"How? When?" Hinto asked her.
Nikko let go of Hinto and said, "We moved back a few days ago, and my mom wanted me to go to this so-called 'prestigious' school, but I convinced her to let me transfer here."
The students around them started whispering. "Why would she do that!?"
Hinto stood there, speechless.
"I've been away from this place for so long, and I missed it… and… I also missed you," she said, blushing and looking away.
The whole class yelled, "WHAAAT?!"
Everyone looked furious.
Rika felt like she was on a rollercoaster of emotions. "WHO IS SHE, AND WHERE THE HELL DID SHE COME FROM?!" she thought.
Hiro started laughing and jokingly said, "Haha, looks like you've got competition, Rika!"
Rika turned to Hiro and snapped, "Shut the hell up, you!"
"Hey, hey, calm down. I'm just joking," Hiro said, still laughing.
At that exact moment, the teacher walked in and noticed the commotion.
"Ahem! Everyone, back to your seats!"
The class quickly rushed back to their seats, but Hinto, still in shock, remained frozen in place.
"Also, you, Mr. Kasa… Mr. Kasa!"
Hinto snapped out of it. "Yes, Sensei!"
"Kasa?" Nikko thought to herself.
"Back to your seat," the teacher repeated.
"Sorry, Sensei.!" he said, walking to his seat.
Nikko giggled a little.
"Now, let's continue your introduction from where you left off."
"Yes!" she answered. "My name is Haruki Nikko. I'm 14, and I recently moved back to this amazing town. Nice to meet you all—I look forward to getting to know everyone!"
"Hello, Nikko-chan! Welcome!"
The class erupted into whistles and claps.
Rika, however, only grew more annoyed at everyone's obsession with Nikko.
"There's an empty spot next to Hinto. You can sit there."
Rika nearly bit her tongue when she heard that, and all the boys in class glared angrily.
Hinto, however, didn't react.
"Hinto, make Haruki feel at home," the teacher said.
"As you wish, Sensei," Hinto replied.
"He already has," Nikko said in a slightly flirty tone.
Rika crossed her arms and muttered the same words in a mocking voice.
Lunch Break
Hinto and his friends walked into the school cafeteria.
"Whoa, this cafeteria looks awesome," Hakuho said.
"Yeah, we all know why you'd say that, Hakuho," Taka responded.
Hinto sat down at the table. Rika immediately took the seat next to him, while Hiro sat on his other side.
"Yes! My plan worked! Now she has no choice but to sit next to Taka or Hakuho," Rika thought smugly.
"Hey, Haruki-chan, do you wanna switch places? I've seen this guy all summer, and I'm kinda tired of him," Hiro joked.
At that moment, Rika shot Hiro a death glare, but he quickly got up and moved across the table.
"Thank you, Hiro! And please, call me Nikko!" she said cheerfully.
"So, Nikko-chan, how do you know our Hinto?" Hiro asked.
"Well, we were neighbors," she said.
"Oh, great. They were just neighbors," Rika thought, sighing in relief.
"We practically grew up together!" Nikko added.
Rika's reality shattered in that moment.
"Just neighbors… or more?" Taka asked with a smirk.
Unable to hold back, Rika kicked Taka under the table.
"OUCH!" Taka yelled.
"TAKA, DON'T ASK STUPID QUESTIONS! You're making Hinto feel uncomfortable!" Rika scolded.
Hinto suddenly stood up and walked off.
"Hinto?" Nikko called as he got up.
"Hinto, where are you going?!" Rika asked, but he ignored them and kept walking.
"After all these years, she just walks in with no explanation and acts like everything is fine," Hinto thought bitterly.
As he walked down the hall, he passed a group of guys hanging out.
"What's up with the white-haired freak?" one of them sneered.
Hinto was too lost in his thoughts to even notice.
"Dude is straight-up ignoring me… ah, whatever."
Nikko quickly got up and ran after Hinto.
Rika also stood up, but Hiro stopped her. "Rika, I think it's best you sit back for now. This is probably something between the two of them."
Rika hesitated for a second before realizing he was right. She sighed and sat back down.
Nikko spotted Hinto at the end of the hall and yelled his name.
"Hinto!"
However, she also caught the attention of three guys hanging out nearby.
Their leader, Kazuo, smirked. "Damn, who is this beauty?" he said, checking her out from head to toe.
Nikko rolled her eyes. "Can I pass? You're kind of in my way."
"Whoa, spicy!" Shingo, one of Kazuo's buddies, said
Jiro, another one of Kazuo's buddies, chimed in and said, "I think you need to show some respect!"
Kazuo grinned. "Calm down, guys. Look, I just wanna get to know you. You sure as hell have to be the prettiest girl in school."
"Whether I am or not is irrelevant—and wouldn't matter to you either way."
Kazuo chuckled. "How about you and me on my motorcycle after school?"
"Ooooh, smooth, Kazuo!" Shingo teased.
Nikko shoved him aside. "I'd rather die."
Kazuo's face darkened in embarrassment. He grabbed her arm. "I guess I'll have to teach you some manners."
Before his hand could reach her face, Hinto grabbed his wrist.
