Protect Me (Hiatus)

Part 3: The Group Walk

"Hey Takamaki~san! Yo Kitagawa~kun,  Kurusu~kun." The boy said, raising his hand in greeting.

I blushed, lowering my head as they got closer, their gazes settling on me. Takamaki~san rose a brow.

"What are you doing with that girl?" She asked curiously.

I fiddled with my bag, avoiding their eyes. 

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you guys about. But first, I need to take her home, it's not safe for her."

They blinked, raising an eyebrow and looking to each other. They nodded. Kitagawa~San looked at me.

"What happened?" He asked me.

Biting my lip, I looked towards Kurusu~san, looking away when I found his gaze locked on me. I fiddled with my bag again. 

"U-Um....t-this boy asked me t-to meet him on the rooftop. H-He c-confessed his f-feelings and I said I didn't return them. H-He got mad and started saying that--" My phone buzzed, vibrating with a call. 

"E-Excuse me..." I stammered, turning and beginning to leave, only to have my arm grabbed. 

I looked back at Sakamoto~kun, seeing him holding my arm.

"Don't go too far. He might still be around."

I nodded, trotting towards a nearby wall and leaning against it, swiping the screen to answer the call. It was Akio~chan this time.

"Yeah, baby?" I asked on the phone, speaking in English. 

"Sister! Are you coming home?!" He asked in perfect Japanese.

I beamed, looks like he's been paying attention in class.

"Good job Akio~chan, you spoke that perfectly. And yes, I may be coming home today, I'm gonna see if I can get a day off."

He cheered. I giggled, glancing towards the small group of teenagers not far away. They were conversing, speaking with their heads close together. They sent a glance towards me, making me look away. 

"Yukio~kun and Manami~chan want to......" He paused, mumbling under his breath. "Want to know....if we can have....ice cream!"

I sighed.

"Put it on speaker," I said. 

It was silent until he spoke again, saying it was on speaker.

"Did you do your chores?" I asked in English.

"No...." They all said glumly.

I shook my head. 

"You know the rules, only after your chores are done will you be able to have ice cream." I scolded, crossing one leg over the other. "Send me pictures once you've all done your chores. Alright?" 

"Yes, Sister." They said in unison.

I ended the call soon after, shoving it into my bag. I made my way back towards the other teenagers, who were seemingly just finishing their conversation. They turned to me, Sakamoto~kun crossing his arms.

"What was his name?" 

"Fumihiko Takiji," I said, looking up at him. 

He nodded, jerking his head down the hall and walking. I followed behind him, his friends tagging along. As we walked down the hall, I glanced out the window, freezing.

Fumihiko stood there, peeking past the school entrance wall, glaring daggers at me before slowly pulling backward, out of sight. My skin went pale, my hands clenching. A yelp escaped my throat when someone's hand tapped onto my shoulder. I whipped around to find Kurusu~kun staring at me, his eyebrows quirked. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. 

My face flushed red, his voice was so cool and low, sending a shiver down my spine. His hand was large, swallowing my shoulder. I jumped back, lowering my head in embarrassment. 

"S-Sorry K-Kurusu~kun!" I stammered, scurrying to walk by Takamaki~san, leaving Kurusu~kun confused.

Takamaki~san giggled beside me, making me look up to see what was so funny. I blushed darker when I saw her eyes on me, smirking at me. She leaned towards my ear. 

"You have a crush on Kurusu~kun don't you?" She asked.

I lowered my head in shame, nodding my head. She giggled and wrapped an arm around my neck, bringing me closer.

"You're so cute...." She trailed off, giggling sheepishly, reminding me that I had never told any of them my name. 

"Oh, I'm Nagatsuka Nyoko. B-But, you can just call me Nyoko." I said, giving a small smile.

She smiled back, giving her name and guiding me outside the school building. I suddenly grew nervous. What if Fumihiko was still there?

I paused, making Takimaki stop beside me. 

"What's wrong Nyoko~chan?" She asked, catching the other's attention. They all stopped, watching me. I swallowed.

"H-Hold on a minute," I mumbled, escaping her grip and making my way towards the school entry wall, the same one I saw Fumihiko standing behind. Slowly, I peeked past, bracing myself for anything.

He wasn't there.

I let out a breath, turning back towards the others and shrugging. 

"Sorry, it was nothing, just thought I saw something," I said, waving my hand. 

They looked at me skeptically before shaking their heads, continuing past the walls and onto the sidewalk. I sighed and continued with them, pulling out my phone to call my boss. 

*********

I smiled as I saw my small apartment building in the distance, picking up my slow pace. I hurried to stand in front of everyone, making them stop. I bowed deeply. 

"Thank you so much for bringing me home, I should be fine from here." I shyly looked up. "A-And, thank you very much for saving me from Fumihiko. I owe you." I said to Sakamoto~kun.

He smiled and scratched the back of his head, giving a shrug. 

"It was nothing. I couldn't just let an innocent girl get hurt like that." He gave the other's a knowing look before turning away from me slightly, looking over his shoulder at me. "Be careful Nyoko~chan, see you at school tomorrow."

I waved and hurried home, making sure that the door locked behind me. The house was quiet. Too quiet. I swallowed.

"He's near."