Chapter 14

Minami walked around the park before she heard the sound of a car door. She turned as a pair of headlights came on. Someone walked towards her before the headlights turned off, and the moon illuminated his face. “Are you alright?” Yakuza asked; Minami, sighed before she continued to walk. He watched her walk off before following her, “In four hours, you’ve managed to walk around this same park, once every hour. What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing; leave me alone; I don’t want to see your face.”

“Choki,” he said just before she stopped. She spun around and slapped him across the face. She grit her teeth before she glared into his eyes,

“WHY?!?!!!” She screamed, “WHY THE HELL COULDN'T I BEAT YOU?!?!?!! I WORKED MY ASS OFF SINCE I STARTED GOING TO KIRYU ACADEMY, AND EVEN SO, IT’S NOT ENOUGH!!!”

“You stepped out of bounds; it happens to the best of us.”

“THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!!!”

“You asked why you couldn’t beat me; that’s why.”

“YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!” She clenched onto the strap of her gym bag as she said, “SINCE THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, YOU HAVE BEEN THE ONLY THING ON MY MIND!!! MY ONLY THOUGHTS HAVE BEEN ABOUT PUSHING MYSELF AND BECOMING STRONGER JUST SO I CAN SURPASS YOU, AND I STILL WASN'T ABLE TO!!!” She cleared her throat as she wiped some forming tears from her eyes, “AND NOW YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING ME!!! AND FOR WHAT?!?!?!! TO RUB YOUR SNOT-NOSED VICTORY IN MY FACE?!?!?!!”

“I happened to notice you; I didn’t think much of you until I saw you come around the park again. Why don’t you go home? Shower, go to bed, then wake up and go to school?” She huffed before tugging on her hair and groaned before she squatted down and began to cry. “Well?” He then looked up to the dark sky as thunder went off. He looked back down at her before saying, “Hop in, I’ll give you a ride.”

“I’ll be fine…”

“It’s about to rain; get in the car.” Minami wasn’t in the mood to argue, so she sighed and followed him to the car. He opened the door for her before he got into the backseat with her. Minami sat there with her hands on her lap before she’d continually wipe her eyes. “Where do you live?”

“I um…” she then clenched her shorts as she said, “I don’t live anywhere close….”

“Do you have an apartment?”

“Nope…” She said as she softly shook her head, “I….” She took a few moments before saying, “I actually don’t live anywhere….”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been telling everyone I’ve got an apartment…but really…it’s a homeless shelter, and they’re closed for the night….” Tears started to swell in her eyes, “And, everything I own is in this bag, my school bag, one pair of clothes, my school uniform, some shoes, and a swimming suit….”

“Then how’d you get here?”

“I sold the clothes I already owned…some of my hair, some of my things…all to get a plane ticket for here and everywhere else I’ve been…” Tears ran down her face as she said, “I used all of my Trust Fund to help out with my….” She then placed her hand over her mouth as she bent forward and began to sob. Yakuza’s eyes softened before looking to the window separating the front seats from the back. With a nod, the car turned on, and they started to drive off. Minami then sat up as she looked around, “W-Wait! Where are we going?!”

“You’re staying at my place tonight,” Yakuza responded, “At least until you have a place to stay.”

“But-!”

“Do you want me to leave you in the streets?”

“I-“ her eyes softened before she said, “No….”

“Good,” he said, “Now what happened?”

“It’s me…I’m what happened…” She wiped more tears from her eyes as she began to explain everything, “I lost…! I’ve transferred 15 schools in the past few months trying to make it onto a sports team…! Now that I’ve done it, I’ve lost, so it’s all over…!”

“What is?”

