Chapter 10

The students in Class 2-A rushed to their windows to look outside."No way, is that her?""It has to be!""Whose car is that?""Imagine if she got a sugar daddy."The students bickered as they watched Amaya get out of the black car after being dropped off at school.Amaya thanked the driver and looked up at the school building. She had taken an extra two weeks off to get herself together, but now she was ready to return all her grievances.Chiyo didn't bother to look out the window; she knew Amaya would come to school today, and she knew everyone would react this way. In one month, Amaya probably looked like a completely different person than when she left. The skinny, sickly girl was no more. At that moment, she was the definition of "beautiful."She had changed her hair; her plain brown was now long, blonde, and silky. Her uniform was well-fitted and stylized as the delinquents did. She had multiple gold bracelets on her hand, making everyone wonder if they were dupes. She had a lollipop in one hand and a pair of sunglasses on her head.Arthur looked down to see her and couldn't help but smile. They were shocked to see her transformation, but he had seen her the entire four weeks and so wasn't as surprised.In Class 3-A, they were also in an uproar watching the girl.Lucas had his head on the table resting."Shit, is that Amaya?""Bro, what the hell, she grew boobs!""They gotta be fake. How long does it take to recover from a boob job?""Dude, shut up, Lucas is sleeping."Lucas's ears perked up. He also wanted to see what she looked like, but if he reacted now, it would look too obvious."Have a good day at school, First Miss," the driver said."Thank you, Jon," she said with a smile and waved him away, walking into the school building. Being fashionably late was only natural for the new It girl in school."Wa - Amaya? Is that you? I thought you'd be too afraid to come back here." Juri was the first to meet Amaya at the door of the classroom. She had come back from the hospital and was pleased to know Amaya was suspended and felt even better hearing she was sick. Seeing Amaya walking in like she owned the place pissed her off."Move," Amaya said calmly. She had moved on from Juri; she had bigger fish to fry."You've forgotten your place because you got a boob job, you fucking bitch—"Pa!A sharp slap interrupted her words. She had been slapped in front of the entire class. If she did nothing, her reputation would be in the gutter."Have you really lost your mind!?"Pa!Another hot slap landed on her cheek, and she realized Amaya wasn't going to back down. "I lost my mind, so what?"Juri rushed her, attacking. Amaya shifted, letting her rush past her, and kicked her bum with her leg, sending her rolling out of the hallway. She entered the classroom and closed the door, locking it.Juri got up and saw the snickering students, realizing for once she was the object of mockery."What's happening here?" Mr. Saito, the homeroom teacher, asked Juri."Sir, Amaya locked me out of the classroom!"Mr. Saito looked in to see a stranger with blonde hair. "Amaya?""That's not true. She fell on her own," Amaya said casually, slurping her drink, unbothered."She's lying!" Juri screeched."I mean, everyone here is my witness. Did anyone see me push Juri or lock the door?" She turned to the class, who had an expression of schadenfreude. Why would they snitch?Mr. Saito looked at the class, and no one seemed to support Juri's statement."Juri, you should come visit me in the teacher's office after school for detention," Mr. Saito said in a low voice.Juri's face was red with fury, but in front of a teacher, what could she do?Amaya walked into class and saw her desk had been replaced. She walked up to her seat, the eyes of the class on her."Mr. Saito, Amaya hasn't been feeling well. Shouldn't she move closer to the front?" Arthur asked. Amaya looked at him with an amused expression on her face."That's a good idea, so she doesn't have to struggle too much to keep up with lessons. Who wants to swap with her?""Chiyo would probably swap. She's really nice and doesn't seem to mind," Arthur said in a mocking tone.Chiyo's eyes flashed with annoyance, but she looked up with a smile on her face. If she declined, she wouldn't be such a nice, humble girl anymore, would she? "Mr. Saito, I'll move," she said, getting up and taking her things.Juri's heart fell to her stomach. "No, Mr. Saito! I can move!" Juri said immediately in fear. If she let Chiyo sit there, she would be dead meat."Fine, Juri and Amaya, swap seats."Amaya did not care. Juri's seat was behind Arthur, so she was fine with that."Welcome back," Arthur said quietly, and she smirked. Now she was back, there would be no rest for the wicked.Juri looked at the seat; everyone's eyes were on her, waiting for her to sit down."Juri, sit down; class is about to start," Mr. Saito said, his patience clearly wearing thin.She grit her teeth, looking up at Amaya before reluctantly sitting down. The moment she did, the chair collapsed beneath her, sending her crashing to the floor. Laughter erupted around the classroom, and a few phones under desks were recording the entire scene. Juri's face turned so dark with fury that it looked like ink