Ryuuto, the Ironfist President

“Besides, what kind of brother doesn’t notice his own sister being treated unfairly?” He shakes his head, waving his hand at her soiled locker. “But I understand. You’ve been a big help at the council. So I’ll help you out and be a big bro to Iwasaki-san here.”

Seemed..too convenient.

But I had something up my sleeve I could try.

“Kaede, you know, Miyaji has a point. Maybe he’s got the key to figuring out what’s really going on.” I looked at her, hoping she would pick up. For a moment, she nodded.

“Right? I’ve got a knack for helping out!” He beamed. “Not president for nothing!”

“Sure thing, unfortunately, this isn’t the first incident…someone poured a drink in her bag and got her notebooks soaked.”

Miyaji gasped. “Someone did that to you? How horrible! The cola would ruin your books…hey, we should buy her some new ones, on the council!”

My eyes twitched. “Funny you mention that.”

Confused, he looked at me again. “Mention what?”

“I never mentioned cola. I said drink…but you’re right, it was cola.”

It was a weak argument; he could easily refute it by saying he noticed her bag had a brown stain of cola.

“I—well,” he fumbled.

I could count on one thing though: Miyaji was a dumbass.

Kaede, grasping the situation, narrowed her eyes at the president as her frustration bubbled up. “You...”

Miyaji, now annoyed, scoffed at her response. “Blaming me for everything now?”

I walked up to him, containing my rage. “You don’t get away with messing with my sister.”

“And what are you going to do, Mr. Ethics and Morality?” He rested his hand on Kaede’s shoulder.

At that moment, Kaede, in a fit of rage, took his hand and bit it.

“Ow!” Miyaji jumped, a scowl crossing his face. He took his hand and forcefully swiped her across the face, resulting in her head banging against the lockers behind her with a thunk.

“Kaede!” I shrieked, seeing her dazed and confused. No longer in control, I grabbed Miyaji by the collar and slammed him against the lockers. His head crashed against the wooden panels, leaving him mildly dazed, but he recovered quickly.

He shoves me off, extending his fist at my chin, sending a shock across my jaw and neck. “All talk, no bite. Stay in your place.” He pushed me back to the side, taking a step closer to Kaede.

For causing Kaede so much suffering…

I lunged, sweeping my leg under his feet as he took his next step. I grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him as he lost his balance. I pivoted, now facing his front side, and I grabbed him by the chest and punched him squarely in the jaw.

I won’t let him…

Stunned, he tried swinging back, but in an enraged state, I placed my free hand on his chest and sent him to the ground.

Ever hurt her again…

Bam!

His head collided with the wooden flooring as the rest of his body made contact with the ground. A sickening crunch of the flooring cracking beneath reverberated around the entrance, the wood splintering into pieces as the back of his head lowered a few inches further.

“Acch–” Miyaji groaned, his mouth making several unintelligible sounds before he fell unconscious. I stood up to tend to Kaede's injuries and left that wretched place. 

***

“And that was pretty much the whole incident,” I sighed, seeing if I had bored Sato to sleep with my storytelling. Contrary to my thoughts, she was listening intently, her eyes looking off into the distance.

“That’s quite the story…” I did admit to violently pummeling someone.

“I did cause a lot of headaches after the fact,” I scratched my head. “I was suspended from school while the faculty went through the whole story. They let my suspension go at the end of summer break. Miyaji…did end up in the hospital for several weeks. That I do feel bad about.”

She nodded. “You definitely went pretty far… but it was for your sister.” She blinked, her eyes softening.

We sat there in silence for several more minutes, letting the sound of ocean waves and the breeze wash over our thoughts.

“What a way to end Watson’s birthday,” I mused.

“It’s still going on, they haven’t cut the cake,” Sato’s eyes lit up. “We might have time to make it back. Though it is unfortunate the storm put a damper on the sparklers.”

“Yeah…” I looked off into the distance. “They usually have some small fireworks displays, though the rainstorm probably cancelled that.

