Leaf, blossom or bole
Life is not simply its parts
But I would not know

"Still a Shadow", haiku by Iwaizumi Satoshi, Kosaka High School, Class 3-3, 03/10/18


April 5th, 2016

Kosaka, a small town in the rural district of Kazuno, Akita, had an estimated population of around five-thousand and seven-hundred people. As a result, Sunano Mina recognized most of the students in her high school and they recognized her.

"Mina-chan!"

Mina tore her gaze away from the announcement board to see her neighbor, Tomie, running up to her from down the hall. "Tomie-chan!" Tomie hugged her tightly. She was a chubby girl with the sweetest smile. "Oh! Did you get a haircut?"

"I did!" Tomie drew back from her, beaming. "You noticed?"

"Of course! You look so pretty now."

"Yeah! Maybe those mean old boys will stop calling me 'Bean-paste' now..."

"Aw, Tomie-chan..." Boys could be such jerks. Mina didn't make friends with boys, especially those that treated Tomie badly. Well, at least mom and dad don't have to worry about me dating anyone. Boys stink.

"We're not in the same class," Tomie bemoaned, snapping her out of her internal tirade against the male population. "I'm in 1-2 and you're in 1-4."

Most high schools went up to six or seven in their class numbers, but Kosaka High only went up to four—there was no ranking, either; all classes were split up evenly without any regard for academic skill. "Oh well," Mina patted her back, "I can still come over to your classroom at lunchtime."

Tomie giggled. "That's true! And I'll over to yours, too."

The first day of school was always one of the most exciting, and today was no different. Because after the beginning of the year school assembly, they split up into their classes, and Mina's class happened to have a new face.

Whoa. A new student? Her purple eyes widened when her homeroom teacher led an unfamiliar boy into the classroom and had him stand at the front. He looked rather... unkempt. His white uniform shirt wasn't tucked into his pants and his tie was sloppily done. Mina glanced down at her own tie, neat as a pin and—unfortunately—flat against her chest.

"Everyone," the teacher addressed. "We have a new student joining us today. His family just moved from Katagami to Kosaka."

A city boy? That was even more interesting.

Her new classmate was staring blankly at some of the posters on the back wall, quite disinterested with his surroundings and his fellow students.

"Please," the teacher prompted, "Introduce yourself."

The boy finally snapped to attention. "Oh. My name's Iwaizumi Satoshi. I like video games and physics. Uh... Please look after me, I guess."

"Thank you, Iwaizumi-kun. Please take a seat behind Sunano Mina-chan. Sunano-chan, please raise your hand."

Mina did, allowing for Satoshi to have an indicator of who she was and where he would be sitting. She had scored a seat next to the window in the second last row—Satoshi would be stuck in the shadows of the back right corner of the room, where the dusty curtain would brush against his arm.

The teacher took the roll as Satoshi got settled in his seat. Knowing that math was the first class of the day, Mina got her workbook out and began to write the time and date on the corner of the page.

Their teacher was calling the last name on the list when Mina felt something poke her shoulder—hard. Bemused, she turned around to see Satoshi holding a pencil, the back end of it pointed toward her. "Yes...?"

"Do you have a pen?" Satoshi asked, straightforwardly.

"Ah, yes... Would you like to borrow one?"

"Mmhm."

Mina forced a smile before handing him her cheapest pen—one that was almost out of ink. "Don't lose it, please."

"Yeah, yeah."

Gosh! Are all city boys like this? Her good mood dissipating, Mina turned to face the front again. The math lesson was starting. He's so rude. No manners at all. Ugh. Why did this guy have to be in my class? I wish Tomie-chan were here with me...

She resolved to not talk to him as much as she could.

And for their first year of high school together, it worked.


June, 2017

His first year passed rather uneventfully. Kosaka was a big change from Katagami—the city that his family had moved to after leaving Sendai—but Satoshi was starting to get used to it. There weren't many places to go here, and Satoshi had already established some regular haunts.

It was in one of his haunts—a run-down gym—that someone threw a towel at his face.

Satoshi spluttered, pulling it off before glaring at the culprit—the gym owner, Iwabuchi.

"It's gettin' late, kid," Iwabuchi gruffed, sucking on the toothpick between his teeth. "Your parents are gonna come knocking."

"Tch. Whatever. It's not like they know I come here." Satoshi aimed a punch at the sandbag, feeling it crumple satisfyingly beneath his gloved fist. Boxing. He'd been doing it since his third year of middle school, when his father had insisted on him taking up a sport instead of staying indoors gaming all the time. But he had quit his club before his family moved out of Katagami, and as far as they knew, he was done with it.

