[10 years ago, hospital]

Izumo Shinji hated going to hospitals.

He hated going into those surgeries, and being stuck in these stupid clothes… But most of all, the fact that he couldn't see his classmates. He's about to graduate and moved on to Primary School, but… he had no one, just because of a stupid heart condition.

His deadbeat dad just had to leave something behind for him, like a curse.

After another surgery (which the doctor told mom that it was the last one), the young boy finally got some chances to just move around the floor. It was great to have a walk outside of that room, it was like a night and day difference here. Even though he still had to wear that gown around.

However, his little walk was interrupted when he noticed a girl around his age sitting next to a different room. A girl with short hair and a red hairband, sitting there and weeping.

His eyes widened, and he started to walk over to her, hesitant and a bit curious as well. "U-um… are you okay?"

With her head snapped up from the ground to him, the girl stayed silent for a moment. And in the end, she just subtly shook her head. "I'm… Daddy got injured because of his job…"

"Injured because of his job?"

"He's part of the police… He got hit by a gang member to save some children…" Sniffing hard, the girl quickly took out a piece of tissue and wiped her nose. "I'm… I'm scared… that he might not wake up…"

Pondered for a long moment, Shinji nodded with determination in his eyes. "I'm sure that your father can wake up," He said, voice filled with the same determination as his eyes. "A hero wouldn't stay down for long, they will always rise again."

"A… hero?"

"Yes! Your father saves children and protected their smiles!" Trying his best to cheer her up, he put on a toothy grin. "So I'm sure that he'd be alright!"

Stunned by his logic, all she did to react was leaving her eyes widened. "…That… sounds stupid."

"Wha- No! I'm not stupid!" With his mouth hung wide open, Shinji hastily stood up from the chair. "I'm sure of that!"

"…That sounds like something said by a stupid person," Seeing how genuinely shocked Shinji was by her words, the little girl couldn't help but giggled. "But thank you for… trying to cheer me up though."

As much as he wanted to continue the defense of his intelligence, Shinji still let a small smile creep up on his face. "T-that's good to know! But still, I'm not stupid!"

"If you say so."

Before Shinji could respond with anything, an older girl with an ashen brown ponytail and wearing a high school uniform approached them. Even though she looked relieved, the aura she gave out was enough for Shinji to immediately moved aside.

"Makoto, it's time to go," Casting him with a raised eye, the girl ultimately paid not much thought to him. "The doctor said that dad's stabilized now, he'll be fine."

"…That's great," The little girl, now known as 'Makoto' nodded, but not before giving Shinji a small smile and a wave.

Returning with the same smile and wave, Shinji found his smile slowly faltered as she and that older girl disappeared around the corner. "…I'm alone again…" He murmured, dropping his arms and slowly returning to his room. "Maybe she'd come back?"

Thankfully, his question was answered with a 'yes'.

Makoto did return, just a day later alongside that older girl, who Makoto introduced as her sister Sae. As each day passed and they arrived to visit on their father, the young boy and girl became closer and closer to one another.

Before either one of them realized, two weeks had passed. And today would be the final day before he was let out of the hospital.

"So… I've never asked, but how did you get into the hospital?" Snapping him out of his own thought, Shinji looked over to Makoto sitting by his side. "And staying here for this long too…"

"O-oh, it's… I think it is something related to my heart," With his hand placed on his chest, he tilted his head and tried to recall his memory. "Mama said it's from my dad, and that's what I know."

"That must've been hard to live with that, right?"

"It is. This is my… fifth visit to here now," Shinji nodded, noticing how Makoto's legs kept swinging back and forth down below. "I don't hate it, but I hate how lonely it makes me…"

"Don't worry, you're not alone now," Giving him a warm smile, Makoto held his hand and squeezed softly. "At least now I'm here for you."

"But I'll leave tomorrow… and we'll never meet each other again…" Trailing off, the young boy suddenly had a look as if a light bulb brightened on top of his hand. "Wait a second."

Without another word, he rushed to the counter of said floor and disappeared around the corner. On the other hand, Makoto just blinked in confusion. And it only intensified as he returned with two pieces of paper and a pen in his hand, still running as if his life depended on it.

"H-here," Panting heavily from the running, Shinji handed the two pieces of paper to her. "N-now we won't forget about each other…"

Taking the papers from his hand, Makoto's gaze slowly widened as she read through the content written on it.

"My name: Izumo Shinji!

I'm about to be 6 years old!

My favorite thing: Tokusatsu Heroes! So Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Super Sentai!

My favorite person: Makoto-Chan!"

"Shinji… I always like how your name sounds," Repeating the name written on the paper, Makoto noticed how the second paper was blank. "The second paper… is it for me?"

"Yes!" Finally recomposed himself from the running, Shinji nodded enthusiastically. "Now not only we will know more about each other, but we also will not forget each other too!"

"…Okay!" With a small smile creeping to her face, Makoto took the pen and also wrote down her own personal stuff. "Here!"

Taking the paper from her, Shinji slowly read what she just wrote. Unlike how crude his handwriting was (part of it was because he was in a rush), Makoto's handwriting was formal and tidy. And… beautiful.

"My name: Niijima Makoto.

I just turned 7 recently.

My favorite things: Buchimaru! He's very cute! And action movies, they are really fun to watch!

My favorite person: Shinji-Kun!"

With his gaze lightened up, Shinji felt his cheek heat up as he met her warm smile of her. However, amidst the embarrassment, he returned the gesture. Until he remembered he missed the most important thing to write on that paper.

"…Oh right! I should write down where I live too!" Taking the pen and the paper from her hand, he hastily scribbled down his address. "Then you can find me after I'm out of this hospital!"

Handing the paper back to her, he was surprised when Makoto also took the pen and wrote down her address. "Then you should also know where to find me too," She said. "I'll wait for you."

"And I'll see you as soon as I can after I'm back home!" Shinji nodded. "I promise!"

