Yasushi's day began with the same old steps, taking him down the well-worn route to the school building. Above, it was snowing a soft, easy snow, each snowflake a tiny work of art spinning as it fell. "Another one of these never-ending winters, huh?" he said quietly, like he'd already made peace with it, as he brushed a snowflake off his hand. For just a second, he saw the pretty design, reminding him that winter still had its grip on everything.
He gave a little smile as he watched the snowflake melt on his skin, where the warmth and the cold became one. Yasushi was standing near the usual crosswalk, the world a mix of dull colors and muffled sounds. Right there, in the normal scene of daily existence, he saw her. She was someone he'd seen yesterday, a kind of echo from times they had shared together.
She just showed up next to him, and he didn't even see her at first. It took a few seconds for him to realize she was there. They looked each other in the eyes, and it was like everything stopped. The rest of the world kept going, but they were stuck in that moment. There was something familiar in her look, like they were having a conversation without saying anything, a conversation full of memories that they both felt really strongly.
Then, the walk light turned green, breaking the spell of their quiet moment. They both turned away from each other and started walking at the same pace as they crossed the street together.
"Did you get any texts about yesterday?" Yasushi asked, his voice sort of casual.
"No," Jingliu said back, sounding like she didn't care too much, but still a little separate from the situation. "I'm still new to that whole thing, and haven't added many contacts. I figured people would want to know about it so I accepted the requests, but I really didn't expect for word to get around so damn fast."
"Yeah, that's pretty much how it always is around here. Oh, and I think I actually know who's behind all this bullshit," Yasushi said, casually dropping that little bomb.
"I know too, believe it or not," Jingliu jumped in, her voice dripping with a little bit of disgust. "It's not that hard to figure out, is it? That dumbass got rejected by me, and his little ego couldn't handle it. So, he goes and gets some of his goons to try and scare me. What a pathetic loser. If he wants to play in the mud like that, I guess I can play too."
Her words had a kind of scary vibe to them, mixing this defiant attitude with a desire to get down and dirty in the same mess of power and manipulation. It was a quick look at a darker part of who Jingliu is.
"I wouldn't get involved if I were you," Yasushi warned, his tone showing he was a little worried. "Jishiha's family is loaded and very influential. Trying to fight him legally, especially after that fight with those three goons, might be pretty damn difficult, you know?"
A small smirk grew on Jingliu's face when Yasushi gave his warning. "I've got some power myself, you know. If they want to do this the legal way, I'm ready for it. My parents have their own successful businesses, and I've been running my own little thing since I was nine, pulling in cash without even trying. My aunt's looking after it now, since I'm still young, but I'm the one who built it from nothing," she said, showing a blend of pride and a stubbornness to win.
"Oh yeah," Jingliu added, looking over at Yasushi, "you still have that recording, right? It proves that I was just defending myself."
"Well, some people might see it differently, considering how crazy things got," Yasushi replied, thinking it through. "But if you play your cards right, you can definitely use it to make people side with you."
They kept talking as they walked, bringing the conversation back to what happened yesterday. It was weird but also strangely nice, how easily they could just talk, like all the stress and uncertainty from before had just vanished into the cold winter air.
As they got closer to the school, Jingliu picked up her pace a little bit, a quiet way of saying that they should probably stop talking until they were somewhere more private.
Yasushi got the message without her saying a word, walking quietly for a couple moments, until someone suddenly threw an arm around his shoulder and yelled out, "Dude! Were you hanging out with the Ice Princess?"
Yasushi's face showed he was confused by the sudden comment. "Ice Princess?" he repeated, his voice a mix of being amused and wanting to know more. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"It's just the nickname that everyone's been using for Jingliu since last night," Furuya said, grinning and sharing the gossip like it was the funniest thing ever. "Someone said it as a joke, and now it's just stuck. After what happened at school and then after that, it really left an impression on everyone, y'know?"
They got to their lockers, and Furuya changed the subject, his tone turning a bit playful. "So, you and Jingliu getting all close now, huh?"
Yasushi just shook his head, looking a bit annoyed. "We just happened to walk to school together and chat. It doesn't make us best friends. And seriously, isn't that nickname kinda... mean?"
"You're thinking too much about it," Furuya said, brushing it off, although he sounded a little sad. "Everyone has a nickname. Me? I'm... I'm the King of Simps," he mumbled, sounding like he was making fun of himself.
