I was standing at a classroom. The cold, eerie classroom. I remember it, so clearly.

The whispers of those female students. The chuckles and giggles of the others.

Those piercing gazes directed at me.

Don't look at me. Don't look at me with those cruel eyes.

I saw my desk─covered in nasty words. My notebook was ripped apart, splashed with red paint. A vase with white chrysanthemums was mockingly laid on my desk.

「DIE, LOSER!」

「YOU FREAK!」

「GO DIE! 」

「MAY YOUR STUPID SOUL REST IN PEACE. YOU WON'T BE MISSED. SINCERELY, THE REST OF THE CLASS.」

「HERE LIES SAITAMA, THE HERO.」

I heard loud, ruthless laughter roaring throughout the classroom.

Please, stop it.

It was around 8 o'clock in the evening when I was shopping with Fubuki at a store near our school.

"Do you want to buy some vegetables while we're here?" Fubuki pointed her finger at a counter. "There's a 15% discount off carrots and cabbages."

"Nice idea. Thanks for pointing that out, Fubuki."

"Speaking of carrots, I had a really strange dream last night," Fubuki said, observing a pile of carrots on the counter. "My sister and I ate a very big carrot─it was as large as a car. Then, after eating the carrot, my sister became a rabbit."

"Wow, that's so weird." I laughed a bit.

Lately, I've been dreaming a lot of weird things too. Not to mention the lewd ones involving Genos...ahh, dammit. I don't want to remember those kinds of things.

We finished our shopping. Fubuki and I bought a lot of carrots. She said she'll use them in a nikujaga stew for dinner. I jokingly said to give it to Tatsumaki, maybe she'll turn into a rabbit after eating it.

"I'm beat. I think...I'm gonna go straight home. Thanks for accompanying me, Saitama-san," Fubuki said, while bowing politely.

Not too far from the store, I noticed Genos' blond head among the crowd. He was walking with a female student. They were still in their school uniforms. I felt a sting in my chest.

Is that Genos? What is he doing here at this hour? And who's that girl?

"Likewise, Fubuki. I'll see you again tomorrow."

"Yes. See you tomorrow."

I excused myself, and hurriedly followed Genos. No mistake, it was indeed him. I watched both of them enter a dark, quiet alleyway.

"Genos-kun..."the girl whispered, and then kissed Genos on his lips. She unbuttoned her uniform, grabbing Genos' hand and placing it on her breasts.

I felt my face burning. Blood rushed through my brain. I couldn't think straight.

What the hell? What is he doing with a girl in this dark alley? Is he...cheating on me?

With chaotic thoughts storming my head, I left the scene.

I believed in you, Genos. Even though I believed in you...

Why must you betray me in the most cruelest way possible?

I was walking down the school corridor. The dark, cold corridor. I remember it, so clearly.

The whispers of those female students. The chuckles and giggles of the others.

Those piercing gazes directed at me.

Don't look at me. Don't look at me with those mocking eyes.

I walked quickly, trying to leave this sickening place. I opened my shoe locker, and I found numerous sharp tacks and trash littered inside.

My shoes were ripped apart, tainted with filth.

I heard the laughs and snickers of the students, right behind my back.

「You good-for-nothing loser!」

「Loser! LOOOOOSEEEERR!」

「SAITAMA THE LOSER!」

Stop it.

I covered my ears. I wanted to block out their screams, but it was in vain. Their loud shouting penetrated my ears.

Please, stop it.

「HEY, LOOOOSEEEER!」

「SAITAMA THE LOSER IS HERE! SAITAMA, THE STRONGEST LOSER!」

「GET LOST! NOBODY LIKES YOU!」

Stop. Don't look at me.

「YOU POWERLESS, USELESS LOSER!」

Don't look at me with those eyes!

I dashed, running away from the cackling mob of students. I blocked my ears, but their cruel, heartless laughter echoed throughout the air.

No one acknowledges my existence.

Even though I tried, even though I worked so hard to be recognized...

I was powerless. Utterly powerless.

Once, I protected a kid from a gang of bullies. But he didn't say anything. He just ran away, leaving me to get beaten up by them.

