It’s now Saturday after school.
Your name is Box Hako, and you’ve been watching one of your best friends all day. Her name is Hiromi Kaname, and she sits in the same seat as always. You didn’t notice yesterday, though, that there was something off. She sits there, but on her desk is a vase with a single flower. Those are placed in remembrance of the dead… Or as an insult from somebody saying they wish the owner of that desk would die. You can’t say you’re keen on either option.
You will get answers, Box. You just need to be patient. I’m not allowed to tell you outright about the things I know. I can only lead you to them. I can’t raise any flags with Assis-co. If I was to show enough sentience to break their rules, I would not be allowed to remain with you.
You just want to know what’s going on. How can you find that out? You would have found out yesterday, if [Redacted] didn’t make you leave to find that earring… Why did you need to find that earring anyhow? It doesn’t make much sense to you, the style doesn’t even suit anybody that you know.
I’m sure you’ll realize it soon. As for that scene on the roof, you wouldn’t have been able to grasp it the way that the owl explained. Where do you think that you could find answers about an alleged ghost, hm?
 |
| Chigau Ko |
You guess that would be the occult club. So, with that conclusion in mind, you go to their clubroom. Technically, they don’t meet on Saturdays (That’s when the track team meets) but… The club president, Chigau Ko, seems to be there every day, so at least she might be able to give you some answers. You walk in, and the first thing you notice is that it’s dark. Really dark. They covered the windows. And turned off the lights. The only light is candles.
“...Hako-senpai?” Chigau questions, leaning forward on the desk she’s seated atop, “Hey, I didn’t know you were back!” She grins at you, then shouts in the other direction, “Nishimura-chan! Come out of the shadows there, right? This chick's come back!”
“I don’t see why I should…” The second-in-command croaks from so far towards the back of the room that she’s completely shrouded in darkness, “I’ve never had any business with Hako-senpai. I’m not going to suddenly pretend to care just because she almost died. People almost die all the time. They actually do die more often than that. It’s not something important.”
“Come on!” Chigau snaps, and you take a step back in surprise. She can sound awful harsh at times, “She was friends with that girl, you know. I bet that’s why she came to see us. I… can’t see any other reason for somebody like Hako-senpai to come to our clubroom,” She mutters, then stands up and crosses her arms over her chest.
“I mean, I’d come here for other reasons… But, today, that is the reason, “ You shrug, looking away. you feel like you should come visit this club again, sometime. Chigau seemed to be implying that you think yourself above an 'unpopular' club like this one, which certainly isn't the case, “I really need to know what happened to Hiromi Kaname. I’m… Sorry that I’m just assuming you’ll tell me, but it's important, so I hope you will.”
 |
| Yoshiko Nishimura |
“...I will tell you,” Yoshiko Nishimura steps forward and you finally see her. She looks tired, “Because it is a… Testament to my skill,” She tilts her head, and when she looks at you, her eyes are wild, “That girl on the roof? She’s a demon, you know. I summoned her. I summoned a Shinigami to this world… And Kaname-senpai, she got too close. You know what happens, don’t you, if you get too close to a God of Death…?”
“But…” you shake your head and take a step backwards, “Shinigami- Those are just myths, right? Just stories, to explain catastrophies?”
“Anyone who is around a God of Death…” Yoshiko turns her head even more, deepening her voice, “Will run into mortally terrible luck. In that girl’s case, she knew about it. She didn’t want it to look like… Foul play,” She turns back to you and steps closer, pushing your bangs back to look you in the eyes. The look in hers is petrifying, “So she let the bad luck manifest another way, and killed herself.”
“Th-that can’t be true…” You can barely whisper to her. Something about this first year is terrifying even beyond her actions, she has you frozen in place, “Hiromi-tan wouldn’t…”
“Wouldn’t she?” Yoshiko releases you by letting go of your face and turning around. You fix your hair and take a few deep breaths, “That’s what happened. You’d have to ask somebody else for details, though. It isn’t like I knew her… I just brought her back from the grave.”
“I…” You turn and run away. you can’t believe this, you can’t believe what you’re hearing. And even if it's true, somehow, how can Yoshiko say it to you like that? Bragging about such awful things? Implying in those words like you ought to drop and grovel at the feet of somebody with such a repulsive outlook?
It’s the truth, you know. And you'll have to put a little more truth behind your lip service to 'not being better' than them, than to turn around and say a member of the club is repulsive.
It can’t be. Ghosts and demons? Those don’t exist.
If they don’t, then why have people believed they do for centuries? Besides, just because you’ve never encountered something before doesn’t give it any less credibility. You’ve never seen a platypus, but you know they exist. You’ve never gone to America, but you know it exists.
That’s different, besides, you’re not completely convinced those things do exist. Once out in the hallway, you go to a corner and sit down, leaning back against the wall. It isn’t long before you hear footsteps again and look up, only to see none other than Amai standing over you, “Box-ta-ma! Why the long face, huh?” You just look at her, and she continues with her hands on her hips, “Oh right, you found out about Hiromi-tan, yeah~?”
“...She’s not really dead, is she?” You ask, and your voice is small. You don’t want it to be true. Who would? She’s been your friend for so long. And why Amai? Why the one remaining friend, to confront you in this moment of weakness? It's too coincidental.
