Vol 1: Chapter 3: Severed Ties & First Disaster

Volume 1: Blood on Blade

Chapter 3:

Severed Ties & First Disaster

2 Days Before the First Disaster....

The aftermath of that morning commotion, Ikuto beat up Majima until that his nose was broken.

He was even able to injure his two followers who were restraining him.

That was a raw rage of quiet kid for you.

Everything ended when male PE teacher came and effortlessly stopped him with only one hand.

All parties involved was dragged to the principal office and interrogated.

Ikuto explained everything that happened, including the crime Majima and his gang committed to Chinatsu-sensei.

But unfortunately, Majima was one step ahead of him and deleted the video from his phone on their way to the office.

With the only evidence gone, Ikuto was distraught. He asked for Chinatsu-sensei to be called and have she herself to give the testimony.

However, looking nervous, Chinatsu-sensei said that she didn't know what Ikuto was talking about.

'Crack!'

The crack in Ikuto's heart got worse by his only pillar betrayal. 

In the end, both parents of Ikuto and Majima were asked to come.

Around 30 minutes or so passed until the office door opened and Ikuto's mother, wearing quite a casual outfit, and a fat middle aged man wearing a business suit came inside.

It was only then that Ikuto knew that Majima's father was actually the boss of a big company in Japan Entertainment Industry and also the richest man in this city.

Faced with this situation, everyone present silently know which side will win.

A bigshot's son VS a prostitute's son.

Even if what Ikuto said was the truth and the evidence was still exist, the law would just bow down to the money.

From the start, it was a rigged game.

The things quickly calmed down when Majima's father said that he would not pursue it further.

Other people thought it was the end of it, but Ikuto could see when Majima's father whispered something to his mother, and how his mother's face paled for a moment. Nothing has ended.

The principal decided to suspend Ikuto and Majima for a week as the punishment.

Majima and his father left, but they stole a glance at Ikuto's mother with a smirk on their face before disappearing behind the door.

Ikuto and his mother also left after she bowed down and apologizing for her son's behavior to everyone in the office.

•

•

Only silence followed Ikuto and his mother in their way back to their apartment.

Mostly because Ikuto felt guilty in escalating the problem, but also because he saw his mother was really deep in thought all the way from school to home.

Even after they came inside and the door was closed, Ikuto's mother just went to her room without even glancing back at Ikuto.

Ikuto looked at his mother's back with complicated emotion. After his mother was gone, he sit on the floor in the entrance way, thinking back about everything that happened today.

As emotionally impaired as he was, he was not stupid.

So when his mother came out of the room, properly dressed and wearing a make up, Ikuto already guessed what was actually happened back then in the office.

When his mother passed him and try to open the door, Ikuto stood up and held her hand.

"Kaa-san, you don't have to go to them!"

"...."

"It's all my fault. I will apologize to Majima-san on my own. That's why--"

"Just shut up!"

His mother snapped, pulled her hand from Ikuto and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"I know I'm a bad mother! But as bad as I am, I'm still your mother! I will not let him harm my son!"

"H-harm, Kaa-san, what do you mean?"

"....Toshio-san said that he will wait for me in his mansion in a few hours. If I don't come, he said that I won't even see you anymore by tomorrow."

It seems that Ikuto's mother already acquainted with Majima's father, by how she referred him by his first name. Or maybe he was also one of her costumer that Ikuto didn't know.

More than that, since a bigshot like Majima family already set their sight on a target, there was really nothing a small family like them could do.

"Then Kaa-san, what about you?!"

At this point, his mother just forced a smile. She walked in front of him, then extended her hand toward his head, caressing him gently.

"Why would a good kid like you worry about this unworthy mother?"

"Kaa-san...."

Ikuto couldn't bear to look at his mother expression. He lowered his sight, clenching his hands tight.

In his vision, his mother take one more step and he felt the warmth of his mother body engulfed him.

"Though I shouldn't be proud of this, I'm a seasoned prostitute, you know. Don't worry about me. I will do something about it. Will you believe me, Ikuto?"

"...."

Ikuto could not answer. Partially because everything going spiral like this was because of his action.

All he could do was gritted his teeth and hug back his mother, putting his hand on her back.

There was a little gasp from her, as if she was not expecting Ikuto would reciprocate.

They stayed in that position for a while, before his mother broke it and put a little distance between them.

She once again extended her hand, this time to touch his cheek. "Well then, mom will go now. Just take a rest for today, okay?"

After saying that, his mother turned back and gone after closing the door.

Ikuto just stood there. His emotion was all jumbled up. Guilt, self-loathing, powerlessness, anger, anxiety, and all many other negative emotions mixed up together inside of him.

He turned around facing the wall and.....

'BAAM!'

..... blood trickling from his forehead that collided hard with the concrete wall.

"Ikuto, you are an IDIOT!"

He screamed at himself. Curses at his past self a few hours ago who took the provocation impulsively.

He should have known that things were not really how it looked.

Majima have targeted him ever since elementary school, like making Ikuto's life miserable was his purpose of life.

