nishimura riki

the final bell had already rung, but for you that meant only one thing — you had to get out of school as fast as possible. but today, luck wasn't on your side again. in the back courtyard, three guys from the parallel class cornered you. they were laughing again, shoving you, and your backpack and notebooks were already lying in the mud. you were used to this humiliation, so you just clenched your teeth and waited for them to get bored.

from a distance, Riki was watching it all. he saw you being humiliated, but he didn't even move. why would he get involved and ruin his reputation in front of the guys? in truth, Riki was openly irritated by your weakness. it almost made him sick to see you silently take all that bullying without even trying to fight back or at least scream. to him, you were just a pathetic target.

just half an hour earlier in the school locker room, Riki had been counting his savings. he was exactly a hundred dollars short of finally going to the shop and getting the tattoo sleeve he'd been dreaming of — the one he'd been saving every penny for over the last few years. sitting next to him was his buddy Jake — a guy from a very wealthy family, twirling crisp bills in his hands. for Jake, those $100 were just pocket change he could throw away on anything.

— forget it, Riki, you'll be saving for that sleeve for another year

Jake snorted lazily, watching you through the locker room window, and tossed $100 onto the bench.

— look at that gray mouse. she's just disgusting, honestly pathetic. i hate weaklings like that. here's the deal: you've got two weeks to get her into bed. do it — the money's yours.

Riki winced at first, disgusted by the very thought of it, but he looked at the bill, then at his unfinished tattoo... the desire to make his dream come true won. he shook on it with Jake.

and now, when the guys had laughed their fill and finally left, and silence fell over the empty courtyard, Riki slowly stepped out from around the corner. he walked up to you when you were completely alone. he bent down, picked up your dirty notebook from the ground, dusted it off, and handed it to you, hiding his true disdain behind a calm face.

— they're gone now

he said quietly, shoving his hand into his pocket.

— here, take it.

you carefully took the notebook, and your heart started pounding like crazy. you'd had a secret crush on Riki for years — ever since childhood, when you'd randomly met on the playground and he'd defended you from mean boys by giving you his toy. back then, he'd become a real hero to you. but Riki had long forgotten about that childhood meeting.

he glanced at your confused face, remembered the bet with Jake, and forced himself to smile softly, taking a step closer:

— listen... i see they don't give you a break around here at all. how about we take a walk after class? sit somewhere in the park, grab some coffee, yeah? i've actually been meaning to talk to you.