Chapter 152 | Punishments on Classmates

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[Imoko's Point of View]

Rika left with Shinji, my ex.

I touched my cheek where he’d hit me, replaying his words in my mind.

“I'll apologize in advance.”

…What did he mean by that?

“Hey… Nakatsugawa…are you okay…?”

A worried female classmate asked.

“Ueda's words…weren't they scary?”

“What…did he mean by that…?”

My classmates, like me, seemed to have sensed something ominous in Shinji's parting words.

“I-I'm fine! It doesn't mean anything!”

“But…”

“I'm fine! If anything happens, I'll have my dad take care of it!”

My classmates' expressions brightened.

“Oh, right!” “After all, Nakatsugawa's dad is the president of that Takanawa!” “The major publishing company that publishes DigiMas!”

Takanawa, one of Japan’s largest publishing groups.

Its president was my father.

That’s right, if I asked my dad, he could fix most things.

…On the other hand, he could only fix most things…

And that’s when it happened.

BRRRT♪

“Huh, a phone call…?”

One of my classmates pulled their phone from their pocket.

“Hello, Mom… what? Huh!?”

The face of the boy who answered the phone went pale.

I wondered what was wrong…

“N-No way!? What's going on!?”

The student's expression turned to one of fear.

I wondered what had happened… and then.

BRRRT♪ BRRRT♪ BRRRT♪

Phones started ringing everywhere.

BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪

…Every single phone in the classroom began ringing at once.

“W-what… what is this…?”

My classmates, just like the first boy, answered their phones, their faces turning pale and their bodies trembling.

“Why is this happening!?” “No way!? Why!?” “This is a joke, right!?”

The classroom instantly transformed into a pandemonium of screams and cries.

Terror gripped me.

“W-what's going on…!?”

Then.

BRRRT♪

“! From Dad…”

My father, President Nakatsugawa, was calling.

Normally, I'd answer right away.

But… the reactions of my classmates bothered me.

They had all answered their phones and something had happened…

BRRRT♪

“…”

But I couldn't not answer.

I needed to know.

Click…

“H-hello…”

Then…

“Nakatsugawa! You! What have you done…!!!”

My father's enraged voice roared from the receiver. I flinched at the sheer volume of his anger.

“Wh-what's wrong…?”

My father rarely got angry at me.

Actually, he'd never yelled at me before.

So, his genuine anger… confused and frightened me.

“You! Get here right now! And apologize! Kogen-sama!”

“A-apologize…? K-Kogen…?”

I didn't understand.

But there was an undeniable force in my father's words.

“Because of you, the company is on the verge of bankruptcy!!!!”

….

……

……What?

Bankruptcy…? The company…?

“N-no… no way…”

“It's not a lie! Just get here! Or I'll disown you!!!!”

“D-disown!? But…!”

Not wanting to be kicked out of the house, I immediately started to leave the classroom…

“Nakatsugawa! What's going on!!!!”

The boy who answered his phone first stopped me.

This wasn't the time…

“My dad just got fired!!!!”

“…What? F-fired?”

It wasn't just him.

“My dad just got fired too!” “My family runs a store, and they're saying it's going under…!” “What's going on!?”

It seemed… misfortune had simultaneously befallen all of my classmates’ families.

“Hey, Nakatsugawa, do something!” “Yeah, your dad can fix this, right!?” “Hey!!! Do something!!!”

…Even if they told me to do something…

BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪BRRRT♪

My father was frantically calling again.

He wanted me there urgently.

He was facing the bankruptcy of his company, and my classmates' parents were suffering similar misfortunes.

Why?

Why, with such perfect timing…?

“Hey!” “You can fix this, right!?” “Can't you do anything!?”

“S-shut up!!!!! This isn't the time!!!!”

I shook them off and ran out of the classroom.

I had to get to my father.

But… why?

Why was this happening…?

Then, a notification popped up on my phone.

‘Don't think this is the end. GG'

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