Huh? Why is he running through the rain? Rio asked himself. “You should’ve...” His lips froze when he caught a glimpse of Jaiden’s face. It had a dark, worn-out expression. Jaiden was defeated, both physically and mentally.

That’s why I didn’t want you to fight them. Rio frowned. He has refrained from voicing his opinion until now, but he had a hunch that things will turn out this way all along.

Chessmaster and Gunz were formidable adversaries. Aggressing on them was beyond Jaiden and Rio’s leagues. Therefore, this result was inevitable.

I didn’t want to admit it, but it looks like I was right. Rio felt powerless. His brain has been warning him against challenging this powerful duo from the beginning, but his heart refused to accept that his hero could be defeated. So, no matter how much the evidence suggested that the enemy duo was stronger, Rio refused to accept it. That’s why he kept quiet and complied with Jaiden’s request.

Unfortunately, the end result was far worse than he expected. If he knew things will come down to this, he would have implored Jaiden from the beginning to forget about this dangerous idea. This was all Rio’s fault.

That gloomy face doesn’t suit you. Rio averted his eyes. He couldn’t bear looking at Jaiden right now. It was too disheartening. The hero should never succumb to despair. Never.

Only a weak-willed person like Rio had such a weakness. And yes, he had plenty of first-hand experience wearing that gloomy expression. In fact, he used to wear it all the time in the past.

Before he met Jaiden and Nash, he was just a living husk. Rio had no friends to speak of and there wasn’t a single enjoyable thing about attending school. If anything, there was only pain and suffering to be found there. It was a hellhole.

“What’s with these weak kicks!?” One boy complained to him during a soccer match.

“Bruh, can you even throw a ball!?” Someone else criticized him during a basketball match.

No matter what activity Rio joined, there was always criticism regarding his performance. Each and every time, without fail, some boys ganged up and blamed him for the team’s defeat.

One day, he got fed up with that treatment. At the spur of the moment, he responded in the most poisonous way he could come up with: “If you don't like me being on the team, I can always leave.”

Of course, it was just a bluff. No matter how bad he was, his teammates wouldn’t want to lose a player. At least, that’s what he believed...

“Yeah, seriously. Get out!” a boy yelled.

“Totally,” another boy chimed in. “Like, every time you get the ball, we gotta pray you won’t immediately lose it. You’re like an obstacle for our passes, ya know.”

“Haha, no kidding,” a third boy laughed. “I don’t even believe in god, but even I pray to that brudda every time Rio gets the ball.”

“Ah... I...” Rio was at a loss. Did he miscalculate something?

Rationally, there was no advantage to kicking out a teammate. There was nobody to sub for Rio, so losing him meant losing manpower. What was wrong with all of them?

“I...” Rio stuttered. Why do I have to leave? I know I’m not amazing, but I’m still doing what I can. I’m helping here and there, right? So, why...?

It made no sense. The reasoning of these kids was beyond him. Were they too dumb to understand basic team sports principles? If so, Rio should enlighten them.

“You’re making a mistake,” Rio claimed. “If you have less players, the team will be weaker.”

“Heh, as if you being here helps at all.” His entire team laughed, and even the enemy team cracked some laughs. Rio was like a clown cast on a stage.

Yeah, I see how it is. They’re really all idiots. Rio concluded. “It’s simple math. The more players the team got, the more manpower it has.”

“Huh? What’s this weirdo on about?” Everybody exchanged looks with dumb smiles on their faces.

“So,” Rio continued. “It’s dumb to get rid of a teammate when you don’t have anybody who can sub in. You’re just losing manpower.”

“Hey, did ya just call us dumb?” One of the boys pushed Rio.

“A-Ah!” Rio lost his footing and fell on his butt. “It hurts...”

“Pft, haha! Are ya for real?” The boy laughed his ass off. “Bruh, I barely touched him.”

“Man, I betcha a little breeze can send this boy flying like twenty meters.”

“Is he even really a boy?” The gang laughed. “Maybe you should go play dodgeball with the girls. I betcha you gonna feel right at home, you sissy boi!”

The cackling never ceased. The boys continued throwing more and more insults at Roi. Meanwhile, he was sitting on the ground with his bottom aching, silently staring at the scene with disbelief.

Why...? Rio couldn’t process what was happening in front of him. That boy over there has just pushed him to the ground and injured him, yet the other kids were celebrating it as if it was a joyous event. “Why are you so happy? Are you enjoying beating others up?”

“Pft, haha! ‘Beating up’, he says! I barely touched him and he’s already crying.”

“Hey, hey, listen, guys.” One of the boys grinned. “It just occurred to me that Rio might have a great future as a soccer player. I mean, he already nailed the part where he gets touched once and starts rolling on the ground crying for a foul, haha!”

