A fragment of justice

The sound of children singing outside the apartment filled Ren's ears early in the morning. He quietly opened his eyes to face a new day. He made his bed in a messy way. He brushed his teeth with the wrong toothbrush. He put on his school clothes inside out... then took them off and put them on correctly.

He took a deep breath and left the room.

"Good morning."

His voice attracted the attention of his mother, who was currently preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, Ren..." She froze for a second, amazed by his appearance in the school uniform—a sight she hadn't seen in a while.

"...Ren?"

"Are those Honey Duster pancakes? They're my favorite."

"Ren... I'm proud of you, son."

Ren took a bite of the pancakes in front of him. With a mouth full of food, he said,

"Really? Thanks."

His mother looked at him with a small smile, trying to ignore the fact he was eating the pancakes with the spoon upside down.

"I'm heading off," Ren said as he took his backpack.

He opened the door—the feeling of the old wood tickling his fingers sent goosebumps all over his body.

"I'm really doing this, huh? I'm going to meet them again."

His heart was pounding. His hands were trembling.

He took a step backward.

"Ren?" his mom called.

Her voice brought him back to reality. He whispered to himself, barely audible,

"...I already died three times, so why am I afraid of them? What they did to me was worse than death, right?"

He looked at his hand, eyes wide with fear.

"Bye... Mom."

He opened the door and rushed out of the apartment, speeding down the stairs. He stopped when he reached the ground floor.

"Here we go. I will do it."

He stepped out into the morning light for the first time in a month. The feeling of the sun touching his skin made him nostalgic.

"Damn, this is the first time the outdoors has felt this great... Calm down, calm down, everything's fine."

He ran to the school bus and grabbed the handle just before it left.

The moment he stepped in, he swallowed nervously.

He thought to himself,

"Oh man, I totally forgot how crowded these buses are. Well... where is she? She's usually at the back of the bus at this time. We're both loners, so I don't think she'll mind me sitting next to her."

He moved to the back, avoiding eye contact with the other students, until his foot hit someone else's.

"Eh?"

He found her—Lika—working on... whatever that weird thing was.

Lika looked at him.

"Are you going to sit or what?"

"...Sorry, did I hurt your leg?"

"Not really."

Ren thought to himself:

"Haha... damn, why did I think about asking her what's happening to me? Sure, she's weird and reads a lot about the paranormal, but—"

His thoughts were interrupted by her voice:

"Cut the crap. What do you want me to do?"

Ren turned to her, surprised she knew what he was thinking.

"Excuse me?" he said, voice tense.

"No one sits next to me unless they need something. I do what they need—for money. So yeah, what do you need?"

"Nothing," Ren said, scratching the back of his head. He held his backpack with the other hand, his foot slowly tapping the ground as if trying to calm himself.

"I just wanted to sit next to someone like me... you know, everyone avoids me and picks on me, and since you're a loner too, I thought—"

Without warning, Lika put her finger on Ren's nose, catching him off guard.

"You're a chatterbox... First, you're lonely because everyone is afraid of getting involved with you. I chose solitude. Secondly, we are completely different. You're a damn teenager who probably watches anime all day and spends his nights watching... special movies. Third... you're sitting on part of my dress. I'd be grateful if you moved your butt."

Ren bit his lips in embarrassment. Every word felt like a hammer driving his dignity into the ground.

He tried to respond, but the bus driver interrupted:

"We've arrived at the station. Everyone out."

Ren grabbed his bag and headed out.

The crowd of students distracted him.

"Damn... does anyone even see me? Well, at least I won't run into them right outside the bus."

He was about to relax when he saw Jack through the bus window.

Their eyes met.

Jack grinned and walked toward the bus.

"Oh no."

Ren pushed through the students, left and right, trying to get out.

When he saw the door, he said to himself,

"If I can run to the classroom, then th—"

A punch to the stomach made his face turn pale. His knees gave out.

"Kah... Kah... Kagh..."

He fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

Students moved away. Others turned to watch. Some bet, some wanted to intervene, and others didn't care.

"Hey hey, look who came back—my little toy boy."

Ren looked up, his blood boiling. He clenched his left hand.

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

Punch

Ren's fist met Jack's jaw. A memory flashed back in his mind.

That fateful day...

Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit.

Ren had wandered around the school and heard a student's scream. The voice led him to a classroom.

"Hey Mark, what should we feed him this time—worms or—"

Before they finished, Ren shouted,

"Hey! What's going on here?"

That was his biggest mistake.

They looked at him as if he had walked in on a murder.

"Stop this at once!"

How foolish he was to think he could be a hero.

One of them kicked the boy on the floor.

"Mind your business, you little fuckhead."

Ren stepped in confidently.

"Let him go."

"And who'll make us?"

A deep voice interrupted.

"Boys, let him go. He's broken anyway."

The bullies backed off. The injured boy ran away.

Ren looked at the boy's broken hand.

He sighed, unaware that this was the beginning of his own nightmare.

"Thanks for doing the right thing, man."

Click

The door shut behind him.

"So you wanted to play hero? Let's see how long before you break."

A large man stood in front of Ren.

"My name's Jack... and yours?"

"Re—"

Punch

"Oh."

Jack grabbed his hair and forced him to look up.

"Hey, remember—you asked for this."

The scene faded as Ren's consciousness returned.

Back in the present—Ren's hands were on Jack's face.

Jack turned as if the punch meant nothing.

"Hey, Ren... what was that for?"

Jack's voice rumbled like thunder.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm trying to kick your ass."

Ren's voice trembled, but he held his ground. Jack stood a whole foot taller, hands in his pockets, wearing a smug smile.

Inside Ren's mind:

"Damn... what did I get myself into?"