April 20th

Makoto pinned a flyer for the school's blood drive on the first-floor bulletin board when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she was surprised to see Ann Takamaki staring at the advertisement with interest.

"Can I help you?" Makoto asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Ann gestured at the flyer, saying, "I see a blood drive coming here Friday." Makoto nodded. There was an awkward silence between the girls. It was evident to Makoto that Ann wanted to ask her more about the blood drive.

"We have a sign-up sheet in the student council office for any volunteers. If you want to," Makoto added. "It would also look good on your college applications."

Ann opened her mouth to say something, but Makoto spotted Akemi scurrying into the girls' restroom. "Uh, Takamaki-san? I'm sorry, but I have to go. Remember, if you want to sign up, the sheet is in the student council room. Have a nice day." And with that, Ann watched Makoto dash towards the restrooms.

"What was that all about?" Ann mumbled to herself but shrugged it off and turned her attention back to the flyer. Since the day at the hospital with Shiho's doctor, getting Kamoshida's DNA has been Ann's top priority. She kept coming up with different ideas, but they needed more. She even went to Akira, Ryuji, and Mishima for ideas, but they were too scared that Kamoshida would catch them.

"Yo, Ann! Whatcha lookin' at?" Ann turned her head to see Ryuji and Akira standing beside her. "A blood drive, huh?" Ryuji yawned. "My mom told me about this over dinner last night. She said some girl – most likely Miss Prez – called her supervisor asking if the hospital would be willin' to do a blood drive at Shujin. Based on the poster, I guess it's official."

Ann crossed her arms over her chest. "This has Principal Kobayakawa's stench all over." And then she sighed, "But this is a good thing."

"What are you talking about?" Akira asked her.

Ann had a smile on her face and determination in her eyes. She glanced around the area before whispering, "Because this is the perfect way to prove what Kamoshida did to Shiho. Listen, all we have to do is volunteer at the blood drive and ensure Kamoshida gets his blood taken." She turned to Ryuji. "You said that your mom works at the hospital, right?"

"Yeah, but –"

"You can convince her to help us," Ann continued. "We can sneak her Kamoshida's bag, and she can take it to forensic. Then –"

"Ann, just stop for a second!" Ryuji shouted, which made nearby students stop and stare. Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck and then whispered. "We should talk about this later in the courtyard, but Ann… I'm not asking my mom that. She can get fired if caught."

Ann couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. "But what about Shiho?" She turned her attention to Akira, who was quiet. "What about you, Akira? Do you think this is a good plan? All the previous plans were outrageous, but this is our only chance. And I know this will work."

Akira sighed. "Ann, can we please talk more about your plan during lunch? First period is going to start soon."

"You agree with Ryuji, aren't you? Shouldn't you, of all people, want Kamoshida gone? Once expelled… you have nowhere else to go but juvie." Ann scoffed, then said, "I'm going to volunteer for the blood drive, and you two fucks can do whatever you want." And with that, Ann headed towards the stairs.

Ryuji and Akira shared a guilty glance before walking up the stairs. "I want to help Ann, but I don't want my mom to get in trouble."

Akira only nodded his head.

Makoto stood in the doorway of the girls' restroom, her eyes wide open in chick and disgust. In front of the sinks, Akemi was crying, her bruised eye, swollen cheek, and busted lip drawing Makoto's horrified gaze.

"Oh my god," Makoto mumbled under her breath. "T-takahashi-san, are you okay? Who did this to you?" She demanded, but Akemi cried until her knees gave out. Makoto rushed to Akemi, catching her before she landed on the tile floor. "Takahashi-san!"

"I can't take this anymore!" Akemi wailed. In the background, the bell rang for first period, yet they remained unmoved. "Kamoshida… this damn school… I want everyone to rot in hell!"

Makoto's blood ran cold. "Kamoshida did this to you?" She breathed out and moved to stand up. "Alright, you stay here while I get a teacher, okay?" Akemi tried to stop Makoto, but it was too late. The determined student council president was already out the door.

