"Kid's got some serious dedication," Takumi Shimoda remarked as he, Tadashi Matsui, and Haruki Fukuda observed Kentaro Nomura facing off against a fellow peer in the ring.
It was just another ordinary afternoon at Ichihara Middle School's judo club.
All eyes were fixed on the two opponents engaged in their match, even some senior students had paused their own practice to witness the junior matches, finding it quite entertaining.
Tadashi nodded in agreement, before glancing at the unusually silent figure beside him.
Haruki's gaze was completely transfixed on the match. His silence stemmed from his meticulous observation of Kentaro's movements, carefully noting every mistake he made. With each close call or moment when it seemed Ginger was on the verge of defeat, Haruki's anxiety spiked, only to relax when Ginger managed to break free from his opponent's hold.
He keeps making the same mistakes in his offense and stance. Most of his attacks are too predictable, and if he were up against someone with superior skills, he would have already lost...
Haruki often felt undeserving of this level of stress.
Only when Kentaro finally tackled his opponent, successfully pinning him down and concluding the match, did Haruki's nerves settle. The club instructor, Yamazaki-sensei, then announced the victor.
Takumi was awestruck. "Did he just break his own record again? Nomura's agility and skills are improving every day."
Tadashi stared in the surprise. He remembered how Kentaro had been no challenge at all when he first joined, appearing scrawny and pitiful. Yet, in a little over four weeks, he had already become this skilled!
"Newcomers, come with me," Yamazaki-sensei addressed the six students, including Ken, who had recently joined his class. He then turned to the rest of the juniors. "The rest of you already know your three-man teams for our group matches. I want everyone ready in five."
After his victory, Kentaro was eager to rejoin Haru and the others to receive his well-deserved praise. However, Yamazaki-sensei burst his bubble before he could even reach them.
Haruki watched Ginger, torn between conflicting emotions, feeling somewhat helpless. But Kentaro knew he had to follow the instructor's orders and reluctantly joined his fellow newcomers. Despite it being almost a month since they joined the club, Ginger's group was still considered the "babies" of the team compared to their peers who had joined during the first term.
"So you do play favorites," a certain annoying voice sneered as its owner approached Haruki's group, capturing their attention. "Your little buddy is suddenly moving up the ranks. What the hell are you feeding him?"
Akira Furigana. As always, he was accompanied by his two lackeys who obediently followed his every command. The three of them were from the neighboring class and quite a troublesome bunch. Naturally, they clashed with Haruki and his friends.
In truth, at the beginning of the year, these delinquents had tried to befriend Haruki when he was still a loner. Their attempts had been fueled even more after witnessing Haru's fighting skills, especially the day he stood up against a bully. Unfortunately for them, Haruki had outright rejected their group, especially given their unpleasant personalities. Their admiration for Haru had turned into loathing, wounded pride leading to resentment.
Listening to Akira's spiteful remark, Haruki calmly replied, "What do you mean?"
"Don't act clueless. We know about Nomura," Akira sneered in distaste. "So puny yet so arrogant, acting all cold and mighty. How is his personality any different from mine?"
Haruki furrowed his brow at the statement. Ginger is nothing like you; he thought to himself.
Assuming Haruki was at a loss for words, Akira smirked arrogantly. "So, how long have you been giving him lessons? I noticed he used a few of your moves earlier."
"What's it to you?" The one who responded, however, was not Haruki, but Takumi. He had remained silent since the arrival of these troublemakers, but his irritation had reached its peak, and he could no longer stand idly by.
Akira's contempt was evident, yet he pretended not to care. "Oh, I almost forgot you were here."
"It's pretty hard to ignore your repugnant presence. I can practically see the envy oozing out of you," Takumi retorted, rolling his eyes.
"What did you say?" Akira's confidence in his own skills against Takumi fueled his menacing step forward, determined to teach this unreserved fool a much-needed lesson.
Yet, his path was abruptly obstructed by Tadashi, whose frosty aura surpassed any intimidation Akira could muster.
Furious as he was, Akira knew better than to challenge Tadashi Matsui. If Haruki reigned as the king of the judo club, Tadashi was undoubtedly his right-hand man. This enigmatic teenager earned the nickname 'assassin' from peers who recognized his silent, dangerous presence.
Takumi, having known Tadashi since childhood, had a clear understanding of his best friend's true nature. Tadashi preferred keeping to himself, but that didn't diminish his capacity for danger. If provoked, he would reveal his true colors without hesitation.
Haruki had never witnessed Tadashi's skills in an actual fight, but he could gauge his friend's capabilities from the fighting styles he displayed within the walls of their club. It was evident that Tadashi didn't engage in mere play.
"Tsk, what the hell," Akira finally broke the intense deadlock, spinning around to depart with his two silent lackeys in tow.
Had their sensei not been present, Haruki had a hunch that those three delinquents would have initiated something more confrontational.
"Thank you for that," Haruki expressed his gratitude, receiving a nod from Tadashi and an exasperated huff from Takumi.
"What's his deal? Is he still hung up on you refusing to join him?" Takumi voiced his frustration, his eyes following the retreating figures. "He seems to hold a deep grudge against Nomura too."
