Subject 03
6-13-20XX
I knew I shouldn't have left 02 on his own. Through my lack of action, 03 has been injured. While I don't fully understand 02's motivations for the attack, I'll know soon enough. That's not what's important. What is important is that now I know that I can't trust people to do the right thing. I left everything up to 02 and people were hurt. I realize that people won't do the right thing without my judgment, and that's fine. It'll just be extra work for me, but it'll be worth it.
03's injury nearly left him temporarily unable to speak, but the assistant nurse's resetting of his nose and the clearing of the blood has restored his ability. I plan on speaking to him about the events that led to today. Hopefully, his side of the story will shed new light on what has occurred.
Monday, 6/13
"So, Takata-kun," Maruki said as he sat in a chair next to where Yoshiro was resting. The teenager was laying down in a bed in the nurse's office, his reset nose bandage to prevent further damage. His unfriendly eyes fluttered open at his name. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit," Yoshiro said bitterly.
Maruki didn't have to take notes to know that.
"Would you mind sharing your side of the story with me?" Maruki asked. He knew he was jumping to the point, but he needed to know soon. Amamiya's future at Shujin surely depended on it.
"My fucking nose is broken. What do you think?" Maruki opened his mouth to speak, but Yoshiro persisted. "Actually, I know what you think. You're all buddy-buddy with Amamiya. You just want to blame me."
"Takata-kun, I want no such thing. I just want everyone in the situation to get the outcome they deserve." Maruki's calm voice persisted despite Yoshiro's rudeness.
"Sure… you're not getting shit from me." With that, Yoshiro rolled his head on the pillow away from Maruki. It was supposed to tell Maruki to go away, but the counselor did no such thing.
Maruki adjusted his glasses.
"Takata-kun, I'm sure you understand that telling the truth is necessary to everyone's happiness." Maruki's practiced monotone voice had only been used a few times, but he didn't falter during the moment.
Yoshiro turned back over and looked Maruki in the eye.
"Of course I understand, Maruki-san."
"Great. Do you think you'll be able to give me your full side of the story?"
Yoshiro nodded.
Monday, 5/2
Kobayakawa's fat body stood on the stage, delivering the words that Yoshiro knew were coming.
"Students of Shujin Academy, I am here today to announce the resignation of Suguru Kamoshida."
A gasp came from the crowd. A few of Yoshiro's friends around him gasped, but Yoshiro made sure to keep quiet. He had been ready for this moment. Kamoshida had been gone for several days, detectives had been going through the school, and volleyball practice had been indefinitely postponed. All indicators pointed to Kamoshida leaving the school.
Even if Yoshiro was ready for Kamoshida's resignation, that didn't mean he had dealt with it. To put it simply, he was fucking pissed. The whispers that came from the crowd only aggravated him further.
"Kamoshida-sensei is leaving?"
"Why? He was great."
"I know! He made everyone around him better."
Please just shut up. Shut up. No one needs to hear that shit, Yoshiro aggressively thought.
Kobayakawa waited for the whispers to settle before he continued.
"He is resigning after being taken into police custody. Through his arrest, we have been made aware of his abuse of the student body."
The shitshow starts now, Yoshiro thought. He turned to Dai at his side. He had an inkling of an idea of what first led to Kamoshida's arrest.
"The police arrested him for the abuse? Fucking snitches, man."
"I know. They took our future from us. Who do you think it was?" Dai said. He was always talking about volleyball being his future. Yoshiro understood that and definitely agreed with it. Yoshiro knew that Dai was little more than a neanderthal when it came to intelligence, but the guy could spike a volleyball. Volleyball was probably the only way that Dai stood a chance of making a life for himself.
Yoshiro related to that, but it was less out of being forced by ineptitude in everything to pursue volleyball and more unsureness about his future that led him to volleyball. In almost every way, Yoshiro considered himself average. He was decently attractive, decently intelligent, and decently sociable. He got above average grades, but that felt more generic than actually getting average grades.
So what did he want to do when he was older? Be average? There wasn't much in his life outside of volleyball. He didn't even enjoy the sport that much, but it was pretty much the only thing he excelled at. Yoshiro told himself that the employers wouldn't accept anything less than exceptional for decent jobs, and that's what made him keep playing volleyball.
That wasn't possible anymore. If the Shujin volleyball team was going to continue, it wouldn't resume for a long time, long past recruitment season. Yoshiro, in his final year at Shujin, wouldn't be able to get into college for his volleyball abilities and there was little to no chance of him getting into college for his academic record alone.
Kamoshida's resignation had been a big, fat "Fuck you," to Yoshiro from the system. Or, more directly, it was from Makoto Niijima. She was probably the one who reported Kamoshida, she was the one to blame.
And how easy it was to blame her. Perfect Miss President, always topping the class and treating everyone else as below her. She was so ahead of everyone else that she barely interacted with her peers. They must've been too stupid for her.
She had everything planned out, she knew what she wanted to do with her life. She wasn't forced into something that she didn't even like very much. She could have anything she wanted.
All Yoshiro had to do to get the wheels rolling against Niijima was to drop her name to Dai. Dai was a talker, and he was sure to get the other members of the volleyball team psyched about getting revenge on Niijima.
"Probably that Niijima bitch. I saw her running out of Kamoshida's office crying," Yoshiro said.
Instead of Dai immediately responded, the reaction to Yoshiro's words came from the person standing in front of them. The transfer student angrily turned around to face Yoshiro before his eyes went wide and quickly turned back towards the stage.
What a pussy, Yoshiro thought.
Strangely enough, that transfer student had been the one person Niijima did interact with. What brought him up to her standard? Was he smarter than the rest of the Shujin student body? If he was, that only made Yoshiro hate him.
The transfer student was just another person who had everything planned out for them. They knew where they were going, and probably thought they were better than Yoshiro.
But there was a counter to that concept: the transfer student was known as a criminal. Yoshiro didn't know what he had done, but the student body feared the transfer student for it. If the transfer student was so perfect and had everything planned out, why was he a criminal? Yoshiro had no time to ponder the question. There was a conversation with Dai to be had.
"You think we should get her back for it?" Dai asked.
"Definitely. It's about time someone taught that bitch a lesson."
Friday, 5/6
Here goes nothing, Yoshiro thought to himself before he dragged his posse from the volleyball booth over to the gardening club's booth.
Taking revenge on Niijima was difficult mainly for one reason: Yoshiro and the others couldn't figure out exactly what to do, but they knew that confronting the dumb bitch was the first step.
