Safety. [Baji Keisuke]

7. Comforting

Forget about taking notes in class for someone else to copy, Keisuke never thought he'd ever be able to go through class without sleeping. It's not that he didn't try his best, he even kept a plastic rubber band around his wrist to snap himself with it every time he felt like dozing off- which was a bit too often. He had been doing better in his academics for the past few months, especially now that he had real fake specs which allowed him to see things clearly as well as let the nerdiness of it push him to study harder and do better, more precisely, it was the "placebo effect" that helped him. However, he did not expect to be diligently writing down every single word the teacher was writing down on the board and yet here he was, scribbling onto his notebook with as much aggression as when he fought assholes that pissed him off.

The reason for this sudden change? Some of it was because of his own hard work and desire to better himself but a large part of it- though he didn't want to admit it- was because of a bet he made. The bet? Copy notes for the real nerd who was too unwell to come to school. It was also to repay her because she always copied notes that saved him from failing tests every time even though he was so healthy that he could beat up a hundred thugs but for some reason couldn't stay awake in class. Of course, the nerd (the prettiest nerd in the universe according to him) wasn't the one who forced this bet on him. Chifuyu was to blame and he was partially to blame too. Him copying notes really wasn't necessary, the pretty nerd would be fine without any help because she taught him about things like the placebo effect, was way ahead of her classes and probably knew more than her teacher.

No, this was all Chifuyu's fault. The thing about Chifuyu was that as much as he respected Keisuke and tried to help him out, he ended up unintentionally annoying him more than anything.

Come on, are you trying to say that you can't even work a little hard for Sayuri-chan when she works so hard for you every day? Not only that but she also always has to put up with your antics and always has to save your ass when you get into trouble with adults. I mean, how are you supposed to win her heart if you can't even do this much? Chifuyu's words made Keisuke almost break his pencil. If it weren't for that idiot, he wouldn't be in this situation. The moment Chifuyu had said those words, Keisuke knew that he had to follow through because his friend was right. How was he supposed to win the pretty nerd's heart if he didn't work hard? But he was the bigger idiot- though he wouldn't admit it- he was the one who turned it into a bet so that it wouldn't seem like he was trying to win someone's heart.

In conclusion, the reason why Keisuke was doing something he absolutely despised was all his fault. This thought made him almost rip his notebook in half.

He clenched his fists and exhaled. No! You are doing this for mom, you are doing this for Sayu. You are the first division captain of one of the most feared gangs in Tokyo, you can do this!

If nothing else, Keisuke had always been a very determined person, if he wanted to do something, he'd get it done. So, despite the occasional desire to hurl his notebook at the blackboard and break it in half like a ninja blade, he managed to keep the board intact with his encouraging thoughts.

Hours passed by as he kept at it. Just when he thought he couldn't take the torture any longer, the last bell of the day rang, shrill and loud, enough to make ears bleed but it was music to his ears and everyone else's. Everyone got off their seats, bags already packed as if by magic and were already halfway out of the school building either heading home or towards after-school activities.

Keisuke met up with Chifuyu outside the school building. They were on their way for a meeting with the first division of Toman to discuss important matters regarding some rival gangs.

Now, that was something that Keisuke was good at and something he thoroughly enjoyed- a well-deserved break from school.

"Do we have to do this meeting though? It's obvious that those gangs have been teaming up to bring us down. Five of our guys already got sent to the hospital because of those fuckers. Let's just send them to the hospital too and get it done with," Chifuyu suggested.