Safety Net.

1

Natsuki groaned as she tried to stand up. It was her fault she had fallen, she never watched where she was going. The teen never learned.

She couldn't fully stand up, because a foot pushed her down, accompanied by high-pitched laughter.

"Kick me while I'm down, why don't you?" Natsuki muttered sarcastically under her breath.

A girl with shoulder-length brown hair and seething emerald eyes smirked. "What do you think, girls? Leave her down there like the bitch she is?" The girl, who was named Erin, asked in a snarky tone.

One of the girls next to her, who had turquoise hair and cyan eyes chuckled. "Let's leave her alone. Her father does enough to her."

Little did the bullies know, Yuri was watching from behind a locker. She knew everything Natsuki's father did to her, and hearing Akemi bring up her father pissed the elegant girl off to no end. She unsheathed her knife from her pocket, came out from hiding, and ran over to the girls. She grabbed Erin by the collar of her uniform and smiled, although this smile was anything but friendly.

"If any of you girls touch Natsuki ever again, you'll never see the light of day." She pointed the knife towards Erin to prove a point.

The teen struggled to get free, nodding her head furiously in understanding. She was terrified of what Yuri would do to her if she didn't agree. The purple-haired woman let Erin go. She ran off, Akemi following close behind, not wanting to stick around anymore.

Yuri's expression softened as she put the knife back in her pocket. She turned around and held out a hand to help Natsuki up. Once standing, she wrapped her arms around Yuri tightly, her eyes welling up with tears.

"T-Thank you s-so much."