Tutturu! Another chapter! Thanks again for all the follows and faves everyone! And, of course, special uber thanks to the reviewers. You guys are awesome! I love you all! :D
AP testing is coming up though... T_T Whyyy?
AwakenedSecrets: Girl, you need to get some sleep. Jk :P Glad you liked it! Thanks for your continued support! I love your so enthusiasm! :D There's a bit of fluff here, sorta.
articwolfgirl347Z: THANK YOU SO MUCH for this great criticism and feedback! I hope you'll continue to read and please share all your opinions! Do you think I should have a small "this happened last chapter" sort of summary thing before each chapter? Kind of to refresh the readers' memories?
Karnevalfreak59: Hello friend! Thanks for reviewing and reading! :) Hope you like this chapter too!
PhoenixOtaku: Yes! Taiwan is an amazing place! Except it sucks right now with all the stupid political crap with that trade deal with China and everything :( I love Taiwan. My parents are from there. Is that the same for you too?
DreamTrance14: Thanks for the review! :D Yup, this flashbacking business will be over soon. Phew, lol.
LuvPeaceCandy: Welcome back! That's so cool that you have friends like that! :) Best friends are awesome, right?
Nic7C: Yeah! Isn't Cat Street so amazing? Thank you so much for the review! ^_^ Go fluffiness! Hope you like this chapter too!
Auburn: Hello! Thank you for the review! :D Here's the chapter! Hope you like it! :)
T for some serious language. Hope you guys like this chapter!
"It was against the Akawari High gang. It's the high school Mickey, Minnie, Akane, and Goofy all go to right now."
"Oh, Kyoya did say that." Honey said, nodding in recollection.
"Yeah. They were a pretty small group compared to other ones. They didn't bother the other gangs. They just terrorized the high school and middle school. Mikiya suggested them first, since once news got out that we were a gang, they'd come and pick on us first, right? Since we were technically a gang in their 'area,' which is the Akawari schools.
So we all agreed. Ryota didn't care. Akane didn't. I didn't. We all just wanted to get started. We were sitting in our clubroom…
Mikiya slapped the piece of paper in front of me. "There! What do you think, Akamatsu-san?"
"You can just call me Rika," I said, picking the paper up. I wasn't used to being called Akamatsu anyway.
He'd written, in very nice handwriting, "We are the Akawari Middle School gang, and we challenge you, the Akawari High gang, to a fight. If we win, you and your gang will submit to us. No weapons allowed. If any are used, you automatically forfeit. The loser side maintains the right to challenge again. We will meet 7 PM in front of Akawari High tomorrow."
"So? What do you think...uh, Rika-san?" Mikiya asked, fidgeting in front of me. Akane came over and read it over my shoulder.
"That means 'weapons.'" I said, pointing at the kanji for it.
She nodded, continuing to read quietly. I handed it over to her, and Ryota came to read it too. "Looks good to me. Now we just have to deliver it." I turn to Mina, who had been sitting next to Mikiya.
She pointed at herself. "Me? You want me?"
"You're going to be our spy for now." I told her with a smile. "Since you know how to act. You're fast, right? You can escape by yourself fine, right?"
"I-I suppose," She said, looking away worriedly.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Mina?" Mikiya asked. "You don't have to. Let me do it!" He turned to me with pleading eyes.
"No." Mina shook her head. "Let me do it. It's the least I can do to help you guys, right?" Our gazes met. Her brown eyes were lit in fiery determination. I liked the look. "I mean, you promise, right, Akamatsu-san? In the end, you'll bring peace to this town, right?"
"Yes. I promise." I held out my hand. She stood, understanding the meaning, and we shook hands. "It'll take a while though."
Mina smiled, looking extremely relieved. "I think we have time. Okay, hand me the letter. Let's do this!"
Mikiya was the one who suggested a camera. He took a webcam and tried to place it somewhere on Mina where it wouldn't be too obvious but could have a good view. Eventually, Ryota got too fed up watching Mikiya running in circles.
