I checked the time on my phone.
Five to eight.
If my memory serves me right…
I still have time.
I locked the apartment door and stepped into the hallway.
Almost simultaneously, the lock on the opposite door clicked softly.
The door to the Amano apartment opened.
Yuki stepped out, adjusting the strap of her school bag.
She noticed me too.
She froze for a second.
Then bowed slightly.
“G-Good morning… Kurisaki-kun.”
Her voice, as always, was very quiet.
I returned the bow.
“Good morning, Amano-san.”
For a few seconds, we simply looked at each other.
Strange…
Just yesterday morning, there had only been the awkwardness of two neighbors.
But today…
After everything that had happened…
The silence felt completely different.
I noticed that she was clutching her phone tighter to her chest.
That same one.
With the red emergency button.
It seems…
She really hadn’t removed it.
That thought made me feel a little calmer.
But there was almost no time left.
I glanced at my watch.
“Sorry, Amano-san.
I need to hurry a bit today.”
She blinked in surprise.
“Ah…
O-Okay…”
“Then see you at school.”
“See you.”
I nodded slightly and quickly headed toward the stairs.
Waiting for the elevator would take too long.
Behind me, I could still feel her gaze for a few more seconds.
…
Yuki remained standing by her door.
She watched me until I disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
“So fast…”
“Usually people at least talk a little…”
She didn’t understand why she felt a slight disappointment.
Yesterday they had walked almost the entire way home together.
But today…
Kurisaki-kun only greeted her…
And immediately ran off.
Yuki quietly lowered her gaze.
“Probably…
He really was in a hurry…”
She carefully touched the pocket of her blazer where her phone lay.
Then she smiled almost imperceptibly.
“See you…”
And also headed toward the stairs.
After that, we can immediately switch back to Ren:
“Sorry, Amano-san.”
“But today I still have one more person I need to save in time.”
In my memory, the next scene from the game was already surfacing.
The sports building.
The storage room.
The English teacher.
And the girl who still didn’t realize that her life was about to start falling apart.
I glanced at the time.
There was a little over twenty minutes left before the first lesson.
That should be enough.
If my memory is correct, the sports building is almost empty at this time.
I quickened my pace.
The school courtyard was gradually filling with students.
Some were chatting with friends.
Some were reviewing notes on the go.
Some were hurrying to class, finishing a bun from the school store.
A normal morning.
No one even paid attention to the tall guy confidently heading in a completely different direction.
I passed the main building and turned toward the sports complex.
It was noticeably quieter here.
From the open hall came only the muffled sounds of a basketball — it seemed the basketball club had already started their morning practice.
After climbing a small staircase, I found myself in a long corridor.
The storage room was almost at the very end.
I looked around once more.
Empty.
Perfect.
The door, just like in the game, was unlocked.
I quietly entered and carefully closed it behind me.
The room was small.
Metal shelves lined both walls, filled with boxes of equipment.
In the corner were stacked gymnastic mats.
Nearby lay basketballs and volleyballs.
The air smelled characteristically of rubber and old wood.
I took out a small action camera from my backpack.
I spent a few seconds choosing a spot.
Then I climbed onto the lower shelf of the rack and secured the camera between two cardboard boxes of spare sports uniforms.
From this angle, the lens had an excellent view of almost the entire room.
At the same time, the camera itself was almost impossible to notice from below.
I took out my phone.
The image appeared immediately.
The quality was excellent.
The sound was also recording clearly.
I nodded in satisfaction.
“Perfect.”
Now all that remained was to wait.
I hadn’t even stepped away from the shelf when footsteps sounded in the corridor.
The door opened.
Takagi-sensei entered first. Ayaka Sakurai followed him. The teacher immediately closed the door and turned the key in the lock.
Ayaka crossed her arms over her chest in displeasure, which only emphasized her full figure more under her blouse.
“Takagi-sensei, I came as you asked. What’s this urgent matter? If it’s nonsense again, I’m leaving.”
I stood deep in the storage room, hidden behind a tall shelf of equipment, completely out of their sight. I held my breath. My heart beat steadily and strongly.
Takagi smiled disgustingly and took out his phone.
“Don’t rush, Aya-chan. Take a look at this.”
He played the video. On the screen, it was clearly visible how Ayaka was hiding expensive cosmetics in her bag at the school store.
The girl turned pale.
“That… was only once! I returned everything later!”
“Returned?” The teacher stepped closer, cornering her against the shelf. “The camera sees it differently. Theft is grounds for expulsion. And your ‘big brother’ Haruto would be very interested to know what kind of little sister he actually has.”
Ayaka pressed her back against the metal shelves. Her chest heaved heavily.
“What… do you want from me?” she said through gritted teeth, trying to maintain her arrogant tone.
Takagi reached out and placed his hand on her waist, slowly sliding it lower.
“Be nicer to me… and this video will disappear. No one will know anything.”
The teacher’s fingers slipped under the hem of her skirt.
“Hmph! Get your filthy hands off me, you bastard!” Ayaka tried to push him away, but the teacher was heavier and stronger. “I can handle it without you!”
I stood behind the shelf and watched everything through the gap.
My blood boiled.
