Raised Difficulty

After my encounter with Kiyama, during the following weeks, I spotted the bullies in the halls, but they never approached me. I considered the idea that the brat scared them off and I didn’t have to worry anymore. That in itself was my biggest mistake.

May 31st 2018

When school ended that day, Ryuuji had work so he left right away. Sun was asked by a teacher to stay behind to go over some of her homework so this would be a rare weekday that Ryuuji rides the train by himself.

At the shoe lockers, once he changes into his regular pair, Ryuuji spots 3 of his usual bullies blocking the exit door. A chill runs down his spine. Ryuuji stands up straight and simply looks at them. Knowing they have his attention, the student in the middle speaks up with an eerie smile.

“Hey Takomi, do you have a minute?”

“...sure, but I don’t have much time.”

“This won’t take long.” a student reassures him.

He follows them out of the building and as they continue to walk, Ryuuji asks, “What are you planning?”

“It’s right up ahead.”

Not satisfied, Ryuuji raises his voice, “That’s not really an answer!”

They then stop in front of an alleyway at the side of the school. It’s small, roughly 8 feet wide and deep, completely dark with no light besides some from the sun peeking through the trees. Despite that, Ryuuji is still able to see that there are at least 3 more students waiting. Fear suddenly overtakes his entire body, leaving him frozen in place.

That moment is still clear as day in my mind. The most fearful I ever felt. I knew that whatever they had planned, there would be no escaping safely. Not that it mattered since I couldn’t move or scream for help.

One of the students who led him to the alley hovers over Ryuuji and whispers, “We all had a discussion and decided you are more of a nuisance than an asset. So, we’re gonna give you a nice trip out of here.”

Ryuuji quickly turns to the students behind him in an attempt to defend himself, “But…- I haven’t even done anything!”

“Exactly.” says another student who pushes Ryuuji onto the ground in the dark alley. They follow right after.

********************

At the corner of the school building is the student Ryuuji met 2 weeks ago, Hinami Hanabi. She noticed the odd group and, similar to before, couldn’t just sit back when the same situation may occur. Watching from afar, she’s shocked when they push Ryuuji into the alley. Almost immediately after, Seiji appears behind her.

“What are you doing over here?”

Hanabi jumps at the unexpected surprise and turns to Seiji with a strange expression, waving her arms and wanting to shout, but keeps quiet so as to not alert the bullies. Seiji can’t help laughing until Hanabi calms herself enough to explain what she just witnessed, shouting quietly.

“Seiji!! You have to hurry and help him!”

“Not again. Who is it this time?”

“It’s that guy Ryuuji. Those students from before just pushed him into an alley at the side of the school. This can’t be good.”

“I have no reason to help him. Now let’s go.”

Bothered that he has to deal with this again, Seiji starts to walk away until he feels Hanabi tug on his shirt. He turns back only to hear her plead for his help once more.

“Please, Seiji! I only saw three students…you just have to distract them long enough until I can get a teacher. Just a few minutes!!”

Although he would rather avoid this with every fiber of his being, he can feel Hanabi’s hand shaking as she tightens the grip on his shirt and knows he won’t be able to change her mind. Seiji sighs and places his hand on Hanabi’s head.

“You really are hopeless, you know that?”

Hanabi releases Seiji’s shirt as he walks around her.

“It’s alright, I’ll go buy some time, but please hurry. You know I avoid physical fights.”

Hanabi, now determined, nods and runs into the school to get a teacher as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Seiji looks down at his right fist which is also shaking. Even if he tries to act tough, Seiji himself feels terrified.

In middle school, the closest he got into a fight was when bullies would push him around here and there, but now in high school, it’s a completely different level. He knows this will most likely turn into more than just ‘buying time’.

********************

Back in the alleyway, Ryuuji attempts to stand after being pushed to the ground. He is able to get up, leaning on his four limbs, as he mutters out loud,

“I don’t understand...”

“Of course you don’t–”

One of the students that was waiting suddenly kicks Ryuuji in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall, literally kicking the air out of him. Laying on his side, coughing and gasping for air, Ryuuji can’t keep up with what is happening.

Another student walks toward Ryuuji as he explains their actions. “It’s like you said: you haven’t done anything. You don’t give us money, you don’t help with homework, you don’t even want to hang out with us! You just transfer here, force us to listen to you flaunting your wealth, when it turns out you lost everything. So it’s time to say goodbye.”

Ryuuji tries to gather the strength to speak or even move, but is only able to place his hands by his ribs where he feels the most extreme pain. This is bad...one hit and I already can’t move. It takes all my energy just to breathe. Aahh it hurts so much, but I guess this is what I get for lying.

After noticing his lack of movement, they break out into laughter. It’s obvious now that they didn’t need the extra students. The three who originally confronted Ryuuji would have been enough. They kick the helpless Ryuuji a couple more times until they get interrupted by a stern voice—

“Is that really all you got?”

The students turn to see Kiyama Seiji standing outside the alley. The barely conscious Ryuuji can only shift his eyes to the entrance, in disbelief by who he sees.

“You’re even getting in our way here? This is a dangerous game you’re playing.”

“No kidding.”

