Chapter Text
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¿🌸?
Umemiya should have foreseen that things would only go from bad to worse when he noticed a plague of insects beginning to devour the tomatoes he had cultivated with such effort.
However, before he could do anything about it, an unexpected call interrupted him. What he didn't yet know was that this call would mark the beginning of a massive shift in everyone's lives.
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"Kotoha!" Umemiya exclaimed, full of excitement as he answered, though he found it strange to receive a call from his little sister at that hour of the morning.
"Ume..." Kotoha's voice trembled, and it was evident she was struggling to breathe—something that immediately worried the white-haired young man.
"What's wrong, Kotoha? Are you okay?" he asked, but before she could reply, soft sobs escaped her lips, heightening the concern he was beginning to feel. "Kotoha, please—if you're in danger or need help, tell me," he said, anxious for an answer from his sister. "I'll come to wherever you are."
"I need you to come to the hospital," Kotoha replied after several seconds spent struggling to control her emotions; before Umemiya could ask what was happening, she continued. "W-we found Sakura lying in the middle of the shopping district," she said, her voice broken. "He was seriously injured, and no matter how hard we tried to wake him, he wouldn't respond."
Umemiya's heart stopped for a brief moment upon hearing that shocking statement.
"What? What do you mean you found Sakura hurt? What happened to him?" he asked, and without realizing it, he had already left the high school rooftop, rushing as fast as he could toward where Kotoha and Sakura were.
"How am I supposed to know?!" Kotoha exclaimed, momentarily losing her composure. But she forced herself to calm down so she could continue the call. "Just come right away, please."
That was more than enough to make Umemiya quicken his pace. As he hurried along, he began contacting the Heavenly Kings, hoping one of them knew something about what was happening.
Then again, if they had known anything, they would have informed him immediately.
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Making it to the hospital without stumbling while talking on the phone was a feat in itself, but it hardly mattered at that moment. None of the people Umemiya had contacted knew anything about what had happened to Sakura.
Hiragii and Tsubaki were on their way to the hospital, while Mizuki and Momose took charge of launching an investigation.
After all, they couldn't just let this slide.
Whether it was a rival gang member, an acquaintance, or simply someone harboring malice toward Sakura, whoever had hurt him would pay a heavy price for what they had done.
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"Umemiya!" he heard a voice call out from behind him just as he was about to approach the receptionist to ask about Sakura. "Thank heaven you're here," Kotoha said, stepping forward to meet the white-haired man; seeing her eyes red and swollen from crying, he didn't hesitate for a second to embrace her.
The fact that she returned the hug without objection made Umemiya realize the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.
"How is Sakura?" the older man asked, pulling away from Kotoha, whose expression made it clear she was about to share news that would be hard to swallow.
"They're still evaluating him... The doctor treating him hasn't come out to tell me anything yet," she replied, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Sakura..." she stammered, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "God, if you had seen the state we found Sakura in, you surely would have lost your mind," she said, stifling a sob that nearly escaped her lips; this prompted Umemiya to embrace her again, but this time with a warmer, more protective hold.
"It’s okay," he murmured, trying to calm her, while anger bubbled inside him like a volcano on the verge of erupting. "He’ll be fine, and we’ll find whoever did this to him," he promised, feeling the tension slowly leave Kotoha’s body—though this only soothed him slightly, as the rage within him remained more intense than ever.
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Hiragi and Tsubaki arrived nearly five minutes after Umemiya. The four of them waited together in the waiting room, anxious for news on Sakura’s condition.
The tension in the air was palpable; Hiragi tried to strike up a conversation with Umemiya about the situation, mentioning that he had spoken to the Class 1-1 vice-captains to ask if they had noticed anything odd in Sakura’s behavior the day before, hoping for a clue that might help them.
However, according to them, Sakura was behaving as usual, showing nothing out of the ordinary. But when Suo asked the reason for his questions, Hiragi realized they still knew nothing about what had happened, and he found it impossible not to reveal the truth.
It was hard to tell if Suo’s calm, unruffled demeanor had been shaken, but a silence stretching over three minutes made him think he might not have been wrong after all. By this time of morning, everyone at Furin—or rather, in Makochi—would likely already know the grim news.
Hiragi’s stomach churned at the mere thought of having to explain the situation to the entire high school. Sakura was well-liked and known across all the squads, so it was inevitable that many would be deeply concerned about what had happened.
