29 Chapter 29 Bullied

Duran ended an exhausting work shift, but it was mostly from feeling emotionally drained. He was glad he had talked this troubles with Saski and set matters straight before the man had reached the wrong conclusion.

He and his mother walked through the door of their home to see his step-father and Himeko watching TV in the lounge room, which barely had enough space for the family two-seat sofa. Neither asked about his work or school nor about the mood clearly written on his face. He wasn't in the mood to talk about anything either.

The situation with his senior troubled him into a despair with a desire to help him out of the problem and back onto his feet. He felt lost on how he could help without being too intrusive.

Mayuzumi boxed him into a corner, making any form of retaliation a sensitive situation. Duran could meet aggression with aggression. What good would that do? It would only make the matter more troublesome and not bring his senior back to school.

'Think!' He grumbled to himself as he worked around the kitchenette, making his bento.

'Hey Nii-san, you can't keep doing this,' said Himeko carefully.

'You haven't been sleeping well. Izuki-san has shut everyone out. Maybe you should let this one go.'

'No!' Duran slammed his lunch box to the bench.

'Izuki-senpai has been isolated. He needs someone to fight for him. I will never give up on him.'

'Nii-san.' Himeko's voice quivered, her eyes welled with tears. She pulled her brother in a sisterly hug with all the care and pride she felt for him.

'You're the strongest person I know.' Her voice was coarse with emotion. 'What can we do? We're only students. The most fight we can bring is music.'

The noise in Duran's head went silent. His heart pounded feverishly as his mind gathered on an idea that could bring his senior back to school. It would only work if he had the support of the student body, his family and friends.

'Himeko, I know what I need to do.'

For the first time, he felt very sure of a plan. He smiled at his sister as he realized part of the answer was right before his eyes.

'Sis lend me your voice. There's a song I want you to sing.'

'Huh?'

Duran shared his plan, which fired up Himeko's support for the cause. When the plan was laid out, they sent a round of emails to their friends to rally them to the cause.

["Hi Guys, You're my best friends, I love you deeply. That's why I beg you for your talent this Saturday, so we can get our seniors back to school. Our seniors who've been bullied out of school because of Mayuzumi-san and his thugs. Please tell me you can come."]

The last email Duran sent for the night was a request to his other step-father. Shintarou Akira.

'Please Akira-san, I beg you, say yes to this one,' he pleaded to his phone before he powered it off and called it a night.