Beep... Beep... Beep...
Haruno Kasui listened nervously to the ringing of the call.
Haruno Kasui now hated Anjou Takaya with all her heart for trying to drug and assault her.
And if she wanted to accuse him, Ayaka's testimony as a witness would naturally be very important.
So she was extremely nervous.
At last, the call connected.
["Hello? Kasumi-chan? Shouldn't you be having a great time right now? How come you've got time to call me? Did Anjou-senpai want to play that thing where you do it while talking on the phone?"], Ayaka's teasing laughter came through as soon as she answered.
Haruno Kasui froze, confused, "Ayaka, what are you talking about? Having a great time? What thing?"
Ayaka laughed suggestively, ["Haha! At a time like this, stop pretending to be innocent, Kasumi-chan. Didn't you just do it with Anjou-senpai?"]
["So? It felt amazing, didn't it? Anjou-senpai's really good. The size of his thing ranks near the top among all the guys I've seen."]
["At a time like this, why are you still pretending to be some pure little girl? I bet you've already fallen for it, body and soul. Hahaha!"]
Apparently imagining the formerly innocent Haruno Kasui being dragged down into the same world, Ayaka laughed without restraint on the other end of the call.
After hearing all that, Haruno Kasui finally understood what her "good friend" was talking about.
She gripped her phone tightly and couldn't help snapping back.
"I... I haven't fallen for anything! You're the one who's fallen, Ayaka!"
Although Ayaka vividly described just how impressive Anjou Takaya supposedly was, Haruno Kasui still felt that scumbag probably wasn't even half as capable as Hikari.
'Hikari-kun's... Is the truly terrifying one.'
After all, she'd seen it clearly while he was helping remove the effects of the drug.
'No! No!'
'Why am I thinking about something like that now? There are more important things to deal with!'
Blushing, Haruno Kasui secretly glanced at the calm Hikari standing beside her, then quickly shook her head several times to drive those strange thoughts away before continuing.
"Ayaka, Anjou Takaya put drugs in my drink just now and tried to take advantage of me. You saw it, didn't you?"
"I'm going to report him to the police. Please testify for me."
She briefly explained the situation.
But after hearing her, the other end of the line fell into an odd silence.
More than thirty seconds passed, and Haruno Kasui was starting to grow impatient.
Only then did Ayaka finally speak again.
["S-So something like that happened? Anjou-senpai actually... actually drugged you? I didn't know... I didn't know anything about that!"]<
Her voice, now slightly trembling, immediately tried to distance herself from everything.
With her simple personality, Haruno Kasui didn't suspect anything.
She simply pleaded, "Ayaka, you came to the KTV with us. You must have noticed what Anjou Takaya was doing. Come to the police station with us and testify for me."
The moment Ayaka heard that, the girl who had always called herself Haruno Kasui's "best friend" reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
["What does that have to do with me? Why should I testify for you?"]
["It has nothing to do with me! Nothing at all!"]
["All I did was invite you guys to sing karaoke! Whatever happened between the two of you has absolutely nothing to do with me!"]
["If there's some problem between you and Anjou-senpai, solve it yourselves. It has nothing to do with me. I have no obligation whatsoever to testify for you!"]
Hearing Ayaka's sudden outburst, Haruno Kasui's eyes widened.
"H-How can you say that, Ayaka? W-We're friends, aren't we?"
She had never expected this answer after making the call.
Her heart slowly sank.
But what came next was even more unimaginable.
Her "good friend" sneered.
["Of course we're friends. But as a friend, you shouldn't drag me into this mess."]
["If you really think of me as your friend, then don't involve me in whatever dirty business happened between you and Anjou Takaya."]
["I don't know exactly what happened between you two, but here's a piece of friendly advice. Don't be too greedy. Don't overestimate what your body is worth. Getting a good price for your first time is already pretty good."]
Apparently, Ayaka believed Haruno Kasui and Anjou Takaya had fallen out because they couldn't agree on the "price."
Realizing what she meant, Haruno Kasui immediately became anxious.
"There wasn't anything between me and Anjou Takaya! He tried to assault me! I just want to report him to the police!"
Ayaka let out a cold laugh.
["Do whatever you want. Just don't drag me into it."]
["But since we're friends, let me give you one more piece of advice. The police can't solve everything."]
["Anjou Takaya's family has power and influence. You'd better be careful not to provoke someone you can't afford to offend."]
After saying that, Ayaka hung up.
She had no idea why Anjou Takaya's plan had failed.
She had clearly drugged Haruno Kasui. Yet Anjou Takaya couldn't even handle a high school girl. He was becoming more and more useless.
In any case, she wanted nothing to do with this.
Testifying? Forget it.
What benefit would she get from testifying for Haruno Kasui, this so-called friend?
All it would do was make Anjou Takaya resent her.
There was no way she was doing that.
Meanwhile, after hearing Ayaka's words, Haruno Kasui gripped her phone so tightly that her fair face turned red with anger.
She truly hadn't expected... that after making this call, her "good friend" would refuse to testify for her.
She had even warned her on Anjou Takaya's behalf.
But she was the victim.
Why was it that when Anjou Takaya drugged her and tried to assault her, he didn't have to worry about any consequences...
Yet when she wanted to call the police and bring him to justice, she had to worry about his family's influence?
Tears welled up in the corners of Haruno Kasui's eyes.
By now, she was beginning to understand.
The scenes she'd seen before losing consciousness hadn't been hallucinations caused by the drug.
Anjou Takaya was a beast.
And her "good friend" Ayaka clearly wasn't any better.
She had probably played a part in drugging her too.
