[THIS CHAPTER MIGHT BE DISTURBING FOR SOME READERS.]
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[The jellyfish song (MUSIC BOX VERSION)]
[Tendou's POV (flashback)]
I was never popular in school. Most kids stared at me like I was a scary animal. Their glares felt like it was freezing the blood in my veins... I despised it. When a kid pushed me, others joined in, starting a one-sided battle. I usually laid on the cold, hard floor, letting myself get beaten. Oh well, I wasn't born to have good looks anyway. We often say: don't judge a book by its cover. Let me tell you. It's not a saying people often respect. Even my professors seemed too afraid to help me sometimes, and they get paid for that. I even have to cut my hair into a bowl cut to look less intimidating. Instead of intimidating, they mocked me. It didn't change the fact that my big eyes stabbed their souls every time I looked at them.
One day after school, I was walking the 2 kilometers needed to get home. My parents felt that it was too embarrassing to be seen with me in public. They knew I wasn't loved in school. Some of the mean kids I noticed followed me home. Grabbing pieces of broken glass found on the sidewalk, they used that to slice my arm. When I arrived home after they let me go, my dad scolded me. He kept telling me I wasn't his son and that I would end up having to live alone when I start high school. My mom? She was a drunk, as she drinks all the time. I never had a good relationship with my parents. I'm an only child, I have no friends, and I have parents who loath me. My only friend was mister bear. A plush I found in a big dumpster when I thought I lost my parents. It turned out it was them trying to abandon me when I was five until the police found me and asked me who my parents were. When I arrived home that night, it wasn't a hug that awaited me, but a freezing basement, my father locked me in whenever I "wasn't behaving well." I wasn't eating, nor was I drinking for whole days sometimes. This hell lasted till I reached high school.
My parents then finally disowned me. Since then, I've been waiting impatiently for that moment. Even if people in school were still trying to get on my nerves and disrespect me, I kept a big smile on my face as I was happier than ever. Sad, isn't it? When you're content that your own family abandons you. I know some people can relate to me. I can't be the only one who is the black sheep of the family. This is how I try to remain strong. I know a lot of others who are in the same boat as me. And we are all fighting this battle.
*Hold on... who's that? Does an ace want me on his volleyball team? But who is he? There's a bunch of others who seem to invite me with open arms. Aren't they afraid of my looks? Are they not scared of my huge eyes, small pupils staring into their spirits like I'm going to smash them into pieces? They're all so blurry, and I can't recognize them...*
[End of Tendou's POV (end of flashback)]
Tendou just bought his new phone as he exited the store. Slipping his hands into his pocket, the young fellow contemplated the blue sky. It's been a while, and it hasn't rained in his city for some time. The weather was nice, nice enough to hang out all day under the warm sunshine. Inspecting the area around him, Satori noticed two kids bullying a little girl. Fed up with the attitude of the children, he sprinted towards them to stop their harassment. The two intimidators didn't have time to fight back as they were afraid of Tendou's reaction to their cruel action. The little girl observed the red-haired man, hesitating to thank him as he seemed a bit scary to her. She ran away instead.
Tendou didn't mind; however, he smiled as he reached into his pocket for his phone. He noticed a piece of paper that was lying in his pocket. The phone number Hayato gave him yesterday was still there. It reminded the young man that he could contact the brown spikey-haired boy. He brought his phone next to his chest and dialed the number.
"Hello? this is Tendou. What were you saying yesterday about the next time I see anyone being violent?"
