You will protect me, right? (1)

The hectic brawl between the students raised a serious issue for Seihei school. To maintain the school's reputation and harmony among students, the guardians were called out to discuss and settle the fight. Destirling Shouichi, also known as Seito Shouichi, who impulsively started the fight and injured three third-year students, was put on probation for the rest of the second term.

It was the morning of the following day after the incident, when his mother, as the sole guardian, was called out to the meeting room located on the ground floor of the faculty building. The math teacher, Rinae, and his homeroom teacher, Takeshi-sensei, were waiting for them in front of the room. After a quick observation, Shouichi felt their disappointment and woe had written all over their faces. 

"Good morning, Yamamoto-san, Shouichi-kun," Rinae-sensei greeted them half-heartedly. The bewitching teacher wore a tight long-sleeve shirt and a long pencil skirt in dark blue. Her Boston-style glasses perched loosely on her prominent nose, and her red lips were attractive and inviting. 

"Good morning," the thin and short man, Takeshi-sensei, added. He appeared to be dressed in a formal shirt and long black trousers, with a card tag hanging on his neck, completing his stern and serious look with rectangular glasses.

"Good morning, Takeshi-sensei, Rinae-sensei," the mother and son returned the greeting. Yoko's face was filled with regret and shame.

"Please follow me this way; the others have already arrived," Rinae-sensei led them toward the large meeting room. It had a big long table, like one of those conference rooms. Three middle-aged ladies were sitting on the same side, mumbling inaudible sounds. Shouichi assumed they were the guardians of the three seniors he fought with yesterday. Once they entered the room, the gossiping stopped immediately.

"Please take a seat on this side," Rinae-sensei politely pointed out with her hand. The two teachers sat in the middle as moderators. 

"Ahem… Good morning again, everyone. My name is Edon Takeshi, I'm the homeroom teacher of class 2-1." He monotonically introduced himself. 

"I'm Kobayashi Rinae, the homeroom teacher for class 3-3." It was the bewitching female teacher's turn.

"And this is Seito Shouichi from class 2-1, accompanied by his guardian, Yamamoto Yoko." Takeshi-sensei lifted his hand to introduce the members on the left side. 

Rinae returned the same procedure by introducing the guardians of class 3-3 victims.

"My sweet child is bruised all over!" Like a thundering roar, a middle-aged lady began to berate and condemn Shouichi's actions. He noticed Yoko was sweating bullets from anxiety. "I'm so sorry, mum," he wanted to say it to her, he needed to apologise, but nothing came out.

"Yeah! My lil sweet pea got his glasses broken and his cheek bruised purple! I've heard from him that your son punched him out of the blue… They didn't even know him when he attacked." The victim's guardian added heatedly. 

"Is it true that you initiated the fight?" Takeshi glared at the perpetrator through his glasses. 

"Yes… But I didn't mean it… I wanted them to stop," Shouichi grimly replied, keeping his face downcast. 

"You thickhead think that you can start a fight and walk away with it? Of course, my son would feel anger and escalate it. It's a normal thing, kids do!"

"See? Your son is a dangerous man! He shouldn't be in Seihei school! Anywhere near other children." The old lady continued.

"But we also need to know why he did it. Shouichi-kun is generally a well-behaved kid. Apparently, this is the first time he has done something like this." Rinae-sensei defended, looking left and right. 

"It's… it's…" Shouichi fumbled for words. He didn't want to say it, not in front of his mother. 

"Ugh? You don't even have a good reason either? You think you can just harm people for fun?" The old lady sneered and rolled her eyes. "Yamamoto-san, please raise your son better!"

"A slut like you… probably didn't know how to raise a child properly…" One of the old ladies mumbled under her breath, but Shouichi could make it out clearly enough to register. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in exasperation. His eyes fixated on them like a mix of fury and frustration. 

"Please calm down. Let's maintain an effective and respectful meeting. We all want the same thing," Takeshi-sensei interjected.