Rumors had been floating around that Niijima joined the transfer students club. While not much could be gleaned from that information, it did mean that Niijima was guaranteed to be at the transfer student's booth on Club Day. All Yoshiro had to do was walk the halls and locate the booth.
It wasn't difficult to find. The transfer student and his band of outcasts had set up between the stairs and the corner of the hallway. Niijima was nowhere to be seen, but that was an easily solvable problem. All he needed to do was ask for her. Unfortunately, the transfer student was lost in his phone, so Yoshiro figured that he should be proactive to get things rolling.
"Hey! Shithead!" Yoshiro called out.
While a few heads turned, the transfer student didn't look up. Yoshiro indirectly got his attention when Sakamoto nudged the transfer student and told him to look up.
When the transfer student finally noticed Yoshiro, a satisfied smirk appeared on his face, as if he was comfortable in the situation he was in.
"You hear me now, Amamiya? You know why we're here." Yoshiro decided that using the transfer student's name would provoke the guy enough to get him moving.
The transfer student stood up and left his advantageous position in his club booth. That puzzled Yoshiro, but it was just the transfer student making things worse for himself. Yoshiro didn't mind.
The blonde slut, Takamaki, grabbed the transfer student's arm, but he shrugged her off and kept walking out of the booth. A crowd was starting to form, but Yoshiro wasn't sure why. After all, he was only there to ask a question. The transfer student was the one playing everything up.
With the transfer student yet to respond, Yoshiro figured he'd speak again.
"I said, you know why we're here!"
"Do I? We don't have volleyballs or vulnerable teenagers here, so I really have no clue why you're here."
The crowd gasped and Yoshiro did a mental double-take. The transfer student had the audacity to say shit like that. All he had to do was say where Niijima was and Yoshiro would go away.
"Why you-! We're here for Niijima! We know she's in your club!" Yoshiro said. He felt his face reddening in anger. The fact that his emotions were on full display for the crowd only made him angrier.
"She's not here. Maybe she's over at the volleyball team's booth? I heard that you guys need more members." The prick's smirk was getting too wide. It upset Yoshiro even more.
The transfer student turned to look back at his group before observing the crowd that was forming. He seemed amused. Unfortunately, it wasn't the time for that. Yoshiro wanted to remind the transfer student of the situation he was in. Yoshiro took a threatening step forward.
"You're gonna need new limbs if you keep talking like that!" Dai proudly yelled from behind Yoshiro. Yoshiro almost cringed at Dai's poor excuse for an insult, but reacting incorrectly would lead to the situation derailing in a bad way.
"Wow, that was such a good one. You're gonna make the big bad criminal shit his pants," the transfer student sarcastically retorted.
Dais' gonna take that the wrong way, isn't he? Yoshiro asked himself.
"Yeah, that's right!" Dai called out.
Okay, he's an idiot, Yoshiro thought.
Yoshiro took another step forward. The transfer student's antics were beginning to test his patience and waste time that could've been spent teaching Niijima a lesson.
"Just tell us where that bitch is and this won't have to get messy!"
"Don't worry, Ren! I got your back!" Sakamoto yelled as he stood up.
The transfer student turned and held his hand up. His confidence made Yoshiro pissed, but he was interested in why the transfer student seemed so reassured.
"I didn't know that the oh-so manly volleyball players got messy with each other. I don't know where Niijima is, but you're definitely leaving me out of that."
That set Yoshiro off. The prick had crossed the line, embarrassing the volleyball team in the process. Even if people didn't believe what the transfer student had said, there were sure to be jokes and rumors about the volleyball team getting "messy with each other."
"That's it, you little-!"
The crowd collectively held their breath as Yoshiro fully began his advance.
"Hold up. Can I use my lifeline?" the transfer student asked with more sarcasm than Yoshiro thought possible.
Yoshiro stopped. He did have to hand it to the guy: the transfer student was creative in the face of getting beat up.
"Can I just make a phone call to my girlfriend and tell her that I won't be home for dinner tonight? I'll probably be in the hospital," the transfer student said flatly. The lack of his smirk told Yoshiro that the transfer student was being serious, but Yoshiro seriously doubted that. This was too odd of an outcome for the transfer student to not try and pull something.
The crowd let out their breath, their whispering ramping up.
"Fine. You have one minute," Yoshiro said, rolling his eyes.
The transfer student dialed a number on his phone. Instead of putting the phone to his ear, he put it on speaker and held it out.
"Hello?" a female voice said on the other line.
Yoshiro felt all the color in his face drain and all the thoughts in his head slip into the void. He knew the voice well. In fact, he had heard it that morning, wishing him a good day at school.
The transfer student had called Ayumi Takata. But only he and Yoshiro knew that. Yoshiro didn't know what game the transfer student was playing, nor did he have the mental capacity at the moment to figure it out.
The transfer student opened his mouth to speak, but he looked around at the crowd first. He held the phone towards himself so that he would be heard clearly on the other end.
"Hey, Ayumi. I was just wondering what the plan was for dinner tonight?" the transfer student smugly said as his smirk returned stronger than ever.
Hearing his mother's name made Yoshiro's blood boil. Unfortunately, he was paralyzed with indecision, anger, and confusion.
"You want to go out tonight? That works great. Yoshiro will be out tonight, so maybe you can come over…" Ayumi said seductively.
Yoshiro wasn't aware that he would be out that night. That made everything worse. His own mom was going to get him out of the house so she could have a high schooler over.
"That sounds wonderful," the transfer student said as he stared directly into Yoshiro's twitching eyes. "Oh, that reminds me, Yoshiro is with me right now. He's threatening me over the location of some student."
"Oh, you poor dear… I'll speak with him as soon as you leave tonight. Or tomorrow morning... Speaking of tonight, I'll make sure to wear the nicest pair of-" Ayumi was cut off as the transfer student hung up.
Yoshiro's perception of the scene around him faded away. His vision narrowed on the transfer student. His mind completely focused on the singular goal of taking control of the situation and humiliating the transfer student.
"I-I'll tell her who you are! She'll leave y-you when she finds out you're using h-her!" Yoshiro's voice was shaking. He knew that it was a shitty comeback, but it was all he had. Reducing the transfer student's relationship with Ayumi in front of everyone was his only hope, other than resorting to violence. Yoshiro wouldn't normally be opposed to the latter, but he didn't think he had the stomach for it at the moment.
"Who's she gonna believe? The leader of a pedophile's fan club? Or the guy who warms her bed at night?"
That only emphasized Yoshiro had been previously feeling. He felt his emotions growing out of control. He didn't know what to think, say, or do. He was blanking.
"His minute's up! Fuck him up, Yoshiro!" a member of Yoshiro's crew politely reminded.
