The class passed without incident. When lunchtime arrived, Isamu quickly rose from his seat and, with considerable speed, left the classroom with bento in hand.
He had to go to one of his safe spots.
The bento, an apple soda, and the blue sky overhead would make for the perfect break.
His three options were:
The rooftop.
The school swimming pool.
In some alley.
*Shiver*
Isamu suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere.
Something heavy and fundamentally wrong had gotten close enough to him.
Sharpening his senses, he prepared for anything.
"Superior Kuroda!" A short young man with glasses was running toward him, accompanied by another boy with a sloppily worn uniform.
It was the other person who called him 'Superior,' Umogami Nohito.
Isamu allowed himself a sincere smile at Nohito's presence, but kept his senses sharp; the discomfort was coming from the other boy.
"Hello, Umogami, you look happy today, something happened?" While still addressing Nohito, he kept constant watch on the student with the messy uniform.
"They were expelled, Superior Kuroda!" Nohito smiled brightly. Isamu had an idea who he was talking about.
"About time, huh?" Those three... honestly, he didn't remember their names well, but it wasn't important anyway.
*'Imbecile, Idiot, and Pervert'* were the names he knew those three by.
Umogami nodded repeatedly. Of all the people Isamu had met, Nohito was usually a target for abuse from the less civilized.
Isamu still wasn't clear why.
"Miss Kumohime kick them out after they tried to... overstep their bounds with them..." Nohito said the last part in a hollow voice.
Isamu felt his blood run cold, while ironically, fury began to burn inside him.
"And what happened?" Despite his emotions fiercely burning, Isamu managed to maintain a calm, smiling face.
"Miss Aminogaki and President Kumohime kicked their butts!" The smile and spirit in Nohito's voice calmed Isamu. "They were amazing! Like! Pow! Bam!"
Nohito threw several punches in the air in high spirits. Isamu found himself genuinely smiling again.
"Good, that means they won't cause trouble around here anymore," Those three never learned the easy or the hard way. "That's much better for everyone."
"Yes!" Nohito smiled brilliantly.
Isamu was honest, that news made his day.
"By the way, Umogami..." Isamu looked toward the boy accompanying the first-year student. "Who's your friend?"
Nohito seemed to realize, straightening his posture, and with a nervous expression, pointed to his companion.
"Kuroda-superior, he is...!"
"Stop, my sworn brother!" Nohito's friend interrupted him with a loud voice, spreading his arms and forming an "X" while tilting his head back. "I must introduce myself properly to such a magnificent Superior, the Dark Lord of Meisei!"
"What?" It was the first time Isamu had heard such a title, but unfortunately, the boy didn't seem to hear his voice.
He struck a pose in which he covered half his face with his right hand and pointed at Isamu with his left index finger.
"I am the heir of the Bodhisattva of the Eight Names, the one within whom lies the terror of the lightning-lightning, the comrade who will surpass the great baron... I am!" The boy struck a pose that Isamu wasn't entirely sure was physically possible. "Hachisune Nogome!"
Silence.
Isamu's face froze into a blank expression of non-understanding. Nohito seemed to turn into a frozen, post-modern painting as well.
"One moment please..." Isamu automatically said that, went to the nearest vending machine, put the money, and waited for the drink to drop.
The Orange Soda looks like a treasure for Isamu right now.
He opened and took a large sip, consuming half of it. After enjoying the taste, he reached a conclusion.
'Cringe!' Isamu shouted internally, but decided to turn around with a refreshed smile on his face.
"Well, it was a pleasure, Hachisune," Isamu concluded that the previous discomfort was his sixth sense warning him about the cringe. "Nohito, thanks for the good news, but I have to eat. We can talk later..."
"Wait, Superior!" Nohito stopped him as he tried to leave.
Isamu watched as Nohito approached him with a slightly embarrassed expression.
Hachisune seemed paralyzed in his last pose, unsure how to respond to his Senpai's calmness.
"Is something wrong?"
Nohito seemed a little nervous, lowering his head and looking at the ground.
"There will be an assembly today... President Kumohime plans to talk about everything related to Modou and his friends..." Nohito seemed to tremble slightly at the mention of that guy. "I know Superior Kuroda doesn't socialize much with anyone, but..."
