The sun cast a dull light over the school as Jin walked through its gates, his body still aching from the beating he endured. The bandages on his knuckles were a stark reminder of the previous night's brutality,
The morning passed in a haze. Jin sat at his desk, silent, his gaze fixed on the chalkboard, though his mind was elsewhere. He felt the stares of his classmates some curious, others pitying but none dared speak to him. The whispers were loud enough, though, spreading like wildfire.
"Did you hear about what happened to Jin?"
"I heard he got into it with Haruki's gang again."
"His sister got hurt, too…"
Jin ignored them all. His focus was singular. His boiling rage had yet to find an outlet, and when the teacher finally left the room, the opportunity came knocking.
At the back of the classroom, Haruki and his cronies sat laughing, their voices loud and obnoxious. Kenta leaned casually against the desk, his arms crossed, while Haruki's girlfriend perched on top of a trembling boy, using him like a chair. The boy's face was red, tears threatening to spill as he silently endured the humiliation.
"Stay still, loser," Haruki's girlfriend sneered, shifting her weight as though the boy were no more than furniture.
Haruki laughed, clapping his hands. "Man, this guy's good for something after all."
The classroom erupted in scattered giggles and murmurs, but Jin wasn't laughing.
The memories of Yumi lying unconscious, the helplessness he felt, the blood on his hands it all came flooding back, fueling the inferno that consumed his thoughts. Without hesitation, Jin stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
The room fell silent.
Jin's eyes locked onto Haruki, who barely glanced his way. "What do you want, loser?" Haruki muttered, dismissive as ever.
Jin didn't answer. Instead, he walked to the teacher's desk at the front of the class and picked up the thickest textbook he could find. It was heavy almost comically so and perfect for what he intended to do.
Haruki barely had time to react before Jin crossed the room in three strides and swung the textbook down with all his strength.
The sickening crunch of bone meeting paper echoed through the room as Haruki's head snapped back, blood spurting from his nose. He toppled off his chair, clutching his face and screaming.
"WHAT THE—"
Before anyone could finish their sentence, Jin brought the book down again, this time striking Haruki's ribs. Haruki groaned, trying to roll away, but Jin was relentless. Blow after blow rained down, each one fueled by the image of Yumi's crumpled form.
Kenta and the others finally snapped out of their shock. "Get him!" Kenta roared, rushing forward with two others.
One of them swung a leg, aiming to trip Jin, but Jin was faster. He pivoted, slamming the textbook into the attacker's shin with a loud crack. The boy howled, collapsing to the floor and clutching his leg.
Kenta lunged next, his fists flying. Jin ducked the first punch and drove the edge of the book into Kenta's hand. The sharp corner of the pages stabbed deep, and Kenta screamed, blood dripping onto the floor.
"Son of a—!"
Jin didn't wait. He drove his knee into Kenta's stomach, sending him sprawling. Another boy tried to grab the textbook out of Jin's hand, but Jin shoved the book into his face, sending him crashing into a desk.
Haruki's girlfriend, still seated on the trembling boy, shrieked in fury. "What the hell are you all doing? He's one guy! BEAT HIM!"
Her voice spurred the others, but it was too late. Jin was a storm, relentless and unpredictable. The element of surprise had been his weapon, and now the sheer fury of his onslaught left them scrambling.
One boy tried to tackle Jin from behind, but Jin twisted, driving his elbow into the boy's temple. Another grabbed Jin's arm, but Jin wrenched free, snatching a pen from his pocket and stabbing it into Kenta's hand as he tried to get up.
Kenta screamed, falling back, and Jin turned his attention to Haruki, who was still writhing on the ground.
The textbook was gone now, kicked away in the chaos, but Jin didn't care. He dropped to his knees beside Haruki and began punching.
Each strike was a message.
This is for Yumi.
This is for every second of pain you've caused.
Haruki's face became unrecognizable, his once-arrogant smirk replaced by blood and swelling.
"Jin, stop!" someone yelled from the crowd of terrified classmates, but Jin didn't hear them.
When the last of Haruki's gang lay groaning on the floor, Jin stood over Haruki, his chest heaving. He grabbed Haruki by the collar, lifting him slightly.
"mess with me again and you are a dead meat," Jin growled, his voice low and dangerous. "Do you understand?"
Haruki whimpered, nodding weakly.
Jin let him drop, standing amidst the wreckage of desks and bloodied bodies. The entire class stared at him in stunned silence, their expressions a mix of awe and fear.
Without a word, Jin walked out of the classroom, his knuckles bruised and bleeding once more.
He didn't stop until he was outside, the cold air hitting his face like a splash of water. His rage had subsided, replaced by a strange calm
Jin dragged himself home, the exhaustion from the earlier fight still lingering in his bones. The harsh bruises and cuts weren't much compared to the fire that burned within him. He'd made his point. Haruki and his crew weren't going to mess with him anymore. But Jin knew this wasn't the end. His sister, Yumi, still lay in the hospital, and that alone was enough to keep him moving forward.
After a quick shower, Jin pulled on his old jacket and headed out, stepping into the street. It was late, but the streets were still alive with people coming and going. He needed the extra money for Yumi's hospital bills. So, he found himself in a small café on the corner, slipping into his part-time gig as a waiter. He had gotten used to the dull routine of balancing school with work, but the weight of his sister's condition made everything feel heavier.
By the time his shift ended, the streets had quieted, and the silence pressed in on him like a suffocating blanket. He trudged home, exhausted but determined to do whatever it took to help Yumi. When he finally arrived, the apartment was dark, a small solace in a world that had been anything but. Jin collapsed onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of everything pressing in on him. But sleep was elusive, and his mind raced with thoughts of what had happened to his sister and what lay ahead.