There's a teacher inside the faculty office. Makoto thought as she made a beeline to the second floor. Without bothering to knock, she pushed open the door. Inside, Kawakami sat at her desk, eating a breakfast bar. She looked up in shock to see Makoto not in class. "Niijima-chan, this isn't like you. What are you doing outside of class?"

"You can lecture me later, but I need you to accompany me. It's urgent." A confused Kawakami set her unfinished breakfast bar aside and followed Makoto to the girls' restroom. "Sensei, I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I didn't know who else to go to."

Makoto opened the restroom door and stepped inside with Kawakami in tow. "Niijima-chan, what's going –" Kawakami stopped when she spotted Akemi on the floor crying. She kneeled before the distressed girl and glanced at Makoto, who looked serious. "What happened?"

Makoto took a deep breath and began to tell the older woman everything about Kamoshida. The rumors of him abusing the volleyball teams, his relations with female students, and him being the sole reason Shiho Suzui tried to kill herself. "Please, Kawakami-sensei, you have to help. The principal won't do anything since Kamoshida gives the school a good name to the media," Makoto pleaded.

Kawakami kept quiet for a few minutes, still trying to wrap her head around what she had just heard. Kamoshida gives Kawakami uneasy feelings whenever he's around her, but that's because of his massive ego. There's no way Principal Kobayakawa would let a teacher continue to abuse students just because he makes Shujin Academy popular. Kawakami sighed.

"Okay, Niijima-chan," she finally said. "I want you to take Takahashi-san home." Makoto went to open her mouth, but Kawakami interrupted her. "If anybody asks, I will come up with an excuse on why the both of you aren't here," okay?" Makoto nodded and went to help Akemi off the floor.

"Sensei, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to have a little chat with Kamoshida."

At lunchtime, Akira, Ryuji, and Mishima sat in the courtyard underneath the alcove. Akira and Ryuji told Mishima about the upcoming blood drive and Ann's plan. "What?" Mishima spat out his food, his eyes widening in fear. "Is she insane? There's no way her idea will work!"

Ryuji frowned, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I know, right?" He sighed. "Listen, I know Ann is tryin' to get rid of Kamoshida like the rest of us, but there has to be another way – a safer way. I don't want my mom involved with this bullshit. She already suffered because of me in the first place," Ryuji murmured.

While Ryuji spoke, Akira's eyes focused on Mishima. The sheepish athlete turned pale the moment they walked into the courtyard, kept fiddling with his fingers, and glancing around as if someone was watching them. "Mishima-san," Akira spoke out, "are you okay? You look like you're getting sick."

"Probably from sufferin' in the hands of Kamoshida," Ryuji stated. Suddenly, Mishima stood up and started pacing back and forth. "Seriously, dude, are you alright?"

Mishima stopped pacing and stared at Akira and Ryuji with an apologetic expression painted on his face. "There's something that I have to tell –"

"Guys!" The boys turned their heads to see Ann jogging towards them with trouble in her eyes. She came to a stop and gasped for air. "I just came from the student council room. Niijima-senpai and Takahashi-senpai aren't here – even though I talked to Niijima-senpai this morning."

Ryuji shrugged. "So, why is this a big deal? Who cares if Miss Prez skips school often? Even she needs a break from this hellhole. Also, aren't you still mad at us from this mornin'?"

Ann glared at Ryuji. "Will you continue asking stupid questions, or let me finish? And yes, I'm still mad." When Ryuji didn't open his mouth again, Ann continued to speak. "Anyways, I overheard one of the student council officers say –" She stopped when she noticed two third-year girls walking across the courtyard in their direction.

The group kept quiet as the girls got closer and stopped in front of the vending machines. "Hey, did you hear?" Asked the short brunette as she put money inside the machine. "Takahashi-san came to school this morning looking beat up. She tried to hide her face, but everyone saw her."

"I wanna know what happened. I feel bad for Takahashi-san," said her friend, a taller black-haired girl. "You know, Sakura-san saw Takahashi-san and Kamoshida-sensei talking yesterday after school. But she doesn't know why since she didn't want to get caught. And this morning, she came in with a bunch of bruises. Isn't that suspicious?"

