"Exactly! Just like in those TV dramas!" Tomori latched onto this lifeline, desperately searching for excuses. "Someone has leverage on Sakiko, forcing her to do those things! She must be so scared, so desperate right now! She ran away because she didn't want to drag us into it!"
The logic was flimsy, but at this moment, it was the only thing holding Tomori together.
"We can't just leave!" Tomori clenched her fists and spun around to run back. "I have to save her! I have to find out who's hurting her!"
"Tomori! Wait!"
Anon grabbed her around the waist with lightning reflexes. "You can't go now! Think about it. If you were Toyokawa-san and something that... that embarrassing happened, would you want to see anyone you know?"
Tomori's struggling stopped.
"Right now, she probably doesn't want to see anyone." Anon spoke gently. "Let's give her some time to clean up, okay? Once she's sorted herself out, we can find her and ask what's going on."
Tomori bit her lip, gazing toward the club building, her eyes full of reluctance and worry. But finally, she nodded.
"Fine... we'll wait for her."
...
At that very moment, in the deepest corner of the club building's women's restroom.
The stall was thick with that pungent musk.
Sakiko still sat on the toilet, hands covering her face, expression numb.
The footsteps outside had faded long ago.
They left.
With shock, with disgust? Or with something even more unbearable, pity?
"Heh..."
A bitter, self-mocking laugh seeped through her fingers.
Sakiko Toyokawa, you're completely rotten.
Not only had she become a man's plaything, but even her last shred of dignity had been ripped away, laid bare before her former bandmates.
That moment of losing control had been the final straw, utterly shattering the self-respect she'd fought so hard to maintain.
But there was no time to mourn her dead dignity.
Reality was still cruel.
She looked down at her soaked underwear, the dried white streaks on her thighs, and the skirt splattered beyond recognition.
Unwearable.
If she walked out like this, she wouldn't even make it back to the classroom. One person in the hallway and she'd become the laughingstock of the entire school, the star of some urban legend.
She needed new clothes.
But where would she get spare clothes?
As she thought, that demon's face floated into her mind.
As much as she hated to admit it, the only person who could save her now was the one who'd pushed her into this abyss.
With trembling hands, Sakiko pulled out her phone and dialed.
The call connected after a single ring.
"Sakiko?"
That lazy voice she despised to her core came through.
"It's me..." Her voice was hoarse.
"Shouldn't you be in class right now?" Seiji sounded amused. "What's this? First period hasn't even ended and you're already missing me?"
"Don't joke around!" Sakiko kept her voice low, seething through gritted teeth. "I need new clothes! Underwear, skirt, stockings, everything! And wet wipes! Right now! Immediately!"
"Oh?" His voice took on a playful edge. "Sounds like my gift was too heavy for Miss Toyokawa to hold."
"How dare you!" The memory of that morning flooded back, burning with shame and fury. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't left so much... if you'd let me clean up before leaving... this never would have happened! Now my clothes are ruined, I can't let anyone see me like this!"
"Heh, didn't I tell you before? You could use a plug to keep it in. You didn't listen." Seiji's tone was casual, as if discussing the weather. "Now do you understand?"
"You...!" Sakiko trembled with rage.
A plug?
If she'd used something like that, she wouldn't even be able to walk!
"Fine, seeing as you're so pitiful." Seiji's tone shifted. "I can have Megumi bring everything over. But, how will you repay me?"
"..." Sakiko fell silent.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch." His voice dropped, low and suggestive. "I can solve this little problem for you. In exchange... I'll collect some interest."
"What do you want?" She asked warily.
"After school this afternoon, don't rush home." Seiji spoke lightly. "Go to the music room and wait for me. Since this mess happened at school, let's settle it at school. I'd love to experience doing that with you in the music room."
"Are you insane?!" Sakiko nearly shrieked. "At school! And... and Tomori and her friend already found me! They might come looking!"
"Doesn't that make it more exciting?" Seiji's laugh dripped with amusement. "So, agree or refuse? Megumi can leave right now and be there in ten minutes. If you don't agree... good luck."
"You... bastard!!"
Sakiko gripped the phone so hard her knuckles went white.
Did she have a choice?
No.
"...Fine." She closed her eyes, forcing the words through clenched teeth. "The music room... I'll be there."
"Good."
The call ended.
...
