Chapter XVII.

'Gōjun isn't coming to school today?' I asked Shunsui, when I saw him arriving all alone. 

'No,' he replied, casually, and sending his arm around my neck, he began to usher me into the courtyard of the school. 'He's going to be absent for a few days. He's gone out of the city with his family.'

'I see,' I replied, and his eyes tightened at me, a cocky smile coming to his lips.

'You look disappointed,' he said, teasingly, cupping my chin with his free hand. 'Can it be that you have fallen for his charm?'

'What?!' I flinched, my face reddening. 'Of course, not! It's just that I've prepared him his favorite food today!' 

'Oh?' he said, drawing his face closer to mine, his smile widening. 'And on which occasion?'

I flushed deeper. 

'On no particular occasion! I only thought about making ebi tempura and remembered that they are his favorites!' 

'Anyway, he's not here, which means, more for me!' he exclaimed, cheerily.

At this, I hung my head a little, my expression becoming cynical. 'You're incorrigible!'

He laughed.

'Oh, by the way,' he said, as we entered the school building, 'Can I see your phone for a minute?'

I nodded and handed my cellphone over to him, a bit intrigued. I didn't see what he did, but he pressed something, looked at the screen very briefly, before he looked up thoughtfully, saying, almost to himself, in a half-disappointed tone, 'That's what I thought!'

When he handed my phone back to me and turned around to his locker, I saw that he had not closed the application he had entered. In fact, he had entered my call log, more precisely, he had gone through the history of my received calls. I was completely bewildered now, but I abstained myself from asking him any questions.

***

On the other side...

Gōjun and Kenren Shoran managed to catch a few fishes, which became their lunch. After they had returned to the cottage and their stomachs were filled, there was nothing to do, and Kenren decided to jump on the occasion to try to bring Gōjun to perform another activity with him.

'How about we play Shōgi?' he proposed, and opening a furniture in the living room, he took out the board. 'I have found this lying around last night. I know that you would prefer poker, but we don't have that here. And so...'

Gōjun was now fixating him, and for a minute, Kenren feared that the teenager had discovered what he was trying to do. 

'Okay,' Gōjun replied, with a small nod, and even if this didn't completely calm down his fear, Kenren was quite elated. 'Good.' 

The two males played till late in the afternoon, going in for several rounds, and as they were sitting face to face with each other during the game, it allowed them to interact a little more with each other.

***

Meanwhile...

'Ah! These extracurriculars are killing me!' I whined, dragging my feet lifelessly under me. 'The match is over. Then, why do I have to remain in the Kendō club?'

As I arrived in the doorway of the changing room of the gymnasium, suddenly, I caught sight of Natsui Mizoroge. The ginger-haired girl had not left yet, and there were three other girls with her, who didn't form part of our club, but who studied in the same class as us. 

The said three girls were of average height and had a slim figure. The first one had waist-length, sleek, black hair, and paper-white skin; her eyes, pale brown. If I was not wrong, her name was Hiyori Miyatsu. The second had short, light-brown hair, which was tied in a pony-tail on the side with a red ribbon. I think her name was Sakuya Morimoto. And the third one had mid-back level, dark-brown hair, and again, if I was not wrong, her name was Itsuko Shibata. 

'I'm pretty good at it, don't you agree?' the dark-haired girl said to Natsui, making a small gesture with the camera recorder she had in one of her hands, and I, suddenly, realized that the the three girls were actually sneering at Natsui, and the ginger-haired girl was, in fact, crying. 

What's going on here?! I asked myself.

'You've filmed me while I was changing my clothes! Why?' Natsui demanded, her voice breaking.

My heart skipped a beat. They've done… what?!

'That's not the question you should be asking yourself,' Hiyori Miyatsu told her, with snide. 'Instead, you should be asking yourself what will happen when all the boys of the school, as well as our professors, will have viewed this embarrassing video. For I'm very much determined to send it to each and every one of them!'

In that instant, my body reacted on its own. 

Even before I knew it, I had dashed at the three girls, snatched the camera recorder from the hand of the dark-haired one, removed the SD card and broke the latter into two; my heart racing in my chest.

The three girls and Natsui gasped in shock, their eyes widening at me.