"Kid." Iwabuchi deadpanned. "Don't worry your mom and dad like this."

Satoshi gritted his teeth, bouncing back and forth on his toes before giving the punching bag a few jabs. "It's fine."

"You really wanna do this with me? Fine." Iwabuchi spat out his toothpick. "Get your skinny ass in the ring. I'll give your parents somethin' to worry about, then."

"You sure, old man?" Satoshi climbed into the ring, sword-slash grin on his lips. "I've gotten better, y'know."

"We'll see."

The outcome was expected. Iwabuchi mopped the floor with him, and Satoshi didn't have it in him to feel the least bit humiliated at his defeat. As he cradled the side of his face on the floor, Iwabuchi undid the straps of his gloves, letting them drop. Then he held out a scarred hand to Satoshi.

"Come on, kid."

Satoshi scoffed, but took it anyway. "Even after all this time, I still can't land a good hit on you."

"Yeah, yeah, keep yappin'. Go home, Satoshi. I mean it. You can come back next time. It's not like there's much to do around here, anyway."

"Hah! That's true."

For the first time tonight, Satoshi obeyed Iwabuchi's orders. He got himself cleaned up, hauled his sports bag over his shoulder, and left the gym. Not to go home, though—he needed to ice his cheek before he did that. As he walked down the dimly lit streets of Kosaka, heading for the convenience store nearby the school, he fiddled with his wallet, checking how much money he had.

Let's see... I should have enough for an ice pack. If not, I can ask the cashier for some ice and a paper towel. Maybe I'll get myself an energy drink, too.

The cashier was one of the old third years who had graduated last year. They wasted no time on formalities, Satoshi grabbing what he needed and the cashier scanning and bagging them.

"Have a nice night," the minimum wage worker droned.

Satoshi sat down on a bench outside the store, setting his energy drink down beside him and holding the ice pack to his aching cheek. Fuck. That Iwabuchi sure hits hard. Stupid old man... Sullen, he glared at the night sky. It was too beautiful tonight. It was perfectly humid and perfectly warm, especially for mid-June. He had school tomorrow morning, but it didn't really matter. He didn't really attend much of school, anyway. Most of his days were spent at the internet cafe or at Iwabuchi's gym. Sometimes, he would just wander around town, following roads he already knew like the back of his hand.

Hajime would've liked this place. The cold of the ice pack was sharp against his skin. It'd been two years. More than that. If he were stronger, maybe he would've been able to forget him, would've been able to let him go. But he couldn't. Satoshi couldn't even best old Iwabuchi—who was more than thrice his age—in a fight. He was weak. He'd always relied too much on Hajime for everything.

It was lonely out here, by himself. Such a perfect night—wasted.

He popped open his energy drink, chugging half of it in one gulp.

His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since lunch. Grimacing, Satoshi opened up his wallet, finding nothing but lint inside where cash had once been. There was likely food waiting at home, but he wasn't sure if he could drag himself up the hill without collapsing in sheer exhaustion. I should've have nagged Iwabuchi for a snack, goddammit. Or maybe not. God knew that all Iwabuchi survived on was cigarettes and coffee. Somehow. Satoshi doubted he even had food in his fridge.

"Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi let his head fall back, blinking at the upside-down image of a black-haired girl staring at him. She had a single clip partially holding her bangs back. Eh? Purple eyes? Are those real or contacts? Where have I seen her before? She went to his school, probably. "Who's asking?"

"Wh—! I'm Sunano Mina!"

"Oh."

Mina scowled. She had a canvas bag slung around one shoulder—probably returning home from tuition. "You seriously don't remember me?"

"No? Should I?"

"I sat in front of you during our first year! And I'm in your class this year, too!"

Satoshi hummed, trying to recall her fox-like features. "Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry."

"You are such a—" Mina cut herself off, sighing. "Forget it. I guess I didn't really talk much to you back then. Sorry. What are you doing out here by yourself? Wait, is that an ice pack?! Are you hurt?"

"Calm down." Satoshi sat upright again, angling his body slightly so that he could see her properly. Now that she wasn't upside down, he noted that she was actually quite beautiful. "This is nothing. Just a training hazard."

Mina took a seat next to him, worrying her bottom lip. "It looks pretty bad, though."

Irritably, Satoshi waved her off her concern. "I said it's nothing. It doesn't hurt that much."

"Alright. But you never answered my question. What are you doing here by yourself?"

Satoshi deadpanned at her. "I thought that much would be obvious." He was licking his wounds—clearly.