Since Ikuto never really took the bait and kept calm no matter what kind of bullying he got, Majima must have been frustrated and decided to target people dear to him.

He had indirectly put the people around him in the harm way.

'Ring~'

While Ikuto sinked in the self-loathing, the telephone in the living room rang.

Without minding the pain on his head, he walked to answer the call.

"Hello, who is this?"

Put the phone beside his ear, Ikuto waiting for the other people behind the call to introduce themselves and state their business.

["....Ikuto."]

"!!"

'Click!'

After hearing the other end call his name, he instantly hang up and put the phone back into its place.

Not long after, the telephone rang again, again, and again. But Ikuto never picked it anymore.

He went to his room, laid on the bed, and closed his eyes.

His mind drifted again to everything that happened today, and how he could not answer the one calling him over the phone.

"Chinatsu-sensei...."

He really did not know how to face her or even have the courage to listen to her voice on the phone.

Although it was not directly his fault, Majima targeted Chinatsu-sensei most likely to get him playing on his game.

There must be something going on on her side that forced her to do everything in that video.

Ikuto had known her ever since he was in elementary school. He knew exactly how kind and serious Chinatsu-sensei was.

And his outburst from this morning had add one more victim to the game, his mother.

Even though in common sense, she was a bad mother, Ikuto never actually hated her.

Every time he tried to hate her, he would always remember the happy time when his mother still cared for him.

Even today, his mother still care for him in her own way.

That was why he could not forgive himself. The one who put the two precious women in his life to face a grave danger for him.

Emotionally drained, Ikuto fell asleep.

That day, his mother did not come back.

•

•

•

A Day Before the First Disaster....

Around the late afternoon, Ikuto walked back home from his part time job.

By the time he could see the front door of his apartment, he saw a woman with green hair standing and leaning beside his apartment door.

Her mind seemed to be wandered off, as if she was in a deep thought.

Ikuto knew he couldn't keep on running away from his problem. So he calmed his mind, and call the woman's name.

"Chinatsu-sensei."

His call brought back Chinatsu from her thought. She looked at him, and awkwardly try to smile.

"Hello, Ikuto. How are you feeling?"

But Ikuto cut the chit-chat by straightly asking the important question. "Do you want to talk to me, sensei?"

"....."

Her awkward smile faltered, she could not answer verbally, and just gave a slight nod to that question.

"Is that so. Then how about we go to the park behind the building?"

"....."

Once again, she could only nod her head.

Ikuto smiled helplessly. As he expected, the fact that Chinatsu was acting like this showed that she was feeling guilty for him. Which mean, his guess about something really happened to her before that video was right.

But he would not expose her here.

He turned around, walked to the small park located right behind this apartement building, and Chinatsu-sensei trailed behind him quietly.

Why bringing her here when he could just talk inside the apartment?

Because Ikuto could feel it, whatever they were going to talk about now, will be the last time it happened. He did not want his last time alone with Chinatsu-sensei ended with him asking her to leave his through his door.

Fortunately, the park was empty, so they could talk with ease.

After they sat on one of the long benches there, no one talked.

They both had the feeling, that this conversation will be the last time they would ever talk to each other so casually.

But even so....

"Sensei, what do you want to talk about?"

.... realized how hard it must be for Chinatsu-sensei to start the conversation because of her guilt, Ikuto took it upon himself.

"That..... about the other day....."

"....."

Ikuto did not rush her.

He let Chinatsu-sensei trying to come up with the kind of excuse that was really hard to make in this situation, especially for someone as serious and as kind as her.

"I..... I don't know how to explain it all. It just..... I'm really sorry for everything."

"..... Sensei, do you remember when was the first time you talked to me?"

Ikuto really could not stand Chinatsu's downcast expression, as it did not really fit her character. So he try to slightly divert the flow of conversation.

"Eh? Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, it was when I was still new in this city. It was also in this park, you were still in the 2nd grade of elementary school.... right?"

A little surprised with how quickly Ikuto change the topic, Chinatsu answered, a little unsure with her memory.

Ikuto smiled. 

"Yeah, you still remember that clearly huh. As expected of you, Chinatsu-sensei."

"Ikuto....."

"I'm an only child, but I always wondered, if I ever have an older sibling, would they be like you, sensei?"

"....."

"You played with me. You scolded me when I did something wrong. You comforted me when I was feeling down. Although it is pretentious for me to say this, the time I spent with you all those years back, is one of the happiest moment in my life."

".....?"

"That's why sensei--"

"Ikuto! I--"

"--let's end all our relationship here. In the place where it all begin, to be the place where it all end."

"!!"

Ikuto's statement greatly shocked her. She opened her mouth, but no words were uttered.

Guilt creeped under her skin, took a root in her heart.

"That video.... something happened before that, right? Something that forced you into that state."

Every words that came out of Ikuto made her more guilty for him, even though she herself was the primary victim.

She could not answer again, only a small nod could be given in her state now.

That was everything Ikuto needed to make his decision.

"You don't need to explain anything to me. Whatever it is, I understand. In the first place, I'm the one who dragged you into my problem. I'm really sorry, sensei."