He snatched the webcam out of Mikiya's hands. "Geez, you idiot! You can't just stick a webcam to her! Don't you know you'd need to connect it to your computer?"
"Ah!" Mikiya slapped a hand to his forehead. "You're right."
Ryota reached into his school bag and pulled out a tiny screwdriver. He sat down and began taking apart the webcam.
"What are you doing?" Mikiya asked, leaning on the table to get a better view.
"Modifying it," Ryota replied. He was concentrating quite intensely. He held out a hand. "Tweezers."
The room fell silent as everyone else stood, unsure of what to do. He looked up, frowned, and then sighed. With one hand, he pulled a tweezer out of his school bag and began working.
"Do you have a bluetooth on your computer?"
"Yes." Mikiya said.
"Good. Anyone have some string?" Ryota asked.
"Uh, I can go to the home ec classroom and get some!" Mina piped up.
He glanced at her with a calm and serious face. "Get something that you'd feel comfortable with around your neck. Make sure it's pretty long too."
"Okay!" She nodded and dashed out of the clubroom.
"Asari's good." Akane said simply, watching with her arms crossed.
"I heard that." Ryota called.
"That was a compliment, you know." I replied. He fell silent. Then he picked up his school bag and pulled a small container out.
"What is that?" Mikiya asked, watching curiously.
"A bluetooth chip I upgraded," Ryota said, as he began installing whatever tiny thing had been in his hands. "It has a much greater range than the usual ones."
"Amazing!" Mikiya's eyes were so wide, glittering with awe and passion.
"You made a good choice." Akane said quietly, as we stood side by side. "In picking him." I beamed, nodding, but I hadn't expected Ryota to help out so soon.
"I'm back!" Mina yelled, bursting in. She was holding a thick thread of dark blue fabric. "Will this work, uh, Asari-san?"
He took it from her with barely a glance. "Yeah."
A few minutes later, it was done. He had stripped the webcam down to just the camera and hooked it to the bluetooth chip thing. Then he'd attached it to the fabric.
Mikiya helped Mina tie the thing around her neck. "It's amazing, Asari-san! I can't believe it! Hang on there, Mina. I'll just connect the bluetooth with my computer." He sat down in front of his laptop, clicking away. "Okay!"
"Great!" Mina said with a smile, holding the envelope containing our challenge in her hands.
"Are you sure it'll be able to connect all the way to Akawari High?" Mikiya asked Ryota.
He nodded. "Should be. We aren't that far away."
"Then I'm off!" Mina grinned, waving at us. We waved back.
"Good luck," I called.
"Keep your guard up." Akane said.
"Be careful!" Mikiya said, watching worriedly. Ryota just nodded. I think everyone's opinions concerning Ryota changed after that. It was like everyone else understood why he was a part of the team.
Once Mina left, the rest of us proceeded to huddle around Mikiya's laptop. We watched the shaky footage as Mina jogged toward the high school.
It was a pretty big high school, with a wide, green school lawn, and four stories tall. It looked a lot like our middle school, just bigger, with taller and more mature students walking around.
"Excuse me!" We heard Mina's voice come through.
"Good, the sound is working." Mikiya grinned satisfactorily.
Three boys who'd been standing in a circle talking turned.
"A middle schooler?"
"From Akawari too."
"What are you doing here?"
"Are you lost?"
"Poor girl."
"Do you know who the leader of the Akawari High gang is?" Mina asked in a clear and confident voice. Woo! Go Mina!
"Is she acting right now?" Akane asked.
Mikiya glanced up at her and shrugged. "I think so."
"Then why doesn't she just act like this normally?" Akane said.
"It… It's just not her." He replied, shrugging his shoulders again as he returned his attention to the screen.
"Hah?"
"What do you want with those people?"
"Some friendly advice, little girl, stay away from them."
