Aiko is patching up Ren's bruises. She looks at Ren and then she smiles without even she's realizing it. Ren is staring at Aiko while shaking his head.
"Do you really like it when someone is beating me up, Aiko?"
Aiko is smiling and chuckling.
"But Aze is not just someone to me, Nii-Sama."
Ren is scoffing.
"Do you like him that much, Aiko?"
Aiko is done patching his bruises and stands up. She smiles and looks outside the window.
"I love him, Nii-Sama, but I can't take him right now because of the problem I have caused between him and Erii-chan. I have been thinking to see Erii-chan face to face and apologize properly for what we did behind her. I like her and I don't want to see her suffering, so right now I will stay by Erii-chan's side and make sure she's alright."
Ren stands up while groaning and holding his left ribs. Aiko looks at Ren and raises her eyebrows.
"Was his punch that hard?"
Ren smirks and nods.
"Yeah, his punch was surprisingly hard. I never thought I would get beaten like that. I should have never underestimated him in the first place, but I guess I deserve this because of that."
Ren looks at Aiko.
"Want to go home together, Aiko?"
Aiko nods.
"Okay, but let's go to the doctor first to check up on your ribs."
Ren scoffs.
"Yeah, that's what I'm planning to do."
On my way home, the bruises on my face start to swollen and everyone who walks past me is looking at me weirdly, but I'm ignoring them while I'm pressing a cold soda can from the vending machine on my cheek to compress the bruises. I honestly don't want to go home yet and so I stop in the convenience store to drink the soda while smoking.
I'm thinking about what just happened today and it feels surreal and I don't know how can someone at my age to did something like that and didn't feel anything at all. I guess I never know how the life of people who works or becomes a yakuza. Cutting their own fingers to redeem their mistakes and live to serve some stranger with their lives on the line.
I look at the time and it's 10 P.M. and I think it's time for me to go home because aunt should be worried by now. Before I leave the convenience store, I ask the clerk to give me some ice and she gives it to me willingly when she looks at my bruises, then I leave the convenience store and am on my way back home.
I'm in front of my house and I can still see the lights are still on, so I guess aunt is still awake. I take a deep breath and open the door.
"I'm home..."
I look at the floor and I see Erii's sandals, but then I hear footsteps coming to the entrance. Erii is walking to the front door and she's surprised to see my face is filled with bruises, I just stand in front of the door and look at her for quite a while, I slightly smile at her and remove my shoes and then walk past her, but she grabs the back of my shirt while looking at me worriedly.
"What happened?"
Her quiet and soothing voice is making me feel guilty. I look at her and shake my head.
"I just have a really bad day, that's all."
Erii is frowning but before she can say a word, I scoff and smile at her.
"I'm okay though. I need to take a shower and get some rest. Are you going home, Erii? Good night then."
Erii nods and then I go to the bathroom and I know that she's still looking at me.
(The next day)
Aunt Lisa is calling me from downstairs to eat breakfast together. I'm wearing my uniform and then go downstairs hurriedly to eat my breakfast because I'm starving since I didn't eat anything yesterday. Aunt Lisa is surprised to see my face is covered with bandages but she doesn't need to ask me since she knows and it's unnecessary for her to ask.
I chow down all the food while Aunt Lisa is looking at me while chuckling.
"Slow down, Aze. You want another bowl?"
I nod while chewing my food. Aunt Lisa is shaking her head while scooping rice into the bowl, then she puts it in front of me while she's stroking my hair.
"You need to stop doing those things, Aze. You know that I'm worried about you, right?"
I nod with understanding. Aunt Lisa sighs and sits next to me while gently rubbing my back and looking at me eating my food.
"What would happen to you if I'm not staying here, Aze? Do you want me and Uncle Hiro to live here? Are you not lonely living in this house on your own?"
I'm swallowing my food and look at her.
"Do you want to live here, auntie? I'm fine on my own, if auntie wants to live here, then I will be very happy, but I don't think Uncle Hiro would be able to go to work from here and I don't want to burden him. Auntie now has your own family, and I don't want to be a bother to you and Uncle Hiro. I mean, I have been doing fine on my own for the last few months, so I will be okay. Even if I feel lonely, I have Ryo and Erii that I can spend my time with."
Aunt Lisa is smiling and stroking my hair.
"Well, I will talk about it with him when he's back. Anyway, hurry up and finish your bowl. You don't want to be late for school."
I'm humming while chowing the rice in the bowl, then I leave the house after I say goodbye to her.
I'm entering my class and everyone looks at me normally and it's not something new to them when I have bandages on my face. Ryo is laughing and talking with his friends while Erii is talking with the class representative. I walk past them and sit on my seat and daydreaming about what just happened yesterday.
Erii isn't approaching me like she always does, and Ryo doesn't approach me as well since I don't want him to be near me right now and asked him to be on Erii's side. I don't know if she knows that Ryo knows about my breakup with her, but I think she realizes it. The bell rings and we start the class as nothing happened.
I'm in the cafeteria drinking my milk on my own, but then a group of students is approaching me. I look at them and I notice that those people were the ones who bullied the first-year kid in the toilet. They look at me and they want revenge, and I just stand here looking at them and hoping for one of them to throw a punch at me.
One of them is standing in front of me and looks at me arrogantly.
"I have been looking for you, meet me in the backyard after school. If you dare to run away, I will make you regret."
The guys that I beat back then mockingly smirk at me and then scoff while leaving the cafeteria. I sigh and keep drinking my milk and then I buy a yakisoba bread while leaving the cafeteria.
The bell rings and everyone is hurriedly going back to their classes while I'm still smoking in my secret place, but then I hear a footstep coming from my left and it's Ryo, he's looking at me while scratching the back of his head and sighing.
"What are you doing here?"
I look at him and raise my eyebrows.
"What are you, doing here?"
Ryo leans on the wall and looks at me.
"Well, I wouldn't be here if Kyouko-chan didn't ask me to find you. She knows that I know where you are, and here I am looking for you to bring you back to the class. Come on, she said that if you're not back in 5 minutes, she will give you a detention."
I puff my smoke and throw the butt of the cigarette. I walk past him and he's looking at me while furrowing his forehead.
"What's wrong with you? You weren't like this before, is it because of your breakup with Erii?"
I'm staring at him from the corner of my eyes.
"No, it has nothing to do with that. It's just something else..."
Ryo is walking beside me and he's looking at the sky.
"It's about them, isn't it? Are you sure you want to do this, Aze? I think you're just dangering yourself and it's bad for you. You think by doing this you will get what you want?"
I roll my eyes and sigh.
"I don't want to talk about it. You can say whatever you want but I won't be listening."
Ryo sighs.
"Whatever dude..."