Beep~ BEEP~ BEE-

Tapping his phone's screen and sitting up on his bed, Shinji gave out a sigh and glanced over at his phone.

"Half past six… I still have time before school," He muttered to himself. However, his gaze was set on the date, 'June 2nd, 2016'. "And… today's the day, huh?"

Taking in a deep breath to keep his nervousness in check, Shinji stepped off and glanced at the electronic drum set sitting in the corner of his room. He paused for a brief moment, not before returning to whatever was on his mind.

And he reached for a nearby drawer and grabbed a pair of Billy Clubs. It was made out of hardened plastic with some steel embedded in it and clad in black and silver.

Without another word, he stuffed them into his school bag and zipped it shut.

Thankfully, before any hint of hesitation could reach the surface, the voice of someone else broke in from outside. "Shin-Chan! Breakfast's ready!"

"Yeah, just a second, mom!"

Just like how the smell informed him, he was greeted by a plate of modest breakfast. Or in other words, a nicely-made sandwich. Meanwhile, eating her own sandwich on the other end of the table, Izumo Ise immediately greeted him with a warm smile.

"The sandwich is getting cold, Shin-Chan!" Taking another bite, Shinji could sense how her smile faltered for a split moment at the sight of him.

Of course, it'd be weird if she didn't react to the red hoodie he was wearing.

Hastily recovering into that warm smile as before, Ise looked like she was trying to think of a way to mention it without hurting his feeling. "It's June, are you sure you're not getting sweaty wearing it?"

"The Air-con is pretty cold, so I'll be fine," Shinji answered, returning the same smile as he dug into his sandwich. "I'll take it off on the way to the station, you don't need to worry 'bout it, mom."

And after that, silence hung above their heads.

However, it wasn't one of comfort, but the polar opposite. As much as Ise wanted to hide it, Shinji could still see how much she wanted to talk about it more. After all, it wasn't any random red hoodie, it was that one…

And he decided to take the lead instead.

"…I know what you're thinking, mom. I'll be fine."

"But you've said that before, and you still didn't look well," With a frown, Ise placed down the sandwich and averted her gaze. "…Why didn't you just talk with Mako-chan anymore?"

Her words did strike a nerve inside Shinji.

"…Because… I've broken my promise. I failed her, that's all," He said, stuffing the sandwich into his mouth, Shinji hastily took off his hoodie and stuffed it into the bag. "I should get going, can't afford to be late."

With that said, he got up from the seat and left. And all alone now, Ise just lowered her gaze to the table.

"…You just had to care this much about everyone but yourself, Shinji," She muttered, and a sad smile emerged.

"Don't you know I also wanted you to care about yourself?"

[5 years ago, a park]

BAM!

With another punch connected to his cheek, Shinji felt his balance get shaken off and fell to the ground. It hurt, it hurt a lot. But that didn't mean he could just lay down right now.

"Aha, you're still gonna try to fight us, huh?"

"Yeah, what's the point of defending that kid anyway?"

Hearing the laughter coming from those three older kids before him, Shinji steeled his nerve and stood up again. And seeing the fear on the younger kid's face didn't fuel his fire before, his resolve only became more affirmed.

"Because I'll protect him," Even if he could feel his legs were on the verge of giving up on him, Shinji still didn't let himself fall. With his fist tightened and raised before him. "I still can't fall like this, I won't fall like this."

In return, those older kids just laughed out loud, and the one in the middle took a few steps toward him. Seeing how that kid had his fist raised and striking toward him, Shinji hastily blocked the side of his head, wincing at the pain screaming from his forearm.

However, before he could move or react, that kid's other fist already approached his face. His eyes widened, and he readied for another scream of pain from his cheek.

Thankfully, the pain never came. Instead, all he heard was groaning from the said kid.

"It's always you three, huh?"

Even if it's just a few words, Shinji could clearly recognize who that voice belonged to. And with a death grip on the older kid's arm, Makoto gave him the coldest glare anyone had ever seen on her. Even for Shinji.

On the other hand, the three bullies all had their gazes widened in horror.

"I-it's Niijima-"

Before one of those lackeys could finish his words, the pseudo-leader threw his other arm at her. However, without any hesitation or any hint of surprise, Makoto kicked the back of his knee.

With his posture broken and the sudden pain from where Makoto hit him, the leader of the bullies yelped and kneeled. And not leaving a single second later, Makoto already had his arm twisted at an awkward angle. It's just a bit away from any kind of fracture or wound, but it's enough to cause as much pain to him as possible.

Even though the two other bullies wanted to help, the steel cold glare from her stopped them on their track. And out of pure fear, they ran away as if their life depended on it.

"O-ow, I'm sorry, okay?"

Releasing the hold and tossing him away from Shinji and the bullied kid, Makoto kept her steel-cold glare on him. And the leader also ran away as if his life depended on it.

Which, in a way, he's right.

Once the leader was nowhere to be seen in the park, Makoto immediately turned back and rushed to Shinji's side. Gone was the steel-cold glare she had earlier, but one filled with genuine concern.

"Shinji, you idiot! What were you thinking?!"

"I'm… I'm fine…" Shaking his head with a wry smile, Shinji shifted his attention to the bullied kid instead. "Hey, you're alright?"

"...I-I am," Still recovering from what happened, the kid nodded with clear unease. And clutched in his hand was a figure, a figure Shinji recognized as a plastic figure of the Ultraman. "But… why did you protect me? L-look at you!"

"Because I want to be a hero, a hero who protects the weak," With determination clear in his eyes, Shinji placed his hand on the kid's shoulder. "And you shouldn't be helpless either."

"Just like who Ultraman is," He continued, shifting his gaze onto the figure. "If you call for him, he'll answer with everything he had. And so am I."

"But… what about school? They're just going to single me out…"

This time, before Shinji could open his mouth, Makoto took the lead and answered.