"It's up to you, Yoshiro. Fight me, or tell everyone why you won't fight me and who my girlfriend is," the transfer student said as he raised his arms wide. There was a grin on his face.
The fucker is enjoying this, Yoshiro thought.
Agreeing with the transfer student's logic, Yoshiro knew there was only one thing to do. Even if he disliked the majority of the student body, he cared about his image. Any reasonable person would. Yoshiro charged.
Yoshiro's athletic ability was his downfall. He went too fast for a fight confined to a school hallway, allowing the transfer student to begin a side-step with more than enough room to breathe. Yoshiro attempted a punch anyway. Surprisingly, it wasn't blocked by the transfer student.
Makoto Niijima held Yoshiro's arm in place. Yoshiro stared at her in disbelief. She was right there, and he was blanking. He was paralyzed in some twisted form of embarrassment and rage.
"You found Niijima. Congrats. Now what're you gonna do?" the transfer asked slyly. His grin only grew more sickening to Yoshiro.
"That's enough, Amamiya-kun!" Niijima ordered.
Serves him right. Prick, Yoshiro thought.
"Everyone, please go back to your booths!" The crowd hesitated until Makoto spoke again. "Now!"
The crowd, including Yoshiro's posse, dispersed. Yoshiro would've been angry at them if the whole scene wasn't a colossal fuck up.
"Yoshiro, you have a warning. Any more mistakes, and you'll be visiting Kobayakawa," Makoto said as she let go of Yoshiro. He looked at her angrily.
"You'll get what's coming to you…" Yoshiro muttered as he walked away.
He swore to himself that he would make those words come true. Somehow, someway, Yoshiro would get his revenge. Makoto, up on her high horse, had taken his future from him. He would make her pay along with the transfer student for interfering.
It was a stroke of dumb luck with what happened later that day.
Yoshiro, Dai, and a few other volleyball players had gone to Big Bang Burger on Central Street as a way to cool off. It was their usual hang out spot, so no one looked twice when the group walked in with their Shujin gym uniforms on. Yoshiro mentally questioned why people were still wearing them if there was no point but realized that they were just more attached to a dead dream than he was.
It had been a quiet meal. No one spoke or wanted to speak after the day's events. They were likely afraid Yoshiro would react aggressively. They were right. He would've freaked out if anyone mentioned transfer students or student council presidents.
Ironically, that lack of conversation was what led to Yoshiro getting bored and stepping out of Big Bang Burger. He considered going home for the day, but a rough voice called out from an alley.
"Hey!" Yoshiro looked in the direction of the alley and saw a burly man, his head sticking around the corner that was barely concealing his body. "Yeah, you. I got a job for you."
Cautiously, Yoshiro walked over. There wasn't much else for him to lose at this point. He had no future, he had nothing to do, and he had no reason to care about anything this guy planned on saying to him. In Yoshiro's mind, nothing could go wrong.
When he made it around the corner into the alley, a second man was revealed to Yoshiro. Both were dressed similarly: they had the typical getup of a shady Shinjuku man, but they weren't in Shinjuku.
"Yeah? What do you want?" Yoshiro asked harshly.
"Nothing really," the first man said with a toothy grin. "We just got an offer for ya."
"What is it?"
"A job, ya know? Deliver a few packages for us, make some quick cash. Easy, huh?"
Thanks, but I'm not fucking stupid, Yoshiro mentally retorted.
"You think I'm an idiot? That I don't know what's in those packages? It's not like you want people to deliver mail for you," Yoshiro angrily stated. His time was being wasted by people who had underestimated him, and that was upsetting
"Hah! Fine. You'd be running drugs, but it pays good yen. You could be going to school with a high-end watch, or whatever the fuck you kids wanna wear," the first man explained.
"Really? I get farther than the average exploitable teenager and you offer me the same job as if I'm that stupid?" Yoshiro dumbfoundedly asked with anger. "You got a boss?"
"The boss? Shootin' for the stars, are we?" the man replied. He turned to his partner. "The kid's got guts. Whaddya think?"
The man's partner hushedly spoke to the man, not allowing Yoshiro to gain any insight as to what they were saying. Yoshiro didn't mind, as he had been doing well enough in the conversation. Besides, if things went south, all he had to do was turn around and walk away.
The first man turned back to Yoshiro.
"Tell you what. We take you to our boss, you two talk things out. If things go well, things go well. If they don't…" the man said, trailing off after his point became clear.
Yoshiro was confident. Things would go well.
"Deal."
Yoshiro stood in front of the intimidating figure that was Junya Kaneshiro. He had been whisked to a club of sorts that was just a few minutes from where they had been. He didn't care about leaving the volleyball players behind; he wanted the outcome of his conversation with "the boss" to be decided purely on his own capability. He wanted to prove himself.
"So… you figured us out?" Kaneshiro asked. He was comfortably seated in a velvet booth, a lit cigar placed between his lips.
The only people in the club backroom besides Kaneshiro and Yoshiro were the two women at Kaneshiro's side and the two henchmen from the alley. They guarded the entrance to the room.
"Not too hard. Your men have to be better than that," Yoshiro bluntly said.
"Heh. You got guts, kid," Kaneshiro asked as he took the cigar out of his mouth. "Why'd you wanna see me?"
"I want to work for you." Yoshiro maintained his blunt delivery.
"That's great because I already offered you a job," Kaneshiro remarked with a chuckle.
"No, I don't want to be some dumb fuck who will get exploited. I want to be one of them," Yoshiro said, nodding towards the guards at the door.
Kaneshiro looked Yoshiro up and down.
"You got the build for it… and you got the talking skills… did either of those guys fill you in on our... application process?"
"No."
Kaneshiro puffed his cigar.
"I have two main sources of income: drugs and girls. They keep people happy, happy people keep me wealthy. To join, you gotta prove you can contribute to that income," Kaneshiro said with a grin. "Bring us a girl… someone your age."
"It will be done, Kaneshiro-san,"
"Cut the shit. If you're going to be working for me, it's 'boss.' Got it?" Yoshiro obediently nodded at Kaneshiro's question. "Good. Now get out of here."
Yoshiro moved to leave. Just as one of the guards shifted to allow Yoshiro to exit, Kaneshiro spoke again.
"Wait… got any friends, Yoshiro?"
"A few," Yoshiro simply said.
"Well, tell 'em about our deal. If they can do the same as you…"
"Mhm. I'll let them know," Yoshiro said before quickly adding, "Boss."
"Good."
With that, Yoshiro left.
