EPISODE 1: Dragon Awakens — CHAPTER 1: Twilight of Fate — PART 2

「Fūma-sensei, please have them wait outside the staff office until Kamakura-sensei is finished with their disciplinary letters, then please escort the boys from school grounds.」

「Yes, kocho-sensei,」 Fūma replied through clenched teeth.

Bastion, Scott, and Inuzuka bowed once more, then turned and left the principal’s office. They refrained from chatter, knowing they’d just dodged a major bullet—and Bastion didn’t want to give Fūma a reason to drag them back in for another shot at expulsion.

They stood outside the staff office with their heads down, listening silently while Kamakura-sensei—Scott and Inuzuka’s homeroom teacher—typed out the formal disciplinary letter on the shared office wāpuro word processor.

「Be sure to print a copy for us to mail,」 Fūma-sensei’s voice carried through the doorway, 「in case they decide not to deliver the letter to their parents.」

Tell us how little you really think of us, Bastion scowled.

A few minutes later, Fūma presented them each with briskly worded letters placed inside of clear plastic sleeves. 「With that formality cleared, let’s see you off the premises.」

Bastion kept his eyes to the floor as they followed. He would not give the rat bastard the satisfaction of seeing how pissed he was.

「It’s a pity, really,」 Fūma said as they neared the school’s front gate. 「Back in my day, brats like you would’ve been strung up by your toes and beaten until you learned some proper respect.」

Bastion kept his mouth shut. He would not fall for Fūma’s bait.

「Of course, back in my day, we had standards.」

Don’t say anything back, Bastion. Just keep quiet, and leave.

「Then they started letting all you filthy Darvor cretins into our schools, and the education system went to shit.」

Screw it. I’m slugging him.

Bastion would’ve done just that—if Scott hadn’t laid a hand on his shoulder. His friend gave him a barely perceptible shake of the head.

Don’t do it, Scott’s look said. It’s not worth it.

So Bastion merely clenched his fists and kept walking, doing his best to tune out Fūma’s inane rambling.

Apparently, the teacher hadn’t even noticed how close he’d come to eating pavement.

Bastard.

「Well, off you go, then,」 Fūma gestured past the gate. 「I’d love to say good riddance, but unfortunately, you’ll be back again, won’t you.」

Bastion scowled but said nothing.

「I should probably get going home. Auntie’ll want to know I’ve been suspended,」 Scott said as they walked down the mountain, his Tethic accent thick.

Inuzuka nodded. 「My parents are gonna be pissed, but it’s better if they hear it from me sooner than later. Still, suspension? Could be worse.」

“Right,” said Bastion.

「You don’t sound convinced,」 Inuzuka replied.

「He’s thinking about Takahata,」 Scott said. 「He’s only just now processing that she’s been confessed to… again.」

Bastion scowled at them both. Scott wasn’t wrong—but it was more than that.

The principal’s words clung to him. 「What future do you see for yourselves?」

Bastion had never really thought about the future. What was there to think about? Idiot teachers aside, life was good right now.

Did Yui have plans for the future?

She’d said no to Sakamoto today, but what would Bastion do if she ever said yes to someone else?

“I can see that you’re busy,” Scott said, clapping Bastion on the shoulders. “Try to stay out of trouble, yeah?”

“Right.”

When they reached the base of the mountain, Scott and Inuzuka split off toward the nearby train stop, leaving Bastion alone with his thoughts.

He was still pissed.

Not much I can do about it though.

Bastion started wandering aimlessly, resisting the urge to bury his head in his hands and scream.

He knew he’d gotten off easy, but dammit, Fūma was such an asshole.

After a while, he found himself on the banks of the Ota River. No one else was around. The opposite bank was a tree-covered mountainside, blanketed in brilliant crimson leaves. A gentle wind blew the scatterings of autumn from the towering maples down onto the lazily rolling water.

Bastion picked up a rock and skipped it across the water.

Screw you, Fūma.

Another rock. It skipped several times before thunking to the bottom of the river.

Screw you, Sakamoto.

Another rock. Just two skips this time.

And screw me, for being so fricking stupid.

This one plunked into the water with a splash, and Bastion sat down with a grumble.

His parents were going to be pissed. Not “get out the belt and beat you” angry—just disappointed.

His dad had told him time and time again not to use Karate for pointless fights.

Great to know that advice landed on deaf ears.

Bastion tugged at his hair and groaned.

This was all so stupid.

He picked up another rock and chucked it into the river.

Why do I even bother anymore?

A shadow passed over him. He glanced up and saw a Sky Ark sailing low overhead, bound for either the Meiroshima Sky Station to the city’s east or the Mage Corps Base an hour to its southwest. It was shaped like a great flat-bottomed boat, with mana-powered thrusters on its four corners keeping it airborne.

A hundred years ago, Bastion’s family—on his mom’s side, at least—had been among the hundreds of thousands of Darvor to arrive on an Ark just like the one above him. They’d brought with them the magics of their homeland—as well as the mana-crystal magitech that had powered their society—and catapulted Urokojima into the modern era.

And for some reason, assholes like Fūma had never forgiven them for it. Bastion, his mom, his whole damn family, had dealt with shit his entire life. And though they were too young to realize it, Bastion’s little brother and sister would get to deal with it too.

Bastion lay back on the rocks and draped his arms over his eyes. His dad wouldn’t be home from work for a few more hours, and his mom was out shopping down in Naka-ku.

Neither of them would know what he’d done until they got home and checked the answering machine.

A small part of him considered going home and deleting the message, but that felt cowardly.

A real man faces his problems.

It was a dumb sentiment, but he believed it anyway. Bastion couldn’t bring himself to think otherwise.

It didn’t make him feel any better, though.

At some point, he must’ve fallen asleep—because the soft crunch of footsteps on the rocks woke him.

Bastion sat up and whirled around, expecting a surprise assailant.

The actual person was even more surprising.

“Yui?”

“I thought I might find you here,” she said, smoothing her skirt as she squatted beside him. “You tend to end up here when you’re upset.”

Bastion frowned. “It’s not like I came here on purpose.”

“I know,” she said with a kind smile. Then, she switched to Uroko. 「It’s just, when in doubt, I know to look for you on the riverbank.」

He’d known Yui for as long as he could remember, so it made sense that she could predict his behavior so easily.

“So I take it you heard I’m suspended.”

“Oh yes, it’s the talk of the school. The Karate club’s star athlete got into yet another fight. I had no fewer than three different girls—who I barely even know, by the way—come up and ask if you were beating me in your spare time.”

He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but hearing that soured Bastion’s mood even more.

“Cheer up, Bastion. I got the chance to tell every one of them how amazing, and sweet, and kind you are.”

Bastion stared at her, slack-jawed, with a confused sideways glance.

Yui was grinning mischievously.

“No, you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t,” she laughed. “This is me we’re talking about. I could barely get a word in edgewise.”

Despite all the absolute bullshit going on, Yui’s joke made him smile—just a little.