"I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry," She said with a small smile. "I think they're scared of me anyway."

Albeit the hesitation was clear in his gaze, the kid nodded in the end. "...T-thank you, thank you very much."

With that said, he left the park, and only Shinji and Makoto remained. As they watched how the kid's whole demeanor became lighter than before, the two both let a small smile creep up. Until Makoto turned back to him with a deep scowl.

And Shinji sensed it. "U-uh… I know, I'm a bit reckless-"

"It's not a bit, you're way too reckless!" Cutting him off, the young girl crossed her arms. "You know nothing about how to fight too, don't just jump in like it's nothing."

"...Because I'll worry you?"

"Obviously! I'm your best friend!"

"I… yeah, I'm in the wrong," WIth his gaze lowered with a hint of shame, Shinji nodded. "Sorry for worrying you, Makoto."

"It's fine, I can never get too angry at you either," Shaking her head, Makoto took a few steps closer to him and had a closer look at his face. "Anyway, did that boy hurt you badly?"

"O-oh, I'm mostly fine, there might be a bruise here and there…" Noticing how close she is to him, the young boy felt his words die in his mouth and looked away. "It might hurt for a day or two though…"

"It's the best outcome that I hoped, coming from you."

With a small sigh, Makoto stepped back. However, as the rush of emotion faded away, a different thought slowly surfaced in Shinji's mind. As the memories of what happened mere moments ago replayed.

"...Makoto, you're practicing… Judo, right?"

"It's Aikido, dad wanted me to learn something to protect myself," She explained, tilting her head to her side. "Why asking?"

"It's nothing, I'm just curious."

[Later, Izumo Household]

"You want to learn aikido?"

Blinked in surprise, Izumo Ise stopped her cooking and turned back. And meeting her widened gaze, Shinji nodded with the same determination as before. One that Ise was way too familiar with.

"Yeah, mom! I want to learn aikido," He nodded.

"But… didn't you already have drumming as a passion?" Tilting her head, Ise gestured to the ceiling above. Or more precisely, the drum kit inside his room above. "Why Aikido too?"

"Well, I… I want to protect people, so…" Trailing off, a hint of pink spread on his cheeks. "So yep! That is why!"

However, seeing through the facade and to the point, Ise's gaze turned from confused to amused. And a chuckle leaked from her mouth, as she returned to the cooking on hand. "You just want to have more time with Mako-chan, isn't it?"

"Wha- Of course not! I'm serious with my reasons!"

"I know, Shin-Chan isn't good enough to lie without looking like it anyway," With another chuckle coming out from her, Ise's voice suddenly turned empathetic. "I'll allow it, but let me guess…"

"it's partly to be strong enough to protect Mako-Chan, right?"

"I…" Feeling any chance to explain it in any other way extinguished like a weak spark, Shinji nodded. "I can't just always be saved or helped by her, I… I want to protect her too. On top of being a hero, of course!"

"I know, you're just too easy to read, Shin-Chan," Instead of the chuckle like before, Ise just gave him a small smile. However, Shinji couldn't see it at that time, but it was filled with a subtle hint of sadness. "You're my little boy, after all."

"Easy to read… Is that a bad thing, mom?"

"Maybe, but it's not totally bad," She shook her head. "It's just who you are."

"Just… I know you don't understand it now, but don't let the world change it."

[June 2nd, after school]

The sun was setting above, hidden behind the skyline and the buildings. And it felt suffocating, very suffocating. And the feeling only intensified as the shadow cast upon Shinji, as he waited.

And soon enough, he could hear the talking between a few people drawing closer. With one of them counting a stack of money in his hand, there was no mistake that they were the mafia guys Naoko mentioned.

"So we're gonna split the extra money from that bakery, right?"

"Oh yeah, we can charge them three times what bosses asked for and they'd still take it!"

"Say hello to our latest cash cow! Woah!"

Gritting his teeth, Shinji tightened his grip on the Billy Clubs in the hoodie's pocket.

Without another word, he stepped forward and closer to those three men. He could feel his heart beating heavily, he could hear how the sound around him slowly faded into silence and ringing. And he could feel their weird gazes.

"…What's with him?"

Even though he had his hood up, Shinji bet they could see his own gaze toward them. As the three men slowly felt annoyed, and urged him to get lost.

Shinji didn't hear what they said afterward, all he could hear was his heartbeat. How it was slowly slowed down, into the rhythm he set himself.

120 Bpm, quarter note.

With his glare deepened, he immediately rushed toward them, pulling out his billy clubs in the process. And then he jumped, poking his right billy club right between the eyes of one man.

Surprised by his sudden approach, the victim lost his balance and fell backward to the ground. As Shinji immediately struck the other two men's popliteal fossa. Or in other words, the backside of their knees.

Sensing a blind punch coming from his right side, Shinji tilted his head and avoided said punch. As the said punch wheezed past his head, he immediately grabbed the arm with his right arm and pulled, slamming the left elbow into that man's abdomen.

And he took the split moment where the men gasped in pain, throwing him over his shoulder and slammed to the ground.

It took three measures in total.

With his grip tightened on the man's arm, Shinji struck his head with his billy club. Once, twice, thrice… and it didn't seem like he was stopping. Instead, with every blow, with every drop of blood on his face, Shinji felt… oddly satisfied.

However, a pair of arms suddenly gripped his shoulder and dragged him away. Then the third men's leg stomped right at his abdomen, forcing a breath out from Shinji's mouth.

"You fuckin' psycho-"

With his words cut off as Shinji grabbed ahold of his leg, Shinji immediately kicked right between his crotch. As the man fell down and clutched in pain, the grip on Shinji's shoulder suddenly tightened and slammed him to the ground.

Feeling his chest being stomped, Shinji had to try his best to not let a scream leak from his mouth. He was pretty sure a few bones were fractured in his ribcage, but he didn't have the time to care right now.

