Chapter 25:

Forget About Me

The Pride of A Banchou


I didn’t really remember how I got home after that conversation with Asano. By the time I returned to my senses, I was standing inside my bedroom.

“Ah…I should tell Mom and Dad about me moving schools…” I muttered to myself as I turned to the door. “Wait, what about Hiiro and Ouji-senpai? Did I just leave them behind without saying anything?” I changed my mind and took out my phone. “No, before that, where will all of them go when Sakurasaki closes down? Aah, I don’t know anymore!”

I gave up and threw myself on the bed. My mind was a complete mess, thanks to the unexpected events happening one after another. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting it out, calming my mind in the process.

I mulled over everything that happened today. Sakuya was still missing with no leads to follow, and Sakurasaki would be closed down in two weeks. The students would be separated into different schools, while I could attend my dream school—Sakurazaki.

When I thought about it, there was no disadvantage to me if I just followed the flow of events from here on. If I continued on with my daily life and forgot about Sakuya, I’d be able to attain the perfect life I've been dreaming about.

So…why did my stomach feel sick at that thought?

Was it because of my anger at Sakuya for leaving without saying anything? Was it guilt for looking the other way and abandoning Sakuya to her own fate? Or was it because I didn’t care about what would happen to the other delinquents once Sakurasaki closed down?

I let out a weak laugh. Since when had I been such a good person that I’d worry about other people this much? I was an ordinary student back then, who only worried about my own grades and my perfect life plan. But after I came to this school, my world was turned upside down. No, ‘expanded’ would be the right word.

I got involved with delinquents and school misfits that I’d never care to spare a glance for if it weren’t for Sakuya. I got caught up in a large-scale school fight and had a knife pointed at my neck—twice. I had a big quarrel with the delinquents’ boss and joined the Student Council as a revenge—yes, I was simply that petty.

The more I reminisced about my school life in Sakurasaki, the smile on my face got bigger and bigger. I thought that attending a good, reputable school would bring me happiness, but who would’ve thought that I’d have the time of my life in a completely opposite school?

“…I don’t want to give up.” I muttered to myself as I sat up on my bed.

I didn’t want to let the school that gave me so many memories be closed down. I didn’t want to be separated from my precious friends. Most importantly, I didn’t want to let Sakuya struggle on her own anymore.

True, I was still angry at her for disappearing without a word, as if we weren’t worth her trust. But I knew she must still be out there, desperately fighting against her own family. As her most irreplaceable piece, I decided to try and trust her a bit more.

I walked toward the window, gazing at the overcast sky. Even though the sky was nearly covered with dark clouds, there was still a ray of light peeking through the gaps. I felt like the weather fits my current situation quite well. The situation might seem hopeless and despairing, yet you’d find a ray of hope if you looked closely.

I decided that I’d tackle the most urgent matter first—stopping Sakurasaki from being closed down. I planned on gathering as many people as I could and figure something out. I wouldn't be able to attend Sakurazaki if I succeeded, but I’d rather sacrifice my dream than sacrifice my precious friends. After that, I would put all of my efforts into finding Sakuya—and help her out.

I swore to myself as the clouds gave way and started pouring raindrops.

*****

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter.

The unique sound of raindrops falling on the tree leaves was mixed with my own harsh breathing as I ran with all of my strength. The densely growing trees around me were obstacles that I had to avoid, but they also served to hide me from plain sight.

“Haa…haa…haa…” I panted heavily as I concentrated on taking one step after another, not sparing any thought on everything else.

Nevertheless, it was impossible to ignore my pitiful condition.

My shoes were already caked with mud and wet leaves, weighing each of my steps down. The clothes I wore were also completely drenched, sapping away my body warmth. Fortunately, I had tied back my long, black hair beforehand, so it didn’t get in my way.

As I weaved my way around the trees, I kept glancing back nervously. My ruby eyes darted around, straining to see clearly in the dark forest. My heart jumped whenever I saw something moving in the shadows, then it slowed down when I confirmed that it wasn’t my pursuers.

“Just…a bit…further…” I muttered under my breath to encourage myself.