Isamu remembered the face of the trio's leader, their first encounter; he was harassing a first-year girl.
He recalled how his fist connected with the brown-haired idiot's face, having managed to knock out three teeth with the blow.
That time, he set a precedent for those failed attempts at being human.
If you were a jerk. Punch.
Of course, with the type of person Modou was, it wasn't enough of a lesson, as his expulsion demonstrated.
Since that time, Isamu had intervened whenever he could against such abuses.
"... I will be present," Isamu smiled genuinely. Nohito seemed to leave his nervousness behind. "... See you later."
"Yes!" Nohito happily agreed. "Let's go, Hachisune! We have to tell Nozomi!"
'That girl,' Isamu thought, a friend of Nohito and a frequent victim of the three jerks.
"Understood, my sworn brother!"
"See you, Superior Kuroda!"
Both first-year boys left with smiles.
Isamu turned around and headed toward the rooftop, half his soda in one hand and his bento in the other.
He thanked the heavens that no one on his path asked him where he was going or tried to talk to him.
His destination was the rooftop, and no one dared to get in his way.
When he arrived, he could see the day's blue sky.
"Thank you..." he said, looking at the sky and taking a seat in a corner, touching what was under his shirt. "... For everything."
He closed his eyes. The breeze ruffled his hair, and he felt that everything was in order.
Then he heard the door open. Someone with a plastic bag walked toward him.
Isamu opened his eyes, finding a plastic bag with bread and sodas inside. The person carrying it had a friendly smile.
"Hey, Kuroda! Do you mind if I join you?"
It was Tsoryu, the sharp classmate from his class.
Isamu still sensed that strange atmosphere about Tsoryu. This was a good opportunity to confirm his doubts.
"Go ahead," Isamu said without much interest, but internally, he closely observed Tsoryu's movements.
"Great," Tsoryu took a seat opposite Isamu. "I have bread and sodas..."
Isamu looked at the bag with doubt. Was that nutritious for someone to eat like that?
"Does that count as lunch?" Isamu had a genuine question.
Tsoryu smirked, closing his right eye. There seemed to be a certain malice in his gesture.
"I'm still young; I can afford to eat poorly," Isamu looked at him disapprovingly, which drew a chuckle from Tsoryu. "Come on, is it really that bad?"
"Yes," Isamu said firmly. "I'll share a bit of my bento with you."
Tsoryu stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed on the seriousness on Isamu's face.
"Man, you don't have to," Tsoryu held up the bag. "Besides, I don't want to abuse the kindness of the Dark Lord of Meisei."
"Ugh..." Making a gesture of disgust at that title, Isamu looked at his bento. "Let's make a deal: you give me a bun, and I'll give you part of my lunch."
Tsoryu blinked several times. Isamu's proposal caught him by surprise. Then he laughed a little good-naturedly.
"Jeez... are you sure you don't want to go to karaoke with Saito and his group?" Tsoryu said, the breeze rustled his hair, and a cloud covered the sun at that moment. "You could probably be part of the group quickly."
"Nah..." Isamu shook his head. "That kind of thing isn't for me."
Tsoryu smiled with a hint of melancholy.
"Come on..." Isamu decided not to pay attention to that murmur. "It's not good to be alone..."
"Don't you usually have lunch with Saito and his group?" Isamu quickly changed the subject, remembering that a good number of people always gathered around Saito. "Shouldn't you be with him?"
Tsoryu stared at him for a while before narrowing his eyes.
"Kuroda... have you ever read a romance manga?" Tsoryu asked in a serious voice.
Isamu took a moment to evaluate if he ever had.
"No," he said after a few seconds. "Now that I think about it... is it normal for a boy to read that kind of manga?"
"As I was saying," Tsoryu ignored Isamu's question, "in those kinds of stories, when an event like that happens, it's always annoying for a friend to interfere."
Isamu decided to continue the conversation without being bothered by the unanswered question.
"Does it happen often?" He asked with genuine curiosity. He realized too late that it was a mistake when he saw the gleam in Tsoryu's eyes.
