Chapter 125: Caught Red-Handed

"Aren’t you joking? Where is she?" Tomi asked doubtfully.

Tomi stood up and turned to face me. Reflexively, I lowered my head and buried my face between both of my hands that were pressed against the floor. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, praying that they would not come closer.

Suddenly, my heart pounded like the blast of a cannon. I cursed my own foolishness.

"Ahem!" The sound of a throat clearing made me jolt.

I looked up and found Kenn already standing right in front of me. He looked tall and imposing with both hands hidden in his pants pockets. My face turned pale. I was finished.

Trying to put on the most innocent expression possible, I stood up and smiled awkwardly. "Hi, Kenn. Hi, Tomi."

I waved my hand awkwardly, but my greeting was only met with a flat stare from Kenn and a restrained smile from Tomi.

"It seems I should go. Please continue your conversation. I promise I won’t disturb you again."

I tried to look for an opening to escape, but Kenn immediately blocked my path. He walked closer and stared at me intensely, making my heart grow even more erratic.

"I didn’t hear anything. Seriously. So, may I go now?" I asked haltingly.

Instead of answering, Kenn gave Tomi a look. In an instant, Tomi shifted his body to block the surveillance camera and whispered softly, "Don’t struggle, this is just an act. Later, after we’re outside, we’ll explain everything."

Before I could respond, Tomi had already grabbed both of my hands roughly from behind.

"Tomi, it hurts!" I shouted.

Instead of letting go, he tightened his grip and pushed me to follow Kenn. I felt so stupid for daring to enter this restricted area. Now, I could only surrender and wait for whatever punishment they would give me.

The violation I committed by entering the restricted area finally forced me to bear the risk. I had to undergo punishment. However, this was not a punishment from the school, but from Kenn and Tomi.

I leaned against the wall facing the tightly closed restroom door. My hands moved to massage my back slowly. I winced as soreness and aches began to spread throughout my body. My entire body felt battered.

While wiping the sweat dripping from my forehead, I glanced at Tomi. He stood beside me, looking serious as he watched the video recording of me undergoing that punishment.

I was not entirely sure whether this was their way of teasing me or a sincere effort to help. According to them, cleaning all the boys’ and girls’ restrooms on the third floor of the tenth-grade building was enough proof that I had been punished. That way, if a teacher or the school owner found out and intended to give a heavier sanction, the recording could serve as a defense so that their plan would be canceled.

"Tomi," I called.

He only responded with a soft hum. I turned my body to face him, then hesitantly voiced the anxiety that had been haunting my mind.

"Is Kenn’s father really that cruel?"

Tomi glanced at me briefly before lowering his gaze back to his phone.

"Depends."

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean by depends?"

"Depends on your willingness to obey all the rules. If you keep defying them, Uncle Tama can act much more harshly."

I swallowed hard. Hearing Tomi’s explanation, my whole body felt stiff and covered in goosebumps. For some reason, a bad feeling began to arise. I felt that someone like Mr. Tama was the type of man who would use any means necessary to achieve his goals.

"But, Tomi, I only went in there without damaging any facilities. Yes, I violated the rule about entering the rooftop area, but isn’t that a trivial matter? Even if I were punished by the school, I’m sure the sanction wouldn’t be much different from what I’m doing now."

Tomi turned off his phone and put it into his pocket. He fell silent for a moment while staring at me intently.

"This isn’t about whether the mistake is big or small, Frel. You don’t know Uncle Tama’s character. All of his decisions are absolute and unquestionable. In the past, if Kenn hadn’t handed over the video evidence of Farah’s actions, you might have already been expelled. Kenn is very worried that your mistake this time will be used by Uncle Tama to expel you from this school again. That’s why he asked me to record you as proof that your punishment has been completed."

Before I could voice a protest, Tomi interrupted with a very strong argument. "Remember the warning written behind the rooftop door earlier. Anyone who violates it will receive the heaviest punishment. We don’t know what kind of punishment they have prepared. We’re only doing this as a precaution in case the worst possibility happens."

I let out a long sigh. "Actually, you don’t need to do all this. I’m not afraid. If the punishment really requires me to be expelled from school, I don’t mind. I will—"

"Don’t be stupid," Tomi cut in as he pushed my forehead back with his finger. I rubbed my forehead while frowning in annoyance. "I won’t let you be expelled. If you leave, I’ll also transfer to wherever you go to school."

"Why?"

"Because I don’t want to be far from you."

"That’s not what I meant," I replied while pushing his head back in return.

"Then what?" Tomi looked at me in confusion.

"Why are you still holding on to your feelings for me?" I looked at him with a wistful gaze. "You know that we can never go back to how things were before, right?"

"I know. That’s why I’m quite satisfied being your friend now."

I grimaced and showed my teeth with a silly expression. Tomi held both of my shoulders and looked at me seriously. "I’m willing to accept it because I know that your heart now belongs to someone else. The most important thing is that you don’t hate me or distance yourself from me. Stay close to me, and I’ll be the best friend you want."

I nodded with a wide smile. "You’ll be happy, right, even without being with me? I mean, you can try opening your heart to another girl." I tilted my head slightly. "Maybe with Sasha?"

Tomi chuckled softly. "You must have been eavesdropping on our conversation about Sasha on the rooftop earlier."

I grinned widely in response to his words.

Tomi smiled and then ruffled my hair affectionately. "Yes, I’ll try to fix our relationship, that is, if Sasha doesn’t hit me with a thick dictionary again."

Instantly, we burst out laughing.

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