The biggest question I had was: Why? Why was Asuka being bullied? 

I continued to ponder this question throughout the day, remaining distant but observant of the socialization around me. Luckily, the first day of school wasn’t too serious. It was mostly introductions. The second half of the day was relatively easy. There was a tour of the school and a free exploration period where the clubs could entice new first years into joining. 

Kobayashi, as the class rep, seemed to be quite dutiful in her role as she took it upon herself to hang out with Asuka and I; the cute and cheerful Fujiwara tagged along as well. 

We toured the different clubs in a leisurely manner. At the very end of the day, the four of us returned to the classroom to grab our bags before going home. Fujiwara and Kobayashi lived in the opposite direction of Asuka and I, so we split up at the gate. 

“Ne, Keicchan, are you going to join the soccer club?” Asuka asked on our walk back. 

“No.” My answer was almost instantaneous. But after a moment’s thought, I added on, “Only if you do.”

Asuka laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t want to either.” 

Curious, I inquired, “Why not?” I had always wondered why Asuka hadn’t attended Fumizuki Academy in the past; we were equal in terms of skill in soccer. She surely would’ve received a scholarship offer as well. 

“Because then I’d have to move away from grandma, and I don’t want to.” Asuka said honestly, a small smile on her face. “Grandma’s getting older now, so I want to be with her as much as possible.” 

That made sense. I understood her sentiment. “I also want to spend time with my family.” I replied. “Since my dad left us, my mom hasn’t really been present. It’s up to me to take care of Kei-chan now. I only have my little brother left.” 

As we neared Yazawa Middle, the bustling kids ran past us. It seemed everyone was quite excited after their first day of school.

“Hurry up! We’re going to miss it!” 

“To the park!” 

It seems that quite a significant amount of middle school kids were running off to play at the park. 

“He’s going to beat the shit out of Ikeda!” 

Ikeda?

I stopped one of the running kids. “What’s going on? Where is everyone running off to?”

The kid looked a little annoyed as he replied, “The park! Someone’s going to get beat up!”

I shot Asuka a look, and she looked confused but also concerned. We quickly followed after the crowd. At a nearby park, there was some commotion as kids surrounded three figures. Two of the kids I didn’t recognize, but I definitely recognized my little brother, Kei-chan! 

“Reicchan!” Asuka called after me as I pushed my way through the crowd. 

One kid, who was clearly older and a third year middle schooler, was beating down on my little brother. Kei-chan wasn’t one to take things without a fight, so he was equally clutching onto the older kid’s body while biting and scratching. 

“Break it up!” I shouted, garnering the attention of everyone present. 

The shouting voices suddenly quieted, but whispered voices continued. 

“Hah? Who is this meddlesome bitch?” The third year middle schooler said in a haughty tone. He was tall and a bit lanky, clearly overshadowing my little brother in height and strength, but his face was twisted in an ugly expression. He had a flashy red pomp on his head and carried himself like a delinquent. 

Kids are really uncivilized these days… 

Kei-chan was tossed to the ground during the interruption. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, and his clothes were smeared with dirt. He looked up at the sound of my voice, staring at me in disbelief. “Nee-san!” 

“Oh, so it turned out to be Ikeda’s big sister. I couldn’t tell because she’s so ugly compared to him.” A young girl’s voice spoke in a sarcastic manner. “But then again, a pathetic kind of guy can only have such a pathetic-looking sister.” Her laugh sounded like soft high bells, which contrasted with the cruel mocking tone of her voice. The speaker was a pretty young girl with long brown hair thrown up in pigtails. She had big black eyes and a fair complexion. If she hadn't spoken, I would’ve thought she was just some innocent little girl. But that didn’t seem to be the case here. 

I ignored her remarks and immediately went to Kei-chan’s side. “Kei-chan, are you okay?” I looked him over from head to toe, taking note of all his injuries. 

He clutched his right arm tightly and gritted his teeth. “It’s nothing. I’m fine…” He seemed embarrassed at me catching him in such a scene. This was the second time I’ve saved him from bullying. 

I looked at my pitiful little brother’s soft white cheeks that were now scratched up and swollen. His knees were bleeding from the gravel. I deliberately lowered my voice and asked, “Do you want me to carry you home?”

“Nee-san!” Kei-chan whined with refusal. “It’s fine, let’s just go.” 

I was torn between following Kei-chan’s wishes and wanting to nip this problem in the bud. If I take Kei-chan home today, who’s to say that these people won’t do the same thing tomorrow when I’m not around? Should I just take care of them all at once? 

Just as I was about to stand up, Kei-chan gripped my arm and shook his head. 

