Chapter 21: Your Mom Was a Bad Girl

Akira grabbed Riku Takanashi's crew-cut head and slammed a fist into his face. Just as he was about to land another punch, Director Takakura rushed over and wrapped his arms around him from behind. With no choice, Akira stopped.

Seeing both bullies sobbing quietly and covering their faces without daring to fight back, Shizuka Miyamura finally relaxed.

Nishimiya Yaeko rushed forward, clutching Yuzuru tightly. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"It's nothing. My hand just stings a little," Shizuka shrugged, brushing it off like it was no big deal. She fished out her phone and began dialing.

Daiki Miyamura stood on the rooftop of his office building, a cigarette dangling from his fingers as he watched the traffic below. His phone buzzed. Curious, he glanced at the caller ID—Shizuka. Without thinking, he picked up.

"Hey, what's up, honey?"

"Come to Akira's kindergarten."

Alarm bells went off in Daiki's head. "Wait—you didn't hit the teacher, did you?!"

"What are you even thinking? I just dealt with two problem parents."

"…Okay then. I'll head over now." He was about to hang up when a thought struck him. "You didn't kill them, right?!"

Shizuka chuckled. "What do you take me for? Just a couple of slaps."

Hearing the subtle menace behind her calm voice, Daiki felt a chill. He laughed awkwardly, "Haha, right, right. I'm on my way."

He ended the call, took a deep puff of his cigarette, then crushed it out in the ashtray and headed downstairs.

Back at the infirmary, Shizuka turned to the two women whose sons had been involved—Takeo Matsuura's and Riku Takanashi's mothers—both still cradling their faces. "So," Shizuka said coolly, "do you want to settle this privately, or should we call the police?"

Before they could reply, she continued, "Let me be clear. A private settlement will cost 500,000 yen, plus your medical bills. If we go to the police, all you'll get is compensation for your injuries. You're housewives—there's no loss of wages—and it's just a few slaps."

Riku's mother glared at her and clutched her stomach. "You punched me in the belly!"

Shizuka raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "Right, so your medical bill will be slightly higher than hers."

Takeo's mother quickly grabbed her friend's arm. "Are you really going to call the cops? You'll get maybe 150,000 yen at most. They don't even seem afraid of jail."

Riku's mother weighed her options, then slipped her phone back into her purse without another word.

Satisfied, Shizuka turned to Yaeko. "Yaeko, could you take Shouko and Akira to buy some sandwiches nearby? I want to go myself, but these two won't let me out of their sight."

Yaeko chuckled at Shizuka's mischievous tone, shook her head, then handed Yuzuru over to her and left with the kids.

Director Takakura gently set Akira down. "Go play with Shouko now," he said, seeing that the situation had calmed. With that, he quietly took his leave.

Teachers Yoshinaga and Ueo tried to calm the crying boys. Ueo gently patted Shouko's head and thought, Akira's mother is definitely not someone to mess with…

Shizuka, holding Yuzuru, called over to Akira. "You okay, sweetie?"

Akira walked up, shaking his head. "I'm not scared. I just suddenly feel like kissing you might be dangerous."

Shizuka smiled tightly, gritted her teeth, and gave him a light pat on the head. "You little brat…"

About five minutes later, Yaeko returned with convenience store sandwiches. She handed them out, but Teachers Yoshinaga and Ueo politely declined. Akira took one sandwich from Shouko and began feeding it to her himself.

Half an hour passed before Daiki Miyamura arrived, briefcase in hand. He greeted Yaeko and the teachers before pulling out two documents and handing them to the mothers.

"Since we're settling this privately, please sign the agreement. I'll transfer the money immediately."

He glanced toward Shouko lying on the infirmary bed. The bruises on her body pained him. Thankfully, Shizuka didn't go too far this time…

When Yaeko overheard the settlement was coming entirely from the Miyamura family, she quickly stood. "No, no! We're responsible too. We can't let you pay everything."

Shizuka, still holding Yuzuru, shot Daiki a look. He quickly raised a hand to stop Yaeko. "This was Shizuka's fight, so it's our responsibility."

"But—" Yaeko began.

Shizuka interrupted gently, "It's fine. Things are tough for you already. Use that money to buy something nice for my little Yuzuru."

Eventually, unable to win the argument, Shizuka reluctantly wrote Yaeko an IOU for 50,000 yen. But Yaeko insisted that wasn't enough, and the two began bickering about the amount.

Daiki wisely stayed out of it. He walked over to Akira and began checking him for injuries.

Akira squirmed at the sudden attention. "Dad, why does it feel like… you're used to getting beaten by Mom?"

Daiki chuckled. "You're still too young to understand. Let's just say… your mom used to be the queen of the local delinquents. If I hadn't tamed her with my manly charm, she'd probably be out there brawling on the streets."

Just as he reached to ruffle Akira's hair, he felt a strong tug on the back of his collar.

"Who did you say was tamed by who?"

Shizuka's voice was low and dangerous.

Daiki immediately raised both hands. "I, I, I—I was the one tamed! I was tamed!"

Shizuka scoffed, then smoothed his wrinkled shirt and hugged him from behind. In a quiet voice, she whispered, "Thanks."

Daiki couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

Akira watched the affectionate scene unfold between his parents. The corner of his mouth twitched. "…I'm going to play with Shouko now."

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Shout out to Victor Gonzalez, Jayden, and Qsk for joining my p-atreon! Thank you so much!!