Starting School-Akitaba

Chapter 4: Defend

As promised,here you go!

~~~

Many days have past and so far no conflict really has been made.

But things started to take a turn for the worse.

It all happened during lunchtime,Futaba was called upon by Suzaki and Kura.
Futaba just expected they were gonna try and convince her to go with them shopping with them again,but Futaba didn't really feel completely safe in public just yet other than her being with Akira and the others.
So she has politely refused in the past.
Unfortunately,this was not one of those times.

"Futaba,can we talk to you for a sec?"
Suzaki spoke up as she put her tray of food on the table.Kura was sitting right next,having both of her hands held together.
"What's up?"
Suzaki cupped her cheek with her own hand,
"We noticed that...Ever since the first day..."
"Mm-hm?"
Futaba was eating her food and sort of spacing out.It was kind of a habit of hers so this could quickly be misinterpreted as her being ignorant,which she was not.
"You have been hanging with....some unique people lately..."
"Mm-hm."
Suzaki then put her hands on the table and looked worriedly.
"Like...I understand you're new,and you are curious about the different people and meeting them.Thats totally understandable...."
"Mmm."
"But....me and Kura here are a bit worried for you...."

Futaba's POV:

Worried? 'Bout what?
I kept eating my food.I didn't really couldn't hear what they were saying earlier until the "worried" part.
I'm sure it's something minor...Nothing to big right?

"Mmm?Why worried?"

Suzaki looked down,trying to think carefully what she's going to say next.
Kura seemed to be getting impatient.
"Well-We....we see you hanging around with that transfer student...."

Crap.
"Yeah?So?"
"Um....you see...."
Suzaki seemed to be twiddling her fingers in anxiety,and that's when Kura had it.

"We think you shouldn't be hanging out with him anymore..."

~~~

About the same moment,Akira was about to get into the cafeteria and noticed Futaba hanging out with the girls again.He was about just pass by and say hello until he overheard one of them say,
"We think you shouldn't be hanging out with him anymore..."

Immediately,that caught his attention.He had a bad feeling about those girls since the beginning.Futaba reassured him just a few days on their last conversation back at Leblanc,

"Are you sure everything's going well at school?With your friends...?"
"Don't worry about it!Everything's fine!"

It's not that he didn't trust her,in fact the contrary.He did trust Futaba,a lot even.
But even so,he always had this sort of....overprotective thing whenever it comes to her.
Like,he instinctively felt like he needed to watch over her.
Since they were sitting fairly close to the entrance to the cafeteria,he decided to stay behind a wall nearby,trying to avoid being seen.
"Mm-!"
Futaba choked on a piece of food hearing those words and eventually managed to catch her breath moments later.
"W...What?I'm sorry,did I hear that correctly?"
Kura had her arms crossed and looked at Futaba with dead eyes.
"Did I stutter?"
Futaba felt a bit uncomfortable...not just because of the way Kura spoke,but a very dark and bad feeling kept rising inside of her.
"I'll repeat,we don't want you hanging out with that troublemaker anymore..."
Futaba started to get annoyed and replied,
"And why's that?"
Suzaki finally found a chance to speak and started to speak softly,
"W...We feel that since you seem to be...well...a nice girl and all...we don't think you should get involved with him anymore...."
The orange haired girl's eyes widened in shock.And then responded,
"Why do you guys think I shouldn't be around him anymore?"
Kura took a deep breath.You could tell she was pretty done with this whole thing.
"Look,Futaba.Don't take it the wrong way,but we don't want him getting you in trouble or manipulating you into doing something bad...He does have a criminal record for Christ's sake....So we order you to stay the hell away from him."

Order?
Was she serious??
Futaba started to clench her fist underneath the table.She knew eventually this would happen.She knows they probably are just worried for her...This entire thing was so frustrating for her,because they have no idea what he has done for her.

Way back then when the whole Medjed thing happened,she contacted him to help her,and even if she then declined the offer for them to help her,he did it anyway.
He and his friends helped her out of suicidal depression state.
They risked their lives to help her out.Even they didn't even knew her that well.
They helped her grow as a person.
Even after all that,he was the one who helped her get out of her shell and reconnect with society again.

Akira gave her life back.

"I mean,why do you even hang out with someone like him?I know he seems calm but I bet when he's losing it....He'll just cause a lot of trouble.I don't even know why the school would even let in such a scumbag like him!He got a criminal record for assault!!
So you shouldn't be hanging around with a bastard like him,Futaba.We're doing this for your own go-"
"You're wrong..."
Kura then looked at her,she looked pissed.
"What?"
"I said you're wrong!!!!" Futaba got up and
spat.
Those hurtful words....She will not stand for it no more.
"Are you nuts?!Futaba,that boy is NOTHING but trouble!!"
"YOU'RE WRONG!!"
Futaba finally had it.
"What is wrong with you people?!You guys just keep mistreating him left and right!!You guys claim to be suuuchhh good people,when in fact,SURPRISE!!YOU GUYS ARE BULLYING HIM JUST BECAUSE OF YOUR STUPID JUDGEMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS!!!"

At this point,everyone in the cafeteria got an earful of their conversation.

"You guys are very quick to judge and yet you guys can't even give him a break!!Has he hurt you guys in anyway?!No!!!So why do you guys keep insisting he's such a bad guy,huh?!"

As of now,Futaba was furious.Kura was also mad but Suzaki was just terrified,and the only one who seemed to notice they had an audience around them.
"Futaba,we order you to-"
"And what makes you think you guys can just,choose whoever I can be friends with?!You guys have NO control over me!!"
Futaba sneered,as she got up and took her leave.
Without noticing,she ran past Akira who standing right there in shock at what just happened.
And then....
*RINNNNNNGGG*
The bell rang.
Time for everyone to go to their respective classes.
Kura then stood up and grabbed Suzaki by the arm and walked off pissed.
Akira just stood there and one question just ranged through his mind.

"What the hell was that?!"