A Late Bloomer's Powerful Restart ~My Second Life Starts at a Prestigious School Where the Gender Ratio Is Totally Off, and for Some Reason, All These Talented Girls Get Attached to Me...!?~ - Chapter 32: A Desperate Crisis

Chapter 32: A Desperate Crisis

Sasa couldn’t hide her shock after her secret was exposed. The strength drained from her body, and she sank to the floor right there, her legs giving out beneath her.

On top of the devastating shock of having her most hidden past revealed, Sasa also understood that she could not disobey Morozumi’s orders.

“Now then… why don’t you take off your clothes? Oh yes—and do it voluntarily, of course. We haven’t threatened you at all, after all. But if you want us to keep quiet, well… you understand, don’t you?”

“Wha—… stop with the camera!”

Morozumi pointed the smartphone camera straight at Sasa.

She was trying to create visible evidence that would completely silence Sasa forever.

“You were going to record us with a camera too, weren’t you? This is just fair payback, don’t you think?”

Even so, Sasa still had one last way to turn the situation around.

Though her body felt powerless from the shock, this was no time to care about appearances. She was desperate.

“Before coming here, I made a promise to go to Taiki’s room! …If you keep me restrained like this… he’ll come looking for me…!”

At that claim, Morozumi’s face briefly went blank in surprise before she burst out laughing.

“Ahaha… You really are an idiot, aren’t you? If you had just kept quiet and stalled for time, your little hero might have actually come to save you. But you went and spilled it yourself…”

“…Huh?”

“Isn’t that basically begging me to hurry up and get more dirt on you?”

“I-I’m not trying to corner you, Morozumi-san! I just… I just wanted you to stop attacking Mishina-san, that’s all—”

Sasa’s voice gradually grew weaker. Whether from fear for her own safety or because she was starting to lose sight of why she had taken such actions in the first place, her resolve was crumbling.

Mentioning Taiki had clearly been a terrible slip of the tongue… but it wasn’t completely ineffective.

“Riko-san, isn’t it bad if more witnesses show up?”

“If what Kuronoe is saying is true, then maybe…”

While Morozumi remained unshaken, the determination of her followers began to waver.

It almost seemed as though an opening for reversal had appeared… but Morozumi stayed perfectly calm.

Then, in a flat, emotionless tone, she spoke.

“Or what? Did you think only you would have to carry the shame after your shut-in past got exposed? Did you forget there might be consequences for your little brother’s enrollment too?”

“…………Ah”

If it had been a matter that could be settled by sacrificing only herself, she might have chosen that path.

But the mere thought of causing trouble for her younger brother stirred up unbearable anxiety inside her.

Even a recommendation slot isn’t all-powerful.

Adults only ever tell children the convenient parts.

Even if he got into a school thanks to the Kuronoe Group’s influence, the rumors would follow him everywhere.

…And the next target might very well be her little brother—treated the same way Amane Mishina was being treated now.

Those words… finally broke Sasa’s heart completely.

“…I’ll do what you say, so please stop—”

“‘Please stop’… right?”

“Please… stop…”

With trembling hands, she began removing her clothes one piece at a time, letting them fall to the floor.

Even though no one outside was watching, having a camera pointed at her filled her mind with raw, instinctive terror.

Her skin, smooth and beautiful like polished jade, gradually became exposed until she stood there in just her underwear.

Beyond that point, her hands simply refused to move.

“Why did you stop…? Trying to buy time at this point?”

“This… this is as far as… I’ve never even shown this to Dad…”

“No way~ This is a punishment game, remember! By the way… you’re wearing surprisingly sexy underwear, aren’t you? Even without taking it off—fufu.”

With an expression full of cruel pleasure, Morozumi looked down at Sasa with contemptuous eyes.

“Come to think of it… you said you promised to go to a boy’s room, didn’t you? I wonder what exactly you were planning to do wearing such provocative underwear.”

Even if it was simply Sasa’s personal taste, it didn’t matter.

Once a rumor like that started spreading, even Taiki would end up being looked at strangely by everyone.

Riko Morozumi was, without question, a genuine sadist.

“Anyway, you seem to think he’s actually going to show up, but are you sure about that? At this hour, plenty of students are already fast asleep. What if he doesn’t come? Ahaha… haa—”

And so… she delivered another heavy blow.

“If you don’t want rumors spreading about your night with him, you’d better hurry up and get completely naked, shouldn’t you?”

—Suu… haa…!

Sasa painfully realized she had no escape, and she could no longer hold onto sanity.

Seeing Sasa fall into hyperventilation, struggling just to catch her breath, Morozumi finally lost patience.

“Hmph, fine then… First I’ll take a picture of you looking like that—”

Because Sasa was wearing such bold underwear, this alone would already be more than enough leverage.

Thinking that, Morozumi quickly tried to frame the shot with her camera.

But—

“Gah—!! …Wh-why is the front camera on?!”

Caught off guard by the sudden change, Morozumi let out a loud shout… that echoed through the dark school building.

Whether from an operation mistake… Morozumi’s phone had switched to the front camera, and the moment she pressed the shutter, the flash fired straight into her own face.

The classroom had been kept at the bare minimum brightness so no one outside would notice. The flash setting had been her own choice.

“Riko-san!? Are you okay?!”

“Yeah… I guess I messed up because it was so dark.”

“……………”

That might have been the very last chance to turn the tables—but Sasa no longer had any strength left.

She could only stare vacantly at the mishap with lifeless eyes.

Though Morozumi looked slightly flustered for a moment, she quickly rubbed her eyes and regained control of the situation.

Every last move Sasa had was now gone.

From this point on, she would have to walk forever in darkness… Sasa herself understood that, and the tears she had been holding back finally slid down her cheeks.

“Hah… Did you think you were saved? Too bad—there’s no escape for you—”

At that very moment—Glararatt!—the classroom door was violently slid open.

“I finally found you… Sasa…!!”

The one person who could save her had appeared right there.