The Chika-Bankaa(1)

Minami no Hanashi : Yume - AdagioFirst Day of Protection: In the MorningThe week resumed, pushing away the weekend's commotion at the Katayama household. Minami followed her usual path to school, absentmindedly munching on a slightly crumbled cereal bar with one hand, while holding a book open to a page marked by an old handwritten note with the other. The soft notes of her favorite music escaped from her headphones, forming a cocoon of sound that slightly separated her from the outside world, where the morning chill nipped at her cheeks and awakened her senses.As she walked, the road to school gradually filled with more students—some in groups, others alone—each following their own high school routine. Minami, as always, lost in her bubble, thought: Maybe I should look up for once.She lifted her gaze and took the time to observe others for once, glancing left, then right, and finally behind her."Hmm... not very interesting."A little laterMinami stood in front of the classroom door, witnessing yet another defeat for Sanae. The latter, a sore loser, refused to give up, but it seemed that her opponent, Kurou, had a gift.

"Lost again," he declared with a yawn.

Sanae looked devastated, but the fire in her eyes remained. Tadao Nao, the vice-leader of the Chika-Bankaa, dryly remarked, "Waa... You're really bad. I'm bored. I thought you'd be at least a little entertaining, but I'm disappointed."His gaze, drained of any enthusiasm, lingered on Sanae. He had been standing to Kurou's right for several minutes, observing their match, but now he had lost interest."I'd rather take a math test," he said, returning to his seat.Sanae thought: I even managed to bore Nao! Am I really that bad!?Kurou smirked mockingly, "Wow! You actually bored him... That's a first."The delinquent leader glanced at Nao, who was now slumped over his desk, moments away from falling asleep.Humiliated, Sanae lightly slammed her hand on the desk. "How do you do it?""Huh?""Why do I always lose against you?"Frustration was clear in her voice.Kurou responded with an expression that screamed both arrogance and obviousness: "Because you suck."Sanae, who had expected a more constructive answer, sighed. "Ah... Right... Why did I even expect anything useful from a delinquent?"She got up and declared, "I'll train, and then I'll come back to beat you—""No, I'll never play against you again. Leave and don't come back.""What!? No way! You can't do that!"Kurou ignored her, examining his hands as he muttered, "If I keep playing with her, I feel like I'll catch her disease."Sanae's eye twitched in anger. My disease!?She stood frozen in front of the Chika-Bankaa leader, who was doing everything except paying attention to her. This loss was different from the others—this time, Sanae had really felt like she could beat Kurou. And yet, somehow, she had still lost.Suddenly, Minami appeared by the table and asked the so-called champion, "Are you really that good? Why are you refusing to play against her again? Are you scared, by any chance?"Kurou burst into laughter. "Oh, our little rabbit's here, guys!"From his position face-down on the desk, Nao's ears metaphorically perked up, signaling that his interest had been reignited. He bolted upright, shouting, "Ooh! Finally, something interesting!"The entire class turned their attention toward him—except for Minami, who was scrutinizing Kurou from head to toe, as if trying to figure out his weaknesses."What are you trying to do, rabbit? You wanna challenge me?"Nao openly mocked Minami. "You? Play against the boss when you lose to Sanae?! Haha, that's hilarious!"Minami smirked mischievously and responded, "Exactly. I want to play against you. Bring it on."Sanae hesitated. "Huh? Minami? I don't think that's a good idea."She stepped closer to her best friend, narrowing her eyes. "Hmm~ So you're siding with the delinquents now, huh?""N-No, it's just that... well..."Minami crossed her arms and pouted. "I thought our friendship was stronger than this!"Sanae, panicked, didn't want to upset her. Usually, she was good at faking emotions, but now she couldn't tell if Minami was really hurt. Still, her comment annoyed her. "No way! Don't say that—!""Haha, how could anyone be friends with someone so bad at this," Nao snickered.His remark irritated Sanae even more because it reinforced Minami's words. "Alright, stop! I'm just saying that Kurou is really strong, and I don't want to see you lose for no reason! Especially not against someone so arrogant."Minami gave her an exasperated look. She's so frustrated from losing that she can't even tell I'm messing with her?