(V2) Chapter 6: Double-edged Sword

The days passed on and the renovated house seemed more fit to living with a woman. I already made a makeshift study desk along with a kotatsu in the living room where I currently reside, moving more of my things to give Ayase more space in my former bedroom.

My mundane bedroom transformed instantly at her preferences, and it looked like a princess’s bedroom—a stark contrast to the grimy four corners I called paradise.

The thoughts of the whole apartment turning into a fantasy castle, still sending shivers to my skin. I am already accustomed to rats as my cleaners, cockroaches as my companions. I just cannot live in it.

Let alone imagine it.

“Back to earth, Haru!” words tore through my imaginations before I was brought back by a sharp burning pain at the back of my neck.

“Ow!” I snapped, and I turned to Akito, who propped his steaming palm with a playful smirk.

“Spacing out again, huh? Tell me, Takamine-san finally getting to your skin once more?”

“Cut it.” I responded, rubbing the back of my neck. “Can you think of better conclusions before directing me to Takamine-san?”

“Dude,” he responded, voice low. “it's all written on your face. How could you escape this section’s greatest detective?”

“Tch. Better investigate your own stupidity.”

With the LUNA teacher still not showing up, my eyes darted across the room, landing on the empty seat in the third row.

“Saori…?” I murmured internally.

I turned to Akito, and he still lazily answered mathematical problems on his graphing notebook.

“Hey,” I started. “Is Saori absent today?”

Akito shrugged, his glances still glued on the notebook “No. No chats in the group chat either. Maybe just late.”

In the two years I’ve been classmates and friends with her, there hasn’t been a day she has been late or absent except emergencies.

I don’t want to press further in my worries, but no matter how hard I tried, caution still crawled on my skin.

All I know is that she will remind all of us beforehand.

The class started with the LUNA Sentinel Inoue-sensei as our teacher. Unsurprisingly, her attendance was much more like a routine, passing in the absentees without a question, if this teacher was a human, it would’ve had follow ups.

It would’ve asked why.

It would’ve read excuse letters.

It would’ve felt emotions.

My grip tightened on the pen I am holding, but I chose to control my breathing as well as my emotions welling up.

It’s just really hard to accept that humans are being replaced now by these apathetic machines.

As breaktime came up, I immediately stood up and questioned each of Saori’s friends, including Takamine-san.

Still no traces.

“She didn’t remind us.” That's the collective answer to each one I questioned.

I carried my feet to the cafeteria, each one weighed by the thoughts lingering.

The food felt bitter, and everybody around me, the cacophony of laughter, the clatter of utensils seemed to disappear.

But an urgent voice cut through the hustle.

“Bring her to the clinic, now!”

“No, I’m actually fine! Please!”

Hearing that voice of a female, my chopsticks dropped. I turned around in the direction, my feet pushing me upward.

“Saori?”

I sprinted outside the cafeteria, my eyes landing on a woman surrounded by other students.

It was Saori. Her uniform and blazers were covered in mud and blood—parts torn and chipped.

Her bangs are a mess, her face stained with dirt. Crimson sprung from both of her cheeks, but that wasn’t from emotions—it’s clearly from a hit.

Her legs weren’t spared either—it’s a mosaic of reds and violets.

She trembled as our gazes met, and I’ve never seen any of my friends in that situation.

“Saori?” I mumbled yet again.

Emotions stormed inside of me, and I’ve lost track of whatever it is. My heart is pounding, fists clenching on their own.

It wasn’t about her injuries anymore. It was her eyes…and they're full of shame.

“I’m sorry, Haru…” she slowly mumbled, voice small and fragile. “I wasn’t able to fight back.”

My throat felt dry. What am I even doing just standing here?

I stepped closer, looking at the damage up close. The cuts, the swelling, the dirt clinging to her skin like a cruel reminder of what had happened.

“Who did it?” I whispered, the guilt already weighing heavy on my chest.

“You don’t need to, Haru…I will be fine.”

Fine? Nothing about this was fine.

Before I could respond, one of the students beside her spoke up hesitantly. “She was found near the old gym entrance. Some third-years saw her there and brought her here.”

Old gym entrance? That place barely had any foot traffic. It’s the perfect spot for something like this to happen unnoticed.

I forced myself to inhale, to keep my boiling rage in check. I turned back to Saori, who was still looking down, arms wrapped around herself as if trying to disappear.

