Lost in a trail of thoughts of his past, Hinato suddenly noticed he had arrived at the shopping mall. Since it was late afternoon, post-school, there were a lot of young people in the mall, either shopping, hanging out in cafes, going to the cinema or filming themselves dancing for some reason.
Hinato went inside the building and headed towards an electronic products shop where, in the middle of the crowd, he spotted someone waving her arms in an energetic way trying to get hold of his attention.
This girl had light blue short hair and was wearing a sports jacket along with a skirt. It was impossible to miss her lively-spirit even among the crowd.
"Finally!!! Did you forget where the mall was?! Or were you just trying to look cool or something?! Also did your phone go on vacation without telling you? I've been trying to reach you!" said Azumi, without a single second of pause between sentences, as Hinato approached her.
"Azumi, I arrived on time, you're the one who arrived super early." responded Hinato, after checking his watch on his left wrist.
"Wow you don't let anything slide! Yeah I'm just messing with you, I'm the one who forgot the time we agreed on, so I came to the mall earlier." admitted Azumi, with a mischievous grin.
"Do you know where you want to go first?"
"Yeah I was thinking we could try the most expensive underwear shop in here."
"You do know my promise only goes to the extent of my bank account, don't you?"
"Ahh fine…I'll let you off the hook this time, but you are also paying for the chocolate waffles!"
"I'm starting to think you didn't even bring your wallet."
After that dispute, Hinato and Azumi started walking around the mall.
As they entered a female underwear shop, Azumi began inspecting every corner of the store looking for something she'd actually wear.
"Jesus…look at this, doesn't it look like something an old lady would wear?" Azumi sighed.
"Well that would be a very sexy old lady."
"Ewww! You're a pervert, Hinato! Do you fantasize about old ladies during your free time?"
"Sure, I can't think of a better hobby." said Hinato, with a serious face, which made Azumi burst into laughter.
"I always knew you were a weirdo! But now, seriously, take a look around, do you see something that would look good on me?"
"How about this one?" Hinato asked, while showing a bordeaux lingerie set.
"Hinato I'm flattered that you think I'd look good with a brazilian thong, but I don't find that very comfortable. Fetch me another!"
After seeing a few more options, Azumi decided not to take anything and they both left the store. They walked around the first floor, then the second, then the third and then the second again. It seemed like nothing satisfied Azumi's preferences.
"Augh, what is up with these new styles of clothing? Who would actually buy these? Where is the body positivity in these? There is nothing worth buying." protested Azumi.
Hinato nodded in agreement with Azumi's statement. The search for new underwear had come to an end and he had subtly dodged the bullet of spending any money that afternoon.
Or, so he thought.
"Alright Hinato, it seems like today is your lucky day. I guess you're only going to treat me with some toast with scrambled eggs, chocolate waffles and a caramel latte." teased Azumi, showing a big smile.
"I wonder how that can be considered being lucky."
"What? I'm hungry, you wouldn't let a beautiful lady starve to death would you?"
"You're clever…okay let's go to the cafe on the third floor. All this walking around left me hungry as well."
"Yay! Hinato cares about me!" cheered Azumi, while they headed to the spot.
As they arrived at the cafe, there was a huge queue of people to make their order. Hinato suggested they go to a different place but Azumi insisted that no place in the mall had chocolate waffles like those. Seemingly, those waffles were just unbeatable.
Hinato restricted his enormous will to extend his middle finger in her face since he did owe her for her help in Mr. Nogi's incident.
They entered the cafe and stood at the end of the queue.
This cafe was very popular among young people. It was filled with wooden tables and comfy chairs for most of its space, but it also had a few areas with sofas where larger groups could spend their time chatting or even cooperating in finishing school assignments. Many students used this space for personal leisure but also to study as the cafe provided free Wi-Fi and various power plugs to keep their computers running and their phones charged. Not to mention that it had a diversified menu of food choices, that included chicken or tuna toasts, scrambled eggs, pancakes or waffles covered in chocolate, chantilly cream and fresh fruit, and various coffee options. Besides, the cafe was filled with natural sunlight, through the tall glass windows that surrounded the space, having view access to both the inside of the shopping center and the outside.
Here, all of their basic needs were met. Hinato could understand what lured Azumi to this place.