".... no, it's not--"

Ikuto stood up and faced her. Then bowed his body to her. "Thank you for everything, Chinatsu-sensei." (I love you)

That last part can only be said in his mind, as someone like him wasn't worthly for such a thing as 'love'.

Chinatsu couldn't hold back her sadness anymore, she covered her face with her hands as tears flow on her white cheeks.

Ikuto straighten up his posture. He was hesitate whether he should said more, but decided to stop and turned around.

"Once again, I'm sorry."

Just like that he walked away.

By the time he was far enough, he glanced back and see the the man that had been watching them from a far running toward Chinatsu.

He was Chinatsu's husband, and Ikuto had realized from the start that he kept watching them when they got to the park.

There was nothing more Ikuto could do other than entrusting her to her partner.

'Goodbye, Chinatsu-san.'

•

•

By the time he went inside the apartment and closed the door, Ikuto let out a long sigh.

To be honest, he didn't want to cut off his relationship with her, but it was either Majima or anyone else could have targeted her if she was still in contact with him.

Although even with this, there was still no guarantee Majima would not target her anymore, so he must hardened his resolve, make him believe that Chinatsu-sensei was no longer his weakness so that he would just focusing on himself.

Ikuto walked to the living room and see the telephone flickered with red light, meaning there was a voice mail recieved.

Clicking the button, he then heard the voice of the person he most worried about right now.

["Hello, Ikuto. It's your mother. I just want to say that I can't go back home for a while.

I.... Toshio-san said he would no pursue the matter anymore if I.... I 'work' for him for a month.

So, Ikuto, be a good kid and take care of yourself this month, okay?

If you need money, you can take the money in the box hidden below the floor below my bed.

I'll also do my best here so you don't have to worry about me. I love you, Ikuto."]

'Click!'

Ikuto walked to his room and laid on the bed, looked at the ceiling while his mind wandered off.

His emotioned all mixed of between helplessness, sadness, regret, etc. that he didn't even realized that he was crying.

•

•

•

5 Minutes Before of The First Disaster....

In next afternoon, Ikuto was walking on city busy city street, after he was told by his boss to take a day off because he was really distracted while working.

Everything that happened in the last few days still haunt him, made it hard for him to concentrate to his work and made a few mistakes with the costumer's order.

Fortunately, his boss is a kind person. Although he was mad at him, he told him to just rest until he was well enough to continue working.

After buying the ingredient for his meals for the next few days, he just wandered around aimlessly.

While he was looking around, he saw Chinatsu-sensei walking beside her husband who was holding their baby daughter. It seemed like they were also shopping.

Just by looking at that harmonious sight, Ikuto could not help but smile.

This was right.

As long he was not in the picture, Chinatsu-sensei still have a chance to be happy.

So before they noticed him, Ikuto quickly made his escape into the sea of people.

While walking, Ikuto looked up to the sky and thinking.

Chinatsu-sensei was raped probably by threat by Majima.

His mother was 'working' in Majima's mansion and he didn't even know what she really went through there.

Those awful walked free in this world because they have the power (money) on their side.

There was really nothing a small people like him could do against them.

He was not a religious person. But if by praying to a god could do something about those trash....

"I wish they all could just die."

'Blitz!'

Coincidentally after he uttered his wish, the purple crack suddenly appeared on the sky.

Everyone stopped and looked up curiously at the strange phenomenon, including Ikuto.

The next thing was the same as what happened in Tokyo in the first chapter of this novel.

People ran in panic from the white monster that came out of the purple hole in the sky.

Bloods splattered on the street.

Ikuto frozen on his feet. "Is ... is it because of my pray?" he muttered in horror at the sight of his surrounding.

He did not realize that one of those monster had set its sight and flying in high speed toward him.

"Watch out!"

Someone jumped at him, made both of them rolled around, far enough that the monster attack completely missed.

"What are you thinking just standing there?! Do you want to die?!"

That person shouted at him while pinning him on the road.

Ikuto could clearly see the strands of green hair falling on his face and the expression full of anger from the woman on top of him.

"Chi-Chinatsu-sensei, what--"

"You big idiot just shut up! I don't care if you were planning to die or anything, you're coming with me!"

With letting Ikuto to say anything, Chinatsu forced him to stand up and dragged him to where her husband and baby were waiting inside a restaurant.

Only a few meters left before reaching the door of the restaurant, her husband also waiting for her while holding the door open.

"Chinatsu!"

Everything happened so fast.

When her husband shouted, Chinatsu-sensei looked back for a moment, smiled at Ikuto and with centrifugal force, throwing him to the her husband.

"-------"

When Ikuto realized it, he saw people were trying to restrain Chinatsu's husband that was still shouting her name and wanted to go out.

When he also directed his gaze towards where Chinatsu was supposed to be. His eyes widened in shock.

The horror struck deep inside his heart.

Chinatsu, or what was left of her, her lower half of her body from the stomach down were still standing, then after a few second that part fall to the ground with a thud.

"Ahh.....Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

To be Continued.....