Both Hiroyuki and Yuuna did not go back to the student council room that day. The rest of the student council members were genuinely worried that they might have escalated the issue. They were prepared to take matters into their own hands as it may have become a problem that they were involved in.
They did not receive any information that day and were restless. Their worries were thankfully short-lifted, as the next day arrived with wonderful news.
It was a rest day for the school but the student council were still busy with preparations for the upcoming Sports' Day. All the members were in the student council room except Hiroyuki and Yuuna. However, none of them was doing their work as they were too focused on what to say to both Hiroyuki and Yuuna when they entered the room.
However, it wasn't long till they heard the door opened before them. And lo and behold, Hiroyuki and Yuuna walked into the student council room together. Yuuna started off by apologizing for her actions and that she wanted things to go back to the way it was. The rest of the members didn't wait for her to finish her sentence before immediately forgiving her.
Hiroyuki immediately followed suit and apologizing for jeopardizing the team's efforts while he was busy sulking. He may not receive the same treatment as Yuuna but in the end, he was forgiven and the student council was properly whole again.
As the Sports' Day drew closer and closer, the student council spared no effort in making sure all is well for the event to go as smoothly as they hoped to be.
However, because of a certain incident, they were behind schedule. Thankfully, with the help of Nobuo, Shiori and Jin's gang. They were able to come through.
During one of the days when they were preparing for the event, Hiroyuki finally spilt the beans and said that he confessed to Yuuna that day. Regardless of what came after the confession, the entire male cast of the student council except the loverboy cheered as they decided to celebrate it by having a party in the small little accommodation that was rented by the Nobuo-Hiroyuki duo.
Nobuo was surprised by the crowd that went through the door as he opened it to see the male members of the student council holding gifts and drinks for the party. It didn't take long for him to realize that everyone had known what happened. He welcomed everyone with glee and the party was on.
Needless to say, things were crazy.
Jin brought along a crate of beer and said it was provided by his gang. Yusuke who was against the idea of underage drinking was stopped by the already drunk Kazue. Kazue went on about how as long as they weren't caught, things would be fine. Be it if it was his drunk self-talking, it was already too late.
Nobuo who decided that it was a smart idea to introduce a drinking game only made things crazier. He pulled out his old console and said those who lost a match should finish a can. Everyone was on board and not long after that, it became blatantly obvious that it was a bad idea.
Yusuke apparently had low alcohol tolerance as he was knocked out immediately after a can.
Jin who had chugged half a dozen cans was swinging his bandana cloth back and forth like a sheriff's rope, half-naked.
Kazue who had lost 5 games in a row ended up drinking 5 cans before it was his turn to hit the sack.
Nobuo who won all his games didn't have the chance to even drink a single can. Eventually, he just slept when his internal clock reached its bedtime.
As for Hiroyuki, he was just a spectator of the whole chaos while drinking cola from the fridge.
Soon enough, the night that was once young was now too late for young teens to stay awake.
With that, it was midnight.
Hiroyuki who still couldn't sleep thanks to the number of things going on in his mind, decided to chill by the balcony before heading to bed.
He realized that his life had been quite eventful since Yuuna joined the student council. He was glad that he had the chance to experience so many different emotions while being around her. It was the first time to many of his experiences and he was glad that he was able to confess to her in the end. But of course, he was worried about what comes next.
'Couldn't sleep, my friend?"
Hiroyuki turned around and noticed Jin was walking towards him with another can of beer in his hand, still half-naked.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"Not really. I couldn't sleep too. Too busy thinking about what should your punishment be after kicking your ass in the 'Bo-taoshi'."
Jin said as he walked beside Hiroyuki and leaned his body against the balcony fence. Before he could remark on the amount of can of beers he had drunk and the fact he was still shirtless, Hiroyuki went on and spoke his worries out.
"Honestly, my mind is a complete mess right now. I can't stop thinking about Sports' Day. What if things go wrong or we missed out on something."
"..."
"And our soccer match. What if I failed to strike the goal and failed the dribble I trained so hard on."
"..."
"And of course, there's that short distance rally I took part in. There is no way I'm going to lose to Nobuo but there is the off chance I do. He is definitely going to mock me about it for days, maybe weeks!'
"..."
"Then, there is Yuuna. What if I get… you know…"
Hiroyuki said as he squatted on the edge of the balcony with his hands still holding on to the railing. Jin who continued drinking as if he ignored all of Hiroyuki's complaints, spoke out with obvious distaste for his rants.
"Are you finished?"
"Yeah…"
Jin who half-heartedly listened to his worries looked at his watch that he had kept on him despite being shirtless. He then looked at Hiroyuki who was sulking again. He took a big breath and spoke out while looking out at the bustling nightlife of Japan.
"Let me tell you a story about my watch."
.
.
.
.
Jin's watch was given to him by his late grandfather. He was an owner of a renowned university in India. He was a down to earth man who never spent his wealth any more than just his necessities. All in all, he was a great man.
The only thing he had ever bought that was outside of his needs was a watch. It wasn't a very expensive, gold plated watch or anything. It was a simple watch brought from a store his friend has owned as support for his business.