'You b****! What did you do?!' roared Hiyori Miyatsu, and pushing me roughly backward by my chest, she bent down to pick the broken SD card up from the floor. 

I stumbled, but managed to catch myself against the cupboard behind me.

The three girls stared at the broken SD card, then at me, with rage, before Hiyori Miyatsu snatched the camera recorder back from my hand, told me that she'd make me pay for what I have just done, and flounce out of the room, with her two accomplices at her heels. 

Once they were out of the door, I looked back at Natsui. The latter was petrified with shock. She was staring at me without speaking or blinking.

'Natsui… Are you alright?' I asked her, worriedly, my voice a murmur. 

More tears began to gush down her cheeks, and covering her mouth with her hands to muffle her sobs, unexpectedly, she swung around and ran out of the room.

'Natsui!' I called, but she didn't stop. 

I took after her immediately, calling out her name several times, but still, she didn't stop until she was at a good distance away. She plumped down on the ground to sit in a ball and cry.

'Oh Natsui...' I whispered, slowing down into a walk, feeling pained for her. 

When I reached her, I sat myself down by her side to wait for her to stop crying when, in all of a sudden, she threw herself at me, crying harder and louder as she hugged me, her words coming out distortedly as she spoke. 

She explained to me that Hiyori Miyatsu is her cousin. The latter is, actually, the daughter of her mother's younger sister. Ever since they have been kids, Hiyori has always watched her with disdain, because they come from two very different social classes. But when Natsui has obtained a scholarship to study in the same school as her, things have taken a turn for the worse. 

The ginger-haired girl also told me about her difficult situation at home and I found that we both had a similar background. Just like me, she came from a poor family and she has had an abusive father. Her father had died a few years back. and it was then the turn of the ginger-haired girl's brother to show himself abusive towards her mother and her. Her mother was the person who runs the household and who pays for the rent of their small apartment. On her side, Natsui has been cumulating part-time jobs on part-time jobs, so she could save enough money for her mother and her to move away from her abusive brother.

'I'm sorry,' she told me, after she had pulled away, her eyes filled with shame. 'I don't know what took over me to tell you all of this. This is usually the kind of thing that you discuss with your closest friends. I just couldn't control myself anymore. My nerves gave up on me.'

'It's okay, you can talk to me', I had been about to tell her reassuringly but, abruptly, she jumped to her feet, gave me a forced smile to tell me that she was feeling better now, before she left in a half a run.

'Natsui...' I whispered to myself.

The ginger-haired girl smiled a lot, but I understood at that moment that her smiles were meant to hide her pain, and perhaps to make her day appear gayer to herself. For a whole moment, I sat there pondering sadly over all that she had told me about her life. I could feel her pain. I could feel her anguish. I wished there was something that I could do to help her. I tried to think of something. 

I was still thinking about this when I had finished to change my clothes and was preparing to leave. 

The school was completely desert by this time; all the students having already left for home. Shunsui had informed me earlier that he has a rendezvous with a group of girls from our school and, in fact, he had left with them right after our classes were over. He had told me that I had to attend extracurriculars though, but that I could leave directly for home after that.

As I rounded the corner of one of the buildings of the school to make for the gate, out of the blue, two pairs of hands seized me by my arms roughly from behind, restraining my movements. 

Instantaneously, I looked over my shoulder at the two girls who had made eruption behind me, and my eyes went wide with shock, my throat tightening, as I realized that they were the same two girls who were friends with Hiyori Miyatsu- Sakuya Morimoto and Itsuko Shibata. 

The two were wearing a fierce expression on their face, their grips on my arms painful.

The next second, somebody approached me from the other side, and I looked back around in front of myself immediately to see that it was none other than Hiyori Miyatsu herself. 

The dark-haired girl was watching me with the same fierce expression as her two friends, a malignant smile on her lips. 

My heart accelerated in my chest.

What are they doing?!

Without giving any warning, the dark-haired girl gave me a powerful kick me at the gut. I fell onto my knees, doubling over, tears coming to my eyes. 

It- Hurts! 

The two other girls had loosened their grips on my arms now, but they didn't release me nonetheless. I knew that there was more to come.

'I told you that I'd make you pay!' Hiyori Miyatsu spat at me, and I lifted my head to look at her through my blurry eyes, only to see her raise her bag in the air just before she rammed it into my face in as much a powerful blow as before.

