While continuously slapping himself, Kuwahara kept loudly berating himself.
If Hikari weren't standing right in front of him at that moment, it might have genuinely looked like a villain suddenly repenting and realizing his mistakes.
Watching Kuwahara's actions, Hikari simply chuckled lightly, remaining as calm as ever.
However, Tachibana Yui, who was standing to the side, was utterly stunned by this scene.
After all, no matter how despicable Kuwahara was, he was still a teacher.
On normal days, students both feared and dreaded him, to the point where they wouldn't even dare to look up when they saw him.
Even Yui herself was quite afraid of Kuwahara, viewing him as an imposing authority figure.
Yet now, this usually arrogant and authoritative teacher, who loomed like a mountain over others, was kneeling before Hikari.
Not only was he cursing himself, but he was also slapping himself hard across the face.
This scene was truly unbelievable to Yui.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting its glow on Hikari's back, while Kuwahara, kneeling in repentance before him, had half his face illuminated and the other half still shrouded in shadow.
Though she wasn't part of the art club, just the manager of the baseball team, this image stirred an indescribable flutter in Yui's heart, as if something had deeply moved her, making her heartbeat quicken.
Perhaps it was because hierarchical system was too rigid. People often endured oppression from superiors like teachers and bosses with passive acceptance, and the idea of the underdog triumphing mostly remained a fantasy.
So witnessing this scene, Yui found it utterly unbelievable.
Hikari was just another student, her best friend's boyfriend, so how could he remain so composed while making a teacher kneel before him?
The sight of Kuwahara calling himself a pig and slapping himself made Yui wonder if she was dreaming, yet deep down, she also felt… incredibly satisfied.
Meanwhile, Kuwahara, still kneeling, was filled with humiliation.
If Yui was so shocked she doubted she was dreaming, he was no different.
But there was nothing he could do.
His usual teacherly authority meant nothing to Hikari.
Under the pressure of Hikari's vaguely intimidating aura, combined with the video in his possession, no matter how resentful Kuwahara felt, he had no choice but to obey Hikari's demands.
After slapping himself for over half a minute, his cheeks swollen like steamed buns, Kuwahara finally dared to lower his hands.
"Cough… Hikari… Hikari-kun, can… can you delete the video now?", Kuwahara pleaded with Hikari, his speech slightly slurred.
"When did I say your repentance ends here?", Hikari replied with a smile.
Kuwahara's eyes widened instantly as he glared at Hikari in fury.
"Yo-you're going back on your word?!"
"I've had enough! You damn liar!"
"I'll fight you to the death! Fine, don't delete it! It's just a damn video anyway!"
As he spoke, Kuwahara tried to stand up.
Hikari suddenly extended a single finger, pressing it against Kuwahara's forehead and forcing him back down to his knees, completely immobilized.
"Stay kneeling. Don't stand."
"And don't rush. About the video… I will delete it. After all, it's not quite complete…"
Despite struggling, Kuwahara found that Hikari's strength was terrifying, he couldn't even resist a single finger. He had no choice but to keep his already aching knees pressed to the ground.
However, when he heard Hikari say he'd delete the video, he immediately sighed in relief.
Watching Hikari operate the camera and delete the video right in front of him, Kuwahara was overjoyed.
Perhaps because he'd been so frightened by Hikari's earlier words, seeing the video actually deleted filled him with immense relief.
It felt like surviving a disaster, so much so that even the humiliation of being degraded earlier and the pain in his swollen cheeks seemed to fade away.
But just then…
Both Yui and Kuwahara suddenly saw Hikari walk toward the window again.
Earlier, Hikari had opened the right window and retrieved the camera that had recorded Kuwahara threatening Yui.
This time, however, Hikari opened the left window.
And then…
Kuwahara watched as Hikari pulled out another camera.
"You—", Kuwahara's eyes bulged as he tried to speak.
But before he could finish, the newly retrieved camera began playing audio.
["I, Kuwahara, as a teacher, threatened a female student. I have no shame!"]
["I lusted after a female student's body, I'm despicable!"]
["…I'm a beast!"]
["…"]
Hearing his own "confession" from earlier, Kuwahara froze.
"Y-you… you had a second camera? And you recorded my entire confession?"
Staring at the utterly disbelieving Kuwahara, Hikari nodded matter-of-factly.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"
"Wh-why would you even record it?", Kuwahara was at a loss for words, his finger trembling as he pointed at Hikari.
Seeing Kuwahara's breakdown, Hikari smiled and said,
"Immanuel Kant once said—'Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.'"
"Didn't capture the starry heavens, but I did get a beast devoid of moral law. A nice bonus, really."
