Before Mochi could respond, his head whipped back after Eiichi’s fist made contact with the underside of his jaw. Mochi had left himself wide open, without any protection. How could Eiichi have passed that up? Eiichi had heard his teeth clamp shut and was somewhat relieved he didn’t bite his tongue off.
It was a stone cold knockout. Mochi’s face turned pasty white, his eyes wavered about in a daze as his knees buckled, and his hands swayed distantly around him. He tried to regain his sinking balance, before his legs crumpled underneath him altogether like tin foil.
The other two had frozen up, but in seeing Mochi go down, their confidence fled. Then they looked into Eiichi’s glare and saw he had turned into another person completely.
Eiichi was ready. He got his satisfactory hit in and Mochi wouldn’t be standing up for a while. To be frank, Mochi’s spinning output was giving him the spins a little. There were only two left now, and he considered challenging their resolve, but thought better of it.
Then he looked over to the corner where the kid sat. He had seen the whole thing and was just hoping the situation wouldn’t get more violent.
Eiichi stood there for a few moments, not saying anything.
The other two were getting worried, wondering if he was thinking about what to do with them, but really, he was having trouble remembering what the kid’s name was.
“Uhh...” Eiichi touched his head, digging for it. “Ebina, right? Get over here,” he waved.
Ebina flinched and curled up for a moment, like he’d rather stay where he was, and then he looked around like he was sure that Eiichi had meant someone else.
“Are you gonna’ set up camp there or what? Come on, get up.”
“O-Okay...” Ebina pushed himself up rigidly and dusted off his slacks.
“Oh yeah, you,” Eiichi pointed at slick hair, the one holding the papers. “Give those to ‘em.”
Slick Hair with the papers seemed to respond automatically, handing them to Ebina with all the finesse of a factory machine. Ebina took them timidly from the punk’s hands, then he moved between the two and right up to Eiichi.
Eiichi motioned him over so he was standing right next to him, facing his antagonists. He slapped a hand on Ebina’s shoulder and felt him flinch underneath while staring at the papers clutched under his hands. The sooner he could get this kid to relax, the better it would be for the both of them.
“He is my kouhai now,” Eiichi glared at all three of them. “If you give him trouble or lay a finger on him, you’re gonna’ see me again, got it? And next time, I’ll play for blood.”
“Ohh...” Mochi groaned from his place on the ground, rubbing his jaw.
Eiichi motioned with a nod. “Better get him some ice.”
As they left the two punks to see to their fallen leader, Eiichi made sure Ebina took the lead, so that he was behind to sense if any of the three were going to retaliate.
When they were far enough away, Eiichi walked next to Ebina and took the lead until he could find an unpopulated spot that was out of sight of the main building.
“Thank you...” Ebina managed to say.
“Don’t mention it.”
Eiichi looked around and figured this space was good enough as any. There was a generator underneath a protective grill that was high enough to provide itself as a rest. Eiichi took a seat here for his own sake and reached into his coat pocket.
“So I take it Ebina isn’t your first name.” The cigarette danced between his lips while he drew out his lighter.
Ebina’s nerves spiked at the sight of Eiichi’s campus-illegal habit, and he looked around to make sure that there was no one visible.
“Um, n-no. It’s Yukichi, Ebina Yukichi...”
“Hm...” Eiichi cupped his hand and flicked the lighter. A plume of smoke wafted over his fingers. “I’m Kozuka Eiichi.”
“Yes, I know...”
“I’m sure you do.”
“You’re that second year I’ve heard about. The hypochondriac.”
Despite Yukichi’s output causing him bothersome aching, Eiichi chuckled to himself, “You have no idea how tired I am of hearing that one. So how about this, from now on I call you Yukichi and you call me Eiichi. Does that sound good?”
“I...I suppose.”
Yukichi seemed to calm down some, but Eiichi knew the questions he was about to ask would bring back more of that nervous adrenaline.
“So how long has that been going on? You’re still new here, but I can’t see someone like you making enemies that fast.”
“No...” The test answers rumpled under Yukichi’s clenched hands. “It didn’t take long for them to start on me. Some of the kids I went to junior high with go here. They picked on me too. Those guys are seniors, I think, and they picked me out of the crowd.”
“Was it always like that?”
“They were worse. Everyone in my class just avoided me, wrote on my desk, or stole my shoes...”
“Don’t you have any friends?”
His head perked up. “Yes! Kamioka-san and Hasimoto-san.”
“Sorry, don’t know ‘em.”
“Anyways, they don’t know about those three.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“I gave up in middle school. It didn’t matter who I told, no one stopped it. Back then, there were so many people who didn’t like me, it didn’t matter who got in trouble, there would just be someone else there to continue it...”