"Considering the pace of those kinds of stories... Having a friend interrupt that kind of event is frustrating for the reader," There was genuine annoyance in Tsoryu's voice at that moment. "It's already a miracle that two childhood friends make that kind of progress."
There was passion in Tsoryu's tone.
"... How slow is the progression in one of those stories?" Isamu had never had time to read manga in general, so he knew nothing about the topic.
"Damn..." Tsoryu let out an exaggerated sigh. "Too slow, man. The worst ones are where the best option and the fan favorite are two different people."
"Well..."
"Also, why the heck do authors bother so much with the newly introduced character? It's obvious the childhood friend has an overwhelming advantage..."
"... Uh..."
"And the rival stereotypes are getting duller and duller."
"... Hey..."
"Also, why does the tomboy never win?"
"..."
No, it hadn't been a good idea.
"Besides..." Tsoryu looked at Isamu, who had a serious expression. "Ahem! The point is that Nimura and Saito need their moment alone."
"I understand," Isamu nodded. Both of them were going to ignore that little episode. "Let's eat then."
"Please," Tsoryu sat down and started rummaging in his bag. "... Do you like red bean jam-filled bread?"
With an expression that showed he didn't want that bread, he extended it toward Isamu with a shy gesture.
"... I don't hate it," Isamu took the bread and took a bite. After swallowing, he continued. "... But seriously now... do those two have that kind of history together?"
There was nothing strange about the bread. He would have known without any trouble just by touching it.
Nor was there any apparent change in Tsoryu, at least none that common human sight could notice.
"Maybe you won't believe it, but Nimura, Saito, and Shuko are the typical trio of good childhood friends," Tsoryu opened an orange soda, followed by an apple soda that he offered to Isamu. "... Or they were until last year."
'Last year.' Now all of Isamu's interest was in the story Tsoryu was about to tell.
"... Was it because of the natural disasters?" Tsoryu nodded, his expression solemn. The previous year had been filled with disasters of all kinds. "..."
Fatalists had called it 'the year of horror,' without knowing the whole story.
"Saito and his family were victims of an earthquake that destroyed their house," Tsoryu's voice sounded sad. Isamu's mind knew about that incident. "His mother didn't make it."
Isamu felt his chest heavy. Those earthquakes…
"... Have mercy..." Isamu murmured sadly.
"... Saito was in intensive care for quite some time..." Tsoryu took a bite of a chocolate-filled bun, swallowed it, and continued the story with a sad expression. "His sister had disappeared in Tokyo years earlier; it was the second family member they lost."
Isamu felt a shiver run through his body. He had a bad feeling.
"..." Isamu knew the reason behind the disappearances. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do at that point.
"We met during physical therapy," Tsoryu continued, not noticing the serious expression on Isamu's face. "..."
The expression on Tsoryu's face was one of slight nostalgia.
"... Were you also a victim of last year's disasters?" At least he was still alive…
"Nah," Tsoryu waved his hand, dismissing the idea. "Mine was for different reasons."
They both remained silent for a few seconds, letting the information sink in.
"... I'm sorry," Isamu said genuinely. "That was rude of me."
"Nah..." Tsoryu said calmly. Then he became serious again. "Compared to Nimura... it's nothing."
It took Isamu a moment to understand.
"Did she also lose her family?"
Tsoryu nodded with a sad face.
"According to rumors, Nimura lost her little sister during the tremor as well. It seems she decided to concentrate more on her modeling job because of that," Tsoryu looked at the sky. The clouds formed a very beautiful canvas. "I'm not clear on this, but it seems Shuko was key in making Nimura and Saito's relationship become distant."
'What a surprise,' Isamu thought, but internally, he couldn't help but be a little interested in the rest of the story.
"She's the source of the rumors, right?" Isamu's voice was serious.
Tsoryu's smile told him everything.
"Bingo. Apparently, she's the one who started the little rumor that Nimura offers services of another nature," The contained anger was noticeable in Tsoryu's voice. Isamu also felt his own anger surfacing in his heart. "Even though she's Saito's friend, I can say it's always disgusting to hear her speak."
Isamu remembered someone from his past.