My body felt heavier from fatigue by every second, coupled with extreme fear that strained my nerves. At this rate, I might collapse before ever reaching my goal.

All of a sudden, my eyes caught a hint of light at the end of the forest. It signaled the end of my grueling trek across the dark forest. I subconsciously released the tension in my body as I raced toward the end of the forest.

“I found her!”

Suddenly a loud voice tore through the sound of falling rain.

“She’s here!”

I glanced back and saw a few figures dashing through the forest with practiced ease. While I couldn’t make out their faces, seeing their trained movement was enough to tell me their identity.

“Damn it…!” I cursed as I quickened my steps, no longer caring to pick my footing carefully. As long as I made it outside the forest first, they wouldn’t be able to catch me.

I risked another glance back, gauging the distance between me and the nearest pursuer. He was going to overtake me at this rate, but I was certain that I’d get out of the forest first before he did.

As I returned my attention back to the forest’s entrance, suddenly my foot tripped onto something.

“…!” Without any time to scream, I fell face first to the ground.

The harsh landing had torn apart my jeans and scrapped my leg badly, but fortunately nothing was broken. I raised my face and about to stand up when a pair of hand seized my arms from behind.

“Wha—?!” So fast?! I looked behind me, alarmed.

A different man was straddling my body, his knee pressed on my back to prevent me from moving. Both of my arms were twisted back, providing me with absolutely no way to resist.

The man’s face was overshadowed by his hood as he leaned closer to my face. I wondered what kind of expression I was making right now. Terrified? Disgust? Or was it defiance?

The man slowly opened his mouth and whispered to me.

“…you'll never escape from me.”

At that moment, the man’s face changed into my father’s face.

*****

“…!!!” I snapped awake from that awful nightmare, panting heavily as if I had really run through the forest.

I wildly looked around the empty living room, where I had fallen asleep on the sofa. The familiar room made me realize that it was just a bad dream.

“Sakuya-chan? Are you okay?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden call. I turned toward the door, as Shinji walked inside with a tray of tea and snacks.

“I-I’m fine.” I hurriedly sat up and rubbed my reddened eyes.

Shinji stared at me in concern. “A nightmare?” He asked gently.

“It’s nothing!” My voice came out sterner than I meant to, probably because my emotions were still unstable. “Sorry. It’s nothing, really.” I hurriedly corrected myself.

Shinji shrugged and poured a cup of hot tea for me. “Don’t worry, that’s what always happens after running away from the family. I got so many nightmares that I couldn’t sleep for nearly a month. Your big brother also went through the same thing, he once told me.”

He put the cup in my hand. The warmth slowly permeated into my ice-cold skin.

“It’ll help to share what you saw with someone else, just to get it out of your system. Of course, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s also fine.” Shinji continued.

I hung my head. Shinji had been exceptionally kind to me, even though we were basically strangers, save for the same blood flowing within us. He treated me just like he would a sister, and I also looked up to him like a brother. If I had the chance to live with my older brother, would he also treat me kindly like this?

“…I dreamed of being chased and caught when I left the main house back then.” I finally spoke. “Everything was the same—the dark forest, the heavy rain, and me running to get out from the forest. Except that I was caught before I got out. And then I saw him…”

My body instinctively trembled whenever I recalled my father’s face. For me, it was like looking straight at the devil himself.

“You did great.” Suddenly Shinji patted my head. “It’s just a dream. You got out from that forest and escaped from that man. You’re safe here with me.”

Even though he was just saying things that I already knew, it brought me great comfort nonetheless.

“Thank you.” I managed to eke out a smile. “For letting me stay here and taking care of me. You’ve really helped me out, Shinji.”

Shinji seemed relieved now that I had calmed down. “Speaking of which, some of your delinquent friends are sniffing around for you.” He said as he withdrew his hand.

I frowned. “I’ve predicted as much. They didn’t find anything, I presume?”

“No. They figured out that you secretly left the apartment, but they had no idea where you went.” Shinji replied. “They went around asking about you, however I’ve made sure that no trace of you was left behind. They won’t find you no matter how hard they try.”

