Special Exam 7

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty stairwell.

Horikita Etsuka took the lead, jogging ahead, while Horikita Suzune followed closely behind.

Just moments ago, Suzune had caught the hidden meaning in Ayanokoji's words, and when she connected it to the violent behavior of Ryuen that Etsuka had told her about, she instantly realized that Karuizawa was being deceived.

Etsuka had zero tolerance for bullying, so naturally, he was determined to put a stop to it.

So, Ryuen really is this kind of guy.

A flicker of disgust flashed in Horikita Etsuka's eyes.

These repeated incidents had made him increasingly resentful and disgusted by Ryuen; the guy always loved to stir up trouble for no reason, and his expression was always so arrogant, acting as if he were the king of the world, which really made his fists itch.

"Karuizawa, just tell us the secret key for your class, and I won't take any photos," Manabe Shiho said, holding her Student Terminal with a haughty expression.

Karuizawa looked at the three of them, and it felt as if they had overlapped with the trio who had bullied her back in high school; her body couldn't help but tremble.

"If I tell you... will you stop coming after me?"

Karuizawa's voice trembled. She was backed into a corner, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, her gaze filled with helplessness.

She didn't understand; she had clearly projected a strong personality since starting university, so why, why was she always being bullied?

It was the same in high school, and now that she was in university, it was still like this? Was her whole life destined to be spent being bullied by others?

Karuizawa lowered her eyes, and it seemed as if all the light in them had vanished in an instant.

In that moment, she felt as if nothing else mattered.

Yeah, my whole life is just meant for being bullied.

She stopped struggling, stopped resisting, and just wanted to blurt out the key to end this mental torture.

But, if I tell them the key... the people in my class will find out, and they'll definitely ostracize me...

Karuizawa's mind was in total chaos; on one hand, she didn't want to continue enduring this mental torment, but on the other, she was terrified that others would find out and isolate her.

The Manabe trio seemed to be using verbal pressure to force her, as they hadn't resorted to physical violence during the first semester.

"Seriously, why are you dragging your feet over a simple key?" Yamashita Saki looked impatient. She turned to Manabe: "Shiho, I get annoyed just looking at her face. Let me teach her a lesson first."

As she spoke, Yamashita raised her hand, ready to strike Karuizawa.

Karuizawa weakly turned her head and closed her eyes, as if she had already accepted the fact that she was about to be hit.

Just then—

Bang! The iron door to the rooftop was kicked open with great force, and the three girls instantly turned around.

Horikita Etsuka walked slowly onto the rooftop from the stairwell, a lollipop in his mouth and one hand in his pocket. He looked at the scene before him and quipped:

"Yo, still playing at school bullying? Good thing you ran into me; I don't hit girls."

Click.

Suzune had arrived as well. She held her Student Terminal, capturing the scene without reservation.

Horikita Suzune said with a blank expression:

"Since we've caught up, let's start by keeping some evidence."

Karuizawa looked at the scene before her, stunned. She was half-kneeling on the ground, clearly bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

"Give me that Student Terminal!" Yamashita was the first to realize what was happening, and she reached out to snatch it.

"Are you annoying or what?" Etsuka simply raised his leg and gave a light kick.

Yamashita lost her footing and fell to the ground. She looked at Manabe and shouted: "Shiho! Go grab the Student Terminal! Don't let them keep the evidence!"

Manabe looked at Yamashita, who had been easily kicked down, then looked at the devil-may-care Horikita Etsuka, and swallowed hard.

He said he doesn't hit girls...

Thinking this, she reached out to grab him.

"Hand over the Student Terminal!"

It wasn't that she didn't want to go for Suzune, but Suzune was standing behind Horikita Etsuka, leaving her no opportunity.

Etsuka sidestepped, dodging her while saying: "Your flailing punches aren't bad—oh wait, my mistake, flailing claws."

"Damn you!" Manabe Shiho's expression turned vicious, and she raised her leg to kick at Horikita Etsuka's lower body.

Etsuka easily caught her lower leg with one hand, though his expression grew a bit more serious:

"Don't think that just because I don't hit girls, I won't do anything to you."

"Let go of me!" Relying on the fact that Etsuka hadn't retaliated, Manabe swung her hand toward Etsuka's face even with one leg held captive.

"Slap!"

Before Manabe's hand could even swing out, Etsuka landed a solid slap right across her face!

She felt an instant, burning sting flare up on her cheek.

Etsuka released Manabe's leg, and Manabe clutched her struck face, collapsing onto the ground like a fragile damsel.

She looked up at Horikita Etsuka in disbelief: "Didn't you say you don't hit girls?"

"That's right." Etsuka nodded: "Yeah, but I don't distinguish between men and women."

As he spoke, Etsuka turned to look at the last girl standing there in a daze.

She swallowed hard, raised her hand, and slapped herself across the face.

Seemingly afraid it wasn't enough, she gave herself two more forceful slaps.

"Alright, alright, I agree to let you off." Horikita Etsuka waved his hand.

For a moment, Karuizawa Kei stared in a daze at the three girls who had been so arrogant just a moment ago, now basically all lying on the ground.

However, it was only now that a sense of shame slowly began to emerge.

Horikita Etsuka extended his hand with a smile on his lips: "To think Ryuen would try to pressure you into revealing the Class Key using numbers—what a piece of trash."

Karuizawa looked at that smile, which felt as warm as sunlight, and instinctively reached out to take his hand, saying with a guilty conscience:

"I... I knew it was Ryuen's doing. No matter what they did, I didn't say a word."

At the same time, Karuizawa surreptitiously wiped away the tear tracks from the corners of her eyes.

The two of them didn't mention a word about school bullying, reframing the incident as Ryuen trying to target Karuizawa Kei to obtain the Class Key, and Karuizawa suffering abuse because she refused to yield.

And so, Karuizawa Kei was transformed from a victim of bullying into an extraordinary girl who fought against Ryuen to protect the Class Key.

Horikita Etsuka looked at Manabe, who was lying on the ground clutching her right cheek and sobbing, and said:

"Cut the act. It'll hurt for a while at most, there isn't even a mark. If you keep pretending, do you want to see what happens if I give your butt a few smacks?"

Instantly, not only did Manabe subconsciously cover her backside, but Karuizawa, standing to the side, also blushed.

Etsuka slowly crouched down, looked into Manabe's eyes, and said: "Alright, now tell me, what is your Class Key?"

"I... why should I tell you?" Manabe had a fiery temper, acting completely like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water.

"Why?" Horikita Etsuka laughed: "Are you unaware that I have evidence of you hitting people just now?"

With that, Etsuka lightly patted Manabe's cheek: "Do you know? If this is reported to the school authorities, you'll be expelled."

Manabe was stunned as she looked at the boy in front of her with such a handsome smile. It wasn't because the smile was warm, but rather because a chilling aura was spreading from him.

She saw the shadow of Ryuen in him...

Ps: I wrote two chapters very quickly today. Although I want to write something very satisfying, it would be boring if I reached Class A too quickly.