“Who did this?” I asked again, this time slower.

She didn’t answer.

Her silence felt like a slap to my face.

She’s frightened. She doesn’t want to make it worse.

Takamine-san’s words echoed in my mind. “What do you think we are, collateral?”

She was right. I fought back against the bullies, and they couldn’t get to me.

So they went for my friends instead.

A bitter taste settled in my mouth, an ugly mixture of guilt and fury.

I had promised to protect Ayase.

But I had forgotten that my other friends needed protection too.

I took a deep breath, shoving all my emotions deep down before crouching slightly to meet Saori’s downcast gaze.

“…Come on,” I said, my voice quieter now. “Let’s get you to the clinic.”

She hesitated, but I followed up.

“You’re covered in blood, Saori. You don’t get to say you’re fine when you look like this. Don’t worry, I’ll bring Akito and Takamine-san to keep you company.”

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

I reached for her arm, careful, slow. She didn’t pull away.

That was all the permission I needed.

Gently, I guided her forward, pushing through the crowd. The murmurs followed us, but I ignored them.

I ignored the way people stared. I ignored the way people felt.

I ignored the way my blood was still boiling, my mind screaming for revenge.

***

The clinic smelled like antiseptic and cheap detergent. The beds were stiff, the walls an unforgiving white, and the only nurse on duty seemed more interested in her phone than her actual job.

Saori laid on the nearest bed, her blazer folded neatly beside her, exposing the bruises and cuts along her arms. Her uniform was still stained, but at least she let the nurse patch up the worst of it.

She hadn’t spoken much since we got here.

Neither had I.

Not because there was nothing to say—but because I didn’t trust myself to say anything that wouldn’t make things worse.

“You didn’t miss a lot, but there are activities that will surely affect your summer term grades.”

Not even Takamine-san’s usual graceful posture could hide her tightened expression as her eyes land on Saori’s injuries. She was almost covered in bandages, barely had the strength to lift an arm.

“Have you told our teachers about what happened?”

Saori shrugged. “They will hear of it anyway. I’m sorry for making a mess.”

“No, this was actually my fault.” I finally spoke up, Takamine-san’s words about the classroom being a collateral still burning me. “If I hadn't fought in the first place, then it wouldn't lead to this.”

“You did what is right, Haru,” Saori replied, gazing at the ward windows. “It's not like we had other choices after all. If you didn't, it may have gone worse anyways.”

“I just wanted a conclusion where nobody gets hurt in the process.” I responded.

The room settled into silence.

Then the door creaked, Akito shuffled in. He had a couple of bags, carrying the alluring scent of teriyaki.

“I brought food,” his usual loud energy noticeably subdued. He took one look at Saori, exhaled through his nose, then plopped himself down on the nearest chair.

“I also wrote your excuse letter,” Akito followed, presenting a white envelope. “But I don't think Inoue-sensei would read it anyways. I'll be handing it out to the human teachers instead. I need your signature here and here.” as he pointed out blank spaces in the paper.

Saori blinked, surprised by the sudden change in his demeanor. “T-thank you, Akito.”

Akito let out a strained smile. “Guess I already returned the favor for standing up for me last time?”

Saori tilted her head slightly. “Your memory is sharp, you know that? I almost forgot that.”

“Pfft!” Akito snorted. “Trust my skills, Saori-chan!”

While the two of them continued on their conversation, I excused myself and stepped out of the ward.

As I closed the door, it swung open once more, and I felt a sharp glance darting from my back.

“I know what you're planning, Ishida-kun.” Takamine-san mumbled, voice muffled and low. “There's no way Fujisaki-kun would allow you to do that for her sake.”

But I scoffed, shaking my head slowly.

“Then it's not your business stopping me.”

“I am also against this! From the beginning!” she protested, voice sharper than usual.

“As if you care.”

That made her pause.

Her usual composure wavered, just slightly, but I caught it. The smallest shift in her expression, the tightening of her jaw.

“I do,” she said, softer now. “To all of you.”

“But for how long? Until I finally ran out of anything that interests you? I don't even remember why you joined this group. Is it because of genuinity? Or just a student council president going out trying to shackle me?”

She didn’t react, but I knew I hit the mark.

“I had plenty of choices not to. But I realized it was better to hang out with people like you than with people that only care about themselves. You know how much I hated attention, and how my friends forced it to us. I cannot live a single day with eyes always sweeping on me.”

