章 20: Chapter 20 - It's All Okei

---Notice---

I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. Powerstones are greatly appreciated, and so are reviews and opinions on the story thus far.

*If we get to the top 100 on the power rankings, I will upload another chapter today.*

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"In the kingdom of ends everything has either a price or a dignity. What has a price can be replaced by something else as its equivalent; what on the other hand is raised above all price and therefore admits of no equivalent has a dignity." ~Immanuel Kant

***Kei Karuizawa***

Throughout my life, I've always wondered, why does it have to be me?

It might sound self-centered, but in my own world, I'm the main character, right? So it's natural to question why I've had to face so many challenges.

It's painful to even talk about it. Not just emotionally, but physically too. Whenever I think about my struggles, the pain seems to flare up, as if I'm there being stabbed again.

I had such high hopes for this school. I thought I'd find my place, make real friends, and turn over a new leaf.

But then the midterms happened, and I failed. Maybe it's my fault for not studying enough. That stings, sure, but what hurt more was what happened next. When it came down to it, when I was on the brink of expulsion, no one stood up for me. Not one of the friends I thought I'd made. I tried to change, to be someone different, someone better. But in the end, it didn't matter. I was alone, just like always.

It was either me or Sato, but deep down, I knew the class wouldn't fight for me. People are selfish; they think about their own needs, their own wants. Whether it was Sato or me, it didn't matter what didn't matter; what mattered, in the end, was who would be more useful or what was the best use of points. In the end, even Sato, the person I considered my closest friend, was ready to leave me behind once she had saved herself. Either way, I was and may always be the one left behind.

And that made me question everything. What's the point of trying if I'm always going to end up as the same old Karuizawa?

That's why it felt like I'd been stabbed all over again.

I'm terrified. I'm afraid of being worthless, of failing, of being bullied again. Above all, I'm afraid of being powerless. And I can't change that because that's exactly what I am: powerless.

Or so I thought, until he approached me.

Maybe there's still hope. Maybe not everyone is out for themselves. Maybe he can help me, and I can try again.

But while he stood before me, offering help without expecting anything in return, I couldn't bring myself to ask for more it. I didn't want to be selfish, not with him. And I was afraid that if I asked for help, that's all our relationship would ever be: me taking and him giving. I'd be a parasite; I don't want that.

***

"Karuizawa, you coming to grab some lunch?" Shinohara calls out to me.

"Sure, just save me a spot, will you?" I flash her a grin, shoving my textbooks into my bag.

Once I'm packed up, I toss my bag over my shoulder and head out, phone buzzing with messages. It's become sort of a routine, texting Yagami after class. Sometimes he'd ask me to join him for lunch, and I gotta admit, those are the highlights of my day.

But today, he's tied up with some school point system reform. He promised we'd hang out soon, though.

Messaging him back, I can't help but smile as I push through the cafeteria doors, making a beeline for the food ordering devices.

Then, bam! I crashed into something—or someone.

"Watch it! That was my lunch!" The girl I bumped into is fuming, and now we've got an audience.

I scan the scene. They were walking on their left side, totally ignoring the unspoken rule of sticking to the right. She's gotta be a second-year, right? How does she not get this?

"So, what's the plan here? My lunch is ruined. You gonna say sorry, or what?" she demands.

I glance around, spotting a few familiar faces. There is no way I can back down. "Excuse me? You're the one who's out of line here. Ever heard of following the flow?"

"I'll walk where I want. Maybe keep your eyes off your phone next time," she snaps back.

Her friend chimes in, "Yeah, Yumekui, that lunch wasn't cheap!"

I stand my ground. "Not my problem. You're the one causing a scene."

Yumekui clicks her tongue, "Whatever. Let's go." But as they leave, she tosses a threat over her shoulder, "Just remember, you brought this on yourself."

Her words send a chill down my spine. What's she planning?

"Karuizawa, you didn't even back down to a second year, did you?" Shinohara's impressed. I just smile and nod, "Let's not keep Matsushita waiting."

With that, I shake off the tension. This isn't middle school. There are cameras everywhere, and I'm not alone. Those second-years were probably just bluffing.