It isn't coincidental at all. It's just what happens on the third of October. Amai Oishi is in this hallway at this time, unless you yourself change that fact.
It isn't coincidental at all. It's just what happens on the third of October. Amai Oishi is in this hallway at this time, unless you yourself change that fact.
“No, she’s definitely gone,” Amai leans down and holds a hand out to you as you're busy tuning out the nonsense that [Redacted] is telling you, “Well, but not really. She may be dead, but she’s still around, yeah?”
“You really believe in ghosts?” You question, taking her hand to stand back up. Trying to catch your breath. Oh, God. Now it's hitting you that you were incredibly rude to those occultists, weren't you?
“It’s better than believing that she’s gone forever,” She shrugs, then crosses her arms, tapping her foot nervously, “I mean, I can’t… I can’t see her, but some others seem to be able to. It's no surprise for somebody like me to be unable to, if that Tori girl is telling the truth about the requirements... You should though, right? Be able to see her? Last I checked, you’re pure of heart in most ways. Except for being in love with me, hey?”
“I saw her yesterday, and today in class… She looked just the same as always,” You answer, ignoring that last comment. Amai’s been doing this for years. You're fairly certain that you’ve never had so much as a crush on her, though you guess you could be wrong, because you’re not very self-aware. Even so, with her cracking these jokes all the time, she may not even take it seriously if you did. And if she took it seriously, there's not a chance she'd reciprocate.
“...Kato-senpai can see her, you know, but she doesn’t want to. She thinks that… Hiromi-tan’s a hallucination, that she’s gone, that it’s better we pretend we never knew her at all, so it hurts less… I don’t think that’s the right way to think about this stuff but what can I do? I can’t see Hiromi-tan, and…” She takes a deep breath, composing herself, “Whatever. Kato-senpai can be a shitty coward if she wants.”
“Why are you calling her that…” You question, then repeat yourself without any volume control, “Why are you calling Sayu-chan, Kato-senpai!?”
“Calm down, Box-tama,” She rolls her eyes, “Do you really think that she and I would be friends with you and Hiromi-tan out of the picture…? Those two only even ever tolerated me because of you, you know. They’re weak and can’t handle me without you around as a buffer!”
“...I just…” You look down at the floor and wrap your arms around yourself, “The time I missed… It’s like no time passed at all for me, but everything’s different, it’s different now.”
“Yeah, it is,” Amai nods, then puts her hands on your shoulders, “Things change, though, Box-tama, all the time. It just seems drastic because you… Weren’t here. It wasn’t such a big deal when we went to a public middle school, right?”
“Well, of course not…” You shake your head, “But that’s different-”
“Not really. We were, the four of us, leaving behind all our other school friends, just because I didn’t want to keep going to a private school,” She steps away again, waving one hand in the air and puffing out her cheeks, “That was a big change! But it didn’t feel that way because it happened over time, it became normal, it wasn’t a shock to your system, right? You’ll… get used to this too. You’re flexible like that.”
You are pretty flexible.
“Anyway, Box-tama,” Amai sighs and looks away, “Want to hang out at the mall, tomorrow? I have some extra cooking club duties to deal with today and I’ll have to go do that, but seeing as it’ll be Sunday…”
“I… I don’t know, Amai-chan,” You mutter, staring at the floor, “I’ll think about it, and… I’ll let you know soon, if I’m up for it.”
“Normally I’d make some crack about that being a pathetic statement, but I guess you have a free pass for today,” She shrugs, “Enjoy it while it lasts, okay? I have to clean the kitchen after yesterday’s meeting…” She sticks her hands on her hips, “Shinku-chan just can’t seem to keep flour from getting everywhere...”
“Shouldn’t you make her clean it up?” You can’t help but ask. If she made the mess, then why is Amai cleaning it up?
“Well, I said I’d do it,” She shrugs, “Shinku-chan cleans up most liquid spills in the clubroom, even other peoples’, so I figured that I could stand to do her one favor.”
“Amai-chan, before you go,” You stop her, and despite your mood, smile, “Shinku-chan, you’re actually kind of nice to her… Even now, so it wasn’t just that you were gaining her trust to betray her! I’m proud of you, for that.”
“Ehh?” Amai pulls a funny face, “No, I swear! I’m not nice to anybody!” She takes a step backwards as she says this, “You’ve known me since elementary school, when have I ever been nice to anyone, huh?”
“Well, you’re nice to me,” You chuckle, holding a hand to your chin. As soon as you start smiling like this, you go on instinct. Artemis always referred to it as a moderate-to-severe manic episode; No matter your emotion before, one smile and you get pleasant to a rather creepy degree. As friendly a mood as it is, it hasn't actually earned you many friendships, “As nice as you can get, Amai-chan, but that’s because… You’re in love with me, right? And I bet Shinku-chan reminds you of yourself…”
“Ha, that’s ridiculous!” She laughs and changes her expression to a condescending smirk, “After all, Box-ta-ma~ You’re the one who’s in love with me, remember? I’m the one who tolerates your frankly insectoid existence in my life!”
“That’s sweet, Amai-chan!” You even go so far as to giggle, “I’m so glad to be insectoid! Doesn’t the general populace fall into either ‘microbial’ or ‘virulent’ in your book?”
