Most of this chapter was inspired by Yakuza Arc by Humble_Chad.
"Well, things have been relatively quiet around Hope's Peak Academy lately," Ben said. After mingling with the Main Course for a few more days, he returned to a normal schedule in the Reserve Course.
Right now, it was his turn to clean the classroom that afternoon, so he had to stay a little late. After finishing up, he made his way towards the exit, but along the way, he saw two girls having a conversation in the hall, by the stairs.
"Oh crap, not this again..."
Sure enough, Sato and Natsumi were in the middle of another heated argument. Sparks were flying, and both girls looked like they were on the verge of throwing fists. The tension was so thick, the air could be cut with a knife.
"I told you to stay away from Mahiru! When are you going to get it through your head that scumbags like you have no place in Hope's Peak!" Sato yelled, with her face a mere foot away from Natsumi's.
"I'll do as I please, and if you know what is good for you and your little girlfriend, you'll stay out of my way. It would be a shame if things got messy." Natsumi threatened right back.
"You don't seem to get it Natsumi! You're not going to get your way. Not this time. You just can't handle the truth. Mahiru is better than you! You're nothing!" she snarled at the blonde girl, who was beginning to lose her composure.
"Oh please. You've been up Mahiru's ass since middle school. You're just a love-stricken, sycophant bitch. I almost want to crush your precious Mahiru just to see the look on your face… Here's a thought. It would be a shame if something were to happen to those hands of hers," Natsumi mocked, smashing her fist on her palm to show a crushing motion.
That definitely got Sato riled up. "If you even think about touching Mahiru, I swear, I will personally end you, Natsumi!"
"Girls, please stop this..." Ben all but begged as he made his way over.
"Oh yeah, I'm shaking in my boots. Real intimidating, seaweed hair. Now run along and pick Mahiru's pubes out of your teeth, you nasty dy-"
A resounding smack echoed throughout the Reserve Course building. Ben cringed as Natsumi now had a stinging red hand mark on her cheek and her eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. Sato was breathing heavily as she had just smacked Natsumi hard across the face.
A pregnant pause filled the air as Natsumi placed a hand on the cheek that was struck, her expression slowly changing from shock to absolute fury.
"You just made the worst mistake of your life. You just signed your fucking death warrant!"
"Intervention Time!" Ben said as he got in between the two girls, his arms held out. Natsumi was about to order him to step out of the way before he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away, giving an apologetic look to Sato as he did so.
"Sato, we'll talk later, okay?"
Sato watched as Ben left with Natsumi before letting out a shuddering breath and collapsing against the wall, looking at her shaking hand which she had used to slap Natsumi.
"Ben...thank god you were there..."
Ben had dragged Natsumi all the way to the balcony on the next floor above them. After stopping to catch his breath, Natsumi jerked her arm free from his grip.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" The Younger Kuzuryuu snapped angrily, rubbing the spot Ben had been holding her.
"Natsumi, I might not know much about you but I have gotten to know your brother and while he has an attitude and a temper, he doesn't just go around picking random fights like this!" Ben shot back, already at his wit's end with this girl.
"Shut up! You aren't the boss of me! I'll do whatever I want!"
"Yeah? Well, no one from Hope's Peak is going to scout you. If they find out about what you've been doing, you're going to get expelled!"
"Shut up about it already! You think I don't know that?! I know that! I know that, alright?!" Natsumi yelled, tears welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. She quickly reached up to wipe them away, out of embarrassment.
Ben calmed down himself as he realized he hadn't seen this more vulnerable side of the normally abrasive girl. Natsumi turned away from him and leaned on the railing, looking out at the afternoon sun. After a brief silence, he decided to ask the important question on his mind
"Why do you even want to get into the Main Course? Why are you so obsessed with it? I don't get it. Why is this so important to you?"
"My big brother is… he's amazing. He carries the family name on his shoulders. Everyone has put all their hopes into him. He's everything I want to be... That's why I need to be better. I want to be by his side. I want him to be proud of me."
Ben looked a bit awkward before sighing. "And what about Hajime? I saw a few times back when he was still with us here in the Reserve Course that you two were pretty close."
"Hajime...H-He was actually the first guy to understand me. He didn't treat me with fear or disdain, he actually just wanted to talk. Heh, he always responded to my words with some kind of sarcastic quip." Natsumi giggled to herself, remembering the fond memories.
"But now he's in the Main Course. Sure he still visits us and we can visit him but...yeah, he must be pretty busy, huh?" Ben sighed, leaning against the railing with Natsumi. For a while, he pondered on what else to say before deciding to simply speak what was on his mind. "Listen, Natsumi. I know this is kinda weird but...maybe there's more to life than just talent."