“My mom…” she said softly as if she was about to start sobbing again, “My mom has cancer…I figured the best way for me to make money was to join a sport. Eventually, I’d earn money to pay for treatment…we didn’t have a lot of money after my dad left, and with my brother, and my mom’s treatment it all became too much, so I had to find a way to keep a roof over our heads while also trying to help my mom….” She then leaned forward once more as she sobbed into her hands, “I FINALLY GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY A SPORT, AND I ABSOLUTELY BLEW IT!!! MY MOM IS AS GOOD AS DEAD, AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT BECAUSE I GOT CARRIED AWAY!!! I MIGHT AS WELL JUST MOVE BACK NOW SINCE I’M OF NO USE ABROAD!!!”

“You can’t go back,” he said before he clenched his teeth. He then turned and pressed a button, causing the back area of the car to be soundproofed, “Choki, listen to me, you absolutely cannot go back!”

“Why not?!”

“Because I-“ he then grabbed onto her shoulders and turned her towards him, “You, I-well-“ He then growled. What the hell was he doing?! “You said that you’ve been pushing yourself because of me! I’m the only thing you could think of since day one! In a way, I feel the same!” Minami blushed as her eyes widened, “I…” he then let go of her shoulders as he said, “After I reached a certain peak in my physical state, taking out other schools felt like pulling weeds. A waste of my strength and energy. However, you showed up; you had caught something that no other person has been able to catch. Not only that, but you survived; you came back the next day and was fine. And honestly, it pissed me off!” He clenched his fists as he said, “However, I knew that now there would actually be a challenge for once in several years, and it got me excited. So I began to push myself to further limits. If you leave, then there’s no reason for me to do that anymore, and my life will go back to being dull.”

Minami’s blush only grew darker before she turned and looked at the ground, “U-Um…how much longer until your house…?”

“Uh,” he turned and looked out the window before he said, “I don’t think much lon-“ He was then cut off by Minami wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his chest. He swallowed heavily as he looked down at her.

“Then hold me like this until then….”

“I-“

“Please…”

He growled before looking out the window and wrapping one arm around Minami’s waist. They drove on for quite a while before reaching Yakuza’s house. It was a large mansion which they pulled into the just as large garage. At this point, Minami had fallen asleep. Yakuza picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the car, “Ah, it seems you two have bonded.”

“Shut up, Didymus, she just fell asleep.”

“I see, and where will you put her?”

“Just in a random bedroom,” he said before he carried her inside. It didn’t take him long to find a bedroom where he then placed Minami down on a bed. He pulled the covers over her before placing her gym bag on the floor. He sat at her bedside before he looked down at the bag. He opened it up to find a raggedy old shirt, some worn-out leggings, a dirty school uniform, some old beaten-up shoes, her phone, and a framed picture of her mother. He looked at the picture for a while before looking back at Minami and setting it on the table beside the bed. He looked down at her old shirt and worn-out leggings before looking at the tags. After looking them over, he put them back inside her bag and zipped it up before leaving the room.

Minami slowly woke up the following morning in the bed Yakuza had placed her in. Her eyes softened before she curled tighter into the blanket and closed her eyes. Since she left home, she never thought she’d have a nice bed with covers and a comfortable pillow. It felt as if Yakuza had killed her last night, and now she woke up in heaven. She opened her eyes again before turning to a comfortable-looking chair with a box on it. She sat up before getting out of bed and walked over to it. She noticed a note attached to it, so she picked it up and read it.

There’s a shower connected to the bedroom. Shower off and then put these on before meeting me downstairs for breakfast.

Minami then turned before she noticed the bathroom connected to the bedroom. She walked over to it and turned on the lights. It was a rather lovely bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. She stepped inside before taking off her clothes and got into the shower. As the water hit her face and body, she closed her eyes. The water was warm and felt nice against her aching muscles; the last time she actually had a nice shower was the day at the pool. Once she showered off, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off before walking back into the bedroom. With the towel wrapped around her body, she picked up the box and sat with it on the bed.

The box was a solid white color with gold lettering on the lid. She opened the lid to see a dark blue top with pink Sakura petals on the sleeves and midsection. As she took out the shirt, she then saw a blue and red plaid skirt that looked similar to Hakama pants and a pair of leggings. She then sighed before she grabbed a sports bra and a pair of panties from her gym bag before putting on the clothes from the box. Once fully dressed, she made her way through the house before coming to a large kitchen. She then took notice of Yakuza sitting at a table with his arms folded, head slightly down, and eyes shut. She swallowed nervously before he said, “Did you sleep well?”

