“Hey wait!” I called out trying to hold the person back.
But it seemed that the person still ignored me and continued walking. Although he walked very slowly. Making me easily catch up with him.
“Why are you avoiding me?” I pulled the hand of the person who was Naru.
Naru turned around this time she looked at me with a gaze that was hard to interpret. “It's just your feelings. It's nothing,” she said.
Obviously her words contrasted with her actions which seemed to be avoiding me. Even though I thought this problem was over.
“Answer me honestly. Your attitude is very strange. If you don't give me an honest answer, I'll feel even more annoyed with you.” I may have sounded like I was threatening her but really, I just wanted to know what was really going on with her.
She sighed heavily. It looked like she didn't want to answer me and wanted to avoid me. But I was already holding her back, making it seem like she couldn't help but respond to me in the end.
“I... I just feel embarrassed about what happened yesterday. And I also haven't apologized to you for what happened during our training. That's all. I feel embarrassed when dealing with you,” she replied.
I who heard her answer, this time did believe that she was speaking the truth. It was obvious from the blush on her face that she couldn't hide at all.
“You idiot. You could have talked to me directly. Well although I didn't expect that you could also feel embarrassed for something like this.”
Naru covered her face. This time she looked nervous herself. “If I apologize to you. Will you forgive me?” she asked in a trembling voice.
What the hell is this? Why was Naru acting like a shy little girl apologizing to her boyfriend?
“Don't say anything else. I already feel more than enough to hear you. The problem that happened between us is over. That's why you should behave yourself and stop acting like a jerk.” I stared intently at Naru.
Naru slowly lowered her hands from her face. “Alright. I honestly feel uncomfortable with our quarrel.”
“If you feel guilty you shouldn't shy away. That only makes it harder. You're a man so speak directly and clearly.”
It's also strange that when men fight, it feels like a drama-filled women's fight. It honestly felt ridiculous to me.
“I see,” Naru said with a face that now looked much more cheerful.
And when the matter between us was resolved. Now I could hear the voice of someone so familiar calling me.
“It's nice to see this pair of friends finally make up.” Yori, who appeared out of nowhere, suddenly clapped her hands in excitement.
“Ergh were you peeking earlier?”
“I just happened to be passing by. And seeing you guys talking to each other made me curious. This is just a coincidence. Don't think about it too much. But I feel happy that you guys have made up.”
“If only our relationship was still as bad as before. I would never have hesitated to kick that face of yours,” Naru chided. It seemed like Naru was still not used to Yori's presence.
“Don't be like that ....” Yori, who was again preparing to launch her babble, suddenly stopped because her smart phone rang. Either as if she already knew, that someone who contacted her would make trouble with her. Yori lazily picked up the call.
“Hello?”
“You bastard! Did you forget that today, we have a training schedule. You should come immediately and prepare everything. Don't beat around the bush and come to the practice as usual. If you make trouble with me, I won't hesitate to punish you!”
Yori who was fed up with the threat. Immediately turned off the call unilaterally. She knew that if she left it on for too long, all that would come out was a curse that made her ears hurt.
I who saw Yori seemed to feel sick and tired. Understand that it seems like the person who contacted her must be Ikari. That rude lunatic, must have made threats to his own band members.
“It was from Ikari wasn't it?” I asked Yori.
Yori nodded. “Looks like his panic is flaring up. He's always like this when his anxiety flares up.” Already familiar with Ikari's bad habits, Yori no longer seemed surprised by the band member's behavior.
Seeing Yori being mistreated by Ikari made my disgust for Ikari grow. I don't know what makes Yori still survive with Ikari so far. Even though his behavior was very bad towards his own band members.
I was fed up with the threats Ikari kept giving Yori. Then asked Yori to take me to their practice.
“Yori, do you mind if you take me to your practice? I feel like I want to teach that powerful person a little lesson,” I said to Yori.
