Chapter 73: Chapter 32

Rindou stepped fully inside the abandoned storage unit, the door sighing shut behind Rei.

Her presence, always commanding, instantly drew the attention of the occupants, though not necessarily stopping their activities.

Seijirou glanced over, his eyes narrowing slightly in surprise at seeing Rindou, and then widening slightly at the sight of Rei standing just behind her.

He didn’t move from his relaxed position, merely raising an eyebrow.

Suzune, recognizing Rindou, lifted her head from Seijirou’s shoulder, a mild annoyance crossing her face at the intrusion, but ultimately, didn’t say anything, after all, Rindou was also one of her saviours.

The girl next to Seijirou, Touka, didn’t even lift her head from her book, seemingly completely unfazed by the sudden influx of people.

Meanwhile, Renji and Sakai, locked in their bizarre Twister position, paused, twisting their necks to look at the President.

"President Kobayashi!" Renji gasped, his face contorted. "What are you doing here?"

Rindou remained poised, surveying the scene with an air of amused tolerance.

"I told Tachibana Rei here that I would help her find you so she could offer her thanks for the assistance during the Basuta incident." She then gestured towards the two boys struggling on the floor. "Though I see you two are engaging in... essential team-building exercises."

Renji quickly untangled himself from Sakai, who groaned as he finally managed to sit up. "Uh, yes, President! High-stakes competitive strategy session!"

Seijirou finally spoke, his voice carrying clearly from the sofa. "To what do we owe the pleasure, Rindou? Aside from delivering the damsel, that is."

He gestured lazily toward Rei.

Rindou ignored the cynical tone and stepped aside, allowing Rei to move forward into the clearing.

Rei, regaining her composure after the shock of the Twister match, stepped forward and offered a slight, formal bow, her voice regaining its steady tone.

"Thank you, President. And thank you, Kageyama-kun, and Suzune-chan. You saved me and possibly many other students from a terrible situation."

Suzune, still clinging lightly to Seijirou, offered a smug, dismissive nod. "You’re welcome. It was all Seiji, though."

Rindou folded her arms, her attention returning to Seijirou. "I also came here to discuss the official report. The police have concluded their investigation. And your father’s political machine has certainly done its work."

"I figured," Seijirou replied dryly. "What’s the official narrative we’re sticking to?"

"The narrative is that the Vice Principal was mentally unstable and acting alone," Rindou stated, her voice crisp and factual. "He lured students with promises of a ’study group’ that turned into a bizarre, non-religious self-help cult. You and I, along with the student council, are credited with identifying the threat, intervening, and holding him until the authorities arrived. No mention of ’miko’ or the full extent of the cult’s activities, obviously. It minimizes the political damage to the school and keeps the city calm."

Rei listened, recognizing the carefully constructed lie before she glanced at Seijirou, wondering if he would challenge Rindou.

Seijirou merely nodded. "Standard damage control. Fine by me. The less attention, the better."

"Good," Rindou confirmed. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should be heading back to do my job."

She paused, her eyes lingering on the playful wreckage of the room—the Twister mat, the sleeping Shou, the intimate arrangement on the sofa.

Then, she turned back to Rei, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Rei, since you’ve delivered your thanks, you’re free to leave now. Or perhaps, you’d like to stay and observe the continuation of this ’competitive strategy session’?"

Rei glanced around at the bizarre, yet strangely comfortable group, a knot of conflicting emotions in her chest.

But before Rei could process Rindou’s question or formulate an answer, the shrill, insistent ringing of a phone shattered the room’s sudden silence.

Everyone immediately turned their gaze to Shou, who was abruptly jolted from his sleep on the pool table.

He groaned, reached clumsily into his bag, and pulled out his phone.

Shou answered with his usual listlessness, but as he listened, a rare spark of energy flickered in his eyes.

"Yes... okay, got it..." He finally put the phone back in his bag, sat up fully, and announced, his voice surprisingly clear, "The new base is finished. The utilities and security systems are all active."

"Really?!" Renji stood up straight, forgetting his Twister ordeal, his face lighting up with excitement. "About time! I’ve been waiting to check out that new gym setup we commissioned!"

"It was taking forever," Sakai muttered, instantly reaching for his bag to grab another handful of chips.

The new base of operations Shou was talking about was the abandoned three-story corporate building on the outskirts of the city—a significant acquisition the group had taken over after decisively defeating the local Yurei High gang and effectively beating them into pulp.

