Chapter 4:
The Electric Heart Club!
Day: 2
Lunch Break
Today was not an ordinary day.
Well, with the path Kenzo has taken, he reckoned he would probably never see another ordinary day in his life. This however, he reasons with himself, would be worth the crazy future he will have to eventually face. Of course, it is not technically moral for him to be trying to beat up information out of someone to blackmail another person, but the information is sort of an open secret and he believes the ends justifies the means.
Sure it might seem self serving as he needs members for his club, but he also believes that he can change the lives of the person he will beat up and the person he will blackmail for the better.
Sometimes it is important to play the villain for the sake of the greater good.
Kenzo does hope though that this is a one time running theme as playing evil is edgy, and he hates anything that resembles being edgy and cringe. (Even if he himself is).
He had sent a message to the morning announcement committee, asking them to broadcast a request to a duel during lunch time, to ask That Kid to join him and do one final fight where winner will do whatever the loser says.
Of course he told them to make this announcement in a hidden code language, which he knew That Kid would decode using his LifeHelper (watch) and know instantly what it is.
It is a language developed by the dropouts and delinquents who wanted to make announcements in the morning announcement session during morning homeroom time. They had together coded an app on the watch that allows people to make messages and to then decode them using the watch. Of course this was all to bypass teachers so that the teachers themselves don't have a clue as to what might go down. It generally just sounds like white noise, which the teachers had just attributed to the school system being old and not a purposeful hidden message.
With the very kind announcement committee, which did announcements sent in by both teachers and students, the school and the underbelly of it coexisted in harmony. Of course getting into this lore dump any further would mean that Kenzo would have to be part of the underbelly himself, but Kenzo is unfortunately a well studious and well behaved kid in class. He sees no interest in that side of the school and got lucky enough to even have the language app due to his constant clashes with That Kid. (Sometimes though he does wish he knew more due to it seeming like some cool side of the world he didn't get to venture too often into).
Of course after their first fight That Kid had exchanged contacts with him and informed him of the secret language, to make sure they can fight from here on out. At first Kenzo thought this as insane, but the more fights they had, (obviously with Kenzo being heavily under experienced and usually was the one ending up on the floor) the more he appreciated the rush of the fight, the adrenaline and the release.
It is probably why the delinquents love fighting so much, he can't vision doing it as much as they did, but he seemed to now understand better why it even happens in the first place. It was as if he was having a small taste in a hidden fruit, which while initially might've tasted bitter, later reveals its true sweet flavour.
Or something along those lines Kenzo has no idea if that analogy even worked.
What brought him out here now, in the open field they had outside the class buildings where school sports events take place, was to finally do the one final showdown.
This seems an extremely odd direction for a love master and leader of the love club to take, but things like these are needed in the name of love.
Of course most students who were unaware of the secret language where strolling around lunch time like normal, unaware of the few delinquents who understood the message, surrounding Kenzo in a circle, ready to watch the fight go down.
That Kid was currently facing Kenzo, his eyes narrowed as he studied his opponent.
His hands were stuffed in his pockets as his head was tilted chin upwards, as if looking down at Kenzo in front of him (Kenzo was familiar with that stance, a typical bad boy pose) . He had a black bandana wrapped around his forehead, and spiky red hair which led to no room for interpretation as to what That Kid was. He was a delinquent through and through.
"Well nice to meet you again That Kid..." Kenzo remarked, smirking and imitating his opponents stance, ready to take him on.
"Kenzo...you do realise I have a name right?" That Kid now looked at him with dismay. The mood changed drastically as what was once assumed to be dangerous aura radiating out of him transformed to one of mild annoyance.
The delinquents around them sighed as they realised that this was probably not going to even be a serious duel, seeing how That Kid was now acting way less menacing.
"Bro, I told you, you legit dress up like a stereotypical delinquent, unless you can prove to me your uniqueness you are nothing but an NPC..."
Kenzo then without any warning brought his two hands to his head and made fake cat ears, before reverting back to his original pose. This swift movement elicited a look of quick disgust from That Kid, which basically had Kenzo grinning slightly as he continued talking
"...and I shall not address you by your name, and besides I am here for information you might have on Elephant..."
Kenzo knew name dropping That Kid's bosses name was asking for trouble, and he also was currently lying on the floor.
The instant That Kid heard the word "Elephant" he torpedoed to where Kenzo stood and sent him lying flat on his back with a super efficient but strong punch to the gut.
This fight was almost as good as over, the delinquents crowding around them started to disperse, bored of the fight.
"Do not call him by his nickname, turd."
Kenzo gasped for air as he recovered from the shock, before slowly pulling himself up to a sitting position and staring dead into That Kid's eyes.
"You fell right into my trap" Kenzo exclaimed as he then quickly shoved his watch into the eyeline of That Kid, letting his eyes fall onto a picture that Kenzo had saved on his LifeHelper.
That Kid looked alarmed at the picture but before he could do anything, Kenzo clumsily tripped That Kid, which lead to him dropping to the floor.
Kenzo smirked as he finally had That Kid on the floor, he rolled on top of him to keep him on the ground, his legs on his waist as he held both of his arms and pressed them to the ground above his head, staring into his soul (Kenzo was also praying that the delinquents around him were bored and gone as he imagined they would leave, because if they saw this display those rumours of what he and Daiki were doing at the gate yesterday would seem true after all).
Just like he had planned, they were all distant enough to not notice the fight, and that left the two of them huddled in this awkward position on the floor.
