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Chapter 17: How we used to be

"Come on in, Kazutora, before my Mom comes back from work." 11-year-old Keisuke Baji said. 

The amber-eyed friend of his nodded and walked quickly inside the apartment complex. It's his first time in Baji's place so he couldn't help but look around.

"Wait here for a bit." Kazutora nodded as he watched his friend walk into a room to get the first aid kit. The two of them just came from their first gang fight as Tokyo Manji Gang against Junpeke's weak gang, his fake friend who turned him into a money tree a year ago. They got separated from Mikey and the others because the police started to swarm the area. Thankfully, they managed to get away.

"Ouch! That hurts like shit, Baji! Do you even know what you're doing?!" The short-haired boy with short temper squirmed and almost swatted Baji's hand away. Baji has come back with the kit, and started to tend to the mild wounds of Kazutora.

"Man up, you dumbass! You tried to take on a WHOLE gang by yourself. Of course, it would fucking hurt!" The brown-eyed boy raised his voice against his friend who was acting like a sore loser. Kazutora could only click his tongue because his friend is right.

But aside from enduring the soaring pain of the antibiotics and alcohol, Baji has no talent for nursing someone so his hand is rough that the boy with golden eyes couldn't bear with it much longer.

"Ugh damn it, Baji! I'd rather go to the hospital than be treated by someone like you!" he's annoyed and the brown eyes could only laugh. He probably enjoy hurting his friend and the reactions that come with it.

"Stop being such a pussy, Kazutora, and just bear with---" he said as he shoved the cotton with lots of alcohol on it to the poor boy's face.

"I'm home." Two boys looked at the entrance and what showed up is a young girl with short hair wearing a school uniform and about the same age as them.

That was their first meeting, Kazutora and Yukino.

"Welcome home." The young owner of the place replied. Young Kazutora looked at the brown-haired girl who walked in his friend's apartment complex as if she lives here. The two met eyes, but Kazutora was the first to look towards Baji's direction.

"Who's she, Baji? Your sister?" he asked quickly. Baji only frowned his eyebrows and crossed his arms.

"Of course not, shithead. She is the daughter of my Mom's best friend. She lives with us now. Yukino, he's Kazutora, the one I told you about yesterday."

He met eyes with her gray eyes. He looked at her blank face, as if incapable of smiling. 'Why does she look at me like that? Is she trying to intimidate me?' he thought. But before he could say anything, the girl offered a handshake to him.

"It's nice to meet you, Kazutora-kun. My name is Yukino Miyazaki." First name basis on the first meeting? He didn't like that one bit. So instead of taking her hand, he looked away and frowned at Baji.

"I don't make friends with girls like y--" Before he could continue, he felt a strong pinch on his right cheek. It hurt him more since it is swollen from the earlier fight.

"What with the attitude, Kazutora? Do you want me to pour boiling alcohol on your wounds?" Brown eyes are fuming with rage as he looks at a pair of golden eyes.

"Keisuke-kun, please stop it. You'll make his wounds even worse." Kazutora felt Baji's pinch loosening up as he saw the girl holding his friend's wrist. Then, he saw the way Baji's features softening up when he heard the girl's voice.