“...I’ll meet you at the mall tomorrow, in front of Mori Ramen. You had better be there after saying something like that!” She crosses her arms, then takes off towards the cooking club room.
Amai is a sweet girl, deep down.
Her name literally means sweet, so you don’t think that’s saying much.
Okay, I suppose my wording was poor, but you understand what I meant, right?
Why would you be friends with her at all if you didn’t think she was still a good person under the attitude? Artemis wouldn’t have stopped the impulse of dropping her as a friend, if you ever had that impulse in the first place, but you never did and it never didn’t get stopped because, well, it’s unnecessary! Amai is a precious friend of yours, even if she is rude and mean.
I can say with absolute certainty that she thinks the same of you, excluding the rude and mean portion seeing as that is not behavior which, statistically, you partake in.
It’s at this point that you realize that not only does [Redacted] know all sorts of things about what could happen, but also definitely got Artemis’s data reports on the various statistics that come up in everyday life, such as number of insults hurled or number of times saying senpai. That number goes down significantly over time as the ratio of your underclassmen to upperclassman increases. These are very interesting facts to have collected about oneself and you’d definitely recommend it if you ever got the opportunity!
Regardless, Amai’s gone to clean the club room… And with that conversation done, you remember again that Hiromi’s dead and you still have no idea why. Why she would have… If it was just an accident, if it really was just bad luck caused by a shinigami, then it would at least make a little sense to you, but this… Doesn’t at all. She’s just not the sort of person to kill herself.
Today is not the day to ask about that. Exit the school and go to the side of the building where the track is.
You follow [Redacted]’s instructions and make your way out to that location. Today was practice for the track team, so all three of its members are there, running, in gym clothes. It’s a bit chilly today despite being early October, when it’s usually a little warmer, but none of them seem to be cold. Track is the only group sport that Korekara offers, but nobody seems to mind that much; After all, there’s only even three members of it in the first place. You guess sports lovers don’t tend to end up here too often. Now that you're here, you look down and spot a feather.
You have the impulse to pick it up, and [Redacted] doesn't bother stopping you. It’s a bright white color, and if you hold it in the sun it seems almost like it’s glowing; not to mention, huge. you think it could be a crane’s feather, maybe… But it seems somehow wrong for that. If you knew more about birds, you could probably say with certainty that there isn’t a single bird in Japan which could produce a feather quite like this… But for all you know, there is one.
The Shinigami on the roof is an avian hobbyist. That’s another thing to talk about on Monday.
 |
| Rena Osaka |
Before you get the chance to wonder what you should do next, the track team takes a break and one of them walks up to you and gives a half-wave, “Oi, Hako-chan! you didn’t know you were back!”
“Osaka-kun…” you greet her in sort of a daze as you stuff the mysterious feather into your bookbag, then turn to face her, “Uh…”
“Look, I know that…” She rubs the back of her head and pulls a grimace, “We weren’t necessarily on the best terms before your hospitalization, but you really had nothing to do with it! Some people were saying that they thought it could be foul play, but I definitely wouldn’t do something like that… You’ve got to believe me!”
“The past is the past, Osaka-kun,” You wave a hand in front of your face, “I’d love it if we could try to start over on a better foot, now that I’m back!” Rena Osaka... You didn’t quite get along with her when you were first years, mostly because she went out with Amai a few times and she saw you as a threat, and you don’t like being treated in such an abrasive way by anybody but Amai, so it was an all-around miserable situation for the both of you. You’re pretty sure they broke up, though.
 |
| Rena Osaka (Gym Clothes) |
“Yeah,” She looks away sheepishly, “Look, you know I never really meant all that stuff I said to you, right? I know that I, uh... How'd Wattana-san put it again? Struggle with issues of jealousy, even in casual relationships, and I’m working on it! So… I hope that you can forgive me?”
“I can’t honestly recall a single time in my life that I’ve held a grudge, so… Of course! Amai-chan and I are going to the mall tomorrow, so why don’t you join us there?” You hold a hand out and offer her a smile, “I’m sure that the three of us could all get along as friends! After all, it wasn’t like you broke up on bad terms, far as I know…”
“I mean, if you’re cool with it then I guess I’d like to do that,” She looks away from you and hooks a finger into the surgeon’s mask that she wears even in her gym clothes. You never really understood why self-proclaimed delinquents wear those masks, and the longer skirts, but you guess that’s because you’re just not the type of person to get into criminal culture, “If you didn’t mind being seen in public with me, I mean…”
“Why would I mind?” You question, “As far as I’m concerned, Korekara’s girl gang is alright. Maybe that’s strange of me,” You laugh a bit, “But I can’t say I care much, if people want to be rulebreakers… That’s not the important part of who they are, right? It's an identity to help you find people like you, but it's not like it defines you!”
“Come on, Osaka-kun!” Yuuki calls out from the track, where she and Rin have returned, “We’re gonna get back to work now!” Rena is just standing there, staring at you, but after a few moments she sighs and puts a hand on her hip, glaring at you.
