章節 113: Confrontation & Conclusion

"Yasushi!" The shout pierced through the idle chatter of the classroom, drawing attention to a boy sprinting up to Yasushi's desk. Yasushi and Furuya had been lounging there, killing time before the first bell.

It was a Wednesday, the kind of day that always seemed to drag its feet. The weekend, however, glimmered on the horizon like a distant promise. Yasushi and Furuya were particularly excited; they had plans to set up their food stand again. They'd even enlisted Laura and Reina to manage their social media accounts, aiming to streamline their modest venture.

The three boys halted in front of Yasushi's desk, their eyes bright with curiosity. Yasushi looked up, a faint smile playing on his lips. "What's up? Need something?"

One of the boys leaned forward, his excitement almost tangible. "We heard about your food stand. Are you recruiting anyone?"

Another boy, his cheeks tinged with red, stammered, "Do you get a lot of female customers?"

Yasushi exchanged a quick glance with Furuya, a silent conversation passing between them. The inquiries, so different in nature, held their own peculiar charm.

"No, we're not looking for more staff. We set it up to help some of my friends earn a bit of money," Yasushi replied, his voice calm but firm. "As for the customers, I wouldn't know much. I'm mostly cooking, so I can't pay attention to everything going on around me." He shifted his gaze to Furuya, who caught on immediately.

Furuya nodded in agreement, then spoke up. "I'd say it's a pretty balanced turnout. We're selling food, so we get all kinds of people stopping by. They come, they buy, they eat," he explained, his tone matter-of-fact. The boys nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer.

"So, we can come by on weekends and try our luck?" one of them asked, a grin spreading across his face.

Yasushi met their eyes, his expression serious. "As long as you're not bothering anyone and don't cause any trouble, I don't see a problem. But if you do, I'll have to ask you to leave. Understood?"

The trio, their faces alight with enthusiasm, nodded eagerly at Yasushi's conditions before skipping away. Their chatter filled the air, animated discussions on how to impress a girl punctuating their every step. Yasushi watched them go, a faint sigh escaping his lips. Doubts nagged at him, uncertain if he had made the right call in letting them join.

Furuya, noting Yasushi's concern, let out a soft chuckle. "It'll be fine. Those three might seem full of energy, but they're really just a bunch of softies when it comes down to it. If a girl with a bit of backbone — someone like Jingliu or Xinyi — gives them a hard time, they'll back off quick. Those kinds of girls are their Achilles' heel," he said, amusement lacing his words.

Yasushi's curiosity was piqued. "Hmm… if you say so. By the way, what have you been doing with your share of the money?" He glanced at Furuya, a hint of intrigue in his gaze. It was a question he hadn't thought to ask before, but now it seemed pertinent.

Furuya crossed his arms, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "Originally, I wanted to spend it on Catherine, you know, treat her to nice things. But she wasn't having any of it. She insisted we should save and manage our expenses together. So now, we split everything fifty-fifty. Whenever we go out, whether it's for a date or anything else, we cover our share of the costs," he explained, a touch of resignation in his tone.

Yasushi let out a soft chuckle, his amusement evident. "Well, it's clear who the responsible one is between you two," he remarked, a wry smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Furuya shot him a playful glare, his lips twitching into a grin. "Screw you, man," he retorted, laughter bubbling up in his voice. The two friends exchanged a look of shared amusement, their banter lightening the atmosphere.

After a few more moments of idle conversation, the school day finally began, the usual morning routine taking over as students settled into their classrooms. The hum of activity filled the corridors, signaling the start of another day.

+-+

The week at school passed uneventfully for Yasushi and his friends, each day slipping into the next with a predictable rhythm. Whispers of a new troublemaker circulated through the city, a murmur of discontent and unrest, but they remained elusive, more ghost than fact. Yasushi, absorbed in his after-school dates with Jingliu, found no trace of this rumored mischief. Neither did his friends uncover any tangible evidence, so the whispers faded into background noise, scarcely warranting concern.

