Chapter 43. Real Strength
From Momo’s point of view
I stood by the service staircase of the old sports building and slowly took a drag on my cigarette.
The bitter smoke filled my lungs.
I held it for a few seconds.
Then calmly exhaled.
The grey cloud mixed with the cool morning air and almost immediately dissolved.
Nana and Suzu stood next to me.
My best friends.
Just like me.
Bright makeup.
Bleached hair.
Short skirts.
Unbuttoned collars.
Loud laughter that irritated the teachers and made ordinary girls give us a wide berth.
But I used to be completely different.
The most ordinary schoolgirl.
Quiet.
Invisible.
I wore my uniform strictly according to the rules.
Skirt below the knees.
Shirt buttoned to the last button.
In class I sat closer to the wall and tried not to raise my head unnecessarily.
I studied average.
Didn’t fail.
But didn’t stand out in any way either.
No one paid any special attention to me.
Not the guys.
Not the teachers.
Not my classmates.
As if I didn’t exist at all.
Everything changed after I met Kento.
He noticed me first.
Not because I was beautiful.
Not because I was interesting.
He just saw me once sitting alone behind the old building, hiding from everyone else.
He stopped in front of me.
Looked down from above.
And then held out a cigarette.
— Wanna try?
I stared at it for a long time.
I understood I shouldn’t.
That my clothes would smell.
That my parents would notice.
That the teachers might catch me.
But I still took it.
I remembered the first drag forever.
My throat burned.
I coughed so hard that tears came to my eyes.
Kento laughed.
But not meanly.
He patted me on the back and said:
— It’s fine. You’ll get used to it.
And I did get used to it.
First to the cigarettes behind the school.
Then to the alcohol at parties at his acquaintances’ places.
To the loud music.
To the night rides.
To the people I used to try to avoid.
And then…
To sex.
Kento was rough.
He didn’t ask extra questions.
Didn’t waste time on pretty words.
He just took what he wanted.
And for some reason that only made it hotter.
I got used to it quickly.
To the taste of cigarettes in the mornings.
To the scent of his cologne that lingered on my skin.
To the bruises I had to hide under clothes.
To the way he took me whenever he wanted.
Next to him I felt for the first time that I really existed.
That people looked at me.
That they wanted me.
That I was worth something at least.
Then Nana and Suzu appeared next to us.
We became his “girls.”
That’s what he called us.
Sometimes with a smirk.
Sometimes almost affectionately.
But more often — as if we really belonged to him.
We helped Kento break others.
Especially those who thought too highly of themselves.
Confident honor students.
Quiet girls who suddenly started gaining popularity.
Girls who had rejected one of his acquaintances.
We would approach them as a trio.
Surround them.
Insult them.
Film them on our phones.
Drag out the most painful things.
Sometimes a couple of phrases were enough.
Sometimes we had to pressure longer.
Until the person started crying.
Until they begged us to leave them alone.
Until they stopped looking us in the eyes.
The girls were afraid of us.
Afraid of Kento.
And they submitted.
It was…
Pleasant.
Especially after so many years of no one noticing me.
Now it was enough to walk down the corridor for conversations to grow quieter.
People stepped aside.
Lowered their eyes.
I felt power.
And I didn’t want to give it up.
— I told you he posted a video yesterday! — Nana exclaimed.
She almost shoved the phone in my face.
Kurosaki’s night cut was playing on the screen.
A black car entering a turn sideways.
Headlights cutting through the darkness.
Tires smoking.
The engine roaring so loudly that even through the phone speaker the sound felt almost physical.
I held my gaze on the screen.
— It’s just editing, — Suzu snorted.
— What editing? — Nana protested. — Did you see how he went sideways?
— I saw.
Suzu shrugged.
— You can film it on a closed track and then write whatever you want.
— He even wrote that it was a closed track!
— That’s exactly why I don’t believe it.
I smirked and took another drag.
— What’s the difference?
Both looked at me.
— It’s cool though.