Teeth gritted and enduring the pain screaming in his chest, he tightly gripped the jacket and pulled. He admitted that it was a desperate move, one that Shinji couldn't know whether it'd work or not. Thankfully, it did.

For just a split second, the pressure on his chest lessened for a bit. And Shinji took the opening without a second thought, his hands gripping the edge of the shoe, and he pushed. Tossed aside and lost his balance, the man fell to the ground with his back.

But before he could do anything, Shinji already climbed on top of him and had his fist raised. He already lost the Billy Club as his chest got stomped, and now he had to make use of what he had left.

It didn't matter.

His gaze blinded with rage and adrenaline, Shinji slammed his fist right to the man's head. Blood splatted around the man's head, tainting Shinji's red hoodie in the process. Then, Shinji wrapped his hand around the man's neck, and squeezed tight.

However, just like last time, Shinji was pushed away by the man he kicked in the nut before. And then punches followed, sending pain to everywhere in his body.

"You fucking brat!"

Knocked to the ground, Shinji hastily crawled back and narrowly dodged a stomp from him. And just as the man was about to go for another stomp, he felt something close to his finger. It was one of his Billy clubs, as he lost them a few moments ago.

Raising his leg and kicking right at the man's kneecap, Shinji gripped the billy club as tight as he could, and swung as hard as he could. And it collided with the man's right jaw, dislocating it entirely.

Screaming in agony and had his hands held up near his jaw, the man fell back to the ground as Shinji stood back up. He picked up the other Billy Club from the ground and walked to the man.

Raising his foot, he stomped right onto the man's chest without any mercy. As a hoarse scream spread from the man below, Shinji just continued his stomping, until he ended with a kick to his head.

With raspy and heavy breaths, Shinji looked around and walked back to the first man's side. His face was heavily deformed from Shinji's beating with his billy club before, and blood splattered everywhere around him.

He was pretty sure that he lost count of the rhythm a while ago, but he didn't really care.

Reaching into his pocket, Shinji pulled out a pile of cash and hastily counted it.

"Half a million… Dammit-" Before he could finish his words, Shinji suddenly felt pain explode in his chest and collapse to his knee. And he coughed hard, covering his mouth with his hand.

Before long, a scent of rusted iron filled his mouth. And when he removed his hand, he saw red.

"F-fuck, Y-you just had to keep messing with me, huh," Struggling and wobbly stood up, he started moving.

[Akashi Bakery]

Inside Akashi Bakery, dread and sorrow filled the entire shop. And as the source of said emotions, the couple in their forties sat behind the counter.

"...What are we going to do, Ryoji?"

The husband, known as 'Ryoji' turned to his wife. He opened his mouth but couldn't answer with anything, and all he could do was shake his head. "...I don't know. Half a million for each month is… I don't know what to do either..."

As Ryoji trailed off, the aura of sorrow only grew heavier and heavier, until the chime bell on the door rang. With their attention dragged over to the door, they were shocked to see someone in the familiar red hoodie, even if it was tainted by blood.

"Shi-Shinji!"

"H-hello, Ritsuko-San, Ryoji-San…"

With strength clearly absent from his voice, Shinji dragged himself to the counter and put the five hundred thousand yen on the counter. And eyes widened, the couple shifted their eyes from the money and to him.

"...I… I took care of those men, here's the money they took from you…"

Just as he finished the sentence, his legs suddenly gave out and he collapsed to the ground. With his head accidentally hitting the ground, the world turned silent and rang. And he could only barely hear the concerned voices from the older Akashis.

Standing back up with wobbly legs, Shinji only shook his head in response.

"...I-I'm fine-"

However, the chime bell rang again. And Shinji turned back,

It was Naoko.

"...What have you done?"

[3 years ago, the park]

Even though the sun still hung high in the sky and shined upon them, alongside the nonstop buzzing from the cicadas… There's nothing but a sense of sadness between Makoto and Shinji.

"So from next week onward, we can't see each other in school…"

The two of them hid from the sun under a nearby slide, Makoto only nodded in response. As her gaze was laid on the backpack Shinji placed before them.

"Yeah, I'm going to miss seeing you in school, and having lunch together," Giving out a long sigh, Makoto shifted her position and sat next to him. And she let her head rest on his shoulder. "And… It's going to be lonely without you, Shinji."

"Indeed," Shinji nodded in return, moving his arm and having his finger intertwined with her. "But I promise, I'll do my best and get into the same school as you. So you wouldn't feel lonely at school."

"Still as one-track-minded as ever?" With their gaze met, Makoto couldn't help but let a small smile creep up on her face. "Don't make empty promises though, it's not an easy school to get into either."

"Don't worry, I'll do my best to get into the school," With an innocent grin, Shinji suddenly reached for the backpack. "Actually, I want to give you this too!"

"Hmm?"

Tilting her head, Makoto's eyes widened as Shinji handed something to her. A plastic USB stick-like toy, it was all black with a hint of purple within. And on top of the surface of that 'USB-stick' was stylized 'J', and the word 'Joker' close to it.

And Makoto immediately realized what it was.

"I-You didn't get that out from your rider belt collection, right?"

"I did, but I want you to have this, kinda like a Memento," Shinji pulled out a different 'USB stick' from the backpack and showed it. "And we'll be a pair then!"

Instead of black with a purple hue, the 'USB stick' in Shinji's hand was green. And on the surface was a stylized 'C', and the word 'Cyclone'.

"I-I know, we watched Kamen Rider W together, after all," Taking the Joker Memory from his hand, Makoto couldn't help but raised an eye. "But… why Joker?"

"Because that means the last ace would always be in your hand!" Upholding the grin, Shinji rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze. "...That's what Shotaro said in the movie, I just… it's just happened to fit…"

"I know, you don't have to be all awkward about it," Giggling, Makoto gestured over to the Cyclone memory in Shinji's hand. "Then… You're going to be my partner?"

