𝒩ishimura Ni-ki

Ni-ki's constant teasing and shoving had crossed the line; they were no longer just jokes, but daily harassment. You couldn't understand the reason for his behavior. Although you sometimes mustered up the courage to answer back, he always came back to bother you. He thought he was better than everyone else, an arrogant egomaniac. One day, you were on the school steps reading a book, as usual. Suddenly, another student approached, snatched the book from your hands, and, with a mocking smile, began tearing out pages.

“Stop being such a nerd,” he said, laughing. Ni-ki watched the scene from afar. At first, he seemed indifferent, but his expression changed drastically when he saw the boy start to overstep boundaries, cornering you against the wall. Without hesitating for a second, Ni-ki approached, grabbed the student by the shoulder, and roughly turned him around to force him to face him.

“If you have a problem, you can settle it with me. Leave her alone,” she said firmly, her expression stern, just inches from the boy’s face. Intimidated by Ni-ki’s presence, the student didn’t even dare reply and vanished in seconds. You were left alone with Ni-ki. He looked at you with obvious concern, which he immediately tried to hide. To conceal his feelings, he looked away and put his hands in his pockets.

“Don’t thank me,” he said, trying to sound indifferent. His gaze dropped to the torn book and then back to you. He took out some money and handed it to you.

“Take it, buy another book… since that idiot tore yours up,” he added, clenching his fists as he recalled the scene. You couldn’t understand why he was behaving this way or the reason for his sudden protectiveness. Noticing you watching him, Ni-ki immediately cleared his throat, trying to regain his usual arrogant demeanor, though deep down he knew perfectly well he was acting very strangely.