Chapter 81: Peace (Part 2)

During the break before the last class of the day.

Hitori stood up and walked out of the classroom.

Her classmates knew she only left her seat during lunch break or to go to the restroom.

Watching her walk out with her head down, a few girls called their friends and followed her.

Female solidarity is a very strange concept.

At times they are terrifyingly united, and other times they would constantly try to trip each other up.

But right now they were united against a common enemy.

It wasn't about doing anything drastic, just making sure this Gotou girl understood her situation and where she stood.

Some people had asked Kita, and Kita had repeatedly emphasized that she had no relationship with Gotou, but many of Kita’s close friends felt that she was being bullied precisely because she was too gentle.

Several people followed Hitori into the girls' restroom, and after confirming there was no one else inside, they closed the door.

They didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

That would make Kita even more embarrassed.

And it wouldn't be good to attract Ishikawa-kun.

It would be very dangerous.

The miserable state of those ill-tempered classmates after they were punished a while ago was still vivid in their minds.

Ishikawa-kun was completely ruthless, regardless of whether they were boys or girls.

When Hitori came out of the stall, she froze at the sight of the confrontation, a look of fear appearing on her face.

She hadn't expected to be confronted like this, so she weakly hunched her shoulders and cautiously prepared to walk past them.

However, the words of a seemingly fiercer girl in the front row shattered her illusion.

"Gotou-san, don't put on that act anymore, you third wheel."

Hitori immediately understood the situation and stopped.

Her eyes, under her pink bangs, widened slightly, then fear and uncontrollable irritation surged into her heart.

Two conflicting emotions were locked in a tug-of-war.

She bit her lip tightly.

The girls waited for a long time but received no response, and their patience quickly wore thin.

"What's wrong? Do you have the courage to do it but not the courage to answer?"

Hitori's hands were in her pockets, lightly touching the slip of paper that had successfully summoned Ishikawa Hayato once.

Being called a pervert made her very unhappy.

Precisely because of this, she didn't want to call Ishikawa Hayato to resolve the matter directly.

She wanted to explain herself.

Although she was extremely scared, touching the paper made her feel as if Hayato would come immediately and stand by her side.

She mustered her courage and said in a soft, trembling voice:

"I... I'm not a third party..."

"What do you mean? Do you think we misunderstood you?"

The girl said angrily, then saw Hitori shiver violently, her mouth opening and closing as she said something in an almost inaudible voice.

Then she started trembling non-stop, making a grimace-like face, her expression becoming strange.

Feeling underestimated, the girl walked over and noticed Hitori's hand was still in her pocket, so she unhappily pulled her hand out.

She yelled, "Tell me clearly!"

Hitori's hand was pulled out of her pocket, trembling uncontrollably, but her fingers were gripping a piece of paper so tightly that her knuckles were white.

As the girl wondered what on earth she was clutching.

*Bang.*

The girls were startled by a terrifying sound from behind them.

A strong sense of danger surged through them.

"Seriously, girls always think I wouldn't dare enter the girls' restroom... though as a pervert, I don't actually like going into the girls' restroom."

They stiffly looked back.

The girls' restroom door, which had been locked from the inside, was kicked open, and the metal parts of the lock flew onto the floor.

Standing by the door was Ishikawa Hayato, hands in his pockets, an impatient expression on his face.

The face of the girl who had been leading the group instantly showed a more obvious expression of fear compared to Hitori's expression.

In a panic, she immediately released Hitori's hand, breaking out in a cold sweat, and stammered, "Um, I'm not, I just wanted to ask Gotou-san why she's stealing Kita's boyfriend."

The other girls quickly moved away, knowing full well that this guy would hit girls. He wasn't some gentle person who would argue with them.

Thanks to their avoidance, Ishikawa Hayato easily saw Hitori's current state. Aside from her head bowed as if she was about to cry and her hands hanging down, there was nothing else unusual.

But he always returned an eye for an eye.

He strode over to the girl, placed his hand on her shoulder, and asked, "Is that how you ask? Huh!"

The girl's pupils dilated in fear, and her legs trembled violently.

But he immediately noticed Hitori was also scared, so he sighed and released his hand.

"I'll let you off this time, and you guys too. If you dare to do this again..."

Hitori suddenly walked over, grabbed Ishikawa Hayato's hand, and leaned behind him.