-(Minami) "It's just a board game. I don't care about losing. It's not a race."-(Sanae) "Ah... I see.""And besides, I don't plan on losing," Minami added confidently.Two minutes laterMinami, chin resting on her hand, wore an expression of deep thought as she analyzed the game. "Hmm... Interesting." Then, with an alarmingly serious tone, she concluded, "I lost."Nao and Katsuro burst into laughter, rolling on the floor. Kurou thought: I really want to crack up too, but as the boss, I have to keep my composure.Sanae, hiding her face in embarrassment, thought: She made the worst possible moves! How is that even possible!? Every single one of her seven turns was OBVIOUS!"You were so focused that I thought you might actually do well! But you barely lasted two minutes?!" Katsuro laughed."Hmm... You're not that strong," Minami said bluntly.Nao and Katsuro both thought at the same time: Is she an idiot?Sanae, still embarrassed: Minami! Stop! This is already humiliating enough!Kurou, however, frowned slightly. Something felt off. She's really saying that sincerely... She's not just a sore loser. There's something more to this...Nao now saw Minami as someone who didn't have all her lights on, and he was almost worried for her."Uh... You do realize you just lost in two minutes, right?""Yes, but I suck."At first reassured that his classmate admitted her own mediocrity, Nao continued, "Ah! Well, you're not that dumb after a—"He abruptly stopped in his tracks: Wait... If she knows she's bad, why does she think she has the right to judge the chef's skill level?Genuinely confused, he asked Minami, "Then why are you saying the chef sucks? I don't get it."She replied with excessive confidence, "I know people way stronger than that.""Haha! Of course! I'd love to meet those people!""Well, first of all, why don't you play against Sanae?"I knew she had something in mind.The Chika-Bankaa's vice-captain responded with just as much confidence, "I don't see the point in facing her. This was supposed to be a duel between her and the chef, I'm not going to interfere. That wouldn't be worthy of the Chika-Bankaa."Worthy? But when it comes to mocking people, I see no one cares about dignity anymore, huh? Minami thought.Nao continued, "But if you want to see her lose again, no problem, I can put on that show for you, haha!"Minami turned to Sanae with a smile and said, "Go on, you're going to crush him, just watch!"The two players sat down.Two minutes later"I won!" Sanae exclaimed.Minami approached Nao, who was lying on the classroom floor, nearly unconscious. "Well? What happened to you?"She looked down at him with a devilish grin. Katsuro couldn't believe his eyes: Nao lost!? WHAT!? How is that even possible!? He must have let her win!Nao struggled to get up. "How could I have lost as the vice-captain of the Chika-Bankaa? I knew I should've taken down her damned—"Kurou glanced at Sanae: I was right not to play against her. If I did, she'd definitely beat me—Minami, who had been watching him discreetly, suddenly appeared, catching him off guard. However, he managed to keep a neutral expression."So?" she asked with a sly smile."What?""Quit playing dumb, you know you'd lose if you played against her, riiight?"Kurou narrowed his eyes and replied, "I don't know what makes you think you can talk to me like that."Oops! Minami thought."I'm just saying what I think. Besides, just because I suck doesn't mean I can't gauge your skill level."Katsuro responded, "Uh, yeah, it kinda does."Minami declared proudly, "You wouldn't even last a minute against my little sister!"Nao snapped out of his temporary depression and laughed. "Haha! Oh yeah? And what's next? You don't think you're delusional, considering you lost in two minutes?""You lost in two minutes too.""Ah—..."Kurou was the only one in the group taking Minami's words seriously: I knew there was something off about her. She's completely serious, she's not bluffing. This isn't provocation.-(Kurou) You sure have an unusual circle of friends...