"Of course! I'll always be there for you! Just like how Cyclone would always come with Joker!"

Surprised by what Shinji just said, Makoto couldn't help but felt heat raising on her cheeks. And just like how he was a mere few moments ago, she averted her gaze to the ground, to the memory in his hand.

"D-don't just casually say something like this…" She shuttered, glancing back up and right into his eyes. "You're just going to make people fall for you."

"I… I'm serious though," Replicating the blush on Makoto's face, Shinji took a deep breath. "I'll do anything for people I care about, especially you, Makoto."

"I know, you always are."

[June 12th, Kosei's rooftop]

SLAP!

Feeling the sting from that slap hard, Shinji didn't say anything in return to Naoko before him. To imagine their first conversation after what happened back in the 2nd…

"What were you thinking!" Grabbing his collar and gripping it tightly, Naoko pulled him close. "You just HAVE to get yourself into more shit than before, huh? Now you've also dragged the prez into this!"

"…Huh? How did you know-"

"People saw you being dragged by the Prez and looked like beat up, I then forced it out from Prez herself," She said, her glare intensified with each word spoken. "You just keep risking your life for nothing, huh?!"

"I'm trying to get those guys of you, and your parents!"

"By almost getting beaten to death?" Seeing no response from Shinji, Naoko chose to press further. "You were already all bloody and shit back on that day… and…"

"What have you done?"

Turning back with widened gaze, Shinji took in a shaky breath. And he clutched his abdomen with his hand, trying his best to not let the pain be too obvious.

"I got the money back from those guys. Don't worry, they wouldn't come after you-"

"You just got into a fight for our money, isn't it?" Cutting him off, Naoko shifted her gaze and went all over the blood stain on his hoodie. And her fist tightened. "You… you shouldn't do this-"

"Then what, letting those guys milk money out of you all?"

This time, it was Naoko's mother, Ritsuko who answered. "That still doesn't mean you should do that for us!"

In addition, Naoko's father, Ryoji added. "And you don't look fine too-"

"It's fine… I'm alright…" Interrupting him, Shinji gently pushed Naoko aside and walked toward the door. "I-it's nothing bad, I'll be fine in a couple of days…"

"'You'll be fine in a couple of days'... If you want to lie to us, make a better one," With an intense glare, Naoko shook off her hold on the collar. "But… why? What are you getting out of this anyway?"

"I told you, it's just that your family shouldn't be treated like this-"

"Just stop with the excuses!" Cutting him off, Naoko felt her hands clutched into a tight fist. "We both know it's not just your sense of justice, it's just bullshit!"

"...Is it because of sis? You're just trying to do something to make up for us?"

Shinji didn't answer, but his face told Naoko what she needed to know. And she averted her gaze, further tightening her fists. Was it because of her anger toward Shinji, or herself?

"...Y-you… you fucking bastard," Taking in a shaky and deep breath, Naoko slammed her fist onto Shinji's chest. "I just blamed this on you and Akira because I knew I couldn't do anything against that Kamoshida… WE couldn't anything about sis-"

"I could! And I just chose to do nothing!" Cutting her off, Shinji had to force a tear from leaking out. "The most I've done is just a futile attempt to talk Kimiko out of this, but… she chose not to."

"Kimiko, just please… don't do this."

"But what about the rest of my team? I'm their leader, and they shouldn't be dealing with him… Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"And after what happened, I just took that offer and ran away-"

"So you can do the exact same thing sis does and get yourself killed?" Slamming his chest again, Naoko felt the strength disappear in her hand, and leaned her head against his chest. "Losing sis was tough enough, I don't want to lose another one!"

"Besides… don't think about me, think about Niijima."

Upon hearing that name, Shinji's entire body tensed.

"...Don't, please."

"Then what, so you can keep saying shit like you're not worthy of her?" Naoko asked, glaring right into his shivering gaze. "How would she react to you getting beat up semi-regularly? Or when you're fucking dead?"

Seeing nothing else coming from him, Naoko groaned and walked away.

But for Shinji, he just stood at where he was.

[2 years ago, Izumo Household]

It was raining cats and dogs outside.

With the sounds of raindrops and thunder filling the entire house, Shinji and Ise ate their dinner without a sound. It was comfortable, but sorrowful. And hanging on the shelf behind were their black suits for funerals, the funeral they just attended early today.

The funeral for Makoto's father.

Staring at the suits, Shinji felt the weight of his heart keep building up, as heavy as Atlas' Stone. And he hastily shook his head and turned his focus back to the meal before him, giving out a long sigh.

"...You're still worried about Mako-chan?"

His hand froze at Ise's words, and he slowly put down the bowl.

"Of course I am. I… she…" Trailing off, Shinji's gaze drifted off to somewhere else, somewhere in the past.

For a moment, Shinji was wearing that black suit with Makoto's head buried in his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him. Hearing the sniffing and weeping coming from her, he returned the hug. They didn't say anything, he couldn't say anything either.

"I know, I saw you two."

Snapping him back into the present, Shinji looked up and saw her mother. Ise was sharing the same sadness as him.

"At least you can still lend your shoulder to Mako-chan, but Sae-chan…" With her voice slowly dying in her mouth, Ise also gave out a heavy sigh. "She had to take care of Mako-chan all alone now, and… she's…"

"Maybe we can-"

Before Shinji could finish his sentence, the house's phone suddenly rang. Its sound broke through the sound of rain and thunder, and it snapped them out of what they were talking about earlier.

Ise hastily went over and picked up the phone, and a moment later, her eyes widened with surprise.

"S-Sae-chan? What's wrong?"

Another second passed, and the surprise within her gaze turned into shock and fear.

"W-wait, what?! Sae-chan, can you repeat that?"

As if they were coordinated, the doorbell suddenly rang. And Shinji immediately rushed toward the front door. Even though he didn't hear what Sae had said to Ise, it was enough for him to guess what was going on.

