This is the day.

The day where the problem with Kamoshida pushes to the limit, where his crimes and horrible abuse reach a pinnacle.

The day Shiho falls from the roof.

But, there’s going to be a different outcome this time.

I check the time.

Still in the morning, she’s probably making her way up right now.

I don’t wait to grab a hall pass or an excuse, rushing out of the room to the door.

“Amawara-kun where-,”

I cut him off by slamming the door behind me.

Stairs!

I turn towards the staircase, making my way up to the rooftop.

Noticing the door is ajar, I push it open all the way as I reach the outdoors.

Shiho is staring down at the ground, just on the other end of the cage.

I climb over to the other side of the cage, careful to make sure I don’t surprise her.

Shiho seems to be in her own thoughts right now, something pushing her closer and closer to the edge of the roof.

“Shiho!”

I see her turn to stare at me.

“W-Who are you? Don’t come any closer!”

I inch my way forward, careful to have the cage in my right hand as I walk towards her.

“I’m Luke Amawara, I’m in a class with Takamaki-san. I… noticed you walking up here.”

Shiho gets angry.

“Liar! I checked, there was no one following me!”

Anger’s good, keep her talking.

“Okay, you’re right. Still, that doesn’t matter right now! Please, I know how you must feel, but this isn’t the answer!”

Shiho seems to be despairing as she speaks, “How could you? No one knows what I’m feeling, I can’t take it anymore.”

“That’s what he wants! Don’t let him win Shiho, make him pay for it instead!”

She freezes at that.

“Y-You know… about…”

I nod.

“He’s a basterd, he trampled on your pride and heart, don’t forgive him! Come back with me, and let’s make him pay for what he did to you!”

She smiles, but it’s a hollow one.

“If… only… you came sooner…”

She looks at the edge.

“NO! Please don’t do this Shiho!”

She inches towards her doom

I run across the line of the rooftop, lunging out as she starts to plummet.

My hand grasps her wrist as she starts to slide from my grip.

“I won’t give up on you Shiho, so don’t give up on yourself! Think of Ann, do you think she would want this?”

I stare down at the girl, her lifeless eyes staring back at me.

“I… can’t let Ann be hurt because of me. If… I’m gone, Kamoshida cant use me to hurt her.”

“If your gone, she’s going to be sad. You’re her friend!”

This shakes her, and a bit of color returns.

“I… can’t do this…”

“Yes, you can, we’ll be there with you when you do, Ann and me.”

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The rest of the school is in the courtyard now, gawping at the two of us as Shiho starts to slip from my grip.

“No, damnit!”

I let go of my hand holding the cage and use it to start pulling Shiho up. With my shoes wedged into the cage behind me, I try to fulcrum her up by bending my legs and arms.

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

Shiho seems desperate, like the only reason she hasn’t simply given up just yet is her waiting for the answer.

“You deserve to live! Free of pain and abuse, and I could never forgive myself if I just let you fall.”

Shiho grabs hold of my hand, and with a tug, I pull her back up from the edge. I lead her around the cage and back to safety, away from the ledge.

Teachers start making their way back to us, and I notice one of the teachers is earlier than the rest.

Kamoshida.

“Shiho-chan, what were you thinking? Causing such a ruckus at this time in the morning?”

I can’t help myself; I raise a fist to smack him.

Only for Shiho to stop me.

“It’s okay.”

Shiho takes my arm and we walk past Kamoshida.

Only for Kamoshida to grab my shoulder.

“You young man, were about to swing at me, weren’t you?”

“No sir, my hand was just cramping. Please let me go, Shiho needs to visit the nurse’s office.”

I say it without any emotion whatsoever. Inside my head though, I’m full of rage.

Idiot, you almost fell for the same trick that got Ryuji’s leg smashed! Even with that you still let him get to you!

I look over at Shiho as she smiles and nods at me. I can see her mouth some words as Kamoshida finally lets me go.

Thank you, Luke-kun.

The rage subsides almost immediately.

That’s right, I’m not here to hurt Kamoshida. I did what I came to do, even if it changes the canon.

No more victims for that basterd to laugh about.

I smile back at Shiho.

“You’re welcome.”

Soon a few teachers are escorting us to the office. Sadly, I see Kamoshida amongst them. More than likely he wants to be there to silence Shiho in case she calls him on his abusive bullshit.

As we’re about to make it down the stairs, I feel a shove.