Yoshiro was lucky enough that the volleyball team members were still eating at Big Bang Burger. When he was asked where he was, Yoshiro provided the standard response one gives when they don't want to answer:
"I needed some air," Yoshiro said as he took a seat.
No one questioned it, as no one doubted it. Yoshiro knew that he had had a very public meltdown earlier, so it was understandable why the volleyball team members wouldn't persist with questions.
"I got something interesting for you guys," Yoshiro said.
That piqued everyone's attention. They eyed Yoshiro. Now that he had their interest, Yoshiro detailed his newfound opportunity.
"I found something for us to do, and we can get some cash out of it," Yoshiro said dramatically. He knew that building anticipation was important to keep people interested in what he was saying. "You know those guys in the alleys who stop teenagers every now and then?"
The team nodded to Yoshiro.
"We work with them. Not for them, with them. And we make bank doing it. All we gotta do is look tough and stand around. Look at Dai," Yoshiro said, pointing at his peer. The team followed suit and focused their attention on Dai. "He's the biggest teenager in Tokyo. It'd be easy as shit."
"Yoshiro, I dunno… this sounds shady," one of the players protested.
"You can leave now, but you'll never hear the rest of my idea," Yoshiro said. The cautious player remained in his seat, so Yoshiro continued talking. "All we gotta do to work for them is bring their boss, Kaneshiro, a girl our age for each of us who wants to join."
"W-what do you mean?" the same player from before asked.
Just shut the fuck up and let me explain, Yoshiro thought.
"What are girls our age useful for, and why would adults want them?"
The team member paled. Yoshiro didn't know if the guy was staying in his seat out of nervousness or compliance. He didn't care.
"So… you guys get where I'm going with this?" Yoshiro asked, leading the team on.
The team members that didn't shake their heads in agreement didn't react at all.
"Makoto Niiijima. This is how we get back at her. We take her future away from her."
Yoshiro got back to his home at a reasonable time. Even if he didn't, his mom wouldn't question him. It wasn't like she cared, at least that's how it seemed from Yoshiro's point of view. While some teens would consider Ayumi Takata's level of hands-offness with Yoshiro freedom, Yoshiro considered it a lack of caring. But it wasn't like it mattered. She fed him and gave him a place to sleep at night. Yoshiro wasn't going to complain about that.
He also wasn't going to complain about Ayumi's… activities that he had learned about earlier that day. Ayumi called him down from his room, where he had been doing homework, for dinner. Yoshiro sat on the opposite side of the table from Ayumi, but not because of what learned. That was just the way things always had been.
It wasn't like he planned on speaking to Ayumi about anything, anyway. He had always felt disconnected from the woman, but remembering the words of the transfer student while Yoshiro looked at his mother made him despise her.
Bitch, Yoshiro thought as he looked at her face. Sure, it was pointless, but it was what came to his mind.
They both ate their dinner in silence. As soon as he was done, Yoshiro went back up to his room.
Tuesday, 5/10
Surprisingly enough, more people had agreed to Yoshiro's plan than he initially thought would. That meant that turning in Niijima to Kaneshiro would be reserved for the person who couldn't manage to find another girl.
So there Yoshiro was, awkwardly standing next to the student lockers on the first floor. He was waiting for Yuriko Kuramoto, another third-year who was considered quite attractive by most of the student body. She was rather popular and people looked upon her fondly. Yoshiro decided she was the lucky girl based on closing his eyes and putting his finger on a picture in the yearbook.
Yoshiro had followed simple logic to realize that he needed to ask Yuriko out, rather than just violently kidnapping her. First, getting the girl to go on a few dates would build trust. If Yoshiro pulled everything off correctly, he could convince her to walk into an alley where Kaneshiro's other henchmen could take her and he wouldn't have to be involved. Second, Yoshiro didn't know if he could kidnap someone innocent. Yet. He disregarded this, as he knew that it came with the job he had signed up for.
The bell signaling the end of classes rang. Yoshiro had managed to get out early by saying he had to go to the bathroom. He simply ditched the end of class instead. Even if he wasn't confident in his plan for asking out Yuriko, he figured being in the right place at the right time was an important factor.
Students flooded into the halls. Among them were Yuriko and her friends. They walked down the hall in a line, chatting with each other and laughing. They were in a good mood, and Yuriko was the most notably happy out of the group. For a moment, Yoshiro could've sworn Yuriko's smile lit up the whole hall.
That moment faded when Yoshiro looked past Yuriko and saw the brown-haired girl with that stupid fucking headband walking in the other direction. Yoshiro was reminded why he was waiting for Yuriko in the first place. He dispelled all previous positive thoughts and readied himself.
Yuriko had almost reached her locker, her fairly large group of friends at her side. Yoshiro stood up straight and spoke.
"Hey, Yuriko-chan," Yoshiro said calmly and kindly. He got her attention and the attention of every single one of her friends.
Yoshiro could've sworn there was an audible "oooh" from every single one of the girls except Yuriko. That was understandable, as she was the one being put on the spot. Even so, she kept calm and acted like the normal Yuriko that Yoshiro had heard about.
"Hey, Takata-san. What's up?" she casually asked.
"I was… heh," Yoshiro said with fake awkwardness. He was a little embarrassed at the lengths he was going to for some dumb job, but the time to back out was long past. "I was wondering if you'd wanna… you know… go out sometime?"
"Ooooooh…" the crowd went in unison. They were more interested in the conversation than Yoshiro was.
"I mean, I don't…" Yuriko trailed off. Her casual smile had faded.
Uh-oh. Did I break the kind exterior? Is it all a facade? Yoshiro asked himself. He ended up believing that she was only kind on the surface, as it helped ease his mind from what he was committing the girl to.
"C'mon, Yuriko…" one of her friends cooed.
"Yuriko…" another friend said excitedly.
"O-M-G, just say YES!" another girl yelled through the crowd, getting a few laughs in return.
"Well…" Yuriko began. She looked around at the small crowd of her friends and bystanders that had formed. It was obvious what was going through her head: she was feeling the pressure. Knowing that, Yoshiro felt a little sad when Yuriko said, "Okay. I'm game."
Her kind, casual, bubbly nature had returned. Perhaps she felt an obligation to hold herself to the standard of always being happy around her friends.
Yoshiro didn't care. All he had to do was get her in the right place at the right time after Niijima had been taken care of. Yoshiro just wanted to get things ready in advance.
"Can I get your number?" Yoshiro asked frustratedly. All the emotional bullshit and loud people around him were getting to him.
"Oh, yeah… here. It's ###-###-####."
"Thanks. I'll text you. See ya, Yuriko," Yoshiro said before walking away.
