Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!
In this case I have nothing to add, so let's go straight to the chapter.
Enjoy!
The third and second year students gathered on the large playing field at Fujimi Academy.
Most of them already seemed to have preset groups, and that also worked for Takashi Komuro.
That was confirmed when he shook hands with Hirano Kohta, where they both shared a smile. However, that smile did not last long because of the groups around.
The circumstances were obvious.
"I don't think anyone wants to join our team." Kohta commented with a mixture of seriousness and discouragement, seeing how everyone was in group of three, except for them.
"Don't worry, I have someone." That answer surprised his friend, who couldn't help but look at him with great curiosity.
That curiosity increased greatly after seeing Takashi stop in front of Saya.
"Hey..." Saya watched her friend carefully after being called out.
Her typical serious but stern expression made it easy to think that she was going to reject him right away.
The truth was that Takashi knew her quite well.
Saya could be strict and a bit quite annoying at times.
But she was definitely not a bad person.
"Do you want to join my team? We're one short." Takashi extended his hand with a smile, earning a curious look from some of his classmates.
After all, it was very rare to see Takashi take anything seriously.
Saya thought this too, so it was impossible for her to hide the slight smile that appeared on her face.
"I guess you weren't lying to me when you said about wanting to change that shitty attitude..." Saya commented with a somewhat mocking tone, though her hand was soon raised to shake with him.
Unfortunately, she wasn't going to allow it.
Takashi's smile completely left his face as Rei appeared out of nowhere, separating the two with a smile that clearly screamed trouble.
"She's with us, isn't she, Saya?" Rei observed her friend, seeing how the latter looked quite surprised at such an intrusion.
"Wait...!"
"Don't worry, Saya." Takashi interrupted her before she could complain, earning a stunned look from the short but buxom teenager.
Takashi's attention was diverted to Rei, who was watching him with that somewhat arrogant and conflicted smirk on her face.
It was conflicted because she was clearly looking to annoy him. That was something Kohta didn't overlook.
That woman definitely had something against his friend.
Still, Takashi didn't seem daunted by the sudden intrusion of his once female friend. In fact, he smiled back in his own way.
"Go with them." Still, the young man yielded to Rei's whims practically immediately.
"If you want, you can join us." Hisashi made an appearance with his typical friendly smile.
Another person Takashi didn't want to see even in his dreams.
"No, thank you. I'm with someone else." The atmosphere of the place suddenly became tense, making Hisashi's smile falter a bit.
"Come on, Takashi. It's been a long time ago now, buddy..."
"You're not my buddy anymore." Takashi ignored any possible small talk with the man, making it quite clear that they were not on good terms.
"Oh..." Eiji couldn't help but sneer under his breath with his group of thugs. "Apparently, the useless academy guy got into a fight with Igo." The blond shifted his gaze to Rei, watching as the woman looked at the "useless one" with clear displeasure.
"And if I had to guess, I'm sure it's because of that woman."
CHAPTER 2: RELATIONSHIPS FLOURISH!
179 days to the fall of Japan.
"Are you all right?" Hirano placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, earning a somewhat exhausted look from him.
"You probably want to know what's going on, but this isn't the time to talk about that. We need to find a third member before the professor returns, or we might be excluded from the class." Takashi stated seriously.
"Well, theoretically we shouldn't have a problem because the groups were made based on the numbers of students. It's another thing if that missing person wants to be on our team." Hirano said the latter with a nervous smile, as it wouldn't be the first time something similar happened to him. "By the way, how do you know Saya Takagi?" The chubby boy showed an interest he couldn't hide after that question, something his friend didn't overlook.
"We are childhood friends."
Both young men were unable to continue the talk as various murmurs parked themselves on the playing field.
Even many more murmurs than in that little argument he had with his once best friend.
Even Eiji looked surprised for some reason.
Takashi and Hirano immediately realized what all the commotion was about, as Saeko Busujima started to approach them in all that crowd.
"Apparently, no one had the courage to approach her." Hirano whispered with clear nerves in his tone of voice. "We're done for, she sure isn't interested in teaming up with us."
