EDIT:
Another long AN that was published in May 2021.
You can just skip all this! But I refuse to get rid of the AN's no matter how annoying they are. I refuse to be ashamed of my lesser writing skills back then.
And a reminder to join the discord for updates and idk just for a cool and chill community? We speak about a bunch of random things there, not just this story. And I'm sorta active there so…
Join!
The code is:
p6HcDQpxuk !
I finished Oregairu Volume 1 - Which gave me a ton of ideas.
Bakemonogatari op4 'Renai Circulation' is the song for today's chapter...
Thanks for the late birthday wishes, went to watch Demon Slayer with my friends - Was a really good experience. Not the movie mind you, just being with my friends which made this chapter come out even earlier because I was happy.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Rest in peace UrBoiPedro12. A Naruto fanfiction writer he was (House of Glass), but the fact that he died is hard to wrap my head around. It's scary to think death could come to us all, especially since sometimes we can feel untouchable. Please be careful out there, and if you have time read some of his works, UrBoiPedro12 was an author I looked forward to reading each time a chapter was posted. I'm editing this into the now-finished chapter 4 and it still doesn't seem any less real.
So please all of you, be careful in these times. Not as Author-san, but as a human being from where this is coming from.
Rest in Peace Jack.
Just as I woke up this morning, the 20th of May I was greeted with the tragic news that Kentaro Miura, the mangaka of Berserk sadly died. Words cannot express how sad this news was, as a Berserk fan - No, as a manga and anime fan this news was particularly hard to hear. Berserk not only inspired many of the world's most popular manga, games, and shows, but it also inspired us as a community.
Guts, the Black Swordsman, and everything about Berserk has inspired many of us. It also inspired me to write Over the Top who I even named a character after (Sui Miura), and his work inspired me in my personal life as well.
So rest in peace Miura-Sensei, you will be missed by all of us, your art having touched many more people than you would have thought when you first published Berserk back in 1989.
Summary so far:
Life is good for me, Sora Yamazaki. Despite getting in trouble, and worrying everyone, everything turned out great.
I left class after homeroom to see Jiro waiting for me. Her arms were crossed, standing at her full height, which still was just a little taller than me. Curse you, short genes. It had been a few months since I met her along with everyone else. The Summer term had come and gone as we faced Halloween and the first signs of Winter with heavier rains.
"Sora! You ready?" Jiro asked, smiling.
"I guess. I mean you did promise to try and teach me how to sing."
"I promised that I'd correct what you consider screaming to sound less like a dying goat and more of a human," Jiro replied. "But yeah, thanks for taking time outta' your day to come help me with the music club. It's just to help move some instruments around, you know."
I shrugged my shoulders at that.
"It's fine. Not like I was doing anything else interesting."
"Either way, thanks, man."
Despite my club band having been lifted, the footy season was still in progress. Somehow our school football club had made it to the Prefecture finals - But since I wasn't registered in the squad because of my band I wasn't able to play. Despite how annoying it was, Shoichi-senpai, the captain picked me up on Tuesdays and Saturdays from the comfort of my own home to help him train the team.
I basically became an assistant captain, while joining in on the training at times to keep my body fit. Even if I never played a single game of football with the team, it was better than doing nothing.
And it had been since August that this 'schedule' started.
Those three months had passed by quickly.
Ironically, I was still around a year and a half before the U.A. exams.
At this point, I was waiting for the saviour of this story to come crawling out of a bin, a blue and white yakuta and wooden sword in hand as they would start spewing something about life... That sounds nice.
"Are you even listening to me?" Jiro called out, her ear lobes looking at me suspiciously. One wrong action and I would be stabbed by Jiro's Quirk, and even though it didn't really hurt, it was still annoying.
In a funny way.
I got this.
"Why would I not be listening?"
"What did I just say?"
"Something about Liverpool being the greatest to ever do it-, OW!"
I cried out in pain as I clutched my left hand, looking up at the smug Jiro. She shrugged her shoulders at my shocked expression as we walked through the near-empty school corridors.
"Fuck you," I swore loudly, shaking my hand so the pain would disappear. Did she add more force to it? Despite that Jiro raised her eyebrow at me as her right ear lobe stared at me.
I stared back.
"...You really are pushing your luck today dud," Jiro said simply, swinging her bag over her shoulders. "Now come on. I don't want to waste our time that much. Wanna' go annoy Denji at baseball after we move the instruments?"
I grinned as she grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
"Touchy today, aren't we-"
Jab.
"Hey! I wasn't teasing you!"
Why was she so violent?
Wasn't that bad for a hero-to-be?
Weren't we supposed to become 'Young Legends', with a promise of free steak after we save the world from a hot military woman?
So why was she dragging me around the school with no problem? Everyone else practically ignored us, but not for the reasons that I had previously thought.
Long gone were the rumours of 'Yamazaki of Class E'. 'Mr Prodigy' and 'Tough Bastard' were all names of my previous self. While most people still had their reservations about me, many people at least tried to make conversation with me.
Even as Jiro dragged me around, I earned a view of waves and nods from those I recognised.
People I partnered with in science.
Other people in my P.E. class.
"Stop dragging your feet. Let's go," Jiro said to me with a smile.
Alright.
Alright.
C
H
A
P
T
E
R
FIVE
Over The Top
'Never trust someone with a weird hat'
Ding Ding
Shirou : Oi
Shirou: What you doing rn?
Shirou: Wanna grind out some GTA?
Shirou: Oi
Shirou: I can see that ure online
Shirou: Sora stop playing Man-Spider 2
I smiled softly as I laid down my phone at got back to my game. My characters weren't going to grind out the dungeon themselves, now were they?
"Oh you know, Makoto's birthday is coming up. I heard she made Saki something really nice last year for her birthday, I wonder what Saki's going to get Makoto! Maybe she'll make something for her?"
Next door to me, I could hear Miwa and her friends gossiping.
Really loudly.
I resisted banging my head against the wall so that they could lower their volume, but I knew that it would only aggravate them some more. Despite that I sighed as my PS gave me a notification.
Please renew your online subscription.
Ah.
The sad thing was that I was broke.
You: Dude I don't have online rn
You: When I get online I'll play
Shirou: The maybe don't pre-order games
Shirou: Get them on a discount
You: I don't want to be spoiled bitch
You: I'll ask around and see if I can get a months subscription
Shirou: Ite
I threw my phone down on my bed as I paused my game, swivelling around on my chair deep in thought. I needed money. And I needed to get it fast. I mean the only way I could think of getting money was to join the mafia, but that wasn't really something I either knew how to do or was willing to do in the first place.
I could ask my parents for the money, but…
They'd probably turn me away.