"I meant what were you doing before this...? Ah, sorry if I'm being nosy. You don't have to answer that." So Satoshi didn't. The silence dragged, the only sound Satoshi taking sips of what was left of his energy drink. And perhaps it would have ended in Mina leaving him alone for good if his stomach hadn't snarled with a vengeance. "Oh. You're hungry?"

Cheeks flushing, Satoshi hugged his bag against his torso. "No," he lied.

"Stay here," Mina stood, "I'll go get you something."

"Hey, wait—!" But he was too late. She had already entered the convenience store. Satoshi sighed, leaning back against the bench. Nosy girl... Contrary to what Mina probably believed, Satoshi did remember her. Not immediately, but halfway through the interaction, he managed to remember. Sunano Mina. Kosaka High's local pretty girl. Needless to say, their paths didn't cross much, if at all. Mina was on the Student Council, a top scorer in exams, and an active member of the school community—Satoshi... simply wasn't. He skived off whenever he wanted and the only subject he wasn't currently failing or on the verge of failing was physics.

Mina came back with a bottle of water—not even flavored, Satoshi thought with a click of his tongue—and a bowl-sized cup of spicy instant ramen. "Here." She thrust the bottle to him, holding the cup of steaming ramen with greater care. "This should hold you until you get home."

Deciding to probe her responses, he loudly complained, "Geez, couldn't you buy a better flavor? And this water isn't even flavored." As the cherry on top, he all but snatched the bowl of ramen from her. It wasn't all an act, though—he was starving.

She glowered at him as she sat down. "You could be a little more grateful, punk! I'm not exactly rolling in money." She huffed, turning her nose up at him. "Besides, you can't subsist on energy drinks and soda."

"Watch me."

"Drink the water, Satoshi-kun."

Satoshi snapped the takeaway chopsticks in two. "Thanks for the food," he muttered, slurping the noodles. Soup splattered on his shirt. "You didn't have to do this, you know. It's not like I asked you to buy me food..."

"If you saw a burglar breaking into your neighbor's house, you would call the police right?" Mina retorted. "This is just like that. It's called human decency, Satoshi-kun."

Wisely, Satoshi refrained from telling her that he would rather eat shit than rely on the cops. "I'd probably alert my neighbor first."

"What if they're tied up and gagged?"

"I'll go beat up the robber."

"And if they're stronger than you?"

"I'll bring a weapon."

Mina raised a brow. "You know that was just an analogy, right? Not meant to be taken literally."

"Mmrph," Satoshi said through a mouthful of ramen.

Mina didn't say anything more after that, though she kept him company. She was a strange little creature. Didn't she find him annoying? Ungrateful? Incorrigible? Making sure she wouldn't notice, Satoshi occasionally sneaked a few glances at her. What a weird girl. "Hey."

She turned to him. "Hm?"

"Why are you still here? I'm not gonna pay you back, you know."

"I know that!" Mina stared at him, exasperated. "I'm not sticking around for the money. I just thought..." She dodged his gaze. "You might want some company. Isn't it boring, eating alone?"

Boring? Yeah, I guess it's boring. He wasn't sure eating alone was the problem, though. Everything was boring without Hajime around. Hajime, who was doing his sentence in a prison somewhere in Tokyo right now... Suddenly, Satoshi no longer felt hungry. He finished the rest of his soup and only drank a bit of the water, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's getting late, isn't it? You should go home before your parents worry." God, I sound like Iwabuchi now.

"I will. What about your parents?"

"I..." His mom badgered him a lot about his schoolwork and missing dinner, but she never really did anything. She'd never been very good at enforcing rules—she'd been lucky that Hajime had been such an obedient son. And like before they had moved, Yoichi didn't come home until late a lot of the time due to work. "They don't worry about me a lot. I can stay out as long as I want."

"Well, okay. But still. I'm sure deep down, they're worried."

Guilt pricked at his heart, but he tried to shove it away. "Right. Where do you live? I'll walk you home."

"Oh, you don't have to—"

"No, really. It's dark out already. It could be dangerous."

Mina stifled a smile. "If you insist."


September 12th, 2017

Iwaizumi Satoshi wasn't so bad, Mina would find herself thinking sometimes. Then immediately turn over that thought because Iwaizumi Satoshi was an insufferable man-child.

Satoshi! she cursed in her head as she clapped dust from the chalkboard erasers. You jerk! We're supposed to be doing this together! It was just her luck, to have been partnered up with Satoshi for cleaning duty at the beginning of this semester. Mina growled under her breath, putting the erasers back to their place and whipping out her phone.

[Mina]: Where are you?!

