Violent Incident (1)

"Yo, isn't that Sudo? Does the trash from Class D still have the nerve to show his face at a club? Why don't you go back and chew on your vegetable meal set!"

"Hahaha..."

Onizuka, whose body felt sluggish from a long break from training, had wanted to head to the gym for a long-overdue workout to blow off some steam.

He hadn't expected to run into this scene.

Three students, who appeared to be in the same grade, were aggressively provoking Sudo.

"Hmph, don't come over here looking for trouble. I know you're all upset that I might become a regular member, but that's just the reality!"

"What was that! You're just Sudo! Nothing more than a dog raised by Class D! If you've got the guts, come out and try something!"

A barrage of insults followed, filled with highly offensive language...

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Sudo, who had intended to ignore them, finally couldn't take their relentless provocation any longer. He slammed his basketball down hard and followed them out of the gym.

Onizuka, watching the drama from the sidelines: ...

He had said it before: this guy was simple-minded and brawny. He couldn't even detect such an obvious taunt.

He slowly followed the group of four until they reached a secluded special building.

Once they stopped, Onizuka immediately noticed the biggest issue with this location: there were no surveillance cameras.

For some reason, this spot formed a blind spot where cameras, which should have been everywhere, were absent.

In other words, whatever happened here would remain unknown to everyone else.

In an instant, Onizuka understood exactly what these people were planning.

However, he had no intention of stepping in to stop them; instead, he took out his phone and began recording.

But while in the stairwell, Onizuka unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure.

Fiery red hair, glasses tucked into a collar, and a cautious demeanor.

She looked completely different from how she appeared in class—it was Sakura Airi.

Seeing Onizuka suddenly turn his head toward her, Sakura Airi was about to scream, but Onizuka, sensing the danger, quickly covered her mouth.

"Phew, that was close..."

Sakura Airi, with her mouth covered by Onizuka, looked panicked, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Onizuka, noticing how terrified she was, felt helpless and whispered into her ear:

"Hey, don't you recognize me, Sakura-san? My name is Onizuka Tsukasa, I'm your classmate."

Hearing this, Sakura Airi's condition didn't improve; if anything, she trembled even more violently, though she was pinned down by Onizuka and unable to move.

"Hey! Sudo! You were acting so tough, right? Come on, try and make a move!"

Hearing the main event starting upstairs, Onizuka had no interest in wasting more time on trivialities.

He scooped Sakura Airi up by the waist, kept his other hand over her mouth, and climbed the stairs two steps at a time. He hid in a concealed corner, set her down, and continued filming with his phone.

A burly boy took the lead, walking straight up to Sudo and staring him in the eyes.

At this distance, they're either going to kiss or start a fight, Onizuka thought maliciously.

Sakura Airi seemed to be so frightened that she actually quieted down, no longer struggling pointlessly in Onizuka's arms.

As expected, watching the drama is an instinct etched into the DNA of every human, Onizuka thought, quite satisfied with Sakura Airi's current behavior.

"Heh, you couldn't get into the basketball club because you lack the skill, so now you're just here to bark?"

Sudo wasn't entirely without growth; at the very least, it was worth praising that he could suppress his temper in this situation and not throw the first punch.

Seeing that Sudo could actually hold back his temper, the two boys behind him exchanged a look and then rushed forward, landing a punch on him.

Sudo finally lost his patience and descended into a full-blown brawl with them.

As if she had never seen such a scene before, Sakura Airi seemed startled and began to twist downward, actually moving his hand up to cover her eyes!

Noticing this, Onizuka couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration.

Since the necessary evidence had been secured, there was no need to keep watching.

Onizuka uninterestingly put away his phone, saved the video, and used the same method to carry Sakura Airi back to the entrance of the special building.

Sakura Airi, having been carried up and down, looked a bit dizzy, her head swaying back and forth...

Onizuka casually took out the water he had intended to drink after his workout and handed it to Sakura Airi.

"Here, drink some water. You might feel better."

Sakura took the water, took two small sips, and capped the bottle. Just as she was about to hand it back to Onizuka, she seemed to realize something, pulled the bottle back abruptly, and clutched it to her chest.

Seeing Onizuka's hand still outstretched, her entire face turned bright red.

"Th-that... I'll buy you another one? I've already drunk from this one."

Seeing her interesting reaction, Onizuka couldn't help but want to tease her.

"It's fine, the one in your hand is the one I want."

"Eeeek!!!!! How could you say that!" Hearing Onizuka say this, Sakura Airi's face went from apple-red to pomegranate-red as she immediately retorted.

"Alright, alright, I'm just kidding. It's only a bottle of water, let's just leave it at that."

"But you really do look different than usual."

Suddenly realizing her current appearance, Sakura Airi's face shifted from pomegranate red to a deep, toxic crimson. She hurriedly took the glasses hanging from her collar and put them on.

However, perhaps because Onizuka's movements had been a bit rough earlier, the glasses were missing one lens, making Sakura Airi look rather comical as she wore them.

"Pfft..." Onizuka couldn't help but laugh.

Sakura realized exactly what he was laughing at. The sudden humiliation, mixed with the grievance of being treated so roughly just moments ago, welled up inside her, and she crouched on the ground, sobbing quietly.

Crap!

Realizing he had gotten a bit carried away and gone too far, Onizuka began to panic.

"Th-that... stop crying. The lens must have fallen off in the special building, but it's probably gone for good. How about I buy you a new pair of glasses? Plain lenses are easy to replace!"

Sakura Airi remained unmoved.

Damn it! Onizuka had never tried to comfort a kid before! If it weren't for the fact that this was genuinely his fault, he wouldn't even care!

Just as he was about to continue comforting her, Onizuka suddenly noticed Sudo walking out of the school building, glancing at Sakura Airi, who was still crouching on the ground.

Tsk! What a pain!

Onizuka wrapped his arm around her waist once again, hoisted her up in one go, and skillfully covered her mouth with his other hand, ducking into a nearby corner.