The next day…
Both Keiko and Mallory woke up early, cleaned themselves up before putting on their uniforms and grab their bags, went downstairs to greet Sojiro before eating the curry breakfasts that he prepared for them before they left Leblanc, went to the station and waited for the train to arrive and once it did, they went into the train with the other passengers before the train drove away from the station to Aoyama-Itchome. Once the train arrived and stopped in the station of Aoyama-Itchome, both Keiko and Mallory leave the station and make their way to the school with the other students.
"How annoying-we've barely started high school, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally? And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us." complained a dissatisfied male student walking in front of Keiko and Mallory.
"Don't be like that! We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!" said the bandwagoning male student walking next to him excitedly.
"Yeah, OK. You're gonna get your face smashed in. Just look at how banged up the members of the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?" said the dissatisfied male student irritably to him.
Both Keiko and Mallory glance and exchange concern looks with each other after they heard what the 2 male students walking in front of them just said about Kamoshida and the members of the volleyball team as they kept on walking to school, unaware that both Takamaki and Shiho also heard what the 2 male students just said as they walked behind both Keiko and Mallory.
Once both Keiko and Mallory reached the school's gate, they saw Ryuji standing and leaning his back against the wall before he make his way to them when he saw them, told and reminded them about his plan to search for witnesses that suffered from Kamoshida's physical abuse and both Keiko and Mallory nodded to him before they went into the school.
XXXX
A few minutes later, in class…
"Ok, listen up, everyone. As you all know, today is the volleyball rally. Head to the gymnasium once you've changed. Got it?" said Kawakami-sensei to her class before she turned and left the classroom.
Soon after Kawakami-sensei left the classroom, all the students stood up and left the classroom to head to the boys and girls locker rooms to change their outfits while they chatted excitedly among themselves. After they change into their gym outfits (short sleeve white T-shirts with long sleeve red track jacket (with white arrow patterns on it) over it and long red pants), they then left the locker rooms and head to the gym.
Once Keiko, Mallory and the other students head into the gym, both Keiko and Mallory split up from the other students, make their way past the cheering students toward the blue folding chairs that's arranged in a straight line in front of the gym's stage and they sat down side by side on 2 chairs next to Ann (who's not paying attention to anything) before they saw Ryuji (who noticed them watching him and he gave them a thumbs up) sitting down on the floor with the other male students then both Keiko and Mallory watched as Kamoshida and his team of teachers beat the team of students.
"Those poor guys. If only those teachers could just hold back on their strength a little when they played volleyball against the students, especially the pervert Kamoshida." thought Keiko sadly at the guys then angrily at Kamoshida and the other teachers.
"Humph. This volleyball rally game between the teachers against those poor guys just scream unfair and dominance." thought Mallory coldly in her mind.
After a while of Keiko, Mallory, Ryuji, Ann and the rest of the students watched as Kamoshida kept on jumping and smacking the volleyball past the male students who jumped and try to get the ball to no avail, he jumped and smacked the ball another time past the male students and the ball went straight to Mishima, smacked hard right on his face (which caused Keiko and some of the female students to gasped and covered their mouths in worry and horror) before he fell sideways on the floor and the ball slowly roll away from him. Kamoshida glance at Mishima with a frown look on his face before he make his way past the other male students toward Mishima and got down on one knee near him.
"Sorry! Hey, are you alright!?" said Kamoshida worriedly to Mishima before he turned to glance at the other students. "Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!" Kamoshida told the students before he glance back at Mishima, helped lifted him up then handed him over to one of the students who came and the student slowly bring Mishima out of the gym.
"That no good teacher! He clearly smacked the ball on purpose to that poor guy! He'll be sorry soon enough…" thought Keiko as she and Mallory glared in unison at Kamoshida for hurting the guy on purpose.
"All right, let's resume the match!" said Kamoshida as he smiled quite widely to the teachers and the students while Ann watched him in silence.
