Chapter 58

Syl and Kei were sitting in the boiler room with Ayanokoji's passed out body and blood everywhere.

"How are you doing?" Syl asked.

"Honestly, I've been better."

Syl nodded. "If it's any consolation, you can give him a good punch while he's out cold."

Kei giggled. "After what you just did to him? He really might die."

Syl laughed. "He actually might die even if we don't do anything."

"WHAT?!"

Syl fell over laughing. "I'm kidding! Relax!"

"Don't joke about something like that!" She said as she smacked him.

Syl chuckled. "I can't believe you're taking his side! Stockholm! Is that you?"

Kei scowled. "I'm not taking his side. I just feel bad. You just smacked him around, he didn't even hit you once."

Syl chuckled. "Well, I did warn him not to try and fight me. I also gave him an out halfway through, it was his own desire to see if it was possible for him to lose that brought him here."

"What does that mean? It sounded like he had a really bad childhood, what was that about?"

Syl shrugged. "Not my place to say, just like you don't want me to tell people about your past, he doesn't want people to know about his. But, I can say that it was fucked up."

Kei nodded and looked at Ayanokoji with a complicated look in her eyes. "I almost want to help him."

Syl laid down on the ground and shrugged. "Go for it, it's your choice."

Kei was hesitating. "But…"

"I won't let him." Syl said.

"Huh?"

"I won't let him do anything like this again, plus I don't think he will in the first place." Syl responded to the unasked question.

"R-really?"

Syl nodded. "You're my friend, Kei. Of course I'll help you out. I actually think that he would help you too if you gained his trust, though, that's a daunting task."

Kei sat silently in thought. "Maybe I could fix him?" She mumbled.

Syl spit out. "Ahahaha! 'But I can fix him' Hahaahaha! A classic!"

Kei looked at him. "What?"

Syl cleared his throat. "Ahem, nothing."

Kei kicked Syl's shin with her heel.

"OW! What the fuck?!" Syl grabbed his injured shin.

Kei smiled. "I already did better than Ayanokoji! Maybe I'm stronger than him?"

She made a cool fighting pose.

Syl raised his hands in defeat. "I surrender! Please! No more shin kicks! You're wicked!"

Kei sat back down with a smile on her face. "I'm just too powerful."

Syl rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, your majesty."

At this point Ayanokoji stirred.

Kei looked nervous for a moment before taking a deep breath and relaxing.

Ayanokoji finally sat up.

Syl and Kei didn't even react when he did.

He looked around. "Did I really lose?"

Kei snorted. "Uhhh… yeah dude. You like, totally got your ass kicked. It wasn't even close."

Ayanokoji looked thoughtful.

Syl was still laying on the floor. He yawned. "It was fun, we should do it again sometime."

Ayanokoji looked down at his battered body. "I don't think that's healthy."

Kei and Syl laughed.

There was a moment of silence. Eventually Kei spoke up. "I might be able to help you… just a little."

Ayanokoji looked at her. "Are you talking to me?"

Kei nodded. "But you have to prove you won't blackmail me again, or ever tell anyone. You need to gain my trust."

Ayanokoji was silent. "How do I do that?"

Kei turned around. "Figure it out yourself."

She walked away.

Syl smiled. "It's a good thing I stepped in early then. If I had let you go any further she would have hated you."

Ayanokoji sighed. "I don't understand. Why would she help me?"

Syl smiled. "Humans are complex, maybe she's just coming out of her shell already. But honestly, I think she sees a bit of herself in you."

"In me? How?"

Syl smiled. "A broken person, someone whose past has forced them to become someone they never wanted to be. I think she wants to fix you."

"I can't be fixed." Ayanokoji said with an expressionless face.

"Wanna bet?" Syl asked.

Ayanokoji stayed silent.

"Good choice."

Ayanokoji looked back down at himself.

"Are you happy? You finally lost." Syl said.

"It feels… strange." He replied.

Syl smiled. "Like you want to kick my ass next time?"

Ayanokoji nodded.

"That's called being competitive. You're upset that you lost." Syl laughed.

"Is that so?"

"Did you reach a conclusion?" Syl asked.

Ayanokoji shook his head in denial. "Can you really read my mind? There's no way you should know that."

Syl chuckled and scratched his cheek. "Would you believe me if I said it was magic?"

"Honestly… I might. You're doing things that are impossible, the only explanation is the supernatural."

Syl was shocked. "You're a surprisingly open minded person."

Ayanokoji shrugged.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Syl asked.

"I won't change anything, you're an anomaly, I still want to see if that man was right." Ayanokoji replied flatly.

Syl nodded. "Wanna hear my opinion?"

Ayanokoji nodded.

"No body is created equally, that gap is only widened when we grow up. Equality is a lie people tell themselves to make them feel better."

"Is that so?" Ayanokoji said.

"Yup, I also don't think that anyone else here stands a chance against you, heck, I could only beat you cause it was a fight, anything that wasn't athletic and who knows what would have happened?"

Ayanokoji looked up in thought. "I wonder if that's true?"

Syl smiled and stood up. "Only one way to find out. "

He offered Ayanokoji a hand.

Ayanokoji took it and pulled himself up.

"What are you going to do now?" He asked Syl.

Syl smiled mysteriously.

"Who knows?"