he ended paying for her and her erstwhile biker gang . He was unaware of the rumors
circulating about him . As he walked on to his home , Midori , the girl who replaced his
right hand seemed rather concerned about his well being .
" Oh Seiji ," Midori said softly, " you need to rest . "
" Tell me about it ," Seiji replied . He was getting somewhat tired aand he needed a bath
as soon as possible .
------------------------------------------
Takako just could not conceive of Seiji Sawamura actually killing someone . Not the
Sawamura she saw the other day . Miyahara had asked Sawamura why he let those punks
beat him up . She still remembered his reply .
" Wouldn ' t somebody else get involved because of me ? "
It was then that Takako realized there was someone decent and rather self-sacrificing
beneath that thuggish exterior.
No,the Seiji Sawamura she saw that day was a lot of things , but a psychopathic killer he
was not.Takako had resolved then and there to get to the bottom of those rumors and
she knew where to start . And she would do so after school .
-------------------------------------------
A new day at Sakuradamon High School .
" Seiji , " Midori whispered , " is it me , or is everybody avoiding you even more than
usual ?"
" It ' s not you , Midori , " Seiji replied . " What the hell is goin' on here ? "
At the back of his mind was the thought that someone may have found out about
Midori . It hardly occurred to him that he was being regarded as a psychopath . By
now , the rumor about Seiji threathening to kill the two girls already spread like wildfire
throughout Sakuradamon High .
" I don ' t like this , Seiji , " Midori said with apprehension . " They were nervous around
you before , but the way they act , you 'd think you killed someone . "
Seiji only reply was , " You think ? As if I didn ' t have enough problems getting a girlfriend
before . "
The nervous whispers were building up to a fever pitch .Soon afterwards , just as
Takako was about to sit down next to Seiji , a couple of students called to her . While
she went to them , two other students pulled her seat away from Seiji ' s , much to his
puzzlement . They did so with a look of nervousness in their eyes . Takako had noticed
this and said , " Hey , just what do you think . . . "
Before she could go on , one of the couple , Kumiko , said , " We're doing this for your
own good , Ayase . It ' s dangerous to hang around Sawamura . Who knows when he ' ll snap . "
" What ? "
" Trust me , you do NOT want to hang around that Mad Dog , " she said . " You ' ll end up
hurt or worse . "
" Hold it , Kumiko .You don ' t know Sawamura . "
" I don ' t want to know him . He 's scary . "
Seiji came up , Midori hidden beneath bandages . He then said , " What ' s going on here ? "
Kumiko actually began to tremble when she heard Seiji ' s voice .Beads of perspiration
formed on her forehead .
" What ' s the matter ? " Seiji asked .
" I . . . I just don ' t want any . . . trouble . "
Seiji had a confused expression on his face,an expression shared by Takako .