"Wake up," I said while lightly slapping the faces of the four guys sitting there, their hands tied behind their backs. But that wasn't all...
"Eh? What happened?" murmured the burly guy, trying to grasp the situation.
"Hello," I said with a friendly smile as they stared at me. Their faces shifted from confusion to fear and then to discomfort.
"I'm glad you all woke up quickly."
"How could we not wake up if you hit us?" protested one of them.
"I guess you're right," I replied, shrugging.
"Why the hell am I naked?!" one suddenly yelled, alarmed.
The others looked at him and then quickly checked themselves, discovering in horror that all four were completely naked.
"Why the hell are we naked?!" they exclaimed in unison, shooting me fierce glares, fear replaced by indignation.
"Oh, well, I guess it's time to explain that," I said, maintaining my smile.
"Where are our things? My phone!" one said, tense.
"Relax. Your stuff is over there." I pointed to a nearby bench where their belongings were. Seeing them, their shoulders relaxed a bit, though not entirely.
"Then what was the point of leaving us naked? If you already beat us up, you could have just left, right?" another said with an accusatory tone.
"You're right; I could have done that. But I'm pretty sure that if I had, you'd still be keeping an eye on me, wouldn't you?"
They fell silent, confirming I was right.
"See? That's why you are as you are now," I said, shrugging again.
"Is this your revenge for following you?" one asked, annoyed.
"No, it's something a bit more practical." I took my phone out of my pocket and showed them a picture on the screen. The image showed the four of them, completely naked, just like they were now.
"Why did you take that picture?!" one screamed, horrified.
"Please lower your voice. Dealing with loud people is quite tedious," I replied, massaging the bridge of my nose.
"What are you planning to do with that picture?" asked the burly guy, somewhat calmer.
"Well, I suppose tomorrow you four will be the center of attention at school." I smiled widely.
The four looked at me with wide eyes, realizing the situation they were really in.
"Don't tell me you're going to publish that photo?" one asked, as if his world was crumbling.
"Correct. Tomorrow the whole school will see your miserable bodies," I replied, relishing their desperation.
"No!"
"Please, don't do that!" begged another.
"Osawa, please, don't do that. We'll do anything; just don't publish that photo, please." They were pleading for me not to distribute the image, and it was understandable. For a teenager, their image is one of the most important things. If that photo got out, their social lives would be ruined.
"Well, what should I do? Hmm, I have something in mind," I said, toying with them as they watched me closely.
"Look, I want two things from you," I began, enjoying their anxiety.
"Yes, what do you want?" one asked, visibly nervous.
"What do you want?" I repeated, adding dramatic flair to the situation.
"Yes! As long as you don't publish that photo, we'll do whatever you want," another said, unaware he had fallen into my trap.
"The first is that you give me all your private points." As I pronounced those words, they looked at each other, hesitant but seemingly willing to agree.
"Okay, we'll give you all our points," they finally replied.
"Very well. The second thing is…" I paused dramatically, enjoying their anticipation—"that within 30 minutes, the four of you leave the school." I smiled, pleased with the surprise I caused.
"Huh?" They were stunned.
"Wait... leave?" one said, alarmed. "What sense does that make? Don't you want information or for us to be double agents? Why do you want us to leave?"
"I don't want to expel you. I just want you to leave on your own; it's very different," I clarified.
"Please, anything but expulsion! We'll do anything else!" begged another.
"No, I just want those two things. If you don't comply, tomorrow, no, today, you will become the laughingstock of the school," I said, increasing their fear.
"But... I don't want to leave..." one murmured, almost in a whisper.
"I like this school..." another added, disheartened.
"What if we give you 90% of our points from now until we graduate?" suggested one, trying to negotiate.
"No," I replied firmly.
Their hopes of saving themselves were nil. There was nothing that would change my mind; this outcome was the most optimal for me at this moment, and I wouldn't change my plans.
I saw them discouraged and defeated, and I understood that while this school could be tough and much more demanding than others, it also offered great rewards. It was a dream for any teenager, and their mood was understandable.
"Look, guys, I don't have anything against you," I said, watching them, bewildered.
"You say that, but you want to expel us."
"No, I actually don't want to expel you. What happens is that you ended up in the middle of a crossfire between Nagumo and me. As I mentioned, I don't have anything against you. The reason you are in this situation is Nagumo's fault," I explained.
"Because of Nagumo?" one asked incredulously.
"Yes, because of him. Tell me, if Nagumo hadn't asked you to keep an eye on me, would you be in this situation?"
"No."
"Do you think that if Nagumo hadn't asked you to watch me, you'd be doing other things?"
"Yes."
"You see, it's not my fault or yours. The real culprit in all of this is Nagumo. He's the one you should hate; he's the one you should blame for everything that's happening to you. I'm just defending myself, as surely you would too if you were in my situation."