Or I'd get the money but I'd have to do extra chores around the house or something, and by then it wouldn't have been worth it considering I wouldn't have had enough time to truly play online and get my money's worth. Miwa did owe me some money, but I also owed her some money too so there was no point in asking her for it…
Wait, PS gift cards!
I got my hopes up as I checked my gift card balance… only to be a few hundred Yen away from being able to renew my online membership for a month. Damn it. I sighed as I got up from my seat and began to pace around my room.
If I begged hard enough, I'm sure my Mum would give me money.
But then Miwa would complain and she'd get the same amount as me.
And then Dad would take away my money for spending it on stupid things instead of saving my money. Tch. Maybe the guy was right, if I had saved the money I got from Christmas and my birthdays, maybe I wouldn't be in the position I currently am in.
I opened my door and went to the living room where I saw my Mum sitting on the couch drinking some tea as she watched some TV. Some random sitcom about a doctor or some shit.
"Yo," I waved at Hinata as I sat down next to her. "So, uh, when do you get paid?"
"...Do you only come to me for money?"
"No," I vehemently denied. "You're my beautiful Mum. Did I ever tell you that you look twenty-five?" Hinata snorted at that as she took another sip from her tea, rolling her eyes at me.
"Thank you, but flatter can only get you so far. What is it this time?"
"Online membership so I can play with my friends."
"Maybe you should have saved your money."
"I know, I know, but I made a mistake! And I'm your son, a stupid teenager," I replied, "But I promise you if you give me the money I'll learn from this mistake! Aren't you suposed to be my role models!? Lead by example."
Hinata hummed at that.
"You're good, but you're not that good."
"Muuum!"
"Why don't you ask your father?"
"He's not gonna' give me shit!"
"Language."
"Ugh. You get what I mean, so please. Help me out here," I pleaded with her. I even tried the puppy dog eyes method. But not even that was enough to crack Hinata. "Damn. I need money."
"Then why don't you work?"
"Eh?"
I blinked at her in shock.
Me?
Work?!
Surprise was probably written all over my face, maybe I had comically large eyes? Veins popped out of my forehead, my jaw glued to the ground, and my face pale as a ghost as I thought about that dreaded word.
Work?
At fourteen?
"Uh, I don't think I can-,"
"You can work a part-time job. It won't be much, but it's better than nothing," Hinata interrupted me. "Oh, doesn't one of your friend's parents have a restaurant? Why don't you ask him for a part-time job."
"Uh… I'll think-,"
"No. You will ask," Hinata cut me off once more. "It's time you learned the value of money and hard work. You can't just coast off everything in this world, especially if you want to be a hero. You know heroes never take days off."
"Yeah, well I will."
"You will?"
I nodded at her.
"Yeah, I got it all planned out," I told her while grinning. "I'm gonna' like save the world so the streets are so safe I only have to patrol it every now and then. Which means I can just have fun for the rest of the week."
Hinata laughed at that.
"I mean, I guess that's a plan. A stupid plan, but a plan nonetheless," She replied. "Still, I do want you to work. I think it's a good idea. You know. Not everyone get's to become a hero - And I'm not saying you don't have it in you to become one. Just… Sometimes the opportunity never comes calling. And I don't want to see you put all your eggs in one basket for it to just not work out."
I sighed at that.
What she was saying did make sense, and I guess that's why I hated it.
"Yeah, true enough. Fine. I'll work, alright? You happy now? I'm only going to work part-time, like on the weekends or something!" I told her seriously. "And you better pay for my travel to Denji's place. Pretty sure he said something about his Gramps needing to hire a few more waiters."
"That's perfect then, right?"
"I guess."
Hinata reached over to kiss me on my forehead.
"I'm proud of you, Sora. Love you."
I grinned at my Mum.
"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."
Walking back to my room, I couldn't help but overhear Miwa and her friends talking loudly as usual. Which was why as I passed her door, I kicked it open before legging it to my room and locking it before Miwa could hit me. Haha.
"SORA! YOU BITCH!"
"Lalalala," I said so that she could hear me across the door. "Not listening."
"Grrrrr! You broke my door!"
"Nope!"
"The hinges have come off!"
"Not my problem."
"Just wait till Gekko hears about this!"
I gulped.
Maybe… maybe that was serious.
Oops?
I grabbed my phone and began to text Denji.
You: Yo
You: is your gramps still looking for workers?
Denji: Yeah, why?
You: Think he'll hire me?
Denji read my text as I anxiously waited for a response.
Denji: Just asked him and he said to come down for a trial shift
Denji: Saturday
Denji: Not my place, the restaurant a few streets down
Denji: Actually just come to mine and I'll walk you there
Denji: I'm working that day too
Denji: Welcome to being a assistant sales manager!
Ha.
I grinned at that.
I just got my first job!
"Hello, my name is Sora Yamazaki how may I help you today?"
Assistant sales manager? A glorified waiter more like.
I had to wear a black polo shirt, black jeans and black shoes which contrasted heavily with my light blue-slash-silver hair. Even Denji looked sorta uncomfortable as we stood outside the restaurant with smiles on our faces.
His grandpa, a stern but jokey guy prowled the inside of the restaurant.
"Sora!" He barked, making me jump up in surprise. "Stand up straight. You look like a midget when you slouch." Denji cracked up at that as I felt my brow twitch uncontrollably.
I was standing up straight.
I was just a little short for a fourteen-year-old.
Thankfully our next customers came along to distract me... ah, a beautiful girl with white hair, with some red streaks wearing glasses and what I presume to be her boyfriend with normal white hair. I glared at the guy in jealousy, why did this fucker get to be with a girl so hot?!
Even Denji agreed with my assessment.
"Come on, Fuyumi, we don't have all day!" The boy said, "I don't care if you're my older sister. Just hurry up and make a decision, I'm hungry." His words made me wince slightly.
I was so very wrong.
The girl, Fuyumi, hummed as she took a look at our menu before she looked at me with her amazing eyes. Even though she was a few years older than me… Damn. If only I was a little older.
I'd totally fuck the shit outta'-,
"Uhm, excuse me, but do you serve coffee?" She asked me politely.
I nodded in response.
"Yes, we do. Along with many desserts. Would you like to take a look at our special menu for today?" As the two customers walked inside the restaurant I felt Denji look at me in jelaousy.
I was getting to serve the hot chick.
Score!
"Nemuri, look at THIS!" An over-excited blonde man with the weirdest moustache shouted inside the restaurant., his partner slapping herself as she groaned loudly. Thye stood in front of the special cake of the day which was stuck behind a glass display near the bar.
I too was groaning, but not for the same reasons as she was. No, instead of dying from embarrassment like the woman was, I was rushing over to the blonde man to stop him from breaking the glass display with his loud voice.
It seemed like the entire restaurant was shaking whenever he opened his mouth.
Denji was already covering his ears.