[Satoshi]: Usual

Her eye twitched. She hated his one-word responses! The 'usual'... He's either at Iwabuchi Fitness or the PC cafe. Both locations were a similar distance away from the high school, so it was fifty-fifty. Mina typed back a response.

[Mina]: Get back to class. Now. I am NOT doing clean-up by myself again.

He read it.

She waited for him to reply, but he never did.

[Mina]: I know you read my message!

Still no response, but, again, he had read it.

[Mina]: Satoshi! !

Forget the -kun! That's way too cute for him! He's a total monster, leaving me out to dry like this! Gnashing her teeth, Mina watched the three dots bouncing up and down on her screen, wondering what sort of bullshit excuse he had prepared for her.

The dots disappeared, and there was no reply to be seen.

"That's it," Mina said aloud, fingers tapping.

[Mina]: I'm coming down

[Satoshi]: Can you just let me finish a round

"A round? A round?! You want to finish a round?! Ooh, you little brat!"

[Mina]: No.

[Satoshi]: This is a ranked game

PC cafe it was, then. Feeling quite resentful toward him today, Mina aimed low.

[Mina]: So are our marks, #154 -.-

[Satoshi]: ...

Maybe another day Mina would have pitied him for being on the receiving end of her barbed tongue, but today she was on a warpath.

[Mina]: Expect me in 5.

Mina wasted no time tidying herself up. She marched out of the classroom, almost knocking over the broom, and to the PC cafe downtown. It was a short walk—just a little over five minutes.

"Hey!" she cried as she stormed into the cafe, garnering the attention of a few young adults who were busy gaming but not the attention of the one she needed right now. Satoshi was sitting in the back corner, tongue sticking from between his lips as he mashed the keyboard with one hand and clicked the mouse with the other. "I said hey! Satoshi!" Even when she was right next to him, he didn't acknowledge her. "Satoshi, stop ignoring me, you little—"

"Shit, I died!" Satoshi swore, glaring daggers at the glowing screen. Then he looked up. "Oh, hey."

"Don't 'hey' me, mister."

"Weren't you the one hey-ing at me five seconds ago?"

"So you did hear me."

"I'd have to be deaf not to."

Mina's fingers twitched. Oh, the urge was so bad right now. The urge to slap the smug indifference of his face was so, so bad—

"Who the fuck is making so much noise?" a rough voice demanded.

She balked when three boys swaggered their way up to them. Shit, it's them... Three boys in the same year as Mina and Satoshi, only they were pretty much full-time delinquents. Mina grimaced, unsure of how to answer.

"Oh." Satoshi didn't seem affected by their presence. "It's you guys."

"You know them?" Mina hissed, breaking her silence.

The leader of the group leered at her. "Oh, so it was you screeching. You're pretty, aren'tcha? I guess I'll let you off the hook this time."

Mina gulped. "Um... Thanks... Satoshi, let's go."

"Uh huh." Satoshi yawned, letting her lead the way out. "That was a good game," he said once they were outside. "Too bad you ruined my concentration."

"Whatever, jerk," Mina growled. "You're coming back with me so we can clean the goddamn classroom together."

"Sure, sure. I'm gonna go get a soda before we go, though. I'll be right back."

"Fine—just be quick."

Mina played a mindless game on her phone as she waited for Satoshi to return, leaning against the side of the PC cafe. Just as her character died on the screen, raucous laughter reached her ears. She tensed, pressing flat against the wall so they wouldn't see her. It's those guys.

"Holy fuck," she heard one of them say. "That bitch was hot. Why does lameass Satoshi get to pound her? He's a fucking twig."

"Feh! You're always thinking with your dick, dude. Her name's Sunano Mina. She goes to our school, and she's a pissy little priss."

"Oh, come on, man. Did you see how short her skirt is? She's a total slut. I bet if I flatter her a little, she'll be all over me."

Mina blinked hot tears away, mortified by their remarks. Her skirt was short because it was a hand-me-down from her older sister! A sister who happened to be shorter than her! And even if it wasn't, what gave them the right to talk about her like that? Yet, she couldn't bring herself to defend herself. Just let them go. It'd be worse if they knew I was here. Boys really were the worst.

"Hey, you guys." Satoshi's voice. Her gut clenched. Was he going to join in? Agree on how much of a bitch she was? All she did was nag him, anyway. He probably hated her, too. "You're talking about Mina, right?"

"That piece of ass? Yeah—fuck!"

One of them screamed, and Mina peered around the building, eyes widening when she saw one of the boys clutching his eyes. Satoshi had thrown his drink at his face. What the?

