Chapter 10

Ayanokouji: Did you get a call from Sakura-san?

Me: Call? Why would Airi-chan call?

The guy went off and didn't respond to my text from there.

'What the hell is his deal?'

I decided to call Airi just in case. Maybe she had been trying to get in touch with me and I wasn't receiving it. When I called her though. She didn't pick up. Confused, I wanted to run all the way to her room, but I decided to call Ayanokouji to inquire further.

BEEP! BEEP!

Suddenly I received a message from him. It was a location. Did he want me to go there? I looked around and saw the others. I would have to attend to them later.

"Sorry, Hirata-kun, could you go back by yourself. Something came up."

"Yea... it's no prob-isssss."

I let go of his arm and immediately moved towards the location he gave. Luckily it was really close to where I was. What I didn't understand was why it was in such a location. Some back alley similar to the one where I finished my plan.

"AAAAAAIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!"

Then I heard a shriek.

'Oi, oi. Did this bastard just send me here to be raped?'

"Shut it, you bitch! Someone might here us."

"Tone it down will ya, we can't let this opportunity go."

I decided to take a peek. Not that I would help the person who was being raped. In fact, the best I could do was call the authorities on them, which I had already done as soon as I heard screaming. Whether they were kids having fun, or a bunch of men raping a girl, noise pollution was worthy of arrest.

When I peeked however, I was stunned. In the corner, Airi was being assaulted by a three men. They all had ugly smug looks as they took off her clothes and covered her mouth.

That bastard, Ayanokouji, how did he know? Did he cause it? Tch, I shouldn't interfere. This doesn't involve me. But then maybe I could benefit from interfering?

I looked at Airi. She had stopped squirming. Her eyes were close.

"Oi, did she pass out?"

"Whatever. We can do it along as she is alive."

After saying that, one of them opened up her legs and proceeded to rub her thighs. He leaned in under her skirt and slowly moved her panties. After removing her panties, he brought them up to his face. A sniff was all it took to make him adorn a perverted smile.

"Hey pass it over. I also want to smell that."

"Tch, you two can think about your panties. I'll get started."

These men were really disgusting. Oh well, this had gone on for far too long, I guess.

I grabbed a random pebble from the ground then flung it at the guy who was about to drop his pants.

Then I took pictures of the incident, with my flash on to alert them to my presence. They turned back, shock evident on their ugly faces.

"Oi, oi. I don't think it's allowed for the staff to be doing this."

I yelled, then shoved my phone into my pocket before quickening my pace towards the men.

"W-what?" I grabbed the closest man, drawing myself in closer.

"Besides, wouldn't it be preferable to have someone like me?" I leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. The man's face turned red – a disgusting expression formed on his face. This was the problem with most single men.

I kneed the man in the balls causing him to fall over. The others backed up again.

"What? You guys scared of me now? Come on, I'm a weak little girl. You can just grab me and rape me, no?" I taunted, slowly walking towards the next guy. I may have seemed aloof, but I was seriously on guard, just in case of any surprises.

"Damn it. You are just a stupid high schooler." The closest guy yelled. He drew in, attempting to grab my chest. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

I moved to the side and trapped his arm in my left arm, locking him up then sending a quick jab to his face.

"Ugh-!" He stumbled back and I quickly kicked him in the solar plexus, forcing him to wince in pain. When he bent over, I raised my leg up and brought down a deadly axe kick on his collar bone, slamming him into the ground. He continued foaming and twitching on the ground and I kicked his head to knock him out.

I looked at Sakura. She was unconscious on the ground. The shock must have simply made her pass out. I then fixed my gaze on the man holding her. He was the clerk from the camera incident. This guy had a disgusting expression back there and even now when he was sweating he had a really disgusting expression.

However, this time it wasn't the look of a predator. It was a gaze I knew all too well. This was the look of small fry. Prey in the face of their worst nightmare. He was scared.

I swiftly moved in on him then went low, sending an uppercut punch. Using my momentum, I twisted around and released a crescent kick at his abdomen. I could feel a rib or two break as he got slammed into the wall. Before his body fell I proceeded to punch his chest, forcing him to slam the wall again.

He bounced back and I used a front kick to slam him back into the wall. Again, he returned. I kicked his knee, forcing him to fall to the ground. I jumped on him then lifted my arm back. This time adding a bit of power to my punch, I gave him a hammer fist to the eye.

"I really hate people like you." I punched his face.

'People who use us.' I punched again.

'People who know us only as tools for their pleasure.' Again I punched his ugly face.