Everybody burst into laughter once more. Not a single kid in that group was on Rio’s side. They were all looking down on him, thinking he was no better than a random rock on the ground.

“Seriously, ya should use these acting skills against the enemy,” a boy suggested. “Go out there and pretend like everybody and their moms are pushing ya on purpose. Who knows, it might get us a few free kicks, haha!”

“Yo! That’s the ultimate strat!” The team raved about this obviously dumb idea. Were they really serious about it? Rio couldn’t follow their track of thought anymore. It was all too stupid for him to process.

“Ah...” Rio’s lips quivered. He had no idea how to respond to any of this. Should he even bother responding to any of this stupidity?

It was the first time such a situation occurred. The entire team ganged up on him and publicly shamed him. He could feel water welling up in his eyes.

“Oh, gonna cry?”

“Pft, grow a backbone, man.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, that’s ain’t a man, haha.”

There was no end to the abuse. The idiots continued running off their mouths without any shame or tact.

So, that’s what they all think about me. Rio slowly stood up and wiped his teary eyes.

All this time, he believed he was fitting in despite all his shortcomings. But, apparently, he was wrong. Everybody saw him as an eyesore, nothing more. They’d even go as far as kicking him out of the team even though it meant losing manpower. It was impossible to reason with such absurdity.

“I see now.” Rio smiled. It was a twisted, painful smile. “So, you’re all idiots here, huh.”

He simply couldn’t contain himself any longer. These dumb kids were running their mouths as they pleased, so Rio decided to do the same. He told them what he really thought of them.

“You don’t want me here? Fine by me,” Rio said. “I don’t want to associate myself with dumbasses either.”

It was a poor choice of words. The retaliation hit him immediately.

“Heh, get a load of this guy.” The leader of the gang shoved Rio again, this time with clear hostility. “Ya think you can talk to us like this, huh!?”

“Ugh!” Rio didn’t stick the landing and crashed on his back. It hurt. The entire world flickered in and out. It was difficult to process what was happening around him.

“Look at this sissy boy, talking like he’s the shit.” Someone kicked Rio’s side.

“Bruh, what are these skinny legs?” Someone stomped on Rio’s leg. “Are ya even eating anything?”

“Oh, whoops!” Someone “accidentally” stepped on Rio’s hand. “Sorry, didn’t see ya there, haha!”

“Ugh, agh!” Pain hit Rio in waves from random directions. His consciousness was barely intact, but he definitely felt the pain.

Thankfully, nobody seemed interested in injuring Rio for real, so there probably won’t be any lasting effects. Nevertheless, it hurt. The kicks. The stomping. The insults. They all hurt.

“Agh, ugh!” Rio coughed. He held in tears that were desperately trying to burst out. If he cries now, they’ll make more fun of him. They’ll call him a “crybaby girl” or some other nonsense.

Therefore, he had to endure it. He’ll stay quiet and endure. Endure. Endure. Endure.

Eventually, the gang grew bored with bullying him and returned to the game. Rio remained on the ground, all alone.

Some more shots flew his way during the match, perhaps intentionally. After getting hit three times by the ball, he finally gathered the strength to stand up.

I better leave. Rio slowly pushed himself from the ground and limped away. That day was the prologue for the darkest chapter of his life.

Normally, the birdbrains who ganged on him were the kinds of idiots who’d forget anything that happens after a day. Alas, they refused to forget the words Rio used to retaliate against them. Their fragile egos didn’t permit them to forget about being called “stupid”.

And so, they started bullying Rio. They laughed at him, called him names, hid his things, and sometimes even got physical with him. School wasn’t fun for him in the first place, but now it became a nightmare.

Every single day, Rio imagined how nice it’d be if he woke up and realized that none of that was real, that it was all a dream. But, unfortunately, it was the harsh, cold reality.

Avoid talking to anybody. Avoid eye contact. Avoid everybody. It became Rio’s mantra. No matter what situation he found himself in, he always prioritizing finding a desolate corner in which he wouldn’t draw any attention to himself.

Attending school changed from “suffering” to “literal hell”. He constantly had to live in fear of getting attacked by somebody. Everybody preyed on him as if he was a small, helpless animal. There was no joy to be found anywhere at school.

Before Rio noticed, a lot has changed about his behavior and expressions. His head was always lowered when he was walking around, to avoid eye contact as much as possible. And, whenever he raised his head to look in the mirror, all that reflected in them was a pair of dead eyes.

Maybe I’m already dead. Rio entertained such thoughts every now and then. Maybe they actually killed me back when they ganged on me during the soccer match. So, now I’m just a wandering ghost.

