Chapter 9

We ended up in a corner at some spot in the mall area away from all eyes and cameras.

"Weird place to make your confession." Ryueen said with a snicker.

"Well, I specifically chose this place out for a reason, you know?" I said while looking at him.

"A reason? What reason-"

"Finally here?" Sudo's voice rang out in the area. We looked up and saw the red-haired delinquent siting on a dumpster with a confident Hiarata-kun standing next to him. Sudo had a wide grin on his face as he jumped down and slowly walked towards as with rolled up sleeves.

"What is this?" Ryueen's voice was low and threatening.

"What? You honestly didn't expect me to walk into a corner with some random mafia cosplayer, did you? What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

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I sat behind the desk where Sotomura's laptop was opened. It was currently playing one of the videos he had recorded and I honestly had only one thing to say.

"Um... what is this?"

Honestly... what the hell was wrong with some people?

"T-this is the video feed of the first time I tested out the drone. It was pure coincidence!" Sotomura-kun screamed and prostrated himself.

"I thought you said you couldn't record anything." Sudo glared at him.

"Eeek-!" The poor otaku could only shriek in the face of an angry Sudo.

"I-I ma sorry! I simply did not wish for you to observe this... um..."

"This crime?"

"This absolutely appalling sight?"

"Your weird fetish?"

Sudo, Hirata and I all proposed ideas at the same time to finish his sentence for him.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm sorry! Please don't tell anyone about this!"

I noticed the fact that he wasn't speaking as formally as he normally did. It was refreshing seeing this new expression on him. Tears streaked down his cheeks and his nose was starting to turn runny. From the looks of things he was scared. Really scared.

He probably had some sort of past with bullies and wouldn't such things happening to him again

"Sotomura-san... what the hell is?"

I asked pointing at the currently playing video. It was a video of a boy with magenta-coloured hair and some big guy beating up some people. The big guy seemed to be doing it on orders from the magenta-haired boy.

"Hey! That guy is Ryueen! I remember him from picking a fight with me earlier."

Sudo came, pointing at him on the screen. The boy smelled like sweat.

"Um... get away from me." I told him, trying to hold my breath.

He slowly moved back with a blushing expression.

'So that guy is called Ryueen? C-class's leader, huh. So why is he beating up those boys? Wait...'

"Hey, Dorei. When was this video taken?"

"Huh... who? Me?" Sotomura asked, looking around before pointing to himself.

"Who else would I want as a slave? I mean, do you want this information to spread?"

"No! I your humble slave shall be at your every beckon!"

"Good. But cut it with the formalities."

"I am sorry, but it is difficult switching dialects."

"Do it, else this spreads."

"Alright!"

There was a moment of silence after that before he started speaking again. The two other boys in the room were staring at me with slightly scared expressions for a while.

'Weird~'

"This was taking a few minutes after Sudo-san supposedly beat those boys to a pulp."

"Oi, Sotomura are you actually stupid or something? Ugh, you could have saved us a lot of time if you had shown this earlier on."

"I'm sorry! It's just, I was scared and didn't know how to act. I mean... if those guys caught me... it... it could have been... well..."

This boy was really scared. His voice even lost its vim and vigor.

"Well, whatever. We won't be showing the student council the video either way."

"WHAT?!"

Both Hirata-kun and Sudo screamed. I looked up on the computer screen.

"Dorei, send this video to my phone and delete it from your computer. Clear all the videos on from your storage and make space for a new recording that will be happening in about twenty minutes from now."

"W-what are you thinking?"

Sudo asked.

"Don't ask. Just relax knowing that you won't get expelled today, Sudo."

"What's on your mind, Tatsumaki-san?"

"Um, from everything that has happened, I've thought up a simple plan for this. I'll just need the brute and Dorei. You can tag along if you wish."

"What is the plan?" He asked. I looked at him and he looked very serious and determined even though I practically told him to leave. He was really giving me bad vibes at the moment.

A certain thought suddenly came to mind when I saw his determined look.

"I don't like guys like you, Hirata Yosuke."

"Wha-?"

"Alright, Aijin! I'll be done in the next five minutes and we can move out!"

"Glad to see you're in the mood."

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I took out my phone then began to play a video. His eyes widened and for a second I saw the big guy next to him flinch.

"You know, the school wouldn't take too lightly to this."

"How'd you get this?"

"No, no. A magician never betrays her secrets." I stuck out my tongue, mocking him. He didn't take to my joke so lightly, jerking at me quickly to steal my phone. My reflexes were faster though, and I retracted my phone.

"Tch, so what's your plan? To report me to the authorities and get me suspended or expelled?"

"Oh nothing much, really. I just wanted you to call off the case, is all."

"Call it off? Ha! That simple a plan? That's too boring. And just when I was starting to think highly of you. I refuse."

He snapped his fingers and the Albert guy jolted at me with a speed abnormal for someone of his size. Luckily Sudo jumped in the way, tanking his tackle and giving me enough time to jump out of the way.

Sudo was surprisingly strong, being able to tank that without getting an injury. He then moved back from the behemoth, but Albert quickly caught his arm and kicked him in the abdomen. With a moment's notice, Sudo was coughing out saliva. Albert then slapped him to the floor, before fixing his gaze on me.

