Chapter 108: Rep Hit, Part 4
"Alright, good practice today, everyone!" Hyakkimaru, the vocalist of the band who are going to perform in the school festival, echoed to his band members - Sato among them.
He then walked over to Sato, patting his shoulder.
"Good job, Sato-kun."
"Thanks, Senpai," He let out with a smile.
"Man, you really improved.. If I didn't know you before that, I'd say you were born with the talent." He let out.
"Haha, thanks—"
"You can sing practically any song you want! You don't have to stick to this one song, you know." Hyakkimaru forced a smile.
Everyone flinched and looked away from the two.
"... It's alright! Thanks for the advice, Senpai!" Sato replied, forcing a smile in return.
"..." Hyakkimaru looked at Sato, a pitying look in his eyes.
"Guys you go ahead and leave, I wanna say something to Sato-kun." They all exchanged looks, nodded and left.
Sato looked at them all leaving, raising his eyebrow in confusion.
"Hyakkimaru-senpai?" He let out as they all left the two alone.
Hyakkimaru then tapped Sato's shoulder again and went to sit on the drummist's chair.
"A love song, Sato-kun?" He asked, looking into Sato's eyes, "You know this is a festival."
"Ah, so what, Hyakkimaru-senpai! Love songs are merry and exciting!" He let out enthusiastically,
"They have this feel to them and—"
"We all know it's for Hiyori-san, Sato-kun."
"...." Sato went silent, staring blankly at Hyakkimaru. His smile vanishing.
"I don't really have a problem with it. Lord knows the amount of times I tried that on the girl I liked." He sighed as he leaned forward as Sato flinched.
"But... Y'know... Hiyori-san's already got a—"
"STOP. Just… Just…"
Sato clutched his temples, eyes shut tight as he drew in a breath through his nose.
"…So what?"
He raised his head, staring at Hyakkimaru with dead eyes.
"So what if she's got a boyfriend?"
Hyakkimaru met his stare calmly; but no longer equally.
"It's a boyfriend she barely knows. Someone she just met. Their relationship's worth jack. I mean… it's not serious. He isn't serious. I am. What's wrong with that?"
Sato's voice sharpened. "And it's not like I'm dedicating it to her. It's a song only the two of us know, and—"
"Did she say it's not serious?" Hyakkimaru interrupted.
"I know," Sato cut in, louder. "I know. I know it isn't."
He shook his head, eyes darting. "We've known each other way too long. We've been through so much. There's no way what she has with him is more than a fling! Just a momentary fling!"
His voice cracked at the edge.
Hyakkimaru exhaled slowly and turned away, walking across the room to put away his guitar.
"You're really different now, you know… Sato-kun."
Sato frowned. "What do you mean now?"
"Nothing."
A beat.
"But I guess that's the real you, isn't it?"
He placed the guitar down gently.
"Someone selfish. Someone ignorant."
"…I'm sorry?" Sato's hand twitched at his side.
Hyakkimaru slammed his foot into the door. The crash reverberated through the room like a war drum.
"You treat your childhood friend like she's some prize to be won. Like you're owed something just for sticking around. You're just a sad little guy hiding behind that fake smile."
"THE FUCK did you just say!?" Sato exploded. "She's not a REWARD!"
He stepped forward, voice rising.
"That's WHY I'M DOING THIS, DON'T YOU SEE?! To remind her she's not some WHORE! THAT SHE'S BETTER THAN THAT!"
"Better than what, Sato-kun?!" Hyakkimaru spun on him, fury in his voice.
"Better than liking someone who treats her like a person?! Someone who actually cares for her without expecting anything in return?!"
"You think I expect—" Sato growled.
"You want to guilt-trip her into loving you! Singing her a love song only the two of you know, in front of a crowd!"
Hyakkimaru's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"You think she'll like that?! That she'll be grateful for you cornering her like that in front of everyone?! You think it'll make her see the light?"
Sato didn't respond.
Hyakkimaru's voice dropped, bitter.
"Face it. She loves someone else. And you… you missed your chance."
"I DIDN'T MISS MY CHANCE!!!"
Sato screamed and lashed out—kicking the drumset with full force. Cymbals clattered, toms rolled, the crash echoing like a bomb.
Hyakkimaru flinched, heart thudding at the sudden violence.
His fists clenched on instinct.
Sato's eyes flicked to his face.
Shit. He's close to snapping.
