As Sora made his usual way home from school, he noticed a girl he had seen around the hallways. Oh, she was the one talking with the dumb prez back then, said Sora to himself, walking behind her.
Aki was walking ahead of him. However, something seemed amiss. A group of troublesome delinquents from their school had targeted Aki, teasing and taunting her as they followed closely behind.
"Hi... wanna hang out for a while with us?" said one of the delinquents.
Aki stayed silent, just walking her way home. Then, one student held her hand tightly and asked her for her contact details.
Sora, looking at all of this from behind, thought, "Don't invite any problems, Sora. Run from problems, or else you will become a problem." Sora thought about changing the route but stopped. In the depths of Sora's memories, a vivid flashback unfolded, transporting him back to a time when he was just a middle school student, surrounded by the echoes of his past.
"No, Sora..." he turned back, and with quick thinking, he surveyed the surroundings, searching for something that could provide a distraction without causing harm.
Nearby, he spotted a parked bicycle leaning against a fence. With a surge of adrenaline, Sora swiftly approached the bike, knowing he had to act fast. With practiced precision, he grasped the handlebars, positioning himself to give the bike a powerful push.
In one swift motion, Sora exerted all his strength, sending the bicycle hurtling through the air. He aimed to create a distraction rather than harm, ensuring that the bike would pass by the delinquents without causing any issues, causing them to turn their attention away from Aki. The sudden commotion allowed Aki to escape from their grasp.
"Damn, who was that?" they turned around, and Aki was running. "She is running!" one of them exclaimed. "Damn it, anyway, let's go now."
Sora ran behind Aki to see if she was okay. He saw her at the corner of the street and approached her.
"Hey! Are you okay?" said Sora calmly.
"Yes, kind of. Was that your bicycle?" she asked.
"Uh... umm, no?" Sora replied.
She started laughing, and Sora asked, "What's wrong?"
"You just... someone else's bicycle... seriously," she said, still laughing a little.
"I will put that bicycle back in its place, don't you worry about that," Sora reassured her. "Sorry, sorry... Thanks for saving me. It was a big help," she said gratefully.
"It's all good. No need to thank me... just back then, someone helped me like this, so that made me do the same."
"Oh, is that so? By the way, we are in the same school! What class?" she asked.
"Class D, second year. I transferred just two days ago here," he replied.
"Oh, okay! Alright, see ya. Gonna be late otherwise," she said.
"Dang it. Me too, gotta run. Bye!" Sora started running and stopped, looking at her back, he asked, "By the way, what's your name?"
"It's Aki," she replied.
"Alright, Aki. Take care." He ran away on his way home.
"I didn't ask his name... well, we might meet again in school, though," Aki thought as she started walking back to her way home.
When Sora arrived, he found his house eerily quiet. His parents were nowhere to be seen, and there was an unsettling darkness that engulfed the rooms. Sora called out their names, but there was no response. Fear crept into his heart as he realised something was seriously wrong.
