Chapter 3: Vol 1 Chapter 1.2

“It really saved us that our parents weren’t contacted thanks to Yata-kun.”

“It’s okay. Listen, if you’re going to feign ignorance then do so confidently. If you’re going to admit it, apologize with force. Well, this time can’t be helped since it’s done with. For the next time, don’t do as you like, if you wanna do something discuss it with me first. Because then it’ll be a success!”

"Okay. Thanks.”

Still upset, the three laughed powerlessly.

Although they had received a scolding it was no big thing because it wasn’ something that had happened regularly during tests and they had been released. Of course, if the next time something should be exposed, it couldn’t be avoided that their parents would be contacted. When looking at their class in comparison there were many well brought-up kids, so that your very own child would cheat was something the parents could not imagine.

“Well, I’m here with my bike, so. See ya tomorrow.”

He had planned to take everybody and go to Shizume City, but as expected, the teachers kept a watchful eye on them thus an other day seemed better.

Parting with his friends on the main gate, who went home with the school bus, Yata alone turned his feet towards the side gate. There was no place to store bicycles so he had parked his own there. Because it was dangerous, coming to school by bicycle was prohibited.

“Damn, this is why this is a snobbish middle school!”

One month had passed since Himuka middle school’s entrance ceremony, but the truth was Yata felt as if he did not fit in well. Coming to school by bicycle was forbidden, buying sweets on your way back from school was also forbidden; there were a lot of rigid school regulations. The uniform’s deep red blazer and loop tie were kind of pretentious and itched, and Yata wore his uniform out of shape with the sleeves rolled up.

Not one of the friends he used to hang out with in elementary school was in this middle school. Because of his parents’ work, they had to move during summer break. He missed his old school, but because there weren’t only bad things here Yata thought positively. They had returned close to the city he had lived in when he had been much younger, even before his old school. For Yata, Shizume City was a city he had many memories of.

He pulled his bike through the bushes near the side gate. Because it was a shabby ladies’ bicycle handed down from his mother, it was something he did not really want his friends to see. He thought that if he’d work he’d want to buy a cool cross bike, but of course, working was forbidden for middle school students, and he had already used up his New Year’s money and he didn’t want to ask for his allowance to be increased either…

“I wonder if my overly rich friends can’t do much either.”

Muttering useless things to himself, he tossed his flatly smashed school bag in the basket, lightly brushed away the leaves that had piled up on the saddle and with a “Yo” straddled carelessly. Himuka middle school was downtown and therefore the front gate faced a main street with a lot of traffic, however the side gate faced a Shinto shrine at the school’s backside. This area was included in Shizume City and he did not know why but there were many Inari shrines(1), Buddhist temple and Shinto shrines. Torii gates(2) that might unexpectedly deify something in this city appeared and a thick forest stretched out to the depths. A high fence surrounded the school ground and the quite path cut through the shrine’s forest.

Like a boundary line between the world of the humans and the world of the g o d s, a place surrounded by mysterious air, scenting of nature.

It was possible that the students commuting by bus did not know that this path behind the school existed.

“Oh, is it this one.”

When Yata looked it up, he immediately found the app he had searched for. When the installation ended the screen gained a new icon called«jungle/β». In accordance to jungle’s name, the icon had an image of many swaying and entangled trees.

Hohoh, wouldn’t a less lame icon been better? Didn’t those guys say that the design was also a cool aspect? Speaking of which, in the end how did those guys cheat anyway?

That they told each other the answers though messages was the first idea, but the students’ PDAs where supervised by the school and during classes there was a lock that made working with the PDA, except for emergency calls, not possible. Though they had found a way out of the teacher’s inquiry, the basic question had not been solved.

“Well, whatever. I’ll ask tomorrow. Huh? First is user registration…?”

While driving with one hand a bit totteringly Yata immediately started to work with the new app, when an alarming conversation reached his ears.

“This kid has ten thousand bucks(3) with him. Even though he’s a first year.”

“The rumor that his family’s rich is true after all.”

“Hey, we are all equally in need for money, right? We’ve exceeded this month’s charge of allowance.”

Yata raised his eyes from the PDA. His ears were sensitive to this kind of conversation.

Denouncing, extorting, bullying…….

Looking forward along the fence, there were the shapes of four boys dressed in Himuka Middle School’s uniform. Three of them had made a semicircle and pushed the remaining one against the fence.

