Mahou Shonen Just Say No Chapter Four

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The excitement Kanoshi Kyosuke felt at becoming a magical boy only lasted one evening.  The morning after he'd first transformed, he went about his normal routine, going to take a shower.  After he'd left the shower, he looked himself in the face, in the mirror.  That was when any joy he'd felt at succumbing to his desire dissipated in full.  There were many consequences that he'd expected, but this was one which he most definitely did not.  His eye... His eye looked strange.  Sitting in his right eye, on his eyeball, layered over his iris and pupil, was a pink question mark.  When he moved his eye, it moved too; it was his marking.  He knew that he was going to get one, but... In his eye?  How was he supposed to hide it long-term?

Using hair to hide it would be unreliable, and how could he explain to anyone who knew anything about him why he'd begun wearing an eyepatch every day?  Styles like that only worked on popular idols, people who legitimately lost an eye, and kids in occult clubs.  Weren't the marks usually meant to be easier to hide than this?  Horace excluded, he supposed.  Himself excluded as well, it now seemed.  Well, wearing an eyepatch for one day wouldn't be suspicious.  He had a few in the medicine cabinet in case he came down with pinkeye, which was especially common in a school environment.  Children carried almost as much disease as rats did, it often seemed.  At least it left Kanoshi prepared for this situation.  He sighed and got ready to go to work.  Throughout the course of the day, he consistently told the same lie.  He'd gotten a bee sting by his eye.  Pinkeye wasn't going around the school right now, so he couldn't use the reason he owned eyepatches as a working excuse.

Lucky for him, everyone seemed to accept that excuse, so it worked for now.  He had to figure out a better solution than this, though.  He was already losing his job when the school year finished, but if it came to light that he'd become a magical boy, there was no chance he'd even keep it that long.  Not to mention, his apartment.  With a mark this tough to hide, and if he was fired over it, he'd most certainly be evicted as well.  Both of these things, he realized, were inevitable; and, just as he expected, he was only able to hold it up for two weeks.  In those two weeks, he and Horace had been practicing by sparring, but he still hadn't fought any monsters himself.  It turned out that the fighting monsters for sustenance factor of being a magica wasn't as big a deal as humans thought; It was more of a hivemind type of thing.  As long as one of any given distributor's magica fought a monster every few days, all of them would stay alive, though a number of distributors would cut off magica who never fought a monster.  Oh One was kind, though, and understood that Kanoshi needed to start off with a lower-level monster, and none had appeared anywhere nearby.

The same day that Kanoshi was fired from his job when somebody decided his bee sting must have been healed by then and removed the patch to check, his landlord approached him and stated that he would have to vacate his apartment as soon as he could get his belongings boxed up.  He'd witnessed Kanoshi leaving the building late at night for magica practice, and though he was careful not to transform until he got to the practice locations, it was easy to assume his suspicious behavior after everything which had recently happened in his life.  Of course, this was just piling things on, but Kanoshi had already hit rock bottom by making the decision to become a magical boy in the first place.  He went into the city to pick up boxes, and decided that his best bet was to stop by the supermarket Yuuri worked at to see if they had empty shipping boxes he could use.

It was probably a petty concern, but Kanoshi was quite upset at the thought of leaving behind his furniture, since chances were he'd have to stay in a hotel for a few days and he wouldn't be able to bring it.  His hard-earned real bed and kotatsu... Those two pricey purchases he'd made just because he valued comfort, and he'd have to leave those behind because of the choice he'd made.

It was a mistake.  Even for people who it worked out well for, becoming a magica was a mistake.  There was no reward a happy person would want from it, so it was a mistake.  However, Kanoshi was unhappy.  Just because he was being further harmed and inconvenienced by the fact he'd become a magical boy didn't mean that he regretted making that mistake, though.  The root of his unhappiness was his inability to protect anybody, and becoming a magical boy had solved that problem.  It couldn't help him to become happy again, but it was a reward he would, as an unhappy person, cherish.

Upon arriving at the supermarket in Shibuya, he went straight to see Yuuri.  It was empty at this time, since he was there midday on a weekday again.  With his job entirely lost and a deadline of 'as soon as possible' on his eviction, he'd come looking for boxes the morning after his landlord had given him the news.  Yuuri noticed as soon as he saw him that he wasn't in the highest spirits, "Kyosuke-san?  Did something happen?"

Kanoshi approached the register with a heavy sigh as he explained his situation, "I got fired, and evicted.  I mean, well, I was losing my job anyway.  I think I told you that, though, that it's a publicity issue with the number of children from my class who'd encountered misfortune, but then I got more fired and lost my job right away.  And lost my apartment too, and-"

Kanoshi was interrupted, but not by anything that Yuuri said.  Rather, Yuuri reached out over the conveyor belt and snatched Kanoshi's eyepatch, not seeming shocked at all at what he saw.  Kanoshi was about to panic, but Yuuri kept his voice level and matter-of-fact, "I thought so.  I couldn't think of any possible reason you would be fired on the spot and evicted.  Well, when I heard you were losing your job at the school, I thought it was kind of a matter of time.  I mean, no offense, but that's kind of all you had going for you.  Lose that, and you're just a bag of nerves."

