Another Complication

Looking at Ishizaki sprawled on the ground, clutching his crotch and twitching uncontrollably, Kushida walked over with an amused smile. In a mockingly concerned voice, she said, "Oh dear, I might've hit a little too hard just now, Ishizaki. That should heal up fine, right? Hehe~"

"Ugh..." Though Ishizaki was in so much pain he was about to pass out, seeing the smug, taunting face of the person who had badly injured him right in front of him made him glare at her with murderous fury.

His expression said he'd rather get expelled than go down with her. Kushida couldn't help laughing. "That's not a good look. Here, listen to this first, then decide whether you still want to think that way."

After Kushida played the recording she'd made earlier beside his ear, Ishizaki's face, twisted with rage just moments before, froze in an instant.

He clenched his fists, as though he still wanted to argue, but Kushida's chilling whisper was more than he could bear. He passed out on the spot.

"Don't forget the rules of this school. If anyone finds out you have a criminal record, they won't let it slide."

"I'm sure you paid a huge price to get into this school. If you dare say anything, I guarantee your boss will go down with you."

"What are you saying to him, Kushida?" Ibuki Mio asked curiously, looking at Ishizaki, who had passed out in an instant.

"Hehe, nothing."

"But what about you, little Ibuki? Are you okay~?"

After making sure Ishizaki was completely unconscious, Kushida immediately went over to check on her. She spoke with her hands on her hips, though her tone was a little odd.

"Ahem~ Thanks to you." Ibuki Mio got to her feet with a cool expression. Then she turned her face away, doing her best not to meet Kushida's eyes.

After all, with Kushida watching her chest with that amused look, Ibuki knew the woman had split personalities again. She simply couldn't be bothered to engage.

"Aw, you're so cold."

Kushida waved a hand, looking a little bored. When she realized Ibuki wasn't going to respond, she turned her attention back to Ishizaki, who had passed out from the pain.

"By the way, little Ibuki, what do you think we should do with this guy?" Kushida asked, the corner of her mouth lifting. Her distant gaze made it seem as though she already had an answer and was only asking for the question's sake.

"Well... there are too many possible consequences tied to this. I'll have to think it over carefully~" Ibuki Mio said, covering her chin as she pondered with some concern, apparently oblivious to Kushida's gaze.

"Well, well, cute little Ibuki. Looks like you're not all violence."

Perhaps because of her dark side, Kushida acted as though they were old friends and gave Ibuki a head pat.

"Ah—take your hand off me! What are you doing?" Ibuki Mio had been startled out of her thoughts by Kushida suddenly moving close, and hurriedly stepped back.

"Mmm~ You're so sensitive. How interesting." Looking at the girl, who was both embarrassed and indignant, Kushida seemed to have discovered some incredible secret. Her eyes brimmed with amusement.

"You... You woman! You still have time to joke around? Don't you know what'll happen if we don't handle this properly?" Ibuki snapped.

Kushida just smiled carelessly. "Tch~ How hard can it be to handle? I already looked into this guy's personality and background."

"As long as I still have the evidence, he'll never dare risk going down with us."

"I've already called the Emergency Department. All right, we can go."

"Huh? Wait, we're leaving just like that? Isn't that a little..." Ibuki Mio said, clearly confused.

But Kushida didn't have time to explain everything to her. She simply took Ibuki by the hand and explained as they walked.

The two women exchanged information as they went.

Though both of them were shocked, one thing in particular made Kushida and Ibuki Mio hurry toward the gym where Koenji Rokusuke was.

"What? You're saying Ryuen Kakeru went along when he sent people out to investigate?" Even dark-side Kushida Kikyo rarely showed surprise, but now a flicker of it crossed her face.

"Yeah. Luckily, you left without running into him. Otherwise, we both might've been in trouble tonight." Remembering what had happened that night, Ibuki couldn't help feeling a jumble of emotions.

At that, Kushida seemed to think of a possibility. She immediately opened the tracking app on her phone and glanced at it. Sure enough...