-(Minami) That's right, I'm surrounded by people way stronger than you!Now that sounds like provocation. But at the same time... Kurou was confused by Minami. He could no longer tell what was real and what was exaggerated.Katsuro suddenly spoke up. "By the way, speaking of strength, it's true that you won our protection for two days thanks to your race against that lunatic!""Two days? I thought it was one day per person?" Minami asked."Tishiku didn't want his, so he gave it to you," Katsuro replied."Tishiku?"Minami glanced at his desk. He was calmly reading a book: What kind of book is that? It looks insanely long to read...Sanae clapped her hands together and said, "Well, in that case, I'll give you my protection day too, haha!""W–What? Three days!? I'd rather die! Especially since they're different outside!! Haha, no-no, you can keep it—""After all, you're the one who deserves it! You won the race, haha! And I really don't want them around me. They're too scary outside of school!! And you'd fit right in among them... I'm sure of it." Sanae replied.Minami saw right through her friend's scheme. They looked at each other in silence, smiling, both fully aware of what had just happened.Kurou smirked at Minami. "Well then, we'll be protecting you for three days, little bunny."Just as she was about to retort, she froze as the history teacher entered the classroom. The creaking door signaled the start of the lesson, forcing all the students back to their seats.During class, as the teacher droned on in a monotonous voice, Minami became the target of paper wads from both sides. The tiny projectiles flew silently, barely grazing her face as they followed their erratic trajectories. Meanwhile, the teacher remained engrossed in his notes, oblivious to the small acts of rebellion unfolding in his classroom.Annoyed by the disturbance, Minami watched for the perfect moment. When Nao seemed ready to launch another paper wad, she seized the opportunity. With calculated precision, she flicked a paper ball toward Tsuka, who was sitting just a few rows ahead.The projectile hit its target perfectly, making Tsuka spin around abruptly, searching for the culprit behind the attack.Nao and Minami's gazes met. Tension crackled between them.Tsuka, furious, scanned the rows and locked onto Nao, the main instigator of the paper war.Caught off guard, Nao, red with embarrassment and shame, whispered to his accomplice Katsuro to abandon their game."Victory!" Minami cheered in her mind, while Sanae, a spectator of the silent battle, sighed.The lesson continued peacefully after that.When the lunch bell rang, Sanae and Minami headed to the cafeteria as usual. They passed by the twin sisters going back and forth with Haru, probably preparing for an upcoming election?Nao had picked the worst moment to try and clear up the misunderstanding from earlier. Tsuka was still mad at him, convinced he was behind the attack.Once they arrived at the cafeteria, Sanae and Minami went to their usual table. But suddenly, an unexpected disturbance arose:"The cereal bar muncher?? Your shop's closed—"Minami interrupted loudly, raising her voice excessively: "WHOOOAAA, breaking news! As always, super useful, Ayemi!"The heavy silence that followed was broken by a disdainful scoff: "Tss! Serves you right—"Before she could finish her sentence, Katsuro, Nao, and Kurou sat down at Minami's table in perfect sync.Kurou, with his piercing and intense gaze, moved forward with a confidence that bordered on audacity. He took his seat at the table with calculated nonchalance, legs spread apart and back slightly slouched, as if ready to spring into action at any moment."What does the viper want from us?" he asked in a low yet commanding voice, his tone sliding like a serpent ready to strike. His unwavering stare and relaxed demeanor exuded an aura of latent danger, capable of intimidating anyone in his path.Ayemi and Kaori, the latter remaining silent, simply walked away from the table, cutting the conversation short. One question lingered in their minds: What are they doing here?"Bahaha, Minami?? That's all you're eating??" Katsuro asked, amused.Nao joined in, making a comment that got a reaction from Kurou as well, the delinquents losing themselves in their own conversation, as if Minami and Sanae weren't even there.The two friends exchanged glances amidst the commotion. Then, deciding to break the silence, Sanae hesitantly spoke up: "Uh... Can I ask what you guys are doing here?"All the delinquents turned to her, staring without a word. Feeling awkward, she clarified: "I—I mean... you don't usually eat here, do you?""Are you stupid or what?" Nao shot back with contempt."Hey! Don't talk to Sanae like that, you clown!" Minami snapped, irritated.At that moment, Kurou cast a sidelong glance at Minami, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. Though she was focused on her meal, she could feel his gaze on her and looked up to confront him: "What? Why are you looking at me like that?""I'm really wondering what's going on in your head for you to talk to us like that," he said, leaning forward