"I'm sorry..." Kanoshi closed his eyes and hung his head, grimacing through his words, "I'm sorry, Ruka-san.  I've become a bad role model."

"Bad role model...?" Yuuri questioned, then shook his head with a lighthearted smirk, "Hey, I wouldn't say that.  Anyway, don't worry too much about any of that, okay?  My apartment building's so trashy they'll let anyone in.  Magica, drug dealers, prostitutes, gang members... Doesn't matter to them.  The maintenance crew is good, though, and the apartments have plenty of space for two or even three people, plus they're cleaned out between tenants so it's up to you how much of a mess they get.  Obviously, the neighborhood's not great, and you're gonna want to carry a weapon in the elevators, but otherwise it's a sweet place."

"Ah," Kanoshi was shocked at the advice, looking up to Yuuri again.  He seemed sincere, "Thanks, but I also don't know how I'm going to afford a new place... I have enough in savings to put down a deposit, though.  It would be nice to be able to move my furniture instead of blowing all my savings to live out of boxes in a hotel while I try to find a place..."

"As long as you have the deposit, it should be fine," Yuuri shrugged, "And you can find a job after that.  I heard lots of people are willing to hire Magica.  Oh, and you said that you like video games, right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at playing supports," Kanoshi answered with a nod, holding his hands close to himself, "Um, actually, the reason I came here was to ask if you had any leftover boxes from shipments that I could use."

"No problem, I'll even help you move," Yuuri waved off his question, then continued, "It's not weird at all for esports players to do something like wear an eyepatch or a mask, so maybe you could do something like that.  Or, if you really want to compromise your morals, I hear it's pretty easy to get away with bank robberies as a magica, thanks to that Glamour spell thing which lets you keep people from recognizing you..."

"I'm not about to rob a bank!" Kanoshi shook his head, then looked away from Yuuri, "Why... are you helping me?  I've done something illegal, something which nobody should do..."

Yuuri seemed to think over that question for a moment, as if even he wasn't quite certain why he was putting effort into helping Kanoshi, but he seized upon an answer, "First off, I'm not the most law-abiding citizen myself.  But more importantly, I want to help you because you helped me.  When the other teachers gave up on me, back in middle school, you were there to help me still get a passing grade when everything in my life was falling apart.  I think the worst moment of my life was finding out that what my mom was doing was wrong, and everything I'd been told about it being normal was a lie, and I was right all along to hate it... And you were the only adult who was there for me when that happened.  So if you think of it that way, isn't it obvious that I wouldn't care that you'd become a magical boy?  I know what rock bottom feels like, and one decision won't ruin your life if I can do anything about it."

"Ruka-san..." Kanoshi felt a smile spreading over his face.  He was touched by his former student's kindness.

"Plus," He looked away, scratching the back of his neck, "Kyosuke-san, if you can't find another job by the end of the month, I could probably get you one here.  You'd make a better coworker than some of these high school kids, at least.  Trust me, your stutter wouldn't be a problem."

"I could probably do that," Kanoshi agreed with a shaky nod.

"Anyway," Yuuri leaned forward, handing back the eyepatch, "I'm guessing you're supposed to leave as soon as possible?  I'll stop by once my shift's over.  Got anyone else who'd be willing to help out?"

"Yeah," Kanoshi said, "I have a friend who's a magical boy and can use telekinesis, he already said he'd help me too.  I'm thinking of renting a truck to hold the stuff, I can get an okay rate on one since it's so weird to own a car in the city.  Business at rental places around here is so good that they don't need to overcharge..."

"No need to do that," Yuuri shook his head, "I know a chick who's into the whole dajiban thing.  Plenty of space in the old thing.  I'll get her to help us out, then you can save some money while you're job hunting."

"Will she really be willing to help?" Kanoshi questioned.

"Of course she will," Yuuri laughed, :"Tanako-chan's always ready to show off her van in any way.  Helping people move is just one of many ways she can prove she's done a great job refurbishing it."

--------------

Kotomi Tanako

Just as Yuuri had promised, his friend Kotomi Tanako arrived with her van and with Yuuri once his shift was over.  Kanoshi and Horace had already been working to fill up the boxes, so when Yuuri arrived, they just started bringing things out to Kotomi's van.  Horace stayed in his transformation, making eye contact with the landlord as he used his powers to move boxes, daring him to say something.  There wasn't anything to be done, though.  Kanoshi was already leaving.

Once all of the boxes were in Kotomi's van, as well as Kanoshi's bed and kotatsu, Yuuri said that he'd have Kotomi take him ahead and start unloading the van at the apartment building.  Horace was about to say something, but Oh One did instead, "Horace," It started, bumping its head into his leg, "Sorry to interrupt this mundane situation, but a level eight monster has appeared in Kyoto.  I think you should definitely help out with that."