Takashi didn't reply anything to that, just deigned to watch as the woman approached them without saying a word.
Or rather, all her attention was fixed solely on him.
It was obvious that Saeko was looking for him alone.
Finally, the slender and most coveted woman in Fujimi Academy stopped in front of the useless man, a sight that missed everyone without exception.
"Do you have a team?" Saeko was as direct as ever.
"I'm with Hirano, but we're missing one." Takashi pointed to his friend, who gave a really awkward bow after being mentioned.
"I see..." An imperceptible smile appeared on the woman's beautiful lips.
"In that case, may I join?"
Everyone was completely paralyzed after hearing those words.
Everyone except Takashi, who couldn't help but smile at her.
"Sure, why not?" The brown-haired man answered her with complete naturalness when he raised his hand, something Saeko observed with some curiosity.
"How come he can offer her his hand so brazenly?! That bastard really wants to die!" Eiji thought with a very forced smile on his face.
He was already thinking of different ways to kill him for managing to get much closer to Saeko than he could.
Therefore, his surprise was total when he saw what happened.
In fact, he was not the only one who was completely perplexed at what happened.
The jaw of many dropped to the floor after seeing Saeko shake hands with Takashi and, as if to top it off, she smiled back at him with clear impetus.
"Let's make an effort." Replied the beautiful woman with that smile still in force on her face.
For Takashi it was normal to see her smile, but this was a complete rarity for everyone else.
As said before, Saeko was known for how cold and powerful she was. Obviously it is also not necessary to emphasize her enormous beauty.
She was like some sort of Goddess of the Ice Queens.
Therefore, it was amazing to see her smiling so naturally.
Finally, the teams finished forming up and the fun began.
"Hmmm..." The teacher hummed as he made various notes in his notebook.
There he had the different teams noted down, and he found it curious to see Takashi's score, since in the first rotation he had only batted a few times, but now that Saeko was the pitcher it was a different story.
"Rei-chan you're better than this. You need to focus." Hisashi commented with some confusion as he noticed that his girlfriend looked quite distracted.
"Sorry, today is not my day." Rei handed him the first excuse that came to her mind.
Saya stood behind her and watched her with analytical eyes. She could immediately tell how the grip on the bat became tighter than usual and that her body reflected an out-of-character tension. She only needed to look into her eyes to confirm her suspicions.
Rei was much more focused on how Saeko and Takashi seemed to be talking without any trouble as they shared light chuckles.
"Hehe..." Saya couldn't help but chuckle under her breath at the sight of the woman's frown.
In fact, Rei wasn't the only one focused in that group. Practically every student present seemed to be keeping an eye on this.
Some were curious as to how Takashi could talk to Saeko so naturally, but certainly the vast majority were feeling unprecedented envy.
Among them was Eiji, though he didn't show it outwardly. In fact, he did nothing but sneer regularly whenever Takashi got a strike.
Meanwhile, something somewhat similar was going on between the Mitakashi sisters and Yuki, who, despite having formed a group together, hardly anyone was paying attention to them because of Saeko. In their cases, they were not focused on Takashi, they were just venting their anger and envy on her.
After all, it wouldn't be a good idea to mess with someone with a much higher reputation than theirs.
"Last two!" Hirano shouted as he threw the ball to Saeko, who caught it without any trouble at all.
The teenager watched the ball for a short second before refocusing her gaze on Takashi's bat. The man couldn't help but be a little confused when she approached without a word until she crouched down in front of him.
"I was wondering a while ago..." Saeko took a closer look at the bat. "Whose firm is this?" Curiosity soon emerged from her lips with her typical very interested tone.
It was amazing to think that two days ago she wasn't interested in many things, but now she wanted to know everything about Takashi Komuro.
Maybe it was because he is so nice to talk to.
"Now that you mention it, I want to know too..." Hirano joined one of their many conversations for the first time, due to the fact that now he didn't feel so shy or scared to talk to Saeko.