He opened the door, and… Makoto was standing right before him. Even though she was soaked in the rain, her dampened hair covered her eyes, and Shinji could still see the redness around her eyes behind the bang.

Without another word, he took her hand and let her inside.

Hastily drying her hair with a towel he grabbed from the bathroom, Shinji felt his mouth dry. There was something he wanted to say, but… he couldn't do it.

"Yes… Makoto is here… It's fine, we're happy to let her stay with us… No, you don't have to apologize. Just don't be too hard on Makoto once she's back… Yeah, talk later."

Hanging up the phone and giving out a long breath, Ise looked back at Shinji and Makoto. With a gaze and nod shared between the mother and son, she went to her room and grabbed some fresh new clothes for her.

Meanwhile, turning back to Makoto before him, Shinji opened his mouth, but closed it again. "...You're hungry?"

In response, she just nodded.

"Okay, I think mom cooked a bit too much for just the both of us…"

Squeezing a smile for her, Shinji turned to the open kitchen behind him and prepared some food for her. Meanwhile, Ise returned with a stack of new clothes in her hand.

"Mako-chan, let's get you out of those clothes," She said, as the said teenager nodded again and followed her.

She came back out soon after, now in a new set of clothes Ise got for her, ones that used to be Shinji's old clothes. Just in time for Shinji to give her dinner.

And for the entire time, she stayed completely silent.

Exchanged a concerned gaze with each other, the mother and son just gave a small nod to each other. And Ise patted his shoulder.

"Maybe she should stay in your room after this," She said, as Shinji's eyes widened in surprise. "After all, she'd open up to you. I can see how she's bottling up everything, and… you can be there for her."

"But mom… you're not worried that we might do something… too much?"

"The moment you ask me about this, you've proven that you wouldn't take advantage of her."

"You're putting too much trust in me, mom…"

"Aren't your dream to be a hero or something like that? After being a famous drummer, of course," With a faint smile, Ise patted his shoulder. "A hero doesn't protect the world, he protects people that matter to him instead. No matter whether the threat is external or internal."

"...I'll… I'll try then."

[Later, Shinji's room]

After Makoto had finished her dinner and freshened up, Ise did keep her word. And now, Makoto was sitting by the edge of Shinji's bed, while he was standing by the door.

Silence hung high between them again.

Opening his mouth, but nothing came out. Shinji had tried to brainstorm something to ask Makoto, just something to break the iceberg between them. However… he couldn't think of one.

Feeling the fist squeezed tight behind his back, Shinji gave worried gazes over to her. If he would describe Makoto he saw earlier in the day, it would be 'grief'. But now, for the Makoto right before him, it was 'Emptiness'.

"It's so quiet…"

Snapping him out from his brainstorming, Shinji wanted to say something to reply. And he hastily thought of one.

"I-I'm sorry for not saying anything, Makoto. I just…" Trailing off, he stared at the floorboard for a moment. "...Why did you run your way here? It's raining cats and dogs outside."

The silence fell upon them again. But thankfully, it was just only temporary.

"...I couldn't stand it," She said, tightly she gripped the bedsheet. "I couldn't stand how quiet my home is."

For one moment, Shinji wanted to say something to comfort her. However, that idea faded away the moment it surfaced, and he walked over and sat next to her. And he placed his hand over hers, still without a word.

Makoto's hands were shaking as if she was bottling everything up.

"...You can spill it out, Makoto."

And she did just that.

"...Why did dad have to die this way? He's just died for nothing, and now it's just me and sis left," Releasing the bedsheet from her grip, her hand gripped tightly on Shinji's hand instead. "I can't hear another word from him, Sae is being more cold and distant… I can't… I can't stand it!"

"...And I don't want to stay there, letting the fact he's gone stare at me for every single moment. I don't want to see his empty room, I don't want to wake up and see that empty kitchen, I don't want to see those pictures with all of us…"

Even though his mind was screaming in pain at how strong her grip was, Shinji just nodded and let her head rest against his shoulder.

"...Yeah, it hurt. It hurt a lot," He said after a long pause, gazing toward somewhere distant. "Remember that time I talked about how my grand-parent got murdered because of a home invasion?"

"I… I feel the same as you here, they're just gone of a sudden. In a blink of an eye, memories and regrets are all we have about them," He finished, as his gaze returned from that somewhere.

However, a pair of hands suddenly reached to his jaw, and turned him toward her.

"Huh? Mako-"

Before Shinji could finish his words, a pair of lips suddenly reached and connected with his. He could feel it, how desperate and rushed it was as if he would disappear if she released her hold.

Then, he felt that he got pushed onto the bed with her on top. And Makoto's tongue took the split moment that he opened his mouth to push itself in. They stayed like that for a good while, until Shinji finally separated them and held her away. Just an inch away, as their gaze still engulfed with one another.

"M-Makoto, I don't want to take advantage of you."

"...You're not, just… don't leave me, please."

"...I'm not going to, but-"

"I don't want to imagine if you'd suddenly disappear tomorrow, and I'll regret not doing this," Cutting him off again, the droplets of tears fell and landed on his face. "Just… promise me."

"...I promise you, I wouldn't disappear or anything," Even if his eyes widened, Shinji nodded. "If you want someone by your side, I'll be there for you. Always."

"If you need a hero, I'll be your hero."

[June 13th, an alleyway in Shibuya Central Street]

Feeling another punch right into his stomach, Shinji felt the taste of iron filling his mouth. Even if he was barely standing and leaning against the wall beside him, he took in a deep breath, spat out the blood, and stood back up.

However, he couldn't even raise his fist before another fist planted right into his stomach, and another punch to his temple.

Sent crashing to the ground as the pain exploded inside his head, he couldn't even come up with a single thing when one of those guys kicked right into his chest. He felt it, how the recently-healed ribcage shattered from the impact.