— See! — Nana poked Suzu with satisfaction. — At least someone gets it.
I was about to add something else.
But at that moment he came out from around the corner.
Kurosaki Ren.
I recognized him immediately.
It was impossible to mistake him.
My heart suddenly beat harder.
Just once.
But so heavily that I involuntarily held my breath.
In photos he seemed tall.
In videos — large.
But in real life…
He was enormous.
Almost two meters.
Broad shoulders.
A heavy, powerful figure that literally filled the space between the building wall and the staircase.
The uniform sat on him differently than on other guys.
The fabric stretched across his chest and arms.
Even under the shirt the muscles were clearly visible.
His hair was slightly tousled.
As if he hadn’t spent a single second on styling.
But that only made him look better.
Calm face.
Sharp jawline.
A slight arrogant smile.
And the eyes.
Dark.
Cold.
Appraising.
It suddenly seemed to me that he noticed everything at once.
The cigarette in my hand.
The unbuttoned collar.
The short skirt.
The way I was looking at him.
And even the fact that my heart was already beating faster.
I had been following his socials for a long time.
Almost everyone at school did.
Videos from trainings.
Pull-ups with huge extra weight.
Hits on the bag.
Shots where the muscles of his back and arms rolled under the skin like a professional fighter’s.
Photos next to a black sports sedan.
With a huge SUV.
With expensive motorcycles.
Sometimes he showed the house.
Big.
Modern.
With a spacious yard and a pool.
No parents in the frame.
No restrictions.
As if he lived however he wanted.
He was popular.
Very.
Not only at school.
Hundreds of comments appeared under every post online.
Girls openly wrote that they would want to spend at least one night with him.
Someone offered to meet.
Someone sent photos.
Guys either envied him or tried to copy him.
The clothes.
The manner of speaking.
Even the facial expression.
But next to the real Kurosaki all those imitators looked ridiculous.
Now he was standing right in front of me.
Alive.
Even more handsome than on the screen.
Even taller.
Even broader.
Even more dangerous.
— Oh…
The word slipped out on its own.
I immediately swore at myself mentally.
«Very confident, Momo.»
«Just magnificent.»
Nana and Suzu turned as well.
Nana’s phone was still playing his video.
Kurosaki looked at the screen.
Then at us.
And smiled.
Calmly.
Confidently.
As if he already knew what effect he produced.
— Good morning.
I involuntarily swallowed.
His voice turned out to be low.
Deep.
Unhurried.
He looked as if he had just stepped out of his own video.
Only the camera didn’t convey the most important thing.
That pressure you felt next to him.
The calm strength.
The confidence of a person who wasn’t planning to back down in front of anyone.
Something inside me clenched unpleasantly and at the same time sweetly.
Kento had always seemed cool to me.
Dangerous.
He spoke louder than others.
Was the first to get into fights.
Wasn’t afraid of teachers.
Kept people around who carried out his requests.
But now…
Against the background of Kurosaki he suddenly started to seem like just a loud guy.
Noisy.
Mean.
But not truly strong.
I slowly exhaled the smoke.
Tried to do it calmly.
Lazily.
As if Kurosaki’s appearance hadn’t impressed me at all.
Even though my heart was already pounding.
— Kurosaki? — I asked quietly.
My voice sounded lower than usual.
He shifted his gaze to me.
Straight at me.
— In the flesh.
I couldn’t answer right away.
His gaze slowly traveled over my face.
Over my hair.
Over my uniform.
Then stopped on my eyes again.
He wasn’t staring.
Wasn’t smiling lewdly.
Wasn’t trying to show interest right away.
He was simply appraising.
And for some reason that worked even stronger.
I wanted to straighten up.
Fix my hair.
Stub out the cigarette.
And at the same time — take another drag to show that I wasn’t nervous at all.
I chose the second.
Brought the cigarette to my lips.
But my fingers trembled barely noticeably.
«Did he see that..?»
Most likely.
Kurosaki noticed such things.
