A Peek to the Past

"Who has the answer to this question?"

A boy hesitantly raised his hand.

"Uhhh…"

"It's Igara Youta, sir."

"Oh yeah… Igara, you may stand…" the man in the suit replied, squinting his eyes.

The teacher nodded and gestured to the student to stand up. Igara rose from his seat, his unremarkable figure adorned with plain black hair and average height.

"The answer is two. X equals two."

"Good job," the teacher muttered, scribbling down his answer on the board.

A moment later, Igara felt a sudden bump on the back of his head. He turned to look, only to find a crumpled ball of paper on the ground. Confused, he looked around the classroom, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"..pfft."

Puzzled by the mysterious object, the boy tried to resume his focus on the lesson, but was interrupted by another impact on the back of his head.

"..stop," he said as he noticed, without turning around.

Meanwhile, the teacher continued explaining, "....so, you arrived at two from these formulas…."

Suddenly, another boy with unkempt brownish hair forcefully crushed a paper ball and threw it, causing a loud echo in the classroom.

"...shouldn't have answered."

.————.

The bell rang, finally freeing me from class. I bolted out of there faster than the teacher could pack up their stuff. I hurried through the packed hallway, trying to make it to the bathroom.

I pushed open the bathroom door, and found the room empty. I made my way to the sink, where I turned on the tap and allowed the water to flow freely through the vessel.

The feeling of something sticky on the back of my head was there since the class. I peeled it off and rinsed it away, but there was still some residue left in my hair. So, I kept rinsing until it was all gone.

Suddenly, the abrupt sound of a door slamming open shattered the silence.

"—Look who we have here!" they taunted, "A nerdy dork all in one package!"

Their taunts echoed throughout the restroom, causing me to flinch as the door was locked with a decisive clack, sealing me in with my taunters.

"What?"

"I have another one!" one of them shouted, ignoring my presence. "The teacher's pet! So that's a nerd, a dork, and a teacher's pet, all wrapped up in one neat little package!"

The raucous laughter that followed served to underscore their insult for me, as I stood there helplessly, vulnerable to their insults - the sound of the water from the sink was still going strong.

"..."

"Fuh, just perfect. I need a punching bag," one of them muttered darkly as he stalked towards me.

His towering figure loomed over me, dwarfing my skinny frame by comparison.

"Fuck midterms, they're are such a load of bullshit," he muttered again, clenching his fists with a threatening glare.

I flinched as he charged towards me, my mind racing as I panicked, my eyes darting around for something to defend myself with. But before I could even begin to react, I felt the harsh impact of his fist slamming into my shoulder.

As his fist connected with my shoulder, it sent me tumbling to the ground.

"Agh!" I yelled in pain, clutching my throbbing left shoulder with my right hand.

My left hand lay flat against the cold, sterile tiles of the bathroom floor. It was dry, devoid of any moisture.

Behind me, the bathroom stall loomed, a distant blur on the farthest edge of my vision.

He stood over me, his fists clenched and unclenched a few times. His footsteps echoed ominously against the tiled walls as he advanced towards me once more.

"You're not good enough…"

If only...if only I had a sword! A FUCKING SWORD! I would slice and dice these bastards like they deserve!

All I could do in my life was swing a sword. I was obsessed with manga characters that wielded swords and wanted to do all the cool techniques they did.

But to be honest, I didn't put much effort into it - I just swung a stick every day.

That's just how I am.

"RAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" I stood up, dashed forward with my fist behind, ready to destroy anything in its path - is what I think so.

Guh.

It was like the world stopped, time froze. My vision blurred as I felt the force hit me square in the nose.

The taste of iron filled my mouth as blood gushed out from both nostrils.

I stumbled backwards, my feet unable to find their footing. My head hit the ground, and for a moment, everything went black.

The sound of laughter echoed in my ears as I struggled to regain my senses.

The frustration boiled within me like a volcano, threatening to erupt at any moment.

—But what could I do? I was outnumbered, outmatched, and out of options.

All I could do was lay there, bleeding and broken.

Like a worthless piece of trash.

Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by the idea of justice. I dreamed of becoming a police officer, of being the one to uphold the law and bring justice to those who deserved it.

But that dream died when I realized the truth about most police officers. They were corrupt, abusive, and only interested in money.

What can I do? I'm just a useless, hot mess. I can't do anything. All I do is dream, and dream.

I don't even bother trying. I never did. And all of this happened because of me. I allowed this cycle to continue, thinking it didn't concern me.

Or is that just an excuse I tell myself?

…

What is justice, really?

I used to think it was a set of laws, a code of ethics, and a system to protect the weak. But I've come to realize that justice is nothing but a meaningless concept created by those in power to control the masses.

I see it every day, the corruption, the greed, and the abuse of power. The system is rigged, and justice is nothing but a myth.

–The only way to truly bring justice is to become justice itself.

I will no longer stand by and watch the weak get trampled upon by the strong. I will make my own laws, and I will enforce them. The world needs someone who is not afraid to take action, someone who is not bound by the shackles of the system.

I will become the symbol of fear for those who stand against justice, and the beacon of hope for those who are oppressed. They will fear me, but they will also respect me. For I am the one who will bring true justice to this world.

And those who stand in my way will be crushed, for they are the ones who propagate the false concept of justice. They are the ones who protect the corrupt and punish the innocent. They are the ones who will fall before my wrath.

I will become justice, and no one will be able to stop me.