The morning sun filtered through the hallway windows, and the atmosphere seemed almost normal. Hinata and Mayohi walked side by side as if the previous day had been just a bad dream finally dispelled.
Mayohi, back to being talkative, gestured as she spoke:
— Honestly, the math homework… I thought my brain was going to explode, she grumbled. Why do they ask us this? It's inhuman!
Hinata stifled a laugh, patiently waiting for more.
Mayohi continued in a dramatic tone:
— I swear, Hinata… I spent thirty minutes stuck on the first equation. Thirty! I even wondered if the teacher wanted me dead!
Hinata burst out laughing this time, wiping a small tear of laughter from the corner of her eye.
— You're incredible, Mayohi. I also—
She didn't have time to finish.
A sudden, sharp, violent impact struck her back.
Hinata was thrown forward like a rag doll, sliding on the rough floor before sprawling flat out.
— HINATA!!! Mayohi screamed, her voice breaking with panic.
She rushed immediately, kneeling to help Hinata up.
— Hinata… Hinata, are you okay?!
Hinata grimaced but nodded, breathless.
Behind her, a smug laugh echoed.
Jack had just pulled his foot back, still resting where he had struck.
His insolent smile was almost provocatively slap-worthy.
— You're a bit much, don't you think?! Mayohi shouted, turning around, teeth clenched.
Jack shrugged nonchalantly, raising his hands in a forced innocence gesture.
— Oh come on… She was in my way. I just gently moved her out of my path.
Behind him, three other boys burst into mocking laughter, like a pack proud of its leader.
Then they continued on, still chuckling, without even looking back.
Silence slowly fell again.
Hinata stood up, dusting off her clothes, her shoulder painful, some scrapes on her hands and knees. Yet, she didn't complain.
— Jack… she muttered between her teeth. I really don't know why he takes so much pleasure in being such a pain!
She tried to laugh nervously, but the irritation in her voice betrayed her pain.
That's when she noticed something.
Mayohi, usually unstoppable, hadn't said a word since the remark to Jack.
She walked with her head down, jaw clenched, fists tight against her skirt.
Something was boiling inside her… or brewing.
Hinata narrowed her eyes.
— Mayohi? Are you okay? You're not saying anything...
Mayohi stopped dead.
Her face was tense, almost pale. She took a deep breath.
— Hinata… I have to go.
She swallowed hard.
— I… I don't feel very well. See you tomorrow.
Hinata, a little surprised, nodded gently.
— Okay… See you tomorrow then. Rest up.
Mayohi nodded without adding a word and headed the opposite way, almost too fast, as if fleeing something—or as if about to do something she didn't want to show.
Hinata watched her until she disappeared around the corner.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Something about Mayohi… was definitely not right.
Mayohi's strange silence still haunted her, each step reminding her of those rare words, that unusually held-back tone. Why had she been so different today? Hinata felt a weight in her chest, as if something bad was brewing.
A thunder rumble tore through the sky, rain began to fall heavily, striking her hair and face. Hinata looked up at the dark sky, breathing deeply, but the shiver through her spine was not just from the cold water: a bad premonition had settled. Without waiting any longer, she turned around and started running, her boots splashing through puddles, eyes searching for Mayohi among the buildings.
Every alley, every corner, seemed suspicious. Her heart pounded wildly as questions assaulted her: What was Mayohi planning to do? Was she in danger? Maybe she just felt sick and wanted to go home…but something in her instinct yelled it was not that.
As she entered a narrow alley, a muffled noise caught her attention. Laughter, shouts, encouragements, all echoed despite the rain: a fight. Her blood ran cold. She rushed forward, pushing through the crowd and clearing away onlookers, each movement cutting through the wet air. Her eyes searched the center of the scrum, and what she saw froze her in place.
Mayohi was on the ground, being hit, her trembling hands trying to protect herself, while Jack stood over her, his brutal blows landing again and again. Mayohi's nose bled, her mouth was bruised, and one eye was nearly closed. The air was thick with fear and humiliation, and the crowd's roar amplified the horror of the scene.
Without a second thought, Hinata charged. Her heart raced, but she didn't let fear win. She reached the center and, even before Jack could land another blow, she stepped in, taking the full force against her back. She felt the power of the strike but didn't flinch, clenching her fists and planting her feet firmly on the slippery ground.
Jack stepped back slightly, surprised by this unexpected boldness. His eyes widened, and a wicked smile stretched his lips:
— Well, look who's here!
But Hinata didn't give him a glance. Her attention was all on Mayohi struggling to get up, bloody and trembling, on all fours on the ground.
— Sorry... you have to see this… Hinata…
Mayohi's words, barely a whisper, echoed in Hinata's mind. Her blood froze for a moment seeing her friend like this, but her face hardened, eyes shining with silent determination.
Hinata clenched her fists, still panting, and leaned slightly toward Mayohi.
— Why… why did you do this? What are you doing here? Why didn't you go home?
Mayohi spat blood on the wet ground, her trembling hands holding onto her knees:
— I wanted… him to stop bothering you for good… so… I took a metal bar… wanted to hit him…
Hinata's eyes widened in shock, fingers curling against the rain streaming down her face.