"They're dangerous."
Then the guys walked away without another word.
"Hey! Wait, come back!" Mina yelled, following after. "Just tell me where I can find the leader. Please."
One turned around with a glare. "Leave us alone, you weirdo! No one with a right mind would try and find those people!"
Ryota sighed.
I remember thinking: This might be harder than I expected. What if I'd overestimated myself and underestimated everyone else? What if we get destroyed in our first fight? Not only will I lose all my new friends, and… who knows what would happen to us if we did lose.
Mina was persistent though. She went after a pair of girls next. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find the Akawari High gang?"
The girls shook their heads furiously and then hastily walked away. "Ah! Wait!"
"At this rate," Akane said, "she'll never find them."
"No." Ryota and I said at the same time. Surprised, I turned to him and our eyes met. Those dark brown eyes of his had always carried a deeper sense of knowledge and maturity. He continued: "If she keeps on asking around, the news of it will reach the gang eventually. They'll come to find her themselves."
It was exactly what I had been thinking.
And that's what happened. Mina asked a few more people, but they all said they didn't know and walked away as quickly as possible.
Then four boys came up to Mina. I don't remember their looks very well, only the fact that, at the time, they'd look terrifying. They were so much taller than Mina, that we could only see half their faces.
"So you're the little lost lamb who's been looking for us." The guy in the front said. "Come on. We'll bring you to our boss."
Mina followed the guys to a room on the top floor of the school. It was an empty classroom, with the desks pushed to the sides. The "boss" sat in a small couch in the center of the room. I can still remember the nasty smirk on his face.
"What do you want from us, little lamb?" The boss asked, leaning forward. His ankle was crossed over his knee, sitting in such a "cool" manner.
"Here." We saw Mina's hand come out, holding the envelope. Her voice betrayed no sense of fear or anxiety. "For you."
A guy at the side grabbed the paper, and then presented it to the "boss" with a slight bow. Wow, how stupid and lame. He was probably making his members run tedious errands for him, like buying food.
The boss dude tore the envelope open and pulled the letter out. He read it quickly and then let out a short laugh. He tossed the letter behind him. Another smart and "cool" move. "Ridiculous. You middle school kids don't know who you're messing with. Kids like you should spend your time playing in the park, not with your fists and elders. And if we win, you guys will do what we tell you to do. We'll play by the rest of your conditions, of course. We'll teach you guys that you're too young to challenge us."
Some of the other gang members had gathered around the letter he'd thrown behind. Some laughed, while others grinned.
"I suppose you're this Akawari Middle School gang's cheerleader? Or their mascot? Whatever, be there tomorrow, or you guys automatically forfeit. Don't chicken out, little lamb." He grinned in a creepy way.
"Not cheerleader or mascot," Mina said, slowly turning around the room. The webcam caught onto the many faces. There were, more or less, twenty people.
"Excellent." I said, grinning. "We can look up all of these people's files if we have their pictures."
Mikiya nodded vaguely. He was probably too worried for Mina to really care about what I said.
"Then are you the leader? Or is this actually a one-girl gang?" The boss asked. His tone was obviously mocking and condescending.
Scratch that about not being able to win. I suddenly felt an urge to punch this guy in the face, toss him to the floor, and then maybe dislocate his shoulder. Those were my thoughts when I heard him.
"Nope. Actually, I'm the spy. See you guys then!" Mina said cheerfully and then ran out of the room.
"Spy?!" We thought we heard that come from the room. "Quick! Get her! Who knows what information she got!"
"Argh, Mina!" Mikiya wailed. "Why did you have to say that? She's going to get hurt now!" He stood, running for the door.
Akane grabbed the back of his shirt. "Calm down, Mickey. You'd be rather useless against them anyway. I'll go."
"Stay here and call us if something happens on Mina's side." I said, waving my cellphone around. Then I followed Akane out.