"Oh, this firm..." Takashi couldn't help but smile very fondly as certain memories hit his mind, something that caught his two friends' attention a lot. "Well, it's a story that few know about." Takashi crouched down in front of them, and it was quite funny to see how Saeko and Hirano gave a little jump to be closer.
"It all started 11 years ago..."
"What the hell are they doing?" One of the Mitakashi sisters asked warily, making it clear that no one could overhear the conversation.
"They look like a bunch of delinquents gathered on the street." Yuki made clear reference to the juvenile gangs of delinquents who would perch on squatting sidewalks while smoking cigarettes and delivering evil looks to passersby.
It was actually quite funny to imagine Hirano that way, although Takashi looked somewhat terrified.
Better not to mention Saeko...
"When I turned 6, my parents took me to see the San Francisco Giants. I was very happy and anxious, as my biggest idol, Barry Bonds, was there." Hirano didn't seem to recognize the athlete's name, but Saeko's case was different.
"He's the left fielder who holds the biggest home run record." The woman's comment drew a half-smile from Takashi.
"762, to be exact. In fact, I had the privilege of being able to witness one of his home runs live." This got both of their attention.
"And how did it go?" Hirano asked with much interest.
"It went right into my left eye." The answer caught both of them completely off guard, who couldn't help but have a slight shiver. "But that was great. After all, it's thanks to that that I got to meet him in person and he gave me his most prized bat as an apology."
At that moment, both Saeko and Hirano couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"So, is that bat of Barry Bonds?" Hirano asked the obvious question, receiving a smile from his friend.
"Exactly." The doubts were completely dispelled as Takashi gripped the bat firmly again. "Now we'd better get going. I think we're attracting too much attention." He concluded with a slightly sheepish smile, earning a quick nod from his two friends.
"What did you two talk about so much? At what point is Busujima-san so close to that idiot?" Rei couldn't help but click her tongue once she focused her gaze on Hisashi once again.
Saya and Hisashi were thinking something very similar, though the young man only seemed to be curious while Saya couldn't help but be a bit jealous.
Hirano settled behind Takashi to then wave his hand, signaling Saeko to begin.
The young woman didn't hesitate to throw the ball, and Takashi received it without much trouble. His frown deepened a bit as he noticed the short trajectory the shot took.
"Hey, weren't you supposed to get into Fujimi Academy because of your great baseball skills? You missed almost every ball of the fat guy and you couldn't even hit a fucking home run, you're really pathetic!" Eiji found another way to annoy him, making Takashi frown even more.
"Eiji-san is right, although your level has never really stood out that much, it's also true that I can notice a big decline in your performance..." Thought the teacher, remembering last year's results.
"The last one!" Hirano exclaimed, then watched with some uncertainty as Takashi approached Saeko with accelerated steps.
The young girl couldn't help but be surprised when Takashi suddenly grabbed her shoulders.
Needless to say, everyone else almost fell down after witnessing this.
"Listen, I know you're holding back." Those words surprised Saeko greatly. "You're probably doing it to spare my feelings, but you're no better than them if you don't let me get better." Saeko could feel Takashi's hands clench tightly around her shoulders, and that solemn, determined look he gave her made a strangely pleasant feeling run around her body.
"Can you do that for me?"
Saeko nodded a little awkwardly, earning a half-smile from Takashi.
She didn't know why, but her cheeks warmed a little at the sight of him smiling.
Once he returned to his position, Saeko finally reacted and shook her head to get that weird feeling out of her body.
Hirano couldn't help but sweat as he noticed how a menacing aura suddenly surrounded the woman's body at the same time as her eyes glowed a red color that smelled like death.
"I can tell, she's really going to be serious..." Takashi held on to his stance and bat tightly, his throat closed at the threatening presence in front of him.
"Am I still in time to repent?"
Saeko's eyes glowed brighter and her body moved at a glamorous speed, making her body a blur for seconds.
The ball shot out at such an impressive speed that it left a white trail in its wake.
Hirano began to pray in every possible language as he saw the killer ball approaching at full speed and about to impact his face.
Even if he was wearing the helmet, it was certain death.
But just before tragedy struck, the bat got in the way.
Takashi's teeth clenched hard and the ball twisted on the bat in a very strange way.