Finally, it was their turn. Hinato ordered some toast with scrambled eggs and an orange juice while Azumi…well… she went for everything she had advertised before.
"You weren't lying, you really went for toasts, waffles and a latte" contemplated Hinato.
"Didn't you know? I'm a woman of my word. Besides, don't you know it's rude to comment on a woman's meal choice?!" stated Azumi, while widening her eyes at Hinato.
"I'm not complaining, I like it when girls just eat whatever they want rather than pretending they're not that hungry".
"You do?" asked Azumi, almost blushing.
"Yeah, it means it is less likely you'll steal food from me".
"Ha…Ha…aren't you the comedian. I'm telling you, you should invest in your own stand up comedy show."
"No, I think you'd have more success than me, you're way funnier".
"Okay, now I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not."
"I'm being honest, I think you're the only girl that can actually make me laugh. And everyone always has a great time when they're with you. I'm actually jealous of that ability of yours".
This time Azumi really blushed hearing Hinato's words, but she tried to shake it off.
"Ha ha ha you know how it is, three times of laughter a day equals three more years of life! Or something like that. Aren't I such a good friend?!"
Hinato looked at Azumi speechless as he tried to figure out why she seemed embarrassed all of sudden. He questioned himself if he had made her feel uncomfortable.
"You know, you're funny as well, Hinato. Anyone who hasn't got the chance to know you like I do might think you're a serious and introverted guy and all, but if you'd let out that side of yours once in a while, more people would like to hang out with you." remarked Azumi.
"Guess I believe more in quality than quantity, in terms of friends I mean."
"Woah, spoke like a true loner. Don't get me wrong, you're free to do whatever you feel more comfortable with. I guess I just miss the times you'd hang out with me, Saiko and Ere—you know…when we used to hang out more" Azumi stopped herself from bringing a tabu name, at least from her perspective.
"Yeah I know, I really miss that too…"
As he said that, Hinato took a sip of his orange juice, while looking through the window at the people randomly passing by the cafe. An awkward silence followed while they both enjoyed their meal.
The weight of the silence made Azumi break the ice in the most bold way.
"Speaking of which, have you been visiting Erena? If you'd like to tell me about it, of course"asked Azumi, fully aware that she might be touching a rather fragile topic.
"As a matter of fact, yes I have. Yesterday, after school I went to the hospital. Just for a little bit. I have also been leaving some flowers, from time to time."
"That's really sweet of you…I haven't been there in a long time. If I can, I'll drop by this weekend."
"Don't worry, the only reason I go there frequently it's because somehow it makes me feel at ease seeing her, even if she is asleep."
"Have you spoken to the doctor? Has she given an update on her condition?"
"I did manage to speak with the doctor a couple of weeks ago, but nothing new. Her body is healthy, no health problems whatsoever, but she can't guarantee when and…if Erena might wake up."
"If?!! There is no 'if' when it comes to Erena! She is strong, she is my friend after all. I'm sure she'll wake up, no matter how much time it takes! If she starts taking too much time, I'll wake her up myself!" proclaimed Azumi, as confidence could be felt in her words.
"Wouldn't that be a better world if things could work like that? Sometimes I do think about the possibility of her never waking up. No matter how I look at it, I can't bring myself to accept that ending…it just hurts too much."
"I know…but like I usually say every possibility is still on the table, including her waking up and ending this nightmare once and for all."
"You're right, let's not lose hope for now." said Hinato, while looking at Azumi with a thankful expression for her kind words.
"That's the spirit!" responded Azumi with a huge smile on her face. "Besides, all we can do for her now is seek justice and prove that this school is the cause of all these tragic happenings with students."
"You're right…although with Erena…"
"You still think it was one person's doing?" questioned Azumi.
"Even though she probably still kept some thoughts to herself, she'd usually talk to me about what upset her, and everything in general. But this…this all felt like a new unexpected variable came into play, I believe someone she didn't expect destroyed what little motivation and strength she had in herself. Which eventually led to that…"
"I understand… Even so, there are too many teachers in that high school. There is no point in trying to rule out who it was, is there?"
"It isn't that difficult, I'll find out who came into contact with her that day and rule out from there. And when I do, I promise you, I'll make him or her regret being alive" stated Hinato, with a serious expression.