"Yeah, let's go," I agree, following Shinohara to join the others.

***Light Yagami***

-Messages-

Second Year: "We've done what you wanted. Here's the audio. Now, where's the rest of my money? I need it if you expect me to keep working with you."

Me: "Check your account; I've sent a bonus. And listen, I need you to keep up the pressure on Karuizawa. Make her life miserable, but don't get caught. If you pull it off, there's more where that came from."

Second Year: "Got it. I don't like her anyway. But you know, if things get rough, we can't exactly provide proof without risking ourselves."

Me: "Don't worry about proof. I'll know if you're doing your job. Just provide whatever proof possible, like pictures or videos, even if they don't have any audio or parts cut out. I'll reach out when I need you next, around this same time. And don't contact me—I'll block you to keep this quiet."

Second Year: "Fine. I'll clear our chat. Just make sure it's worth my while next time."

***

After ensuring no traces were left, I blocked the second-year student. She was well-known, albeit not for the best reasons, which made her an easy target for manipulation.

Returning the phone to Morofuji, I apologized for the delay. "Sorry to keep you from lunch again. Here's your phone back."

Rika Morofuji, a classmate from Class C, lacked friends and was easy to take advantage of. I could easily use her phone for my plans without arousing suspicion.

"It's okay, Yagami. I don't mind helping you out," Morofuji replied, her voice timid.

"There are a few things you need to remember," I told her, ensuring she understood the gravity of the situation.

She nodded, waiting for instructions.

"The points I transferred to your account—keep that to yourself. Don't use them; I'll need them later. And if anyone asks about them later on, here's what you'll say…"

***

"That girl is finally gone, she was getting annoying. It was almost like she had no plans of leaving. But anyways, Light, bullying an innocent teenage girl, how do you feel about yourself?" Ryuk asks sarcastically.

"Bullying? What do you mean? I'm not doing the bullying. It's not my fault some horrible people exist out there in the world."

"Hehehe, how did you even come up with the idea to bully her?"

"Well, it was because of all the things she said when she was about to be expelled. She talked about being protected, she regarded herself as a victim, saying 'Why is it always me' and spoke of how 'things were supposed to be different this time.'"

"I see. Are you sure that Rika girl won't mess your plans up?" Ryuk asks.

"She can't. The number is blocked and deleted from her phone. I have it memorized for when I message the second years. She won't learn of what I am doing on her phone unless things get out of hand. And if things do get out of hand, I can easily throw her under the bus, pinning Karuizawa's bullying on her. Nothing can be linked back to me, after all. All I have to argue is that she was upset that Class C's points were wasted on a worthless girl like Karuizawa, so she found a way to take her anger out on her. Of course, I prefer to avoid that scenario, though. I don't want anyone from class C to be expelled."

"I see. Then all you really care about is that none of this can be traced back to you."

"Precisely. But as far as Morofuji knows, she's secretly aiding me against Nagumo, a task I can't openly perform due to my position on the student council," I say as I print out a couple of documents from my computer.

Exiting my now livelier office, I head into the main section of the student council and discreetly toss a paper in the box for student reports.

"What was that?" Ryuk asked.

I whispered in response, "You probably have an idea if you were paying attention to my conversation with Morofuji a bit ago, but if not, you'll learn soon enough."

I then promptly headed to Manabu's office. Knocking on the door, I received a quick reply.

"Yes?"

"It's Yagami. May I come in?" I asked.

"You may enter," the president replied, and so I did.

His office was similar to mine all around, although mine seemed more inviting while his seemed like a proper workplace.

Walking up to Manabu, I placed the document I had made on his desk.

"What's this?" he says, taking one of the documents and scanning through it.

"Well, I told you I had some plans for my position. This is the beginning of everything. Tell me what you think," I respond as he quickly flips through the pages.

"The Point Fraud Investigatory Act, huh? Essentially, you want the right to put holds and revert payments on student accounts and investigate the sources of particular streams of revenue from students' personal accounts to search for any fraud," Manabu replies.

"That's the gist of it, yes," I respond.