How nice would that be? But no, this was reality. Rio was imprisoned in a living hell, unable to escape.

Day in and day out, he lived in such darkness. He was all alone, a hapless prey caged in a hostile environment. There were even times when he questioned the point of living on like this. Maybe I should just die...

Other kids surely saw what Rio was going through, yet none of them reached out to him. Why? Why didn’t any of them do anything? Were they really fine with watching a fellow classmate being beaten up all the time?

The answer was simple. Rio became the official “bullying target” of the class, the punching bag delinquents used for venting frustration. There was usually at least one kid like that in every class; an unfortunate victim who was bullied on a regular basis, to the point it became a common scenery.

Rio was in the bystanders’ shoes before, so he understood why they didn’t lift a finger for his sake. He also always ignored such bullying even if happened right in front of him. It was that much easier to avert his eyes from the unpleasant reality and pretend it wasn’t his business. And, that’s exactly what everybody else was doing right now.

All this bullying actually makes me enjoy studying. Rio thought sarcastically.

The bullies couldn’t cause any havoc during class, so lessons became like a safe haven for Rio. He found them boring like any other kid, but he was thankful for their existence. They were like an anti-bug spray that kept cockroaches away.

The only nuisance during class was that one boy, who has recently moved to sit next to Rio. The teacher forced that troublemaker to change seats because he was talking too much during class and Rio happened to have an empty seat beside him.

He’s really a chatterbox. Rio made a face. Every five minutes, the guy next to him would either start some trivial conversion or would ask for things.

“Hey, you got a spare eraser?”

“Man, did you do homework? Can me and my pals copy them real quick?”

“Dang, this question is tough! Hey, you got any idea how I solve this one?”

Frankly, it was a nuisance. Unfortunately, that boy was one of the “popular kids”, so Rio couldn’t refuse him. If he opposes such a superstar, he’ll be in a world of pain.

I should be thankful he’s not part of the bullies. At least, not yet. Rio gulped. He had to stay on good terms with this popular boy. A single misstep could spark a flame of vengeance, Rio learned that much from experience.

And so, Rio always acted friendly toward the popular boy. He landed the boy an eraser, even if it meant he might never get it back. He allowed the boy to copy homework, even though it was unfair. And, he also helped the guy to solve some questions during class, even though Rio also had loads of exercises to finish.

Rio went through all that hassle to maintain a good relationship. Thankfully, this strategy worked. The popular boy didn’t treat Rio too badly. He even apologized when he forgot to return Rio’s eraser. There was no malice in the boy’s mannerisms.

Actually, I feel like all the bullying has drastically decreased recently. Rio realized one day. Not only the boy next seat was nice to him, but even the regular bullies in class paid less attention to Rio than usual.

How did that happen? Who knew. Perhaps, the bullies grew bored with attacking Rio all the time. He always made sure to show as little emotion as possible while being bullied, so his weak reactions probably didn’t satisfy these idiots’ thirst for inflicting pain to others.

Heh, you’ve fallen into my trap. Rio snickered to himself. It was a long-term plan he devised to counter the bullying. By acting indifferent, he made these idiots lose interest in bullying him. He won by playing the long game!

Truly, each and every one of these bullies was a sad excuse for a human being. They were bored out of their minds, so they entertained themselves by stomping on others. So, as long as Rio didn’t give them the satisfaction they were looking for, they eventually gave up. He has lost countless fights, but he won the war!

Unfortunately, not everybody grew bored with it quite yet. Some bullies still hanged around, searching for opportunities to shove Rio or to kick him for no reason. Especially, on that fateful day, things have gone out of hand for the first time in a long time.

“Hey Rio, whatcha looking at, eh?” A boy shoved Rio into the wall. Why? For no reason, same as always.

“.......” Rio averted his eyes from the offender and walked on. By now, he has learned that responding to these imbeciles won’t lead to anything good.

“Hey, what’s with that attitude!? I’m talking to ya!” The boy grabbed Rio by the collar and shook him.

Tch, it’s one of the annoying ones. Rio rolled his eyes. While most bullies lost interest after Rio didn’t react, some got angrier instead. These were the most troublesome ones.

“Did ya just click yo tongue at me, eh? EH!?” The delinquent tossed Rio.

“Agh!” Rio’s back slammed into the wall. It hurt. It always hurt. No matter how many times he was pushed into walls, tables, chairs, or floor - it always hurt. It was impossible to get used to this. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

I-I just need to act neutral. This idiot will go away eventually. Rio did his best to maintain a poker face. He stood up and tried to walk away again.

“Heh, would ya look at that?” The bully sneered. “Ya think I’m not even worth your time, huh? Is that what you’re thinking, sissy boy!?”

