The sight we saw delayed our plans. As entertaining as it would be to see how Akito would protect Harumi against some students visibly stronger than Akito. It would be more entertaining if I trained him first but this would benefit me significantly.
If Akito tried to protect her then it would benefit me. Whether he lost the impending fight or not would only benefit me. All I had to do was watch and see what will happen.
I quickly carried Kaori and jumped off the rooftop. I ran to a better place to see while still carrying Kaori. I then dropped Kaori onto the floor and watched. I could hear what they said.
"Did you just run half a kilometer in a second?"
"There's no time for that, look."
Kaori watched Akito and Harumi being pestered by three students. The three students were part of the group that started a fight with Nishimura-senpai.
"Oi, oi. Why are you keeping such a girl to yourself?" One student said.
"After all sharing is caring."
The other students started laughing. No other people were around because the cafe had closed a few minutes after I and Kaori left. No one was around. Alone. Alone in the night with a girl with three incredibly strong students; the perfect place for a fight to take place.
Akito would have some chance if it was a hand-to-hand combat with only one person but there were three. Three students with pocketknives. Akito would have no chance here but I still knew that Akito would somehow win this.
"If you truly are as strong as you say then couldn't you knock all of them out?" Kaori said. She probably didn't want what I wanted to happen. She also doubted my strength but I didn't want to use this as an opportunity to show Kaori, after all this is Akito's moment and not mine.
"I could but where would you find a better opportunity than this? If Akito protects Harumi then she will most likely open up to him than any of us."
"W-Well I guess you're right."
We continued watching how Akito took this. Would he protect Harumi?
One of the students then grabbed Harumi but Akito reacted quickly. Akito held one of the student's forearms and held it, squeezing it as much as he could. The student stared at Akito in fear but then he smiled.
How twisted.
The other student then got his knife out and pressed it into Akito's neck. Harumi couldn't do anything other than watch.
"Let's not fight here Kishimoto-kun, we are fellow colleagues after all." The student said as a psychotic smile crept on his face slowly growing larger and larger.
Akito then grabbed the student's arm and threw him onto the floor. He then pinned the student to the floor and punched him multiple times. Blood spurted out of the student's nose which was now broken. It didn't last long as Akito was then kicked in the ribs by one of the other students.
"You're seriously going to watch your best friend being beaten?"
"Patience is key, Kaori-chan."
Akito then saw a blade glimmering on the floor. The moonlight reflected off of what he called "hope". A way to end this.
Humans usually lose all their morality when pushed to the edge of the cliff. Akito for example has been pushed to a corner. He was now bleeding and his face had multiple bruises. He then saw something amidst all this. "Hope" is what he called it. In his mind, voices were telling him to grab the knife and stab each of these devils of humans but he hesitated. He didn't want to kill anyone or else what would then separate him from animals? He didn't want to kill another human but he had no choice. To live was to kill or be killed. He didn't want to be the prey and this small blade of "hope" was going to make him the predator.
"AKITO!!" Harumi called out to Akito who was on the brink of erasing his morals.
Akito then snapped back to the reality he had to face. The most logical path that benefitted him was the one that he tried to look for but it didn't help that he was being punched and kicked by three students at once.
"Tadashi-kun, help him!"
"Wait." I said as I held Kaori back. If she intervened then my plan would be ruined.
Harumi repeatedly called out to Akito but Akito couldn't react. He couldn't move at this point. He lost all hope. No. As long as he could move there was still hope. As long as he could breathe there was still hope. As long as Harumi was fine there was still hope.
A sudden burst of adrenaline made Akito feel alive again. He grabbed the knife and slit one of the student's knee cap and then stabbed the other student's thigh. Akito then pulled out the knife from the student's thigh and pushed the other student onto the ground and stabbed his arms. The students couldn't move properly anymore and walked to Akito as if they were drunk but it was useless.
Akito cut one of their cheeks leaving a line of blood to drip and then attacked one of the other students with an elbow strike. Akito then stabbed the student in the thigh again on the opposite leg. The students lay on the ground, unconscious in a pool of blood.
"Akito…" Harumi was stunned, perplexed by Akito. She didn't know how to react but before she made up her mind, Akito dropped to the ground in front of her. "AKITO!"
"Well that was interesting."
"What the hell…" Kaori seemed to dislike me more because I didn't help Akito, instead, I watched him get beaten up by three other students. "How could you just say that it was interesting? Why didn't you help him?"
"It's better like this and if you were so worried why didn't you help? Don't tell me that I'm the twisted one for watching my best friend be beaten up when you could've helped him. You might not be able to help him but you could've helped." I said as I walked off.
* * * * * *
I woke up, startled. The last thing I could remember was seeing Harumi's face after I did that. I had no choice but to do what I did it wasn't like I could've chosen but in the end, I did do what I did but the main thing is Harumi's fine. As long as she wasn't hurt then that's fine for me.
I sat up from the bed and I then realised that I was in the school hospital. I found that I had multiple bandages.
I looked to my left to see Harumi. She was sleeping on a chair but she was probably worried. I don't know how long I was unconscious so I don't know how long Harumi was here.
"Harumi." I said as I poked her. Harumi was startled at first but then she realised where she was.
"You're awake!"
"I just woke up now."
We've been alone together sometimes but why did it feel awkward now? Why did I have such an uneasy feeling and why was my heart pounding so hard? It was pounding so hard that I knew for sure that Harumi could hear it.
"H-How are you?"
"I'm alive I guess."
Harumi laughed at my answer and I joined her. It felt nice and warm now. I wish it could have lasted longer but the nurses came into my room. They checked me to see if I was fine and it turned out that I wasn't hurt as much as they thought.
Most of the bruises already healed and I was ready to be discharged but they felt that a little more time in the hospital would be better.
Tadashi and Kaori then came in. Kaori rushed to me, worried, and checked if I was injured physically and mentally. Tadashi however was the same as always. In any situation, he would remain calm and he was insanely smart as well. Kaori on the other hand wasn't as good in academics and was popular with both boys and girls. Harumi was quiet and peaceful.
"Akito-kun, are you alright? You're not hurt are you?"
"I'm fine Kaori." I said which made Kaori less worried. She then calmed down.
"Well you were unconscious for three whole days so who wouldn't be worried?"
Three whole days? Well that's a record.
"I heard you won." Tadashi said.
"Hell yeah I did!"
After a few hours of talking and playing cards, they then went home. It felt lonely and boring without them. I was informed that I would have to attend court and I had to find myself a lawyer which clearly showed how much the school portrayed real life. It truly did get us ready for the world.
"Akito?" A small quiet voice startled me.
"Harumi?" Harumi then emerged from the darkness. She was in her pyjamas but she came all the way here to see me. "Listen-"
"I'm so sorry Akito!" Harumi said as she suddenly started to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she tried to wipe them but years continued to roll down her cheeks. "It's my fault that those boys attacked you!"
"No wait, let's not blame-" I tried to say that we shouldn't blame ourselves for what happened but I couldn't say it because of Harumi's tears.
"I rejected one of them that's why! That's why they attacked you!"
"Wha-"
"I'm sorry!" Harumi then cried more but I held her on my shoulders.
"It's alright. It's fine. I'm alright, there's no need to cry." I said. Harumi's crying almost stopped. There was only slight sobbing but that was it. We didn't speak for around ten minutes only listening to each others heart beats.
"Say, Akito, would you help me if I needed help?"
"Yeah."
"Well there's something wrong with my brother that I need help with."
"I'll help you no matter what happens."
What would happen now? Will our relationship change?