News arrived from Yinhaie, confirming that the boys who had stirred up trouble were now suspended. They faced stern consequences for their actions over the past few months, a fact that settled some of the unrest that had been gnawing at the edges of their daily lives.

The weekend rolled around, and as the day drew to a close, Yasushi and his team looked back on their latest venture with satisfaction. Their food stand had thrived once again; the sales had been brisk, and they had nearly depleted their stock halfway through the day. They had spent the last few hours restocking, preparing for the final push as dusk approached.

But then, without warning, the usual hum of activity that filled the area fell abruptly silent. The sudden quiet was jarring, an unexpected pause in the familiar rhythm of their bustling surroundings. Yasushi and his friends exchanged puzzled glances, their contentment giving way to a shared sense of bewilderment.

When Yasushi's gaze followed the collective stare of the crowd, his eyes widened, a mixture of disbelief and alarm etched on his face. There, standing before them with an unsettling presence, was Daiki — the same male student Yasushi had knocked out months ago with a single punch. Daiki had been expelled and taken away by his parents, and now he was back.

The sight of Daiki in front of their food stall, his hand gripping a bloodied switchblade, sent a jolt of shock through Yasushi. A disturbingly wide grin spread across Daiki's face, a grim and unnerving expression that seemed to stretch his features into something almost grotesque.

Furuya's voice broke the tense silence. "Isn't that… Daiki?" His tone carried a tremor of unease. The moment he spoke, Daiki's eyes locked onto him with a feral intensity. In an instant, Daiki lunged toward Furuya, the switchblade glinting dangerously in the fading light.

Furuya's reflexes barely had time to react. He leapt back, but not fast enough to evade the attack completely. The blade grazed his arm, leaving a deep, bloody gash that began to bleed profusely. The sudden violence drew gasps from the crowd that had gathered in a tense, silent throng around them. A few women's screams pierced the air, their horror evident as they stepped back, eyes wide and faces pale.

Yasushi's frown deepened as he removed his apron and bandana, tossing them aside. He signaled Yinhaie, who immediately picked up her phone and called the police, her voice calm and precise as she described the urgent situation.

Yasushi then turned his attention to Furuya, positioning himself protectively in front of him. "Help him," he instructed firmly. Catherine and Layena, snapping out of their initial shock, quickly began their first aid procedures. Their training took over as they attended to Furuya's bleeding arm, working efficiently to manage the injury.

Yasushi's gaze shifted back to Daiki, who stood with the bloodied switchblade in hand and a wide, unnerving grin on his face. "I'm here, Daiki. I'm the one you're looking for. Come and get me," Yasushi said, his voice steady and taunting.

The situation became glaringly clear to Yasushi. The rumors he'd heard were indeed true. Daiki had reappeared, driven by a thirst for revenge that Yasushi had underestimated. The depth of Daiki's anger was troubling, revealing Yasushi's earlier misjudgment of the threat.

Daiki began to speak. "Yasu—" But Yasushi cut him off with decisive action. He struck Daiki's hand, causing the switchblade to skitter away across the pavement. Without delay, Yasushi spun Daiki around, forcing him onto his stomach.

Yasushi then pulled Daiki's arms behind his back, securing them with a firm lock. He knelt on Daiki's back, applying his full weight to keep him immobilized. The noise and chaos of the moment subsided into a tense silence, with the distant wail of sirens growing louder.

Eventually, the police arrived, their sirens piercing through the quiet as they pulled up to the scene. Officers quickly assessed the situation. At first, they handcuffed Yasushi, mistakenly assuming that his position kneeling on Daiki's back implicated him in the conflict. The clinking of the cuffs against Yasushi's wrists was a stark reminder of how fast things could go awry.

As they recognized Yasushi and understood the situation, their approach changed. They released him from the cuffs, offering apologies as they began to question him more thoroughly. Yasushi spoke with a steady voice, recounting the events as they happened. Meanwhile, other officers took statements from the witnesses, their accounts supporting Yasushi's version — that he had only restrained Daiki, not inflicted harm.