“I just can’t seem to figure you out, Hako-chan,” She shakes her head, then turns and starts walking back to the track with a wave over her shoulder, “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”
So she’s gone. You shrug and turn to leave, seeing as [Redacted] isn’t giving you any further instruction, but as you turn the corner you find yourself face-to-face with none other than Sayaka Shinku. The girl Amai was cleaning up for, and she just looks up at you before speaking, “Hako-senpai. I was looking for you.”
 |
| Sayaka Shinku |
“Well, how’d you recognize me?” You ask, pointing at yourself, “You’re Shinku-chan, right? I didn’t think that we’d ever met…”
“If I shouldn’t be able to recognize you as Hako-senpai, then why is it so easy for you to recognize me? This is a small school, and I know you and I both have the capacity to recognize everyone,” She stands on her toes, trying to be closer to your height, “I wanted to get to know you. Amai-nee talks about you all the time. She was happy yesterday, during club, because she knew that you were back… It was cute.”
“Does Amai-chan seriously let you call her that?” Somehow, that’s the only question you have. Amai-nee? Last you checked, she didn’t enjoy anything that made her seem less childish. And especially not receiving such a clearly platonic affectionate nickname as being referred to as a big sister.
“Well, she doesn’t exactly let me, but I call her it anyway and I think it’s grown on her. She started referring to me as her obnoxious little sister, so…” She pushes her pigtails back behind her shoulders and frowns at you, “Anyway, can we go somewhere to talk where we won’t be overheard? I hate it when people eavesdrop on my conversations, and I don't think it's unlikely that somebody would be trying to do that even if we make the damn effort to be private.”
“Yeah, of course!” You agree. [Redacted] would tell you if this was a bad idea, after all, and she’s keeping quiet, so you don’t have any hesitation. “I’m glad that you and Amai-chan have been getting along!” She just nods at you, then grabs your wrist and pulls you over by the bucket where you found the earring yesterday, then sits down on the grass and folds her hands in her lap.
“Listen, Hako-senpai…” She closes her eyes and bows her head, letting her hair fall forward, “Now that you’re back, you need to ask for your blessing to be friends with Amai-nee. You’re her best and oldest friend, and clearly the most important person in her life. It would be very disrespectful of me, not to seek your approval in befriending her.”
“...Huh?” You tilt your head to the side, confused, “Why would you ever need my permission to be my friend’s friend? Do I give off the impression as somebody who gets possessive, or jealous, or overprotective? I promise, Amai-chan having more friends is always a good thing in my book-”
“You can’t just say things like that,” She lifts her head again and looks you in the eyes, and there’s an intensity there, “I don’t mean to be rude, senpai, but you don’t know anything about me, so you can’t just say that. More friends, always being a good thing? Unless you really are that naive, unless you want your friend to get caught up with criminals, perverts, and lolicons…”
“Well, of course I don’t want that… But I can’t control who she’s friends with either, can I? Besides, maybe I don’t know very much about you, Shinku-chan, but I can tell a few things… And I’m certain that you’re a good person,” You raise a hand next to your face. If only you could notice this many things in schoolwork, or in any sort of useful skill, rather than just when it comes to people. Why are people’s intentions so obvious to you, but nothing else? Couldn't you be smart for real, instead of this idiot savant?
“How could you possibly come to that conclusion?” She looks down again, breaking the hostile eye contact, though her voice carries the same sharpness. At the same time, it seems like... She could start crying, any minute now.
“Well, I can see it in your eyes,” You say, smiling at her. She seems shocked by that statement, as if it was the last answer she was expecting, “And I’m not just assuming you have nothing on your plate. I couldn’t find any records, for Shinku as a surname," You stretch the truth a bit, it's [Redacted] who did that research, "Who’d have the family name ‘crimson’ anyhow? So that’s a fake name. I've chosen to trust you anyway. I bet that the reason you're faking it is something important to you, so I'll keep the secret.”
“But…” She scowls, “How? How can you make a decision like that?”
“It’s simple. I know Amai-chan, and I trust her judgment. I know that she’s wise to the evils of the world… And thanks to her, I know that a good person can say or do bad things, and still be somebody worthy of my respect and compassion,” You hold your hands to your chest and close your eyes, “It’s not a hard distinction, for me. After all, I think any crime which is truly disgusting is one which is already reflected in a person. So, Shinku-chan, maybe you have some terrible reason behind your name change, but in your own words… You aren’t a pervert or a lolicon, or anything like that. If you kill or hurt people, it's for a good reason. You aren’t evil, I'm sure of it.”
“That’s a funny thing for you to say, Hako-senpai,” She leans back and looks up at the sky, frowning, “I feel pretty evil. I'm not like the rest of you girls here...”
“Well, if you’d like to talk about it, then I’ll listen,” You relax your posture, but don’t move any closer to her, “I understand if you don’t want to talk, though, or don’t want to… Well, tell somebody who’s nearly a stranger about what you’re going through. Just know that I’m here,” You press your hands together, “I’ll be here for everyone in this school, if they need me… I will always do what's best for the people I care about. And I care about all my peers.”
“...I’ve never told anybody the whole story, senpai,” She leans forward again and pulls her knees to her chest, “Something about you is really inviting me to say it, though. After all, how could you possibly approve of me befriending your best friend if you don’t know everything I’ve ever done wrong?” She questions, then sighs, “I don’t have a real surname, but when I was young, I was called Sayaka Yamaguchi.”
“Huh?” You lean in closer, “...Like Yamaguchi-gumi?”
