Chapter 9 – The Breaking Point

Himari hadn't answered my texts all morning.

A bad feeling gnawed at my chest.

Something was wrong.

I left class early, ignoring the teacher's voice calling after me. I searched the school, my heart pounding. The moment I stepped into the back alley behind the gym, I heard her voice—strained, panicked.

"Let go of me!"

I ran.

And then I saw them.

Ryosuke had her pinned against the wall, his hand gripping her wrist, his other hand forcing her chin up. His lips curled into a twisted smirk.

"You're making this harder than it has to be, Himari," he murmured. "Didn't you enjoy this before? Why are you acting so cold now?"

She struggled, her breath shaky. "Ryosuke—stop—"

He leaned in closer, his grip tightening.

I lost it.

Before I even thought, my fist crashed into his face.

The impact sent him stumbling back, his grip on Himari breaking. She gasped, pressing herself against the wall.

Ryosuke caught himself, wiping the blood from his lip. He blinked in shock before glaring at me.

"The hell—"

I didn't let him finish.

I lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the ground. The dirt kicked up around us.

"You sick bastard," I growled, my fist smashing into his jaw.

He choked out a pained laugh. "So the weakling finally grew a spine?"

I hit him again. Harder.

All the rage, all the helplessness, everything I had bottled up—I let it out.

Blow after blow. Until his smirk was gone. Until his face was a swollen mess.

His breathing turned ragged. "S-Stop…"

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, my voice ice-cold.

"Delete the photo."

He coughed, spitting blood. "Screw… you…"

I slammed him down again.

"I'm not asking," I hissed. "You delete it, or I keep going. Until you're unconscious. Until you're bleeding out. Until you're nothing but a damn corpse."

His whole body stiffened.

I leaned in, my voice lower.

"You think you know me, don't you?" I whispered. "We were friends in high school, yeah… but you have no idea what I did in middle school."

His pupils shrank.

"If you knew," I continued, my grip tightening, "you wouldn't have dared to pull this crap."

For the first time, I saw true fear in his eyes.

His hands trembled as he pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and deleted the photo.

I grabbed the phone and checked. No backups. No tricks.

It was gone.

I tossed the phone back at him. "If I ever see you near Himari again…"

I let the silence stretch.

Ryosuke scrambled up, his hands shaking. He didn't smirk. He didn't talk back. He just ran.

I exhaled, the adrenaline finally fading.

Then I turned to Himari.

She was staring at me, wide-eyed, her lips slightly parted.

I stepped closer, my voice softer now. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she threw her arms around me, burying her face in my chest.

I felt her body tremble, heard the shaky breaths escaping her lips.

I held her tightly.

"It's okay," I whispered. "He won't touch you again."

She gripped my shirt, her voice barely audible.

"…Thank you."

I wanted to believe it was truly over.

But deep down, I knew—this was just the beginning.