"So it lost, huh?" Sousuke muttered under his breath, "Guess I'm not cut out for this after all. I'm sorry..." he shouldered his bag and turned for the door. Right about this time, the 2nd Year from earlier rushed onto the scene, followed closely by a girl Sousuke hadn't seen before. It looked like they were going to battle that big plastic monstrosity. Fine, maybe they stood a better chance. As for Sousuke, he found himself no longer in the mood to battle. And so he began to leave. On his way, though, he overheard some voices.

"Aw, even the older guy lost! Those Tigers really are unbeatable..."

"We'll never get to play at this rate!"

This made Sousuke pause, but he just stood there, still undecided. Then he recalled a memory. It was some years ago, and he was reading a manga with someone else. The manga was about a hard-boiled detective who braved the dark streets to help his clients. And Sousuke remembered something else from the manga, a speech the main protagonist often made:

[i]"A man who can't help others is either incompetent or needs help himself. But a man who won't help others... is the worst kind of scum."[/i]

Sousuke tightened his grip on the strap of his book bag. Was he unable to help... or just unwilling?