A/n: I couldn't find a good spot to cut this chapter off hence why it's longer than the others. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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|| 4/15 Friday ||
|| Early Morning ||

Mikono tugged at the sleeve of her uniform, trying to conceal a small portion of the giant red handprint on her left wrist. She grumbled incoherently as her sleeve wasn't long enough to conceal the entire mark. She hung her head in defeat with a sigh of frustration, releasing her sleeve. "Maybe I should've wrapped it with a bandage..."

Akira looked down at the shorter girl as they waited for their train. He carefully took her left hand in his right one and lifted it to examine her wrist. He noticed the small portion of the handprint peeking out from underneath her sleeve was beginning to bruise around the edges. "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little. It's nothing serious," Mikono replied. "I'll head to the nurse's office once we get to school and see if I can find bandages there. Hopefully, the nurse won't be there and I can avoid being questioned."

Their train arrived and they boarded, pushing past the people who were disembarking. As usual, the two friends were squished together and surrounded by strangers. They tried to move, but it was even difficult to move one's arm in any direction. Neither one of them spoke as they remained packed like sardines in a can until stepping off the train at Aoyama-itchōme Station. No longer being suffocated by the overpacked train, the two were able to breathe.

"I'm not a fan of the train," Akira confesses as they left the loading platform.

"Neither am I," Mikono giggled. "I would take a taxi, but the roads are atrocious this early in the morning, too." The duo stopped chatting when they heard a few girls in front of them discussing Suzui.

"I can't believe Suzui-senpai missed such an important meeting. I wonder what happened."

"Mr. Kamoshida asked for her..."

"You know, I've been hearing rumors about how Mr. Kamoshida and Suzui-senpai stay late... She always shows up to meetings, though. It's weird she wasn't at the one yesterday..."

"Someone texted me and mentioned Mr. Kamoshida had scratches on his cheek. You don't think...?"

"Suzui-senpai would never! Someone else had to have scratched him."

Mikono's shoulders tensed. She was surprised the news was already spreading like a wildfire. That meant Kamoshida hadn't divulged the truth behind his injury, which she was secretly grateful for. It seemed she and him were the only ones who knew the real culprit. Her worries only skyrocketed when a foreboding feeling bubbles inside her when they arrived at Shujin Academy.

|| 4/15 Friday ||
|| Morning ||

After having received permission from Mr. Ushimaru, Mikono left the classroom and headed to the nurse's office. She entered, noticing the room was empty. She mentally cheered and searched for the bandages. After a couple of minutes, she discovered them in a cabinet behind the nurse's desk.

Carefully, she wrapped the bandages around her left wrist before returning the unused bandages to the cabinet. She pulled down her sleeve, leaving the nurse's office. Taking a single step in the hallway, she nearly collided with someone. She recognized the ponytail and dull eyes from yesterday. "Suzui-chan?" She was puzzled as to why the girl wasn't in class. "Are you all right? You look pale."

"I'm fine..." Suzui replied, turning her back to Mikono. "I'm sorry for being in the way. Excuse me, Tsutsui-chan..." She walked away from her, disappearing up the stairwell.

Unconvinced, Mikono followed after Suzui. She pursued her up the stairwell until reaching the roof. A perplexed expression appeared on the inky-haired girl's face as she pushed through the doors and stepped onto the roof of the school. Scanning the roof, she looked for her classmate. When she spotted her on the other side of the fence, she threw caution to the wind. "Suzui-chan!"

Shiho didn't respond, her hair whipping in the breeze as she stared down at the ground. It would only take a single step for her to plummet to her death.

Mikono grasped the other side of the fence, desperate to stop Suzui. "You don't have to do this! Please, climb back over!"

No response.

Seeing her words aren't reaching Shiho, Mikono slowly began climbing the fence. As she did, she could hear a cacophony of noises from below. She didn't have to look down to know all eyes were on her and Suzui. She could hear many of the students gasping and murmuring as she successfully made it to the other side of what was supposed to protect everyone from falling off the roof. Pressing her back against the chain-link fence, Mikono shimmed across the narrow ledge toward the seemingly lifeless girl. "Suzui-chan, please... Don't do this. Let's climb back over."