The ambulance arrived shortly afterward, its lights flashing and its engine running. Paramedics carefully loaded Furuya onto a stretcher. Catherine stood close by, her concern evident as she accompanied him to the hospital.

Yasushi let out a deep sigh, reflecting on how the evening had veered off course. He was relieved that he hadn't needed to use excessive force, but the disturbance still unsettled him. He had hoped to avoid violence, yet here he was, grappling with the fallout.

With a resigned breath, Yasushi turned back to the food stall. He began the task of packing up, his movements deliberate as he worked to return things to normal. As the crowd dispersed, Yasushi remained mindful of the possibility that the incident might have been recorded and could soon appear online. He hoped Yinhaie could manage the situation and prevent any misinformation from spreading.

+-+

Yasushi made his way to the hospital, navigating through the sterile environment where the faint scent of antiseptic mingled with the low, steady sounds of medical activity. He found Furuya's room, lit by harsh fluorescent lights that seemed to highlight every detail with a clinical edge. Catherine was already there, seated quietly beside Furuya's bed, her expression marked by both exhaustion and concern.

Soon after, Yasushi's friends arrived, filling the room with a subdued energy. Yasushi approached Furuya's bedside, his face reflecting a mixture of worry and relief. "You alright, man?" he asked, his voice steady and caring.

Furuya, lying on the bed, managed a weak smile. "It was a cheap shot," he said, his laughter carrying a surprising lightness despite his condition. "What an asshole."

Xinyi, who had positioned herself by the window, let out a sigh of relief. "At least you're still alive," she remarked, her tone a blend of reassurance and fatigue.

Laura, standing near the bed, looked at Furuya with concern. "Did they question you too?" she asked.

"Yeah," Furuya replied, "but it wasn't anything too serious or lengthy. They were already familiar with me because of the incident a few months ago. I'm guessing it was the same for you guys?" He received a chorus of affirmatives from his friends. "All's well that ends well," he said with a hint of resignation. "Though, with how unhinged he's become, he'll probably end up in prison."

Yasushi tried to ease the mood in the room with a soothing comment. "Probably. But it's a similar injury to what I had a few months ago," he said, aiming to provide some reassurance. "You'll be back to your usual self before you know it."

Furuya gave a small nod and managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I know. I'll stay here overnight and take care of it. I've already called my parents, and they're on their way. So, no need to worry," he said, waving his uninjured hand in a dismissive gesture.

Catherine looked at Furuya with concern but chose not to argue with him. The room was filled with quiet conversation as they waited.

In a short while, Furuya's parents arrived, their faces reflecting a mixture of concern and frustration. They listened to the details of the situation and initially expressed anger, discussing the possibility of taking legal action against Daiki's family. Their voices showed their distress as they spoke.

As their anger began to ease, Yinhaie stepped forward, offering her support. "If you need any assistance or help," she said calmly, "please let us know. We're here to support you in any way we can." Her offer provided a sense of reassurance during the unfolding events.

"No, no, we're alright. It was said in the heat of the moment. But if things escalate, we'd be grateful for your assistance," Furuya's father assured, his voice steady but edged with an undercurrent of tension.

As the conversation wound down, Yasushi and his group gradually began to exit the room, offering Furuya, Catherine, and his parents the privacy they needed for a more thorough discussion. The door closed softly behind them, and the room seemed to expand, filled with the quiet hum of unspoken thoughts.

Outside, Xinyi's irritation boiled over. She lashed out at the dirt with her foot, sending small clods flying. "I can't stand that asshole," she muttered, her voice laced with barely contained fury.

Jingliu, ever the calm presence, tried to defuse the situation. "We have to rely on the authorities. Taking matters into our own hands could land us in trouble too."

"I know, but it's frustrating," Xinyi replied, her frustration evident as she kicked at the ground again, her movements sharp and resentful.

After a few more minutes of venting and trying to regain their composure, the group disbanded. Yasushi, Jingliu, and Layena made their way back to their homes. Yinhaie, however, remained behind, her interest piqued by the need to talk more into the specifics with Furuya's parents.