"Please stop this! Violence isn't the answer!" Hirata-kun screamed. Just then Albert punched his face, throwing him back to the ground. I crouched next to him and attempted to help him get up.

In all honesty, if there was something I hated about Hirata-kun, it would be his disgusting innocence.

"That's one thing I don't like about you, Hirata-kun."

"Wha-?" He reacted. It would seem that I said that aloud, but I would ignore him.

Violence isn't the answer? Sure, it isn't the answer in all cases, but in this one. It was necessary. In the words of Isaac Asimov: Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. The last refuge of the incompetent? Such crap that sometimes made me doubt his genius. Violence has shaped the very fabric of this very planet. Without it, I doubted we would have come this far. Violence has helped to decide the actually competent in society. The vicious rule and the weak serve. No calm person takes the top. Even in this school, we were being taught how to break others and to survive. The weak die and strong live. A simple Law-Of-The-jungle situation.

So if I were to propose a question to Hirata-kun right now. I doubted he would be able to answer. But let us see. He might surprise me.

"Hey Hirata-kun, do you honestly think we can win without violence? Do you have a better more refined solution than this?"

"Huh? What are you saying?"

Ryueen grabbed Sudo by the hair and lifted him up. Sudo, struggling under Ryueen's grip, grabbed his opponent's arm and squeezed so hard, Ryueen had no option but to leave him. He quickly got up and punched Ryueen in the gut. Albert switched targets and ran towards Sudo.

The delinquent haired his footsteps and quickly moved out of the way. He kicked Albert's butt, making the boy fall down. Quickly, he moved to punch Ryueen - who was also going to punch him.

"I am asking if you believe that violence can't solve anything. Are you telling me that violence is a completely useless method? That humanity can exist without it?"

He looked in my eyes, shocked. I wondered how I looked to him right now. Probably like some horrifying kind of monster. That didn't bother me much. I had been called a witch my entire life.

"Ok! Sudo, you can stop!" I ordered and he paused mid-charge. Ryueen on the other hand didn't listen and punched Sudo in the eye.

"Argh-!" he screamed in pain and fell on his knees.

"I would advise that you stop as well." I told Ryueen.

"And why would I?"

"I figured you'd ask." I pointed to the sky, where a drone was filming us. His expression looked conflicted. I couldn't see well from where I crouched, but I heard his tongue clicking.

"Albert, retreat for now." Both of them started walking away. "You got lucky this, Shiro-chan."

"I don't remember telling you my given name or giving you permission to use it."

He completely ignored my words. This guy had already done his homework. He probably knew everything about me by now. That is, the information I had let spread.

"Let's play again next time."

"I look forward to it." I replied with a cheeky smile.

"Hmph... crazy bitch." He said under his voice, but I heard.

Once they left, Sotomura came out from wherever he was hiding.

"Um... are you guys ok? Should I call a teacher?"

"No need. I think they can just heal up in their rooms." I said, then I focused my attention on Hirata. His cheek was already starting to swell up. That Albert must have packed a punch.

"You ok?"

"Uh... yea, I guess. Hurts a little bit though... haha- issss."

"Don't talk too much or it'll hurt more."

"Ow! My eye hurts." Sudo screamed. I paid no attention to him.

"But..." he tried to move out of my embrace. This brat.

"Move out now, and you lose Tatsumaki points."

"Tatsumaki points?"

I nodded.

"Get a hundred and you might get a prize. Teehee."

"Eh? I- I have a girlfriend, you know?"

"So?" he was saying weird things now.

"Tatsumaki-san. Do I get Tatsumaki points too?" Sudo asked

"Shut up and think about your eye, you delinquent."

"It hurts like a bitch."

"You deserve that for causing this entire situation."

"You're heartless!"

"I don't care! Dorei, please help Sudo get to his room."

"Oh... uh... ok." He approached Sudo then

"Touch me and I'll kill you." The red head threatened. "Sotomura can't help me. So can you?"

"If a guy can't help you, what odds do I have?"

"Eh? What men do, women can do better."

"That's priceless coming from you."

"Hahaha-isss." Hirata-kun started laughing. I wondered what he found so funny.

"What?"

"Oh... nothing. You guys just seemed really close. I guess I know why you got into this case after your bold declaration then."

'Huh? Hirata-kun you are saying some weird things... ah whatever.' I helped him stand up.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Yeah, I'm certain we won't have to worry about the case anymore."

The solution? Simple as ABC. Now, I just needed to wait for my official induction into the Student Council.

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Sakura POV

I had been walking for a while now, and I had this uneasy feeling. Like I was being watched. Thinking it was a coincidence, I decided to divert from my usual route to avoid this 'gaze' I felt.

I was wrong though. I was actually being followed. The sounds of him getting closer and closer resonated through the empty hall. I knew who it was.

My breaths grew heavier and my eyes teared up. I couldn't handle this kind of situation. What was I thinking posting those videos of myself online? The number of complications it would cause for me. I didn't think any of those through.

I hastened my steps. If I made it out of this safely, I promised myself I would never take those photos again. Good bye to my only form of freedom, for safety.