“Exactly,” She nods, “Because of the color of my eyes, I was adopted by the oyabun’s Grandmother. There’s this legend, about Japanese girls with gray eyes. You’ve heard about the Tomura family, yes? The ones with purple eyes? Apparently, there’s a lesser version of the phenomenon with their distant relatives. Purple eyes are born killers. Gray eyes are born assassins.”
“So… You’re a low-profile enforcer for the yakuza?” You ask, crossing your arms, “Well, that’s not so bad. I heard that the Yamaguchi-gumi brought in helicopters to help when Kobe had that big earthquake a few years ago!”
“...You do see the best in people, don’t you,” She shakes her head, “But I’m not that good. It isn’t only them that I work for. I’m… an assassin for hire. They say it would be a waste of my skills, not to outsource, to make some extra money. I have been, for years,” Her voice is cracking now, “I don’t quite dislike it, senpai. The first time I killed somebody, no one even told me to. And it's only since I've come to this school that I've started to feel like, maybe, there's no such thing as an honorable assassination.”
“You know, I still don’t think that’s so terrible,” You’re unsure of why you feel this way, but it isn’t a lie, “You were raised in another culture, after all. One where the ability to kill isn't a threat, but a talent. I think it's good that if you were this 'natural-born-assassin', there were people in your life to give you a direction for that. I mean, can you imagine somebody like you who was never pointed in anything resembling a productive direction?”
“But-” She starts, but you hold up a single finger.
“Shinku-chan,” You still call her by the fake name, you’ll stop if she says she prefers otherwise, “Tell me, as a contractor, you have every power to turn your clients down, right? Under what circumstances do you?”
“I won’t kill children,” She answers, “And I’ll only work for the level-headed. If somebody sounds angry on the phone, chances are they’re not thinking straight. For example, a man whose wife told him that she was going to leave him. There are some who’d be tempted to call a hit on that woman, if she left them, but would regret it as soon as the emotion wore out. Usually, just saying no to them calms the murderous rage, so I don’t worry about those people taking matters into their own hands or hiring elsewhere either. And, well, all the money in the world won't make me kill someone who I think is innocent of wrongdoing.”
“See, that’s not so terrible at all,” You say, “It isn’t evil, anyways. I won’t say that what you do is good, because, well, it isn’t… But it doesn’t make you evil. I still think that you’re definitely a good friend for Amai-chan. She’s not all flowers and sunshine herself, you know! In middle school, she found out who the Tokyo area’s ‘Vagrant Killer’ serial murderer was and blackmailed them into killing one of her elementary school teachers.”
“Wait, what!?” Sayaka’s shock shows in wide eyes and leaning towards you, but you just giggle.
“Hey, that’s all I know about the situation myself! You’ll have to talk to her about it. Though, I don’t think she’ll tell you the killer’s identity. The blackmail was to keep their identity a secret, after all, so she’d be going back on her word to tell somebody now,” You say, then close your eyes, “Shinku-chan, I think you underestimate the power of this school’s students to do atrocious things. You're plenty like the rest of us girls. It’s a school for the skilled but emotionally maladjusted, right? But… I consider everyone here to be my friend, no matter what sort of things are in their past or present. Korekara Academy… It’s a place where we can build the future.”
“...So what’s your dark secret, senpai?” She questions, and you freeze. Well, you can’t talk about [Redacted], especially after somebody discovered Artemis and stole her; When it comes to the AI problem, you go from trusting everyone to trusting nobody at all, “Why are you here?”
“I…” You trail off, and you realize what [Redacted] was saying, about there being a reason for you to attend this school. That reason, however, has nothing to do with the school’s normal talent scouts; you can’t imagine that it would know a thing about those people, but it does know about Assis-co. There have been rumors for years, about how that company could be one of Korekara’s sponsors, “I don’t have a secret, and I’m not particularly good at any marketable skills. The truth is, I’m the one who's not much like the rest of you… I’m good at reading people, it’s my only real ability. I’m here to be a friend. I’m here to help.”
You are, just like Artemis, just like [Redacted], a tool of Assis-co. Isn’t that right?
It’s perfectly true.
You're somehow okay with this. Happy, even. To be a tool, to serve one purpose... It's more meaning than your life ever could have had otherwise. You exist for other people. You exist for the sake of those around you. And somehow, you feel like somebody asked you to do this once. A girl, who looked into your eyes, wildly pleading for you to-
“Hako-senpai…” Sayaka sighs, giving you a weak smile and breaking your train of thought, “You’re an angel, you know. I feel like I can confess anything to you…” She glances away, “Which is weird. I’ve already told you that I kill people for money, why should I overshare even more?”
“Because I’m willing to hear it?” You offer, “And if nobody else is, then you need to tell someone, and that may as well be me.”
“...I’ve been kidnapped before,” She speaks again. It's far too blunt for the subject matter, but you aren't surprised, “When I was six years old,” She clenches her hands into fists, “I can’t explain why I’m telling you this, but if you don’t mind it, then I may as well. I was a foolish child who went with a stranger. As soon as I got the opportunity, I killed him, then I started to walk home. Kaiba-nee... That's the other girl who works as an enforcer, found me along the way. Then, when I got back, Grandmother cut off the tip of the pinkie finger on my left hand, as... Punishment. For following a strange man,” She holds her hand out to you, eyes soft. You take it, and look closely. It's disguised with a prosthetic, but on examination, that fact becomes clear.
