Kenichi stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest. In the past, the very thought of the two one day getting together gave him reason to keep going to school; it gave him reason to hope, but now he laid everything on the line.
Amemiya remained quiet for a moment. Every second of silence felt like minutes, adding to the dread Kenichi felt.
A drop of rain splashed onto his nose. Looking up, he saw a cloudy sky.
Amemiya finally uttered her words.
"Sato-san… I-uh—"
Kenichi's entire body tensed up.
'She's gonna say it.'
Kenichi's eyes shut as he began praying internally.
'Please, say yes.'
'The thought of rejection caused him to start sweating. But even if that was the case, perhaps they could at least be friends. After all, she did once say he was cool. Maybe this was his key to having a seat with the popular students. There didn't seem to be any downsides.
Kenichi relaxed. He opened his eyes, ready to face whatever answer Risa Amemiya had with hope, but his eyes widened as he saw what was coming.
"Well, look at what we have here." Kyoya Futami said, walking with his casual swagger. A devilish smile spread across his lips.
Kenichi's heart thundered in his chest.
"F—Futami-san,"
Kyoya wrapped his arm around Risa. "Foureyes, you've got some nerve flirting with my girl?"
'They're back together?'
Kenichi's heart sank. They never seemed like a couple, even today, Amemiya and Futami hadn't spoken to each other; however, that was no longer important. Kyoya Futami was the jealous type. The type to harm anyone who dared to talk to his girl.
Kenichi's body began to shake. He knew what was coming. He needed to find a way to calm Futami down.
"Futami-san, I heard you two broke up. That's why I—"
"That's none of your business, but since you're so curious…" Kyoya turned to Amemiya, "Risa, how about you tell him?"
The corners of Risa's lips curled.
"I'm sorry, Sato-san, but I belong to Kyoya."
When those words left her mouth, it was as if time had frozen for Kenichi; his legs felt like noodles, making it hard to stand. His neck became sore. His breath was caught as if a sharp knife had been plunged deep into his heart.
What made it worse was how easily she said it. With a smile no less. But it didn't make any sense. He remembered how Futami had made her cry.
"Didn't he cheat on you?"
Risa's confidence seemed to falter; she turned away with a nervous expression.
Kyoya removed his hand from Risa and began strutting over to Kenichi.
"I get it, so you heard our little fuss and thought you had a chance. Don't make me laugh, you little shit."
Kyoya continued, "Did you really think a loser like you could get with Risa?"
Kyoya swung his leg, planting it in Kenichi's face. He tumbled to the ground as Kyoya unleashed a flurry of stomps and kicks.
The pain was searing, but it didn't compare to the pain in his heart. After all, Kenichi had gotten used to the beatings.
But it was clear that there could be no relationship with Risa Amemiya.
'Why… Why did I allow myself to think that I could get with Amemiya-san?'
Kenichi's situation was akin to a man treading through a forest at night with a flashlight. When his light extinguished, he'd be plunged into darkness. In contrast, his friends Akira and Kiwi never had a light. They had long accepted their standing in the world, making it easier to walk in the darkness.
The blinding darkness of despair devoured the foolish who sought the light of hope.
Only those who were born flawless were the exception. People like Kyoya Futami. It was like the world rewarded him for merely existing. With blond hair, blue eyes, and porcelain skin… With his tall, athletic stature, he could have any woman he ever wanted.
But why did he have to be so cruel?
' If I were in his shoes, I'd be nice to everyone…'
Kenichi's face was marred with bruises and blood. But as he stared at the handsome devil who relished in tormenting him, all he could think was:
'Why couldn't I be born like him?'
The punches kept coming, and like always, there was never a teacher in sight, nor did any nearby student bother to come to Kenichi's defence, nor did Kenichi try to defend himself. There was no point in fighting back; it would only make things worse.
'Just be patient, it'll end soon.'
After a while, rain began to fall. Kyoya clapped his hands. "Phew, that was quite therapeutic."
He turned around and walked toward Risa, wrapping his arm around her.
Glancing behind his shoulder, looking at Kenichi, Kyoya opened his mouth once more, "Rest well, Kenichi, cuz after this weekend I'll be looking for another session."
Risa and Kyoya left, leaving Kenichi on the ground by himself.
***
The walk home was arduous; Kenichi was like a walking shell. Every step felt heavy; his clothes were soaked and muddied.
