Karuizawa Kei sat on the ground, looking shocked. She hadn't expected Manabe to actually dare to lay a hand on her.
Although there were no cameras here, the injuries on her body couldn't be faked. Weren't they afraid of being held accountable by the school?
Karuizawa Kei stood up from the ground and forcefully pushed Manabe.
"Are you crazy? Do you think the school won't know if you hit someone here?"
Karuizawa Kei pointed at the handprint on her face and loudly questioned Manabe.
Manabe, who stumbled a few steps and was supported by someone nearby, showed a mocking smile.
"So what? If you don't tell the school, who will care about this?"
Manabe's retort made Karuizawa Kei feel amused and angry, causing her expression to change continuously, finally settling on a half-smile.
"Manabe-san, why do you think that after you used violence against me, I would still obediently listen to you and not report your actions to the school? If I succeed, all of you will be expelled, right?"
Karuizawa Kei's words made the expressions of the girls around Manabe show hesitation, and they tugged at Manabe's clothes with some worry.
"Manabe, we've already hit her, so why don't we just call it even?"
Unlike the other girls, Yamashita was a student with decent grades. As long as she didn't encounter any unreasonable exams, it wouldn't be difficult for her to graduate safely. Besides, her relationship with Morofuji Rika wasn't that good, so as far as she was concerned, once revenge was taken, the matter could be declared over.
Manabe, however, ignored Yamashita's persuasion.
The reason she was so confident that she could make Karuizawa Kei not dare to complain was, of course, because she held something over her.
Although that stranger gave her an unreliable feeling, it was undeniable that he had given Manabe the greatest weapon against Karuizawa Kei.
That was a dark past that a person could never forget.
"When you were subjected to such violence before, did you always go and complain to the teachers?"
Karuizawa's pupils constricted sharply, and her body trembled imperceptibly, as if recalling something terrifying.
Despite this, Karuizawa still tried her best to hide her panic, because she knew that once her wound was torn open by them, she would be completely at their mercy.
She had to gamble that Manabe had only heard rumors, that she had only thought of it by chance and was using it to bluff her. She was very sure that no one here knew her, and her past experiences, besides Hirata, should not be known to anyone else.
Only by showing a strong attitude could such rumors be crushed.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmph, still playing tough. You can't see the expression on your face right now, can you? You have 'fear' written all over your face, Karuizawa-san. You used to be someone who was often bullied, didn't you?"
Manabe's words made Karuizawa feel like a small animal whose throat had been squeezed.
She instantly lost the courage to retort.
"I'm not..."
Karuizawa herself realized how clumsy and powerless her denial was; even if she were standing opposite herself, she probably wouldn't believe her denial.
Manabe certainly wouldn't believe it.
When Hirata initially asked Ayanokoji to look after Karuizawa, he also informed Ayanokoji of Karuizawa's situation.
His original intention was not to let Karuizawa continue to rely on others. Hirata had already felt powerless in the class struggles and had deeply realized that his abilities could not protect Karuizawa.
So, the best way was to have a stronger person protect her as she grew before she got hurt.
The reason he chose Ayanokoji was still related to Amane. It was Amane who told Hirata that Ayanokoji's ability was not inferior to hers, even though Hirata had not yet witnessed Ayanokoji's strength.
But he was willing to trust Amane's judgment.
As for why he didn't entrust her to Amane? Hirata's instinct told him that Amane was not a kind person. If Karuizawa also developed a dependency on Amane, Amane would probably treat Karuizawa arbitrarily. Once Karuizawa's weakness fell into Amane's hands, Karuizawa might not be able to escape Amane's grasp even by graduation.
So, after weighing the pros and cons, Hirata decided to take a gamble.
He trusted Ayanokoji.
However, he probably didn't expect that his good intentions would be used by Ayanokoji to destroy Karuizawa's facade.
"What if you kneel down now and lick Morofuji's shoes clean? I'll let you off, how about that?"
Manabe bent down and casually grabbed a handful of dust, sprinkling it on Morofuji's shoes.
"I won't do that! And I don't even know what you're talking about."
Karuizawa finished speaking and turned to rush towards the door, but Manabe grabbed her hair and slammed her against the wall.
"It hurts! Please don't! I... I apologize, an apology should be enough, right?"
Listening to Karuizawa's humble wails, Manabe's triumphant feeling of getting her revenge stimulated her. At this moment, Manabe was exceptionally excited; this was a feeling she had never experienced before.
Is this the feeling Miyako and Ryuuen get to experience?
Controlling other people's destinies is such an exhilarating thing. No wonder everyone fights tooth and nail for a leadership position.
At this moment, Manabe thought she understood the thoughts of top individuals like Amane and Ryuuen.
Manabe tightened her grip, and Karuizawa cried out in pain, begging for mercy repeatedly.
If it were just ordinary revenge, it should have stopped at this point.
But at this moment, Manabe was immersed in the exhilarating feeling of controlling others' destinies, combined with the excitement of seeing the proud Karuizawa only able to wail before her. Forgetting herself, she wanted to continue pursuing this Stimulation as if she were addicted.
Thus, a strange logic was born.
Inflicting pain on Karuizawa could satisfy her.
Once this pathological logic was established, it was not difficult to imagine what Manabe would do.
"It hurts! It really hurts, please let me go."
Karuizawa's hair was being pulled hard, and some broken strands were falling to the ground. Karuizawa again pleaded for mercy, but what she got in return was a solid knee strike.
She had seen Amane use such a move against Ibuki.
Ibuki had collapsed on the spot, unable to even get up.
She naturally imitated it, but unfortunately, she wasn't very skilled, so the lethality wasn't very strong. But even so, Karuizawa still cried out in pain.
Manabe didn't care if her attack had injured Karuizawa; she was just enjoying the feeling of sadism.
That exhilarating feeling made Manabe's mood reach its peak, and her gaze also fell upon Morofuji, who was somewhat timid.
"Rihana, do you want to try too?"
"I, I don't need to."
It took all her courage just to slap Karuizawa, and just listening to Karuizawa's screams made her scalp tingle.
At this moment, she was even more unwilling to get involved.
Manabe's face immediately hardened when she heard that reply.
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