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Our Rebellion Phase Is Not As Smooth As We Expected, Chapter 2.
🕑 Added 2024-05-20 11:26:47 +0000 UTCChapter 2: The First Intersection.
—OoOoO—
Socialising was meant to establish relationships with people. It could be said to be one of humankind's primary needs. With relatively small and weak bodies compared to other predators, humans could only survive extinction because they were colonising and socialising.
However, humans weren’t one-dimensional creatures. Although they needed to form a social colony, they were also individualistic. Their tendency to put personal interests above the common good proved they were individualists at heart. Even humans had a unique genetic code, making them born as unique individualistic creatures.
Individualistic and egoistic at the core, humans were forced to group and socialise to survive from era to era. That adaptation process taught humans an essential skill, namely compromise. In other words, they hid their ego in front of people, put on many masks that could be used in various situations, and forgave some things as long as they didn’t involve them directly.
All those insincerities have shaped human civilisation to this day.
Many people in luxurious clothes gathered in the spacious and majestic ballroom. They were people from high society.
“Yukimura-san, is this your youngest daughter? This is the first time I see her. And is this Haruno-kun? Hasn’t she grown up fast from the last time I saw her?”
“Oh, Fugaku-san? The last time we met was seven months ago, right?”
The man named Yukimura looked down at his little daughter on his side.
“Her name is Yukino. She’s twelve this year.”
Yukino, who had just been introduced by her father, bowed politely.
“My name is Yukinoshita Yukino.”
“Nice to meet you again, Fugaku-shacho. I was still in my second year of junior school when we met," Haruno said, bowing politely.
“Children really grow up fast, don't they? It's a shame Itachi can't return to Japan at this time. I'm sure you and Itachi will make good friends."
Fugaku replied to the girls in a friendly manner before looking at the woman beside Yukimura. However, the man's answer raised a few questions for Haruno.
'He only mentioned Itachi-san’s name? Doesn't he still have another son? Itachi-san himself said that he had a younger brother, you know?'
Even though Fugaku's words sounded weird to Haruno, the girl in her third year of junior high decided to ignore them. After all, other people's household affairs were none of her business.
“Shiina-san, it’s been a while. I heard that your proposal for the monorail line extension is progressing quite smoothly? It will be a strategic project if you can make it happen," said Fugaku.
“Some adjustments occurred, and the extension to the Aoba Hospital line looks set to be cancelled. But overall, it is still according to plan," replied the woman with a graceful smile.
Yukinoshita Shiina and Yukinoshita Yukimura were the names of the people Fugaku was chatting with. They were a husband and wife from the Yukinoshita family, a conglomerate living in Chiba. Although the head of the family generally was a man or the husband, the head of the Yukinoshita family was Yukinoshita Shiina because her husband was basically an outsider before they were married.
“Chiba Urban Monorail line extension project after a long time. And it's amazing that the government’s collaborating with your company to build the railway and provide raw materials to make the carriages."
Shiina smiled after hearing Fugaku's flattery.
“Many people think it's because my husband is in the Chiba parliament. But it's as if they turn a blind eye that my YFE Steel always providing the best."
Fugaku laughed at the woman's reply.
“It can't be helped. right? We, the Uchiha family, were also attacked by similar rumours after my older brother won a seat in the Kyoto Parliament."
The man then turned his gaze to another corner, where his brother was chatting with other people.
“Speaking of which, has Yukimura-san talked to Kagami?”
“We talked for a while earlier. But we plan to continue it more privately later with some other people," replied the man.
“I see.”
Fugaku intended to end the conversation with that short reply. However, the head of the Yukinoshita family, Shiina, asked a question.
“I haven't seen Mikoto-denka. Where is she?"
“Mikoto? I'm sure she's on the balcony discussing foundation organisations and plans to form a non-profit company together with the other ladies," Fugaku replied.
“Well, then, I'll go greet her," Shiina said, looking at her husband, "Dear, since Mikoto-denka is with the ladies, I'll go alone.”
However, before the woman left, she focused on her eldest daughter.
“Haruno, you come with me.”
