The following hours played out horribly for Kirigiri.

Word was received around the entire school; her actions and words coming around in a full circle; per karma's nature. She's never been kind nor respectful towards anyone, let alone teachers-- and now, she was in the center of a feud during lunch.

She was constantly poked and prodded by anyone who noticed her emotional vulnerability. Students were relentless, especially amongst the females who saw it fit to knock her even further off of her high horse to feed her face in the ground. She received a harsh bump in the hallway on her way to her vending machine, nearly tipping over-- though she quickly recovered herself and glanced towards a few ladies who laughed together and muttered something along the lines of serves her right.

She bit her lip. As big of a temperamental person that she is... She fought with her instincts to retaliate. Everyone knew it'd make her situation worse.. so they took advantage of that fact. And exploited it. The snarky girls poked their eyes in her direction, taunting her with a few more giggles causing her to clench her fists. Her face was starting to redden again, to which they knew she'd be triggered at any moment.

They innocently scampered off, leaving her to fend for her own esteem. Kirigiri was furious and tried to walk it off... Although once she passes by a certain wall littered with vulgar pictures of her, she cringed in disgust. Her hands automatically made a dire effort to yank them down, letting out exasperated breaths of frustration while a resounding tear fills the air. One by one, pieces were torn off and fluttered to the ground--some intact, and the majority not.

"This is BULLSHIT!" She shouted, holding one of the last photographs that had permanent ink scribbles all over her pale face. "I swear, when I find out who did this..." She had then crumbled it up quickly, eyes dulling in madness.

"They're dead."

Shiro, on the other hand, stood watch around the corner. His red eyes indulged in her business, somewhere it shouldn't be at all, watching the young woman approaching her breaking point. It's hard to tell if he was amused by the matter.. all he cares about is witnessing her crumble. He shifts his foot back, hiding a bit more discreetly once he continued his refuge in the shadows.

'She's tougher than I thought.' At least he acknowledges it'd take a lot more than petty teenagers to dismantle her reputation. He definitely underestimated her mentality.

He obscurely hid himself and listened as she passed him by, stomping down the hallway. He then clicked his tongue, once more tempted to yank out the "friend" stashed in his pocket to ambush her. In the grand scheme of things, it'd be easy, and would take less time to make her pay.. As much as he'd love to creep up behind her, grab her head of hair, and then penetrate the skin of his unsuspecting victim without hesitation... He knew better than to be hasty.

"..."

His next move should be an intense one, then. If he can't hurt her, there are hundreds of others who wishes to. A wicked grin, all too excited, danced along his lips. He used this time to pick out his wallet, and as a few more students passed him badmouthing Kirigiri, he would lift a twenty, and fifty dollar bill in yen.

"Hey, excuse me ladies." Fortunately, Shiro was well gifted in sweet-talk and being perceived as a charmer. Thanks to his brother, he learned how to pretend.. so deceiving others turned out to be a skill which comes in handy while attempting to swoon others. He moved on to carve another smile, gentle this time, thus stopping them in their tracks.

Their faces turned surprised. He watched as their cheeks heated up lightly. Not only was he good-looking and pretty mannered ... But it seems he had a favor to ask of them as well. The young lady with dyed, pale blonde hair nudged her raven-haired girl classmate her, the both of them afraid to speak first whilst in the presence of the Yuuki twin. Seiichiro had always been the talk of the school... so it only paved the same path for Shiro.

Not like it mattered, anyway.
That's one more pawn to add in his game of chess.

"Sorry to ask this of you .. but it's about Kirigiri..."

You leaned back and stretched out your arms. You were out on the rooftop taking in some fresh air by your lonesome. Lunch always tastes better when you're alone, doesn't it? "Mhn!" You groaned out afterwards. Offering your attention towards your bento box resting on the nearest bench, you would carefully pick it up and then indulge with your chopsticks.

Embracing the scenery before you, you munched on your octo-dogs and hummed in delight as you did so. However not long after, you spotted the crowd of teenage boys out on the soccer field down below. They were out getting their blood pumping and having fun with a friendly skirmish. Amongst them, you kept track of Leo.

"Nice! Nice!"

"Over here, Leo!"