Yasushi couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Well, after everything that happened, it's not exactly surprising."
After changing from their outdoor shoes to inside slippers, they quickly made their way to the classroom. When they got inside, they noticed Jingliu sitting there quietly, with her eyes shut like she was lost in thought. Still, everyone in the room was basically staring at her, showing a mix of curiosity and a kind of admiration you could just feel in the air.
Furuya leaned in close, whispering as they walked over to Yasushi's desk, "She's still quite a sight, isn't she?"
"I guess you could say that," Yasushi replied, grabbing his books and settling into his chair with a sigh. "But is everyone just gonna stare at her all day?"
Furuya just answered simply with, "Yep."
Yasushi shook his head a little, not really believing it. "It's kinda embarrassing," he whispered, looking around the room as more students came in, and their eyes automatically went to Jingliu. But before the quiet could make him think too much about it, an announcement boomed over the school speaker, breaking the silence in the room.
The sudden crackling sound of the intercom broke the quiet mood in the classroom.
"Jingliu Yang from class 2-B, please go to the principal's office. I repeat, Jingliu Yang—"
The sudden announcement made everyone turn and stare at Jingliu, who opened her eyes for just a second, quickly looking at Yasushi before getting up and leaving the room, leaving behind a tension that you could really feel.
"Dude, what the hell is going on?" Furuya's voice showed he was confused as he turned to Yasushi for some answers. But before Yasushi could say anything, another announcement cut through the air.
"Yasushi Futakao from class 2-B, please go to the principal's office. I repeat, Yasushi Futakao—"
Furuya looked as shocked as all the other students, their eyes now glued to Yasushi as he sighed, like he'd been expecting this. Getting up from his desk, he mumbled, "I guess it's my turn."
"Dude, wait up! What's happening?" Furuya's urgent question went through the room as Yasushi left, his silence leaving the mystery just hanging there. It wasn't really a good time for explanations, not when the serious nature of being called to the principal's office was hanging over them like some unsaid threat.
+-+
Yasushi walked into the principal's office, where you could feel a lot of tension, like a storm getting ready to break. A teacher was standing there, silently leading him in, and Yasushi saw Jingliu, Jishiha, and those three goons from yesterday all standing in front of the principal's desk.
"Now that everyone is here, let's get started," the principal said, his voice calm as he organized the papers on his desk. "We've been contacted by these young men about an incident involving the new student, Jingliu Yang."
He looked over at Jingliu, who was just standing there with her eyes closed, her expression totally unreadable.
"They say they were just hanging out near a bakery when Jingliu supposedly attacked them," the principal went on, his words sounding like he was hinting at something. "Jingliu, do you have anything to say about these accusations?"
"They're just straight-up lies," Jingliu snapped back, her voice showing she wasn't going to back down.
The principal leaned forward, and you could tell he was leaning towards believing her, since those three guys had a history of causing problems. "Do you have any actual proof that what they're saying isn't true?" he asked, his voice sounding like he was a little doubtful, but also curious.
Jingliu smirked, like she was amused by the whole situation. "Think about it for a second — three known troublemakers and me, the new kid. Doesn't this whole thing sound like some tired old plot from an anime or TV show?"
The principal smiled slightly, realizing the irony. "Yeah, it definitely does have that overused feel to it," he admitted, looking her right in the eyes, with a hint of amusement. "But, we're dealing with reality here, not some story. Do you have any real evidence to back up your claim?"
Jingliu's eyes narrowed as she replied, "The security cameras inside the store and the ones on the street. I saw a bunch of them nearby. One of them has gotta have recorded what really happened."
"We already contacted the store and checked the street cameras, but unfortunately, their footage from that day was messed up, which is a pretty weird coincidence," the principal explained, looking a little confused. "They told us it's not that unusual, so we can't get any more evidence from them."
Meanwhile, Jishiha watched Jingliu with a knowing smile, seeing this as a chance to mess with her growing reputation and maybe even cause some legal trouble.
After pausing for a second to make her point, Jingliu said, "...I do have one last piece of evidence." Everyone looked over at Yasushi, who sighed to himself, knowing it was his turn to help her out. He understood how important this moment was and that he had to do his part to support Jingliu.