—OoOoO—
The title of the event was Uchiha Kagami's birthday party. It was a celebration to commemorate the birthday. However, it was just an informal gathering between adults in general. Children generally had nothing to do, but they were dragged on only to introduce the heirs of those elite families or even just to be friendly.
However, parties filled with adults were never fun for children. Even though they were gathered in the same place to socialise with each other, trivial things such as differences, selfishness, and a sense of wanting to be the best prevented them from communicating healthily.
“I got first place in math on the last exam.”
“Well, I was first place in science.”
“It's math, science, and art for me.”
“That's not very impressive, you know? I'm rocking everything out and getting the first place in the cohort.”
The children were arguing with each other simultaneously with the last boy.
“You said you’re from Saitama, right? Your school index isn’t that competitive compared to Tokyo.”
They continued to debate their achievements. However, some had difficulty mingling because of their lack of self-confidence. Some weren’t at all interested in the conversation. And the one who just sat at the table and drank juice was Yukinoshita Yukino.
'What's so great about boasting that? And why am I here in the first place?'
Yukino glanced towards the balcony where the high-class madams, including her mother and sister, were. The corner where the children were was far from the balcony and relatively isolated or on the crowd's edge.
'Mom only invited Nee-san. It's clear that Nee-san is being introduced as the heiress of the Yukinoshita family.'
The little girl drank the juice until it was all finished.
'As if I care.'
Yukino got up to go to the toilet. However, she heard swearing, not too loud, but enough to attract her attention and those around her.
"How could you bump into me and spill water on my clothes?"
It was an adult man with a pretty fat body scolding a young man. The man was around 40 years old and wore a black suit. Meanwhile, the one he was scolding was a young man in his early 20s who was wearing a waiter's uniform.
“I am truly sorry, sir. It was purely an accident," said the young man while bowing.
“What do you mean by accident? Can't you see me, ha? Are those damn eyes of yours just for show?”
“It's not like that, sir. I really didn't mean to. I'm looking for a guest who left his belongings with me, but they haven't picked them up until now."
"Oh, so you now want to pass your blame onto a guest?" replied the man.
If only he could lower his head further, the waiter would probably do it immediately. The intimidation was too much for him. At this point, whatever he said would only further anger the man.
“Why are you silent, ha? How will you account for it? This hotel is Uchiha's, right? And this is their event. Is this how they educate their employees?”
For Yukino, it was nothing more than bullying by a more powerful person against a more powerless figure. It made her sick because it reminded her of how the students in her school bullied her. Moreover, when the girl looked around, she was quite surprised that people were averting their eyes from the scene as if they were pretending that they hadn’t seen anything.
'In the first place, the man scolded the servant in a suppressed voice. So, it's natural that most people don't realise it. However, the adults around me should have known what was going on. And yet, they didn't do anything.'
Yukino clenched her fists while looking at that scene.
'Should I tell him to stop? But I’m just a kid and he’s an adult. If I do something, I might just be considered a clown.'
Yukino felt inner turmoil. Just yesterday, before she left for Kyoto, she had a conversation with her sister about her bullying at school and how she considered Hayama a coward and a loser for not standing up for her at all. In fact, Yukino hated that boy so much that she was reluctant to call him by his first name anymore. However, now she was faced with a similar situation.
'No, I'm different from Hayama-kun. He should have been able to do something because all he needed to do was face girls his age. Meanwhile, in my case, it’s an adult man. How could a little girl like me possibly do anything, right?'
Yukino clenched her fists while lowering her head. Her expression looked darker, and she seemed to bite the corner of her lip to calm the lump in her heart. Even after she made various excuses to justify her preference to remain silent instead of doing something, it still left a bad taste in her mouth.
As everyone turned their faces away and pretended not to see anything, a small boy, twelve years old, came forward to approach the man from behind.
Yukino, who witnessed that, raised her eyebrows.
'Who's he? He was in the children's group with me, but he hadn't spoken a word at all.'
Besides his age, which Yukino estimated was the same as hers, the boy also had quite a tall stature. His jet-black hair and sharp eyes, as dark as the night sky, gave off a feeling of intimidation.
