I Was Blackmailed Into Accepting Bullying Using My Childhood Friend as Leverage, But When I Found Out My Friend and Bully Were Together, I Abandoned All Compassion and Swore to Take Revenge with Everything I Had - Chapter 20: Scum File - Disposal: Mob Characters' Tragedy

Chapter 20: Scum File – Disposal: Mob Characters’ Tragedy

Author’s Note: I’m grateful for the unexpected positive response to the Scum File series and the feedback from so many of you. This particular chapter was originally set aside because it ended up having too much of a comedic tone, but I’m posting it as a bonus. Please enjoy it as a little extra (it’s a bit long).

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Scum Subcharacters: The Worthless Minds of the Principal and Vice Principal

I’ve been in education for 40 years, skillfully navigating through unpleasant senior colleagues and nagging parents, and I’ve finally risen to the position of principal. 

Currently, one of our students is the son of the influential Iketsuki family, who has made significant donations to the school and occasionally offers me a little something on the side. Because of this, I’ve instructed the teachers to be particularly cautious when dealing with Iketsuki-san’s son.

“Good morning, everyone.”

As I entered the staff room, the phones started ringing non-stop. [Riiiiing] “Yes, this is XX High School.” [Riiiiing] “I’ll transfer you to the right department!” [Riiiiing] “There is no student by the name of Fudo at this school.” [Riiiiing] “I assure you, there are no confirmed cases of bullying at our school…”

“…What is going on here!?”

The phones in the staff room were ringing off the hook, causing complete chaos.

“Principal! This is serious! We’ve been receiving non-stop complaints that there’s bullying happening at our school, and that the school has been covering it up!”

“Principal!! A local TV station is requesting an interview! What should we do?!”

“Principal! A newspaper is also requesting an interview!!”

(What… what is going on? Bullying? What’s happening?!)

“Principal! The head director of the Board of Education is on the phone—demanding to speak with you immediately! He sounds furious!!”

“The head director!? A-Alright! I’ll take it in my office. Patch him through!!” 

Panicked, I rushed to pick up the phone in my office.

“Principal! What on earth is going on over there!? This is a serious issue that calls into question your ability to manage and educate properly!”

As soon as I answered the phone, I was met with an angry outburst, causing me to break into a cold sweat. 

“S-Sir, I’m as confused as you are…”

“Listen here! Yesterday, I received a call from the Minister of Education with a serious complaint!”

“The Minister!? But why—”

“The Minister is deeply troubled by what’s going on!”

“S-So, what exactly has caused the Minister such distress?”

“It’s you and your school!!”

“M-My school…?”

“Yesterday, the Minister received a report from a student at your school—Fudo-kun. He’s a hugely popular, bestselling author, and he told the Minister he’s been severely bullied under your supervision!”

“Wait… Please hold on a moment. Fudo… Fudo-kun, you said? I’ll check…”

I flipped through the student records, but there was only one girl named Fudo in the first year. There wasn’t a single male student by that name in any year.

“Sir, I believe there’s been some kind of mistake. We don’t have a male student named Fudo at this school—”

“Fudo-sensei’s real name is Kenichi Komada.”

“Komada… Ko-Ko…!?

“Komada-kun… Komada-sama is in the same class as that Iketsuki… There’s no mistake, right?”

“Y-Yes, we have a student named Komada-kun attending here…”

“Then immediately verify the facts and beg for Fudo-sensei’s—no, Komada-sama’s mercy! You need to resolve this situation at once! Right now!”

“Y-Yes! Of course! I’ll handle it as quickly as possible!”

“Principal, you should know that time is not on your side. The Ministry of Education is already planning to launch a thorough investigation into you and your school.”

“By today or tomorrow, Komada-sama himself must officially announce to the Ministry and the public that the issue at school has been swiftly resolved… You understand, right, Principal?”

“Y-Yes, of course! I will do everything in my power!” (This is bad, really bad!!)

I immediately summoned the homeroom teacher of Komada-kun and Iketsuki-kun’s class.

“Is it true that Komada-kun is being bullied by Iketsuki-kun in your class?!”

The homeroom teacher was startled. “As I previously reported to you, Principal, you instructed us to overlook the situation to ensure that Iketsuki-san’s son wouldn’t face any consequences.”

“N-No way!! I would never say such a thing! You must be mistaken—”

“Here is a copy of the report.”

“…What?”

