Greetings!

I'm sorry for delaying the release of this chapter. It's like I've been abandoning this fanfic forever. Truth is, I was so busy in the real world, and I kinda had a writer's block too, but you bet I always have this fanfic in mind.

I watched Shindo-sensei's interview by Joey in his YouTube channel "The Anime Man". He is such a nice and humble gentleman. If you haven't watched it then I suggest you to do so.

And I'm terribly sorry if any of you, by any chance in this span of over two year, had been waiting for my update, but didn't make it to read this chapter due to the current pandemic situation or some other reason. I'm really sorry. Wish things would go back to normal soon. Stay home, stay clean, stay nourished, stay fit, and stay safe everyone.

Disclaimer: This is an alternate ending fan fiction I wrote, of the H manga "Metamorphosis" belonged to Shindo L. I do this fan fiction for fun and make no money from it. Support the author by buying the physical or digital original manga.

Chapter 5

Friend

Saki is an OTAKU!

For two weeks, it felt like a meeting with an old otaku pal. I had never thought the popular girl in my class I had a crush on was a geek, even a bigger one than me. She knows more anime than me and attends anime conventions more, too. We watched anime together and talked a lot about the popular manga and anime series. Apparently she didn't follow the latest updates in recent trends, probably thanks to the circumstances with her boyfriend. But her knowledge on previous seasons still bested me.

What amazed me more is how she easily beats me at video games. She showed me how losing feels like, just like how my sister feels everytime I beat her. The frustration, I felt like it showed on my face, as Saki sometimes patted me on the head to console me.

Also one thing that I noticed, everytime we talked about our interests, she looked so happy. Like, genuinely happy. She is passionate about it.

But still, one thing remained unchanged...

"Oh, come on. I wanna go another round!"

"Uh, you're still up for more? I can't... go on."

"Oh, come on. Get up, little guy."

"Stop it, that hurts!"

"Eh, I'm just giving it a couple of flicks. Does it hurt so much."

"Of course it does. This little guy is both men's strength and weakness. You can even escape from rape by doing that, you know."

"What are you talking about? Did you learn something like that at school? Haha, sorry if that actually hurts. Come on! Make me go crazy one more time."

"...zzz..."

"The heck! You sleeping already?"

"...zzz..."

*slap* *slap*

"Uugh... Let me sleep, ok? I need to go to school tomorrow."

"Eeh...? Not this again. You don't have to go, darling. Just cuddle with me here all day."

"Seriously, Saki-chan... You need to stop using that drug... That... thing makes you crazy."

The landlady came to my doorstep on the third day of Saki's stay. She knew I was keeping a girl because she saw I brought Saki in that night. I tried to persuade her to let Saki stay and begged not to tell my parents about it. I told her that Saki had run away from her parents because of some problem. She seemed hesitant to let Saki stay, but eventually she gave us the OK on two conditions. The first was that she was not supposed to attract attention from the other tenants, so that they wouldn't bring in girls themselves. The second was that Saki should return home soon. She gave us one month. More than that and I should pay extra. She also agreed to keep the secret from my parents.

I went to school like usual while Saki stayed home. She mostly spent her time reading my manga collection, or watching some anime shows, or playing my collection of video games when I was away. I had always thought she was a rich girl who finds pleasure in spending her time doing girly stuff like listening to foreign musics, putting on makeup in front of the mirror all day, having a fragrant bubble bath, shopping, or whatever fancies those type of girls. Never had it crossed my mind that she was actually an avid otaku.

I was raised in a religious family. Sex outside marriage was practically forbidden. Yet I had my virginity taken by Saki and was still doing it with her everyday when we were not doing some geeky stuff. I feel so dirty and guilty, but we kept on doing it, and it escalated over time. I tried to stop doing it, but I couldn't get the thought out of my head, especially if she actively seduced me.

It was a sunny Saturday morning. I had planned to take Saki out for a walk to the shopping district to buy some groceries and clothes for her. She had been staying in my apartment for two weeks, but she didn't bring any luggage. The only clothes she had were the ones attached to her body at the time of her arrival. I had been lending my clothes for her to wear, to keep her from being buck naked. Most of the time she wore my t-shirt and shorts, or some of my oversized hoodies.

