Act: 54
Getting away from the cafeteria and stopping alongside the hallway on the third floor.
"I never got your name, by the way?"
"It's little brother?"
*Ach.*
"I mean your actual name. I don't know about calling you little brother..."
"You will soon. It's Han Chul-Moo. You can call me Chul-Moo or Little Brother; they both work."
He said happily.
"I will have to consider the second option. Moving on, thank you for your help against Takao. He's been a real pain recently."
Shizu motioned his hand for him to follow.
"By the way, why did you cross your swords against Hano?"
"I shall aid you from now on, big bro. As for that man who you called Hano, right? I sensed some killing instinct that I could tell was targeted at you. It felt like he wanted to cause severe damage, I'm certain. I already had my interactions with him, but what confuses me is why does he want to harm you?"
"Good question; I know he's also someone who wants to take me down. I don't even know why."
They walked through the halls as Chul-Moo trailed behind.
"With my short story, I can catch you up on everything. My friend Taku wants to beat me and become the top Ranker. Hano wants to take me out because I don't know, I decided to go out with his non-girlfriend at the time. And Takao was mad because I beat him in the first round of the current tournament. Plus, it's not like I beat him alone; I had help. Like always."
"Fascinating?! Don't worry about anything. I will stay by your side until the end and make sure you're safe, big bro!"
"Why..? Why bother with some weakling? I prefer not to be pitied."
"Pity? It's not that big bro. I want to stay by your side genuinely. Do you know what I mean? Am I not allowed."
He started to pout as if he were some stray dog.
"Fine, fine. I will show you where my class is."
Hopping in the air, twirling around with joy.
"Yes!"
'I can't be that special to him... I guess. It won't hurt to have someone around who cares about me.'
They walked over to Shizu's homeroom class.
"This is it. I share a room with Taku, which I mentioned earlier, and my teacher is Ito Sensei. Overall, it's not bad. What about you?"
"I'm in a class with Hano. Not fun at all. If you can, you should stop by whenever you get the time."
'How can he always be so happy with me..?'
"I'm not too sure about that. It's Hano."
Shizu shook his head intensely.
"No, I will stop by! I shouldn't have to fear a single student. Who cares if he's a part of the student council! Will you be watching me then for the tournament tomorrow?"
"Of course, big bro! From what I gathered, there will be no classes, so I'm ready to watch you slam down on your opponents."
- - - -
[ The next day of school and the beginning of the tournament's second round. ]
Ito Sensei had informed her students that in the outside stadium, each qualifying member who made it to the next round would be displayed on the giant screen for everyone to see. Later in the day, the students who made it would also be shown around on-screen within the school building.
Speaking directly to Taku and Shizu, she told them to go to the stadium now because it would be worth their time.
Taku glanced at Shizu, smirking, and in return, he softly chuckled. The class was dismissed for today, and most, if not all, students had made their way to see who would be participating. Abruptly, Taku stood up.
"Shizu, I will meet you at the stadium. I can't wait to fight you, and I hope we fight first."
"Hm? Aren't I walking over there with you?"
"Oh, um- well, you see. I was going to go with Oto."
Shizu peeked over by the door and saw Oto waiting.
"I won't take up your time then..."
"Oh, okay. That's good. Then, Shizu, I can't wait to see who will progress to the finals. It will be me, obviously. I know you'll put up a decent fight. Cya."
Taku rushed to the door, leaving with his new "best friend," Oto.
'It seems I was replaced. Nothing new... Another alone walk, it seems.'
Not a moment wasted, Chul-Moo slammed the door open to his classroom on the other side of the room, shocking some of the students. With his arms out, he ran over to Shizu, yelling out big bro.
"Huh?! Chul-Moo?"
Shizu tried to hold back the smile forming on his face.
"Before you say anything, let me guess: Were we heading to the stadium to see where I placed?"
"You're right, big bro! I wish I could participate, but it's fine. I'm happy that I will get to watch you fight. So hurry up now!"
Chul-Moo grabbed him by the arm, pulled him out of the classroom and led him to the outside stadium.
Ito Sensei silently watched the two boys.
'I'm glad for you, Shizu. Someone is showing you a good heart. It's what you need right now.'
*Ito Sensei! I need help with this question! Yeah. Me too!*
'Uh, these damn kids need to pay attention; they're going to make my head hurt. I'm starting to think I need someone myself now...'
"Were you even paying attention, or were you more focused on your phone."
- - - -
[ The stadium ]
Shizu stood in the center, followed by many other students. In the horde of people, he couldn't spot Taku or Oto, but further down, he could see a particular pink-haired woman who had little elegance to them. Chisaka, and if that's the case, Hano is most likely nearby. The seats surrounding them were full of other students; he even saw Chul-Moo waving from the audience's row. Everyone could see who made it or not with it listed on a screen above, cycling through names that hadn't yet finished so no one could see who was participating.
One of the teachers hosting the event stood up from above alongside other teachers and spoke proudly to everyone who attended, explaining the rules.
"I shall make this short. The rules for the tournament's second round are as follows: If you KO'd by your opponent, that qualifies as a win, and the second way you can win is by your opponent forfeiting. However, the most efficient way to win the match is by breaking the star badge you will receive; if it breaks, that means an automatic win by any means. Trying to kill your opponent will result in instant disqualification, and staff members will deal with you later upon expulsion. Lastly, if the 10-minute time reaches zero, whoever sustains the most damage loses."
He took a deep breath away from the mic.
"Now, before I reveal the names above you. The tournament will consist of 12 brackets, each with eight students 1v1ing against each other. The winners of each bracket will be put in teams of three for the tournament's final match with a 25-minute timer, and whichever team wins the 3v3 will fight in a free-for-all—claiming as the winner for the entire tournament. Lastly, the 12-bracket match will be held at school, and the final round will be located at one of the largest stadiums in Tokyo for all friends and families to watch. Even outsiders are going to come and witness the best of the best. I can't wait for our school to showcase what talented, fine fighters we have to offer our country."
*Click, click, click*
The screen started to display and cycle through the names of the participating students.
"Now to see yourself on the board! I wish the best."
Ninety-six of the students' names were displayed. Shizu saw Hano, Chisaka, Kyde, Ren, Amamoto, Taku, Daichi, Oto, Mana, and other familiar names. He began to panic because his name wasn't showing up. Did he really not qualify?
Hano thought to himself. It's good that Shizu didn't make it. He deserves to be watching us fight.
*Click*
Number 92 Shizu.