April 13th

The morning of the volleyball rally was nothing to really comment on for Akira, the first two classes breezing by without him even getting the chance to blink. Sojiro didn't make him anything this time around, and he ended up going straight to school on an empty stomach. He grabbed a fruit bar and snacked on it before homeroom began, but even then his game face wasn't entirely on.

It wasn't until the announcement for the rally he awaken, his emotions fuling him with energy. He changed in the boys bathroom on the second floor, due to the second-years changing station being too full. He didn't really mind—in fact, he was given full on privacy thanks to the second years who quickly changed and dashed out of the bathroom in fear.

After changing in the school's red and white sports uniform, deciding to wear the jacket with the sweats, he quickly met up with Ryuji and the two walked together to the gymnasium with the throng of students. They could hear the complaints of the other students—mostly the guys as they were the ones that had to fight against the other team.

"How annoying—we've barely started high school, and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally?"

"And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us."

"We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!"

"Yeah, okay. You're gonna get your face smashed in. Just look how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?"

The duo exchanged glances as they entered the gymnasium. Principal Kobayakawa started the event off with some friendly words, the students applauding politely once he finished. A third-year teacher then came up and explained how the rally was going to go. Akira found himself dazed with each word that slipped from the speakers, unconsciously following the blonde delinquent when the event finally commenced.

The duo left the gym as soon as things got started, seeing as how it was the first years up first against the team of teachers. They used that time to discuss their plan in detail.

By the time they returned, the second-years were already playing. The first-years were demolished as suggested by the scoreboard. Assuming that they accidentally excused themselves from playing, they sat against the gym wall, watching the game. Kamoshida was destroying the student team without breaking that much of a sweat. It disgusted them to see the number of girls cheering for him.

"They're so damn loud…" Ryuji groaned, clicking his tongue.

"Maybe they're just trying to stay on his good side," Akira guessed. He couldn't believe that any of those blushing faces were of romantic feelings towards Kamoshida.

Eyeing each girl, commenting on their beauty internally, Akira noticed that away from the cheering masses was Takamaki. She didn't seem to be interested in the slightest, playing with the end of her right pigtail.

"Still sticks out without a care in the world…" Ryuji commented quietly, as if speaking aloud to himself. Akira turned and shot him a questioning look.

Noticing this, he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. "Pretty boring, right?"

Akira couldn't help but grin, nodding. But when Ryuji rested his chin in the palm of his hand shortly after, he couldn't help but glance back and forth quizzically between the blondes. He recalled hearing Ryuji exclaiming her name back at the castle, so it was clear to him that they were aquitenced. But from where? And when? Was it the rumors or from a time before?

The sudden eruption of cheers from students snapped them out of his thoughts. Ryuji sneered in Kamoshida's direction.

"He'll get what's coming to him…"

Akira stared at the blonde for a moment before turning his attention back to the rally.

The game droned on, the teachers gaining a new point with each match thanks to Kamoshida. Soon Akira found himself getting bored as well. He stood up, his butt slowly starting to become numb from sitting down on the hard group. He wasn't the type that liked sitting. Even sitting in class was a pain for him.

For the first time, he felt rather grateful to the square-chinned coach. Because of all the attention he's getting, no one has been even glancing at Akira nor Ryuji, their sense of fear being aimed directly at Kamoshida. It felt pretty good not being the center of attention.

One of the boys from Akira's class, the one who helped him with directions and had a bunch of bruises on his face, took a few step back in the middle of the game; his head hanging as his shoulders slumped. Akira blinked in surprise, noticing this. He found the boy rather cute and was watching him for a majority of the game—way more than he was watching the other students. There was something about him that constantly asked for his attention. Without really thinking, Akira began walking over to him.

