Exactly at seven-thirty, the breakfast was ready. They all ate together, and at eight, they were done. Hitori left the table and went to his console station– it was like his little room.
Reon and Eya cleaned the table while Kakashi prepared to reopen the Vr-cade.
Three days, no violence, no attacks, no threats, nothing. That was a sign he should not stop money flowing in, so today was the day he was opening the Vr-cade.
Hitori grabbed his jacket off the chair, put his book into the safe, and his card in his jacket's pocket. Then he walked out of the alley, to the front door.
The ladies had finished cleaning and were waiting to see him off. Kakashi had opened the door and was now booting the console system and lights. Hitori saw Reon smiling as she had never smiled before, but he had seen Eya smile like that before.
"What is today's plan?" he asked, moving towards the door.
Kakashi was busy starting the system, so Eya broke the silence. "You will check on the house, as usual, spend an hour in your room, then come back as soon as you can. We will be waiting for you."
"That is it?" He tilted his head. Eya nodded. Hitori thought for a moment. "I," he said, "I think I will pay Akemi-san a visit. It has been months since I last saw her. I want to talk about some things," he added.
"Ah, okay, just… uh… take care."
"I will." He turned but stopped. "She is in the academy, right?" Eya nodded. Hitori was ready to leave, he walked to the door, and it opened for him. "See ya," he said, stepping out of the Vr-cade.
"Hey, boy!" He heard Kakashi shouting. "Stay out of trouble!"
The VR-cade's door closed behind him. He raised his hand and waved to Kakashi without turning around. He took another step and before his foot could land on the ground, he disappeared.
It took him around half an hour to reach the academy. The classes started at nine o'clock, Hitori was not even sure about the first lesson. He had missed the first two days of the third year, he knew trouble was waiting for him.
He spotted his class, he knew that much and opened the door after taking a few deep breaths. The students were shouting and the bullies were doing the usual shit– messing with the nerds.
The girls were laughing their high-pitched laugh in one corner of the room. He had used the back door that led him straight to the lockers at the back of the class. The lockers used the ID to open, so he pressed his ID on the locker and it popped open.
He had come empty-handed so he did not have anything to keep inside the locker, he just wanted to take a look and calm his nerves. Bullies, stay away, for god's sake do not mess with him.
He did not mean it in a bad way, he just meant he would not bother suffering the torture. He would blow the first person who tries to mess with him. What if he is the son of a big shot? Oh, fuck that big shot.
Hitori closed his locker and turned around with a cold head. He walked to the seat at the end of the class. Then he thought he should have brought a book with him, sitting alone doing nothing was awkward for him.
He glanced outside the window. He saw trees and bright clouds moving to another destination. Then he turned to the other side of the room and his eyes met with someone familiar.
He had a shaved head and green eyes. He knew those eyes– he was staring at Hitori without giving his eyes a break. And for some reason, Hitori could not take his eyes off the monk either.
He had fought him, Hitori remembered. He was Bijutsu Budo– the karate master Hitori had defeated for the Expedition trials. Was that an intimidating stare? Hitori did not care. He bobbed his head and turned back to nature outside the window.
The lesson went pretty well. The teacher did not call his name, and no one pointed at him, in fact, no one even noticed this new student sitting at the back of the class. So he got off easy– only till the lunch break.
As soon as it hit twelve, the bell chimed, and the students cheered. It was time for the lunch break. Hitori had a slow start, he was the last to leave the building, so the portals were open for him.
Little did he know that someone was following him. The bully from his group was right behind Hitori when he passed through the portal. His and his two friends' faces were boiling with anger.
Hitori arrived in front of the cafeteria. He glanced around, he recognized the guys from Mono's group, then he saw Mono himself. He turned, he did not want Mono to see him, so he dashed across the cafeteria.
Not only did Mono see him, he kept his tray on the table and waved at Hitori, but he kept his eyes down. As he walked towards the courtyard door, the bully found him, and so did the nerd who was sitting next to the door.
He grabbed the door and went to the courtyard. The students and the teachers were eating their lunch so the courtyard was empty. Hitori found his spot in the shade and rushed to it.
He could not look him in the eye, he noticed the nerd and Mono, but could not look them in the eye. The embarrassment of his loss, of his unsuccessful attempt to save the world from the bully, was killing him from inside.
I let you down, he said to Kamiya, I am sorry. I could not stand against him. He must have beat the nerd every day– things might have not gotten this worse if I had not stepped in. All because of me.
While he was immersed in his thoughts, the bully crossed the cafeteria with his two friends and pushed the courtyard's door open. He saw Hitori in the corner.
Mono's already dropped smile fell even down. He muttered, "Oh shit." Yes, he knew about the danger. So he forgot about his lunch and his friends and followed the bully.
When the nerd saw the bully and Mono enter the courtyard, he dropped his chopsticks and frowned. He pushed the chair and got up. "What is he doing?" he asked himself. "I told him it was over, what is he doing now?" He checked for his wand before rushing to the door.
He knew Hitori was inside, and the bully going inside meant only one thing– he was making his move. The nerd turned and pushed the door. He saw Mono chasing the bully as he walked towards Hitori sitting under a tree's shadow.
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