Chapter S7

Today is the 7th of January also the first day of school after the winter holiday.

At the moment, Aki will have physical education, but that's when the teacher announced something unexpected.

The unexpected announcement caused excitement among the students in class 6.D. When their teacher revealed that they would have a special PE class with class 8.C, the anticipation was palpable.

"Yay!! We will have P.E. with Raven and Nikkita!!"

"I must look good!!"   The girls were going crazy.

The reason for the unusual pairing became clear when the P.E. teacher announced that the students in class 6.D would be trained by their older counterparts in class 8.C.

The older students were tasked with measuring their younger classmates' jumping height, throwing distance, number of jumping jacks, and push-up capacity.

It was a surprising turn of events when Aki learned that they were going to have a joint P.E. lesson with 8.C. And to make things even more unusual, the teachers had arranged it so that the older students would be the trainers and the younger students would be the ones being tested.

As they prepared for the lesson, the P.E. teacher announced, "Okay, eight graders, split into groups of three to five and choose one or two sixth graders!"

Raven, Nikkita, and Matyas emerged from the crowd and turned their attention to Aki.

Raven pointed at him, smirking.

"Shit." He felt a wave of nerves wash over him, wondering if he would be able to live up to their expectations.

"Hello, Weeee...!!"

"We meet again, junior."

'Damn, this is worse than I thought.'

As they began the different exercises, Aki tried his best to stay focused and make the most of the opportunity. He jumped as high as he could, stretched his arms and legs for jumping jacks.

As the time to perform jumping jacks approached, Aki couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment that washed over him. He knew he was being watched by his older peers, and the thought of exposing his physical capabilities in such a way made him uncomfortable.

As the teacher began to count down, Aki's nerves only intensified, and he struggled to concentrate on his own performance. With each jump, he felt the pressure to prove his athleticism to the others, which only served to make him more self-conscious.

Despite his inner turmoil, Aki did his best to focus on the task at hand, pushing himself to complete as many jumping jacks as possible.

As the teacher announced the end of the exercise, Aki let out a sigh of relief, grateful to have completed the task without any mishaps.

"Two hundred and twenty two, not bad, junior!!" Nikkita praised.

When it was Aki's turn to do push-ups, he felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he realized that one of the eight graders would have to hold his legs.

'This is worse than the jumping jacks.'

The thought of someone holding his legs in such a vulnerable position made him feel flustered, and he couldn't help but dread the moment when it would be his turn to perform.

As he got into position, Aki could feel the eyes of the three boys on him.

He took a deep breath and began to lower himself down to the floor. Raven held his legs, Nikkita was giving him motivation, and Matyas was standing, unbothered.

With every push-up, he could feel his muscles straining and his body shaking. He was giving it his all, but the pressure of the situation was starting to get to him.

And then, he heard Natasha's laughter. He looked up to see her giggling at him from across the room, and the realization that she was watching him made his face turn even redder.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he felt like he couldn't go on.

Despite the embarrassment he felt, Aki couldn't let it stop him. He gritted his teeth and continued to push through the exercise, doing his best to ignore the laughter and the attention.

It felt like an eternity before the teacher announced the end of the exercise, and Aki was grateful to finally be done.

As he collapsed onto the floor, feeling exhausted and humiliated, Aki couldn't help but feel a pang of regret for agreeing to participate in the physical education lesson.

'I'm going to get you, Nat.'

Physical education was finally after two hours done.

Next day:

The morning started of poorly: He overslept and was late for math class with Ms.Anar, and as always, Ms.Anar was in a bad mood.

"Can this 6.D. class make me happy someday, huh?! All you do is annoy me every day, I swear!" She yelled when she saw Aki.

"I apologize." Aki whispered.

And because he didn't know that today they have geometry instead of maths, he didn't bring any of the supplies.

Feeling a mix of nerves and embarrassment, he turned to his classmate, Suzuki, for help.

With a hopeful smile, he asked her if she had any extra rulers he could borrow.

Unfortunately, their exchange was interrupted by a sharp yell from their math teacher, Ms. Anar.

"Are you serious?!" She glared at them with a mix of anger and disappointment, feeling as if they were causing a disturbance in the class.

"First, you show up late, and now you're having a chitchat in the middle of class? Both of you, detention!"