The boy walked closer to the man who was still scolding the waiter. It wasn't like he was sneaking around, but the man didn't notice him. However, he immediately knew that someone was behind him when the boy grabbed his suit a few centimetres below the shoulders from behind.
The man turned and saw a little boy.
“Huh? What are—.”
Before he could finish his sentence, the man felt a pull backwards on the part of the suit that the boy was gripping. The pull made his body lean backwards slightly. But it didn't stop there. He also felt a trip on the back of his right leg, which made him completely lose his balance.
With his right leg being tripped and the back of his suit being pulled, it made him fall backwards quickly. In addition, the perpetrator who did it also gave a push to his front shoulder so that it gave a strong push when his body hit the floor.
The man could only stare. It all passed so quickly, only one second, that his brain couldn't process what actually happened. He saw the little boy staring at him sharply.
“Shut yer stinky mouth, ya damn pig.”
Everyone immediately looked at the scene when they heard the impact’s sound. It wasn’t loud enough to be heard in the middle of the ballroom. However, like a domino effect, when the group of people closest to the scene suddenly stopped their activities and started murmuring, it’d attract the attention of others until it slowly reached the end of the ballroom.
Yukino was no less surprised than everyone who witnessed it. She never thought that a boy her age would act against the bullying. And what the guy did wasn’t just reprimand him, but actually immediately silenced the man with a self-defence technique he used.
'That was judo, right? I don't know for sure, but the way he grabbed and tripped him was definitely judo,' Yukino thought.
It was exactly what she thought. It was ko-soto-gari. It was done by shifting the body to the side, making it easier to pull the opponent's clothes back, and finally tripping him. Ko-soto-gari wasn’t a throwing technique but a tripping technique. The tripping technique was more effective when the opponent had a larger body.
While everyone was busy murmuring what had just happened, an adult man approached the scene. The man walked with extraordinary authority and charisma. Everyone knew who this man was. Even Yukino, who had no interest in the event, knew him.
'It’s Fugaku-shacho.'
Fugaku was standing right next to the boy who was the centre of attention. The man looked at him sharply, radiating a cold aura from his whole body. The little guy looked up, and his face suddenly darkened when he realised it was Fugaku.
"Father?" he muttered.
Fugaku has yet to respond. He still looked at the boy with a gaze that had not changed, or even worse, because the boy could feel the anger of a man he called father.
"Uchiha Sasuke, you come with me."
—OoOoO—
From the ballroom, Fugaku took Sasuke to a luxurious hotel room where the party was being held. Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed with his legs pressed together and each hand placed tensely on his thighs. Meanwhile, Fugaku stood before him with his arms crossed on his chest.
"Sasuke, can you explain what you did earlier?" asked the man.
The boy was silent and didn’t immediately answer his father's question. He looked down without daring to look the other person in the eye. However, Fugaku's tremendous pressure forced him to open his mouth, although he didn't even dare to move his fingertips.
“That man’s very annoying. He continued to harass that helpless waiter.”
Fugaku narrowed his eyes at the reply.
“Then, does that give you the right to attack him? Do I let you learn judo to attack random people?”
“Otherwise, he wouldn't have listened to a kid like me.”
The reason was actually quite valid. Even though Sasuke was an Uchiha, it was a party that invited other elite people. Thus, even though those words came from an Uchiha family member, he was still a child. For people of more or less equal status, the words of a brat like Sasuke had no weight even though he was an Uchiha.
"Even if the man let go of the waiter, he could end up being dragged to another place that’s not visible to the public. But, with me attacking him, people no longer have a reason to ignore that waiter.”
Fugaku sighed as he closed his eyes. The look of disappointment was clearly written on his face.
"So, you want to act like a hero?"
“What hero? Isn't helping people in need somethin’ natural to do?”
Sasuke was indeed afraid of his father. However, he was the type who once voiced his opinion and continued to do so stubbornly, as if his fear was gradually disappearing.
