Chapter 37: Bully Emperor

"Are you kidding me?" Jiko mutters under his breath, running a hand through his hair.

Rizvan grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You've got quite a reputation now, my friend," he said. "All those sneaky moves on the trip… and you're not denying it, so it must be true. You *did* do something, right?"

"Do *what*?" Jiko asked, confused.

Rizvan raised an eyebrow. "You know… what happens between a man and a woman? After they get married?"

"Hell no!" Jiko exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Rizvan looked at him, one eye half-closed, a knowing look on his face. "That's what I thought. I knew you weren't that kind of guy. So someone's definitely spreading lies."

"Yeah," Jiko mumbled, still a bit shaken.

Rizvan just shrugged. "Welcome to high school, man," he said. "People talk. And rumors? They spread faster than wildfire. But hey," he added, a reassuring pat on Jiko's shoulder, "don't worry about it. I'll take care of this."

Jiko's eyes dart across the room, and sure enough, he catches snippets of hushed conversations—a group of girls whispering at the other end of the room, throwing quick glances his way. His heart sinks, and he realizes this wasn't going to fade quietly. The rumors were already brewing, and it was just a matter of time before they exploded.

By the end of the day, the whispers had exploded into full-blown gossip. The story had spread like wildfire, and Jiko could practically feel the heat radiating off it as he walked through the hallways. When Julie walked into class that afternoon, she immediately knew something was off. The usual friendly greetings from her classmates had turned into awkward silences, and she caught a couple of girls giggling and whispering behind their hands.

A blush crept up Julie's neck and spread across her face. She'd been excited to come back to school after the trip, but now it felt like she was walking into a storm. Without even thinking, she turned sharply and stormed out of the classroom, bumping into desks and shoving the door open. Her backpack swung heavily on her shoulder as she marched down the hallway, her heart pounding with frustration.

Jiko caught sight of her leaving and quickly excused himself from his conversation with a friend. "Julie!" he called out, breaking into a jog. He caught up with her just outside the school building.

She didn't look at him at first. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, a mixture of hurt and frustration etched across her features. Jiko gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and she finally glanced up, eyes bright with tears she was trying hard to suppress.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Jiko's heart broke seeing her like this. "Hey, don't apologize. It's not your fault. These people—" he gestured vaguely toward the school building, "—they love to stir things up. But we're stronger than this."

Julie looked at him, her eyes wide and grateful. "But it's so frustrating. Everyone's talking... it feels like... like I'm being judged."

"It doesn't matter what they think," Jiko said firmly, taking both of her hands in his. "We know what's real. You don't have to let them decide who you are or who we are."

Julie sighed, but her expression softened slightly. "Thank you. I know you've got my back. But I just feel like..." She trailed off, unsure of how to put her feelings into words.

Jiko squeezed her hands gently. "We'll handle it together. No one's going to mess with us. I promise."

—-

Later that afternoon, the tension continued to build, and it wasn't long before Jiko decided to confront the source of the gossip. He knew exactly who was spreading it—the same classmates who had nothing better to do than stir the pot and make lives miserable.

With a calm but determined expression, Jiko marched over to the group that had been whispering earlier. He wasn't going to let this go unnoticed. He wasn't going to let them make Julie feel uncomfortable or ashamed.

"Hey," Jiko said, his voice low but firm enough to grab their attention. The group fell silent, shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.

One of the girls—the same ones who had been gossiping—smirked, clearly emboldened by their shared gossip. "Oh, look who it is. What's up, Jiko?"

"Mind your own business," Jiko snapped, his patience wearing thin. "What Julie and I do—whether we talk, hang out, or go on a school trip—is none of your concern. Keep your mouths shut, or I'll shut them for you."

The group exchanged nervous glances. Someone in the back mumbled something about Jiko's supposed "threat." Jiko wasn't just some random kid; he had Rizvan's backing, and *nobody* messed with Rizvan. He was, after all, the unofficial "Bully Emperor" of the school. Plus, everyone knew Jiko was connected to some kid from another school, a guy known as "Bully Lord James Khan." The rumors about *that* guy were insane—people said he was so tough, not even a hundred guys could take him down. Apparently, James Khan knew every fighting style imaginable.

"I'm serious," Jiko continued. "If I hear one more rumor, if I hear even one more word about Julie, I'm going to make sure you regret it. Got it?"

The students didn't respond immediately. They shuffled awkwardly, unsure how to respond to Jiko's assertiveness. One girl scoffed but quickly caught sight of Jiko's cold glare and faltered.

"I—" one of the boys started to speak, but Jiko cut him off with a steely look.

"Not another word," Jiko said, his tone unmistakably clear. "If you can't be decent and leave Julie alone, then I'll make sure you wish you never said anything."

The group exchanged more nervous glances before deciding it wasn't worth pushing further. Slowly, they dispersed, muttering to each other but keeping their distance. Jiko turned and walked back toward Julie, his chest rising with a mixture of relief and determination.

"Did you have to do that?" Julie asked, her brow furrowed in concern as she approached.

"Yes," Jiko said firmly, without a moment's hesitation. He even repeated what he'd said during the Daniel incident: "Nobody—*absolutely* nobody—gets to talk about you like that."

For the rest of the day, Jiko's boldness became the talk of the school, though the reactions were mixed. Some admired his courage to stand up for Julie, while others whispered behind his back, questioning whether he had gone too far. But Jiko didn't care.