Fikush-ON!

Ch. 31: Bitter Coffee, Sweet Tea

At some point, I just woke up from my thoughts. I found myself standing next to a side alley, leaning against the wall behind me. I held my hands in my hoodie's pockets, and didn't seem to find a comfortable resting position for them. The afternoon sun, painting the street with its orange hue, was simply too bright, too blinding, so I closed my eyes, hanging my head low. The sound of the town around us was overwhelming, soon turning into an ear-piercing, high-pitched ringing. It felt like my legs would give up any moment. I felt nauseated, the taste of gastric acid constantly lingering in the back of my mouth. My head was pounding, the countless thoughts and emotions racing in my mind. Confusion, regret, fear... But mostly fury.

And then, a hand was carefully placed on my shoulder.

"Eiji-kun..."

Almost instantly, my strength was back. The ringing was gone from my ears. Once again, I opened my eyes, and turned to look at my side. I was met with Ui's worried face. Trying my best to get a grip, I straightened myself up, taking a deep breath. However, no matter how hard I tried to stay strong, I still ended up hanging my head low once again.

Minute or two passed, when I heard a vehicle driving off. Raising my head a bit, I saw that it was the ambulance. In the back of that ambulance lies Ichiro, who was beaten up just moments ago. Taking a better look around me, I also spotted Tadaaki, who was watching as the ambulance drove off. Just seconds later its sirens started blasting, startling me, and probably many others in the vicinity. The ambulance disappeared around the corner, the sound of the sirens getting more and more distant. After standing there for a moment, Tadaaki finally turned around to face me. He had a few bandages on his bruised face, and he was holding a gel ice pack against his cheek. He also looked... tired, to say the least.

Tadaaki walked over to us, and sighed, explaining in a low voice: "A fractured rib and internal bleeding... They also suspect abdominal trauma."

"Oh my gosh..." Ui gasped quietly, shocked.

"Yeah, well, nothing they can't fix. He'll be fine eventually, but still..." he muttered, his voice trailing off.

"...What a fucking mess."

It was quiet as we just stood there, save for the occasional car driving by. Aside from Ui, Jun and Tamiko were also here a moment ago, as they had come with her. They all had given me chase after I had suddenly bolted off. I really wish they wouldn't have done it, as they encountered the same horrible sight as I did: Tadaaki and Ichiro, beaten up and bruised, and the latter squirming on the ground in pain. When the ambulance arrived, the area needed to be cleared of any unnecessary bystanders. I told the girls to head off back to school, and that I'd meet up with them later. Ui was the only one who didn't listen to me. She's been by my side the whole time. But, now that the situation was over, I decided to try again.

"Ui-san," I called out for her. "You can head back. I'll catch up with you."

"But, Eiji-kun..." she muttered.

"I'll be fine. I just... I need to be alone with Tadaaki for a bit," I said. "You're gonna get marked as absent at this rate."

Still looking reluctant, Ui glanced downwards, thinking, and then back at me. All the while, she had that worried expression on her face.

"...I'm just worried that... those hooligans will come back," she explained, her own words scaring her a bit.

"They won't," I reassured her. "We'll stay in public. Even if they came back, they wouldn't dare to do anything with lots of potential witnesses about. Tadaaki and I will just talk for a few minutes, and then I'll meet up with you back at Sakuragaoka. Okay?"

To soothe her, I placed my hand on her head, and crouched down a bit. Seconds passed as Ui and I were looking at each other. Her watery brown eyes were sparkling in the afternoon sun. I could sense the uneasiness in her. It was clear that she was unwilling to leave me here. And then, she finally nodded.