'No… I kicked over the band's equipment…! Shit. Distract him! I'm not that good a fighter!' Sato's mind raced.
"She likes me! She actually likes me, for real!"
'Act crazy... He's trying to be the calm one. If I lose it, maybe he'll go easy on me…'
His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his eyes wide, alert... desperate.
"She doesn't know it! Hahaha! She doesn't know it! So I have to remind her! I'll remind her she's being foolish! In her heart, she knows she likes me, and I know she likes me!!"
He turned away from Hyakkimaru, laughing into the empty room, arms flailing, hair wild.
"Only I deserve to be liked!! We were meant for each other since birth, don't you see?! Hahahaha! It's right beyond the corner! It's right there! It's—"
A quiet tap on his shoulder.
'HERE IT COMES… A PUNCH!'
Sato's body snapped toward Hyakkimaru, eyes shut, teeth clenched. He flinched, bracing for impact—shoulders tense, face scrunched, head tilted to take the hit.
But… nothing came.
He slowly opened one eye. Then the other.
Hyakkimaru stood behind him with a deep, exhausted frown; gaze locked on Sato, who still wore that twisted, manic grin.
"…Just leave, Sato," he said softly.
Sato gulped and stepped back, disoriented.
'What…?'
"You already know if I beat you, my ass is on the Disciplinary Committee's radar," Hyakkimaru muttered, nodding toward the drumset.
"No need to act like a wacko this much."
Sato froze. His eyes met Hyakkimaru's.
Then dropped.
"…Oh."
His voice came out small, almost broken.
He stared at the floor. Only Hyakkimaru's shoes were in view now. His legs felt stiff—refusing to budge.
After a long pause, he turned and began walking toward the door.
"Just to be clear," Hyakkimaru said, stopping him just as his hand touched the knob, "we're not performing together anymore. You get that, right?"
Sato didn't answer.
His jaw locked.
"Don't worry about the drumset."
Hyakkimaru crouched beside it, inspecting the damage."If it's broken, I'm letting the principal know."
Sato took a few steadying breaths, his mind blank as he stepped out of the clubroom...
...and came face to face with Yuuno.
Hiyori's boyfriend.
"Ah," Yuuno glanced down at him, voice flat, expression bordering on disinterest.
"You're that guy from before, right? The one who talked like he was on Shiyon-nii's level."
Sato met his gaze in silence.
'He was just about to knock when I came out… Must've just arrived. Hopefully didn't hear anything.'
"I didn't mean any disrespect, if that's what you're implying," Sato said quietly.
"Oh, no. No, no," Yuuno chuckled, shaking his head with a thin smile.
"That's just how I remember people. Labeling helps. Besides, no one's that suicidal... not from what I've seen, anyway."
'Suicidal, huh…'
"You bad with faces or something?" Sato asked, his voice dry and worn.
Yuuno grinned faintly. "You're sharp. That's good."
He stepped forward, brushing past him.
"Hikki came from your club, right?"
Sato's eyes narrowed in an instant. He froze, locking up mid-stride as Yuuno casually passed by.
'Hikki..!? What... He... Already uses that... Name...? For you?! A name... Only I've used..!?' He clenched his fists.
"I can see why she stuck around. You probably gave her something to do. But maybe she needed something more... stimulating."
Sato shivered.
Yuuno's voice lowered just slightly.
"Somewhere she could really let loose, use all of her talents." He smirked as he passed.
Then came the dagger.
"Don't worry, though. I'm making sure she puts every inch of herself to good use... if you catch my drift."
Sato froze.
Pale.
"Anyway," Yuuno added casually, already halfway through the door, "just making rounds before the school closes. Disciplinary Committee duty calls."
He slipped into the room and shut the door behind him.
'...M...'
Sato walked with his head down until he left the school building. Evening had fallen.
Crickets chirped around him.
'Mild inconvenience,' he thought.
"Mild inconvenience. S-So... Hyakkimaru won't perform with me. That's fine. That's fine. I don't need him. I don't need a band. That's just bonus points for authenticity. I'm still good friends with Miss Horallaka, the DJ... It's alright. It's alright. I'll just ask her to play that song in karaoke version, and then it'll just be me on stage... Yes... It'll work. It'll work. Everything will work..." he muttered.
Then he heard a moan nearby. His head snapped up.
Near the school gate, a shoulder peeked out from behind a wall—blonde hair spilling over it.
A red armband.
Disciplinary Committee.
Hiyori.
