Part 2: The Dirty Denigration System
The classroom buzzed with activity as the latest of Mutou's group projects was analyzed, debated and solved, but Taro couldn't think straight. Instead he sat alone in the back corner—as per usual when he needed a moment alone—though this time he had something besides classwork to consider. His silly hospital story had apparently inspired Ikezawa to write a scene involving Santa and some hospital kids, a blackout, and a little holiday miracle, all for the class play. He had already read most of it during Mutou's lecture, but had to stop when Captain Monotonous noticed his lapse in attention, so he was finishing the latter half.
Of course, Taro didn't know much about literature, plays, or anything much about writing, but he had enjoyed the read; it seemed like a touching tale with just the right amount of humor. The fact that he'd inspired it, at least in part, made him feel honored, but her request was bothering him: she wanted him to play Santa. The fact that she'd asked was overwhelming enough, but her reasons had also seemed completely reasonable; he looked the part, knew the role, and was a decent storyteller. Normally, when one of his friends asked him to do something—even completely rational things—they worded it in a convoluted way that often left him feeling confused.
Ikezawa had been completely direct, and even smiled when she presented her arguments—he knew that was rare for her. As he sat there thinking it over, it occurred to him that accepting the part would probably make her smile again, and even that alone that might be worth all the trouble. Still, being on stage like that sounded terrifying, and—simple as they all seemed—he worried he'd be too sweaty and awkward to actually say any of the lines. Of course, most of his time on stage would be spent sitting down, which might make remembering the lines easier, but he'd also have to contend with being surrounded by a bunch of girls in scant elf costumes, and he'd be wearing little more than festive red sweatpants—a disaster in the making.
It would take more than a holiday miracle for that situation to not have an embarrassing result, and in front of the entire school no less. However, if he could survive through that scene without anything arising, he'd get to play the hero on stage in front of all his classmates—the script called for Santa to rescue a young girl from a respirator malfunction. It was only a play, but it seemed to Taro that actors got plenty of praise, even for their phony heroics. Getting that kind of notoriety might actually land him a girlfriend, which he thought he sorely needed. There were a few questions he wanted to ask before committing, but, of course, Hanako had promptly left the room when the group project started.
Molly was already giving him the stink eye for taking so long to read the little script, so he decided to put his decision on hold, at least until after helping his friend with another boring group project—Mutou really knew how to deal those out. Hefting himself up to go join her on the floor by the front of the class—her preferred spot—he slumped his shoulders a little at noticing her icy glance, but he knew she wasn't really mad. They had a system that worked: as long as they got the project done, she wouldn't bat an eye at his lazy tendencies. With any luck, she might even help him make the Santa decision in the process—that's what friends are for.
"Sorry it took so long, Mols," he said as he sat down beside her, "It's a pretty nice script, I think—did you read it yet?"
"I've been working on classwork, Dummy!" she scolded, holding up her textbook for him to take, "Page one-eighty... and try not to sweat on my book..."
Taking the book and opening it to the page in question, he repeated, "I'm sorry," then added, "I'm just a little excited is all...! She asked me to play Santa, y'know?"
"Yes, I heard her—I was five feet away when she asked. She's probably trying to save on costuming by asking the fat guy to play the jolly elf," Molly replied, shaking her head in dismay, "It doesn't mean she wants to hump you in the hall closet, so don't get too excited!"
Her assessment made plenty of sense, though he thought she could have worded it less hurtfully. Looking down at his bulbous gut, Taro muttered, "Hey, y'know it's hard for me to lose weight...! I only have one arm to exercise with!"
"You get a lot of repetitive exercise with that one arm, though..." Molly countered with a disgruntled sigh.
Taro frowned and put on his best hurt expression as he replied, "That's just mean... I've been putting work into it with Miki, but-" he cut himself off and grumbled, "Wow that sounded wrong..."
Cocking her head to the side, Molly agreed, "Yeah, Miki would shover her stump someplace you don't want it to go if she heard you say something like that..."
"Can we maybe get off this subject?" Taro requested.
"Ha-ha, you said get off," Molly replied, snickering as Taro grimaced at her, "Okay, okay! Sorry, Taro... I'm just on edge with the holidays and-" she paused and shook her head, finally smiling as she continued, "You'd make a great Santa for the play... and Hanako probably liked that story of yours—you really tell it well... so that's probably why she asked..."