At the same time, Hiragi had to ensure that neither Umemiya nor anyone else did something rash—especially given the look on the Furin leader’s face; his expression made it clear that his thoughts were consumed by murderous intent toward whoever had hurt Sakura.
They remained in silence for a few more minutes before a doctor approached them. All four waited expectantly for what he had to say, though his worried expression suggested the news wouldn't be good.
"How is Sakura?" Tsubaki asked, the first among them to dare speak to the doctor.
"I’m going to be honest with you," said the man in the white coat, as everyone felt their hearts begin to race. "Sakura’s condition is quite serious," he continued, his voice heavy with concern. "He has several broken ribs, bruising over most of his body, signs of strangulation, and a deep gash on the back of his head," he reported, while no one dared to interrupt. "Judging by the nature of the wound, it appears to have been caused by a blunt object striking him with great force. We had to stitch up the wound and ran some tests to rule out any brain damage."
The silence that followed his words was almost unbearable, yet the doctor didn't seem finished delivering the bad news.
"But that’s not the worst of it," he continued, lowering his voice slightly, as if the words weighed heavily on him. "There are clear signs that he was sexually assaulted."
The impact of those words hit the group like a bombshell. Hiragi felt the breath leave his lungs, while Tsubaki and Kotoha, eyes wide, fought hard to hold back the tears threatening to spill over.
Umemiya, meanwhile, remained motionless, though a silent rage slowly took over his expression—an intensity so fierce it seemed he was on the verge of losing control.
"But... will he be okay?" Hiragi asked, his voice barely a whisper.
He didn't know how he could even ask that question when he knew he wouldn't like the answer—a suspicion confirmed when the doctor hesitated before replying.
"We can't say for sure yet... We’re doing everything we can to help him, but the physical trauma is severe, and the emotional damage... Well, I don't have the exact words to describe how he might feel when he wakes up."
Tsubaki immediately bowed his head as thick tears began to well up in his eyes. Kotoha seemed to have gone blank; she showed no emotion at all.
Umemiya stared into the void, his hands trembling uncontrollably. Hiragi felt the weight of the situation settle onto his shoulders like an unbearable burden.
"Can we see him?" Umemiya finally whispered, his voice shaking with the rage he was trying to suppress. "He is currently sedated, and I highly doubt you would want to see him in his present condition," the doctor said; yet, the young people’s pleading expressions begged him to let them see Sakura.
"Please, let us see Sakura," Kotoha implored, her voice breaking. The doctor let out a long sigh before nodding—questioning whether he was doing the right thing—but it was too late for second thoughts as he led the four young people to the room where the two-toned-haired boy lay.
Upon entering the room, the atmosphere grew even heavier than before. The soft beeping of monitors accompanied the sound of Sakura’s breathing; he lay motionless in the bed, his face pale—as if he had lost a great deal of blood—and his head wrapped in bandages.
The IV tubes and surrounding equipment gave him a fragile appearance—a side of him no one would have ever imagined. They slowly approached the bed, as if afraid of waking up the first-year.
Kotoha arrived first; seeing Sakura looking so vulnerable, a silent sob escaped her lips as her hands gripped the sheets covering the two-toned-haired boy's unconscious form.
Tsubaki stood a few paces behind her, unable to hide the mix of disbelief and anguish on his face. Seeing his beloved kohai in such a fragile state was driving him mad; he wanted nothing more than to punish the bastard who had dared to hurt someone as kind and noble as Sakura.
Hiragi stayed by Umemiya’s side the entire time, watching the scene with eyes full of fury and helplessness. He was consumed by rage at not having been there to protect Sakura; his jaw was clenched against the frustration he was trying to control—a turmoil so intense that not even twenty of Gas-kun’s pills could have soothed the sick feeling in his stomach.
But it was Umemiya who maintained the coldest expression of them all, even though his hands were trembling. His eyes never left Sakura, and a silent vow began to take shape in his mind—a vow that would soon become a fundamental part of his thoughts.
He would find the person—or people—responsible for this and make them pay for every bit of harm they had caused Sakura. He would make them experience the same fear and anguish they had surely inflicted on his little brother—a boy who had only just begun to receive the love and affection he so richly deserved, only for something like this to happen to him.
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🌸?
