Chapter 17: game

Bullying is one of the serious case especially to schools and to students. Nine from ten students planned to kill themselves because of bullying. It traumatize the victim that came to the point they don't want to go to school, afraid to interact or worst is suicide. Parents are complaining for this case and teachers said that they were already taking action about those complaints but it is still not enough. Every year, there are one or two students committing such crime because of the same reason. And what is more unacceptable is that those bullies are still young and under age so they will not yet be punished, the school will just expel them or call their parents for disciplinary actions. Bullying is a serious case that needs an attention, every school has this kind of crime and every victims needs to live their life carrying those burdens until they can't handle the pain anymore. Are the teachers really taking an action, how about those people in higher positions? The department of education.

Last week there are another case of bullying again, the parents of the bullies are called in school to give a disciplinary action about their children while the victim is staying in the house, suffering alone.

Bullying is not just happening among kids but mostly to teen agers from high schools. Kubo Goro is a big guy, you can't say that he was being bullied or he was the bully. Because he is bigger from his age that most of the people think he is a bully a bad person who get the allowances of the other students. Yes Goro is a big guy but not like everyone thinks, he is a shy person. He is introvert who is more entertained being alone playing games in his room. His schedule for weekends is full, this Saturday, a new game will be released and it is a limited edition so he needs to be the first before anyone else does. Then after that, an exhibition of games will be shown in the mall next weekend, the games characters cosplayers are there and even the game creator themselves.

Friday afternoon and Goro wants to go home early to finish his last game so that he can play tomorrow weekend the new limited edition game, he really save up his three months allowance just for that game. He turned to the corner near his house when he saw a group of high school students that are wearing the same uniform as his, surrounding a young poor boy that seem to be there classmate. When there are situations like these, Goro chose to pretend that he didn't see nor hear what is happening and passed by. Goro is a big guy who is not a fan of fighting or hitting those people smaller than him. This time he want to do the same but his feet is not following him, he went where these group of students are and punched their leader, the other members got scared by just looking at him and ran away. He asked the victim if he is okay but instead of answering him back, the guy ran away really scared. Goro let those guys ran and he he leave the place like nothing happened. You may think that he was a cool guy scaring those group of bullies yet deep inside he is scared, his heart is beating fast and his hands are shaking. He can't believe what he just did while staring his fist that he used to punch that guy earlier. He know that those guys will get back to him because of what he did.

Goro went to the store as early as five in the morning and there are already lots of gamers outside it waiting also. He didn't get enough sleep last night because he was too excited to try this new talk of the town game. They said that it was created by one of the most popular game company and the president thought this idea and created the game himself. After releasing it, the game was sold for over a hundred seventy seven million all over the world and now it is a limited edition game. He didn't notice the time, he fall asleep in front of the store and when he wake up, it is already open, few more people are there and only one copy of the game left. From being like a beggar in front of the store without fixing himself too much he immediately went inside to grab this one left missing before anyone else. However, unfortunately, before his hand land on the game someone already did it first. He don't know the guy wearing a black hood jacket who grab first the game. He can't believe that he save all his allowance for all this time and he didn't bring himself to buy the game he most wanted. Goro is not the type of guy who will give up easily especially if he really want a thing so he follow the guy until to the counter and he keep on saying that he see it first. Yet the guy didn't give so much reaction to him, a even didn't bother to look at Goro. The guy said in a very low tone that he picked the game first before he does, he was just applying the saying 'first come, first serve" He paid for the game but before he left, he stare at Goror so closely and says, "Finders keepers, losers suck" and released a smirk before he left the store. Goro can't believe what just happened, he remained standing there for a few minutes until his brain done loading he ran out of the store to chase the guy. When he got out from the crowd inside, the guy was already nowhere to be found. He walked slowly from the left while observing every people walking or passing by. Until then, someone from the back grab his arms. He's a little too shock yet before he panic he remember who it was. It is the guy he helped yesterday afternoon back near his house from the group of high school bullies. The guy handed him a small thing covered with a paper. Without asking a question from the guy and even his mind is already had a lot of thoughts and question at the moment, he slowly get the thing the guy is giving him. By opening it slowly even he don't know what is inside or it might hurt him. Goro didn't expect it at all, the thing that guy gave him is the copy of the game that he really want. "You can have it. I know you really want it, at least I can thank you with that from what you did earlier" "A…are you sure?! This is expensive and a limited edition, I can just have it" "It's okay, I'm not really that fan of playing games and also my cousin already bought a copy of it, I can just borrow it from her" "I can pay you" "No I really want to give you that, not all people will help somebody if they saw someone being bullied. It was my first time that someone stand by me and I am just so grateful that I bought you that game" "O…okay thank you I'll treat you to meal next time" "Yeah sure I'd love too, by the way I still didn't get your name" "Goro, Kubo Goro" "nice to meet you Goro I'm Mitsuki" then he handed his hand.

