The Most Irreplaceable Piece

“Really…as expected of Ryuu.” I muttered under my breath as I witnessed the Student Council joining to defend the school gate.

I didn’t know how exactly Ryuu convinced that hard-headed, stubborn to a fault guy, but I was sincerely grateful for his help. There was no way Ryuu alone would be enough to defend the gate, especially with his lacking combat ability.

I adjusted my grip on the wooden sword as I scanned my surroundings. With nearly half of Takamine delinquents lying unconscious around me, and another half of it knocked out by the Student Council officers, it only left a handful of its original force still available to fight.

“Damn! Damn it all! Why are you still standing?!” Natsuhiko glared at me as he shouted curses.

“It’s because you’re all weak.”

I slammed the tip of my sword to the ground. Despite being made of wood, the force of my strength made it penetrate the concrete. The remaining delinquents visibly flinched at that sight.

“No matter how many ants you throw at a tiger, it’s still an ant, and the opponent is still a tiger. The ants will never be able to win.” I declared arrogantly.

To be honest, my body was nearing its limits right now. I was already exhausted from devoting every single waking moment to help the delinquents study like crazy, and let’s not forget that I collapsed just last week.

The injuries from Takamine delinquents’ aggressive attacks that didn’t discriminate between friends or enemies weren’t helping either. My whole body was aching and the wooden sword in my hand felt heavier by the second.

But I couldn’t afford to step back. Stepping back meant that all of my efforts—our efforts up until now would be wasted. I wouldn’t let anything interfere with their remedial test. Especially not that slimy bastard, Kikuchi.

“Give up. I won’t chase anyone who steps away from here.” I stared at each one of the delinquents, pressuring them to retreat.

A few of them actually took a step back, ready to flee from this place.

“Anyone who runs away now will end up like that piece of trash over there!”

Unfortunately, Natsuhiko interfered at the right moment. He gestured toward the delinquent he had personally beaten up in the beginning. The pitiful state of his victim spoke volumes of Natsuhiko’s ruthless personality.

“Even if you threaten them like that, you can’t win.” I lifted my chin, trying to sound more confident than I actually felt. “You’ve thrown your whole army at me, and yet I beat them all down. What can you do with a mere dozen people?”

Instead of flying into a rage, Natsuhiko smirked. “Yeah, that would be the case if these guys were as useless as those rabbles you’ve beaten. But I’ve always kept the best for last. Miki, Hibari,” He glanced at the two delinquents behind him. “Bring me the princess’ weakness—the gopher.”

“Yes.” “Yeah!”

Before I could react, those two ran past me, heading toward the gate. They were so fast that I didn’t have the time to stop them.

“Wait—!”

Just as I turned around, the remaining delinquents threw themselves at me. They desperately stopped me in my tracks, as if their lives depended on it. I had no choice but to deal with them first, while praying that the Student Council would be enough to protect Ryuu.

*****

Unfortunately, Sakuya’s prayer wasn’t heard.

I stiffened as one of the delinquents—Hibari, judging from the name on his uniform—suddenly jumped over the gate like it was nothing and grabbed me.

“…sorry.” He muttered in low voice.

The next second, he literally threw me over the school gate.

“UWAAAHH!!!”

I screamed as my body floated through the air, and for the briefest moment, I could see my life flashing before my eyes.

“Aah…am I going to fall to death?”

Right when I was about to introduce my face to the asphalt—and had some broken bones, I presumed—someone splendidly caught me.

“Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you throw people around like a sack of potatoes?! I thought my heart was going to stop!” I channelled my fears into complaints toward Miki, the other delinquent.

“Yeah, yeah, as if I’ll let you hit the ground. Have more faith in my abilities. Though, I guess it’s a bit impossible to ask that from you.” Miki replied casually as he carried me to where Natsuhiko was waiting.

“Ryuuji-kun! You bastard…!”

“Let go of him! He’s unrelated to your quarrel, right?!”

I glanced toward the school gate, where Asahi and Yuuki climbed over to chase after me. Mitsuki and Marika were waiting anxiously inside the school grounds, their worried expression made me feel slightly guilty.

Nevertheless, Miki reached Natsuhiko first before those two could catch up.

“As expected of my right-hand and left-hand man.”

Natsuhiko grinned proudly at his elite subordinates. He took me from Miki and pointed a knife to my throat. This was the second time this happened since I enrolled in this school.

“Now, you know what’s going to happen if you keep resisting, right? Kagura Sakuya.” Natsuhiko addressed her threateningly.

Sakuya knocked out her last opponent before facing Natsuhiko. “I’m sorry, what did you say? I was too busy finishing them off to hear you properly.”

Natsuhiko narrowed his eyes dangerously. “I’m saying that I’ll slit his throat if you don’t throw your sword away. Don’t think I’m as soft-hearted as my stupid little brother. I’m a man of my words, I’ll have you know.”