"You fucking asshole!" Another boy threw a punch at him, but Satoshi swiftly dodged, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. "Ow ow ow! Stop it! Ah, fuck!" Satoshi kicked him to the ground, avoiding another jab from the third boy.

It was over in minutes. The three of them, even working together, were no match against him. Awed, Mina crept out from her hiding spot, staring at Satoshi. "You... Why?"

"Hm?" Satoshi looked over at her. "Oh... You heard all that, huh? Then you should know why. Plus, I've been wanting to beat them up for a long time. They're fucking annoying."

"That's assault," Mina said, weakly. "That is definitely assault."

"So? Geez, didn't you hear the things those shitheads said about you?"

She blushed, the embarrassment washing over her again. "I know! But you'll get in trouble."

"Again—so?"

"How is it worth it? They're just low-life assholes. If they report this, you might get into legal trouble."

"It's worth it because it's something I wanted to do. For you and for myself." Satoshi tossed the empty soda can at one of the groaning boys on the floor. "Come on," he took Mina by the hand, "We have a classroom to clean up, don't we?"

"I... Yes. Yes, we do."

Numb with shock, Mina didn't let go of Satoshi's hand. Did that really just happen? I didn't think things like that actually happened in real life. Only in dramas. Though it wasn't like she'd been swept off her feet or anything. Satoshi was still an annoying cleaning partner and nothing more. She shook her head, trying to get her bearings together.

"By the way," Satoshi said. "You owe me."

"What?!" squawked Mina. "Why?"

"I defended your honor."

"You literally told me that you've been wanting to beat them up. I was just a convenient excuse."

"Not true," he protested. "When I heard what they said, it pissed me off more than anything else."

"Well, okay. But! We're even."

"No we're not. Just because you bought me food once—"

"I meant," interrupted Mina, holding up a hand. "That we're even because although I have a duty to report this incident as an esteemed member of the Student Council, I am going to choose not to."

Satoshi gaped at her. "You're kidding me. I'm not the bad guy here."

"Oh, I know. And I'm grateful to you. But I won't let you con me."

"You're slier than you look."

Mina grinned at him. "Good. Now that that's established... I suppose I could help you with your work a little... Number one-hundred and fifty-four."

He perked up, not even hearing the insult.


May 4th, 2018

"Hey, Satoshi?"

A grain of rice stuck on his upper lip, Satoshi turned to face her. "Mmrph?" His cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk's as he chewed on his bonito rice ball.

Absently, Mina reached out to pluck it and flick it away. "What are you gonna do after school? I think I might try and go into pharmaceutical sciences."

The two of them were sitting on a low stone wall and watching some of their classmates play handball in the courtyard. Satoshi's lunch was a box full of rice balls from the convenience store and Mina's was homemade grilled chicken and rice that her step-mother had whipped up.

"Hah..." Satoshi combed through his messy hair with his fingers. "I dunno. Professional gamer?"

"Please pick a real job."

"Hey! Professional gamer is a real job! The Asian e-sports league is wild. 'Sides," he scoffed, "I'm not exactly good at anything else."

"That's why you have to study," Mina said, primly. Daintily, she ate her chicken and rice, swallowing before continuing, "We're third years now. We can't afford to slack off. And, to be blunt, you definitely have to step up your marks."

Satoshi sniffed. "I don't like studying. What's the point, anyway? I don't have anything I want to do."

Mina sighed. There was really no convincing him, was there? "You have to be a productive member of society," she tried one more time to reason, "But maybe you could look into other options? There are careers which don't necessarily require a tertiary education."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Satoshi bit into his rice ball.

"Like... Oh! A police officer is a good example."

Satoshi choked, coughing and hammering his chest with a fist.

"Oh my god! Here!" Mina's lunchbox nearly slid off her lap as she shoved her water bottle toward Satoshi. Snatching it from her, he chugged it like his life depended on it. "Are you okay?" she asked once he didn't seem to be actively dying anymore.

"Yeah," Satoshi wheezed.

"Slow down. If you eat too fast, you'll get indigestion. Or choke. Like you did just then."

"Mina, you want me to be a cop?"

She frowned. "Not necessarily. A cop was just the first job that came to mind. Well, one that you actually have baseline qualifications for, anyway."

"Uh huh. Not happening. Being a cop," Satoshi scowled deeply, "Would be the worst."

Mina cocked her head, perplexed by his vehemence. "Satoshi... Do you not like the police? Why? Is it because it's too dangerous? I didn't think you would care—"

"Of course I care!" he snapped. "But not because of that."

