Tetsuya stood at the front of the school, waiting for his friend Obara. He fiddled with the lunchbox he’d received from his student earlier that day. He washed it so he could return it, but she never returned to class.
Probably her mom again.
He was aware that she would be in and out of school. The headmaster was a friend of her father’s and made an exception for her. But her mom sure called a lot. Surely she was in terrible condition. He was certain she wouldn’t disturb the girl’s education so frequently if it wasn’t an emergency.
He felt a little guilty for yelling at her on the first day of school. He wasn’t aware of the circumstance then. And…he didn’t know it was her.
“Keiko.” He’d seen her signature so many times. It was locked in his memory. He never expected to meet her in person. He certainly didn’t expect Sosuke Matsuda to be her brother.
That man is infuriating
Sosuke annoyed him. He was a lazy teacher and Tetsuya couldn’t stand it.
“Yo.” Obara playfully punched Tetsuya’s arm. “Ready to go?”
The two walked down the steps to Obara’s car.
“Miyazaki’s not with you today?” He asked. The school nurse occasionally joined them for drinks. She could probably out drink them both. But man, was she a lousy drunk!
“She had to take her dog to the vet.” Obara shrugged.
Obara stopped a few feet from the stairs. “About the girl.”
“What about it?” Tetsuya already knew what his friend meant. Obara was the only one he’d confided in about it.
“What are you going to do about it?” Obara locked the car doors, not letting Tetsuya escape the conversation.
“What do you mean, what am I going to do?” Tetsuya scoffed.
“Well, didn’t you want to help her with her friend?” Obara’s blank expression as he spoke and monotone voice made it seem as if he didn’t care one way or the other. Why he was fishing for answers on the subject eluded him.
“I sat them right next to each other. I can’t force them to kiss and make up.” Tetsuya released a sigh of frustration.
“Do you want them to?” Obara raised his eyebrow at him.
Tetsuya regretted telling his best friend about the letters. He just wanted a drink and some relaxation. But now there was something brewing in his chest that a few beers wouldn’t solve.
“That’s…” Tetsuya was a little annoyed by the line of questioning. “That’s none of my business.”
“So you don’t care about her anymore?” Obara asked in his monotone voice, his eyes looking somewhere in the distance.
“Of course not. She’s my student, not my wife! What the hell are you thinking?!” Tetsuya impatiently pulled the handle to the locked car. “Will you drop it already?”
Tetsuya was past annoyance now. He just wanted a drink and a cigarette.
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you’d want to help her out.” He said, unlocking the car and pointing his finger toward the bus stop. “Over there.”
“It’s about time someone brought you down a peg.” He heard a girl’s voice in the distance.
When he turned around, he saw three students in an altercation. Two, he recognized. They always ate their lunch in his class and the other was sprawled out on the ground with a foot on her back. It took him a second to take in the situation. He saw a flash of her red hair and before he knew it; he was barreling toward them without a word to his friend.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He yelled.
“S-she provoked us!” said the girl with her foot on Keiko’s hand.
Though he didn’t doubt Matsuda had a poor reputation with her classmates, she didn’t deserve this. He doubted she talked to anyone, much less provoked them into attacking her.
He saw her wounded hand and battered face. His blood ran hot.
If these were men, he wouldn’t have contained himself so well. Then again, if they were men, and he’d used his fists as he was accustomed, he would lose his license for sure. And he’d never see the red color of her hair, or the honey brown of her eyes glaring at him from her seat every day.
“Get out of here!” He could barely pry his lips open to make the words come out.
“I lost him.” She said, almost too quiet for him to hear. “I lost him.” She repeated.
“Lost who?” He picked the redhead off the ground and brushed the dirt off her uniform. Her knees were scraped and her wrist was bruised. He took her hand and gently flipped it from one side to another.
He’d have Ayame take a look at it on Monday. It might be healed by then. He contemplated taking her to the hospital right then and there.
He should’ve gotten there sooner, but he didn’t notice the girls fighting until Obara said something. He was meant to protect his students. He failed her.