And Denji's Grandpa was glaring at the two customers, his patience thinning by the second.
This was not a good day.
"Hello sir, how may I help you today?" I asked a man wearing a maroon beanie, failing to cover his long black hair and a short beard. It was a polite and normal greeting for a waiter to give.
I think.
"Ah don't mind me. I just do odd jobs here and there, so picking up something for my client. Anyway, what would you recommend?" He asked me. I grinned.
"Well sir, as you can see over here we have the premium menu starting at ten thousand yen..." He leered at the prices, like a crazed lunatic.
"Woah, these sure are expensive!" He muttered, stroking his chin. "I love my job. My client just gave me his card and told me to buy food for his pregnant wife. Some rich trust fund fuck. Or something, isn't that American? Whatever. Just know, if you're ever in need of something, call my business. Odd Jobs Dai, me and my friends will give you a good price. Anyway, I'll take one of everything."
I grinned, I was so getting that bonus.
"Shigeo! One of everything!" I yelled. Denji's grandpa popped his head out from the kitchen to look at me in confusion, sizing up our client. I could see that he was confused.
"One of everything?" He asked the customer.
And the guy nodded, resting his hands behind his head.
"Yep. One of everything."
Shigeo's smile was terrifying.
Like a wolf that had caught its prey.
A very expensive car rolled outside of the restaurant, probably some rich business owner. Judging by how much Shigeo was shaking in trepidation, it was time for me to put on my best performance. Even Denji made sure that his collar was perfect as we stood outside the restaurant and watched the Rolls Royce park right outside.
Focus Yamazaki, focus!
When the doors opened, I expected someone all decked out in a designer suit and a watch worth more than my entire life. Maybe an actor or footballer, or like I thought before - A rich business owner surrounded by beautiful women.
What I was not expecting was a white mouse walking on their two feet to come in with a bright smile.
"Ah, this seems lovely."
The mouse said.
Shigeo was also gobsmacked as his reactions were slower than usual, I could see the sweat dripping down his forehead. Even Denji looked mortified by our customer, a pro hero?!
Nezu?!
This was not going well.
I gulped at that.
"After me, sir."
"Here you go, Sora," Shigeo handed me out my wages for the month. It wasn't much, but it was enough money for me to start saving. And I guess, I had learnt my lesson. While spending money was fun, so was saving money. "Want to come back to mine to relax with Denji for a bit? I don't mind driving you back home since your parents know you're with me."
"Eh, It's fine Gramps," I waved him off. "Thanks for the offer, but I'd feel bad. Also the train's are still open and I already bought my return ticket. Maybe next week, if that's alright with you. It's the start of our Christmas break anyway, so I could probably have a sleepover if that's all right with you."
Shigeo grinned at that.
"That's perfect. Denji's been sulking around the house lately, I think it's that time of year where he thinks about his parents… Poor boy," Shigeo sighed at that as he shook his head. "He's like you in a sense. He never knew his parents. My son and his wife died in a car crash just as he was born."
Ah.
Denji didn't talk about his parents much.
Neither did I to be honest.
"Should I ask if Shirou or Sui are free? Renji's out for the holidays and said he's going to New York with his family. If the other two are free maybe that'd be cool, if you're okay with it of course. Sir."
Shigeo snorted at me.
"Don't Sir me! I may be old, but I can still kick your scrawny arse across my restaurant, and don't you forget it!" Shigeo told me jokingly. "And yeah, that sounds great. I'll figure things out with everyone's parents, so don't worry about it. You make sure you bring enough controllers to last the night."
"I thought I was going to be working here and then going back to yours?"
Shigeo shook his head at me.
"Nah. Just go straight to Denji and have some fun. You deserve it for working so hard, Sora. You know, back in my day, heroes used to help around like this," Shigeo told me. "Before All Might, you had pros coming into restaurants and helping out. Not for a PR stunt but because they cared about the community. Nowadays you have harpies like Ryukyu and posers like that Endeavour fella'. Tch. You better not turn out like them."
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
"I don't know what the future holds. But yeah, it's not like I'm a big fan of them in the first place," I admitted. "To be honest, I never really followed heroes. I'm not even a big fan of All Might. I've just always wanted to be one I guess, or rather I was always pushed to be one."
Shigeo nodded at that.
"I can see why. Hard worker, you've got a good head on your shoulders and you are a nice guy in general. You'd do well in that field. Education too," Shigeo told me. "But I don't know if you have the patience to teach."
I snorted.
"I don't think I ever will."
"Fair enough, lad. Well, good night. Make sure you get home safe and message either Shirou or me that everything was fine, alright? I'll sort out the details for next week, all you got to do is get your butt over here in time. Got it?" I chuckled at that, waving goodbye to the old man.
"Yeah, yeah. Night."
It was a chilly night in December.
Warming up my hands, I shivered as I made my way to the train station.
I had roughly a year and four months until the U.A. entrance exams, and here I was working a part-time job. Wasn't Midoriya already training? I'd just procrastinate and wing it, probably the best decision I could make since Quirk use was inhibited. Of course, if I wanted to, I could easily practise in my room.
And I did.
To some extent.
My Quirk was easier to train with than others, changing my Nimbus's shape from a cloud to a baseball bat was becoming quicker and quicker, not to mention becoming more smooth.
It had been a long time since the objects I 'cloud-ified' had any bumps in them, if anything I became a mini blacksmith with my materials being only the cloud I summoned. Even if all I could manage was a baseball bat, I was working on that too. Making a katana would be cool, but I also wanted to expand my options away from just weapons.
Such as a wall or a big ball.
Maybe even some attacks.
The train station was practically deserted as I walked inside and skipped the barriers, there was no way I was paying for transport at this time of hour. I messaged the family group chat that I arrived at the train station before I made my way to the South-Eastern Line.
It would take me close to home where my Dad would probably pick me up in the car.
'"Makoto, I'm out! Seriously I'm fine, but please can you chill out, please!"
A familiar voice shouted out. Saki Saki. We were in the same group chat, and obviously, we hung out at lunch and after school - She was a friend of Makoto's and thus a friend of Keiko and Sakura's.
Jiro too.
She was even on the same trip as me back in May, but she was far more reserved.
Even after a few months, I could recall the number of conversations I had alone with her on both hands. With her light brown hair and her pink eyes, she glared at her new phone with an annoyed expression written all over her face.
"Yes, I'm fine, Makoto. Please, trust me on this. Bye." She said quickly, hanging up the phone.
"Saki," I yelled, catching her by surprise as she reached for inside her bag, but quickly relaxed once she saw me scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. "Yo. Sorry to startle you.
I really am hopeless sometimes.
"Oh, Sora. It's fine. What's up, and what are you doing here around this time?" Saki asked me curiously.