“If you have the will to beat him up then I won't hesitate at all for that right. Alright I'll take you to our training grounds.” Yori didn't seem to mind at all and she seemed to willingly take me to the training ground.
“Naru do you want to come? It looks like I need some extra energy to beat up someone who has been excessively insolent.” My eyes glanced at Naru.
“Come on, I'll come with you.” Without hesitation Naru immediately agreed to my invitation. It was fortunate that my relationship with her had improved. So that I could utilize her energy.
Finally me, Yori, and Naru stepped into the practice studio where Ikari usually spent his time. Although we were used to conflict, today felt different-there was an intensity that flowed through the air, a mixture of anger and assertiveness stirring within us.
Arriving at the studio, the thunderous sound of a guitar could be heard from inside. The door opened slightly, just enough for us to clearly hear Ikari's angry voice, probably at the other band members. I signaled Yori and Naru to get ready, then with determination, I pushed the door wide open. I don't know why I felt so excited this time.
“Ikari!” I called in a deliberately raised voice.
Ikari, who was holding a guitar, stopped playing and turned to us with an incredulous look. “What are you doing here, Fujisaki?” he asked in a threatening tone. Her face looked very surprised at my unexpected arrival.
I didn't answer his question, but instead took a step toward him. However, before I could speak, Ikari was already swinging his guitar at me with the intention of hitting. Naru, ever alert, managed to parry the attack and landed a hard punch on Ikari's face, sending him staggering backwards. It's a good thing we just arrived and the commotion was immediate.
The commotion immediately broke out. Some of the other band members tried to break it up, but Yori, who was usually patient, ordered them to stay away. “Leave it alone,” she said in a calm but determined tone. “Today I want to teach Ikari a lesson.”
Ikari, fueled by his anger, tried to get up to fight back. But I, already filled with anger at his treatment so far, immediately pushed him against the wall. “Listen, Ikari. We've had enough of your threats and rudeness,” I said in a voice trembling with emotion. “We all have a limit to our patience, and you've exceeded it.” Oh sure, I easily vented my anger at him because he himself had caused trouble with me before.
Ikari, not to be outdone, tried to fight back. But Naru once again landed a hard punch on his stomach, making him fall down. “You should learn a lesson, Ikari!” Naru exclaimed. “You should stop being so bad like this.”
In his slumped state, Ikari stared at us with a hateful gaze. However, this time he was helpless. Yori stepped forward and stared at him with piercing eyes. “I endured all this because I thought you could change, Ikari. But you've only gotten worse. Now, you must learn to accept the consequences of your actions,” she said coldly.
With Naru's help, I dragged Ikari out of the studio. The people around who saw the incident could only remain silent. Some looked surprised, but most of them seemed to agree with our actions. Looking at the reactions of the people around us who seemed unconcerned, it seemed that Ikari was also fond of making trouble in his own place.
After dragging Ikari out, I released my grip and let his body fall to the ground. “Listen carefully, Ikari. This is the last warning. If you dare to threaten or hurt one of us again, you'll suffer worse consequences.”
The panting Ikari tried to get up, but this time there was no resistance from him. He just stared at us with a lingering look of vengeance. “You'll regret it,” he said hoarsely.
“I'll regret it more if I let you continue to do as you please,” I replied firmly. How could he resist when things were already this bad.
With that, me, Naru, and Yori left Ikari lying on the ground. It felt like a weight had been lifted from our chests, but I knew this wasn't the end. This conflict may not be over yet, but at least we've shown that we won't stand for unfair treatment.
Yori patted my shoulder. “Thank you, Fujisaki. You really are a good friend.”
I just smiled. “We must unite against injustice, Yori. There's no place for people like Ikari in our lives. Rancid bastards like him should be taught a lesson.”
Naru added, “And if he tries again, we'll always be ready.”
The three of us walked away from the studio with lighter steps, ready to face whatever was coming. Well, even though it was clear that we would definitely get into trouble again for making such a fuss.