Ino took a deep, steadying breath and met Ami's glare with one of her own. The other girl looked unnerved, but she stayed where she was, her expression stiff and unchanged.
"What do you want?" Ino finally dared to ask, mentally preparing herself for a verbal assault.
"Oh, nothing," Ami said breezily, causing Ino to choke in disbelief. "We were just looking for Forehead Girl. Have you seen her around?"
The person she meant was evidently one of her other victims. Ino had never heard that nickname before though, and she was mildly interested.
"Who?" she asked curiously, wondering who on earth it could be.
"I saw her earlier today, boss." Kasumi grunted, ignoring Ino's question. She waved her left arm vaguely in the direction of the forest behind them.
Ami glanced at Ino, appearing to be bored and uninterested. "You're lucky, Ino-pig. We have someone else in mind to entertain us today, so run along now, before we change our mind." She turned to Fuki. "Come on, let's go."
They started down the slope, but Ami suddenly stopped, causing her friends to bump into her and fall to the ground. Ami spun around and glared daggers at Fuki and Kasumi.
"Hey, watch it, you two!" she said crossly.
The two girls hung their heads in humiliation. "Sorry, boss," they mumbled into the dirt. "please forgive us."
"I think I hear something," Ami said, paying no attention to her friends' apologies. They staggered to their feet, still muttering fervently.
"Shut up!" Ami yelled.
The trio froze, falling silent. Ino listened carefully, but she heard nothing but the wind whistling pleasantly in her ear, the muted chirping of birds, and the rustling of leaves.
"There!" Fuki cried triumphantly, pointing at a spot behind Ino. She spun around and saw a bush located a few metres from where they stood. And the branches were shaking in the most peculiar manner.
"She won't hide for long," Ami said, smiling smugly. Then she raised her voice, staring directly at a quivering bush. "Isn't that right, Forehead?"
Ino heard a frightened squeak. The bush rustled and a young girl tumbled out, gasping for breath. She had pink, shoulder-length hair and bright, inquisitive emerald eyes. Ino recognized her by the unique hair colour immediately. She was the girl who had been spying on her earlier. The girl blinked apprehensively at Ami and her gang. Her wide, terrified eyes darted to Ino for a fraction of a second before she quickly looked at the ground.
"Oi! Billboard brow!"
Ino kept her gaze averted as to not draw attention to herself. Ami had a notorious habit of dragging bystanders into the situation, and she did not want to get involved. However, when she heard a loud thump and a sharp cry of pain, she looked up, despite herself.
The girl was cowering against a tree. Her hands were shielding her forehead and she looked petrified.
"Oh sorry," Ami giggled, "Your forehead was just so big, I mistook it for a punching bag."
Fuki and Kasumi guffawed in synchronization. The pink-haired girl whimpered, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes. Ino was enraged. Why was Ami so cruel to everyone? Did she find pleasure in their pain? She took a step towards the bullies, without knowing what she intended to do. But then she stopped, and hung her head in shame. She wasn't even able to stand up for herself, what was she thinking getting entangled in another girl's business? It wasn't in her place to interfere; she would just make it worse. Ino gazed sadly at the girl on the ground and stiffened when she saw that she was looking at her beseechingly.
"I'm…sorry," Ino whispered with an almost imperceptible shake of the head as she drew back into the shadows. The girl's brilliant green eyes bore holes into the back of her head as Ino walked slowly away, feeling treacherous. Even as she reached the familiar streets of her home, she could not stop thinking about the pain and accusation she saw in those wide, frightened eyes.