As Hanakawa Kaen rounded the corner and approached the school gates, a sense of unease settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew all too well what awaited him within those walls: the taunts, the jeers, the relentless torment that had become an all-too-familiar part of his existence.
Sure enough, as soon as Kaen stepped foot onto the school grounds, he was accosted by a quartet of bullies, their faces twisted into cruel sneers as they closed in on him like vultures circling their prey. "Hey, look who it is," sneered one of the boys, his voice dripping with malice as he stepped forward to block Kaen's path. "It's Hanakawa, our favourite punching bag."
Kaen was at least half-grateful that only these 4 people bullied him. It could've been worse, he often thought.
Laughter erupted from the group as they closed in around Kaen, their presence looming over him like a dark shadow. Kaen clenched his fists at his sides, his jaw set in a defiant line as he braced himself for the onslaught of insults and abuse that was sure to follow. But it wasn't just the boys who were tormenting him. Two girls, their faces twisted with disdain, joined in the harassment, their words like knives as they cut into Kaen's already fragile sense of self-worth.
"Look at him, he's pathetic," one of the girls scoffed, her voice laced with contempt. "I can't believe anyone would even bother to associate with him."
What made the bullying even worse for Kaen was one simple fact:
He had lost his memories a few years back.
He had no idea what his old self had done, but he knew that he must've been a douchebag. His four bullies all belonged to the same family; The Shirogane's. Kaen for sure thought that his old self had done something to either their entire family or just one of the siblings and he had done something so bad to the sibling that they all hated him now.
But, Kaen knew it wasn't just typical bullying. Sometimes, he would barely survive their beatings. He never told his family. It's not like they loved him anyway. Who could love someone as pathetic as him? Who could love someone as pathetic as him? Who would love someone as pat-
*WHACK*
A tight fist hit Kaen in his stomach, interrupting his very confident and self-loving thoughts. Kaen let out a gasp as he stumbled back a bit. He didn't have time to react before another fist met his nose. The another. Then another. Soon, all four bullies were punching the living daylights out of Kaen. Kaen cowered on the ground with a few tears coming out of his eyes. He didn't like this. He didn't want this. Why wouldn't anyone come to save him?
Oh, that's right. They wouldn't because he was pathetic. They didn't need to give any pity and sympathy to someone as pathetic as him.
Kaen continued to lay on the ground as more fists rained down on him. Kaen felt one of his teeth break, but he didn't care. He deserved it. Whatever his past self had done, he was being punished for it. If it was truly a heinous act, then he deserved to be bullied. Maybe even killed. Killed... maybe he should kill himself. Why not? It's not like anyone needs him or wants him here. He'll just die and go to hell, where he belongs.
Kaen's vision blurred as the blows rained down on him, his body wracked with pain. He curled into a ball, trying to shield himself from the onslaught, but the relentless assault continued unabated.
"Get up, you worthless piece of trash!" one of the boys snarled, his voice filled with venom as he delivered another brutal kick to Kaen's side.
Kaen's breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to push himself upright, his limbs trembling with exhaustion and fear. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to fight back, to lash out against his tormentors with all the strength he could muster. But deep down, he knew it was futile. Against four assailants, outnumbered and outmatched, Kaen stood no chance. The pain was unbearable, both physical and emotional. With each blow, it felt as though a piece of his soul was being crushed beneath the weight of their cruelty. He wanted to scream, to rage against the injustice of it all, but his voice caught in his throat, choked by the overwhelming sense of despair that threatened to consume him whole.
Besides, he deserved to suffer. He deserved it. He deserved it. He deserved it. He des-
"That's enough, guys. I think you've done enough for today"
The bullies breath hitched. They recognized the voice, and so did Kaen. It was Shirogane Mio.
Shirogane Mio, the only Shirogane who didn't bully Kaen. She was even a bit sympathetic towards him. But, she never tried to stop her siblings from bullying him. Why would she? He had clearly done something to all of them, so why would she care about him? Kaen just assumed she didn't bully him because she was either weak or she didn't like to physically hit anyone.