"Shouichi-kun, just tell them why," Yoko smiled gently at him even at a dreadful time like this. She was a candlelight to his darkest night, guiding him toward the better.

"... It's the video of you… They were watching it and making fun of it… I couldn't stand it."

"Oh… Is that so?" Yoko startled slightly but then reached out to grab his trembling hands.

"So the rumour is true?" The victim's mum interrupted them, crossing her arms. 

"I think since we already know the issue, we should look for the solution," Rinae-sensei attempted to change the topic as it appeared to be a sensitive and private matter. These wouldn't contribute to finding the correct settlement and solutions at all. 

"I agree," Takeshi-sensei backed her up with a calm and authoritative voice. 

"Since you started doing adult videos! Is it wrong for our kids to run into it?!"

"Who exactly is at fault?!"

"What kind of indecent mother. No doubt it reflects poorly on your child!" The three of them took turns reprimanding Yoko as if she were the root of all trouble. 

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Yoko kept repeating the words as she nodded. Sorrow painted across her face. It broke Shouichi's heart to see what was going on. "How did it come to this? She didn't do the adult video. As a matter of fact, she is a victim…" His mind argued. 

"F*ckin' slut!" One guardian accidentally slipped up. After realising what she said, she covered her mouth shamefully. 

Bang! Shouichi slapped his hands on the table very loudly. The thunderous clap silenced them completely, and the tension built up in the air. 

"Don't you insult my mother! TAKE IT BACK!" The boy's face turned furiously red with anger as his body shivered uncontrollably. 

"Shouichi-kun!?" The flabbergasted Rinae couldn't believe what she saw. 

"I'm not saying sorry. Because in the end, it's all your fault!" The guardian was being persistent. 

"Really?" Shouichi replied coldly. Just his glance would signal fear and terror to the guardians. To the point that they just flinched. 

"Takeshi-sensei, please escort Shouichi out of the room. This matter is no longer involved with him." Yoko eventually suggested. She appeared to be somewhat more well-composed than he expected. This was what it's like to be an adult. You'd need to take whatever crap people throw at you? Shouichi thought.

After another 30 minutes, Shouichi and Yoko walked side by side on the school grounds. The meeting's outcome was finalised. Yoko would cover the medical expenses, while Shouichi would be placed on probation for the remainder of the semester. This incident would be noted in his academic record for misconduct, and if he continued to have any further issues, it could ultimately lead to his expulsion from the school.

For a long while, Yoko was walking quietly, not uttering any words, which made him feel anxious and worried. 

"Yoko-san… I'm so sorry for what I've done…" Shouichi broke the silence, with sincerity and guilt in his expression. 

"Sigh*... I didn't realise you were protecting me. You should have told me before the meeting. It'd be much better." 

"I'm sorry, a lot has happened. I couldn't get my head straight." Shouichi admitted his stupidity. "And most of all, I don't want you to experience it again. I know how hurt you were." 

"My… I'm not angry at you at all." She stopped for a moment to look at him caringly. 

"Still, I regret my actions…" Shouichi averted his eyes, ashamed of himself. 

"Well, you should know that violence is not the answer to everything." She reached out to touch his cheek, caressing it softly. The warmth of her hands was soothing and easing up his pain. 

"I do agree with you… Apparently, I made matters worse by mingling with those guys." Shouichi reflected on his rash actions. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Yoko-san." He gracefully bowed at his waist. 

"Raise your head up, Shou-kun. You did what any man would do for his lady." She patted his head gently. 

"Do you have to get back to class after this?" Yoko beamed at him. It appeared she wasn't keen to continue on this distasteful issue. After all, it had been settled already. 

"Yeah. I still got afternoon classes." He replied. 

"You look rough, Shou-kun. Don't take everything on yourself… I tried to do better too, but you should know that not every problem needs you to solve it." She rationalised, fully aware of his personality. "Shou-kun is someone who takes responsibility for everything that happens around him. Eventually, at some point, he'd entirely break down," she thought. 

"Then see you at home. I won't be opening the shop any more." Yoko waved at him before she left through the school gate.