Seiji tries to assess the situation with what little time he has. He was told there were only three students to deal with, but they must have had more in waiting. Although anxious, Seiji doesn’t show it. Standing up straight with his arms to his side, he tries to mentally prepare himself for what’s to come.

One of the students walks up to Seiji and punches him in the face, on his cheek. Seiji glares in return, kicking him in the stomach and, as he’s crouching over in pain, pushes him to the ground. Seiji turns to the others.

“Let’s get this over with.”

The rest of the students immediately rush Seiji. Since it’s six against one, the fight escalates quickly. With punching and kicking on both sides, they eventually push Seiji into the alley and pin him against the wall.

The fight lasts for close to a minute until some teachers, called upon by Hanabi, intervene. They push the older students back and pull Seiji from the alley. A teacher tries to check on Ryuuji, but he suddenly loses consciousness, unaware of anything else that occurred afterwards.

A few hours later, Ryuuji opens his eyes and slowly looks around. He’s laying on a bed with a white sheet, surrounded by a curtain. Despite just waking up and still feeling out of it, he’s able to determine that he’s in the nurse’s office at school. His eyes turn to his left as he hears what sounds like crying. There through the curtain, he sees someone’s shadow and overhears a conversation.

“Don’t cry, Hana. Things turned out alright in the end and besides, you surely saved his life just like you did for me many years ago.”

“But Seiji, you’re–”

Ryuuji recognizes the names and voices, but is unable to pinpoint them at the moment. He moves slightly in an attempt to sit up, but the shock from the extreme pain in his chest surges through his body, causing him to fall unconscious once more.

Time passes and Ryuuji opens his eyes with the surrounding curtain now open. Through the windows he can only see darkness outside, indicating the sun has set. Ryuuji then sees someone sitting at the foot of the bed. It’s his father, still the same mess that he’s been at home, with his unkempt hair and stubble beard. Except this time he’s wearing clean clothes, possibly having showered as well. Noticing he’s awake, his father looks at him.

“Yo, Ryuuji. I heard you got into a big mess.”

Still waking up, Ryuuji simply asks, “Where is everyone?”

“It’s almost 7 pm, they all went home. They told me I could wait a bit for you to wake up. I’m glad you were able to on your own.”

Ryuuji then looks at the empty bed to his left. He recalls hearing people earlier when he woke up, but can’t remember what they were saying or who they were. He decides to ask his father in the hopes of getting an answer.

“What about the person who was there?”

Not knowing who Ryuuji is referring to, since he was only told the basics of what happened, Ryuuji’s father assumes he means the others involved in the fight.

“I’m not sure. By the time I got here, everyone was gone, but apparently you got the worst of it. Since you were the victim, you receive no punishment, just rest at home until you’re well enough to return.”

Ryuuji says nothing. He continues staring at the empty bed, trying to remember what he overheard earlier to no avail. Was it someone he knew, or just one of the bullies that jumped him? Nothing comes to mind.

Noticing his son is distracted, he gives the best advice he can. “Just focus on yourself for now. The nurse said you’re fine, but I’ll take you to see a doctor tomorrow just in case. Can you move?”

Not saying a word, Ryuuji sits up slowly. While he would prefer to stop moving and scream from the pain, he knows he just needs to deal with it so he can go home, settling with gritting his teeth in the meantime.

His father bends down and helps Ryuuji stand, carefully lifting his arm around his shoulder so as to not cause him more pain. Once up, Ryuuji lets out a heavy sigh knowing the worst part is over for now. He then takes one whiff of the air as his father is right by his side and thinks to himself, You still reek of alcohol.

The conversation in the nurse’s office was the longest I’ve had with my dad since he lost the company. But, during the cab ride and in the elevator, we didn’t exchange another word. Once we arrived home, my dad helped me to bed and I fell asleep instantly. I must have slept for an entire day since the sun was setting once more when I woke. To my surprise, there was even a glass of water on my desk. I guess he did something besides drink alcohol within that time.

When he noticed I was awake, my dad took me to a clinic for a check-up, staying in the waiting room while I met the doctor. Besides a few nasty bruises on my chest and stomach, the doctor said there were no broken bones and nothing wrong with my health. He still recommended I stay home until Tuesday, giving me a few days to rest. ‘Sounds good to me.’ I thought. The pain was one thing, but I didn’t feel like dealing with the aftermath at school either. I thanked the doctor and left with my dad, heading home in silence.

For the rest of my time off, I kept to myself in my room, mostly resting in bed until it didn’t hurt to move anymore. I stuck with light activities like playing old Komi Company games and browsing the internet. I couldn’t even bring myself to log into Starfight to contact Sun. Instead, I decided to wait until I returned, though I knew there wouldn’t be a favorable response because of it. I made sure to call my work at least and apologized for missing 2 shifts, explaining I was injured in gym class and couldn’t return until late next week. Thankfully they were understanding and told me it was fine.

It was in that time that I was finally able to remember the conversation I overheard after the fight: the names ‘Hana’ and ‘Seiji’. ‘That brat did appear in that alley to help me even though he said he never would again. Why did he do that? She was crying too…he didn’t get in trouble did he?’ Those thoughts only made me more anxious about returning to school because I had no idea what I was going to do about any of this.