Chapter 49: The Weight of Silence
Drenched in sweat, as Renjiro moved through the cool, quiet corridors of the gym with heavy strides, his entire focus was lost in the image of that orange-haired boy. Suddenly, his heavy steps came to a halt.
Walking straight toward him was the Iron Monitor of Class 2-A, Tsuyoshi Taro.
Tsuyoshi's rust-colored eyes held a strict, freezing disapproval that was intense enough to bury someone into the ground.
Without any robotic or formal greeting, Tsuyoshi struck directly with his heavy and commanding voice, "Why did it take you so long to get here?"
Renjiro was terribly flustered. He tried to reply, stammering, "B-but I..."
Tsuyoshi took a step forward, his aura completely dominating. "Do you think the rules of this entire class are some cheap joke?"
Tsuyoshi's voice was cold yet carried an immense, oppressive weight.
"Open your ears and listen carefully.
I absolutely despise those who break the rules.
I don't care which high school you attended before this, but this is Hoshigawa High.
Here, rules are absolute.
We all must abide by the school's methods."
Renjiro's breathing was already ragged.
The deeply ingrained fear from his past trauma gripped his throat tightly.
He lowered his head and spoke in an incredibly timid, shaking voice,
"S-Senior... the truth is... I... I was out in the blazing sun doing squats, on Takeshi Sir's orders... that is why I was exhausted and arrived late."
Renjiro lowered his head even further, bowing deeply. "My name is Renjiro Hoshino... I deeply apologize for disappointing you."
Tsuyoshi carefully observed the boy's trembling legs and his sweat-soaked, incredibly tight green tracksuit.
He had no prior knowledge of Takeshi Sir's orders, but just by looking at the sheer physical exhaustion radiating from the massive boy's broken condition, it was obvious he was telling the truth.
Understanding the brutal toll such an exercise would take on him under the blazing sun, Tsuyoshi's anger cooled down slightly.
"Alright," Tsuyoshi said in a composed, icy tone.
"Today is your first day in class, so I am letting this slide.
But next time, make sure you understand the class rules thoroughly; it will be better for you.
And yes, my name is Tsuyoshi Taro, I am the class monitor for 2-A.
You may call me 'Tsuyoshi'."
"Understood, Tsuyoshi-Senpai. I will do my absolute best to follow the school rules from now on," Renjiro replied in a soft, relieved voice.
The two of them began walking slowly toward the gym's locker room. Renjiro's heart was pounding violently against his ribs.
( *"Should I tell Tsuyoshi-Senpai about what just happened outside or not?"* Renjiro debated in his mind.
*"Senpai is strict, sure, but he seems like a genuinely good person.
If I tell him that some guys were forcefully dragging a boy away outside, maybe Senpai could help him..."* )
He gathered a sliver of courage and stopped in his tracks. "Tsuyoshi S-... Senpai."
Tsuyoshi's footsteps halted as well. Instead of turning his entire body, he merely tilted his neck backward.
Looking over his shoulder, he cast a sharp, freezing glare at Renjiro.
That 'death-like stare' was so heavy and terrifying that, without a word being spoken, it screamed out—*'If your words carry no weight, do not open your mouth.'*
Staring into the thick silence, Tsuyoshi asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"
Meeting those piercing eyes, Renjiro's very soul shivered.
Overcome by sheer terror, he immediately dropped his gaze to the floor and stammered, "N-Nothing, Senpai... nothing."
The two continued walking and entered the gym's main locker room. Beneath the gleaming lights and premium wooden cabinets, ordinary students like Takuya, Koji, Makoto, and Yusu were already chatting among themselves while taking off their gym clothes.
Seeing Renjiro's exhausted, sweat-drenched state, the malicious gossip immediately began.
"Oh, where has this fatty been hiding all this time?" Yusu taunted with an arrogant smirk.
Leaning against his locker, Koji let out a lazy, dramatic yawn and mocked,
"He probably tripped and fell somewhere, that's why the bastard is limping!