"Saki-chan, you want to go shopping with me? Also bring your money. I know you've been saving up a lot." When I said "money", it means the money she had been collecting from letting me fuck her silly everyday. It's not like I paid her for her services. It's like I'd got no choice but to fuck her, and then I just gave the money naturally, more like an extortion. She was practically broke when she started living with me. I don't think she need to buy anything, since I provide all of her daily needs, except maybe some things, like body soap, shampoo, and some other beauty products, which magically appeared in my bathroom.

"What are you buying? Why do I have to bring my money?" She answered with a very little enthusiasm, lazying around on the couch and playing video games.

"We're going shopping. You'll help me stock up on groceries. While we're at it, let's buy you some clothes as well."

"What? No. I'm fine. I mean... You've been giving me clothes to wear, and you've been nice to me. I'm very grateful, but... I'm... I'm a bother, am I not? Uugh.. You ask me to buy clothes so I won't have to wear yours anymore, right? I... I don't need to buy clothes, or anything. I... I can undress now if you want. I don't need to wear anything... *mumble mumble*" She said one word after another and ended up muttering.

"Hey! Calm down, Saki-chan. I'm not forcing you to buy anything. And you're not a bother either, so don't think that way, okay? It's just that I... I thought you might look cu... cute if you wear something more... girly...?" I started mentioning the first thing that came to mind and ended up saying some embarassing things. Aww! I could feel my blood rush to my face.

Saki froze for a moment, then I could see her face grew redder too. "Wha.. wha.. what are you talking about..? A..aha.. ahaha... I.. I don't know..." She averted her gaze and fiddled with the game controller. Damn! Kawaii (she's so cute)!

Both of us stayed in the air of silence for quite a moment, eyes averted from each other. Finally I managed to get myself together. "S..So? You want to come?"

"O..okay! I..I'll get ready." She looked hesitant, but eventually agreed and went inside the bedroom to get ready. While waiting for her, I checked the AC, the TV, the stove, and other stuffs, making sure everything is plugged out or turned off before leaving.

"Have you saved your game progress? I'm turning it off, ok?" I proceeded to put the game controller back at its place and was ready to turn off the console.

"Okay..." She replied from inside the bedroom.

It was still so early in the morning. Saki was wearing something casual: a t-shirt and olive shorts under a gray hoodie. With that simple attire, at least she wouldn't attract any attention from random passers-by. There were kids playing in the nearby playground and some youths having light jogs around.

We were walking by a taiyaki (japanese fish-shaped pastry) shop when she tugged on my sleeve, pointing out the small shop. "It's been a long time since the last time I ate taiyaki. I wanna buy one, please?"

"Okay. No problem." The shop had been around for at least two and a half year. I remember it was since my first year of high school, when I first arrived in the city. While I was getting accustomed to the neighborhood, the taiyaki shop was one of the first places I got to know, aside from the konbini (convenience stores) and ATMs.

"Ahaha... Thank you so much!" She got very happy all of a sudden, skipping all the way to the small shop. I followed behind her. I was never a fan of taiyaki, but I didn't dislike it.

They looked appetizing indeed, as I thought to myself looking at the freshly baked taiyakis in the display cabinet, while Saki read the menu. There are many flavors to choose from, and Saki looked genuinely happy, checking out the description of each and every flavor. "Pick whichever you want. I'll pay for it, so you can keep your money and use it to buy clothes."

In the end, she chose three pieces of taiyaki: two red bean paste and one... jelly? Even I couldn't believe it at first. I got myself a matcha green tea flavored. We headed for the nearest bench in the park across the taiyaki shop. She started eating her taiyakis.

I was looking at my piping hot taiyaki in my hands, ready to savor it, when I started a conversation. "Saki-chan. You really like taiyaki, don't you?"

"Wep. Waht Whaiyagi zhap iz..." She talked while her mouth was still stuffed with food, so I had to stop her.

"Hey, stop stop. You're talking while eating. Swallow your food first, then talk."