Ten minutes later, a soft knock sounded on the stall door.
"Miss Sakiko, it's Kato."
The lock clicked open a crack.
Megumi's impassive face appeared outside, a elegant paper bag in hand.
"These are the items the master ordered. And this cleaning spray will eliminate the odor."
Sakiko snatched the bag and slammed the door shut.
The next ten minutes were the most humiliating of her life.
In that cramped stall, she wiped her body inch by inch with wet tissues, changed into fresh clothes that smelled of expensive detergent, then stuffed all the soiled garments into a garbage bag for Megumi to dispose of.
When she emerged from the restroom, apart from slightly unsteady steps, she appeared to have transformed back into that haughty, cold Sakiko Toyokawa.
But only she knew that beneath that polished exterior, her soul had rotted away.
...
That day was a long and fruitless search for Tomori and Anon.
Sakiko had vanished like a ghost.
They went to her classroom, only to be told "Toyokawa-san wasn't feeling well and went to the nurse's office."
That afternoon, they went to the nurse's office, but the nurse said "Toyokawa-san left a while ago."
This obvious avoidance didn't discourage Tomori. Instead, it strengthened her conviction. Sakiko must be threatened by that "bad person," too afraid to see them!
I have to find her!
With each disappointment, Tomori's determination grew more obsessive.
It was almost pathological. She believed that if she could just find Sakiko, just rescue her from that "bad person's" clutches, everything would go back to the way it was.
"Tomori... do you really want to keep searching?"
After school, watching Tomori refuse to go home, Anon felt exhausted.
"There's one more place." Tomori raised her head, looking toward a certain direction on the top floor of the academic building, eyes shining with determination. "The music room."
"That's where Sakiko used to love spending time. If she doesn't want to see anyone, she'll definitely go there."
"Alright." Anon sighed. Looking at Tomori's face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. "One more trip to the music room then. If she's not there, we go home."
...
At that very moment, in the music room on the top floor.
The setting sun poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, dyeing the spacious classroom blood red.
Sakiko sat before the black grand piano, her fingers hovering above the keys, unable to come down.
Her body trembled slightly.
Not from cold, but from fear.
The lock clicked.
Sakiko whipped her head around.
Seiji pushed open the door and locked it behind him. He wore a casual suit, his face bearing that smile Sakiko hated so much, the one that said everything was under control.
"Right on time, Toyokawa-san."
He walked toward the piano step by step, his leather shoes striking the wooden floor in a rhythm that seemed to pound against Sakiko's heart.
She instinctively shrank back. "This is school, if anyone hears..."
"No one will hear."
Seiji smiled, then paused.
Hm?
It seemed two stray kittens were heading this way.
Using the Spiritual Perception the system had granted him, he clearly sensed two emotional signatures rapidly approaching up the stairwell.
Perfect timing.
He'd glimpsed those two from a distance before coming to the music room.
Tomori Takamatsu and Anon Chihaya.
MYGO, huh?
Seiji mused, unsurprised.
After all, this was Haneoka. Running into characters from that band was only natural.
"If you're worried about being heard..."
Seiji suddenly reached out, grabbed Sakiko's wrist, and yanked her up from the piano bench, pressing her firmly against the cold lacquered surface of the piano.
"Then hold it in. If you cry out and get caught... that's on you."
"...!!"
Sakiko's face contorted with rage and humiliation.
But Seiji had already leaned down to capture her lips, claiming that warm, soft tongue.
...
Meanwhile.
At the end of the corridor, two sets of footsteps approached.
"Tomori! The music room is just ahead." Anon looked at the door at the corridor's end.
"Sakiko... she has to be inside!"
Tomori quickened her pace.
Suddenly, a faint whimpering sound drifted through the poorly soundproofed music room door, broken and intermittent.
The rustle of fabric. And...
Something that made hearts race and faces flush.
"What's that sound?" Tomori looked confused.
"This is...?!" Anon's expression shifted dramatically.
"Is it...?" Tomori asked, puzzled.
Anon said nothing, just bit her lip and stepped back, staring at the heavy wooden door in horror.
Then the sounds changed.
Rhythmic impacts, like something slamming against wood, or the sharp slap of flesh against flesh.
The sounds weren't loud, but in the quiet corridor, they beat like ominous drums against both their hearts.
Then suddenly—
"Mmph...!"
