Yuki Perspective
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Upon walking towards Class 1-A, two recognisable and identical men are talking to each other, not until a loud thump resonates through the halls. The person who is on the floor is an older man with his black server uniform. I take a glimpse on the side and notice another lad with his glasses and pitch-black vest.
As soon as I hear the smack, I hide my petite hour-glass body behind the door and listen for what they have to say. If somebody disagrees with my claim, then you better make a run for it!
"You fucker!" Nickson shouts with all his might, sending a chilling shiver down my spine.
I could not react and extend my ears more, hoping to sort this mess out. There is no way I could just barge in and say hello to Nickson and Sung-ho. That action is suicidal, for awkwardness' sake!
A pair of lenses follow off to the ground, shattering the crystal shards around them. Lucky for the two brothers to avoid receiving injuries from that accident. Nickson must buy other eyeglasses if he plans to use those soon to school.
I steal a glance and witness the mangaka pushing his brother backwards. Sung-ho coughs out a sprinkle of blood, staining the obsidian ink of his vest in response to his attack.
"I want to stop them!" My heart calls out.
But before I could act, a hand grabs me from behind and pulls me back in the corner, forbidding me from entering the room.
A sudden jerk escapes from my body, but the familiar person stops me from my rash movements. My eyes broaden upon the sight of Roxy covering my mouth, using the palm of her hands. I can feel my breath becoming more unhurried than before.
Roxanne shakes her head and nudges her hand off from my face, allowing me to look at the side of the room. She gives me a bow and points her fingers towards the entrance.
"Why are you here? I thought you were inside an ambulance or the hospital." I could not help but whisper in her ears. Fortunately for me, the two brothers do not notice our murmurings.
"My wounds are greatly exaggerated." Roxanne gives me her answers while brushing off the scrape on her thigh.
The pinkish surface of her skin has a cloth wrapping around her body part, absorbing all the blood coming out from the wound. I am no doctor, but Roxanne needs treatment for that injury.
"Can you just listen to their conversation and avoid acting based on your emotions?" My eyes peer at her, wanting to budge out anytime.
I could not believe the words coming from her mouth. Roxanne, who does not know what she is doing, gives me a lecture about barging in at prominent events.
But there is nothing I could do to stop Roxy from her tracks. I accept her presence and let Roxy stay with me throughout my stay. The occurrence happening inside is crucial to both the two brothers and our pair.
However, despite receiving the blows, the older man refuses to fight back. Sung-ho just looks at him in the eyes and steels his body, hoping that his muscles will last.
"Why did you not show up during my birthdays when you gave me a present!" Nickson glides his hand and slaps Sung-ho.
"Why did you leave me without telling me any goodbyes!" Nick hits him again, this time in the stomach. Sung-ho reacts to the jab and coughs out icky fluids coming from his mouth.
I continue to watch the blitz happening on the other side, smacking Sung-ho at his face. The older guy looks at the right side of the classroom and sees the tablet falling on the marbled ground. We see the screen flashing and reveal the flock of birds flying in a park.
"Have you ever read all those sketches?" Tears emerge from Nickson and soak Sung-ho after saying such piercing words.
I feel my heart is about to burst just by hearing the message coming out from Nickson. My mind knows that there is a hidden feeling coming from the manga that Nickson makes. Upon watching their drama right now, I grasp and take my hunch of the two of them.
Nickson has never mentioned to me about his brother. He always has this dead look of not giving a hoot about anything and everyone else around him. It is only Sung-ho who introduces me to him having a brother. I combine their surnames and realise their connection between the two.
My body acts on its own as I charge inside and stop Nickson from attacking his older brother. Roxanne could not react on time, and as I could hear a blasting knock on the sliding door. Without glancing back, I guess Roxanne must have hit her head upon chasing my feet.
With my eyes closed, I wrap my arms around Nickson's waist and hug him from behind. Although this mangaka has done more annoying things than the good ones, I do not want to see someone suffer from something. That feeling that he keeps inside his heart reaches mine as I have first seen his drawings on the platform.
"That is enough, Nickson." My hair flutters as I drag into the frenzied expression of Nick, forcing him to withdraw his knuckles to his pockets.
As luck would have it, Nickson refuses to hit a girl and allows his hands to calm himself and his body. However, that does not stop him from glaring at his Sung-ho, who is still lying on the ground.
"It is alright, Yuki." Sung-ho expresses his comments while reaching out for his pockets.
The events continue, together with our mixed emotions.
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Despite seeing three teenagers with one young adult moving out from the closed academy, the guard keeps his mouth shut and watches us walk without uttering a word. He does not stop us from our tracks and lets us outdoors without interrogating or interviewing us.
Heck, he does not even know why we are inside since some of us (probably) have entered the building with illegal means.
However, that is not the case. Nickson lets me realise that we have the limited power to do what we want in and out of this school.
"Yes, yes, please take your time." The guard who notices us lets us through the silver gate. He even spots Roxanne with her legs working fine, tilting his head out of confusion.
Upon scratching the remaining hair on his head, the entrance slides open and welcomes us to the outside world. It is still raining cats and dogs, so that sucks too. But according to the weather anchor from last four days ago, this storm will end tomorrow.
Nickson and Sung-ho extend the panels of their identical umbrellas, relating them to their bloodlines as brothers. As I glance at the mangaka, I notice his eyes are staring at the parasol gripping in Sung-ho's hands.
"Hey, Nickson-," Before I could even speak my sentence, the mangaka shushes me with a single gesture of his hand, silencing me there and now. I feel like a statue after interposing my sentence from this mangaka.
It was like what Roxanne did to me from before when the two of us were still inside that school, listening to the words spoken by the two brothers. I swear, if I get my hands off on that girl, I will-,
Nickson disrupts my train of thought and looks at Sung-ho. "I know, Yuki. I will finish all the work for tomorrow."
After saying his statement, his brother tugs him from behind, and off they go to the other road. It happens too fast that none of us, Roxanne and me, notices their disappearance. We only witness their figures up ahead on the next street, with a limo waiting for their arrival.
"Do not worry about a thing, secretary." With a wave of his hand, he gets inside the car and scurries away from the street, leaving us girls alone in the rain.
"That crooked guy! I hate him so much!" I expand my umbrella and go on my way, hoping that Roxanne and I would eat something to fill our stomachs. Nothing can relieve me but the ramen from the convenience stores.
However, Roxanne has some original plans and asks for my permission to finish all her unfinished business about something she cannot disclose. Her hands twitch beside her waist, unsure about her decision.
I could not reject her offer, considering her hectic schedule and family problems she needs to take care of in the hospital.
"How is your mother," I know that is not the topic she wants to hear, but as a friend of hers, I am responsible for her life.
Roxanne averts her gaze and sees the puddle forming beside her feet. The tiny body of water immerses her snickers and freezes her bottom limbs. She feels nothing out of the ordinary and continues looking downwards on the ground.
"Things have been tough lately, and I have found no part-time job that could accept me," Roxy confesses, while concealing the tears dripping from her eye.
"I understand." With a few words, we carry on to a different topic. I also see my best friend off towards the parallel side of the road.
It has been a long day, and I cannot wait to sleep on my bed and finish all those pesky chapters.