"Hey," he called out, meekly. The boy flinched and looked at him with wide eyes. Akira averted his gaze awkwardly, wondering if it was okay to even talk to a player in the middle of a game. "Are you, uh, feelin' alright? I-I can take your place if—"

Akira cut his sentence short as he leapt towards the boy and pushed him back, earning a yelp of surprise. A loud slap shortly followed after, echoing in the once excited buzzing gym; a pained and surprised chatter quickly replacing it. Ryuji's eyes widened as a familiar pair of large, black oval glasses slid towards him—the left lens cracked. He grabbed the glasses, jumped to his feet with worry, and rushed over to his friend.

"Dude, you alright?!" Ryuji asked. He couldn't help but gasp as Akira looked at him.

A large red mark, right where the volleyball assaulted him, practically pulsated each time Akira drew a breath. It almost looked like a burn mark, his veins almost completely outlined. It really defined his soft cheekbones. Was this the sort of pain that the volleyball team had to endure…?

"It's chill," Akira mumbled, his eyes beginning to shine with a glossy coat. He wiped the injury with his jersey sleeve, grabbing his broken glasses from Ryuji's hand as he continued to continue to stare wide eyed.

"Ow, that look liked it hurt!"

"Is he okay? His cheek is all red."

"Oh my god, I think his glasses broke…"

Ryuji looked around in slight surprise, amazed that some of the girls seemed to care about Akira's wellbeing, considering his status. Maybe it was because they managed to catch a glance of his face? Either way, he felt pretty relieved that no one was shitting on his friend after getting hurt.

"Sorry!"

Kamoshida rushed over to the duo, a worried expression on his face. Though, Ryuji saw right through it, and instead glared at Kamoshida's expression of annoyance.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kamoshida asked as he bent forward to be at eye level with Akira. He turned his face away, pointing over at his classmate.

"I-I'm fine, but it seems like he passed out," Akira mumbled. Kamoshida looked over at the boy—sure enough, he was laying on the ground with his eyes closed. Fainted. From what exactly? Even Akira wasn't sure.

Kamoshida knelt down beside the boy, a group of students following suit. Kamoshida looked at the student aid and called out to them, "Take this young man to the nurse's office!"

One of the male students rushed over and, with the help of Kamoshida, picked up the the boy and carried him out of the gym.

As soon as he was gone, under Kamoshida's order, the volleyball rally continued; the room filled with mixed conversations. With the excuse of Akira's injury, the two teens were dismissed as well. As they turned around, making their way out of the gymnasium, they could hear the whispers of students realizing who Akira was.

"Wait a minute, that's the transfer student…!"

"Akira Kurusu, right? The one who gutted a guy?"

"The guy he pushed screamed when he fell, did you hear it? Damn, that transfer kid's brutal."

"Dude, ain't that assault or something? Guess old habits never die."

"Think he did it to get out of the rally early?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

As soon as the duo were a ways from the gym, Ryuji walked in front of Akira and grabbed him by the shoulders, earning a startled blink.

"Yo, Aki! What the hell, man?!" Ryuji snapped, causing Akira to flinch by the sudden volume. He looked at his friend and blinked, his cheeks dusted with an embarrassed pink.

"Did you just call me 'Aki'?" he asked. Ryuji blinked, as if realizing it himself.

"Oh, uh… Guess I did. Feels more natural to call you that than Akira," he guessed, shrugging. It just sort of slipped out. But for some reason, he felt rather shy about it, and let go of Akira's shoulders, taking a step back. "Anyways, why the hell did you do that?!"

"I dunno… Guess I wanted to return a favor," Akira hummed, averting his gaze. Ryuji raised a brow in confusion. Akira shook his head, noticing it. "Let's focus on the plan for now. Where do you plan on searchin' first?"

Ryuji sighed in defeat, shortly thinking of which side to tackle first. They made 'sides', as Akira called it, of the plan. Depending on which one they decided to do first, they may or may not have the time to tackle the other.

Finally coming to a conclusion, Ryuji said, "...Let's go with side C. The first one that popped out back at the castle was a guy from class 2-D."

