Chapter 63 (Dealing with a Bully [Part 20]) – Aftermath

My day is going great!

Okay, before the universe decides to smite me for tempting fate, let me clarify that statement.

My body still hurts like hell. Every movement reminds me that I got used as a human punching bag less than twenty-four hours ago. And walking feels like I'm a turtle who's had all four knees surgically removed: My movements are slow, awkward, and deeply undignified. My ribs protest with every breath, and I'm pretty sure there are bruises in places I didn't even know could bruise.

And yeah, I'm also stressed about whatever conversation Mr. Inoue is having with the principal right now.

But, and this is a big but, my day has been Jack-free.

I actually checked his usual pre-class hangout spot this morning and it was empty. Completely, gloriously empty. It was beautiful. I almost teared up. If I wasn't so sore, I might have done a little dance.

The absence of Jack Richardson sort of feels like... imagine you've been listening to nails on a chalkboard for months, and then suddenly someone just turns the sound off. The silence that comes after is just absolute bliss. It's the kind of thing that makes me believe in a benevolent universe, even if that universe also saw fit to let me get the shit kicked out of me yesterday.

I breeze through my first three periods. And now, the highlight of my day approaches.

Computer science class. Luna time. I can never get enough Luna time.

I make my way through the halls as quickly as my battered body will allow, which is still pretty damn slow. A couple people give me weird looks, but nobody says anything.

I slide into my seat next to her, trying to make it look smooth and not like every muscle in my body is screaming at me. "Hi Luna!"

She looks up, and a small smile touches her lips, but there's something off about it. Worry lines crease her forehead, and there's this guilty look in her eyes that makes my chest tighten. "Hey... Adam..."

Luna's fingers twist in the hem of her hoodie sleeve, and she won't quite meet my eyes. "Um... Dad... wants to... see us... at lunch..." She pauses, takes a small breath. "He said... he has news... about Jack..."

"Oh damn, that was fast." I lean back slightly, immediately regret it, and try to read her expression. "Did he say if it's good news or...?"

"He said... it went better... than he expected..." She nods, her purple hair shifting forward to hide more of her face.

"Hey, that's great!" I try for an encouraging smile. "Maybe this whole nightmare's finally over."

"Maybe..." But her voice is small, uncertain, and that guilty look intensifies.

I frown, leaning forward a bit. "Luna, what's wrong? You look like you're about to apologize for something, which, just so we're clear, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for."

She's quiet for a long moment, her fingers still fidgeting. When she speaks, her voice is even smaller than usual. "I just... he scares me... so much..." Her eyes finally meet mine, and there's real fear there. "Him and his friends... I keep thinking... about them... and I just..."

"Hey." I keep my voice gentle but firm. "Luna, listen to me. He's never going to hurt you. I won't let him. As long as I’m alive, he won’t get to you. I promise, Luna."

Her eyes get a little shiny, and she blinks rapidly. "But... I also… don't want you... getting hurt... because of me..."

"Please don’t feel guilty, none of this is your fault," I say immediately. "It's Jack's fault for being a predatory piece of shit. You didn't ask for any of this. And yeah, I got hurt, but I'd do it again. Every time. Because you're my friend and you matter to me."

"Thank you..." she whispers.

I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile. "Anytime. Now come on, let's see if we can actually focus on code for a bit before lunch. I need the distraction."

"Okay..."

We settle into our usual routine as Mr. Zhao starts the class. He's going over some new concepts about data structures, and Luna and I take notes and work on our assignments. I make a conscious effort to distract her with idle chatter as we work on our side projects, making dumb jokes about the code we're writing, showing her funny memes, anything to get that worried look off her face.

It mostly works. She even smiles a few times, small but genuine, and I count that as a victory.

About halfway through class, as I’m debugging a particularly annoying function, I realize something. "Hey, random question. I don't actually know that much about your family. Do you have siblings?"

Luna glances up from her screen, a bit surprised by the question. "Yeah... I have... an older brother... and sister..."

"Really? You've never mentioned them before. You guys get along?"

Her face softens, and a real smile appears. "Yeah... they're really... nice to me..." She pauses, her fingers stilling on her keyboard. "They're both... really protective... We video chat... all the time..."

"That's sweet." I smile back at her. The way her whole expression changes when she talks about them is adorable.

"What about you? You have... two sisters... right?"

"Yeah, Selene and Bianca." I feel a familiar warmth while thinking about the two girls. "My whole family situation's kind of weird, actually. My biological parents were... not really present."

Luna's eyes widen in surprise. "Oh... where are they... now?"

"Dead, actually. Passed away recently."

"Oh my god..." Her hand flies to her mouth, her eyes going even wider. "Adam... I'm so... I'm sorry... I didn't..."

"No, no, it's okay!" I wave my hand quickly, realizing how bad that sounded. "Seriously, don't worry about it. They were never really involved with my life. I know it sounds weird, but they really were just strangers who happened to share DNA with me. I wasn’t close with them."

