08 – Just Stop Already

(Sena POV)

“No, that’s not it. I’ve come to settle everything.”

I said that to my ex-boyfriend—no, to Hinno-san.

“Huh? Settle everything? You damn bitch… If you keep talking nonsense like that—”

“—December 24th.”

“Huh?”

“December 24, 2023… You confessed your feelings to me.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“I refused, but you used the fact that you helped my father, who lost his job, as leverage and, along with your friends, pressured me into being with you, didn’t you?”

“W-what? What are you talking about, Sena? You accepted it, didn’t you?”

Hinno-san glared at me, his words filled with anger.

His words weren’t just lies.

He was threatening me, saying that if we talked about it any further, he’d retaliate.

But I continued speaking, knowing full well what that meant.

“I refused your confession. But, since you threatened me, I had no choice but to go out with you.”

That was when he had snapped after his confession was rejected and had come at me with his friends.

At that time, I managed to escape before losing something important, but in the end, I dated him.

That’s because he threatened to “expose my father’s bad reputation to his parents.”

“Ha ha ha, Sena, have you finally lost it? Your father got a job at my dad’s company. If you keep acting up, I’ve got ways to deal with you, too.”

Just like that day, I was threatened.

I clenched my trembling hands tightly.

“You really think you can keep me under your control forever?”

“Huh?”

“My father has already quit working for your father’s company. So, I’m no longer obligated to be threatened by you.”

“What did you say?”

“If you promise never to interfere with me or Eito-san again, I will vow not to tell anyone about this incident.”

Please, just back down here.

I don’t want to show Eito-san any more of my shrewd self.

But my plea was immediately shattered.

“Ha ha ha! So, if I stay away from you, you’ll keep quiet about everything that’s happened? Who’s going to believe that, you b*tch?”

“Then you know what will happen next, don’t you?”

“No, you’re alone… even with that gloomy otaku guy, you’re only two. We’re seven here. Now, who do you think they’ll listen to?”

“…”

It was clear that reasoning with them was useless.

As I struggled to figure out what to do next, he threw a bombshell.

“And we also have these photos, you know?”

He said as he casually pulled out his smartphone—

“?!”

Displayed on the screen was a photo of me changing clothes.

It seemed to have been taken by a hidden camera, with other students also changing visible in the background.

The girls’ changing room is strictly off-limits to boys at any time.

In other words, one of his female accomplices must have installed the hidden camera.

“I had this prepared just in case. So, what’ll it be? If you give up here, I might let you off with just walking around naked in the middle of the night.”

“You scum…”

“Tch, keep talking. But if you don’t hurry, I’ll spread these photos along with your address and name all over the internet.”

It might be over.

“…I understand.”

“Ha, so you’re just a mouthy bitch after all. And that otaku guy is still hiding. It’s really pissing me off.”

He reached out to grab me by the collar. I was helplessly lifted off the ground.

“Maybe I’ll just beat up that otaku guy later too.”

I could no longer afford any leniency.

I used my arms to pin his arms, which were gripping my collar—

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

I tightened my grip forcefully.

He fell to the ground, and the shock caused the smartphone he was holding in his left hand to slip out of his grasp.