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"Pssst... hey...! Don't look at her...!"
"She's weird and scary...
"Don't say that. I kind of feel bad for her..."
It was like this everyday. Incessant whispers that refused to quit wherever she went around here. A single glare sent those girls running down the other way. She turned the hallway.
"Why does she always look like that? She'd be cute if she wasn't so mad."
"I don't know and I'm not gonna find out. Couple weeks ago she beat the shit out of a bunch of guys."
"Are you serious? Her?"
"Yeah, man. See that shinai bag over her shoulder? If she takes it out, you'll see it's all red."
"Red?"
"Mhm. It's stained from all the blood."
"Holy shit dude..."
They just never stopped. Like a fly buzzing around her ears, it refused to go away no matter how many times she swat at it. Glaring would make them shut up and scatter like ants, but they always reappeared.
Every time she traversed these halls, they always came back.
"Why is someone like her even here? Shouldn't she be expelled?"
"I wish. Apparently, she fought those guys in self-defense, but I honestly don't know."
"Wait, if it were self-defense then it's fine, right? What kind of dudes would even gang up on a girl?"
"You know those delinquents who would hang out behind the school and smoke cigarettes?"
"Yeah... wait, them? Wasn't there a bunch of those guys? You're telling me she beat all of them?"
"All six of them. It was so bad, one of them had an eye fall out."
"Bullshit."
"Dude, I'm serious. There's pictures online."
"What...?!"
Annoying.
Glaring in the direction of the boy's, they too clammed up and began walking away with haste. She wasn't quite sure what they were saying. They were far enough away and whispering, but they were no doubt whispering about her.
They always were.
She turned the next hallway towards the front of the building to leave, ignoring the shoe lockers.
"Why is she walking around with her outdoor shoes? Shouldn't she get in trouble?"
"She won't. The teachers aren't gonna do anything to her. They're all too scared."
"What? But they're teachers. She's just a student. She can't boss them around."
"But she can kick their ass. Rumor has it she's got dirt on all the teachers and blackmails them for money."
"Then why doesn't anyone else do anything? Like the principle, or the superintendent?"
"They're all under her thumb. I've sent emails and messages every day reporting her and so do all of my friends. Nothing ever happens."
"If they aren't gonna do anything, then who are we supposed to turn to?"
"No one. She's the ruler of this school. Just stay away from her and don't get on her bad side. Don't talk or look at her."
"School is supposed to be a safe space. Why should we have to put up with that criminal? This sucks..."
She ignored them. It wasn't worth going through each locker walkway and glaring at them. Insects weren't worth that much effort.
It was the same outside as well.
"We should put that bitch in her place. Teach her to stop coming to school."
"Her classmates already tried. They vandalized her shoes and gym clothes and they engraved stuff on her desk. It doesn't even phase her."
"Well then we should kick her ass. She can't beat up all of us."
"Yes she can..."
"Please. My boyfriend is in high school and he plays rugby with all of his friends. If I want, I could get the whole team on her ass. After they rearrange that ugly face of hers, they could scar her for life by getting dirty."
"Gross...! Why would you say that...?!"
"Skank deserves it."
A single glare made them cower and flee.
"Didn't she win nationals? She carries around a shinai, so why isn't she on the kendo team?"
"Heard she just quit. Whooped everyone and left. Called them all trash."
Glare. Scatter.
"Isn't she kind of cute though?"
"She made a dude's eye pop out. No way am I hitting on her."
"True... no way I'd ever date a girl who could kick my ass."
Glare. Scatter.
"I remember talking to her a lot last year. She was so sweet... I can't believe she's changed so much."
"You didn't hear? Something bad happened to her brother. Do you remember the Sword Art Online incident?"
"Oh no, did he die? Is that why she's always upset?"
"Probably... I wish I could say or do something for her, but I'm too scared..."
Stop. Just stop.
"Don't you know about her brother?"
"You hear about her brother?"
"What happened to her brother?"
"Her brother..."
"Her brother..."
"Her broth-"
Her fist tightened. She was sick of hearing their voices. Just be quiet already.
Among the throng of voices was another voice just a hairs louder than the rest. That was all it took.
"Her brother probably deserved it."
Snap.
Swiveling towards their direction, her footsteps were light as she rapidly approached them. The girl who said it turned her head and only had time to widen her eyes before a powerful punch smashed into her mouth. Gasps were heard all around as the girl flew backwards, head audibly cracking off the concrete underneath her. Unheard from the commotion was an incisor tooth quietly skipping across the pavement, lost between the groove of cemented brick.
She wasn't done. Not until the girl was severely beaten and broken. It didn't matter if she had lost consciousness before even hitting the ground. It didn't matter if her nose had broke and it as well as her mouth were bleeding profusely. It wasn't enough. She hadn't paid enough yet.
A boy a couple inches taller than her stepped in her path. His arms were held out defensively, attempting to use his body as a shield to block her path and protect the fallen girl behind him. It wouldn't matter if he was a whole foot taller than her, or if he had an army of friends. If they stood in her way, they would fall.
With a single hand, she grabbed the larger boy by his collar and threw him harshly to the side. He yelled out in pain from the forceful pull as his body skidded across the hard walkway. The voices around had grown from gossiping whispers to panicked shouts and cries. There were several people moving around, none catching her focus. Not a single person was a threat or moved in to challenge her. Most of them fled, either trying to find a higher authority to stop her or simply running away entirely. Others put a good distance between them to watch in horror from afar.
All but one girl.
"S-stop! P-please!" The girl shouted defiantly. Her legs shook immensely as she stood in front of the unconscious girl laying helplessly on the ground. Her arms were held up like the boy's, although they were closer to her chest as she hid behind her trembling hands. She was an even smaller girl than the one laid out behind her, standing nearly a head shorter than the fierce attacker. "S-she didn't mean it! S-so please stop!"
Ah, so that's what it was. She's the girl that bitch had said that to. Short and timid as she was, she was brave to stand and protect her dear friend.
Not that it mattered.
In an eerily slow movement, her hand crept backwards to the shinai wrapped in the black bag over her shoulder. The onlooking crowd slowly inhaled as her hand traveled, moving in sync with her before reaching a crescendo once her hand touched down on the strappings.
Her action caused the timid girl's knees to buckle and nearly collapse from the surge of fear she felt. The boy she'd tossed away had scurried over the unconscious one and protected her underneath his body. He too trembled as he awaited his demise.
As her hand slid through the bag's opening and reached her shinai, she paused. She could hear them clearly now. Rather than hushed whispers or cries of fear, the voices from those around had grown loud enough to be discerned.
"What's going to happen to them?!"
"It's an execution... She's gonna kill that girl!"
"Oh, God! Oh my God!"
"I don't want to watch! Someone, please...!"
"Call the police! Hurry!"
Her eyes traveled across the sea of people. There were maybe a hundred of them, give or take. They were all standing several dozen meters away, some even hiding behind trees and posts to peek from behind. Many had their phones out, either recording them or calling someone - likely the police. Despite the large commotion, not a teacher was in sight. Each and every student looked afraid as they watched, waiting her next moves with bated breath.
...
Pointless.
There wasn't any point in continuing now. Not with this many people around painting her the bad guy. Though, they were already doing that before.
Whatever. This whole school was trash, anyway. The students were all cowards and so were the faculty. They only felt strong when they grouped and ganged up on somebody.
There's a hundred of you... How strong do you feel now?
Pathetic.
Silently clicking her tongue, her hand fell back to her side as she began exiting school grounds. The front gate was wide open and not a single person stood in her way or tried to stop her. What a surprise.
Maybe now they'd keep him out of their mouths.