The coach's sharp eyes swept across the chaotic scene before landing on one of the uninjured students standing nearby.
"You there," he called out, pointing directly at a lanky teen. "Come here and explain what happened."
The teenager stiffened, then started shaking violently as he hesitantly stepped forward.
"C-Coach Tougou… w-we… I-I…" The teen stammered, unable to form any coherent sentence when he tried to explain.
Tougou clicked his tongue in annoyance and waved him off. "Ah, fine. I'll find out from someone else."
He pointed at another student. "You, take that bleeding guy to the infirmary right now. Be careful and move fast, his head injuries are serious."
The student nodded hastily. "Y-Yes, Coach!"
Tougou then turned his attention to Natsuha. The moment his eyes landed on her, he paused for a brief second. His gaze slowly traveled over her figure before a strange, unsettling glint appeared in his eyes.
He stepped closer and his voice suddenly shifted into something much gentler and more concerned.
"You there, young lady. Can you come here and explain to me exactly what happened?"
Natsuha froze like a deer caught in headlights. "M-Me…?"
"Yes, you…" Tougou said, walking over with what he probably thought was a reassuring smile. "A girl like you must've been terrified seeing all this violence. Poor thing…"
He reached out, intending to place a hand on her shoulder.
But before he could touch her, Adrian smoothly stepped in and caught Tougou's hand in a firm handshake.
"Ah, Coach Tougou." Adrian said politely, forcing a weak but polite smile. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
Tougou's eye twitched slightly, but he maintained a firm and polite smile. "It's no problem. However, you should get that head checked out first."
He pointed toward the student he had ordered earlier. "Hurry and go with him to the infirmary. I need to speak with your friend here to understand what actually happened."
Adrian didn't let go of the handshake. "No, no, it's fine. We can talk at the infirmary. Besides…" He glanced at Natsuha and pulled her gently closer. "She's my girlfriend and I only trust her to stay with me right now."
Natsuha's face instantly turned bright red. "G-Girlfriend?!"
Tougou raised an eyebrow, a sleazy little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He tightened his grip on Adrian's hand.
"Oh ho… So she's your girlfriend, huh?" he said, his voice dripping with mock politeness. "Well, while it's not exactly against school rules, I still hope you two aren't showing too much PDA on campus, alright?"
He gave Adrian's hand one final, firm squeeze before releasing it.
"Even if you're injured, the disciplinary committee will still have to talk with you if there are any complaints."
Though their words remained polite, the tension between them was unmistakable. The air felt thick and heavy, as neither was willing to back down.
But suddenly Adrian staggered, he lost some balance as a wave of dizziness hit him. He leaned on Natsuha for support.
"Ugh… yeah, you're right." He muttered. "I should get this checked out immediately. Come on, Natsuha, help me get to the infirmary."
Tougou looked visibly annoyed that his plan to isolate Natsuha had been thwarted. After all, he couldn't exactly force a student's girlfriend to stay, especially when her boyfriend was injured.
He clicked his tongue and turned away, barking orders at the remaining students.
"Alright, the rest of you… Help your injured teammates and get them to the infirmary too! Move!"
Meanwhile, while no one was looking, Adrian quickly opened the System Shop and purchased a small pen recorder.
He discreetly activated it, then dropped it behind a nearby bench, carefully positioning it so the microphone could clearly pick up the conversation while staying hidden from sight.
Satisfied, he leaned on Natsuha's soft body as they slowly made their way toward the infirmary.
- - - - -
The school infirmary was quiet when they arrived. The nurse was already busy tending to one of the earlier injured students, but when she saw Adrian, her eyes immediately widened and quickly made him a priority.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "What happened? That looks serious!"
She hurried over and guided Adrian toward the nearest empty bed.
Natsuha hovered close as Adrian sat down on the edge of the bed, her fingers tightly gripping his sleeve.
"I-I'm fine," Adrian muttered as he reassured Natsuha, though his voice came out rougher than he intended.
"You're not fine," the nurse said firmly, already putting on a pair of gloves. "Sit still."
She tilted his head gently to the side and examined the wound. Her expression tightened for a moment, but she kept her voice steady.
"It's not as bad as it looks, but head injuries are something we should never take lightly. I'm going to clean this first."
Natsuha winced every time the nurse dabbed at the wound, her grip on Adrian's sleeve tightening instinctively.