"How..." muttered That Kid, "How did you know I was afraid of cats?"
"Well, the last time we fought when you sent me to the sick bay..." Kenzo explained as a matter of fact, still on top of him, "I noticed you usually did not attend classes, the reason that morning you decided to even attend class was because there must have been something different in the neighbourhood that day. It was a cat. I noticed this cat the time when I was walking my way outside the gate yesterday. I was keeping an eye to look around to see what must have prompted you to have decide to show up to class since you rarely show up anyways, you just tend to hang around the outskirts of school. I then noticed the new stray cat making its home near the school gate and I put two and two together. It was a huge gamble but to confirm I made the cat pose a few moments ago to see if my theory holds weight before I dive into the fight itself, and just as I suspected you reacted with disgust. Of course after you noticed the cat yesterday you probably high tailed your way to class and we met and rest is history..."
Kenzo took a breath, really excited as he laid down his evil monologue before continuing.
"...I set up this fight but I knew I was not going to beat you the normal way, thus I saved cat images on my phone to show you when you are angry and distracted. Of course mentioning your boss did exactly that so I was able to knock you down real easy with you frozen like a statue, and now..."
Kenzo smirked as That Kid stared at him angrily.
"As you agreed winner of this fight gets all, and my condition is that you will give me the info I need on the big man, the Elephant, because like it or not I am not your enemy. I am here to help the Elephant out."
"Yeah? How the hell would you do that huh?!"
"Because my friend, I know that the Elephant is, well as the rumours say, an outcast from love itself. People whisper it but they don't dare mention it. You bring me proof and I can help your boss out..."
"What...even if it was true how can you..."
"Because my friend, I am running the Electric Heart Club! Once I get what I need from you and have a sit down with him, I am sure he and even you will appreciate what I can offer...Akaji"
Kenzo whispered his name seductively to him, still on top of the guy.
"Please, don't ever use my name like that ever again you fiend..."
"Well, looks like we are sticking with That Kid then"
*****
"So what is your favourite movie?"
"Haven't seen movies in a while"
Daiki let out a sigh as he had asked his third question during their "lunch date" and he could still not seem to find any common ground with Sakura.
They both were currently sitting on the roof, the same place she had dragged him to earlier and where they exchanged their first conversation. They had their lunch boxes in front of them as they both sat cross legged on the rooftop, side by side. Daiki was not feeling like facing her directly and being this close to her yet. He felt he could protect himself from letting her see the random blushes that creeped up on his face, and so he sat beside her, a few inches apart.
Daiki was much more assertive this time, making sure to try and figure out exactly what her interests were, tossing questions to break the ice. However, whenever he asked her anything past time related, it was almost as if she had zero time or had zero interest in games, music and now after this question, movies as well.
He was at a loss.
Sakura was just grinning in his direction. He felt like she was just playing with him.
"Are you not answering seriously on purpose or is there like some hobby you like I have yet to ask?"
Sakura just shook her head.
"I don't tend to do much in my spare time, I might look like I have tons of fun outside school but truth is life outside is pretty boring, I got to thank you though you seem to have brought some excitement here in school at least, have not personally thought of going till your name popped up...my prince" she said with a wink, waiting for his response.
Daiki would have blushed, but he last night had beefed up on his banter and decided to retort back.
"Well I suppose with a princess like you life is bound to be interesting..."
"...."
"...What?"
"woah holy crap...did you just...flirt back?"
"Why the hell is that surprising! I am not some nervous wreck!"
"Need I remind you of yesterday..."
Sakura chuckled after mentioning that before fake shivering and chattering her teeth, pretending to be severely nervous, she then said in a high pitched voice
"I got ADHD please don't hurt my feelings!"
Daiki looked at her display before chuckling to himself, looking off into the distance.
"Yeah sorry I was kinda stupid yesterday, I guess I haven't told you yet of course but I am severely inexperienced in social interactions, so I hope you don't mind..."
Sakura leaned into him, letting her shoulder rest against his. He felt his body warm up with the sudden contact but forced himself to continue looking straight to avoid letting her see his current blushing face.
"You are pretty cool yourself Daiki, just be yourself, I am sure if the watch is right we are meant to be anyways..."
That was super sweet from her. Daiki could find himself nodding his head along to what she said.
They may have little in common, but its all about working together.
He wont figure her out day 2, he will let this go, wherever this leads.
Oh of course! He wanted to ask her how she came to know about him, and why exactly was just his first name on her watch.
"Hey Sakura...I actually had a questi..."
"Wait before you pop any other question I wanna ask you something..."
Daiki being the gentleman, decided to let her go first, to which she acknowledged and continued talking
"I do want us to experience life and all of course, especially the dates and get to know each other better, so...do you plan on inviting me to your house? Maybe whenever you are comfortable?"
Daiki was surprised at her request. It felt like it should be a no brainer, but the thought of her in his house had not occurred to him before...however this was perfect for him. He could ask her all the questions he wanted if he could get her to come back to his house, no dramatically timed interruptions.
He had to stop his mind wandering off to other potential reasons why he would want her to be in his house before responding.
"Of course, anytime you are free after school let me know and I can bring you along!"
Sakura gave him a gentle smile, a genuine thank you slipped her lips before she decided to get up and start stretching.
"Well lover boy, lunch is almost over, lets head back in"
Daiki nodded and followed along
"Yes...let's"
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