"I was just working late at Denji's grandpa's place. You?" I replied. She was wearing a silvery dress that complimented her eyes, and her growing figure if one wanted to look at her that way. She was fourteen and as such I had to scrutinise her a little. She spotted some nice black high heels.
If it wasn't for the fact I went to school with her, not to mention was friends with her, I wouldn't have realised she was fourteen, I probably would have guessed seventeen or maybe eighteen.
She did look far older than she was.
Which was weird.
I shuddered at the thought.
"Oh you know, just hanging out with some friends, running some errands for Makoto's birthday soon," Saki replied, laughing a little more than I remembered.
I groaned slightly as she walked over towards me, with her high heels on she was taller than me. Cursed genes, why couldn't I be related to someone tall?
"Hey Saki-chan, where are you? Didn't you say we have less than a week to do it?" A man called out. Her face flushed red as we both turned towards the source of the voice.
It was a group of boys, each looking way above the age of nineteen at least, and judging by them holding a few bottles of alcohol, and others holding cigarettes, meant I was probably right.
"Who's the pipsqueak you got there, boss?" One of the men said, wearing a maroon beanie that failed to cover his long black hair and a short beard. He looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on where I met him.
"I- uhm, he-" Saki stammered out, flushing red slightly as she came into eye contact with the man.
I narrowed my eyes at them.
"Who are you calling pipsqueak, you cunt?" I replied venemously, standing in front of Saki. At the very least if a fight broke out, I'd give her enough time to run. That much was certain.
Some of the elder boys in the back laughed a little, but quickly stopped once their leader stood up to me. Maroon beanie and all. He was around six-foot-tall, making my measly five-foot-four height look like a child. Stupid height difference.
"Oh, so the little boy wants to play big? Are you sure you want to mess with us?"
I grinned at the bastard.
I was used to dealing with his types.
They were all the same, they tried to act hard but once you applied a little pressure they backed off. Back when I was still a rough delinquent, I attracted these 'tough' guys like a moth to a flame.
But I dealt with them like I dealt with everyone else.
With a few punches and grit.
"Are you sure you want to be caught talking to a minor? Last time I checked wasn't it against the law to be involved with children under sixteen?"
The man laughed a little at that.
"Ah my apologies, Saki here is my girlfriend and she's seventeen. She may not look it but that's how it is. Sorry for disturbing you Sir, I should have known that youthful Quirks may exist, even if they make you look short-, Sorry."
I blinked.
Youthful Quirks?
Was he trynna' call me an old geezer that just looked like a kid-,
I felt my eye twitch immensely at that.
"Well, that's where you are wrong 'buddy'. Saki here goes to my school, and she is a friend of mine. So I'd suggest you go fuck off and bother someone over the legal age unless you want to be thrown in prison." I replied angrily.
Girlfriend?
Who was this guy trying to fool?!
Even his friends looked disgusted at him as he said that.
So then if they were disgusted why did they still hang out with him?!
Idiots.
"Oh, right," The man said, reaching out for his pocket. "See to me this sounds like a problem." he pulled out some brass knuckles, slipping them on as he passionately twirled around and taunted me.
….was this guy for real?
I took another look at his friends who sighed at him.
And Saki?
She was shaking her head in disapproval.
"OK, bro! We can settle things in of two ways. I beat your ass and you say nothing, or you say nothing and I beat your ass for getting involved in my business. Got it pipsqueak?"
I growled, hands twitching as I readied myself for a fight. Hopefully, I would come out of it with fewer injuries than this idiot. But before I could summon my Quirk, a pair of hands dragged me away from the guy before we could start the brawl, making me both relieved and pissed off.
Saki, using her Quirk, looked at me in anger.
"It's fine Sora. We are just friends, don't listen to his rambling. I'm not his girlfriend. Daiki-kun here is very friendly. Nothing bad going on, we just have some business to deal with together, alright?"
My eyes narrowed, this man tried to lie and say you were his girlfriend. What part of that was 'friendly' at all. Thankfully, Daiki's friends seemed to be giving him a similar lecture as they berated him for calling her his girlfriend.
At least it wasn't that outcome.
Still.
"Friends?" I laughed out loud, "Looks like a 'fine' group of friends ya' have, Saki."
She pouted slightly but she remained firm as she stood in my way.
"Go home, Sora. I'm fine, honestly."
I scowled at her.
"You honestly think I'm going to leave you here alone with them?" I said, pointing at the group who were drinking and cracking jokes at my expense, the man whom I almost fought now leering at Saki like some crazed maniac. I wasn't going to allow this.
"Yes," She replied.
I shook my head violently.
"No fucking way. And judging from your phone call earlier Makoto is concerned too, and most likely everyone else. So stop being an idiot and let's go home. I'll even walk you," I responded, glancing over at the group of boys who could hear me. "I promise I won't call the police, so just come along. It's easier this way. Trust me."
Saki huffed as she looked at me, and then back at the group of men.
"But-,"
"Go Saki, we will meet with you tomorrow," The leader, Daiki, said as he brandished a grin towards me that made me shiver slightly. Fat chance, bastard. By tomorrow I'm going to have reported you to all the police stations in Musutafu.
Fucking creep.
"...Fine," Saki relented, waving goodbye to the men as she walked towards my direction. My eyes never left the group of men as they walked away laughing.
Bastards.
"Let's go Sora," Saki said coldly towards me, making her way to our train platform but I grabbed her hand tightly. And I wasn't going to let go until she gave me some answers.
"What the hell was that?" I asked. She tried to shake my hand off her, but I wasn't going to let go.
"What was what?" She asked, feigning her innocence.
I gripped harder.
"Listen Saki, those people were real pieces of shit, let me tell you that for free," I said.
"Oh? And what would you know about them, Sora? You don't even know their names!" She responded, glaring murder at me. "Trust me, Daiki was being an idiot but he's never even laid eyes on me like that. He was just being stupid. I'm fine, seriously. Just let me go."
"I don't want to," Was my only response.
"Now who's being an idiot? Don't make assumptions just because you saw something, I promise you it isn't as bad as it looks," Saki told me, but I didn't believe her. I let her go as we made our way to our platform and hopped on the train. "Sora, I'm not lying. I promise you."
"I never said you were."
"Well, you keep on looking at me as if I'm in trouble. Listen, I asked them to come and meet me, not the other way around. And if I'm in trouble I'll ask for help, obviously," Saki said. "But I'm not. And I never will be, at least not with them. It's… it's hard to explain but I'll tell you all about it soon, alright? Just stay out of it."
Tch.
"Sora? Promise me."
"Fine, fine. I promise."
We both knew that I didn't mean it.
"All right class, over the next term until the end of this school year we will be doing a project..." My Japanese literature teacher addressed us. "This project is an essay that I will be supervising discussing your time in middle school, and how much you have enjoyed it along with what could be better."