As they resumed in playing the volleyball match, both Keiko and Mallory turned to glance over at Ryuji again, saw him staring and discreetly raising and waving his right hand to them while gesturing with his left hand to the gym doors to tell them to leave the gym with him. Both Keiko and Mallory briefly nodded to Ryuji before they stood up from the chairs, leave the gym and they follow Ryuji to the small resting area in the courtyard.
"That asshole's actin' like a king over here too… Get to know each other better, my ass. It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his goddamn ego." said Ryuji angrily to Keiko and Mallory.
"Not only that, the way on how he acted all worried about Mishima right after he purposely smacked the ball at his face is just… Ugh!" said Keiko with an angry look on her face.
"Yeah, we know, Keiko. We can't let this go on any longer." said Mallory as she nodded her head in grim agreement with Keiko.
"… Well, anyways. Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday." said Ryuji determinedly to both Keiko and Mallory (who nodded to him). "Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the volleyball team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole." muttered Ryuji darkly to himself.
"Alright, got it, Ryuji." said Mallory.
"So where do we start first, Ryuji-kun?" asked Keiko.
"… The first one that popped out was a guy from class-D, so let's start from there, Keiko. That's yours and Mallory's class." replied Ryuji. "Hopefully you two can get him to talk without any issues. People have been avoidin' me lately, so… Oh, but you two are kinda in the same boat, huh." said Ryuji sadly to both Keiko and Mallory as he remember their records.
"Gee, thanks. Captain obvious." thought Mallory sarcastically in her mind.
Keiko, Mallory and Ryuji then ended their conversation and they turned and make their way out of the courtyard and went into the school building, walked up the stairs to the second floor and they went into class-D, look around and saw a male student standing near the blackboard with bandages covering his arms and face and they approach and began questioning him gently about whether his injuries were from Kamoshida's abuse. But the male student strongly deny their questions and turned his back on them, not wanting to speak to them anymore.
Keiko, Mallory and Ryuji then left the class-D and they decided to split up and look for other students suffering from Kamoshida's abuse. Ryuji turned and head off to the Practice Building while Mallory head up to the third floor of the school building and Keiko head down to the first floor (while ignoring the students gossiping about her) and she saw and heard both Ann and Shiho standing and talking near a wall not far from her.
"Everyone's saying a lot of bad stuff about those 2 transfer students in your class, Ann…" said Shiho.
"I know. I hate rumors already, but they're only getting more and more complex as time goes on." said Ann with an annoy look on her face.
"I wonder if they're all right… I hope they're not letting the rumors get to them too much." said Shiho concernly to Ann about both Keiko and Mallory.
"Of course I don't let it get to me and Maly. Still, it's nice for me to see that at least there's one student feeling concern for us." thought Keiko with a small, grateful smile on her face at Shiho being concern for her and Mallory.
"That's just like you, Shiho. Always worrying about other people before yourself. Kinda like when you were there for me…" said Ann as she let out a small, exasperated sigh then smiled at Shiho.
"Hey… Are you okay, Ann? We haven't talked much lately like yesterday and today…" asked Shiho worriedly to Ann (which surprises her a little).
"Huh? I'm fine! You should just concentrate on getting a starting spot on the volleyball team!" replied Ann.
"You're right. I need to be a starter, no matter what. Thanks for everything, Ann. You're what keeps me going." said Shiho as she nodded in agreement to Ann.
"I should be saying the same thing to you. You always seem to have my back, Shiho." said Ann as she smiled at her.
"They're such close friends, kinda like me and Maly. Well, time for me to resume my search for those abused students." thought Keiko as she smiled softly at Ann and Shiho before she walked away from them to search for the abused students. Keiko managed to find and question them but to her disappointment, they also deny her questions and turned their backs on them, like the student in class-D. Keiko then felt her phone started vibrating and she walked off to a corner of the wall, pull out her phone and saw that she received messages from Mallory and Ryuji.