He pressed the knife deeper, cutting my skin and stained its blade with blood. Sakuya’s face immediately paled at the sight. Behind her, I saw Asahi and Yuuki quickened their pace with equally pale faces. It wasn’t just the Student Council that chased after us, as I could see Sakurasaki delinquents who had finished their test rushing toward us.

“Ryuu! Hold on, we’ll save you!”

“Don’t do anything stupid before that!”

“Why do you keep being taken hostage?!”

Natsuhiko quietly clicked his tongue at the unexpected reinforcements.

“Kagura. Stop them before they get too close.” He calmly ordered Sakuya.

The knife in his hand dug deeper into my neck, making me flinch in pain. Despite my current predicament, I tried to keep my expression as blank as possible. I knew every pain that I felt would burden Sakuya even further. I’d had enough of being a burden to everyone.

“All of you, stay back!” Sakuya barked at the people coming from behind without looking at them. “I’ll handle this, so don’t interfere!”

The Student Council officers and the delinquents stopped a distance away from us. They were still eyeing us warily, ready to step in once a chance showed itself.

“That’s right. One more step, and I’ll slice his neck off.” Natsuhiko smiled maniacally and caressed my neck with his knife.

I shuddered when I felt more blood trickling down my neck. Sakuya was glaring at Natsuhiko and she clenched her wooden sword even tighter, as if stopping herself from lunging at us.

“Very good. Now, Kagura Sakuya, throw your weapon away and kneel in front of me.” Natsuhiko commanded in haughty tone. “Do it quickly, before my hand slips.”

“Sakuya-san, don’t do it!” I yelled frantically. “Natsuhiko, you’re making a mistake! Do you really think that Sakuya-san will throw away her pride as a Banchou just for a mere gopher like me?! I’m just a sacrificial pawn, okay?! You can cut off my neck and Sakuya-san will simply take that chance to cut yours!”

“Hmph, you’re not fooling anyone.” Natsuhiko snorted. “It’s clear to everyone that you’re Kagura Sakuya’s weakness—a weak point waiting to be exploited.”

“That’s not true!” I refuted him. “Sakuya-san, tell him! Didn’t you say that I was just a chess piece to you?! There’s no way she—”

Swish!

Both Natsuhiko and I widened our eyes at the unbelievable sight. The wooden sword made a beautiful arc through the air as it landed a few feet away with a thud.

“Yes, that’s right. Ryuu is my weakness.” Sakuya acknowledged calmly. “As I’ve said before, he is an irreplaceable chess piece for me.”

I inhaled sharply at her words. Back when we had that big fight, Sakuya had denied those very words and broke off the illusion that I meant something to her. But now, it felt like she was finally being honest with herself.

“He is the weakest piece that cannot do anything on its own and needs to be protected. A piece even weaker than a pawn.”

Sakuya took a step forward and knelt down.

“And yet, he could turn the whole board upside down in just one move. He is…”

My breath stopped when Sakuya smiled softly at me.

“…a king. The most irreplaceable piece.”

I felt my heart pounding wildly in my chest as I was overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions. Confusion. Bewilderment. Embarrassment. But most dominant of all was…joy.

“Aah…she has finally acknowledged me. That I am someone special to her. That she could trust me and rely on me. That she’s willing to throw away her pride just to save me.”

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

The unpleasant laughter right next to my ear interrupted my thoughts. Natsuhiko was grinning so widely that it reached his ears. A tinge of madness colored his black eyes.

“Miki! Hibari! You heard her!” Pure malice seeped into Natsuhiko’s voice. “Beat her up as you please! As long as we hold her weakness, she won’t be able to do a thing!”

Under Natsuhiko’s order, the two of them approached Sakuya.

“It’s for Natsu’s sake.” Hibari murmured before restraining both of her arms from behind, making sure that she wouldn’t be able to move an inch. He then dragged her upward, forcing her to stand up.

“Yeah, so…” Miki wore his knuckles and flashed her an innocently cruel smile. “…please die for him.”

He started pummelling Sakuya’s body mercilessly.

“Stop! Stop it! Cowards! She can’t even do anything, stop it!” I screamed as I struggled to break Natsuhiko’s restraint on me, but his arms felt like steel beams.

“…agh! Guh…!” No matter how hard Sakuya bit her lips, sounds of pain still leaked through her mouth.

“Hey! That’s going too far! She’s just a girl!” Yuuki took a step forward with anxious face.

“Aniki! Let her go and take me instead!” Takashi emerged from among the delinquents. “No matter how you look at it, this isn’t right!” He begged his brother desperately.

“If you don’t let her go this instant, I’ll kill you all.” Ouji stood next to him, his face resembling a demon king as he cracked his knuckles.