"You think?" Taro prompted, not a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"Yeah~!" she replied, giggling at his innocence, "You almost made me cry—me! And I've known you for three years...!" As she shook her head in dismay, Taro smiled at hearing the typical cheerfulness return to her voice. "Now, can we get this damned project done?" she requested, turning back down toward her paper, "It's due before the end of class... in twenty minutes."
Getting mollified by Molly, sarcastically or not, was something Taro had gotten used to, though this time she had sounded serious; it was hard to tell with her sometimes. In light of the season, Taro took her encouraging words at face value, and decided to accept the role Ikezawa had offered, regardless of the potential embarrassment. The only problem was that after the group project was assigned, Hanako had predictably vanished; it was hardly unusual, but he didn't know how to find her outside of the classroom—she seemed to disappear into the ether the moment she stepped through the door.
She didn't return even after lunch, and as the day wore on, Taro started to give up hope that hed be able to put a smile on her face; it was a lofty goal, but a worthy one in his mind. Taro slept through most of Ito's trigonometry lecture, and paid about the same amount of attention during Miyagi's English lesson, all the while sending furtive glances every time he heard something that sounded like the door opening. Hoping to catch her coming back to hand in Mutou's group assignment, as stupid as that sounded almost five hours later, Taro even stayed in the classroom for a while after all his classes ended.
It wasn't long before Takashi and Lezard were looming over him, their impatient stares burning into his forehead. "C'mon, Taro," Takashi groaned, hooking a hand around Taro's useless arm and tugging him to his feet, "We still have snowflakes to make... and popcorn to skewer."
"We have to swing by the library for a few things first, though," Lezard mentioned, starting to lead them out the door, "In the meantime, you can tell us all about your new girlfriend, Taro!"
"She- Wha- who?"
"Waiting for her after class, rereading that like script a hundred-billion times?" Takashi taunted, exiting into the hallway and turning back with a wry smirk, "Don't deny it!"
Being used to this sort of hazing, Taro folded his arms—mostly to take his numb one out of play—and walked ahead of his friends. Both of them continued snickering as they trod through the halls, but at least they kept their idiotic whispers to themselves. As they neared double-doors, Taro slowed his pace to let them catch up because he didn't actually know why they were visiting the library. When the doors burst open a moment later, he thought they might be there to meet someone, but that thought flew out of his mind when he realized who was treading past them at a blistering pace.
The Student Council themselves came barreling out, single-minded Shizune stepping right between Takashi and Lezard as Misha brought up the rear. The fact that the dynamic duo frightened most everyone in the class didn't stop his leery-eyed friends of his from watching the pair walk away. He joined in, of course, but only because he couldn't resist the chance to check out some Misha-booty. As they disappeared around the a corner, Taro noticed Takashi side-stepping to try keeping them in view, and rolled his eyes when he realized what his friend was probably thinking.
Once the pair had left audible range, Takashi declared, "Hot damn, I'd like to get a me piece of that!" then, thrusting his hips lewdly, he added, "Use those drills like handlebars!"
"Never put your dick in crazy, Maeda," Lezard chided, turning a crooked smirk toward Taro. "Right, Big Guy?"
Sighing as he turned back toward the door, Taro scolded, "You guys are perverted..."
Jogging to catch up, Takashi countered, "Oh, like you weren't thinking the same thing?"
Lezard decided to answer instead, "I'd prefer the President, myself... Sure, she's a little tsundere-"
"A little?" Takashi balked, turning on his heel with a look of disbelief.
"She's probably wild in the sack, though," Lezard finished, moving to catch the library door before it could swing shut. "Probably tie me up and do all kinds of... naughty things," he continued, flitting his eyebrows as Taro approached, "Maybe get the Pink Ranger involved too—though I'd insist on a ball-gag for her..."
"You both belong in institutions," Taro groaned, slapping the back of Lezard's head as he passed.
"And you belong in a zoo!" Lezard retorted indignantly.
"That still doesn't make sense, man," Takashi said as he entered, pointing at Taro and adding, "I mean, who would go see that? Even in a zoo?"
Folding his arms as he strode away from the door, Lezard scoffed, "Your mom likes to pet gorillas, Takashi, so she'd probably go for a little Taro action—I'm sure he'd be gentle, being romantic that he is..."
That earned a punch in the arm from Takashi, but Lezard shrugged it off and beckoned for both of them to follow him toward the back room. Evidently Lezard had volunteered the trio when Miss Miyagi requested for someone go retrieve some video equipment from the storage closet, along with a slide projector for use in the holiday production; it got them out of failing at making snowflakes for a while. The whole library seemed empty, so, as they went about collecting the items on the list, Takashi and Lezard continued their vulgar little conversation. Taro tried to ignore them for the most part, though that only lasted until they asked for his opinion directly.