"GGGGOOOOOOOOOO!"
Takashi shouted loudly and the ball shot out with a rush of air over the bat. The speed and trajectory were impossible to follow.
It was only known where it landed due to Eiji stopping the ball with his face.
Wait...
He stopped it with his face?
The bully spat out a large amount of blood as one of his teeth flew out from the impact. His cheek twisted in a rather funny way, as if it were jelly, and then fell shatteringly to the ground.
The ball rolled to the feet of the professor, who couldn't help but pick it up with an expression of clear disbelief on his face.
"Who humanly can possess such strength? And, what's more, who humanly can be able to stop something like that?" Thought the professor unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
"Eiji-kun!" His friends and the girls surrounded him with concern, only to see the bully get up almost instantly with an expression covered in fury.
"You fucking asshole! You think you're so funny?!" Eiji spat blood to then approach at a rapid pace, charging his bat with surprising strength.
"You sure did that on purpose!"
Takashi could only watch in a daze at the sudden event, as the blond waved the bat with every intention of smashing it over his head.
But something happened...
An overwhelming silence came over the whole place as the trajectory of the bat was immediately stopped by a single hand.
That same hand clamped down hard on the bat and forced the blond back as a far superior force was imposed upon him.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
Saeko's gaze reflected nothing but death and suffering, making Eiji too scared.
"I..."
Eiji didn't have time to say more than a word, as Saeko surprisingly grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air as if he were a mere worm.
The bat fell to the ground and the bully brought his hands over Saeko's arm to try to free himself, but found it impossible.
"That was enough." The voice of the professor calmed the waters, who was scribbling some scribbles in his notebook. "Eiji-san, it was an accident. Busujima, calm down." The man's nonchalant but direct words saved the blond, who couldn't help but fall on his butt the moment Saeko let go of him.
"You've been bothering all hour." Saeko turned her back on him, then gave him a sidelong glance. "You'd better drop that attitude, or I'll be forced to use extreme measures next time." Saeko's vacant eyes made Eiji's skin bristle from the sheer fear that ran through his body.
"Okay!" Was all the bully could reply as he rubbed his neck to ease the pain.
Saeko's curt and even scary character changed drastically after focusing her gaze on Takashi once again.
"Are you all right?" The beautiful teenager caught her hand with her own showing great concern.
"Uh, no need to worry..." Takashi couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the heartwarming and protective action of her new friend.
Not everyone felt the same way, though.
That was easily demonstrated the moment Rei deepened her frown again.
Her eyes mirrored the very careful and attentive grip Saeko had on Takashi's hand.
Hours passed, classes were over and recesses were over.
Takashi showed his secret place to Hirano, who was quite comfortable at the idea of going to the rooftop, a place where no one would bother them.
Saeko also accompanied them during the few breaks. She again shared her tasty cake with Takashi who showed his appreciation.
Thanks to the fact that Hirano already seemed to be a bit calmer in the presence of the most famous and powerful woman in the Academy, the three of them were able to engage in good conversation during the breaks.
Takashi could now safely say that he would never be bored at the Academy if they are around.
He even left the academy without the need to cover himself as he usually did thanks to Saeko escorting him out, as well as Hirano.
In those moments he discovered that Kohta's home was actually very close to his, as it was just a few streets away. That made both of them happy, as they would have no problem meeting up because Tokonosu city was really large.
That allowed them to enjoy the weekend together, and as Takashi promised, this time he would help Hirano enjoy his hobby. But the fatty insisted that it was not yet the time, as he needed to buy new equipment to put them both on equal footing.
Obviously, Takashi didn't understand anything, and Hirano seemed really enthusiastic about keeping it a secret until the time came.
That way they were playing baseball and Kotha helped him a bit with his friend's back homework, although they obviously didn't make much progress.
Hirano seemed to be a typical smart nerd, but it was evident that his intelligence and knowledge were directed towards another field.
Thus began the next week.
A week that would indicate big changes for Takashi Komuro.