Akira nodded and began to walk around Ryuji, when he suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you gonna wear those glasses for the rest of the day? Can you even see with them on?" he asked. The left lens was cracked to oblivion, but it was still perfectly intact with the frame. He couldn't even imagine what Akira was seeing right now. "Why don't you take 'em off? It'd probably be a lot easier to see… Unless you have mole vision or somethin'."

"It's fine, I can see fine through the other lens," Akira reassured. Ryuji twisted his lips as he tried to get a read on his partner's blank expression. However, he quickly gave up, his head already starting to hurt.

The two quickly made their way through the halls, students eyeing them with nervous curiosity; filling the already busy hall with whispers. But they paid it no mind as their time was limited. By asking the volleyball team members before practice, they theorized to have a higher chance of getting a response compared to after practice.

Entering class 2-D, Akira suddenly felt nervous. He wasn't expecting others to be in the classroom as well. The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted with five pairs of eyes—excluding the student they needed to talk to. Lowering his head, Akira walked over to the boy wiping away chalk from the blackboard.

"Um, 'scuse me," Akira called out softly. He was feeling nervous and was pretty sure he wasn't going to get anything. The boy turned around, instantly giving him an expression that said 'What do you want?'.

"What…? Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally?" he asked, an arduous tone in his voice. Akira couldn't help but notice that he was missing a few teeth, each time he opened his mouth. "I guess I expected it from you, transfer."

Ryuji stepped forward with a glare, causing the boy to flinch.

"You too, Sakamoto!? W-What do you guys want…?"

Akira eyes the boy up and down, taking note of the bandage practically covering his body—his most noticeable bandage tied around his head, as if keeping it intact. "...Nasty bandages there. How'd you get injured?"

The boy clenched, his jaw unconsciously tensing. "It's from practice…! What does that have to do with anything?"

"Kamoshida did it to you, right?" Ryuji asked bluntly. He wanted to get straight to the point. "Look, we ain't gonna tell anyone you squealed. Just tell us about how Kamoshida's abusin' you."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You scared?" Akira asked.

"I'm not! You guys are talking complete nonsense!"

Ryuji growled in annoyance, taking a step forward. "Don't try n' hide it! We already know!"

"Back off! You're really starting to bother me!" the boy shouted, pushing Ryuji away. An awkward silence fell upon the classroom, Akira noticing that the guy was starting to tear up. And it wasn't because of his injuries.

"This is ridiculous… Please, leave me alone," he asked quietly, looking down. Ryuji and Akira exchanged looks, shortly walking away as requested.

"Damnit… That injury ain't normal! And he still won't fess up…!?" Ryuji sighed as they exited the classroom. Looking over at the clock, he scratched his head. "We wasted so much time already. The game's gonna be over soon."

"Let's split up. I'll take care of this building," Akira suggested. He was honestly only familiar with this building, so being asked to cover any place else and he feared getting lost.

Ryuji nodded. "Fine, I'll take a look at the practice building. There's a third year in 3-C that's on the volleyball team. He was pretty beat up back at the castle, so it should be pretty easy to spot him."

"Gotcha. Hit me up if you get anything."

"Yeah, same to you man."

The two quickly split up, Ryuji taking the stairs at the end of the hallway while Akira retraced his steps to the first floor, where the third-year classes were held. It was a bit confusing for him, as his previous school had the third-years on the third floor and the first-years be on the first floor. But he quickly managed to get over it, finding some optimistic symbolism in the layout.

Returning to the first floor, Akira looked around for a beat up individual, ignoring the curious stares and the unconscious temptations some of the students gave. Soon, Akira found his target and approached him with slow steps. Even though he was on a mission, he didn't want to seem antsy in front of an upperclassman. He wanted to seem like a cool kid.

"Man, cleaning up after the volleyball rally is gonna be such a goddamn pain…" the third-year sighed to his friend, the two signing something on a clipboard that sat on top of a table.