But the most important thing now was making the mastermind, Anjou Takaya, pay first.
Although the phone call hadn't produced the result she'd wanted, it instead awakened the stubborn determination deep inside her.
Feeling the lingering effects of the drug still in her body, the girl forced herself to stand on her still-weak legs.
"I'm going to the police station! I'm going to make that scumbag go to prison!"
Seeing the determined girl, who could barely stand steadily despite still feeling unwell, Hikari reached out to support her.
"Even if your 'friend' refuses to testify, you're still going to report him?", he asked.
Haruno Kasui nodded firmly.
"Yes! Even if Ayaka won't testify, there has to be drug residue left in the drink. That physical evidence should be enough to prove what Anjou Takaya was trying to do. I have to send him to prison. I can't let him hurt anyone else."
Hikari raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He hadn't expected that she wasn't just seeking revenge for herself.
She also wanted to prevent him from victimizing others.
"I'll come with you. I can at least count as a witness. Besides, you're still having trouble walking."
"Hikari-kun..."
Haruno Kasui turned toward him, her eyes growing moist again.
The "best friend" she'd placed all her hopes on had refused to help.
Instead, it was Hikari, someone she barely knew, who was willing to stand by her.
Looking into his calm black eyes, the girl's heart seemed to skip a beat.
But remembering everything that had just happened between them, she hurriedly turned her blushing face away.
Embarrassed by those memories, Haruno Kasui didn't say anything more, and neither did Hikari.
After straightening the clothes that had become disheveled while removing the effects of the drug, the two left the KTV restroom one after the other.
———
Back in the private room, Anjou Takaya, who had taken Hikari's devastating kick between the legs, was still lying on the floor with foam at the mouth.
Not knowing the kind of pain he had gone through, Haruno Kasui tried to wake him.
"Anjou Takaya! Anjou Takaya!"
But no matter how the girl called out, he lay there like a dead pig.
"I'll do it."
Hikari gestured for Haruno Kasui to step aside, then filled a basin with water in the restroom.
Before bringing it out, he dipped his hand into the water and used a bit of the Snow Woman ability he'd obtained from Yukino Fuyu.
A chilling mist immediately rose from the surface.
Splash!
Without the slightest hesitation, Hikari dumped the entire basin of ice-cold water over Anjou Takaya.
The bone-chilling cold struck him, making him feel as though he were freezing to death.
Finally, Anjou Takaya woke up.
"Ahhhh!"
With a scream, he opened his eyes again.
The moment Hikari's towering figure came into view, Anjou Takaya shuddered.
Even the freezing water wasn't as chilling as seeing Hikari's face.
"Y-You... what are you trying to do...", Anjou Takaya curled up, trembling as he looked at Hikari.
Hikari casually kicked him in the butt.
"To the police station."
Standing nearby, Haruno Kasui nodded as well.
"That's right! You're coming to the police station with us! I'm going to have the police arrest a scumbag like you!"
Seeing Haruno Kasui's lovely face, still faintly flushed, Anjou Takaya couldn't help feeling a little unwilling.
He wondered if Hikari had benefited from the drug he'd prepared.
But his mind and body were no longer on the same page.
After the crushing blow to his crotch and the freezing water, there wasn't a trace of passion left in him.
He didn't even dare look at Haruno Kasui for more than a moment, afraid of making Hikari unhappy.
Instead, he looked at Hikari with complete submission.
After hearing what Hikari and Haruno Kasui said, Anjou Takaya, who had been tense and nervous moments ago, visibly relaxed.
He nodded frantically like a pecking chicken.
"Okay! Okay! Let's go to the police station! Let's go!"
Haruno Kasui blinked in surprise at how cooperative he was.
She had expected this to be difficult, just like trying to persuade Ayaka to testify.
After all, why would a scumbag like Anjou Takaya willingly admit guilt?
Yet not only did he not resist, he was unexpectedly cooperative.
She couldn't make sense of it.
What Haruno Kasui didn't know was that the moment Anjou Takaya heard they were going to the police station, he had breathed a huge sigh of relief.
She hadn't seen what happened earlier in the private room.
Hikari had stormed in and beaten him without warning.
Not only had he completely destroyed his manhood, but the way he looked at him, as though he were nothing more than livestock, had terrified him to the core.
Unable to figure out Hikari's background, Anjou Takaya felt he was an utterly unpredictable madman who might suddenly pull out a knife and kill him at any moment.
Compared to staying behind to be dealt with by Hikari, he'd much rather go to the police station.
Besides, going to the police station was practically routine for him.
His family had connections there.
Going inside was like going home.
What was there to be afraid of?
With that thought, Anjou Takaya quickly climbed to his feet.
Although he still limped from the pain between his legs, he walked in front with his head held high, as if he were the leader of the group.
Seeing that attitude, Haruno Kasui frowned slightly.
Something about it made her uncomfortable.
It didn't feel right.
Hikari, however, said nothing.
———
Before long, the three of them arrived at the nearest police station.
After Haruno Kasui explained the situation to the officer on duty, Anjou Takaya was quickly taken into custody.
"That's basically what happened. Anjou Takaya put drugs in my drink at the KTV and tried to assault me..."
Hikari stood nearby, watching as Haruno Kasui gave her statement to the officer.
The young officer recorded everything seriously, handling it in a strictly professional manner.
But after hearing the name "Anjou Takaya" mentioned several times, a chubby middle-aged police inspector who had been idly slacking off nearby seemed to think of something.
His eyes darted around before he walked into the neighboring room.
In a nearby interrogation room, Anjou Takaya sat with one hand cuffed, looking meek and obedient.