The vending machine spits out the brunette's beverage. "So, do you think the rumors are true?" She asked, grabbing her drink. "About Kamoshida-sensei abusing the volleyball team. That would explain the weird noises coming from his office. And the fact that Takahashi-san quit the team before nationals."

The black-haired girl tilted her head in confusion. "But wasn't that rumor debunked?"

"Eh, you never know." Soon, the two girls strutted towards the classroom building.

"What the actual fuck?" Ann blurted out once the third-year students were out of hearing range. She turned her attention back to the boys to see they had the same sickening expression. "Kamoshida… talked to Takahashi-senpai? She has nothing to do with the volleyball team anymore. Why would he do that?"

Mishima quietly spoke up. "Well, that detective guy came here yesterday, so maybe he talked to Takahashi-senpai since she used to be on the team."

"And that's why Kamoshida beat her to a pulp… so she would stay quiet," Ann stated, crossing her arms. "At this rate, no one is willing to talk for fear of Kamoshida's wrath. That's why I suggest the blood drive so-"

"Shut up about the damn blood drive!" Ryuji raised his voice as he stood from the bench. "I won't ask my mom to steal blood just because you think it's a good plan. You and I know it's risky, so drop it, Ann. I mean it."

Ann scoffed. "So, you're giving up?" She questioned, yet Ryuji didn't respond. "At least I'm trying to come up with a plan. As you can see, no one will speak up about Kamoshida's abusive behavior, and we can't go to the police without evidence." She glanced at Akira. "You realize that once you're expelled, you have nowhere else to go but juvie. Do you want that?"

Akira remained silent.

Ryuji propped himself against the drink machine. "What if I do ask my mom for help?" A grin slowly formed on Ann's face. "Don't get excited," Ryuji warned her. "All I'm sayin' is if she does help… how will we pass a bag of that bastard's blood to her without anyone watchin'?"

"Because we won't have a bag," Ann stated. The boys looked at her with confusion. Ann chuckled. "You boys are dumber than you look. Passing a blood bag will look too suspicious. We're going to use cotton balls to – you know – minimize the bleeding. That should be enough for the forensic team to get the DNA."

Ryuji leaned closer to Akira's ear and whispered, "Is it just me, or is Ann lookin' extremely hot explainin' her plan." Akira stared at the blonde-haired boy as if he had two heads. Ryuji cleared his throat. "Uh, just forget that I said that."

"Plus, it'll be small enough to sneak out of the school," Ann continued. "So, Ryuji, what do you think? It's a good plan, right?"

"Well, it's not like we have any other options, so I'll ask Mom, but," Ryuji raised his index finger. "I'm not guaranteein' that she'll help us. Like I said… I don't want her fired. She sacrifices too many things for me already."

Ann nodded her head but then frowned. "Oh, right… I completely forgot about Niijima-senpai. We have to get the okay from her first." She looked at Akira. "Do you think she's willing to help us still?"

Akira shrugged. "Why wouldn't she? She's been helping as much as possible."

Just then, the bell to return to class rang. "Okay, so Ryuji, try giving us an answer by tonight. And tomorrow, we'll sign up, and hopefully, senpai won't say no."

Kawakami began to have a suspicion about Kamoshida as she made her way to his office. She recalled seeing bruises on the athletes but had naively assumed it was due to practice, not Kamoshida's abusive behavior. Part of Kawakami wanted to turn around and ignore her intuition, yet she needed to know if the bizarre rumors were true.

Checking her watch, Kawakami saw that she had fifteen minutes before lunch ended to ask Kamoshida some questions. When she reached her destination, Kawakami went to knock on the door when she heard a voice. Turning her head, she saw Kamoshida strutting towards her with a Big Bang Burger takeout bag.

"Kawakami-san!" He greeted her with a smile that almost made her nauseous.

"I didn't take you as a fast-food kind of guy," she commented.