"You do seem determined…"
"Nevermind that, I'd like to change the subject and talk to you about yesterday…I'd like to thank you once again for your cooperation and I'd like to apologize for asking you to do such a dirty job. It must have been really tough for you, to expose yourself like that."
Hinato's expression suddenly changed to an apologetic and serious one.
"Don't stress about it. For it to work, we needed to take risks. I'm actually more impressed how everything played out so close to what you had predicted."
"Before they left, I saw the police speak to you about it. Did they pressure you to take testimony?"
"No, they were really kind about it, they just said my help could be crucial to prevent Mr. Nogi from ever doing something like that to another student. But when I refused and said I didn't have the courage to go to court and expose myself, they understood."
They had to, it is true that a victim's testimony is imperative to build a strong case against the offender, but it is not obligatory if the victim is emotionally distraught and incapable of appearing in court. One might think that would mean the charges would drop, but the case can still move forward if it has substantial evidence to condemn the offender.
"Still, do you think Mr. Nogi can be condemned for what happened if I don't step forward?" asked Azumi.
"I'm going to lower my voice a bit to address this matter. Even though the cafe is really noisy, someone might ear drop. Firstly, when I asked you to perform this, the goal was never to make you take a testimony, everything was planned out so you'd have no problems after this and you could move forward with your life. However, for that, we needed at least three substantial pieces of evidence that could make the case move forward. The first one was a photo of the incident that showed both you and Mr. Nogi in a compromising position. Although it would definitely raise suspicion, it could still be interpreted as something staged or some sort of prank, and that is why we needed a second one…witnesses. We needed witnesses, not connected with any of this, to react as naturally as possible to that disgusting sight. Saiko and Hinami were the best option, not only they love you deeply as their friend, but they are always on their phone, so there was a high chance that at least one of them would snap a picture, as a form of proof to protect you later. If not them at least one other student, who raced there when they called for help, would."
"What if no one remembered to snap a picture? What then?" Azumi legitimately questioned.
"When I mentioned 'one other student', I didn't exclude myself, I was the contingency plan." explained Hinato.
If anything, I'd like to avoid getting myself involved too soon. This is just the tip of what is to come.
"Okay that makes sense, you got a compromising photo and eyewitnesses, but how is that useful if no one takes it to court?" asked Azumi, as she seemed worried that Mr. Nogi might get free of charges.
"I said you weren't taking testimony, but I didn't say other people wouldn't take your place."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What did Saiko and Hinami speak to you about, early this morning before class?"
"You saw them talking with me? You really are a stalker, Hinato! But answering your question, they just supported me and said that if it was too much for me, I wouldn't need to get involved, that they would protect me."
"You really have good friends, Azumi. Yesterday, I saw them reaching the police and saying that they would take your place and present a testimony in court along with the photos they took. They were afraid that Mr. Nogi would come after you again."
"Really?! They would do that for me?" Azumi's eyes brightened after hearing her friends were willing to expose themselves to protect her.
"Yeah, they ended up helping us, without us asking. I didn't really plan any of it, it was more of a leap of fate that anyone would step forward."
That would be a lie…Saiko and Hinami have very protective personalities and in the face of injustice and trouble towards a friend, they have no problem in stepping forward, they've done it many times in the past. However, they work better as a duo, they complement each other's strengths. So, seeing her friend being sexually assaulted would definitely activate their sense of justice and make them act as a team to protect Azumi from any further harm, even if it meant going a long way and taking testimony in court.
Women really are fearless, especially when it comes to protecting someone important to them.
"So, the underwear was the third piece of evidence?" asked Azumi.
"Exactly. To avoid the credibility of Mr. Nogi's version of the story, we needed to make it look like a premeditated assault. That's why we created a background story in advance.
As I asked you to steal some female underwear from random colleagues, we managed to create a rumor about an underwear thief lurking in the school. Having that same underwear planted in his sport bag along with a small flask of chloroform, one would start to connect the pieces together and assume that malicious act had later turned into a more ferocious assault. Even though the security guard found it before the police, it would eventually be found one way or another, it could've gone either way. With that said, photos of the incident, witnesses willing to take testimony and a vicious background story about the offender, which the witnesses can even corroborate…I'd say he doesn't stand a chance."
Azumi stared at Hinato for a few seconds, in awe, as he finished his explanation.