As he walked away, he heard Yuriko and her friends chatting to each other. Knowing he was going to deprive the girl of that for the rest of her life hurt for a moment, but as soon as Yoshiro turned the corner, the feeling vanished. All Yuriko was to Yoshiro was a stepping stone.
Nothing more.
Thursday, 5/12
Yoshiro scribbled out the note. He didn't have to worry about matching Dai's handwriting because… well… he wasn't sure Dai knew how to read or write. It didn't really matter. With the contents of the note, he was sure the student council wouldn't take the time to analyze his handwriting.
It was simple.
"I'm being threatened by people, and so are other students. A group in Shibuya is blackmailing us into working for them, and they're threatening our families if we go to the police. Please help, I'm running out of options," Yoshiro read to himself.
While it wasn't the best plea for help that had ever been written, Yoshiro knew it would be enough. It would strike at everything Miss President thought about herself: her position of power demanding that she help the student body, her need for a letter of recommendation, and the good ol' human trait of wanting to help people. It was a fifty-fifty chance that Niijima had that last one, but it wouldn't hurt Yoshiro's plan if she didn't. It was more of a bonus that went along with everything.
Content with how the plan was moving along, Yoshiro tucked the note away, ready to drop it in the student council suggestion box.
He was looking forward to seeing Niijima's reaction when she realized what he was doing.
Wednesday, 5/18
Yoshiro shakily stood up from the floor of Big Bang Burger, his forehead swelling. His face was drenched in soda, causing his eyes to sting a little. When he tried to support his weight by placing his hand on the table, he almost slipped and fell over again. He realized that the hand he had used was covered in sauce from the food tray he had first originally placed his hand on.
"Fuck…" Yoshiro muttered, grabbing at the napkins that the two dipshits left behind. He angrily wiped away the sauce on his hand and fully stood up.
Every single person in the Big Bang Burger was staring directly at Yoshiro. He hated it. Yoshiro didn't take the time to tell his teammates, or former teammates at this point, where he was going. He frustratedly pushed them out of the way and walked towards the exit. He nearly threw open the door as he stepped out of the burger place.
Yoshiro wasn't sure why he had provoked the transfer student in the first place. Things were going to plan, and provoking the guy just risked him becoming more invested in fucking with the volleyball team. Yoshiro had done it anyway and gotten embarrassed in the process.
If Yoshiro wasn't sure of his what to do to the transfer student before the Big Bang Burger incident, he was very sure afterward.
I'm gonna fucking kill him, Yoshiro thought.
It was a bit of an exaggeration. Yoshiro merely wanted the guy to suffer a little. That wasn't too much to ask, right? Yoshiro had had more taken from him than given, so surely this wish could be granted.
He didn't care if there was some deity that was listening to him and actually planned on granting his wish. If he had learned anything in the past few weeks, it was that Yoshiro couldn't count on others to improve things for him. He would have to take action.
That wouldn't be that big of a deal. Yoshiro and company weren't working on a deadline. Kaneshiro hadn't given them a date, implying that they could walk away if they wish. Yoshiro didn't plan on walking away, but he did plan on taking his time.
He had to get it right. He had to show Niijima what she had done to him.
Monday, 5/30
Yoshiro and two other volleyball team members sat in Big Bang Burger. They had come straight there after the park cleanup, with the two members not wanting to ask Yoshiro why his face was covered in dirt. As soon as they had gotten to the restaurant, Yoshiro had gone to the bathroom. He returned shortly after with a mildly clean face.
Yoshiro knew that taking his time was necessary to make sure the plan went off without any hitches, but he didn't want to wait. Niijima had been investigating Central Street, but not nearly as thoroughly as the volleyball team wanted her to. She hadn't even brought along the transfer student.
Yoshiro had ordered the two team members to write anonymous notes of their own, with Yoshiro himself writing another under Dai's name. It wasn't because he was trying to take the blame off himself if something went wrong, but that he didn't want to get called into the student council room to be questioned about the note and its validity. If Dai was called in, he wouldn't know what to say, therefore not providing enough information to the student council to ruin Yoshiro's plan.
"Yoshiro, we've waited forever to get this bitch and nothing's happened so far. Do we really even need to get revenge anymore?" one of the team members asked after he had finished writing his note.
"Relax, we'll go into action as soon as she goes into an alley or some shit. These," Yoshiro said, shaking the note he had written in front of the team member's face, "will make sure of that."
"Whatever, man. Let's just get shit moving," the team member replied.
"We will. This will be the last step, I'm sure. Now, gimme the notes," Yoshiro ordered, prompting both team members to do as they were told. "Good. I'll drop these off, you two can leave."
Both team members stood up and left without saying goodbye. If that said anything about their perception of Yoshiro, he didn't care. It just wasn't important, and it wasn't like he liked them too much anyway.
Yoshiro stood up from his chair and left Big Bang Burger to go to Shujin. While it was later in the day, the school would still be open. More importantly, it would be relatively empty. Club activities had been cancelled due to the park cleanup. The only people who would still be there were faculty members and weirdos. Yoshiro had excuses prepared for either, so he didn't mind.
It was just a short subway ride to Aoyama and an even shorter walk to the school. Yoshiro quickly moved into the building. While he wasn't too worried about getting caught, he didn't want to risk the entire plan if something were to go terribly wrong.
Nothing did. Yoshiro got to the third floor without any problems or people in his way. The quickly darkening atmosphere within the school didn't hurt Yoshiro's chances of finding the student council suggestion box. He had no trouble in reaching the box before he swiftly, yet aggressively, drop the notes into the small opening.
"Here… we… go," Yoshiro said, taking a deep breath. If the notes worked as intended, this would be the beginning of the end for Makoto Niijima. Yoshiro wanted to savor the moment, but because of the paranoia of being caught, he quickly left the school and went home for the night.
Tuesday, 5/31
"Heh, the girl's here," the gruff voice said on the other end of the phone. "We're bringing the van around the other side,"
Yoshiro quickly hung up and nodded to Dai, who was sitting across the Big Bang Burger table. Dai's resting idiot face changed to a look of determination before the giant stood up. Yoshiro did the same, and they both left Big Bang Burger in a hurry. There was no time to waste. Yoshiro knew that this didn't have to be their only opportunity to execute the plan, but getting it right on the first try would make him feel better about himself. Better than Niijima.
Dai and Yoshiro wheeled around the corner into the alley. Niijima and the transfer student weren't too far into the alley, but they also weren't close enough to the street for anyone to intervene. The pair seemed to be in some sort of argument, with Niijima's face red and the transfer student throwing his hands in the air in frustration. Yoshiro would have been interested in the conversation if he didn't have a job to do.