Goro already forgot the guy he just met in the store earlier, well he doesn't care anymore as long as he had the game. He came home immediately to test if it is really fun and exciting like what is written in the article.

It is one of the most popular developed game in the generation that is about adventure and rescuing the most important person to you. In the Bakero Kingdom, the king fall ill when their kingdom has been fallen to the enemies hand and the third princess has been kidnapped. So the knights and princes from different kingdom has gathered to save the princess and the kingdom which is also the players. They need to save the princess from the enemies hand by fighting and destroying every obstacles in their way like monsters and some sort of enemies. The game was inspired by the president when he found the love of his life that makes his inspiration in creating this one.

"I'm home!", said Mitsuki while closing the front door of the house and removing his shoes. He went immediately from upstairs straight to his room. When he opened it, he saw his girl cousin as the same age as his playing the same game. "When did you come?", Mitsuki asked while removing his jacket. The girl is still concentrating to the game yet she answered him. "Just a while ago, I first went to buy this game and I went directly here after" "So why are you here again?" "My mom and dad went on a business trip and I don't want to be left alone in that huge creepy house so I decided to stay here until they come back" Mitsuki let out a deep breath then lie on his bed, all he want now is to get a sleep. He closed his eyes and ready to go to a dreamland when his cousin talked again. "You know what, I met a guy in the gaming store a while ago. I picked this game first yet he was saying that he saw it first so I told him that what is the point if you saw it first, what matters is that I picked the game first before he does. Yet the big guy still follows me to the counter, I don't know what is his deal so I told him that finders keepers, losers suck. He got shocked a little that freeze him beside the counter I don't know what happen next because I leave him after telling it. he was a big guy but he is so stupid, I just didn't know if he saw my face, I was wearing a black hood that time so I think he don't recognize me" All he want is to get some sleep although he get enough eight hours or more of it every night he just felt sleepy all the time. He suddenly woke up upon hearing his cousin's story while laughing so hard telling how stupid that guy is. "D…did you say you met a guy just a while ago in a gaming store buying the same product as you?" "Yeah he was a really big guy, yet he was so shy" "The gaming sore in front of a fast food chain? Is that it?" "Yeah how did you know?" "What does the guy look like?" "Well I'm not sure but I think he's wearing a marvel shirt, a brown jacket and a blue jeans. He's really weird, he's a big guy yet he act like child" "Did he follow you when you leave the store?" "I don't know okay, why are you so curious about that guy, did you know him?" "Goro was also came from that store earlier, he was like looking for someone around the place and he is also wearing a marvel shirt, brown jacket and a blue jeans, huh! Don't tell me", he whisper to himself. "What are you saying hey what's wrong?!" 'Aaaahhh!!!!" "Hey Mitsuki are you crazy?" "That guy you just called stupid and weird is Goro!" "So you do know him, so what if you do. He doesn't know that I am your cousin" "He was the only guy, the one and only who save me when I was bullying by some group of guys. He was the first one who did that to me and I am so grateful on what he did so what if he found out what you did to him" "You're overreacting, then I'll say sorry" "Then go, say sorry to him" "Wha… what now?!" "Mmmhem", nodding while he's pushing him outside of the room> "Okay fine, I'll go no need to push me jeez", she said while fixing herself. "But how? I don't know who he is or where he lives" "Ahhh, yeah you have a point but once we found out you'll apologize okay" "Okay fine, you look like a mother you know", she said while sitting back to resume her game. "And one more thing, if I did apologize to him I will also teach you self-defense. I already told you that you should learn something like that so no one could bully you" "Okay okay jeez you look like a mother you know" He just said what she said that makes her glare him.

"Kubo Goro of the class 2-D" Goro turned around to the person who just mention his name while he's on a way home from class. These guys are the bullies of Mitsuki last Friday, he already know that these guys will come back for him yet he is not prepared. "What do you guys want", he said while hiding his nervousness. "You ruined us the last time we saw you and I don't like what happened" "You're quit brave for a big coward guy you know" "Why don't you just go home and play games while hiding in your mother's skirt baby boy" Then all of them laughed. Goro is a big kind guy, he can endure the pain if someone is bullying him but if his family is already included, that is a different situation. His eyes get dark and released strong punches to the enemy. The guys also give him few punches so both sides are full of wounds and bruises in their faces until they heard the sound of the police car that disperse them.