The bullies slowly turned to face her. She had a neutral look on her face. Everyone could tell she didn't care about Kaen being bullied, but she also wanted them to clearly cut it out for today. Why was that?
"Oh, come on, Mio! We're just starting! Just a little more. Please?", One of the girl Shirogane's turned to Mio and asked for permission to continue.
Mio's eyes slightly narrowed at her. "No. I know what you guys are trying to do, and I won't let it happen. Bullying him is one thing and.... what you are planning to do is another"
The bullies visibly became irritated at that statement. Kaen was confused. What were they planning on doing? The only thing he could think of was that they were planning to kill him.
"We're doing this for you, and this is your thanks?", Asked one guy.
"I never asked for you to do anything, Anakaro. You're the ones who decided to do this on your own."
The biggest brother, Shirogane Anakaro was about to respond when they all heard a loud scream come form one of the classrooms. Mio sighed and muttered: "Look's like the take over is starting"
Kaen turned to look at Mio. He was about to ask what she meant when he received a strong kick from one of the other bullies. He held his nose in pain and watched as the 4 Shirogane bullies and Shirogane Mio started to run towards the class where the scream was heard from. Kaen couldn't do anything but watch. But, something weird happened then. Something unexplainable. The four Shirogane bullies ran towards the classroom with Mio running behind them, when she suddenly stopped. The other siblings continued to run forward, but Mio turned around and started running back to Kaen.
Kaen's red eyes widened a bit. Why was she coming back? Had she finally decided that she would beat him too? Kaen was stuck in his self-deprecating thoughts and didn't even wonder why there were scaly, green skilled monsters in the hallway now and they were fighting with the bullies. The only thing Kaen could think of was that Mio would finally beat him as well.
Mio sat down. Kaen closed his eyes and waited for pain. And waited. And waited.
He opened his eyes. He felt the ground underneath him change. He was now sitting on grass. His long black hair was also no longer lying on the dirty floor. It was lying on a bunch of bushes. Kaen slowly sat up. The school and the Shirogane's were nowhere to be seen. There was just a garden.
Where was he?
"Where Am I?", Kaen asked aloud, although no one heard him.
One moment, he is in the hall of his school getting bullied, and the next, he is standing in the middle of a lush garden. This garden even had seats and a table. Kaen slowly began to walk towards one of the chairs. He was still wondering where he was. He then tried to remember exactly what had happened. But, it felt as if he couldn't. It felt as if he had no memories outside of being sent to this garden and getting bullied a few minutes before...
He then remembered that Shirogane Mio had touched him or the ground around him and now he was randomly teleported here. He also remembered hearing a scream and the rest of the Shirogane siblings running towards the sound. And he also remembers...
Kaen's eyes widened. He suddenly remembered seeing some green scaley creatures fighting his bullies. What was that? What was going on?
The more Kaen tried to think about what had happened and how he had gotten here, the more pain he began to feel in his head. He stumbled towards one of the chairs and sat down.
Kaen's head throbbed with confusion as he struggled to piece together the fragments of his memory. The events leading up to his sudden appearance in the garden felt like a hazy dream, elusive and disjointed. He reached up to rub his temples, hoping to alleviate the pounding ache that pulsed through his skull.
He again began to think:
"Where am I? How had I end up here? And what had happened to the bullies who tormented me just moments before?"
It would be weird for someone else to worry for his bullies. But Kaen was the definition of weird. He was also pathetic and weak and,
"Are you alright?"
Kaen's head snapped up, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw a figure standing before him. It was a girl, her features gentle and concerned as she gazed at him with soft eyes.
No, it wasn't really a girl. It wasn't even a human. It was a ... tree? It was something that resembled a tree and a human combined that had the voice and face of a girl, the body of a human, but it also had leaves instead of hair on top of her head that reached below it's shoulders and it also had some thin branches for it's arms and legs.
Kaen then let out a loud yelp as he quickly stood up from his chair and started to back away from the girl? Thing?
