"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Miyabi Nagumo, vice president of the Student Council."
"Vice president of the Student Council? What brings you to the first-years' turf?"
Ryuen Kakeru gritted his teeth. He couldn't understand why this yellow-haired guy had shown up.
"Heh. Of course, it's because there's been so-called [bullying] here."
"Do you have any proof?"
Ryuen Kakeru gave a disdainful smile. You needed evidence to make an accusation, and everyone knew there weren't any surveillance cameras in the bathrooms. He'd memorized the locations of every camera and every blind spot on campus back when school started.
Kaneda Satoru calmly loosened his tie and tossed a Micro Camera at Miyabi Nagumo.
"Now we do."
Star Color had given Kaneda Satoru a Micro Camera to hide in his tie, so it could record Ryuen Kakeru's abuse.
"Damn it!"
"What? You want to lay a hand on me, the vice president of the Student Council?"
Miyabi Nagumo sensed Ryuen Kakeru's murderous intent, but still wore a mild, refined smile. If you didn't know the circumstances, you might have thought he was some sort of perfect gentleman.
Miyabi Nagumo simply clapped his hands. More than twenty people outside crowded around the doorway.
"Surprised? Well, if that guy hadn't told me not to make too big a scene, you'd be in trouble. You're a first-year...and you can't beat me, either."
(Miyabi Nagumo was on par with Manabu Horikita, so his fighting ability couldn't be too far behind. He was probably only weaker than Manabu Horikita.)
Miyabi Nagumo said the harshest things in the gentlest tone.
"And you over there...you're Kaneda Satoru, right?"
Kaneda Satoru nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Vice President Nagumo."
"I've got this guy under my wing. It'd be a real pain for me if you gave him trouble."
The tables had turned. Now Ryuen Kakeru was the one backed into a corner. He hadn't expected Kaneda Satoru to get in with the Student Council so quickly.
"Now we have proof. First-year, you need to pay for bullying people. You can't just beat others without consequence. That wouldn't be fair."
Miyabi Nagumo beckoned, and five or six people immediately stepped forward to hold Ryuen Kakeru down.
"Kaneda Satoru, hit him the way he hit you. Don't worry, I've got your back."
Now it was Kaneda Satoru's turn to look down at Ryuen Kakeru. He could see the resentment and frustration in Ryuen Kakeru's eyes.
He threw a punch...
Kaneda Satoru stopped after just one punch.
"What? Don't want to hit him a few more times? Or you could tell me exactly what he did to you, and I'll help him remember his actions. You were the one who got bullied, after all. Even online, everyone would support you doing this."
Kaneda Satoru simply shook his head and said,
"There's no need."
He remembered what Star Color had told him.
[The more justified violence seems, the more it can become an unparalleled pleasure.]
[So you must be careful not to become that kind of person...]
[Krishnamurti once said, "The fact is that human beings are violent. Because we hold the ideal of rejecting violence, there is a conflict between fact and thought. Because we don't know how to deal with violence, we come up with the idea of nonviolence."]
[Since you're human, don't be ashamed of having the idea of nonviolence. If anything, be proud of it.]
"You really are interesting. Fine, I'll pretend I didn't see anything this time."
"First-years, don't let me catch you bullying your classmates again."
Miyabi Nagumo waved his hand, while Kaneda Satoru walked straight out without looking back. All that remained was Ryuen Kakeru, humiliated and beaten. Albert and Daichi Ishizaki helped him to his feet.
Ryuen Kakeru glared in the direction Miyabi Nagumo had gone.
"Miyabi Nagumo...just you wait. Once I crush that annoying fly, I'll deal with Kaneda Satoru!"
(On the other side)
The board game club had opened, and the three of them were happily playing UNO.
How did you know Star Color had already lost five games in a row?
"Ahhh! Let's play something else!"
Now and then, Star Color's wails and sighs rang out from the board game club room. It was truly a peaceful scene.
Before you continue