Hearing this, Kuwahara burst into tears, his emotions crumbling as he shouted,
"What the hell do you want from me? You keep toying with me like this, what is it you're after?"
Watching Kuwahara's meltdown, Hikari shook his head with a smile.
Weren't these the exact tactics these scumbags and homewreckers always used?
Yet when the tables were turned, they couldn't handle it themselves.
Seeing Kuwahara emotionally broken, begging to know what it would take for Hikari to let him go, Hikari finally spoke.
"Fine. I might delete this video too. But you'll have to keep confessing."
"Here, lie down on this coffee table first. Then spread your legs."
Hearing this, the emotionally unstable Kuwahara instinctively obeyed, lying down on the sofa and spreading his stubby legs.
Hikari then kicked two chairs over, trapping Kuwahara's legs between the wooden slats, forcing them into an M-shaped spread that was hard to escape.
Only after this did Kuwahara snap back to reality.
Looking up at Hikari, who now loomed over him, Kuwahara suddenly felt a surge of fear.
'Is Hikari… one of those people?'
'He can't be that twisted, right?'
'No, the way he tortured me earlier was already twisted enough!'
Kuwahara's ass clenched in terror as he stared at Hikari, finally experiencing the same fear he had inflicted on Yui earlier.
Meanwhile, Yui, standing to the side, had similar thoughts after seeing Kuwahara's position.
She stared at Hikari in shock.
'Is my best friend's boyfriend actually into men?'
'No way…!'
'And Kuwahara's so ugly and fat… What kind of taste is that?'
Hikari, of course, noticed the stunned looks from both of them.
But he ignored them, letting Kuwahara stew in the same fear he'd forced onto Yui earlier.
After about half a minute, Hikari finally waved at Yui.
"Yui, come here."
Hearing this, Yui immediately stood up, pushing aside her shock and internal criticisms as she hurried over to Hikari.
She was extremely obedient.
After all, Hikari had appeared and saved her at her most desperate moment.
So right now, she trusted him completely. And her opinion of him had drastically improved.
Once Yui was beside him, Hikari didn't waste time.
He pulled out a pre-prepared baseball bat and handed it to her.
"Take this. Hit him there. You know what I mean, right?"
"Repentance is about never repeating the sin. And the best way to prevent that… is to uproot it completely."
Hikari smiled as he spoke.
""Huh?""
Both Yui and Kuwahara gasped in shock.
Yui never expected that Hikari's reason for restraining Kuwahara in this position and calling her over was to let her deliver a fatal strike to his manhood.
Meanwhile, Kuwahara was absolutely terrified at the prospect of being "disarmed."
He instinctively tried to struggle free.
But his obese body made movement difficult, lying on his back like a turtle, with his legs pinned by the chairs, escape was impossible.
Ignoring Kuwahara's reaction, Hikari simply smiled at Yui, his eyes carrying a hint of encouragement.
Gripping the thick, hard baseball bat, Yui glanced at Kuwahara, then back at Hikari.
Her gaze darted back and forth, her expression a mix of fear, impulse, hesitation, and other complicated emotions.
Following Hikari's words, she stood beside Kuwahara and, under his terrified stare, raised the wooden bat high.
But she couldn't bring herself to swing it down.
After hesitating for dozens of seconds…
Yui finally lowered the bat gently, her face filled with shame as she spoke apologetically to Hikari, "I… I can't do it…"
"I'm… I'm sorry, Hikari-kun…"
Sighing at Yui's remorseful expression, Hikari didn't press further, simply taking the bat back from her.
The reason he'd wanted Yui to do it was simple: if she had, it likely would've earned him more Pure Love Points.
After all, encouraging a victim to muster the courage to fight back was undoubtedly a boon for pure love.
But even with the opportunity handed to her, even with Kuwahara completely powerless, Yui still couldn't bring herself to do it.
Though Hikari was somewhat disappointed, he understood.
He'd overestimated Yui's resilience.
Thinking about it, Yui wasn't any different from an ordinary girl. Aside from being Akane's best friend and having a chest three or four cup sizes larger than average.
In terms of willpower or combat ability, she probably couldn't even compare to Shinoimiya Kagetsu in her prime, back when she still practiced aikido.
'Well, some things just can't be forced.'
Noticing the flicker of disappointment in Hikari's eyes, Yui's shame deepened, and a strong sense of guilt toward him welled up in her heart.
The feeling was unbearable, sour and bitter.
After all, Hikari had given her the chance to take revenge and punish evil, yet her own cowardice had held her back.
She was disappointed in herself, too.
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