"Why...?" Suzui finally spoke, but her voice was fragile and void of emotion. "I can't take this anymore..."

"Jumping won't solve anything," Mikono retorts. "What about Takamaki-chan? Are you planning on leaving her behind?"

"I've only been a burden to her and so many others... There's no point in living!"

"There's always a point!" Mikono shouted. "Don't throw your life away!"

"You don't understand...!"

"I do! I know you're just an innocent person who Kamoshida preys on. I'm also one of his victims. I don't know what he's done to drive you to this, but please! Don't let him win!"

"H-He... He tried to...!"

Mikono didn't need her to say more. Her eyes widen as she realized what Kamoshida tried to do to her. "He pushed himself onto you, didn't he?"

"Y-Yes... I can't... I won't let him have his way with me any longer! If I'm dead, he can't touch me!" With that, Suzui took a single step forward.

Horrified shrills from the students below filled Mikono's ears as she lunged forward and grabbed Suzui's wrist before she fell out of reach. Using her right hand, she gripped the fence when one of her own feet slipped off the ledge. She felt tears of frustration rush down her cheeks as she desperately tried to keep herself and Suzui from slipping off the roof. In her current position, she wouldn't be able to save herself or Shiho.

<------<<<<<

"Hey, lemme through!" Ryuji demanded, pushing through students in order to reach the courtyard with Akira on his heels.

"What the hell?!" One boy yelled at the blonde.

"Outta the way, man!" He bellowed. "Please! My best friend's up there!" The boy moved, allowing Ryuji and Akira to enter the courtyard.

The students surrounding them had their phones out, filming the two girls above. The two boys stared up in horror, seeing their friend's body partially dangling off the ledge as she tried to prevent Suzui from falling. They could see her mouth moving, but they couldn't hear what she was saying to the suicidal girl. Continuing to watch them, Akira noticed Suzui wrap her hand around Mikono's left wrist and squeeze. He gasped when he saw the pain in his friend's face and how her grip faltered.

More screams echoed throughout the school as Suzui's body plummeted to the ground. A deafening crack came from the girl's body as she slammed against the ground. A teacher contacted 119 and requested immediate medical personnel. Ryuji and Akira stared at Suzui's limp body. Their eyes were wide, terrified at the sight.

Suddenly, the boys heard a male student yell, "The other girl's gonna fall!"

Looking back up at the roof, they saw Mikono was on the verge of falling. Her hands clasped the ledge in a desperate attempt to keep herself from plummeting downward.

"No, no, no...!" Ryuji stared up at his best friend, wondering what he could do to help her. His heart was racing in his chest, his fear skyrocketing. He couldn't imagine losing her and looked around to see if he could come up with a plan. He turned to see if Akira had any ideas, but he was gone. "W-Where'd he go?!" He searched the crowd for him, wondering where he could've gone. As his eyes were scanning the students' faces, he heard a girl behind him shriek, "Is that the transfer student?!"

Eyes darting to the roof, Ryuji saw Akira climbing over the fence. He clenched his fists tightly, watching eagerly as he cheered for the boy under his breath. "C'mon, buddy..."

<------<<<<<

Up on the roof, Akira safely made it to the other side of the fence. He watched his footing as he closed the distance between him and his friend. Carefully, he bent over once he was in position and grabbed the girl's right hand tightly. "Mikono, can you place your feet anywhere?"

The terrified girl felt her heart threatening to burst from her chest and could barely hear Akira over the sound of her own heartbeat ringing in her ears. "L-Let me try..." She searched blindly for a foothold and managed to find one. Unfortunately, it didn't last long and her foot slipped. She gripped Akira's hand in fear, her fingernails digging into his flesh when she felt her limb slip from the foothold. "I-I can't...!" She felt her left hand beginning to hurt and could no longer hold on to the ledge.

Akira's eyes widen when he saw her left hand slip and felt his own body being tugged downward. He quickly grabbed the fence and was in the same position Mikono was in with Suzui only a few minutes ago. He gritted his teeth, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face. He was determined to save her and refused to let go.

Pushing the limits of his strength, Akira managed to pull his leg back onto the ledge. He readjusted his position until he felt it was perfect. He looked down at Mikono, whose body was beginning to shake in fear. "I'm going to try and pull you up, okay?"