RS: How's it going, you two?
KM: Not good, Ryuji-kun. Every students that I've questioned on the first floor deny my question and turned away from me.
MC: Same goes for me too, Keiko, Ryuji. Even though I managed to get a lead on a student in class 1-B who's a new member of the volleyball team and I question him about Kamoshida's abuse and he deny my questions too, to my disappointment. But he did mention Mishima's name and say that Mishima had some kind of special coaching from Kamoshida.
RS: Them too…? Man, everyone's too freaked out about Kamoshida. But at least you did good and managed to get Mishima's name from him, Mallory.
KA: Yeah, I agreed and you did good, Maly. What about you, Ryuji-kun? Any luck on your end?
RS: No luck for me either.
Just then, Keiko heard someone announced from the speakers saying that the volleyball matches have been concluded.
RS: Dammit, we're outta time. Let's regroup for now, guys. See you two in the courtyard?
MC: Alright.
KA: See you guys there.
Keiko turned off and put her phone back into her pocket and she turned and head to the courtyard to meet up with Mallory and Ryuji but once Keiko arrived in the small resting area in the courtyard, she saw that both Mallory and Ryuji haven't come yet. "Where are they?" thought Keiko to herself.
"Hey, Keiko Amamiya, right, can I talk to you for a sec…?" said Ann suddenly from behind Keiko and she turned around to glance at her.
"Sure. What is it?" said Keiko as she tilted her head slightly curiously at her.
"It'll be quick." said Ann as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Anyway, what's with you? Like, how you and the other girl were late the other day and you 2 lie to the teacher and the students about it… Also, there's that weird rumor about you two as well." Ann added to Keiko.
"Well, that was…" said Keiko before she got cut off by Mallory and Ryuji's voices.
"Excuse me? What's with the questions?" said Mallory as she scowled at Ann.
"Yeah and whaddya want with her?" snapped Ryuji to Ann (who winced a little in surprise before she turned around to glance at Mallory and Ryuji) as he and Mallory approach Ann while he glared at her.
"Right back at you, Sakamoto. You're not even in our class." said Ann as she glared back at Ryuji (while Mallory make her way and stand beside Keiko).
"… We just happened to get to know each other." said Ryuji as he awkwardly look away from Ann.
"Is that so?" said Ann in a disbelief tone of voice to Ryuji.
"Yeah, that's right. Is that so hard to believe?" said Mallory firmly to Ann.
"What're you three planning on doing to Kamoshida-sensei?" asked Ann suspiciously to them.
"Huh!?" said Ryuji as he widened his eyes in surprise at Ann (same goes for Keiko and Mallory) before he narrowed his eyes angrily at her. "… I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."
"What? No! This has nothing to do with her, Caelum and you, Sakamoto!" snapped Ann as she scowled at Ryuji.
"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away." said Ryuji.
"Yeah, you should steer clear of him, he's nothing but really bad news." said Keiko concernly to Ann.
"Behind my back and I should steer clear of him…? What's that supposed to mean…?" said Ann as a shock look appear on her face.
Keiko, Mallory and Ryuji silently glance at each other and Keiko slowly shook her head to them, silently telling them that they shouldn't say anymore to Ann.
"You wouldn't get it." said Ryuji as he look away from Ann again (which make her sigh at them).
"Anyway, people are already talking about you three. I don't know what you three are trying to pull, but no one's gonna help you three." retorted Ann before she look down on the floor. "I'm warning you three, just in case. That's all." Ann added quietly and slightly concernly to them before she walked away.
"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time…?" said Ryuji in an annoyed tone of voice to himself.
"Do you know her, Ryuji-kun?" asked Keiko curiously to Ryuji.
"Is she always like that?" asked Mallory as well.
"We just went to the same middle school and yep, she is." replied Ryuji before he slowly shake his head at them. "Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you two? Did anything like someone's name turn up?" asked Ryuji.
