Wind Breaker: It’s time for lunch

Why?

That’s the only question I can ask myself. THUD! Another guy just fell to the ground after getting punched. I think I saw a tooth flying out of his mouth.

Why am I in this situation?

Right now, I’m in the middle of a massive brawl between two groups of high school guys. To be more precise, I’m lying on the ground and playing possum after being shoved. My name is Filip Kovacevic; I’m starting my first year of high school after moving to Japan. My family had to move here for my dad's work. When we moved here, I wasn’t interested in a specific high school, so I just picked the closest one.

The school I ended up attending is called Furin High School. This morning, I put on the school uniform I received earlier in the week and left my house. On the way to school, I saw other guys in the same uniform running ahead of me, sweating with furrowed brows. Thinking they were rushing to get to class, I became anxious and ran after them. I regret that decision so much right now. After passing a few blocks and turning a corner, I saw something crazy. The three guys I was following jumped into a massive conglomeration of people with our school uniform and some other guys wearing bright orange jackets.

“BUT WHY THE HECK IS EVERYONE FIGHTING?!!!” I finally couldn’t help but scream at the insanity going on around me after nearly getting stepped on.

After my sudden outburst, one of the guys fighting with the people wearing my school uniform locked eyes with me. “Thought you could play dead, huh, you little punk?!” The man says with a vicious smile that extends to both of his ears. I’m the punk?. He’s got piercings on his face and neck tattoos. This is the exact definition of the pot calling the kettle black. The pierced weirdo starts running toward me and kicks right at my face just as I’m about to stand up.

I closed my eyes out of fear and prayed I wouldn’t lose any teeth. I wore braces for two years and finally have a nice smile.

I realize, as I’m thinking this, that I haven’t been kicked in the face yet. Confusion overcoming my fear, I open my eyes and see a foot about an inch from my face. Looking up, I see a man my age wearing the same school uniform as I am holding the piercing guy's leg by the shin. The most distinct feature of this man was his hair and eyes. Half of the hair on his left side was snow white, including one of his eyebrows, and the other half was black. His eye under the white eyebrow was a golden yellow, like a shining gold coin placed right in his eye.

While in a daze, I can’t help but think, “If this guy dyes his hair, that’s some serious dedication. Even his eyelashes are white.”

After stopping the pierced guy’s attack, the white-haired boy sweeps his other leg and immediately punches him right in the face. POW! CRACK! That's all I hear after the punch lands, and I look at the pierced man's nose, which has now certainly shattered. The white-haired boy turns around, looking at you, then asks a question. “You’re a foreigner, I’d definitely remember seeing you around. Are you new?”

“It’s my first day.” I instinctively reply

“Well, you came at a hell of a time. Stay out of the way if you don’t know how to fight.” You nod your head incredibly quickly, like a chicken pecking seeds. It’s strange, he may not have expressed it outwardly, but you get the feeling he’s concerned for your safety.

Somehow, I manage to escape this massive brawl by following the white-haired guy as he mows down everyone who comes after him. About five minutes later, the sounds of fighting stopped, and the guys fighting the uniformed boys ran off. One of them screamed, “This isn’t over, Bofurin, we’ll be back and you’ll be sorry!!” I know this is Japan, but come on, that guy’s acting like a third-rate anime villain.

Once the other group of guys left, people started coming out of the buildings and shops on the street. Oh no, this is bad. There was a huge fight between my classmates and some random punks; someone must have already called the cops. I’m wearing the same school uniform, so even if I didn't fight, I'll definitely be implicated. As the people start walking toward us, I’m imagining how furious my parents will be when I call them from the police station. What happened next will be something I remember for a long time. The people who walked out of the buildings started cheering and thanking the uniformed boys.

The store owners offer some goods while shaking the boys hands. They’re even helping the uniformed boys who got hurt during the fight. While all of this is happening, I simply stand there with no expression on my face. If this were an anime, there would be at least three giant question marks above my head.

While I was dazed, someone grabbed my shoulder; I quickly turned to find the white-haired boy from earlier. “Confusing, right? We’re all gonna go get something to eat. If you want an explanation, come with.” Says the white-haired boy. You nod in agreement and follow him.

The uniformed boys walk to a diner about a block or two away from where the fight occurred. After entering, everyone finds their groups and seats. The white-haired boy gestures with his hand for you to sit next to him at the counter.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

“Filip,” I answer.