slightly, his sharp eyes locked onto hers.Determined not to be rattled, Minami continued eating in silence, but Kurou didn't let up. "Last time, when we saw each other outside, you weren't running your mouth so much."A shiver of apprehension ran through Minami. Her eyes narrowed slightly, betraying a crack in her usual confidence. Damn... He's completely right.Sensing this subtle shift, Kurou smirked in satisfaction, his gaze taking on a more intimidating edge. "Don't tell me it's just the school walls giving you all that confidence?" He then burst into laughter, his voice ringing out with a menacing echo."You saw them outside?" Sanae asked, intrigued by his remark."Yeah..." Just as she was about to elaborate, the delinquents shot her a sharp look. "I—I just ran into him and gave him back the headband. Anyway! What are you guys doing here?!"Nao groaned, "We're here to protect you! The three days have started!""Excuse me?" Minami asked, incredulous."You heard me. And by the way, you better clear up the misunderstanding with Tsuka! Because—""That's your problem," she replied flatly."I don't think you understand, Minami," Nao suddenly turned menacing, a murderous aura surrounding him. "You will clear up that misunderstanding.""They should be protecting me from you! Okay! Okay! Just don't throw anything at me ever again!""Okay!" he responded solemnly.The delinquents finished their meals quickly, waiting only for Minami and Sanae. The moment Minami finished, Nao swiftly cleared her tray. She didn't even have time to thank him before he dragged her off toward Tsuka, followed from a distance by Katsuro, Kurou, and Sanae.Tsuka was caught off guard when she saw the duo in front of her. Sensing the oddity of the situation, she asked Taiya and Haru to go ahead, assuring them she'd catch up soon. "What are you two doing together? Since when do you get along?""It's not what you think, Tsuka," Minami replied, visibly exasperated by the situation.Seeing that she wasn't getting to the point fast enough, Nao shook her with one arm to speed things up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to it! Ugh... So, Tsuka... that paper ball you got.""Hm?""It was me."Tsuka burst into laughter and mockingly replied, "That's all?? You scared me!! If you wanna have a paper ball fight, just let me know! I'd love to! Just gotta avoid Haru...""No thanks, I'll pass," Minami replied immediately."Oh, well, if that's all... I figured it was you.""Not at all! I had no reason to throw one at you!" Nao said, blushing slightly.Hearing that excuse, Minami furrowed her brows. "And me then? Did you have a reason to throw one at me?!""Hahaha! Watch out, Nao! Anyway, I gotta go, I need to catch up with the girls!" She ran off.At that moment, the rest of the group caught up. "All good?" Katsuro asked, seemingly way too invested in this.Nao gave a thumbs-up and grinned.Minami, despairing over his enthusiasm, thought: Does he seriously think he has a chance with Tsuka?? Has the lovebirds' list messed with his head?Sanae whispered in her ear: "I think Nao is in love with Tsuka."She replied sarcastically, "Nooo, really~?""What?! You knew?! Why didn't you tell me?" Sanae asked, embarrassed."Well, it's obvious—"Sanae wanted to keep the topic low-key, but her exclamation had already drawn Katsuro's interest. He suddenly questioned her: "What's going on?""N-No, nothing, I—" Why do they always butt into everything?! It's unsettling!Minami saw her friend struggling to find an excuse and decided to step in to divert attention: "By the way, you guys are usually four. Where's, uh... what's his name again?"Sanae continued, "K-Kiyoshi, yeah! Where is he?"The Chika-Bankaa leader replied, "Kiyoshi? He prefers to be alone at lunchtime, probably training somewhere.""That surprises me, coming from you guys. I thought you were always together, like an inseparable gang, you know?" Minami said."Yeah, that is surprising," Sanae added.Brimming with pride and confidence, Nao spoke up: "The Chika-Bankaa is an organization with well-defined rules. We're not just some inseparable gang. We're brothers!""Exactly!" Katsuro confirmed.Kurou nodded seriously, showing his agreement with the vice leader's words.An organization? There are four of them. They're really in their own world. Minami thought.Nao continued, "But that doesn't mean everyone isn't entitled to their own moment of solitude! Because yes, it's in solitude that we build ourselves!"Sanae was surprised by his sudden confidence and started clapping. "Wow, I wasn't expecting this much assertiveness."The Chika-Bankaa's vice leader, smug, replied, "Come on now, I'm just doing my job!"What a clown. Minami thought.In the High School's Botanical gardenMakoto Kiyoshi from Chika-Bankaa and the shy Tengu Harumi—this improbable duo found themselves in an equally unusual place.