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𝟏𝟗 || 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐏.𝟑 ||

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"He just has a mild concussion." A wave of sighs fill the nurses office at the nurse's observation. Rika—along with Katsumi, Shinichiro, and Takeomi—had all but followed the nurse and coaches to the infirmary, ignoring their stupid orders of 'stay out in the hall'.

    Rika had never been more scared in her entire life when she witnessed her son being tackled mercilessly to the ground by the Shiba kid and being unable to get back up. Keisuke not being able to even push himself off the ground was enough to have Rika running towards the boy, ignoring the reprimanding shouts of the coaches and teachers that watched from the sidelines.

    Keisuke always got back up—no matter what— and witnessing the spitball of fire knocked out and down for the count was just...just terrifying.

     "He won't be able to participate in any more games today, but he'll get better in...I'd say in about two weeks," the nurse explains softly, drawing Rika away from her own thoughts. "I think it would be best if you took him back home, Ms.Baji. He'll need all the rest he can get if he wants to be back up and moving." Rika nods, her eyes moving from the nurse to the passed out form of her feral son.

    "...What else should I do to ensure that he gets better faster?" Rika asks, her eyes not leaving her son's body. His chest slowly moves up and down, reassuring the distressed mother that her son was still alive and well.

    (Alive but injured, but alive nonetheless.)

    "Keep him away from bright lights, make sure an ice pack is applied to the area he was injured, and rest. Lots and lots of rest," the nurse states in a professional manner, like she was reciting words off a list. Rika can't help but wince at the thought of forcing Keisuke, her naturally rambunctious child, to stay in bed. God, she can already feel the headache that her troublesome son will give her later.

    "Got it." Without a second to waste, Rika walks up to her child and lifts him up in her arms. With a small goodbye, Rika and her unusually quiet companions follow after her and out of the nurses office.

    An uneasy silence hangs over the four of them, not surprising Rika in the slightest. Of course the others are having a hard time processing what had happened. Hell, even Rika couldn't believe that she was carrying an unconscious Keisuke home. When was the last time Rika picked up her own child like this? Held him protectively to her chest as she cooed sweet words into his ear?

    Rika tries not to think too much about it. Keisuke's the type of kid who doesn't like to be coddled and pampered over. She completely understands her son's behavior—she was just like him as a kid after all. Much like Keisuke, Rika didn't like to be babied by her parents very much; it made her feel weak for some reason, like they were looking down on her.

    Shinichiro is the first to break the awful silence.

    "...I'm guessing you're heading home?" Shinichiro inquiers awkwardly as the group walks down the hall.

    "Seems that way," Rika answers tiredly.  "I need to get him in bed before he wakes up."

    Rika can distantly hear Katsumi giggle from behind her. "Man, he's gonna be sooo pissed when he finds out he got knocked out in the middle of a game..." everyone turns to look at the young lady like she grew a second head.

    "Really, Hanagaki? Now isn't the time for jokes!" Takeomi scolds. Katsumi rolls her eyes at the teenager's glare.

    "Chill out Akashi—I'm just tryna lift the mood!" Katsumi picks up her pace till she's walking side by side with Rika. "Besides, I don't like seeing Rika all gloomy." Katsumi's words cause Rika to snap her gaze towards the young mom.

    "I'm not...gloomy," Rika mumbles, feeling a small blush coat her cheeks at the nice sentiment. She wasn't acting...gloomy! What an outrageous accusation...

    Katsumi's eyes twinkled with mischief. "You've got the face of someone who just got told their parents won't be home for Christmas Eve. If that ain't gloomy then I don't know what is."

    Rika rolled her eyes at Katsumi's words. Sure, maybe she was acting a little gloomy, but could they blame her? She just witnessed her son get tackled to the floor and got told that he was suffering from a mild concussion. She kinda has a valid reason to be a little gloomy!

    "Hanagaki!!!" Takeomi quickly catches up with the young lady with an enraged face. "Learn to read the fucking room! Just stay quiet, keep walking, and keep your thoughts to yourself!" Katsumi's face scrunched up in irritation.

    "Excuse me?! Who the hell do you think you're talking to, little boy?!"

    "Little boy?! I'm almost twice your size!"

    "AND TWICE AS DUMB!!!"

    "THAT'S GOTTA BE THE MOST CHILDISH INSULT I'VE EVER HEARD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE—"

    Before Takeomi could finish his rant, A small girl pops up from around the corner, running straight towards the group with a frantic, desperate expression plastered on her face.

    Rika instantly recognizes her as the girl who caused Keisuke's concussion.

    Rika can't help but tighten her hold around Keisuke.

    "MS.BAJI!!! MS.BAJI!!!" The little girl calls out frantically, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she continues to run as fast as she can. Right before she runs into the small group of adults, she steadies herself and stops before colliding right into Rika.

    The little girl stuns Rika by bowing, hiding her face away from people who might see the tears trailing down her cheeks. "I-I didn't mean to hurt Baji ma'am! I just—I really wanted to win and..." Rika's heart clenches at the sight of the girl's tears creating puddles on the floor beneath their feet.

    "Please...please forgive me..." she pleads, still refusing to look up at Rika.

    Rika can't help but reach out for the small girl. Patting her brown locks of hair, Rika smiles down at the child practically begging for forgiveness. The mother knows that she didn't mean to rough up Keisuke on purpose—roughhousing is a normal occurrence among children and, more often than not, leads to accidents such as...well...this.

    "Apology accepted."

    "...huh?"

    The second Rika removes her hand from the young girl's head, she looks up and fixes the young mother with a look of complete disbelief. Rika couldn't help but find it adorable.

    Rika tilts her head and tightens her hold around Keisuke. "Accidents happen all the time, kiddo. Just make sure to be more careful next time you decide to tackle someone."

    "...you're not mad?"

    Well, she was mad at first, sure, but—

    "No, I was just worried about Keisuke—I needed to make sure he didn't get any brain damage.," Rika answers with a bit of humor in her voice.

    —It's true, she was more worried than angry when she saw the younger girl tackle Keisuke to the ground, but she's also aware of the fact that not many kids have good self control. Her son is a very good example; he can hardly stay out of trouble with his rambunctious nature and feral behavior.

    Rika's answer doesn't really seem to ease the situation in the slightest, but hey—at least the little girl isn't crying anymore! That's an achievement, right?

    The young girl just continues to shake under Rika's stare. After a moment or two, the girl reaches into her pocket. Rika tilts her head and waits for the girl to find whatever she was looking for. With a frown, the brown haired girl pulls out...

   ... A gold medal?

    "Can...can you give this to Baji when he wakes up?" She asks—her eyes making a point not to look the young mother in the eye. "He deserves it more than I do," the girl holds the gold medal out for Rika to take.

    It's without a doubt the first place gold medal the young girl's class had won after the last event.

    "Are you sure—"

    "Please? I don't...I don't want it anymore."

    Rika was about to protest yet again, but one look into the girl's brown puppy dog eyes has the young lady faltering.

    With a sigh, Rika reaches out and takes the gold medal from the girl's hand.

    "You're a very kind girl...I hope one day you and Keisuke can look past your differences and become friends," Rika's words cause the girl to tense up.

    "...I'll try to be better." And with that, the young girl walks away, leaving the four adults to stare in bewilderment as she walks down the hall and out of sight.

    Rika stares down at the medal in her hand, feeling equally guilty and giddy for having witnessed the stubborn girl's soft side.

    She smiles.

   "...you handled that a lot better than I thought you would Rika..." Katsumi pipes up from her side, eyeing the gold medal in her hand with curiosity. Rika fights the urge to roll her eyes at the blunt woman and continues down the hall.

    "What did you expect me to do? Curb stomp her for accidentally injuring my son?"

    "Uh, yeah? That's what I would've done." Why is Rika not surprised...

    "Well not everyone is you, Hanagaki."

    "Akashi—be quiet. The girls are talking."

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Right after Rika and Keisuke left, with Shinichiro accompanying them as a sort of body guard, Katsumi and Takeomi were left alone to deal with worried little children that clawed at their legs demanding answers.

    "Is he gonna live?!" Takemichi cries out with tears trailing down his cheeks. Huffing out in exasperation, Katsumi pulls her kid close and pats his head to reassure the small boy.

    "Of course baby, he's just a little injured."

    "Is he in the hospital?!" Mikey asks with the same urgency as Takemichi. Katsumi pulls the blonde boy close as well and rubs circles against his back. The dark eyed boy immediately relaxes in her hold.

    "No, he's with his momma right now. You guys can visit him in a few days." Mikey heaves out a sigh of relief.

    "Thank goodness!!! I thought he was dead."

    Takemichi lightly snacks Mikey. "Hey! Don't say that Mikey!"

    Mikey fixes him with a head tilt and a raised eyebrow. "Why not?" He asks curiously. "You thought the same thing too!"

    "N-No I didn't!"

    "Liarrr!"

    Takemichi's face turns red in embarrassment.

    "I-I'm not a liar! You are, Manji!"

    "Liar, Liar, pants on fire~"

    "Quit it!"

    Katsumi releases the two kids, seeing as they no longer need anymore comfort, and watches them argue childishly with a smile tugging on her lips.

    "Where'd Keisuke go, big bro Take? Will he be back for the parent-student event?" The sudden question from Takeomi's younger sister catches Katsumi off guard.

    Right! How could Katsumi forget about the event her own son was most excited about?

    Katsumi feels a little bad for forgetting the main event, but could anyone really blame her? She witnessed her son's best friend get bulldozed by a young brown haired girl who looked like they were out for blood.

    Takeomi pats his younger siblings' heads with the type of gentleness people wouldn't expect from an intimidating delinquent. Katsumi's heart squeezes at the sight.

    "He left to get some rest. He's not feeling too good right now, Senju. And no—he'll be staying home for the rest of the day." Haruchiyo—one of Takemichi's newest friends—clings to his older brother like a lifeline.

    "Haru."

    The small boy perks up at his nickname. Takeomi pins his little brother with a look of regret and hesitance.

    "I'm sorry kiddo, but I promised Senju that I'd join her in the parent-student events."

    The declaration causes the platinum blonde boy to gawk up at his older brother in disbelief.

    "But—But you said-"

    "I know, Haru, but I can't be in two places at once."

    "...you said you'd find a way to do both..."

    Takeomi sighs heavily and places a hand on top of Haru's head. Katsumi can't help but wince as Haruchiyo flinches at his older brother's touch.

    "I did this with you last year, now it's Senju's turn. I'll do the competition with you next year, ok?"

    Haruchiyo narrows his head, but reluctantly nods his head. Yanking the hand off his head, Haruchiyo stalks away—leaving the kids and adults behind.

    With a frown present on her lips, Katsumi turns and glares at Takeomi. "Shouldn't you go after—"

    "Nah," he interrupts rudely, as if he had the ability to read her mind. "He's just being a little dramatic. He'll get over it and come back."

    Huh...maybe he CAN read her mind.

    "You're not worried that someone might kidnap him when you're not looking?" Katsumi catches herself asking, a bit skeptical about the whole ordeal.

    Takeomi smirks at Katsumi, like he knew something he didn't. "Unlike your kid, mine can actually defend himself."

    Katsumi's eye twitches.

    This little bastard...

    "You're sooo lucky we're in public," Katsumi states with a glare. Takeomi tilts his head, his eyes gleaming mischievously under the bright sun.

   "And why's that?"

    "Cause I'd fucking strangle you in a heart beat."

    The sound of Takeomi chuckling at Katsumi's threat causes the lady to grind her teeth. Why did this bastard have to be so annoying? Why couldn't she have been left with Shinichiro? He's at least ten times more tolerable than this entitled bitch who thinks it's ok to talk shit about someone's kid for the sole purpose of annoying that specific parent.

    "Yeah, good luck with that."

    "You don't think I can?"

    "No, no, no," Takeomi says while shaking his head. "I know you can't," he corrects with that irritating ass smile of his

    Ok, that's it.

    "I'm gonna have so much fun driving your face through the damn mud when the events start back up."

    Takeomi's smirk grows. "Bring it."