I nodded. “I appreciate it. However…” My voice trailed off.

I couldn’t imagine my friends backing down so easily. Especially Pochi and Tarou. There was a reason why I nicknamed them like dogs. They had the tenacity and loyalty of a real guard dog.

“Shinji, can you help me send out an anonymous message?” I asked him.

The young man raised his eyebrow in question, but he still answered, “Sure, I can. Are you sure, though? You’ve decided not to give them any tracks to follow, right?”

“Yes, I’ll need to do this to make them give up.” I asserted. “If they keep searching for me because I left without saying anything, then I’ll say something. It’s the only way to break their spirits and make them stop.” My voice turned colder at the end of my sentence.

Shinji frowned when he heard it, but thankfully he didn’t say anything.

“I’ll make the preparations.” He stood up and left the living room.

I looked to the window and watched the rain fell as I suppressed the guilt eating at my heart.

*****

Stop looking for me. I don’t need your help nor your worry. If you keep looking for me, you’ll alert the Kagura Family instead. I’ll be fine, so just forget about me and go on with your own life. Thanks for everything up until now. Sakuya.

“Wha—?!”

The next morning, I was woken up by the notification sound of my phone. When I opened the incoming message from an unknown number, I was completely stumped by the unbelievably cold content.

“What the hell?!”

My enraged voice resounded within the house, ultimately waking my parents up.

By the time I headed to school, my mind was simmering with anger.

“Who does she think she is?!” I grumbled to myself all the way to school. “Suddenly disappearing without a word, then suddenly sending such a condescending message! As I thought, she really doesn’t trust us to help her! I swear, when I see that girl again—no, she clearly doesn’t want to be found, so I won’t bother anymore! I’ll just forget about that ungrateful girl and focus all of my efforts into stopping Sakurasaki from being closed down!”

I swore to myself that I would do anything it took to save Sakurasaki Academy.

*****

Nonetheless, that resolve was magnificently rendered useless in the span of just a few hours.

“Nah, you don’t need to do that.”

“What?!” I stared at my delinquent friends—Kazu, Touma, Abe, and Narumi with blatant shock.

Once classes were over for the day, I immediately gathered them in our usual headquarter. The place was practically deserted, owing to Sakuya’s disappearance. I explained to them my plan to prevent Sakurasaki from closing down—only to be met with instant rejection.

“B-But why…?!” I stuttered, unable to comprehend them.

“Ryuu-san, it’s the Kagurazaki Company we’re talking about.” Touma said in serious tone. “The only Japanese company to expand their business all over Japan and even overseas. They had enough money to fund a whole country on its own. They’re completely out of our league.”

“Besides, aren’t you going to enter Sakurazaki Private Academy once this school closes down?” Kazu added. “We know how much you want to go there, so you don’t need to throw away your dream for us.”

“How did you know…no, it must be Hiiro.” I corrected myself. “But I’m not doing this just for your sake. I don’t want the school that Sakuya-san protects with all of her might to be closed down like this.”

“Ryuu, it’s hard for me to say this, but…” Abe spoke gently. “…Kagura-san isn’t coming back.”

“…huh?”

For a beat, my mind stopped working.

“W-Where did you hear that?! Did Sakuya-san send you that message as well?!” I pounced at Abe and grabbed his shoulders. It took a lot of efforts to stop myself from shaking the poor guy violently.

“M-Message? What message? No, Hiiro and Ouji-senpai told us.” Abe shrank back from my unusual fervor. “Kagura-san had withdrawn from school because of a serious family matter. Now that this school is closing as well, she won’t come back.”

“I…see.” I dispiritedly let go of Abe and took a step back with slumping shoulders.

Hiiro and Ouji must’ve received the same message as I did. And they had decided that our precious school meant nothing without Sakuya in it. I was the only one stuck in the past. Even as I realized that, I still couldn’t let go so easily.

“But still…there must be something we can do…” I muttered weakly.

“Yeah, there is.” This time Narumi spoke up. He grinned at me. “We won’t be fighting against such a big, monster-like company, but we’re going to fight a different battle.”