Wha-

I’m falling.

Shiho’s falling.

I grab her arm, trying to pull it towards me.

We hit the ground, and I hear Shiho scream.

I landed on something hard.

Oh… no…

I pull myself off the floor, and take a look at Shiho.

She’s still screaming in pain and I quickly see the reason why.

Her arm, the one I was trying to pull away, was under… mine.

It’s bent in one angle, and I can tell it’s broken.

“Shiho-san, what’s wrong? Oh no! She was pushed by Luke down the stairs!”

I turn to look up at the stairs, and a grinning basterd is looking down at me.

Kamoshida!

The rest of the teachers come to check on us. Shiho’s still screaming as she holds her arm, trying her best not to move it.

“Shiho!”

I hear a familiar feminine voice, and soon Ann Takamaki is trying to console her best friend. I stand up.

Since Shiho broke most of our fall, I have no pain or injuries. I can’t even think about that right now.

All I see is red.

I’m about to go up those stairs and kill the son of a bitch when another hand grabs my shoulder.

I turn to see Ren Amamiya.

“Not yet.”

I almost bite his head off, but the grip he has on my shoulders tells me he’s just as mad as I am.

Strangely that calms me down.

“He has to pay for this, we got to do it.”

Whispering at him, he nods as Ryuji shows up a second earlier.

“I found him Ren, its Mishima.”

Oh… right.

Mishima, who sent Shiho to Kamoshida.

Mishima, who made her so distraught that she wanted to kill herself.

My voice is a growl, “where is he?!”

…

It didn’t take long.

Mishima isn’t that fast at running away after all.

Probably why Kamoshida picks on him so much, he’s just an easy target.

Part of my rage at Shiho is doused by the fact that Mishima is just as much a victim of Kamoshida’s abuse as she was. Still, he didn’t have to do it.

He chose the cowards way and just went with whatever that perverted abusive basterd did.

He shrinks at the three of us approaching him.

“W-What do you want? I didn’t do anything!”

“You knew, didn’t you?”

Mishima’s staring at me like a deer in headlights.

“Why’d you run like that, huh?”

Mishima turns to Ryuji, eager to look at anyone else.

“I… didn’t run…”

Ryuji slams the locker next to us, his voice raging as he pelts Mishima’s ears.

“She was about to jump and kill herself! Now she’s got a broken arm!”

Mishima whimpers, and I can’t help but pity the basterd.

“L-Leave me alone…”

Ren steps up next, his stare keeping Mishima from moving.

“Just tell us.”

Ryuji seems calmer after that, bring the mood back to a conversation instead of a shouting match.

“He’s right, we ain’t trying to get you busted. We won’t say you talked either.”

“Please… Mishima.”

He holds his head, like the words hurt for him to say.

“Suzui… she was called out by Mr. Kamoshida!”

This seems to break Ryuji out of something.

“Wait, what?”

Mishima puts his hands down, a look of defeat covers his face as he spills everything.

It wasn’t just Shiho, or just Mishima, all kinds of students were victims of Kamoshida’s ‘moods’ and he would nominate people to hit whenever he felt a little frustrated or angry.

Suzui Shiho was different though, because according to Mishima, she hadn’t done anything wrong that day. He still called her out though.

“-So, it must have been… worse than usual.”

Ryuji is struck dumb by that statement

“He didn’t…”

His face contorts into visceral hate as he screams.

“That son of a bitch!”

Ryuji turns to run, and none of us need a guess to where he might be going.

I look at Ren, who immediately starts chasing after Ryuji.

I can’t be bothered with that though, because I got something special planned.

I turn to Mishima.

“Hey Yuuki, I know you tapped my bag with a bug earlier this week.”

Mishima’s face is contorted in horror as he realizes I knew.

“W-Wait, that was all Mr. Kamoshida’s doing, I… never wanted to do that!”

I move towards him with a smirk that shows my teeth.

“I want you to turn it back on, right now.”

This confuses Mishima for a second, until he realizes something.

“Let’s make the basterd confess Mishima, lets make him pay for what he did to you and everyone else.”

Mishima, for a moment, is terrified by this. I see it though, the rebellious spirit in him that wants justice.

He takes out his phone and clicks a few buttons, smiling back at me.

“Well, lets go make sure those idiots don’t do anything stupid.”

I turn to race after Ren and Ryuji, and behind me, I make out the soft footfalls of Mishima trailing behind.

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