"... Wow," Isamu didn't know what else to say.
"Without a doubt," Tsoryu said with noticeable disgust. "But Saito still sees her as innocent. Despite her sweet appearance, she's quite cruel when she wants to be."
"..." Isamu tried to recall what this Shuko looked like. Curiously, no clear image came to mind. "No idea who she is..."
"Pffft..." Tsoryu barely managed to hold back a laugh. "... Kuroda, you're savage. You should tell her to her face; her expression would be priceless."
Isamu smiled. Junpei reminded him a little of an old friend.
"You are more than anyone could guess at first glance," Isamu said with a calm expression. "Anyone could believe you're just a carefree guy in the crowd."
Tsoryu smiled, amused by that comment.
"Hey, I can't let you have all the mystery and charisma," Tsoryu offered him the soda again. "Besides... no one should judge another solely by their appearance, don't you think so, Kuroda?"
"Heh," Isamu allowed himself a sly smile. Such honesty was interesting. Finishing his half-drunk soda, he took the one his companion offered. "I guess a proper introduction is in order... I'm Kuroda Isamu, a pleasure."
Isamu brought his soda closer to Tsoryu, who clinked his citrus drink in a very sarcastic toast.
"Tsoryu Junpei," It surely wasn't the first time that name had been mentioned, but Isamu certainly didn't recognize it. "It's a true pleasure to meet the one called 'The Dark Lord' of Meisei."
Isamu felt the cringe run through his body. He knew ridiculous titles and nicknames, but that one, in particular, felt very embarrassing.
"... Why?" Isamu considered that he hadn't done anything to earn that title.
Isamu's question was accompanied by an expression of disgust, which drew a laugh from Junpei, who even hit the ground with his closed fist.
"Ooh, come on, Kuroda!" Junpei wiped a tear from the corner of his right eye and pointed at Isamu with an expression of feigned seriousness. "A silent, mysterious guy appears, hits everyone, gains a reputation, and then keeps his distance?"
"..." Honestly, said that way, Isamu could well understand how such an absurd title was generated…
Of course, that didn't mean he liked it.
"You should be thankful they didn't come up with something worse..." Junpei said confidently.
'That's true,' Isamu internally acknowledged. Among the wide variety of absurd titles they could give him, that one was probably one of the most normal.
"I guess you're right," Isamu decided it was a good time to eat. He unwrapped his bento and smiled, looking at the food Willow had prepared for him. "... "
Isamu's heart felt warm thinking of his friend. A sincere smile full of gratitude appeared on his face when he thought of Willow.
"Well, well... so you can smile like a normal person," Junpei's tone was quite funny.
Isamu was brought back to reality by Junpei, who was calmly eating a jam-filled bun.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Isamu put on his evil smile. "I'm always smiling."
Junpei frowned, his eyes scrutinizing Isamu with comical intensity as Isamu widened his smile.
"That very smile helped you earn the nickname 'Dark Lord'..." Junpei said in a serious voice.
Isamu stopped smiling instantly.
"Pfft..."
"Hey..."
Junpei suppressed his laughter, but unfortunately, he couldn't hide it in time. Isamu felt a touch of nostalgia.
He took a sip of his soda.
"Hey Kuroda, is it true that you like older women?" Isamu spat out his drink due to Junpei's sudden question.
"What kind of question is that?" Recovering, Isamu nearly shouted at the outrage.
"A risky and idle one," Junpei smiled freshly, raising his fist into the air with determined eyes.
Isamu gave him an incredulous look, followed by a look of feigned doubt.
"Where on earth do these rumors come from?"
"From your haters," Junpei seemed overly amused by the face Isamu was making. "Come on, man, how true are the rumors?"
"I'm not a womanizer..." Isamu felt a strange shiver run down his spine as he said that, "and honestly... I don't think I have a type..."
"You don't even believe that, yourself..." The expression on Junpei's face made it clear he wasn't buying Isamu's words.
"... Okay, maybe I do have a type of girl I like," (brown skin, brown eyes, with muscles and a smile that invoked good cheer) "but I'm not going to be out there shouting it from the rooftops."