This time, I hit the ground, my left cheek burning with pain. I could taste some blood inside of my mouth; my tears falling. 

-'t hurts! 

Her two friends had released me by this instant, and they stood there, sneering at me.

'That would teach you!' the dark-haired girl muttered, and flinging around, she strutted out of sight with her two friends following right after her. 

Holding my face with my hand, I pushed myself slightly off the ground, but the moment I tried to sit up, the pain in my belly hit me like a punch. I gasped, sending my other arm around my waist.

It really hurts!

But the worse was that I had been really lamentable; I couldn't even defend myself.

***

A short while later, on the other side…

Natsui Mizoroge fixed her expression as she arrived in front of the door of the apartment where she lived with her mother and brother. The latter's car was not in the parking lot downstairs, which meant that he had not returned home from work yet.

She felt quite relieved. 

It's strange, she thought to herself, how sometimes history seems to repeat itself. 

Only sometimes ago, it was her father's return that she used to watch out warily.

As she entered the apartment, she called out to her mother, cheerfully, 'Tadaima!'

'O-kaeri nasai!' the woman replied, in the same cheerful tone, peering her head out from behind the pillar that separated the kitchenette from the living room.

Taking her shoes off and placing them on the small set of shelves on the side of the genkan, the ginger-haired girl hurried to her mother's side to hug her and place a kiss upon her cheek.

'How was your day at school?' the woman inquired.

'Good!' she lied. 

Her mother had enough to worry like this; she didn't want to worry her even more with her problems at school with Hiyori. 

'What do we have for dinner?'

'Well, check it for yourself!' the woman answered, with a mischievous smile, wishing to make the suspense last. 

Filled with delicious anticipation, Natsui moved up to the stove and uncovered the lid of the wok.

'Yatta! Fried noodles!' she exclaimed, with delight, water coming to her mouth, and Kesai Mizoroge, her mother, chuckled, feeling happy at her reaction.

'I can't wait! Let's eat immediately!' she cried, and the woman shook her head at her, chuckling even harder.

'Yes, let's eat!'

They didn't wait to get to the table, after having served themselves each a large plate of noodles.

'Wah! They're succulent!' the ginger-haired girl howled, as she tasted them. 'I'm telling you, Okā-san! One day, when we have our own house, we'll have to open business of our own- a small restaurant, where we'll sell nice little dishes! We'll keep the price low, so that everyone can enjoy them! You'll be the cook and I'll be your assistant!'

'Yes!' Kesai Mizoroge nodded, eagerly. 'And what will be the name of our restaurant?'

'I haven't thought about it yet, but for sure, it'll have to be something that brings water to the mouth of our clients!'

The two laughed together, and they continued to chat with each other excitedly like this for a moment, while they were eating in good humor until, they were interrupted by loud bangs on the door of their apartment, that caused both of them to jump.

'Hey, the mother!' called the voice that Natsui dreaded the most to hear; that of her brother.

'The door is open!' the ginger-haired girl called out to him, her voice catching a little, but he continued to bang loudly on the door.

'It's okay! I'll get it!' Kesai Mizoroge said to her daughter, rapidly, her voice catching too, and putting her bowl of noodles down immediately, the woman sprang to her feet to rush to the door, tripping once on her way.

'Hisashi! Okaeri!' the woman greeted the young man on the other side of the door, giving him a gentle smile.

'What took you so long to open the door?!' the latter demanded at her, angrily, and entering the apartment, he kicked his shoes off, grumbling something under his breath.

The woman picked his shoes up for him to put them away neatly on the shelves.

'I see that you didn't wait for me and have already started glutting yourselves!' he muttered, as he took a glance at the low table in the kitchenette where Natsui was sitting. 'Anyway, what did you cook today?'

'Ah! I've prepared you your favorite noodles!' the woman announced, with enthusiasm, making towards the kitchenette. 'They come from the same vendor who sells in front of the supermarket! The woman told me that if we couldn't see her husband and her around recently, it was because they had been to Fukushima for a while to visit their daughter. Oh, by the way, I have also added into the noodles those leafy vegetables that you like so much! I'm sure you're going to like it!'

