Chapter XII – Ambush

“Hey Art, ready for class?” Don asked.

“You kidding right? He is probably ready for next year. . .” Nabi commented, waving to Arthur.

“Hey, guys. What’s up?” Arthur asked.

“We got a mock exam next week, so I’ve been mostly prepping. Don over here was just telling me about a weird story he read last night.”

“Hey. . . It’s not weird, you just haven’t read it yourself.” Don defended his taste.

“The story revolves around a guy getting hit by a. . . You know. . .” Nabi stopped herself awkwardly mid-sentence. “Then got reincarnated in another world as a little girl! How is that not weird?”

“It’s culture,” Don commented, surprisingly confident in his statement. “A nerd like you would never understand.”

“You calling me a nerd?! Priceless. . .”

Arthur started laughing.

“You two get along quite well.”

Both huffed at the same time.

“I’ve seen a few stories like that in my room when I returned from the hospital as well. Seems to be a common theme.”

“You read isekai?”

“Isekai?” Arthur asked.

“Genre where the protagonist dies and is reincarnated in another world to become a hero.”

“Seems like I did in the past, but since the accident, I have no recollection of it.”

“Wouldn’t it be awesome though?”

Nabi stepped on Don’s foot.

“Augh! What was that for?” Don asked, but quickly realized why she stepped on him. “Oh, sorry Art. I forgot for a moment. . . Well, I’m glad you’re here with us!”

“That’s alright, it isn’t a sensitive subject for me.”

“Whoever came up with the genre is a moron. With how teens are these days, someone might actually try it. . . Someone probably already did,” Nabi commented.

“Right. . . Anyway, I haven’t actually read them. More like I have no recollection of reading them. I might one day though.”

“You probably shouldn’t, or you might end up like Don over here.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with me?”

“Everything.”

“Fair enough,” Arthur commented.

“Hey!”

Nabi and Arthur kept laughing.

“So, what are you guys doing this weekend?” Don asked.

“Studying for the most part, not to mention I’m stuck having to go with my parents around town all Sunday,” Nabi complained.

“I have nothing planned really. Why?”

“I was wondering if you guys want to hang out.”

“Maybe next time, when I have a free schedule.”

“Hmm. I guess I could. Where would we go?”

“Since it’s the two of us, why don’t you come over to my place? I could show you some cool stuff to read.”

“Don. . .” Nabi glared at him.

Arthur chuckled.

“I won’t show him anything strange!”

“So you do admit it’s strange?” Nabi asked with a grin.

“Unbelievable. . .”

Their conversation was cut short as class began. This was the first time that Arthur was invited to hang out, and of course, he was eager to do so. Part of him wondered what kind of a lifestyle Don led, thinking it might be fairly similar to how Arthur lived in the past.

“No matter how many channels I flip, there just nothing to watch. . .” Sophie mumbled to herself. “God, how do people do this?”

Dropping the remote, she stood up and began stretching.

“Should I go for another run? The morning jogs are good and all, but not really the most physically challenging when I sit around and do nothing all day. I could also study. . . Nah, I’m pretty much ready for midterms. Maybe Arthur could use a bit of help.”

Sophie was losing her mind staying home alone, throwing herself on the couch in various positions all day. Her phone was useless to her with her friends being at school. All she could do is watch shows and look at videos online. Yesterday’s boredom was quelled by dancing and singing, but she wasn’t interested in doing it today as well. Truth be told, she had a difficult time doing the same thing over and over again, apart from running.

“I guess I could read a book. . .” She pondered. “Ugh! I’ve read all of them already. I can’t be asked to do it again, there is nothing too interesting. I’ve been looking for a good drama with a bit of romance in it. . . Now that I think about it, I might want to skip on the drama part, too much of it already in my life.”

Jumping up and down around the house, she made her way towards her room.

“I wish we had a cat, then I would have someone to play with. Maybe a dog? Walking it would be a pain though because of school. It has to be a cat I guess. . .” Sophie started laughing, followed by sighing. “Like they would ever let me get a cat.”

Sophie spent the next few hours cleaning up her room, and the rest of the house. After all, she was expecting a guest tonight. Not only did Arthur agree to a movie night, but Ari was coming over. She used to hang out with Ari every day, but ever since Hana began bullying her, the two drifted away. It was all because of Sophie as she wasn’t feeling very social, and would typically just run off home.