Mayohi continued, voice trembling and interrupted by sobs:
— The problem… is that one of his friends warned him of my approach… he dodged the hit… then slapped me… and his friends… started mocking me… then… he said he'd make me pay… he grabbed my hair… dragged me here… and… started hitting me in front of everyone…
A sob shook Mayohi's body. She lowered her head, tears mixing with the rain, staining her face with red and water:
— I… I'm sorry, Hina… but I wanted him to stop bothering you… I wanted to redeem myself too… I'm fed up with him doing this to you… I want it to stop… I…
Hinata, without thinking, took her in her arms, holding her tightly against herself, rain running down their clothes, cutting her words short:
— Thank you… Mayohi… thank you for everything…
Mayohi's eyes widened, surprised and moved despite the bruises and blood on her face. She nodded timidly, a faint trembling smile forming on her lips. Their eyes remained locked, riveted to each other under the driving rain, a heavy silence yet full of a feeling of protection and comfort.
Jack's cold laughter suddenly cut the air:
— Hinata, be nice and get out of here while I give my little sister a correction, alright?
Hinata straightened up, body tense, and turned her gaze to him, eyes burning with contained anger. Her voice was firm, sharp, like the blade of a knife:
— Mayohi… is too good to be your sister… you don't deserve her…
Mayohi, still on all fours, looked up at Hinata, tears running down her bruised cheeks:
— Hi… hi-na...
Hinata gritted her teeth, the rain whipping her face, and continued, her voice now carrying a mix of fury and disgust:
— How can a big brother allow himself to humiliate his sister in front of everyone? To beat her like that, like she's a worthless rag?
Jack stepped back slightly, his arrogant smile faltering under Hinata's fiery gaze. People around watched, the rain turning the alley into a theater of tension and anger, while Hinata placed herself between Jack and Mayohi, ready to do anything to protect her friend, her sister of heart, from violence and humiliation.
Jack smirked mockingly, hands in pockets despite the rain.
— It's none of your business. You better shut up. If you get in my way… you'll end up like her.
Hinata stepped forward two paces, her gaze planted in his.
— Then come on. I'm waiting for you.
The crowd erupted in a shout: a circle immediately formed around them. A fight between Hinata and Jack? Everyone knew it would be violent, brutal, unforgettable.
Jack shrugged, excited by the idea.
— Ah! Finally, you want to face me. Let's see what you're worth, bully!
— NO!! — Mayohi's voice burst out from the ground, broken, desperate.
On all fours, trembling, she raised an arm toward Hinata. — Hinata, don't do this!
Silence fell abruptly. Even the spectators, still heated by the announcement of a fight, shut their mouths at once. The rain suddenly became the only sound in the alley.
Mayohi swallowed hard, wiping the blood on her chin with a trembling hand.
— Your big brother… wouldn't be proud of you… He does everything so you stay here, so you continue school... If you fight one more time… you'll get expelled… And that… that would destroy him, Hinata… you know that, right?
A shadow covered Hinata's face. Her fists relaxed slightly. Her breath grew heavy.
The crowd exchanged perplexed glances. Some knew Hinata had already almost been expelled. Others didn't know her story, but all felt the weight of this revelation.
Mayohi continued, voice weak, broken:
— Don't take that risk for me… please… let Jack… finish what he has to do. I… I'll get over it. It's not… it's not the first time he's hit me. I always got through it…
This confession struck the crowd like a thunderclap.
Whispers ran through the assembly.
He hits her? … His sister?
Some turned away, uncomfortable.
Jack stepped forward, amused.
— So it's YOUR shitty brother who stops you from fighting? The one who doesn't even buy new clothes?
Part of the crowd burst out laughing.
— No! JACK, STOP! — Mayohi shouted, crawling backward a meter. — Don't say that!
But Jack didn't care. He continued, twisted smile:
— Like they say, dogs don't make cats. It's probably poverty that made you a bully. Maybe… you sell yourself to the rich around here to scrape some coins.
The crowd stirred. Some stepped back, shocked.
Others still laughed nervously.
Jack pulled out a bill from his pocket.
He threw it at Hinata's feet, where the rain immediately pressed it to the ground.
— Here, take this. Go buy clothes for your brother. And with the change, treat yourselves to a meal, you miserable lot. See? I don't need to exploit your prostitute body to have money.
He made a theatrical gesture.
— Ask me nicely, and I'll feed your family. Come on… get on your knees. Ask me for money right now.
The crowd reacted in two ways:
— HAHAHAHAHA!
— Hey… this is going too far...
— That's messed up…
— Jack is joking…
Mayohi, on the ground, froze.
A cold drop ran down her cheek—a tear or rain, impossible to tell.
She felt something change in Hinata. Something silent, too silent.
Jack raised his arms, mocking:
— So, little one? What are you waiting for to get down on your knees, huh?
The crowd stepped back slightly from Hinata, as if everyone sensed something had just broken inside her.
Hinata remained motionless.
Her head slightly lowered.
Her shoulders trembling with strange calm.
A dangerous calm.
Her face was hidden by her wet hair.
And everyone held their breath.