A barely suppressed moan slipped through the door crack.
Tomori's pupils contracted sharply.
That's Sakiko's voice!
Though the voice was hoarse, even carrying an unfamiliar undertone, she couldn't be mistaken!
That was Sakiko's voice!
"She's crying..." Tomori's face went pale, tears spilling from her eyes. "That bad person is hitting her! Sakiko must be in so much pain... so much pain!"
"Hitting... well, I suppose you could call it that." Anon's expression was complicated as she murmured, "That smell this morning... and now these sounds... someone's doing terrible things to Toyokawa-san! Maybe even rap—"
Before the word "rape" could leave her mouth, a man's voice came from inside.
Seiji Fujiwara's voice.
Low, lazy, teasing.
"Sakiko, your waist is really flexible. Did you used to dance? That posture, yes, perfect, lower your hips a bit, the angle is just right."
Those words were like a fuse, instantly igniting the emotions of the two girls outside.
"Sakiko!" Tomori couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed forward and pounded on the door. "Open up! Open the door! I know you're in there! Let Sakiko go!"
"Sakiko! If you can hear me, answer! We're here to save you!" After a moment's hesitation, Anon joined in the pounding.
...
At that moment, inside the music room door.
Sakiko was in the center of hell.
She was pressed against the black grand piano, her upper body sprawled across the smooth, cold lacquered surface, both hands gripping the music stand desperately.
Her school skirt had been pushed up to her waist entirely. The fresh underwear she'd changed into that morning now dangled from one ankle, about to fall.
Behind her, Seiji attacked like a beast gone wild.
Each thrust made Sakiko's body shudder violently.
And the banging and shouting from outside the door were like knives stabbing into her heart.
"Tomori...?!"
Sakiko's eyes widened in terror.
Why had they followed her here?
This is bad!
They've found me!
"Stop... stop..."
Sakiko turned her head with difficulty, pleading, "They're outside... they'll hear... please..."
"So what if they hear?"
Seiji didn't stop. Instead, a vicious smile spread across his face.
Through his Spiritual Perception, he already knew exactly what was happening outside. Right now, the anxiety, anger, and worry radiating from those two girls was the perfect aphrodisiac.
"Sakiko, don't you think this is more exciting?"
He leaned down, lips brushing against her ear, warm breath cascading across her neck, raising goosebumps.
"That's Tomori Takamatsu's voice. Your good friend. She seems to really admire you?"
"If she knew that her noble Moon Goddess is clenching around me right now, trembling with pleasure... what do you think her face would look like?"
"No... don't say it!" Sakiko shook her head. The psychological torment was even more intense than the physical pleasure.
"Then cry out." Seiji chuckled. "Tell them how good you feel right now. Tell them you begged me to do this."
"I... mmph..."
Sakiko bit down hard on her lip, refusing to make a sound.
But that only excited Seiji more.
If you won't scream, I'll make you.
He accelerated sharply, his movements growing more savage, more unrestrained.
The sound of impacts grew rapid and loud, echoing through the empty music room.
"Ah... mmph... haah..."
Sakiko couldn't hold back anymore.
She released her bleeding lip, and sweet, needy moans spilled from her throat.
...
To Tomori and Anon outside the door, that sound was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
But innocent Tomori still only half-understood.
"Sakiko is screaming..." Tomori's face went deathly pale, tears streaming down. "That bad person is beating her! Sakiko must be in so much pain... it must hurt so much!"
"Bastard! Stop it!" Anon's eyes reddened too. She kicked the door with all her might. "You rapist! We're calling the police! Let her go!"
But the man inside seemed completely unconcerned with their threats.
The pounding not only didn't stop but grew faster, heavier.
Sakiko's cries grew louder and more desperate: "No... I can't... right there..."
"Sakiko is begging him to stop!" Tomori screamed in anguish. "Anon! We have to break in! If we wait any longer, he'll beat Sakiko to death!"
"Let's break it down together!"
Anon was pushed to her limit.
She eyed the music room's old door and steeled herself. "Tomori! On three, we ram it!"
"Okay!"
Two delicate girls summoned strength they'd never known they had.
"One... two... three! Now!"
BANG!
Their shoulders slammed into the door. The old lock groaned in protest, the entire frame shuddering.
...
Inside.
Seiji heard the lock weakening.
"Looks like someone can't wait any longer."