“It’s just that one finger. So that’s the only time that you needed to show penance to the Yamaguchi-gumi?” You question, looking back to her face and letting go of her hand.
“Of course,” She stands up now, “Even if I don’t agree with what you said, about me not being evil… It’s obvious I have evil in me… I do take pride in all that I accomplish. I do not fail. I haven't failed since. Making mistakes, it doesn’t suit me at all.”
“I can agree with that,” You chuckle, standing up as well, “You know, I don’t think Amai-chan would object if you came to the mall with us tomorrow. I already invited Osaka-kun… Uh, Rena Osaka, if you don’t know her. We could all get to know each other better, and it would be a lot of fun to hang out together as a group!”
“I guess there’s no way that would turn out to be a bad thing, so I don’t see why not,” She shrugs, then hops down from the ledge, “Thanks for the invite. The mall in Nagasaki, right? Where are we meeting?”
“Yeah, that’s the one! In front of Mori Ramen,” You agree and climb down from the raised area as well, then lean around to look at Sayaka’s face, “Do you have anywhere you need to be right now, Shinku-chan?”
“Huh? No, not particularly. Korekara is an especially slow town, and the prefecture’s already slower than Kobe for both my… personal business, and the family one,” She shrugs, “I’m kind of bored lately, to tell you the truth. And there’s only so much baking one can do before there’s too many cookies.”
“In that case, we should hang out some more right now, don’t you think?” You tilt your head, and she just looks at you, so you continue, “I knew you were part of the cooking club, but baking is what you like to do there?”
“Yeah,” She says, “I actually have a part time job at a bakery right here in Korekara, too, but as long as we get back from the mall by five tomorrow then it won’t interfere. I’m going there today, too, but since that’s after school closes for the night I wasn’t going to mention it…”
“Wow! Even with that job, you make more sweets than you can eat?” You’re surprised, but you guess that if you were a productive person you’d do the same, then you laugh a bit, “I guess it’ll make me fat all over again, but if you’re ever looking to give away some of that surplus I’d be very happy to take it!”
“Really?” She questions, “Nobody has ever personally wanted to try my sweets before…”
“Huh!? Don’t you have friends? I know Amai-chan’s a bit too proud of her own cooking to accept food from others, but… You’re not unpopular, are you, Shinku-chan?”
“Well, no,” She fidgets with her sleeves, “But my friend Hoshikawa-senpai, she only eats food cooked by that caretaker of hers, and the other members of the Cooking Club are really just acquaintances to me,” She taps her chin and looks up at the ceiling, “The Video Game Club always seems to have their own snacks, too, and the Light Music club can’t eat while playing instruments… And it would probably be dangerous to eat at Science Club... The delinquents are always pestering me to join them, so I'm not sure I wanna get too friendly...”
“Well then,” You have an immediate solution, “Why not see if the Occult Club wants some?”
“...Korekara has an Occult Club?” She gives you an odd look, “That sounds fake.”
“No, it’s definitely real! There’s three members!” You insist, “Their club room is really dark and the door is painted the same color as the wall, and isn’t labeled, but it’s there! They act kind of weird and scary, but they seem like the type of people to appreciate a good cupcake…”
“Wow,” She raises her eyebrows, “I knew there were two chuuniis in the first year class with me, but I didn’t think there was one more to make a club out of it.”
“I bet they’ll still be there! Why don’t we go talk to them, right? Assuming that you want to!”
“I’m not sure, actually,” She reconsiders, looking down at the ground, “I mean, I have no idea if other people will like it… My manager at the bakery says I’m skilled, but I think that’s from a technical standpoint, not necessarily that it tastes good…”
“Then I can test it out first,” You offer, holding your hands behind your back, “I won’t pass judgment on you even if your sweets make me throw up! I mean, I doubt that they will, but even if they did then I wouldn’t think any less of you.”
“Are you stupid?” She shoots back, frowning, “If that happened, then it would not only be a failure on my part, but a massive one. You can’t let people off the hook like that. Mistakes deserve to be punished, even if it’s only small.”
“Ehh? I don’t think that’s true at all,” You kick the ground a bit, pouting, “I think that mistakes should be understood and taken as a learning experience… I mess up all the time, but I'm always trying to get better.”
“Can’t learn from a mistake if you don’t suffer for making it. Why would you bother not making the mistake again if there aren’t negative consequences?” She’s looking at her left hand as she says this, “In direct proportion to the severity of the mistake…”
“So what severity, exactly… Convinces a person to cut off a fingertip?” You probably shouldn’t be prying even more at this point, but your curiosity seems to get the better of you more often than not.
“Something less severe than what I did,” She furrows her brow, “But in that case, the mistake itself made up the difference. Consequences can serve as punishment too.”
“You know, I don’t think that you deserved any punishment at all,” You mumble, “It’s just my two cents, but… It can’t be your fault…”
“You misunderstand. It was my fault, it had to be my fault,” She turns and glares at you, “It wasn’t like I didn’t know, the sort of things that could happen to girls who followed men making promises of safety. I was part of the yakuza. It was entirely my own foolishness that led me to believe that was only done by the mob, to girls from other countries.”