"Ok sowwie." She chewed and swallowed her taiyaki, then started to talk. "That taiyaki shop is my favorite since middle school. I didn't know they added some new flavors. Maybe because I was too busy with my work to realize it. I have to try the other new flavors too."

Work, eh? I wondered if she meant "that". "A..ah.. I see..." I honestly didn't know how to respond to that, and ended up with plain a remark. I still couldn't believe it, the fact that she did "that" kind of work.

"Ooi...! Earth to Horuto..." By the time I realized it, she was already looking into my eyes, very close. Her face almost touch mine.

I quickly backed off from her. Ah, I was caught up in my thoughts. "Whoa! Ah.. no. It's nothing. Ahaha..."

"Look how you're spacing out. You okay?" She put her palm flat on my forehead like she was checking if I had a fever, probably out of concern.

"Yeah! Don't worry about me. Haha..!"

We just sit on the park bench silently. I sometimes took a peek at her nibbling at the fish shaped pastry, bite by bite. She is so cute, almost like a child.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked me that question out of the blue.

Did I heard the question right? I was not sure if she really asked that question. "Eh.. Ah, sorry. What did you say?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Wh..wha..? Er,.. no. Kinda... Ah,... no.."
I was taken aback I ended up stuttering.

"Hmm..?" She slid closer and stared deep inside my eyes.

"Uh. No. I don't." I threw away my gaze from her due to embarrassment.

"Is that so...? Hmm..." I could hear a hint of doubt in her voice. "That Yukishima girl. What is she to you?"

During Saki's stay in my apartment, a girl visited me a couple of times to give meals or snacks. Her name is Yukishima Erika. Saki never met her since she only stopped by the front door, but Saki looked at her from the window as she left my apartment. "Erika-san? Eh, like I said, she is just a friend. You might not know her since she is from another class."

She paused for a moment. "You said she is just a friend but you two looked so close. It's like you're more than just friends."

"Uuh, that..." I didn't know whether I should tell her.

"Aah, sorry. It was so selfish of me. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's okay. You're right. She is not just a friend."

"Eh?"

"You see. She is my mom's friend's daughter. The first time I heard about her is when my mom and her friend talked about having us married. I don't know if it was only a joke, but I was against it at first, probably because I never knew her. Then one day she visited me and we got acquaintanced. Turns out we go to the same school. She sometimes stops by to give me some dinner or sweets she made herself."

"Oh, so you two are engaged?"

"Err, not really. They were just having a casual talk. It was probably just a joke."

"Hmm..." She sank herself deep into her thoughts.

We went silent once more. Saki had already finished her taiyakis, but was still holding the paper wrapper in her hands.

"How long have you known her?"

"Hmmm, let's see... I think it was the middle of the first year. That would be... two years now."

"Do you think she is cute?"

"Eh.. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just curious."

"Well, I think she is cute. She is quite popular with the boys, but she said she doesn't have a boyfriend. Who knows?"

"Have you two... done it?"

"What? What do you mean by... "done it"?"

"You know..." She showed me a hand gesture of "having sex".

"No, I've never done it with anyone, except with you."

"Hmm... Do you want to marry her?" Our conversation sounds like an interrogation.

"Uhmm... I don't know. She is an angel, kind and well mannered, and I feel like she is too good for me. Something like, "I don't deserve a girl like her". You know? That kind of stuff."

She put her hand on my shoulder. "No. Don't think like that. You're not a bad boy. You're more than what you think you are. I know what a bad boy looks like when I see one."

I was taken aback by her gesture and words. Kakkoii (so cool)! I couldn't help but smiled.

"C'mon! Let's get going" She got up from the bench then started walking.

"Okay.." I got up as well and followed her.

We were walking pass an arcade when Saki pointed at it. Her eyes lit up. "Hey, it's been so long since I went here. You want to play?"

It was a popular arcade in the area. I sometimes visited it with the guys from our class. "I don't see why not. Okay, lead the way."

"Yay!" She took my hand and pulled me inside.

She made me play many kinds of games in the arcade. I never liked arcades even though I like video games. Probably because of the crowds. I don't really like crowds. I'd rather play games peacefully in the confines of my own room.

