Time flowed like blind rain at a clear time. Autumn was followed by winter, which quietly ran through the city and disappeared with the arrival of a warm spring. Wet weather, however, did not intend to end — this spring became unusual for the inhabitants of the flourishing city, filled with unexpected weather changes and a damp atmosphere.
During this time, Tomoyuki and Takashi managed to think about their mutual understandings and began to talk more often about topics of concern to them.
'I couldn't have expected,' Tomoyuki pondered one of the inconspicuous days, 'that he would turn out to be a person with whom communication passes so imperceptibly that evening is already coming on the street.'
Tomoyuki was able to get close to the hooligan trio, which was a joy for him. The guys were cheerful in communication and kind in some sense of the word. Without noticing how, he fully integrated into their conversations, and so their common communication began to emerge.
'They admitted to me that since the end of autumn their hooligan everyday life has completely sunk into oblivion. I wonder if it's because I took them on a bright journey, or did they come to their senses themselves?'
Of course, Tomoyuki could not forget the fact that the trio had heaps of sins with them, and their misbehavior for eternity branded them as aggressors relentlessly seeking a fight. Tamaki Miyamura was living proof of Takashi's deeds, which deserve no forgiveness either among society or among his own friends.
But Jiahao and Makoto didn't care about the dark side of their friend, for all three were in the same boat. Jiahao, having opened up to Tomoyuki, eventually turned out to be a kind man with a pumped up body, which made him look formidable among his relatives. In addition to this, he had an average length of hair, which he tied in a bun. Makoto was an ordinary bully, mostly walking with Takashi and frightening all sorts of minnows.
'However, the only thing that united them was that each of them is fluent in martial arts. This is not surprising, because with a cocky temper, such skills are simply indispensable.'
Tomoyuki, having learned something new in this life about a society previously unknown to him, began to expand his self-development through communication with the trinity. Takashi seemed to know a lot more in this life, and had a huge amount of experience in many things.
Takashi stopped taking money from him so as not to destroy himself and Tomoyuki too, and instead they had a common capital and they all divided the money equally. Tomoyuki didn't want to know where their money sometimes came from, so he didn't take it.
'In general, my life has improved. But… last time I brought myself to one big thought, the solution of which I still can not find. Fun is fun, but still… For what purpose am I even here? Why do I continue to be in society, which was disgusting to me? Why can't I feel… that I am content with my life?'
***
At the suggestion of Takashi, Tomoyuki went with him to a private club. It was a popular place for young people to hang out (including teenagers). Tomoyuki sat relaxed on a leather couch in the corner and listened unweekly to the noise of people.
'I've been hanging out here for an hour now. It's time for me to understand that I have no place in such institutions; I don't communicate with any of the people here.'
In the crowd of people standing, he noticed the faces of Takashi talking to a tall guy whose medium-length hair was shaved on his sides.
"Get out of me, little thing," said one girl sitting on a nearby couch with a nervous tone. "I have a guy who can destroy your life in one or two."
Her tone of voice appealed to the young man who sat cheekily next to her. He seems to have approached her first, in order to win her over that evening.
"Oh, what an untouchable you are, to her god! " he answered her obsessively with an expressive voice. "And who is this guy of yours who can kick my ass? "
The stranger teased her until the girl gave the name of her gentleman:
"Yasuhiro Hashiji".
Soon, Tomoyuki noticed how the man, without saying anything, turned away and walked away from her. Because of the close distance and the quiet music, he heard the whole conversation.
'Yasuhiro Hashiji… A painfully familiar name. One of the bullies whose wishes are fulfilled with impunity in our hole? I wouldn't be surprised if Takashi-kun is familiar with him.'
Gathering her strength, contempt left the girl's face, and she shifted her gaze to Tomoyuki, who was looking at her, and opened her mouth slightly. Tomoyuki, seeing their eyes intersect, reluctant to spontaneously look at her with his calm face, turned back to the crowd.
The girl smiled playfully, poured two glasses of red wine (standing near her table) and approached the blue-eyed teenager. Tomoyuki saw her revealing sexy dress with all his eyes.
After saying hello, she asked with tender confidence if he wanted to have a drink with her. Tomoyuki's refusal did not catch up with her ears, and she sat closer to him.
"What's your name? How old are you? Don't want to get to know each other better? " she rattled inappropriate questions that went beyond small communication. With her body, she slowly approached him, pursing her expressive lips.
Tomoyuki didn't make any good impression; he decided not to waste time and effort on her, which is why he ignored her questions. However, she did not leave — the girl began to tell small facts about herself in an intimate voice, uninteresting for Tomoyuki's ears.
It seems that the girl liked his physique, because she tried in every way to touch him with her fingers. She still held two glasses in her hands.
"Well, have a drink with me. I promise it will give you a lot of pleasure."
Tired of her presence, Tomoyuki slightly pushed her away: "Get away, dummy from the burial."
Rejection and nonchalance descended from his lips at the same time, which pierced the girl's ears with a sharp bullet. She, embarrassed, became angry and raised her tone at him. Tomoyuki's face continued unchallenged.
"How dare you treat me like that!"
"You're worse than an animal, I only called your nature."
"Y-you'll be sorry! You bastard!"