She nodded and prayed he was her savior. "O-Okay."

Inhaling deeply and exhaling, Akira grabbed Mikono's hand with a vice grip and hauled her body upward. Once she was able to grab the fence, he adjusted his grip and helped her to her feet. She leant against the fence, stray tears cascading down her cheeks. Her entire body was shaking, using the fence as a crutch.

"Can you climb back over?" Akira asked, his hand slipping back into hers.

"Yeah..." Slowly, Mikono followed him back over the fence. Halfway down the other side, she felt him place his hands on her waist in case she fell. His touched calmed her, but the fear was too overwhelming. The second her feet made contact with solid ground, she fell to her knees and wound up taking Akira with her because he was still holding on to her. "I've never been so happy to be on solid ground..."

Akira unlatched his hands from Mikono's waist but decided to remain kneeling in front of her. He placed his hand on top of her head and smiled. "I'm glad I made it in time."

Mikono lowered her head, scraping her nails against the ground as tears steamed down her face. "I wish I could say the same thing..." A few droplets fell from her cheeks, splashing against the ground near her hands. "I-I saw Suzui-chan after I left the nurse's office. Instead of following her, I should've stopped her. Then... Then she wouldn't have jumped!"

Sirens echoed all around them. Akira's smile fell after his mind registered Mikono's proclamation. His hand moved from the top of her head to her shoulder. "This isn't your fault. You had no idea what Suzui-chan was trying to do. You tried to save her."

"And I failed!" Mikono's voice cracked, her body shaking with every sob. She tried to wipe the tears away, but it was useless. "I can't save anyone... I'm useless..."

"That's not true!" Akira protested, shouting over her sniffles. "Have you already forgotten what I told you a couple days ago on the train? We all have moments where we're powerless. This is one of those moments. It's not because you're useless, Mikono."

She couldn't deny his words comforted her. It brought some semblance of peace, but she still felt terrible for what happened to Suzui. She could hear the EMTs tending to the girl's broken body down below over the students murmuring amongst themselves. She could even pick out Takamaki's voice when one of the EMTs asked if someone would accompany Suzui to the hospital. Immediately, her thoughts rushed to the "what if's" had Akira not made it in time. Gingerly, Mikono lifted her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him into a warm embrace, the remains of her tears soaking his blazer as she buried her face into his shoulder. "Thank you for saving me."

Every muscle in Akira's body relaxed. He wound his arms around Mikono's waist and reciprocated the hug. He pressed his cheek against her hair, inhaling the faint scent of strawberries with a hint of mint. He could only hear his heartbeat resonating in his ears as he enjoyed her touch and basked in her warmth. Words failed him as his thoughts were jumbled due to the unexpected hug.

Suddenly, the door to the roof flung open. Akira and Mikono separated, glancing at who wakes onto the rooftop as they got to their feet. "Ryuji?" The girl muttered.

The blonde was hunched over, clutching his knees as he tried to fill his lungs with oxygen. Once he did, he stalked over and stood directly in front of his best friend. "You...!" He lowered his head, placing his forehead on her shoulder and grabbing her upper arms. "Holy shit... I-I thought you were...!"

"It's thanks to Kurusu that I'm still in one piece."

Ryuji lifted his head, narrowing his eyes. "You sure you're okay?"

"Still a little shaken up, but I'm fine."

He sighed in relief before glancing at Akira. "Thanks, man. For savin' her, I mean. Not sure what I would've done if she...y'know..." He shook his head and refocused on the task at hand. "Anyways, did you see how weird Mishima was actin'?"

Akira nodded. "Let's go look for him."

Mikono, completely confused as to what Ryuji was talking about, decided to follow her friends off the rooftop and through the halls of the school. They stumbled across Mishima by the lockers and it didn't take long for the two boys to corner him. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Morgana atop the lockers as it eagerly watched them.

"Why'd you run like that? Huh?!" Ryuji demanded, glaring at the cobalt-haired boy.

Mishima winced. "I didn't run..."

"She jumped and tried to kill herself!"

"L-Leave me alone..." Mishima muttered, taking a step back and scrunching up his shoulders to make himself feel smaller.

"Just tell us," Akira pressured the cornered boy. "We won't tell anyone."

