The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 121~♫

 The next day, Ueno strolled through the school halls. People paid her attention, getting out of her way just to be on the safe side. She was still directress' daughter, and nobody wanted problems when the tests and Summer Fest were around the corner.

'How to get him to fess up?' She stopped by a board, not noticing the ads put up by students, their questions, or inquires for any student to answer. It was like a physical forum but with no mobile notifications.

'It's already days since the accident. The police found nothing, and it's no wonder. Nobody external was around, the area was unlocked, and nobody reported anything strange.'

She resumed her walk.

'Even if somebody saw him walking away, they would hardly think he could have something to do with it. Words of his lapdogs may not be enough. I need it directly from him.'

Continuing outside, she knew about one place where she could find something useful. And she was right, Mori and somebody else sat behind the gym, smoking during the lunch break.

Naturally, smoking was forbidden on the school grounds, and the infringer would face at least a week of detention. If that person wasn't of the high standing, of course.

Ueno assumed her place near the corner, pushing her phone over the edge, filming them.

"Hey, Mori-kun, gimme another smoke," a girl's voice demanded.

"Again? Buy your own!"

"My old geezer caught me and took my allowance for this month! Don't be stingy!"

A few shuffling sounds and starting up lighter interrupted the conversation before it resumed.

"I heard that idiotic Kamini woke up."

"So what?" Mori replied between inhales of toxic smoke.

"Aren't you glad? If he would kick the bucket, you could be a murderer."

Mori coughed like crazy. "Shut up! How would I be a murderer?"

"You threw that cat in the pool, remember?" The tone of the voice changed as if she tried to blackmail him. Perhaps this person was with him by the pool.

"So what! Nobody gives shit over that stupid stray cat!"

"But I heard it costed a small fortune to clear the pool," she cooed. "And if she knew it was you, they would kick you out."

"Whatever, it's not like that cow ran out of cash. She can just milk it." He spat on the ground.

The girl spurted out with laughter. "That's right! Ueno-san... more like Ueno-cow!"

"And I didn't push that idiot! He jumped on his own! He is really an imbecile... jumping when he doesn't know how to swim. What guy doesn't know how to swim?"

"Yeah, girls love bulky guys! He won't catch any girl if he stays clear off the pools or beaches."

"Better for me than!"

"True!" She giggled. "Do you know the guys by the pool bet if Ueno-cow's bikini snaps or not?"

"That would be great! We could see her melons."

"Hey!" The dirt under her grounded as she stood up. "How about we get some of her nudes? That would serve that cow! We could get some extra cash."

"I like the way you think."

Based on the sounds, he had also unglued himself from the wall, and Ueno could see him on the phone with a cigarette in his mouth. Taking another puff, their expressions changed.

"Hey, is that?" the black-haired girl didn't finish her question, as Ueno knew what she meant.

She was discovered. Leaping off the wall, she dashed away, hearing them shouting from behind. Frantically pushing the buttons on her phone to save the video and sent it to her cloud storage, she secured the footage and proof of their crimes.

"Got you!" Mori caught her by the waist, pushing her on the ground.

Ueno yelped as her skin bruised, the dirt sticking to her sweaty skin. She never enjoyed running, so she skipped most of the P.E. lessons. Now she wished she could run faster.

The girl was a few steps from them, catching her breath.

"What the fuc—" Mori didn't finish his cursing as Ueno dug her elbow into his face.

Screaming with pain, he let her go, grasping his face. Squirming from under him, she kicked him a few times, sending him back, coughing and gasping for air.

"U-Ueno-sama?" the girl gave her a crooked smile, trying to sweet-talk her.

"Where is Ueno-cow?" she asked. "You were so fond of it a minute ago."

"Uh, that was... just... joking..."

"What the..." Mori stood on his legs. "What gives, Ueno-san?" He saw red. Yet another girl kicked him. Him, Mori Nobu, the proud Head of Council, the ace student, and the King!

"For somebody so smart, you ask dumb questions," she retorted.

"I did so much for you, and this is how you repay me?"

"For me?" Ueno spat, bristling. "You care only for yourself! Proud Head of Council, my butt! Hardworking? Bullturd! You made others do the job for you!"

She let out a breath as she needed to take in new air. 'Not that I was any different.'

"Actually, I love how Rigaku-san kicked you in the ego. And you getting chased by Kagetsu-san was priceless. You should have seen your face!"

Mori turned red, ready to explode like a volcano. "You are gonna pay for this!"

"We will see about that. Know I return my dept with interest." She waved with her phone, and his eyes locked onto it. "Go ahead, snatch it, but too bad. All of it is on my cloud locked under a tight password. Try anything funny against me, and this video will be all over the internet."

She turned around, leaving the duo in the dust. When Mori roared and punched the ground, she jerked but refrained from looking over her shoulder.

Only when she was away in the school and hidden in the stall of the girl's WC, she shivered, almost collapsing from the stress. 'Oh my gosh, I thought he would pounce on me!'

She needed a few deep breaths to calm down. Opening the cloud app, she checked the last file, reassuring herself it was successfully saved. 'Now, to give this to Freya-chan.'

She straightened up so fast that she hit her back. 'What did I... say?' Her fingers curled up as her heart fluttered, heating. 'Is it alright... for me to have a friend?'