"Oops, you caught me," Kamoshida joked, staring sheepishly at the takeout bag and chuckling. "Between you and me, I crave greasy foods when stressed. I guess it's a guilty pleasure of mine." He took out his key to unlock the door and gestured for Kawakami to enter. "So, it's not every day that I see you in the practice building. What is it that you want?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, but there's something important that I need to discuss with you," Kawakami said, wrapping her arms around her waist. "It's about you and the volleyball team. More importantly, you're special coaching towards them."

Kamoshida raised a brow. "What about it?"

Kawakami scoffed. "Don't play dumb with me. I heard those rumors about you being harsh to the kids on the team – physically, mentally, and… sexually. It's been going on since you were the track coach."

"And where did you hear those ridiculous rumors from? Sakamoto or Kurusu? Don't tell me that they got to your head, Kawakami-san. You should know better than to trust troublemakers like them."

"It wasn't Kurusu or Sakamoto who told me." Kawakami crossed her arms. "But it's strange that you automatically think it was them. Why is that?"

Kamoshida pursed his lips before slowly walking towards Kawakami like a predator hunting its prey. Kawakami backed up until she hit the wall. "I don't need to explain anything to a nosey bitch like you. And what are you going to do to, huh?"

"Go to the principal," she whispered.

"And that's where you're wrong. Do you think that fat oaf will believe you over me? Don't make me laugh," Kamoshida taunted. "Me, Suguru Kamoshida, is the king of this school. Not Principal Kobayakawa. I can do whatever I want when I want and to whom I want. And nothing is going to stop me. Not you or those punk-ass kids. And do you want to know a secret, Kawakami-san?"

Again, Kawakami didn't say a word. She glared at the man, wanting to wipe that ugly grin off his square face.

"I'm not the only one with a dirty little secret," Kamoshida continued. "A friend of mine told me something strange the other day. He told me that one of my colleagues has a night job. A cleaning service job that also satisfies the customers. He went on about the maid's nice bode and how soft her skin was. Despite your age."

Kawakami felt as if the universe hates her. Shujin Academy wasn't supposed to find out about her second job as a maid. And now that Kamoshida knows her secret, he will do whatever is necessary to keep her quiet. Kawakami isn't stupid, and she knows the consequences she'll be in if she gets fired from the school.

"So, let me guess… You don't want me to rat you out to the principal or cops."

"Now we're getting on the same page," Kamoshida smiled as he stepped back. "I knew under that sallow skin and cheap makeup that there was a smart woman who would protect her well-being. Nice chat. Now get the hell out of my office." Kamoshida turned around and went to his desk.

Kawakami took one last look at the man and then walked out of the room. She felt numb as she headed to the classroom building. Students waved at her but didn't get a response back. Kawakami sauntered into class 2-D, stood behind the podium, and looked around at her students. "I hope everyone had a nice lunch. Now, turn to chapter five in your textbook."

It was late by the time Makoto reached her apartment, having ensured Akemi felt safe in her home. Fortunately, the girl's parents weren't present to barrage Makoto with questions she couldn't answer. Exhausted and eager to retire for the night, Makoto entered her apartment and noticed the lights were on. Glancing down, she spotted Sae's shoes neatly arranged under the bench.

"Sis, I'm home!" Makoto called out as she removed her shoes. After placing them beside Sae's, she walked into the main area and found Sae seated at the dining table, engrossed in typing on her laptop. Makoto couldn't help but think; even when she was home, Sis always found time to work.

"Ah, so you've finally made it back home," Sae remarked without bothering to glance up and greet her younger sister. "I've been calling and texting you, yet you never respond."

"I must've had my phone on silent," Makoto lied. She did feel her phone constantly vibrating while she was at Akemi's house. "I've been running around the school doing student council business."

A frown formed on Sae's face, but she only nodded at her sister's response. The room went into an awkward silence, interrupted only by Sae's typing.

"If I knew you were going to come home, I would have stopped by the store on the way here and bought some ingredients," Makoto said.

"It's fine. I ordered takeout to be delivered in about," Sae glanced at her watch, "thirty minutes." She then stopped typing, closed the laptop, and set it aside. "Makoto, can you have a seat? I want to talk to you about something," Sae gestured to the chair before her.

