Oretachi no Kizuna - Chapter 17
Chapter 17 : Fighting A Friend
Daiki Arioka stood at the door, his arm raised and his hand clenched in a tight fist. Just as he was about to bring his fist to the door, he hesitated, his resolution still wavering. Finally, Daiki made up his mind, and knocked on Yuto’s bedroom door, his fist’s impact sounding ominously in the otherwise quiet hallway.
When Daiki had shown up at the Nakajima household that evening, a very surprised-looking Mrs. Nakajima had opened the door.
“Daiki?” she had inquired, a hand on her hip. “What are you doing here? I’m sorry that the house is in kind of a mess right now! I wasn’t aware that Yuto was having friends over today.”
Daiki had smiled faintly, the smile never reaching his eyes as his thoughts struggled to reconcile with each other. Ignoring the inner turmoil that the word “friend” had caused him, he had said, “No, it’s my fault for coming over unannounced. Do you mind if I see Yuto anyways? I just need to talk to him.”
Yuto’s mother had looked concernedly at Daiki, unused to the seriousness reflected in Daiki’s expressive eyes. “Oh. Well, I guess it’s okay. I’ll go call him down if you want. Lately, he’s been shut up in his room being all ‘busy’, as he puts it.”
Daiki had shaken his head. “No, it’s okay, Mrs. Nakajima. You don’t have to call him down for me. I’ll go up myself.”
Now, Daiki was here, standing in front of Yuto’s door, hoping against hope that his best friend would be decent enough to at least hear him out.
As Daiki was about to knock again, he heard Yuto’s irritated shout, “I thought I told you not to bother me when I’m busy, mom!”
Daiki cringed at Yuto’s tone, but quickly answered, “It’s not your mother, Yuto. It’s Daiki.” He paused, waiting for a response. Through the door, Daiki could hear scuffling sounds. Soon after, Yuto opened the door and peered at Daiki reproachfully.
“Oh. It’s you.”
Daiki, annoyed by Yuto’s unwelcome greeting, quickly pushed aside the door and stepped into the room. “Yeah, it’s me. Do you have a problem with that?” The shorter boy glared at his best friend, who had a surprised expression on his face. Daiki waited a moment for an answer. When none came, he continued, “Yeah, that’d better be the case.” He took a deep breath and exhaled completely, trying to calm himself down and collect his thoughts.
“Look, Yuto, I really need to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“Everything.”
Daiki sighed, sinking onto Yuto’s bed. Yuto sat down at his desk chair, which was nearby. Both boys looked at each other, each unsure of what the other was thinking. Daiki studied Yuto, noting how tousled his friend’s hair was, how worn those large eyes looked. Yuto looked as if he had witnessed all that the world had to offer, but hadn’t liked what he had seen. He was merely a shadow of his former self.
Finally, Daiki dropped his gaze, focusing on his clasped hands in his lap instead. “Yuto,” he began, “do you still consider me as your friend?”
Yuto blinked, and then answered softly, his voice gentle, “Yes, of course I do, Daiki.” He smiled slightly. “You are the very best of all my friends.”
Daiki refused to look up, deliberately avoiding Yuto’s gaze. “Then, as a friend, I need to confess something, Yuto.”
“What?”
“I don’t consider you my friend anymore.”
“W-what?”
Daiki didn’t need to look up at his former best friend to know how heartbroken Yuto must feel. He continued, “I don’t consider you my friend anymore because the Yuto that is sitting in front of me right now is not the Yuto I befriended all those years ago. That Yuto was understanding and he valued the people around him. That Yuto was a good person and he was a very fitting leader for Class 2. I was proud to call that Yuto my friend.
“However, you’ve changed, Yuto. You’ve let this whole conflict and the leadership power go to your head! All of sudden, I couldn’t even recognize you anymore! All I saw was the ‘everything-must-go-my-way’ Yuto, and that was like a stab to my heart. Never before would you have considered taking away Ryosuke’s power, and never before would you have considered going against Kei and his wisdom. Now, you treat all of us like servants that you can order around, and you do it all in the name of the ‘greater cause’. This is wrong, Yuto! We are all members of Heisei Gakuen! We all have a stake in this battle. We all want to do better so we can beat Showa. We all have control over our own lives!”
Daiki saw that Yuto had opened his mouth to protest, but he cut him off before he could. “Please, listen to me, Yuto! I’m not the enemy here! Everything I say, I say because I know that it’s best for you. I care about you! Please understand the wrong that you have done! The wrong that you have done to all of us!
“Because, Yuto…it is only after that’s happened when you will become my friend again.”