"Ugh, Saki. Not only in console games, you even beat me in arcade games. You didn't even break a sweat. You're a natural."

"No, just hard work. You'll know it when you spent three years of middle school without any friends."

It's the first time I heard someone so proud of not having any friends. But I gotta admit, she gave her all in playing games. She said she hadn't been to arcade for long but it looked to me like she was a regular. I've got no choice but to believe in her words. Years of practice, eh? But still, having no friends must be tough.

I kept losing and losing to Saki everytime. Ugh! I've always hated losing so much. But this time, I didn't feel that way at all. It was the first time I felt happy about losing games. I wondered if it was because I played with Saki.

We continued playing until it was already one o'clock. We had so much fun that we had lost track of time.

"Ahh... all this work out makes me hungry. You want to grab something to eat?"

"Yeah, I think I'm hungry too."

We looked for a restaurant on the way to the shopping district. There was a sushi shop nearby and we decided to pay it a visit.

After filling our tummy, we headed straight to the shopping district to get something for Saki to wear. And the first shop we visited was a lingerie shop.

"Ugh, seriously? You sure you want to go here first?"

"What? You wanna save the best for the last?" She said teasingly and pinched my cheek.

"Aww.., it hurts."

"You naughty pervert." She released her pinch and strode into the shop.

It was embarrassing, being the only male in the middle of a gallery of feminine undergarments. There are a couple of barely dressed mannequins displaying some risque lingerie. I tried to make myself busy by looking at some random selection of underwear when a hand pulled my shirt sleeve.

"Come on, help me choose." Saki dragged me around, asking for my opinion about which underwear to choose, teasingly showing me some naughty lingerie. I felt so embarrassed especially when the shop employees were looking. We looked very much like a couple and they would giggle at our antics everytime.
Daamn! I could feel my face literally heated up.

After a while, she brought a couple of undergarments and head into the fitting room. A moment later, she got out of the curtain and showed me her body, barely covered by the underwear. "How do I look? Am I sexy? Do I make you hard?"

"Wh..why are you showing me?" I averted my gaze in embarrassment.

"You'll be the one seeing me in 'em the first time, so why not?" She twisted her body into weird poses, trying to show her sex appeal.

"Umm, yeah. You look... nice in those." I could feel the blood rushed to my face. I gotta admit, she was hot as hell.

"Oh come on. Is that all you have to say?" She asked me, making more weird poses.

"Yeah, you looked sexy, really... umm.. umph... ahahahaha...!" I couldn't contain myself anymore and burst out laughing.

She looked at me in disbelieve, mouth agape. "W..why are you laughing?"

"Ahaha... The poses you made... they're so.. so funny..."

"Grrr...!" Gripping her fists, gritting her teeth, I knew she was about to lose it, so I quickly grabbed both her wrists.

"Haha... No no... I'm sorry, okay. I'm sorry... I know I shouldn't laugh. Sorry... " Still stifling my laugh, I tried to calm her down.

"Humph!" Saki pouted and crossed her arms.

After trying on several more pairs of underwear, she went to the cashier and paid for her items. We went around the district to visit some other shops and fill our shopping bags.

It was four in the afternoon when we finished. We were walking towards direction of our home. Both of our hands were full of bags. Clothes in Saki's and groceries in mine.

"Hey, Horuto. Thank you for today. You have been so nice and helpful."

"Nah, it's okay. Don't mention it."

We were walking on the sidewalk when we passed a small cafe with some tables outside the shop. I could hear some noise from one of the tables, and some people in the cafe looked at the direction of the table. Some of the pedestrians also stopped to see what happened. I couldn't help but follow my curiosity and we stopped to see what the commotion was.

A man and a girl were having a quarrel on one of the tables outside the cafe. The man had messy hair and fierce looking eyes, with a cigarette in his mouth. I couldn't see the face of the girl since she had her back on us. All I could see was that she wore a black tank top and a denim mini skirt. Her short tank top didn't cover much of her lower back and I could see she had a large tattoo. It kinda reminded me of the one Saki had in the exact same location. I couldn't comprehend what they were talking about, but looking at her gesture and her voice, the girl looked so angry, while the man was clearly not in a favorable disposition, uttering some pleas and excuses. The girl suddenly stood up and yelled.