Unfortunately, Dai did it first. He took a massive swing at the transfer student, his fist slamming into the guy's head. There was so much power that it sent Amamiya into the wall of the alley, his head hitting the hard surface with a satisfying thump. Yoshiro knew the transfer student wouldn't be much trouble, especially with Dai doing the heavy lifting, but it felt too damn good to see the once arrogant delinquent reduced to a partially bloody mess slumped over in an alley.
Almost as quickly as the transfer student, Niijima was subdued. One of the team members that had been waiting further down in the alley had grabbed her arms from behind her. Yoshiro had to grab her wrists to make sure that no elbows were thrown.
And just like that, it was done. Yoshiro had won. All he needed to do was make the victory lap.
"Kamoshida sends his regards, Miss President."
It was beautiful, the look of horror on Niijima's face. Kamoshida had no role in the plan, but Yoshiro knew that her reaction would be more terrified if he name-dropped the man. Yoshiro quickly covered the whore's head with a bag.
That was the easy part. The team member who was holding her upper-arms let go, forcing Yoshiro to tighten his grip on the bitch's hands. One of the volleyball players behind Niijima grabbed her ankles, lifting her up. Niijima was trying to kick, thrash, and scream, but it was pointless. At this point, they were too far into the alley, and Niijima's muffled voice wouldn't do her much good there.
Yoshiro transferred ownership of the girl's hands to Dai, as he was much stronger. Yoshiro hoped Dai wouldn't damage the merchandise, as the giant likely didn't understand what bones were, but there wasn't time to explain that to Dai.
Already knowing their goal, the volleyball players moved out. The volleyball player holding Niijima by her ankles took the lead, keeping a swift pace. At the other end of the alley awaited a black van, which the group reached in no time. The side-door opened, and Niijima was shoved in. All four volleyball players got in the back to make sure she didn't act up during the drive.
It didn't seem like she had it in her anyway. Throughout the drive to the club, the only thing the girl did was let out muffled sobs from inside the bag. Yoshiro looked down at the girl cold-heartedly, wanting her to see his glare and know what he thought of her, but she couldn't. Yoshiro couldn't take off the bag either, so he had to compromise.
She doesn't get to cry now. We haven't even gotten to the good part, Yoshiro thought.
"Shut the fuck up," Yoshiro demanded after one particularly loud sob.
For the remaining minute or two of the drive, the girl was silent.
Yoshiro ripped the bag off of Niijima's head. He was in control, as he had her hands pinned to her back and she was prone. The door to the club burst open, causing Yoshiro to snap his head to the right.
Sakamoto and the transfer student had just arrived, one more present than the other. The transfer student looked like he was on another planet. Yoshiro grinned, hoping that that would be permanent. The blood on the transfer student's face was a nice touch, too.
The more conversational part of the plan went off relatively hitch-free. Sure, Yoshiro had to slap the bitch a few times to keep her quiet and obedient, but that was less of a hitch and more of a bonus.
Kaneshiro had set the date of June fourteenth of his own choice, not at Yoshiro's suggestion. That was fine. Yoshiro considered himself patient, so long as everything went to plan. Besides, the two weeks gave Niijima some time to be mentally tortured before she got what was coming to her.
Those two weeks also gave Yoshiro to do a little tormenting of his own.
Sunday, 6/5
"Provoke them, ya know? Make things interesting. Maybe you could even rope some bystanders into our little scheme…" Kaneshiro suggested over the phone.
"Yeah, got it. This is just to keep them on edge, right?"
"Nervous people make mistakes, Takata. Remember that."
"Not like they have a chance of succeeding anyway," Yoshiro dismissively replied.
"Maybe, but I don't want to fuck up my income. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. Make them nervous, get them to make mistakes."
"That advice applies to you too. Stay calm and don't fuck up."
"Will do, boss."
Kaneshiro hung up first, letting Yoshiro pull the phone away from his ear.
Kaneshiro was a decent boss so far, if he could be considered a boss. Yoshiro wasn't officially working for the man, as he still had to turn in Yuriko, but it was almost a done deal at this point. Yoshiro and the other members of the volleyball team had secured merchandise for Kaneshiro, all they had to do was transfer it. They were waiting for Niijima to be taken and then they would go through with it.
What made Yoshiro think decently of Kaneshiro was that the man was generous for a crime lord. Yoshiro, along with the other volleyball players, had been promised cuts of the initial money that Niijima and the other girls would make. Kaneshiro referred to it as "royalties for your products." Yoshiro didn't care what they were called as long as he got paid for his work.
He was even promised a little extra from Kaneshiro for leading the charge. The boss had said that he was able to recognize Yoshiro's natural talent for the work, so it was only obvious that he should be paid extra.
Yoshiro couldn't agree more.
Thursday, 6/9
"Yoshiro, will you please talk to me?" Yuriko pleaded from Yoshiro's side.
Yoshiro and Yuriko had started dating, and immediately after it was referred to as dating, Yoshiro stopped caring and putting effort into the relationship. They had been on a few dates already, and apparently, Yuriko enjoyed them enough to ask Yoshiro to go steady with her. He didn't mind. She was in the right place, and all that Yoshiro needed to do was keep her there. As long as he didn't piss her off too much, everything would be fine.
They were sitting side-by-side at dinner at a restaurant. Yoshiro had agreed to a "date night," but it wasn't because he actually wanted to go. He had nothing to do but wait, and being too dismissive of Yuriko would likely lead to a break-up. Yoshiro couldn't have that, not when he was so close to everything being perfect.
"Sorry. Just thinking," he said flatly.
"About what?" Yuriko said in her usual bubbly manner. The girl seemed much happier now that Yoshiro was acknowledging her.
"Stuff."
"C'mon, you can talk to me. I'm your girlfriend!" she said as she scooted closer to him.
They were touching at the shoulders now, and Yoshiro could feel her warmth. It would've flustered the teenager if he wasn't planning on taking that girl's life away from her in mere days.
"Sorry. I'm not that talkative."
"I know… but we all have things to work on, right?" she said encouragingly. "You can start working on it by talking to me more."
"Okay…"
"Ask me a question," Yuriko said cheerfully.
"Uh… what've you been up to?"
Yoshiro didn't care. He knew he was going to tune out as soon as the girl began to answer. He had been doing that more; tuning out people and withdrawing from the world into his thoughts. He didn't pay attention in class, he didn't talk with his "friends" on the volleyball team, and he spoke to his mom even less than usual.
The thoughts he was withdrawing into were a mix of every emotion one shouldn't have when about to commit several felonies. Strangely, he didn't feel regret for anything he had done or potential regret for the things he was going to do. Niijima deserved everything that was coming to her.
