Evidence and Courage

In the clearing behind the bushes, the atmosphere was icy and tense. Sakura Airi curled up against the wall, her body still trembling uncontrollably, tears silently streaming down to dampen the pink strands of hair scattered across her lap. She stared at the middle-aged man pinned firmly to the ground by Shimiya Kuki, her eyes filled with the fear and disgust of a narrow escape.

Ichinose Honami quickly walked over to Sakura, crouched down, and gently took her cold, trembling hand in her own warm one, trying to offer some comfort. Then she lifted her head, looking at the man pinned in such a pathetic state. Her face, usually warm with a smile, was now covered in a frost of anger, her clear eyes blazing with fury:

"Uncle," Ichinose's voice carried a suppressed rage, clear and stern, "it looked like you were doing something very, very wrong just now! In broad daylight, doing something like this to a female student—it's absolutely unforgivable! Good thing Kuki-kun stopped you in time!"

Though his face was pressed into the ground in an awkward position, the man still struggled and argued, his voice distorted by the pressure, dripping with venom: "You... you're talking nonsense! Let me go! What did I do? I did nothing! All I know is this guy!" He strained to point his free hand at Shimiya, "This person suddenly charged at me and attacked! Violence! This is a serious case of violence! You should all know very well what happens when you use violence in this school, right? Expulsion! Wait until you get expelled! Hahahaha!" He let out a hoarse, grating laugh, as if clutching at a lifeline.

"What?!" Ichinose's chest heaved with anger at his twisting of the truth. "How dare you turn around and bite us?! We all saw it! What were you trying to do to Sakura-kun? Those letters..." She pointed at the scattered envelopes with twisted heart stickers scattered on the ground, "You wrote all these, didn't you? Stalking, harassment, and now attempted assault! You're just..."

Just as Ichinose was angrily retorting, Shimiya Kuki's Student Terminal vibrated. He released the hand that was pressing down on the man's head, but the arm pinning him remained motionless. He pulled the terminal from his pocket to check it.

Shimiya's gaze lingered on the terminal screen for less than a second. Then, something surprising happened. Because Shimiya Kuki had let go of the hand pressing on the man's head, the man naturally didn't miss this chance to counterattack. He forcefully pushed himself up. Just as the man thought he had an opening and tried to scramble to his feet—

Shimiya Kuki moved like a ghost! With a swift sidestep, he grabbed the wrist of the man's free arm and twisted it sharply upward against the joint!

"Ah—!" The man let out a scream like a stuck pig.

At the same time, Shimiya Kuki's knee, like a heavy hammer, slammed viciously into the man's lower back, crushing him back down to the ground! This time, using only one hand and the strength of his knee, Shimiya completed an even more effective pin, pressing the man firmly to the ground, unable to move. His other hand held the terminal that had just received the message.

"You... you bastards! Let me go!" The man, made even more pathetic and furious by this sudden change and the sharp pain, roared, trying to salvage the situation with verbal threats, "You say I tried to molest her? Ridiculous! Where's the evidence?! What evidence do you have?! It's just your word against mine! On the other hand, look at me!" He twisted his neck with difficulty, trying to show the dirt on his face and body, and the dishevelment caused by being pinned, "My body is covered in evidence of his attack! Bruises, scrapes! Do you think the school will believe the one-sided story of a few youngsters like you, or will they believe me, the 'victim'? Huh? Hahahaha! Just wait until you're punished!"

His laughter was filled with smugness and a twisted sense of pleasure, as if he could already see the scene of Shimiya and Ichinose being severely punished by the School Administration.

Ichinose trembled with rage at his shameless face, her face pale, her fists clenched. She had never seen anyone so thick-skinned and brazen, twisting black into white! Anger left her momentarily speechless.

Just as the man was laughing smugly, Ichinose was trembling with rage, and Sakura stared with wide, terrified eyes—

Shimiya Kuki, who had been silent all along, slowly raised the terminal in his hand. His movement was steady and clear, turning the screen directly towards the man pinned to the ground.

