"How the freak could he manage to do that!? His neck should be broken right now." Shouichi blurted, judging from the powerful impact.
The raging brute seized Shinji's foot with both hands and flung him aside. Shinji was sent airborne before crashing onto the floor, tumbling several times upon impact.
"My god…" Shouichi muttered, flabbergasted by the strength the muscular man had now. As if the brute unlocked the limiters in his body, there was nothing that could stop him. Not even the pain.
The mad brute sprinted toward Shouichi next, he tried to chaotically grab Shouichi. But the boy was quick and elusive.
"The opening!" Shouichi swung his left hook, knuckles ripped through the air and landed square in the face.
"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" The brute chuckled with a bloody smile. As it turned out, the powerful punch had no significant effect on him at all.
The man diabolically outstretched his claws and grabbed Shouichi by the neck.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!" He chanted repeatedly, his tone as cold as ice. Using his weight, he pinned Shouichi to the ground, his hands tightening around the boy's throat. Straddling him, he squeezed harder, choking the life out of him. Shouichi's body jerked and twitched in agony, his face slowly turning purple.
"..." Shouichi couldn't make a sound — only strained, gurgling noises. His vision blurred, and his mind began to drift…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The thundering boom of three gunshots rang out, startling Shouichi. Soon the death grip on his throat loosened. Gasping for air, he quickly pried the man's hands away, choking and coughing in agony. Shouichi was desperately scrambling backward, his brown eyes widened as he saw the brute sprawled face-down on the ground, with crimson liquid pooling from the holes in the back of his head.
"Seito-kun!" The female police officer lowered her weapon and strode towards the boy. "Are you alright?" Suzuki asked, gripping his shoulder firmly, her tone softening.
"I'm~I'm good," Shouichi replied quickly, though his words were punctuated by coughing. His throat burned with sharp pain.
"You little rascal~!" Suzuki started, only to suddenly pause, her sharp gaze sweeping the corridor for any lingering threats. Once she was sure they were safe, she stepped in and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You always make me worry like crazy."
It felt a little strange to Shouichi that she'd hug him in a situation like this, but he was just grateful she'd arrived in time to save his dying arse.
"Didn't you get my message?" She asked.
"Oh, I must've missed it somehow~Cough! Cough!"
"Please stop trying to play the hero, Seito-kun."
"Thank you for saving me, Akiyama-san," Shouichi murmured, pulling her slender frame closer. Despite the lingering sweat and tension, Suzuki's scent, citrusy with a hint of jasmine, washed over him, bringing an unexpected sense of calm and relief.
In the background, the black-haired boy cheerfully waved at Shinji, who was being treated by Rinae-sensei. Despite suffering multiple blunt-force injuries, his handsome friend still managed to flash a bright smile.
***
Within five minutes, the school was engulfed in a chaotic frenzy as a swarm of police officers, medical staff, and media personnel arrived. The scene quickly descended into a complete mess, with flashing cameras, urgent voices, and hurried movements.
The black-haired boy was standing by the side of the Suzuki's police sedan. The medical aid was prioritised from the most critical injuries to the least one. As a result, his polehead friend was carried by the stretcher and sent to the hospital by ambulance earlier.
Shouichi was told to wait for Officer Akiyama as she volunteered to bring him to the hospital to lessen the load of the medical staff. However, it appeared to be quite a long wait because the officer was busy with the crime scene.
Shouichi had been trying to stay tough all this time but internally he was extremely terrified. His fingers couldn't stop trembling as the after-effect of the adrenaline. His entire arms, hands, and throat ached all over but he maintained his stoic demeanour.
"He is just there…" Officer Akiyama was talking to the teacher siren, Kobayashi Rinae. The cap lady seemed to point in his direction and then Rinae-sensei beelined, stomping her feet.
"Crap! I almost forgot that Shinji and I disobeyed her orders previously." Shouichi thought, bracing himself for a long and hard reprimand from the sexy teacher.
"I'm so glad you are okay." The teacher said as she wrapped her long arms around the boy into a boob embrace. It wasn't something he was expecting at all.
Although the hugging felt good, Shouichi was suffocated with her big assets. It's the 2nd time someone tried to kill him this way, he thought.
