"You… you dare hit us? I'm telling the teacher!" the brown-haired girl whined, her face a mask of aggrieved indignation.
"Telling the teacher?" Yukiko Fujimine laughed, incredulous. "You're the ones who started this, and now you want to tattle?"
"We were just trying to scare you a bit," the wine-red-haired girl shot back, her tone defiant despite her predicament. "You brats just wait—the school won't let you off!"
"What's this all about?" Eri frowned, turning to Yukiko. "How'd you get on their bad side?"
"It's that fake psychic thing," Yukiko explained. "These two ringleaders were her shills. They're after me and Yuka to get even for yesterday afternoon."
"You call the police. I'll get a teacher," Eri ordered, striding toward the restroom door.
"Call the police for real?" Yukiko glanced at the senior girls. "They're in their final year, graduating soon. If we report them, they'll definitely get expelled."
The two ringleaders, seeing Eri's resolve, dropped their tough act and started pleading for mercy.
Eri ignored them, her gaze cold as she fixed it on Yukiko. "You feel sorry for them? What about their victims? The people they helped scam?"
"Take that girl yesterday, Ruko Nagashima," she continued. "If she believed that psychic and delayed her treatment, what do you think would happen?"
"I…" Yukiko faltered, caught off guard.
"Kindness to good people is virtue. Kindness to villains is a crime," Eri said sharply, then walked out without a backward glance.
"What do we do?" Yuka tugged at Yukiko's sleeve, her voice small.
"…Glasses Girl's right," Yukiko admitted reluctantly, nodding. "Let's call the police."
…
The police arrived swiftly, hauling the two senior girls away. The school acted just as fast, announcing their expulsion before the day's end.
Plenty of students had suffered under those two delinquents, and most cheered their departure with unrestrained glee.
Eri and Yukiko became instant celebrities at school, their names buzzing in every hallway conversation. Eri, unfazed by the attention, went about her routine—studying, reading, shuttling between classroom and library. Yukiko, ever the spotlight-lover, soaked up the praise, even floating the idea of running for student council president to capitalize on her newfound fame.
That evening at the izakaya, Yukiko chopped ingredients while probing Hayashi Shuichi for his thoughts.
"Student council president?" Shuichi blinked, bemused. This girl was always cooking up wild ideas. "Weren't you agonizing over whether to audition as an actress? Made up your mind yet?"
"Oh, I've decided," Yukiko said, tilting her chin proudly. "Kids make choices. I'm an adult—I want it all!"
"You're planning to go to school and act?" Shuichi's brow furrowed. "Balancing both will be brutal."
"It's just three years of hard work," Yukiko said with a shrug. "I'm not planning on college anyway, so grades don't matter much. If it gets too tough, I'll decide what to drop later."
"That's… one way to go," Shuichi conceded with a nod.
Eri, passing by the counter, overheard their conversation. Learning her rival planned to stay in high school sent a spark of irritation through her. "Honestly, you should just ditch school," she said. "Acting doesn't need a diploma. As long as you've got talent, you're set. Plenty of famous actors didn't even finish middle school."
"Don't think I can't see through you," Yukiko retorted with a huff. "No matter what you say, I'm staying in high school."
The two girls locked eyes in a brief standoff before Eri stalked off, her expression dark.
Having sent her nemesis packing, Yukiko turned to Shuichi with a syrupy, cajoling smile.
"Every time you grin like that, I know trouble's coming," Shuichi said, exasperated. "Spit it out. What do you need now?"
"I've got an audition tomorrow morning," Yukiko whispered. "My parents are busy, and I'm kinda nervous going alone. Could you…?"
"Missy, tomorrow's Friday. I've got school!" Shuichi snapped. "You're not seriously asking me to skip, are you?"
"Just take a sick day! You're a model student—teachers won't suspect a thing," Yukiko said, shaking his arm. "This is my first-ever audition, Shuichi. It's my big break as an actress. Can you really stand to see me face it all alone?"
"Why not get an agency or a manager?" Shuichi asked. "Your parents are famous actors—they must have connections."
"I want to see how this audition goes before joining their agency," Yukiko said, pouting. "Otherwise, if I get the part, tabloids will say it's all because of my parents' influence."
Shuichi sighed at her pitiful expression, finally relenting. "Fine, but just this once!"
"Don't worry, I won't mess with your studies," Yukiko chirped, beaming. "Oh, and don't tell Glasses Girl you're skipping school for me. She'd murder me if she found out."
As they finalized their plans for tomorrow, Kogoro Mouri pushed open the izakaya door. "Got the amusement park photos back," he announced.
"Gimme, Kogoro-niisan!" Reiko dropped her book, snatching the envelope of photos.
On their Sunday trip to the amusement park, Yukiko had brought a camera to capture Eri's terrified face during the bungee jump. They'd dropped the film off at a nearby photo shop on their way back, and it was finally ready today.
"Haha, Eri-neesan had her eyes shut the whole time!" Reiko giggled, flipping to the bungee photos. "And Yukiko-neesan, your face was all scrunched up in fear!"
"No way, I wasn't scared!" Yukiko protested, snatching her photos with a scowl. "You're seeing things."
Eri quickly grabbed her own photos, her cheeks flushing.
"Pfft, you two swore you weren't scared coming off that bungee platform," Reiko teased. Then, sifting through the stack, she spotted Shuichi's face and held up the photo.
In it, Shuichi was mid-air, striking a perfect leap-of-faith pose, his expression calm and unflinching—a stark contrast to the panicked, trembling girls. He looked undeniably cool…
(End of Chapter)
-----------------------
✨ Want early access to the latest chapters and exclusive content? Support me on Patreon and unlock special perks!
👉 [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]