The young man had followed his mother to the kitchen while she was talking, and raising the lid of the wok, he lifted his nose, to groan, 'What is this?! You call this fried noodles?! If you were to cook such disgusting food, you could have warned me- I would have eaten outside!'

Natsui jumped to her feet, angered.

'How can you say this?' she demanded, only to point out to him, 'You haven't even tasted them yet! Okā-san has put so much effort and so much love in preparing them! In fact, we should even be grateful to have food on our table! Do you know the number of people who die in the world every year due to starvation?! Food should be treated with respect, and their cooks, even more!'

'Oh, you shut up, you moralizing b****! I didn't speak to you, did I?!' he snapped at her, before turning onto his mother to demand, 'Now, what am I going to eat, huh?! Every day, it's the same fu***** thing with you! You cook such disgusting food that I'm forced to eat outside, while you two can glut yourselves quietly at home!'

And on these words, he slapped the wok off the stove, furiously, knocking it down to the ground. All the noodles spilled on the floor. Natsui rushed up to it instantly, getting down onto her knees on the ground in front of it.

'But- But I don't know what to cook for you anymore!' Kesai Mizoroge said to her son, and he retorted, 'Oh, now, it's my fault, huh?!'

'What took over you?!' Natsui demanded at him, as she got back to her feet, more than flabbergasted.

'Oh, you stay out of it!' he warned her, pointing his finger at her face and approaching her menacingly. 

Their mother jumped in the middle on the spot to push Natsui violently backward by her chest. 

'Natsui, you stay quiet! And go to your room!' she exclaimed at her daughter, her tone becoming angry, and grabbing the ginger-haired girl by her shoulders, she flung her around, pushing her further away.

'But Okā-san...' Natsui said, taking a glance at the spilled food on the floor.

She could close her eyes on many things, but there were certain things that she simply couldn't tolerate, such as wasting food, especially when their mother works so hard to ensure that they can eat three meals a day.

'Natsui, shut up, will you?!' the woman snarled at her, out of the blue, slapping her at the face.

The ginger-haired girl froze into place, utterly shocked. The woman was just as shocked by her own action. She covered her mouth with her hand as she gasped.

'That would teach you to try to speak to me like a man!' Hisashi Mizoroge muttered at his sister, and turning away, he left the apartment, banging the door close behind him.

'How many times have I told you to stay out of our arguments?! He's fighting with me, not with you! What's your problem in that?! I don't need your help! I can defend myself on my own!' the woman stated at Natsui, angrily, with tears in her eyes, and turning away too, she ran to the room that she shared with her daughter, to lock herself there.

Natsui continued to stand where she was for a whole minute, without moving, before she plumped to the ground, tears coming to her eyes.

She loved her mother more than anything else in this world. If one day, something was to happen to the woman, Natsui didn't think she'd want to live in this world anymore without her. But the ginger-haired girl wasn't blinded by her love for her. She could see her mother as she really is: someone with her good sides and her bad sides. She knew that her mother had a weakness; she was too tolerant. And her brother was perfectly aware of it too, and that's what Natsui found the most despicable about him- the fact that he takes advantage of her weakness. 

Okā-san, why can't you understand that it hurts me when I see you in pain? Why don't you let me protect you?

It was only after dark that her mother came out of their bedroom. The ginger-haired girl was sitting in a ball against the pillar in the living room, with all the lights in the house still switched off. 

Kesai Mizoroge approached her slowly, falling down on her knees in front of her. 

Instantly, Natsui broke out of her chaotic thoughts to look up at the woman's face in the dim light which was coming through the window of the kitchenette. 

'Natsui, I'm sorry!' the woman whispered, and touching the girl's cheek lightly with her hand, she told her, in a guilty, broken tone, 'I hit you! It's just that... I feel scared all the time; scared that he might do something to you!'

'I know,' Natsui murmured, in a reassuring tone, taking hold of her hand.

Oh Okā-san, if only you could understand that just like you wish to protect me, I wish to protect you too!

'Don't worry! It's not going to last too long!' she told her mother, encouragingly, taking hold of her other hand just as well. 'I'm going to continue to work very hard so that we can shift away as soon as possible, okay?'

'Hai!' the woman agreed, and mother and daughter smiled creakily at each other.

Thank you for reading!

Glossary

Shōgi - Japanese chess

O-Kaeri/ O-kaeri nasai – "welcome back"