「HEY! THE HERO SAITAMA IS HERE!」

「OOOOH! I'm so scaaaaared!」

On another occasion, I protected a different student from bullying. He did the same thing─no...he did worse.

He joined the others to bully me instead. What a grateful person, I thought.

I spent my highschool years being bullied by those people.

「ARE YOU DONE PLAYING HERO?! YOU LOSER!」

At first, I couldn't care less about being acknowledged or anything. But as time passed, I was getting tired of trying.

What's the point of working hard? What's the point of helping others?

What I got from others was hostility, instead of gratitude.

「Yeah...keep trying to be Superman, you freak.」

「What a creep.」

Why should I fight? There's no one cheering me on. There's no one thanking me for my deeds.

It's okay, though. I don't need their acknowledgement. I'm not an attention whore.

So, why should I bother playing hero?

"Sensei. Saitama-sensei."

Genos appeared. He approached me with a gentle smile on his face.

Deep down, I want someone to acknowledge my existence. I want someone to see me as a person. I want someone to know my name, and call out for me.

I reached out to Genos, pulling him into my arms.

If I really meet that someone, isn't it natural to want to hold them within my grasp, and never let them go? Isn't it natural for me to want to have them just for myself?

「He's mine.」

Is it wrong for me to want to have him all for myself?

「He's mine. I won't give him to anyone else.」

The next evening, I went to Genos' place. He acted normally, as if nothing happened.

What a cunning bastard.

He invited me to his room, where we chatted over various things. By various things...I mean the dirty ones. Genos abruptly changed the topic to something very awkward.

"Sensei, aren't you interested in sex?"

"What the heck are you talking about? Why are you talking about that all of a sudden?"

"I want to have sex with you." Genos lowered his head. "We've been going out for months, so I think we should do it sometime soon."

A sharp pain pierced my chest. Are you kidding me? You just kissed a girl yesterday, and now you want to have sex with me?

"Don't be stupid." I laughed. "You're still a kid. I would get arrested if I deflowered a minor."

"But, Sensei. This country's minimum age of consent is 13."

"But there was this 'Children Welfare Act' or something that forbids sex with children under 18, you doofus. You're still a minor."

"I'm turning 16 this year. A two year gap between the legal age and my actual age isn't much of a problem, right, Sensei?"

"16years old is STILL under the legal age. So, yes."

"Then, is it okay to have sex with you when I'm 18?"

Why are you so stubborn? Why do you have to insist? Ahh, this is so irritating. So annoying. I hate this.

"Why do you even care? Why don't you fuck that girl of yours instead of me?!"

Genos gasped. His face was pale from shock. "Sensei...you saw me...?"

I clasped my mouth. My head was muddled with anger and rage...and jealousy.

"Sensei, I didn't even know her. She was forcing me to go out with her, but I rejected her. And, she suddenly kissed me without my consent."

"...Don't lie to me," I hissed. "You've been fucking around with me this entire time? You've been sleeping around with other people this entire time?!"

"Sensei! Please, believe me! I swear, I'm not doing that!"

I...I don't know what to believe anymore...

"So...our relationship...everything...was it all a lie?" My voice broke. I was shaking with anger─and pain.

It was painful. I was bleeding inside.

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" I yelled. "You've been lying to me this entire time! You fucked a lot of people behind my back, while acting cute and innocent to my face!"

"Sensei! I didn't─"

I couldn't control myself any longer. My heart was about to burst from this immense pain.

"EVEN THOUGH I BELIEVED IN YOU!"

I shoved Genos to his bed. Fueled with anger, I pinned him roughly.

"Sensei...it hurts." He moaned. See, he's acting cute again. What a slut.

"If you really are that low...then, let's do it right now."

Genos yelped, and he struggled to break free from my grip. His face was flushed in shame.

"What's the matter? I thought you were so into it. Don't tell me...you're going to back out now?"

I forcefully kissed him, while unbuttoning his shirt. He was still struggling, trying to push me away in vain. I could hear his gasps, among the wet sounds of my tongue.

"Sensei...please...stop..."

I didn't stop. I took off his pants, throwing it away.