He turned her hand and cleaned the wound as best he could. She winced and pulled back her hand.
“Damn teenagers.” He almost growled. Cursing the girls out loud. He will make sure they are punished for what they did.
A strange sound left the girl’s mouth. Was she... laughing? She clamped her hand over her mouth as if to cover the sound of her own giggling.
“Sorry…I don’t mean to laugh.” She said. “You just sound so funny when you talk like that.”
“You damn teens!” She mocked him, balling her fists in the air.
Tetsuya was confused by her actions. He would be furious right now if he had to endure what she just did.
“Aren’t you upset?” he furrowed his brows at the girl.
“They're just stupid girls. It's not like I didn't expect there to be at least some bullying in high school.”
Keiko stretched her arms into the sky. She leaned to one side, then the other, and yawned. “I read all about it in shojo manga!” She winked at him and threw him a peace sign.
He didn't know whether he admired her ability to not hold a grudge or felt annoyed that she seemed oblivious to her reputation among the other students.
“Damn teenagers.” He said again under his breath. Matsuda was always so hot headed. There’s no way the Keiko he knew would just take that kind of abuse from two girls half her size.
Then it occurred to him. If she had retaliated…She’d be expelled. She’s already under scrutiny because of the nature of her admission.
“I’ll have you know, I’ll be 21 next April.” She dusted off her skirt.
He’d almost forgotten. Keiko wasn't a teenager. She missed a few years of schooling in Spain. She mentioned being excited to be in the Ishida boy’s grade for their final year of high school in one of her letters.
The headmaster had issued a seal on her records, so no one else knew how old she was except Sosuke and himself.
And he only knew through her letters.
Though he had read the notes as if they were addressed to him, Keiko never meant to send them to his apartment. The box of letters addressed to 'Shiro Ishida'. The letters he still had in his bedroom closet. The ones that were never meant for his eyes in the first place.
No one knew Keiko Matsuda was 20 years old... As far as her classmates were concerned, she was 18, like the rest of them. But still, even with the seal, word travels fast.
If she cared about what others thought of her, she would’ve dropped out and did the rest of her schooling online like he had. But Keiko wasn’t like that. What others thought of her didn’t seem to phase her one bit. She only cared about one person. Shiro Ishida.
“Oh, is that so? Well, what do you want? A medal?” He said, crossing his arms across his chest and smirking at the redhead, who was standing on her toes.
“Are you trying to look taller? You’re already tall for a girl.” He pushed her forehead with two fingers, and she fell back onto her heels.
She pouted and turned away, which made him chuckle.
Her cheeks reddened and he willed his own redness away from his face. Keiko Matsuda…was beautiful. If she wanted, she could have anyone. Even with her fiery personality, he was sure she had several admirers…He knew she had at least one, though he would never admit it to her face… not only because it was inappropriate.
If she conformed to the school policies and acted like the other girls did, she would be the most popular woman in Bura Bura. But he knew she would never conform to any policy, or bend to anyone’s will.
Anyone except…
“Kei-, er, Matsuda,” Tetsuya rubbed the back of his neck as he fumble his words.
“About Ishid-”
Her phone buzzed on the ground before he could finish the sentence. He was half grateful for the interruption.
He eyed the phone on the ground. Keiko didn’t move or look at the caller ID. She turned away and stared off toward the bus stop as the last bus exited for the day.
“You gonna get that?”
Her eyes glossed over, and her fists turned into balls. Maybe she heard him after all.
After a while, he bent down and picked it up himself.
“Hello.” He said into the speaker.
“Hello, is Miss Matsuda there? We need her at the South Medical Center immediately. It’s her mother.” The person on the other end spoke frantically into the receiver. He heard something falling and breaking in the background.
He heard panicked voices before the nurse spoke again. "Please... Mrs. Matsuda... Don't-"
“I’ll bring her over right away!”
“Please hurry.” The nervous nurse said before hanging up.