"'Scuse me, got a sec?" Akira called out, casually. He blushed almost immediately, his anxiety overtaking him. The two third-years turned around to face him, the difference between the volleyball player and the average student sticking out like blood on white clothes.

"Huh? Whaddya want?" he asked, rather… nicely. This caught Akira off guard, his anxiety melting away.

"Uh… I was just curious, how'd you get hurt?"

He tensed for a moment. "...It's from practice."

"Hey, I know this guy! He's that transfer student who's been hanging out with Sakamoto," the third-year's friend suddenly pointed out, shifting a glare to Akira. The third-year's eyes widened in surprise, his view of Akira completely changing.

"Oh, I get it… You're trying to snoop on Mr. Kamoshida, right?" he sighed. "Look, our volleyball team performs at a national level. Of course our practices are gonna be tough. Mr. Kamoshida's just dedicated to training us. Don't believe everything Sakamoto says."

Akira frowned, noticing the tone shift. He was being talked down on like a little brother—and while it did, strangely enough, bring him comfort; it really bugged him. Pushing up his glasses, he asked, "You sure it's not abuse?"

The third-year flinched and gritted his teeth nervously, almost as if he was becoming defensive. "A-As if!"

The friend shot another glare at Akira as he grabbed the volleyball player's shoulder, whispering something in his ear. The two shot the underclassmen a nervous look before huffing and walking away. Akira sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He walked over to a corner, where less people gathered, and pulled out his phone. He texted Ryuji, updating him on his throw down.

Ryuji: Damn, everyone's too freaked out about Kamoshida…

Ryuji: Thankfully, I got a new lead. A first-year, new member.

Akira: Class?

Ryuji: 1-B.

Akira nodded and pocketed the device, quickly making his way upstairs. Immediately after strolling by a few classrooms, he spotted a young man with less injuries in comparison to the other two. Walking up to him, the first year blinked.

"You on the volleyball team?" Akira asked. The first year gulped, somehow feeling nervous and nodded. "Is Kamoshida abusing you?"

"Wh-What…!? Why would you say something like that?" the first year squeaked, sweat trickling down his jaw. "I-I mean, sure Mr. Kamoshida's strict, but it's like this for all the other sports teams, right?"

Akira's eyes narrowed in thought as the first-year quietly whispered, "Though… the special coaching he gave Mishima-senpai was prolly too far…"

"'Mishima-senpai'?" Akira repeated.

"Uh! F-Forget I said anything! Please stop talking to me…!"

He frowned, dissatisfied, but decided that he had pestered the guy enough. From the way that he talked, Akira knew that he was naive and nervous. Turning around, he made his way to the corner, an announcement singing through the PA system.

"Attention, attention," a female voice began. "All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today…"

Akira's frown increased as his phone buzzed. Standing in the shadows of the corner, students glancing at him nervously as they made their way to the first-years changing section.

Ryuji: Dammit! We're out of time. How'd it go?

Akira: Take a wild guess ┐( ̄ヘ ̄)┌

Ryuji: So you didn't have any luck too...

Ryuji: Mkay, that'll do for now. Let's regroup in courtyard.

Akira: K.

Pushing himself off the wall, he made his way through the corridors, students glancing nervously at him—more than usual. Perhaps it was because of the fact that his glasses were so nonchalantly worn despite the broken lens, or perhaps because the owner of said glasses walked with a complex frown. They could sense the tension radiating off him, unconsciously clearing the path for him. It was probably the first time that the infamous transfer student looked so malicious.

When he reached the courtyard, Ryuji had yet to arrive. Akira let out a sigh and pulled out some money from his sock. His face was starting to go numb and was in desperate need of something cool to prevent massive swelling. He inserted the money and punched the numbers for a cold orange juice.