“A…different battle? What do you mean?” I tilted my head.

Apparently, there would be a placement exam next week. Students who wanted to enter a certain school but didn’t have the sufficient grades would take a test to see if they qualified. Even if they failed, they’d still be admitted to a school that corresponded to their academic ability, so they had nothing to lose.

“WHAT?! You’re all aiming for Sakurazaki?!” My jaws slackened at the absurd goal that Narumi just told me. “Are you guys insane?!”

“When you put it that way, it kinda hurts.” Kazu wore a wounded face.

“S-Sorry, but still, Sakurazaki is an elite of the elite schools around here! Isn’t that a bit unrealistic?!” I tried to convince them.

“Relax, it’s not like we’ll lose anything by trying.” Abe soothed me. “Even if we fail to get into Sakurazaki, we’ll still get into another school, like Takamine perhaps.”

“A-Ah…I see.” I nodded. “If that’s the case, then let me help you as much as possible. Won’t it be amusing if the delinquents manage to enter Sakurazaki?”

“I knew you’d be thinking the same thing.” Kazu smirked slyly. “Everyone else has agreed and they’re all aiming for Sakurazaki. Heck, if by some chance Kagura-san did come back, we’ll all be waiting next door, yeah?”

“So that’s what you’re aiming for.” I couldn’t help but smile. They hadn’t completely given up on Sakuya—they simply chose another, more feasible path to reach their goal.

“Ryuu, you’ll help us study like last time, right?” Narumi shot hopeful glances at me.

“Sure, but I’ll be especially harsh this time, so don’t expect to get any decent sleep until next week.” I grinned.

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” Abe pumped his fist excitedly.

Sakuya-san…” I thought to myself. “I’m still angry at you for not trusting us enough to help you, but I won’t give up. Just like how you selfishly decided not to accept our help, we also selfishly decide to help you, whether you like it or not. I wonder what kind of face will you make when you learn of this?” I couldn’t help but break out in smile as I imagined Sakuya’s annoyed face.

*****

The days flashed by in the blink of an eye, mainly because we were all so busy in preparing for the placement test. I threw myself into helping the delinquents study as if their life depended on it.

Other students were also pouring all of their efforts into preparing for the placement test to forget the fact that Sakurasaki was closing down, but not all of them had the same bright, optimistic mindset.

Every day, some angry parents would march into the principal’s office and demanded Asano to do something about this ridiculous situation. There was practically nothing the poor man could do, however, and all he could do was apologize profusely to the parents.

Some students straight up lost their motivation to study and spent their remaining days with their friends before they got separated into different schools.

A few students did choose to fight back against Kagurazaki Company, despite the overwhelming odds, and they left for the company’s headquarter in Tokyo. They hadn’t returned, though, and no one had heard from them again.

Everyone took the news differently, but we all strove to not waste our remaining days as Sakurasaki students.

After a crazy amount of studying and caffeine for one full week, I was fairly confident that some of the delinquents would make it into the Sakurazaki Academy. Unfortunately, hard work alone couldn’t cover the gap left by the lack of talent. Sakurazaki’s iron-wall standards blew their efforts away.

The day after the placement exam, the school posted an announcement about who would go to which school.

As expected, most of the delinquents failed to get into Sakurazaki. Almost all of them would be transferring into Takamine Academy, just like Abe predicted back then, except for one person. Only one from among the delinquents qualified to enter Sakurazaki, having nailed their placement exam.

Touma, the most diligent and un-delinquent-like first-year delinquent.

When he saw the announcement, he threw away his usual cool demeanor and celebrated loudly with the rest of the delinquents.

Apparently, the reason why he was so happy to enter Sakurazaki was because his girlfriend also qualified to go there.

“Wait, WHAT?!”

When we heard that, all of us scrambled to check who else qualified for Sakurazaki.

Aside from me, Yuuki, Marika, and Mitsuki were also invited by Sakurazaki’s principal. They all accepted the offer. Meanwhile, the students who entered through the placement exam were only Asahi, Touma, and Minami.