"You sound just like Hajime..." Natsumi chuckled in a bittersweet tone as Ben rolled his eyes before continuing.
"I mean...did you ever ask Fuyuhiko what he thinks? Do you really think he loves you for talent? No, I don't think so. You're his little sister, he loves you regardless, talent or no talent." Ben said.
"Well, what about you? Didn't I hear that you've got that stupid mask that turns you into some kind of freak?"
"Come on, that's hurtful," Ben said with a pout, thankfully it got Natsumi to smile and snicker slightly.
"Just saying. I mean, I saw you at the Coco Bongo. Of course, I didn't know it was you at the time..." Natsumi sighed as she and Ben both looked at the setting sun. "I won't fight with Sato or Mahiru anymore. I just don't give a shit, that whole plan was never gonna work anyway."
"Glad we're making progress..." Ben said, the two continuing to keep each other company as the afternoon turned to dusk.
After a little more time talking with Natsumi, Ben headed back to the dorms to hear sniffling coming from one of the rooms. Realizing it was Sato's room, he knocked on the door and listened in before it opened as he stepped back.
"Ben?" Sato asked, her eyes red and puffy.
"Hey, Sato. Are you doing okay?"
Sato said nothing, only shocking Ben by wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, small sobs escaping from her as he awkwardly hugged her back.
"I-I'm scared, Ben...I-I just know Natsumi is going to keep coming after me and Mahiru. I can't take it anymore! T-That bitch needs to be stopped!"
"Sato, it's okay, it's okay," Ben reassured his friend, stroking her back. "Look, I've talked with Natsumi and I'll talk with her brother and Mahiru. Hajime will be willing to help out as well. I promise nothing bad will happen."
Sato looked up at Ben, rubbing her eyes clear before giving a small, thankful smile. She then surprised him by cupping his cheeks and giving him a quick chaste kiss on the lips.
"S-Sato?!"
Sato blushed as she realized what she did. "A-Ah! I didn't mean that! Let's forget that ever happened!"
With that, Sato slammed the door closed as Ben was still trying to process what just happened.
"Okay, first I get kissed by the Ultimate Fashionista and Ultimate Soldier...then I get kissed from one of my own friends?!"
The next day, as classes were ending, Natsumi had seemingly left without a word. As Ben was packing his things, Sato approached him.
"Natsumi wanted me to meet her...I-I'm not sure I want to know what she has planned."
Ben sighed. "Well, just talk things out. I'm sure things will be fine."
"Yeah...you're right..."
After Ben finished packing, he watched Sato head off with a musical instrument case in her hand. Humming, he figured she was carrying an instrument she liked playing but then remembered she had a knack for archery.
"Huh, a weird case to carry your archery stuff in..."
As Ben exited the building, he noticed Mahiru waiting by the school gate, just snapping a few quick photos of things that caught her eye here and there.
"Oh, hey, Koizumi-San!"
Mahiru turned to Ben and smiled. "Oh, Shigura-Kun. Fancy meeting you here. Did you just get let out of class?"
"Yeah, I figured I should let you know that I talked with Natsumi after she and Sato got into another fight the other day. I think I managed to talk some sense into her."
"Wow, and I thought only Hajime had what it took to keep her in check," Mahiru said, her smile becoming rather sad as if recalling painful memories.
"Well, regardless I don't think she will be causing any more problems for you."
"Geez… this is kinda hard to believe. It's about time someone talked some sense into her… umm… thanks for doing that. This has really been weighing on me. Oh, and Sato too. In fact, you should really tell her what you told me. She is really stressing out over it and I'm worried about her." Mahiru said.
"Trust me, she sits behind me in class, I know her just as well as you do at this point. Speaking of which, Sato told me that Natsumi wanted to talk with her. She was pretty nervous about it but I told her it was probably just to talk things out."
"Don't you think one or both of us should check up on her or something?" Mahiru suggested a little worriedly. Come to think of it, Ben probably should have accompanied Sato to her meeting with Natsumi.
"Dammit, you're right! Come on, there's no time to waste!"
Natsumi stood in the music room, with crossed arms and tapping her foot impatiently. Sato soon came in, quickly putting on a mask of bravado as she approached the younger Kuzuryuu.
"You actually came. After what happened yesterday you'd have to be either brave or stupid."
"I only came because I wanted to end things between us once and for all," Sato said angrily. "Don't ever come near me or Mahiru again."
"Jeez, calm your tits." Natsumi scoffed. "I just wanted you to know that you don't have to worry about Mahiru anymore."
