Rescue

As Kushida began planning her next move, footsteps suddenly rang out in the passage beyond the bushes, giving her a clear direction.

Following the sound, Kushida soon slipped behind a hidden thicket and listened closely.

"Go search over there again. The scent of perfume is getting stronger."

"The boss must be right. There's definitely a spy hiding here to help that woman."

"Hmph. Let's see her deny it when we catch her."

"Yes."

Watching the Class C boys searching all around outside, Kushida might once have been so frightened she wouldn't know what to do. But now, not only was she unafraid, her expression grew darker by the moment.

"Tsk. What a useless woman. She got found out so quickly."

"But since you haven't snitched yet, I'll let the gorgeous me come rescue you this time. Let's call it repayment for that favor from before. Hehe."

After that, Kushida briefly surveyed her surroundings.

She confirmed that the only three paths out of the area around Kobayashi each had just one person guarding them.

Kushida licked her slightly chapped lips. She had been a little worried, but now she couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh.

The people searching for her inside all looked to be in great shape, but those scrawny guys guarding the exits—were they sure they weren't just there to make up the numbers?

"And they've left just one person to guard each exit? They really underestimate me. Hehe."

Watching three not-particularly-bright-looking boys stand around dazedly at their respective exits, looking as if they'd been forced to show up, she could almost imagine how many people in Class C truly accepted Ryuen Kakeru of their own free will.

She didn't dwell on it. With a cruel glint in her eyes, she immediately picked the east exit, where a blond crew-cut boy stood nearest to her, and quietly crept closer.

At that moment, the blond, who'd been dragged out in the middle of the night by Ryuen Kakeru, had no idea danger was near.

He was wondering how to slack off when he opened his phone and glanced at the motivational video he hadn't finished secretly watching in his room. With a helpless sigh, he was about to take a leak and loosen up his stiff body.

But the blond had turned his back completely. He would never have imagined that, in that instant, a shadow with gleaming violet eyes would strike at the back of his neck with a knife-hand blow.

"Thud!"

A heavy muffled sound rang out. As the dust settled, Kushida thought she'd landed her hit, but the blond's reflexes seemed unusually sharp. One hand had instinctively moved to block her from behind.

"Heh. I let my guard down," Kushida said with a cold smile.

"Looks like the guys Ryuen Kakeru sent to guard the exits really aren't as simple as they seem."

She casually rolled her neck and stretched her heels. Against a bunch of Class C boys with no martial arts skills, Kushida—who had picked up some martial arts in middle school through her unspoken rivalry with Horikita Suzune—felt even more confident now that her darker side had taken over. She couldn't be sure she could beat them all, but she had no doubt she could get away unharmed.

Kushida expected him to shout for help, and she was already prepared to run. But the next moment, her face twitched despite herself.

The blond who had just blocked her stood completely motionless, like a puppet.

Looking closer, she saw the agony twisting his face and one hand clutching his crotch.

At that moment, she seemed to understand what had happened...

The instant the blond had blocked Kushida, he'd been interrupted just as he started to pee~

Already in excruciating pain from being startled into holding it in, he had turned around and blocked her. Then he saw the ghostlike violet glow in her eyes, and his whole body tensed up again...

"Ugh~"

A hoarse sound escaped him as his face visibly went pale.

The pain—indescribable pain~

Watching the blond stand there like a fool before falling straight down, clutching his crotch, Kushida was speechless. She hadn't expected things to turn out like this at all.

But rescuing someone was the priority, so she didn't think about it any further.

She dashed out of the encirclement and used her phone's contacts to check the location of Ibuki's last call. It had come from a mountain path in an unfinished section of the school grounds.

It was at least five miles away.

"Heh. That woman's already gone that far? She sure has stamina."

Kushida smiled faintly. She could naturally guess that Ibuki had deliberately drawn some of them away to improve her chances of escape.

"But in the end, who's rescuing whom, woman? Hehe..."

In the darkness, the girl leaped through the air and slipped into the shadows like the wind once more, vanishing without a trace~

Who knew how much time had passed? By the time clouds had completely swallowed the full moon overhead...

On the mountain path she'd located earlier, a girl's sly figure burst out of the bushes.

It had taken quite a while, but fortunately, she'd already set up an automatic camera there. Even if she arrived too late, she could still gather some useful information.

She checked her phone, and just as she'd expected, Ken Sudō and the others were already near Koenji.

It was a shame she couldn't witness it in person, but as long as she lured Ryuen Kakeru there to join the fight, this operation wouldn't count as a loss.

Just as Kushida was about to continue onward, she spotted another Class C boy collapsed on the path.

Seeing him drenched in sweat, with stars in his eyes, Kushida couldn't even be bothered to ask. She knew he had to be another guy who'd chased after Ibuki Mio and run out of stamina halfway.

She clicked her tongue, caught her breath, and headed farther in.

This time, she didn't have to go far. Perhaps because the mountain path ended at the sea, she soon heard a flurry of fighting from farther up the mountain, accompanied by a man's smug muttering.

"Little traitor, why'd you stop fighting? You're usually so cocky."

"I... I told you, I'm not a traitor. Cough, cough~"

Ishizaki twisted his wrist, his knuckles cracking. Watching the girl clutching her stomach and stumbling backward, his gaze grew increasingly lecherous.

"Hehe. The boss told you to stay in the house and wait for the guys outside to report back. Why'd you run?"

"You... you piece of trash. How dare you say that? If you hadn't used such a dirty trick to force me, would I have run?" Ibuki glared at him through gritted teeth.

"Hmph. You're still cursing me? I thought you were acting weird when you had amnesia."

"I only wanted to give you a little punishment, but since you insisted on running off to some remote place with no cameras, I'll have to make it a harsher punishment. Hehe."

As he spoke, Ishizaki began taking off his clothes and slowly approached her.

Ibuki had already worn herself out dealing with those nobodies while running, and after fighting Ishizaki as well, she was clearly at the end of her strength.

"Get lost... You ugly freak think you're good enough?" Ibuki grabbed a rock and hurled it at him with all her might.

"Hey, even throwing a rock is too much for you now, little traitor?"

The rock was easily dodged, and the sea was right behind her.

Just as she was about to give up and take her own life rather than let him have his way, the corner of her eye caught sight of Kushida Kikyo sneaking up behind Ishizaki.

At Kushida's slight gesture, Ibuki's expression shifted. She understood what Kushida meant at once.

So she deliberately acted desperate and said, "You... don't come any closer. This is a crime. You'll be expelled and sent to prison. Have you gone crazy?"

Ishizaki, a hopeless virgin, naturally couldn't hold back. Grinning lecherously, he said, "Hehe. Nowhere left to run, huh? A traitor like you thinks you can scare me? Once we get solid evidence tonight, we'll get you expelled. Who do you think anyone outside will believe?"

"Little traitor, I might as well tell you: you probably don't know this, but before we enrolled, the boss and the others had done this more than once. Do you think the world is as innocent as you imagine? Hehe."

"You..." Ibuki Mio was at a loss for words.

Seeing that, Ishizaki grinned lecherously and let his guard down, preparing to move closer and do something awful.

Kushida had been seething with anger as she listened. Once she was sure she'd recorded enough, she couldn't hold back any longer. With a loud shout, she seized her chance, darted out, and kicked with all her strength at his most vulnerable spot.

"You disgusting pervert! You're going to suffer for this!"

"Thud!"

"Crack~"

Sure enough, the next instant, a crisp sound like an eggshell breaking rang out.

"Ugh...!"

Only Ishizaki, his mouth and eyes wide open but unable to make a sound, could truly understand the full extent of the agony he felt in that moment...