As he tenderly rolled the can on his face, he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching him, followed with; "Can I talk to you for a sec...? It'll be quick."

Akira blinked and turned to see Takamaki standing before him. Unconsciously, he blushed, and nodded shyly.

Takamaki glanced at the injury for a second before crossing her arms under her breasts, allowing her face to harden.

"What's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all," she began. Akira blinked as he rolled the can.

"Um… You were in class when I arrived the other day, I believe. So, you clearly saw that I was late," Akira pointed out timidly. He didn't know what excuse Kawakami used for his tardiness, but it couldn't have been that bad, right? Well, that's what he reassured himself with…

Until he saw the face Takamaki made.

"From being sick? You looked perfectly fine—though, that greeting of yours was pretty rough…" She paused, looking as if she wanted to say more. But she shook her head and eyed him with suspicion. "...There's that weird rumor about you, too."

"Whaddya want with him?"

Takamaki turned around surprised. Ryuji had appeared and he certainly didn't look happy about the girl talking to his bro.

"Right back at you. You're not even in our class," Takamaki shot back. Ruiji shot a glance at Akira, who seemed unfazed by the scene before him. If anything, he looked a bit confused.

"...We just happened to get to know each other."

Takamaki sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you planning to do to Mr. Kamoshida?"

"Huh!?"

Ryuji took a moment, theories being put together in his head. Akira looked at the girl, trying to get a good read on her.

What has Kamoshida been doing to you? he wanted to ask.

After a moment, Ryuji glared at her, having reached a conclusion. "... I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with him after all."

His comment made her tense, her power stance breaking.

"This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!"

Ryuji huffed and made his way over to Akira, his back facing Takamaki. "If you found out was he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away."

She turned around, a bewildered look on her face. "Behind my back...? What's that supposed to mean?"

Ths pair remained silent, exchanging glances. She looked at the two suspiciously, but she knew better than to continue. She had lost the battle.

"Anyway, people are already talking about you two," she began. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but nobody's gonna help you... I'm warning you, just in case."

And with that, she turned to leave.

"Takamaki-san!" Akira suddenly called out. The girl turned around with a raised brow. "Uh…"

He lowered his head, suddenly becoming a bit shy with the two pair of eyes looking quizzically at him. He wasn't even sure why he called out to her.

"Be safe… walking home, I guess," Akira murmured. Takamaki blinked in surprise, quickly averting her eyes. Without saying anything, she turned and left for real this time.

A quiet sigh left Akira, realizing that he had been holding his breath. His whole body was tense with anxiety—especially after calling out to the girl like that.

"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time...?" Ryuji clicked, gently kicking the vending machine in front of him.

"You know her?" Akira asked, rotating the drink.

"Nah, not really. We just went to the same middle school." He shook his head. "Anyway, she's not what we're here to talk about. Find anything out?"

Akira nodded, leaning back on the cobble wall behind him. "The first-year I talked to said an upperclassman named Mishima gets special coaching. Dunno if he's like us or a third-year, though."

"Special 'coaching,' huh?" Ryuji huffed with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest. "…I'm not surprised. I always see the guy covered in bruises. He's a second-year, like us."

Akira hummed in reply. The name sounded familiar, now that he thought about it…

"C'mon, let's go talk to him before he leaves," Ryuji suggested. Akira nodded and stood up, the two rushing down the corridor. They decided to rush to the entrance, where they had a good chance of being able to spot him.

As soon as the entered the main building, the duo spotted a familiar face shuffling towards the front doors.

"Hey!" Ryuji called out, causing the boy—as well as the few other students who had already changed—to stop and look around. The running duo slowed down as the boy turned to them.

Akira couldn't help but blink in surprise. Turns out Mishima was a boy from his class, as well as the kid who he protected earlier. He was bruised and battered, just like the last time the two talked. Now knowing that it was Kamoshida's doing, Akira felt his blood boil.