“And I’ll help with the burial.” Hiiro popped up beside Ouji. Despite his constantly smiling face, his eyes were dead serious.

“What did I say, folks? One more step, and I’ll cut his neck off.” Natsuhiko immediately reacted and pushed the knife deeper into my throat.

“Ah!” I winced at the searing pain on my neck.

“Tch…!” Yuuki reluctantly backed away, dragging the three delinquents with him.

“Oi! What are you doing?!”

“Let me go! Just because you’re the President…!”

“Do you want to let Kagura sacrifice herself in vain?! That guy won’t hesitate to kill Shiba-kun if you don’t hold back!” Yuuki snapped back at them.

“I like people who can read the mood quickly like you.” Natsuhiko chuckled as he kept the knife close to my skin. “Miki, are you done?”

“Yeah, I’m done.” Miki ended his ‘torture’ with a solid punch to the solar plexus.

“Gah…! Cough! Cough!” Sakuya couldn’t take it anymore and sank to her knees, coughing blood as she struggled to breathe properly.

“Good boy. Switch with me for a sec.” Natsuhiko ordered.

He handed me over to Miki, along with the knife, before approaching Sakuya. Natsuhiko looked down at her pitiful figure with eyes full of contempt and superiority.

“How does it feel, Kagura?”

Natsuhiko grabbed Sakuya’s hair and forced her to look up. With a swollen cheek, dishevelled clothes, and bruises all over her body, no one would believe that she was the strongest delinquent around. Right now, Sakuya seemed just like an ordinary, powerless girl.

“Your playtime is over, princess. It’s time for you to admit that a little girl like you can never defeat us, the true delinquents. So why don’t you just go home and obediently listen to your daddy? Maybe he’ll beat us up for you if you ask him nicely! Hahaha!” Natsuhiko sneered as he ridiculed Sakuya.

Despite his blatant provocation, Sakuya kept her gaze lowered. She didn’t show any particular reaction toward Natsuhiko’s words.

“Tch. This is no fun. Are you broken already?” Natsuhiko released her hair with a bored expression.

Right at that time, Sakuya’s lips moved.

“…own…”

“Hm? What was that?” Natsuhiko frowned and leaned closer to hear her.

“…you’ve finally…” She muttered in voice loud enough for me to hear. “…let your guard down.”

The next second, Sakuya raised her face and head-butted Natsuhiko strong enough to send him tumbling backwards.

“Wha—?!”

Taking advantage of Hibari’s shock, Sakuya twisted her arms out of his restraints and grabbed his arm instead.

“HAAAH!”

With a spirited yell that was unthinkable from her previous condition, Sakuya threw Hibari over her shoulder and slammed him into the asphalt.

“Hibari!” Miki shouted in shock at the absurdly speedy defeat of his partner.

I sensed my opportunity from Miki’s inattention and bit on his arm as hard as I could.

“OUCH!” Miki shoved me away frantically.

“Ugh…!” I groaned as my back hit the ground hard.

“You little…!” Miki raised his knife and stabbed me without any hesitation.

Stab!

Instead of pain, I felt warm liquid dripping on to my face. I timidly opened my eyes to the sight of Sakuya’s hand grabbing the blade right before it stabbed me. The blood from her hand dripped down until it fell on my cheek.

“Sa…” My eyes widened when I saw how much blood was coming out from her wound. “Sakuya…!”

BAM!!!

Without caring for her wounds, Sakuya punched Miki with her other hand. The poor guy was blown across the street until his body hit the rail guard, which bent under his weight.

“Ryuu, are you alright…?” Sakuya dropped the bloodstained knife from her left hand and turned toward me.

“What are you saying?! You’re the one who looks worse! We need to get you to the hospital right now!” I sprang to my feet and supported her petite body.

The fact that Sakuya let herself lean on me showed that she was at her limit already. She looked like she was going to pass out at any moment.

“Wait, this isn’t over yet.” Sakuya resisted when I tried pulling her towards the school. “Take me to Natsuhiko.”

“You’re seriously…” I sighed, but I couldn’t refuse.

As a small revenge, I swept Sakuya off her feet and carried her towards Natsuhiko, who was restrained by Yuuki and Asahi. True to her petite body, Sakuya was as light as a feather. It made me worry whether she had been eating properly or not.

“R-Ryuu! W-What are you doing?! Let me down!” Sakuya struggled weakly in my arms. “I can walk on my own!” She protested.

“Sakuya-san, I’ll drop you if you continue struggling.”

At my words, Sakuya reluctantly ceased her resistance.

“Besides, please let me spoil you a bit. Think of it as my way of thanking you for saving me.” I kept my eyes straight forward as I spoke. I didn’t want her to see how embarrassed I was.

“Kagura-san!” “Sakuya-chan!”

Both Ouji and Hiiro ran towards us with worried expression.

“Are you two okay?” Ouji asked as he examined both of us intently.