I groaned, this was just going to be another pain in the ass to complete.
I looked around the class, my eyes focussing on Saki more closely. She was messaging someone on her phone, a small grin forming on her face as her visibly red cheeks looked around to make sure no one was looking. Ever since... Ever since that night, she had been avoiding me completely, so far as to not even sit at the same table as me causing Makoto to apologise on her behalf.
I simply could not understand, wasn't I doing her a favour?
Why couldn't she understand?!
That night kept on replaying in my head, souring my mood and my face judging by the people around me quickly packing up their things and running out of the class when the bell rang, giving me odd looks every now and then.
"Yamazaki," My teacher called out. She was fairly young, with a short blue bob with glasses that just about covered her sparkling green eyes, she wore a long lab coat despite not being a science teacher.
"Hmph," Was my only reply as I packed up my things, glancing at Saki slightly who rushed out of the class.
"Your last work was simply sublime. Honestly, the thorough understanding you have of Japanese literature, along with the many kanji and romaji makes reading your analysis extremely entertaining as a teacher. Honestly, unlike Makoto, I never see you reading literature during class which confuses me with your in-depth knowledge. Maybe you really are a genius. But that girl can read so much, plus it helps that she enjoys reading a lot. Anyway, I can't wait to read your essay about your middle school life."
I internally groaned.
I simply wanted to tell her that I wasn't going to do it, but that seemed rude.
"Yes sensei, I'll make sure to entertain you with that as well," I replied, causing my teacher to flush a little as she coughed slightly.
"Honestly, despite what you write on paper you can say the most idiotic things sometimes,"
I blinked at her... didn't she just say she wanted to be entertained by my piece of work... oh… wait.
My eyes widened as I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment, nervously looking around the class to make sure no one else heard me. Nope, nada. My teacher began to grin like a Cheshire cat which made me feel more embarrassed already.
Despite my teachers... perkiness, which then reminded me of another word- breasts. My teacher was always up in my face, along with all the other students, something that always made most boys blush once they realised she was well above average.
Unlike them, however, I wasn't depraved enough to take notice in front of her.
"Uhm, sorry sensei. I'll keep it in mind next time,"
She smirked slightly as she ruffled my hair like a dog.
"That's good, and it's Shiyama-sensei to you, calling me just 'sensei' makes me feel old."
I kept myself back from commenting that she already was old, most likely because I knew that her response would probably be painful at the very least. Grabbing my bag, I headed towards the door, stopping slightly as I saw Saki on the phone outside.
"...yeah! School is boring, I wish I could be with you and everyone else," She said, before giggling. "Oh stop it, after I went home I was bored out of my mind for hours. I wish I could have stayed with you and finished it."
My mind blanked slightly. Were they speaking together during school? I had to hold down my arm before I did something drastic as I walked past her biting my lip as hard as I could.
Bastard, how dare he?
"So you noticed?" Someone asked me. I turned around to see Makoto leaning towards a corner, her silver hair tied up in a ponytail. If it wasn't for her unhappy look, I probably would have been confused.
"Yeah, met the creep and even told her off, yet she still continues to act like this," I replied. Makoto nodded at that, shrugging her shoulders as she studied Saki on the phone.
"Same, saw her and him together by accident as they snuck off. Saki however doesn't see it that way, no matter what I, or any of the rest of us said. She still continues to hang out with the creep," Makoto added.
I raised my brow.
"Everyone else knew?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Not everyone. Only me, Denji and Jiro. No one else knows and it would be good if you didn't say anything," I nodded in response. "Originally Sora, you weren't supposed to know either. We knew you would act rashly... judging from what Saki said, we were wrong. You should have decked the bastard in the face right then and there."
I sighed.
"Tell me about it."
Makoto smiled a little before her eyes widened as she yanked on my arm causing me to crash into the wall headfirst.
"Ow..." I whispered, holding my head. "That hurt."
Makoto covered my mouth with her hands as Saki walked past us, oblivious as she continued her conversation on the phone.
"Oh, Thursday sounds great! I don't even need to come in on Friday, with my attendance and grades the school won't care that much. It's a date then!" Saki said happily over the phone.
Makoto's eyes shone with fury as she looked at me, even more pissed off than before. I gulped, trembling slightly. Was she going to kill me? No, pull yourself, Yamazaki! You have faced far stronger, and more intimidating foes! I was lost in my thoughts entirely as Saki hung up the phone and started to skip down the corridor, completely oblivious to us.
I didn't realise I wasn't breathing until Makoto let go of her hand, causing me to gasp and catch all the oxygen I could.
"What's wrong with you?" Makoto asked me in confusion, making me glare at her slightly. "Anyway, are you free Thursday night, Sora?" I shook my head as she grinned at me like a cat. "Great, you are helping me out that day. See ya'!" She cheerfully waved at me, but I could see the cold rage beneath her eyes and into the depths of her soul...
Damn, I've been reading too many light novels lately.
I sighed.
It was cold, wet and frankly bad weather to be outside. Even worse than that, it was snowing. SNOWING! I hate the snow, more than anything else in the entire world. It was pointless, everyone said 'It looked pretty', or that it symbolises winter but to me, snow represented loneliness.
It basically represented life, you fall from the sky, the peak, and eventually come crashing down to earth where it's shit and you promptly die.
Very accurate.
But more than that, traversing the show was a hassle. I loved the rain for that reason. In my previous life, I was far more used to the rain, as I child I used to wear my Spider-Man Wellington boots with my raincoat and oversized backpack as I went to school.
It was one of my core memories of the UK when it came to winter…
Whereas snow?
I did not know how to deal with it.
Rain was easy to deal with.
Snow, however, gets everywhere. Inside my shoes, my clothes, my hair, not to mention I have to cover myself in so many layers that I feel like a turkey, stuffed to high heaven. Oh, and how could I forget snow's worst attribute - The number of couples that think it's romantic to walk together across the snow as they stare at each other, starry eyes and everything included in 'Romeo & Juliet'.
Makoto, wearing a nice fluffy pink hat, and a black coat seemed to disagree with me as she mumbled under her breath
"This would have been a nice place to go with Fugaku-kun on my birthday next week..."
Fugaku.
Her presumed boyfriend from another school.
Great, even my partner in crime here wasn't focused on the mission at hand.
"Oi, oi, oi. Focus, you invited me so remember that, okay?" I scolded her as if she was a little child. Makoto pouted as she flicked my ear playfully.
"You need to chill out. And I am focused, it's you who isn't! A focused person wouldn't be paying more attention to their partner rather than their surroundings!"
I tuned her voice out as I scoured the area, hoping to find any sight of Saki Saki, unfortunately, either she wasn't here yet or we had already missed her.
"Tch."