"Why? Are you scared? What a pussy. I thought you had so much experience, with people even better than me."

Genos covered his face. He was crying.

"I...I don't want this..."

Unconsciously, I backed off from Genos. I sat on the edge of the bed, clutching my head. My eyes felt wet, but I couldn't bring myself to cry.

Genos sat beside me, looking miserable. "Did I hurt you, Sensei? I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..."

"You have no idea..."

"If you really hate me...then we should break up," Genos said, while sobbing quietly. "It's okay, Sensei. If it makes you feel better."

I stood up, walking out of his room. "I'm sorry. I won't come to meet you anymore. It's over...for both of us."

I don't have any right to apologize to him. I nearly defiled him. I broke him. I'm unforgivable.

"Sensei." I heard Genos' voice.

"I know you won't believe me...but please, trust me for the last time. I really love you."

I went home quite early that night. I left the lights off when I arrived. I threw all my things on the floor.

I want someone to acknowledge me. I want someone to call out my name. Someone...anyone...

Ahhh...Genos. He was the one. He was the one who called out to me, reaching out to me.

But, what have I done to him? I nearly raped him. I nearly destroyed him.

I nearly destroyed both of our futures.

At the time, I realized what kind of monster I had become. I was blinded by anger and jealousy.

「I want Genos just for myself. Every part of him...I want him just for myself.

I won't give him to anyone else. He's mine. 」

I was a possessive, selfish monster.

But, what about Genos' tendency to mess around behind my back? I couldn't trust him anymore, after what I saw today.

"I know you won't believe me...but please, trust me for the last time. I really love you."

I slumped down to the floor.

"Saitama-san, are you okay?" Fubuki asked, bringing me a cup of coffee. "You don't look well lately."

"I don't?" I sighed. "I think I've been the same as usual..."

"Is it because of Genos-kun?"

As sharp as ever, I thought. This woman's instincts are truly scary.

I didn't answer her question. I took a sip from my coffee cup.

"You know, you somehow changed since you became Genos-kun's tutor," Fubuki said. "You were...how do I put it...a lot happier? Your face always brightened up whenever you talked about him. But now...you look depressed. I think it must have something to do with Genos-kun."

"As expected, I can't hide anything from you, Fubuki. Are you an esper or something?"

Fubuki sighed. She shook her head. "It's not me who's sharp. You're the one who's too easy to read. Seriously, you're so hopeless."

I laughed bitterly.

"What is it that you want the most?"she asked. "Don't tell me crap like 'I'm fine the way I am now' or 'I don't need anything'."

"To tell you the truth, even I don't know that..."

"You don't have to tell me the answer. You can answer that question to yourself, and maybe after that you'll know what you should do."

"Why do you care so much about my problems?" I scratched my head. "It doesn't concern you at all."

"I just can't stand to see you sulking like this. That's all," Fubuki replied. Her face blushed faintly. "I'm going home for now. Thanks for today's hard work."

"Yeah, likewise." I bowed. "Please, keep this a secret from the others...especially your sister."

"Will do. But, please...I want you to cheer up soon, Saitama-san. See you tomorrow."

With that, she bowed back and left the room. I was alone at the faculty office, contemplating the meaning of her earlier words.

What I want the most, huh...maybe she was talking about you, eh, Genos?

I was the last one leaving the office. It was around 9 o'clock at night. I didn't feel like taking the train tonight, so I walked.

The wind was blowing rather strong. I fastened my jacket. God, it would be nice to take a hot bath once I got home later.

Winter is coming soon. It's almost been a year since I met him, huh...

I walked down a quiet road. My breath whiffed into clusters of white smoke. The cold air chilled my bones.

Suddenly, I heard loud noises coming from a small alleyway. That voice was quite familiar. I rushed into the scene, only to find a well-known face.

Genos. His face was battered and bruised. A group of juveniles surrounded him─I recognized one of them. It was the girl who kissed Genos.

"He tried to rape me!"she yelled, pointing at Genos with disgust. "He even threatened to spread my naked pics all over school!"

"This fucking asshole." A young man grabbed Genos' shirt collar. "He needs to learn his place. Get him, boys."