I roamed our school grounds, while Akane headed in the direction of Akawari High. Eventually she came back with Mina. The two looked perfectly fine. They told me that Mina had lost them by climbing up into a tree and then coming down after the coast was clear. Akane had found her when Mina was walking back towards the school. She was definitely fit to be our spy.
As we were approaching the clubroom, Mikiya suddenly bolted out, yelling, "Mina!"
"Mikiya!" Mina said, grinning and holding her two hands up. He lurched to a stop in front of her. His green eyes were wild with panic. He placed his own two hands against hers, curling his fingers around her hand.
"Please don't do something as reckless as that again," he said quietly, hanging his head. Akane and I both began scooting away, trying to leave the two alone.
Mina saw us though and blushed. "Sorry, Mikiya." She replied.
The two of us hopped back into the clubroom, where Ryota was sitting at Mikiya's laptop, typing away. "I found it." He said. He didn't even look up when the two of us came to his side. "The leader of the Akawari High gang."
We looked at his file, and then we scanned through some of the other members. Most of them had a rough family life. It was, after all, what usually led people astray.
"Nothing special it seems," I said.
Ryota nodded. "They're kind of like us."
"How?" I asked.
He jumped, as if just realizing what he'd said. "Nothing." He shook his head, turning away. Akane stared at him disapprovingly.
"Let's go home." Akane said, grabbing her school bag. "We should rest for tomorrow."
I nodded, following after her. "See you tomorrow, Asari-kun." I smiled warmly at him. He stared at me for a moment, looking like he'd been caught off guard. Then he nodded, breaking our brief eye contact.
"Bye." He said, staring at the wall.
What a stubborn tsundere.
"Then what did Mickey mean when he said something about Ryota and jealousy at the bookstore?" Honey asked, jostling me out of my thoughts.
"Ah!" I blushed. "I'm not too sure either."
I mean, it couldn't possibly mean that Ryota liked me right? There's no way. He never gave off any kind of signs like that. Well, maybe he did? But, if he had liked me then… I'd feel so pissed off! Cause, back then...I'd liked him.
I sighed, shrugging. "Ah, who cares?" I grinned, slapping the blanket in an attempt at nonchalance.
Honey stared at me and then grinned. "Right!"
Wait, what? Did he just agree with me?
"Anyway, so the next day we showed up. Everyone had changed clothes, because it wouldn't be practical for Akane and I to fight in skirts, right?
Then the five of us walked together to Akawari High. I'm sure we were all feeling nervous and maybe just a bit excited.
I remember that the main thing I'd been thinking was: Should I go all out? Or should I go easy on them? I was also really nervous. What if they were stronger than I'd expected? I didn't want to lose. I didn't want my gang to get hurt.
"Mickey, Minnie." I said, taking in a deep breath to calm myself. "No matter what, don't step into the fight. I'll tell them that you guys aren't going to fight and that they can't attack you guys."
Mina stared at me in concern. "Are you sure, Rika- I mean, Red?"
I nodded. "That way, if we lose - only if, we're not going to lose - you guys can help us get out of here."
Mikiya and Mina exchanged worried glances. Those two were such worrywarts. They always fretted over everything.
"We're not going to lose," Ryota said. It sounded reassuring from him.
"We aren't." I repeated. "I won't let that happen."
"Same here." Akane said, nodding. I met her soft blue eyes, and we smiled at each other, comforting the other with our presence.
"The little lambs showed up!" Boss dude said with a laugh. "What do you know! Only five little lambs? I guess that will make the slaughter even funner!" His little minions laughed with him.
"Funner isn't even a word." Mina muttered quietly.
"What did you say, Mascot Lamb?" Boss asked, tilting his head.
"Let's just get this over with," Ryota said, taking a step forward.
"Oh so you're the leader of this baby gang." Boss grinned. "How nice it is to meet you. I must warn you though: be prepared to lose. Don't start crying when you admit defeat."