He gathered the rest of Keiko’s things and lead her to his motorcycle.
“Hey, your mom needs your help. I’ll take you there, okay? I hope you don’t mind the bike.” The girl followed without a word. He couldn’t tell if she was in shock or was just being shy.
Definitely not shy. He remembered the girl who yelled at him the first day of school.
He adjusted his spare helmet on her head, tucking her wild hair behind her ears so it wouldn’t bother her eyes. He took his seat in front of her. Glancing over to where Obara’s car is usually parked. He noticed his friend drive off after the altercation. He’d have to buy him a beer or two to make it up to the man.
“Hold on tight.” He said as he sped off to the hospital he knew well.
She didn’t put his arms around him like women normally would. She just grabbed the sides of his jacket for balance. Even so, he could tell she was shaking.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be ok.” He tried to comfort her. Her grip tightened on his jacket.
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“I’ll wait right here for you. Take as long as you need.” He watched as the girl made her way to the entrance at a sluggish pace. She didn’t seem too concerned for her mom. Maybe she was used to this sort of thing. Or maybe she was still shaken up.
She glanced back with an indiscernible look on her face. She seemed to reach for him before dropping her hand and turning away.
“Ok, thank you.”
While he waited, Tetsuya texted Obara his apologies for ditching him, but he never replied. He was probably out with his model girlfriend.
Geez. If you wanted to be alone, you could’ve just said so.
He waited for what seemed like a lifetime. The sun was already going down.
His stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since lunch. He was surprised by the homemade boxed lunch Matsuda had made him.
“Just shut up and take it, okay?” She had said when she handed it to him.
Tetsuya pulled the note she’d left inside. It was a sticky note with pandas stacked on the side.
“Thanks for not being a jerk the other day.” It read.
He almost drooled when he remembered the taste of the food. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something about her cooking he loved. He could eat it all day.
He wondered if her mom had taught her how to cook.
His mind wandered to a different timeline. One where Keiko waited for him to get home from work, with dinner on the table. One where she smiled just for him. She’d probably yell more than she laughed, but…
He’d take an angry Keiko over the silent and broken one he saw today. He never wanted to see her make that face again. He’d make it his mission. She would never have to cry again. He will fix what he’d done.
Maybe it’s silly to play matchmaker for a couple of kids. But if it’s that she wanted. If it’s what will light up her smile. Then he’d do it. Even if her smile wasn’t for him.
“Sir!”
He dug himself out of the mental hole he’d put himself in.
“SIR PLEASE!”
A nurse come charging at him.
“Please help her!” He grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hospital.
“Please help Ms. Matsuda!”
“W-what, I’m not a doctor, what can I do?!” He argued, though his feet were following the woman.
“Not her!” the nurse practically tossed him into the room.
His body acted before he’d taken in the scene.
The girl with the reddish brown hair stood by the bed. Her bloodied face looked at the roof with an oddly peaceful expression.
The woman kneeled on the bed in front of her, holding a metal pole.
Tetsuya lunged between the two women and held both his palms up, catching the pole before it could hurt Keiko. The woman’s grip on it loosened as the nurse injected her in the neck with a syringe.
Her eyes fluttered before closing completely.
“Stupid…girl.” She muttered.
He looked at the woman’s face. She had bags under her eyes. She was thin and had short, red hair. Redder than Keiko’s. She looked a few years older than him. Even so, her daughter didn’t look much like her other than her hair color.
Her hand twitched as the nurse settled her into bed and Tetsuya turned to face Keiko. She stood frozen in fear.
He needed to get her away from here as soon as possible.
He scooped her up and held her to his chest. He would make sure she left here safe this time. She was shaking as she rested her head on his chest. She gripped the collar of his shirt and hid her face from him.
I did this
Tetsuya exited the hospital and gently placed Matsuda on his bike. Somehow, his body felt heavy without her attached to him. He stayed leaned over her for what was probably an inappropriate amount of time.
But she didn’t complain, and he didn’t want to pull away and expose his tears.