"Sakamoto...? And Kurusu-san too!?" Mishima squeaked, looking back and forth between the duo.

"Calm down, we just wanna talk," Ryuji reassured—though, his tone didn't necessarily help. "Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, right? You sure it ain't physical abuse?"

He tensed, taking a few steps back. "C-Certainly not!"

"What're you talkin' all polite for?" Ryuji asked. They were in the same year, so the formality was not necessary. "Anyways… We saw him try to spike you today. If it weren't for Aki, you'd have a new bandage on your face."

Mishima blinked in surprise and looked at said boy, taking notice of the injury for the first time. Akira nodded subtly, an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry, by the way, for pushing you… Didn't mean to knock you out like that," he muttered. Mishima's body visibly relaxed, realizing what had happened. He looked down with a contrite expression.

"No, I… If I was better at playing, you wouldn't have…"

"C'mon, don't be like that. You were doin' pretty good out there."

"...Even if you sucked at playing, it wouldn't explain all the other bruises you've got," Ryuji added.

Mishima's body tensed once again, a new defensive look on his face. "They're from practice…!"

Ryuji frowned in annoyance. "Is he forcin' you to keep quiet?"

Mashima glanced away. It was clear to them that he was starting to debate whether or not to confess of Kamoshida's wrongdoings to him, when:

"What's going on here?"

Kamoshida waltzed up to the trio, Mishima straightening in surprise with an audible gulp. Akira blinked nervously and lowered his head, stuffing his hands into his jersey pockets. The way his shoulders slump, one would never guess that he was a figure to avoid.

"Mishima, isn't it time for practice?" he asked, turning to him.

"I-I'm not feeling well today…" he mumbled, turning his head away from the daunting figure. With the way his voice suddenly went horse, Akira believed it.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting, then. You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice." Kamoshida sighed.

Ryuji stood between the coach and Mishima, his head cocked to the side with a scowl.

"Didn't you hear? He said he ain't feelin' well," he sneered.

Kamoshida stared down at the blonde delinquent, shortly ignoring him as he returned his gaze to the meek boy.

"Well, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?"

Mishima quietly sighed, his head dropping as he muttered weakly, "I'll go…"

He nodded in approval and then looked back at Ryuji.

"Anymore trouble from you, and you'll be gone from this school for sure."

Ryuji growled, his body tensing. He hated this powerless feeling.

"Same goes for you, Kurusu-san," Kamoshida huffed, setting his eyes on the taller meek boy, who flinched upon hearing his name. "Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line?"

"Y... Yes, he did, sir…" he mumbled, shortly pursing his lips.

Kamoshida huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just don't get in the way of my practice. All these unsettling rumors are making the students anxious, after all."

Akira flinched, his lips trembling with anger and anxiety. He wanted to say something, but his body wouldn't let him… Thankfully though, he had Ryuji to do that for him.

"That's your own goddamn fault," he growled, eyes flaring with hatred.

Kamoshida sighed and shook his head. "This won't get us anywhere... Let's go, Mishima."

The man then turned to leave, the students that lingered quickly darting off to avoid being confronted.

"Bastard…" Ryuji grumbled under his breath, looking away. However, it seemed Ryuji didn't say it quiet enough as Kamoshida stopped in his tracks, his broad back facing them.

"Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn," he began. "Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here."

Tell that to me when you change the school cress, Akira sneered internally. With no one speaking up, Kamoshida took his leave.

"Get with the program!" he called to Mashima as he walked away.

"Yes, sir," Mishima replied, feebly, with a sigh.

Ryuji stomped his good foot down, gritting his teeth. "That asshole... He's gonna pay for this!"

"...There's no point."

Ryuji and Akira looked at Mishima with surprised eyes. He looked dejected and hopeless as he spoke.

"Proving that he's physically abusing us... is meaningless… Everybody knows... The principal, our parents... They all know and still decide to keep quiet about it."