“I owe her an apology. . .” Sophie sighed but knew that Ari would never hold it against her. “I know! I should go buy us her favorite snack for the movie night. Besides, there is still nothing in the fridge, and school is about to end. I’m so used to eating lunch at school that I completely forgot about myself. . .”

Sophie put on her shoes and made her way outside. It was the middle of the day, the streets were full of life. The store she liked was about ten minutes away, so she could risk buying a bit more and not having to worry about the weight.

“It’s almost Arthur’s birthday. . . I know grandpa already got him a phone, but I want to give him something too. . . But. . .” Sophie sighed. “I don’t know what he likes now. . . In the past, I could have just bought him a manga and been done with it. Now even he hardly knows what he likes. . .”

During the last break between classes, within the 1-1 classroom, Sophie’s classroom, quite a few rumors started to spread. Ari kept quiet as promised, but the attention that Sophie drew the day before had everyone talking. As predicted, Hana and her friends remained quiet for the most part. Dal-Rae even approached Ari to ask if Sophie wasn’t coming, to which Ari shrugged her shoulders, but was pissed that one of them even dared approach her. Rae didn’t explain her reasoning, but she refrained from hanging out with Hana. Something unseen in the past. With a sigh of relief, Ari looks out the window innocently, eager to watch a movie with Sophie and Arthur.

It’s been a long time since I’ve last seen Arthur. To think he doesn’t even remember me. . .

Ari never had a great opinion of Arthur, but seeing Sophie’s change, she could assume that her previous opinion of him should not influence her first interaction with him.

With her head leaning down against the table, she almost drifted to sleep, only to overhear Hana and the other two lackeys she calls friends, talking among themselves.

“Is everything ready?” Hana asked.

“I’ve passed the plan to the boys, I can’t wait to see her expression,” said Ah-In, one of the two girls that held Sophie.

“Chija, I presume that you’ve done your part as well?” Hana asked.

Chija was the final member of Hana’s group.

“Of course! I got the number from a friend of mine that went to the same school.”

“Then we are all set! Let’s enjoy the show.”

What are they plotting now? Here I was hoping that today was going to be peaceful. At least Sophie is safe. Wait. . . Could they be going after me?

Class began, and Ari was left to her thoughts. She didn’t pay much attention during class, mostly trying to figure out what they had planned.

It doesn’t make too much sense for them to go after me, I’m not the quiet type.

With the final bell ringing, Ari sighed. She thought hard about it but was unable to figure out their plan. Ari was also in charge of cleaning up after class for the day. The most tedious job after school, especially because Hana always makes sure to leave a mess when Ari or Sophie is in question. The girl group’s chuckling made Ari feel uneasy.

A few minutes passed, and Ari was almost done. While moving the desk near the window to its proper spot, she noticed Arthur outside. He was saying goodbye to some of his classmates. Ari’s focus on the scene was intuitive. Her intuition was telling her that something bad was about to happen.

Arthur. . . She thought to herself, glancing down to the school grounds. If they’re not coming after Sophie, nor after me since that wouldn’t make sense. . . Arthur! How could I be so stupid?

Ari’s realization that the plot had nothing to do with her, but instead involved Arthur, shook her. Grabbing her phone as quickly as possible, she intended to call Sophie to warn Arthur. After all, she didn’t have his number. Moments later, Ari noticed two guys following Arthur from behind.

Dialing Sophie, Ari became nervous, grabbing her bag and starting to make a run for it. The phone call wasn’t going through.

Dammit! I need a new phone, I hardly ever have a proper signal!

Ari was terrified of what might happen, and kept on dialing Sophie, but with no luck. Due to them only walking, and her running as fast as possible, she had an easy time catching up. It was too dangerous for her to suddenly approach, as she had no idea what they had planned. The description matched perfectly the guys from the bathroom, so any risk she exposes herself to could result in her being a punching bag for their frustration towards Sophie’s escape.

She felt powerless, unable to help in any way, only able to dial for Sophie as often as she could. Restarting her phone didn’t resolve the issue either. The streets were busy, so at least they couldn’t do anything to him in the open.

Maybe it’s safe to approach? Should I tell someone nearby about this? Without any proof though, would they believe me even?

Her mind was filled with dozen questions with every step they took. The walk to his house was not a short one either.

Meanwhile, having finally reached home on her way back from the store, Sophie received a message.

“Hmm, who’s this?” She asked out loud, looking at an unknown number and an image attachment.

