Dullard Buddy-kun: Heading Reluctantly to School Again Today - Episode 2

As always, today too, I faced the end-of-day bell without exchanging a single word with any of my classmates. And wanting to get home from this hellish school as soon as possible, I left the school gate the moment the final homeroom ended and headed to the nearest station.

Unfortunately, today the homeroom teacher started HR late, which caused a delay in the schedule. Because of that, what I see now are the other students of this school, happily chatting and heading home.

They say that commuting to and from school is also a page of youth, but in this scene under a bright blue sky that looks like it could be used in the opening of a school drama, my figure is, of course, not present, and it probably never will be.

Yeah. It’s my usual self to head straight to the station, citing my desire not to get mixed up in this scene.

Reluctantly, in situations like today, I briskly walk past the kids happily heading home. Such a scene has probably become a common sight on this school route.

I’ve been doing the same thing for a year now. The distance to the nearest station, which normally takes 10 minutes, takes me less than 3 minutes with my efficient brisk walking.

Actually, if I were to enter a racewalking competition now, I might reach quite a good level…

And while I was mumbling such trivial things in my head, my body had already arrived at the station. As usual, the Miss Donuts at the station entrance, where our students often gather, came into view, but of course, I had no intention of stopping there. For me right now, that place is like a poison zone in an RPG where just walking through it drains your HP.

So, as usual, without looking to the side, I hurriedly walked down the stairs leading to the platform heading home and made my way to the ticket gate.

It’s not particularly large, but it’s a spacious station nonetheless.

When I stepped into the spacious underground area with the ticket gate, there were always quite a few of my schoolmates scattered around, but I wondered why.

Today… for some reason, I feel like the atmosphere is different than usual.

When asked what is different, I can’t articulate it well in an instant, but if I had to say, it’s the flow of people. It’s as if there’s a hole at the edge of a certain space where there are no people.

And now, I finally understand the reason behind it.

“Give me the money. Hey. It’s for the trouble.”

I’ve been hearing all sorts of noisy and disturbing words like this for a while now.

At first, I suspected it was just a fight between delinquents, but it seems to be something different.

“Hand over your wallet before we get angry. You were looking at us like we were trash earlier, weren’t you?”

“Seriously, that’s defamation. We may look like this, but we’re living our lives to the fullest.”

“Hey, if you don’t hurry up and let me out, I’m going to kill you!”

For now, to sort out the current situation, in my eyes, there is a male student wearing our school’s uniform. And surrounding him are the obvious thugs.

Are there about five of them? I’ve never actually seen it outside of manga or dramas, but it looks like what they call a “katsuage” is happening.

I was stunned to see that there are actually people who do such things, and I unconsciously found myself staring intently at the scene.

Unfortunately, the thin, bespectacled boy, who is probably a first-year student, is being harassed by such rough-looking men and is trembling in fear.

“Those eyes are not directed at you,” he denies, but tears are already clearly streaming down from his eyes as he is being grabbed by the collar.

And, for the time being, having encountered such a scene, I just remembered it now, but I definitely feel like the homeroom teacher mentioned it during the morning homeroom.

I heard that a student from another school nearby was recently attacked by a few delinquents and suffered injuries that will take two weeks to heal.

“Hand over your wallet before we get angry. You were looking at us like we were trash earlier, weren’t you?”

Well, it’s obviously already too late…

Various things.

In the present continuous tense, the scene that should be visible to my eyes is being shown, with the students from my school passing by without letting it appear in their line of sight.

In reality, I understand all too well the feeling of not wanting to get caught up in such a situation.

I understand, but seeing those guys from the same class, Sakaki and Moriya, just pass by here makes me feel a bit uneasy too.

“That kind of thing? If it shows up in front of me, I’ll beat it to a pulp.”

“Hey, why don’t you come out instead? Ah, I want to fight.”

In homeroom, Sakaki and Moriya, who are known as the upper caste of the class and had been acting all high and mighty, quietly passed by without saying a word, not even glancing at the dangerous-looking group.

And as soon as I passed through the ticket gate and entered the safe zone, those guys unexpectedly directed a sneering grin at me.

In that scene, once again, something beyond anger flows into my chest.

That’s right.

Some people might be aware of this situation, but right now, no, I…

For some reason, and I can’t believe it, I’m in a situation where I’m surrounded by these rough-looking guys along with the bespectacled guy next to me…

Of course, I had no intention of getting involved with these guys myself either.

It didn’t happen, but before I knew it, I was being confronted with things like “What are you staring at, huh?” and was forcibly made a part of this commotion…

It’s nothing but the worst.

“Hey, you better pay up too, damn it.”

For now, I’m being threatened up close by delinquents along with the crying glasses guy next to me.

It’s pathetic to say this myself, but two guys who look like they might get shaken down are actually getting shaken down. This is probably how it looks to the people around them.

Not only Sakaki and the others, but I could also see the occasional figures of those with bad character passing by, seemingly mocking the scene.

Takasago, who was also a suckerfish in the same class as Sakaki, was one of them.

In short, they probably thought they could have a good time in class tomorrow by gossiping about me getting bullied again.

“Sigh…”

When I imagine such a scene, a sigh unconsciously escapes my lips.

Really, why do I have to go through such an unfortunate student life? Why do I, who haven’t done anything, have to feel so miserable?

Fortunately, most people have passed through the ticket gate, and it seems like there are hardly any others here besides us, but has my attitude from earlier been bothering them?

“Hey, are you messing with me?”

Suddenly, one of the thugs, who had been threatening me with a rolled tongue, throws a punch at my face.

And then, immediately, the dry, dull sound of a person being hit echoed through this space several times…

“Sigh…”

For now, in front of me, there’s a shitty scene where punks are sprawled on the floor in various pathetic positions.

And, although it is already too late, I wonder if someone had reported it. I can hear the sound of police cars from outside.

“Sigh…”

How many times have I sighed in such a short time?

I can feel some unpleasant gazes from somewhere, but fortunately, there are no familiar faces in my line of sight right now. There are only a few unfamiliar faces who probably go to the same school. They wouldn’t know my name anyway, since I’m a loner and hardly stand out.

So, well, it should be fine. It’s just self-defense, after all.

Even the crying glasses-wearing guy who was getting involved with me just a moment ago asked for my name, but of course, I had no intention of answering.

With all that, I processed the earlier events as if they never happened, quietly passed through the ticket gate, and rushed onto the train heading home as usual…

Even so, reluctantly, I feel like I haven’t hit someone in a long time.

Since I was old enough to understand, I had already known that the sensation transmitted through my fists was by no means a pleasant one for me, and I was reminded of this once again by the recent incident.

And yet, despite the irregularities, the familiar sign with bold and grand fonts, as if written by a professional calligrapher, saying “Mamiya Boxing Gym,” is posted on the first-floor tenant of my home apartment, but it no longer matters to me.

I found something I want to do on my own.

Yeah. It doesn’t matter to me anymore. What do you mean, a once-in-a-hundred-years talent…?

I can’t even imagine a life where boxing controls everything like it used to.