"I don't want to hear anything anymore from you! You lied to me! You fuck other girls behind my back and now you want me to be your whore?! Fuck you! I'm outta here!" She proceeded to leave the cafe when the man grabbed her wrist.

"No! Please hear me out. That's not what I mean by..." His words were interrupted by the girl shaking her hand off his grip.

"Enough! I don't wanna see you anymore! Don't try to call me or come to my house, or I'll call the cops and have you and your friends put to jail!" The girl walked away from the cafe, leaving the man as he watched her helplessly. The people watching returned to their previous activity.

"Kuso (shit)!" he kicked the table and sit down. I gestured Saki to continue walking back home. The man's eyes were wandering around when he saw us. His eyes lit up when he saw us and he rose from his seat, approaching us. "Oh, hey Saki-chan. What a coincidence. What are you doing here?"

He talked to Saki and apparently he knew her name. Saki stopped walking but didn't respond. She just lowered her gaze.

"Hey, who are you?" I asked him but he ignored me.

He put his hand on Saki's shoulder and brushed her cheek. "You're as cute as always, Saki-chan. I.. I'm sorry for what happened a few days ago, you know? I was a little... stressed out. You're always welcome to return to my house."

"No..." Saki shook her head, still lowering her gaze.

"Hey, get away from her. You're making her nervous."

"Who the fuck are you, megane (glasses/four-eyes)?"

"I'm her friend. Now I'm asking you. Who are you?

"Oh, didn't she tell you? I AM her boyfriend and she IS my girlfriend. That makes us LOVERS! You get that?" He said all that like he mean it while his hand grabbed Saki's hair, disgracing her.

What a rough man! I couldn't believe it. Was he really the one Saki told me about? The "Hayato"? Of all the trouble we could run into, it had to be him. He looked messy and dirty, like a punk, and I think he is a punk. He looked far worse than I had thought. "You know what? She said that her "boyfriend" dumped her. If you are her "boyfriend", then you don't deserve her. Now get off her!"

Suddenly he wrapped his left arm around Saki's neck from behind and pulled the neckline of Saki's hoodie to show the tattoo on Saki's left chest, which read "HAYATO". "You see this? This is the sign that she is mine. Can't you read it? It says HA-YA-TO! My name, my mark! Now get the fuck outta here!" He yelled so loud that the cafe patrons and employees started to look at the three us. He tried so hard to show the tattoo he didn't realize that he wrapped Saki's neck too tight.

Saki tried to release her neck from Hayato's arm but to no avail. She looked so suffocated. Her tears trickled down her cheeks and she started sobbing.

At the moment I wanted to jump at him and punch him in the face, but my hands are full with groceries, so I tried to reason with him. "I don't give a fuck about your brand or whatever, but you're strangling her!"

"Tch..!" He loosened his left arm on Saki's neck but still refused to let her go. She was able to breathe again but still looked so scared.

"Now release her and let's talk like civilized people." I tried not to anger him more, hoping that would make him surrender and release Saki.

"You shut the fuck up, shitty brat!" His reaction was so out of nowhere. He released Saki, shoved her aside, then charged towards me. Seeing him clenching his fist, I quickly released the grocery bags in my hands and desperately tried to block his punch.

*CRACK!*

Had I not blocked it, it would be a direct hit. His punch missed my right cheek. I quickly pushed Hayato off and made some distance between us. Earlier I thought I heard something cracked, but what cracked? He didn't hit me and I didn't hit him. I looked at Saki as she was getting up after Hayato pushed her to the sidewalk. She was strangled before but didn't look like being badly injured from the fall. I looked at my dropped grocery bags.

Aww, shit! My tamago (eggs)...! I wanted to immediately check on them but then I heard a shuffle. Hayato threw away his cigarette, spat on the ground, straightened his clothes and put up a fighting stance few meters from me. Saki ran quickly to my direction and got behind my back.