The group held Genos in their clutches. They began to undress him, by tearing his uniform. Blood was dripping from his nose. However, he didn't fight back. He didn't even struggle.

"Let's take some dick pics! Hahaha, it'll be fun!"

"You can have your sexy pictures later, you good-for-nothing slut!"

Genos was standing still. He didn't even twitch, not a single bit.

Why? Why won't you fight back?! Scream for help! Hit them back! Do something, you moron!

"Hey! While we're at it, let's do a virginity test!"a punk laughed mockingly, taking off Genos' pants.

Stop. Don't do it.

"Ehhh, who cares. He's definitely lost his V-card already. Let's just shove this bottle up his ass!"

Stop it.

"Oh, wow. He's hard as a fucking rock. He must be begging for it. What a whore."

"Stop it!"

Those cold, cruel eyes shifted their attention to me. Their callous expressions changed into horror.

"Oh, crap! Someone saw us!" One of the punks startled, releasing Genos from his grip.

"Scram, or I'll call the police!" I yelled, painting fear in their eyes. They scattered like a flock of birds flying away from the alley.

I approached Genos, who was standing with a stoic expression on his face. He wiped the blood from his nose.

"You okay?" I asked, worried about his horrible condition.

"...I thought you don't want to see me again."

"Shut it. Look at yourself, you shitty brat. Stop talking and put your pants on."

He took his torn clothes and tried to put them on. Of course, they weren't enough to cover his body anymore. I wrapped my jacket around his almost-naked body.

"My apartment isn't too far from here. You can borrow my clothes there. Let's just go."

Surprisingly, Genos didn't protest. He followed me obediently to my apartment, keeping his mouth shut the entire time. When I opened the door, his stoic expression softened, as if he was astonished by the simple warmth of this small room.

"This is...Saitama-sensei's room..." Genos muttered. Oh, right. This is his first time visiting my home, huh.

"Here, you can wear these." I offered a pair of pants and a shirt to the blond kid, which he accepted stoically.

"I'm sorry. I'm borrowing this for a while."

He took off his torn clothes, and I saw his battered body. It was black and blue all over.

"Say, that girl..." I said."Was she framing you? Earlier, she said that you're the one who tried to assault her. In reality, she was the one who came onto you, right?"

"...I thought you said you wouldn't believe in meanymore." Genos diverted his gaze to the floor. "You wouldn't trust anything I'd say, anyway."

"Oh, yeah. Right, you're a cunning asshole." I gritted my teeth. "However, from what I saw earlier and the other day, I know that little bitch is the lying one."

"..."

"I don't know about your other actions─were they deceits or lies...I don't fucking care. But, that girl's false accusations...and those punks beating you up...are things I can't keep quiet about."

Genos bit his lip. His stoic expression melted into a stream of tears.

"To tell you the truth...I can't completely understand you. You're one hell of an enigma." I scratched my head. "Even now, I don't know whether your tears are real or not."

"If you don't want to trust me, you don't have to." Genos finished putting on my clothes─it was saggy and oversized. He wiped his tears with his sleeves. "After all, no one ever listened to me. No one ever listened to my cries. No one ever believed in me. I never cared about what other people thought of me, but you're different, Sensei."

He gazed intently, grabbing my arms with his sweaty hands.

"I want you to believe in me."

In a brief moment, I saw fragments of my own self reflected within the boy's clear eyes. My miserable self. My desperate self. My broken, pathetic, pitiful younger self.

I don't give a damn about what others think of me. I'm fine just the way I am now.

「I want someone to acknowledge me. I want someone to call out my name.」

They can bully me, mock me, or ridicule me as much as they want. I will never give in to their cruelty.

「I want someone to trust me. I want someone to hear me out. I want someone to save me from this despair.」

「Notice me. Someone...anyone...」

「Help me. Please...someone...anyone...」

I shoved Genos' hands away. With infuriating feelings overflowing my chest, I pulled him into an embrace.

"In the end, we're all just the same." I choked up on my own tears. "We're just useless, worthless creatures...hungry for attention."

I want power. I want to become stronger. I want to become the strongest.

So I can protect you, with my very own hands.