EPISODE 2: Nerves of Steel — CHAPTER 1: Watched — PART 2

Bastion arrived in class to a rather conspicuous quiet. Only half his classmates were there, but it was obvious they’d been talking about him.

Didn’t matter. He didn’t even know any of their names anyway.

He ignored their barely concealed stares as he sidled to his seat by the window, near the back. From their second-story classroom, he had a clear view of the school’s front grounds. Beyond that lay the treetops of the mountain slope and the broad river valley of Kitayama-ku below.

There was still a steady stream of dark blue and white uniforms flowing in from the mountain road.

Am I being selfish right now? Aren’t I putting each and every one of them in danger just by being here?

Bastion flexed his fist open and shut. Until he mastered the power Fen had given him, could he really afford to be close to anyone at all?

“What’s with that scary face?”

Bastion blinked. Yui was standing beside his desk, looking at him with an expectant grin.

“You got away from Hashimoto, then?”

Her grin turned sheepish, and she plopped into the desk behind him. “Sorry about that.”

He shrugged.

Pushy people were pushy. And Yui wasn’t the kind of person to rock the boat.

She was too well-behaved for that.

Unlike him.

It must grind Hashimoto’s gears that I’m in the same class as Yui, and she isn’t.

Even if Bastion understood her reasoning, that wouldn’t stop him from being petty.

“So,” Yui asked, curling her hair around her finger, “can you walk me home today?”

Bastion stiffened in his chair. Shit.

He scratched his head, unable to meet her eyes.

“Sorry, I’ve got stuff to do after school.”

“Oh,” she said, disappointed.

Bastion felt like he’d just punted a puppy.

“But what do you say to movie night on Friday?”

She lit up. “Yes! And I’ll beat up any monster that gets near you this time.”

That’s right, Bastion cringed. Last time we were supposed to have movie night, I was in the hospital.

Yui noticed his reaction. “Sorry, I guess that was tasteless.”

“No, that’s not it,” Bastion said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry for flaking on you. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Flake?” she scoffed. “You almost died, Bastion. I think a crappy B-movie is a bit less important.”

“It’s not the movie,” Bastion said. “You mean a lot to me, Yui.”

“Oh.” Yui blushed.

Bastion turned around and left the conversation at that. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a deep well of guilt building in his chest.

How easily would he throw away Yui’s safety just to be selfish?

Hashimoto had a more accurate opinion of him than Yui realized, didn’t she?

At lunch, Bastion found both Scott and Inuzuka waiting at their usual spot in the courtyard. The principal’s censure didn’t seem to have been too severe.

「Totally worth it,」 Inuzuka grinned as he dug into his fried rice bento.

Bastion had brought a leftover ham sandwich his mom had put in the fridge. It was cold, but it tasted all right.

「Your face was priceless,」 Scott added. He was digging into a tin of nattou with mustard and soy sauce mixed in. “I mean, we were all coming back from suspension, but your return felt more meaningful.”

Bastion couldn’t watch the giant eat. Nattou always reminded him of snot, and he had no clue why Scott liked it so much.

「I forgot to ask, how did your families react to getting suspended?」 Bastion asked through a mouthful of ham.

「My parents flipped their lids,」 Inuzuka said. 「Took away my camera and said I could have it back after I proved I was responsible.」

「But you didn’t even fight.」

「That was the problem,」 Inuzuka shrugged. 「My dad was mortified that I had a friend in need, and instead of helping out, I just took pictures. Got some real good shots though.」

Bastion shook his head in disbelief. The Inuzuka family was strange. He was pretty certain Shigeru’s dad was Yakuza.

「What about you, Scott?」

「My auntie asked if I won. When I said we did, she offered me a beer as congratulations. “Said no, of course.”」

Both Bastion and Inuzuka laughed.

Scott had lived with his aunt for longer than Bastion had known him, and since he never offered the circumstances of his family life, they’d never asked. But every story Bastion heard about Scott’s aunt made him question her sanity.

「What about you, Bastion?」 Inuzuka asked. 「How’d your parents react to you getting in a brawl at school?」

Bastion blinked in realization. 「It hasn’t come up. We were so preoccupied with the monster attack that we completely forgot about the school fight.」

The mood darkened at their bench.

“Shit,” said Scott. 「I guess that’d take priority.」

Bastion shrugged. 「I guess so.」

They ate in silence for a while before Inuzuka broke it. 「There are rumors going around saying that you killed the monster.」

Bastion started choking on his bread.

“Easy there,” Scott laughed, pounding his back.

After swallowing his bite, Bastion managed to gasp, “Who the hell is saying that?”

「Nani?」 asked Shigeru with an, “I don’t hanashi that language,” look on his face.

“Ugh.” Bastion switched back to Uroko. 「Who is spreading that stupid rumor?」

「Sakamoto-san says that Takahata’s older brother has been telling people you slew a monster with your bare hands.」

I’m going to kill him.

「I almost died. Why in the hell would I go around fighting a damn monster?」

Scott shrugged as he shoved more nattou into his mouth. With sticky, slimy lips, he said, “But you didn’t die.”

Bastion looked between his two friends. 「Don’t tell me you believe the rumors.」

Scott shared a glance with Inuzuka, shrugged, and returned to their meals.

“Fuuuuuuck,” Bastion sagged into the bench. “I do not need this right now.”

A moment of quiet passed.