The boy raged on, but Rio didn’t even turn around to look at him. This was all stupid. When will these idiots tire of this…?

Even without looking behind him, Rio sensed that something was about to fly at him. A punch, a kick, a push, or perhaps a grab. These were the usual abuses Rio has experienced on a regular basis. It was all brute violence with very little creativity.

It’s amazing how doing this every time hasn’t bored him to death yet. Regardless, Rio braced himself. No matter what it was going to be, he’ll simply absorb the hit and move on, the same as always.

“............” Rio has been bracing himself for quite a while, but the attack didn’t come. Instead, something, or somebody, crashed into the floor behind him.

“W-What the-!?” The bully found himself on the floor for some reason.

Did this idiot get so angry that he tripped? Rio smirked.

“Whatcha laughing at, eh!?” The boy jumped on his feet, his fists clenched and ready to fire off.

“A-Ah” Rio gulped. This was bad! He let his guard down. Making fun of these idiots in the open was an absolute taboo. It was like pouring fifty liters of fuel in a fire. I messed up. I’m dead...

“Give it a rest.” Someone put a hand on the bully’s shoulder. It was a fellow boy, a familiar face. In fact, it was a face Rio was forced to see from up-close on a daily basis.

The boy behind the bully was Rio’s neighbor in class, the one always asking Rio for random favors. His name was Jaiden.

“Hey, did you just trip me!?” the bully demanded from Jaiden.

“Nah, I did it, man.” Another boy stepped into the scene. It was another familiar face. He was the boy who always hanged around Jaiden, his name was Nash. “I didn’t mean to trip ya, tho. I saw you were throwing a party, so I decided to lend ya a hand. I mean, a leg. Haha!”

“Geh! You motha...!” The bully thrust both arms for a push.

“Easy there, bro. Trust me, you don’t want this smoke.” Nash caught the incoming hands and hurled them aside. The bully found himself flying to the side, almost crashing into a wall.

“Gah! Fuck! What do you fucks even want!?” The bully seethed.

“Not much.” Jaiden wrapped an arm around Rio for some reason and flashed a smile. “I was passing by and saw you troubling my pal over here.”

Pal...? Rio blinked. When exactly did they become “pals”? As far as Rio was concerned, Jaiden was just another bully, one who constantly demanded things during class.

Wait, maybe I misunderstood something? Rio realized. Why did I even assume it was bullying in the first place? It seemed logical because anybody who went out of their way to interact with me was a bully. But, maybe I was wrong about this guy…

“Heh, that’s some lame pals you got.” The bully sneered.

“Hey, that’s not true,” Jaiden argued. “Rio is a great guy. He helps me more in a single day than you ever would in a lifetime.”

“Yeah, dude is fire.” Nash nodded. “His handwriting is real clean. Makes it so ez to copy homework, haha!”

“So, you’re just using him, huh.” The bully sneered.

“Using him? Nah, we’re pals.” Jaiden glanced at Rio. “Right?”

“Ah, um, yeah...” Rio found himself nodding. It felt like the right thing to do in this situation.

“See? There you have it,” Jaiden declared. “Also, I’m pretty sure I asked you and your pals to stop messing with Rio. He’s a homie.”

“Tch, whatever.” The bully spat and stomped away.

The entire interaction remained confusing from start to end. When did Rio become “pals” with Jaiden and Nash? Also, judging by their last exchange, was Jaiden the reason the bullying rates drastically decreased in recent weeks?

“T-Thanks,” Rio mumbled.

“Hm? No problem, man.” Jaiden flashed a grin. “If these guys mess with you again, just tell me.”

“Okay,” Rio smiled.

“Oh! Wow!” Nash exclaimed. “First time I see this dude smiling. Kinda cute. Ahem, no homo, of course.”

“I’m... smiling?” Rio touched his lips. Indeed, a smile formed on his lips for the first time in what felt like ages.

“Gotta say,” Jaiden started. “You look way more approachable when you’re smiling like this.”

“Yeah, way better than that doom and gloom look ya always sporting,” Nash added.

“I-I see.” Rio lowered his face. His cheeks burned a little.

On that day, light returned to Rio’s life once more. Jaiden and Nash pulled him out of the bottomless darkness and taught him how to enjoy life again. If not for them, Jin would’ve been drowning in despair to this very day.

Therefore, when Jaiden was the one despairing, Rio had to do everything in his power to help out. After all, they were best friends.

“Don’t give up!” Rio fired healing magic and ran toward Jaiden.

When the hero was feeling down, it was the sidekick’s job to boost morale. Besides, when the Carry was in danger, it was the Support’s role to mount a rescue operation. Therefore, Rio will definitely save Jaiden! He won’t let Gunz get a kill here, not on Jaiden!