He gulped and crept closer.
"Y-Yuuno..." he heard her whisper.
'Yuuno...? Is she talking to him on the phone, or—'
He stepped around the corner for a better look...
And froze.
Hiyori was touching herself, softly calling out Yuuno's name.
"Come out... I... I can't help it anymore..."
SNAP.
"Pfft," Sato let out—and then burst into hysterical laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Hiyori gasped, stumbling to adjust herself, spinning around in panic.
"S-SATO?!"
"NO NO... NO!! HAHAHAHAHA!!" He doubled over, shaking. "THIS—OH—HAHA—IF SAKURAI HEARD ABOUT TODAY—he'd say I was trapped in a damn NTR manga, wouldn't he!? Don't you think so, Hikki!? AHAHAHAHA!"
"A-Ah... Y-Yeah... haha..." she tried to laugh with him, voice weak.
"Haha... You were calling his name, huh..."
He wiped his mouth, half-grinning. "Say... did you ever touch yourself while calling my name?"
Her jaw dropped. She sucked in a breath.
"NO WAIT. SORRY haha, why am I even asking that?"
He stepped back, hands out, breath erratic. "I don't care about sex stuff. It's not just about that! Relationships are more meaningful than that, no!?"
He suddenly shook his head violently and began punching his temples.
"Sex is... It's... I'm..."
He collapsed to his knees.
"Aren't I your flower? The flower you watered...?"
'Yeah... that's right,' he thought. 'Remind her of her values. Act broken. That'll show her I'm still here. She taught me that flowers need water and water needs flowers or some dumb crap like that. If you pour time into someone, they grow, right? That's what I have to do to bring her back. To—'
Then Hyakkimaru's voice echoed in his mind.
'—Guilt-trip her into loving me.'
'....'
"Can you just stop?" she said, voice quiet and trembling. "I know you're full of shit right now."
He didn't respond. A few seconds went between them.
She took a breath. "I never really cared when you acted. I just... hoped you wouldn't do it with me. But you've always done it, haven't you?"
"...."
"I love you," he said.
"Stop it. Please," she whispered.
"I LOVE YOU!" he shouted.
"You don't, Sato."
"SAKKUN!" he screamed. "CALL ME SAKKUN! NOT SATO! LIKE YOU USED TO!"
A pause.
A breeze passed between them.
"...This is goodbye, Sato," she said, walking past him toward the school. "If you talk to me again... I'll tell Yuuno. And Shiyon-san."
A long, empty silence.
Hiyori gradually disappeared from view and slipped inside the building.
'Mild inconvenience. Mild inconvenience,' Sato repeated in his mind as he slowly got up.
'I'll just sing for her at the festival. Then… we'll come back. We'll be together. She won't be able to stop thinking about me.'
He stepped through the school gate and glanced toward the corner where Hiyori had touched herself.
He walked to the exact spot, staring at the ground beneath where she had stood.
'So dorrr~rai!' he thought in quiet awe.
'Dry dry dry.' He leaned against the wall and tilted his head up to the sky.
'…Man,' he exhaled.
'You think if I begged, my sister would fuck me again?'
'I really need to fuck someone right now. If I just had some money, I'd head straight to the red-light district. That'd remind me how worthless it all is.'
He sat down on the concrete, arms resting on his knees.
'That's why I'm not even bothered she was touching herself just now. Sex is nothing. She thinks she's in love with this guy? What she has is marvel. What she has is a passing fling. That's it.'He took another breath, slower this time.
'So why the hell am I this desperate?'
'I'm not even that upset that she's with someone else. And yet I'm acting like a lunatic. With Hyakkimaru, now with her...'
He leaned his head out from behind the wall, peeking toward the school.
'She really went back in, huh?'
'... Whatever.'
He stood up, brushing off his pants.
'Hyakkimaru's obsessed with being the morally upright guy who preaches from his high horse, so he won't snitch on what I did.'
'Hiyo—... Hikki won't say a word either. Not after I caught her jerking off to that blonde fucker...'
'…I just need to apologize to Chiyoko and Shun. Patch things up. That way, my image stays intact.'He inhaled, exhaled.
'I wonder what Sakurai's eating tonight.' he thought, walking toward Yuuto's house.
Tomorrow, though...
Tomorrow was the start of something else.
A new day.
A new presence... A new transfer student.
And when the doors of Homeroom 1-A opened...
He arrived.
He had no other name.
Only Boss.
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