Chapter 63: An Old Admirer

A gruesome scene if I do say so myself. Ironically, I was the one responsible for this.

A bunch of thugs in school uniforms grovelling in pain, blood oozing from different parts of their body for different of these delinquents, some gripping their blood-stained eyes and a few unconscious.

Although I may or may not have a serious injury in my left hip and shoulder, I am quite happy with this result. Additionally, Ken already got his revenge with the two guys who ambushed him.

The last guy, before we seriously tortured him, we interrogated him.

"Why did you attack Ken?"

He said it was to teach ME a lesson.

"What lesson?"

He said that he wanted to get back at me because I did something to their leader.

"Who is your leader?"

He proudly, with little energy left of him, said it was Funabashi Masaki. A girl's name. Then he coughed because of the injury we gave him. But it is his fault to be excited in such a state.

I thought that their leader was this red-haired guy who is unconscious and lying flat on the ground. But no. If I assume his position, then he is like an executive or something like that.

Upon knowing who the real leader is, Ken flinched, seemingly hearing something familiar.

"Someone we know Ken?" I inquired.

"...More accurately, it is you that you should know her. After all, you are acquainted with her."

Huh? Did I really meet with this girl?

"When?" I pressed for more information about this individual.

"Remember the day you...changed me. Before we went to my house, I was at a café with Machi and Mai."

"Machi and Mai?"

Aki intervenes, enquiring about the names mentioned by Ken.

"Ah? They are my two cute little sisters. If you have any free time, you can visit us. Those two would surely love seeing new people, especially Mai."

"Sure, but I don't know where you live."

"It's okay. Just bring Tenma with you or we can just go together."

"Okay, sure."

Aki was less angry than before now. Discovering new things about Ken have had a role in that. Although I am quite happy with her state of emotion at present, I can't help but think about their strange yet close relationship.

To me, they are not lovers. I have reached such conclusions after seeing their interactions. It could be that both of them are in love and don't know or cannot express such feelings towards each other. It could be such a case but I don't think so. Or it could be that both are ignorant.

Maybe I thought of something similar in the past but, I think that this is more of a child and a babysitter relationship. Or maybe like siblings or something like that? If I could put them together though...?

Less than a master-servant relationship, but closer than siblings?

If that seems understandable then it can be seen like this. I don't know how I can envisage such relation but I'm getting this type of vibe from them.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying..."

Ken cut through my thought as he continued to help me remember who this individual named Funabashi Masaki is.

"There was a couple, that Funabashi girl and another guy who was trying to get me, Mai and Machi off our seats. The café was packed and there was no place for them so they resorted to threatening a weak me."

"It was on the weekend right?"

"Yes. And you saved me from them by dragging those two away from us."

"Hmm..."

"Still don't remember? Then this information will make you remember. You used her as a duplicate for Aki to save yourselves from getting expulsed from school. You told me to say to Mr Kimura that that Funabashi girl is the one responsible for the fights outside you were getting into. Using a hoodie as same as Aki and giving one to Funabashi somehow, was key to your halt in expulsion."

.....Since he said all of that, I guess that I cannot say that I still don't remember. Because if I do, then this would surely lead to them believing in me getting Alzheimer's disease.

"That girl huh..."

"So it is really your fault." Aki reverted back to her furious mood.

"I agree, okay! It was to protect us! Did you want to get expulsed!?" I may have raised my voice a bit there.

"Even so, could you not have found another way of dealing with it?"

"...At the time, this was the best option that I could think of, despite the pressure of going through expulsion."

"....." Aki did not argue any further because first of all, it was going to be meaningless to continue the debate.

And secondly, she knew that I saved her avoid the worst possible outcome through this method, so she can't fully go against me.

"*sighs* Now that we know who is the main culprit. It's time to withdraw."

I got up, meanwhile, Aki was still staring angrily and helplessly at me. Okay, I get it. It was my actions that brought upon us these recent events. I got a 'i get it' face on me as I turned towards our informant lying on the ground here. I kicked him then beat him up until he was unable to move.

And this was the last thing that we did against this bunch of juvenile delinquents for today.

....

Now that the adrenaline in my blood died down, the pain in the regions of my left hip and left shoulder became more apparent. When I would poke it even a little, a thunder of pain stings me in that injured region. I think that taught me a lesson to not do that again.