"Woah, that was clever I must admit it, you really thought that through. When you explained to me what you had planned, you were very brief, compared to now." acknowledged Azumi.
"Well I had to give some thought to it, after all I didn't want to put you in some sort of unpredictable danger. And I kept it brief so as to not confuse you with too many details."
"I do have one more question though…won't the police want to confirm that Mr. Nogi did use that flask of chloroform to knock me out? If I deliver some blood tests or whatever, won't they find it suspicious that there are no traces of it?"
"I do understand your concern, but don't worry. Even though there are tests to measure chloroform in body fluids and tissues to determine if you've been in contact with it, these tests are only useful a short time after you've been exposed, because it leaves the body quickly."
Azumi smirked and slowly clapped her hands at Hinato's response.
"Bravo, I didn't know that. Aren't you a mastermind?"
"It is no reason for praise, anyone could know this if they searched it online. I need to ask you something though…how do you feel having done this? Do you feel guilt?"
"Well from all the dangerous things I have done in my life, this was certainly the most stressful one, there was a lot at stake. But Mr. Nogi is a disgusting monster, not only did he constantly harass my friends during classes, he also made perverted approaches towards girls after class.
Saiko told me that he once made a girl stick around the gym helping him store the equipment used in class, and when she was trying to reach for a higher shelf, he came from behind her and held her breasts to 'help' her reach it. The girl was in such shock she pushed him and ran towards the exit, but he grabbed her arm, held her against the wall. He threatened her saying no one would believe her and the moment he knew she had spoken, he would make her life a living hell. Only close friends know about it, but no one dares to say anything as they don't want to make it worse. Besides, even if they wanted to help, there aren't any cameras at the gym, there would be no way to prove it."
Azumi sighed after telling that horrific incident and recalled the event that took place in the locker room.
"When I was laying down on the locker room's floor, I felt his hands reaching for my thighs before he tried to wake me. I could feel his smelly breath on top of me, getting accelerated, as if he was getting extremely turned on by that situation. Even if there was an ounce of concern for my well being, I could feel that was the last thing in his mind. I think…no I'm sure he was going to touch me further if Saiko and Hinami hadn't shown up. I guess that was kind of scary…but it is like I said, he has harassed and threatened friends and colleagues of mine and no one could do anything about it. As disgusting as this was, it was a way to retaliate, to prevent anyone from falling victim to him ever again. So, no, I don't feel guilty, people who abuse others could all die for all I care."
Even though she tried not to show it, you could understand how all of it had a huge impact on Azumi, she really seemed concerned for all those who fell victim to Mr. Nogi's vicious conduct. Although she despised abuse towards others like any normal person would point out, something in her speech made it feel personal to her.
"You were very brave Azumi, really, thank you. If anyone could know about this, they'd tell you the exact same thing." remarked Hinato, while looking into her eyes and smiling gently. "That is why I only trust you to do this, because you have that sense of justice, and, unlike almost everyone at school, you're willing to do something about it. However, from now on, things will only get more complicated. There'll be people who will oppose and condemn our actions. There'll be times where you'll wonder if you're doing the right thing. No matter what happens, what obstacles come before us, we'll have to remain focused and unshaken, we'll continue to move forward until we reach our goal. So, with that in mind, I'm only going to ask you this once…do you want to drop out?" asked Hinato with a serious look on his face.
"I confess that I've given some thought about it, if I should pursue this or not. But after yesterday, I trust you even more. You're right, there are a lot of wrong things with this school, like how they allow unspeakable things to take place and do nothing about it. They don't care about us, they only care about prestige and their public appearance. They can't keep getting away with it. I don't care about other people's morals, I believe that you're doing the right thing and I want to help you. So, you can count me in" stated Azumi.
I like your attitude, Azumi. After going to such an extent to frame Mr. Nogi and hearing your perspective on this matter, I've confirmed that you're loyal.
"Very well, I won't question you any further. And I promise you, I'll do everything within my reach to protect you from any harm. Or all of this would be pointless." remarked Hinato.
"Then what is the next step?"
"Until now, we were responsible for two incidents, one didn't have the effect we wanted, and the other massively did. But they were nothing more than tryouts, to test the extent of our influence. Before we set the acts for the main stage, we need to complete our team."
"You're going to involve more people in this?"
"Only one more person, if it gets too crowded, it gets more unstable."
