The side courtyard of Kuoh Academy was quiet, save for the muffled sound of stifled laughter. The afternoon sun reflected on the red-tiled roof, spreading warmth across the walls of the kendo club. Behind the building, three figures huddled around a small square window, set barely half a meter above the ground.
Issei Hyoudou pressed his face against the glass, straining for the best angle. Beside him, Matsuda and Motohama shoved each other carelessly, each fighting for space the window simply couldn't hold.
"Quit shoving, damn it! I got here first!"
"First my ass! You're blocking my whole view, Issei!"
"Lower your heads! I can't see a thing like this!"
The glass fogged under their quickened breaths. From inside came muffled voices, feminine laughter and footsteps—each sound enough to ignite the scuffle further.
Matsuda rammed his shoulder into Issei, sending Motohama stumbling backward, nearly falling.
"Move over already, give me some space! I'm not gonna just sit here listening!"
Motohama, fixing his glasses that had almost slipped off, muttered too loudly:
"How the hell are three guys supposed to peep through one tiny window? It's impossible!"
The complaint echoed down the narrow path behind the club. Silence struck, heavy with dread. A shadow stretched across the ground, long, cutting through the sunlight from the side.
Issei was the first to feel it behind him. Slowly, he turned his head.
Katase and Murayama stood only a few steps away, both dressed in kendo practice uniforms, each gripping a wooden sword tightly. Their serious gazes clashed with the instant shame flooding the boys' faces.
Katase tilted her head slightly, her voice calm but cutting.
"Enjoying the view?"
Blood drained from the three almost at once. Issei's eyes went wide, Motohama froze with his glasses half-raised, and Matsuda's jaw hung open.
Motohama, torn between fleeing or answering, muttered in a thread of voice:
"It's just… hard… three people… one window…"
The silence that followed was crushing. Only the sharp thud of wooden swords planted against the ground broke the air.
Tok. Tok.
Katase and Murayama stepped forward, one pace each, leaving no doubt this wasn't a friendly chat.
The three perverts abandoned their fight for space at once. They straightened slowly, still too ashamed to meet the girls' eyes. Fear mixed with humiliation in the narrow corridor.
Matsuda forced a nervous, crooked smile.
"Look, we were just… studying the building's structure, you know? Architecture stuff…"
No one was convinced. Katase raised her sword to her shoulder, unhurried, while Murayama spun hers in her grip with practiced ease.
Tension burst in the air.
Ssshhh…
A breeze lifted dust and dried leaves from the packed dirt ground.
Issei swallowed hard, heart hammering as though he'd run a marathon.
Katase arched a brow, her voice firm.
"You think you can play like this without consequences?"
Murayama's eyes locked onto Issei.
"If you've got the guts to peek, you've got the guts to face punishment."
The boys exchanged quick glances. None of them spoke. Silence weighed heavier than any excuse.
Suddenly, Matsuda yelped.
"Aaaah!"
Murayama's wooden sword smacked into his shoulder with precision.
Tok!
Motohama stumbled back, hands raised in panic.
"Wait, wait! No need for violence, we were just—"
Another strike cracked against his arm.
Tok!
The sound was sharp. Motohama bit his lip to keep from crying out.
Issei seized the moment. His eyes darted to the side, where an opening lay free. His heart pounded. One thought blared in his head: If I don't run now, I'm done for.
He spun on his heel and bolted.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Shoes pounded against the dirt. Hot air burned his throat as it rushed into his lungs. Katase and Murayama reacted instantly, but the short distance wasn't enough.
"Hey! Get back here!"
Their swords lifted, but Issei was already out of reach. His footsteps vanished down the side path.
Matsuda, clutching his sore shoulder, cried out in betrayal:
"Traitor! You left us behind!"
Murayama's wrist snapped, landing another clean blow on him.
Tok!
Matsuda nearly dropped to his knees, face twisted in pain.
Motohama, cornered, yelled with bitter fury:
"Issei, you bastard!"
The curses only thickened the air. Katase said nothing. She simply swung her sword down on their legs, strikes crisp and measured.
