I had never seen my older brother like this before. He was always so cheerful, so warm. But now, he was someone who barely cared about the world around him. His body had grown heavier, and he refused to leave his room.
People called him a hikikomori—someone who withdraws completely from all social interactions and isolates themselves in their room or home for years.
His emotions changed too. My brother, who used to be so gentle, now snapped easily, especially when he lost at the games he played in his room. His angry shouting would echo through the house late at night, making it hard for me to sleep.
I felt so sorry for my mother, who faced all this with endless patience. She bore it all silently, though even my sister, Takahiro Nana, sometimes lost her temper and got into shouting matches with him.
I remembered how gloomy our home had become, but I couldn't blame anyone. None of us wanted this. It wasn't anyone's fault—not truly.
But still…I blamed myself. My brother, Takahiro Naki, had become a hikikomori because of me. I regretted not being able to stand up for him against the bullies. I regretted not being able to protect him when he had always been the one protecting me.
I'd relied on him to shield me, but I hadn't had the will to defend him in return. After all, my brother was just an ordinary person; he couldn't withstand the years of bullying he went through.
He…endured it all just to protect me…to protect his younger brother.
It reached the point where my brother couldn't continue his education in high school. He avoided it altogether, terrified of meeting the bullies again.
I couldn't bear watching him like this.
One day, my mother spoke to me about Naki's condition.
"Nao, don't give up on your brother. Keep believing that he'll get better."
"As a family, we can't abandon him; we must have the determination to help him get through this."
My mother never gave up on Naki. Eventually, she managed to convince him to try online school, and in the end, he actually graduated from high school.
Looking back, it seemed like a miracle. Was it the strength of my mother's will?
Perhaps it was a miracle brought about by pure willpower…
...
...
I found myself remembering the last time I felt have a strong willpower to protect my family.
Then, I recalled a strange day when Naki dared to step outside the house. Seeing him take those steps filled me with hope—maybe he was finally facing his fears.
I followed him from a distance. But soon, I noticed something strange. He was walking in the direction of the high school. After a while, he turned into a narrow alley—the kind of place the thugs around school liked to hang out.
I watched as Naki approached a group of people and started talking to them. Just as I suspected, it was a group of high school thugs—those scumbags. I even recognized a few faces among them; three of them were the same people who had bullied both me and my brother back in junior high.
"Those bastards! They're still after Naki!" I cursed in my mind.
Naki lowered his head, practically bowing down to them, begging.
"This is all the money I have. Please, just leave Nao and the rest of my family alone!" Naki's face was full of fear and on the verge of tears.
"What's this filthy pig talking about? This is STILL NOT ENOUGH!" one of them with spiky hair yelled at him, and the others burst out laughing.
"If you want your family safe, bring more money next week! Got it, FAT PIG?" the thug shouted, mocking him.
"No way…that's all the money he earned from playing games online…" I muttered, realizing Naki had been making money from online games to pay them off.
"What, you trying to defy us, huh, FATSO?!" the thug taunted, throwing a punch that hit Naki hard and sent him sprawling to the ground.
I'd been holding back my emotions for so long. Watching this…was too much. I started walking toward them, but suddenly, Naki yelled—
"A-alright! I'll bring more next week! Just PLEASE, don't involve my family!" Naki managed to stand up, begging with all his heart, head bowed to the ground.
My steps stopped in their tracks. I couldn't let Naki's actions be in vain. I bit down on my lip until it bled, clenching my fists as hard as I could, forcing myself to hold back my anger.
"Ugh, stupid fat pig. Don't you forget!" They spat and left Naki alone.
I saw him collapse to his knees, sobbing. My own tears welled up, unable to bear the sight of my brother being treated like this.
But within me, something else ignited—a fire of rage, a need for revenge against those who'd hurt Naki like this.
"I'll make those bastards PAY for this!"
This feeling…it was a will I'd never known before.
...
From that day on, I resolved to get stronger. After school, I'd hit the gym, and I even sought out instructors to train me in self-defense.
I trained my body to be able to take on those bullies who tormented my brother. I decided to learn Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Boxing, and even Taekwondo. I figured one discipline wouldn't be enough to face multiple opponents, so I planned to combine them all.