Akira's face twisted with pain, his heart throbbing at the truth that was laid bare by a victim. He had a feeling that was the case, based on everything he observed these few long days. Ryuji, on the other hand, didn't see this coming at all based on the baffled look on his face.

"This has gotta be a joke...!" he gasped. Mishima shook his head and sighed, his bandaged fingers drawing close to his chest in a fist.

"...Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. Shouldn't you of all people know nothing's going to help...!?" he said, glaring at Ryuji.

The delinquent grunted, the painful memories returning back to him too quickly, and turned away. It was one thing to have his permanent reminder nag him every minute of every day, but it was another thing to be reminded by a new victim who wasn't even there to witness his fall.

With that, Mishima jogged off towards the gym.

"Dammit..." Ryuji huffed, his left leg twitching in annoyance. If only he could shake the memories—the pain—away entirely instead of having to deal with the temporary numbness.

"What now?" Akira asked, quietly. Ryuji blinked and looked at him. Akira stared at him with determined eyes, a strong expression hardening his face. 'We can't stop here', he seemed to scream. Ryuji thought for a moment as the two locked eyes, transferring their similar feelings to one another, unconsciously boosting each other.

"...I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys. That's... all I can do, right now," Ryuji decided. Akira could sense the weakness he felt. As much as he wanted to help it seemed look they've hit a roadblock. Walking up to him, Akira patted Ryuji's shoulder with a firm grin.

"We better get goin', then," he encouraged. Ryuji grinned back, a smidge of hope returning to him.

The two quickly made a plan and seperated. They hoped that with Akira's injury, he would be able to gain some useful tibids when he visited the nurse. But, as Mishima stated, the nurse played innocent to the idea of Kamoshida abusing his students.

As closing time drawed near, Akira and Ryuji were forced to change and leave school grounds. Just as they theorized, the volleyball members were a lot harder to crack after practice. No one would even mention Kamoshida's name.

"Man, this shit doesn't make any sense!" Ryuji groaned as the two walked to the station. "The principal, the teachers, and even the parents know about the abuse. Why ain't anybody speakin' up?!" The longer Ryuji thought about it, the faster he managed to find himself lost in the web of logic.

"...Because volleyball," Akira sighed. Ryuji blinked, instantly becoming free from the tangle he was making.

"Oh, yeah… Kamoshida basically made the volleyball team famous or something, yeah?" He frowned and scratched his head. "Even so, that don't give him the right to do whatever he wants! He's beating kids up and all they can do is to endure it. And that follower of his doesn't give a single shit…"

"Follower?"

"Ann Takamaki, the girl we bumped into at the courtyard."

Akira hummed, averting his gaze. Ann wasn't a follower of Kamoshida—he was sure of it. From the way she was depicted in the castle, the way she talked with him… Even the way her expression shifted when she accepted his car ride. He knew that she was going through something. But for what and why? He needed to figure those out first before calling her out on it.

"I can't let it end like this," Ryuji muttered as the two neared the station entrance. "I'm gonna try and find someone who knows what's going on and ain't afraid of that bastard. Just you watch… I ain't giving up!"

Akira nodded with a smile, sharing the same passion. When the two reached the station, they parted ways and made their way home with determination by their side.


Diary Entry 4:

Today was the volleyball rally. I didn't really enjoy it… It was teachers vs. students. 3 rounds (or whatever they're called—I didn't really pay attention to the rules). One match per grade level. Only boys had to participate—the girls were in charge of cheering and that other stuff (like changing the score and stuff). I felt so uncomfortable, a part of me wanted to kill myself. It was like watching the volleyball coach yanking it off each time he scored a point.

Nanay, would you believe me if I said that abuse was being thrown down at school? And that EVERYONE knew about it? Even the parents? But still did nothing?

Well, as a ninja once said: believe it.

I'm so lost… I seriously don't know what to do. Holy Father, please guide me… Show me the path I must walk. Amen.