There it was, in my own handwriting, with detailed instructions on how to handle the situation, including a clear directive to overlook the bullying. The report even had my official seal stamped on it…

[Rip]

“I-I have no idea what this is. Y-You must have forged it—”

“That was a copy.”

“…What? A-Anyway, we need to arrange an apology to Komada-kun… N-No, to Fudo-sama. After the morning homeroom, please inform Komada-kun—Fudo-sama—to come to the principal’s office. And make sure you treat Fudo-sama with the utmost respect!”

I also explained the situation to the vice principal, who had similarly received “gifts” from the Iketsuki family, and had him join in on the apology. However…

“Principal… He didn’t accept our apology… What’s going to happen to us now…?”

“A-All we can do is pray that Fudo-sama will feel better after getting his revenge on Iketsuki and those brats!”

“Y-Yes, if that happens, maybe Fudo-sama will be satisfied and forgive us for everything!”

But what they don’t realize is that, to Kenichi Fudo, the teachers’ minds are as light as dandelion fluff. 

He has no attachment to a school like this.

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Scum Subcharacter: The Worthless Director of Iketsuki Hospital – You Can’t Trust Human Lives to Scum

My son came to me for help, and after scraping together 10 million yen, it was tossed back at me like pocket change.

“Honey, there’s an urgent call from the head of materials at Om**on’s medical equipment division,” my wife informed me, handing over the phone.

“Yes, this is the director speaking.”

“Apologies for the sudden call, but I need to inform you that all the medical equipment leased to your hospital will be retrieved next month, and there will be no renewal.”

“What!? This must be some kind of joke. Come on, Mr. Director, surely you’re still upset about losing to me at golf the other day, right? Haha.”

“This is a decision made by the company. Furthermore, we will be halting all future medical equipment supplies to your hospital.”

“W-Wait! Please, you can’t do that! The hospital won’t be able to operate without those equipment! Why is this happening so suddenly!?”

“It seems you aren’t aware, so I’ll enlighten you. Did you know that your son has been involved in bullying at his school?”

(That arrogant brat, Komada Kenichi, the one we had to apologize to recently…)

“N-No… Haha, that must be some kind of rumor. My son would never—”

“I’ve heard that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education are already planning a joint investigation.”

“W-What do you mean by that!?”

“If you continue to deny it, that’s your choice. But the boy your son bullied is now one of Japan’s top authors, influential enough to meet with the Minister of Education officially.”

(No way… That brat? How could this be happening…?)

“Anyway, we want to avoid being seen as supporting you and drawing Fudo-sensei’s attention. So, if you’re looking to place blame, I suggest directing it at your son and how you raised him—yourself and your wife. Goodbye.”

[Beep… Beep…]

[Riiiiing!] “Hello, this is Iketsuki.”

“Apologies for the sudden call. This is **, Sales Manager at Take*** Pharmaceutical. Unfortunately, we must inform you that we will be discontinuing the supply of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to Iketsuki Hospital at the end of this month. I’m sure you understand the reason, right?”

“…”

I hung up the phone in silence. Then my smartphone started ringing. [Riiiiing], [Riiiiing]. “Hello… This is Iketsuki…”

“This is the Election Office of the Liberal Rights Party. We regret to inform you that we’re withdrawing our endorsement of your candidacy for mayor. We’ve decided to support a different candidate. Let’s give it our all, shall we? Haha… Excuse me… Goodbye.”

My long-held dream of entering politics… After pouring so much time and money into it, my chance had finally come. I had secured the endorsement of the largest political party, made connections with local influencers, and was sure to win the election…

Just then, my wife, visibly shaken, handed me the phone again.

“Honey… The hospital just called…”

“Y-Yes?”

“Director… Some of the families of our inpatients have informed us that they’re transferring their loved ones to other hospitals…”

“W-What!? So suddenly? Have our staff explain the treatment plan to them properly and convince them to stay!”

“They said… they wouldn’t leave their family in a hospital run by people who trample on human dignity, not even for a second.”

“…”

“And… I’m sorry to bring this up at a time like this, but I share the same concerns as the patients’ families. I’ll be resigning at the end of this month… Goodbye.”

Ignoring my wife’s worried expression, I retreated to my room and called the school.

“It’s me, Iketsuki. Is the principal available?”

I could hear a commotion on the other end of the line.

“What is it now!? We’re swamped here…! Iketsuki? Who cares! Has Fudo-sama arrived at the school yet? Ugh, fine! I’ll take the call! ‘Hello!?'”