"Saki-chan, you okay?" I could see her behind me from the corner of my eye that she was so scared.

"Uh hum, I'm okay." She nodded, still tugging on my shirt.

"You piece of shit! You're gonna be sorry!" Hayato walked towards us to strike again.

"Get back, Saki!" I shouted and gestured Saki to get away from us, making sure she was out of harm's way.

Hayato charged towards me, but I was able to evade it. He was wide open after his attempt to attack, but I didn't attack back. He once again regained his poise and began his attacks over and over. At first, I was scared. I had never been in a real fight situation before. I had practiced Taekwondo for a while, but the only fights I'd ever had were some sparrings and few tournaments, and this was definitely not either of them. His attacks were meant to hurt, not to land points.

After some time, I got the hang of the fight. He tried to overwhelm me with strong swings, but his attacks never actually hit me. He didn't seem like practicing any particular martial arts. He might had the power, but his moves were slow and lacked finesse, not to mention his tight denim pants limiting his footwork. I was much faster than him, thanks to the sirwal pants I wore. In addition, he was fueled with rage, his breath was ragged, and he seemed unfocused. Still, I made sure not to underestimate my opponent.

"Stop running away, you rat!" Hayato backed off, caught his breath, but still looked so angry. He was scaring me, but I didn't want to get scared. Before I realized it, some people started gathering around the cafe to watch. I thought about asking for help but my pride couldn't accept it.

"Stop it, Hayato! Muda da (this is all pointless)! Saki doesn't want to be with you, and you're not getting her back. Look at the people around us. You don't want to make a scene here."

"I'm her boyfriend! I took care of her for years and spent fortune for her. Who are you? Some wimp that tried to protect her? Protect my ass! I know everything about her. She needs an adult, not a snotty four-eyes with childish face!"

I didn't say any more word. My breath was a little ragged and I took few deep breaths to focus myself. I flexed my legs and arms a little to test my muscles and see if they were ready. I could feel my adrenaline surge within my body, ready to face anything.

Hayato advanced and began attacking. I evaded his attack once more, but this time I decided to land a counter-attack. He clearly didn't expect it and looked so surprised, but then laughed. "Ha! Is that all you've got?"

My kick hit his thigh. It barely hurt him, but it was a clean hit. He underestimated my attack and that worked to my advantage. I keep myself calm and wait for him to attack, then I followed with a counter-attack again. With each consecutive attack, I increased the number of hits. My attacks were not so powerful, but they were fast and numerous. I landed many hits, but he didn't try to evade or block.

Time went by and his attacks became slower, while my attacks got more aggressive. Hayato struggled to keep up with me as I rained him down with kicks and punches. By the time he realized, he was already exhausted from the many blows I inflicted. The number of people that gathered around us increased. Some of them took out their smartphone to take pictures and video recordings.

"Give it up, Hayato! You don't want to continue this..." He didn't answer and began to attack again. I'd got no choice but to attack. I chained my hits into quick combo moves to overwhelm him.

Hayato backed off a few steps. "He he..." I thought I heard him laughing, but I clearly got the upper hand. I ignored that and attacked him to quickly end the fight. Just when I was delivering some combo and about to inflict the decisive blow, he took out something from underneath his jacket and quickly swung his arm wide horizontally. I managed to evade the reach of his arm but the thing he was holding managed to scrape my right arm. I backed off but all of a sudden I felt a sharp pain from my right arm. The sleeve of my yellow shirt turned red as I felt a painful cut underneath it. I looked at his hand, as he was holding a small knife.

Hayato laughed when he saw me bleeding. "Hahaha... Odoroita ka (are you surprised)? How's that feeling, kid?"

"Shit... You coward..." I tried to stop the bleeding with my hand, but it was useless. The blood leaked out and flowed down my arm. Some people around us yelped and screamed in surprise after seeing my arm bled. Saki ran towards me and tried to help me.

"No, you're bleeding!" She tried putting pressure on my arms with her hands, only to get them soaked in my blood. The sight was so gruesome to her and made her panicked.

