The mighty and omega

Every evening after that day, I and John kept at it. Using the ground before the small apartment complex to brawl, we garnered a few strange looks, however, it didn’t get to us. John was more focused on training than I had thought, the more fights we had, the more blunt and assertive his fists were.

There were visible improvements, though it was more toward his style than his skills. It seemed like he was getting more confident. And from there John tried out risky attacks and learned mistakes he wouldn’t have had if he had cowered out.

Who knew violence could be so positive to the mind?

And that’s not the only example too, since our politely asking had also been working. The place where our job was done was primarily at their school. However, there was one guy who was always with someone else, so we had to wait at his house to discuss matters. To add to that, there was another guy who simply didn’t need consoling, he just straight up told us that he had already stopped the harassment. Strange, really.

Of course, all of our work was confirmed by John’s telling of his experience at school. The group still has six full members, but whenever the leader told them it was time to meet Abigail their number dwindled, and after a few days he was the only one left messing with the girl.

                                                                                    ***

Now, let’s stray from the school shenanigans, Uncle Rob made contact with me. As anyone might have guessed, he asked how did it go with Kiri, to which I gave him a resounding ‘great’. For some reason, he didn’t seem convinced at first. But when I gave him a brief summary, he started to feel somewhat proud of me, if that’s the right word.

Not just that, but something shocking happened, well not too surprising actually but somehow Alice found my contact. Yes, the grumpy blond tiny lesbian girl has come out of her way to speak to my lowly presence. Though, the only reason she did that was for Kiri. Once more, I was questioned about her situation, however this time I took time to consider my answers.

The right choice is obviously to consult Kiri, and so I did just that.

“Hey, should I tell Alice that I found you or lie to her? There could be chances that this might go out so.”

“I think she’s fine. Alice’s one of the people I trusted after all.”

Having her permission, I informed Alice of our situation, to which she responded: “What the fuck?! That quick????? What the hell were the authorities doing for a year and a half?”

I think so too Alice, I think so too.

Suddenly, Kiri snatched my phone away from my hand.

“Hey, what-“

“Smile!”, interjecting me with a cheerful beam, she raised my phone and took a selfie of us. Right after, Kiri texted something, and then finally she gave it back to me.

Only after observing my phone screen did I realize Kiri’s intention.

“Listen here you little man-whore. You haven’t won just yet.”

Just above the message Alice had sent me was the photo that Kiri just took. In it, I was embraced by Kiri’s shoulder and she looked to be somewhat faking a kiss on my right cheek. It was no question that this was worth nothing if not for pissing off a certain over-protective girl.

Chuckling at Alice’s reaction, I hit the big red block button and went on with my day. Well, before noticing that there were still two more notifications to check out in my inbox.

“Hey, why did that little blond girl ask us for YOUR info.”

“Now that I remember you did take an awful lot of time talking with her back then, what’s going on here?”

It was from the two idiots back at my school. To answer their inquiries, I told them that it was a personal thing, to which they showed no concern and asked me more.

You annoying fucks…

Rather than blocking, I just left my messages unread. And so finally, I could move on to do something different.

                                                                                     ***

Now, back to what matters, my daily cycle.

In the morning I just went and hang out at the mall with Kiri, though I guess it was more like money hunting. Apparently, if you dress well and are confident enough, you can involuntarily trick people into giving free stuff and accommodation just for making them think you are a socialite. This scheme would usually work at an airport or other fancy place, but a local luxurious hotel was enough.

I definitely wasn’t one who can act well enough, but Kiri seemed like a totally different person when she dresses up. From manners of speech to coordinating her movements, only a few sharp individuals could tell her apart from the rich caste. I never even knew she could speak Japanese so fluently, but then again she should be able to converse with her mother’s tongue, even if she’s been in a foreign environment.  

Fast forward to the later parts of the day, we would then do our personal consoling with the bullies, and even though it felt wrong, I would pick this moment as the peak of the day.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, I just take a long nap. The past me would have never expected me to do so, since I was never great at falling asleep. Though, I’ve read in a study that the more fulfilling you feel about your day, the easier it is to enter a deep sleep. This, made me acknowledge now that living somewhere far from home and threatening evil middle schoolers is what satisfies me.