"Actually," Ryota said, pointing at me. "This is our leader."
I stepped up next to Ryota with a pleasant smile. "Why hello there, insignificant person. Why don't we cut this stupid chatter and begin?"
Akane came to my side with a calm, cold look. "Do I have permission, Red, to punch them in the face?"
I smiled. "Oh, of course! Ah, but one thing." I said, projecting my voice so the other gang could hear me. "Those two over there are out of bounds. They won't fight, so you can't attack them." I pointed behind me, where Mikiya and Mina were standing farther back.
"Out of bounds? What nonsense is that?" The boss snarled. "So you are just a mascot after all, Little Lamb!" He called to Mina.
"We're not lambs!" Mina yelled back.
"Then what are you? Akawari Middle?"
I smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."
The boss took a step forward. "Oh re-"
"Shut up!" Akane shouted, silencing everyone. "Can we just get this thing over with? I'm tired of standing here listening to this stupid talk."
"I agree." I smiled.
"Same." The boss then swung his fist at me. I took a step back. Yes, it was always better for the other side to strike first.
That way, we can always say it was in defense.
The Akawari High gang launched itself at the three of us. I slammed my fist left and right, getting any person who got near me. Kicking and punching, the three of us put our backs against each other and fought.
"One!" I yelled, after knocking out the first person. "Two!" There goes another one falling to the floor.
"So this is a competition?" Akane asked, swinging a knee into some poor dude's stomach. "That makes three for me then!"
"Hah! I'm already on four!" Ryota called, shoving his elbow into some other poor dude's neck.
I punched two others out. The three of us started calling out numbers. I landed a blow to the boss's face. Then knocked him off his feet by swiping at his legs.
"Seven," I said.
"Seven," Akane said, smiling at me.
"Damn, six." Ryota said.
"So there were only twenty people." I said, stepping away from the boss. "Well, admit defeat yet, boss?"
He raised his head, glaring at us. "Like hell I-"
Akane stamped her foot on his head. "Just admit defeat already." She then stomped on his back a few times.
"Damn you stupid kids!" He yelled.
"Here." Mikiya held out a sheet of paper and a pen to the guy. "Just sign here to say that you guys lost."
"Sign? What is this stupid shit?" Boss pushed himself up, glaring at us with hatred.
"You lost." I said. "Suck it up. If you want to lose, at least lose with dignity."
"Who said I wanted to lose?" He shrieked.
Akane grabbed his collar, lifting him off the ground. "Just say you lost already. It'll at least help you preserve your honor."
"Little America," Boss said with a hazy smile. "Fine. I lose. You guys win. Go ahead and gloat. Bastards."
He signed the paper. We left them there to go and attend to our own injuries.
"Everyone alright?" I asked, as we walked back to our clubroom.
"Yup!" Mina said with a bright grin. Mikiya nodded in agreement.
"Never better actually," Ryota said quietly. His hands were crossed behind his head and he was staring up at the darkening sky with a grin.
"I agree." Akane smiled at me softly. "Thanks, Rika-san."
"What are you saying, Akane-san? Thanks. Nice job today." I beamed in delight. "That wasn't bad, huh?"
They all nodded.
Mikiya and Mina went around and stuck band-aids on our faces. Mina got a bit overboard, so we had to redo it. Ryota had a split lip. I remember that clearly. He told me it wasn't the first time, but it still hurt a lot.
"You know what I thought watching you guys?" Mina said, sitting next to us, while Akane stuck a band-aid on my cheek.
"What?" The three of us asked in unison.
She smiled. "I thought I was watching three crazy dragons finally let loose. Like, before, you guys seemed kind of withdrawn. At least, Barton-san and Asari-san did. Well, even Rika-san. But then, when you guys started fighting, it was like you were free. Like, dragons in cages suddenly free. Like that!" She grinned and then laughed nervously. "Ah, I don't know why I thought that-"
"That's it!" I said, startling everyone. "Dragons! We'll be the Dragon gang!"
