Wearing a black school uniform and a neatly tied tie, Shu Ouma slung his backpack over his shoulder. He could hardly believe it—he was actually returning to school. After everything that had happened, the simple act of walking through the school gates felt almost like a dream.
His gaze drifted toward Kurumi walking beside him. Dressed once again in her red student uniform and those ever-present black pantyhose that outlined her exquisite legs, she looked refreshingly radiant, more captivating than ever. Shu's heartbeat quickened—everything I have now, I owe to her. Kurumi is so kind...
"Hey! Isn't that Shu Ouma, the guy GHQ arrested?"
"Yeah, my cousin saw it with her own eyes!"
"How scary! Isn't he a criminal?"
Students passing by whispered nervously, throwing suspicious glances in Shu's direction. He gripped the strap of his bag tightly, his expression darkening. Yahiro Samukawa, Gai Tsutsugami... why do your shadows follow me everywhere?
"Excuse me, you there," Kurumi suddenly said, turning back toward the gossiping students. Her tone was sweet but commanding enough to make them freeze. With an enchanting smile, she continued, "You've misunderstood. Shu was only taken in because he accidentally picked up a GHQ phone. That's all."
Her charming smile shifted subtly—just enough to reveal a hint of her usual cunning. "As for why he hasn't been at school lately, well... it's because he was staying at my house as a guest. I haven't been to school either these past few days, right?"
Boom! Her words struck like thunder, shocking everyone around them.
A moment ago, Shu's classmates had been afraid to even look at him. Now, their fear instantly turned into something far more dangerous—envy, jealousy, and hatred.
"Step, step, step..." A synchronized wave of footsteps echoed as a group of male students marched toward him with terrifying unity. The overwhelming aura made Shu instinctively back away. Something very bad was about to happen.
"Where are you going, my dear friend?" one of them said cheerfully, looping an arm tightly around Shu's neck.
"Yeah, tell us how you'd like to die—burned? drowned? dismembered?" Another student hooked his arm around Shu from the other side, trapping him in a chokehold.
"Why do I have to die? Can someone at least give me a reason?" Shu complained, exasperated.
"Reason? Ha! We of the FFF Brigade don't need a reason to burn traitors like you!" one of them declared dramatically.
"You bastard, how dare you live with the school's most beautiful girl!" another student roared, lunging forward and slamming Shu to the ground.
That seemed to be the signal for a full-on assault. In seconds, a mob of angry male students surrounded him, raining down punches and kicks.
Around them, a group of girls watched eagerly, dabbing at their noses with handkerchiefs while recording the chaos on their phones. The spirit of fangirl obsession burned brightly in their eyes.
"Tell us! Did you ever hold the school beauty's hand?" someone shouted amid the scuffle. The question silenced everyone for a brief moment.
"I... I did," Shu admitted weakly. His mind flashed back to that moment before meeting Gai—when Kurumi had grabbed his hand to stop him from fighting those infected men.
"Heretic!" a furious voice shouted, followed by Shu's pained cry.
"You totally did more than that, didn't you?!"
"No! Of course not!" Shu sputtered desperately. "That's impossible!"
"Is that so? Then tell us where the school beauty lives!"
"What the hell would you need Kurumi's address for?! I'd rather die than tell you!"
At that moment, Kurumi, who had been watching the chaos unfold with an amused smile, finally decided to speak. "If it's my address you want, I can tell you myself."
"Really?!" a chorus of excited voices echoed in disbelief.
"Of course," Kurumi said sweetly, tilting her head. "In Shu's words, where I live is basically a kingdom of maids."
Her innocent expression sealed Shu's fate completely.
"What?! Don't tell me... that place?" The group of nearby single men who lived in Shu's apartment complex froze. Images of a certain luxurious neighborhood flashed in their minds.
They remembered all too well—the nights they'd climbed to the rooftop with binoculars, spying on the adorable maids in that very area. It had been their unspoken pastime, their shared dream. And now—Shu Ouma, that cursed lucky bastard, was living there? Unforgivable!
"Burn him! Burn the traitor!"
"If you don't believe me," Kurumi added with a mischievous glint in her eye, "you can always check Shu's phone. It's full of pictures of my maids."
She narrowed her eyes with a knowing smirk. Hmph. You dared to photograph my maids? Let's see how you handle this.
A shiver ran down Shu Ouma's spine. In truth, he had wanted to take pictures of Kurumi—but every time he'd tried, his courage failed him. So instead, he'd settled for photographing the maids at her mansion.