“I-“ She then rubbed her arm before saying, “Y-Yeah…I slept fine…”

“Do the clothes fit okay?”

“Yeah, they fit fine,” she said as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear, “They’re very nice.”

“I’d hope so; they are from ADEAM.”

“ADEAM?”

“They’re a designer company,”

“Wh-What…?! Then they must be expensive…!” She said as she looked herself over, “You shouldn’t have done tha-“

“I wanted to,” he said, “Now you have another pair of clothes.”

“How much did everything cost?! I’ll pay you back, I swear!”

“You don’t have to pay me back.”

“Please!” She said as she walked over to him, “I can’t walk around wearing these, knowing I can never repay you! You shouldn’t have wasted money on me!”

“It’s fine,” he said, “Have a seat; I’d like to talk.”

“I-“ she then sighed before she then sat in the chair around the corner from him, “Okay….” She looked at him before saying, “Can you at least tell me how much the shirt cost…?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes, I’d like to pay you back, even if it’s just for one item.”

He sighed before saying, “The shirt is part of their Tokyo Shirt line; on average they cost about ¥87,525.”

“Wh-What?!” She said as her eyes popped open, “Th-That’s insane! I-I…” She then looked down before saying, “I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“You don’t have to,” he said as he opened his eyes before he reached into his jacket and said, “Here, take this.” He then placed an envelope on the table and slid it over to her. She looked at it before picking it up and opening it to see a check inside. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw the amount of money.

“Th-This is 75 Million yen! I can’t just-“

“It’s for your mother,” he said, “Everything else you can use to get yourself a nice place and some nice clothes.”

“B-But-“

“Choki,” he said before she turned to him and looked him in the eyes, “I meant what I said last night. You really do make me want to push myself even further, and if you’re gone, then I’d have nothing to do.”

“But…your school, and mine, they’re-“

“I know what they are; they’re complete opposites and by every means are rivals.”

“Then why-“

“It’s what you said last night,” he said, cutting her off, “About your mother. I never knew my mother, and t even my father. However, Didymus took me in when I was young. I’ve never had a mother, even so, I wish I did. And I know that like you, I’d do anything for her. So please, take this.”

Minami blushed as she looked back at the check, “I don’t know what to say….”

“Don’t say anything,” he then placed his hands on the table as he started to stand up, “If you’re hungry, then you can-“ Yakuza was then cut off as Minami quickly placed her hand on top of his before she promptly planted a kiss on his lips. Yakuza froze as his eyes widened. She pulled away from him before looking down,

“Thank you…” She then turned and ran out of the kitchen and around the corner. She leaned against the wall as she held the check behind her back. She placed her hand over her mouth as her face turned a bright red color and her eyes sparkled. “I…I love him…” She then went back through the house before coming back to her room and closing the door behind her. She placed her hand over her mouth as she began to cry quietly.

In the kitchen, Yakuza stood leaning against the counter. His right arm kept folded around his body while his left elbow rested on top of it. The expression of shock painted his face as he placed his middle and index fingers on his lips. Didymus came into the kitchen as he said, “Ah, it’s nice to see you awake.” He paused as he took notice of Yakuza, “Is something the matter?”

“She uh…well…”

“She what?” He walked over to him to see the expression on Yakuza’s face. He chuckled as he said, “Ah, I take it that she’s kissed you.”

“I’ve never been kissed before,”

“That’s not true; I kissed your head when you were a baby.”

“That’s not what I meant,”

“I see; well, I don’t mind if you kiss Ms. Choki. She’s charming and seems like a good match for you. After all, you are 16; it’s a good age to start dating.”

“I don’t want to start dating; I want to-“

“Hey,” Minami said, causing the two of them to turn and look at her, “So…um, what’s for breakfast?”