I couldn’t look away.
He was even more handsome in real life.
And much…
Bigger.
Not only in height.
Not only in muscles.
He seemed to occupy all the space.
Even the old building behind his back now seemed like just a decoration.
And right then I understood one thing for the first time.
I had never met a man next to whom you immediately feel small.
Not weak.
Not helpless.
Just small.
As if it was enough for him to take one more step — and my entire familiar world would end up somewhere behind his back.
And for some reason that thought didn’t scare me at all.
I stood by the wall of the old sports building and looked at Kurosaki.
A few minutes ago he had seemed like just an overly confident pretty boy from social media.
That same guy with expensive cars, a perfect body and the habit of speaking as if the whole world already belonged to him.
Now everything had changed.
There was nothing light left in his face.
No mockery.
No friendliness.
Only calm.
Cold.
Heavy.
The kind that made you want to take a step back even before he raised his hand.
Kurosaki was looking straight at Kento.
And slowly smiling.
— You know what…
His voice sounded quietly.
But for some reason I heard every word especially clearly.
Even the wind seemed to die down.
— If there’s a threat, it needs to be eliminated at the root.
Kento frowned.
His jaw tightened.
— Half-measures won’t help.
Kurosaki made a short pause.
The smile stayed in place.
But his eyes were completely empty.
— A threat needs to be destroyed completely.
Everything inside me went cold.
I still didn’t understand exactly what he was planning to do.
But my body already understood before my head.
My fingers clenched around the cigarette on their own.
The smoke stung my eyes.
I didn’t blink.
Couldn’t look away.
«He’s going to attack now.»
No.
Not just attack.
He was really going to destroy Kento.
Not in the sense of killing him.
But to make it so that he would never dare stand in his way again.
I felt it immediately.
From the voice.
From the gaze.
From the way he held his hands freely.
As if the outcome was already known.
Kento glared at him viciously.
— What the fuck are you talking about, you goddamn anime character?!
He sharply raised his fists.
Took a stance.
I had seen it many times.
Left foot forward.
Knees slightly bent.
Chin down.
Left fist covering the face.
Right ready to strike.
Usually that was enough.
When Kento stood like that in front of another guy, most immediately started backing off.
Even those who a second ago had been loudly threatening him.
But Kurosaki didn’t stop.
Didn’t even slow down.
He simply walked forward.
Calmly.
Almost lazily.
As if there was no danger in front of him at all.
And only then did the difference between them become truly obvious.
Kento had always seemed big to me.
He was taller than most guys at school.
Broad shoulders.
Strong arms.
Heavy fists.
He knew how to fight and was well aware of it.
But next to Kurosaki…
Kento looked small.
Not weak.
Exactly small.
As if an ordinary school bully had suddenly decided to stand against an adult fighter.
Ren was a real giant.
Tall.
Broad.
Heavy.
His shoulders almost completely blocked the space between the wall and the staircase.
Muscles stood out even under the school uniform.
The shirt stretched across his chest.
The sleeves tightly hugged his arms.
He moved without hurry.
But there was strength in every step.
The kind that didn’t need to be shown off.
I saw for the first time how Kento’s face twitched.
Just a little.
Only for a moment.
His eyes slid over Kurosaki’s shoulders.
Then over his arms.
Then returned to his face again.
He understood.
Too late.
Kurosaki struck first.
I almost didn’t see the movement.
Only his shoulder twitched slightly.
The fist shot forward.
Short.
Straight.
Without unnecessary swing.
The blow landed on Kento’s jaw.
His head snapped back.
A wheeze tore from his lips.
Kento stepped back.
Sand scraped under his sole.
But he immediately lunged forward.
Anger proved stronger than caution.
He threw a wide side punch.
Kurosaki simply leaned.
The fist passed over his head.
Ren stepped to the side.
And immediately struck the body.
Dull.
Heavy.
The fist went under the ribs.
Kento bent so sharply it was as if he had been folded in half.
All the air burst from his lungs.
