Yasushi, possessing an almost unsettling calmness, pulled his phone from his pants pocket. "You know, I just happened to notice those three losers sticking to Jingliu's back like leeches as the school day ended. I was curious, so I decided to see where they were going. It wasn't until we got past that street by the dog park that I figured it'd be a good idea to get some video evidence."
His words hit Jishiha and the three goons like a physical blow; the blood seemed to drain from their faces. Yasushi quickly thumbed through the images on his phone, locating the video he had stealthily recorded. With a dramatic touch, he pressed play.
The room fell deathly quiet as they watched the incriminating events become visible. The video, slightly blurred but undeniably clear, showed Jingliu turning a corner and facing off with the three bullies. The footage laid bare their role as instigators, which was immediately followed by Jingliu's sharp and decisive response. Her skill in fighting was obvious, her domination of the fight absolute and undeniable.
"Jingliu was clearly defending herself," Yasushi stated, his tone flat as he put his phone away. His movements were almost too precise, like a robot, as he pulled a USB stick out of his pocket. "I've got the video here, and I've made a few extra copies at home and on the cloud. If you need it, I can get them to you."
With each thing Yasushi said, the tension in the room tightened like a screw. Jingliu tried to hide her smile behind her hand, but you could see the smugness practically radiating off her. Jishiha, on the other hand, just seemed to grow angrier at Yasushi with every word, his dislike plain as day behind his forced calm.
The principal let out a loud sigh, the sound echoing across the silent room, thick with unsaid meanings. But before he could speak, Jingliu cut him off, her voice calm but with an underlying strength. "I also just so happen to have some rather... interesting evidence." She pulled out her phone, holding up a bunch of screenshots for everyone to see.
The screenshots showed a secret group chat on LINE, a digital hangout where the three goons were talking with Jishiha. The texts revealed a shady deal: they were planning to beat up Jingliu for a big stack of cash — 100,000 yen for each one of them.
But what really fucked Jishiha was the fact that he went into detail about why he wanted to hurt her — it was all because Jingliu had rejected him in front of everyone, and he couldn't take it. He was bragging about always getting what he wanted, even posting a selfie where he was holding the cash and grinning like a total dickhead.
Jishiha was completely floored, stuttering and gaping like a fish as he tried to find the right words. He looked at Jingliu, desperation in his eyes, searching for some sign of mercy in her chilling, emotionless smile. It was a smile that said she had him right where she wanted him.
"You seriously underestimate who I know, and what kind of connections I have, Jishiha," Jingliu said, her voice steady and strong. "Let's just say I have friends in places you'd never even think to look." Her words were a veiled threat, and it visibly threw Jishiha off balance.
Jingliu then turned her attention to the principal, her posture calm and collected. "Do we have to keep sitting here? Or is this enough evidence for us to go back to class?" she asked directly.
A small smile tugged at the corners of the principal's mouth as he nodded in agreement. "This is more than enough proof. If Jishiha wants to pursue legal action, that's beyond my control," he stated, his voice implying he was happy to be done with the matter, while also knowing what this meant for Jishiha.
Jingliu nodded, pulling out her own USB drive, a sign that there were more secrets hidden within its storage. "I have more proof, like photos and texts," she said evenly, as she handed it to the principal. Yasushi followed suit, giving his own evidence, and then they both left the room together, as if they had planned it.
As they walked, Yasushi, still tired from the early morning, complained, "This is way too much drama for this time of day. I feel like I just woke up."
His companion had a small, knowing smile on her face. "You should have seen this coming, given what happened," Jingliu answered. "Now that it's over, the rest of the day should be a lot calmer."
Yasushi's face hardened as he said with concern, "Jishiha isn't going to give up that easily. He's probably already thinking of another way to get back at us, maybe even by getting violent."
Jingliu didn't even flinch. "Then I'll be ready for whatever he tries to pull," she said, pulling out her phone with a determined look. She quickly dialed a number, starting the next stage of her plan.
The second Jingliu and Yasushi walked into the classroom, the room went silent, all eyes on them. Jingliu's face turned cold again, her sharp stare sweeping through the room, making a lot of students look away uncomfortably. Furuya, however, stayed seated, obviously itching to hear what Yasushi had to say about what just happened.