"Yeah, I can see that..." The wound started to sting. I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth to suppress the pain. I looked at Hayato as he laughed in joy. He's crazy. A fist fight is one thing, but bringing a knife turns it into a life and death matter.

"Yamete (stop), Hayato, onegai (please)! Leave us alone!" Saki pleaded as she started crying.

"No! You're coming with me now." He slowly approached us, brandishing his sharp looking blade. He was clearly out of his mind. Didn't he know that waving around knife like that in public could get him into a serious trouble. "Come with me if you don't want him to get hurt."

"Kuso (shit)!" I had got no choice but to defend ourselves. I motioned Saki to get behind my back. I tried to calm myself but couldn't. My heart beat faster. I couldn't move. Fear had swallowed me. The least I could do was stand my ground, but... I don't wanna die... Kami-sama (god)!

Suddenly, a bunch of men appeared from the crowd behind Hayato. One of them, dressed in a police uniform, threw his body towards Hayato, tackling him to the ground. Hayato's knife was thrown a couple of feet from him. Hayato struggled to free himself, trying to reach his weapon, but another man, a civilian, pushed him to the ground, helping the policeman trying to bind him. "Kono yarou (you bastard)!" Hayato screamed and kept struggling, but his hands were already bound.

*sigh*

My legs finally gave way and I slumped to the ground. Another policeman took Hayato's knife and secured it. He walked towards me and inspected my wound. "Mazui ne (that looks terrible)..." He gave me a small cloth to help put pressure on my wound. "You're coming with us. I'll have your wound treated quick."

Damn! Getting caught by the cops was the last thing I need. Though I was relieved when I saw Hayato had his hands cuffed and secured. He was extremely dangerous. I didn't want to think about what would happen had the police not interfered.

Hayato and I were taken a few blocks away from the cafe, while Saki followed behind us after taking our shopping bags. We were brought to a small police station. A female officer pulled my sleeve up and inspected my wound, then prepared to treat it. Saki helped the policewoman treat my wound, cleaning and finally wrapping it with bandage. The policemen searched our pockets and bags, then asked us and some other witnesses to explain everything.

After some time that felt like forever, Saki and I were released. I was charged with street fighting, but considering the fact that I was the victim and the one got wounded, also my status as a student, they decided to release me, after they gave me a prolonged lecture about justice, love, life, and death. On the other hand, Hayato was taken into custody. He was charged with assault, starting a fight, possession of bladed weapon, and inflicting injury using bladed weapon. He was also charged for possessing illegal drugs after the police searched his pockets. They also found out that Hayato is involved in underground prostitution business and illegal drug distribution after they searched the mails in his smartphone. What a criminal. He deserved to be put in jail for good.

I looked into my phone. It was six. We started walking away from the police station towards our home, holding our bags.

"Is your arm okay? I can help you with that." Saki offered to help me carry the bag in my right hand.

"No, it's fine. Daijoubu (I'm okay)." I showed her how I could still lift the bag by flexing my arm.

"Does it still hurt?"

"I'd be lying if I said it doesn't. That's why I need to buy some painkillers on the way back. Shikashi (however)... I may not be able to make omelet rice you like so much."

"Omurice? Why? But you can make anything other than omurice?"

"Anything without eggs." I showed her the broken eggs in the bottom of the shopping bag.

"No..! How in the world..?"

"They were broken when I was fighting Hayato. You know? When I heard them cracked, it felt like I could hear them scream. Ugh, the pain!"

"Haha, don't be stupid. But still..., what you did was pretty dangerous. I don't want to see you fight like that again."

"Aww... Now you're worried about me. How cute..."

"I'm being serious here. Promise me you won't do that again, okay?"

"Hmm, okay okay... Yakusoku (I promise)!"

We didn't say anything for some moments, but then she started talking again. "Hey, I want to apologize..."

"Hm? For what?"

"Truth is..." She stopped walking. It looked like something serious, so I searched for nearby bench and we sat down. "I've been collecting money from you... to pay Hayato's debt..."

"What!?"