In the evening, John and I took our time to practice, however, there were still some leftovers for the relaxing last moments of the day. At first, I was not keen on having the brat around where I live, we would just start meaningless rants and arguments and it felt like hell every time that happened. Nonetheless, as time went on, he just became funny to me, like an annoying little brother kind of.

Now I know how Kiri was able to put up with him for half a year.

It wasn’t a long period, only five days were repeated. And yet, with each passing day going by the more at home I felt. And it wasn’t a warm feeling or anything like that, it felt more like an exhilarating sensation that was becoming more familiar to me, and I could embrace the abnormality of this life willingly. Perhaps it was because of the fact that this period was so short that I felt this way.

But regardless, it was no doubt that I enjoyed these five days.

And finally, it was the day right before I have to go home, and also the day of John’s final confrontation. I got to his school late in the morning and strolled straight to his class, though a bit weary of my surroundings. When I reached my location, I peeked through the classroom window, only to find the little brat dozing off.

So, this is what you do when you’re not on your phone, huh?”

Finding it satisfactory in John’s case, I walked to the girl Abigail’s class to check up with her. Once more I glanced through the window, and it didn’t take me long to locate her. The girl was looking tentatively at the board, offering her ears to the obnoxious clashing of the chalk with the surface, though I guess it was like an angelic symphony for her. No matter how you look at it, this image was totally contrary to John’s. Which raises a question

Then, does John really like her?

I mean they say opposites attract, but John never really said he liked the girl in the first place. Though if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have put in so much effort to protect her. And I don’t think he’s that heroic just to be that adamant about a stranger. But then again, why would I care about some middle school love story, as long as they don’t get bullied it’s enough for me.

Rang

It wasn’t long until the bell signaled lunchtime, and the hallways were abruptly encompassed with the clamor of students bustling around. I didn’t have enough faith for John to just come up to his bully without any sort of motivation, so I rushed back to his class again.

Before I could reach the entrance, John appeared in the hallway trudging menacingly. With each step, I felt the ground move a little, and I was shocked at the fact that I had described him in such a cool and dramatized way.

“Damn, you sure are ready.”, I said.

“Yeah, after today it’ll all be over.”

Though his pace was not commendable if we’re talking about speed, the time at which he descended two floors felt like it never happened. And so, John met his enemy.

“Hey, pig face, I have a word with you.”

Like a swarm, the mass of students all moved their attention toward the source of anomaly in their surroundings. And the bully was likewise.

“You clown again? Are you just going to bark a little only to run away another second one more time?”, with a mocking tone, the bully made a comeback, most likely taunted by John’s insult.

“No, not this time. You know how I don’t like seeing you with that girl Abigail right? Since with that look of yours, it’ll only taint her beauty and all. That’s why I think we should settle our matters today, at the school backyard.”

Following the end of his sentence, no longer were there closed mouths, and everyone stared in awe. However, the one to be the most amused was instead the person that was insulted.

He laughed, creating creases on his already obnoxious face, and along he said.

“I mean why do you gotta cause all this commotion just to get knocked out right away? I mean really, you’re a pretty good clown.”

As if to prove his point, the bully asserted intimidation with his enclosing to John. Only a step before he was walking normally, but when John entered his range, the bully struck a round punch straight to his face.

Well, supposedly, since John has evaded with merely a lowering of his head. To add to his coolness point, John continued strolling after the attack and did not bat an eye to his faltering opponent behind him.

“I said backyard, not here you illiterate swine.”

Not to anyone’s surprise, the surroundings exploded with shrieks and cheers, all honoring John’s moment.

What, he’s too cool.

I mean the confidence and adrenaline of a moment can really change a person, but there was no way the menacing fellow there was that cowardly and bratty John I knew.

Along with everyone, I, the bully, and John, all went to the designated location. Of course, I blended in with the crowd, after all the bully seeing me would only cause even more needless commotion.

Collectively, the students formed a circle, setting boundaries to the arena in front of them. The two warriors had made their stance, and there was no longer any reason to forfeit this fight.

And just like that, the final brawl began.