Coughing out blood and feeling the strength leaving his body, Shinji lay defenseless on the ground. Standing before him and casting a shadow on him, he could see there were two men there.

Even though the pain had overtaken everything in his mind, Shinji could still figure out why they were here and coming after him. Just like how it was a few days ago, they were doing this as revenge for what he did.

However, this thought didn't last long, as another kick went in and right into his face. Flipped over because of the impact and tainted the ground with a deep shade of crimson, a thought surfaced.

"I'm going to die here, right?"

For a single moment, he wanted to get back up and fight them, just like how it was a few days ago. However, he had lost all his strength now. Shinji was pretty sure that one of his arms had been fractured by the kicking, the same could be said for his legs.

"Dammit, move, I can't just die here!"

Trying his best to get up with his only working arm, he was about to meet another kick when one of the men suddenly got dragged away.

Even though his eyesight was blurry from the beating, he could see someone else behind that man as… a young woman dragged him away… with a… musket?

Kicking the backside of his knee and forcing that man to kneel, the young woman smacked that man's head with her musket's stock. It knocked him down to the ground, but not out. Meanwhile, recovered from his stunned state at that woman's sudden appearance, the other man shifted his focus from Shinji to her.

But before he could even raise his hand and punch, that young woman raised her foot and struck right between his legs. And as the man leaned forward out of the pain coming from his crotch, she immediately smacked the side of his head with her musket's stock.

Without even sparing a look back, she immediately kicked the other man on the ground with her heel. This time she knocked him down, and kept the foot on his face.

Stuffing the end of the barrel to the other man's mouth, she laid her finger on the musket's trigger. And she watched as that man's eyes widened in horror, lifting the foot from the other man's face and kicking him right in the jaw, finally knocking him out.

Carrying the momentum, she swung her leg and kicked the other man in the stomach. As the barrel left his mouth with his entire body being knocked back, she swirled it around and smacked him right in the jaw.

"Huh… maybe I should do some modding with the stock…" With the two men, now unconsciously lying on the ground, the young woman immediately rushed over to Shinji's side. "Hey, you're alrigh-"

"Oh no, I… dammit," Cutting herself off, the young woman hastily lift him up and carried him in a one-man-carry position, with one of his arms around her. "Hang on, kid."

To be honest, Shinji couldn't really reply to her anymore. And he could vaguely feel how he was dragged, as a deafening ring slowly overtook his hearing alongside the heavy eyelid.

"Boss! You still got some first-aid?"

"Yeah, I still got- I'll get them right away. Get him inside, Aobara."

"Of course."

Through the ringing and fading senses, Shinji could vaguely recognize the place that… Aobara girl took him into. It was the model gun shop nearby. And before long, he felt the softness of a bed.

And then, he could vaguely see first-aid being applied, as more of the conversation reached his ear.

"Where did you find him, anyway?"

"Just outside in an alleyway nearby, there were two guys beating the shit out of him."

"...Two guys… Wait, isn't he that kid who fought outside that bakery?"

"Yeah, they're beating the shit out of him like it's personal, and he has the same hair color… Who else?"

"Then… it's from Kaneshiro… What kind of trouble he's dragging himself into…"

"One that only a suicidal dumbass would get himself into…"

However, the voice slowly faded away from Shinji, as darkness overtook what was left of his vision.

[September 2015, Shujin's Student Council Room]

Why did he stay here? What was he waiting for?

He just sealed his deal of leaving this shithole of a school with what he said to Kobayakawa, it's already after school hours too… Why was he still here? He's not the vice president of this council, this wasn't a place he should be at either.

With his gaze turned to the hint of sunray shined into the room, he felt… empty.

However, before he could continue drowning himself in that emptiness, the door of the room was abruptly slammed open. And then, the voice he didn't want to hear the most reached into his ear, dragging him back to this reality.

"...Shinji, y-you're leaving?"

He didn't turn around to face her, he couldn't do that.

Closing the door behind her, she stepped in front of him and gripped his shoulder. "Say something, answer me, please."

Shinji could see it, he could see the desperation on her face. And he couldn't face it, he was scared to face her.

Dropping his gaze to the ground below, he nodded. "...Yeah, I've sealed the deal with insulting Kobayakawa earlier."

Even though he didn't see her reaction, the shaking hands on his should had tell him enough. And those hands retracted soon after, as she took a few steps behind.

"N-no, I-it's still reversible. W-we can go and apologize to Kobayakawa about calling him a 'fat fuck', a-and then we'll fix this, together!"

"...So you did hear what I said to him, right?"

"...I did. But it doesn't matter-"

"It matters, Makoto," Cutting her off, Shinji could see how his hands tightened into a pair of fists. "What can we fix either? Kimiko's dead because of Kamoshida, we can't bring her back… we can't get Kamoshida out either."

"I-I'll think of a way to get him out! There must be a way!" Even though he only hear her voice, he could feel the desperation pouring and filling her voice. "I'll ask sis to look for evidence, I'll ask for dad's old friends to do that. A-and I'll personally go after anyone who's spreading that rumor about Ichijo and you!"

"It still wouldn't change anything."

"I-I'll keep trying then! I don't care if I have to get blood on my hand!" At this point, Shinji could hear how raspy her voice had become. "I get it, you don't want to see another person close to you die. And it hurt more knowing what's the cause, and the cause is still walking out there like this school's his personal kingdom!"

"Makoto, I-"

"It's fine, I'm the student council president, and we're partners. We're in this together, okay? Just like always-"

"Makoto, when I said it's done, I mean it's done," Cutting her off, Shinji finally tore his gaze away from the ground below him. "Shujin's already expelled me, and mom had signed the paper for me to be in Kosei instead. I-it's for the better of her, I don't want any more burden to be on her shoulder."