Ishikawa Hayato paused his words; he only felt Hitori's hand was terribly cold, presumably from fright.

Ishikawa Hayato, who thought she just didn't want to continue the argument, was about to take her away directly, but then he heard her say in a trembling, almost tearful, yet resolute voice:

"I... I am not a third party. I liked Hayato a long... long time ago, and I... I didn't steal him from Kita-chan."

To Ishikawa Hayato's surprise, his expression relaxed considerably, and he patted Hitori's shoulder with satisfaction, feeling the temperature of Hitori's hand rise significantly.

Intimidated by Ishikawa Hayato's presence, the girl dared not say anything, and the other girls directly retreated to the side, not daring to utter a sound, until Ishikawa Hayato spoke in a slightly softer tone.

"Now, if you have anything to say, say it."

Only then did she, all alone, tremble before Ishikawa Hayato, say:

"Kita-chan is already dating him, and you still say you're not stealing him from her."

...

Earlier, in the classroom, Kita, who was chatting with her friends, saw Ishikawa Hayato suddenly stand up and run outside.

She knew something had happened, and it was happening faster than she had imagined.

She unhesitatingly cut short her conversation with her friends.

"Sorry, I have to leave for a moment."

Kita quickly stood up.

Although she knew Ishikawa Hayato could handle it, she was still uneasy, both about the people bothering Hitori and about Hitori herself.

No matter what, Ishikawa Hayato was a boy.

He might not be able to handle such a troublesome situation well.

She ran out of the classroom, but Ishikawa Hayato was nowhere to be seen.

Immediately, she stood helpless in the bustling corridor, but her distress was only momentary.

She immediately ran towards the places she knew girls were most often bullied.

After checking two places, and growing increasingly anxious, she saw scattered metal on the ground and classmates standing as if being lectured.

Worried, she quickly ran inside.

Then she heard Hitori's statement.

"...I... I didn't steal him from Kita-chan."

That's great, it seems it hasn't reached the worst point.

Kita saw Reiko, surrounded by classmates, and Ishikawa Hayato opposite her, with Hitori protected behind him... "Reiko, I told you it's not what you think."

Kita's voice rang out from outside, and then she walked in from the side.

"Kita-chan?"

Reiko looked at Kita in disbelief.

She had risked provoking Ishikawa Hayato to confront Gotou-san for Kita's sake.

And Kita was betraying her like this.

When she ran out of the classroom, Kita had already braced herself.

If something like love was explained calmly, probably no one would believe it was a real breakup.

At the same time, her attitude had to be firm.

Perhaps it would make those people feel betrayed and then disliked, but it was unavoidable.

If she didn't go, Ishikawa-kun could still resolve it, but then she wouldn't feel like she was part of Kessoku Band...

Ishikawa Hayato watched Kita walk in, carrying a sense of resolve and a hint of disappointment. He then looked at Hitori, who was pale but gazing in that direction.

Two clumsy individuals, he sighed.

But it was also their growth, even if it led to a bad outcome.

He gestured to Kita, indicating a plan for their cooperation later, and Kita, who was about to speak, blinked, showing a half-understanding expression.

'Is this Ishikawa-kun's plan...

Kita felt a little comical watching his earnest performance.

She had no intention of taking someone else's suggestion at this moment.

Her resolve was not something that could be given up with a few words.

But then she thought of all the things Ishikawa Hayato had secretly done for her, for Hitori, and for the band.

Thinking of his reliable actions and that always-in-control expression on the rooftop.

She then, as if by some strange impulse, nodded, indicating understanding and cooperation.

Although the gesture was a bit hard to understand, she was confident in her ability to improvise.

Then, Ishikawa Hayato walked over, pulling Hitori along with him, took her hand, and suddenly embraced her—along with the flustered Pochi.

He held them in each of his arms.

'Eh?!'

Kita's eyes widened in surprised shyness as she looked at Ishikawa Hayato's shoulder in front of her.

Her mind immediately went into overdrive mode: What does he mean by this?! What was he going to do?

As her thoughts raced, she vaguely heard Ishikawa Hayato say:

"Don't you understand something like this? Idiot."

"Of course, I think one girlfriend, Kita, isn't enough. I want more. Hitori has a good figure, and she'll obediently listen if I say something, so of course, I'll bring her into my harem first!"