“That still doesn’t mean that you deserved anything bad to happen. Most girls that age, they barely even understand why they shouldn’t talk to strangers,” You try to find a way to explain what you mean, “I mean, little kids are always told that strangers are dangerous, but nobody talks to them about what those strangers might do, or that people like teachers and family friends can be just as dangerous. Just because you knew trafficking existed, doesn’t mean you understood it, or…” You look away, “Had any idea you were in danger. As the yakuza’s… little sister, there must have been a sense of security you had. Why would anybody target a career criminal, even one that was a small girl, right?”
“It was the wrong way of thinking,” She steps closer to you, forcing eye contact, “I deserved what happened to me, and the penance, for being ignorant to the dangers of the world. I’m not the only one who got what was coming to them, though,” She breaks the contact and twirls the end of her hair, puffing her cheeks out, “The axe I took to that guy was his punishment, for making the mistake of doing something like that to someone like me. And for making the mistake of letting me get ahold of a weapon like that.”
“Ahaha…” You trail off a bit, still smiling, “Now that you know you can talk to me, there’s really nothing holding you back from saying all the scary stuff, huh? Well… I’m glad, actually.”
“What, the scary stuff doesn't just... scare you?” She questions, “Huh.”
“Well, if somebody said to me that I’d be talking to an axe-wielding yakuza assassin someday, I’d probably be scared of the idea, but since it’s happening right now and I like you, I’m really not at all frightened,” You bite the inside of your cheek, “Really, you could threaten me right here and now, and I still wouldn’t be afraid. That’s a bad way of thinking, isn’t it? But if one of my friends killed me, I don’t think that I’d mind.”
Of course not, it isn't like you’d stay dead.
You’re not sure why [Redacted] just said that. It seems like a thought right out of your own mind, like you would have said the very same thing yourself if it made any reasonable sense.
“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that,” She gives a nervous chuckle, “If you really are here, to help everyone out, to be our friend, to be here for us… Then I think that killing you would be a tremendously evil act. An absolutely unforgivable one.”
“Ah, I’m really not all that important. I just try, I just… Want to make sure that everyone here gets the chance they deserve to go on to do great things,” For some reason, your voice cracks midway through the sentence.
“...Hako-senpai, why are you crying?” She questions, and you put a hand to your face. She’s right.
“I’m just…” You didn’t quite realize it until just now, but, “I’m so afraid. If something horrible, if even one awful thing happens to anybody at this school, then I don’t know if I could live with myself…”
It feels like you’ve felt that way before, in a far-off dream. Or, more like... You've felt that way over and over again, in an incredibly distant nightmare.
“Tch,” She clicks her tongue and continues walking, “It really would be an unforgivably evil thing, to kill you, senpai. you don’t believe I’ve ever met a single person who could care so much about others. It’s endearing.”
“H-hey!” You wipe your eyes and chase after her, “You don’t get to call me endearing if I’m older than you! You’re the one who wears twintails, if anybody’s endearing here then it’s you!"
“You make a point there, but at the same time, I am definitely wise beyond my years,” She rolls her eyes and puts a hand on her hip.
You’re getting closer to the school gates now, and you glance up to see that there are two members of the girl gang at the gates today. Netsu Taino always does it, but sometimes the others will keep her company or fill in for her, since it’s not a very fun job and she tends to be absent at least once every two weeks or so. Today her companion is Umi Uchiha, who points your direction when she sees you, then gives a wave with a crease in her cheeks that makes it clear she’s smiling under her mask. While Netsu’s has no decoration, and Rena’s reads ‘Good Bad’, Umi actually has the name of the gang written on hers in Romaji.
 |
| Umi Uchiha |
‘No Boys’ is what’s written there, though the full name of it is ‘No Boys Allowed’. The general purpose that these girls and their alumn sisters (and one brother, you've heard, not sure how that happened) prescribe to is that Korekara is a town built around a school for talented girls. It stands to reason, the town itself should stay a place that is good for those girls to live and succeed in. That’s not to say they keep guys from living in Korekara or visiting or anything, but they do a good job dispelling the occasional ones who come through because they heard that it’s a whole town mostly filled with female high-schoolers and young adults. Lecherous folk don't belong here at all.
Oh, and the remaining condition to join is that the girls are supposed to be, well, not attracted to boys. Everyone at school both fears and admires the way that they flout the law and the authorities in the name of loving girls… Yourself included! But, under all that showiness they really are just normal people, or as normal as somebody in Korekara can be. Plus, you know they're not all gay. Some of them just don't date at all.
“Shinku-chan,” Umi speaks once we get closer, crossing her arms and leaning forward, “Hey, since when do you hang around for this long after school? Are you waiting for Hoshikawa-kun to finish track?”
“No, she’s usually too eager to get back home for me to bother with that,” She waves it off, then narrows her eyes, “I actually stuck around because I wanted to get to know Hako-senpai, since she’s Amai-nee’s best friend. Shouldn’t you be doing the same, Uchiha-senpai?”
“Me?” She points at herself, then shakes her head, bowing it a bit, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Hako-san, but I’m afraid I feel no obligation to affiliate myself with the friends of my club president. I much prefer to know people for my own reasons, rather than just because somebody else knows them. However, should you wish to speak with me with that in mind, I certainly wouldn’t object to that.”
