The Net Closes

The shop clerk screamed as Sudo's fist sent him crashing to the ground.

Before he could scramble up, a thick calf began giving him a free back massage.

"Brothers, come get him!"

Sudo shouted back to the crowd in the classroom while still stomping.

Gotta hand it to Sudo—the guy had real brotherhood. He was having his fun, but he didn't forget to call the others in.

Suzuki Tsubame and the rest stepped forward to give the clerk a full-body treatment.

The sleazy clerk's bloated face had lost all trace of its earlier greed.

Now, panic twisted his features as he struggled desperately to get up and run.

But his fat body was already short on exercise, and Sudo had struck first.

Before long, he couldn't even struggle anymore.

Like a dead dog, he lay sprawled on the ground, both hands clutching his head, letting everyone help him train his resistance.

Luckily, the group wasn't blinded by rage. They gave him a little rouge and eyeshadow, a full-body spa, and then let him go.

Five minutes later.

Guess you gotta admit fat guys have high HP.

Though he was covered in footprints and had lost two front teeth, he still managed to recover. Trembling, he sat up and leaned half his body against the hallway wall.

Fear filled his eyes as he looked at the crowd.

His lips quivered uncontrollably, but he forced himself to act tough: "You... which class are you from? Doing this... aren't you afraid of getting expelled?"

"Apologize to me now, and I'll let it slide. Otherwise... otherwise I'll go report you to the teacher."

Gotta hand it to someone who's been out in the real world—quick on the uptake. He knew begging wouldn't work, so he dragged the teacher out to threaten them.

But his missing front teeth gave him a ridiculous, almost comical look.

Guess they hadn't hit him hard enough.

Suzuki Tsubame shot Sudo a look, and Sudo caught on instantly.

He strode over to the clerk, gave him a vicious slap across the face, then pointed to Sakura at the back of the crowd, his expression fierce: "You know who that is?"

The clerk, slapped again, trembled all over. It took him a long time to dare open his eyes.

"Shizuku... Shizuku-chan?"

When he spotted Sakura behind the crowd, his eyes lit up.

"I'm... I'm your fan! Shizuku-chan! Really... I meant no harm! Please believe me!"

With zero awareness of his captive status, he even tried to crawl toward Sakura.

Luckily, Sudo gave him another kick, finally keeping him in line.

Sakura half-hid behind Hasebe, a faint trace of disgust flickering in her eyes. Her tone was serious: "You... you're making me really uncomfortable. Please don't do this anymore."

These past few days, including Ike who was on lookout outside, everyone had voluntarily given up their lunch breaks to accompany her, waiting in this classroom for a long time.

She was touched, but also afraid of wasting everyone's time.

All these reasons piled up, making her hate this sleazy fat man even more.

"No... that's not it! I just wanted an autograph! I really didn't mean to hurt you!"

The clerk kept trying to talk his way out, like someone who wouldn't cry until they saw the coffin.

Too bad. His earlier actions had already sealed his fate.

Suzuki Tsubame couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. Beaten like this and still bouncing around—they couldn't exactly kill him.

Even if killing him probably wouldn't matter, the goal was already achieved. No need to stir up more trouble.

"Suzune, call your brother over to wrap this up."

"With solid evidence, he won't be getting out for at least three to five years."

Sakura's private message, plus the evidence he recorded after going upstairs just now.

Getting him locked up for a few years would be easy enough.

Some time passed.

Suzuki Tsubame turned his head to look at Horikita, curious why she was just standing there motionless.

"Suzune?"

Horikita remained expressionless, like an upright statue.

Suzuki Tsubame's expression turned odd. Could it be that Horikita didn't even have her brother's contact info?

For siblings to end up like this was rare in the mundane world.

"Um... I have Tachibana-senpai's LINE. Should I contact her?"

Kushida obediently raised her hand, speaking cautiously.

"Tachibana-senpai? As the current secretary of the Student Council, she'll do fine."

Suzuki Tsubame nodded at her. When it counted, Kushida was reliable.

Of course... when she wasn't reliable, she really wasn't.

The Student Council was highly efficient. Within a few minutes, Horikita Manabu arrived on the scene.

Upon learning that his sister was also involved in this incident, Horikita Manabu brought only Tachibana Akane with him.

"Yo, the Student Council President's here."

Suzuki Tsubame sat cross-legged on the desk, waving quite casually at Horikita Manabu.

A simple greeting.

Though Horikita Manabu was expressionless, he still nodded politely in response.

When he learned that his sister had started trying to make friends and act alongside them, Horikita Manabu was genuinely happy for her.

Horikita Manabu also understood that this was probably all thanks to Suzuki Tsubame, so his impression of him was actually pretty good.

Of course, it definitely wasn't because he couldn't beat him in a fight.

Though Horikita Manabu himself didn't care, Tachibana Akane behind him spoke up in dissatisfaction:

"Hey! You freshman, can't you show some respect to your seniors?"

Seriously, the Student Council President had no problem with it, and here this little sidekick was jumping out.

Suzuki Tsubame extended one finger, his tone dismissive:

"First, my name isn't 'Hey.'"

"Second... forget it, I can't be bothered to explain. You're not worthy of hearing it."

He rolled his eyes at Tachibana Akane and stopped paying attention to this Purple Nezha.

"You—!"

Tachibana Akane wanted to step forward and argue, but Horikita Manabu grabbed her, his tone stern:

"Tachibana... that's enough. Don't do anything unnecessary anymore."

Tachibana Akane felt a bit wronged.

But under the President's stern gaze, she suppressed her emotions.

After dealing with Tachibana Akane, Horikita Manabu turned back to Suzuki Tsubame.

"Explain the full course of this incident."

Though he had already gotten a rough idea of what happened before coming, It was clearly more convenient to hear it from the person himself for his judgment, especially since his sister was on the other side.

Suzuki Tsubame recounted the entire event from start to finish, sparing no detail.

Including the content of Sakura's private message, the audio and video recordings after the shop clerk went upstairs.

All the way up to the shop clerk kicking the classroom door open.

As for his injuries, they were from accidentally falling after he kicked the door.

In the end, of course, everything wrapped up perfectly.

Horikita Manabu stated that he would hand over the suspect and the evidence together to the School Board.

As for the shop clerk's fate... he'd probably be passively subjected to a few years of labor reform. Hopefully, he'd turn over a new leaf after getting out.

[Ding! Long-term quest: Timid Star, completion: 50%, reward: Universal Megaphone. This item can mimic any voice the host has heard. To use, simply flip the switch and think of the target's voice in your mind. (Note: When you miss someone, flipping the switch while thinking of them yields better results.)]

"Th... thank you, everyone!"

By the time everyone came back to their senses, Sakura was already in tears.

Tears as big as beans kept streaming down from her eyes.

God knows how desperate she felt when that harasser showed up.

The reason she dressed in such a dowdy, rustic manner wasn't just because she was naturally socially anxious.

What she feared most was running into this kind of obsessive fan.

"Alright, Airy... it's all over now."

Hasebe moved gently, carefully pulling Sakura into her arms.

She whispered softly to comfort the other.

Suzuki Tsubame shot a meaningful glance at the others, and everyone tacitly left the space to the two of them.

Somehow, it felt like he was helping them get together. Suzuki Tsubame rubbed his nose, hoping he wouldn't get scolded.