"Lifa-chan! Neko-chan...!" came the collective cry of despair from the mob as they discovered the maid photos on his phone. Clearly, the angry students had found his secret stash.
Of course, none of them actually knew the maids' real names. But that didn't stop the self-proclaimed "naming experts" from giving them all new ones—and soon enough, Kurumi's maids had become accidental celebrities online, each with their own fanbase.
"Brothers, I think we all know what four words to give our dear classmate," one student said ominously.
"Left to rot!"
"Corpse on the street!"
"..."
"Can you idiots at least agree on something? Have some unity!" Shu groaned.
"What's the difference? Either way, you're dead!"
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?" A commanding, elegant voice rang out. Everyone froze immediately—the student council president had arrived.
"Shu, are you alright?" asked a blonde beauty with a dignified air, kneeling beside him. His clothes were a mess, and he looked like he'd just been trampled by a mob.
This was Arisa Kuhouin—the heiress of the powerful Kuhouin Group. She was kind-hearted, generous, and genuinely good-natured. Under normal circumstances, she was destined to inherit her family's fortune and live a life of comfort and prestige as a beloved, shining young lady.
Unfortunately, her fate changed the moment she met Gai Tsutsugami. Enchanted by his charm and sweet words, she fell for him completely—only to be cast aside, deceived, and used. Arisa's story turned from that of a sheltered heiress to one of heartbreak and tragedy.
Her devotion earned her nothing but betrayal. She became one of the countless victims in Gai's grand scheme—sacrificed without even realizing it.
Snapping back to the present, Kurumi watched as Arisa helped Shu up, her eyes full of concern. Always the one to protect those weaker than herself, even when she too was fragile. One could describe her heart in a single phrase: "Let the weak become the shield for the weaker."
"What a good girl," Kurumi said softly with a gentle smile. Then, turning to Arisa, she added, "President, Shu's fine. Everyone was just giving him... a very warm welcome back to school."
"Is that true?" Arisa asked skeptically, glancing at the line of male students who now stood stiffly at attention.
"Of course! Shu and I are brothers, practically wearing the same pants!" one of them said proudly, smacking Shu on the back.
"Yeah, and since we share the same pants, I guess he won't mind sharing his shirt with us too!" said another, landing another heavy slap on Shu's back. The sting nearly sent him to the ground.
"Sharing clothes?" Arisa frowned in confusion, her gaze drifting toward Kurumi for an explanation.
"My, my... that's just how boys show their friendship. I'm afraid I don't really understand it either," Kurumi said sweetly, feigning innocence. After all, wasn't there a saying about brothers being like limbs?
"Good brothers, huh? Smack!" Another resounding slap sent Shu staggering forward.
Smack! Smack! Smack! More followed. By the time they were done, Shu was kneeling on the ground, his back burning with pain.
"You were bullying him, weren't you?!" Arisa snapped, furious.
"President, you've got it wrong! This is just how guys greet each other—it's like patting your buddy on the shoulder on the street!" one of them said quickly, and the rest all nodded in perfect synchronization.
"Is that really true?" Arisa asked, suspicious. Her eyes turned to Kurumi, who gave her an innocent smile and nodded lightly.
"Good brothers endure together!" one last voice shouted before giving Shu a final, devastating slap.
When the crowd finally dispersed, Shu had been knocked to the ground three separate times. His back, once burning, now felt completely numb.
"This is too much! From now on, I'm banning this kind of 'greeting' at school," Arisa declared indignantly, helping Shu to his feet.
"I'm fine, President. They're just jealous," Shu said weakly, his pained face twisting into a strange, proud grin.
At first, Shu had thought he didn't stand a chance with Kurumi—her beauty, grace, and confidence were on a completely different level. But after enduring all this, he suddenly realized something: among all the boys, he was the only one who had actually grown close to her.
Maybe he had been slapped silly, but for the first time, Shu felt that his relationship with Kurumi might actually go somewhere.
...
"Brothers, will we let Shu Ouma leave this campus alive?"
That was the most upvoted thread on the school's network forum, accompanied by dozens of adorable maid photos. The post detailed, in explicit and envious detail, Shu's supposedly idyllic life cohabiting with the school's goddess.
And beneath it, hundreds of replies—all perfectly synchronized—contained just two chilling words: Heh heh...
Over a thousand accounts had written it.
From that day forward, Shu's school life became a living nightmare. Every day, groups of strangers would ambush him in the hallways. Every evening, he limped home battered, bruised, and utterly exhausted—looking as if he'd been through a hundred battles.