-(Kiyoshi) "I don't really know how I ended up in this group."-(Harumi) "H-Help!!! What is he doing here?! I just came to water the plants for once! P-Please d-don't hurt me..."She backed away in fear, but her trembling body made her stumble backward. "O-Ouch!"Kiyoshi's face darkened suddenly, and he lowered his eyes. A certain tension filled the air, and silence reigned. Harumi feared the worst, but his attitude was different from usual. With a hint of sadness, he muttered, "...Ah, right... Because of my appearance..."Harumi had no idea what was happening. She usually watered the garden plants every morning, but today, on a whim, she decided to do it at noon. That's how she ended up face-to-face with Kiyoshi, doing it in her place."They're not actually bad people. I got to know them—okay, I wouldn't recommend hanging out with them outside of school, but they're pretty chill otherwise."W-Why is he telling me his life story?! Harumi thought.She froze for a second, finally realizing what her classmate had been saying from the start. Hesitantly getting up and taking a few steps back, she asked, "Y-You're not a delinquent?""No... I'm just a big guy... That's all."Big? Just a little?! Harumi thought."B-But w-why do you hang out with those, um... W-Why—""It happened so fast... I didn't have time to react..."W-What? What happened? Did they attack him?! N-No way, not with that build... W-Wait! M-Maybe it's a trap?! Harumi thought.Despite her fear, she decided to give him a chance, seeing his miserable state. Even with his size, Kiyoshi looked small, crouched down with the oversized watering can in his hands."A b-bear! H-He looks like a bear! W-Why don't you just leave that g-gang then—?""They're my first real friends... And even though they sometimes go too far—"Sometimes?!"They see me as a brother..."...It was no longer fear that Harumi felt when she heard Kiyoshi's heartfelt words—it was empathy. She didn't know what to say. She understood the longing to form bonds, as well as the pain of repeated failures. Being extremely shy, she struggled with these things herself.After a moment of silence, Kiyoshi continued, "Maybe I should leave them after all... I already scared everyone with my looks and my clumsiness, and now it's even worse. Everyone thinks I'm a delinquent..."About ten meters away, behind a fence, Rikka, who had overheard everything, thought: WHAT?! He's not a thug?!"Waa~ I wasn't expecting that... But he's still really scary though..." she muttered as she walked away.Late AfternoonSanae had to go to the cooking club. Her schedule had gotten quite busy lately. As for the track club, today was specially reserved for first-years who had joined at the beginning of the school year; Tanaka had gathered them to rank and assess their skill levels. With nothing else to do, Minami decided to go watch.Sanae was heading to her club. "Alright, I'm off! See you tomorrow!""Yeah, later," Minami said, getting up from her chair.After packing her things, she left the classroom, only to run into the Chika-Bankaa—this time, in full force. Nao, as if this were the most normal situation in the world, asked, "Where are we going?"Minami, who had forgotten about them, froze for a moment before snapping back to reality. "Ah... Right. But you really don't have to, you know? Besides, no one is allowed on the track when it's reserved for the club."Kurou, already walking, replied, "Whatever, we'll stay in the stands. Besides, it's going to be fun—they're deciding who's the strongest, apparently."Katsuro, excited, exclaimed, "Whoa! Awesome! Maybe someone's stronger than you, Minami! Watch out!"She waved dismissively while walking. "Yeah yeah, keep dreaming."Our athlete and her "bodyguards" walked through the hallways, down the stairs, and across the courtyard toward the track. The students passing by looked both confused and intimidated.A student whispered to his friends, "I didn't know there was a girl in their group—[...]"Another: "Isn't she from the track team??"Yet another: "[...] Is the group led by a girl??"Indeed, the Chika-Bankaa had chosen a formation that optimized 360-degree defense. The four members formed a diamond around Minami, deterring any troublemakers who might have the bad idea of attacking her. Kurou was at the front, Katsuro and Nao positioned on her left and right, and