Ring, ring, ring—
As the final school bell faded, Ayumu Genno had weathered two quiet days since his clash with Yohei Takagi and Tatsuya Inoue. Yet this calm only deepened his unease. He knew those two wouldn’t let things go so easily. Even if Takagi and Inoue seemed well-behaved now, Ayumu sensed it was merely the calm before the storm.
Though worried about Hina Mizuno, he felt helpless. They’d barely exchanged a word these past two days. Tomorrow was Saturday, but Ayumu dared not relax—not for a second. His gut warned him this weekend would be anything but peaceful. He suspected Takagi and Inoue were simply waiting for the weekend to strike.
In a blink, Hina vanished again. Ayumu wondered—was she avoiding him on purpose?
“Ayumu, what are you looking at?”
True to habit, Yui Asou appeared the moment school ended, ready to walk home together.
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
Just as Ayumu turned to leave, Yui tugged his sleeve. “Ayumu… planning to slack off again?”
Her question left him baffled. *Slack off? When? How?* Her logic jumped too fast.
Seeing his genuinely confused face, Yui explained, “Weren’t you and Nozomu Sakuragi on cleaning duty today? He’s wiped the board all day. You’re not making him clean the whole classroom alone, are you?”
Ayumu followed her finger. There it was—his name and Sakuragi’s, neatly listed on the blackboard’s edge. He’d noticed names appeared there daily but never questioned why. Even seeing his own name meant nothing to him. Not his fault, really: in his memory, he’d never done cleaning duty, and no one had ever dared ask. Sakuragi—his former loyal follower—had always handled it. To Ayumu, “cleaning duty” simply didn’t exist.
Only now did he understand.
“I’ll clean. Wait for me.”
“You go ahead. I’ll ask the teacher a question,” Yui said, heading off with her book.
Ayumu wasn’t one to shirk duty.
At the back of the classroom, he awkwardly crossed paths with Sakuragi. Ayumu stayed cold, offering no greeting. Sakuragi, however, gave a gentle smile. The contrast made Ayumu feel petty. They held no real grudge—he was just trying to shed old ties. But withholding even basic courtesy felt harsh. Sakuragi wasn’t a bad person. Just spineless. He’d followed Ayumu loyally for years, yet the old Ayumu had treated him like a mere errand boy.
“Sakuragi, deaf? Genno told you to get lost. Still itching to be his lapdog?” Takagi sneered.
As Sakuragi clutched the cleaning tools and took a step, Takagi and Inoue blocked him. Taunts flew. Shoves followed—hard enough to stagger Sakuragi, a guy pushing 100kg. He stood frozen, back to Ayumu, expression hidden.
“Acting tough the other day, telling me to shut up? Now your master ditched you—you’re worse than a stray dog!” Inoue spat, still bitter over being interrupted weeks ago. He kicked the tools from Sakuragi’s hands.
Ayumu was glad Yui wasn’t there. She’d have intervened without hesitation. He forced himself to ignore it, sweeping calmly.
“Pick it up!” Takagi barked.
…
The tools became their toy. Kick. Order. Pick up. Repeat. Sakuragi obeyed silently. Between jeers, they shot mocking glances at Ayumu. He pretended not to care—but watched closely.
Then Takagi kicked the tools again. This time, as Sakuragi bent down, their eyes met.
Sakuragi looked away instantly. But Ayumu saw it—the raw, bone-deep fear in his gaze.
Familiar.
A memory surfaced: Sakuragi, bullied relentlessly after entering high school. Years of darkness had carved terror into his soul. Until one day, short on cash, Ayumu stumbled upon thugs harassing his “classmate” and “taught” those rich kids a lesson. That was the first time he saw those eyes—drenched in fear and despair. Afterward, the bullies vanished. Grateful for being pulled from the abyss, Sakuragi devoted himself to Ayumu.
This same boy—who feared bullying to his core—would become the very person he hated, just to repay a casual kindness.
Ayumu’s chest tightened.
Yeah. He couldn’t stay out of it anymore.
