War, battle, whatever you called it — it did not apply to him. He did not care.
He gathered his things and headed for the exit.
Matsuda, noticing this, shouted, "Wait — Naritu?"
Naritu stopped. "What?"
Matsuda exhaled. "The Freshman War is about to start. Where are you going?"
"Where else?" Naritu replied calmly. "Home."
The other students looked after him in confusion, and then Fang barked, "What? What the hell is this? He's quitting? He was the one who said he'd represent our class."
Naritu turned around abruptly and, pointing a finger at Ren, said indignantly that he had never said he would fight.
Ren smiled awkwardly. "Wait. You beat him. Remember? You knocked out the strongest guy in the class, so obviously you're coming."
Naritu stepped into the hallway and declared loudly, "I don't remember beating him."
He kept walking. Matsuda followed him, shouting, "Wait! Where are you going? I'll fix everything! You have to be here, Naritu!"
Naritu did not slow down. It's not my problem. I need to get to the preparatory courses. The first-semester mock exams are coming up soon. If I score high enough, I'll get into the advanced class. I don't have time to waste on meaningless things. I have goals for the future. I need to prepare. He should understand that, right? Fighting at our age is just childish and stupid. I'm tired of his nonsense. They should all leave me alone.
With that, Naritu walked away.
Matsuda watched him go and sighed in resignation. Several students immediately came over to him.
One of them chuckled. "Looks like you just got abandoned, huh?"
Rayma Miyamoto threw an arm over his shoulder and said, "Hey, Matsuda. Where did your class's member run off to?"
After a while Naritu went outside and thought that he had never wanted to be part of this community, much less fight for it. But for some reason he had been chosen to lead an event he would avoid at all costs.
Maybe I overdid it, but he still follows me around. Now he's even spreading rumours that I'm the strongest. It's too dangerous. Being chosen isn't a privilege. It's an unwanted burden. I really should stay away from Matsuda. Let this system collapse without my participation. Whatever happens to him next is no longer my business.
Damn it. His phone was blowing up with notifications. He could not concentrate.
One of the messages was from Matsuda.
A video? But I never gave him my contact information.
He froze. Wait. What the hell?
Attached to the message were several videos and a line of text. Your friend is in danger.
He had a really bad feeling about this. He opened the video.
On the screen, Rayma was beating Matsuda. Matsuda was sitting on a chair, tied up, stripped, covered in bruises.
Matsuda. He's tied up.
In the video, Rayma punched the air and barked, "Okay, that's enough. Tell us where Naritu is."
Matsuda, gritting his teeth, croaked that he did not know.
Naritu stared at the screen. Is he asking where I am? Why isn't Matsuda talking? Why is he putting up with this for me?
Rayma grabbed Matsuda by the head and drove a powerful knee into his chest. Naritu clenched his fists. Why did I treat him so coldly? Why is this happening?
Rayma went on punching, shouting, "One more time! One more time!"
Kiritani was watching through the window.
Matsuda shouted hoarsely, "I won't say it. I'll never say it."
Rayma asked coldly, "Really? It doesn't matter." He grabbed a chair, swung it and growled, "Die, freak. So your righteous hero never showed up after all. You're finished."
But the next second, someone's hand suddenly caught the chair leg and held it, and the chair did not come down.
Rayma froze, then barked in surprise, "He finally came."
Thirty minutes earlier — the Shaon High School staff room.
The teacher yawned widely at his computer and then stood up and went out. At that moment Kiritani came into the room and muttered, "Damn, he really is careless. No wonder the students are out of control." He walked over to the computer, glanced at the screen and added, "How careless."
He found the class lists, and the pages opened for him one after another. Thank goodness. Here's the information about the guy I'm looking for.
A card with Naritu's data appeared on the monitor. Kiritani licked his lips and whispered, "Jackpot."
Then he sent a message to Naritu.
Naritu was standing in front of Toi Preparatory School. He had just opened the video he had received, and the screams came out of it.
"Do you know where Naritu is?"
On the recording, Matsuda shouted, "I don't know. I'd never say anything."
Naritu froze, then thought: what the hell is going on? How did it even come to this? Why? Why is Matsuda going through all this?
He remembered Matsuda trying to persuade him to take part in the Freshman War. Honestly, at first he had been nothing but a nuisance. And frankly, that feeling had never completely gone away. But Naritu's upbringing did not allow him simply to walk past. Helping others was the right thing to do.
But could he really call him a friend? If I interfere now, I'll get into even more trouble.
But this was an important moment. He felt it with every fibre of his being.
His father's words flashed before his eyes. Don't make a choice you'll regret. Even if it kills you.
The next second a new message from Kiritani popped up on his phone. Your friend is going to die soon. Did you know?
Naritu took off and ran towards the school.