“And I can't live a single day knowing that the people that took advantage of Saori’s weakness walked on the same ground as mine.”

I turned fully now, stepping closer.

“I know what it's like to be weak, Takamine-san. I know what it’s like to be beaten down and then left with nothing. They won't stop—they won’t grow conscience like a miracle. So I will be curing them of their arrogance.”

Takamine-san let out a frustrated breath, crossing her arms. “Why do you have to be reckless? You may have saved someone, but you can’t even save yourself. You know how dangerous it will be, right?”

“Isn’t that more entertaining?” I responded.

But a traitorous feeling made me speak of the real wound between us. “Pretty more than the day you rejected me?”

She froze with a gasp.

“And you came back as if nothing happened?”

The rejection. Again and again.

Maybe. Maybe that’s one reason. Maybe that’s another experience I can’t let go yet.

She made me feel that I am not about to be chosen, yet after knowing all of my capabilities, she scurried her presence back to us.

I don’t understand. I could be projecting my frustrations on sudden assumptions, or I’m just trying to figure it all out and loosening the knots in my heart.

“I came here because you all made me feel like I’m never alone.”

The honesty in her voice caught me off guard. For a second, both of us forgot to speak.

“…And I can’t live a single day,” she added, quieter now, “knowing you’ll throw yourself into a fight that you can’t win.”

I blinked, exhaling slowly.

I knew she wouldn’t change my mind. And she knew I wouldn’t change hers.

“…Is it because of her?” Takamine-san questioned, hitting me by surprise.

My eyes flicked back to hers.

“The person you saved,” she continued. “The girl who lives with you now. Is that why?”

Ayase.

I didn’t answer right away.

Because she was part of the reason.

Because she did change me.

Because for the first time in years, I had something worth protecting.

“How did you know?” I questioned, my heart suddenly hitching at her knowledge.

“I was also present at the mall a few days ago. I was with my sister. And I’ve never seen you that relaxed before. Your eyes showed life, and your face was bright.”

I didn’t reply for a moment. She was right. I did laugh and smile comfortably like ever before.

I was never good at expressing emotions ever since that accident happened. It took away everything, but with Ayase, I can't restrain it.

“It’s none of your business.” I mumbled as I left.

I just walked away carrying the fuel of rage and greed I’ve been trying to control since I saw Saori’s chaotic situation.

I raised the hem of my blazer’s sleeve, exposing the scars carved into my skin—a history I had no intention of forgetting.

And as I did, a swift march echoed in the hallway before her soft hands grasped my arm.

A jolt of electricity was sent to me, but it stopped me from jerking away.

“What is this?” she questions, her eyes glued at my scarred arm.

“Proof that I am up for the task.” I simply answered.

Her hands trembled as she slowly let go, and when I shot a glance, she took steps back, concealing her eyes beneath her bangs.

Takamine-san’s voice cut through the silence.

"Kanegawa Yuuto."

I stopped, my fingers twitching at the name.

I turned, my glare sharp. “What about him?”

She met my gaze without hesitation, tears already welling up in her eyes. “He’s the one you’re looking for. He leads the delinquents who’ve been causing trouble. He’s also a suitor of Ogawa-kun, a friend of mine.”

I scoffed. “You sure know a lot about trash.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t snap back. “If you can find him, you can stop this before it gets worse, temporarily.”

“Temporarily?”

“Because he’s not the final hurdle in the school’s gang hierarchy—only a significance. But defeating him can send a message.”

For a moment, I didn’t respond.

She didn’t have to tell me this.

And yet, she did.

A beat of silence passed before I exhaled. “…Thanks.”

Takamine-san sighed, shaking her head. A small, plaintive smile played on her lips.

“I’ll arrange something so the other leaders will be kept busy. I don’t know if this is wise but not having them around to check the scene will be of big benefit.”

“You don’t need to do that.” I argued. “I can take them all.”

“You cannot.” she states, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “I know them better. What you need right now is to return to us safely.”

Something in my chest twisted.

I should’ve ignored it.

I should’ve just walked away.

But instead, I found myself pausing, my hand clenching into a fist.

I didn’t turn back when I answered.

“…Don’t wait up.”

And with that, I walked away, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

The rage.

The guilt.

The quiet, unshakable truth that I wasn’t doing this for revenge.

I was doing this because someone had to put an end to it.

And that someone was me.