“Wait a damn minute, so you’re saying that your girlfriend is…?!” I grabbed Touma’s shoulder and shook him violently.

“Yeah, it’s…” Touma was about to answer when he was interrupted by a girl’s voice.

“Touma-kun, we did it!”

A girl emerged from among the crowd of students and threw herself into Touma’s arms, forcing me to step back from him.

“We passed the test!” The diligent class 2-A representative, Minami, looked up at Touma with sparkling eyes. “We can still stay together!”

“Yes, I’m really glad, Minami-san.” Touma smiled back at her.

“WHAT?!” All the delinquents were flabbergasted to see the usually calm, collected class representative acted like a maiden in love—although she was a maiden in love.

At that point, Minami finally noticed her surroundings. Her eyes widened when she spotted me standing awkwardly behind her.

“H-Hey…congratulations, I suppose?” I greeted her with a stiff smile.

“…!!!” Minami was so embarrassed that she buried her face in Touma’s chest, as if she could run away from the warm gazes around her.

I couldn’t see her face, but I guessed that it must be as red as a tomato, for even the tips of her ears were completely red.

It took Minami a few days to act like normal again around me after that incident.

*****

Once the whole ordeal with the placement test had wrapped up, the Student Council planned a grand closing ceremony for the last day of school. Since it was a large-scale event, they roped in everyone they could get—including myself. I initially didn’t want to help out, since we haven’t found a single clue about Sakuya and I’d rather help Hiiro and Ouji look for Sakuya.

But those two persuaded me to stay at school and help out, in case we found a new clue from someone at school, so I reluctantly pitched in. We had been decorating the auditorium for a few days now. Yuuki wanted everything to be perfect, since the ceremony would be held in three more days.

The walls were decorated with pictures of the past school events, as well as a copious amount of balloons and ribbons. The chairs for students were also decorated with laces to make everything look fancy. It started to look more like a formal banquet hall rather than a school auditorium, but no one pointed it out.

“Hey Ryuuji-kun, can you help me put up this big banner above the stage?” Asahi asked. His arms were hugging a large banner.

“Yeah, sure.” I nodded and followed him to the stage.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Hiiro recently.” Asahi said as he handed one side of the banner to me. “Do you know what he’s been up to?”

“Well…it’s still the same as always.” I replied while walking toward the other end of the stage. “He’s looking for Sakuya-san along with Ouji-senpai.”

Hiiro and Ouji were still diligently searching for her, despite having received the same rejection message as I did. They even theorized that they were in the right track, since Sakuya sent that message to deter them. Really, their loyalty exceeded my imagination—and Sakuya’s, I’m sure of it.

“He’s still at it?” Asahi sighed. “Hiiro’s too obsessed with Sakuya-chan. He doesn’t even care that he’s going to get transferred into Takamine when he could’ve gotten into Sakurazaki!”

I chose not to comment on his remark. Both Hiiro and Ouji were going to enter Takamine, even though they both could have gotten a better school. Heck, it seemed like they didn’t care even if they weren’t accepted by any school at all. Their dedication to Sakuya was that serious.

Asahi climbed the stepladder up to the highest point. “President! Is this high enough?!” Asahi shouted toward Yuuki, who was standing in the center of auditorium and coordinated everything.

“Put it a bit higher!” Yuuki shouted back. “Shiba-kun, make sure it’s perfectly aligned with Asahi’s side!”

“Yeah, got it!” I replied as I followed Asahi’s example.

We were both concentrating on adjusting the banner the way Yuuki wanted when the auditorium doors were suddenly flung open.

BANG!!!

“Who is it—?!” Yuuki immediately snapped at the male student storming in, but his words were drowned out by the student’s panicked shout.

“The schools…They said the other schools refused to accept Sakurasaki students!!!”

For a single moment, everyone in the auditorium froze. Then the banner slipped from my hand and hit the stage with a loud sound.

THUD!

That snapped everyone back to their senses. The auditorium was instantly swept by a chaotic ruckus as everyone started panicking as well.

I exchanged glances with Asahi, who probably looked as pale as I did. What would happen to us now…?

Ochroleucous
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