Favors

PART ONE

I, Nage Gazo, have gone to my aunt’s apartment after school to talk to her. My cousin opened the door. “Nage-kun...—Why the sudden visit?” Azumi asked surprised as she didn’t expect me to come to their apartment.

She is my only cousin, although she is in her final year, she still goes to middle school. “Is aunty home?” I asked.

I hardly ever came to visit, I used to come sometimes with my mom that wanted to spend some time with her sister.

“She will be in a bit, she has gone to buy some groceries for dinner.”

She was not home so I figured that I should come back tomorrow and try again, I wanted to turn around but then I heard her speak. “Come inside, she will be here shortly.” She said in a friendly manner.

I looked up at her face and decided that it would be better to wait for her inside as it was more beneficial than waiting for a whole day.

I entered the apartment.

I took a seat on the couch while she brought some drinks and put them on the table. “What are you doing?” I asked while she held my arm.

“Nothing? This is normal for cousins that have not seen each other for months! I’m just happy that you came to visit us,” she said while she rubbed her head up and down on my shoulder.

“Hmph…— Do as you please,” I just didn’t care, but it felt like she became happier when I said that…

“How are your grades?” I asked.

“Fine, top of the class as always.”

“At least you take school seriously, that’s good to hear,” I responded while nodding.

When she heard that my parents wanted to send me abroad to study elsewhere she got more into studying, to get excellent grades.

I still don’t know the reason for that.

“Gazo do you have a girlfriend?” She said it so softly that I didn’t hear it right.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” She asked again.

Our eyes met when she asked for a second time, this time I heard it right, but with a more angry tone.

“No, I don’t have a girlfriend,” I said.

Her facial expression changed from a mordacious to a calmer one, I have never seen this other expression before.

A few minutes later my mother’s sister, Shirai Midori, finally arrived.

“Gazo, good to see you!” She said as soon she saw me from the corridor, I could tell she was very happy to see me as she had this big smile on her face.

“Good to see you too Aunty,” I always called her Aunty, I started calling her like this back when I was a child.

I gave her the flower bouquet that I got her on my way here, “this is for you.”

She was surprised that I gave her flowers, “Gazo, you shouldn’t have…”

Suddenly she looked at me as if she had just remembered something, “Did you eat something?”

“No, I didn’t,” I replied.

“Then I will start preparing dinner right away, Azumi come in the kitchen and help me cut the vegetables.”

Azumi stood up to help her mother make dinner.

“How is your mother doing Gazo?” Aunty asked while washing the vegetables.

“She is doing fine.”

“I see, good to hear that she is doing well.”

She was reassured to hear that.

After we had dinner I asked Aunty for a favor and left shortly after.

PART TWO

Today is Friday, just as the last class for today was about to end the Director called me to the Director’s Office.

“Ahh, Nage-kun how was your first week here.” He said with a smile.

“Good,” I replied.

He told me to sit down and pointed to a seat in front of his desk.

“I want to tell you something, it’s about your father.” He said a little nervous.

Did my father already contact the director?

“What about him?” I asked.

“To put it simply, he wants to get you out of this school.”

I knew this already.

“I know that it wasn’t your choice to enroll here at Avion Seven Academy, but did you tell your father to sign you out?” He asked.

I looked at him and told him the truth, “It wasn’t my decision, I don’t want to leave the Academy.”

“I see…— Parents can force their child out of school. It will not be easy, but I think I can keep you at this Academy.”

I already knew that he would do everything in his power to keep me at this school. But everything has its price.

“You already know what I want for it in return, don’t you.” He said.

“You want me to join the school’s team to compete in the competition for the ‘Best High School of The Year’ award.”

“Exactly!” He said with this big smirk on his face.

“Hmph, sigh…— Fine, I will join the team and try my best for this award, but I don’t want special treatment and will fight for a place on the team.”

“Why? I can get you a guaranteed spot without having to do any of that…”

I want to be treated the same way as the other students.

“I don’t want any special treatment, I will undergo the same tests as the other students that want to join the team.”

I excused myself and left the room.

PART THREE

It was a quiet morning at the weekend. As I woke up I checked the weather and saw that it will be sunny, I was running low on food so I put some light clothing on and left my house to do some shopping.

I arrived at the supermarket and bought some food and other necessities, I decided to get some coffee on my way home and stopped at a cafe.

I ordered a large coffee and waited at a table for them to bring it to me, I browsed on my phone to kill some time. I was absorbed in my screen for a moment and didn’t notice that my coffee was being placed on the table, I looked at the person’s hand and saw a scar, I remembered that scar and looked directly up at him.

“Ahh, the new student! How are you Nage-kun?” He said as he stood next to my table.

It was the concierge at my High School, Kogane Keita.

“I’m doing alright, I didn’t know you worked here,” I replied.

“This is a part-time job, I work at school on the weekdays and work here on the weekend.” He said as he started to walk back behind the counter.

On the weekend he works at this cafe, he doesn’t take any rest days I suppose?

I took a sip from my coffee and it tasted exactly like the poster said it would at the entrance. I could taste the difference, the coffee beans came straight from Italy so the quality was definitely great.

Then I heard the door open as a new customer came in, I looked from the corner of my eye to see who it was. this person was also a student from my school, Kojima-san.

She noticed me but walked towards the clerk to order.

She walked past my table, she wore a grey tracksuit and had a different hairstyle this time it wasn’t fastened with a hairband but instead, it was loose. Her usual hairstyle was the blonde pigtails, so this was the first time I saw her like that. After she ordered she waited calmly for her coffee at the counter and started walking to the door. I didn’t think much of it, she just came to pick up some coffee.

But she stopped at my table and took a seat across mine.

“You know where to order good coffee, not bad undercover-lover.” She said.

I looked at her for a moment and stood up to head out of the cafe.

“Wait! Where are you going!” She said with an angry tone.

“I don’t want to spend any time talking to you, so I’m heading out.”

I left her there speechless and walked out of the cafe.

As I was walking home I saw the local park so I entered the park to clear my mind. There were a lot of people here, little kids running beside the water fountain, couples that were holding hands while they were picnicking, and some older people that were feeding the pigeons. I walked close to the water fountain and got hit with this nice fresh water breeze, it truly was refreshing.

I noticed someone watching me from a distance. “Can you leave me alone please?” I asked the girl that was lurking behind the three.

“How did you know I was here?” Kojima-san said bewildered.

“You caught a lot of attention, I saw the people looking at you because you were acting mischievously.” I explained.

She didn't expect to stand out.

I walked up to her leaving almost no space in between us. “What do you want from me,” I asked.

She didn't budge and looked directly at me with these hateful eyes.