But Yuriko didn't. The girl probably had a great life ahead of her: with her looks, Yuriko would have a husband within years of leaving Shujin, and a wealthy husband at that. Her status as a social butterfly would take her far as well. In terms of grades she was on the same level as Yoshiro, but being socially adept took one much farther than memorizing random facts and concepts.
"Well, I went to the mall the other day with a few of the girls…" Yuriko began. Yoshiro was already withdrawn, and therefore too busy to listen.
And Yoshiro would take that from her. Instead of a wealthy husband and whatever job Yuriko would land, she would get drug addiction and the wrong kind of clients. He didn't feel guilty or upset with himself, just sad for the girl.
"The guy bought ice cream for us? Can you believe that?!" Yuriko said, looking Yoshiro in the eye upon delivering the punchline to her story.
Yoshiro blankly stared back and hated himself for not being able to answer her question as someone normally would.
But it didn't matter. She was a piece on the chessboard; a jigsaw piece falling into place.
"That's crazy. Tell me more," Yoshiro said.
And she did. He heard none of it.
Monday, 6/13
Yoshiro was oddly excited for what he was about to do. He knew he was pushing the transfer student to a breaking point, as it was obvious with everything the guy was going through. If there was any doubt in Yoshiro's mind that his provocations wouldn't work, it was nowhere to be found.
There was only one day left until he won. Granted, he wasn't going to be the one taking Niijima, as that was Kaneshiro's business to carry out, but it was still a result of his actions. Yoshiro felt proud of himself. Niijima was going to realize exactly what she did to him by getting Kamoshida fired. Yoshiro was going to make sure of it, even if it meant paying her a visit when she was on the job in a few days.
He had left class early to catch the transfer student immediately after class ended. He didn't care if he was missing important information from the teacher, as this was his new life. Kaneshiro didn't care about school grades, just getting the job done or not. Yoshiro liked that.
Yoshiro didn't have to wait long. The bell rang, alerting him to get ready. Soon enough, students began to pour out of the classrooms up and down the hall, with Yoshiro's target among the students. Yoshiro grinned at the transfer student from across the hall.
"You guys celebrating the bitch's last day?" he asked.
"Fuck off," the transfer student said before he tried to just walk away.
Yoshiro just stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Yoshiro knew that the transfer student wouldn't try anything crazy, at least not yet. Yoshiro's size advantage was too much for the transfer student to handle in a normal fight.
"Don't you wanna hear what I have to say?" Yoshiro said, lightly shoving the transfer student backward.
"No. Fuck off."
I guess I gotta try a little harder, Yoshiro thought.
The transfer student tried to walk past again only to receive another push backward. Learning that it was pointless to try, he held his ground. The students trying to walk past the altercation were a little annoyed but didn't complain. Yoshiro assumed that they wanted to see a fight.
"Okay, okay, but you gotta answer one question for me," Yoshiro said. The transfer student opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "Do you think she likes getting her hair pulled?"
C'mon, just fucking lose it already, Yoshiro thought.
The transfer student, taking a deep breath, turned, and walked in the other direction. Yoshiro quickly stopped him again. Students were taking notice that something more than just a verbal altercation was taking place and began to gather.
"Rumor's out that she likes it rough. Just raw lust, ya know? I mean, she's interested in you, the school delinquent that nobody could ever love," Yoshiro teased.
Yoshiro really, really wanted the transfer student to lose his shit. It was just another person he could prove he was better than. He could play the role of the victim and get the transfer student suspended; expelled if the attack was brutal enough. Yoshiro wasn't worried about whatever pain the transfer student would be able to inflict, as Yoshiro's size advantage kept him arrogant.
The transfer student tried to get past Yoshiro again. A much more aggressive shove this time put him back in his place.
"You know, I think by the time I'm done with her she'll be screaming my name!" Yoshiro declared loudly. He knew that getting more students' attention would upset the transfer student.
Yoshiro could hear the whispers going through the crowd, but he didn't care. He had a job to do. However, several voices were louder than the regular whispers and gossip.
"Ren! Get out of there!" a feminine voice yelled from the crowd. Yoshiro believed it to be Takamaki, but he didn't know the girl well enough to know if it was her or not.
Maybe I should change that… she's friends with the transfer student, so why not deliver her to Kaneshiro? Yoshiro thought. Unfortunately, his grand ambitions would have to wait.
There was another loud voice that Yoshiro recognized.
"Get the eff out of the way!" Sakamoto yelled. Yoshiro could hear quite the commotion going through that area of the crowd. He guessed that people weren't getting out of the way and that Sakamoto was having a tough time stopping his friend from doing something stupid.
It was a beautiful scene of chaos, and all it needed were Yoshiro's final touches.
"Yoshiro!" the volleyball player mocked with a moan. "Fuck, Yoshiro! Please!"
The transfer student was obviously not happy with Yoshiro's jests. But still, it wasn't enough. However, Yoshiro had the perfect combination of words to set the transfer student off. Yoshiro stepped closer to the transfer student. He would've been in the guy's face if he wasn't as tall as he was.
"I'm gonna make her my fucking whore. It's what Kamoshida would've wanted."
And that was it.
A quick jab to Yoshiro's nose sent him backward. He had underestimated the transfer students punching ability, but not too terribly. All he had to do was endure until a teacher showed up, ending the transfer student's time at Shujin.
Yoshiro held his hand to his nose in pain, feeling blood go down his palm. The pain of the first punch faded with the adrenaline that came from seeing the massive crowd around the pair and hearing their excited yells. Yoshiro hated all of them, but he was glad that they were there to watch.
Another punch impacted Yoshiro's nose. The angle it came from resulted in a crunching sound coming from the impact, letting Yoshiro know that his nose was broken. It hurt, a lot, but it was bearable. Yoshiro was able to manage by telling himself that the transfer student would be immediately expelled for this.
Heh. Better than I expected, Yoshiro thought, relishing in the success of his provocations.
"Heh. Eh goh to yhou, dint eh?" Yoshiro nasally said, looking up at the transfer student.
Another punch, this one just the transfer student slamming his fist into the exposed side of Yoshiro's head. The volleyball player dropped to a knee, now using both his hands to contain the blood from his nose.
Yoshiro couldn't help but chuckle. The transfer student didn't even realize how much of an idiot he was.
The transfer student grabbed Yoshiro's head by putting his left hand under the volleyball player's chin and his right hand behind the head.
"Woah, woah, dohn yhou wanna heah how eh dih et?" Yoshiro said, staring into the metal lockers. Maybe what he said would buy him some time, but he wasn't feeling too optimistic.