“How many times do I’ve to teach you to read between the lines, Sasuke? If the person wanted to complain from the start, he’d have done it in a smarter way. However, seeing him scold the waiter in public, even though he tried to hide it to appear natural, it was clear that he wanted to give a bad impression to this party.”
Even though he had received an answer from his father in such a cold tone, there was still a lot that Sasuke couldn't accept. When Sasuke wanted to reply, he heard Fugaku snort quite harshly.
"If it was Itachi, he’d have immediately understood that man's intentions and not done something barbaric like you, which would give a bad impression to the Uchiha."
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, and his face turned dark when his father said Itachi's name and compared them. He wanted to voice his disagreement, but Fugaku got ahead again.
“Defending that waiter? What has he done in your life? If you close your eyes and let my people take care of it, I can find out who paid him to wreak havoc on the party.”
Although the people invited had been carefully selected, no one knew what each person was thinking. Even Fugaku didn't expect anyone to make a scene at his older brother's birthday event. Even after a little investigation, Fugaku found that the perpetrator was a middle-class businessman. For someone at that level, messing around at the Uchiha family's event would be stupid unless he had someone behind him.
Fugaku realised it was a trap to reduce Uchiha's prestige, who was preparing Uchiha Kagami to advance to the next election. If he did something to the man, Fugaku didn't know what bad news would appear on the internet the next day. Therefore, there was no other choice but to deal with it calmly.
Unfortunately, Sasuke carried out violent actions without considering the consequences, making him angry and disappointed with his youngest son.
"Then, what ‘bout the servant who became the victim?" Sasuke asked quietly.
“Providing appropriate compensation’s enough. In fact, not firing him was an extraordinary generosity," Fugaku paused for a moment, "After all, the interest of the Uchiha family is far more important. For people like him, being given a job to make some living’s enough.”
“But mother always taught me to help people in need. And I think the waiter also needed help at the time.”
Sasuke understood what it was like to be pressured just because of trivial things. He couldn't count how often his father always scolded him for failing to secure first place academically at his school. In fact, he always got third place. It should’ve been good enough, but his father always demanded perfection. As such, he could sympathise with the waiter.
The waiter was just doing his job. His mistake wasn’t grave. He only accidently spilt a little water on a man's clothes, nothing more. However, the man exaggerated the problem as a big deal.
“Just like your mother, your head's full of flowers,” Fugaku said as he turned to leave the room, “I know your talent’s far below Itachi's. But at least, could you act a little better in his stead and not bring shame to our family?”
Fugaku still had a lot to say. However, he didn't have much time to scold his son. For him, business interests and sorting out the mess were more important than getting whatever he wanted to say to Sasuke. After all, he still had plenty of time for that after the party.
When Fugaku was about to open the door, he stopped because it had been opened from outside. An adult woman with her hair pulled back into a bun and wearing a dark blue kimono with an orchid motif entered the room. Their eyes met each other, but no words were spoken. The woman turned her face away and like she didn’t care about Fugaku’s presence. Meanwhile, he ignored her and continued to leave.
—OoOoO—
"Sasuke-kun!"
Mikoto shouted worriedly as she approached the bed where Sasuke was sitting and looked down listlessly. Her son didn't seem to be aware of her arrival. However, she didn’t care and immediately lunged and hugged the boy tightly. Like a common reaction, Sasuke jumped in surprise because he suddenly received that treatment.
Mikoto let go of the hug even though she wasn't satisfied. The woman then scanned Sasuke's entire body while gently holding his hands.
“I heard you got into a fight with someone, a grown man. Are you okay? Did he hurt you somewhere?”
Sasuke shook his head weakly, but his sour expression remaining on his face. However, his mother's presence gave him a warm feeling in his chest. Even though the woman hadn't said any kind words to calm him down, a simple hug was enough to give him a strong boost of morale.
“It wasn't like I got beat up. He's just a fat guy who can't fight, after all. But father scolded me because I made scene in the ballroom.”
After that, Sasuke told the complete chronology without missing anything. Meanwhile, Mikoto listened to every word from her son's mouth. At first, she was worried because Sasuke was involved in a fight. However, she felt relieved when she saw him fine. In fact, there was a certain sense of pride in her son when he helped the weak and beat the bully.
