears fall from Hikari's eyes.
Takamura snarled, pulling a knife from his jacket.
"I don't care what either of you feel. I only care about Airi! If you're in my way, then die with her!"
Airi and Hikari both recoiled in horror. But just then—
BANG! The door slammed open.
A group of boys entered, baseball bats in hand. At the center was Ryuu, grinning like a madman.
"Well, well… how are we all doing?" he mocked. "Lover boy Takamura, the rejected princess Hikari, and finally… the queen herself, Airi—the one who humiliated me in front of the whole school."
Takamura turned, furious. "Ryuu!? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Relax," Ryuu said with a wicked smile. "I didn't come to save you. I came for my revenge… on her." He pointed at Airi. "You embarrassed me, so now I'll return the favor. Tonight, my boys and I are going to enjoy ourselves… and we'll make sure to film every second."
Airi stepped back in fear, her lips trembling.
"You bastard!" Hikari shouted. "What do you want with her!?"
"What I want?" Ryuu laughed darkly. "To make sure no one forgets what happens to girls who humiliate me. And you're here too… so maybe we'll enjoy a double treat. Oh—and thank the genius who told me you'd be alone here."
"You dare—!" Takamura shouted, stepping forward. "Stay out of this! Airi is mine!"
"Oh shut up, idiot," Ryuu said. "Take him out first, boys. Then I'll deal with the ladies."
The boys moved toward Takamura. Meanwhile, Ryuu began walking toward Airi and Hikari, licking his lips with cruel excitement—
"Yo!"
A voice called out sharply.
Suddenly, Ryuu was pulled back in a tight headlock—Renji had appeared from the shadows.
"What the—? Let go!" Ryuu shouted.
"I just missed you," Renji said casually, tightening his grip. "So I thought I'd give you a nice warm hug."
With a swift move, Renji lifted Ryuu and slammed him into the ground.
"Here goes… my Super Lex Slam!"
Ryuu hit the floor with a sickening thud and passed out cold.
"Let's go!" Renji shouted, grabbing Airi and Hikari's hands. "This way!"
They ran. Chaos erupted behind them. Ryuu's gang chased after them, but they couldn't keep up. After a while—
"I think we lost them," Renji panted. "We're clear."
"Let's get out of the school first," Airi said urgently. The three escaped out the side gate and disappeared into the night.
---
Back in the classroom…
Ryuu was still unconscious. His boys had managed to subdue Takamura, tying him up. But something caught their attention—
A loud crash from outside the window.
"What the hell was that?" Ryuu muttered, now awake and groggy.
"Something fell," one of the boys said, peering out the window. His face turned pale.
He let out a blood-curdling scream. "A-Ahh! N-No…!"
"What? What happened!?" Ryuu asked, standing.
The boy stammered. "L-Look outside…"
Ryuu moved to the window and froze.
Saya's body lay on the ground below, twisted and motionless. Blood pooled around her.
Before anyone could react, the sound of sirens blared through the air.
Police cars.
Dozens of them.
Officers stormed the school. Within minutes, they burst into the classroom and arrested everyone—Ryuu, Takamura, and all the boys.
"What's going on!?" Ryuu yelled as he was dragged away. "We didn't kill her! We didn't do anything!"
"We're innocent!" Takamura screamed. "We didn't kill Saya! Why won't anyone listen!?"
But no one heard them. The law had already decided.
---
Outside the school gates, Renji, Airi, and Hikari watched as Ryuu, Takamura, and the others were shoved into police vans.
All three were silent.
Their hearts pounded.
Their faces pale.
Airi whispered, "What… just happened?"
---
Later that night, the news went viral:
> "High School Boys Arrested in Shocking Case!
Accused of Bullying and Killing Classmates.
A girl fell from the school rooftop.
All suspects sent to juvenile detention.
School shut down for one month."
But somewhere, hidden in the shadows of timelines and truths,
Yuuta watched.
This was all part of his plan.
Add to library and leave power stone to engage story if you like my new chapter