While still reflecting on the fall that I had taken, I arrived home a bit late than usual.

I think that this was the time that my family would be all eating dinner. I opened the door, took my shoes off and wore the indoor slippers on. To get to my room, I needed to pass through the dining room, so I did.

It was a surprise though as I saw Dad eating with Mom and Reika. Dad paused for a moment to gaze at me.

"E, Enjoy your meal..."

Reika and mom also veered into my direction. Normally, Dad would return later than usual but I guess today he finished work quickly. Mom had a thin smile but not quite a happy tone to greet me.

"Ah. You are a bit late. Go on and take a shower, I will put food in the microwave. Don't worry and go wash off your sweats."

I nodded neither slowly, nor rapidly. In the presence of Dad, I cannot talk too much. He is different from Mom, that is evident. Not much eye contact was there between me and Dad as he resumed to eat. So did Mom. Reika was just staring at me strangely but she also continued eating.

I went up and took a shower. The hot water was kind of stinging me so I was being careful when I applied soap to that fragile part of me.

I was also being cautious when I put on my clothes, this injury is really giving me a hard time. Ticking the pain message in my brain every time I do something strenuous to the hip and shoulder is not really a habit that I should develop. So I took my time doing these small activities.

I went downstairs and those 3 were not around the dining table. I was taking my sweet time just minding my pain while they had dinner and went to sleep.

As for the food for me.....there was none. Dammit Mom, you really are sly. There was nothing when I opened the microwave.

Tch!.....Guess something from the fridge would do.

I grabbed an apple from it and ate it. I was not that hungry so it was all good. I contemplated on the matter with that Funabashi girl. Now that I remember a bit about the details regarding her, she is my fan, or was, because I used her as a scapegoat.

Anyway, thinking for today was enough. I finished the apple, threw the remnants of it in the bin and went up with difficulty.

I did not know walking up the stairs was too burdensome because I became so tired just after I arrived upstairs. Maybe it was the side effect of having this injury. My room is the only thing I could think of so I tried to walk faster.

Just then I saw the door's knob for Reika's room turn.

No wait! I was near the door!

*Bam*

"---------------IT HU-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I used my own hand to block the shriek coming out from my mouth. I did not want to disturb Mom or Dad at this time. The only thing that I can do instinctively is to curse internally at the pain.

'FUCKING HELL THAT HUUURTSSS!!!!!!!'

The side of the door hit my hip at a great speed. If the door would have been opened at a normal velocity, then I could have avoided it. But since this came out of nowhere, I was caught by its movement.

"Reika! Couldn't you-"

Scolding her was on my mind, but that idea soon escaped my thought. Her face helped me with this decision. The pain that I was having, started to dissipate as time goes when I gazed at her.

Small droplets of tears. That's what was in her eyes, streaming down her rosy cheeks. My face expression soon stabilise. I tried to calm myself, but I only succeeded from the outside.

"...Brother..."

As she looked at me with such a sad visage, all of my anger passed through my right arm and into my hand. I clenched my right hand into a fist. I did not let her see it so I positioned my hand a little bit behind my back.

I lightly smile at her while I levitated my other hand near her wet cheeks. Those hand wiped a great portion but not all of the tears seeping from her eyes.

"What happened?"

The small and gentle voice swam into her slightly red ears. Even I was a bit appalled by the sincere or soothing vocals. I did not think I was capable of such verbal display.

She looked away as I rubbed out most remnants of tears on her round cheeks with one full swoop of the back of my hand.

"Don't you want to talk to your brother?"

I continued gazing at her, waiting for a response. She did not budge for a few seconds, and so did i.

I was still here, still awaiting her reply. She sniffed for quite a few number of times, which did not bother me at all.

At last, she stared back at me with those moist eyes.

"...I guess..."

I curved the end of my lips a tad bit upwards as she answered me. She proceeded to wipe off the remaining shedding tears with her hands.

The white bracelet, that I had gifted her on the final day of the Study Camp Program, came into my view. It was glistening the tears' reflected rays by the lights from the corridor.

The scintillating bracelet somehow forced me to show my teeth because I smiled more grandly than moments ago.

'So she did not put it aside.....huh...'

As those thoughts occupied my happy self, I waited for her patiently.