Daiki finally looked up at Yuto, his eyes gaze steady and full of his pent up, conflicting emotions. Everything that he had witnessed over the past week was surfacing in his mind, and he wanted desperately to convey all his feelings to Yuto. He didn’t want to lose him.
Yuto got up from his chair and sat down on the bed beside Daiki, putting his hand on Daiki’s shoulder and looking straight into the boy’s eyes. “I understand,” he whispered, his voice so soft, the other boy could barely hear him.
Daiki broke eye contact with Yuto, shaking off Yuto’s hand. He got up and walked to the doorway. With his hand still on the doorknob, Daiki looked back, murmuring, “I hope you do.”
Without another word, he left closing the door behind him, the noise resonating loudly in the silence.
Long after Daiki had gone from his room, Yuto was still sitting on his bed, thinking over everything Daiki had said to him, the words echoing in his mind.
“I don’t consider you my friend anymore.”
“…you’ve changed, Yuto. You’ve let this whole conflict and the leadership power go to your head!”
“This is wrong…! We are all members of Heisei Gakuen!”
“…it is only after that’s happened when you will become my friend again.”
Yuto fell backward, hard, onto his bed, feeling his breath being driven out of him. He closed his eyes as the disappointment he felt with himself slowly seeped through his entire body, overwhelming all of his senses. He hadn’t realized how many people he had hurt. Daiki’s right, he thought, his feelings turning into melancholy. He put his face in his hands, breathing deeply. We are all Heisei. We stand together. As equals. I had no right acting so out of line.
Turning his body so that he now was resting on his front with his shoulders propping the upper half of his body up, Yuto looked out his bedroom window at the night sky, deep in thought. Even though there were a great number of stars out that night, Yuto did not notice them at all.
What Heisei needs right now is closure. We’ve been suffering long enough under Showa’s bullying without any true retaliation. What would be best for everyone would be if we gave one last show of strength, one that will establish an everlasting peace for Heisei. But to do that, we all have to work together and learn to trust one another again, rebuilding those bonds of brotherhood that seem so easily broken.
Yuto sighed forlornly. I really hope they will be able to forgive me. Closing his eyes again, he tried to push those worries to the back of his mind. However, when he opened his eyes again, they were hard with resolve, all traces of doubt gone.
We’ve got to end things with Showa.
Once and for all.
Onwards to Chapter 18~
Daiki Arioka stood at the door, his arm raised and his hand clenched in a tight fist. Just as he was about to bring his fist to the door, he hesitated, his resolution still wavering. Finally, Daiki made up his mind, and knocked on Yuto’s bedroom door, his fist’s impact sounding ominously in the otherwise quiet hallway.
When Daiki had shown up at the Nakajima household that evening, a very surprised-looking Mrs. Nakajima had opened the door.
“Daiki?” she had inquired, a hand on her hip. “What are you doing here? I’m sorry that the house is in kind of a mess right now! I wasn’t aware that Yuto was having friends over today.”
Daiki had smiled faintly, the smile never reaching his eyes as his thoughts struggled to reconcile with each other. Ignoring the inner turmoil that the word “friend” had caused him, he had said, “No, it’s my fault for coming over unannounced. Do you mind if I see Yuto anyways? I just need to talk to him.”
Yuto’s mother had looked concernedly at Daiki, unused to the seriousness reflected in Daiki’s expressive eyes. “Oh. Well, I guess it’s okay. I’ll go call him down if you want. Lately, he’s been shut up in his room being all ‘busy’, as he puts it.”
Daiki had shaken his head. “No, it’s okay, Mrs. Nakajima. You don’t have to call him down for me. I’ll go up myself.”
Now, Daiki was here, standing in front of Yuto’s door, hoping against hope that his best friend would be decent enough to at least hear him out.
As Daiki was about to knock again, he heard Yuto’s irritated shout, “I thought I told you not to bother me when I’m busy, mom!”
Daiki cringed at Yuto’s tone, but quickly answered, “It’s not your mother, Yuto. It’s Daiki.” He paused, waiting for a response. Through the door, Daiki could hear scuffling sounds. Soon after, Yuto opened the door and peered at Daiki reproachfully.
“Oh. It’s you.”
Daiki, annoyed by Yuto’s unwelcome greeting, quickly pushed aside the door and stepped into the room. “Yeah, it’s me. Do you have a problem with that?” The shorter boy glared at his best friend, who had a surprised expression on his face. Daiki waited a moment for an answer. When none came, he continued, “Yeah, that’d better be the case.” He took a deep breath and exhaled completely, trying to calm himself down and collect his thoughts.