Her words stung like needles, and Aki's heart pounded in fear as he realized their fate was sealed: an extra hour of detention after school.

Throughout the walk to the principal's office, Aki's nerves reached a fever pitch. He was sweating and shaking with fear, feeling like he was going to be punished for his small mistake.

Even worse, Suzuki seemed to be angry at him, refusing to acknowledge his existence.

Arriving at the principal's office, Aki felt like he was in a nightmare.

He tried to explain what had happened to the principal, but his words kept getting stuck in his throat.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the principal decided on their fate: a stern warning and an extra hour of detention after school for the both of them.

It didn't get any better.

After leaving the principal's office, Suzuki was still visibly upset.

"We didn't get expelled or anything, and friends get detention all the time, right?" Aki pointed out, attempting to soothe the tension between them.

But Suzuki's anger only seemed to deepen, her voice rising in indignation. "Friends? Is that what you think we are? I only view you as a translator. We aren't friends, got it?" She spat, the severity of her words leaving Aki reeling.

With that, she stormed off down the hallway, leaving Aki alone in the empty corridor. He stared after her for a brief moment before slumping against the wall, feeling numb.

The sting of her words hung heavy in his heart, and he couldn't understand what he had done to make her so angry. He just asked for rulers.

He tried to gather himself and make his way to his next class, but his head was swimming with thoughts of what could have gone wrong between him and Suzuki.

He had thought they were friends and had enjoyed spending time with her, but it seemed that for Suzuki, he was just an translator.

Aki felt a pang of loneliness as he stepped into the busy hallway, filled with hordes of chatty students.

He knew he would have to face the consequences of his actions, but the thought of spending the next hour in the boringly silent detention room was almost more than he could bear.

He wished for someone to reach out, to talk to him, to help him feel less alone. But as he watched the stream of students pass by, he felt alone.

Natasha is the only person remaining.

Aki was spending his lunch break in the cafeteria, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, three boys from 8.C approached him, catching him off guard.

"Hey, junior, why the long face? Did you get dumped?" Nikkita asked, a grin on his face.

Aki tried to hide his devastation and mustered a weak smile.

"Just heartbroken over my favorite anime character's death," he lied, hoping they would leave him alone.

Raven and Nikkita exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

"Alright, see ya later," they said in unison, turning to leave.

Aki turned his attention to his lunch, trying to push the encounter out of his mind. He didn't want to dwell on it or let it ruin his day.

Aki was enjoying his lunch, that's when he saw Nat. Natasha stormed over and grabbed him by the shirt. Her eyes were wid,  and her fist was clenched, ready to strike.

"What did you do to Suzuki?" she burst out, her voice dripping with anger.

Aki was completely caught off guard by her sudden aggression and had no idea what she was talking about.

He tried to protest his innocence and explain what had happened, but she wasn't having it. She is in love with Suzuki, after all.

"Poor Suzuki, she doesn't deserve this avoidant, uncaring friend like you!" Natasha exclaimed, her words cutting through the noisy cafeteria.

Aki was shocked and hurt. He thought that Natasha was on his side, but it was clear that she saw him as the villain in this situation.

He felt betrayed.

As Aki's argument with Natasha unfolded in the cafeteria, the other students were quick to pull out their phones, eager to record the drama unfolding before them.

The sudden attention was overwhelming for Aki, who felt his anxiety spike as all eyes were now on him. As the argument escalated, Aki's heart rate soared, and his face flushed.

He felt trapped and overwhelmed, unable to escape the stares and the phones pointing at him. He could feel tear drops forming at the corners of his eyes. This is too much.

Eventually, he could bear it no longer and stormed out of the cafeteria, leaving behind a sea of stunned faces and an army of recording devices.

He ran back to his dorm, seeking the safety and comfort of privacy, but even there, the memory of the arguments and the public humiliation followed him like a ghost.

His eyeglasses fog up, tears uncontrollably streaming down to his cheeks.

  Why Nat? Why? Why? Why?  Why? WHY? WHY?

Blades. Blades, that's what he needs to relieve pain.

He took them out from his drawer.

The next thing he remembers is him lying on the floor, his wrists covered in blood.

Why am I still alive? They will only start caring about me after I die, right?