“Of course,” Didymus said with a smile, “I was just about to make some. I figured, since we’ve got a guest, we could have Kedgeree or even Eggs Benedict.”

“Can we have both…?” Minami asked, “I uh-“ she then blushed as her stomach then gave a loud growl. “I’m starving…” she said as she looked down, a bit embarrassed.

“Well then, I’ll get to cooking right away.” Didymus said as he started to take out a few pots and pans, “Yakuza, why don’t you show our guest around?”

Yakuza sighed before he walked around the counter over to Minami, “Follow me,” he said before she nodded and followed after him. As she followed behind him, she’d look up at him with her eyes every now and then.

“So, um…you live here?”

“I do,” he responded,

“What’s it like?”

“It’s alright, I don’t spend much time in one place, and I’m usually either in my room or the workout room.”

“You have one of those?”

“I do.”

“Wow, I didn’t think houses were allowed to have those.”

“You can have anything you want when you’re rich.”

“Yeah, speaking of rich…listen, I really appreciate what you’re doing for my mom.”

“As I said, don’t mention it.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Not really, just keep playing dodgeball is all I ask.”

“Oh, I see…” She said as she placed her hands behind her, “Speaking of dodgeball, where do you go from here?”

“We travel around Japan for Regionals and eventually Nationals. The whole process takes place in four to five months. Three months for Rgionals, and another month or so for Nationals.”

“Oh, wow, that’s cool.” She then started to play with one of her pigtails before saying, “Hey! How about I go with you?!”

“What do you mean?”

“Take me with you to Regionals and Nationals! There has to be a grand prize! If we win, then I can repay you!”

“It’s not that simple, even so, you’re not ready for something like that, and as long as you’re at Kiryu Academy, you never will be.”

“What do you mean? Why?”

“You really don’t know?” He asked as he looked her in the eyes,

“Know what?”

“The dodgeball, you know, the one you’ve been playing, is by no means the dodgeball that’s played at Regionals and Nationals. You play American Dodgeball; everyone else plays standard Japanese Dodgeball.”

“What’s the difference?”

“In Japanese Dodgeball, there needs to be at least 20 players, 10 on each side. The team that gets the ball first is decided by Rock, Paper, Scissors, or even a coin toss. The team with the ball must throw it at someone, hitting them below the shoulders. You can catch the ball and throw it back, but if you miss then that team gets to throw the ball. It goes back and forth until all players are eliminated. You can’t drop the ball, and you must remain on your side. If you drop the ball while attempting to catch it, then you’re out.”

“How do you get teammates back in?”

“To get them back, you throw the ball to the person on the sidelines; that person then has to attempt to get a member of the opposite team out from the sidelines. If they’re successful, they come back into the game, and the player who was hit goes to the sidelines.”

“I see, it’s a lot different from the one I learned….”

“It’s almost like an entirely different sport.” He said as he continued down the hall,

“Well…can you still take me with you?” She asked as she turned to him. He stopped walking when she said, “I’d like to learn to play the game properly! Plus, if I go with you, I can do exactly that. Afterward I can come back and reach it to my team. That way, we can play properly next season at the qualification match!”

“You have school.”

“I’m sure I can do it online!” She said, “I can probably do it on my phone!”

“You’d need a computer.”

“Oh, okay…then I’ll buy one with the leftover money you gave me!”

“Why do you want to come so badly?”

“Why?” She responded as she began to blush, “Isn’t it obvious? I want to go with you to spend time with you.” He clenched his teeth as his eye twitched, “I…I really like you, and…when I kissed you just now, it felt amazing. So real, and very warm. I don’t want that feeling to go away. I don’t want to have to wait to see you again. You know I can do this; I promise I’ll push myself every day! That way, I’ll learn to play properly next time we play against each other!”

He put his hands in his pockets before saying, “Are you sure you’ll be fine with spending time with someone like me?”