I found myself clicking my tongue in agitation as I rubbed my hands together in an effort to make some heat in an effort to feel my fingers again. Seriously, the snow was getting on my nerves.
"-Hey, are you even listening?" Makoto shouted at me, poking my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, did ya' say something?" I replied feeling slightly smug as she flushed bright red before ignoring me. Finally, some peace and quiet. We finally reached a cafe that looked relatively normal as we stepped inside, Makoto having ordered a hot drink chose to get a simple fizzy drink.
"You know Sora, sometimes you can be really mean," Makoto said like a toddler. I rolled my eyes. Please, anything but this.
"Makoto, this to me is kinda like work. Helping people is basically what a hero is, I'm just trying to be professional," I tried defending myself, but the girl would not hear it at all.
"Go spare your lies for someone who will believe them. Honestly, if you were a samurai you would have been forced to commit seppuku at least one hundred times already. You act like you have no honour sometimes."
"...?"
That was my response.
Without honour? What the fuck does that even mean?
"Judging by your face, I presume you are confused?" Makoto asked me. I nodded my head as I took a sip from my drink, room temperature. Not the best, not the worst. "You always have this serious look on your face whenever it comes to one of us, and while it's really sweet, it's also weird. Have you never had friends before? Give us some space."
"I gave Saki space and now she's maybe getting groomed by an adult."
"Thats not what I mean!" Makoto huffed out. "It's good that you care and help us. I'm always going to be grateful for what you did to repair Keiko and Sakura's friendship, and obviously help Keiko herself. You helped out when no one else could. But now? Why are you helping Saki?"
"Cause she's my friend, dipshit! I don't wanna' see her get hurt."
"Then why are you scanning the area looking for a fight?"
I blinked at her in confusion.
"Fight? What makes you think that?"
"Dude, you can't even drink your Fants without scrunching your can up in anger."
"That's-,"
Makoto shook her head, interrupting me.
"You know I'm right. I'm not saying I'm thankful for you being here but just look at you. It's less about saving Saki Saki and more about beating the shit out of some idiots, and that makes you an idiot because we don't want to see you fight for no reason."
"How do you know it's for no reason?"
"Saki Saki broke up your fight the first time. She'll do it again, and again. She's strong like that," Makoto told me. "Not to mention I'm not gonna' let you fight my battles. I asked you here for support from my friend, not the delinquent who fights. I don't want to see you get hurt."
…I sighed, leaning back in my chair.
"Alright. Fair enough," I replied. "You got me there. What's the plan for dealing with Saki?"
"Just leave it to me. I've known her my whole life."
I nodded at that.
"Childhood friends? Lucky."
"It's not lucky. Our Mum's were friends, so we became friends," Makoto told me with a nostalgic smile. "She's basically like my sister. I… I don't mind seeing her you know, do more adult things. I mean I'm not going to lie and say I don't want to start doing those things with my boyfriend, Fugaku. But I don't want to rush into anything like Saki, and I don't want her to get hurt."
"Fairs," I whispered, finishing off my Fanta. "It's a shame this is happening so close to your birthday too. What a fuckin' gift, eh?"
Makoto chortled at that, finishing her coffee.
"I know, right? Such shit time."
I opened my mouth to reply, but I paused.
A familiar maroon beanie walked past our window with the same shit-eating grin along with a familiar girl by his side. A quick glance towards Makoto saw her eyes grow comically large as she rushed out from her seat, grabbing my arm as she pulled me towards the entrance.
I hoped the waiters would see the five hundred yen coin I tossed towards the table, I wouldn't appreciate it if we got tracked and had to pay a fine.
It would be a pain.
"You still have your plan?" I asked her as we followed the two in front of us.
"Yep!"
Her grip on my arm seemed to get stronger and stronger the closer we got towards the pair, however a flash of silver in Daiki's jacket made me tense up as I pulled Makoto towards me and pushed her towards the nearest wall.
"Oi? What the fuck is your problem? He's right there!" She shouted at me, causing me to growl slightly.
"What's the plan?" I asked.
"...plan?" She said confused. "I already told them, and scream up while you drag Saki away. You then call the police and the job is done."
I sighed at her.
"We we can't do that. Pretty sure that dude is carrying around a knife. You let me fight them while you take Saki away." Makoto scratched the back of her head, in a similar way to me, causing my eye to twitch.
Was she mocking me?
"You want me to let you fight a guy with a knife all alone? Are you insane? Fat chance of that happening, you dumbass," Makoto berated me. "There's no way I'm leaving you behind."
"I'm serious-,"
"Just because you want to be a hero doesn't mean you can play a hero," Makoto chided me. "Just shut up. This isn't up for discussion, Sora. We'll deal with it together, alright?"
…
Tch.
"Fine."
There was no chance in hell of that happening, but whatever.
It's not like she needed to know that.
This wasn't a joke.
Daiki over there had a weapon, that coupled with an unknown Quirk, along with his entire band of cronies meant I was going into a fight blind and outnumbered. It wasn't exactly good odds, but they all seemed like pussies so maybe I'd take down the guy with the knife and leg it.
Or, you know, just leg it in general.
Knives were scary.
"Stop overthinking it," Makoto snapped me out of my thoughts. "We'll be fine, just stick to the plan and everything will be good.
I clicked my tongue in response.
"That's a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts'," I told Makoto, causing her face to fall slightly. "But I'm not an absolute piece of shit. You guys are my friends, so I'm still gonna help regardless. Just... run when I tell you to."
Makoto snorted at me, lightly punching my arm.
"Ah right, Jiro mentioned this. A backwards 'hero complex', that you don't mind taking the heat for everything. If you tell me to run I'm going to stand my ground and fight. Like you, I don't abandon my friends so easily."
I groaned.
I really shouldn't have said that.
"Psst, Sora! Do you see something wrong?" Makoto whispered to me.
I shook my head in response.
Currently, we were tailing them, having used my Quirk, which matched the colour of my hair perfectly, into a beard was the best disguise I could pull off. Introduce that with a pair of glasses and I was unrecognisable... until you looked more closely and looked at my height.
Seriously, who the fuck believes someone under five-foot-five has a beard? Shit, now I'm getting angry over my height again.
Makoto on the other hand, wrapped her body around my right arm saying it was to make her blend in more. Of course, I would never admit to blushing... nor Makoto teasing me for being 'this close to a woman before.'
I did remind her that she wasn't a woman.
But it didn't help.
I only hoped her boyfriend wouldn't come out of thin air to tackle me to the ground on the snow, it was hard to explain, and Fugaku didn't exactly seem like the guy who thought straight in tough situations, he seemed like the type to always be wearing his heart on his sleeve.
But as Makoto squeezed my arm tightly, I stopped.
