Chapter 32: A Friend From The Past (1)

[Suwano Yuzuha's POV]

"U-Ueno-kun?" Kana stammered, her eyes wide with shock as she saw Ueno lying on his back. It was a sight that left her speechless, for she knew Ueno was not the type to go down easily. Unless he was facing someone like Yoshimura, the former top delinquent of our school, Ueno wouldn't fall so easily. But here he was, defeated.

"H-How did that happen?" Youko asked, her voice trembling. She, too, was bewildered by how the smaller guy had managed to do this to Ueno of all people. The notion of what he had done eluded her.

However, I had caught a glimpse of it, albeit barely. I had witnessed the moment.

The guy had struck Ueno with incredible speed, a punch straight to the face. It was so fast that had I not been intently focused on their fight, I might have missed it.

"Now then, do any of you still want to go?" the guy challenged, his gaze shifting to the six guys who had just moments ago tried to subdue him.

All of them stood there, immobilized.

"I bet all of you are nothing more than crap who follow this guy due to his money, am I right?"

All of them didn't talk.

"I know he's the type who tries to buy people's loyalty with his money just to flex his power," he stated, his voice filled with disdain. "But too bad, loyalty isn't something you can buy."

The guy looked down at Ueno, who was still on the ground. "See, this is the problem with guys like him. They think they're something special, but they're just mischievous brats. You think you can get away with anything because you've got your parents' money to bail you out. You buy loyalty when you need it, just like these guys here."

He motioned toward the rest of his gang members.

"You're all cut from the same cloth," he continued, his tone filled with contempt. "You assume you can throw your weight around because you have resources at your disposal. But let me drop some wisdom on you: loyalty can't be bought. Respect can't be bought. And true power isn't about money or brute force. It's about character." He turned away from them, gazing up at the night sky. "I've seen your kind before. Sooner or later, you'll learn that life has more to offer than just throwing your weight around."

Then, he directed his gaze back at us.

"You should also think about the company you keep. Not someone like this—" However, as soon as our eyes locked, he fell silent.

Suddenly, we heard a whistle, and it caught all of us by surprise. We turned to see a person in a security guard's uniform shining a flashlight on us.

"What are you all doing here?!" the security guard demanded.

"Crap," the guy muttered. "Looks like it's getting messy. Come on, Chinatsu, let's scram!"

"Okay!"

He grabbed his girlfriend's hand, and they bolted. The other guys made a half-hearted attempt to run but hesitated because Ueno hadn't given them the order. The guy had been spot-on. They wouldn't pursue anyone without a directive from the one footing the bill. Money might buy many things, but it couldn't buy loyalty or happiness.

As I watched his retreating figure, I couldn't help but recall the friend I had made back in middle school. The guy before me now looked cooler than the guy I had known, but his demeanor and way of speaking were eerily similar. That eye contact had all but confirmed that he was the same boy I had been friends with back then.

But now he had a girlfriend.

For some reason, my heart stung as I observed their linked hands slowly disappearing from my view. It took me a while to tear my gaze away from where they had gone.

"You kids, what's going on here? Are you having a fight or something? This is just outside the mall, so if you're going to brawl, do it somewhere else," the guard remarked, essentially telling us to clear out.

After that brief warning, the security guard turned and walked away.

Ueno finally sat upright. Kito reached out a hand to help him up, but Ueno brushed it away with a dismissive gesture.

"I can stand on my own."

"Oh, uh, okay." Kito withdrew his hand as Ueno got to his feet independently.

With that, Ueno walked off. Alone. None of his lackeys or even his girlfriend followed him. He just walked away. By himself.

×××

We now stood in front of a convenience store, with Youko buying us some drinks inside. Kana was sitting on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest with her head lowered.

"I've never seen Ueno-kun get beaten up like that," Kana mumbled, still keeping her head buried in her knees. It was around this time that Youko emerged from the convenience store, holding cans of drinks. She handed me one, and I popped it open, the fizzy sound filling the air. Youko offered one to Kana, but she didn't take it and remained huddled with her head down.

"Do you think, like, if anyone finds out about this, his status at school will take a hit?" Kana asked, her concern seemingly more about her own social standing than her boyfriend's well-being.

"I doubt it. I mean, that guy he fought isn't even from our school, right?"

Exactly. Even though Ueno had been defeated, he still reigned supreme at our school. Kana had nothing to worry about. She was still the queen bee, attached to the king of the school. No one had dethroned him. He was still on top. Unless someone from our school challenged and defeated him, Kana would remain the queen bee.

I was leeching off Kana. Youko was doing the same. So, if Ueno were to lose his status, Kana, and by extension, us, would be affected. But there was no reason to worry. The guy who defeated Ueno didn't belong to our school.