"Then what? Being a police officer is a perfectly good job. You get to protect the community and make people feel safe—"

Satoshi cackled. Mina wanted to say something against his dismissal, but she hesitated. Instead, she waited for him to explain himself. "Ah, is that what they do? Could've fooled me. Protecting the community... That's total bullshit. They're not heroes, Mina. Don't be so naive. Cops don't really care about you. Or what happens to you. They're just doing their jobs so they can put food on the table. All that stuff about upholding justice? It's all lies. They're nothing but a bunch of self-important hypocrites."

Mina's hackles rose, but she kept calm. "You... really don't like cops, huh?"

"What gave that away?"

"Can you please stop talking to me like that? I don't like it." It made her feel stupid, and she wasn't. Naive, possibly, but she wasn't stupid.

Satoshi dropped his gaze, palming the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"Thank you. So," she picked up her chopsticks again, poking at her food, "Cops are trash, huh?"

"Mm."

Mina considered her next words carefully. "Is there any reason why you would say that? Did... Did you have a bad encounter with one?"

"I..." Something flashed in his eyes—grief?—and he shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It happened... a long time ago. But it just goes to show—it just goes to show that their system is rotten, just like society."

"I agree society could do better," Mina said. "And I don't know enough about the system to say anything, but I don't think all police officers are evil. I bet most of them join the force because they want to help the world."

"It doesn't matter whether they're evil or not. It's not like I hate every individual officer. As long as they're silent about all the shit that goes on behind the scenes—all the stuff that they never show you in the media—then they're complicit as far as I'm concerned. And they're not the only ones," it was here he looked at her with those eyes—pained in a way she would never understand, and her breath hitched, "When it comes to it, people in power will always try to squash you so they don't get their dirty dealings exposed. They just want you to roll over and die so you don't bother them anymore. Because as far as they're concerned, you're nothing but an uncomfortable thorn in their side."

Not for the first time, Mina wondered what he had seen and experienced to make him so jaded. All her life, she had lived in the quiet town of Kosaka, a place where most people knew each other and supported one another. A quiet corner of this chaotic world, where she was free to live in peace. What waits outside the corner, though? Who wronged you, Satoshi? Cops? Society? What is society, anyway? Just one section of society doesn't represent another section of it. You can't be affected by everything in society at once, can you? Society is like fragmented glass, and we all encounter different shards of it throughout our lives. Everyone's perception of society is different. So what have you seen?

They resumed their lunch.

Mina did not bring it up again.

If he ever wanted to open up to her, he would. It wasn't her call to make.


May 7th, 2018

"Yeah, what's up?" Mina asked as she jogged up to Satoshi, who was waiting for her by the vending machines.

"Um..." Satoshi scratched his cheek. "I've been thinking about what you said..."

"Eh? What did I say?"

"Y'know. The careers stuff."

"Ah. Did Iwabuchi-san beat some sense into you?" Mina squinted at the bruise on his forehead, half-hidden by his bangs. "I kinda hate that old man, but at least he's good for something."

Satoshi muttered something rude under his breath before saying, "Either way, I think I'm gonna start studying a little more now. It's not like I'm a dumbass."

"You are the number one in the grade for physics," Mina mused. "By some miracle." Physics was the only subject that he had her beat—that anyone had her beat. "But if you want to get into any college—let alone a decent one—you're gonna have to bust your ass. You're in the bottom five of our grade. You do know that, right?"

"Wow, thanks for rubbing it in."

"Sorry. Anyway, I'll help you come up with a study plan this afternoon! What you need is a schedule and some discipline."

Satoshi groaned. "Fuck. Are you really doing this to me? Will I at least have time to game?"

Mina harrumphed, jutting out her chin. "Of course! I'm not a slave-driver. Besides, you need to maintain a healthy cycle of play and work." His eyes brightened like an excitable puppy's and she found herself blushing. "As I was saying!" Stop it! He's not cute! He's an annoying little demon boy! "We'll eat lunch quickly and go to the library so we can start drafting your study schedule."

"Fine," he agreed.

Mina lied—she started drafting his plan as soon as her name had been called during homeroom and even consulted Tomie during lunch. By the time they met up at the library, she'd already figured it all out for him.

"Here." She slapped the paper that detailed his schedule in front of him, making him jump. "Meet your bible." Mina smirked as she took a seat beside him, leaning over his shoulder. "It's gonna be your salvation from all your study sins."

"Oh, great. So great. I am delighted."

She whacked his arm lightly. "Oh, stop that. Be grateful that I'm taking the time to help your sorry ass. Why the sudden change of attitude, anyway? Don't tell me Iwabuchi-san really turned your brain upside-down?"