"...But… we promised…" Trailing off, she gulped and squeezed her eyes shut, as if she was forcing something she was going to say back inside. "...I'll go with you then, I'll tell sis that I wanted to transfer to another school. If she doesn't agree, I-I'll get myself expelled and go to Kosei."

"I'm not good enough for you to waste your life for me-"

"You do!" Cutting him off, Makoto stepped forward and gripped his shoulder again. "...D-don't say that, please."

"I-I love you."

Even though what she said wasn't anything new, it's just something they've said to each other time and time again… It felt way heavier this time. There wasn't a trace of sweetness like it used to be, it only felt like another punch to his heart that was tearing apart.

"...I love you too, Makoto," Taking in a deep breath, Shinji slowly moved her hands away. "That's why I don't want you… I don't want you to throw it all away just for me!"

"I don't care!" Replying with the same volume as he did, Makoto wrapped her around his waist as tightly as she could. "Don't leave me! Please!"

Eyes widened and completely frozen in place, Shinji felt the reality sink in. With each second passed, it hammered itself down further and further.

Looking down at her and hearing how she kept repeating the last sentence, again and again, Shinji felt his jaw start shaking. Trails of tears slowly leaked from his eyelid and onto Makoto's head.

"...I'm sorry…"

With choked and shaky breaths, Shinji wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Just like what she was doing to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!" With his voice giving out near the end, another choked breath escaped. "I-I can't keep that promise…"

"...I'm sorry…"

"...I'm sorry…"

With his consciousness slowly returning, Shinji growled and opened his eyes. And the first thing that came to his sight was blinding light, until his sight slowly adjusted and revealed a light bulb hanging up above

"An unfamiliar ceiling…" Trailing off, he was about to move his body when he noticed something, the fact that he was wrapped around with bandages all across his body. "...Where am I?"

As if someone was listening to him the entire time, a middle-aged man entered the room. With a bottle of water in his hand, he paused what he was doing as he saw Shinji. "Oh, you're awake, kid."

Taking a closer look, he was a middle-aged man with short gray hair with a pair of eyes of the same color. And on top of that hair was a grey cap, accompanied by a pair of yellow noise-canceling headphones.

"Uh… excuse me, who are you?"

"Call me Iwai, you're in my model gun shop," The middle-aged man, now known as 'Iwai', replied with a long sigh.

Shinji blinked, recognition finally crawling back. "O-oh, I'm in Untouchable… Then what's a bed doing here?"

"I bought it to have some nap when I want to, never knew I'd use it to help some dumbass who gets himself into some deep trouble," Placing the bottle of water next to Shinji, Iwai crossed his arms. "What's your matter? Fighting Hangure members for that bakery."

"I… I just want to protect them…" Shinji said, wincing at the memories of Naoko's words earlier. "That's all."

"Then Aobara was right, you really are a suicidal dumbass," The older man sighed, shaking his head. "Listen to me kid, you're treading some thin ice here."

"Yeah, I know, it's not the first time someone said that to me…" Sitting up on the bed, Shinji placed one of his legs on the ground. "How did I get here?"

"One of my regulars just happened to be near you when you got your shit kicked out, and you can imagine the rest."

"...Okay, I should've thanked that regular then… Is that regular here?"

"She left after dropping you off," Iwai said. "Besides, you need to go to the hospital for this, I only gave you some first-aid."

"It'd be enough, I can take care of the rest…" Trailing off, Shinji slowly stepped off the bed. "Thank you for patching me up, boss."

"Hey hey hey, wait a second. You're still not fine, kid."

"I'll be fine, it's… not the first time I had to recover from things like this," Trying his best to put on a reassuring smile and withhold the pain from his chest, Shinji bowed. "Still, thank you for patching me up, I'll not bother you more."

With that said, Shinji walked out of the room.

[Later, Crossway]

As much as he said otherwise, the pain was painful enough to force him not to ignore them. At least he wouldn't cough up blood anymore, not like how he was last time. Besides, he was thankful for how self-centered those pedestrians were, so now he felt no gazes were laid upon him.

"They sure don't hold back…" Trailing off, Shinji froze at the sight before his eyes.

It was Makoto, talking with Akira out of all people.

"Oh right, he stayed behind for some reason…" Murmuring, he tried his best to turn away and just keep leaving.

There was some pull, some invisible string that still existed between them that forced him to stay. For one moment, the thought of reaching out surfaced in his mind. Just took a few steps forward, and reached his hand forward…

However, he killed those thoughts as early as they surfaced.

"...What am I thinking?" He asked to no one, hastily shaking his head. "She wouldn't want to see me like this anyway…"

Taking in a deep breath and forcing his emotion down, Shinji turned away and continued his way home.

Even if he did hear some steps closing on him, he still didn't stop.

As much as he wanted to.

(To be continued)

Preview:

As the request is confirmed, the Phantom Thieves started their investigation.

However, with each attempt, more and more roadblocks came their way.

Meanwhile, Akira found a breakthrough.

And Makoto made a call.

Next Chapter:

"Blockade"

Stay tuned!

So over a month, and a few days behind my intended schedule... Chapter 42 is finally here!

First, if this chapter is a bit too depressing or heavy in its tone, I apologize. The next few chapters would follow the same tone as this one.

So actually, I've been waiting to post this chapter for a long while now. Since I've had the ideas of those flashbacks back in the time of... around 10 chapters ago.

Anyway, even though we didn't really progress through the main arc too much, we got a better look at Izumo Shinji.

Who he was, his stubbornness, his regrets.

And most importantly, his past with Makoto.

Speaking of their past, the... 'separation' scene is actually somewhat inspired by that one scene with Kim and Saul in Better Call Saul (weird, right?). And in a way, I think their relationship in the show is one of the inspirations I had with the dynamic between Shinji and Makoto, minus the 'bringing out the worst between each other' part. This and the relationship between Rika and Yuta in Jujutsu Kaisen 0.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the story so far, Favourites and Reviews are welcomed!