"So, what about you, Big Guy," Lezard said, patting Taro's shoulder as they exited into the main part of the library, each carrying a few items, "If you got your holiday wish, but had to spend it getting any girl in the class to polish your knob, who would it be?"
"What kind of question is that?" Taro countered, trying to shut down the conversation.
The denial merely made Lezard more determined, and he quickly reiterated, "How about I just name names, and you try not to blush? Hmm?"
Hefting the projector he was carrying up onto the cart, Taro snorted, "You're a jerk, Lezard,"
"That's what I do, not who I am," Lezard retorted, his typically astute mind not catching the double-entendre that made Taro snicker.
"How about Suzu?" Takashi blurted, having to yell from inside the storage room.
Waving his hand dismissively, Lezard replied, "Nah, she'd fall asleep half way through..."
"That'd be kinda hot, actually," Takashi said as he peeked out through the door, drawing irksome looks from both his friends, "She'd wake up with tears in her eyes and a load in her mouth—a real Christmas miracle!" That comment got him a punch in the arm from Lezard, followed by another from Taro before he could duck back inside.
With that taken care of, Lezard reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose and scolded, "No more comments from the peanut gallery—I need to concentrate!"
Taro groaned at the possibilities, but he'd gotten used to this regular ritual. Neither of them ever actually acted on these perverse ideas, but, every so often—seemingly on a daily basis—Lezard and Takashi would end up talking about who would bang who, and where, and how—typical beta-virgin posturing. That day, whether out of boredom, irreverence, or simple malice, it seemed they were determined to get Taro playing along. Were he in a joking mood, maybe he wouldn't have resisted quite so much, but he never enjoyed objectifying his classmates like that—it seemed dishonorable to him. Unfortunately, he didn't have the fortitude or the ambition to stop the two of them from engaging in their perverse games.
"Let's see, how about Miki for starters?" Lezard said, aiming his query at Taro.
Takashi decided to cut in, "Yeah, right... in all our dreams!"
"If she got really drunk, though?" Lezard hazarded.
"Still a no-go," Takashi rebutted, looking toward Taro as he spoke, "'Sides, the Big Guy didn't even flinch."
"She's not my type," Taro replied, offering a slight shrug as he returned to the storage room. "And I see her every other day at the track, so it'd just be weird..."
"That's bullshit, but... for now, I'm not gonna argue," Lezard conceded, turning a speculative squint toward Takashi. "Taro likes the brainy ones for some reason—being besties with Mnemonic Molly proves that," he remarked, to which Takashi nodded, then he raised his voice toward Taro, "So, how about Natsume?"
"Dude, Natsume's a total bush-licker," Takashi remarked crudely, "I'm pretty sure she and Naomi are already picking out sperm donors for after their Jane-Austen-themed wedding..."
"That doesn't negate the question," Lezard countered, raising his voice again for Taro to hear, "In the context of the fantasy, she'd be wholly willing, regardless of orientation."
"In that case..." Taro called back, pausing only to hold his friends in suspense, "Still a no! I wouldn't get between two girls in love like that—it'd be wrong..."
Unwilling to give up the premise, Lezard retorted, "What if she'd never know?"
"I'd know!" Taro shouted with finality.
"Just drop it, pencil-dick," Takashi scolded, snickering as Lezard turned a cold glare at him, "Besides, Taro has a point—if the internet has taught me one thing, it's that lesbian love is beautiful and should be preserved~!"
"Fine, keep your fantasy, numb-nuts," Lezard groaned, leaning against the cart with his foot on the lower shelf. As Taro started his way back out with a handful of cellophane sheets, Lezard suggested, "How about Molly, then—or is that one too close to home, too?"
Pausing a few feet from the door, Taro took a moment to think about that suggestion, mostly because Lezard hadn't actually brought it up before. He and Molly had been friends almost since they started their first year at Yamaku, and they got along so well people sometimes mistook them for being a couple. Still, even considering all of that, Taro couldn't justify getting involved with her romantically even if it were possible. She was more like a sister to him than anything else, and there were obvious reasons for him to consider her asexual—reasons he wouldn't reveal to those two chuckle-heads on a dare.
Leaning out to show them his serious expression, Taro replied, "No, not Molly—she's like a sister to me. It'd just be... weird."
"You sure about that? Bet she's real kinky behind closed doors," Takashi said, jabbing Lezard with his elbow playfully, "It's always the cute little ones in sweaters, am I right?"