“Are you kidding…?” She asked as she approached him, “All I’ve ever wanted to do is spend time with you, ever since we first met. When I said you make me want to push myself, I mean you make me want to be a better person. Not only for myself,” she then reached out and pulled one of his hands from his pockets before she held onto it, “But for you as well. I want to be a woman you can be proud of.”

He stood there in silence before saying, “Come with me; there’s something I want you to see.” He took her through the house before they eventually came to his room. She sat down on the bed as he grabbed a binder before sitting beside her with it. He opened it and showed her the contents inside, “Do you see these people?”

“Yeah,” she said as she looked them over, “They all look to be our age.”

“They were,” he said as he came to another page, “They all died, and it’s because of me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was a dodgeball game; it was back when I first was gaining my strength. I couldn’t control it. So when I played my first game, I had taken out six students. All six of them had irreversible internal injuries. Over time, they all slowly bled out or eventually died after many surgeries.”

“So…” she then paused before saying, “Are the rumors about you true…?”

“What rumors?”

“I was told that you shot put a boulder through a house.”

“Well,” he said as he stood up, “There was a boulder,” she then walked over to the shelves and put the binder back, “However, Didymus had taken me to Kyoto on a trip. I went out for a hike one day, and a boulder rolled down the mountain. I moved out of the way, but the boulder then crashed through a house, killing a family of four inside.”

“My god…” Minami said as she stood up and began to approach him,

“I was seen down the path of the boulder's destruction. As such, I was blamed for it. At that point, I began to train and push myself to the fullest extent. I made myself stronger so the next time a boulder rolled down a mountain, I’d be able to stop it.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” she said as she reached out and grabbed his hand, “You couldn’t have stopped the boulder at such a young age. And the other students…you couldn’t control your strength, not to mention dodgeball is a dangerous sport; things like that are bound to happen.”

“I know,” he said, “Stuff like that does happen.” He then pulled his hand away from hers before folding his arms, “Knowing this, do you still want to go to Regionals and then Nationals with me? Do you still want to…” he sighed before saying, “Be around me.”

“Of course I do,” she said before she walked around him and looked up into his eyes which fought back the tears, “I meant it when I said I really like you. From the sound of it, you were just playing the game. And the accident with the boulder wasn’t your fault! I want to spend more time with you, even if it’s Regionals, Nationals, and everything after that!” He looked into her eyes before she said, “I like you, Yakuza, I really do.”

“Choki, I-“

“Will you go out with me?”

Yakuza swallowed heavily before he stopped to think for a while, “If I do, then I don’t want you to stop pushing yourself. There’s a chance you and I will play against each other again, and I don’t want you to think it’ll be any easier for you. If anything, it’ll be harder.”

“Yes, of course,”

“And if I say yes, then you need to not worry about repaying me for the clothes. Understand?”

“I-“ she looked down for a bit before she looked back to him and said, “I do, I understand.”

“Then,” he cleared his throat before saying, “I guess, I accept. I’ll go out with you.”

A//N

Hey everyone! After this chapter there will be one or two more and that’s the end of the first arc! The next arc is what I like to call “Off Season” and it takes place during Summer Vacation! Minami, Yakuza, Rentaro, Mitsuri, Ryusuke, Didymus, and a NEW character will all go to Okinawa where they will stay with Minami’s mom! The next arc will have a fighting tournament and will be more like a battle royale since I want to make at least one arc where we focus on Minami’s martial arts skills with her being a martial artist and all!

Next item of business! The character popularity poll is now over! And here’s everyone ranks!

1st Place (3 votes) - Mitsuri! (Which surprised me!)

2nd Place (2 votes) - Minami!

3rd Place (1 vote) - Gaoma and Kyutaro!

Everyone else didn’t rank! If you head over to my Twitter I now have art up of Mitsuri, Gaoma, and Kyutaro! You can also see more art of Minami that I’ve made over the course of this past month!

Thank you all for participating! There will be another popularity poll near the end of the second arc after all the new characters have been introduced! If you have any questions about any of the characters feel free to comment below or even shoot me a DM over on Twitter!