could spill from her pores."Tsk tsk, Juri... How on earth did you manage to break a perfectly fine chair?" Amaya's voice cut through the laughter, striking a chord in Juri. "Why not sit on the floor? It's clean, isn't it?"Mr. Saito placed a finger to his temple, rubbing it in frustration. These kids were stressing him out."Juri, go outside and get another chair."Juri looked up, her eyes meeting Amaya's, and in that moment, she felt a chill of dread run through her. Amaya's eyes held a promise of more humiliation to come."No, it's fine, Mr. Saito," Juri said quickly, her voice shaking slightly. "I will sit on the floor.""Are you sure?" he asked, too tired to push the issue further.Juri nodded and sat on the floor, her face burning with humiliation. The sound of Amaya's snickering haunted her, and she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.Class continued, but the atmosphere was tense. Amaya's return had clearly shaken things up, and everyone was on edge, waiting to see what would happen next. As the lesson progressed, Amaya couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction. When the bell rang for lunch, Amaya stood up, stretching her arms. "Arthur, want to grab lunch?" she asked, her voice casual as if nothing had happened.Arthur nodded, gathering his things. "Sure."As they walked out of the classroom, they could hear the whispers and feel the stares of their classmates. Amaya ignored them, she chucked her empty latte up in the bin and headed to eat with the rest of the school.They made their way to the cafeteria, finding a table near the window. Arthur sat across from her, his expression curious. "Who's next on the list?" he asked, leaning in slightly.Amaya took a bite of her sandwich, thinking. "Raiku, after him, Chiyo and Kenji are last, I want to rip off her mask for everyone to see."Just then, Lucas walked into the cafeteria, his eyes scanning the room until he found Amaya. He walked over, a grin spreading across his face. "Look who's back," he said, sitting down next to her. "And causing trouble already, I see."Amaya laughed, rolling her eyes. "You know me."Lucas leaned in, lowering his voice. "I've got some information for you. Meet me after school at the usual spot.""Can I bring Arthur?" Amaya asked, glancing over at Arthur, who was sitting quietly next to her."The nerd?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, looking Arthur up and down. He felt a bit on guard; Arthur was definitely on the high end of the attractiveness spectrum, and he was smart and intelligent. Was that her type?"Come on, Lucas, he's helped me a lot. He's a good boy," Amaya said, her voice light and teasing.Arthur blushed at her words but she failed to notice, her focus still on Lucas.Lucas hesitated, his gaze shifting between Amaya and Arthur. Finally, he sighed, giving in. "Fine, I'll see you both after school."Amaya waved Lucas goodbye, and wanted to enjoy her lunch but after he left the view to their table was blocked by the bodies of men."What's your problem?""Oh look at this, the bitch has a mouth to talk now." It was Riku, he sat across from her table with a smirk on his face. The students watched curiously, as long as Lucas wasn't there who would stop them?"If you have nothing better to do, get out of my way."Her words caused him and his men to laugh, was she possessed by a demon? Who gave her the gall? Arthur just ate silently, knowing there was no point in getting involved. Riku would understand eventually how big of a mistake he was making."What if I don't want to move?""Then stay there? I don't fucking know." Her words were curt and disrespectful, causing Riku's eyes to flare with anger. He grabbed her arm, causing her to drop her spoon. She looked up at him, annoyed."Oh, so you know how to look annoyed?" He raised his hand to slap her, but was caught off guard by the strength of her hand as she grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the table.A piercing scream erupted in the dining hall as everyone moved away immediately.Amaya looked at the knocked-out man and then at the riled-up faces of his subordinates. She pushed herself up to stand on the table, giving the redhead a fierce kick in his gut. He doubled over, gasping for air, his eyes wide with shock.The dining hall was a cacophony of whispers and gasps. Students watched in awe and fear as Amaya took on Riku's men. One by one, they hesitated, unsure of whether to step forward or back down.Arthur finally looked up, his eyes meeting Amaya's. There was a silent understanding between them. She was merely having fun."Anyone else?" Amaya's voice rang out, cold and confident. "Or are you all just going to stand there and watch?"Riku's men exchanged glances, their bravado fading. They hadn't expected this level of resistance. Slowly, they began to back away, realizing that provoking Amaya further would only lead to more humiliation.Riku, still groaning, glared up at her. "This isn't over," he spat, his voice weak but defiant.Amaya stepped down from the table, her gaze unwavering. "You're right. It's just beginning. Go back to Kenji and tell him his days are numbered. In this fucking school I am the strongest now!"After the gods, fear Amaya Suzuki.