"Yeah," Haruki acknowledged, the fact that Akira and Kentaro were in the same class only exacerbating the situation.
"Aren't you worried he'll cause trouble for him?" Takumi questioned in concern.
Haruki shook his head, directing his gaze towards the group of newcomers gathered by Yamazaki sensei. "That guy won't mess with Ginger."
Takumi nodded and took a long swig from his water bottle, his eyes locked on the ginger-haired boy engrossed in receiving guidance from the junior instructor.
"You know, after you told us that Nomura wasn't into fighting, I never thought I'd see him near this place," Takumi remarked. "How did you convince him?"
"I didn't. He suddenly wanted to learn, all on his own," Haruki shared, noticing the other teams preparing and deciding to stretch. "Ever since that incident, he's been determined to learn how to fight and defend himself."
Takumi could easily deduce the incident Haruki referred to. It was the time when Kentaro Nomura became a target of bullying over a month ago.
"What happened to those upperclassmen afterward, by the way?" Takumi inquired.
"Apparently, Sugimoto barely remembered what transpired that day, and Oihama hasn't shown up at school since," Haruki casually explained. "At least, that's what Kazuo-sempai told me."
Takumi speculated that Yasahiro Oihama, being a senior, prioritized his reputation over academics. It was unlikely he would return and face Haruki after suffering such an embarrassingly thorough defeat.
Though Takumi hadn't witnessed the events firsthand, he knew enough about Haruki's temperament. Similar incidents of bullying had occurred even before Kentaro arrived at the school, fueling rumors about Haruki's strength within just a month at Ichihara Middle.
Sometimes, Takumi suspected that Haruki Fukuda himself forgot the extent of his own power.
"You're lucky none of the teachers found out; otherwise, all of you would have been in serious trouble," Takumi sighed. "I just hope Nomura won't become as terrifying as you once he perfects his skills."
Should I mention that Ginger aspires to be just like me in the future? Haruki wondered. However, another thought crossed his mind, prompting him to ask his companions, "What do you think of Kentaro's character? Is he likable?"
Tadashi, who had remained silent all this while, was momentarily taken aback by the sudden question.
"Hm..." Takumi scratched his head, pondering his response.
Haruki assured them, "Don't worry, I'll respect your answers no matter what."
Takumi mulled over it for a while before speaking candidly, "All I can say is, once you get to know him, he's not so bad. He may be a little awkward, but I can tell he's making an effort to change since you introduced us. It's great to see him willing to open up and interact with others, something he probably wouldn't have attempted in the past."
Haruki felt a sense of relief wash over him, yet his heart remained slightly unsettled. He turned to Tadashi, uncertainty evident in his gaze. "And what about you?"
For some inexplicable reason, Haruki thought Tadashi's opinion mattered very much in this particular situation. Maybe it was because Tadashi was the least talkative among them, yet exuded an air of maturity, resembling the reserved older brother with an effortlessly cool demeanor.
"He's alright. Definitely different from when he first arrived here, and the change is for the better," Tadashi simply stated.
However, Haruki sensed that there was more to Tadashi's words. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he ventured, "There were moments... it felt like you didn't really like Ginger."
"You're not wrong," Tadashi frankly admitted, his words so direct that Takumi nearly choked on the water he had yet to finish.
Although Haruki had already suspected as much, he found himself momentarily speechless.
He couldn't just ask "why" when it was no secret that Ginger's behavior had been utterly unbearable during his initial days here. In fact, Haruki himself had almost given up on their friendship, believing it to be beyond salvaging.
Yet, things had changed. Haruki wanted to prove that Ginger was... trying.
But it seemed Tadashi had more to share, as he spoke up again after a brief pause. "I observed your initial interactions with him, and the way he callously treated you made me dislike him. Frankly, it infuriated me to see you pursuing someone who clearly didn't give a damn, even at the expense of missing our group meetings."
Embarrassed, Haruki lowered his head. "... Sorry."
While Takumi experienced second-hand embarrassment on Haruki's behalf, he refrained from commenting.
"However, I've seen that your efforts weren't in vain," Tadashi finally offered a rare smile. "You worked hard to bring him out of his shell, and you succeeded. I certainly wouldn't have had that kind of patience or dedication, so I'm a little envious."
A genuine smile spread across Haruki's face, his heart finally finding solace. Coming from Tadashi, those words held significant weight. They alleviated a heavy burden that had weighed upon Haruki's shoulders.
With the atmosphere lightening, Takumi seized the opportunity to chime in once more. "Hey, what's this? We've been friends since we both crapped our pants, yet you've never smiled like that at me. That's discrimination!"
Tadashi's smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a frosty side-glance aimed at Takumi. "So?"
"Hey, don't be mean!" Takumi genuinely felt offended.
But Tadashi had already turned away indifferently, provoking the wrath of a complaining Takumi.
Meanwhile, Haruki's gaze wandered across the room to where Kentaro stood, coincidentally looking in his direction. Haruki raised a thumbs-up as a gesture of reassurance, silently conveying to the red-haired kid that he was doing an exceptional job. Ken's expression relaxed upon receiving Haruki's acknowledgement, nodding before refocusing on the instructions of the junior instructor.
You can rest assured, Ginger. Your efforts aren't in vain.
~~~~~~