“Ryuu, an injured person shouldn’t strain himself so much, so please let me carry—take care of Sakuya-chan for you.” Hiiro extended his hand at me, eager to steal Sakuya away.

“T-That’s enough! I can walk on my own!” Sakuya jumped off my arms and stood properly. “Pochi, Tarou, I’ll talk to Natsuhiko first. I’ll take care of the wounds later.”

“But…” Ouji frowned and voiced his disagreement.

“We need to end this now, to make sure that this kind of incident will never happen again.” Sakuya shot him a severe look.

“…I understand.” Ouji reluctantly backed down.

Both Hiiro and I also wanted Sakuya to get treated first, but we knew there was no changing her mind. All three of us followed behind Sakuya silently as she confronted the Takamine Academy’s Banchou.

“Koyama, let me talk to him for a moment.” Sakuya said to Yuuki curtly.

“I’m your Senpai, you know?” Yuuki sighed as he retorted as usual. “But sure, if you’re just going to talk to him. I’ll stop you if you get physical, though.”

“That’s good enough.” Sakuya nodded before directing her attention to Natsuhiko. “Ultimately, it’s your loss, rascal.”

“Ha?” Natsuhiko glared at Sakuya resentfully. “Do you think a single loss will stop me, Kagura? Even if you defeat me today, we’ll come back again and again. I don’t care how many times it will take until we subjugate this school!”

Yuuki frowned at Natsuhiko’s reckless words. Before he could interrupt, Sakuya had spoken first. “No, this is your first and last defeat. There will be no next time.”

“Like I said, what are you talking about…?!”

“Is there anyone left who will follow you again?”

Sakuya’s words made Natsuhiko fall silent. He looked around at his subordinates, who blatantly avoided his gaze. None of them was eager to challenge Sakuya again, now that they had tasted her overwhelming strength first-hand.

“The moment you threw away your pride as a Banchou, you have lost that title.” Sakuya spoke coldly. “You’re no longer worthy of being one.”

“Shut up! You keep yapping on about that stupid pride of yours!” Natsuhiko snapped back at her. “I also have that so-called pride as the strongest delinquent! I’m the strongest, so they have to follow me! Who cares what they actually think?!”

“That will just make you a tyrant.” Sakuya said it slowly, putting care into saying each word. It was the very same words I said to her back then. “That’s not what a Banchou is. My pride as a Banchou is that I won’t let a single harm comes to my subordinates. I’ll protect them, even if it means I have to put my life on the line.”

Sakuya stared straight at Natsuhiko.

“Do you have the same resolve?”

Natsuhiko gritted his teeth and glared back at her. “Those delinquents are my loyal dogs. They’re merely tools for me. Why should I protect such useless tools?”

“Merely being the strongest is not enough to become a Banchou. You’ll see for yourself.”

After saying that, Sakuya straightened herself and stepped back.

She turned toward Yuuki. “Koyama, can you send these guys back to their school? Takamine Academy’s principal has been notified about this incident, so you can just hand them over to the teachers. The main perpetrator will be punished heavily, I’m sure.”

Natsuhiko’s face turned pale as he kept listening to Sakuya’s words. “Wait, what?! The principal?! Did you tattle to him?! No, how did you even know him in the first place?!” He demanded in a fluster.

Sakuya shot him a sly smile. “You’re not the only one who someone on the inside, you know?” Then she suddenly raised her voice. “I was told that anyone who was brought here by Natsuhiko against their will won’t be punished harshly. After all, they can’t go against the Banchou’s order, right?” She smiled deviously.

“Y-You…!” Natsuhiko widened his eyes. “Are you trying to put all the blame on me?!”

“Y-Yeah, we were forced to come here!”

“We’re trying to stop him, but he won’t listen!”

“We never wanted to fight in the first place!”

As the voices of Takamine delinquents blaming Natsuhiko getting louder and louder, Natsuhiko’s face turned red from anger.

“You ungrateful dogs…!”

“Okay, let’s continue this squabble in your own school.” Yuuki cut him off. “Kagura, I don’t like taking orders from you, but since you’re injured right now, I’ll make an exception. Go and get yourself treated immediately, you hear me?”

Sakuya nodded with a thin smile. “Yeah. I really owe you this time.”

“Good to hear that.” Yuuki scoffed before hauling Natsuhiko away.

Marika, Asahi, and Mitsuki helped him round up all Takamine delinquents. They expressed their relief at my safety before going with Yuuki to hand over all those delinquents.

“Now…” Sakuya turned toward her delinquents, who had been waiting for her anxiously. “I’m going to pass out in a moment, but before that…”

She flashed her most beautiful smile yet at the delinquents, who were stunned at her unexpected words.

“…congratulations for finishing the test. I’m really proud of you…”

Right after uttering that, Sakuya collapsed.