"What exactly are you saying?" Sato asked, putting down her instrument case as she gave Natsumi a wary glance.
"Mahiru won't be any kind of threat or competition to me anymore," Natsumi answered, still looking at something else. "I'm going to personally make sure of it."
"What the hell is she talking about?!" Sato thought. "Didn't Ben tell me he would talk to her?! Did she not listen to what he tried telling her?!"
Sato found herself unconsciously stepping closer to Natsumi as she talked, her mind slowly becoming cloudy with fear, anger, and pent-up stress.
"And so I called you here to-" Natsumi stopped as she felt Sato's hands close around her neck. "Hey, what are you doing?!"
"I'm putting an end to you! So you can't hurt us ever again!" Sato screamed, tightening her grip as hot tears of fear and rage spilled down her face.
"Wait, you don't understand!" Natsumi cried out, panicked as she tried getting Sato off, only for the girl to throw her into a fish tank, which shattered and spilled rocks, fish, and water all over the floor.
Sato fell back and landed on her instrument case, opening it up to reveal she had been hiding a metal baseball bat inside because a part of her had a feeling Natsumi would want to try and attack her where nobody would see or hear.
"I'm sorry, Ben...I can't let this bitch threaten me or Mahiru ever again...I don't care if the Kuzuryuu Clan will come after my head...I need to put an end to this!"
Picking up the baseball bat, Sato slowly got to her feet as she approached Natsumi menacingly. The sound of aquarium rocks crunching beneath her feet as she breathed heavily, her mind racing with all the consequences she knew this decision would make.
"What the fuck?! What the hell are you doing with that? Are you crazy?" Natsumi asked as she noticed the bat in Sato's hands, struggling to try and get up as the girl glared at her.
"You look scared, Natsumi. Are you just now getting a taste of what fear and powerlessness feel like? It's not so sweet is it?"
Sato took a swing but Natsumi scampered away, slipping on the slick floor as she ran for the door. Sato rushed at her again and swung the bat, smashing the window on the door to pieces.
"HELP! Someone help me! She's trying to kill me!" Natsumi screamed, tears of terror flowing freely down her face.
Thankfully, her cries would be answered as Ben, running faster than he had ever been running before, made it to the music room, his pace quickening when he heard Natsumi's cries.
"Son of a bitch! I should have known something like this would happen!"
Seeing the window on the door was broken, Ben reached his arm through and opened the door from the other side, throwing it wide open as he ran into the room. Seeing Sato about to swing her bat down on the frozen with fear Natsumi, Ben rushed forward and caught the bat mid-swing with his hands, the momentum pushing him to one knee.
"Sato! Stop! What the fuck are you even doing?!"
"Ben, get out of my way! I have to do this!"
"No, you don't! You don't have to do this! This is wrong! Think about what you're doing!"
"I have thought about it! I've known her way longer than you have! She's a scumbag who does nothing but hurt the people around her! Get out of my way! I'm telling you this as your friend!"
"And I'm telling YOU this as YOUR friend! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
In her frenzied state, Sato let out a shrill scream and yanked her bat away from Ben, moving to try and strike Natsumi again, only for Ben to block the blow with his arm, crying in pain as he felt it snapping in the process.
Hearing Ben's pained cry snapped Sato partially out of her state of madness, tears flowing down her face as she began breathing heavily.
"Please, Ben, just stop this! I-I didn't want to have you hurt too! Just get out of the way, she has to die!"
"SATO!" Mahiru's voice cried out as she came in as well. Also alerted to the noise were Mikan, Hiyoko, and Ibuki, who all gasped in horror at the sight before them.
"N-Natsumi, are you okay?!" Mikan asked, moving over to the near-catatonic Natsumi to make sure she wasn't injured.
"Fuck that, look at Ben's arm! That does not look right!" Hiyoko screeched, pointing at Ben's broken arm that he used to block Sato's bat.
"Holy crap! This is a total divergence from Canon right here!" Ibuki exclaimed, nobody even having it in them to question her breaking the fourth wall.
"Sato, please...stop this," Mahiru begged as she realized what was going on in full, tears falling down her freckled cheeks as Mikan moved to tend to Ben's broken arm.
Sato began breathing heavily while Natsumi was just staring ahead, her pupils dilated and tears pricking the corners of her eyes. Ben groaned as Ibuki ran to call the nearest authorities on the situation before passing out from the pain.
"At least...nobody died. And hey, I got to be the Hero without that damn mask for once..."
Next Time: Recovering from Trauma!
Tragedy has been prevented but what comes next for everyone moving forward?