Hahaha... just looking at this buffalo makes me feel exhausted."
Trying to act like the hero of their little pack, Takuya joined in on the ridicule.
"Man, where has this fatso been lying dead since then?
I didn't see him anywhere near me during the race."
Makoto flashed a vile, mocking smirk and added,
"Did you forget?
Sir ordered him to do squats.
Just look at his condition; to see him, it seems as though, apart from stuffing himself with burgers and pizza, he hasn't done a lick of proper physical work in his entire life."
The moment they all started snickering and laughing, Tsuyoshi's deep, freezing glare fell upon them.
The temperature in the room plummeted instantly. Panicking, Makoto immediately elbowed Takuya in the ribs.
"Quiet down... or else he'll teach us a lesson right here."
Tsuyoshi issued an order in a heavy, uncompromising voice,
"Everyone, head to the showers immediately.
The next class is about to begin, and I do not want anyone being late."
The entire locker room fell dead silent. Everyone's mouths were snapped shut.
Placing his bag into his locker, Takuya whispered quietly into Makoto's ear,
"Man, why does he throw so much monitor-attitude around?"
Makoto explained in a hushed whisper,
"Don't you know?
The Vice President and President elections are coming up soon, so Tsuyoshi is doing all of this to keep his disciplinary record absolutely perfect."
Takuya nodded in realization. "Oh, I see. That's why he's acting so strict with everyone."
Putting on a deadly serious face, Makoto delivered his final warning. ""It's not just that... he is truly the strictest person in this entire class."
Terrified, all the ordinary boys quietly scurried out of the locker room and headed toward the showers.
However, inside the luxurious, blue-lit shower room, behind the frosted glass stalls, a completely different kind of fire was burning.
Hot water cascaded over Yuto Sakurai's wild, mustard-yellow hair.
The sheer humiliation of being dodged and insulted by Tsuyoshi on the running track was searing through his mind like acid.
*BAM!*
Gritting his teeth, Yuto slammed his bare fist into the marble wall with all his might.
"Tsuyoshi... you must be overjoyed after humiliating me today, huh?"
A devilish, psychotic smile crept across Yuto's wet face.
"What you did to me...
I am going to return it to you double, very soon.
I will give you such a grand surprise that you will remember it for the rest of your life... *Heeeeeee...*"
Scene shift
Four boys were passing by the gym—the same ones Renjiro had seen just a short while ago.
The empty dirt ground behind the 'Old Building' of the school was completely desolate.
Surrounded by rusty iron barricades and massive concrete pipes, this place was the secret hideout of those monsters—a spot where no teacher ever patrolled.
Gaku Saito removed his hand from the shoulder of the frail, 5'6" Sora Kobayashi .
Kengo Shibata, carrying his massive 112-kilogram tank-like body, stepped forward and sat directly on top of the highest concrete pipe, digging into his pockets for his lighter.
"Hey Nobu... give me your lighter quickly, mine is missing," Kengo demanded in a heavy, chilling voice.
Nobu Sakamaru twisted his face into a sneaky, cunning smirk.
"Oh man, why do you always take my lighter?
Buy your own for once, you beggar."
Nobu tossed his lighter through the air toward Kengo. Catching it effortlessly with one hand, Kengo lit his cigarette, took a long drag, and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air.
His eyes looked exactly like a predator staring down its prey.
"Speak, rat... when are you going to fork over our money?"
Sora's tiny frame was trembling violently with fear.
His face didn't just display terror, but a profound, desperate confusion. He looked up at Kengo, stammering heavily.
"M-Money...? W-What money? I-I never borrowed any money from you guys..."
Suddenly, Gaku Saito lunged forward. His face contorted into that of a 'Mad Dog'.
Using all his brute strength, he grabbed Sora by the collar and hoisted him slightly into the air.
Sora's feet flailed helplessly above the dirt.
"Shut your damn mouth, rat!" Gaku roared, spitting right into his face.