"I try not to get involved with the students of this school and how they tackle challenges they are presented with. I believe that if someone is capable enough to get away with an act, no matter how despicable it is, it would be wrong to take away from them what they accomplished with their own skills."

"This isn't about taking away victories. It's about raising the bar. If you want to attempt a fraudulent act, you better think twice, because right now the school is a big game of he said she said in these situations. This would allow for that to change," I respond.

"Fine, I'll accept your proposal, but I will change a couple of things. The duration of the hold you will be able to place will be a maximum of three days, not the indefinite amount of time you requested. To begin an investigation, you will need a legitimate reason to assume fraudulent activity is occurring, and to revert a payment or place a hold, you will have to fill out a paper and that must be sent to the school for them to assess the legitimacy of your claim. We here at the student council do not have direct control over points for obvious reasons; everything is first run through the school. If by three days of the hold, you do not provide a valid reason for its extension or reverting of the payment will be undone, and if you do find any fraud, you will contact me to decide on a fitting punishment. I don't think I have to explain this, but if you are found abusing this system even slightly, even I can't help you," Manabu responds.

"That's all fair. Thank you for giving me this chance."

And with that done, I exited Manabu's office.

***Some time passes***

-Messages-

Second Year: Here is a video of that Karuizawa girl crying, lol

Me: Good. Everything is proceeding as expected? Keep applying pressure; you'll get your payment as promised.

Second Year: It is, im pretty sure she's been bullied before. The way she shakes and cries, we barely touched her, and she has the guts to act all high and mighty; what a coward.

Me: Interesting. If she's used to being pushed around, we can push further. I want you to escalate things. Don't get overly physical to the point of beating her, but I want you to be as mentally abusive as possible, touch her if you have to; just don't cross the line set by the school.

Second Year: I guess I don't mind, but it'll cost you more, a bigger risk you know?

Me: I'll transfer half the payment now as a show of good faith. Consider it a bonus.

Second Year: I will, and I hope you don't plan on trying anything stupid. We're in this together now.

Me: Don't be dumb. You have my contact information as if I were stupid enough to risk my status in the school.

***Some time passes***

-Messages-

Second Year: look at her on the floor, sobbing all wet. She's been so easy to break, it's not funny.

Me: You dumped water on her?

Second Year: Of course not, that would be against school rules, lol. She's so scared we will tell other students about her bullying; we basically have made her our dog. Whenever we want or need something, we get her to go do or get it for us, and today, we felt grateful enough to let her cool down; we told her to dump the juice she brought us on herself, and she did it right away wonder what was going through her head walking home soaking wet.

Me: You've done well so far. The rest of your payment has been sent.

Second Year: Thanks. Do you still want us to continue? She doesn't argue back anymore; she just apologizes. It's kind of sad. If you wanted us to break her down, I think that's done. But I wouldn't say no to some more easy money.

Me: I have something else in mind. I'll pay very well. I want all of you, you and both your friends in on this if possible.

Second Year: Of course, what is it?

*Please Read Below*

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Honestly, I was really questioning myself writing this chapter and its counterpart. I usually question myself when writing as I want to write something good, you know? but never like this I hope I didn't ruin anything or that this isn't a bit too dark for some of you.

I feel like the writing quality is good; I'm just not sure if my direction is the right one for once.

Strategically, I'm sure Light would do something like this, but I don't know; felt a bit messed up writing this, considering the amount of thought I put into these scenarios; as you can imagine, it is kinda messed up detailing in your mind step by step how to fuck someone up like this in a realistic and functional manner. I actually try to put myself in the mind of whatever character I'm writing and also think about things from the lens of the opposing character too. Usually, dark stuff doesn't bother me at all, but maybe because of all that, and the focus on catching Kei's emotions I sympathized with her and it did this time. Or maybe I'm just being soft.

I won't let that stop me from writing scenarios like this in the future if you guys enjoy it; it's a fictional story, after all, and I feel like writing quality-wise, even if it is dark, and a bit rushed it is some of my better work.

So seriously this time, I'd appreciate it if everyone gave me their opinion on everything so far, if we get to the top 100 in the power ranks I will upload another chapter today