Ryuji nodded, crossing his arms. "He's right! We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say you talked either!"

"Suzui..." Mishima whispered before he snapped. He tugged at his blue locks, unable to remain silent any longer. "She was called out by Mr. Kamoshida!"

"Wait, what?!" Ryuji gasped.

"I was called by him a number of times too...to the teacher's room. It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood...and hit them." Mishima then locked eyes with Mikono. "But you knew that already, didn't you, Tsutsui-chan?"

Mikono lowered her head. "Yeah..."

Ryuji glances at his best friend before looking away. "So the physical punishment thing was for real..."

"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything..." Mishima confesses. "Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been...worse than usual..."

Ryuji understood exactly what Mishima was conveying. His eyes widen in pure horror. "He didn't...!" He clenched his fists tightly, his entire body shaking in anger. "That son of a bitch!" He spun on his heels, taking off down the hallway.

Mikono covered her mouth, eyes wide as she realized what Mishima meant. "N-No..."

Akira was the only one who seemed to not understand the true meaning behind Mishima's words. "What're you-?"

"I'll tell you later, Kurusu-kun. For now, we have to go after Ryuji before he does something stupid," Mikono said.

"I bet...Sakamoto's going to find Mr. Kamoshida..." Mishima muttered.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Kamoshida is now, do you?" Akira inquired, looking at his bruised classmate.

"He's probably in the PE faculty office on the second floor."

"Let's hurry!" Mikono shouted.

The trio rushed after Ryuji in hopes to stop him before he did something to endanger himself. They rushed past students, who were still muttering about how Suzui jumped from the rooftop. The group ignored them as they stormed up the staircase just in time to see Ryuji round the corner and enter the PE faculty office.

"Oh, no..." Mikono whispered before pursuing her best friend with Akira and Mishima on her heels.

They entered the office just as Kamoshida peered over his right shoulder and locked eyes with Ryuji, revealing the bandage on his cheek. "Huh?"

"You bastard!" Ryuji snarled. "The hell did you do to that girl?!"

The coach's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

The blonde whipped his leg out and kicked a nearby chair across the room. "Don't play dumb with me!"

Kamoshida slammed his fists against his desk, displaying his rage. "That is enough!"

"What you did...wasn't coaching!" Mishima shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

The coach turned his glare toward the bruised boy. "What did you say?"

He placed his hands on the sides of his head, shaking it as he lowered it. His fingers threaded through his cobalt locks as he explained what happened. "You... You ordered me to call Suzui here... I can only imagine what you did to her!"

The enraged man turned around in his seat and stood up, crossing his arms and glaring down at Mishima. "You're going on and on about things you have no proof of. Basically, you're simply making these claims because you can't be a regular on the team, right?"

"That's not what this is about...!"

"Even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, hypothetically speaking...what can you do?" Kamoshida scoffed, moving his hands to his hips. "We just received a call from the hospital. Suzui's in a coma, and her chances of recovery are slim... How would someone like that make a statement? There's no chance of her getting better, I hear... The poor girl."

Mikono's eyes widen as her body shook with anger and sorrow. She grabbed the hem of her skirt, balling up the fabric in her fists as she replayed Kamoshida's words in her head. "You... You sick bastard!" She pushed past Ryuji, standing directly in front of the much taller man. "You're a sick, twisted pig who enjoys watching others suffer!" She purposefully crushed his toes under her foot as she stomped toward his desk. She found the voice recorder exactly where she left it and smirked at him victoriously, revealing her secret weapon. "But that's about to end. I'm sure this caught everything you did to Suzui-chan. Let's see you try and lie your way out of this one!"

When Kamoshida realized what Mikono was holding, he glared at her. "Hand it over, Tsutsui."

"I don't think so," she growled, glaring back at him and holding the voice recorder protectively against her chest. "The only ones who deserve to hear what's on this is the police."

"Tsutsui-chan, you..." Mishima was shocked to see what was in her grasp. He thought he saw a glimpse of hope, but it was shattered when Kamoshida lunged toward the girl and grabbed her left wrist.

"I won't ask you again," Kamoshida lowered his voice, threatening her.

Mikono whimpered as his gripped tightened around her already injured wrist. Regardless of the sharp pain she was experiencing, she refused. "N-No..."

