“Out of the way!” Kyoya shouted.

The girls as well as people inside backed away from the door, and Kyoya took a side stance in front of it. He inhaled, stepping his front leg to the side before suddenly drilling it into the ground. His body spun rapidly, as he caught a glimpse of the door knob over his back in microseconds.

*Bang*

The force of a sledge hammer swinging full speed exploded on the door, making the knob shoot out from the frame like a bullet. The second spinning back kick completely destroyed it, allowing the victims to escape. Smoke surged from inside the shed. Kyoya moved out of the stampeding wave of people. Without warning, he fell on his feet, holding on his ankle with a pained face. Takumi rushed towards him. Scooping Kyoya into a princess carry, the two girls followed him to the infirmary.

Dawn. The wind was messing with the crime scene, further obscuring any pieces of evidence. The police`s investigation was going nowhere as usual. Kyoya was brought to the hospital soon after. His friends visited him again in the morning, Eirin included.

“Good morning, Miss Sougo.”

“Ah, you didn`t need to… Sorry to trouble you guys. I appreciate it.” Kura received the gifts and welcomed them inside. This time, Kura actually remembered Endou, the girl who Kyoya saved in the past. They talked about last night`s incident, without revealing too much details on Ichiko.

“Kyoya was so heroic! And so strong! While we were desperately punching the door, he was like “Move” and went and kicked the door! Bang! Bang! The thing cracked open, and everyone was saved!” Kirishima excitedly told Kyoya`s mother her story.

“Uhm… He started to train some kind of martial arts with his grade school PE teacher without me knowing…” Kura answered, but there was not a single thing on her face that said she was proud.

“Kaa-san, I only sprained my ankles! This would heal in less than a month!”

Eirin stuck tightly to Kyoya, but didn`t dare to say anything in Kura`s presence. Takumi ignored most of the conversation, he was not able to sleep for even a minute last night. Endou`s group left first, and Takumi was kicked out of the room by Eirin.

Chisato Nadeshi was waiting for him at the exit. Greeting him with a weak smile, she silently walked next to Takumi. Somehow, if Kyoya`s anger made people falter before him, Takumi`s eyes were haunting, as if all of the psychological pressure he accumulated throughout his life was condensed in one single gaze. Being stared at with the maddening eyes for too long and one would probably become insane.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

All of a sudden, he snapped out of his trance. Turning to Chisato, he asked for Ichiko`s home address.

“But how can she still be there? Won`t she run away until all of this has settled down?”

“No, I`m sure she won`t. Because she actually believes. In that “rule” of hers.”

Having gotten her contact details, Takumi sprinted to the place. Surprisingly, already waiting there were Endou, Kirishima, and Shiraishi-the president of NK student council. When asked, the two said they came because Chisato told them, while Shiraishi…

“I invited her here.” Ichiko opened the door.

Three of them became alerted. Ignoring the group`s hostile attitude, Ichiko happily led them inside her trash cheap apartment.

The hot wind from outside stirred up the acrid smell inside the room. Flies danced around in the air, enjoying the unpleasant scent of Ichiko`s apartment.

“Tea is fine, right? Please wait, it would only take a minute.” Ichiko said, as she placed a kettle onto the old stove. No one said anything.

“I`m sure mister douche here is smart enough to not try telling the police right? I left no evidence and will totally not admit to the crime.”

“Eh? What`s going on?” Shiraishi was confused.

“She is the mastermind behind all those pranks recently. And the reason why our school never did anything about them is because she never reported any of it. She discarded all the students` claims and encouraged even more pranks and harassment.”

“That`s right. I am the Admin of the happiness club, Kuragi.”

“E-Eh? Kuragi…?” Shiraishi began to feel nervous.

“I used that name because it`s the last name of my father.”

Shiraishi panicked, as she looked around the home. Her gaze was caught by a family photo on the shelf, showing a face that she clearly knew.

“And it was also the last name of my deceased brother, Kuragi Yamato.”

Upon hearing that name, Shiraishi became dead frozen.

“She told you that story too, right? In the student council`s room, a few days ago. She would say that…”

“That she has killed somebody before. The guy liked her but she didn`t agree, so he ended his own life. Then what?” Takumi spoke.

“Ahaha… She pulls that trick a lot. Confessing her own trauma to others and makes them open up to her. That`s a good way of making yourself feel innocent, isn`t it?”

Shiraishi started trembling, as cold sweat ran down the back of her spine. The other girls seemed to have understood her story, and they couldn`t think of anything to said.

“So that guy is your brother, right?”

“Yes. He was indeed. However, the part about him being an onlooker was a lie. Shiraishi-senpai was dating my brother to begin with.”

Shiraishi started sobbing.

“But one day, he was dumped. So that she could date someone else, who had excellent grades, and was the son of one of Shidehara group`s major stockholder. That`s why, my brother fell into despair and died.” She pause shortly.

“By slitting his own throat.”