Chapter 1: The Hardest Way
"Have a seat, Murakami." A short, wide elderly woman said, closing the door to her office. "I'm in disbelief, I truly am. To get caught stealing is one thing, to get caught stealing from another's home is that much worse. However, doing that after stealing the keys to that home from another student? Well, that's why you're here now." The principal circled around the office, Yuichi Murakami sat in the middle. "Forty years, I've taught in Haruna, I've had forty years to see all there is to expect from students, good and bad. But I am still amazed on what I've heard you've done today, Murakami."
Growing irritated, but refusing to let it show, Yuichi spoke up. "I understand, Mrs. Yukazawa. What I've done is wrong." he sighed insincerely, prompting the elderly woman to take a seat behind her desk. "Whether you understand is up to debate, Murakami. Let me be honest with you, to punish or lecture you on this any further is pointless, with all the students I've had in my office, one, two or eight times; how many do you think I've managed to straighten out by punishing them or lecturing them about being a good citizen, how many?" Yuichi sat in silence. "One in fifty. So if you're expecting a few stern words from me before I let you off the hook, you're mistaken."
Mrs. Yukazawa let her tone drop into a slightly less stern, concerned one. Yuichi looked out the window to the rainy streets below, the principal's office sat on the top of a 13-floor school building; it wasn't uncommon for schools to be built as highrise buildings in the more densely-populated parts of Himeyama, was closer to home for many. "Look, Yuichi." Mrs. Yukazawa said, getting the young man's attention once more. "I hope you realize I'm not your enemy here, in forty years of dealing with Haruna's problem children, do you think I don't know better about how to deal with them? Punishment works for some, but you're far too stubborn for that, when I try to talk you out of things, you don't listen. But the bottom line is, if someone doesn't reach out to you now, this could be you tomorrow." Mrs. Yukazawa pulled a cut-out newspaper article from her filing cabinet and placed it in front of Yuichi. He took the time to read the piece, a cold, objective description of a killing a bit further west in Haruna.
"That man, stabbed three times by someone he thought he could mug, was in this very office two years ago. And unless we do something here and now about it, I might be reading about you like that soon. How's your mother doing?" Mrs. Yukazawa asked, withdrawing the news clipping off the desk. "Why do you need to know about my mother?" Yuichi inquired defensively. "Because I know that woman, she's a good parent, the only one you have left. Can you imagine her having to read that you got killed in the news? It almost makes me sick to think about, and let me tell you something else, you're a lot closer to going down that path than you can hope to realize. So listen to my proposal, and listen good."
Yuichi sat in silence thinking about the image Mrs. Yukazawa put into his mind, it haunted him like he never thought he could be, though he denied it to himself. "No Second Chances, you ever see that motto around this school? It's for people like you that are this close to becoming like the man in the newspaper, another statistic that died young. Gakuen Nakahara Boxing Club, only the students like you are allowed to join, if you can stick with it until you graduate without getting expelled, you're granted a sports scholarship and a guaranteed spot in one of twelve universities as long as you've made the bare minimum requirements. You truly excel there though, and you'll find even more possibilities in your future. The option is open to you, Yuichi, it's the last I'm able to do for you." Mrs. Yukazawa said standing up, grabbing her coat to go home.