Nightfall

Chapter 6

  "Oh senpai, you're still in school." Kasumi stepped out of the school's main glass doors.
  "Well, had nothing to do. And thought maybe walking you home would be safer." Kasumi had to attend a student council meeting with the entire student leader group, which caused her to end school later than most of the school population.
  "Oh." Kasumi blushed slightly. "You're scared that I'll get kidnapped by those military people?"
  "Not... exactly." Ren pushed up his glasses and walked forward.
  "Ooh senpai, you're blushing..."
  Ren kept quiet and quickened his pace.
  "Hey! You said you wanted to ensure my safety!"
  "Doesn't help if a particular person called Kasumi keeps pestering me."
  "Aww..."

  "Hey Futaba." Ren greeted as he dropped his bag at the booth furthest away from the door.
  "Yo."
  Futaba Sakura, Wakaba Ishiiki's daughter, lives together with Sojiro Sakura, who is her legal guardian, after she died to a chronic illness.
  "Doing homework?" Ren cocked his head.
  "Yeah."
  "Mind if I join?"
  "Sure."
  Ren stole a piece of chip from the bag in front of her and slipped onto the couch.
  "Won't bother you guys..." Kasumi sang and trooped upstairs. "...Gotta practice."

...

  "Weaklings!"
  Kamoshida, the man whom Ren had changed his heart 2 years ago, spat in his face. This time, he was acquitted of all charges and was deployed back to Shujin high as the school's Physical Education teacher.
  "Man, what is he doing here?" Ryuji whispered hoarsely.
  "What was that?" Kamoshida spoke in a sing-song manner.
  "N-nothing!"
  "That's what I thought. Listen up! If you ever do badly in my class, this is what you get!" Kamoshida laughed maliciously. "Now, drop another 20!"
  Ren and Ryuji groaned as the class watched them get down into position. Pressing down once, Ren felt a strong weight pressing him downwards.
  "Come on... we don't have all day..." Kamoshida was sitting on his back.
  Struggling on his fifth, Ren collapsed on to the floor.
  "Ha, what a weak ass. Scrub my shoes afterwards. Right lads, off you go for recess. You two, stay behind and do what I told you." Kicking off his shoes, he strode pompously towards the PE store and disappeared behind the door.

  "Bloody hell!" Ryuji shouted.
  "Looks like this is what we get for getting at him."
  "Hey hey, look who's getting into trouble." Ann poked her head into the gymnasium.
  "Ann! Man, you bought us food?" Ryuji's eyes sparkled.
  "Not for you." she stuck a tongue at him.
  "Jeez."
  Taking the bun from Ann's hands, Ren quickly mouthed it down in 2 bites.
  "Yo, that ain't cool." Ryuji savored the bun slowly while treating Kamoshida's shoes like a football.
  "Anyways, what are you planning to do, leader?" Ann took a seat next to the boys.
  "We need to assess the situation." Ren muttered.
  "Well, what do we have here?" A deep voice bellowed from across the gym.
Ryuji swallowed his bun and busied himself with the cleaning of Kamoshida's shoes. Ren pretended to study the shoes. Ann stared at the wall.
  "Oh, Takamaki-san, I don't think you belong here, let's get you away from these boys alright. They ain't worth your time. These troublemakers, they ought to be expelled one day. Say, why don't you come and have tea with me in the office..."
  Pushing away from Kamoshida's grip, she struggled hard. "Ugh thank you sensei, but I must be going..."
  "Oh, I can explain to whoever who is waiting for you, they are definitely going to understand."  Still forcing her towards the direction of his office at the opposite end of the gymnasium, Ann fought hard to escape the grasp of Kamoshida. Who knows what he is going to do behind the locked doors. This time however, whatever that he is about to do, he will still be going away free.
  "Let me go, sensei."
  "Ooh rebellious, I see..." Ren could tell from the look in his eye, something is about to go wrong.
  Unable to handle the fact that he is going to sit there and do nothing while his teammate suffered, he shot up.
  The birch wood doors burst opened and a female in short dark purple hair stood in the doorway.   "Kamoshida-sensei, Kawakami-sensei wants to see you."
  "Oh? Tell her if she can wai-"
  "Nope." From the look of her, she seemed like a student with authority, much like Makoto when she was the student council president. Eyeing her uniform, a black tag sat on top of Shujin's crest. Her emerald green eyes gave a stone cold stare. Her knee length hair and perfectly ironed school uniform made her appear as a prim and proper student. A model student.
  Kamoshida raised an eyebrow and released Ann. "Alright, this better be good."
  Leaving the gym, Ann breathed.
  "Man, what's wrong with that dude?" Ryuji complained and went over to help Ann. "Hey, you ok?"
  Ann remained silent.
  "Come on, sit down, drink some water, when you're done, get the hell out of here."
  She nodded.