"Got anything to say for yourself, young man?" Officer Akiyama who followed behind, nagged him with her stern but somewhat cute tone. Meanwhile, Rinae-sensei let go of him. Her dark eyes glittered with tears of relief.
"Sorry, ma'am," Shouichi said to Akiyama, his voice faltering. Then he turned to the teacher, "I'm so sorry, sensei." He apologised, bowing his head as low as possible. It was a gesture of sincere apology.
"Sigh... I just don't know what to do with you," Officer Akiyama said, her voice tinged with both frustration and disappointment as she looked at Shouichi. Despite her stern expression, clearly, she cared for the boy.
"My! Is that blood on your left hand?" Rinae-sensei exclaimed in shock as she caught sight of his injured knuckles. It was the result of the powerful vertical blow he'd landed on the brute. She reached out, intending to examine it.
Shouichi quickly hid his hands behind his back, feigning innocence. "Yeah… but it's fine."
"I'll be taking this troublemaker into custody now, so don't worry about it, Kobayashi-sensei," Officer Akiyama joked out of nowhere.
Shouichi turned to her, dumbfounded. "Eh? Am I going to jail?"
"Hahaha, just kidding. I'm taking you to the hospital, kiddo." Suzuki grinned, grabbing his shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze.
After bidding farewell to the concerned teacher, Shouichi and Akiyama Suzuki got into the police car and drove off.
"S~Su… I mean, Akiyama-san," Shouichi stammered, almost calling her by her first name. He suddenly noticed his heart pounding and his legs trembling slightly.
"Yeah?"
"I was curious about the whole case… Were they part of a human trafficking syndicate?"
"They were," She replied nonchalantly, keeping her eyes forward.
"Was it because of the prez~uh, I mean Sakurai Hiroshi? Were they trying to take him out?"
"Very likely, but we won't be able to get anything useful out of Jinzo or his gang. Their lips are sealed tight."
"...What a letdown."
"Hey, Seito-kun. I've noticed you're still in mild shock." Suzuki reached over, gently resting a hand on his trembling thigh. "I just want you to know, you're safe with me, got it?"
Her warm smile exuded a sense of security, and Shouichi found himself fixating on the way her canine tooth glinted whenever she spoke. It was… oddly cute.
"Thank you, officer. It's just a shame that every time we meet, it's always, um, let's just call it ill-timed," Shouichi remarked, keeping their conversation going as if he didn't want it to end.
Glancing at the boy, Suzuki's lips tucked into a sly smile, "Well, if you want it to be a good time, maybe ask me out on a date?" Suzuki teased with a wink.
"Huh?"
"But you wouldn't do that, right? Fufufu~" She chuckled, cupping her mouth.
"Yes… I mean, no… I dunno." Shouichi stammered, completely caught off guard.
"Haha! I'm just messing with you. There's no way we'd go on a date," She giggled and waved dismissively. "By the way, is your girlfriend alright? I heard she stayed home today."
"Uh? I don't have a girlfriend..." Shouichi replied flatly. Then, it clicked. "Wait~oh! I forgot about Ayane."
Suzuki raised an eyebrow, shuffling closer, "Oh? You two broke up?" She probed.
"No… sigh... I'm sorry, but Ayane's been tricking you," Shouichi admitted.
"Hahaha!" Suzuki let out a cute laugh, "Ayane-chan can be a bit silly sometimes," She remarked, exchanging a brief glance with him.
***
In the hospital hallway.
Shouichi strode forward, feet clapping against the grey vinyl floor. His eyes swept through the rows of doors along the corridor. Eventually, "Aoyama Shinji" was inscribed on the nameplate outside a patient's room. The intricate design of the door itself exuded the air of an exclusive VVIP suite, reserved for the most important and prestigious clients.
As Shouichi approached, he heard a faint chuckle of a female inside. Without much thought, he knocked softly on the door a few times.
"Coming!" A muffled voice seeped through, familiarity in the tone, yet Shouichi couldn't recognise.
A few seconds later, the door creaked and swung open. His ex-girlfriend, Ishikawa Misaki, peeked out. Her twin tails cascading down elegantly.
Her smile faltered, replaced by an awkward expression. "...Hi, Shouichi-senpai." She greeted, her expression darkened as the awkwardness filled the atmosphere around them.
"Oh… You're here..." Shouichi murmured, his words trailing off.