"She's not interested," he said coldly.
Kazuo laughed. "Haha, what is this? Your boyfriend?"
Nikko gasped. "Hinto!"
"Hinto…?" Shingo whispered.
Nikko, worried, tried to de-escalate. "Hinto, I can handle myself! Don't worry!"
Kazuo scoffed. "Yeah, little Hinto, scram!"
Shingo's eyes widened in realization. "Wait… Hinto? That name sounds familiar!"
Kazuo, getting annoyed, tried to yank his arm free. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FA—"
Before he could finish, Hinto yanked Kazuo toward him and drove his knee into his face."
Nikko, Shingo, and Jiro stared in shock.
Hinto's expression darkened. "Don't raise your voice, you piece of shit."
Shingo took a step back. "Oh no… it can't be…."
Kazuo, furious, lunged at Hinto, throwing punches—but Hinto dodged every single one.
"GRAB HIM!" Kazuo shouted.
Shingo and Jiro rushed Hinto, but in a flash, Hinto jumped two meters into the air, clapping his feet together against their heads.
They collapsed to the ground, momentarily unconscious.
"Had enough?" Hinto glared down at them. "You don't wanna go any further. Trust me."
From a distance, you could see the principal walking toward the scene.
"Oh shit, the principal! This ain't over, Hinto, mark my words!" Kazuo said.
He ran toward his two buddies and said, "Get up, idiots! We gotta get out of here!"
Shingo and Jiro got up and ran after Kazuo. "you won't be so lucky next time White demon" they said
When the principal arrived, he asked, "What's going on here?"
At that moment, Hinto's friends also arrived.
The principal's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Kasa… I've heard many rumors about you—very atrocious ones. I don't want any of those… incidents in my school."
"I understa—"
"Since this is the first day, I'll let it go. But be warned—if I catch you doing anything out of order, disciplinary actions will follow. Do I make myself clear?"
Nikko immediately jumped in. "Sir, it's not Hinto's fault! It was—"
Hinto cut her off. "Nikko, it's okay. Understood, sir."
The principal sighed and walked away.
Rika rushed forward, concern written all over her face. "Hinto, what happened? Are you okay?" she asked, reaching for his hand.
Nikko saw the way she touched him and gave her a confused look.
"Yes, I'm fine," Hinto replied.
Taka furrowed his brows. "Wait… so no one went to the hospital?"
"No, they ran off," Hinto answered.
"Taka," Rika muttered, already annoyed.
"But you're the White Demon!" Taka blurted out.
Hiro facepalmed. "Oh my god…"
Hakuho just stood there, shocked at Taka's ignorance.
Rika's frustration boiled over. "DON'T CALL HIM THAT!"
Hinto looked around. The voices in his head started swirling again.
"They all see you like this…"
"You should've never come to this school. You don't belong here."
His gaze flickered to Nikko. She was watching him intently, her eyes filled with worry.
"Hinto…" she whispered.
Without another word, he turned and ran.
"Hinto!" Nikko called after him and immediately took off running.
Rika clenched her fists before sprinting after them, but Hiro stopped her.
"Rika, let them go. This is something between them."
Rika hesitated, then sighed in frustration before stepping back.
Hinto reached the entrance, slipped on his outdoor shoes, grabbed an umbrella, and stepped outside into the rain.
"HINTO!"
He stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he saw Nikko running toward him before she threw her arms around him.
"Nikko, I—"
"Thank you for saving me," she murmured.
"I did what anyone else would do," he said, voice flat.
"That's the thing. Not everyone would. I don't think most people would fight off three guys for someone."
She pulled back slightly, her gaze meeting his. "And… I was even happier that it was you who saved me."
A voice echoed in Hinto's head.
"She's lying."
His jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists.
"I mean a lot to you?" he repeated, pain evident in his voice.
"Of course you d—"
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU WRITE ME ALL THESE YEARS?!" Hinto shouted, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face.
Nikko froze.
"You say you missed me, but I didn't receive a single response to my letters."
His breath hitched as years of bottled-up pain surged forward.
"When I learned how to read and write, my grandfather helped me write letters to you. I was so excited to hear back from you, but I never did."
Nikko opened her mouth, but Hinto didn't let her speak.
"At some point, I thought maybe you had moved on… that our time as kids didn't matter to you anymore. So, I buried those feelings deep down."
His body trembled.
"I lost my mother. You moved away. My father walked out on me. And then, during summer break… my grand—my grandpa, he—"
His voice cracked. His knees buckled. Nikko barely managed to catch him before he collapsed.
"Every single day, I had nightmares about that night. About finding my… my—"
Words failed him. The weight of grief pressed down on his chest, suffocating him.
"Hinto… I'm so sorry, I—"
Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted them.
"YO, WHITE DEMON!"
Hinto snapped his head up, blinking through his tears.
A group of people surrounded the school entrance, blocking every possible exit.
A guy in a fully black outfit, smirked.
"Our boss wants to see you. And you'd better come along nicely."
They all wore matching uniforms—a black jacket with a snake logo.
Across the back, the word "KOKUJA" (Black Serpent) was stitched.
Chapter End - Sorrow