"Stop freezing up, you'll blow our cover," Makoto whispered to me, making me grin nervously. "It's like you've never been on a fake date before."
I hadn't.
But she didn't need to know that.
"Uhm, this is new for me, Makoto. It's, uhm, natural for me to 'freeze' up as you say." I tried to say in a calm and collected voice... and failing spectacularly judging Makoto giggling at me.
"Man. You sound like a kid trying to be an adult. Please can you speak like this all the time Sora, it would make more people laugh at you."
"Aren't they supposed to laugh with me?" I growled slightly. Makoto shook her head at that as we continued to follow Daiki and Saki who for some reason went to a lot of stores together, but they didn't buy anything.
Why?
Either way, I didn't have time to solve that mystery as Makoto laughed at me.
"Nope! You aren't that funny, so the next best thing is for people to laugh at your silly antics," Makoto gleefully replied as the two of us studied our targets from a distance.
I rolled my eyes at her.
"I resent that," Makoto stuck her tongue out at me, stepping on my toes slightly as we continued to follow Daiki and Saki. "Ow. Now you're really making me resent you."
"Resent it all you want, aniki."
I stopped in my tracks.
Aniki?
What the fuck was I, a Yakuza?
"Aniki?" I replied, scratching the back of my head.
"Yeah, you're the brother of the entire group. Older brother at that, plus your birthday comes first, May the Tenth right?" Makoto asked. I nodded at her. "
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with me being 'aniki' of the group?"
Makoto hugged my arm more fiercely as she looked into my eyes.
"Because you always try to help us. Sakura and Shirou practically adopted you into their family, Keiko already sees you as the brother she never had. You and Jiro are crazy good together, you know. You and Denji are practically like brothers, and you always try to keep Sui and Renji in line and not always working out. Not to mention you are here right now, with me, trying to bring back Saki. Therefore, you are our aniki."
I rolled my eyes.
"Why don't you call me your 'oni-chan'?" I asked, a smirk forming on my face.
"Oh my, is Oni-chan going to ask for perverted things from his younger sister?" Makoto asked innocently, wrapping herself around his back. "Oni-chan, I'm feeling tired. Can you carry me?" I pushed her off, smiling slightly.
"Knock it off, I'll be your brother but stop with the embarrassing nicknames. Also, you're not calling me 'brother' I'm pretty sure you're just calling me 'devil'. Devil-chan is a pretty shit name."
She stopped in front of me, fake tears in her eyes as she whined "Why must you be so mean Oni-chan!"
My ears flushed red as people around us looked at us curiously, causing me to put my hand over her mouth.
"Okay, that's enough teasing, little sister. Now stop being a brat." Makoto said something muffled which made me put my hand back in my pocket.
"...Who knew my elder brother was kinky?"
I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time.
I was so grateful that Miwa was nothing like this.
Well, she actually was my sister even if we were both adopted.
But even she knew the line when it came to teasing me before our Mum and Dad got involved. Usually, it was when she either threw something at me or I accidentally hit her a little too hard on the arm.
And then she gave an Oscar-worthy performance.
"Behind you, seven o'clock. Fifty metres," Makoto told me playfully, and sure enough as I turned around to see Daiki and Saki walking across the street. "You ready to grab her and go?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
They were going towards a secluded alleyway, which could mean a lot of things. Makoto's grip on me grew tightened as we shadowed them. They were just up ahead as Makoto and I ducked behind a pair of bins and began to listen in to their conversation.
"-Oh Daiki... It's perfect! I'd love to go to your house to add the finishing touches!" Saki said excitedly. Daiki gave a predatory grin, his eyes flashing a level of degeneracy that I had never seen before.
I think...
"Perfect Saki-chan. Just tell me the date and we can go-" Saki pulled him close as she whispered something in his ear. "Oh? Right now? Sure, we can make that work for a few days." Daiki said while grinning.
A few days?
A few days till what, you creep!
Tch.
"My friends are all there right now, so just let me call a taxi," Daiki said, pulling out his phone and dialling a number. "Just give me a minute, my sweet Saki-chan."
"Are we-" Makoto began, but I interrupted her.
"No. Too risky. Plus I don't have cash on me. That stint to the cafe ran me dry and I didn't bring my card with me. You?"
Makoto shook her head sadly.
"Me neither then. Shit!" Makoto cursed. "Just when we had them."
I frowned, my gaze lingering on Saki. Something seemed wrong with her. Why did she seem... stiff? As if she was bored with him, if they were dating surely she'd be hanging onto every word he was saying.
Hell, I noticed that throughout the entire trip, they didn't even hold hands.
They kept a wide distance at best, and they didn't even go into any couple's shops.
Just old boring DIY stores and whatnot.
Wait-,
"Makoto, stay here. I need to do something quickly," I said, pulling her away from me.
"Hey-," Makoto began, "Oi, come back! Don't do anything reckless, dumbass!"
I grinned.
"That's my line, Makoto."
Rolling up my sleeves slightly and ruffling my hair, I walked up to Daiki and Saki fearlessly. It all made sense now. Tch, all I needed to do was confirm the truth from the source itself.
"Saki," I said.
Saki turned around scared as she looked at me in surprise and confusion.
"Sora?! Why do you have a fake beard? And glasses?"
I blinked at her.
She blinked back.
I looked down.
Oh right, I still had my disguise. I summoned the fake beard made from my Quirk away as I looked sheepishly at Saki, whose eyes were wide open. Even Daiki looked at me in shock as he was still on the phone.
"Ah, my bad. You were sayin'?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Saki whispered furiously at me, scowling at just my presence.
"Oh ya' know, doing some window shopping. You?"
"Uhm, you know. Just-"
Saki was interrupted as Daiki got off the phone and pointed at me.
"It's you from the other night! What the hell are you doing here?!" Daiki yelled loudly as he turned to Saki. "Boss, should we run away or not? Your present is basically ready."
Ah, present.
Daiki, the guy who wore a maroon beanie finally clicked in my mind.
I recognised him from work a few weeks back.
"Odd Jobs Dai," I greeted. He looked at me funny, and Saki's eyes widened comically. Score.
"Huh? How'd you know my business name?" Daiki asked me in confusion. "Boss, did you tell him? I thought you said it was going to be a surprise?"
Saki nodded.
"It is a surprise."
"Then how does he know?" Daiki asked confused, glancing between me and Saki.
I grinned.
"Well Daiki, a few weeks ago you went to a restaurant for a job, the restaurant at which I was work at and served you. And I remember you wearing that maroon beanie, offering me a discount at your business, 'Odd Jobs Dai.' I didn't connect it until now."
"...Huh?" A voice said behind us. I turned around to see Makoto confused as she stared in my direction. "What the hell is going on here?"
Saki sighed as she looked at the floor in embarrassment.
"Oh no..."