The rain drowned out all the noise around him.
His heart felt like it was being squeezed as if it was about to pop. To compensate, he hunched his back and unbuttoned his collar to make it easier to breathe, but even that didn't help.
That was because, despite his beating, his pain wasn't external; it was the internal pain he felt from feeling inferior. To walk through life watching as the worst person he knew would continue to get everything he ever wanted, while Kenichi got nothing.
Kenichi's house came into view. It was a modest two-story home.
Opening the door, his mother greeted him. Her eyes widened at Kenichi's purple, bruised face and battered clothes.
"Ken-chan, what happened?"
Kenichi walked past her. Normally, he'd tell her everything was alright, but at this moment, he had lost all feeling.
As he walked up the stairs, his mother cried behind him.
"Ken-chan."
The sound of her footsteps echoed off the stairs. Kenichi felt his mother's tight embrace.
"Ken-chan, I'm your mother, you have to tell me what's going on, I'm here to help you."
Kenichi could feel the drops of his mother's tears falling onto his head.
Why was she crying? She wasn't going through any suffering, so why? Worst of all, what could she do? Call the school? The teachers know what's happening, but they never do anything. All it'd do is rile up Kyoya even more.
Kenichi's chest tightened, his brows furrowed.
"Just leave me alone."
He walked to the second floor, he entered his room, slamming the door shut.
His room was clean, with an anime poster on the wall. There were a bunch of action figures on his shelf.
He sat on his bed staring at the floor.
'Why did I have to be born so uncool?'
He remained silent for a few minutes. School was a nightmare; every single day, he'd get bullied. If Kenichi were to switch schools, he'd likely get bullied again, but this time, he wouldn't have his friends to make his life slightly more bearable.
His grades were low, which mean't his future wasn't so bright. Now, his one true love is with Kyoya Futami.
What was he living for? What was it that kept him going?
The inability to answer caused tears to rush down his cheeks.
'I'm such a loser.'
Once the word spread that he dared to ask Risa Amemiya out. He'd become a laughing stock. The beatings and humiliation would get worse.
Akira and Kiwi might even get affected. They'd probably distance themselves to avoid being harmed. His life was effectively over.
The pain was too much to bear. He dug his face into his pillow, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.
After a while of lying still, he opened his mouth. "I've had enough, I can't take this anymore."
Kenichi stood up and reached for a cabinet; inside was a rope. This wasn't the first time he had thought of this. Grabbing it, he tied it to the ceiling.
'It'll never end.'
Getting on his bed, he wrapped the rope around his neck. He paused for a moment, realizing there was no coming back from this.
His breath came in gasps as he leaped off the bed.
'I'm sorry, Mom, Dad, this is it…'
The rope tightened around his neck. It felt like it was tearing into his throat. The burning sensation made him want to scream, but no breath could make it out of his mouth.
His decision came with an instant feeling of regret.
He began kicking and jerking, trying to free himself from the rope. His foot struck an action figure on his shelf, which clattered on the floor.
Through the walls, his mother's voice could be heard.
"Honey, is everything okay?"
'Mom, help, I messed up.' He thought but the words weren't making it through.
Even though he had nothing to live for, the fear of death still gripped him.
'I don't want to die.'
Unfortunately, his struggles weakened… then stilled, as the world dissolved into black.
Then, the old tree from the school playground appeared before him. He placed his hand on it.
Then his eyes shot open as he returned to reality, but strangely enough, he found himself in an unfamiliar room.
But that didn't matter at the moment. Somehow, he was alive. The corners of his lips stretched. Maybe I should talk to mom about my situation.
Speaking of his situation, where was he? He was in a messy room with clothes, dumbbells, and tubs of protein shakes littered on the ground.
"What's going on?" He said.
He paused. His voice sounded much deeper. As he got up, everything seemed much lower to the ground. He exited the room and noticed a door ajar; he could barely make out a sink.
He headed inside and turned on the light.
When the lights flickered on, his eyes widened as he stared into the mirror.
Kenichi froze. The reflection staring back wasn't his. Blond hair. Sharp jawline. Cold, blue eyes. He staggered back, whispering—
"…Futami-san?"
Kenichi looked at his hand and muscles. He touched his jawline, and the mirror moved along with him.
Wait? Did I become Kyoya Futami?