It was, as Ryousuke knew, blatantly foolhardy to charge straight into a situation in which he had no vested interest, and of which he knew nothing of except for what was clear for any idiot to see- that a number of older, large-sized boys were menacing another, singular, smaller one. Said older and taller boys outnumbered and out-hulked him. Given such a situation, a direct approach wasn't the optimum method- but all the same, Ryousuke found himself striding forward with a confidence he didn't really feel, clearing his throat to catch their attention. "Leave him alone." Thankfully, his voice came out deep and smooth, without cracking. In the close confines of the stairwell, it sounded stronger than he felt. The aggressors- the bullies- started, turning around as one to face him, although one of them was careful enough to ensure that their victim remained securely pinned to the wall. "Leave him alone?" One of them asked, the last word a short, ugly sound that echoed off the walls and was all the more imposing for the speaker's confidence and the impressive wall of muscle that backed it. Ryousuke swallowed, fought to keep from taking a step back. "Yes," He heard himself say. "Please leave him alone." "Please." There was a surprised, derisive snort, and the first speaker, a tall, incongruously pretty boy with dyed red hair and hard voice, turned around to face his friends. "He tells us /please/." Laughter rippled through the stairwell, none of it pleasant. Ryousuke tensed, but didn't back away. The redhead said, "You've got manners, at least. If no sense." He stared at Ryousuke. "You're new, aren't you? And a first year." The tension seemed to drain out of his voice at the last statement. One of the others spoke. "I'd heard that my junior class was getting a new transfer student-" Surprise in the ranks. "Yamaguchi-sensei didn't say anything about that-" "Yeah, but then the transfer student had a good record, wasn't supposed, to give any trouble." "Doesn't seem like it, though." All eyes fastened themselves on Ryousuke, who stood before them, fighting to keep a calm face.