"No."

"Then? Is it because of the cop stuff? Are you scared you'll end up a cop if you don't do well in school? Because that's not at all how it works—"

"I want to make him proud," Satoshi cut her off, pressing his lips together. "My brother."

Brother? Satoshi had a brother? Mina had never heard him mention a brother before. "That's awesome. Is he older or younger? If he's older, you can ask him to help you study."

Satoshi looked down. "Older. And... I can't do that."

"Why not?" Mina winced, immediately regretting her question. What if he's dead? Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Satoshi.

"Because he's... Ah, shit." Satoshi glared, but his anger wasn't directed at Mina. "It's not your fault," he reassured her. "My brother... is in prison. For murder."

"What?"

"But he didn't do it," Satoshi added, hastily. "There's no way my brother would kill someone."

"I know this sounds bad, but... How do you know?"

"Because," he said simply, "He's my brother."

Oh.

Oh.

For the first time since meeting him at the bench outside the convenience store, Mina finally felt like she understood him. "I believe you," she said. He blinked, clearly surprised by the conviction in her response. "I have a sister—an older one. So... I can relate. Kinda. If anyone ever accused her of murder, I think I'd strangle them. Especially," she swallowed a lump in her throat, "since my parents are divorced—I live with my dad and my step-mom—she's like my lifeline. I don't see her a lot either, since she's working in Tokyo, but I'll see her again soon, once I graduate."

There was the faintest smile on Satoshi's face. "You get it."

"I get it."

Their noses were almost touching. Mina hadn't even realized that they'd both been inching closer to each other. She scooted back a little, doing her best to ignore her flushing cheeks and praying that he would think nothing of them. "So you wanna make your brother proud, hm, kid?" Mina tapped a finger on the paper. "Then follow this. Look here—there's forty minutes for free time between here and here."

Satoshi hemmed and hawed. "That's nowhere near enough time to do anything."

"Are you joking? That's plenty of time!"

The rest of the afternoon was filled with bickering, but—in the end—Mina got him to accede to her study plan.

Mina held up her pinkie finger. "Promise me!"

"What?!"

"Promise me you'll take your studies seriously!"

"Seriously? This is dumb, I'm not doing this." He made to get up, but she pulled the hem of his shirt. "Oi!"

"Just promise me and I'll let you go in peace!"

"Ugh, fine." Satoshi caved, wrapping his pinkie around hers before letting go. "Happy?"

Mina beamed at him. "Quite."


May 10th, 2018

Did he break his promise already? Mina suppressed a sigh, fiddling with her mechanical pencil as the teacher wrote notes on the board. Maybe I expected too much of him. She tried her best to concentrate on classwork, but her mind kept wandering.

Last night, her father—and her step-mom, she supposed—had received a devastating phone call from Tokyo. Rie had suffered a heart attack on the eighth, and was currently recuperating in hospital. She didn't know all the details yet—just that she had been placed in a dangerous situation and that it was thanks to a man named Kindaichi that she was safe.

This morning, she'd briefly scrolled through Japan's trending tags on Tweeter. A clip of Kindaichi being shot in the shoulder had been retweeted and shared hundreds of thousands of times.

I hope Rie is okay, she thought, copying down the class notes. And poor Kindaichi-san. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain of a bullet entering her body. Maybe I can make him a gift? Mina was good at making key chains and small figurines out of clay. She would already be making Rie one to help her through her recovery. For now, though, she resumed her efforts to try and pay attention. Her good marks wouldn't be able to be maintained without proper diligence.

When lunchtime rolled around, Mina met Tomie by the school fountain, near the front gates. Tomie was content to eat her lunch—her boyfriend was practicing with his team today—while Mina made a few important phone calls.

"Mom? Dad?" Stress leaked into her tone. "Oh, mom! How's Rie? Is she okay?" Please say she's okay!

"Everything's fine," her mother—her real mother, who was currently in Tokyo with her sister and her father—answered. "Rie will be discharged tomorrow afternoon."

Mina could have cried. "Oh, thank god. I was so worried..."

"What about you, Mina? Are you okay by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself, mom. Tatsuko-san is looking after me." She wasn't close to her step-mother, but Mina liked Tatsuko well enough. She knew her mother was bitter toward her, though.

"Right," her mother bit out. "Tatsuko-san."

"Mom."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Mina-chan."

I think mom has a hard time thinking that Tatsuko-san replaced her. "Don't worry, mom," Mina hoped she could hear her smile, "You'll always be my number one."

It worked. There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. "I love you, my daughter. I'll call again tonight."

