Chapter 185 - Kowtow

Despair, Nagumo was truly in despair.

Unlike the naive Ichinose, who saw Yukio's possession of an outside phone as incredible and cunning for sneaking it in, Nagumo understood the difficulty involved much more deeply because he had served as the vice president of the student council.

Yukio could command people outside to almost kidnap his family, which meant Yukio must have a way to communicate with the outside world. But while it sounded simple, achieving it was incredibly difficult.

When the school checks staff, they might just use electronic sensors and a scanner. But for students, the inspections are thorough, with even suitcases being opened and searched. There was no way a student could bring in an outside phone!

So, to bring in an outside phone, Yukio must have bribed school staff and used various means to smuggle it in.

But that wasn't the most shocking part. The fact that Yukio could command people outside to target Nagumo's family was the truly terrifying part, making Nagumo realize who he was actually up against.

There was no way to win, absolutely no way. After understanding the extent of Yukio's power, Nagumo had only one thought in his mind.

He wasn't some hot-headed youth driven by passion. His years of education had given him the cunning to realize the moment he lost all thoughts of resistance.

His usual tricks, his self-proclaimed brilliance, his insight into human nature, all of these things were so fragile and powerless in front of Yukio.

Nagumo could only face Yukio stupidly, feeling as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat, wanting to say something, but unable to due to his remaining shred of pride.

But no matter what, he had to say it. Nagumo's heart was extremely conflicted as he glanced at the photo on Yukio's phone again. That was his family! How could he remain indifferent?

His pride, which had been stubbornly holding back his plea for mercy, finally broke down in front of that photo. The resolve he once thought was unbreakable ultimately crumbled in the face of reality.

His knees softened unconsciously, and the so-called iron will was nothing but a joke.

From the moment Nagumo accepted his fate, it was as if all the strength in his body was drained by some unseen force. With his knees weakened, he could no longer support his own weight.

With a dull thud, Nagumo immediately knelt in front of Yukio, his head hanging down weakly, his voice filled with indescribable dejection and sorrow. "Please, forgive me! It was my fault. I shouldn't have spread Ichinose's secret."

"What do I have to do for you to spare them? I'll do anything, as long as you can forgive me!"

Yukio coldly stared at Nagumo. Realizing his mistake now? Initially, playing petty schemes in the Advanced Nurturing High School was somewhat entertaining.

But this act of bypassing him and directly harming Ichinose made Yukio genuinely feel anger and rage. A mere act of kneeling couldn't resolve this.

"Lower your head."

"Wha-what?" Nagumo didn't quite understand Yukio"s words and asked in a daze.

Yukio put away his phone, his violent emotions continuing to rise uncontrollably. "Head to the ground, don't you understand?"

"!" Although Yukio's tone carried no anger or resentment, only an icy coldness like an iceberg, Nagumo couldn't help but shiver.

After a few shivers, he could barely control his body and obediently pressed his forehead to the ground, like a total submission, giving a loud kowtow.

Then, Nagumo understood why Yukio had made this small request. It was because Yukio was clearly reenacting their first meeting.

His foot once again stepped on Nagumo's head.

And this time, it was even worse than the barefooted trampling at the pool. This time, it was the sole of a shoe covered in dirt and dust. Nagumo felt his head buzz, becoming muddled and dizzy.

Even though Yukio didn't use much force, the humiliation was like the heaviest hammer, smashing onto Nagumo's forehead.

This stomp shattered all of Nagumo's dignity, all his defenses, grinding his bottom lines and character into the dirt.

Only then did Yukio feel a sense of satisfaction. Ichinose, in her angelic nature, wouldn't seek revenge on Nagumo, so Yukio had to take matters into his own hands.

As for "showing mercy"? Ha, Yukio had no such intention. Mercy is only required between equals or near-equals. When the gap is as wide as between the moon and a firefly, there's no need to consider it.

With this stomp, a lot of the violent emotion subsided, allowing Yukio to leisurely look down at Nagumo. "You just said you're willing to do anything as long as I spare them, right?"

"Y-yes," Nagumo's brain felt like it was frozen, his thoughts slowed down, unable to think about anything. He could only act on instinct, replying weakly and dazedly.

He couldn't speak loudly; otherwise, he would get a mouthful of dirt.

"How many private points do you have left? Transfer them to me now," Yukio's plan was simple: to clear out Nagumo's assets first, squeeze out all his value, and then decide his fate.

"Private, private points..." Nagumo closed his eyes tightly, his forehead pressing against the ground, feeling a deep heartache! These were the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated over more than a year since entering school.

To just hand them over like this?! Impossible, he couldn't bear it!

But thinking about the photo in Yukio's hand, Nagumo nearly ground his teeth to dust before reluctantly squeezing out an answer: "T-twenty million."

Yukio was slightly stunned. Impressive, even more adept at accumulating wealth than Horikita Gaku. Nagumo had already lost ten million to Yukio in the sports festival betting, and now he still had twenty million left? A total of thirty million?

Even Horikita Manabu, who had been at the school for nearly three years, could only give two million to his sister in Yukio's class. And this second-year student Nagumo had saved thirty million?

Tsk tsk, it had to be said that compared to the straightforward Horikita Manabu, Nagumo knew how to make money. Judging by Nagumo's wealth, the other three classes in the second year must be pretty poor, right?

But what did that matter to him? The more money Nagumo made, the more money Yukio would get. Who would complain about having too much wealth?

Yukio moved his foot away, signaling Nagumo to start the transfer. Nagumo took out his phone, hesitating and staring at it blankly without taking any action.

"What? Unwilling?" Yukio grew increasingly disdainful of Nagumo. Did this guy have resolve or not? He was so indecisive, unlike his previous decisive self.

"I-I'll transfer it to you now," Nagumo's brain was nearly empty. Under Yukio's urging, he robotically made the transfer, finally receiving Yukio's final judgment.

"Alright," Yukio, satisfied after confirming the transfer, waved him away like shooing a stray dog. "As for you, submit a voluntary withdrawal application and get on the plane I prepared for you. Go shovel manure, Nagumo."

***

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