"You're as stupid as anyone else."
The girl made a ruckus, drawing the attention of those closest to her. She walked nervously away toward the crowd, completely forgetting that she was holding two glasses of wine that had almost spilled over her dress. Her departure was also unfortunate: a man's voice called out to her from outside, causing her to approach the young man cheerfully. Standing beside him was Takashi.
"What's wrong?" revealed the stranger as he was embraced by the girl with the slender body. They were standing by the couch on which Tomoyuki was sitting.
"This guy insulted me for no reason!" the girl pointed at the dim Tomoyuki, and placed two glasses of wine on the table.
It turned out that this stranger was Yasuhiro, the girl's beau. He called her by her first name, "Ruri-chan." Ruri retold the resulting story with considerable embellishment for her own benefit.
"He came up to me and…"
"Don't exaggerate," came Tomoyuki's voice, which interrupted her lie. "You're playing the victim."
Ruri really began to behave differently in front of Yasuhiro, showing only her innocent side. This fickleness made Tomoyuki's perception furious, but he wasn't going to openly show his displeasure. For the record, he spoke with a moderate, firm tone, defending his side.
He was in an advantageous position, thanks to his sensitivity, not paying attention to Ruri, who was desperately shouting him down in concern. Yasuhiro only listened quietly to their words, and Ruri didn't like it much. The girl's situation was much worse than the beginning. An important clue was the two untouched wine glasses on Tomoyuki's table.
"These glasses of wine she brought me when she came up to me. My table is empty, and on her chair, where she was sitting earlier, are empty glasses and a bottle of whole wine."
Tomoyuki was right — the table nearby was indeed full of glasses and a bottle of red wine.
"N-not true!" Ruri scrambled to lie, stumping herself. "He was the one who came up to me!"
But why would Tomoyuki come up to her to take two wine glasses and place them on her table? Especially since Yasuhiro and Takashi remembered how Ruri had earlier placed the two glasses on his table when they approached.
"What do you think?" Yasuhiro turned to Takashi.
"I don't think Tomoyuki-kun would go for that. All the facts lie in his favor."
"I would agree, especially since his candor and calmness are commendable."
Tomoyuki was surprised at the words of Yasuhiro, who seemed like a tyrant according to Ruri. At first glance, Yasuhiro was disposing of others with his smile.
"I apologize for my girlfriend's tactlessness," Yasuhiro said, and grabbing Ruri's hand, he walked away. Her future life was of no interest to Tomoyuki.
Takashi called for the blue-eyed man to come out, and when they found themselves outside near the entrance to the club, under the sudden change in temperature, Takashi yelled.
"What are you doing?" confused the boy with his concerned and fearful voice. "If you had lost the argument, there wouldn't be a trace of you left! Yasuhiro, in spite of his manner of speaking, is a completely different person — a monster! If he gets angry… Ugh, it's a good thing you were lucky and had all the cards in your hands. But should you have risked so much!"
Tomoyuki realized that Takashi was worried not only for him, but also for himself, for his risky act could have had dire consequences.
"B-but that's exactly what happened! It's not my fault that this girl bumped into me!"
"I understand, of course I do, but there is a great line by which we can also die. You must understand, Tomoyuki-kun, when we are in places like this, we are walking on thin ice, and every action will have consequences that will be impossible to avoid. This is our life, Tomoyuki-kun, do you understand? A life that is on the cusp of ruin!"
"We? Our what? What kind of life are you talking about?!"
Tomoyuki's enraged look of despair whipped at Takashi with its dim aura. He, awakened from his false beliefs, caught up with the fact that Tomoyuki is not a supporter of the bully society, nor has he ever been one of them.
"I'm sorry," Takashi lowered all optimism.
"That's not what I care about! What kind of life are you referring to? Explain to me, what the hell kind of life…? I didn't have that life, and I don't share your addiction to your society! So what is the purpose of my continuing to live this way? Wasting my time aimlessly on unimportant things… Answer me, Takashi-kun, is this the right path for me?"
Takashi couldn't drop a word.
"Where am I wasting my time?" Tomoyuki added, looking away. His shoulders were slumped from the cloud of regret hanging over his head. "I don't know if I even have a life. Who can answer me… to such difficult questions? Of course, I certainly enjoy spending time with you, but I'm… not content with myself."
Takashi seemed distracted.
'What was on my mind?' he thought, looking at his distressed friend. 'We were different initially, but I kept inviting him to clubs and bars, where he mostly sat alone. Lately he couldn't seem to find his way in life, and tormented himself wondering if he was spending his time effectively. My routine life with Jiahao and Makoto seemed fun and interesting only to us, while Tomoyuki tried desperately to fit in. We grew up in other categories.'
Unintentionally, he had a hunch that Jiahao had known about this problem for a long time, but had hesitated to tell him so that Takashi could think with his head.
'Damn, how did I get to the point where I can't see clearly what's going on around me?'
"Gee," Takashi finally said, "why didn't you ask me for help? You know I'm always ready to answer your questions."
Cooling his head, Tomoyuki lifted his eyes, and saw Takashi's kindly countenance.
"Not self-sufficient, you will never come up in the world, Tomoyuki-kun."