"Okay! Talk to you later."

She hung up, one of the weights on her shoulder lifting miraculously.

"I take it that it went well?" Tomie inquired.

"Yep! Rie is okay—mom and dad are with her, and she'll be discharged tomorrow."

"Oh! That's wonderful, Mina-chan!"

It was certainly was. Now there was only one person left who was occupying her mind... Dammit, Satoshi. Where are you? Mina glanced hopefully toward the gates. There was no sign of him. She doubted that he would even show up at school today. But you promised me you would start taking your studies seriously. Are you sick or something? Did you catch a cold? If he did, she would bike over to his house with chicken broth and rice.

She'd already called him a few times between classes, but he never answered.

Steeling herself, Mina tried one last time.

She gasped when he picked up. "Satoshi!"

"Hey, Mina."

"Are you okay? Where are you? Why aren't you at school?" She didn't mean to flood him with questions, but she couldn't help it.

"Turn around."

Mina spun on her heel, arm falling to her side—along with her phone—as she watched Satoshi approach the school gates. Not hearing what Tomie had to say about it, she dashed toward him, screeching to a halt in front of him. "Satoshi! You... Are you crying?" No, no he wasn't. But he had been. She could tell.

Satoshi didn't seem to be ashamed of it. He just rubbed at one eye. "They got him. They got him."

"Got who, Satoshi?"

"The real killer."

Mina went slack-jawed. "Y-you mean..."

"My brother might go free."

She covered her mouth with her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" she shrieked, doing a little jump. "Satoshi! Satoshi that—that's fucking awesome!"

"I know!" he exploded, grinning so hard that Mina thought his face might split in half. "God—Mina—I—!" He hugged her, crushing her nose against his lopsided tie. His shirt smelled like laundry detergent. "I don't even know what to say!"

Mina wriggled in his arms, peering up at him. He was so happy. She'd never seen him so goddamn happy, and it made her stomach flutter. I'm so glad. I'm so glad that he can finally smile like this.


May 14th, 2018

The high lasted for a few days before reality came crashing down.

CONGLOMERATE HEAD HIRAKAWA DAIZEN RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING RECENT EVENTS

MURDERED HIGH SCHOOL BOY OIKAWA TOORU WAS KNOWN FOR HIS DANGER-SEEKING PERSONALITY...

"This is total bull!" bellowed Satoshi, trembling in rage as he read the news article. He and Mina were on the way to school. "Of-fucking-course they would pull something like this." They're all the same... This corrupt, corrupt system... How deep does the rot run? He clenched his teeth. These fucking cunts.

"Don't," Mina soothed, gripping his arm. "It'll work out in the end. I hear that the prosecutors are taking this very seriously. Right now, we need to focus on next month's exams."

Right. He needed to make his brother proud. As soon as Hajime got out—he had to—Satoshi would give him a bone-crushing hug, cry, and shove his marks into Hajime's face. "I know. If I wasn't serious about college before, I am now. The least I need to be when my brother gets out is someone he can be proud of."

"You know," Mina began. "I'm glad you're finally taking your studies seriously, but... You're already that person. Your brother would be proud of you, Satoshi, and that's a fact."

"You don't know that," Satoshi replied, frowning. "Even before he went to prison, he was always nagging me about playing too many video games. And I haven't changed a bit."

Mina shrugged. "In the greater scheme of things... I'm sure that he would be happy just to see you again and hold you tight. My sister, Rie, is a cafe worker, you know. Full-time in hospitality. Not what mom or dad imagined for her, but it doesn't matter to me. The reason why I want to be first in the grade is to guarantee myself a spot in Todai. So I can be close to her. Like I said—it doesn't matter."

"Huh. I see."

She stopped abruptly, grabbing him by the hands and looking up at him solemnly. "Hug him when you see him again. Hug him and don't let go."

"I won't," he vowed.

After this, he would never let Hajime be torn from him again.


May 21st, 2018

It was out.

The hairs on the nape of Satoshi's neck rose as he read the news on his phone in the peace of his room, crickets chirping outside. The trial date's been fixed.

The thirty-first of May.


A/N: I shamelessly ship my two OCs and I have tons of SatoMina propaganda saved on my laptop. Anyway, next chapter will (re)introduce many characters as they all head to/remotely tune into the trial!

What was the purpose of this backstory? you may ask. To develop yet another 'side' to the story, as you may see the with some of the discussion Satoshi and Mina have. Also, because I wanted an excuse to write a cute little high school story in the midst of all the tragedy. Sorry if it's distracting, we'll be resuming the main programme right after this.