19 Chapter 19 I'm Kita Duran

His name was whispered everywhere throughout the day. Someone had leaked about his performance for a music club during morning recess. The gossip had spread through the grounds as wild fire.

What kind of transfer student would try to shake tradition on his first week of school?

This question and many others circulated around his ears as he navigated through halls of gossip to his last class for the day. He was glad for his friends' support.

'Nii-san. You're the novelty of now. Someone else will be next week's victim.' Himeko reassured him with heavy slap on his back.

Duran wasn't convinced. He had already spent a good part of the day dodging accusations about his intentions and abilities. He was baffled by the fuss. It wasn't like he was about shave his head and declaring his love for Minami Minegishi.

He was concerned of the gossip's effect it may have on his sister's and friends reputation by being associated with him. The last thing he wanted was to cause them trouble.

'Yahooo! Kita-kun!'

Duran glanced up from the hallway lino he had been keeping track of and saw an image of an AKB48, girly-girl, making a bee line for him. She had a buxom figure of woman already; lithe waist, slender legs, big boobs and a seductive look in her large brown eyes. Yet she carried the image of a middle school kid with her hair up in pig tails, skirt riding way to high up her smooth thighs, her bag jangling with Hello Kitty and other mementos of innocence.

Probably other guys saw her as the ideal, fantasy, girl wrapped up with a navy bow tie. A prowling bear was a more accurate image in his mind. He shrieked and took a few steps back to hide behind his sister and Fumio.

'Oh Kita-kun. I hear you're performing tomorrow. You're sooo brave!' she squealed as she dodged his sister's shove and wrapped her arms around his waist.

'Um, er, ah, yeah.' Duran felt flustered with bright red cheeks and a nervous twitch to his lips.

'Watanabe, Chiasa. Call me Chiasa, please. I sit behind Tsubaki.'

'Um okay.'

It was the first time he had seen her. He really had to start taking note of his class surroundings more earnestly.

'Stop it Watanabe! You're squeezing my brother too much. You'll break his bones.' Himeko grumbled at the girl.

'Says the Warrior Princess. Tho. I'd thought it would've been you to break him first.' Chiasa chuckled at the obvious embarrassment on Duran's face.

'Geez Watanabe. Give the dude breathing space. He's goin' delirious?' Fumio groaned.

'Oh, Kita you're so sweet. Breathe in my oxygen.' She giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek.

'What the hell?!' Duran was startled by her brashness. He managed to wiggle free from her hold.

The school bell twanged through the halls.

'Let's go.' She ordered him and grabbed his arm, ignoring Himeko and Fumio's protests as she pulled him into brisk walk.

'Hey, Kita-kun. I need to talk with you for a bit,' Saski called out from behind them.

Duran struggled out of her grasp with fumbled apologies as he hurried toward Saski. He dragged him into sprint away from her and the others. They fled around the corner.

'Geez. That's the second time you've done that Kita!' Saski huffed.

'Sorry. It's just that, um, well.' He couldn't bring himself to say that he was scared of that Chiasa girl.

'Yeah. Chia-chan can be scary when she's obsessed.' Saski laughed at Duran's obvious reaction.

'I don't blame her.'

Duran's heart pounded so hard that he felt its throbbing at the back of his ears. He couldn't move when Saski pinned him against the wall and whispered into his ear.

'Makes someone like me want to bully you too.'

His words were scary, but his voice flowed through his ears like honey. Electricity tingled places of his arms. Their lips were a hair's breath away from a kiss. Saski's breath burned his cheeks. Duran felt he would surely melt and crumble if Saski was to go through with the kiss. He closed his eyes and waited but it never came. His cheeks went cold.

'Huh?'

'Jokes aside. I wanted to talk to you before we reached class. Shall we walk?' Saski stepped away.

Duran sighed. Of course Saski was crudely teasing him as a way of showing his superiority as a Student Council Representative. His mind went over the "almost kiss" as they made their way down the hallway to their class.

Saski talked about his music club application.

'I don't think it's fair that you perform tomorrow not knowing what's at stake.'

'Um, I already know I'm fighting for a music club,' Duran responded nonchalantly.

'It doesn't sound like you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't be causal about it.'

'I'm casual?'

'Yeah. Listen.'

Saski elaborated on the risk of failure. Should he fail to convince his peers for a music club would ensure no music club would ever exist in all of Hotaka High School's future lifetimes. Duran was aghast to learn that the fate of all music clubs rested on his performance. He began stressing about the consequences.

His mind lapsed back into a horrid memory from his middle school days. The voices chanting over him to lay down and die.

'You suck Kita! Go to hell Kita! Weirdo Kita - creepy Kita... Die - Kita - die...'

Those harsh words circled his mind with ghost images from his past. They drew out the face of a young teacher who was shouting out his name with desperation.

Intense aches surged through the back of his head. He felt the weight of his body pull him down. His thoughts lost all form and became black.