The banquet, which had started because of Uzuki’s misfortune, had the girls laughing their heads off. Tipsy blushes tinged their pale cheeks, and every mention of Uzuki’s sorrowful, despairing expression filled them with an unprecedented sense of achievement.
Bullying is inherently unreasonable; they weren’t punishing her for any wrongdoing. A fragile personality like Uzuki’s was exactly to their liking.
“Kaoru, tomorrow, apologize to Uzuki on my behalf. We need to pull her back to our side later.”
Aoi, with her bobbed hair and a stylish black evening gown, let a cold smile play at the corner of her lips.
“Why do I have to apologize?” Kaoru frowned. She had no desire to do such a thing.
“You’d expect me or Amano to apologize? To someone like Uzuki? Don’t joke around.”
Aoi was the class’s fashion queen, and Amano was the class president, a candidate for student council president in the future.
There was absolutely no way they would apologize to Uzuki.
Kaoru stared blankly at the two. The arrogant Aoi and Amano had always been so unattainable. She realized that without Uzuki, if she didn’t obey, she would become the next target of bullying.
“Fine, it’s just an apology, right? I’ll do a dogeza and lick Uzuki’s shoes if I have to.” To fit in with the group, Kaoru had long since discarded her soul.
Being ordinary, she could only seem more sophisticated by blending into this circle.
“What’s your plan for toying with Uzuki next?” Amano tilted her head and asked Aoi.
“Next step? How about we trick her foreign boyfriend into bed? I’ve slept with five guys already, but I’ve never tasted a foreigner. Since Uzuki cares about that handsome guy so much, we’ll take him for ourselves. Uzuki will be so miserable she’ll kill herself, hahaha.”
“Let me have a taste too when the time comes.” Amano’s perverse, black-hearted smile was a far cry from her usual saintly angel image. “You have no idea—my ace pitcher boyfriend from the baseball club has no stamina at all. The few times we went to a love hotel, he never satisfied me.”
“A threesome sounds so exciting. And I heard her boyfriend is a Todai student. Uzuki must be fantasizing about marrying that handsome guy, having kids, and living a happy, sex-filled life. Next, we’ll completely shatter whatever Uzuki has to be cocky about.”
Emboldened by alcohol, their conversation turned increasingly lewd. They were fully confident about their next move.
Aoi was the prettiest girl in class, with a queenly aura, while Amano had the style of a good girl. In their eyes, a mere hint would have any man groveling before them, tail wagging.
As for Kaoru, sitting to the side, Aoi and Amano never really considered her a friend.
To be precise, Kaoru was positioned as more of a servant—a servant who needed to act like a dog relying on its master’s power, and a master who needed an obedient dog. It was just a mutually beneficial relationship.
Shiori clutched an envelope stuffed with yen and forced a smile. Nobody would turn down money.
Deep down, she felt a tiny twinge of guilt. She took a sip of the highball whiskey on the long table, unable to get a word in.
Uzuki was much cleaner and far more beautiful than them, but such things couldn’t be eaten. Why not frighten Uzuki to get real money? It was a pleasure.
—Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang again.
“Huh? Did you invite someone else, Aoi?”
“No, I didn’t. I don’t know either. My parents are on a business trip abroad.” Aoi glanced at Kaoru, signaling her to answer the door.
Kaoru reluctantly stood up. While she was away, Aoi and Amano lowered their voices:
“That Kaoru is so tacky. How can she have the nerve to eat sushi when she’s that fat?”
“She stinks, too,” Amano added mercilessly. “There might even be shit on her panties. Other than her big boobs, she has no redeeming qualities.”
“Those giant tits are just like a stripper’s at a nightclub. She pleases a man, then uses them to grab his tips.”
“No decent man would be interested in Kaoru. What’s the point of poking into that lump of rotten flesh? Probably only a domestic abuser would marry her, and that’d be because he needs a punching bag to practice boxing on.”
“Hahaha, Angel-sama, you pretend to be so pure and cute at school, but your tongue is surprisingly vicious.”
“Can’t help it. It’s because I’m Aoi’s friend; she’s a bad influence.”
If not for Uzuki, Kaoru would be the next toy. As for Aoi and Amano, they were an alliance of the strong within the school. With no conflicts of interest, the school was a hunting ground for socially perfect girls like them.
Just then, Kaoru’s voice came from the door:
“Aoi, Amano, it’s Uzuki!”
“Uzuki?”
Aoi and Amano exchanged glances. Uzuki had been to this apartment before, so it wasn’t surprising she knew it. But as far as they recalled, Uzuki wasn’t usually this thick-skinned. They’d had a fierce argument at noon today; in their minds, Uzuki should have gone home to cry into her pillow.
Why would she come here?
“Shiori, hide quickly.”
Shiori nodded and hurried into the closet, clutching her envelope full of money.
She couldn’t let Uzuki see her. The Minako Nakajima she’d been impersonating had already been swallowed by the supernatural mirror. If Uzuki saw she was still around, it would be impossible to explain.
Aoi and Amano stood up quickly, and Kaoru led Uzuki into the living room.
Uzuki was still Uzuki, yet for some reason, they felt this wasn’t the real Uzuki. Normally, Uzuki’s skin was a sickly pale, her brow perpetually furrowed as if lost in a gentle sadness, with the air of a literary girl.
Now, Uzuki wore a sinister, spine-chilling smile.
When Uzuki approached them, the temperature around them dropped a few degrees, as if they’d entered an ice cave.
Aoi swallowed hard, her usual queenly pride dimming:
“Uzuki, what are you doing here? Actually, thinking back, I did say some harsh things at noon, but your behavior was quite troublesome too. If you’re willing to apologize, we’re still open to accepting you again.”
“Are you celebrating?” Uzuki’s gaze fell on the whiskey, caviar, and colorful Fleet Sushi. “You seem so happy. That’s nice.”
“It’s true Minako disappeared, but we have to move on from grief, right? Actually, we wanted to invite you too, but now that you’re here, join us.” Amano stepped up to Uzuki with a friendly smile.
“By joining, you mean you want to be friends with me, right?” Uzuki smiled eerily like the Cheshire Cat.
“Yeah, didn’t we promise long ago to be friends forever?”
Aoi took Uzuki’s hand and suddenly noticed that it had no warmth—it was like a dead person’s hand.