Goro met Mitsuki and his cousin on the way home after that fight. "A…are you okay? What happened?", Mitsuki asked with a worried face looking at how this change Goro's face. Goro just smiled for an answer. Mitsuki take him to his place to cure those bruises. "They came to you, aren't they?" "I told you, they will not leave you until you are not getting killed. Those guys are merciless like they own the world" "Then how did you get involved with them?" "I'm there classmate since junior high and they always do that to me, getting my allowance, making me run there errands and everything" "Then why didn't you fight back?" "I'm not as strong as you" "I'm also not strong, you see I'm coward but I was trying to change myself. I already don't want to be called a big coward guy, I want to be brave and I start with confident. And that is why I beat those guys. You don't have to be strong to protect yourself, sometimes you all have to need is to believe in yourself and if you do no one can beat you up because even they destroy you but if you know who you really are they won't succeed" "That is what I'm telling him", his cousin said while putting a tray of a glasses of juice on a small table in the living room. "When did you tell me that? That statement is too good to came from you" "But I'm telling you that you should learn to protect yourself, it is the same on what he said" "By the way, Goro is here do you have something to tell him?" "I…uhmm….a,,. I'm sorry", she said bowing. "What are you sorry for?" "She's the person who just get the last copy of the video game in the store last Saturday" "Y….you?! you're a girl?!" "Mmmmhem", while nodding. "That hoodie is a girl", Goro whispered to himself. "I don't know that you are my cousin's friend but if I know I will still getting that copy" "Couz!!" "I'm sorry I said you're a loser and you suck" "Couz! Are you trying to apologize?" "I'm apologizing already Mitsuki" "N..no that's okay. I already have the copy of the game, your cousin gave me and I don't really care" "Mitsuki!!! You gave him a copy!" "Ye.. yeah I want to thank him and that is all I can think I can repay" "That game is quite expensive, where did you get the money?!" "I have savings too you know and I know that you are going to buy the same thing also so I will just borrow yours" "Savings, uhh I forgot I don't have savings", she whispered to herself. "Everyone knows that, you're a spoiled brat" "Hey?!—", she stopped for the moment, she almost forgot that Goro was there. "I already finished giving your wounds a first aid but for making sure you should visit a doctor" "Thank you Mitsuki", he said while drinking the juice prepared.

"It seems that you are getting close with this stupid guy huh Mitsuki" "He has a name and his name is Goro, not stupid" "Okay Goro got it. So did you just being kind to him because he saved you from the bullies?" "Actually, I don't know. I feel like we already know each other for years" "Maybe you just felt that because he supplemented a spot you've been missing for, well, he's a good guy so I will not doubt him. I just wondering because he is not the type of guy you want to be friend with" "If he did not rescued me that time I will not befriend with him. Because of him, those bullies never bothered me anymore. I just want to be thankful and I thought if I will keep him by my side maybe no one will bully me anymore" "So if he is no use to you anymore, he will not going to be your friend anymore, is that it?" "Maybe" "Then you should start learning self-defense that I've been telling you for ages so you can get rid both of that guy and the bullies, if you want to I can stay by your side forever to protect you just the old times" "What are you? My bodyguard? No thanks they might think of me as a gay or coward having a girl to protect me or as my back up" "I'm not just a normal girl, you know that. I can get rid of those people easily if you want me to" "How about Goro?" "What?! You also want me to get rid of him?" "No! of course not. If I don't need him anymore I will just throw him and make up excuses" "You're rude" "Not as rude as you couz" "Okay then, it is settled, I will ruin first those bully and I will not touch this Goro guy not until you learn how to fight on your own" "Just do whatever you want"

"A group of high school boys found dead in the dumpster", that was the headline of the news today. Goro is preparing for school that morning when he heard the news that got his attention mainly it says the school he is in. it shocked him more when he realizes that those kids that got killed are the bullies he fought. "The world is really getting pretty dangerous, you should always be careful double, no triple times careful on times like these, you don't know what might happen next", his mother said to him. He waved goodbye then set to school.

Goro saw Mitsuki on the other side of the road while on his way to school. He want to run to him yet red light is still on and even he want to he know that he will not reach him in no time for this crowd of people who will also pass on the other side. Suddenly, he feels weak and cold especially to his right abdomen. He hold it and saw a blood. That start his eyes went black and he fall unconscious. There are a lot of people around him that time so you can't tell who did the crime. They ran him into the hospital but it is too late, before they held him to the ambulance car, he is already gone. No one still knows who did it and what is the motive of that suspect. His mother just reminded him to be careful yet this is what happened. Before he closed his eyes, he saw Mitsuki standing at the other side staring right at him. The light is now on green, Goro didn't made it to pass on that road. He might just at least finish and rescue the princess before he died from that unknown monster that sometimes called 'friend'.