Opening it up, she dropped the heavy bag she was holding in shock. It was a picture of her brother from behind. The text simply said ‘Remember. . . This is your fault.’ Instantly, Sophie knew what was going on. Dialing Arthur, she formed a fist in her hand and gritted her teeth, collapsing on her knees practically begging for him to pick up.

“Come on. . . Pick up, Arthur!” Sophie yelled, though there was no response.

She feared the worst, but then got a phone call back. Without looking who it was, she answered.

“Arthur!” Sophie yelled.

“It’s me. . . Ari.”

“Sorry Ari, I can’t talk right now!”

“Wait! I’m following Arthur right now, he is in trouble.”

“Is he alright?! Where are you right now?”

“We are past the downtown bus stop, the one next to the shoe shop you love. Arthur is fine so far, but the two guys that you’ve met have been tailing him since school ended. I couldn’t get in touch with you. Call him and warn him. . .”

“He’s not picking up. . .” Sophie spoke with clear panic.

“Alright, then I’ll have to risk and approach him myself,” Ari said with a sigh of frustration.

Both of them were a bit bigger than Arthur, and Arthur wasn’t known for fighting. The two were on the other hand experienced. Even if he was aware of them, Ari wasn’t sure it would have made a difference.

“Stop! Don’t. . . If you get caught, they might do to you. . . Something horrible,” Sophie warned her, running outside of her house and towards the two. “If I run, I’ll be there soon. If I manage to warn Arthur, then we might be able to run for it. He might not look like it, but he is quite fast. I don’t want you in danger.”

“Sophie! What am I supposed to do then? Just watch?” Ari’s frustration over the helplessness of once again helping her friends was getting to her.

“It’ll be alright Ari. Trust me. . .” Sophie spoke in a low tone, but her voice was breathy.

Sophie was sprinting.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Ari asked out loud. “Arthur is heading towards a small alleyway. . .”

She was shocked, as there was no reason for him to turn there. If anything, their house was just a straight line away.

“Why would he. . . Do you think he knows he is being followed?” Sophie asked.

“I don’t know, but I need to keep a close eye on them. The two are following him in with haste.”

“I’ll be there soon!” Sophie yelled, hanging up the phone so she could focus on her running.

Ari was left speechless. She bit her left index finger out of sheer stress but rushed towards the alleyway regardless.

It was dark, without anyone around. Mostly surrounded by garbage, Ari snuck her way forward. It was a T section, with the upper part connecting two larger streets, and the single turn leading into a dead end. Stepping up to the edge of the wall, she heard voices a few meters away.

“Who are you?” Arthur asked.

“You’ve made the wrong choice, turning here. . .” One of the guys commented. “Names are not important.”

“I see,” Arthur commented, his stance quite relaxed as he observed both of them. “And why did you follow me?”

The two guys were roughly around his height, maybe a centimeter or two taller. Their build was decent, probably worked out a bit at the gym. They wore casual clothes, thus probably did not go to school, but looked to be around his age. Hair cut short on one, while the other was completely bold, it looked hideous or hilarious, Arthur couldn’t choose between the two.

Ari took the moment to turn on her camera and record the scene. If anything, at least some proof of the bullying would help.

“You’re just unlucky like that. . .”

“I don’t believe in luck.”

“Well, maybe you should.”

“So what now?” Arthur asked, lacking the fear in his voice.

“If you don’t resist, we might even leave you only with light to moderate injuries, otherwise we are not responsible for any extreme ones that you might suffer.”

Ari began to sweat nervously, her knees shaking in fear.

“I see. . .” Arthur responded exhaling deeply, his gaze was now aimed towards the one who kept on talking to him. “Your tattoo. . .”

“What about it?” the thug said with a cocky voice and a grin that could not be wiped off.

Arthur’s voice turned sinister. “Are you the ones who dared to go after my sister?”

The two men laughed, not feeling threatened at all, but Ari felt the mood of the whole situation shift. She felt as if all control was taken away from them.

“So what if we are?”

“U-Jin, let’s just get this over with. . .” the other guy commented.

“Idiot! How many times do I have to tell you not to mention my name? Now I have to beat him up so badly that he is terrified of even mentioning it.”

“Sorry, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Fine. . .”

The two cracked their knuckles.

“I want nothing more than tear you apart, but Sophie would be devastated if I killed someone. . .” Arthur sighed, slowly stepping closer. “Guess humiliating you will have to be enough.”

“Did you hear that? He thinks he can beat us.”

