COURTING DEATH

Chapter 20 part 1

The five of us sit silently in the living room, trying to find separate corners in which to stare off into. Mom and dad exchange brief glances, their expressions grow more concerned each passing minute. A teacher visit is not unheard of. I don't think I've ever heard of a principal making a home visit.

"Um..." Mom looks toward the kitchen like she's about to run away. "I was thinking of making some tea. Are you sure you don't want some?"

"Ah, no. Thank you," Wakahisa-sensei says.

"Don't trouble yourself." Takasagi-sensei looks to Principal Wakahisa. "About why we've come..."

Wakahisa-sensei clears his throat and straightens, somehow adopting a more formal posture. "It is well known that Atarachi High School has a zero-tolerance policy toward violence..."

Crap! I had forgotten that. When I was admitted, I even had to sign an acknowledgment that any violence would result in immediate dismissal.

Wakahisa-sensei fixes me with his gaze. "Regarding that incident, we've spoken to the others involved—even that Shizuku-san—though it seems her parents are away traveling. We feel certain we know what happened, but we'd like to hear it from you."

I open my mouth but can't seem to find the breath to reply. I shoot my parents a pleading look. Dad gives me a reassuring nod. "Go ahead. Tell them what you told us."

I glance at the principal and my teacher then look down at the floor. "I was in the yearbook clubroom when I happened to look out the window..." Once I start the words flow and the whole thing spills out.

"That's fine." Takasagi-sensei interrupts and catches principal Wakahisa's eye. "I think we've heard enough."

Wakahisa-sensei's mouth presses into a straight line. "I believe we have."

What did I say? I feel like I've just awakened from a dream. After so much anxiety talking about it had been a relief, but Mom, who normally takes everything in stride, looks angry. The atmosphere weighs heavily with tension. I have no idea what poured out of my mouth, but everyone's expressions tell me it wasn't good.

"So," mom says, "Now that you know, what are you going to do?"

Wakahisa-sensei shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "We've already identified those responsible and expelled them."

Dad leans forward. "But what about Michi?"

"Although he did attempt to intervene instead of getting a teacher to handle the situation, everyone agrees he did not actually fight. Ito-san and the other perpetrators seem to take some pride in the belief he wasn't able to."

"He was beaten unconscious! He was hospitalized. He could have been killed!" Mom didn't quite shout, but her voice grew strained as she held it back. "What are the police doing about it?"

Wakahisa-sensei took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "Ah, well, we've asked the police to let us deal with the situation since the children are our responsibility. After what happened in the spring..."

Ah! I now understand why he is so nervous. This was not the first time such a thing had happened at Atarachi High School. Even the student council vice president, Miyamoto Mieko, had been involved in a fight earlier this year when her foreign boyfriend had been beaten unconscious by the boys' volleyball club. Atarachi High School was still a fairly new school. An elite school for wealthy families with gifted children, its reputation was still being formed and it couldn't afford one as a school for thugs. Enrollments would plunge and the school would have to close.