"Damn! If I weren't following his orders, I'd be playing video games right now," one said.
"I'd be watching movies," another added.
"And I'd be talking to Akari," said the third.
Their faces shifted from desperation to anger, but not towards me; their ire was directed at Nagumo.
"You see, none of us is guilty of anything; we are just victims of Nagumo," I said softly, having penetrated their minds.
"But look at the bright side," I interrupted, smiling.
"What bright side could there be in this?" one asked skeptically.
"The bright side is that if you leave school and stop following Nagumo's orders, you would have the freedom to do whatever you want. You wouldn't have to suffer the stress of every special exam, nor would you have to work so hard to avoid expulsion. If you leave, you'll be free!" I said, emphasizing the word.
"Free?" they repeated, starting to become interested.
"Yes, just imagine it. No one will know you, but by saying you come from the best school in Japan, you'll be very popular! Wouldn't you like to be popular with the girls?" I fueled the idea, seeing how they began to consider the possibility.
Their faces changed rapidly, as if they started to envision a new life.
"You no longer have a life within this school, but you can create a better life outside of it. Doesn't that sound incredible?" I continued, intensifying their enthusiasm.
"Yes, I think it's the best option," one said excitedly.
"Do you really think we'd be better off outside?" another asked, still doubtful.
"Of course. Other schools aren't so strict, and best of all: you'll be able to see your family. Don't you miss them?" I said, touching a sensitive nerve.
My words were like the spark they needed to hear.
"Alright, we'll leave," they said, accepting my proposal.
"Very well, guys. From now on, you are free, and you can make a better life outside this school," I said as I headed to collect their belongings and phones, so they could transfer their points to me.
"We've already transferred all our points to you," they announced, and my phone vibrated with the notification of the transfer: just over five million.
"I'm glad to make deals with you. Now, guys, wouldn't you like to get back at Nagumo?" I asked with a mischievous smile.
"Get back at him? Of course, we'd like to, but we're leaving, right? How would we get back at him?" one said, still confused.
"For that, I'm here. You won't be able to do it, but I will take care of expelling Nagumo. So all you have to do is tell me everything you know about him, and I'll use that information to expel him. What do you think?"
They thought for a few moments before starting to tell me everything they knew. I must say that the information was quite interesting and very useful.
After finishing the conversation, I left them alone and headed to the dormitories, where a sleepover awaited me.
...
"I guess we have to go to the principal's office to announce our resignation letter," I said, looking at my friends as we finished getting dressed.
"I suppose so, we don't have many options," one replied, resigned.
It was true; Osawa would make our lives miserable if we stayed. But I didn't blame him, as he had said, it was all Nagumo's fault. If it weren't for him, maybe I could have been grateful for this school, but now it was impossible because of that bastard.
"I used to like this school, you know? It was a lot of fun," said one of my friends to my right as we headed toward the principal's office.
"True, it was very exciting to face other classes... until Nagumo started with his dirty strategies."
"Yeah, if it weren't for Nagumo, the class confrontations would be much more entertaining instead of just following his orders," another added.
"Hey, what's this photo doing on my phone?" Sato said, looking at his device with a confused expression.
"What happened, Sato?" I asked, intrigued.
Then he looked at me, pale.
"The photo of us naked is on my phone!" he exclaimed, completely bewildered.
I quickly understood the situation: Osawa had used Sato's phone to take the picture and not his own.
"Pft, haha!" I couldn't help but laugh. "That guy tricked us. He wasn't even using his phone! And according to Sato, he didn't send that photo to himself. We could think we don't have to leave now, but that guy surely has something else up his sleeve. And to be honest, I don't want to keep living life under Nagumo's command. I want to live my life making my own decisions."
"It seems we've been fooled," Sato said, still stunned.
"I guess so, but that doesn't matter. I no longer want to be in the same school as Nagumo. I want to start living my life again," I said with determination.
My friends agreed. We didn't want to be pawns of Nagumo anymore; we were also human beings who could make our own decisions. So, together with my friends, we decided we would create a new life outside of this school.
When we arrived at the principal's office, we stopped at the door. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and entered. I looked at the principal and handed him our resignation letter, feeling the weight I had been carrying on my shoulders beginning to dissipate.
"We're ready to start over," I said with a determined smile.
The principal nodded, understanding our desire for freedom. We left his office, feeling that for the first time in a long while, we were taking control of our lives.
"So, what do we do now?" one of my friends asked, visibly excited.
"Life is waiting for us. Let's do what we really want!" I replied, as everyone nodded and smiled.
We exited the building, with the fresh breeze of freedom brushing against our faces. Together, we were starting a new chapter, full of opportunities and our own decisions. The adventure was just beginning!
============================================
From now on, the story will pick up pace to move faster. I want to make sure I complete it, as I've been losing the desire to write.