Or so he thought, since the reality was that he could not spend more than 5 minutes in the classroom. After all, Rei was much more mellow with Hisashi and that was really obvious.
Saya watched with some irritation as Takashi left the classroom. Though said irritation on this occasion was not focused on her friend, as she watched angrily as Rei was smirking and then kissing Hisashi again, making it clear that this had been a plan to annoy him.
Hirano stayed out of it all, but he wasn't an idiot. After the clues delivered by Takashi and the crosses he had with Hisashi and Rei these days gave him enough clues to know why his friend felt so affected whenever the two of them were present.
"I just need to put my fury on the bat. I promise I'll come back next hour when I'm calmer." Takashi thought with clear annoyance as he attempted to climb up to the gym window, a somewhat difficult process considering it was a bit high.
Though it became surprisingly easier from one second to the next.
"WAAAHHHHHH!" Takashi fell face first to the ground as his butt was pushed, causing him to turn his gaze with a pained expression.
"I see you needed a hand." Saeko stated with a rather peculiar air about her.
"Very funny." Takashi couldn't help but smile at the sight of her.
The pain Rei was causing him was somewhat assuaged just by looking at that smile.
"What would you have done if someone other than me found you around here?" Saeko asked, who started climbing the window.
"I don't know, I guess I'd be in trouble." Takashi bowed his shoulders with disinterest to then help Saeko.
"You should give it up. At the moment you're just creating disorder, but the institution might put cameras inside the gym at the thought that they might start stealing." Clarified the young girl, accepting the help to enter the facility with a perfect landing, unlike a certain brown.
"Who said I was making a mess?" Takashi played it off, earning a blank stare from Saeko. "You think I was the one who made all that mess last Friday?"
"And who else would it be? There aren't many baseball lovers in Fujimi, and I highly doubt anyone would be as crazy as you to do something like this." Saeko's deductions caused Takashi to rub his hair a little sheepishly.
"Well, I guess there's no way to defend myself..." Takashi's shyness turned to curiosity as he saw Saeko set her backpack aside. "You didn't go to class yet?"
"Actually, I was waiting for you to leave your classroom." The woman commented sincerely as she started rummaging through the backpack.
"Why?" Takashi could do nothing but ask with much confusion.
"Because I'm worried about you."
The very direct and sincere answer surprised Takashi immensely.
In fact, he could easily tell how much she was worried just by seeing the gleam in her beautiful violet eyes.
"I know your past is affecting you. That's why you abandon your studies and your goals. I can tell you're trying to go back, that's why I want to help you." Saeko pulled out two juice boxes from her backpack.
"I don't want to sound rude, but you don't understand..." Takashi couldn't continue speaking, as the juice box hit his chest hard.
"Then tell me." Saeko's deep gaze made the young man's eyes widen a little. "Tell me what ails you so I can help you. Sometimes even talking to someone about your problems is more than enough to overcome much of your hurt." Saeko moved a little closer, to the point where their faces were really close.
"You didn't even tell your parents, am I right?"
"I..." Takashi couldn't help but look away.
Though that feeling morphed into something else more special as he felt Saeko position a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll be here to listen to anything you want to tell me."
When he turned his gaze back to her, the young woman was waiting for him with a smile that inspired much hope.
"I don't care if you take 1 minute, 1 hour, or all day. I'll stay and listen to you for as long as you need."
Takashi's eyes sparkled, something Saeko seemed to notice and that's why her beautiful smile widened a little.
Then, he finally made a decision.
"Let's get comfortable first."
They both sat down in the middle of the gym. This time there was no mess at all, it was just the two of them enjoying the juice Saeko had brought.
All that could be heard was the distinctive sound of straws as the woman waited patiently for her friend to be ready to tell her everything.
"It's a bit tricky to find the time where to start..." Takashi rubbed his hair, thinking his next question through carefully. "From what I understand, you already know Rei and Hisashi, am I right?" Saeko set her straw aside, giving a slight nod that allowed him to continue.
Takashi looked up at the ceiling of the gymnasium. His gaze became much more melancholy than that first time when they met.
