Sister Long could be said to rule the roost at the supermarket.
It wasn't just Ichiko; other employees also had more or less some complaints. They were often ordered to work overtime, and their wages would be deducted if any accidents occurred. Her personality was as harsh as her face shape.
In private, the employees didn't shy away from badmouthing her, yet no one really dared to completely fall out with her.
Li Ran was considered the one with the best temper.
Even when she usually badmouthed Sister Long, it was relatively subtle, so why would she directly say'serves her right'?
Sister Long was a bit excessive normally, but it wasn't to this extent, right?
Ichiko quickly pressed for details.
Li Ran said with a face full of displeasure, 'Like you, Mimi, I thought that person was just a bit harsh at most. Later, when the police came to investigate, guess what happened?'
Kai, standing nearby, interjected with a curious blink, 'What happened?'
Li Ran said, 'That person usually deducts our wages and makes things difficult for us, but she even sold our information outside!'
'You remember when we first came to the supermarket, right? We all signed contracts. That Long Mian not only tampered with the contracts, but all the personal information we filled out was taken by her and sold online!'
'We're lucky. My dad is a director at the school, and this street is under his jurisdiction. Mimi, you have Inari and Shin looking out for you, so Long Mian wouldn't dare do anything to us.'
'I don't know where Long Mian got it, but she actually used Yunyun and their information to borrow hundreds of thousands. Only after the investigation did we find out that those debt collectors had already gone to Yunyun and their hometowns to threaten them!'
Li Ran felt a sense of dread just thinking about it. The hand gripping the suitcase handle tightened unconsciously. 'This scum should just be stabbed to death!'
After speaking, she covered her mouth again and gave an awkward smile.'Sorry, I spoke without thinking. If she died, Rito Chengzi would be arrested.'
Arrested...
But Haruko is already gone!
Ichiko pursed her lips. Her mood, which had been relatively good after chatting with Kai, suddenly became heavy.
She knew Yunyun. She was a very timid girl who didn't even dare to make eye contact when speaking to others.
She was also the girl who called her last time and said Haruko went to the store and caused trouble.
So, did Haruko go to see Sister Long because she already knew about this?
No, that was just her yandere side. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Regardless, Teacher was also hurt by her on the same day!
Li Ran saw that Ichiko's expression was a bit off and asked with concern, 'Mimi, are you alright?'
'Huh?' Ichiko quickly snapped back and smiled. 'I was spaced out. I'm fine. How are Yunyun and the others now, and how will they repay that loan?'
'Long Mian and her uncle were dealt with together. A lot of ill-gotten gains were found, just enough to pay back Yunyun and the others. It's just the information leakage part that's a bit hard to explain.'
It wasn't just Yunyun; her and Ichiko's various information had also been leaked long ago.
Although there are no secrets to speak of on the internet now, and information leakage is even more common, being sold like that still makes people extremely uncomfortable.
Li Ran angrily cursed a few more times before changing the subject. 'Oh, right, Mimi, how is Rito Chengzi now? Although she injured someone, she also exposed Long Mian's crimes. She should be alright, right?'
At the mention of Haruko, Ichiko's body stiffened again.
No one noticed that Kai, standing nearby, subtly raised the corner of her mouth, watching Ichiko's uncomfortable and heavy expression as if watching a show.
She stepped forward and said with a smile to smooth things over, 'Alright, Haruko is fine, of course. Inari is looking out for her.'
Li Ran asked again, 'Where is she then?'
This time, Kai didn't answer for Ichiko, but instead gently bumped Ichiko's arm with her shoulder.
Ichiko forced a smile. 'Haruko... she's sick and in the hospital.'
'Oh, I see. It's good as long as she's alright.'
Li Ran noticed Ichiko's expression wasn't right and wisely didn't continue speaking. After raising her hand to look at her watch, her face suddenly showed panic.
'Ahhh, we talked for too long! I'm going to miss my train! I'll head off first. See you next semester, Mimi, bye-bye!'
She immediately picked up her suitcase and started running.
Even though Ichiko gently waved goodbye behind her, she still didn't turn back.
It was like a good friend was gradually drifting away because of her mistake.
Kai clasped her hands behind her back, bowed slightly, turned her head to look at Ichiko's profile, and said with regret, 'I remember you telling me, right? That after your Haruko became yandere, she went to the store and caused trouble. Now it seems she didn't do anything bad.'
'If this hadn't happened, you and everyone else would have been kept in the dark, and you wouldn't even know how you were eventually sold out. As long as Sister Long resigned and disappeared, you would inexplicably be burdened with huge debts.'
'If Inari helps you pay back the money, you wouldn't have to worry, but what about the other part-time classmates?'
'You also complained, right? That she interfered with your life and disrupted your peace, so you didn't like that kind of yandere.'
Kai spoke sentence after sentence, making the girl unable to look up.
She pursed her lips, as if unconvinced, and also as if trying to excuse herself. 'Haruko... she just stumbled upon this matter by accident. She even injured my Teacher, just because of a phone call.'
As she spoke, she suddenly looked up. 'Kai, you don't know the situation back then at all. Haruko locked me up and kept pressuring me, and then because my Teacher called me to ask if I had finished my paper...'
Kai: 'And then?'
'Then I just grumbled that I felt so annoyed, and as a result, Haruko went out while I was tired and asleep!'
Ichiko spread her hands. 'Even though my Teacher was rushing me and giving me pressure, she was thinking of me! She guided me on all sorts of things and taught me how to write papers to be published in academic journals. At the time, she told me clearly...'
'...that she felt I had a lot of potential, so she would guide me diligently, but this process would be a bit tiring.'
'I agreed. I knew she was doing it for my own good. Looking at it more directly, Teacher was actually paving the way for me!'
She was a little anxious. It wasn't that she wanted to blame Haruko.
She just wanted to use this to alleviate the shame and burden in her heart after Haruko's death.
——Haruko's yandere behavior would ruin her own life.
Wasn't it reasonable that I was afraid before?
Anyone else would be afraid too, wouldn't they?
All that talk about yandere love being unique is just from people online who haven't experienced it!
They have no idea how terrifying that kind of pressure is.
She also just... just wanted to prove that she wasn't actually wrong either.
This was completely a subconscious protection mechanism after losing composure.
Avoiding responsibility is also the norm for most people.
Kai sighed from the side, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. 'But, no matter the outcome, your Haruko did that for you, didn't she?'
'It's just that you couldn't accept her extremism.'
'I...'
Ichiko hesitated to speak, but in the end, she didn't refute Kai's words.
Kai lowered her head and looked at her phone. 'There's still some time. Do you want to go see your Teacher?'
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