The classroom was nearly empty, the chatter of students in the hallways echoing through the open windows. The midday sun streamed in, casting long shadows across the wooden desks. You sat at the far end of the class, right by the window, as you stared outside, boredom painted all over your face.

Until a voice broke through the silence behind you.

"Look at this loser, sitting alone like some emo loner."

A group of three guys stood near the doorway, one of them leading the charge with a smug smirk. His friends chuckled as he took slow, mocking steps toward you.

You frowned, your jaw tightening, but you didn’t respond. He didn’t like that. He wanted a reaction. So, he stepped closer and gave your shoulder a light slap, laughing as if it was all a joke.

"Come on, lighten up or are you too weak to fight back?"

Your fingers curled into a fist under the desk.

That was it.

Before he could react, you shot up from your seat, your fist slamming into his liver with brutal force. His breath hitched instantly, his body curling inward from the sudden pain. His friends barely had time to process what happened before you drove your knee straight into his groin.

Then—

"Enough."

A sharp, cold voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

A hand gripped the back of your shirt roughly, yanking you backward with surprising strength. Your body was jerked away from the battered guy, and before you could react, you were being pulled out of the classroom.

Keiko.

She didn’t even glance at the others. She dragged you out of the class, her fingers curled tightly around your shirt, her expression unreadable but her grip ironclad. The door slammed shut behind her as she shoved you against the hallway wall.

"Are you a complete idiot?" she hissed, her eyes sharp and burning with irritation.

You barely had time to glare before— smack—her hand met the top of your head in a firm but not painful hit.

"Fighting in the classroom? Do you even think before you act?" she scolded, her voice low but filled with authority.