“Oh, uh, sounds like things are hectic over there, Principal.”

“Hectic!? Do you think this is a joke!? Thanks to your idiot son, we’re in a life-or-death situation over here!!”

Being yelled at by the principal, who usually just brown-nosed me, made my irritation rise.

“Quite the tone you’ve taken, Principal! Do you realize who you’re talking to?”

“Do YOU realize the mess your stupid son has caused? The person he bullied has connections to high-ranking officials! Because of this, the school is on the verge of collapse!”

“S-So, this Fudo person is…”

“Of course it’s Kenichi Komada-sama!”

“P-Principal! Could you please arrange a time for me to apologize to Fudo-kun!?”

“Haah!? I don’t care! You’re the main culprit here. Your family, your hospital, it’s all over! You’ve angered someone you never should have crossed!”

“P-Please, there must be something we can do… Our only hope now is to beg for Fudo-kun—no, Fudo-sama’s mercy…”

“Fine, then! Come to the school immediately! We’re setting up a chance for you to apologize to Fudo-sama first thing in the morning.”

I should probably contact Ryusei’s friends’ fathers as well…

Both of them had been hit with sudden dismissals or equivalent punishments from their companies because of the recent events. They shouted at me in anger, but as soon as I mentioned the opportunity to apologize to Fudo-kun, they quickly got on board.

Of course, our apology wasn’t accepted…

…But if sacrificing my son could save my family, my hospital, and my position… My son will just have to deal with the mess he’s made himself.

He doesn’t realize it yet—

How could a doctor who sacrifices his own flesh and blood for self-preservation expect patients’ families to trust him with the lives of their loved ones?

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Scum Subcharacter: The Extra of Extras – The Parents of the Followers

“Hey, forget the morning assembly. The department head wants to see you right away.”

I stood in front of the department head’s desk and bowed, but he didn’t even look at me.

“You have two options: you can either resign voluntarily, or accept a permanent transfer to one of our subsidiaries in an undeveloped village in Southeast Asia.”

“W-What!? Why all of a sudden!? Please, explain the reason!”

“The reason? It’s because we’ve learned that your son was involved in bullying at school. That incident is now causing significant damage to the company.”

“Th-That’s ridiculous… Just because an employee’s son was involved in bullying at school, how could that cause such a huge—”

“Kenichi Fudo-sensei.”

“…What?”

“Oh, no…just because an employee’s son was involved in bullying at school, that’s a big loss.

“Do you still not understand? Your son was bullying someone important. You realize, don’t you? Two of our domestic printing factories exclusively handle the publishing company that Fudo-sensei belongs to, and 60% of their publications are his works.”

“I’ll need your decision by tomorrow. You can go home for the day.”

…Why did it come to this…? Hm? A phone call… Director Iketsuki!? This is all because of them!! 

“Hello, Iket—”

“IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!”

“Boss, what’s going on this morning? I’ve got a meeting with a client, so please make it quick.”

“Alright then, I’ll keep it brief. As of now, you’re being reassigned from Sales Manager to restroom cleaning staff.”

“…Huh? Excuse me? Haha, you’ve got a great sense of humor this morning, boss. Funny stuff—classic CEO joke.”

“This isn’t a joke. Your desk has already been cleared, and someone else is handling today’s client meeting. Here’s your new uniform, and here’s your cleaning kit.”

“…No… This has to be a joke, right? Why? Why is this happening?”

“Let me ask you something—how are you raising your son? Your kid and that Iketsuki boy have been bullying someone at school, and since this morning, the phones in HR haven’t stopped ringing.”

“My son, bullying? That can’t be—”

“And, well, our company deals in stationery. Having an employee whose son is known for bullying is a stain on our image.”

“Boss, this has to be some kind of mistake! I’ll check right away and clear up this misunderstanding—” 

“The kid your son bullied? Turns out he’s the famous author, Kenichi Fudo.”

“…What?”

“Our company only has around 300 employees. To someone like Fudo-sensei, keeping us afloat or sinking us could be as easy as a single breath.”

“So, that’s the deal. You’re in charge of cleaning all the restrooms now. Oh, and make sure to clean the women’s restroom outside of working hours.”

…Why did it come to this…? Hm? A phone call… Director Iketsuki!? This is all because of them!!

“Hello, Iketsu—”

“IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!”