“Fireworks,” she replied with excitement. “I love fireworks…you know, back in the States, they always have a huge fireworks display on the Fourth of July. Even in our small town, we’d go into the fields and they’d launch them all up in the air.” Her eyes started sparkling as her memories resurfaced. “The way they make different shapes depending on the arrangement of the charges, the colors based on different metals used.”

Noticing a lecture incoming, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You really do love fireworks.”

“Hey…” she pouted. “They’re not too far off from rocket science, plus they’re beautiful to look at.” She sighed, leaning back on the bench. “It’ll be the first Fourth of July for me, not at my hometown for the fireworks show.”

“You know, during the summer there are a lot of festivals, and they do fireworks shows.” She turned back to me in increasing curiosity.

“Really?”

“Yeah, the biggest festival is usually on the last weekend of July…” I suddenly recalled the festival dates on that website Tachibana sent me. “But there’s also one usually every weekend in July through September. July 4th is a Saturday this year. So…”

Hold on, is this where I ask her to go to the festival? After such a sob story, making Sato worry about me disappearing into the rain…all the events in the previous hour? What kind of messed-up opportunity is this?

Screw it.

“Do you want to go see the fireworks then?” I swallowed the lump in my throat that had formed from earlier trepidations.

She looked at me in surprise. “Yeah, that’d be...perfect!” A grin appeared on her face. “That’s…next Saturday, right?”

“Yep…next Saturday. It’s quite festive, with good food stalls. People like to wear traditional dresses, like yukata.”

“Ooh! I want to try! Maybe the girls and I can go on another shopping trip with Tachibana-senpai!” She cheered. “Speaking of them, we should probably head back."

As if on cue, my phone started buzzing. I checked the caller ID: Lafon.

“Iwasaki. You two coming back soon?”

“Yeah, we’re about to walk back.”

“Okay, let us know when you’re close. They’re getting the cake ready for Chloe. A few of them want to get the party started soon—” In the background, I could hear a distinct voice laughing and having fun.

“Alright, we’ll let you know.” Ending the call, I saw Sato get up.

“Let’s go on!” She hyped up as I rose to my feet as well. “And…thanks for telling me more about you.” Her voice became a tad quieter. “I’m glad you shared with me. Now I know a bit more about you than most.”

A tiny flutter escaped my heart.

Back at the beach house, the group welcomed us back, the three guests having left in my absence. I reassured the seniors that I was alright, and they were considerate in not asking many details about the evening.

At the table, Watson sat at the center, donning a little birthday cap with an enormous birthday cake in front of her. The candles were lit, and we started singing Happy Birthday to her.

“Make a wish, Chloe!”

She closed her eyes, blew out the candles, and everyone cheered with joy. As the cake was served, Tachibana appeared, managing to balance herself and several drinks in her hand.

“Happy birthday, Chloe!” Tachibana cheered. “You hit the big 2-0, so that means you can join in our fun tonight! Here’s cheers to newfound adulthood!” She placed a cup in front of Watson, to the surprise of her three floormates.

“You sure, Watson-san?” I questioned, a tinge of concern in my voice.

Watson nodded. “She and I talked before this trip about it, and I wanted to try tonight! Thanks for asking, though!”

With any further issues resolved, we looked on as she drank.

“Doesn’t taste bad,” she grinned, her face starting to flush. “

I took another bite of the cake, enjoying the sweetness of the chocolate and icing. Several minutes passed as the group mingled and ate.

Watson suddenly got up, her voice louder than before. “Let's go!! Party TIME!”

Tachibana laughed along with the rest of the seniors. “That’s the spirit!”

I blinked at Watson’s newfound…confidence. Hold on, is it me, or is it sounding more like her streaming persona? Which means…

“Oi…Iwasaki-kun,” Watson had found herself next to me, now holding her phone out. “Roll for me to get Dvalif—”

“Um…”

“I SAID–”