On the screen, a clear video recording was playing silently. The angle was a bit hidden, as if shot from a distance, but the content was unmistakable:

The video clearly recorded how the man had backed the panicked Sakura Airi step by step into a corner; how he ignored her pleas and pressed in; how he reached out trying to grab her; and the critical moment just before he lunged, when Shimiya Kuki, like a ghost, rushed into the frame from the side and subdued him to the ground with lightning speed! Although the video had no sound, the oppressive images, the man's lecherous movements, and Sakura's terrified, despairing expression were enough to explain the whole truth!

The man's manic laughter cut off abruptly, as if his throat had been squeezed shut. His murky eyes bulged, fixed on the screen, the smug expression on his face instantly freezing, then replaced by extreme terror and disbelief.

"How... how?!" he shrieked, his voice cracking, "You... when did you...?!"

Seeing the video, Ichinose's anger was instantly replaced by immense surprise and relief. She immediately straightened her back, her voice carrying a victorious declaration and strong condemnation: "Uncle! See that?! Now we have ample, irrefutable evidence! Your actions, your lies, are all clearly recorded! You're finished! Wait for the police and the school to deal with you!"

The man completely collapsed. It was as if all his bones had been removed. He went limp under Shimiya's restraint, his eyes unfocused, muttering to himself, no longer arguing but falling into a kind of obsessive rambling: "Shizuku... Airi-chan... my Airi-chan... why... why won't you accept my love? I love you so much... I wrote you so many letters... why..." He seemed immersed in his own world, Ignored the threats around him.

Watching the man who had once plunged her into boundless fear now in his pathetic, broken state, Sakura Airi tightly gripped Ichinose's hand. Her small face still bore tear tracks, her body still trembled slightly, but in her clear, large eyes, the fear was slowly fading, Replaced By an unprecedented determination. She took a deep breath, as if trying to expel all the pent-up fear and disgust, and then, using all her strength, she shouted clearly and loudly at the broken man on the ground:

"I'm very grateful that you supported me! But! Your actions have seriously affected my life! They make me feel scared! In pain!" Her voice trembled with emotion, but every word was crystal clear, carrying the courage of burning her bridges. She paused, and finally, as if using up all her strength, she shouted the most important sentence:

"I hate you!!!"

This cry, filled with fear, anger, and final liberation, exploded like a thunderclap in the silent clearing.

"No—!!!" The man let out a desperate wail upon hearing this decisive declaration, as if his entire world had collapsed.

Shimiya Kuki watched Sakura finally muster the courage to voice her feelings, then glanced at the man who was completely broken and no longer a threat. He spoke calmly, his voice not loud, but carrying a cold warning that clearly reached the man's ears: "The recording, I'll hand over to Sakura-kun for safekeeping." He paused, his gaze sharp as a blade, "If you ever harass her in any way again, even once... she can submit this evidence to the school at any time, or... directly call the police. You should be very clear on the consequences."

Having said that, Shimiya Kuki didn't hesitate. He cleanly and decisively released the pressure from his hand and knee.

The man collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud. After several seconds, he dazedly, stumblingly, got up. He didn't even dare to look at Sakura again, nor at Shimiya and Ichinose. He just let out an indistinct whimper, and like a beaten dog, scrambling and crawling, he rushed out of the bushes in a pathetic mess, disappearing from everyone's sight.

In the clearing, only Sakura Airi, who had narrowly escaped disaster, Ichinose Honami, who breathed a sigh of relief, the silent Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and Shimiya Kuki, who had just put away his terminal and whose face had returned to its usual calm indifference, remained. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling on Sakura's small face, tear-streaked but with a hint of relief. In the air, it seemed the thrill of the recent danger still lingered, but there was also a newfound peace, as if the dust had settled. Sakura Airi's shout of "I hate you!" was like a declaration, severing the chains of past fear.