Chapter 123: Five Yuan

“Today, we will be discussing...” Kazuo Matsushita, wearing his hat, pointed at the blackboard, preparing to begin the lesson.

Tsukasa Aoki lounged lazily in his seat, holding a medical textbook and reading attentively. At this point, attending class no longer granted him any experience points; he found that occasionally practicing exams in the dream training room was far more efficient than studying in class. Thus, he devoted all his limited time to leveling up his Medical Classics skill.

“Clack.”

Suddenly, the back door of the classroom was flung open.

“Is that Kiiki?” Tsukasa turned his head to see Namio Kiiki trembling slightly, his expression a mixture of fear and excitement. “Teacher, I—I have something to tell Aoki-kun!”

Kazuo Matsushita glanced at Tsukasa, then at Namio, his expression sour but he said nothing, merely nodding. “Alright, but remember to knock next time.”

Tsukasa put down his medical book. Tora Maeda quickly stood up, glaring fiercely at Kiiki. “Hey, is someone causing trouble?”

“N-no...” Namio Kiiki trembled under the gaze of the entire class.

“Focus on the lesson,” Tsukasa pressed Maeda’s shoulder, urging him back to his seat. He nodded to Matsushita, then quietly left the classroom, gently closing the door behind him.

“What’s going on?” Tsukasa frowned slightly. “Why come find me during class?”

And to burst in so loudly like that—was it an emergency? Even if it was, it was quite rude.

Namio Kiiki lowered his head, conflicted, breathing uneven. Just as Tsukasa’s patience began to wear thin, Kiiki suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud, pleading, “Please, help my friend!”

“What are you doing?” Tsukasa dodged instinctively and grabbed Kiiki’s shoulders to lift him up.

Kiiki tried to resist but found Tsukasa’s strength surprisingly great; he couldn’t kneel again and was forced to stand straight.

His eyes slightly reddened, Kiiki pulled out his wallet and emptied all the cash inside. “Please, Aoki-kun, help my friend. This is the protection fee I’m paying on his behalf. Don’t let him be bullied anymore!”

Tsukasa’s brow furrowed even deeper. “I won’t take your money. First, tell me exactly what’s going on.”

Namio Kiiki recounted the entire situation slowly.

Tsukasa’s expression grew uncomfortable as he listened. “So you’re saying those bullies started harassing your friend again because I refused to accept protection money?”

“Before Aoki-kun fought with Senior Ishihara, my friend barely managed to get in touch with him and paid protection money to keep those bullies at bay. That’s why they stopped for a while,” Kiiki said bitterly. “But now, it seems Ishihara-senpai has stopped being a delinquent, and his words carry no weight. Those bullies have started tormenting my friend again... My friend tried to pay protection money to Aoki-kun, but you refused.”

“And so those bullies have become even more brazen.”

After hearing this, Tsukasa sighed. “I’ve already warned my friends that no one is allowed to collect protection fees anymore, and if we see someone being bullied, we must step in to help. Hasn’t that done anything?”

Kiiki lowered his head. “As long as they avoid Aoki-kun and your friends, isn’t that enough...?”

Tsukasa fell silent. After all, these people were not his own. Even if they were, without any personal ties, how could he possibly look after everyone? Everything had to have some boundaries. If everyone came crying to him, it would be quite troublesome. Perhaps it was better to set a rule.

After a long pause, Tsukasa slowly raised his head and looked at the money in Kiiki’s hand. He picked up the only five-yen coin and said, “From now on, I’ll be collecting protection fees too.”

“Tell them that if anyone bullies your friends again, they can expect me to come find them personally.” Tsukasa smiled faintly, watching Kiiki’s astonished face. “Five yen. You tell your friends and anyone else being bullied: I, Tsukasa Aoki, will be collecting protection fees—five yen each.”

“Th-this...” Kiiki’s eyes began to mist over. Removing his glasses, he sighed quietly and wiped at the corners of his eyes. “Is that really true?”

Five yen? What could five yen buy? Aside from tossing it into a shrine box as an offering for luck, what else could it possibly buy?

Tsukasa curled his lips slightly. “It’s true. Five yen. No more, no less.”

“Thank you!” Kiiki bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, his voice choked with emotion. “Thank you! Really, Aoki-kun, thank you!”

Tsukasa patted his shoulder casually with a carefree smile. “Alright, go back to class. Since you came because you wanted to help your friend, I won’t hold your interruption against you this time. But be more careful next time.”

Kiiki watched Tsukasa turn and re-enter the classroom. He remained at the back door, bowing for a long time before reluctantly standing. By the time he rose, tears were streaming down his face, a tangle of emotions overwhelming him.

Back at his seat, Tsukasa received a small note tossed to him by Tora Maeda.

He opened it to find Maeda asking what had happened.

Tsukasa casually wrote “Listening to lecture” and tossed it back, hitting Maeda’s nose squarely. The startled Maeda nearly fell backward onto the floor.

Looking at the five-yen coin in his hand, Tsukasa tossed it high into the air and caught it deftly between his fingertips, a subtle smile curling his lips. “I heard carrying a five-yen coin in your wallet brings a flood of good fortune.” He carefully slipped it into his wallet, hoping it would bring him a good omen.

Kokomi Teruhashi clearly saw the five-yen coin in Tsukasa’s hand and her heart jolted with alarm.

A five-yen coin?

Could someone be confessing to Aoki-kun? (In Japan, the pronunciation of “five yen” sounds similar to “fate,” and the coin is often given as a token of affection.)

Damn it, a love rival?! And Aoki-kun actually put it so carefully in his wallet?

Kokomi instantly grew tense, eyes fixed rigidly on her textbook, fingers gripping so hard the pages creaked. Who was it? That delinquent girl from the neighboring class? Or senior Yakuza from the second year? No, that delinquent girl was too ugly; Aoki-kun wouldn’t accept her. Senior Yakuza hadn’t contacted him recently; it probably wasn’t her either...

Could it be... that glasses-wearing guy?!

Kokomi’s face paled. No way, could it really be him?

The thought that Tsukasa seemed completely indifferent to her, never once showing even a faint “oh,” while he and Maeda tossed paper balls back and forth having so much fun...

How... how could that be?

No... it couldn’t be.

Kokomi desperately wanted to convince herself it was all an illusion, but countless scenes from novels she had read flickered through her mind—scenes where two men embraced each other. In her mind, the protagonist’s face was always replaced by Tsukasa’s, while the supporting roles were shuffled among Maeda, the glasses guy, and others.

My... Tsukasa...

The more she thought, the more frightened she became. Her eyes reddened slightly. She turned to look at Tsukasa, who was engrossed in his medical book, a warm, almost captivating smile playing on his lips.

“I, Kokomi Teruhashi, may lose at games, but I refuse to lose to a man!” She clenched her fists and bit her lip tightly, a surge of pride rising within her. “Tsukasa belongs to me!”

There must be... there must be a way.

Forcing herself to calm down, Kokomi gazed at Tsukasa’s charming profile as countless thoughts swirled through her mind.

--------------

P.S.: Today’s update continues with three parts; the second part will be posted at noon, and the third at six in the evening. I’m hoping for your support. Those suspicious of Kiiki’s identity can read the next two chapters; you’ll probably understand soon enough.