Unfortunately, that feeling disappeared instantly and turned into pain when her son told her about the hurtful things Fugaku had said to him. At this point, even Mikoto couldn't hide her complicated expression.
Even after Sasuke finished his story, it took time for Mikoto to process everything. There were many things the woman wanted to say to calm Sasuke. However, it was difficult for her to choose the right words. For that reason, Mikoto once again pulled Sasuke into her arms.
The woman gently stroked the back of Sasuke's head, treating him as a fragile treasure she had to protect no matter what.
“It's fine, you did well. I know you have good intentions. But I hope you will be more careful in the future.”
“But if I didn't beat him up right away, how could I help him?” Sasuke asked innocently.
Mikoto let go of her hug. She looked at Sasuke lovingly while holding the boy's shoulder.
“First of all, violence isn’t the only way to solve problems. Maybe you could use your judo a second option. That's how they taught you in the dojo, right?”
Sasuke hesitated a bit, but he ultimately nodded at the question.
“The most important thing is your safety, because you won't be able to do anything if your body is injured. And if you experience a similar incident, you should try to solve it with a cool head first unless you’re really in a critical situation."
Mikoto tried to explain to Sasuke. Basically, what Fugaku said a moment ago wasn't wholly wrong. Of course, how he compared Sasuke to Itachi and considered his youngest son useless was cruel. However, even in the darkness, there was still a glimmer of wisdom.
"Do you understand, Sasuke-kun?"
The little man seemed hesitant to answer. After all, he was still a brat with immature thoughts. Therefore, one side of him still thought using muscles was more effective. However, it was only a matter of time for him to learn.
"Oh, speaking of which, the youngest daughter of the Yukinoshita family defended you in front of people when you were gone with your father," said Mikoto.
Sasuke tilted his head questioningly.
“Yukinoshita's youngest daughter? Who?”
“Eh? You don't know her? You were in the same group earlier, right?”
Mikoto waited for a while, but she didn't get an answer from her son. Instead, Sasuke just looked away.
The woman snorted softly as she closed her eyes.
'Even though Sasuke-kun hates his father, his quiet nature, closed, and sharp eyes are very similar to Fugaku-san. His looks took after me, tho.'
“She’s Yukino-chan. If you meet her, make sure to thank her, okay?”
—OoOoO—
Events for adults generally didn’t end with just one session. Depending on the format, colleagues or close friends usually gathered to discuss something more private. Guests who no longer had any interests mostly returned to their respective homes. However, those attending the next meeting would definitely still be there. Moreover, people were quite aware that there was an after-party event and participated by internal members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and several important people as their sponsors.
However, that wasn’t the story.
Waiting in the lobby while sitting and enjoying the green tea served, Sasuke looked at the people passing by with all the business in their heads. The cold of March combined with the warmth of the lobby heating was an incredibly comfortable combination that could be felt by the body.
“Sorry, have I kept you waiting long?”
It was a very soft and melodious feminine voice from a girl. Her low tone and polite speaking made her sound like a mature woman. However, when Sasuke saw her, she was just a twelve-year-old girl like him.
She was a girl with black hair that glistened under the lights and matched her eye colour. And Sasuke wasn't sure how much exactly, but the girl looked shorter than him. Whether it was because of the weather outside the hotel or her eyes, which had magical traits, Sasuke felt a cold sensation that stung his spine when he looked into those sharp eyes.
"You're… Uchiha-kun, aren't you?" asked the girl again.
For a moment, Sasuke was made to forget why he was here. However, the soft voice that came back brought him back to reality.
"No. I mean, yeah, it’s me.”
Sasuke stuttered a bit because he was caught off guard. Moreover, when the girl called him 'Uchiha', a feeling of dislike emerged in his mind.
"Please just call me Sasuke. And are you Yukino from the Yukinoshita family?” Sasuke asked.
The girl only gave a slight nod in reply. However, that was enough for Sasuke.
Receiving that confirmation, Sasuke immediately stood up from his chair. He looked at Yukino with a straight and firm expression. In the next second, he bowed his body 90 degrees before her.
