Shun opened the door to the clubroom, the Disciplinary Committee's clubroom.
He came looking for Hiyori, hoping to ask what was going on with her. But he had another reason, too. Something more personal.
He wanted to speak to Shiyon directly.
Seeing his nerves, Miyuki Hanazawa decided to accompany him.
"Oh, Shun-chun~ <3 How are you doing? Shouldn't you be in class?" Shiyon called out, lounging lazily in his chair.
The room was empty—he was alone.
'Haah… there's no one else here…' Shun sighed in quiet relief.
"And Hanazawa-chun?" Shiyon added with a smirk. "You need something too?"
"Nah, I'm good. Just his bodyguard," she replied with a shrug, leaning casually on Shun's shoulder.
"Ahh… I see. How cute~ <3" Shiyon purred. "Then, tell me... Why would Shun-chun need a bodyguard?"
He tilted his head with a smile, though his tone turned sharp.
"Are you planning to topple me, Shun-chun?"
"N-No! Shiyon-san!" Shun blurted. "I… I came to tell you something."
"Oh? I see…" Shiyon muttered as he turned in his chair, his expression briefly shadowed. "What a shame," he whispered under his breath—then stood up, smiling vibrantly again.
"Then, I hope it's something important," he said, voice playful but edged. "Otherwise… I might have to punish you for skipping class coming here."
"Uh… Shiyon-san," Shun stepped forward, gathering his courage. "I've decided to stay in the Culture Club. I won't ask you to train me… or anything like that anymore."
"…Huh." Shiyon tilted his head, unblinking.
"That so?" Shiyon asked, sounding almost bored.
"Yes," Shun said. "I realize what you were trying to tell me. And I've made up my mind. No matter what happens… I'm going to stick with what I chose. Even if it's not through you, I'll find another way to get stronger."
He looked up, fist clenched.
For a brief moment, as Shiyon stared at him, something flickered behind his eyes... a distant image of Yuuno, years ago. His gaze softened.
"…I see," Shiyon finally said. "In that case, I'll forgive you for skipping class. Just this once."
"Y-Yeah… Uh… also, Hiyori…" Shun hesitated. "Is she really… happy here?"
He glanced down. "Sato-kun won't admit it, but he's… pretty broken up about her leaving the Culture Club. She's not being forced, right?"
Shiyon blinked, then stared at him blankly.
"What kind of question is that?" he said flatly. "Hiyoricchi's one of the few people I actually acknowledge for her strength. No one forces her to do anything."
Shun felt a chill.
'Why… does he look so empty?' he thought, remembering Shiyon's blood-covered expression at the resort.
'He looks… just like back then.'
"If that's all," Shiyon said, sighing as he turned back to his chair, "you can go. Tell Shizume-kun I said hello."
'He said kun this time...' Shun thought.
"R-Right. Thanks."
Shun bowed briefly, and he and Miyuki turned to leave.
As they stepped out, Miyuki gave Shiyon one last glance.
He was still smiling. Still cheerful.
But something behind his eyes…
'He sounds like himself,' she thought.'But he looks… different.'
'Is it just my imagination…?'
------------- MEANWHILE... Another situation was brewing.... --------
"Damn. It really makes me happy, ya know?" Sendo said as they both walked toward the gym. Kenichi looked down, his heart thumping in his ears.
"I... I'm really happy ya' wanna try Kendo again." Sendo murmured as he scratched his head.
Kenichi gasped lightly as he looked down, a subtle frown on his face.
"Ah… that so?" Kenichi murmured softly, trailing a few steps behind.
"Hey, that's Kenichi walking with Sendo," one of the students whispered as they passed.
"So they finally worked it out, huh?"
Murmurs echoed around them. After all, Kenichi had exploded a while back over his childhood friend dating Sendo and even quit the Kendo club because of it.
Some students found the sight refreshing. They saw Kenichi walking beside Sendo, assumed he had matured, and smiled. Nothing seemed out of place, so they simply looked away and moved on with their day.
But seeing that earnest light in Sendo's face… it pinched Kenichi's heart. Especially knowing the real reason he asked to "train" with him. He thought, maybe this was a mistake...
... However when there's something genuine... Where there's depth and vulnerability...
"Hah," a student suddenly called out, "I guess he no longer minds being a cuck!"
"…!!"
…There's always someone ready to tear it down for their own vanity.
"Hey, Kenichi! If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Maybe he'll let you sit on the chair while they do it!"
They laughed.
"Gotta be it," one of them added. "No one walks with the guy who cucked him unless they're hoping to be part of it somehow!"
Purpose doesn't matter. Complexity doesn't matter. The least emotionally invested are always the first to shout. They mock, dissect, and tear things down; not to understand, but to feel superior to those who actually create, who risk something real, who try to grow.
Maybe Kenichi would've changed. If the ones who cared had ever spoken as loudly as the ones who didn't.
"Don't listen to those fucks—HEY! Kenichi ain't a CUCK, YOU FUCKERS!" Sendo barked, startling the crowd.
But by then, it was too late. The damage was already done. The blow had already landed right where Kenichi was most vulnerable.
