Chapter 56: The Price of a Slap
As Ren walked out of the classroom, the guards moved aside like shadows retreating from the light. One rookie guard instinctively reached for his baton to follow Ren, but his veteran partner grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back with a terrified grip.
"Are you insane?" the veteran hissed. "That's a Vaner. They can kill a civilian for a 'minor reason' and walk away without a scratch. If you want to stay alive, you stay right here."
Ren didn't hear them. His focus was entirely on the heavy mahogany door at the end of the top-floor hallway. The gold lettering on the door read: PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.
Without knocking, Ren kicked the door open.
Inside, the Principal was leaning over his desk, sliding a diamond ring onto his wife's—the Math teacher's—finger. The romantic moment was shattered by the thunderous crack of a gunshot.
BANG!
The teacher let out a piercing scream, clutching her hand as blood began to seep between her fingers. The bullet had grazed her palm, sending the ring flying across the room.
"You! Are you mad?!" the Principal roared, standing up. "GUARDS! GUARDS!"
"This was the hand, wasn't it?" Ren's voice was cold, devoid of any human emotion. "The hand you used to slap my sister in front of everyone."
The teacher looked up at Ren, her face pale with shock and pain. Before the Principal could move, Ren lunged forward. The Principal tried to intercept him, but Ren delivered a brutal kick to his chest, sending the man flying backward until he crashed into the water cooler, shattering the plastic tank and drenching the floor.
Ren holstered his revolver and grabbed the teacher by her hair, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I'm going to show you exactly how a slap feels."
SLAP. SLAP. SLAP.
Ren didn't stop. He slapped her repeatedly, each strike fueled by the memory of Hana's tears. By the time he let go, the teacher's face was swollen, her skin a deep, angry red. Blood trickled from her mouth and nose, staining her expensive blouse.
The Principal struggled to stand, his clothes soaked. He looked at Ren, his arrogance replaced by pure terror. "W-Who are you? Please... just leave her alone. What did we ever do to you?"
"I am Ren," he replied, his voice a low growl. "Keep your wife on a leash. She touched my sister... this time I'm leaving her alive. Next time, I won't be so generous. And if you want to report this? Go ahead. I don't fear people like you."
Kimo's Residence: Same Time
Kimo sat in his living room, his face illuminated by the holographic screen of his tablet. Mina was sitting beside him, her breathing finally steady. Kimo pulled up a high-definition photo of Ren from the Academy files and showed it to her.
"Is this him, Mina? Is this the boy who saved you?"
Mina looked at the photo, and a small, genuine smile touched her lips. "Yes, Dad. That's Ren."
Kimo nodded, but his expression remained grim. He activated the tracking software linked to the chip in Ren's neck. Not only did it show his location at the school, but it also allowed Kimo to tap into a nearby security feed.
Kimo and Mina watched in stunned silence as the footage played out—Ren breaking into the office, kicking the Principal, and the brutal, methodical way he punished the teacher.
"Ren..." Kimo whispered, his eyes wide with shock. "What have you done?"
Mina gasped, covering her mouth. She had seen Ren as a hero, but the person on the screen looked like a cold-blooded executioner. Kimo realized that the "anomaly" he was tracking was far more dangerous than he had initially feared. Ren wasn't just a student; he was a powder keg of suppressed rage.