"Do you think we're fools?!
Playing dumb after borrowing cash?!"
"N-No! I am telling the truth!" Sora sobbed, pressing his hands together in a desperate plea, his breath catching in his throat.
"I s-seriously don't know what debt you are talking about!
P-Please let me go!"
Nobu slowly stepped forward, a vile and wicked laugh escaping his lips. He gently patted Gaku's extended arm.
"Alright, alright, Gaku, calm down.
Put him down. I think this poor guy is genuinely clueless.
Let him learn the reality first."
With a brutal shove, Gaku slammed Sora down onto the raw dirt.
Sora let out an agonized groan, clutching his bruised knees as he sat on the ground.
Nobu brought his long face incredibly close to Sora's crying one. A sadistic glint danced within his purple eyes.
"Look, Sora, you're absolutely right. You didn't take a single dime from us," Nobu said, chuckling darkly.
"But the reality is that your 'best friend' Kaede Yamahada placed bets against the Boss in the underground fight yesterday... and he lost brutally."
Sora's breath completely hitched. A strange, sickening dread raced through his mind alongside the terror.
Nobu patted Sora's cheek, putting on a mock-crying expression to act out the scene.
"*'Oh, please let me go, Sora borrowed money from me, just collect my betting debt directly from him.'*
He transferred his entire debt to your name, and now you are sitting here like a fool, becoming the sacrificial lamb for him. Hahaha!"
Then next he said,"You have such great friends, don't you? Hahaha—they dumped all the burden of their own troubles right onto your shoulders."
Sora's mind went entirely numb. On one side was the suffocating terror of these thugs, and on the other was the colossal betrayal from his only friend, Kaede—his brain completely short-circuited.
"N-No... H-How could Kaede do this...?" Sora muttered through his tears, utterly traumatized.
"H-He is my friend... we came together just this morning... he framed me to save his own life?"
"Why are you crying, idiot?" Gaku laughed brutally.
"You can cry all you want, it's not going to end your troubles.
This is Hoshigawa High!
Weak people don't have any friends here, you fool!
You are just a sacrificial goat that your own friend offered up before running away!"
Kengo took a final drag of his cigarette and flicked the burning butt onto the ground.
His heavy body dropped from the pipe with a heavy *THUD*. Stepping forward, he crushed the burning cigarette mercilessly beneath his heavy black shoe.
The dying flame let out a sharp 'hiss' against the dirt.
"Look, your crying is pissing me off, so do not try to make me angry," Kengo's voice held a freezing, deathly silence.
Suddenly, his expression morphed into pure, terrifying rage as he growled,
"My brain cannot digest anger well when someone says 'No' to me.
We don't care if your friend betrayed you or if you're telling the truth.
Our money is in your name.
If your hands are empty tomorrow morning... then I will crush this crying face of yours exactly like this cigarette."
Kengo clenched his massive fist tightly.
"You only have two choices—either get the money from your friend or someone else and hand it over to us by tomorrow, or be prepared to die in front of the entire school, understand?!"
Kengo shoved his hands into his pant pockets and turned his back. "Let's go, Gaku, Nobu. We're done here."
As they walked away, Gaku glanced over his shoulder to deliver one final, sadistic warning.
"Rat, if you refuse by tomorrow, be ready to get beaten to a pulp!
Hahaha, if you try to hide from us, you'll die an even worse death!"
The three monsters walked out of the desolate grounds of the old building, laughing and mocking their broken prey.
Sora was left completely alone near the concrete pipes, lying on the dirt, sobbing hysterically.
Crushed by the terror of those three monsters and the heart-wrenching betrayal of Kaede, Sora's spirit had completely shattered.
"W-Where did I get trapped...?" Sora looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his face as he let out a helpless, agonizing scream.
"What have you done, you bastard Kaede...
S-Someone save me...
I don't want to die at the hands of these monsters... if I don't give them the money by tomorrow, they really will kill me..."
Chapter End