Chapter 70: Chapter 29

The next morning, Seijirou yawned, stretching his arms above his head.

He had enjoyed a deep, restorative sleep thanks to Retsu’s acupuncture, and he had also went back to Suzune and Aiko’s home to have dinner and ....’deserts’.

He adjusted the collar of his pristine Shunji High school uniform, opened the door, and stepped out onto his front porch.

"Boss!"

"Oh, you’re awake already?"

"We thought we’d have to wake you up."

He blinked, still slightly groggy, and focused on the voices.

There, entering his front gates, their energy vibrant and loud even this early, were his friends.

There was Renji, his pompadour impossibly perfect and fully restored, his strong build showing no sign of his recent severe beating.

He walked with a swagger that suggested he was already back to 100%.

Next to him was Sakai, the perpetually hungry fatty, already loudly munching on a family-sized bag of sour cream and onion potato chips, his uniform straining slightly over his frame.

Beside Sakai was Shou, still looking as listless and half-asleep as ever, his eyes barely open, leaning slightly on Sakai for support.

And leading the whole group, smiling so brightly she could rival the morning sun, was Suzune.

The three boys immediately greeted him with their usual boisterous formality, calling him "Boss!"

Suzune, however, skipped the formality, her voice soft and intimate. "Good morning, Seiji. Have you already eaten?"

Seijirou nodded at Suzune’s question, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before turning towards Renji.

Then, a smirk crossed his lips. "I’m genuinely surprised, Renji. You got out fast. I thought those hunters put you in the hospital for a week."

Renji laughed, a deep, booming sound, and flexed his bicep, which bulged impressively beneath his uniform sleeve.

"With muscles like this, Boss," he boasted, "how could I possibly stay in a hospital? They need my power back on the streets!"

Seijirou extended his hand, his expression softening into a genuine smile of welcome, and clenched his fist for a fist bump.

Renji chuckled warmly and met the gesture, their fists connecting with a satisfying thump.

"Glad you’re fully recovered, man. I was worried."

"Yeah, glad to be back, Boss," Renji replied.

With the small reunion complete, the five of them turned and set off for Shunji Highschool, their presence immediately dominating the sidewalk.

On the way, Renji, eager to catch up on the drama, nudged Seijirou. "So, Boss, fill me in! What the hell happened after I was hauled off? What’s this about Basuta?"

Seijirou walked easily, keeping his arm draped around Suzune’s shoulder. "The short version is: Suzune here was briefly kidnapped by some cult that was secretly being run by Vice Principal Basuta, and has been kidnapping girls who they call ’miko’ to gang rape them, believing that in doing so, their sins will be forgiven."

"What the fuck!?"

This news truly shocked Renji, pulling Shou from his semi-slumber, and causing Sakai to stop chewing his chips.

They were outraged.

"What?! That ugly bastard tried to touch Suzune?!" Renji roared, his pompadour seemingly bristling with anger.

"We’re going to beat the living hell out of him! We’ll teach him not to mess with one of our own!" Sakai declared, forgetting his chips.

Shuo frowned. He actually doesn’t know about this. So that bastard actually tried to touch their friend?

Suzune smiled, a smug, satisfied expression on her face. She felt like she won in life having friends who cared about her like this, "Don’t worry, boys. Seiji already handled it. He beat him up for me, and Basuta is already in prison."

Seijirou casually finished the thought, his voice carrying a cold undercurrent. "And I made sure he experienced what he had done to the girls he had kidnapped. He’s facing life imprisonment and is currently being gang-raped by the most vile inmates every day for the rest of his life. He won’t enjoy his stay."

Sakai, Shou, and Renji instantly shuddered in unison, their bravado evaporating as they vividly imagined the horror.

It was a clear reminder of the kind of power Seijirou wielded outside of simple street fights.

Renji, visibly pale, quickly sought to change the subject before the image stuck. "A-anyway! Boss! I wanted to ask something since we left your house!"

He pointed emphatically at Seijirou and Suzune’s hands, which were intertwined and swinging casually between them as they walked.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Renji demanded, trying to sound surprised but failing to hide his underlying excitement. "Are the two of you already official?!"

Suzune didn’t let Seijirou answer.

She looked smugly triumphant, her face radiating victory. "That’s right! I finally took down the King of Shunji, boys. You should all start calling me Queen now."