"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly, her voice unsteady.
Adrian let out a small smirk. "I've had worse."
"That's not reassuring at all!" she shot back, though the worry in her tone was far stronger than any irritation.
The nurse worked efficiently, cleaning the gash and applying a clean dressing. "You're lucky," she said after a moment. "If that had landed just a little differently, this could've been much more serious."
Adrian didn't reply. His gaze drifted slightly, he was looking at the system shop for anything of use.
Natsuha noticed immediately. "Hey! stay with me," she said, leaning in closer. "Don't zone out like that."
"I'm fine." He repeated, softer this time.
She hesitated, then reached up and lightly touched his arm. "You don't have to act tough right now…"
For a brief moment, the room was quiet.
Then the infirmary door slid open.
Coach Tsuyoshi Tougou stepped inside.
His eyes swept across the room before settling on Adrian and Natsuha. That same polite smile returned to his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Ah, there you are." He said casually, stepping further into the room. "I was wondering how things were going."
Natsuha's shoulders stiffened immediately, she could sense that something was off about Tougou.
The nurse glanced up, clearly annoyed by the interruption. "Coach, I'm in the middle of treatment–"
"It won't take long." Tougou replied smoothly, as he continued moving closer.
Adrian straightened slightly, despite the throbbing in his head, his expression remained calm but also alert.
"Coach." He said evenly.
Tougou's gaze flicked briefly to Natsuha again before returning to Adrian.
"I just need a quick explanation of what happened out there," he said. "After all… this isn't exactly a small incident."
The room fell quiet.
Natsuha swallowed nervously, her fingers curling tighter into Adrian's sleeve.
Adrian met Tougou's gaze head-on and said calmly. "Sure, I'll explain."
"Very well," Tougou said, pulling up a chair and sitting across from them. "Start from the beginning. What exactly happened?"
Adrian kept his voice steady as he gave a carefully edited version of events.
Daichi and his group approached aggressively out of nowhere and that, Daichi swung first, and it led to things escalating into a fight. He left out any mention of provoking Daichi and made sure to emphasize that he was protecting Natsuha.
Natsuha sat beside him the entire time, her hand still gripping his sleeve tightly.
She occasionally nodded in agreement but stayed mostly silent, clearly uncomfortable under Tougou's occasional lingering glances.
Tougou listened with a thoughtful expression, though it's clear that his interest lay more on Natsuha's body with how much his eyes kept drifting toward her.
"I see…" Touguo said slowly. "This is quite a serious matter. Daichi is one of our star players, so I'll have to investigate this thoroughly."
He fully turned to Natsuha, studying her for a moment and then offered a polite smile.
"Young lady, since you were present the entire time, I'd appreciate hearing your side as well."
He paused, glancing at Adrian before adding. "If you'd feel more comfortable speaking privately though, we can step outside for a moment."
Natsuha shifted uncomfortably, pressing herself closer to Adrian.
Adrian interjected calmly, though there was steel beneath his voice. "There's no need for that, Coach Tougou. She can speak right here... We don't have anything to hide."
Tougou's smile didn't falter, but a flicker of irritation crossed his eyes for a split second. He seemed to realize that his usual tactic wouldn't work with Adrian standing guard.
"Of course," he said smoothly. "I was only thinking of making her feel more at ease."
Natsuha gave a brief, nervous recount of the events, closely following Adrian's version. Her voice stayed quiet and steady, but her body language showed clear discomfort.
When she finished, Tougou nodded slowly.
"Well… this is unfortunate," he said, shaking his head slowly. "I'll handle Daichi and the rest myself. For now, you two should focus on recovering. Especially you, Adrian. Head injuries are nothing to take lightly, and we can't afford any issues before the disciplinary hearing."
He stood up, but before leaving, he took one last look at Natsuha.
His gaze openly wandered down Natsuha's body, no longer making any effort to hide his interest. A slight, sleazy grin curled at the corner of his mouth before he finally turned away.
"Well, if any of you ever feel unsafe or need someone to talk to… my door is always open."
With that, Coach Tougou turned and left the infirmary.
==========
AN: Ngl I don't know how to make Tougou creepy and clearly degenerate without emphasizing that he's looking at Natsuha over and over again. Was too repetetive I know, but that should work as intended hopefully.