Eventually, his grandfather was edging closer to his deathbed. He wrote in his will to give out all his wealth to the masses instead because he wanted his children to experience the hard work he had gone through.
However, the only thing that he did not give to the people was his watch. He didn't have the heart to give it away for something he bought with his own money like that. Thus, he gave it to his only grandson at that time, to remind him that no matter what, support those in need even if death does you apart.
That grandson was Jin Anand.
Jin wore it every day since his grandfather's death. He wore it in all his days during elementary school and eventually the same during middle school. It became his most treasured item.
However, because it was treasured, it also thought him how it felt to lose it.
One day when Jin was cycling home from school, he was knocked down by a group of bullies. The bullies then decided it was a good idea to take his watch away and taunt him.
Jin who was only a young boy didn't know what was right and wrong. He was consumed with anger as the kids started to play around with the watch. He cried out to them to stop but that was exactly the reaction the bullies were looking for. Eventually, it escalated to the point where one of the boys made a crack on the watch.
It was then Jin learned that he could answer his problems with a punch into the face.
And before he knew it the boys were unconscious on the floor, with blood all over their face while Jin stepped on one of the boy's broken leg with his watch in his bloodied hand.
Jin was 13 years old when he became 'Akamatsu the Devil'.
Jin learned the consequences of his actions following that incident. He was expelled from school, forced to move to a country far away from India and eventually moved in with his mother's side of the family in Japan.
However, his true self has awakened and there was no way something like this could stop a 14-year-old boy from doing what he wants.
Jin went on to rule the juvenile streets of Japan and eventually became the strongest boy in Japan. The kids feared him, the adults ignored him and the gangsters adored him. Eventually, he was famous enough to lead his own gang.
Jin eventually grew to know leadership as he had a gang behind him, he eventually got a second-in-command that he thought was his best friend. He was at the top of his game and he felt like the whole world was his playground.
Of course, it was all too heavy for a 15-year-old boy.
The gang began to crumble and those who he had considered his friends were fighting amongst each other. Jin was losing power as words would not go through to his second-in-command. It was then Jin locked himself out and began to formulate a plan for the future. His second-in-command kept telling him that there was no point in doing that and should instead do what his heart told him to do. However, Jin wouldn't listen and continue to lock himself away.
He wasn't running away from his problems. It wanted to wait for it to subside before he could finally execute his plans. So he waited and waited, hoping for that future to come.
As Jin thought that it was time, it was already too late. His second-in-command had left and taken half of his gang away, leaving him in shambles with a broken team.
Jin who was once on top of his game is now at an all-time low.
"If you don't have a gang, why not join mine?"
A voice that sounded as if a saviour had found him in shambles extended his hand to a broken boy like him. Jin looked at the young man who was about his age smiled at him as he waited for him to grab his. It was then Jin also noticed that the hands on his watch kept turning even its as if he was at a standstill.
And because of that little watch, Jin had a revelation.
Jin was so busy trying to fix his broken gang that he had forgotten that his gang was only just breaking. It was still mendable and if he had just butt in before it was too late, it could all be saved. But he was so blinded by the sight of his future, he had neglected his team. He could have still fix it if he had just spent his time with them, not with himself.
He had totally ignored his second-in-command who was trying to relay that message to him and before it was too late, he was being given up on. Jin had watched his team crumble as he was just trying to fix an unknown future.
Jin, who finally managed to feel like a kid again broke into tears. He then grabbed on to hand extended for him, bring him into a future he could foresee.
With that, his watch stopped working...
And a 16-year-old boy felt like a 12-year-old again.
.
.
.
.
"After that, I had my watch fixed. It cost me a lot of cash and the horologist said that it would only work for a short while before it breaks again. At least until then, I'm going to spend my whole life enjoying the moment."
Hiroyuki who attentively listened to his story was now shocked to know about his background. There were many mysteries in his story such as who the boy that saved him was, but it wasn't long till he uncovered the truth behind that mask.
"Time waits for no one. If you are so focused on having an uncertain brighter future, you are losing out on the happiness you are having on the present day."
After those deep words coming out from an ex-gang leader's mouth, he continued on with his afterwords.
"My watch stopped working the moment I joined the student council. It was a turning point for me as if it was telling me that this was where you reset your time and change your way of living. So I guess when it happens again, it would most likely be a turning point."
As soon as Jin finished drinking his can of beer, he tossed it out of the balcony. He then spoke to Hiroyuki as he placed the same hand on his shoulder.
"For now, let's enjoy the moment and get our asses back to bed."
"Thanks a lot, Jin. I feel a lot better now."
"Don't sweat it," Jin said as he pulled out his phone. "Glad to be of assistance."
As Hiroyuki was about to cross over Kazue's body that was passed out on the floor, Jin tapped him on the shoulder and showed him what he saw on the phone.
"Though, you might not need to wait long for all your worries to be answered."
> E-GARDEN
> Niwa Mura High Student Council @niwamura_studco · 2h
> When this post gets 650 likes by the end of Sports' Day, I will repay your kindness. - Treasurer Yuuna · 21 likes