Ren’s body demanded that I immediately step out and break this fat bastard’s arm. My cock involuntarily tensed from the surge of adrenaline and rage.
Stay calm. You’re already here. The camera is recording. Now I just need to do everything right.
I slowly, without making a sound, stepped out from behind the shelf.
Takagi had just leaned toward Aya when a low, icy voice sounded behind his back:
“Sensei.”
The teacher spun around sharply. Ayaka also looked up, her eyes widening in shock.
I stood three meters away from them. Tall, calm, with a cold, predatory gaze.
“You seem to have chosen the wrong storage room,” I continued quietly. “Or do you now have a new subject — ‘Blackmail and Sexual Harassment’?”
Takagi turned pale but tried to keep face.
“K-Kurisaki! What are you doing here?! This is none of your business! Get out immediately!”
Ayaka stared at me with her mouth slightly open. Surprise, shame, and clear relief mixed on her face.
I took a step forward. My gaze slid over Aya — she was still pressed against the shelf, her ponytail disheveled and her cheeks flushed.
“Ayaka,” I said calmly, “step aside.”
Takagi turned pale, but tried to keep his composure.
“K-Kurisaki! What are you doing here?! This is none of your business! Get out immediately, or I’ll…”
I calmly interrupted him:
“You must leave this school, sensei. Today. And never appear here again.”
The teacher froze at first, then burst into hysterical laughter.
“Ha-ha-ha! Are you serious? Some brat is going to tell me what to do? Who do you think you are anyway?! I can…”
He didn’t finish.
I slowly raised my hand and pointed my finger upward — exactly at the spot where the camera was hidden.
“I recorded everything. From the beginning to the end. How you called Ayaka here. How you blackmailed her with the theft video. How you groped her. Everything.”
Takagi’s expression changed instantly. At first he turned white as a sheet, then suddenly flushed red. Sweat broke out on his forehead.
“You… you’re bluffing…”
In the next second, I took a sharp step forward and drove my fist straight into his solar plexus.
Thud.
Takagi doubled over, a hoarse groan escaping from his mouth. He collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.
Ayaka gasped, covering her mouth with her palm. Her eyes widened in shock.
I stood over the teacher, looking down at him. My voice became low, cold, and deadly serious:
“You bastard. Pedophile. You probably see me as some nice guy who just stood up for a girl. But I assure you — I can ruin you and destroy you. Completely. I’m giving you a chance. Run away. Right now.”
Takagi, still coughing and holding his stomach, looked up with hatred.
“If… if I leave… everyone will find out that this bitch stole! I’ll tell them…”
I calmly looked at Ayaka, then back at the teacher.
“Ayaka.”
She flinched when I addressed her by name.
“You have two choices.”
I spoke evenly but firmly:
“First: we kick him out. I’ll beat him so badly that he’ll eventually agree to leave quietly. But the theft will remain hanging over you. He might use it against you someday.”
I paused.
“Second: we hand him over to the police. You live peacefully. He goes to prison for blackmailing and harassing a minor. And you won’t have to fear him returning at any moment.”
Ayaka stood there, pressing her hands to her chest. She looked back and forth between me and the crumpled teacher on the floor. Her cheeks were red, and in her eyes fear, shame, and something very warm directed toward me mixed together.
Ayaka remained silent for a few seconds.
She didn’t take her eyes off the floor.
It seemed a real internal struggle was going on inside her.
Finally, the girl took a deep breath.
Her shoulders slowly straightened.
She raised her head.
“I…”
Her voice trembled at first, but quickly became more confident.
“I will confess.”
I looked at her calmly.
“In the store.”
“Today.”
“I will apologize to the owner.”
She clenched her fists.
“If necessary… I will take responsibility.”
It’s better this way.
Than living in fear for the rest of my life.
I gave a barely noticeable nod.
“That is a mature decision.”
Takagi’s face changed sharply.
“Have you completely lost your mind?!”
“Do you think anyone will believe you after this?!”
“You…”
He didn’t manage to finish.
I calmly walked up to him.
With one hand, I grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and effortlessly lifted him to his feet.
He instinctively tried to break free.
To no avail.
“Let me go!”
“You have no right!”
I didn’t even look at him.
“Sakurai-san.”
Ayaka raised her gaze.
“There’s a small camera on the top shelf between the boxes.
Please take it down.”
She blinked in surprise but immediately headed toward the shelf.
A few seconds later, she carefully removed the small action camera.
“Found it.”
She pressed it tightly to her chest.
“What now?”
I calmly opened the door of the storage room.
“Now we’re going to the teachers’ office.”
Takagi noticeably turned even paler.
“Kurisaki…”
“Let’s talk calmly…”
“You misunderstood everything…”
I just looked at him.
“You will still have the opportunity to explain yourself.
But not to me.”
Without releasing the teacher’s collar, I led him out into the corridor.
Ayaka followed silently behind, firmly clutching the camera in her hands.
The first bell was already ringing in the school corridors.
Several students turned to look at us in surprise.
A tall guy in uniform calmly led a bewildered teacher behind him.
A girl with a serious expression on her face followed.
No one yet understood…
That in a few minutes, the calm morning of this school would come to an end.