Tok! Tok!
Wood against flesh echoed in the narrow passage.
"Stop, stop! I can't take it anymore!"
Matsuda shielded his head with his arms, but each block only left his torso or legs exposed to another strike.
Motohama fell back onto the ground, glasses askew, but Katase didn't relent.
Tok!
The trio who had fought for space now writhed in pain and betrayal.
Meanwhile, Issei sprinted across the schoolyard.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Sweat streaked down his temples, hair clinging to his forehead. His friends' muffled screams still echoed faintly behind him, but the faster he ran, the fainter they grew.
He cut across the garden, vaulted over a small rise in the lawn, and collapsed behind a thick tree trunk.
Huff… Huff… Huff…
His breathing was ragged, chest heaving too fast.
For the first time, Issei felt a strange wave of exhilaration.
'I did it… I got away…'
His hands shook against the rough bark. His heart thundered, but a smile spread unconsciously across his face.
Ssshhh…
The wind rustled the leaves above. Silence returned, heavy, as though the world itself observed his small victory.
But it didn't last.
A calm, cold voice cut through the air behind him.
"Hyoudou Issei."
His whole body froze. Cold sweat slid down his neck. Slowly, he turned his head.
Tsubaki Shinra, vice-president of the Student Council, stood only steps away. Her uniform pristine, glasses glinting in the late sunlight. Her face was neutral, unshaken.
Issei's stomach dropped.
'No way… her… of all people…'
Tsubaki didn't raise her voice.
"Come with me to the Student Council room."
Her tone was firm, yet unhurried.
Issei swallowed hard, scraping together the courage to speak.
"I… I wasn't… wasn't doing anything…"
Her gaze didn't shift, only narrowed slightly.
"You think you can excuse yourself?"
Silence consumed him. He had no answer.
Tsubaki stepped forward once, still without hurry.
"Come. Now."
The chill down Issei's spine felt like a sentence.
'If I don't go, I could be expelled…'
He drew a shaky breath and let go of the tree. His legs trembled, but followed.
Each step echoed too loudly in the empty yard.
Tsubaki turned calmly ahead, never once glancing back. Her upright posture clashed starkly with his hesitant stride.
He bit his lip, mind spiraling.
'What are they going to do to me?'
The walk felt endless. The courtyard stretched in silence, corridors of the school looming in the late-afternoon shadows.
The main building doors stood open. Tsubaki entered first, never slowing.
Issei paused at the threshold. The air inside was cooler, but offered no comfort.
He swallowed again and followed.
Their footsteps echoed together now, one steady, the other wavering.
The hall led to the Council room. Light filtered through the blinds, striping the long table where one chair faced the door. Sona waited, unflinching.
"Hyoudou Issei, sit down."
He obeyed at once, palms pressed to his knees to hide the tremor. Tsubaki stood behind Sona, straight as a blade.
Sona held her gaze on him for a stretch that felt like eternity. There was no theatrical harshness, only silent reading of the boy before her.
"Hyoudou Issei, now is the time to decide your fate."
His chest locked.
'Decide my fate… am I getting expelled? My life's over?'
Gulp.
Tsubaki adjusted a document, the faint slide of paper breaking the tension for a heartbeat. Issei kept his eyes down, heart pounding in his ears.
Sona folded her hands on the table, her voice steady, never raised.
"Before any measures are taken, I want to hear you. Do you understand why you are here?"
Issei opened his mouth, closed it, breathed shallowly.
'If I admit everything, it's over. If I lie, it's worse. What do I do?'
"I… I understand."
Sona didn't react to the hesitation. Her gaze remained level, measuring his structure carefully.
"Good. Then listen closely. I do not tolerate waste, Hyoudou Issei. Even less so from students who choose the worst of themselves."
Silence pressed in, wide and unrelenting.
Tick… tick…
The wall clock marked the seconds. Tsubaki remained motionless, as if guarding the judgment.
Sona tilted her head slightly, enough to seal the next step.
"You will still have a choice."
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