U-Jin charged towards Arthur, clenching his fist and stepping into range. His speed wasn’t bad, and his technique showed that he had more than one fight in his life. Stepping with the left foot forward, bending his knees a bit, and driving his right hand forward, he went straight for a power punch. Though, such an attack was easy to read. There was no need to be stronger, nor even faster in this fight. All it came down to was the difference between their experience.

Ducking under the power punch, Arthur instantly exploited the weakness in his defense, countering with an open palm strike to the liver. The force of it, just enough to make U-Jin fall on his knee, but not enough to take him out of the fight completely. That was exactly what Arthur was aiming for. He didn’t wish for this to be a quick fight.

“U-Jin! You bastard,” the other guy yelled, stepping into a two-meter range.

He kept his distance, seeing as Arthur was quick to counter. U-Jin still struggled to get up. The other guy seemed to lack both confidence and skill in comparison. His feet were too flat on the ground, making him a stationary target. If he wasn’t coming towards Arthur, then Arthur had to make the first move.

With a grin on his face, and fury built up within him, he quickly stepped into his opponent’s reach. Before the guy could even swing, an open right palm was preemptively launched towards the guy’s jaw. It was just slow enough for him to be able to react, placing a guard around his head. Though, it was all according to plan, as that was nothing more than a simple faint. The attack had no power but was instead intended to grapple the thug’s shoulder, pulling him in and driving a knee into his stomach.

The force of the kick was enough to make him nearly vomit, as he bet over. The kick was followed up with a devastating elbow strike to the back of the head, a hit that could be lethal or disabling.

U-Jin managed to get up, but turning around all he saw was Arthur shoving his friend to the ground.

“You. . .” U-Jin began to speak but was interrupted as Arthur ruthlessly charged.

Arthur went for a power kick with his left leg towards U-Jin’s knee, but U-Jin quickly responded with a twist of his leg, placing it in a way that it would block the strike and return a bit of damage to Arthur. Once again, a simple faint that Arthur’s opponent fell for. Stopping the kick mid-air was a difficult task, but instead of wasting the energy, he bent his knee diagonally and turned his opposite leg sideways, following through with a kick using the sole of his shoe. The kick landed centered on U-Jin’s chest. It didn’t have enough power to knock the wind out of him, nor to even hurt him loads since Arthur was still not strong enough. However, it did have enough knockback force to shove U-Jin prone on his back.

“U-Jin was it?” Arthur looked down upon him menacingly, his friend unable to get up. “You should have died today.”

In a roar of frustration and powerlessness, U-Jin mustered his strength and tried pushing himself up. Arthur allowed it.

Rebalancing, U-Jin took up a more defensive stance.

“You think this is enough to beat me? Hey, Ksun! Get up!” U-Jin yelled, but his friend was dropped flat. “Damn it. I thought you were nothing more than a depressed kid on the verge of suicide. . . Guess that bitch Hana lied. . .”

Arthur’s expression didn’t change.

“I’ll say it now while you can still hear me. The next time you dare look or even think of my sister, I’ll slaughter you all,” Arthur’s voice was flat, expressing no sign of emotion.

U-Jin was shaken to the core but wasn’t going to go down without a fight. If anything, he wished to land at least one proper punch. A wish that was unlikely to be granted with how things were unfolding.

Stepping into range, U-Jin threw a fainting jab towards Arthur, preparing for a quick right-hand power punch. Arthur simply placed his hand in a high guard, accepting U-Jin’s bait. With an opening, U-Jin threw his power punch, only to realize that Arthur wasn’t guarding but was stepping into a position where his right arm could quickly counter with a light palm strike to the nose. Due to reach advantage and better footing, Arthur’s strike landed first, staggering U-Jin.

This time, Arthur wasn’t holding back as much. With his left leg pushing forward, he stepped onto U-Jin’s foot, making him lose balance. Before falling, Arthur drove his elbow into U-Jin’s guts while he was still staggered from the previous punch that made his nose bleed. In quick succession, Arthur grabbed U-Jin’s wobbly body with both hands by his shirt and drove him into the wall next to him. The slam made U-Jin’s body open up as his back ached. Arthur unleashed a flurry of blows, a high-level combination that struck multiple weak points, dropping U-Jin finally to the ground. None of the injuries were fatal, even the one on his friend ‘Ksun’, the worst of it would be bruising, bone fractures on U-Jin, and a potentially broken nose.

To Arthur’s surprise, U-Jin remained conscious. He chuckled, leaning down.