"That's... that's still..." She looks distressed, like she's not sure if she should push the topic or drop it entirely.

"Hey, it's fine. Really." I give her my best reassuring smile. "I've got my sisters and my mom. That's my real family. The people who actually raised me and were there for me? They're what matters."

She nods slowly, seeming to accept this, though she still looks a bit concerned.

"Anyway," I say, eager to move to lighter topics, "speaking of family, I remember you mentioned your family owns some businesses or something? What kind of stuff do they do?"

"Hm..." She tilts her head, thinking. "It's... kind of a lot... My dad invests in... lots of different... companies..." She pauses, her brow furrowing slightly. "I think... the biggest one... is a tech company... but there's other stuff too..."

I blink. "Wait, you're not sure?"

"There's just... so many..." she says softly, like this is a completely normal thing to say. "I can't really... keep track... of all of them..."

Holy shit.

How rich do you have to be to not know what your most profitable company is? That's not normal "upper-class" rich. That's not even "we have tons of expensive homes everywhere" rich. That's "wealth beyond mortal comprehension" rich.

"That's... wow. Your family's really successful, huh?"

She shrugs, like it's no big deal, like she didn't just casually mention that her family probably has more money than several small countries combined.

The rest of class passes comfortably. We code, we joke, Luna gradually relaxes.

It feels nice. Normal.

The bell rings way too soon, as it always does.

"Ready for this?" I ask as I slowly stand up, trying not to grimace.

She nods, gathering her things quickly, and we head out together.

We walk to the front entrance together, me moving at my maximum speed of "elderly person with two broken legs" and Luna adjusting her pace to match mine. Luna stays close to me the entire walk, close enough that her hoodie sleeve occasionally brushes against my arm.

We push through the main doors, and I immediately spot Mr. Inoue standing beside his car. Daichi is next to him, looking relaxed and alert at the same time.

Mr. Inoue looks… content? His expression is neutral and his posture is relaxed. Which makes me cautiously optimistic.

Luna gives a small, shy wave.

"Hey Mr. Inoue," I say, also offering a wave.

He nods, smiles, and says something in Japanese. Daichi translates, his voice warm and friendly.

"Hello, both of you. I'll keep this brief. The situation with Jack Richardson has been resolved.'"

My heart leaps. "Wait, really? That's amazing! So what's going to happen? Is he going to jail?"

Mr. Inoue's expression shifts slightly, becoming more serious. He speaks again, and Daichi's translation loses some of its warmth.

"Unfortunately, his father refused to allow any jail time. That was non-negotiable. However, Jack will be sent to military service for one year. And his father has agreed that Jack will stay away from both of you. Your family won't be touched, Adam. And Jack's two friends will never appear in front of you again."

So his two friends are getting expelled and Jack’s getting a slap on the wrist? That’s… well I guess that’s something.

My face must show my disappointment because Mr. Inoue speaks again, his tone becoming more grave. Daichi translates carefully.

"If you want harsher punishment for Jack specifically, it's possible, but there would be consequences. The Richardson family would retaliate. You would need to leave America: you, your mother, your sisters. I could protect you in Japan, but here..." Daichi shakes his head. "Here, it would be dangerous."

Oh.

Oh shit.

So basically, if we really wanted to pursue this, my entire family would have to uproot our lives and move to Japan. Leave everything behind. Fiona would lose her job, Selene and Bianca would have to leave their friends behind, I'd have to leave... well, okay, I don't have much to leave behind, but still. It's home.

And the Richardson family is apparently powerful enough that Mr. Inoue, who clearly has significant resources of his own, is concerned about keeping us safe here.

I think about it for a moment. Yeah, Jack deserves worse. Way worse. But is revenge worth putting my entire family in danger? Worth making them abandon their lives?

The answer is pretty obvious.

And honestly?

One day, with the system helping me, I could handle Jack Richardson myself.

"That's okay, Mr. Inoue. As long as Luna's safe and my family's safe, that's what matters. The rest... I can live with it."

And as I say it, a familiar sound rings in my head.

Ding! You've completed the quest: Bully Begone!

Quest Completion Summary:

Facing this challenge required you to play to your strengths. When a direct confrontation wasn't an option, you used what you had: your intelligence. You crafted a careful plan, identified Jack's weakness, and executed a strategy to obtain his phone.

But intelligence alone wasn't enough.

When the situation turned dangerous, when Luna found herself surrounded by three guys who could easily overpower you physically, you didn't hesitate. You threw yourself into harm's way without a second thought, proving that sometimes, the most important thing isn't power, it's an unbreakable will and loyalty to those who matter to you.

Your rewards reflect the qualities that got you through: sharp thinking, unwavering determination, and genuine courage.

Rewards:

Body Enhancement: Intuitive Thinking (Sharpens intuition and quick thinking, improving predictions about situations and people based on the Intelligence stat and available information)

Active Skill: Will of Iron (Dulls negative sensations and emotions based on Willpower stat while active. Drains energy and Willpower while in use. Automatically deactivates when energy or Willpower is depleted)

Oh shit.