He couldn't unhear what they said. Couldn't unsee their mocking expressions. Couldn't forget how it made him feel.
Kenichi clenched his teeth again, his hatred and resolve reinforcing within him.
'No… What am I even feeling guilty for?'
'They're right.' He thought, his fist tightening.
'He fucking deserves this…!!'
"Sorry, sorry…" the students muttered sheepishly as Kenichi and Sendo kept walking.
Sendo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's aight. Don't listen to—"
Kenichi brushed it off subtly, but firmly.
"…Let's just get to the gym, please?" he said quietly, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Sendo sighed, watching Kenichi walk on.
"…"
After a moment, he followed.
'I'm so close… I'll bring Sendo down. He shouts and struts around like he owns the school. Like he owns Hina… No. I won't let him keep doing whatever the hell he wants…' Kenichi thought, gaze lowered.
'I just have to do what Yuuno said… Alright.'
'Fuck… it still hurts…' he winced, clutching his arm. 'Where he hit…'
EARLIER....
"Stay still. You don't want me to hit somewhere really painful, right?" Yuuno said calmly, his tone soft but cold, gripping the shinai in his hand.
'That look…' Kenichi stared at him. 'If I didn't know better, I'd think he actually hates me…'
"I know we need to do this, but it just hurts... I can't help it—" Kenichi tried to reason, but Yuuno cut him off.
"What did I just fucking tell you?" His eyes sharpened. "I guess you don't mind your girl getting railed by Sendo, huh?" he spat, his lip curling as he lowered the shinai.
"I guess your resolve isn't all that, then. I was wrong about you. Let's stop here—"
"I… I do!!" Kenichi shouted. "I-I want him to stop! P-please… keep going!"
"…"
Yuuno gave a faint smirk.
"Then..." he raised the shinai again.
"HOLD STILL."
--------------- PRESENT -----------
"ALRIGHT!" Kenichi shouted, facing Sendo alone in the gym. He raised his shinai toward him, voice trembling with fire.
"I'm ready, Sendo-kun! Give me everything…!! I… Look at my Kendo!"
Sendo grinned wide, eyes shining with excitement as he raised his own shinai.
MEANWHILE
"Huh?" Hina murmured as she spotted Yuuno. "Yuuno… senpai…?"
She stood with her friends, who immediately began whispering among themselves, starstruck.
"Woah, he's so tall… and pretty."
"Oh my god, he's hitting on youuuuu!"
"A love triangleeeee," they teased with giggles and flushed faces.
"H-Hina, right?" Yuuno said, looking at her casually.
"A-Ah… is there something you need?" she asked, still a little stunned.
"Oh. Nothing alarming," he said, calm and cool. "It really shouldn't bother you, but… Sendo-kun is your boyfriend, right?"
She nodded, her expression tensing slightly.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Oh—no, no. Nothing. It's just…" He rubbed the back of his neck, flashing a sheepish smile. "I think he's being a little too hard on Kenichi in the gym. I happened to walk by and saw them. Not alarming or anything. It's Sendo, after all. He wouldn't hurt a mosquito. That's all."
With that, he turned and walked off.
'Alright… good. Now she's bound to go there.' he thought with a smirk, catching her glancing back toward her friends who were already whispering and giggling about checking it out.
Before long, they were heading toward the gym.
BACK IN THE GYM
"Saying dees things…!!" Sendo shouted. "IF YOU SHOUT LIKE DAT, I'MMA GET EXCITED!! DON'T BLAME ME IF SOMETHING HAPPENS!!"
His hands gripped the shinai tight, feet shifting forward.
'He… he likes Kendo again…!' Sendo thought, a rush of emotion rising inside him.
'I'm… so happy…!!'
But in Kenichi's mind, a very different memory played back, with Yuuno's voice echoing in his head.
"If you say that to that moron," Yuuno had said, leaning against the wall with a half-smirk, "he'll spring right at you. All you have to do is get hit. And fall."
"Let me, and the bruises you've taken from 'Sendo', do the rest."
'Yeah… just like he said.' Kenichi thought, steadying his breath.
Sendo came sprinting at him, broadcasting exactly where he was going to strike. Kenichi knew it. Being in the same club with Sendo, he could tell... Sendo was holding back.
But Kenichi had already made up his mind.
He raised his shinai, ready to block. Then, just as their weapons were about to clash, he loosened his grip.
Sendo's strike landed squarely on his shoulder.
"Ah, sorr—" Sendo began, but Kenichi flung himself backward, letting out a sharp cry of pain.
Sendo blinked, head tilted. He knew that hit wasn't strong.
"Dude, what're ya doin'?"
"AAAHK!" Kenichi screamed, hitting the ground hard. "IT HURTS...! SENDO-KUN, NO MORE…!"
"Ahh!?" Sendo growled, stepping forward. "I didn't even hit ya that hard!"
"SENDO… PLEASE… STOP!! STOP!!!"
"Hey, are ya joking with me—"
"SENDO-KUN, STOP!"
A voice cut through the gym like a blade.
Sendo's eyes darted to the entrance. That voice… he knew it. Hina. She stood there, eyes wide, flanked by her friends.