"Heh..." The expression Junpei was making at that moment—a mix of amusement, mockery, and a bit of superiority—annoyed Isamu.
That expression brought back a bitter memory.
Immediately turning serious, the ghost of a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared where Junpei was sitting, giving him the same look as his companion.
He hated that expression.
"Ajitsuke..." Isamu whispered. Luckily, Junpei didn't seem to notice. "Hey, get that look off your face, it's disgusting."
"I will if you tell me your type," Junpei was brazen.
"Those kinds of things are only shared with trustworthy people."
Junpei stopped making that face and became serious for a moment.
"That's easily fixed," smiling, he extended his hand toward Isamu. "Let's be friends, Kuroda."
'What a coincidence.' The scene in front of Isamu took him back to his childhood.
'Let's be friends, Kuroda,' a blonde child extended his hand with a kind smile.
"Why this sudden interest in me socializing with others?" It was genuinely annoying to Isamu. While eating, he decided to solve the enigma once and for all.
"You seem like a good guy," Junpei said honestly, "plus, I think you could use some friends."
Déjà vu—different words, same sentiment.
"I have friends..."
"Good, with us, there will be more."
'Why doesn't anyone believe me!?' Isamu internally shouted, but decided to say something else.
"... You're a good person, Tsoryu-san, you didn't gain anything by helping Nimura." Isamu decided to show respect to his classmate; few dared to do what he had done. "Honestly, I didn't know she and Juro had that kind of history together."
It was quite obvious, but he hoped Junpei wouldn't notice the change of subject.
Junpei waved his hand as if to downplay the issue. Isamu paid attention to everything in his body language.
There was only sincerity.
"Nah, it's not that important... sincerely," Junpei's face took on a serious expression as he looked at the ground with a slightly lost gaze, "I simply don't like sad endings..."
Something around Junpei changed; it was subtle, but noticeable to Isamu.
"..."
Isamu remained silent.
"Saito never stops talking about Nimura," Junpei must be a confidant of Saito's. "He usually complains about her modeling work or how they were closer as kids..."
"..."
"Saito talks about Nimura with melancholy. Shuko isn't helpful either..." Junpei seemed to reflect on something for a few moments. "Honestly... why don't they just date already? Their high school romance has too many clichés."
His expression became carefree and amused.
"Romance clichés?" Isamu was lost again.
Junpei smiled while pointing at him with his index fingers.
"You know, misunderstandings, love triangles, and sappy scenarios sweet as candy," Junpei wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Surely you have experience with those cases."
"No," Isamu took another bite of his food. "No idea what you're talking about."
Junpei seemed to freeze in place. Outwardly, Isamu remained stoic, but inside, an epiphany hit him with the force of a train.
He remembered his past years. The image of a white-haired, black-eyed girl appeared in his head.
'You're kind, Kuroda-san,' she would say every time he helped her with something.
'I didn't want to be left alone as just the nice guy,' Isamu thought, slightly bitter.
Another girl came to mind, which increased his bitterness.
A girl with pink hair tied in two pigtails.
'I'm going to make sure you stop being an idiot; you just have to follow all my instructions.' Her cheeks were always red when they were alone.
'You wanted to train me like the perfect minion.' That girl always had a problem with control. Even so, Isamu saw her as a trusted friend.
Then his mind recalled his childhood friend.
Aimi, with whom he spent all the time possible; playing, training, cooking, and…
'I'm an idiot!' Isamu recognized. So much had happened between fights that he never acknowledged that Aimi and he had had a school romance.
At least that explained the comments about Aimi and him being a couple.
"Kuroda... you didn't have a school romance?" Junpei's voice was serious.
Isamu put a hand to his chin, taking on a thoughtful expression. Besides Aimi, had he had such a curious relationship with anyone else?
A voice in the back of his head reminded him of a few cases. Isamu wisely ignored it.
"No," he finally said, feigning confidence.
"I refuse to believe that." Junpei's face was too serious.
"What?" Isamu was surprised when Junpei grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Are you telling me that one of Meisei's most desired boys, who is the same type of person as Saito, didn't have a school romance?" Junpei looked comically serious, a hint of fake annoyance in his voice. "Don't take me for a fool, Kuroda, you handsome bastard... Aren't you close to the ace of the Kendo team?"