'Now no more! I won't be a tool for anyone ever again.' I just kept punching his face till it was bloodied and a drop of blood touched my cheek, bringing me back to reality. I had overreacted.

'It's ok Shiro... he isn't here. He could never be here.' I calmed myself down.

When his body refused to move, I got off his body.

I could hear footsteps behind me.

"You're late." I said to the person behind me. It was of course, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka who had been recording a video of my fight against the men.

"And you are good. Too good to be a normal high schooler." He complimented me.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect you to know Krav Maga."

"Nope. Not really. I was just taught Krav maga early by my overprotective guardians."

"Normal "guardians" as you put it, would have sent you to learn karate."

"I guess mine weren't normal."

A man jumped from behind and tried to sneak an attack on Ayanokouji, who nimbly dodged. He grasped the man's wrist and flung him over, barely exerting any energy. He then kicked the man's face, knocking him out.

"You're pretty good yourself. Did your "guardians" also think it best to show you how to fight?"

"No. They just taught me how to play the piano and serve tea."

"I thought you said calligraphy the last time."

"So you were there that night.

"That night?"

"Never mind. Either way, I've got something interesting now."

He said, waving his phone about.

"Whatever. You aren't going to show that around either way."

"What makes you so sure?"

"The fact that I know you are just using this so that I keep quiet as well."

We were both staring at each other. This guy was the greatest product of the white room? Disappointing.

He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to leave.

"The cops will be here soon. Want to stay to answer their questions?"

I ignored his words then proceeded to search through the men's bodies for their phones. When I got their phones, I put them in my pockets. After time with Sotomura I had some good idea on why these men were here.

I doubted they would suddenly attack a random student like Sakura. And back at the camera shop that man's reactions suggested shock and familiarity. He knew Sakura from somewhere and if it was the same place Sotomura had been going, I needed to delete all of those for Sakura's sake.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

AYANOKOUJI POV

I silently walked down the one of school's corridors when I noticed two people up ahead. They were the student council president Horikita and his assistant. They came to a stop in front of me, forcing me to stop as well.

I looked the president in the eye for a while before he spoke.

"The students in class C withdrew their complaint and against my better judgement I allowed it." he came with expected news.

"Oh? Is that so? What a strange world we live in?"

"Are you trying to prove a point? That Sakura is not indeed the fabricator that everyone thinks she is? If so, then well done sir."

"To be honest, I have no idea what you mean by that. Y-" I was about to continue my sentence, but then he cut me off.

"Hmm? If you don't then could it be her?"

'Her?' Who was he referring to as 'her'? Surely it couldn't have been Horikita. The only other person that came to mind declared their complete disinterest in the case. A different first year that the president deemed capable? Was it one of the A class students? Those guys seem to be elites.

Well, I don't know enough to come up with any proper theories.

"Tachibana, the secretary position is still available right?"

"Yes." She responded.

Why would he ask her such a question in front of me? Did he intend to give me this position? If so, my answer would be no.

"Well then, Ayanokouji. I guess we will meet again later on in the future."

He said.

"What? P-president. Didn't you want to give this position to the first year?"

Tachibana asked him.

"Of course. If Ayanokouji didn't cause this, then the only other person who could have is 'her'."

He said confidently then strode past me with Tachibana following closely behind him.

The man certainly knew how to get someone interested in something, but still there was no need to find out about it. At least for now. I wanted to move forward, but then I saw the younger Horikita standing at the end of the hallway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

SAKURA AIRI POV

DING DONG!

I awoke to the sound of my doorbell ringing. When I looked around, I was in my room. How did I get here? Wasn't I being assaulted by some men? That's right, he cornered me with some other guys and then they... they...

DING! DONG!

The doorbell rang again. I was scared to even go near it. What if it was those men again? What if they came to use my body again?

BAM! BAM! BAM!

This time the person banged heavily on the door. I moved from my bed and slowly approached the door. The banging got only louder and I felt my ears would pop if I didn't hurry.

I went and checked through the eye hole and there, in a red oversized hoodie and black baggy sweat pants was Tatsumaki-san. She seemed to be holding something and in a sort of rush. I had probably wasted a lot of her time. She was probably not happy about that.

"Tatsumaki-san..." I called out to her so she would stop banging on my door.

"Airi? Open up. I want to enter."

Slowly I released the locks on my door. Then I let her in and she walks in, looking as nonchalant as ever. That was really annoying me.

She moved to the hall and dropped the package down on the table.

