"Hey, Izumi, watch your temper. Don't beat him to death~"
"Yeah, just vent a little. It's his bad luck to show up when Izumi is angry."
Watching Izumi Nogami's relentless kicking, the two girls who had initially supported her made no attempt to stop her, instead joking from the side.
These three were the same gyaru trio who had found Ho Fei-yu inexplicably easy to bully before: Red-haired Izumi Nogami, dark-skinned Sae Hinata, and blonde Minako Sanada.
Yesterday, their phones had predicted clear weather for today, so the gyaru trio happily made plans to hang out after school. Unexpectedly, fate had other plans. While they were halfway to school, the sudden downpour soaked them completely. This result left the three of them with considerable resentment, and they only needed a punching bag to vent their frustration.
Unfortunately, Ayato Tsubakino just happened to become that punching bag.
If Ayato Tsubakino had bumped into Sae Hinata or Minako Sanada, he might have only been insulted a couple of times and then let off. But, unfortunately, he bumped into the hot-tempered Izumi Nogami.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to..."
Ayato Tsubakino curled up on the dirty, rain-soaked floor, mechanically apologizing to Izumi Nogami.
"Apology? If apologies worked, what would we need the police for?"
Ignoring Ayato Tsubakino's apology, Izumi Nogami continued to kick him violently, a look of pleasure on her face. Her current behavior seemed less like venting the anger from being bumped and more like enjoying the thrill of the abuse.
Izumi Nogami's cheeks were flushed. Hot breaths escaped her pink lips, and her ample chest heaved violently with her breathing. She looked down at Ayato Tsubakino, docile as a sheep, and felt warm currents surging through her body, an unusual warmth that even overpowered the cold brought by the rain. The water droplets trickling down her fair cheeks were indistinguishable as rain or sweat.
About a third of the students in Class 2-1 had arrived, and they were witnessing Izumi Nogami beating Ayato Tsubakino. Most were intimidated by Izumi Nogami's gyaru appearance and dared not step forward to intervene, afraid of causing trouble for themselves. After all, people like them might know some dangerous ruffians outside of school. If they offended them, they might be grabbed and beaten up outside the school gates one day.
Meanwhile, those with status and background were indifferent, as they had done similar things themselves. Why not just quietly enjoy the drama?
But even in this world, there are people with a sense of justice.
"That's enough! Izumi Nogami, Ayato Tsubakino has already apologized to you, and you've been hitting him for so long! Please stop your violent behavior!"
A girl with reddish-purple hair couldn't stand Izumi Nogami's unreasonable behavior anymore. She suddenly stood up, pointed her finger at Izumi Nogami, and shouted.
"Oh!? Who do you think you are? You tell me to stop, and I should stop?"
Izumi Nogami hadn't expected someone to dare to criticize her, let alone with such a challenging tone, which made her very unhappy. She raised her flushed face and looked toward the source of the voice.
"I am the Vice Class Representative! I have the authority to stop your violence!"
The reddish-purple-haired girl met Izumi Nogami's sharp gaze head-on, refusing to back down. Her heart was filled with courage, especially when she announced she was the Vice Class Representative.
"Heh! Vice Class Representative? You're only the Vice Class Representative if I acknowledge you. If I don't, you're nothing! The Class Representative himself coming here wouldn't make a difference, let alone a mere Vice Class Representative like you."
Izumi Nogami sneered at her words, giving no respect to the reddish-purple-haired girl.
"You!"
The reddish-purple-haired girl was choked by anger. It seemed to be true.
"Mind your own business."
Izumi Nogami saw the reddish-purple-haired girl falter, mocked her, and then started kicking Ayato Tsubakino again.
"Stop it immediately!"
The reddish-purple-haired girl hesitated for a moment but decided to step up. She quickly walked from her seat to Izumi Nogami's side and reached out, intending to push her away.
"Hmph, you're looking for trouble, aren't you? Then you can join him!"
Izumi Nogami, as a suke-ban (female delinquent), was not polite at all. She looked at the reddish-purple-haired girl's clumsy attack with disdain in her red eyes. She slightly stepped back to create space, while quickly grabbing the girl's outstretched hand. As she pulled her forward, she kicked her foot toward the girl's knee pit.
The reddish-purple-haired girl's leg hurt. Combined with the dragging on her hand, her body lost balance and she tumbled forward, inevitably heading for a face-plant on the floor.
Compared to Izumi Nogami, a suke-ban who was constantly getting into trouble, the girl was clearly at a disadvantage.
The reddish-purple-haired girl watched the floor rapidly approaching and fearfully closed her eyes.
Chisato didn't feel the pain of hitting the floor for a long time. Instead, she felt herself falling into a warm embrace.
Her purple, crescent-shaped eyes slowly opened. Chisato saw a handsome boy with black hair and black eyes.
"Fei-yu-kun...?"
As the Vice Class Representative, Chisato, along with the Class Representative, managed the class affairs. Naturally, the first thing she did was memorize all the students in the class. She immediately recognized the black-haired boy in front of her.
"Um, thank you, Fei-yu-kun, but could you please..."
Chisato felt the pressure on her chest. A blush instantly appeared on her fair cheeks, and she said shyly.
"Oh! My apologies, I didn't mean to."
Following Chisato's gaze, Ho Fei-yu realized what was happening. He gave an awkward smile, helped the girl up from his arms, and immediately withdrew his hand after she was steady.
"Huh? Another busybody."
Izumi Nogami raised an eyebrow, looking irritatedly at Ho Fei-yu, who had appeared out of nowhere.
"It's you!?"
Staring at Ho Fei-yu's face, the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. Izumi Nogami suddenly exclaimed.
"I didn't seek you out, but you delivered yourself to my doorstep, huh."
The surprised expression on Izumi Nogami's face was fleetingly replaced by a sneer. She crossed her arms over her chest, her red eyes mocking Ho Fei-yu.
"Did you do this?"
Ho Fei-yu ignored Izumi Nogami's incomprehensible words. He looked down at Ayato Tsubakino, whose clothes were a mess, and asked calmly.
"Of course. He bumped into this young lady, so naturally, this young lady gave him a little lesson. What, do you want to stand up for him too?"
Izumi Nogami answered casually, as if this was completely normal for her.
Sae Hinata and Minako Sanada, sensing the tense atmosphere, moved to Izumi Nogami's side to back her up.
After getting the answer he wanted, Ho Fei-yu bent down. Simultaneously, Crazy Diamond was activated, healing Ayato Tsubakino's external injuries.
"Fei-yu... Brother, thank... you."
Ayato Tsubakino suddenly felt a warmth wash over him, and the pain in his body quickly disappeared, as if he had never been beaten. He didn't know why this happened, but all the changes only occurred after Ho Fei-yu appeared. His eyes reddened, and he thanked Ho Fei-yu with gratitude.
His determination to introduce Ho Fei-yu to his sister grew even stronger. Only someone like Big Brother Fei-yu deserved his gentle and lovely sister!