— Kh…
He didn’t even have time to step back.
Kurosaki grabbed him by the hair.
Yanked upward.
And drove his knee up.
A dry crunch sounded.
I involuntarily covered my mouth with my palm.
Kento staggered back.
Blood immediately started flowing from his nose.
First in a thin stream.
Then stronger.
It ran over his lips.
Dripped onto the white shirt.
Nana quietly cried out next to me.
Suzu grabbed my elbow with her fingers.
— Momo…
I didn’t answer.
Couldn’t.
Ren was beating him playfully.
Not angrily.
Not furiously.
That was what scared the most.
There was no frenzy on his face.
He didn’t shout.
Didn’t swear.
Didn’t try to show us how strong he was.
He was simply doing his job.
Kento lunged forward again.
A series of punches.
Left.
Right.
Another side one.
Kurosaki blocked the first with his forearm.
Dodged the second with a body turn.
Took the third on his shoulder.
Didn’t even sway.
Kento, on the contrary, lost his balance for a second.
And Ren immediately took advantage of it.
A blow to the jaw.
A short strike under the ribs.
Another to the stomach.
Each time Kento’s body jerked.
He tried to cover up.
But Kurosaki calmly found the open spots.
Didn’t hurry.
Didn’t fuss.
As if he was taking his defense apart piece by piece.
Kento flew into the wall.
His back hit the concrete hard.
He tried to push off.
Ren was already standing in front of him.
The next blow landed on the face.
Blood sprayed onto the wall.
Nana sharply turned away.
Suzu was no longer holding onto me.
She hugged herself with her arms and was trembling finely.
And I…
I was still watching.
Kento was trying to resist.
I could see it.
Time after time he raised his fists.
Took a step forward.
Tried to strike.
But each time Kurosaki broke his attempt before it even started.
Kento’s condition was getting worse and worse.
One eye was starting to swell shut.
His lip was split.
Blood was running down his chin.
His breathing became wheezing.
He was no longer standing in a proper stance.
Just trying not to fall.
«A little more…»
My stomach clenched.
«He’s really going to cripple him.»
I looked at Kento.
At the person who just a few minutes ago had seemed to me the most dangerous guy in school.
Now he looked helpless.
Almost pitiful.
And that made it scary.
Because for the first time I understood:
everything we had been proud of…
All the threats.
All the bullying.
All the people who were afraid of us.
Meant nothing in front of real strength.
… (the middle part of the fight continues in the same vein, detailing the one-sided beating)
Kurosaki looked at him.
Not with hatred.
Rather with disappointment.
As if Kento had turned out even weaker than he expected.
Ren took a step.
Kento tried to back away.
The wall was already behind him.
— Final touch, — Kurosaki said calmly.
There was no triumph or rage in his voice.
Only a period.
The end.
He grabbed Kento.
Sharply turned him around.
The other tried to break free.
Unsuccessfully.
Ren held him with one hand so easily, as if he weighed nothing.
Then came a short movement.
A blow.
A crunch.
An unpleasant sound pierced the silence.
Kento cried out sharply.
His body jerked.
And then went limp.
A crunch.
An unpleasant, wet, prolonged crack of the spine pierced the silence.
Kento cried out sharply.
His body jerked — and went limp.
From that sound my panties instantly got soaked.
Hot moisture burst out so sharply that I almost moaned.
Fear and arousal mixed into one thick, shameful wave.
My thighs clenched slightly on their own.
I felt how between my legs it became slippery and hot.
Kurosaki released him.
Kento heavily collapsed onto the asphalt.
He was alive — I could see his chest rising slowly, heard a weak wheeze.
Kurosaki released him.
Kento heavily collapsed onto the asphalt.
Not as a formless dead heap.
He was alive.
I could see his chest rising slowly.
Heard a weak wheeze.
But he couldn’t move.
One leg lay at a strange angle.
His arms trembled barely noticeably.
He tried to breathe deeper.
It didn’t work.