"I told you that Hayato blocked my number, remember? Few days ago, he contacted me again and asked me how I was doing. I said that I was with a friend, so he ordered me to get as much money as I can from you. He reminded me that I once promised to help him pay his debts and that I was obligated to do so. That's why I have been giving you sexual favors, in exchange for money, to pay him."

"Hmmm... And that money you've been collecting was used to buy your clothes today. Is that why you hesitated when we met Hayato earlier? Because you cannot pay him?"

"Yes, but that's not all. Actually, I was scared. When I met him, I thought I was about to die. I don't want to see him ever again. He talks sweet, but behind that, he wants to take advantage of me, to abuse me."

"Hmm.. A punk like him. You don't owe him anything, not your money, not your body, not your life, nothing... A trash like him. It's a good thing he is out of the picture, with all the crimes he did, at least for now. We don't know when he'll be free again."

"Yes." Saki nodded.

We didn't say anything afterwards. We sat at the bench, looking at the darkening sky, setting sun, rising moon, people around us returning home to gather with their families, streetlights beginning to light here and there. I felt like I needed to apologize as well.

"Gomennasai (I'm sorry)."

Saki was surprised to hear that. "Why are you sorry? I should be the one apologizing."

"No. I should've refused you when you asked me to have sex with you. That must've been terrible, doing it with a person you don't desire."

"No, don't say that."

"Why not?"

"I might have been doing it to collect money from you, but I don't regret it. These past two weeks, I felt like I was in paradise. Well, not really, but compared to when I was with Hayato, it is paradise. You've been treating me with respect. You don't try to abuse or take advantage of me. You know? I, Yoshida Saki that you know in high school, is not the real me. I used to be a total dork back in middle school, without any friend. I started dressing up only when I was about to enter high school, hoping that my new look would give me chance to gain friends. But at my first day of high school, Hayato approached me and said I was cute. I didn't know how to respond, no one said that to me before, but having someone call me cute feels good. He then drugged me and took my chastity. That's the biggest mistake I made in my life." Saki clenched her fists, stopped talking for a moment to catch her breath. I didn't know Saki could talk this long. She started crying and threw herself onto my chest. I rubbed her hair in an attempt to comfort her. "I've always wanted a friend, a true friend. Someone I can talk to, without putting on any facade. When I'm with you, I feel like I can be myself. I feel safe, happy. Today a had so much fun. It was the first time in my life I don't have to lie to myself... I.. I want to be with you forever." Her hands wrapped around me, and we hugged each other, savoring the moment.

"It's okay... Wait.. Is this a... kokuhaku (love confession)...?" I said what came to my mind without thinking.

"Ehh..." She pulled away from me, wiping the tears on her cheeks. "N..no. I only said the truth."

I couldn't hold myself anymore and burst out laughing. "Hahaha... That's what you call a confession, stupid." I jokingly hit her head with a karate chop gesture. She pouted, but I could see a hint of smile on her face. I got up from the bench and offered her my hand. "Come on, let's go home. It's getting dark."

"Yes!" She took my hand and got up. We took our shopping bags and started walking home.

"Ouch..!" I let out a yelp as I felt a sharp pain from my wound and winced. "It starts to sting again."

"Are you okay? You sure you don't need help?"

"No, it's alright. As soon as I take the painkiller, the pain will subside, don't worry."

"Hmm.. Okay."

"If you want to help, maybe you can help me cook dinner. I was a little tired, actually."

"Oooh... Makasete (leave it to me)! I never cook by myself before, but I helped my mom cook sometimes."

"Oh yeah? Can't wait to taste your cooking."

"Yes. Oh, right. You know, the new Flame Symbol game is out now. You want to buy it?"

"Hmm... Sounds good. Let's!"

Thank you for reading this chapter!

I'm already thinking about the ideas for my next chapter. Let's hope that it wouldn't take too long, like this chapter.

As you can see, I inserted a few japanese words into my story, to get some anime vibes in it.

Everyone's talking about the new Shingeki no Kyojin anime, but I was still stuck in the "Rescue Eren from Reiner and Bertholt" chapter. I can only close my ears tight, making sure not to hear any spoilers.

I hope you all have fun reading it as much as I have fun writing it.