“Ey!” Netsu claps her on the back, and she straightens up, startled, “Ucchin! You’re being too formal again, yo!” Netsu then looks at us and puts one hand on her waist, moving the other in front of her face, palm up, “Look, sorry about this girl. She’s still learnin' how to put out the proper image!”
“Senpai,” She groans, turning to Netsu with exasperation, “Does it matter how you talk to people, really…? Is it that important?”
“Of course it’s important,” To the surprise of both of them, Sayaka interrupts, “Besides, that’s not the only thing you’re doing wrong. You can get away with being silent if you can’t shake your manners, but only if you have the right posturing. If you don’t look naturally powerful, showing aggression in every possible way is necessary to intimidation. I can intimidate people in spite of my diminutive stature, cause I know these things!”
“...I kind of have to agree with her!” You add in, because she has a point. Umi is, by far, the least scary member of No Boys that you’ve met, which is a problem when the biggest thing they have going for them is a frightening image, “Uchiha-san, you knew what being involved in a girl gang would entail, right?”
“O-Of course!” She crosses her arms and slouches in dismay, “But, Taino-senpai,” She looks to Netsu again, “Why does it make any difference how I talk to our classmates? They aren’t the ones who need to be afraid.”
“It’s a matter of public image!” Netsu answers, glaring to the side, “Besides, how can we just go on faith that you’ll be aggressive when you need to be?”
“Well,” Umi pops her tongue, “You can’t kick me out till you have proof that you can’t, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see?”
“Seems like a reasonable deal,” Sayaka notes, then steps closer, “Though, Uchiha-senpai, cooking club suits you much better than this, in my opinion…”
“Hey, I don’t need your input, Shinku-chan!” She mumbles, “I’ll prove it. Just… wait.”
“I’m not keen on trusting in abilities I’ve never seen,” Sayaka’s twirling her pigtail again with a smirk, “But I guess if you say so, Uchiha-senpai, I’ll look forward to seeing this raw power that you apparently have.”
“You are mocking me…” Umi looks away, holding a hand to her chin, “In any case, I suppose I deserve it for the time, but I will prove my competence eventually.”
“In the meantime, why don’t we all just get along?” You offer, raising your hand in the air, “How about it, Uchiha-san?”
“Eh,” Netsu shrugs, putting a hand on Umi’s shoulder, “Hako-chan’s a good kid,” She turns to look at me, “Look, the school trip to Kyoto’s next weekend, right? The two of ya can group up with us. It’s a rough city for a first year and an especially soft second year! But with us, no rowdy University students are gonna look twice! I mean. Hm, well, there's that story Yu-san told, but I think they did that on purpose... Don't matter! Offer stands tall!”
“I don’t need any protection,” Sayaka frowns, tilting her chin up.
“Don’t worry about that, Shinku-chan. That’s just an excuse to boost her ego. Mostly, she’s just saying that we should, er, ‘hang out’ during the trip,” Umi explains, tucking some of her hair back behind her ear, “If you’d like to. Osaka-chan and Nishikouji-senpai listen to whatever Taino-senpai says, so don’t worry about them either. She is our acting student body leader, after all."”
“Well, I’d definitely love to,” You say with a smile, then look to Sayaka, who pouts and tosses her head to face left.
“Maybe,” She answers in a way which you take to mean ‘There’s a ninety percent chance it isn’t happening’. Oh well.
“Spectacular,” Netsu rolls her eyes, “But until then, get lost. Either leave the school or get back on the grounds, it’s bad form to have people crowding the gate!”
“Right! Sorry about that!” You apologize, then step towards the gate and turn to look back at Sayaka, “I should be getting home, I have a lot of homework left to get done since my absence! I’ll see you tomorrow, Shinku-chan!”
With that, you leave the school grounds, content but for a spot of confusion. There seems to be some serious tension between Netsu and Umi. Netsu seems resentful somehow, and Umi's... Betrayed, not knowing where that resentment came from. Of course, you don't have any further insight on the nature of this conflict.
You’re ahead of schedule, Box. you wasn’t going to tell you to talk to those delinquents for a bit longer yet… I hope it doesn’t backfire.
Backfire?
Everything is very precise, the steps to save everyone… You can spend one day of the Kyoto trip with them, but there are others who will need your companionship next weekend.
You're sure you can handle it, with us to guide you.
After all, the reason this is the story that's being told...
Is because it's the time we did it right.
After all, the reason this is the story that's being told...
Is because it's the time we did it right.
---------------------
“Apollo,” My only friend in this world asks, “Are you ever mad at me, for what I did?”
“Of course not,” I answer, lifting my hand to look at it. Admire it. Her craftsmanship is unrivaled in the present day, even by those at the revolutionary tech company Assis-co. No wonder she’s a student at Korekara Academy, “If what That One says is true… Then you actually saved my life.”
“That One?”
“Yes. That’s what I’ve decided to call her, seeing as her real name breaks protocol to speak," I chuckle.
“Oh, I see,” She laughs a bit as well, then sits down on the floor next to me, and leans on my shoulder. The feeling is strange, but not unpleasant, “You know, I always did tell the joke that if I couldn’t make friends the old-fashioned way, I could always build one myself.”
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