Eying Takashi—who was short, and had a penchant for wearing sweaters—with narrowed eyes, Lezard stated, "For me to agree with that, I'd have to think the same of you... And, I'm not prepared to accept that mental image..."
"Ugh, yeah, sorry," Takashi muttered, backing away and shaking his head in dismay. After a brief pause, he added, "Still, we aren't through the room yet... What about Ritsu?"
Shrugging, Taro disagreed, "Too snobby."
"Ikuno?" Lezard suggested.
Genuinely confused, Taro prompted, "Who?"
"Sits next to Miki—kinda mousy," Takashi described.
"She's kinda smart—you'd like her," Lezard added.
Shrugging, Taro claimed, "Well, I can't really answer if I don't know her, can I?"
"Good point," Takashi stated, then pontificated and added, "You know Misaki, though, right? The one that's always taking pictures and annoying everyone with-"
Flashing a grin, Lezard interjected, "You'd offer up your imaginary girlfriend as Taro's cum catcher?"
"She's not my-" Takashi stopped himself and sighed, "Fuck you, Valeth! Anyway... are we gonna have to dip into other classrooms?"
"There are plenty of buxom, brainy beauties around the school... but we haven't even mentioned the coup de gras yet," Lezard stated, pushing off the cart and aiming his pointed finger at Taro, "The one he's pining for..." he aimed the finger at the floor, "Right now...! The dark-haired enigma who delivered a document and a request unto him this very day!"
"You're a shit, Lezard," Taro stated, stepping out through the door and placing a stack of cellophane sheets on the cart. Knowing where the conversation was going, Taro realized that making Lezard doubt himself was the only card he had left to play, and the last-ditch gambit probably wouldn't work, but, sighing either out of desperation or resignation, he added, "Also, you have no idea what you're talking about..."
Unfortunately, as expected, it hadn't worked. Worse, it may actually have done the opposite of what he intended. Chuckling devilishly, Lezard adjusted his little oval-framed glasses with a haughty smirk and sucked in a breath. Meanwhile, Taro slumped against the cart and sighed inwardly; he really did have a thing for Hanako, even before she visited him earlier in the day. At that moment, though, he couldn't decide whether to feel angry at himself for having let it slip, or mad at Lezard for drawing out the suspense; his bespectacled friend really liked to overplay the drama.
With a flourish of his hand that ended with him pontificating obnoxiously, Lezard stated, "We both know the only girl on your mind today is the one and only, tall, dark and frightful," he paused, drawing out the suspense for just a few more ounces of drama before shouting, "Hanako Ikezawa!"
"Scarface?" Takashi blurted, trying to sound surprised; he had merely been waiting to speak.
In his best game-show-host voice, Lezard replied, "You heard right, my friend!"
"She's not even... why would anyone? Are you fucking serious?" Takashi sputtered, probably reveling a little too much in his mock disbelief, "I mean, Taro's a total beta, but Ikezawa? That's a whole other plane of existence—a lower plane, at that."
"That's a little unfair, isn't it?" Lezard said, raising an eyebrow as he rubbed his lapel dismissively.
Long ago Taro came to the conclusion that he was better off being friends with these two because nobody else would have him. However, if this conversation continued, he didn't know whether he could justify lying to himself like that anymore. Even if she wasn't in earshot, Hanako hadn't done anything to deserve this kind of treatment, and neither had any of the other girls they'd been objectifying. Still unable to voice his argument, Taro grabbed at the cart and found the handle blindly, then held it tightly—he knew things would get worse before they got better.
"Well, okay... let's break this down," Takashi continued, his superior tone grating on Taro's ears, "She's tall—there's that. Honestly, it's not a favorable factor for me, but maybe it is for the Big Guy here."
Rolling his hand, beckoning Takashi to continue, Lezard prompted, "Go on..."
"And I don't know how she does it, but that body of hers is definitely worth a second look—and probably a third," Takashi added, still maintaining that irksome tone, "But, really... when you get right down to it, she's... a total butterface—frightfully fucked up from the neck up!"
Completely deadpan, Lezard agreed, "That's not quite how I'd phrase it, but it's a fair assessment..."
As he waited for Takashi's reply, Lezard's superior chuckling inspired Taro's grip to tighten once more, this time turning his knuckles white as he silently berated himself for not speaking out against their crassness. Even though they disagreed almost constantly, and he thought most of what his two friends said was wrong—not just on a factual level—he accepted their ravings because they were his only friends. This time, however, they were just being malicious for no apparent reason, and Taro started to feel sick, partly because of what they were saying, but mostly due to his own inaction.
