Partners in Crime

The day went on as it usually did, with Yasushi walking the same route he always did to school. Above, the sky sent down light snow, each snowflake a tiny, unique creation as it spun on its way down.

"Here it comes again, the never-ending winter," he said quietly, his words showing he had given up trying to fight it as he watched a snowflake land on his finger. It was beautiful for a second, but then it was gone, which reminded him how long winter would last.

He smiled a little as he watched the snowflake melt on his skin, a soft mix of hot and cold. Yasushi stood at the same old crosswalk, the world around him a little out of focus with soft colors and quiet sounds. It was there, in the middle of the ordinary, everyday scene, that he saw her — someone he'd seen the day before.

She came up next to him, and he didn't see her at first, but after a few seconds, he knew she was there. They looked at each other without saying a word, like a picture frozen in time while the world went on like normal around them.

There was something recognizable in how they looked at each other, like they were silently talking about things they both remembered but hadn't said out loud.

When the crosswalk light turned green, breaking the quiet of their thoughts, they turned away from each other and walked together across the street.

"Did you get any messages about yesterday?" Yasushi asked as they walked onto the crosswalk.

"No," Jingliu said, her tone showing a mix of not caring and being distant. "I'm still new, so I don't have many people added yet. I thought there'd be a lot of requests, so I went ahead and accepted them. But I didn't think it'd get around so fast."

"That's just how it is here. Also, I think I know who's doing this."

"Me too," Jingliu cut in, her voice showing a little bit of disgust. "It's not hard to guess. I turned him down, and he couldn't take it. So, he decided to get some thugs to scare me. How sad. If he's going to act like that, I might as well do the same back."

Her words had a disturbing undertone, a combination of resistance and a readiness to play the same game of using people and throwing their weight around. It showed a darker part of Jingliu.

"I wouldn't do that," Yasushi warned, his tone showing he was worried. "Jishiha has a lot of influence and money. Trying to fight him legally, especially after what happened with those three punks, could be really hard."

Jingliu smiled slightly at Yasushi's warning. "I have my own ways of getting things done, you know. If they want to go to court, I'm ready. My parents have successful businesses, and I've had my own since I was nine, making money without even trying. My aunt takes care of it now since I'm still young, but I'm the one who started it," she said, her words showing both pride and strong will.

"Also," Jingliu said, looking at Yasushi, "you still have that recording, right? It proves I was defending myself."

"Some people might see it another way, since things got pretty intense," Yasushi said, thinking carefully about what it meant. "But if you play it right, you could definitely get people on your side."

They kept talking as they walked, going back to what had happened the day before. They both thought it was weird but also nice that they could talk so easily, as if all the stress and questions from before had just disappeared into the cold air. As they got closer to the school, Jingliu sped up a little, quietly showing that they should stop talking until they were somewhere more private.

Yasushi agreed to her unspoken wish, walking quietly for a few seconds until someone suddenly put an arm around his shoulder and shouted, "Dude! Were you with the Ice Princess?"

Yasushi looked confused as he tried to understand what was going on. "Ice princess?" he repeated, his tone showing he was both amused and wanting to know more.

"It's the name everyone's using for Jingliu since last night," Furuya said with a smile, sharing the news with some excitement. "Someone said it as a joke, and now it's stuck. After what happened at school and later, it really made an impact on everyone."

When they got to their lockers, Furuya changed the subject, his tone teasing. "So, you and Jingliu are getting close, huh?"

Yasushi shook his head, showing he was tired of the subject, and a little annoyance came into his voice. "We just happened to walk to school together today and talk. That doesn't mean we're best friends. And seriously, isn't that name a little… mean?"

"You're thinking about it too much," Furuya said, brushing it off, although a little sadness went into his words. "Everyone has a name like that. Me? I'm… I'm the King of Simps," he mumbled, his tone showing he was making fun of himself.

Yasushi couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well, after what happened, it's not too surprising."

After changing their shoes for indoor slippers, they walked quickly to their classroom. When they walked in, they saw Jingliu sitting calmly with her eyes closed, in her own world. But, a lot of people in the room were still looking at her, and you could feel that they were both curious and impressed.

Furuya leaned in and whispered as they got to Yasushi's desk, "She's still something to look at, isn't she?"

"You could say that," Yasushi replied, getting his books and sitting down with a sigh. "But is everyone just going to stare at her all day?"

Furuya's easy answer was, "Yep."

Yasushi shook his head, not really believing it. "It's pretty bad," he said quietly, looking around the room as more students came in, always looking at Jingliu. But, before it could get too quiet and he could think about it more, an announcement came over the speakers, breaking the quiet in the classroom.

The sudden crackle from the speakers cut through the quiet feeling in the classroom.

"Jingliu Yang from 2-B, please come to the principal's office. I repeat, Jingliu Yang—"

The sudden announcement made everyone look at Jingliu, who opened her eyes for a second, quickly looked at Yasushi, and then got up and left the room, leaving everyone feeling tense.

"Dude, what's happening?" Furuya asked, confused, turning to Yasushi for answers, but before Yasushi could speak, another announcement came over the speakers.

"Yasushi Futakao from 2-B, please come to the principal's office. I repeat, Yasushi Futakao—"

Furuya looked as shocked as the other students, and now they were all staring at Yasushi as he sighed, showing he had given up. He got up from his desk and said, "I guess it's my turn."

"Dude, wait! What's going on?" Furuya asked quickly, his question echoing through the room as Yasushi left, not saying anything, which made the mystery even bigger. It wasn't the right time to try to explain things quickly, not when the seriousness of being called to the principal's office was like a silent threat hanging over them.

+-+

Yasushi walked into the principal's office, where you could feel the stress, like a storm getting ready to happen. A teacher stood there and quietly led him in, and Yasushi saw Jingliu, Jishiha, and the three punks from the day before, all standing in front of the principal's desk.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get started," the principal said, his tone steady as he organized papers on his desk. "These young men have come to us about something that happened with the new student, Jingliu Yang."

He looked at Jingliu, who was standing with her eyes closed, her expression impossible to read.

"They say they were just hanging out near a bakery when Jingliu supposedly attacked them," the principal went on, his words hinting at something more. "Jingliu, do you have anything to say about these claims?"

"That's just not true, it's all lies," Jingliu shot back, her voice showing she wasn't backing down.

The principal leaned forward, his attitude subtly suggesting he was likely to believe her, since the three punks weren't exactly known for being honest. "Do you have any proof to back up your claim that they're lying?" he asked, his tone showing a little doubt mixed with curiosity.

With a mocking smile, Jingliu said, "Think about it — three guys known for causing trouble, and me, the new girl. Doesn't this sound like an old, tired plot from a cartoon or show?"

A small smile appeared on the principal's face, recognizing the irony. "Yeah, it does sound like something you've heard before," he admitted, looking at her with a hint of amusement. "But, we're dealing with real life here, not a made-up story. Do you have real proof to support what you're saying?"

Jingliu's eyes got sharper as she answered, "The security cameras in the store and on the street. I saw a few of them around there. One of them has to have caught what really happened."

"We've already contacted the store and asked about the street cameras, but sadly, their recordings from that day were messed up, which is a pretty weird coincidence," the principal explained, frowning. "They told us it's not unusual, so we can't get any more proof from them."

At the same time, Jishiha watched Jingliu with a knowing smile, feeling like he had a chance to hurt her growing popularity and maybe cause her legal problems.

After a careful pause, Jingliu announced, "…I do have one last piece of proof." Everyone looked at Yasushi, who sighed inside, realizing it was his turn to step up and help her. He knew how important this moment was and how crucial it was to help Jingliu at this point.