Sigh.

I couldn’t go against my cute little brother’s wishes. 

“Kei-chan, Reicchan, are you guys okay?” Asuka said worriedly as she finally pushed her way through the crowd after us. Seeing Kei-chan’s injuries, Asuka gasped and quickly took off her backpack. Luckily, out of habit, Asuka and I carried a first aid kit in our backpacks because of sports injuries. 

“Let’s go home.” I said with a sigh, helping my brother to stand. 

“Who said you can go!?” Shouted the young girl with an angry expression. 

I rolled my eyes. “Who says we can’t? Are you going to force us to stay?” 

“You can’t ignore me! I’m the leader of the YZW gang!” The young girl screamed in a petulant manner. 

Asuka and I looked at each other in confusion. Wasn’t the YZW gang’s leader a couple? 

“Look here little girl, I don’t know who you are and why you have such a grudge with my little brother, but this ends today.” I said with finality. “You’re lucky I won’t press charges.” 

“You- You-” The pig-tailed young girl looked like she was about to cry out of frustration. “How dare you talk to me like this! I’m going to call my big sister!” She pulled out a phone and dialed a number. 

I was just surprised that she had her own phone. Wasn’t this 2011!? Why does a middle schooler need a phone? But… then again… It would be a good idea to get Kei-chan one too. 

“You guys are totally goners now! Daring to bully Hina!” A scrawny little girl standing next to the pig-tailed girl shouted. 

“Don’t worry, Hina-chan, I’ll avenge you!” The tall lanky middle schooler looked at the pig-tailed young girl with an expression of adoration. Then he turned to us and lunged forward. 

However, he was immediately stopped by swift movements. With a sweep of her long legs, Asuka knocked the tall lanky middle schooler off his feet, causing him to fall onto his butt with a loud cry. 

“Thanks, Asuka.” I smiled, continuing to focus my energy on bandaging up Kei-chan. His knees were wrapped up, and luckily, it seemed he could stand up without too much trouble. 

“No worries!” Asuka grinned with a bright smile. 

Asuka and I had a tacit understanding with one another. She was my best friend, and she always had my back. 

“I really don’t want to beat up a little kid though,” Asuka frowned a little as she looked down at the fallen kid. “You should stay a good kid and sit down, okay?” 

Asuka was usually a nice and friendly person, so most people didn’t know that she had this side of her. Growing up, Asuka was always the more courageous, outgoing, and brave one of the two of us. She especially liked to play hero games when we were younger. Thus, I didn't doubt that she would be protective over us.

The tall lanky middle schooler looked dumbfounded as he looked up at her. It seemed that he couldn’t believe he had been brought down so easily by a girl. 

“Don’t underestimate a soccer player! I’ve trained my body for years to peak physical condition, okay?” Asuka smiled down at him. 

The tall lanky middle schooler shivered at Asuka’s nonchalant smile as though seeing a monster. She exuded a charismatic presence that was somewhat overbearing, causing him to be a little intimidated. 

Ah, Acchan was so cool! 

“D-Don’t think you’ve won just yet! You’re gonna get it when Inoue-senpai gets here!” The kid shouted as he scrambled back onto his feet and returned to the young girl’s side. 

Asuka looked at me. “Inoue? Like YZW gang’s Fuyuko Inoue?” 

I was equally surprised. So it seemed like this little girl wasn’t just playing around. She was actually connected to the YZW gang. 

“Are you scared now? Knowing that you’ve offended me, the little sister of YZW gang’s co-leader?” The young girl named Hina-chan said in a haughty tone. 

“Nee-san, let’s go home.” Kei-chan urged, tugging my bag. 

“En, we’ll go home.” I smiled and pushed back his hair, brushing away the dirt from the fluffy bird’s nest on his head. I didn’t care to bother with irrelevant people and directly ignored the fuming young girl as I helped Kei-chan walk away. “Does it hurt too much?”

“No.” Kei-chan replied. I knew it must’ve hurt more than he led on because his eyes were watery after I cleaned and bandaged his wounds. But my little brother was being so cute and brave that I wouldn’t point out his lie. 

“Let’s go, Acchan.” 

“En.” 

The three of us began to walk away. The crowd parted easily for us, and shouting voices could still be heard. 

“Just you wait! Are you actually running away? Coward!” The annoying voice shouted after us. “Wait! Stop it! Fucking listen to me, damn it!” 

What a foul mouth that kids have these days. Tsk, tsk. 

Just as we hit the sidewalk in front of the park, I felt a shiver down my spine. 

Bam!

“Reicchan!”

“Nee-san!”