All of it, just so I could bring those thugs down.
Three months had passed since I saw Naki treated like that. Now, I felt strong enough to face those bullies. Every week, I'd watched, holding myself back, as Naki handed over money to them.
Today, I decided to track down those bullies. After searching for a while around the high school, I finally spotted them, wandering around after school. They ducked into alleys, shaking down anyone who passed by. It turns out they weren't just picking on Naki—they were targeting everyone.
I trailed them all the way until nightfall. Eventually, they made their way to an old, abandoned warehouse near the school. Peeking inside, I was stunned to see them drinking and clearly doing drugs.
So this was where the money they took from others went—to fund their drug habits. The thought was sickening, but I couldn't help a small grin.
"Bingo." I chuckled softly. This would be a good reason for the cops to take them in.
I prepared myself, slipping on a pair of gloves and donning the kitsune mask I'd bought at the festival. I couldn't risk them recognizing me.
With a swift kick, I burst through the warehouse door. The five bullies jumped up, startled and immediately on guard.
"Wh-who are you?! How dare you interrupt us! Do you even know who we are?!" The thug who'd punched Naki glared at me, his voice filled with fury.
"You don't need to know who I am...and I don't give a damn who you are. Just remember this—your time ends today!"
I jump at the bullies, landing a solid punch square on the guy who'd hit Naki, knocking a tooth loose.
"How's that feel? Hurts, doesn't it?" I sneered, taunting him.
The others didn't just stand there—they moved to surround me, swinging at me from every direction. But I fought them off one by one, kicking, punching, and slamming them to the ground. Hitting people high on drugs? Too easy.
But as I dealt with the others, the bully who'd hit Naki got back up, pulling a switchblade from his bag.
"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" he shouted, brandishing the knife at me.
He rushed forward, aiming to stab me, but he was slow. I dodged easily, grabbed his arm, and snatched the blade.
"You like knives, huh? Well, here you go!" I drove the blade into both his hands.
He screamed in agony, tears streaming from his eyes. I yanked him up by the hair, messing up his hair even more, and then landed another punch on his bruised face.
The other bullies froze, terrified at the sight of their friend being humiliated.
"P-please, that's enough! We give up! We don't know why you're doing this, but we won't cause any more trouble, I swear! Tell us what you want!" one of them begged.
"Money. Hand over everything you've got." I demanded.
"H-here, this is all we have," he whimpered, holding out a pathetic amount.
"This isn't enough! Bring more next week!" I shouted, sending him crashing to the ground with another punch.
"Eep!" The bullies shrank back, even more terrified.
I didn't stop there. I beat them senseless until they passed out. Then, I tied them up, gathered evidence of their drug use, and photographed their entire little "party."
By the next morning, I had their pictures plastered across the school's bulletin board and anonymously tipped off the local police. The officers soon arrived and took those bullies away.
Not only were they busted for drug use, but I reported them for robbery and disturbing the peace too.
A week later, I heard they'd been expelled and sent to juvenile detention.
I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing they'd finally faced justice for what they did to Naki. But I still felt sad for Naki, who remained withdrawn, still a hikikomori.
I accepted it, though, embracing my brother's struggles as they were, and resolved to keep supporting him until he could change for the better.
I felt like this was the true strength of my will.
Maybe that's what I needed to awaken my skill (???).
...
...
Back to the present, I was locked in combat with Mark, barely noticing Envi shouting from the sidelines.
"SNAP OUT OF IT, YOU IDIOT, NAO!"
It turns out I'd been fighting Mark on pure reflex, lost in the memory of my past.
"Nao, if you can't do it, then let me…"
"I'll be the one who kill Mark!" Envi declared with a fierce resolve.
I smiled. "Don't do that, Envi... Mark's still Naoki's brother. I have to save him!"
"Besides, Milly would be heartbroken if we killed each other." I said, hoping to convince him.
Suddenly, a notification popped up:
-----------------------
Warning!
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"
"Yeah, with this skill we can save Mark. A skill born from hope and willpower!" I resolved, filled with newfound determination.
"Don't worry, Mark. Your brother is here to save you…"
...
...
---Continued to next chapter---