It was a massive upgrade from the cramped storage unit.

"Let’s skip class and go see it right now!" declared Suzune, already pulling away from Seijirou, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Ahem."

A sharp, warning cough cut through the immediate excitement.

Everyone froze and turned to Rindou, who had her arms crossed and her eyebrow arched in severe disapproval, observing the lot of them like a disappointed headmistress.

The air was thick with the threat of severe punishment.

But then, Rindou’s gaze met Seijirou’s. He was staring back at her, his expression unreadable but knowing, hinting at the complicated relationship and unspoken agreements they shared.

Rindou visibly faltered, her stern posture momentarily softening.

She stuttered slightly, her usual composure cracking.

"You... you can go," she conceded, the permission sounding almost painful. "But... but Kageyama, you must come to the Student Council Room later today if you decide to return, or first thing tomorrow, to discuss your... inappropriate behavior of skipping class frequently."

Seijirou gave her a slow, knowing nod, understanding the demand was less about discipline and more about maintaining their ’relationship’ and his attention.

A faint blush dusted Rindou’s cheeks as she quickly turned on her heel and left the storage unit, her steps hurried and decisive, clearly eager to escape the volatile atmosphere.

Rei was left behind, standing in the middle of the room, utterly confused on what to do next.

Suzune immediately seized the opportunity. "Come on, Rei-chan! Skip class with us! It’s going to be way more fun than listening to old Mr. Tanaka drone on about history."

Rei shook her head vehemently, clutching her backpack straps.

"Absolutely not! I cannot skip class. And you shouldn’t either!" She glanced at her watch. "Besides, I have something to do after class. I secretly still work at my part-time job, which I still have to get to, so I can’t go with you even if I wanted to."

Seijirou frowned, leaning forward on the sofa, his expression suddenly critical. "You were kidnapped by a cult leader two days ago, and you’re still didn’t learn your lesson? Is something wrong with your brain, Rei? You should be recovering, not working."

Rei looked genuinely offended by the blunt accusation. "I—I already asked my coworker to give me a ride home from the job! I’ll be safe!"

"But won’t your parents worry if you get home late again?" Suzune asked innocently, tilting her head.

Rei instantly looked embarrassed, fidgeting with her hands as she lowered her voice. "I lied to my parents that I have club activities after school. We really need the money, as you guys probably know, and I can’t always rely on them."

Suzune blinked, observing the genuine distress on Rei’s face before she then casually reached into her uniform skirt pocket and pulled out a small, expensive wallet.

She flipped it open and began counting a thick wad of bills.

"If it’s money you’re worried about," Suzune said, her voice turning dangerously tempting, "then I can pay you for your day off."

Rei stared, utterly confused. "Pay me?"

"How much is your hourly rate?" Suzune asked, her eyes gleaming with a challenge.

Rei unconsciously replied, "It’s 1,100 yen an hour..."

Suzune quickly counted out twenty crisp 1,000 yen bills—the equivalent of over eighteen hours of her work, well over a day’s wages—and waved the wad temptingly in front of Rei’s face.

"Listen, Rei-chan," Suzune cooed, her voice silken. "If you ditch the job and the classes, and come with us to check out the new base... you can have these. Go shopping, buy something nice, whatever."

Rei’s eyes, wide and focused, followed the bills as if they were glittering treasures, her entire body falling into a trance.

She took one step forward, mesmerized by the sheer amount of cash.

Then, she snapped out of it, recoiling violently.

She took a step back, her face flushing with indignation as she pointed a trembling finger at Suzune. "What kind of person do you think I am?! Am I the kind of person who can be bought by money?!"

Suzune simply smiled, a sweet, predatory look.

"Yes," she said with absolute certainty, before deliberately opening her hand and letting the twenty bills flutter to the ground.

Rei’s eyes widened in horrified panic.

"NO!" she screamed, a sound of pure despair at the sight of the money scattering.

She immediately dropped to her knees, scrambling to catch them all mid-air.

Thankfully, she managed to gather every single bill, falling flat onto the dirty floor in the process, but she completely ignored the pain and the indignity.

She clutched the wad of cash tightly to her chest, staring at the bills as if they were priceless artifacts.

"It’s settled then," Suzune smiled, crouching down beside the kneeling Rei.

She reached out and gently patted Rei’s head like a well-behaved puppy. "Good girl. Now come on, Queen needs a tour guide."