Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Ueno Naoko

"Ishida, what's wrong with you?"

Ueno Naoko looked at Ishida Shoya who came running in from outside the classroom and had been lying on the desk, concernedly asking.

"Don't meddle in my business!"

Ishida Shoya's choked voice came through, clearly crying.

Ueno Naoko was somewhat at a loss. She hadn't expected Ishida Shoya, who had been participating in the "courage test" all along and acting recklessly, to cry so intensely.

But at the same time, her admiration for Hojo Kyosuke grew stronger.

No one knew that she was the only person in the school who knew the truth about the transfer of those few kids who had bullied Hojo Kyosuke before. Moreover, she knew far more than the class teacher Takeuchi and the others.

That afternoon, because she had forgotten something, she ran back to school and then saw it.

In the storage room, Hojo Kyosuke leaned against the door, and inside were a few boys sneaking around, holding his indoor shoes.

"Is this all you're capable of?"

The kids inside were already guilty, and when they heard Hojo Kyosuke's words, they were startled. When they turned around and saw that it was Hojo Kyosuke who was speaking, their guilt turned into anger.

The chubby kid who was leading immediately took a step forward.

"Huh? What are you talking about? We saw a pair of indoor shoes on the ground and were just about to put them in the lost and found."

"Heh"

Hojo Kyosuke gave a contemptuous smile and continued in a condescending tone.

"Just a bunch of worthless cowards who sneak around behind people's backs."

"Damn it, say that again!?"

The chubby kid and his companions were furious and rushed up, surrounding Hojo Kyosuke.

Ueno Naoko, who was peeking her head out from outside the room to watch, was startled. She didn't understand why Hojo Kyosuke would provoke so many people.

"Did I say anything wrong? I'm right here, what are you going to do to me?"

"I..."

The chubby kid was immediately intimidated by Hojo Kyosuke.

"What a bunch of losers. Let me tell you what you should do!"

Despite his appearance, Hojo Kyosuke, who had been exercising and running since he was young, had physical strength and power that the chubby kid couldn't match.

Taking a step back, twisting his body, he delivered a powerful punch to the chubby kid's stomach.

Even though there was a layer of fat, it still caused significant damage to the chubby kid. He had never experienced such pain before, and he immediately doubled over, clutching his stomach.

And Hojo Kyosuke didn't stop there. He followed up with a knee strike to the chubby face that had come closer.

A simple combination of moves, and the chubby kid ended up lying on the ground, alternating between covering his face and clutching his stomach.

His companions were also frightened by Hojo Kyosuke's fierceness. Although they were a group that bullied people in school, they only used petty tactics. They had never seen anything like Hojo Kyosuke.

Terrified, they sat on the ground, continuously retreating, afraid that Hojo Kyosuke would beat them all up.

"Listen, after school tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you outside the school. Bring more people to come find me, because just you few aren't my match."

Saying this, Hojo Kyosuke kicked the still moaning chubby kid on the ground.

"Understood?"

"Understood, understood."

The chubby kid and the others quickly replied.

Seeing that Hojo Kyosuke was about to come out, Ueno Naoko quickly retreated and hid behind the corner.

"Hero!"

Ueno Naoko clenched her small hands into fists in front of her chest, her beautiful blue-purple eyes shining brightly, as if stars were about to burst out.

In her eyes, Hojo Kyosuke's behavior just now perfectly fit the definition of a "hero."

Ueno Naoko absentmindedly walked back home.

She was in distress about how to get close to that boy.

As far as she knew, the only person in the whole school who could talk to him was Sakura Yamauchi from the next class.

Throughout the night, Ueno Naoko was lost in thought, sometimes fantasizing about Hojo Kyosuke protecting her like Doraemon, giggling foolishly, and other times worrying about how to get closer to him.

Until late at night, the girl fell asleep in a daze.

The next day, even her younger brothers had already woken up, but Ueno Naoko hadn't managed to get out of bed yet.

"Naoko, Naoko, you're going to be late."

Hearing her grandfather's voice, Ueno Naoko woke up.

"No, I have to hurry to school, otherwise I won't be able to see Hojo Kyosuke!"

She quickly tidied herself up and ran towards the school.

At the school gate, she actually saw Hojo Kyosuke, but he was holding hands with a girl!

"Sakura, you lazybones, pull yourself together and walk faster, we're going to be late."

"Huff, huff."

The girl pulled by Hojo Kyosuke was gasping for breath, relying on him to move forward.

"For heaven's sake, let me rest a bit. I'm really out of breath. Being late is just being late. How can a person not be late!"

In an instant, what the girl said made sense to Ueno Naoko, and her pace involuntarily slowed down.

"Don't try to convince me with your twisted logic. If you hadn't overslept this morning, we wouldn't have to be in such a rush."

Hojo Kyosuke remained unmoved, still pulling the girl forward.

Ueno Naoko heard his words and was a bit confused, not understanding what he meant. Then she heard the girl continue speaking.

"I told you, let's take a break from running today. How could you barge into a girl's room and drag a sleepy girl who hasn't even washed her face out for a run!"

The girl named Sakurayoshi protested loudly.

Ueno Naoko blushed slightly as she listened, about barging into the room and dragging someone up.

Without hearing more, after entering the school building, Hojo Kyosuke separated from the girl and went to his own classroom.

Throughout the day, Ueno Naoko kept stealing glances at Hojo Kyosuke, but fortunately, most of the time he was sleeping at school, so he wasn't noticed.

School was over.

Ueno Naoko casually found an excuse to help a classmate with cleaning duties and stayed behind. She remembered that yesterday Hojo Kyosuke had agreed to have a decisive battle with the chubby kid and his group after school. She wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help.

Indeed, it was a decisive battle, but it didn't go as Ueno Naoko had thought. The Hojo Kyosuke who had seemed like a hero yesterday was beaten up by the chubby kid and his more than ten companions.

Although Hojo Kyosuke seemed to have been hit only a few times, several of the chubby kid's companions were crying.

Ueno Naoko's little head couldn't comprehend why things had turned out this way. Standing there in a daze, she forgot her original intention to help and just watched as Hojo Kyosuke walked toward the police station not far away.

What was he planning to do? Ueno Naoko walked a bit closer and then witnessed Hojo Kyosuke's spectacular performance.

Hojo Kyosuke first picked up a rock from the ground and tore his clothes, creating a few holes. Then, he lay on the ground and rolled around vigorously, getting his whole body dirty.

Finally, he gave himself a powerful punch in the nose, wiping the flowing nosebleed haphazardly on his face and body.

Ueno Naoko was completely shocked, her already large eyes widening even further.

Then she saw Hojo Kyosuke, who had just been pinned down and beaten by several people, burst into tears, crying out loud like a broken faucet. He continued crying as he walked into the police station.

In the end, the conclusion of the story was something Ueno Naoko's grandfather found out through his friends at the police station.

"Hero!"

Knowing more than others, she easily understood Hojo Kyosuke's strategy. The adults all thought it was just an ordinary case of school bullying.

Only she knew that Hojo Kyosuke was a true hero. Not only could he make several people cry by himself, but he could also deceive so many adults and punish the classmates who bullied others.

In this way, Hojo Kyosuke left an indelible mark in the heart of a girl.

Quietly apologizing to Ishida Shoya in her heart, "I'm sorry, Ishida-kun, it's just that Hojo-kun is too cool."