‘Oh education system...when are you going to learn that fights are going to happen no matter what you do.’
“I’m surprised they didn’t move you to another school,” Eiichi said.
“I didn’t say anymore because that’s one of the things I didn’t want to have happen.”
“Did you ever think about finding a way to fight back?”
Yukichi lowered his head. “Believe me, it crossed my mind a lot. But...”
Eiichi took another drag and let Yukichi’s output waver before him.
“You were afraid of what might happen.”
Yukichi nodded.
“You were afraid you wouldn’t win, and it would only make things worse.”
Yukichi nodded.
“You were afraid of the consequences with the school.”
And a third time, Yukichi nodded.
His voice quivered, “I just wanted to be left alone...”
“You and me both, brother...” Eiichi exhaled another cloud of white and peered at Yukichi. “You probably think you’re a coward, don’t you?”
Yukichi didn’t move, his hands shook, and then he nodded. Eiichi could tell he hated himself for it.
“Look at me.”
As instructed, Yukichi slowly lifted his head. His eyes had become glassy behind his box frame specs, and he sniffled.
Eiichi stared deep, pushing through the pain, to make sure Yukichi got the message. He didn’t want to boast, but if there was anyone who could tell Yukichi this with absolute certainty, it was him.
“You’re not a coward, Yukichi. You just didn’t know what to do.”
Yukichi’s output burst into vibrant golds and shimmering whites of enlightenment. Eiichi imagined his shoulders must feel like an immense weight had been lifted off them, because his did. He was relaxing and the depression just seemed to vanish from his mind for a few minutes.
“Take it from me, those motherfuckers...” Eiichi pointed his cigarette hand. “Those are the cowards. I deal with them every day. They wouldn’t pick a fair fight if the life of a relative was at stake. And there isn’t an ounce of honesty to be had between any of ‘em.”
Yukichi sniffled again and removed his glasses, holding them with the test answers. He took the pocket square from his gakuran and began wiping his face.
Eiichi continued, “People have their moments. At times, I’ve acted like a coward, but being a coward is a frame of mind. It’s a very selfish one.”
“You?” Yukichi croaked. “I can’t see you acting like that. Not aft
er what you just did for me.”
Smoke raised as Eiichi took a drag. “Shit happens. There are a lot of things that change us. We can allow them to make or break us.”
“I just...phew…forgive me...” Yukichi placed his glasses back on. “I didn’t mean to react like that.”
“It’s okay, I’m not gonna tell anyone you’re a big cry baby.”
Yukichi gave a raspy laugh this time, “And I won’t tell anyone the Loner of Aki Guro has such a soft side.”
Eiichi chuckled. “Then we’re even...Loner?”
“It’s one of the many names I’ve heard.”
Eiichi laughed again, rather amused, “Okay...So how long have they been making you steal for them?”
“Um, this just happened. Before they wanted me to take something from coach Tomioka’s desk.”
Yukichi didn’t blush, but Eiichi felt a hint of embarrassment in his output.
“That doesn’t sound good. It’s cool, you can tell me.”
“It was...”—this time Yukichi did blush and averted his eyes to the ground—“...keys to the girl’s locker room...”
Eiichi shook his head. “Buncha’ fuckin’ pervs, I swear...what the hell were they going to do with those? There’s nothing to steal in there but swimsuits, bloomers and maybe someone’s underwear. They sure as hell couldn’t storm the place, the only result would be the closest penalty next to expulsion.”
Yukichi shrugged, “I guess...when I said no, that was the first time they beat me. They broke my glasses, this is actually a new pair. I had to lie to my mom and tell her I slipped and rolled down some stairs.”
Eiichi knew he liked this kid for a reason. “Well there ya go, unsung hero. You stuck to your guns and took a pounding for the honor of all the girls in this school. If someone asked me, I’d say you should have your pick of the lot.”
Yukichi smiled shyly.
“Being that those are answers to the senior exams,” Eiichi said, motioning to the papers, “they’re of no use to either of us, so we should probably return them.”
He stamped his cigarette out on the grill and stood.
“But, what will the sensei say!?” Yukichi panicked.
Eiichi turned and pointed. “It’s what you will say that’s going to get you out of this. You are going to rat those pricks out with song and dance if you have to, but you are not going to take the fall for something they forced you to do. Come, ‘I will be with thee’.”
“But, what about them?”
“What about them?”
“What if...they come after me?”
“Oh ye of little faith.”
“Stop that.”
“Life is full of risks, but I’ve got you covered. If they come after you...well shit, I just might kill a man. You’re rollin’ with me now, and this is the right thing to do.”
“Says the guy who smokes on campus.”
“Ah, fock yoo!”
Eiichi P.I., Vol. 1 Page 14