"And why do we need one more person?"
"We need someone who can handle advanced computing, it will be crucial in the next events."
"Well, my classmate Yukimura knows a lot about computers, even helped me out numerous times in computing class. Maybe he could be a potential candidate?"
"Yes I know him, but he won't do."
Yukimura is too weak-spirited, he wouldn't leave his comfort zone for something of this scale. He doesn't have a reason to.
"Then I can search for someone else if you like."
"Don't worry about it, I already have someone in mind. I just need to confirm some aspects about that person. I'll keep you updated."
"Sure thing, boss!" teased Azumi.
Hinato looked at her with a disapproving gaze over that label, but then, his gaze changed direction. He suddenly kept looking over Azumi's shoulder while they continued their conversation.
Azumi took notice of this.
"Do I have a spider on my shoulder or something?!" asked Azumi, while shivering at the thought of having a disgusting crawling insect on her.
"What?"
"You keep looking over my shoulder, is something wrong?! Come on, give me the bad news already!"
"Oh, no it's nothing you're fine. There is no spider. But I don't know what you're going to do about that bee hovering behind you though." mocked Hinato.
"Eeek!!! Where is it?! Huh?! Hinato, we're indoors, there is no bee. Don't scare me like that!" snapped Azumi.
"You're right, maybe I confused it with that flying cockroach that has been hovering behind you."
"WHAT?!!!"
After calming Azumi down and some more random chatting, they both stood up and left the cafe. The mall was getting emptier compared with when they first arrived as it was getting late.
As they headed towards the exit, Hinato remembered something.
"Oh that's right! Azumi, I just remembered that today, in class, Mrs. Naomi added one more component to include in that group project."
"A new component?! But we were almost finished!"
"Yeah, she told us she had forgotten to inform your class and that she would be sending an email later. But I figured I'd warn you about it anyway."
"Shit, I can't believe this. I've to call Hinami."
"Sure, I'll be heading home now. See you."
"Okay Hinato, thank you for the waffles! See you tomorrow!"
As they parted ways, Azumi called Hinami through facetime to talk about the group project.
Meanwhile, after a short distance, Hinato stopped walking for a second and looked over his shoulder at the direction where Azumi was headed.
He seemed troubled by something.
(…)
While still chatting and laughing with Hinami on facetime, Azumi was walking through an empty children's park, completely unaware of her surroundings. This was a path she took quite often, nothing unusual happened here, so there was no need to be worried…right?
"Traumatized, aren't ya?!"
At the sound of that voice, Azumi gasped and stopped in her tracks. She felt a cold shiver run down her body, her pupils dilated, and her face became immensely pale.
She knew that voice. As she looked behind her, she saw a fat middle-aged man staring at her, with an angry look, his face was red and filled with anger. This man had been involved in a scandalous incident the previous day, one which had involved Azumi as well.
This man was no other than…
"Mr. Nogi…" muttered Azumi.
"Look at you, laughing like you didn't just ruin my fucking life, you little cunt!" shouted Mr. Nogi. "You planned this didn't ya?! You just wanted to fuck with me, right? Acting like a little bitch! Oh he raped me, he raped me!! Ewww ewww! You little bitch, you got some nerve…because of you, I'm getting charged with attempted rape! Even the dumb fucking lawyer told me to just come clean about it, to get minimal time possible. Can you believe that?!"
Azumi, slowly, started to walk back without turning her back on Mr. Nogi. She was trembling with fear. At that moment, she didn't feel like she could run at all, she thought he'd eventually catch up with her. She also thought about screaming, but she couldn't find the strength to speak. Besides, there was no one around, this was a park with a few trees around it, no shops and no houses nearby.
No one would hear her scream.
"Azumi, what's going on?!!! Who is that?!!!" Hinami shouted through Azumi's phone. They were still in a call, and, as the camera of Azumi's phone faced Mr. Nogi, Hinami could glimpse a dark figure in the distance.
"You know what? Fuck it! Since I'm being charged for raping you, I might as well do it for real!"
As Mr. Nogi shouted that horrific sentence, he revealed a baseball bat that he was holding with his right hand behind his back.
"But first…why don't I beat you unconscious? I don't want ya spoiling the fun!"
In a swift move, Mr. Nogi launched himself towards Azumi, ready to violently hit her with his bat.