'I only help her with her classes, practice, we talk about things like swords and... Ooh.' A flash of understanding went over Isamu for a few seconds.
"We're just friends," a shout was heard in the distance.
"Like hell you are..." Junpei whispered, but Isamu heard him anyway. "Okay, let's say I believe you. What about the rumors about the woman with tattoos?"
'Kore,' his informant and owner of a store in the less 'normal' part of the city.
"She's a trusted person I sometimes do business with; she's a married woman, for God's sake." Isamu noticed Junpei's expression become embarrassed for suggesting what was implicit in his question. "Some rumors have no respect..."
He said that loudly enough for Junpei to hear. Junpei released his shoulders, looking embarrassed.
"I'm sorry Kuroda." The atmosphere turned serious for a moment, until Junpei's stomach growled.
"Here," Isamu passed his bento. There was more than enough for two people, and he was already satisfied. "For the soda and the bread."
Isamu noticed a curious glint in Junpei's eyes, then a genuine smile bloomed on his face.
For a second, Isamu saw Junpei's expression reflect a profound exhaustion.
'We are the same.'
"Thank you." That 'thank you' came from the heart; Isamu could feel it.
"It's normal to help others." Isamu recalled that valuable lesson.
The look on Junpei's face turned sad for a second before returning to normal, but with a trace of melancholy.
"I'm not so sure about that, Kuroda." Isamu felt his mouth strangely dry. Junpei wasn't looking at him, but at a memory. "I don't think it's normal for people to help each other."
"I'm sorry." Isamu raised his eyes to the sky, realizing he had unintentionally made Junpei recall something unpleasant. "...I didn't mean to."
"Saito and you are the same kind of person." Junpei's tone was strangely sober. Isamu felt the atmosphere around him shift.
Not knowing what to think of that, he chose to adopt a sarcastic and slightly mocking tone.
"What? Do I look like a cliché leader who gathers a bunch of people around him?" He attempted a joke.
Isamu knew that wasn't his role; he had grown up alongside someone who filled that role effortlessly and with an almost ridiculous ease.
"No." The firmness with which Junpei said that word impressed Isamu a little. "You are both good people who tend to sacrifice yourselves for the sake of others, even if it hurts yourself."
"..." Isamu thought of Saito and Miyako. Junpei knew more than he did. Suddenly, he felt lost. "Tsoryu..."
"Kuroda, I think you could trust others, even if it's just to ease the burden." Junpei got up from the ground. The bag with the buns now only had two left. "Well, I have to go back. Saito will need help buying time for Miyako. Do you want the rest?"
"Sure..." Taking the bag, Isamu realized that the break was over.
It had been a while since he had talked to someone like that at school.
"It was fun talking to you, Tsoryu." He meant it.
Tsoryu pointed at him with both index fingers and smiled.
"Call me Junpei, and the pleasure was mine." Junpei walked toward the door, stopping for a moment. "When you go to karaoke, I'll make you sing 'Dame Da Ne'."
Tsoryu smiled brightly, and Isamu copied his gesture.
"Not in your wildest dreams."
They both laughed at that. Junpei continued on his way.
"See you later, Kuroda."
"Take care, Tso... Junpei."
"You bet!"
And just like that, Tsoryu Junpei left the rooftop.
Isamu stood up alone, walked to the railing, and focused on the horizon. Thinking about it, he never quite finished analyzing the strange atmosphere around Junpei.
'He doesn't seem like a bad person,' Isamu thought for a few seconds. '...It's still weird how much he knows about romance manga... he would have gotten along well with Aimi.'
His friend was better at judging people; her instinct was rarely wrong.
'Maybe going to karaoke won't be so bad. It's been a while since I sang 'I Will Survive'.' His most malicious smile appeared every time he remembered the reaction to hearing him sing that song. 'Those faces were worth everything.'
The sound of thunder in the distance made him notice that a storm was forming.
"That's good." He smiled, thinking about a change in the weather. "We've had several sunny days; a storm would be a nice change."