“Look, Yuto, I really need to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“Everything.”
Daiki sighed, sinking onto Yuto’s bed. Yuto sat down at his desk chair, which was nearby. Both boys looked at each other, each unsure of what the other was thinking. Daiki studied Yuto, noting how tousled his friend’s hair was, how worn those large eyes looked. Yuto looked as if he had witnessed all that the world had to offer, but hadn’t liked what he had seen. He was merely a shadow of his former self.
Finally, Daiki dropped his gaze, focusing on his clasped hands in his lap instead. “Yuto,” he began, “do you still consider me as your friend?”
Yuto blinked, and then answered softly, his voice gentle, “Yes, of course I do, Daiki.” He smiled slightly. “You are the very best of all my friends.”
Daiki refused to look up, deliberately avoiding Yuto’s gaze. “Then, as a friend, I need to confess something, Yuto.”
“What?”
“I don’t consider you my friend anymore.”
“W-what?”
Daiki didn’t need to look up at his former best friend to know how heartbroken Yuto must feel. He continued, “I don’t consider you my friend anymore because the Yuto that is sitting in front of me right now is not the Yuto I befriended all those years ago. That Yuto was understanding and he valued the people around him. That Yuto was a good person and he was a very fitting leader for Class 2. I was proud to call that Yuto my friend.
“However, you’ve changed, Yuto. You’ve let this whole conflict and the leadership power go to your head! All of sudden, I couldn’t even recognize you anymore! All I saw was the ‘everything-must-go-my-way’ Yuto, and that was like a stab to my heart. Never before would you have considered taking away Ryosuke’s power, and never before would you have considered going against Kei and his wisdom. Now, you treat all of us like servants that you can order around, and you do it all in the name of the ‘greater cause’. This is wrong, Yuto! We are all members of Heisei Gakuen! We all have a stake in this battle. We all want to do better so we can beat Showa. We all have control over our own lives!”
Daiki saw that Yuto had opened his mouth to protest, but he cut him off before he could. “Please, listen to me, Yuto! I’m not the enemy here! Everything I say, I say because I know that it’s best for you. I care about you! Please understand the wrong that you have done! The wrong that you have done to all of us!
“Because, Yuto…it is only after that’s happened when you will become my friend again.”
Daiki finally looked up at Yuto, his eyes gaze steady and full of his pent up, conflicting emotions. Everything that he had witnessed over the past week was surfacing in his mind, and he wanted desperately to convey all his feelings to Yuto. He didn’t want to lose him.
Yuto got up from his chair and sat down on the bed beside Daiki, putting his hand on Daiki’s shoulder and looking straight into the boy’s eyes. “I understand,” he whispered, his voice so soft, the other boy could barely hear him.
Daiki broke eye contact with Yuto, shaking off Yuto’s hand. He got up and walked to the doorway. With his hand still on the doorknob, Daiki looked back, murmuring, “I hope you do.”
Without another word, he left closing the door behind him, the noise resonating loudly in the silence.
Long after Daiki had gone from his room, Yuto was still sitting on his bed, thinking over everything Daiki had said to him, the words echoing in his mind.
“I don’t consider you my friend anymore.”
“…you’ve changed, Yuto. You’ve let this whole conflict and the leadership power go to your head!”
“This is wrong…! We are all members of Heisei Gakuen!”
“…it is only after that’s happened when you will become my friend again.”
Yuto fell backward, hard, onto his bed, feeling his breath being driven out of him. He closed his eyes as the disappointment he felt with himself slowly seeped through his entire body, overwhelming all of his senses. He hadn’t realized how many people he had hurt. Daiki’s right, he thought, his feelings turning into melancholy. He put his face in his hands, breathing deeply. We are all Heisei. We stand together. As equals. I had no right acting so out of line.
Turning his body so that he now was resting on his front with his shoulders propping the upper half of his body up, Yuto looked out his bedroom window at the night sky, deep in thought. Even though there were a great number of stars out that night, Yuto did not notice them at all.
What Heisei needs right now is closure. We’ve been suffering long enough under Showa’s bullying without any true retaliation. What would be best for everyone would be if we gave one last show of strength, one that will establish an everlasting peace for Heisei. But to do that, we all have to work together and learn to trust one another again, rebuilding those bonds of brotherhood that seem so easily broken.
Yuto sighed forlornly. I really hope they will be able to forgive me. Closing his eyes again, he tried to push those worries to the back of his mind. However, when he opened his eyes again, they were hard with resolve, all traces of doubt gone.
We’ve got to end things with Showa.
Once and for all.
Onwards to Chapter 18~