"That's kind of lame." Ryota replied with his usual blank look.
"Red," Mikiya said quietly.
We all turned to him and he blushed lightly with the sudden attention. "I-I was just thinking, how about the, um, Red Dragons?"
"Brilliant!" I grinned.
"Aka-Ryuu?" Akane said, tilting her head. Then she smiled. "It's a nice name."
"Oh, I like it too!" Mina beamed at Mikiya. He blushed again.
"Okay! Then, the Red Dragons we are!" I said.
Akane held her hand out. We stared at her and then placed our hands over hers. But we didn't know what to say, so we just grinned at each other.
"Go Red Dragons!" I yelled, lifting my hand up.
"Go Red Dragons!" They said cheerily. It was cheesy, but I guess we didn't care.
I had bruises all over my body the next day when I woke up. I was tired and a bit sore, but I felt happy. This little band of misfits that I'd created was a place I could call home.
"That's basically how things went!" I said. "We fought. We won. Mina was our spy, since she was a pretty good runner, knew how to act well, and could climb buildings. She's so good at climbing buildings! None of us could ever learn that, but she could climb up a two story house really easily. It was super cool. But she doesn't jump from building to building, unless they're close to each other.
And Mikiya became our coordinator in the back. That began… in the second fight. Since that one was against a larger gang, I don't remember which. I asked Mikiya and Mina to yell out orders to the three of us. Cause, you know, when we're fighting, it's hard to notice other things right? But the two of them standing to the side could see if someone is in danger, or if someone is about to punch one of our own people.
So our second fight came pretty quickly, but we all had a lot more confidence than the last time…
"Ready everyone?" I asked, cracking my knuckles as we stood in front of the other gang. It had, perhaps, about twenty-five people in it. They were, once again, high schoolers.
Akane nodded. "Ready when you are, Captain." She smiled at me.
"You promise the ramen if we win?" Ryota asked. I'd told them that I'd treat them all to ramen after we win.
"Yes, so start thinking about what you want to eat." I grinned.
"Arrogant, aren't you, little kids?" The leader of this gang said.
After some of the usual bickering, name-calling, and sassy retorts, we started the fight. The other gang was told that Mikiya and Mina would not fight and, therefore, could not be attacked.
"Red!" I heard Mikiya yell over the shouts and sound of flesh meeting flesh. I didn't turn but nodded, waiting for his instructions. "Regroup with Anna! Move to your right!"
"What is this?" One of the other gang members hissed, blocking my path. "Someone's got a brain up there."
A kick, two punches, and I was moving on. "Anna!" I called, scanning the mob of angry high schoolers for that blond head.
I knocked out two more. "That makes four you guys!"
"I already have five!" Ryota's voice replied. I could just barely make out his black head, bobbing amidst the rest.
"Five!" Akane yelled.
Two more down. Someone grabbed my arm and jerked me to one side. I swung my left leg and connected to that guy's side.
Another arm shot out and pulled my two arms back. Crap! I remember thinking that I was doomed. There were so many of them coming around.
Using the guy holding me, I flipped my legs up and wrapped them around the dude's head. I stared into his wide eyes with a possibly crazy smile. Then I twisted my body to the left, dragging the guy along with it.
He fell, and I landed on the ground. Two more guys quickly surrounded me. I still hadn't reached Akane yet.
After an elbow here, a few punches there, some slightly awkward maneuvering, those two were knocked out. KO!
Then I heard Mikiya shouting. "No! I told you! Asari! Move back! Go over to where Akamatsu is!"
He'd definitely lost his cool if he'd abandoned our code names. I turned to where Ryota was at. There was nothing but a crowd of boys.
That's where Ryota's at? I thought in panic. Akane was also surrounded by four or five boys it seemed. How come I was the only one?