“Haruka,” he gives his name in response. “You like omurice?” he asks.

“I’ve never had it before,” you answer honestly.

He nods and then orders two omurice for you and himself. While waiting for the food, Haruka turns to me and says, “You don’t seem like a fighter, and you’re a foreigner, which means you probably don’t know what our school does, right?”

“I just knew it was the closest one to my house,” you answer.

“Thought as much, also, why do you keep staring at my hair?” he asks, narrowing his eyes.

Realizing you were staring, you quickly turned your head and try to respond. “Sorry, I just thought your hair was really cool. Do you dye it?” You wait for a response; this guy fights insanely well, so I’m nervous.

“Who the hell asked for your opinion!?” Haruka yells at you. You instinctively put your arms in front of your face, expecting Haruka to beat you up. However, nothing happens, so you slowly lower your arms and look over. Haruka’s eyebrows are furrowed, making a V shape, and he grits his teeth with a red face.

Within the next second, a few other uniformed guys at the counter start laughing. “Nice work, new kid. Haruka’s insanely weak to compliments.” One of the guys says to me.

“Shut your face,” Haruka screams in response, waving his fist at the guy.

The guy chuckles, then goes back to his conversation. Haruka takes a calming breath before turning to continue his conversation with you. “Back to what I said earlier, I'll explain what our school does.” You listen intently to Haruka’s explanation. “We protect the town by fighting gangs of invading delinquents.”

“Huh?” is all you can say after receiving your second shock of the day.

Looking at your dumbfounded face, Haruka smiles and says, “Yeah, I didn’t get it at first either.”

Haruka explains that Furin, a boys' high school, is the headquarters of Bofurin. Bofurin is a group consisting of teenage boys with fighting ability who defend the town and, surprisingly enough, also do community service like painting over graffiti and repairs.

During Haruka’s explanation, the food he ordered arrived. It was rice mixed with sauce and wrapped in an omelette. I took a spoon and tried a bite, surprised by how good it tasted. “Is that why you came to Furin High, Haruka? To protect the town like some kind of hero?”

Haruka laughs, nearly choking on his food, and he drinks some water before responding. “No, I just came here looking to fight strong guys and reach the top of Furin.”

“Why?” you ask out of curiosity.

“To prove that I’m strong.”

“Why?” you repeat, still not getting it.

Haruka replies with some thought, “No one messes with strong people.”

An idea comes to your mind, and you say it without thinking, “Were you bullied in the past?” Haruka clenches his fists and jaw; you know you’ve struck a nerve this time. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just know what bullying feels like, so I asked without thinking.”

Haruka takes a deep breath and relaxes his fists and jaw as he exhales. “It’s fine, what did they make fun of you for? Your laughable fighting skills?”

You give Haruka your most sarcastic smile, which doesn’t reach your eyes. “Ha, ha, nice one. Actually, I used to be really overweight when I was younger. Got teased a lot for it.”

Haruka looks like he’s debating whether to tell you something; he keeps opening and closing his mouth. After a few seconds, he comes to a decision. “I was born with my hair and eye colour like this, ever since I was a kid, people, whether they were other kids or adults, treated me like trash.” You widen your eyes in surprise as he continues his explanation. “If I got into a fight, I was always the one blamed, even if I didn't start, but I always finished it.”

Once Haruka finishes his story, you can’t help but feel regretful and apologize. “I’m sorry, comparing that with my story, I have nothing to complain about.”

Haruka responds with a shrug, “It is what it is.”

Then you smile and say, “But it seems like you unintentionally found a place with some good people.”

Surprised, Haruka looks around the diner at his classmates and friends. He smiles a little after turning his head back forward and says, “Maybe.”

“What are you going to do now? If you’re staying, you’ll need some serious training so you don’t slow us down,” Haruka asks.

Surprisingly, I’m actually considering it. While I’ve nearly had my teeth busted in more times today than my whole life combined, these guys are pretty fun. After a minute of serious thought, fingers on my temples, I give Haruka my answer.

“I think I’ll transfer, fighting’s not really my thing,” you respond.

“I see,” Haruka says.

“Good luck, Haruka.”

“Same to you.” After paying for my food and waving goodbye to Haruka, I started heading home.

Furin High, what an interesting place.