Your Protector

Chapter 7

He wanted to fall to the ground and not move the entire day, but his parents wouldn't allow him, as they have said loud and clear, "Be a man and tough it out!" Taro despised that remark, especially since he knew his parents were saying it out of spite, but he wasn't going to be a baby about it. He has been dealing with this since he was thirteen, this is nothing he can't handle. He just hoped that no one was going to notice.

Keeping his wincing to a bare minimum, Taro slipped on his indoor shoes when a strong hand gripped his shoulder, startling him.

"Good morning, Tar!" his best friend greeted in a loud, cheerful voice. How he had that sort of energy in the morning, he did not know.

"Morning, Budo," he greeted back with a small smile. "Shouldn't you be in your club?"

"I just got here, and I don't like to start the day off without greeting you," he chuckled as he ruffled through Taro's black hair.

Taro playfully pushed his hand away. Just then a painful shot grew in his thighs, and he couldn't hold back a wincing gasp. Budo looked at him with genuine terror.

"Oh God, are you okay?" he asked in an almost panicked voice. He grabbed Taro's shoulders to hold him steady. If this was Osoro's doing, he swore he was going to–

"Y-yeah, I'm alright," Taro reassured as he stood back to his full height, still clutching his lower stomach. "I just... did a workout after school yesterday, and I'm feeling the effects of it today."

"Ah..." Budo whispered. He didn't know Taro started working out, and he was a little betrayed that he never told him. They could be working out together...

Unless, of course, he was lying and was trying to hide the real reason he had gasped in pain. If that was the case, Budo had a feeling it was because of his parents. Had their abuse reached physical territory? If it had, Taro needed to tell him now; he would gladly take him in to get him away from them.

"Budo?"

The martial artist jumped slightly. "Uh, yes?"

Taro furrowed his brows with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I'm going to get to my club now, see ya," he waved his dear goodbye before walking away.

Once he left, Taro sighed with relief. "This is not going to be an easy day," he mumbled to himself.

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For lunch, Taro and Budo were with Osana and Raibaru in the courtyard. As expected, Raibaru was enraged upon hearing that Osoro only got a two-week suspension, as opposed to being expelled.

"I mean, seriously! What is it going to take for the guidance counselor to just expel them all?!" she shouted. Osana had to calm her down by easing her to lay down in the grass and take a deep breath.

"She does seem to have a soft spot towards them..." the ginger-haired girl mumbled as she rubbed her best friend's arm.

"For whatever reason! They don't even respect women," Raibaru grumbled, staring up at the clear blue sky.

Budo had his lips in a thin line the entire time. Every now and then, he would glance at Taro with a knowing look. He was debating whether he should tell Raibaru the truth; it does no good keeping it from her, but is it better to tell her? He knew what her reaction would be, but in her condition, she'd be smart not to pick a fight with him over it.

Budo was looking down at his half-finished bento, but when Taro elbowed him, he looked up to see that the boy was motioning him to speak up about the truth. The martial artist still remained unsure if this was the best idea, but he'd rather have Raibaru hold a grudge against him than disappoint Taro, so he took a deep sigh before speaking.