I looked up at Mikiya for guidance. The usual calm in his green eyes was gone, replaced by fear.
"Mickey! Which side?" I called, even though I was already running to my left. Akane was strong, and it didn't look like she was being attacked by as many people.
"Asari! Now!" Mikiya screamed at the top of his lungs. I saw a small gap between the boys. Was Mikiya asking Ryota to leave the crowd?
I landed a flying kick at the nearest guy, knocking him to the ground. Then I quickly flew into motion, kicking and punching.
I found myself fighting next to Ryota. He was badly bruised and beat up, compared to me, at least.
"Why didn't you listen to Mickey?!" I screamed over the noise.
He didn't respond, only gritting his teeth and glaring at everyone. Then he said, "Why should I listen to that idiot?"
"He is-" I slammed my knee into a guy's stomach. "-Not-" I smashed my fist into another guy's face. Ooh, might have just broken his nose there. "An!" Another punch into a guy's side. "Idiot!" And a nice kick at the legs.
"And that," I put my hands on my waist. "Makes eight."
"I got nine." Ryota said smugly, as another guy crumpled in front of him.
I glared at him. "Yes, but you didn't follow orders."
"What orders?" He asked irritably.
"You should have listened to Mickey!" I said, stepping up to him. I began poking his chest repeatedly. "If he tells you to retreat, then retreat! What would have happened if I hadn't stepped in? You would have been beaten up! You might have needed to go to the hospital!" I took a good look at his bruised face. "Damn it! You might have to go now anyway!"
He spat something out to the ground. All I saw was a glimpse of red. Blood.
"It's fine." He said, maintaining that strong gaze.
"No. It is not." I replied. "Are you trying to die, you idiot? Don't you know you could have been beaten to death? There were like seven or eight of them surrounding you! They don't care what happens to you!"
He looked away. I heard footsteps approach the two of us.
"They signed," Mina said with a content smile.
"Are you two alright?" Mikiya asked.
"I got eight." Akane said simply, coming to stand by my side.
"Are you okay, Akane-san?" I turned to check out my new best friend. Aside from a small bruise on her cheek, she looked the same.
"Your cheek is going to be swollen tomorrow." Akane said, taking my chin lightly and tilting it.
"Ice can help!" Mina said.
I nodded and smiled. "Yeah. But!" I whipped back to Ryota. "You!"
"Just leave me alone." He said, turning and walking away.
"Wait!" I ran towards him, but someone grabbed my arm. Mikiya shook his head, so I stayed behind with them.
We watched silently as he left the high school campus.
"He has a bad family life." Mikiya said quietly, once Ryota was out of sight. "His parents are divorced. His mom works really late, and I heard she just gets drunk when she gets home. And he has a little brother to take care of too."
It's hard for someone like me to understand what that's like. I knew what it was like to not see my parents for a long time, but I'd always been surrounded by servants. I was showered in care and anything I could want. And I'd never met a drunkard before, nor did I have any younger siblings.
Maybe, he was just… lonely.
"Is he suicidal?" Akane asked, startling us all with the thought.
"Su-Suicidal?" Mina repeated with a terrified look. "I-I hope not."
Mikiya shrugged. "Maybe. He doesn't have much to look forward to when he wakes up in the morning after all."
Except for a younger brother, I remember thinking. If he cared about his younger brother, he'd get up every morning, wouldn't he? And now, if we could become his good friends, maybe he'll get up in the mornings for us too.
We stood around solemnly for a while before finally breaking and walking back home. We tended to our injuries ourselves that time.
The next chapter ends the flashbacking period! This was a looooong chapter.
Also: DO NOT TRY ANY OF THESE THINGS AT HOME! I have zero knowledge on martial arts and know just a bit about baking cakes from scratch. Though you guys knew that right? This story is just for fun. You can't possibly learn anything good on baking or martial arts from this. Hope you guys already knew that.
Anyway, thanks for reading!