"They were my best friends for as long as I can remember. I don't even remember when I fell in love with Rei. Hisashi knew perfectly well how I felt about her, and she also loved me to some point. But we were still too young to go for something more. That's exactly why we made a promise that we would get married when we're old enough." Takashi paused briefly as he put the straw to his mouth once more, his gaze not taking off from the ceiling.
Saeko didn't need to hear any more to know what was going on, but she still didn't want to interrupt him.
"It was a completely silly children's promise, I know. But somehow I held on to that idea. After all, I still love her..." The juice box squeezed hard after his last words. "Rei always knew that I was still in love with her. Hisashi didn't ignore that either. But, still, they toyed with me since several years ago. I knew it, but I didn't want to accept it. In the end, there was no choice but to accept the reality when..." Takashi's voice sharpened after remembering that particular moment.
His throat tightened so tightly that he was barely able to speak.
The uneasiness was at its peak.
Nightmares haunted his mind as usual.
Those nightmares that disappeared the moment he felt someone take his hand very gently and lovingly.
"As long as I'm here, none of that is going to reach you." Saeko knew what the agonizing feeling felt like, though she had a different kind of experience.
Still, that gesture and her friend's words comforted him enough to make him smile again.
Though that smile didn't last long.
Especially because of what he was about to say.
"I caught them having sex in the academy bathroom."
That statement surprised Saeko to no end.
Of all the ways to break your heart, that was probably the worst of all.
Takashi's teeth clenched and his eyes narrowed against his will, feeling them begin to water.
"It was a completely ridiculous promise, I know. I shouldn't have held on to something like that, I know. But...but...but...!" Tears began to roll down his cheeks without stopping.
"WHY DIDN'T THEY EVER TELL ME THEY WERE TOGETHER?!"
"WHY DID THEY MAKE FUN OF ME ALL THIS TIME?!"
"DID DOING THAT TO ME GIVE THEM MORE PLEASURE?!"
"WASN'T I EVER THEIR FRIEND?!"
"DIDN'T THEY EVEN CONSIDER ME THAT?!"
Takashi tried to appear strong, but it was simply impossible.
His heart was completely broken, and somehow he felt he had to get it off his chest.
The protagonist picked up the straw and began to drink the juice very hard, even though it was already empty. His tears were falling non-stop, and his body was shaking against his will.
"WHY...?!"
"Why...?"
Takashi's tone quickly faded the moment the crying completely overflowed him, being unable to contain all the pain he felt.
But he was wrong about one thing...
He was not to hold back.
His eyes opened wide as he felt delicate hands take him with great care.
The next thing he felt was his body pressed against someone who felt extremely warm and alive.
"You don't need to hold back that pain." Saeko hugged him tighter, then whispered in his ear.
"Release everything. Release all that pain on me. I will always listen to you, always support you."
The gigantic warmth and comfort that fell over his body was impossible to control.
Saeko remained completely silent, stroking his back with all the affection and support she could give.
It was a simple touch.
Just a touch.
But...
Why was he suddenly feeling this way?
Takashi was sure he had never felt so alive in his life.
His crying was practically silenced completely, though his tears wouldn't stop spilling over.
The feeling of extreme warmth and affection embraced him completely.
It was simply such a precious feeling that he could not resist.
He never thought of resisting it either.
His hands clutched Saeko's back slowly until her hands tightened on his garment tightly.
His tears spilled like waterfalls as he plunged his face between her breasts.
Saeko said nothing about it. In fact, her smile increased and she was now hugging him tighter than before.
Nightmares turned into dreams.
Tension turned into relief.
Pain turned into peace.
And from that moment on, his heart began to transform as well...
"Don't worry, it's okay..." Saeko kissed his forehead.
Her soft, warm lips parked on his skin for several seconds and transmitted an electrifying sensation in Takashi. That unique feeling made him hug her even tighter.
Finally, she broke away and began to caress his head lovingly.
"Saeko, I..." Takashi was able to recompose his speech amidst so much crying, making Saeko smile at him.
As a last act, she rested her head on Takashi's and closed her eyes deeply.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not going anywhere."
END OF CHAPTER!
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