He was scoring about and making free passes easily, occasionally assisted by his teammates. Of course, the guy was impeccable in everything his does! Conquering foot-ball looked to be an easy task when he was in the mix. Unsurprisingly you caught him celebrating with the other few; apparently outrivaling them with a bit of a point gap.

You couldn't focus on eating when all you heard were the boisterous sounds of the boys all parading around victoriously. It was just a small match, nothing to get so worked up over..!

"Hmph," You scoffed, stuffing your face. Your cheeks then puffed up. "Guys will be guys, I guess." He is the kind of person who seemed to be so far out of reach; his own world practically handed to him on a silver platter.. but, little do you know, you underestimate his life and how he works ten times as hard as everyone else.

Although looking past his celebratory hopping with his friends, it'd soon slip into the foregrounds while you decided to pitch your focus on someone peculiar, who had been the talk of the town this week. Her blue bucket hat pretty much stands out everywhere she goes. "Hm." You leaned over the railings and squinted your eyes. What more; she was joined by other girls, only you knew that they weren't her friends... Just judging by the fact that they were passing her around by shoving her about as they walked. Almost like hot potato.

A pretty, raven-haired girl, and the one who also initiated the harassment, the blonde. Oh, geez... It appears no one could leave her alone today. It's like your classmate had said earlier; everyone was jumping at the opportunity to crush Kirigiri, just as she has crushed them.

"Seriously..." You would mumble, taken by surprise as the altercation continued unfolding below. Dipping your nose in where it shouldn't be would create some unpredictable issues... And frankly, you weren't going to be Kirigiri's hero. She was three stories beneath you, and you never planned on intervening. I mean, there must be a reason as to why they are bothering her...

You started to lose your appetite. Especially when you referred back to Shiro.

'And I'd do it again, [L/N.] For you.'  When he blatantly told you that he was behind all of this... It made you question his morals. Everything could easily backfire, it can end up dangerous -- or worse.

Things could easily be averted by you admitting his faults to the faculty staff such as Sensei Ikki.. yet you were at a conflict here. On one end, you had the temptation to spare her .. but on the other, you felt a shiver of triumph watching Kirigiri be thrashed about.

Though... you'd turn your head elsewhere, continuing to focus on your meal while the sounds of a brute thud echoed about the surrounding area. You didn't need to glance to tell she was kicked in the stomach, crashing down against the grass without restraint.

"Ha~! That's right, get her Kanagure!"

The blonde was cheering her friend on, even taking part in the violence; deliberately slamming her shoe against her side.
Then her shoulders.
And then her head.

Suddenly, a crack is what makes you too quick to look over. Your eyes widened and the chopsticks tilt downward under your grip. The girls were getting rough, at least.. too rough to deem a subtle cat fight. They were giggling in a roused manner whilst untamed in their actions-- kicking her in her head over, and over, and over again..

Splotches of blood collides against the grass in which they stood. With every blow, Kirigiri cried in pain and felt her vision falter. Her nose was oozing with blood and a dark bruise covered half of her neck and lead up to her face. She helplessly trembled, gripping the grass as she heaved out to stutter incoherently. "W.. w .. aa..h... w..wh.. y ... a-ar..e... ou...!" Rather than hearing her pleas, they laughed out loud in satisfaction.

The raven haired girl tightly clenched the fold of money in her dominant hand. She looked like she was hitting a complete and utter high as of the moment-- not everyone is approached by a handsomely cute young man requesting for vengeance on his behalf. "You wrench!" She sneered, "You really like getting your face kicked in, huh?!! Don't you dare blackmail the Yuuki brothers!! You thought you could get away with forcing Seiichiro to stay with you?!!"

Amidst the torture, Kirigiri's blue eyes opened wide in shock. She rolled over onto her stomach and then curled up her legs, attempting to protect her worn consciousness by wrapping her arms around her head.

'Huh..?' Kirigiri thought. Her confusion dulled the pain for the time being. Instead of fear .. she just felt pure betrayal building up and picking away at her mental stability.

'Did.. Seiichiro...?'

Her optics settled onto her own blood touching the grass, and she yanked a tuft of grass upon a forward kick to her ribcage, making her jolt.