Holy fuck… I guess I may have overdone it, huh? Damn teachers can't get here soon enough, Yoshiro thought. He felt fear going through him, but he kept himself calm by telling himself one thing: If my face gets slammed into the lockers, the guy is guaranteed to be sent to juvenile hall.
Yoshiro wanted to rip the transfer students' arms away and show the guy a taste of his own medicine, but he stayed calm. So long as he didn't attack the transfer student, his plan would go perfectly.
Amamiya pulled Yoshiro's head back, his hands trembling. Yoshiro could feel the transfer students' hands tense, telling Yoshiro what was about to happen.
He closed his eyes and braced for impact.
"Ren!" a man yelled.
Yoshiro felt the hands holding his head relax before slipping away. Yoshiro dropped to his hands and knees, staring down at a small puddle of blood that was coming from his nose.
But the crowd began to disperse on one side. Yoshiro knew that it would be whoever yelled to the transfer student, but he didn't know who it would be. He didn't have any preference for a specific teacher, as all of them would surely expel the transfer student.
It was Maruki. Yoshiro didn't like or dislike the guy, as he had never spoken to the counselor, and he didn't really know what to think of the guy. He seemed nice, but he was a little too friendly with the transfer student for Yoshiro's to be satisfied.
"Amamiya-kun, what-" Maruki began before he looked down at Yoshiro.
"Yeah. I know," the transfer student said in defeat.
Yoshiro grinned as he stared down at the floor. He loved hearing the realization in the transfer student's voice. He loved knowing that the transfer student knew he was going to be expelled. Yoshiro would've chuckled if Maruki hadn't been right there to hear it.
"Everyone, please, get out of here. There's nothing to see," Maruki commanded.
As if. No way anyone leaves. This is the most interesting thing to happen to this school since Kamoshida, Yoshiro bitterly thought.
Surprisingly, the crowd dispersed. Students walked down the halls, and Yoshiro could hear them having normal conversations as if the fight never happened. A few students didn't leave, and Yoshiro could hear them walk up to the transfer student.
"Jesus, dude, the fuck are you thinkin'?!" Sakamoto yelled.
"I…" was all that the transfer student could manage.
Piece of shit. He'll be gone soon enough, Yoshiro thought.
He could feel several pairs of eyes gazing down at him, but he didn't dare look up. He didn't want to risk Maruki seeing the grin on his face.
"Ren," Maruki said, "I'll have to report this to Kobayakawa. A student was harmed."
"Go ahead. I was justified."
Maruki sighed.
"So be it. Don't think I've forgotten our conversations." Maruki crouched down to Yoshiro's level. "Takata-kun, can you stand?"
Shakily, Yoshiro stood up, making sure to coldly stare at the transfer student. As he stood up, he felt the blood that was covering the lower half of his face begin to drip down his face.
"Good. Please follow me and I'll help you out," Maruki said before walking in the direction of the practice building.
Before Yoshiro turned to follow Maruki, he gave the transfer student one last look.
"I win."
Yoshiro wanted to savor the moment, but he followed Maruki away anyway. He still had to do his part in getting the transfer student expelled. As long as he stayed calm through the lies, everything would go perfectly.
But there was a hint of doubt in the back of Yoshiro's head. Maruki was friendly with the transfer student, but did that really mean anything with what the transfer student had done? It wasn't like Maruki could change the outcome of the transfer student getting expelled.
Monday, 6/13
"So, to summarize for the record… you began to plan revenge against Niijima in early May, the day Kamoshida's resignation was announced. Due to provocations from Amamiya, the scale and risk of your plan increased to the point where you agreed to work for a crime boss. To officially enter into service of Kaneshiro, you needed to bring him one girl for him to use as a source of income." Maruki said while he looked down at his notes. "Everything correct so far?"
"Yes, Yoshiro emptily said.
"You found Yuriko Kuramoto for yourself, and several other volleyball members found girls for themselves. Shortly after, because of more actions by Amamiya and Niijima's investigation, you assaulted Amamiya and kidnapped Niijima. She was taken to Kaneshiro where he began a two-week-long process of blackmailing her, at the end of which she was supposed to be forced into prostitution. Before the two weeks were up, you were ordered to provoke Amamiya. You did that, and he assaulted you. Is that everything?" Maruki asked, looking up from his notes into Yoshiro's eyes.
"Yes," Yoshiro said blankly.
"I… oh my god," Maruki said. "Thank you for this, Takata-kun. It helps a lot."
"Glad I could help." No thoughts were going through Yoshiro's head, meaning that there wasn't any emotion to put behind his words. Everything was blank.
What Yoshiro did feel was content, and it was as if nothing would ever be able to bring him down.
"I think I'll leave you in the assistant nurse's hands. Is that alright, Takata-kun," Maruki calmly asked.
"Of course. "
"Thank you for letting me tell the truth."
"Mhm."
Maruki stood up from his seat at Yoshiro's bedside and walked out of the room.
Yoshiro closed his eyes and let his happiness envelop him. He had told the truth, and that was all that he needed to be happy. He enjoyed being that emotionally simple.
Yoshiro was the happiest he'd been in months. The only things that were detracting from that were the things that he wanted to do: he wanted to tell his mom he loved her, take Yuriko somewhere nice, maybe hang out with a few volleyball team members. Even if he couldn't do those things, Yoshiro was still pleased.
He smiled at the blissful thoughts before he drifted off to sleep
Subject 03
6-13-20XX
I recorded 03's retelling of the past month with my phone. I see no reason to transcribe the recording, but I feel that I should provide analytical information.
03 began to feel that vengeance was necessary after Kamoshida's resignation. He felt that his life had been taken away from him, and he desperately wanted someone to take the blame for that. He felt inferior to others in almost everything outside of volleyball. The opportunity that arose with criminal activity in Shibuya made him feel special and gave him a way to get his revenge. It also let him put his physical stature to use. 03's actions have been horrid, and I have to change this for his sake, and the sake of the people around him.
03 will never harm any other student, and he will never have to worry about his inferiority again.
To address the issue of 02's fate, I don't know how the principal will react to this. 03's testimony may not be enough, but that remains to be seen. I'll be speaking to the principal shortly, so I'll know then.
Besides, if I truly desired for 02 to remain at Shujin, I wouldn't let him be expelled. 02, while he didn't exactly do the right thing, wasn't exactly wrong either. He doesn't deserve to lose everything because of it.
A/N: Now we're completely back to normal in terms of uploads. Chapters will be up on Wednesdays from now on. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day.