A fistful of lies

"I'm off to school!" Hiro exclaimed, running towards Akie who had just entered the entrance.

"Young Master, don't rush! You'll get hurt!" the driver called after him, trying to stop Hiro, but the young boy sped ahead, already engrossed in trying to remember what Fumiko had called him.

"What was it? What was the name Aunt called me? It started with an A, but I can't remember," Hiro mumbled to himself as he ran. His short legs struggled to keep up with his determined pace, and soon, he tripped and fell onto a patch of soft grass.

"I didn't do anything! Please, don't hurt me!" Hiro shielded his face with his hands in fear. But when Akie removed his hand, she said with surprise, "Wow, I didn't know you were so scared."

"You?" Hiro asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes, me. Who else would it be? You came running up to me the moment you saw me at the entrance, so why the sudden fear?" Akie inquired, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I thought it was someone else. I thought those bullies were here again," Hiro confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Those? Who? Who are you talking about?" Akie asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Nothing, sorry to bother you," Hiro muttered, scrambling to his feet and attempting to walk away.

"You didn't bother me, but your presence does intrigue me," Akie admitted, "and knowing that I'm not the only one who feels that way. You were practically running to me when you saw me. Remember, I had so many questions for you last time, and I intend to ask them now. Do you have a father?"

"Yes, I do. Don't you?" Hiro replied, tilting his head in confusion.

"No, I don't. I only have my mom, who you've met before," Akie explained.

"So where's your dad?" Hiro asked, his curiosity outweighing his fear for a moment.

"I don't know. Mom never talks about him. I've only ever heard about her side of the story. But seeing you, somehow I feel like I might have a father too," Akie said, his voice filled with a newfound hope.

"What do you mean? I don't understand," Hiro stammered, his fear returning.

"I think—" Akie began, but before he could finish, a group of children approached them.

"So you're hiding here? I thought you were hiding under your mommy's skirt and skipping school again," a boy in the group sneered.

"Who are you?" Akie challenged, her eyes narrowing.

"Who am I? Don't you know? Are you new to the school?" the boy scoffed.

"Yes, so?" Akie replied, unfazed by his arrogance.

"That's why you don't know me. Let me introduce myself. I'm the son of the school chairman. Is that enough of an introduction, or should I tell you my name as well?"

"What difference does it make who your parents are? I need a name to call someone, not their family background. And if they misbehaved, I might even need to punish them. But knowing you're the chairman's son doesn't change anything," Akie stated firmly.

"Don't mess with them!" Hiro whispered urgently to Akie. "They're bad news. They'll trouble you too."

"Were you scared of them when I pulled you here? Did they bully you?" Akie asked, his gaze fixed on Hiro, who remained silent.

"So you're the ones who picked on Hiro? Perfect timing," Akie said, his voice hardening. "I was looking for someone to teach a lesson."

"What? Are you going to fight me? You can't get away with this!" the boy threatened, but Akie was undeterred.

"Who cares about the consequences? You do? I don't. My mom taught me to fight fire with fire because bad guys don't deserve kindness," Akie declared, throwing a punch at the boy, ready to defend her beliefs.

"You'll be in trouble if you mess with me!" the boy threatened.

"Trouble or are you just scared?" Akie countered, advancing and landing a punch on his face. His friends nervously backed away.

"What do we do? The new kid's actually fighting him! We'll get in trouble too if we stay here," they mumbled.

"Yeah, should we tell the teacher?" one suggested.

"Let's go!" they agreed, rushing into the school to find the teacher, leaving Hiro pale and terrified.

"Akie! Stop! They went to get the teacher! You'll get in huge trouble, maybe even expelled!" Hiro pleaded, trying to restrain Akie who continued pummeling the boy. Just then, the teacher arrived, furious.

"Teacher, Akie did nothing wrong. Please don't punish him," Hiro begged, but the teacher marched past him, separating the two boys and dragging them both to the chairman's office.

"What can I do? Akie's in such trouble, and I can't even be there! Dad will kill me if he finds out. What should I do?" Hiro panicked.

Meanwhile, Akie stood before the chairman, who glared at him with icy rage.

"Is this the behavior you exhibit at school, Akie Suzuki? Is this what they taught you - to beat up your classmate on your first day?" the chairman thundered.

"I did no such thing, nor was I taught to behave that way. This boy started it," Akie countered.

"Then why do I see bruises on your hand, not his?" the chairman demanded.

"Because I fought back. He's been bullying my friend for a long time, and today he returned with his gang to target both of us. But I was there, and I wouldn't let him."

"Who? There's only you and him. The boys who complained are on his side, not yours. So, who is this friend you speak of?" the chairman questioned.

"Did you see anyone else at the scene besides him?" The chairman addressed the teacher.

"No, ma'am," the teacher replied, shaking her head. "I saw no one else besides these two. This boy was indeed on top of the other, hitting him repeatedly."

"No! That's a lie!" Akie yelled, his voice laced with desperation. "There was someone else! My friend was there too! Why are you lying? As an adult, you should stand by the truth!"

"I have told you the truth," the teacher insisted, her gaze evasive.