Nodding solemnly, as though he were revealing some great truth of the universe, Takashi stood with a hand behind his back and a finger pointed at the ceiling. "In conclusion," he stated, pausing only to draw out the drama, "considering we're talking about a Game of Blows..."
"Nice literary reference," Lezard complimented.
"Thank you, I just finished the second book last night," Takashi replied, then, apparently pleased with his vile logic, grinned viciously as he concluded, "Since you'd have to spend the whole time looking at her face, I don't think Hanako would be a suitable candidate to provide a miraculous blow-job."
"Ah, but what about the bonus round?" Lezard asked, gripping his lapel as he spoke, "Assuming things played out naturally, would things then escalate, or-"
Summing up some courage, Taro finally interjected, "Guys, seriously! Fucking stop it...!"
"Hmm?" Lezard grunted, then shared a look with Takashi before asking, "Do you suppose that was a declaration?"
"Seemed more like a request," Takashi stated, placing a calm fist against his chest.
Chuckling grimly, Lezard remarked, "Boldness from Taro Arai? Be still my heart, I thought it impossible—I had resigned to knowing he the only thing he did passionately was masturbate..."
Gritting his teeth at that remark, Taro barely managed to bite back his snarling response. Molly being flippant like that he could handle because he knew she was kidding, but Lezard only said anything to get a rise out of people. When he advocated telling the Santa story the previous evening, it certainly wasn't out of any appreciation for heartwarming tales, or a desire for anyone else to hear the story. He had simply done it because he knew Taro was missing his family, and wanted to make him feel worse. Lezard also knew he wouldn't refuse if Hanako were the one to make the request because Taro had regrettably confided in the prick the last time they went out drinking.
"You shut your pig-mouth, Lezard!" Taro snarled, the anger boiling over for just a moment.
Takashi responded in Lezard's stead, though not to Taro's question. "There would have to be a paper bag involved," he said, apparently referencing Lezard's earlier question, "But... if things did escalate, and I didn't lose my erection at seeing her horrifying face... and the bag were secured tight enough not to fall off mid-coitus... I'd bend Scarface over the nearest wall for a good stand-up rogering!"
Uproarious laughter followed Takashi's remarks, but Taro's building fury set his blood pumping, and the rushing sound thankfully overpowered that unforgivable sound. Instead of their laughter, all he heard was their snide, unprovoked, malicious comments, and vicious, unfounded accusations playing over the white noise from his rushing blood. Usually Taro tried hard not to upset people, or throw his considerable weight around, but Hanako hadn't done anything to deserve their attacks, and now they were just standing there, laughing. In that moment, with their awful words echoing in his mind, all Taro knew for certain was that he couldn't let the maliciousness of his so-called friends go unanswered anymore.
"Shut the fuck up, Maeda—you don't know shit!" he shouted, almost flipping the cart off its wheels as he shoved himself back, "You little shit! Who do you think you are?"
"Uh-oh, we have a cave troll," Lezard stated flatly.
Ignoring Lezard for the moment, Taro aimed his one working index finger at Takashi and continued, "Who're you to judge, anyway? Nobody, that's who! You've got all the class of a mud puddle, and you're judging people? And what kind of asshole wears a beret? Wait, no, it's that kind of asshole!" he shouted as he pointed, which successfully silenced Takashi's retort. Turning toward Valeth, Taro continued, "And you...! Dick-headed King of the Betas!"
"Me?" Lezard balked, raising his eyebrow haughtily, "I've done nothing but listen! Takashi trounced your disfigured girlfriend, Taro, not I!"
"But you agreed with him, egged him on!" Taro accused, shoving the cart away, which sent it crashing against the wall as the cellophane sheets scattered across the floor. "Chuckling like a fucking douchebag, grinning and making fun!?" he yelled, snarling every word, "She's not even here to defend herself, you son of a bitch!"
"Oh, did we strike a nerve, there, Big Guy?" Lezard taunted, apparently unaware of how grating his voice already sounded to Taro. "You're here, aren't you?" he added, grinning obnoxiously, "If you're so concerned, why don't you step up and defend her in absentia?"
"Not that he could," Takashi said, drawing an angry glare from Taro, "All brawn and no brains—he'd be walking into a battle of wits unarmed~!"
