A Brother's Sacrifice

I quickly hid behind a wall so as to be unnoticed. Reika was talking to her boyfriend while blushing a little. Her boyfriend was handsome but I felt uneasy about him.

They walked towards the opposite direction from where I was. I waited until they couldn't be seen. When the coast was clear, I casually walked to the door and entered the house.

It seems like her boyfriend, Murasaki came to the house to pick Reika up for the date. At that moment, an unknown emotion was surging in my heart. It was neither satisfaction nor jealousy, but something even bigger and even worse.

It was an indescribable feeling to me that was familiar in its own way. I tried to subside this feeling, and it took a long time accomplishing it.

Still, thinking about those two makes me feel that I have done my duty. I started to smile and went to my room to rest a bit.

.....

It was time for dinner and Reika wasn't home yet. I was starting to get worried about her. I had just taken a shower and I was about to eat dinner but suddenly, the door opened.

"I'm home."

It was Reika. I wanted to go near her and respond to her, but mom came in front of me so as to prevent me from doing so.

"Welcome home Reika, did you have dinner?"

"No mom. I'll take a shower and will be back for dinner."

By the look of Reika's face, she was definitely happy but also exhausted. She directly went to the bathroom.

We all had our dinner and went off on our own. I let Reika enter her room first to let her calm down. Then after a few minutes, I opened her room's door.

She was a bit startled but gave an understanding look, which makes it look as if she expected me to come to her room. I closed the door behind me and I took a seat in her chair.

She was sitting on the bed and was staring at me restlessly.

"So, how was it?"

She was looking down to her bedsheets and then looked at me with a delighted face.

"...It was a success!"

"Thank god that it went well."

Reika was trying to say something but the words were stuck in her throat. After having given her advice on her date, I have fulfilled her demands.

"Since I completed your request, can I leave now?"

"Don't you want something in return,...as a reward for helping me?"

A caring smile was shown in my face upon hearing her say that one sentence.

"No. I didn't do anything so major, that's why don't bother yourself with me."

I stood up and went for the door. Reika hasn't still said anything to me. The moment the door opened, Reika mustered the courage to face me.

"Brother, thank you for helping me!"

I didn't turn back to look at her. I just simply waved my hand to her without looking back. That small gesture made Reika feel happy but somehow distant to me.

...

The morning sun greeted my face. But I refused its gratitude and instead, I covered my face with my bedsheet. Suddenly, my bedsheet was forcefully pulled and the rays of the sun were irritating me.

"Brother, wake up! It's already morning and you're a bit late!"

"I know! Just let me sleep more."

"Whatever."

She just left my room. My relationship with her has improved, as before, she wouldn't even try to wake me up. I felt relieved by a bit.

At school, everything was normal. In homeroom, there was an announcement about a 3-day study camp. The goal of this event was to further improve or make new relationsh.i.p.s with other teachers and students.

And the other purpose was to revise for the upcoming Midterm Exams. It was like hitting two birds with one stone. I have to go too even if I didn't want to because that was compulsory for all students.

But what surprised me the most was that Aki was eager to go. Apparently, although Aki likes to fight, she also doesn't want her grades to be bad or even average. Hence, she is more than ever willing to go to the event.

Since all of the first-years will participate in this 3-day study camp, that means that Reika and her boyfriend also will come to the study camp.

In the break, when me and Aki were going to the cafeteria, we coincidentally met our homeroom teacher, Mr Kimura. He was as fearless as ever when he was around me and Aki.

"Good day to you Mr Kimura."

"...Good day to you too,...Kaburagi."

He looked at Aki for a moment before he redirected his line of sight towards me.

"Are you heading to the cafeteria too?"

"Yes, sir. Hope you don't have any problem accompanying me."

"Speaking of problems, there's good news for you two. You and Fujimoto won't be expelled from school."

As I heard that, my mouth went into the form of a wicked smile. I decided to taunt Mr Kimura a little bit.

"You don't sound too happy about it sir. What could be the matter?

"No.....its nothing."

With our conversation ending like this, we quietly went to the cafeteria. When we got our food, Mr Kimura went to the staff room to eat and as for us, we were sitting on our personal seats.

After school, Kinoshita was following me to the rooftops. Miyake, as always, couldn't say anything when watching us. But the old Kinoshita is long gone. He isn't some weaklings that Miyake should be worried about.

Unexpectedly, Aki also followed us. Usually, she would just go straight home but today was something different. She said that she wanted to see how I'm training Kinoshita.

Before starting the training, I wanted to assess Kinoshita.

"Tell me, Kinoshita, if you see an opponent bigger in muscles or fatter, how would you beat him?"

After some time of thinking, he answered calmly.

"I would use my opponent's strength against himself."

"That's correct. How did you know about that?"

"I...watched it in some movies."

A moment of awkward silence was surrounding us until I continued my lecture.

"Listen Kinoshita. In a fight, you shouldn't use only your power and strength to beat the enemy. It's being smart and wise that will help you in a fight. Your hands and legs are just tools. They are controlled by your brain, so in a sense, use your brain mostly."

"Right."

After that explanation, he started to practice some moves that I taught him. He already perfected the simplest and most basic move in only 3 days.

I approached near Aki and observed Kinoshita simultaneously.

"What did you do to him?"

Suddenly Aki started to question me.

"What about him?"

"He is so different from when I've known him. He seems like more determined to learn. Did you do something to him during the weekends?"

I chuckled at Aki's question. Aki looked at me and said,

"Sorry. It was wrong for me to say it after all."

At that sudden moment, the door to the rooftop was opened with enough force, that it made a loud bang on the rooftop.

A figure, with a conspicuous crimson red hair, was coming out on the roof.

'It seems like a lion is coming to hunt on its prey, or should I say that a prey has come into the lion's den?"