The three boys burst into excited chatter, the previous morbid topic instantly forgotten.

"Woah! Seriously, Boss? Congrats!"

"You finally did it, Suzune-chan! Amazing!"

"Mm. Congrats."

The rest of the walk was filled with genuine laughter, high-fives, and endless teasing about their new relationship status, painting a perfect picture of high school camaraderie until the five of them finally arrived at the imposing gates of Shunji Highschool.

*

*

*

After separating from his friends at the fork in the hall—Renji, Sakai, and Shou heading toward the 1-C wing, and Suzune toward her 1-B classroom—Seijirou headed to his own class, Class 1-A.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside, immediately feeling the concentrated weight of his classmates’ gazes settle upon him.

Their stares were a mix of curiosity, fear, and reluctant awe, something he was already used to, but for some reason, there is something different about their stares today.

They look doubtful.

He strode confidently to his desk, and sat down. Deciding not to think about their stares as it honestly doesn’t even bother him.

He ignored the tension he generated, placed his arms on the desk, and lied his head down, opting to take a quick nap before the teacher arrived.

Despite his relaxed posture, his ears were acutely tuned to the low, buzzing whispers spreading throughout the room.

His classmates weren’t discussing homework, or some fashion trends, or even the new anime or games like they were used to, instead they were dissecting the explosive Basuta incident.

Seijirou could clearly make out snippets: the rumors of the Vice Principal being the leader of a cult, the police involvement, and most centrally, the shocking rumors of Seijirou himself being the one who single-handedly took down Basuta.

Seijirou frowned, his mind briefly surfacing from his nap.

He remembered specifically telling the police that all details concerning the takedown were to remain confidential, protecting both his and Suzune’s involvement.

Then, he suddenly remembered the text message from his mother.

’Ah, right.’ His father had used the incident, spinning it into a "heroic rescue" narrative to strengthen his own political standing.

The politician couldn’t let a crisis go to waste, even if it meant risking his son’s carefully maintained low profile.

At that moment, the door slid open again, and Tachibana Rei and Tadano Taro entered the classroom.

The sight of Rei, who had been at the center of the incident, instantly electrified the girls.

A cluster of them immediately surrounded Rei’s desk, effectively pushing the stunned Taro aside and isolating him by the door.

"Rei-chan, are the rumors true? That Basuta kidnapped you?"

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"We were so worried!"

Rei, looking slightly overwhelmed but maintaining her composure, calmly answered all their questions, confirming the broad strokes of the cult and the kidnapping while keeping the darker details vague.

Then, one of the braver girls leaned in and asked the question everyone wanted an answer to: "Is it true that Kageyama was the one who really took down Basuta? We heard he fought the whole cult."

Rei hesitated for a moment, her bright golden eyes flicking towards the back of the room where Seijirou lay, seemingly asleep.

She knew the truth would only add to the dangerous rumors swirling around him, but lying felt unnecessary when she literally saw the incident on a newspaper.

So she finally decided to answer honestly as she lowered her voice slightly. "Yes, it’s true. Kageyama, along with President Kobayashi, helped rescue us, but it was Kageyama who ultimately took down Basuta."

A collective murmur of shock and fascination swept through the group.

But before they could pepper her with more questions, the shrill, insistent ring of the morning bell sliced through the noise, signaling the start of class.

Everyone immediately scrambled back to their seats, quieting down as the homeroom teacher walked in.

Seijirou lifted his head and sat up, scanning the now-settled classroom with a practiced, casual gaze.

His eyes swept over the familiar faces, counting and checking attendance instinctively.

But then, his brow furrowed in a slight frown.

He noticed the empty desk in the second row, the one belonging to his cold, reserved classmate, Himejima Haruka.

Is she just late? he wondered, a rarity for the meticulously punctual Haruka. Or is she absent entirely? Also impossible.

Oh wait.

He then remembered about the Haruka route, where she was supposed to be sent as a slave for Seijirou after her father’s theft has been exposed.

Since this time, Seijirou did not interfere like in the game, then her father would surely be sent to prison.

Is she and her mother dealing with the aftermath of her father’s imprisonment?

Well, that does make sense.

Shaking his head, he decided not to think too much about her and her fate, after all, it has nothing to do with him...right?