Lunch break.
Finally, lunch arrived.
After checking in with Suzu, Kaede and Saki Yoshida left the classroom to find Saki's friend.
Standing outside the room, Saki pulled out her phone to message her friend.
Kaede looked up at the class sign... Class 2-1.
"You'd better hurry—"
"Kaede Hoshizuki, did you come all this way just to see me?"
The "accident" happened sooner than expected.
Before Kaede could finish her sentence, Karen Okiura's voice rang in her ear.
Saki's friend happened to be in the same class as Karen.
Kaede turned her head and rolled her eyes at Karen, ignoring her.
Karen was like a loyal puppy in front of Rin, even willing to drink his pee, but at school, she was as arrogant as ever.
Wait... her value is only -19?
Being such a sub, Kaede thought her value would be higher. How useless.
Beside Karen stood Shion and a few other lackeys.
A blonde-haired follower, seeing Kaede's rude attitude, barked immediately.
"Hey! Miss Okiura is talking to you! Are you deaf?"
Most of the followers surrounding Karen were children of families or companies associated with her group, or just "socially aware" students.
They wouldn't miss a chance to show their loyalty to the sole heir of the Okiura Group.
Kaede sneered and gave Karen a meaningful look.
"Yeah, I'm deaf. Tell her to speak louder. Or maybe bark like a dog, then I'll hear her."
"!!!!"
Karen's face turned instant crimson...
Didn't we agree to give me some face at school!? You can bully me however you want at home, but at least give me some dignity here!!!
But it wasn't a huge deal. That was how they always interacted.
Others thought Kaede was just insulting her, but Karen knew Kaede was referencing their daily life with Rin.
As Rin's official girlfriend, Kaede often bullied her during parties.
She'd do things like coat her own feet in Rin's fluids and make Karen lick them clean, or make her tongue-clean the spills on the floor.
Karen would get so worked up from licking that she'd climax just by rubbing her legs together without even being touched, making a mess on the floor.
Licking in the front, leaking in the back—ultimately, it was always Shion who had to clean it up.
"Fine, fine. Sorry, President. But I'm not here for trouble. Move aside."
"That's more like it~"
Though Kaede was dismissive, Karen was satisfied and had her lackeys clear a path.
She didn't leave, though; she wanted to see who Kaede was looking for.
If it was a cute girl, she might become a new "companion" in the future.
Being stared at by Karen and her entourage made Saki very uncomfortable.
She instinctively shrank into herself, avoiding their eyes.
She missed her glasses and wished she had sunglasses right now!
Moments later, a girl with a bob cut, hunched shoulders, and a timid posture walked out of the classroom.
Seeing Karen and her group nearby, she didn't even dare to stand up straight.
She looked much like Saki used to—not much better than Bocchi.
"Oh, it's just Wakaba. No wonder."
"That weirdo without any friends."
"Wait, she has a friend now? But she used to be such an outcast."
"I heard she does 'compensated dating' (Enjo-kosai) after school. Stay too close and you'll catch a disease."
"Don't tell me Hoshizuki-san is also..."
The lackeys began to mock the girl, realizing she was the class's most invisible and friendless loner.
"Hey! What the hell are you bastards saying!?"
Kaede didn't hesitate to bark a sharp rebuke, then shot Karen a look.
Karen smirked disdainfully.
"Let's go. We shouldn't hang around people like this. We might catch whatever they have. Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
Karen led her followers away. Saki and her friend both let out a long breath of relief.
"Sorry for causing trouble... I-I'm Sayu Wakaba. I'm sorry for the trouble."
"I'm Kaede Hoshizuki. Just call me Kaede. Ignore them. If they bully you, tell me... Come on, let's go have lunch. I have the keys to the roof; we can sneak up there where no one will find us."
Kaede pulled the two toward the roof.
Only after closing the door and ensuring they were alone did Saki and Sayu truly relax.
"Um... I'm sorry," Sayu apologized again. "Did I get you in trouble?"
"Actually, Karen is a pretty good person. She just acts tough for the sake of her image. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart."
Kaede smiled. "I'm actually on pretty good terms with her. If it weren't for Karen, you probably would have been bullied for real long ago."
As the Okiura heir, Karen had to maintain a strong front or she'd be looked down upon. Some people mistook kindness for weakness.
"Eh? Is... is that true?" Sayu looked at Kaede in shock. "No wonder they... they only say things and never actually do anything."
Sayu had been bullied for real in middle school—shoes thrown away, desks and books vandalized. To Sayu, mere verbal insults were nothing.
"Karen is the one stopping them," Kaede sighed helplessly.
"Also, you're acting way too weak. The more you're afraid of being bullied, the easier a target you become."
"I'm sorry..."
"..."
Kaede was speechless. That habit of reflexively apologizing for everything was exactly what made her a target.
Some people don't need a reason to bully; they just do it because you look like an easy mark.
Kaede looked at the top of Sayu's head.
Although she didn't have a cuckold fetish, Kaede couldn't stand seeing her in this state.
Decision made!
"I'm going to help you transform!"
...
While Kaede, Saki, and Sayu were eating lunch, Karen's followers were also having their meal.
Karen and Shion were eating in the Student Council room.
As an "elite," how could she eat with the lackeys? She had to maintain distance and authority.
Since Karen was in the council room, her followers didn't dare follow.
They found an empty classroom to eat and gossip.
"Tch... Miss Okiura is too kind. Kaede Hoshizuki talks back to her all day and she never punishes her."
"Miss Okiura isn't being kind. It would be disgraceful for the Okiura heir to bully an orphan like Kaede. She's definitely angry but her hands are tied. It would look bad if word got out."
"In that case, how about we give her a lesson ourselves?"
"That might be a bad idea. If Miss Okiura found out you were doing things behind her back, she'd think you're being insubordinate."
A girl with a bob cut, similar to Sayu's, interrupted them. She paused, a flicker of delight crossing her face.
"Miss Okiura never said we couldn't touch Wakaba... It would be so much fun to see such an innocent girl fall into depravity."