"No luck from my end either." sighed Keiko with a dejected look on her face.
"I got a name from one of them, Keiko, Ryuji. It's Mishima. And he said that Mishima is involved in a "special coaching" of Kamoshida." said Mallory.
"Mishima-kun, huh?" said Keiko.
"Huh…? Special "coaching", huh?" said Ryuji as he closed his eyes in thinking and crossed his arms over his chest before he opened his eyes to glance at them. "True. I always see the guy covered in bruises like the others. Let's go talk to him before he leaves then." Ryuji told both Keiko and Mallory before they left the resting area, went back into the school building to search for Mishima, saw him near the school's entrance about to leave and they quickly intercepted him before he could.
"Hey, got a second?" asked Ryuji bluntly to Mishima.
"Sakamoto…?" said Mishima with a surprise look on his face when he saw Ryuji then panic when he saw both Keiko and Mallory with him too. "And them, too…!?"
"Hey, just calm down, okay? We're just here to talk to you, nothing more." said Keiko gently to Mishima (who relax a little and think about how nice Keiko voice is).
"She's right, we just wanna chat." said Ryuji as he crossed his arms. "Kamoshida's been "coaching" you, huh? You sure it's not physical abuse?" asked Ryuji bluntly to Mishima (which shocked him a little before he shake his head at them).
"Certainly not!" said Mishima in denial at Ryuji's question.
"Really? The look on your face say otherwise, Mishima." said Mallory suspiciously at Mishima.
"What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways… We saw him spike you today. Right in your face." said Ryuji.
"That was just because I'm not good at the sport…" said Mishima softly to Ryuji.
"Are you sure about that and what about those other bruises you've got on your body? Care to explain those, Mishima-kun?" asked Keiko.
"They're from practice…!" said Mishima in firm denial at Keiko's question.
"Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?" said Ryuji.
"That's…" Mishima began saying to Ryuji but he got cut off by Kamoshida's voice.
"What's going on here?" said Kamoshida as he suddenly approach and stopped near them. "Mishima, isn't it time for practice?" Kamoshida asked Mishima (while Keiko, Mallory and Ryuji turned and glared at him in unison).
"Oh, damn it! Why is he here?" thought Keiko in frustration in her mind.
"I-I'm not feeling well today…" replied Mishima meekly to Kamoshida.
"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then. You're never gonna improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice." said Kamoshida callously to Mishima (which shocked him).
"Didn't you hear? He said he ain't feelin' well!" said Ryuji as he angrily walked up to Kamoshida.
"Yeah, how could you say that to him!?" snapped Mallory angrily at Kamoshida.
"Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?" said Kamoshida as he glance at Mishima while ignoring both Mallory and Ryuji.
"…I'll…" Mishima began saying to Kamoshida but he got cut off by Keiko (who suddenly got a good idea to help Mishima out).
"Actually, Mishima-kun. Maly and I've been having some trouble on our history homeworks and I heard that you're very good at it. Do you think you could help me with it later?" asked Keiko politely to Mishima.
"Huh?" said Mishima as he glance in surprise at her.
"What was that, Amamiya?" said Kamoshida as he also glance in surprise at Keiko while both Mallory and Ryuji glance at her in silent surprise then happy looks on their faces.
"Please, Mishima-kun. Won't you help us with our history homeworks?" said Keiko pleadingly to Mishima.
"Yeah, please help us." Said Mallory pleadingly to Mishima as well.
"O-Okay. I guess I can help you 2 with your history homeworks." said Mishima as he nodded to both Keiko and Mallory after he realised that they're helping him out.
"Excuse me, who are you to dare interrupt…" said Kamoshida threateningly to Keiko before Mallory cut him off.
"Kamoshida-sensei, it's true that sports are important since it keep us fit and healthy but isn't our studies and education also as important as sports? How are some of us students going to be able to entered a good college if we neglect our studies just for sport practice?" said Mallory in a cold and no-nonsense tone of voice to Kamoshida (which silence him and make him felt a chill go down his spine).