I did this to her.
He tucked her hair behind her ears and examined her wounds before carefully putting her helmet on her.
This is my fault.
He took a minute to compose himself before asking for directions to her house. Luckily, he’d been to Matsuda’s place once before during a mixer. He knew the general area. He tried his best to drive with his tears compromising his vision.
He didn’t budge when the girl wrapped her arms around him tightly. He didn’t move when she sobbed loudly into his back. He stayed quiet when she hugged him so tight it almost hurt.
image [https://img.wattpad.com/6c7519036878580dc386a9ff8c3c2087c80e7a6d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4a725332486d4b32304a47486d673d3d2d313436333130363030352e313765336139363930613963613633623336343136313338373130342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The guilt he felt at that moment was immeasurable.
I’m sorry…
He thought as he fought back the tears. He wanted to sob like a child, too.
I did this to you. I’m so sorry.
He thought the words he could never say out loud.
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Neither of them moved when they got to her house. If he was being honest, he didn’t want to leave her. Her mother had abused her for who knows how long. How could he be sure her brother wasn’t the same way?
He thought about that for a minute. At the mixer he remembered Sosuke getting drunk off a single beer and crying on his shoulder all night over his ex-girlfriend marrying some guy in Germany.
He didn’t think he was anything like his mother. He was just an idiot.
Keiko slowly removed her hands from Tetsuya’s chest. He stepped off the bike and helped her down. He removed her helmet as he’d done before, this time much more carefully.
He inspected her face. It was bruised, but the antibiotics and bandages the nurse gave her before they left seemed to help. Keiko refused the painkillers, but he tossed them in her bag, anyway.
He walked her to the porch, but she didn’t go inside. Instead, she sat on the steps, cradling her knees to her face.
“You…gonna be okay?”
“I’ll be alright,” she made a joke he couldn’t hear over his own thoughts. She laughed a painfully awkward laugh, and it all made sense. Why she took the beating from the two bratty girls. Why she didn’t fight back.
“Uh…hey listen…I should probably talk to Matsuda.” Tetsuya tried to sound professional. He wanted to discuss Keiko’s safety. But he also wanted to interrogate her brother and make sure she would be safe if he left her there.
“Don’t bother, he knows.”
Tetsuya sat beside her on the porch, defeated.
He knows. He eyed the girl’s bruises. The scars on her arms.
I’m a damned idiot. Tetsuya cursed himself in his mind.
All these weeks she’d been coming in late or leaving early. How could he not see what was going on? He was trained for this as a teacher. Maybe because it’s never happened before. Or maybe it was because he never saw Keiko as his student. He never thought this could happen to someone like her. She was always so…strong.
Why didn’t she say anything?
He remembered yelling at her on the first day. He didn’t make himself very approachable.
She never mentioned abuse in her letters. The guilt returned. She didn’t want anyone to know.
“Was it always like this?” His voice cracked, but he didn’t care.
“No.” She leaned back, looking at the setting sun. “Mom went sort of crazy…”
He waited for her to continue.
“Since my dad died.”
He knew her father had passed, but he never really thought about it. He never met his own parents, so losing one was never really something he could relate to.
Her voice steadied as she told him about her family.
He sat and listened, cursing himself in his head over and over.
I did this. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
He let her vent her frustrations until she grew tired of talking. After a long silence, he said his goodbyes.
He couldn't bear to look at her once he mounted his bike. Tetsuya grabbed his helmet and put it on. He rarely wore his headgear, but this time he had little choice.
He waved in her direction without looking back. The image of her bloodied face was ingrained in his mind. The sounds of her crying rang in his head.
I'm sorry.
He let it out then. The tears he had been holding back since holding her in his arms.
I'm so sorry, Keiko.
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image [https://img.wattpad.com/8e511ffd1ea233824ebdddca306c0c967fe71f99/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f68723948757a32533655324f39513d3d2d313436333130363030352e3137653361393739333763373566373133343631343739343831312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]