Then a shadow passed over Bastion. He leaned his head back to see a giant brute of a student standing behind him.

He didn’t recognize the guy.

「Kurosawa Bastion, I have come on behalf of my boss to issue a challenge.」

“No, no, no,” Bastion said, waving his hand dismissively. “Bastion is on holiday. I am his identical but significantly less talented cousin, Kaleb.”

「Haa~?」

Dammit with these yankii and their stupid-ass gang wars.

“I. No. Fight. You,” Bastion said slowly. 「Go punch a tree or something.」

Even with his upside-down view, it was easy to see the brute’s face twist with anger.

「Either you come with me to fight, or I start punching you here.」

Scott and Inuzuka leapt to their feet.

“You wanna take a swing at Bastion?” growled Scott. “You gotta go through me.”

「I’m just the cameraman, please don’t hit me in the face.」

Bastion sighed and started pulling his street shoes out of his bag. “Stand down, Scotty.”

“But—”

“Take Inuzuka and get back to class. I’ll deal with this moron.” He quickly slipped on his shoes and tucked his uwabaki into his bag.

“I don’t abandon friends,” Scott growled.

Bastion casually kipped to his feet and turned to face him. “I understand.”

Then he slugged Scott as hard as he could in the solar plexus. The giant crumpled around Bastion’s fist and slumped to his knees with a grunt.

「Inuzuka, please take Scott back to class.」

「Yes, captain!」 Inuzuka saluted before hauling Scott away.

Bastion turned to the brute challenger. 「Well? Where you wanna do this?」

The brute hesitated, then said, 「This way.」

On his way out, Bastion caught movement out of the corner of his eye—a quick flash of silver disappearing around the corner.

Yeah, yeah, mystery stalker girl. Go tattle on me to the principal.

***

Bastion whistled as the brute led him under a bridge spanning the Ota River.

“You’re certainly smarter than Sakamoto. This way, it’ll take at least twenty minutes for the cops to show up and arrest us, not five.”

「Shut it, half-breed.」

A crowd of delinquents had gathered beneath the bridge, and when Bastion showed up, they began murmuring excitedly.

“I feel like a celebrity,” Bastion grinned. “All of you have gathered just for me?”

The brute turned on him, face heated. 「Do you ever shut up?」

「Easy, Tohru,」 said one of the delinquents—a well-manicured teen with glasses and a prickish smile. 「You did good bringing Kurosawa here.」

“Yeah, Tohru, good job. Extra potato chips for you.”

「Shut your fucking face!」 the brute roared, swinging for Bastion’s head.

「Tohru, enough.」

The brute froze mid-swing.

Bastion raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t even taken his hands out of his pockets.

The big lug lowered his fist and slunk back into the crowd.

“I hope you’ll forgive him,” said the scrawny shit-weasel, switching to surprisingly fluent Tethic. “I’ve trained my dogs to attack, so it can be hard for them to practice restraint. I’m sure you understand.”

“I don’t make other people fight my battles.”

“I suppose not. 「The Wall of Northern Meiroshima High」 is well-known for his strength, after all.”

Bastion shrugged. He’d heard that nickname before, and he was pretty sure it was just a mistranslation of his name. “So we gonna do this or what?”

“This need not lead to violence. I’d like for you to listen to my offer first.”

“Hold on, I think I’ve heard this before. You want me to join your shitty little gang. You respect my strength, and would be willing to grant me a seat of power, second only to your own. Am I in the ballpark?”

Shit-weasel-chan barely hid a scowl behind his cracked smile. “I see there’s little point in reasoning with you.”

“Oh, I’m plenty reasonable,” Bastion said. “I want to go to school, get good grades, maybe get a girlfriend, and graduate without getting arrested. You’re the unreasonable shit stains who come to my school, threaten me and my friends, and try to conscript me into your stupid-ass two-bit wannabe gang.”

This time, Sneasel the Shit-weasel made no attempt to hide his disdain.

「Fine. Kill him, boys.」

「Wait!」 Bastion commanded, holding up his hand. The delinquents hesitated. 「If any among you do not wish to eat your own teeth, I encourage you to back away now. You need not fear reprisal from your fellow gang members, for none of them will be able to walk, talk, or eat without a feeding tube after today. There is more to life than your silly gang. “Go touch grass, or gods help me, I’ll kick your ass.”」

Sneasel-chan looked absolutely livid. 「Will you be cowed by empty threats? Go in there and bring me his head.」

「For “Shitty Schools!”」 screamed Tohru the brute, charging.

「Eh?」 Bastion wasn’t sure he’d heard that right.

「For “Shitty Schools!”」 echoed a dozen other ganglings as they followed after him.

There was no way he was hearing that name correctly.

Bastion casually settled into the Kokutsu-dachi karate stance—shifting his weight onto his rear leg, straightening his front leg, extending his left hand wardingly, and keeping his right hand close to his body, shielding his liver.

I swear, I must be hearing that name wrong. I’ll have to make Sneasel-chan explain it to me before I break his teeth.

As Tohru charged with his arm raised, Bastion almost sighed.

A blur of silver and white shot past Bastion from behind.

The silver-haired girl hit Tohru square in the face with a flying kick and sent him tumbling to the ground like a sack of rocks.

Bastion blinked.

What the hell?

The silver-haired girl—who’d been stalking him all day—landed gracefully, turned in place as she brushed a bang out of her eyes, and politely asked:

“Are you retarded?”

「Eh?」