“This is hardly satisfying, but it’ll have to do. Remember my words U-Jin. There won’t be a second chance,” Arthur whispered, before getting up.

With a deep breath, he finally made his way to the alleyway’s exit. Ari who was shocked by what she just witnessed, was taken away by it all. When Arthur approached, she panicked a bit and kicked an empty can as she took a step back. Her head turned towards the can and then back to Arthur, only to realize he was already next to her.

“Don’t hurt me!” Ari yelled out, holding up her hands. She knew that Arthur did not remember her and that it would look bad if she followed as well. “I’m not with them. My name is-”

“So you’re Ari,” Arthur commented, his voice changed to a much more relaxed and silvery tone. “You saw that huh?”

Ari was confused.

“You remember me?”

“No, but I’ve heard your voice over Sophie’s phone. You look just as I imagined you,” he explained.

“I. . . I see,” she didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

“Let’s get out of here, this place is a dump.”

Ari simply nodded, taking a glance at the two who followed Arthur, before beginning to follow.

The two walked in silence for a minute.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“Sorry?” Ari stopped in place, she realized how she probably looked. “You got it all wrong, that was fucking awesome!”

“Awesome?” Arthur looked at her confused.

“Totally! I never knew you knew how to fight. . . I was thinking about stepping in and trying to help you out, at least warn you.”

Ari showed a more cheerful expression towards Arthur, she was genuinely impressed and excited that the bad guys lost for once.

“I’m glad you didn’t, I’d hate to have you exposed to danger.”

“Thanks. . .” Ari said, glancing to the side while blushing.

She was cute. Similar in height to Sophie, though an entirely different style. He could already tell that she was a bit mischievous and fairly confident. Her lychee eyes were light brown, and her dark brown hair was shoulder length with small bangs almost covering her eyes.

Dashing towards them, and a bit winded, Sophie finally caught up.

“Arthur!” she yelled out.

She was shocked to see Ari and Arthur walking side by side as if nothing happened. Had she seen Arthur injured, she wouldn’t know how to react.

“Sophie?” Arthur asked confused.

“Ah right. . .” Ari commented with a low voice, knowing she should have probably called her. “I. . .”

Before Ari could even say anything, Sophie dashed into a hug towards Arthur. Embracing her on the street, Arthur simply smiled.

“Hey, everything is fine. What are you so worried about?” Arthur asked, but he knew that she was aware of the trouble looming.

“You idiot!” Sophie pulled away from the hug. “I told you to always answer the phone when I call you.”

“I’m sorry, I put it on silent during class. Notifications kept on coming, so Don helped me sort it out. I forgot how to turn the sound back on!”

This was the first time Arthur showed fear, knowing he angered Sophie. Ari couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“I’ve never seen you two like this. It’s so sweet,” Ari commented.

“Ah this. . .” Sophie blushed. “Anyway, thank you for helping Oppa.”

“Help him? He dealt with them on his own. I never knew your brother could fight like that.”

“Huh?” Sophie looked at Arthur confused.

“It wasn’t anything special.”

“Not special? You beat them one on two! You should have seen it, Sophie. . . With him around, nobody would dare touch you.”

Sophie simply accepted Ari’s words, knowing she’d never lie to her. She was unaware of where that came from but was glad regardless. If anything, it only made her even more confident when it came to Arthur and her standing up for themselves.

“Alright, alright. . . We are heading home, so talk on the way.”

“I ugh. . .” Ari mumbled.

“You’re coming right?” Arthur asked.

Sophie also looked at Ari confused.

“We had PE and I am in desperate need of a shower. So I’ll be joining you guys later as agreed.”

“Nonsense!” Sophie spoke up. “We’ll just jump into the shower together, and I’ll give you some spare clothes. You should stay the night!”

“Well. . .” Ari hesitated.

“It’s the weekend tomorrow, so might as well,” Arthur commented. “Besides, it’ll be late. Maybe we could watch more than one movie.”

“Fine, fine. Jeez, you two!”

“Yay!” Sophie jumped around Ari.

The two laughed on their way back, acting as if nothing ever happened. Ari did end up telling Sophie how things went down but refrained from mentioning the video. Arthur did have a scary look, and Ari wished to avoid any negative feelings the violence might conjure. She was just happy that once again she could be cheerful and carefree with her best friend. The two hugged each other’s arm while Arthur simply trailed behind them. He was simply happy that Sophie could smile like that after everything that happened.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading!