I lost.

My expulsion will be finalized by the end of September, according to Endo.

I can't go home and disappoint my mom again. I can't go to Ryuuga and disappoint him again. I can't even go to Shouto and disappoint him again. There is no place left for me, except this cursed place, where the fight that made all of this begin happened.

I stood by the riverbank, near the bridge where I beat up Airi's younger brother, crouching by the edge of the grass and staring mindlessly at my reflection.

Endo was right.

Why did I want to protect Heiwa? It never did anything for me, and I never wanted to do it because of Ryuuga.

Saying I wanted to protect Heiwa was just an excuse to say I had plans for the future like everyone else. In the end, it was just something to do.

It's a good thing that Endo waited until the last day of the semester. I can spend summer break avoiding people while trying to find a new school, and when September starts, I'll just show up for tests. It's better if no one sees me again. I don't want them to feel sad or something over me leaving. I don't have the right of being missed. All my rights were lost under this bridge. The right to be loved, missed, the right to feel shame or the right to flaut the useless ideals I had back in the day.

In the end, I'm just a blind berserker, like on that day.

"I'll go somewhere."

I don't know where. There's only so much time I can spend avoiding my family and friends until they find me.

It rained some days ago, so I think the mud around these parts hadn't dried yet, because as I got up and turned aroudn to leave, I began falling back. I can swim my way out of small rivers or pools, but this one isn't one of those. Maybe this is for the best.

Accepting my fate, I closed my eyes.

But I didn't fell.

Something held my arms for enough time for my instincts to kick in and slam my feet down on the ground.

I opened my eyes.

Aimi, Minami and Tate held my left arm.

Yumi, Chika-senpai and Ban held my right arm.

They pulled me forward and pushed me away from the river. I looked back at them, and they were all either smiling or grinning.

"You're not going anywhere just yet, you dumbass." Ban said.

"Expulsion is only expulsion if you're expelled." Tate laughed.

"Why... Why are you here?" I asked.

"Nijimura-san told us of what happened and that we'd probably find you here!" Yumi exclaimed.

Airi... Why? I made you lose your brother and mother, I broke you family... Why did you do this? I ruined your life, why did you help me?!

"She also said there's a way to overturn Endo's decision." Minami declared. "He set the date of finalization for the end of September, didn't he? He has a reason to do so, and knowing just how far that useless piece of crap will go to better Heiwa's name, it's as clear as day."

"Fight him again." Chika-senpai said. "Fight, and win."

"Endo-san gave you two months until your expulsion for a reason. He could have expelled you today, but he's giving you two whole months. It's clear that his plan was to have you beg to return to Heiwa and accept being used by him." Aimi explained.

He spent so much time calling me a changed person, who cared for others... I see what he was planning all along. 

I chuckled at myself for being so ignorant about it. Without being able to control it, a small smile appeared in my face.

I have reasons to protect Heiwa.

We could be anywhere else, I'd have reasons to protect that place.

I was looking at those reasons.

All this time I told myself that honour meant nothing, but now, I didn't even care for those silly things.

(Media - WIN)

I kept a bang covering one of my eyes as a mask towards the outside world, to hide myself from what I did.

But not any longer.

I closed my eyes. I pulled back that silly bang and ruffled my hair a bit, going for a spiky shape like the jagged blade of a sword. I know it's corny, but I don't mind it. I grabbed these old headphones that didn't work most of the time and threw them far away from me. I even heard them break when they hit the ground. It was like hearing the shackles that didn't let me move on from this place shatter.

I am not the honourless shield of Heiwa.

I am not Takagi Ren.

I am me. I am Sawada Izuru.

I opened my eyes, and for the first, I saw my friends in a new light.

"All of you... Thank you."

Out in the distance, we heard a voice calling out for us.

"Are you guys coming or what?!"

It was Yukiko. She waited for us, with Rio and Kasumi by her side.

"How about we go to a family diner? I know this place with some good nato!" Minami suggested.

"Minami-nee, that's gross." Aimi chuckled.

"I hope it's the one with the stupidly huge steak fries!" Chika-senpai giggled.

"Gotta love free food paid by Katsu-chan's fat credit card!" Tate laughed-

"I ain't paying and stop calling me that!" Ban demanded.

"Oh?! You're so nice, Katsu-chan!" Yumi cheered, a giant smile beaming across her face.

Ban looked down at Yumi and then looked away, slightly blushing.

"W-well, I guess I can share some of my vast sums of money..."

I played enough dating sims to know where this is going. Ban x Yumi is super cursed, I want some bleach.

"I call dibs on all things that include rice and eel!" I yelled out, laughing with the others.

Endo can wait. We have a whole summer ahead of us, and I'll make sure we make the most of it. And then, he'll have the rematch he prayed he never had to have. I am no hero, I'm just someone who's interests come only second to his friends'.

Although being compared to Theseus was fun. I had to half-ass my fight with Ban, me beating the Minotaur is laugh-worthy. If being a headmaster doesn't work out, I know a place where Endo can go be a comedian.

"Katsu-chan and Yumi, sitting under a tree, K-I-S-S- Wait, what comes next?" Tate asked. "I don't know if it's 'I-N-G' or 'O-M-G'!"

"Tate-kun is such a dumbass!" Minami laughed.

"M-mimi-chan?!"

"Mini- That's it, I'm sueing you for real this time!"

"That can wait!" I yelled out. "There's a whole summer ahead of us, let's make the most of it!"