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Kenji and Isao entered the class, and everyone looked at them, flabbergasted. Their bodies were bandaged, and they tried to avoid eye contact with the other students. They limped, their backs slumped.
The students tried to keep straight faces, but they couldn't. They burst out mocking them and murmuring among themselves.
A river of shame swept over Kenji and Isao. They didn't know where to look. They felt like the ground should open up and swallow them. They had wanted to stay home until they were completely healed, but the school only gave them a few weeks before they had to resume classes due to their unhealthy state. They had to obey.
Shame clouded their entire being. Kenji tried to act strong in the face of the mockery and appeared not to care, but he did care.
The fear he had instilled in people, which he had built for years, was crumpled in the blink of an eye. He would have to hide his face until they finally graduated, which was still many years away, as they were in junior high school.
Taku was startled and wondered who could have beaten Kenji and Isao to that extent. He was also scared they would transfer their aggression to him and beat him again like last time. The healer might not be around to help him.
Kenji and Isao's eyes met Taku's, who quickly turned his face away as those thoughts swirled in his head.
They were astonished that he was alive and looked healthy. Wasn't he the one Kenji threw from the rooftop? Why wasn't he looking all broken, if not dead? If he wasn't dead, he should have been in the hospital for at least six months, but there he was, looking completely healthy, like someone they hadn't laid a hand on at all.
Isao continued thinking about it, his brain buzzing, every breath of air expanding his thoughts, digging hard inside him.
But Kenji's thoughts didn't dwell on it much. Merely thinking about it could push him to hurt him again, and that would be his death. He just wanted to forget everything about Taku so he would stay alive, and not thinking much about why Taku looked healthy while he was supposed to be dead or in the hospital was a first step toward that.
"I'm most indebted to the person or maybe persons who did this to Kenji and Isao. That person deserves world recognition," Jin whispered to Taku and Sota, gloating. He was sitting on Taku's desk.
Taku was sitting in his seat. Sota had shifted his chair close to Taku's seat. The class was always disorganized when there was no teacher, like on a day like that, so it wasn't something new to the class. They did whatever they wanted when there was no teacher in the class.
"Let's not talk about them, please. I don't want to get beaten today," Taku whispered to them.
"They can't. They dare not," Sota said with all the assurance he had in him.
Taku and Jin looked at him, stunned, with raised eyebrows.
"How did you know?" Jin asked him.
He shrugged. "Just knowing."
"Are you the one behind their being beaten up like that?"
Sota laughed. "We all know I would have been the one in their position if I ever dared. I don't even have such guts."
They laughed.
They became quiet.
"I'm bothered about Midori," Taku's brow furrowed in concern.
"Same here," Sota and Jin said in unison. They were worried as well.
They all missed her presence. They felt their friendship wasn't complete without her being there with them.
"We can't go to her dorm since we are boys," Jin pointed out thoughtfully.
"Yes," Taku nodded in agreement. "I met with her roomie today, and she said Midori left the room. I asked her why, and she didn't reply. She just left me standing there."
"She switched off her phone. There isn't much we can do other than hope she is fine and comes out from her dorm before it gets to the school authorities."
"She isn't fine. Something awful must have happened to her," Taku responded.
***
Noa held Mana's hand to the music class. When they got there, she let go of her hand.
"Why did you bring me here of all places when you know Kenji, the school bully, and his friends hang out here when the music class isn't going on?"
"Aren't you aware of what happened to him?"
"That doesn't count. He might not stop being a bully because of that. So why did you bring me here?"
Noa narrated everything Midori did in the morning in detail, without missing any part.
"I'm impressed," Mana said sarcastically.
"Oh, Noa, I'm being serious right here! Will I lie to you? My pictures and my favorite clock got broken! Her eyes were bright red and then…"
"Can you take a deep breath?" Noa cut in. "I think you are going through a lot mentally, physically, and emotionally." Her eyes were misted with pity. She felt sympathetic towards her friend.
"I'm not, Mana. You, of all people, know I can't lie to you."
"Yeah, I know, sweetie. All I'm saying is that you're going through a lot, and it's making you hallucinate. Yeah, yeah, that's it, Noa."
"Mana, I know what I saw. Believe me, please." Frustration brewed inside of her.
"I told you she must have gotten her heart broken. I'm saying it out of fucking experience. What she is doing now,crying, not wanting to come out. I did all of that and even more."
Her hopes were washed away by a wave of despair; she thought her friend Mana would believe her. She frowned, "She isn't a lover girl, okay? I'm sure of that, and you have to believe me, Mana."
"I'm fucking trying to, but it isn't making any fucking sense for one to fucking act in such a fucking manner. Noa, I don't mean to fucking cuss like this, but you are making me fucking do it!" She boiled over with annoyance, which sent a stinging sensation down her spine.
Her frown deepened. "All you have to do is believe me. She is weird," her tone was pleading.
"You are the one being weird right now. You are overthinking this whole thing and making a drama out of nothing. Like making a mountain out of a teacup. She got her heart broken, and that's it, okay? Don't overthink or stress it."
Noa hesitated but ultimately nodded. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"That's good, Noa. I advise you to take good care of your mental health. Now let's go back to class." Mana left first. Noa hesitated. She sighed deeply before she joined Mana.
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