Idly he strolled, watching the clouds drift languidly overhead, when he discovered her by the riverside under the Japanese maple trees, their leaves turning a vibrant golden-orange with pink edges in the spring.
It was quiet at that time of the day, with all other students mugging in school, and the adults slogging away at work. They were both escapees from the humdrum of lessons. He wasn’t sure about her story, but he hadn’t seen the point of art studies, mostly because his efforts never seemed to produce any satisfactory results, and that unnerved him immensely. Sitting through that had become discomforting.
He would have passed her by, but he recognized first her uniform—slightly modified, but nonetheless, similar to his own—and then her features, and he started after her, picking up his pace and calling out before she could walk away.
“Hey—Wait!” He figured he might alarm her, so he slowed his strides to a stroll and approached her with his hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. He halted a few feet away and momentarily averted his gaze to the river. A cool breeze ruffled the surface of the water and he rubbed the back of his neck before he glanced back at her.
“That was cool, what you did,” Law blurted. His brows furrowed in an effort to hide the sheepish look that had emerged on his face. But he realized his words were vague, and thus, he added, “A friend—he mentioned you saved him from bullies—said you royally kicked their asses, almost like a scene out of a movie. I think he’s a fan of you now. He was very impressed.”
He had heard of her. Inku, rumors circulated amongst the students about her, and how she defended the weak from the bullies, taught them a harsh and painful lesson. Some revered her and raved about her, others had scoffed that those who got owned were simply weaklings.
“You—Thanks,” Law mumbled. He turned away to hurry elsewhere, but stopped after a single step and regarded her with a solemn expression.
“They’ll want their revenge, you know, those you beat up. You’re probably aware, but they belong to a biker gang.” He paused and let out a quiet sigh. “Shouldn’t you be more careful about who you mess with? There are smarter ways to get back at them. I would’ve taken care of it, in due time. Not that I don’t appreciate the help, but now you’ve gone and stirred up a hornets’ nest… Alone, can you manage? What if they jumped you now?”
