Chapter 8

Lone Wolf's Portrait

Banri was sure of himself. He was very smart, so he could easily make up a good story. He had no regrets in his life because it had always been on easy mode before he met that stupid jackass, Hyodo! He just had to beat him, and he was certainly going to do it. A weepy love story was a safe bet, and he already knew what it should be like. It would be a story of his love for an ill young woman, although he had never fallen in love with women, let alone sleeping with them. He had probably never really loved anyone but himself until he got to know Hyodo... Banri quickly wrote up his script and then went to play cards with Itaru.

Meanwhile, Juza was struggling with his script. He had a lot to tell, but the portrait had the five minutes limit. He had to consolidate the text so that it conveyed all his feelings without rambling and at the same time was easy for an audience to follow him. The next evening, the script was finally ready, and Juza proceeded to rehearse it.

A few days later, Yuzo came to check on their progress. After listening to their portraits one to one, Yuzo called the Autumn Troupe back to the auditorium to announce their preliminary results. Banri, Juza, Omi, Sakyo, and Taichi lined up at attention on the stage. Banri smugly smiled to himself. He had no doubt that he won, so he was astounded when Yuzo said that the best portrait was Juza's. He was stunned even more when Yuzo said that close runners-up were Sakyo and Omi, followed by Taichi. To cap it all, Yuzo said that Banri made the whole thing up and that his portrait was the most unsubstantial. Banri blew up with indignation. Hyodo winning? That was utter bullshit! That dumbass played poorly at rehearsals! There was no way he could beat him!

Exasperated, Banri stomped out of the auditorium and returned to his cell in a very bad mood. Damn Yuzo! He said that he, Banri, was going to lose to Hyodo in front of the real audience too. It must've been that the old bastard was trying to piss him off on purpose! Alright then, he won't service Yuzo anymore! And he will quit rehearsals too! How dared they humiliate him like that?! Sure, he should quit the theatre club to spite them all... But why did this shit make him feel so bad? It was so lame...

Feeling dejected, Banri left the cell and strolled over to the common room before stumbling into Guy and Сitron. The two Zahran dorks asked him for a tantric nooky, as usual. Banri agreed - he had nothing better to do anyway... He also had to get Mankai Company and Hyodo out of his mind... Banri followed Guy and Citron to their cell and undressed, but he couldn't stop thinking about losing to Hyodo even when he sank down on Guy's cock and started sucking Citron's. After the two were done, they asked him if he was okay because he was limp as a rag and didn't suck well at all. Forcing a smile, Banri apologized, saying that he had a bit of a headache. It wasn't far off the truth... His headache was called Juza Hyodo...

After that, Banri wandered off to the library to find some oblivion in reading, but found himself reading the same lines of the book over and over again... His thoughts kept returning to Hyodo… With a sigh, he shut the book and headed out when he saw Tenma entering the library. When the orange-haired porn star asked him for a quick blowjob right there behind a bookshelf, Banri didn't refuse, although for some reason every fibre of his being protested against this. When he was sucking Tenma off, his thoughts drifted away again, so he accidentally choked on Tenma's dick at the most inopportune moment, to Tenma's great displeasure.

The next morning, he ran into Omi and Taichi and told them that he was quitting Mankai Company. Clearly upset, they tried to convince him to stay, but he didn't listen. Standing next to them Sakyo told him never to show up at the theatre club again... Okay, whatever, he wasn't going to return anyway... At that point Hyodo stumbled upon them and confronted him too, telling him to stop screwing around and that he, Hyodo, would never lose to someone like him.

Banri huffed as he patted Juza's shoulder resignedly. He didn't need to be told that he would lose because he already knew that himself... He walked off to the sewing workshop without a backward glance. After finishing his work shift, he had a quick shag with Tasuku and then Masumi, who both asked what had gotten into him because he serviced them so poorly. Banri apologized, lying again that he had a headache, although in fact he just felt sad and empty...

He slowly strolled outside towards the small prison shrine when he heard Director Izumi's voice calling to him from behind. What, did she suddenly want to make use of his intimate services too? No, with all due respect, he would have to turn her down – he had never been into girls. But thankfully, Director Izumi wasn't after sex. She just asked him to return to the Autumn Troupe. Unfortunately, he had to refuse, although he really wanted to come back. Unfortunately, there was no way back for him now after he quit halfway through... Besides, he feared that Sakyo would tell him to leave... Banri turned to go away when Izumi asked him to come and see Hyodo's portrait to make sure that he was really better than him, because otherwise it would look like he was scared of the survey results. Banri stopped in his tracks. Perhaps, Director Izumi was right. He would be spoken of as a coward if he left at this point.

Reluctantly, Banri followed Izumi into the auditorium, which was already filled with other inmates and staff. They took the remaining free seats in the back row a few minutes before the lights went out and the curtain went up. The first was Sakyo, then Omi and Taichi, and then finally Juza. Sprawling about in his seat up to this point, Banri instantly straightened up as soon as he saw his cellmate on the stage and stared at him with bated breath.

Standing under the spotlight, Hyodo began his confession. He said he had always been a lone wolf as he was stronger than his peers at school, college, and sports clubs he used to attend. He had no friends because people around him were afraid of him, thinking he was a thug. The only ones who willingly approached him were some real thugs that wanted to square off against him. He was fed up with that... One day some thugs picked a fight with him again when he was walking home with his younger brother. Defending him, he accidentally killed one of the thugs and ended up here, in South Hill prison. He thought his life was ruined, but contrary to his grim expectations it was here in prison that he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. When he joined the theatre club, he realised that he could transform into someone else, an entirely different person. It was only here that he finally found friends and even more than that, comrades, who became like his second family. His biggest regret was taking the wrong path in life that led him to committing the crime and could lead him away from his true dream, but against all the odds, he unexpectedly came across his red string of fate here in prison and finally found the meaning of his life.

An amazed silence ensued for a moment as Juza finished his portrait before the audience erupted in loud applause. Banri's eyes were locked on his cellmate, who bowed to the audience before the curtain slowly hid him behind. Clearly inspired by the show, the inmates marked their voting ballots and started to leave the auditorium when Banri finally recollected himself. Director Izumi was still sitting next to him. When she asked him what he thought of the portraits, Banri looked away, feeling ashamed of himself. It was clear that Hyodo won, but the others were very good too, unlike him...

- Director, tell me, - Banri spoke in response, his voice quiet and timid. - How can I beat Hyodo? What should I do?

- First, you need to take acting seriously and have the determination to improve, - Izumi answered gently.

- Watching Hyodo's portrait... I can't really explain it, but I felt so worked up... I was as excited as when I confronted him for the first time. – Banri clenched his prison jacket on his chest in a fist as his heart clenched with a strong emotion. – It won't end like this... I can't let it end!..

- Let's go back to the dorms, - Izumi said, looking at him kindly. - I'm sure the others will accept you back if you explain to them. Even Sakyo.

Perceptive by nature, Director Izumi understood Banri's feelings perfectly - he was clearly head over heels for Juza, although didn't quite realise his feelings. She nodded encouragingly when Banri finally looked back at her. He huffed out a little laugh. Apparently, there was no other way for him. He was still apprehensive to face Sakyo, but he wasn't going to chicken out this time! He got a chance to start a new life, and he won't miss it again! Banri's heart pounded fast and hot as he stood up and followed Izumi.

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Author Notes
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This is the turning point of Banri's transformation :-)))) The next chapter will resolve his worries!