Makoto tilted her head but did as her sister instructed. "What is this about?" She asked slowly. "Did something happen at your job?"

"Yes, actually," Sae responded. "I was in a meeting when I was interrupted by a phone call from your principal. He wanted to know if something happened to you because you hadn't been acting like your usual self. You left school with another student and never came back. At first, I thought the principal was mistaking you for another student because there was no way my sister would jeopardize her education for someone. But here you are, coming home way past curfew. Is there something going on that I need to know about?"

Yes, there is a teacher at school – who students look up to – raping and abusing teenagers and knowing he can get away with it. Makoto shook her head. "I was just helping a student, Sis. As Student Council President –"

"Makoto, how often do I tell you that your role doesn't include babysitting students when things go wrong in their personal lives? That's the counselor's job." Makoto remained silent as Sae continued to talk. "Your primary responsibilities are maintaining balance at Shujin Academy, achieving good grades, and securing acceptance into a reputable university." She scoffed. "What has gotten into you lately? Ever since that transfer student –"

"This has nothing to do with Akira!" Makoto shouted.

Sae's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're calling him by his first name now? Was he the student that you left with today? Makoto, if he's forcing you to do anything that you don't want to, then –"

Makoto pushed herself out of the chair, stating, "Stop interrogating me like I'm on trial. Yes, I left the school with a student, but they weren't Akira, and I would appreciate it very much if you stop talking about him like he's a criminal."

The two sisters engaged in a stare-off until they heard the bell ring, signaling that the delivery man had arrived. "You can go get the door," Makoto stated. "I'm not hungry." With that, the irritated teenage girl marched to her room.

When his mom entered wearing her nurse uniform, Ryuji lay in bed, immersed in music and manga. Despite her disheveled appearance and tired eyes, she managed a smile. "Ryuji?" she called out, and Ryuji removed his headphones. "I ordered pizza on the way home. It should arrive any minute now, so can you wash your hands and set the plates out while I take a shower? One of the patients threw up on me, and now I smell like vomit." The woman's face turned grim.

"Yeah, sure," Ryuji responded.

"Thank you," she said, exited her son's bedroom, and headed down the hallways to her room.

Ryuji set his manga on the nightstand and did what his mom instructed. After a while, the pizza delivery man rang the doorbell. Ryuji paid the man and set the box on the table. "Mom, the pizza here!" he yelled, already grabbing a slice.

"You can go ahead and eat," his mom said over running water.

"Already am," he mumbled with pizza stuffed in his mouth. Ryuji grabbed the TV remote to turn on the TV and saw highlights of a track meet that happened earlier in the day. He wanted to change the channel to avoid a painful reminder, but it felt like his thumb wouldn't move. The guys and I should have been there. Dammit, Kamoshida! Ryuji thought, subconsciously rubbing his injured leg.

"I see you didn't waste any time eatin'," Ryuji's mom said as she walked into the small kitchen. When she didn't hear her son's response, she turned her attention to the TV and saw a track meet. Sighing, the older woman grabbed the remote and quickly changed the channel. "I know what you're thinkin', Ryuji." She placed a pizza slice on the plate and sat across from Ryuji. "How often do I tell you it wasn't your fault?"

Ryuji ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, well, everyone at school treats me like shit."

"Language!" The woman scolded.

"Sorry," Ryuji sheepishly apologized. "Everyone at school treats me like garbage because they still believe Kamoshida. Sometimes, I think about what life would be like if I kept my mouth shut."

"You'll still be on the track team, most likely abused with a few broken bones," Ryuji's mom responded. "It's best that you don't think about those what if. Whatever happened, happened."

Silence filled the small dining room until Ryuji spoke up again. "Mom… can I ask you a favor? It's about the blood drive this Friday."

The woman's eyebrow rosed, but she asked, "What about it?"

"So, um…" Ryuji could feel his hands starting to get sweaty. "A few of my friends and I want to volunteer there because we need to get Kamoshida's blood for proof that he raped Shiho Suzui."

"What!?"