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"Hey Michi?"

    Takemichi turns to face Senju with a confused expression. "Yeah?"

    "I don't think my brother and your mom like each other very much..." Senju says while eyeing the two competive adults racing each other on the track, leaving the rest of the parents behind in the dust. Takemichi giggles nervously at the vulgar language the two were yelling at each other, earning more than a few glares from parents on the sidelines.

    "Hm...well my mama doesn't like a lot of people, " Takemichi states whilst watching the two race towards the finish line. "But she's gotten better at making friends!" He exclaims proudly, his blue eyes not once leaving the exhausted, angry face of his own mother.

    Takemichi's not dumb—he's seen the way his mother would give people the cold shoulder for no reason whatsoever. She used to be so uptight around other people, rarely showing her true colors around anyone that wasn't Takemichi, but now all of that has changed. She found a friend in Ms.Baji, a companion in Shinichiro, and a rival in Takeomi.

    The thought is enough to make the boy break out into a big smile.

    "Who do you think is gonna win?"

    "My mom of course! She's awesome!!!"

    Senju scoffs at Takemichi's answer.

    "No way! Takeomi's totally gonna win!"

    "Wanna bet?"

    Senju's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Duh!"

    Takemichi holds his hand out for the blonde girl to take. Senju grabs it with a strength that shocks Takemichi to his core. How does he keep forgetting that Senju has the strength of a rhinoceros?!

    Ignoring the pain from Senju's strong grip, Takemichi narrows his eyes and smirks. "Loser has to buy dinner for everyone after the festival!"

    Senju returns the smirk and shakes his hand. "DEAL!!!"

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Takemichi hoots and hollers in triumph as he spots his mom walking towards the group of kids with a gold medal around her neck.

    Takeomi, on the other hand, reluctantly follows after the lady with a silver medal gripped tightly in his hand.

    "I knew you'd win! I just knew it!" Takemichi exclaims while throwing his arms around his mother's legs. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was being lifted into the air by gentle hands. Once the boy gets over his initial shock, he smiles at his mother who had picked him up with a bright playful grin tugging at her red lips.

    "Damn right baby! Say—" His mama then turns to face Takeomi with a smirk. "Akashi, do you have anything you'd like to say to the winner?" The taller teenager glares daggers at his mom.

    "You fucking cheated."

    "Oi! Watch the language you cunt—there's kids around!" His mama exclaims teasingly.

    Senju and Haruchiyo (who had eventually finished sulking and joined them during the last games) look up at Takemichi's mother with a confused look on their faces.

   "What's a cunt?" Haruchiyo asks with a glimmer in his emerald colored eyes.

    "Yeah...OH! Is it a bad word?!" Senju inquires from beside her older brother.

    Before Takeomi can even reprimand his younger siblings, Takemichi's mother begins to cackle like an evil—mad scientist. "It's a word you guys are free to use when referring to your older brother~" she answers, completely ignoring the piercing glare she was receiving from Takeomi.

    "DON'T LISTEN TO THIS CHEATING BITC-"

    "Woah! We should start calling big bro Take a cunt from now on!" Senju suggests excitedly, deaf to the protests of her older brother. "It can be his new nickname!"

    "That's the best idea you've ever had, Senju!" Haruchiyo exclaims while throwing an arm around her shoulder. Takemichi stares wide eyed as Haruchiyo pulls his little sister close (EH?! HE NEVER HUGS SENJU!!!) and throws a taunting glare towards Takeomi. "Hey cunt, what are we having for dinner?"

    "Yeah cunt—" His mother pipes up. "What's for dinner, loser?"

    Takeomi just stands there in...shock? Betrayal? Disgust? Takemichi can't really tell since his face was carefully blank...but his nostrils are flaring like a wild beast...so maybe he's mad?

    "...you're all starving."

    Senju and Haruchiyo gasp in shock.

    "NO—NO PLEASE DONT STARVE US!!!" Senju exclaims desperately as she reaches out to grab ahold of her older brother.

    Takeomi ignores her whining and beckons the group to follow him with a wave of his hand. Senju and Haruchiyo follow after him without a single word; His mother, on the