Since the incident with Ito Makoto and Saionji Sekai was exposed, his reputation had plummeted, and girls were reluctant to associate with him.
Now that Kotonoha had exposed Kato Otome's feelings for Ito Makoto, Kato Otome's friends exchanged glances with a teasing expression.
Embarrassed in front of her friends, Kato Otome pushed Kotonoha's shoulder.
Kotonoha stumbled backward, suddenly stepping on someone's foot and bumping into a "wall."
As she was about to apologize, she heard Takashi's voice: "Sorry, it took a little longer to buy ice cream. I'm late."
She turned around and saw it was Takashi, holding two cones in his hands.
"Can you hold these for me?"
Takashi handed the two cones to Kotonoha and then walked toward Kato Otome.
Seeing Takashi approaching with a blank expression, Kato Otome suddenly became a bit scared. "What do you—"
Smack!
Before Kato Otome could finish her sentence, Takashi raised his hand and slapped her across the face.
The sound of the slap was particularly loud, making everyone wonder if he had damaged her ear.
Everyone around turned their gaze to them.
Kato Otome stood frozen, unable to process the fact that she had just been slapped.
No one expected Takashi to hit anyone, especially a woman.
Mori Kumi was the first to react and shouted, "How could you hit someone?!"
Takashi looked at her and smiled.
It was a smile filled with an almost magical quality that was pleasant and captivating.
People were drawn to the boy's lips, his nose, his eyes, and before they knew it, they were captivated by him.
But no, he wasn't like the spineless Watanabe Tetsu.
There's no charm that makes people bow just because of a smile.
It's simply because he's handsome, and his smile is charming.
"I forgot about you."
He didn't waste any words and slapped Mori Kumi again, so loudly that others instinctively shivered.
Many men looked at Takashi with admiration.
This was a true man!
"Ah—!"
Kato Otome finally reacted, covering her red face and shrieking, "How dare you hit me..."
Smack!
Takashi gave her another harsh slap.
"What's wrong with hitting you?"
He spoke calmly, then delivered another slap.
"You've been bullying my girlfriend at school every day. I didn't come after you, but you came to me."
Smack!
"Am I giving you too much face?"
Smack!
"Since you don't care about your face, I'll give you some!"
Smack!
"Go ahead, call the cops!"
Smack!
Takashi wasn't afraid, but he also knew who to be afraid of.
He wasn't afraid of anyone, and certainly not a high school student without power or influence.
If you mess with him, he'll find a way to retaliate.
Does he think he's harmless?
Takashi wasn't afraid of them calling the police. Even if he got arrested, he had every right to do so.
He wasn't worried about what the police might do to him.
First, he was a student from Aoba, and many mid- and senior-level officials at the police station graduated from Aoba.
They wouldn't make things difficult for him.
Second, his grades were good.
Good grades didn't mean good character, but people with good grades left a good impression.
Lastly, Takashi wasn't just an ordinary person anymore.
Let me introduce myself, I, Kitahara Takashi, am
the exclusive possession of Miss Kamikawa Narii,
the tenant of Miss Yozakura Hitomi's room,
the boyfriend of Sawamura Spencer Eriri who has met her parents,
the future backup boyfriend of Shijo Maki,
the plaything of Miss Kashiwagi Nagisa,
the younger dog-like brother of Hiratsuka Shizuka,
the debt collector for Ryuju Momo,
and the unrequited love of Katsura Kotonoha.
Can you move him?
If you can move him, then all the authors on the platform can stay out of the palace.
Takashi didn't just grab Kato Otome and beat her.
Her three friends weren't good people either, and it could even be said that the opposition between Kato Otome and Kotonoha was mostly caused by them.
Takashi made sure to distribute his slaps equally, giving each of them one.
People who initially disapproved of Takashi hitting girls immediately changed their stance when they heard about these four bullying Kotonoha, and many felt that his slaps weren't hard enough.
"Did you not eat? Why is your strength so weak?"
"Eh, still disrespecting women. He didn't even want to use his feet."
"A boyfriend who's indifferent when his girlfriend is bullied has no reason to exist."
The public still supported Takashi.
Although his words were just one side of the story, his face immediately told others that he wasn't the kind of person who would lie.
The conflict ended with Takashi and Kato Otome and her friends all being politely invited to the local security office.
…
Tokyo, at the local security office.
Because Takashi and Kato Otome were only 16 years old and were students, a female officer was assigned to take their statements.
Before taking the statements, the female officer turned on the surveillance cameras to record the entire process.
There was nothing they could do. Some media outlets thrived on chaos, and the police were very careful, afraid of being accused of child abuse.
"Name?"
"Kitahara Takashi."
"Age?"
"16."
...
During the statement-taking process, Takashi was very cooperative, answering every question, but he insisted that it was self-defense, stating that they had attacked him first.
The female officer didn't say anything, she just silently took notes.
Soon, the female officer spoke to Kato Otome and her friends, and they looked agitated, but slowly calmed down.
When the female officer returned, she said to Takashi: "Kitahara-kun, they are willing to negotiate. Would you accept police mediation?"
"What are the conditions?"
Takashi asked directly.
"Compensation for medical fees, lost wages, nursing fees, nutrition fees, and some additional compensation, which would be about three times the medical fees. Do you agree, Kitahara-kun?"
Kotonoha was about to agree, thinking that this was the best outcome.
But when Takashi glanced at her, she immediately stopped speaking.
"Sis, can I talk to them alone? Don't worry, I won't use violence. If you don't trust me, you can handcuff me."
Since he was young, the police didn't handcuff him.
"That's not necessary. I trust you."
The female officer smiled gently.
She was also a graduate of Aoba and naturally wanted to help her own people.
She called in Kato Otome and the others before leaving.
Before she left, she thought for a moment and turned off the cameras.
After the female officer left, Takashi turned to Kato Otome and her friends and said, "I'm fine with reconciliation, but there's no money."
Mori Kumi and the others' faces changed drastically. Kato Otome, perhaps after being beaten, seemed to have calmed down, her face showing no expression.
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