She took a deep breath, then suddenly sped up and looked back at Ibuki. "Little Ibuki, don't think about anything else. Keep up with me. This could turn into a huge fight, and whether we get there in time to see Koenji's true strength depends on how fast we are."

"Hey, slow down! What do you mean? At least explain it!" Ibuki said. As Kushida sped up until Ibuki could barely keep up, she grew alarmed and even more eager to know the answer.

"You'll understand when we get there."

By the time they neared the school gym, both women were panting and drenched in sweat.

But the next second, they spotted an unfamiliar man lying bruised and battered in a nearby patch of grass. They immediately realized the fight might have already begun.

After catching their breath, they split up to carry out their plan.

Ibuki Mio went straight to sneak around the gym and check whether Ryuen Kakeru had joined the fight.

Kushida, meanwhile, went back to where the camera was to see if it had captured the footage she needed.

But things never went according to plan.

Ibuki Mio slipped in first. As she noticed more and more unfamiliar men lying on the ground and heard the sounds of fighting growing clearer, she assumed Ryuen Kakeru had already made his move.

But when she peered past a bush and looked toward the gym, she froze.

The ones fighting right now were Ken Sudō and Albert.

Koenji wasn't inside the gym, and Ryuen Kakeru was nowhere to be seen, either. "W-what's going on~?"

Ibuki Mio suddenly had a bad feeling. If Albert, Ryuen Kakeru's personal bodyguard, was here, then where was Ryuen Kakeru?

Just then, it suddenly occurred to her. On the way over, Kushida had said she'd snuck out while Class C was searching the area in force.

If so, then the place where she'd left the camera might already have been...

"Damn it!"

Knowing how cunning Ryuen Kakeru was, Ibuki immediately guessed that he was lying in wait there.

Without hesitation, Ibuki Mio hurried toward the place Kushida Kikyo had just gone.

Sure enough, beside a shadowy passage in the distance, she spotted Kushida. The bad news was that Kushida wasn't alone: a group of Class C boys, including Ryuen Kakeru at their head, had already laid an ambush.

Fearing that things were about to get ugly, Ibuki knew how terrifying Ryuen Kakeru's perception was. She could only call her master while waiting for a chance to act from afar.

As for Kushida, she wasn't sure whether to consider herself lucky.

A woman's keen intuition had stopped her from going straight to the camera. Although the people lying in wait had still caught her, she could at least insist that she'd just been passing by.

Ryuen Kakeru clearly didn't believe her. "Oh? If you're saying that camera isn't yours, then can you tell me what you're doing here so late at night?"

"Heh, is there anything wrong with taking a walk?" Kushida replied casually.

Ryuen Kakeru smiled faintly. He couldn't see any obvious flaw in her expression, but he still wasn't about to let her go. "There's nothing wrong with taking a walk, of course. But would you mind letting me check your phone's call history while I'm at it? There's a woman whose decision to destroy her phone at the time struck me as very suspicious."

"That's private. I'm afraid I can't agree to that," Kushida refused coldly.

Knowing that if she handed over her phone, Ibuki's betrayal would be completely confirmed—and she'd be dragged down with her—Kushida would never agree.

"Oh?"

"You're refusing me?"

Ryuen Kakeru's expression gradually darkened.

Sensing trouble, Kushida could only keep backing away, searching for a chance to escape.

Just as the crowd closed in around her, preparing to take her phone by force, a clear, ringing voice suddenly interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"Ah~ What a peaceful night. So soothing and pleasant. I may only be passing by, but I can't possibly let you ruin such a beautiful scene."

As the voice drew closer, the group looked over. Koenji Rokusuke was approaching slowly, wearing a bathrobe from the gym and showing off his strong, muscular build.

"Koenji?"

"What are you doing here~?" Ryuen Kakeru asked in confusion.

He'd clearly seen Ken Sudō send more than ten of his underlings after Koenji. How had Koenji returned so quickly?

"Oh dear, when you put it that way, I suppose I did act rather strangely. Could I ask you to forget about that little detail?"

"..." Ryuen Kakeru and his group were left speechless.