'Did he talk?'

'Is he.. the one who's doing this to me?'

Her demeanor boiled down and now her eyes were welling up with her tears. No longer obsessed with the heinous cruelty these ladies were putting her through, she shut herself down and thought about the one person she has loved the most. 'We were supposed to get through it together!! S ..So .. why...?'

Finally, her bullies had stopped their physical therapy. They both panted heavily, sensing that they were driving themselves into overkill here. I mean look at Kirigiri.. she was trembling and beaten to a bruised, bloody pulp. Still, they both glared. "At least we spared your face. Y'know, the one thing that actually keeps you lucky." Sneered the raven.

"It's better for you to learn your place now than never." The blonde crouched down, "And what's up with that stupid hat on your head? Whatcha' tryin' to hide, huh?" Swiftly she yanked her bucket hat right off of her head in one sweep of her hand, not only leaving Kirigiri in a state of vulnerability but also disheveling her damaged appearance..

Before came silence, and then ..

They'd burst out into a laughing spree, pointing their fingers at her once luscious locks that people used to envy. They were now brittle and weak, and the roots in which she tried to conceal had obvious patches in between.

"Oh. Oh my God!! Pff-PFFT!! Just look at her!!!"

Their laughter quickly made others who passed by steal a glance. Honestly, the attention to her appearance had spread about like wildfire... Especially seeing how their faces contort hysterically as they immediately whipped out their phones.

Kirigiri reacted quickly and reached for her hat in spite of the ringing pain ripping through her pounding head. In doing so however, she found that her hand was stepped on after it inched its way towards the only cover she became fond of today. "Ag-hh!" She squirmed.

Startling her were the clicks of their phone's camera shutters, endlessly shuttering while they ridiculed her pathetic appearance. By this point, she succumbed to her tears and began wailing loudly, the cry relaying both her anguish and devastation in a perfect, hopeless way. It'd manage to send shivers down a certain person's spine, all while he lingered nearby.

And as for you, you had no choice but to drop your lunch. What they were doing is brutal. Unfortunately considering the distance, you couldn't stop their sick games... even if you tried, you had a feeling you wouldn't reach her in time.

"Hey!!"

Ultimately, all of you were deterred by a masculine voice; authoritative, and angry. Leo barged in without a second thought... It'd been the first-- hearing him shout so dominantly. Normally he had a cool and relaxed tone of voice... Mischievous even.

For a moment, you didn't seem to properly recognize his face from the distance. Rather, you could've sworn you saw the face of another brune, someone with rectangular glasses and a dark, cruel glare with his unique eyes that were a vibrant yellow. Once you blinked your eyes, the person your heart had been longing for had vanished.

"What's the big deal?!" Leo pushed one of the girls away, creating distance to protect Kirigiri. "Can't fight one on one, so you beat her together?! Talk about righteous..." At the very least, he knew these girls... They're the two who often causes trouble as they shared the same homeroom class.

Which means, he knew exactly how to deal with them. Throw a nice, pretty boy their way and they start grovelling at their feet. Although, Leo barely comes across as charming, especially since they've seen him pick his ear more than once when class was in session. Aside from his generally well kept appearance, he needed much more than that.

On the other hand, Kirigri didn't have any time to dwell on her savior. As she saw it, this all was happening to her for a reason, so she needed to figure out why. If Seiichiro was behind this .. then... there'd be no repairing her already broken spirit.

She could barely shift her weight onto her knees as she attempted to sit up, adjusting to her blurred surroundings as all the while; tears slipped from her eyes. '...I .. don't... nee..d protecting...' Helplessly, she took a gander of the blood coating the grass once more. It forged terrible memories for the redhead. 'I .. I ..'

'I need... saving...'

She crumbled and fell forward despite the effort to rise. Her long, thin red locks flutter forward, covering half of her beaten face while quiet tears slips from her eyes. 'But.. it's too late for that .. isn't it?' When she closed her eyes, Kirigri started to recall the trouble she has put everyone through. Her egotistical toxicity, her short temper... It's the sole reason as to why she can barely make a true acquaintance.

If this is what despair feels like,

Then she desperately wanted to be put out of her misery.

[Chapter END]