But the sound of the bell cut through the tension, signaling the start of the school day and forcing everyone to take their seats for homeroom. Furuya's eagerness to hear the story about what happened in the principal's office was put on hold by the start of classes, but the whole room felt like it was buzzing with anticipation for their upcoming talk during lunch.
It was obvious to everyone that something big had happened, and they were all desperate to find out what was going on, waiting for the chance to piece together the events that had just occurred.
Just then, the school bell rang loudly, breaking the tension, signaling the start of homeroom. Everyone scrambled to their seats, Furuya having to put his questions on hold, even though he was clearly dying to know what had happened in the principal's office. The air in the room felt thick with unspoken curiosity, everyone waiting for the chance to finally get the full story during lunch.
It was obvious to everyone that something big had just occurred, and they were all desperate to find out the details of what had gone down.
+-+
Lunch finally rolled around, putting a stop to the morning's classes. As soon as the teacher left the room, Furuya shot across the floor to Yasushi, practically tripping over himself in his hurry. "Yasushi, dude! What happened? What's the story?" he asked, his voice full of a kind of frantic excitement.
Yasushi leaned back, playing it cool. "Hold your horses, Furuya," he warned, trying to keep his voice down. Furuya pulled back, realizing he was being too loud. "It's nothing, just about what happened yesterday," Yasushi replied, keeping it vague.
"I know, but why were you involved?" Furuya pressed, his voice getting louder, which unfortunately grabbed the attention of everyone around them. Instead of leaving for lunch, the students all stayed in their seats, those who brought lunch getting it out, and the rest just hanging back, trying to hear the conversation.
Yasushi tried to play down his involvement, making it seem like he wasn't a big part of what happened. "I just happened to see it, but it was a total accident," he said, making his voice sound like he didn't care, trying to make it seem like it wasn't important.
With the rest of the room buzzing with lunchtime chatter, Yasushi got out his lunch and started eating, acting as if everything was normal. "It's not that big of a deal," he said casually, glancing quickly at Jingliu, who was also unwrapping her food. She didn't say anything, but a tiny smirk on her face suggested she knew more than she was letting on.
Their calm moment was suddenly cut short by the classroom door slamming open. Jishiha stormed in, his face twisted with rage, his eyes locked on Jingliu. Ignoring the surprised gasps around him, he grabbed her collar, yanking her up out of her seat with such force the noise echoed through the room.
"You goddamn slut!" Jishiha roared, his anger so strong it felt like it was in the air itself. Jingliu looked right at him, her face completely blank, her silence making his outburst seem even worse. "I'll make you wish you were never born!" he screamed, his threats bouncing off the walls as he threw her back toward her seat. But she was knocked off balance, landing hard on the floor instead.
Jishiha's exit left a thick tension in the air, like a dark cloud hanging over the classroom. He glared at everyone, daring anyone to look him in the eye for too long, making it clear he wasn't done.
Right before he disappeared through the door, he turned back and looked at Yasushi, his eyes full of poison, promising pain. "Your meddling won't go unpunished, I'll make sure your family pays too," he threatened, his words ringing in the tense silence before he finally left.
A heavy silence fell over the room, broken only by the quiet sound of Jingliu adjusting herself back into her chair and starting to eat again, completely calm. Yasushi, also, picked up his lunch and went back to eating, showing no sign of being upset, like the threat had just disappeared.
Furuya, confused by how unfazed his friends were, couldn't hold back his questions. "Dude, are you not worried at all?" he asked, trying to make sense of everything.
Yasushi looked at Furuya, his face calm. "Not really. My parents are out of the country right now, so that threat doesn't mean anything. And as for me, I can handle myself," he said, his voice even and steady as he went back to eating, not bothered by what had just happened.
"I can't tell if you're brave or just stupid," Furuya joked, shaking his head, still not believing how relaxed Yasushi was being.
"Dumb, brave, and with balls made of steel," Yasushi joked back, grinning at his own comment. Furuya couldn't help but playfully smack him on the head, their laughter briefly mixing in the air.
As their joking died down, the other students slowly started to leave, to eat lunch somewhere else. The few who stayed went back to eating and talking quietly among themselves, the earlier tension disappearing into the background of regular school life. But no one noticed the small smirk that played on Jingliu's face, her amusement at everything that had happened mixed with a new sense of curiosity about Yasushi.