Akira and Ryuji took a step forward when hearing the painful cry from her, ready to intervene at any moment. The blonde sent a death glare in the coach's direction. "Hey, let her go!"

Kamoshida ignored Ryuji's yelling and tried to pluck the voice recorder out of Mikono's hand. She quickly tossed it to her best friend, who fumbled with it for a few seconds before securing it in his hand. "Ryuji, take the voice-ah!" She cried out when the coach gripped her wrist with more force, causing her already aching wrist to radiate with an intense pain.

"Sakamoto, give me the voice recorder," Kamoshida demanded. "Or do I have yet another case of "self-defense"? Instead of your leg, it'll be Tsutsui's wrist."

Ryuji gripped the voice recorder tightly, clearly conflicted. "You son of a bitch...! If you even think for an effin' minute I'm gonna let you do anythin' to her, I'll-!"

"Then hand over the voice recorder, Sakamoto," Kamoshida growled.

He gritted his teeth, knowing Mikono would disapprove of his decision. "Dammit...!" He tossed the recorder to the man, his glare intensifying. "Fine... Take it."

The coach caught the voice recorder in his other hand and tossed it on the ground before stomping on it, shattering the device into tiny pieces. Mikono watched in horror as the only evidence they had was destroyed. She gasped when Kamoshida suddenly released her and shoved her toward Ryuji and Akira. The boys lunged forward, each grabbing one of her arms before she could fall.

"Now then..." Kamoshida looked toward Mikono. "I'll be seeing you in here again sometime next week so we can settle things between us, Tsutsui. It'll also be the perfect time to pay you back for what you did to me yesterday." He pointed at the bandage on his right cheek with a grin.

Ryuji released Mikono once she was steady on her feet and stomped toward the man. "You shut your mouth, you son of a bitch!" He reeled his fist back, ready to punch him in the face. Before he could swing, Akira grabbed ahold on his wrist. The blonde looked back at his friend. "Why're you stoppin' me?!"

"Don't let him get to you," Akira replied calmly.

"But still!"

"Remember, if you hit him, Mikono's the one who'll pay the price," he responded, releasing the boy's wrist.

The delinquent looked at Mikono before giving up. "You're right..."

"Oh? You're stopping him? What a surprise. There's no need to hold back. Why not attack me?" Kamoshida taunted with a grin. "Ohh, you can't. Hahaha, but of course you can't!" He then turned and headed back to his desk. "Everyone present right now...will be expelled. I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting."

"Wha-!?" Ryuji gaped with wide eyes.

"You can't make a decision like that!" Mishima bellowed.

Kamoshida sat down at his desk, glowering at the student. "Who would seriously consider what scum like you say? You threatened me too, Mishima, so you're just as responsible."

"Huh?" The boy's eyes widen in bewilderment.

"To think you didn't know why I kept someone as talentless as you on the team. You act like you're a victim, but you leaked his criminal records, didn't you?" Kamoshida glanced toward Akira for a split second before looking back at Mishima. "It's all over the internet, correct? How terrible."

"Mishima?" Ryuji turned his wide-eyed stare toward said boy.

He fell to his knees, unable to face his classmates. "He told me to do it. I had no choice..."

"Now, are we finished here?" Kamoshida sneered. "You're all expelled! You're done for: your futures are mine to take. Unless..."

"What could you possibly want?" Ryuji spat.

He smirked in Mikono's direction. "I'd be willing to look past all this if you were to do a few things for me, Tsutsui. I'll let you think about it, but don't keep me waiting. You better have an answer before the board meeting. Now get out of my sight." He turned his back to the students, returning to his paperwork.

"I can't believe this asshole's gettin' away with this!" Ryuji hissed.

"We can't give up," Akira replied. "We still have another way," he whispered.

Ryuji knew exactly what he was referring to. "Oh right. We have that!"

Kamoshida heard the two boys whispering to one another and glanced over his shoulder at them. "Huh? Have you lost your minds? I don't understand what garbage like you are thinking, but go ahead and try. All you can do is wait for your disposal or see if Tsutsui decides to save the lot of you."

"Let's get out of here..." Mikono muttered, swiveling on her heels and walking out of the PE faculty office with the three boys in tow.