Tsubaki and Kotoha decided to stay at the hospital in case Sakura woke up or there was news regarding his condition. This allowed Umemiya and Hiragi to return to Furin immediately, as they had received a call from Mizuki warning them that tensions at the high school were beginning to run high. Although he tried to maintain order, Mizuki knew that only Umemiya possessed the innate ability to do so; thus, he had no choice but to ask everyone to return to the high school as quickly as possible. They took a shortcut to arrive sooner than expected—and to avoid speaking with any of the townspeople along the way.
The shock of the news still weighed heavily on their minds—it was hard to process—and the last thing they wanted was to trigger an avalanche they couldn't control.
"Everyone to the rooftop. Now," Umemiya ordered over the loudspeakers, his voice steady and devoid of his usual jokes.
Like ants marching solemnly toward their anthill, the students of Furin began making their way to the roof. As they approached the spot where Umemiya was waiting, they noticed his gaze was completely devoid of humor; the atmosphere was so somber that no one dared to ask a question.
Once everyone had gathered on the roof, Umemiya stood in the center, looking out at the crowd with an expression that surely sent shivers down some of their spines—a look entirely uncharacteristic of him.
"Today... someone tried to take one of our own away from us." Umemiya spoke firmly, his voice laced with a deep-seated rage that made even Hiragi shudder. "Sakura has been terribly injured," he admitted, watching as the expressions on some of their faces darkened.
The reactions of Class 1-1 particularly caught his attention—especially Suo’s, who seemed to share the same murderous thoughts Umemiya had felt upon hearing the news.
"And I won't let the culprit get away with it—no matter who they are." Murmurs began to ripple through the students, but they fell silent when Umemiya gestured for quiet; he still had more to say. "From this moment on..." —he continued, maintaining the same tone as before, commanding everyone’s undivided attention—. "Anyone who knows anything—any detail, however small—must tell me. And if anyone dares to withhold information, they will be treated as an enemy of Furin."
The atmosphere grew tense; the very idea of being disloyal to Furin’s ideals was unthinkable to them, yet the situation demanded extreme measures. Hiragi saw faces pale at Umemiya’s warning; though he felt that same rage burning within himself, he realized just how far Umemiya was willing to go to avenge Sakura.
"No one messes with Furin," the white-haired young man concluded, casting a stern look at everyone on the rooftop. "No one harms one of our own without suffering the consequences of their audacity."
A deathly silence fell over the group the moment Umemiya finished speaking; his words were a clear warning that no one in their right mind would want to ignore. As some began to disperse, a few members of Class 1-1 remain......gathered on the rooftop, likely to continue discussing Sakura’s condition with Umemiya and Hiragi.
"Umemiya-san, how badly hurt is Sakura-san?" — Nirei’s trembling voice caused Umemiya to steady himself a little. He didn’t want to scare anyone from Sakura’s squad, despite the stern warnings he had recently given them all.
"His condition is quite serious," the third-year replied, looking to Hiragi for support so he could go on; it was impossible to speak without anger taking hold of him again.
"He has several broken ribs and bruises all over his body; he needed stitches for a wound on the back of his head, plus he was strangled and... "Hiragi stopped, unable to continue as nausea began to rise in his stomach.
"The doctor told us he was sexually assaulted as well, "Umemiya continued, seeing that Hiragi couldn't go on.
And, as expected, the first-year students' reaction was incredibly difficult to process.
Tears welled up in Nirei’s eyes as he tried to hold back the sobs threatening to escape his lips. Pure terror was etched onto the faces of Tsugeura and Kiryu, as if they had witnessed a bloody, violent scene. Sugishita—who had stayed mostly to check on Umemiya—simply lowered his gaze, unable to comprehend the last thing that had been said.
And Suo... Suo appeared calm and composed, but if one looked closely enough, one could see his hands and his uncovered eye trembling with the rage he was surely feeling; one could almost swear the eye hidden beneath that leather patch was trembling, too.
"That’s why we need your help." Umemiya continued, after giving the first-years a moment to process the news. "If any of you recall anything about Sakura that caught your attention or seemed out of the ordinary, please tell us. Whoever hurt him might still be out there, free from any consequences, and we don't know if they’ll try to harm him again." He made the request, though it wasn't strictly necessary.
After all, everyone present was more than willing to help him find the bastard who had dared to hurt their beloved grade captain.
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