Sendo's mouth opened. He didn't understand what was happening, it all went down too fast. But then it clicked.
If he didn't say something fast, she'd think he actually hurt Kenichi.
"I-I just hit him once!" he called as Hina rushed to Kenichi's side. "He just collapsed! I didn't—he—!"
Hina flinched as she peeled Kenichi's collar aside, revealing mottled blue marks blooming across his skin.
"Once…?" she growled.
'What…!? This is way too much for a practice run!' she thought.
"SENDO-KUN, HOW COULD YOU!?" she shouted, reeling back toward him.
"Hina! What's up!?" her friends ran in, only to freeze at the sight of Kenichi's bruised body. Then they turned to Sendo, his lips parted, stunned. His face pale.
"I… I didn't hit him there!" he shouted. "I didn't! I just struck his shoulder! Kenichi, tell her!"
Kenichi flinched, biting his lip hard.
'You serious, Sendo-kun...? You really can't see what's happening here? Oh…' his thoughts pounded behind his smirk.
'You've had everyone sucking up to you for so long… just like Yuuno said. You need to be humbled. You took her from me…'
"It's… okay, Hina," Kenichi said hoarsely. "Sendo… I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt me like this. I asked for the match, after all…"
"H-Huh…?" Sendo's eyes narrowed, finally registering it.
He's lying.
"YOU BASTARD!" he snapped, making everyone flinch.
From the shadows, a figure smirked.
"I FUCKIN' HIT YOU JUST ONCE!! YOU LYIN' PIECE OF SHIT!! YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF OR SOMETHING!? SO SHE'D WANNA FUCK YOU OR WHAT!? GET UP!!! GET UP SO I CAN BEAT YOU FOR REAL!!"
Even though Kenichi had doubts… even though he knew this would ruin Sendo's reputation—he couldn't help but grin. Sendo's breakdown played out exactly as planned.
'Serves you right…'
"Please… Sendo…" Kenichi wheezed, sitting upright. "I've already accepted… that you're dating her… That she'll never be mine. I just… wanted to be in the Kendo club again."
Hina stared between them, torn.
"Hina," Kenichi added softly. "He probably just really loves Kendo. I'm sure it wasn't on purpose…"
Hina's gaze softened as she looked at him, bruised and trembling.
"HINA!!" Sendo exploded. "I DIDN'T FUCKIN' DO ANYTHING TO THAT LYIN' PIECE OF SHIT!!" His shinai trembled in his grip.
"…Sendo-kun," Hina said gently. "I get that you love Kendo. But Kenichi-kun isn't the type to fake something like this. You… go overboard with everything Kendo-related."
"You probably didn't even notice or—"
"I NOTICED EVERYTHING!!" he screamed. The girls shrank back. Hina and Kenichi flinched as if standing in front of a beast.
"I DIDN'T FUCKIN' HIT HIM THAT HARD!! OR THAT MANY TIMES!!" he shouted.
"So this is 'not hard' to you?" Hina snapped, pointing at Kenichi's injuries. "This much is 'not many!?'"
Sendo froze.
"Hina… it's fine," Kenichi whispered. "He just… really loves Kendo... So it's really hard for him to hold back at times..."
Sendo clenched his teeth, rage flooding his veins.
"YOU LYING PIECE OF SHIT!!!" he screamed and lunged forward, grabbing Kenichi by the shirt and began pummeling him.
"AHHK—!" Kenichi recoiled, shielding himself, but Sendo was relentless.
"I FUCKIN'—" hit
"DIDN'T—" hit
"SENDO-KUN, STOP!!!" Hina screamed, trying to pull him off.
"HIT"—hit
"YOU!!" Another blow cracked his nose, blood spraying.
"Sendo's beating him!!" one friend shouted.
"CALL A TEACHER!!"
Sendo looked up, wild-eyed.
"YOU CALL NO ONE!!! I DIDN'T DO SHIT!!" he roared.
The room went silent. Frozen by Sendo's roar.
And then, in the stillness, he saw their faces.
They were all staring at him. Terrified.
His lips parted. The rage drained from his expression. He looked down.
Kenichi was crumpled beneath his fist.
"N… Nah… I… I didn't hit him…" he mumbled, stumbling back as his face turned pale. He released Kenichi and took a step away.
Hina quietly moved to Kenichi's side, checking his bruises, trembling as she did. The others stood frozen, eyes fixed on Sendo like he was a monster.
"Nah… I ain't… I didn't hurt him… D-Don't look at me like dat…" he whispered.
But they kept looking. Not speaking. Not moving.
Just watching.
'Why… why are they… scared? I didn't… Why'd he lie? I…' His heart thundered in his ears.
Sendo had stared down threats bigger than him without blinking. He'd fought, bled, and stood his ground even when his life was on the line.
But now, surrounded by a few students, and the girl he liked staring at him like he was a monster... he felt powerless.
Like this was a fight he could never win. Like no matter what he said, how hard he swung and fought… no one would ever take his side.
And in that moment of uncertainty…
Sendo turned and ran from the gym.