“Hm? That guy……”

Yata stared in the direction of the surrounded student’s face. Because he was covering his face with his hands and was looking down, Yata could not see him very well, but the instant he recognized the pale face wearing black framed glasses, he rose his voice without hesitating.

“Hey, the hell are you doing!?”

The group of three turned around. Without doubt had they just now taken money from that previously mentioned person’s wallet. For a second the three were ready to run away, but when they spotted the shape of Yata who was striking a daunting pose with his shabby ladies’ bicycle, they relaxed.

“What is it shorty, what year are you?”

“Don’t say shorty!”

“This kid is first year’s Yata. Yata Misaki. A shorty remarkable for impulsively yelling around.”

“For argument’s sake I’ll forgive the “shorty”, but don’t call me by my full name!”

The third years were probably in some kind of sport club. Other than Yata, their body build was quite good, too. If judged by only their outward appearance they didn’t look like real delinquents. Unlike Yata who opposed the school rules and wore his uniform out of shape, they did not do so and their hair wasn’t too long either(4). Teachers didn’t keep an eye on students that earnestly participated in school clubs. Are average guys just like them doing things of this sort in secret, in this middle school……..Yata felt an unpleasant feeling in his chest.

“Return his wallet!”

In order to appear a bit taller, Yata stiffened his shoulders and approached them and the bespectacled boy seemed to jerk up his chin. Because of the height difference Yata had to look up to the three, which made things mortifying.

“Wallet? Sure, if it’s just the wallet then we’ll return it, no problem.”

The three looked at each other and laughed, and threw the empty wallet into four-eyes direction. Unlike Yata who had a cheap wallet, this wallet seemed fairly expensive, it was something perfectly made of leather.

“Not only the wallet! Give him back his money——”

Thud, fell the wallet on the ground which surprised Yata a bit and he interrupted his yelling.

“Do it.”

Said the bespectacled boy without paying any attention to the wallet that had hit his shoulder and fallen down. It was a voice gloomy and hushed.

“What was that? Can’t hear you.” Asked the seniors intimidatingly in reply.

“Do it, the money and the wallet, too. I don’t ever want to touch stuff again that you guys touched.”

With this remark he wiped his shoulder with a gesture like dirt was stuck there. On top of that he kicked the wallet that had been close to his feet into the direction of the third years and said:

“Take it. You can still have small change, so grovel and look for it. Come on.”

Yata who had entered to help was dumbfounded just like the others. The third years’ faces turned angry and took on a dark red color. Four-eyes picked up his fallen backpack and without looking at the seniors’ faces began walking away along the fence.

“Oh-…….Y-You bastard, wait! Are you making fun of us?!”

The surprised third years yelled angrily and one grabbed the bespectacled boy’s hair from behind.

“Don’t touch me!!”

The boy yelled with a voice enough to pierce through their ears and head-butted the senior holding him by his hair with all his strength. They only heard a painful crashing sound and the senior covered his face and threw his head back.

“What has that guy done all of a sudden?!” The remaining two were enraged and ready to grab the bespectacled boy.

“Fushimi!“ yelled Yata and promptly jumped at one person close by.

Riding on his back and winding his legs around him Yata grappled his hands around the senior’s head as if to blind him and the third year shook his head with a “Get this shorty off of me!”. Sensing that from the side an other guy stretched out his hand, Yata kicked the back of the one he wrestled with and backed off without hesitation. He made a backflip he thought had looked amazing and landed on the ground.

"Hehe, got caught, huh.”

The seniors laughed scornfully and in between them four-eyes had been grabbed by the shoulders and been caught. Going three versus one against the sport club senior opponents, who’s build surpassed his in the end, put Yata at a disadvantage. Clicking his tongue, Yata quickly typed with one hand on his PDA.

If the bus hasn’t left yet there should still be time, so————.

“Yata-team, assemble…..”

He noticed an unfamiliar notification appear on the screen. He saw only for a second how the words [Yata-kun] came in sight [Isn’t he annoying?].

……..? What was this…….?

He frowned and the moment he unintentionally looked a his PDA a second time, a shadow appeared in front of his eyes.

“Don’t look away.”

His cheek got hit by a fist and Yata was knocked over.

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there are many Shinto shrines in Japan dedicated to the god Inari, god of foxes, fertility, agriculture, etc.

torii (鳥居) are red colored gates leading to Shinto shrines

~70€/98$

dress codes in japanese schools instruct fair hairstyles which usually means for boys to have short hai