Makoto's eyes snapped towards Daiki, who looked at Saki confused. "Hey bastard, what did you do to my sister?!" Makoto shouted.
Daiki didn't back down as he shouted back, "What the hell did you do to my employer?!"
"Employer?" Makoto said incredulously. "Don't make me laugh! You clearly want to groom Saki, you paedophile!"
Daiki spluttered in response.
"What!? Hell no, I just want her money, not her body!"
I sighed. With these two going at it, the truth will never be learned.
"Shut the hell up!" I shouted loudly, causing everyone to look at me. "Makoto, my apologies but we were wrong. Saki isn't being groomed by Daiki, she hired him for something in 'a few days'."
Saki nodded at that.
"Yeah, it was meant to be a surprise," Saki told Makoto. "I hired Daiki because there was something that I wanted to do, but couldn't. And all the other services were way too expensive, my father worked way too much to give me that amount of money, and mum's way too busy with my younger sibling to help me. That's the reason I hired Daiki."
"And what reason did you hire Daiki for?" Makoto asked curiously. I scoffed. Jeez, she wasn't this dumb, was she?
"For something in a few days, Makoto, think. What's in a few days?"
Her eyes widened at that.
"My birthday," Makoto whispered.
Saki nodded.
"Yeah... after you made me a present last year, I wanted to make you a bookshelf considering you don't really have one, and because you really like to read books. I was going to personalise it," Saki said, pointing towards Daiki, "And by hiring Daiki and his friends, they'd help get the parts and assemble it for me. Help personalise it for you."
Saki gave Makoto the bag of shopping she did today.
"If you look inside, you can see that it's all decoration items that you put on finished products. I wanted for it to be a surprise which is why I told you guys to back off. I guess the surprise is now ruined..." Saki looked down on the ground, tears forming in her eyes. "I just wanted to do something good for my sister in all but blood..."
Makoto had tears in her eyes as she ran and hugged Saki.
"You fucking idiot! I'd rather have you safe than a stupid present, don't worry me like that again, okay? Sisters don't do that shit," Saki nodded as she wiped her tears away.
"'Kay."
I smiled at the sight. Sure, it was all a huge misunderstanding, which in the end made it kinda funny, but it was sweet. And of course, Daiki coughed slightly as he tried to get our attention.
"Ahem, if you wish to cancel your order then be aware you have to pay an extra fee for all the materials-,"
I cut him off, shaking my head at him.
"I'll give you a discount on the premium menu at work. Now go home and do some other 'Odd Jobs', or something. Dumbass."
"Sweet!" Daiki yelled, walking the other way.
I sighed.
Shigeo was going to have my neck next time Daiki came around. Maybe I could pretend like I've never met him before in my life. Yeah, that sounds like a solid enough excuse.
Sorry Daiki, but my job is far more important than yours.
"Alright then, if everything is good now, I'm gonna leave," I told the girls. The snow was starting to pick up again, and that was pissing me off, plus I wanted to get home and eat some good.
"Are you sure?" Makoto said. "You can stay with us if you want."
I shook my head at her.
"Nah, you two need to talk or something. Lay down some ground rules. Ya' don't need me here for this."
Saki smiled softly.
"You helped Makoto this entire time… My, you really are a hero."
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment.
"Nah, not a hero. Not yet, anyway," I replied. "But soon? I don't know."
Makoto and Saki looked at each other, grinning evilly as they held hands and shouted in unison:
"BYE ONI-CHAN, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!"
I sighed. My life really sucks sometimes.
But I couldn't deny the grin on my face as I waved goodbye to them and made my way to the train station. Just a year ago, I would have been alone and sad. Blaming everyone else as I acted like a cunt for no reason.
A year later…
Well, it was clear that I had changed.
And it felt good to admit it.
EDIT:
I didn't change much here.
Just tightened it a little, got rid of a few scenes and fixed my SPAG.
This is just a neat little chapter showing Sora's growth you know, nothing more and nothing less.
Chapter 5 is now done!
Now, only one question to answer which surprisingly I got a lot in my PM's. I feel like I'r answered it before, but whatever.
Sora does have a pairing, yes. Who will it be? Who knows, but you can rule out some people, and of course with new characters in the future the future Mrs Yamazaki will become more clearer. No, it will not be a harem. I hate harems.
Will they're be slash? Not really, there will be characters who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community in here, but Sora strictly speaking a long with the cannon characters that we know off, are straight. Which means no, Mineta will still like girls.
But that's the only question here, and it won't really come into play in the story in a long, long, long time.
Now some nice trivia/plans for what this chapter was orginally going to be. Yes, originally Daiki was gonna be 'weird' to Saki to say the least, however at my current writing level I wasn't;t able to pull it off to my standards. Nope, if I did that original plan of this chapter I probably would have deleted it completely because I would have treated it wrongly(?). The original plan was for Saki to send nudes to Daiki, who sends it to his friends. Saki gets depressed and Sora talks with her, they walk around the city and he drops her off at a police station. However in-between that, the actual writing of Saki felt forced, which is why I went fro this storyline instead.
The hints were in the beginning for this storyline, with the first being right before Hinata enters Sora's room in the beginning. Anyway, this was a fun chapter to write. And yes, Sora's hate for snow is a reference to Star Wars's "I hate sand," :) I live the prequels.
Now for some good news for everyone who reads this. This entire fic is now planned out, with key characters, moments and locations. Now that everything, and I mean everything is planned I feel more confident. Now, how will it work? Currently we are in a prologue arc, which ends with Sora maybe being accepted into UA, or him maybe going to another school. Who knows a part from me (Yohohoho!) Anyway the fic will be seperated into three parts, like Naruto, only kinda different. I guess you could say the same with Bleach? Intro/Soul Society, Arrancar/Aizen and Lost Agent/TYBW.
Anyway as I was saying, three main parts, a prologue which we are in and one epilogue chapter. Why? Because the final chapter just wraps up existing plot lines, akin to Bleach's or Naruto's last chapters. Actually, more on the lines of Full Metal Alchemist's last chapter/Brotherhoods last episode. By then everything will already be wrapped up enough, just two or three question remaining at that point.
A new estimate for this fic, maybe 1.1 million words! Maybe less, maybe more.
Bad news: This is once again pretty far in the future. See I have exams between June 21st-28th, so this is the last chapter you guys will get for me at least until July, but do know that once July rolls around I'm going to try and do chapters weekly to make up for it, same with August. So we will get there... eventually.
Anyway, thanks again for all the support!
Next time:
GO GO KURASUNO, KURASUNO GO GO GO!- Wait shit, wrong franchise. Join me, Sora Yamazaki, as I take over the footballing world with my tactics, sharp tongue and star player, Sui Miura, as we- Huh, oi who wrote the script? Sui you bastard the fuck is this!-