BEING THE PERFECT COPY OF YOU

Chapter 1

*REWRITTEN*

"Hey, you know Takemitchy? You remind me of my brother," whispered the blond-haired boy softly as he clung to the waist of the dark-haired boy with piercing blue eyes while riding on the back of the bicycle.

"I'm sure he's not as lame as me, Mikey-Kun," the boy replied sheepishly, awkwardly chuckling without meeting the blond boy's gaze.

"He's pretty cool for someone who can't even land a single punch," Mikey hummed happily. "I think you two would be really good friends if you just met."

"You think so?" the boy asked, a faint smile gracing his face.

Mikey simply nodded cheerfully.

"I don't know him, but I feel like he's kind."

Well, that's a lie.

He knows him very well.

...

It was a chilly evening when Takemichi went for a walk and noticed a group of guys ganging up on a seemingly foolish person on the ground, covered in bruises but still shouting determinedly.

"I'M NOT GIVING UP!!!" the battered boy screamed, his determination shining through despite his injuries.

That caught Takemichi's attention. 'What kind of person is he?! Is he stupid or something?!' Takemichi muttered as he observed the boy, who couldn't seem to land a punch on his opponents. Takemichi didn't usually help anyone; he was too lazy for that. But this person's resilience was driving him crazy.

Takemichi was a formidable boy, so he leaped into the midst of the group, kicking one of them in the face.

"Do older people have nothing better to do?" he said coldly, which earned a laugh from the guys. I mean, who would even expect something big from a fragile looking boy?

"Hey kid, don't act so cocky in he-" Takemitchi didn't wait for the man to finish his sentence before delivering another, harder kick, causing the older boy to pass out.

Everyone was too stunned to speak and quickly dispersed, leaving Takemitchi, the unconscious fellow, and the boy who had been watching him in awe. He was captivated by the beauty of the younger boy.

"Hey, old man with the funny hairstyle!" The boy was taken aback at being called an 'old man'—did he really look old? And what was wrong with his hairstyle? It was in style!

"Hey, I'm not that old!" he protested, earning a small grin from Takemichi.

Takemichi looked at the boy with admiration in his eyes, though he didn't show it—he was too shy.

"What's your name?" he asked the older boy, his tone still cold.

"Sano Shinichiro, what's yours?" Shinichiro said, smiling and nearly blinding Takemichi.

"Hanagaki Takemitchi, nice to meet you."

...

After hanging out with Mikey and Draken, Takemichi went home and quickly laid on his bed, feeling tired from the bruises he had sustained while fighting Kiyomasa earlier. He gazed up at his ceiling, both hands behind his head.

"...how can you even manage to smile with all the beating you got after fighting, you dumb old man," he sighed heavily before drifting off to sleep.

.

.

The morning light filtering through his window woke Takemichi up. Despite the hour, school awaited. While Takemichi wasn't particularly enthusiastic about attending, he had agreed to accompany his friend Hina today, leaving him with no choice.