“I heard ya defended me ‘front of people after ma pops dragged me away. So, thanks.”
Yukino was a little surprised by his words and his act, causing her body to move slightly backwards reflexively. But it felt weird hearing such a strong Kansai dialect for the first time.
“No, it was nothing. I only told people what I saw,” Yukino said a little awkwardly, “But first, could you raise your head, please…, Sasuke-kun?”
Yukino sounded hesitant when calling the boy by his given name. However, Sasuke could understand it because not everyone was straightforward when talking to someone they had just met.
The black-haired boy straightened his body and looked at Yukino.
"It may seem trivial, but what ya did means a lot to me."
Yukino looked down and turned her face to the side. Those words were too much for her, and she felt she didn't deserve them.
Yukino was a victim of bullying at her school. Just because she gave chocolate to Hayama on Valentine's Day and rumours that they were dating spread, almost all the girls at her school were hostile towards her. Yukino certainly understood it very well if asked how it felt to be a victim of oppression. Even though she tried to say that everything was fine and could hold it in until graduation day, she knew she couldn't lie to herself.
However, the most painful thing during the experience of being bullied was when everyone, especially the people you trust the most, turned their faces away from the suffering you were experiencing. As such, Yukino was so disappointed when Hayama didn't act and instead seemed to be enjoying the empty rumours about them dating.
Unfortunately, when she saw a case of oppression in the ballroom, she tried to convince herself that it was okay not to defend the waiter because she was only an elementary student while the perpetrator was an adult man. She continued to plant that excuse despite leaving a bad taste in her mouth and her soul screamed because it made her look like Hayama, the figure she hated.
However, seeing Sasuke take direct action even though he was just an elementary student like her was like a slap to Yukino, who was just making excuses. On the other hand, it also opened her eyes to the fact that even someone with a small body could do something to an adult.
'Of course, I don't think I would do it the same way as Sasuke-kun. But he proved that anyone can do something big in their own way. And most importantly, it’s like what he did gave me courage,' thought Yukino.
The girl finally looked Sasuke straight in the eye.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun. If you were went to my school, what do you think would happen?”
The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow, confused by Yukino's question. However, there was one thing he could say with confidence.
"Ain’t sure wot ya mean, but well, there’ll be the greatest judoka in yer school."
Yukino didn't expect an answer from Sasuke. However, it strangely made her lips' corners lift sweetly.
"Thanks."
"Fer wot?" Sasuke asked confusedly.
Yukino shook her head slowly.
“No, never mind. Well, if you have nothing else to say, I'll take my leave."
“Well, once again, thanks fer yer help earlier," replied Sasuke while bowing politely.
Yukino responded with a similar gesture, but it was more elegant than Sasuke, who looked rougher and more rigid.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
After saying that, Yukino turned around and left Sasuke.
It was a short conversation, not even five minutes. That duration wouldn’t be enough to build a new relationship. Moreover, after this, Sasuke was no longer invited by his father to attend other meetings. As for Yukino, she’d continue her studies abroad after she graduated from elementary school next week. They wouldn’t see each until no one knew.
However, destiny always had a unique story full of mystery. That brief meeting may not mean anything to those two little kids, but they didn't know a small snowball had been created from that very incident. It was a tiny snowball that moved slowly but steadily until it got bigger and bigger. It was a ball of destiny that they were unaware of, hidden beneath other destinies that awaited them in the future.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: This is the last chapter available. Next, the update will follow the schedule. The next update will be My Youth as A Sorcerer, and after that is One Way Home. My Youth as A Sorcerer will get regular updates every month, while One Way Home and this story will adjust accordingly.
Speaking of this chapter, some of you may think that Sasuke and Yukino's meeting seems cliche. Well, that's how it is. I won't deny it. But the thing is, I could make it fresher or at least antimainstream, but that would make the meeting unnatural and there would be no background to support the meeting. That's why, it's better to be cliche but reasonable. After all, our daily lives are always filled with cliche things.
And, I think that’s all from me. So, what do you think, guys? Please give me your opinions.