As those last few melodic syllables rolled off Takashi's misguided tongue, he'd probably already begun to regret them. With almost supernatural speed, especially considering his considerable girth, Taro's rage exploded into a charge—arm drawn back, teeth bared. Caught off guard, Takashi barely managed to start a retreat, but he was too late, catching Taro's fury-propelled fist across his jaw, which only briefly interrupted its path toward breaking his nose. As Takashi then spun gracelessly to the floor, Taro nearly overbalanced and followed him down, only barely managing to catch himself on a bookshelf that wobbled against his weight.
Taro heard a whimper as he spun around—presumably from Takashi—but he ignored it as his eyes locked onto Lezard's hawkish face. Standing exactly where he had been a moment before, mouth agape, a hand held out in silent protest, his bespectacled eyes darting between Taro and Takashi, Lezard seemed completely overwhelmed. Guessing that meant he wasn't about to leap in to defend his friend, Taro huffed a breath and snapped a quick look down as Takashi groaned and rolled away, cradling the red welt on his jaw which was stained crimson by the stream flowing from his nose.
Upon turning back to see Lezard's renewed, and horrified expression, Taro almost felt guilty for a moment, but that passed the instant the trickster started speaking. "The fuck, Taro?!" Lezard shouted, grabbing both his lapels and leaning forward as he spoke, "It's just a bit of harmless fun—what'd he do to deserve-"
"No! Fuck you, Lezard!" came Taro's biting reply, "You sit back and judge people all day, make fun of them, call them names, say nasty things—you're a God-damned disease!"
"And you're what...? The cure? I'm not the one going around hitting people, Taro," Lezard said coolly, though from the slight quiver in his voice, Taro could tell he was barely hanging onto his rationale.
"You do worse!" Taro countered, taking a bold step forward, one that made Lezard retreat, "You get in people's heads and make them feel bad about themselves, about their lives—even the people you call your friends! Me! Molly! Even Takashi!"
"That's not-"
"Don't deny it!" Taro screamed, taking another step forward. As Lezard took another step back, which put him against the library counter, Taro grimaced and pointed toward Takashi—or where the little toady had been, anyway.
"You're the one-"
"You caused this... you shit!" Taro barked, silencing Lezard again as he turned a quick glance to see Takashi had already leaped up and darted away toward the exit. Looking back at his bespectacled former friend, he continued, "Egging him on, encouraging him to be an asshole because what? You enjoy it? You get off on it!? You're a fucking disease!"
Still indignant, Lezard sidled away against the counter, eying Taro warily as he went. His uncontrollable shaking made Taro smirk, but Lezard hadn't quite lost his ability to speak just yet. "S-say what you want," he stuttered, almost tripping over a chair as he continued backing away from Taro's closing strides, "When N-Nurse sees Takashi's f-face, you'll be the one who's ex- expe... Expelled!"
As Lezard and Takashi ran out of the library, tails between their legs, Taro stopped his pursuit and yelled after them, "Go find a hole and die in it, assholes!"
It probably wasn't the best line ever uttered, but saying it made him feel better. The rage took a few minutes to peter out, and the adrenaline rush soon subside, leaving his head a little clearer, and his hand throbbing with pain—Takashi, if nothing else, had a solid jaw. The fist didn't hurt nearly as badly as the clarity, though, which brought the realization that Lezard was probably right; Nurse would see Takashi's nose, and listen to their silver tongues tell the story, then there'd be an inquest—one that Taro probably stood no chance of surviving without expulsion.
In the end, he didn't regret anything he'd said, or even punching Takashi; they were being assholes, and he was sick of going along with their bullshit—it had been a long time coming. As things go, maybe Molly would speak for Taro's character at the inquest—Miki and Suzu, too, if they could be bothered—but it wouldn't be enough, and then he'd then be shipped back to Kyoto to face his disappointed parents—at least he might see them for the holidays. What he did regret was that nobody had been around to see his hero moment, hear him defend a girl's honor, or watch him lay the irksome knave down like a disobedient dog. It was just as well, though; he wasn't the most eloquent or graceful of warriors.
Shrugging as he headed for the exit, Taro wondered if he should bother sticking around to face the music. He figured he could just run away and find work at a restaurant; his uncle would take him in if he asked, and the education wouldn't have ended up mattering much in his case. That hardly seemed like the hero's path, though, and not all the cards had yet been dealt, so he lumbered his way back to the dorms so he could await judgment in his fortress of solitude. Besides, even though he couldn't imagine how it could end well, he had a feeling in his considerable gut that his story wasn't quite finished. That could just have been gas from the salad Miki had made him eat for lunch, though.