"So, I've got strawberry, chocolate and mint. I wonder how the mint taste like."

She said, grabbing a tiny cup from the package. It would seem that she bought ice cream. Probably to share with me.

I walk to the hall and sit on one of the couches, away from her.

"Hey, Airi, are you ok?" she asked.

From the way she had been acting, she didn't know about what happened. I was still safe. She didn't need to know that I had been raped.

"Y-yeah. Thanks for asking Tatsumaki-san."

"Tatsumaki-san? Did that assault get to your head? It's Shiro to you."

"What?" What she said caught me off-guard.

"Hmm, maybe the shock was too much? Still... you should be calling me Shiro. Not Tatsumaki. We're friends aren't we?"

"H-How did you-?"

"Hmm? I was there you know?

"Ah..."

"Ayanokouji told me about it. He was there too. Luckily we managed to drive off the men before they could do anything to you."

What? So nothing happened to me?

"Well they ran off quickly after a beating or two. The cops still got em. So you'll be safe. They won't bother you again."

'But... Ayanokouji-kun beat them? He... he is...'

While I was thinking about something else, Tatsumaki-san came to me with a very unexpected question.

"Ne, Airi. Why have you been avoiding me lately?"

"What?"

"Of late, it feels like there's some distance between us. We don't talk as often as we used to and you always avoid me when I try to talk to you. Did I do something?"

That was what she was worried about? Not the incident with Sudou and the three boys from class C? Not the fact that I almost got raped. This?!

"If I'm bothering you please tell me because to me you are my first friend. The first person I talked to when I came to school, a very close and irreplaceable friend. If I have done anything to offend you, please tell me."

I don't know why, but I felt this kind of feeling in my chest. Like water bubbling in a kettle. I don't usually feel this way. In fact, I never really ever felt this thing... this emotion. Ah yes, I believe they call it anger. I remember the first time I felt this way. I was six and mom and I were preparing for the summer festival. She hadn't bought me a certain kimono I asked for. As unreasonable as it was, I got angry and screamed at her.

That was the first time I could remember of me getting angry over something. It was also the last time I could remember getting angry over anything. Now, at this very moment I was very angry. Why was I angry? Tatsumaki,... No, Shiro hadn't done anything. In fact she was worried for me.

I hadn't realized until I saw her concerned face. I was crying. Warm tears were streaming down my cheeks.

"Airi?"

She called out to me. She even tried to get closer to me, however

"Stay back."

"A-Airi?"

"I said, stay back!"

I think this would be the first time I had ever screamed at her. She looked confused and I understood her perfectly well. The calm quiet girl she knew also had another side to her. Yes, even I, Sakura Airi, could get angry.

"You asked if you had offended me in any way...Your very existence is an insult to me! There's no way you are this perfect. How can you have no flaw? How isn't there another side to you? Tatsumaki Shiro, smartest girl in our grade. One of the prettiest in our grade. Very popular too. Why would someone like you ever hang out with someone like me!? You're a liar, aren't you? There's no way you are this perfect. Tell me there is another side to you that you are hiding! You, you can't-"

Before I could say another word, she embraced me in a hug. The scent of roses tickled my nose. Her shampoo. Still, I couldn't stop crying. I was angry, but she whispered these words into my ears.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize this is how I made you feel."

I grasped her uniform and squeezed it.

"How? How are you so perfect?"

"I'm not perfect. Not even close to it. In fact..."

I could feel her hands fidgeting behind my back. When she was done, she pushed us apart and I was shocked. Her eyes. They were... mismatched. On her left was a beautiful golden yellow eye and on the right was a fierce blue steely blue. It was amazing.

"Hehe.... Sorry, I can't really see what expression you've got on your face. I'm partially blind and can't see without the lenses."

I was short of words. But strangely, I felt a bit relieved. I got to know Shiro better. I don't know how it worked, but I felt like I could trust Shiro. The truth of her eyes were her secret and she had chosen to share them with me. No one else, but me. Her only flaw – even if they were beautiful. I was glad.

High school is quite the place, isn't it? It's a place where people who finish middle school can decide to go to, to further their knowledge. It was also a place known for the kinds of relationships it brought about. People make life-long friends in high school. Some meet their future partners. Others even made enemies. The school I attend is called Koudo Ikusei High school. An infrastructure created by the Japanese government to raise future leaders.

I'm a sixteen year old introvert with communication problems. Today was an amazing day. I just found out that I'm not alone. There are people out there who actually care about me. My name is Sakura AIri, and I have friends.