That Blonde Guy

Chapter 4

As the two outsiders that were causing the commotion in our school--who happened to be the leaders of an infamous gang--landed their eyes on me, I just stood there like a wide-eyed marble statue. I was literally frozen. I couldn't get myself to move. My heart was pounding frantically not because everyone's attention was on me, but because Ken Ryuguji and Manjiro Sano were now walking towards my direction.

Damn, I should've just stayed in the cafeteria.

I didn't know what to do. The whole school grounds fell silent as everyone watched how the two infamous Toman leaders approached me. If Sayuri wasn't with me during that moment, I swear I could've fainted and collapsed on the spot. As my legs started shaking, I felt her arm wrapping around mine as she moved closer to me and furtively whispered, "bitch, chin up."

Girl, how? I can't even fucking blink.

Manjiro Sano stopped in front of me with both hands on the pocket of his pants, the lollipop in his mouth causing a lump on the side of his cheek. Ken Ryuguji was standing behind him, wiping his bloodied fist. They just stood there and looked at me--as if remembering my face--before Manjiro Sano broke the eye contact and roamed his eyes around the entire place.

"So you're from this school, huh," he said in a low, uninterested voice while looking at the school buildings to the right. He then turned his head to his friend standing behind him. "Oi, Kenchin. I think I've been here before."

"Yeah," Ken Ryuguji answered. "This is Takemicchi's school."

Takemicchi?

"Ah, yes, Takemicchi's school, I remember now." Manjiro Sano's face lit up. "Let's go to Takemicchi, Kenchin!"

"Mikey, we're here for the girl."

"Huh?" He paused. That's when he turned back to me, and he moved his head back a little when he realized I was still there. "Oh, yeah. Dorayaki girl."

I was just looking at him. Despite my racing heart and wobbly knees, I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and tried to look as confident as I could. It wasn't a wise thing to do to just show that I was afraid of them or they'll take opportunity of my fear so even though my tongue had dried up for gulping too much, I gathered almost all my strength just to ask him this: "W-what do you want?"

"Your brother," Ken Ryuguji simply said. "Take us to him."

I felt Sayuri's grip from my arm tightened. Yuki?

"W-what for?"

Manjiro Sano took the lollipop out of his mouth and leaned closer to me. He looked staright into my eyes and said in an intimidating serious voice, "I'll beat him into a pulp."

My jaw tightened.

The fear that I was feeling turned into anger in an instant the moment I heard what he said. I clenched my shaking fist as I heard a silent, "shit" from Sayuri beside me.

"Leave my brother alone," I firmly said, my lips trembling.

"You think you can tell me what to do?" He cocked his head to the side and leaned even closer, our faces just inches away from each other. "Who do you think you are, huh?"

I gulped.

I felt my face heating up and I wasn't sure whether it's because of what he said or because of the fact that his face was too close to mine that I could already smell the sweet strawberry flavor of the lollipop from his breath.

Or maybe because of the fact that he had chocolate-colored eyes.

I felt Sayuri's desperate little pinches in my arm as if telling me that its time for us to run but I didn't move an inch. I was looking at Manjiro Sano's eyes and he just stood there, doing the same.