I mean, how could he not? First he was randomly teleported here and then this....thing appeared out of nowhere. It felt like some sort of fever dream.
The creature tilted its head to the side, its expression curious yet gentle. "I'm sorry if I startled you," it said, its voice soft and melodic, like the rustling of leaves in the wind. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
Kaen blinked, still trying to process the surreal sight before him. "W-what are you?" he stammered, his voice trembling with uncertainty.
The creature then pouted. A full on pout.
"That's a rude thing to ask someone, you know," The creature said while still pouting.
Kaen felt a bit bad, but the pout on her face was weirding him out even more.
"I-I'm sorry," Kaen apologized hastily, feeling a flush of embarrassment rising in his cheeks. "I didn't mean to be rude. It's just... I'm really confused right now."
The creature's expression softened, the pout fading from its features as it regarded Kaen with understanding eyes. "It's alright," it said gently, its voice soothing like a gentle breeze through the leaves. "I understand that this must all be very overwhelming for you."
Kaen nodded, grateful for the creature's understanding. "Can you... tell me where I am?" he asked tentatively, his curiosity overriding his fear.
The creature smiled warmly, its branches swaying gently in the breeze. "You are in the Backyard retreat."
.....
"The what?"
To say that Kaen was even more confused now would be an understatement. He went from having a maximum of 7 questions to having a million.
"The Backyard Retreat, the strongest ability of Plant Magic", the creature said with a warm smile on her face.
...
'Yeah, I'm definitely dreaming', Kaen thought.
Plant Magic? What was that? That sounded like something out of a stupid superhero movie or anime.
The creature seemed to sense Kaen's confusion and chuckled softly, the sound reminiscent of leaves rustling in a gentle breeze.
"I can understand your skepticism," the creature said, its voice gentle yet earnest. "But what you see before you is very real. You've been brought to the Backyard Retreat by the power of Plant Magic."
Kaen blinked, still struggling to wrap his mind around the concept. "Plant Magic?" he repeated incredulously. "So... you're telling me that you're... what, some sort of magical tree person?"
The creature laughed softly, the sound melodic and soothing. "In a way, yes," it replied. "I am a guardian of this place. I was made by the current user of the Plant Magic. There are more other guardians other than me as well, but I am a sort of leader as I was the first one created and have the most knowledge and power."
Kaen was still beyond confused. He still didn't believe that what he was seeing in front of him was real. Who would?
"Ok... so what am I doing here?", Kaen asked. He was still skeptical if this was real, but he decided to humour his hallucinations/dream for now.
The creature spoke again, "You were brought here by our master and the Plant Magic user, that's the only way"
Kaen shook his head, "I haven't met anyone like that in my entire life"
The creature tilted her head before she asked, "Perhaps you know anyone by the name Shirogane Mio?"
Kaen's eyes widened.
Kaen's eyes widened at the mention of the name. Shirogane Mio—how could he forget? She was the one who had touched him before everything went hazy, the one responsible for his sudden teleportation to this strange place.
"Yeah, I know her," Kaen replied, his voice tinged with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "She's.....in my class," He lied. He then asked, "What does she have to do with all of this?"
Kaen was not the brightest shed in the tool, so he didn't put two and two together.
Kaen's Mind:
If only *********** was here.
Huh? Who?
Sh****f***e
Who's that? What?
Z**
Another name? Who's that now?
A*****
D*********
W******
A****
What are these names? WHat are these names? WHAT ARE THESE NAMES?! WHO DO THESE NAMES BELONG TO?!
WHAT ARE THESE NAMES? WHO DO THESE NAMES BELONG TO?
Huh? W-who's voice is that?
OH, KAEN. YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH. I CAN'T BEAR THE THOUGHT OF YOU NOT SUFFERING ENOUGH.
..........................
Kaen passed out.
The tree creature was so startled that she reacted a bit too late and Kaen fell face first on the ground.
The tree girl was now confused.
What had just happened?