"Tch… Fine, whatever, Caelum. Just don't forget the principal's warning to you and Amamiya." said Kamoshida coldly to Mallory.
"Of course we won't forget, sensei." said Mallory as she nodded at Kamoshida.
Kamoshida then glance away from Mallory to glance back at Ryuji. "As for you, any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure." said Kamoshida threateningly to Ryuji.
"Bastard…" swored Ryuji as he glance away from Kamoshida.
"Hmph, what a rude attitude from you, Sakamoto. Also, all these unsettling rumors about them are making the other students anxious, after all." sneered Kamoshida even more rudely at Ryuji as he briefly glance at both Keiko and Mallory.
"That's your own goddamn fault." said Ryuji as he glance back and narrowed his eyes at Kamoshida.
"Tch. Arguing with you any further won't get up anywhere." said Kamoshida as he turned to look away from them and stopped to spoke some more words to them. "Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like you don't have any right to be here. If you don't want that, then get with the program!" said Kamoshida fiercely to Ryuji before he began walking away from them and out of their sights.
"That asshole… He's gonna pay for this…!" said Ryuji as he clench his fists in anger at what Kamoshida just said to them.
"Yeah, we know and he will, Ryuji." said Keiko as she nodded her head in agreement to Ryuji.
"Alright, Mishima. He's gone now so you can go home, find and put some medicines or oilments for the bruises on your face and entire body before you take a rest." said Mallory softly to Mishima (who thanked and smiled gratefully to her and Keiko for helping him before he turned and walked slowly out of the school).
"I gotta say, Mallory, that was very brave and gutsy of you to stand up to Kamoshida and nice of you 2 to help and defend Mishima from Kamoshida trying to force him to go for practice." said Ryuji as he smirked proudly and widely at both Keiko and Mallory.
"N-No problem, Ryuji-kun." said Keiko as her face turned slightly red in embarrassment.
"So what're you gonna do now, Ryuji?" asked Mallory.
"… I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys to confess about it. That's… all I can do." replied Ryuji almost quietly to both Keiko and Mallory.
"Alright then. I wish you good luck and Maly and I'll see you tomorrow, Ryuji-kun." said Keiko as she nodded at Ryuji.
"Yeah, see you girls tomorrow." said Ryuji as he, Keiko and Mallory bade farewell to each other before he went off to search and persuade the abused students once again while both Keiko and Mallory left Shujin and take the train back to Leblanc.
After both Keiko and Mallory got back to Leblanc, they greeted Sojiro, had their curry dinner before they went up to their attic room, change into their pajamas and prepare their futons before they heard their phones started vibrating on the table and they pick up their phones to see that they received messages from Ryuji and they began reading the messages.
RS: Hey, this don't make any damn sense. The principal and even the parents know about the abuse. Why ain't anyone speaking up!?
KA: Probably because of volleyball.
MC: And maybe they just don't care that it's happening.
RS: Yeah... you two might be right. It's basically because Kamoshida made the volleyball team famous, yeah? Even so, that don't give him the right to do whatever he want! Yeah, we know. He's beating up some of the students and all they're allow to do is endure the pain and suffering of the beatings and that follower of his doesn't give one single shit...
KA: What follower?
RS: Ann Takamaki, of course. You and Mallory met her in the courtyard earlier, remember? You 2 should know her by now. I mean, she's in your class. Ugh, what a load of bull! I can't let it end like this. I'm gonna try and find someone who knows about what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow. Just you 2 watch! I ain't giving up!
KA: Sure and good luck again to you, Ryuji-kun.
MC: Yeah, what she said, Ryuji.
RS: Thanks.
After both Keiko and Mallory done in reading through and send messages to Ryuji, they then turned off and put their phones back on the table before they lie down on their futons and fell asleep.