finally, Kiyoshi stood behind their "protected" target.Minami, who initially found it embarrassing, now enjoyed the situation as she listened to the students' whispers."What a bunch of idiots..." she chuckled.Katsuro was having fun too. "So, what do you think of our formation? Pretty cool, right?"She smiled. "Yeah, it's not bad."Later, On the TrackThe delinquents sat in the stands, ready to intervene if their "bunny" was attacked. Minami stood with Asayoshi and Isao on the sidelines, observing Tanaka as he gave the directives to the First-Year Group.Together, they were the three most admired people among them; a certain aura emanated from them—an aura that only runners could perceive.Sitting on the ground, Minami was starting to get bored: "Argh... When is this thing going to start? The captain talks way too much..."Isao, hands in his pockets, simply replied: "Yeah, for real."Curious, Asayoshi asked: "Why are they looking at us like that?""Good question. No idea," Isao responded."Are you two dumb or what?"Both teenagers replied in unison: "What?"Ahh... What am I going to do with these two? Seriously...Tanaka had just finished giving out the instructions when Leon arrived late, running and out of breath."Sorry for being late, something came up! Damn, I almost missed the most interesting day of the club—good thing I'm a beast and run super fast. I'm going to show everyone who the best is!""Okay, just be careful next time. Ask your teammates for the instructions; I need to grab the timers, I forgot them," Tanaka replied."Got it."Before Leon could even ask, his teammates rushed to him: "Hey, Leon, look! That's the club's legendary Top 3! They're so cool~ I wish I could talk to them!"Another young runner blushed and asked his friends:"Hey guys?! Do you think I have a chance with Minami?! Ever since the start of the school year, I think it's love at first sight between us~"He couldn't contain his excitement, picturing himself holding her hand, while the others openly mocked him."BAHAHAHA! In your dreams! You really think she even noticed you?!" one of them exclaimed."Hey! Stop! That's not cool, guys!""Besides, with your skill level, there's no way she'd respect you!"The whole group burst into laughter while the poor guy tried, unsuccessfully, to defend himself.Suddenly, Leon turned around, filled with rage, looking straight at the Top 3.Minami!! She's going to get what's coming to her!!"Perfect timing! I need to have a word with her!" he declared.One of his teammates asked, "Whoa! You guys know each other?! That's so lucky!!"As he walked toward his target, Leon muttered under his breath, "Lucky? Yeah, sure... She's gonna see..."Excited, Asayoshi spoke up, "Haha! They're full of energy, that's a good sign!""Yeah, but I hope there isn't another one like you... You're already exhausting," Minami replied with a smile."Hey! That's so rude to say!"Minami and her rival playfully bickered as they waited for Tanaka's return.Isao put an end to the moment by pointing at Leon and asking,"Who's that?"Minami turned her head and saw Leon storming toward them, furious.Oh sh*t! Not him again! Damn it! Dad, help!!"I don't know," Asayoshi replied.Minami, worried, spoke up,"Uh... Guys?""Yeah?""Hmm?""I don't have time to explain, but that guy is hostile towards me!"Asayoshi was shocked to hear that someone other than Ayemi had a grudge against his rival."Huh?! Seriously?!"Isao pulled his hands out of his pockets and took a step forward."I'm waiting to see what he's gonna do..."Whoa... Isao seems a little tense... Minami thought as she stood up.Leon reached the Top 3, completely ignoring the two boys beside his worst enemy. Clenching his teeth, he declared,"Hey, b*tch! You really screwed me over with your dog last time! Time to pay up."Isao, who had been watching for the slightest movement, immediately intervened,

"What do you want, you f*cking a**hole?"

Startled by the icy tone, Leon briefly turned his head toward Isao before refocusing his glare on Minami.It's like he just now noticed me... I get the feeling he only sees Minami, Isao thought.Asayoshi didn't even have time to step in before the furious Leon raised his hand to strike Minami.Minami instinctively raised her hands in defense, thinking,

Seriously?! He wouldn't dare! He's insane!

But before Leon could land his strike, Isao grabbed his arm mid-air, stopping him cold and throwing him to the ground. Leon fell on his butt, groaning in pain."The hell do you want?! You b*stard!" Leon shouted as he got up.Despite Isao's intervention, the enraged runner still hadn't calmed down.END OF CHAPTER