Déjà vu

I feel like I’ve seen this scene before: The most popular girl of school walking around, alone, in one of the popular malls. A group of obvious troublemakers surrounding her, chuckling to themselves and saying things like ‘give us your number, pretty girl’ or ‘did your boyfriend forget to take care of you, haha…?’. Pickup lines that would make any onlooker feel uncomfortable and sorry for the girl.

Not that people would do anything with four or five fit teenagers clearly ready for trouble. They are in their element, in enough numbers. And yet…

It’s strange. I don’t know how, or why. It feels like I’ve seen this in a dream, or somewhere in the midst of my distant memories. But isn’t something like this pretty uncommon in reality? Furthermore, this scene is often followed by—

“Were you waiting for me, Akamine-san?!” Ah… There it is. An unremarkable guy, clearly scared out of his mind, drawing all attention to him before bashfully snatching the girl’s arm when the group of troublemakers opened up the circle to look at the newcomer better. “I’m sorry! Let’s go!”

His hasty retreat gives little time for anyone to react. The guys are too busy scoffing and getting a laugh out of him.

‘What’s with this guy?’ ‘Did you get lost, little boy?’ ‘Hey, hey. Ain’t this chick too out of your league?’.

None of those words make it to the little unremarkable hero, who pulls the pretty girl out of the enclosure. Making the girl blush in her surprise as she manages to take a step out of the circle of dudes.

Almost, that is.

“Gwoh?!” The average guy trying to save his crush trips. He might’ve been too fast for the guys to actually take him seriously, but lifting a foot in front of the guy was no issue.

The guy frees the girl and falls on his own.

For a moment, the only sound is the girl’s gasp.

“Tch. Don’t stick your nose on people’s business, dumbass.” The tallest of the group clicks his tongue and scratched the back of his head.

His tan and bleached hair would’ve clued anyone to steer out of this guy’s way. But the way he glared at the boy trying to get back to his feet…

It caused the others to sneer and scoff.

“Hey, hey! Bother someone of your size, Kazama!” One of the guys take the lead and gives the tallest guy a backhanded slap. Playful, meant to hurt the boy that was both outnumbered and outwitted. For he wasn’t tall enough to see Kazama eye to eye. “He’s gonna need his mama after this!”

“Nah. If he’s man enough to play hero, he’s man enough to stand up for himself.” Kazama forces the guy to spin around by pushing his shoulder. Grabs him by the collar of his admittedly nice shirt, and forces the guy to tiptoe as he grabs him up.

“Touya-kun!”

“It’s okay, Akamine-san… Just… Just go first. I’ll be fine.” The guy has one eye screwed shut from fear. But he bravely tells the girl to move on. It’d be touching if it wasn’t so oddly familiar.

“Stop deciding things on your own!” Kazama yells and forces the guy closer. “If she’s uncomfortable, then let her say so by herself! You bastards always ruin all the fun for no reason.”

“He’s mad, he’s mad!” One of the guys scoffs.

“Maaaan… The guy’s a goner…” Another says.

“If that’s what you want, then release him!” The girl’s voice sounds like it’d break from either impotency or sadness. But she stands up to Kazama and grabs the guy’s wrist like her delicate fingers could peel him off her friend-maybe-boyfriend. “You people are just the ones saying whatever you want. This tirade has gone for long enough. Leave! Leave me, and leave Touya-kun alone!”

Kazama clicks his tongue but releases this ‘Touya-kun’.

“There. Was that so hard?” Kazama looks away. He’ll definitely complain about this for the rest of the day, but he does keep his word even through his newfound resentment toward the girl. “See how you didn’t need some random dumbass to protect you?”

The dudes cheer, adding their own comments even as they sheepishly follow Kazama as he turned around to leave. They know that, without him, a single guard or random police officer would force them to back off.

The jokes are familiar but not because they use them often. They resonate in a way I don’t know how to describe.

Had I ever paid this much attention to each of their words? To the way they scoff and gloat?

I stare at their backs. I don’t think they’ve realized that I’ve been frozen this entire time.

“I’m so sorry, Akamine-san. Because of me you had to—” The dumbass starts speaking only after the big guys gave them their back. But my presence gives him a reason to stop.

We exchange glances.

I just click my tongue and turn away.

I remember my part.

Well, not ‘remember’. Since I haven’t said anything yet. I have a rough idea of what I’d have said in this situation. My brain insists that I should’ve added something in certain moments. Not anything, mind you. But very specific quips instead.

I only have time to add the last one before the guys notice that I’m about to lag behind.

“Kazama’s growing soft for hot chicks.” It should’ve come out in a mocking tone. But even I can tell the defeat in my voice. The confusion.

I feel like I’ve seen this scene before. I don’t know how, or why. It feels like I’ve seen this in a dream, or somewhere in the midst of my distant memories.

This place we have visited from time to time, chatting girls up, the dudes congregated around Kazama.

All of these things are common enough. But not common enough for every neuron to fire a warning all at once. A doubt.

I turn back to steal a glance at the dumbass trying to make a pass at a girl way too out of his league.

It’s not his eyes what give me pause, make me shiver.

It’s hers. The glare that comes my way… That stares right past me and at the backs of everyone else… It’s chilling. It makes me stumble.

“Hey, monkey brain!” One of the guys calls out between jeers. “She’s not gonna bang you. Come on, dude.”

It gets Kazama’s attention. He’s pretty damn mad. He’ll complain about this for the rest of the day. And now, I’ll be on the receiving end of his anger for not playing along.

Damn it, I don’t have time to worry about a chick getting mad at us! It’s not like she can cause any trouble.

She’s just a pretty girl.

“Man, doesn’t it piss you off that some lame ass random gets such a cute girl?!”

“And that’s why I’m telling you that she’s not gonna bang you! We’re too much for her anyway.”

Yeah, yeah. It made sense. These guys always did. They got me, I got them. We overlooked each other’s dumb traits, we tried to stave off Kazama’s ire since being around him was good.

So why…?

Why does Akamine Tamayo’s glare fill me with so much dread?