"...You're right," Horace groaned, turning to Kanoshi, "Look, I'm sorry, but there are duties to being a prince, even if it's just a prince of Magica.  I'll see you later though, okay Kano?"

"That's fine!" Kanoshi laughed, waving his hands, "You've already helped me out a ton, way more than you needed to!  Go do what you have to," As soon as he finished saying that, Horace nodded in understanding and took off.  Kanoshi watched him go, then went to take public transportation to his new building.  There was no more room in the van, but he was fine with that.  He was used to taking trains, and it wasn't that late at night yet, so it wouldn't even be intimidating.

Anxious as he was, at least he knew how to handle living near a city.  It was strange that he'd be moving to a more urban area soon, but that was just the way life went, he supposed.  Strangely enough for this time of day, Kanoshi was able to find a traincar without anybody on it.  He was even wearing his eyepatch, so it wasn't like anyone was scared off by his mark.  Actually, most of the cars seemed barren.  It was never this empty in Tokyo.  He began to think that something might be wrong.

Even so, he just occupied himself with a book, ignoring the sense of unease.  It was just public transportation, after all, so what could be so wrong with it?  After a while, as it was a bit of a long trip between districts, he stood up glanced into the other cars.  Still empty.  He frowned, and turned his back on the door.

That was his first mistake.  He'd hardly even looked down the row of seats when he felt something hit his back.  No, hit was much too mild a term for what he felt.  He looked down, and saw a sword coming through his stomach.

Thanks to that 'magical endurance' Horace had mentioned, Kanoshi didn't go into shock.  Instead, he pulled the patch from his eye and transformed in a split second, then used the wings of his transformed self to propel himself away from the sword, looking up to see a magical boy standing there.  He wasn't Japanese, and definitely didn't look pleasant in any way.  Were it not for the question mark, Kanoshi wouldn't have thought him a magical boy at all, but a drunk.

Lionhardt

The magical boy didn't say anything at all, just lifting his sword again and rushing Kanoshi, who lifted his shield just in time.  He immediately felt the rush of power through him as the blade connected, a measurable amount of ability which he was storing.  All he needed to think was that he should heal his own wounds, and it was done.  That was convenient, but seemed to enrage the magical boy, who shouted unintelligibly and swung his sword again.  When Kanoshi managed to block this one as well, he summoned several more to his side, all of them hacking crudely at him.

He couldn't block every strike, but the ones which did connect with him were swiftly healed with the power he gained from blocking the rest, though he was panicking nonetheless.  The pain still existed, even if only for a moment before he healed it away, and he found tears running down his face.

"Just die already you goddamn newbie!" The magical boy shrieked, "How are you good enough to defend against me already!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kanoshi wailed, another strike ringing against his shield.  It was so small, but at least he seemed to be able to move it fast enough to block attacks.  He accredited that reaction time to the video games he'd played.  It seemed that this drunkard magical boy was about to shout again, when a gunshot sounded.  It embedded itself in the wall above Kanoshi, and appeared to have grazed the other magical boy's cheek.

He turned around, scowling, and Kanoshi looked past him to see a magical boy who looked familiar, but seemed to be using a glamour to avoid being recognized.  He was holding out a revolver with a cocky smirk on his face as he taunted, "Lionhardt.  I should have known you'd come here when you found out a support magica had been created... But lucky enough, it seems Guardian Angel could hold his own until I arrived."

"Smokescreen... Why do you have to interfere?  This doesn't concern you," The magical boy who was apparently called Lionhardt grimaced, raising swords again and pointing them toward the one who seemed to be called smokescreen, "If I want to carry out natural selection, who are you to bother-"

Smokescreen

Lionhardt couldn't finish his statement, not because Smokescreen said anything, but because that gun was fired again and he found a bullet in his windpipe.  He choked, then coughed a few times through it, trying to hack it out.  He shot Smokescreen a furious look, then jumped out of the window.  As soon as he did, the subway car was full of people, and there was Kanoshi, in his magical boy form.  He also launched himself out the window, not in a show of spite, but to avoid the social awkwardness.

He smacked into the wall on the side of the subway, but there was luckily a maintenance path on the side, so he fell onto the concrete there and was safe from further harm.  Smokescreen seemed to have followed right after him, so Kanoshi used any leftover power to heal both himself and Smokescreen.  Smokescreen dropped his arms to his sides, sighed, then said, "Glamour Release," in English.

As soon as he said that, Kanoshi realized why he seemed familiar, recognized him.  It was Yuuri.  He got to his feet, slowly, just staring at his former student for a long while before he spoke, "Ruka-san, you..."

"Yeah, I'm a magical boy.  I've been one for a while now.  About four months, actually.  That's how I knew my apartment building would allow you to live there," Yuuri explained, holding a hand out to him and revealing his question mark was on his arm.  No wonder he always wore longsleeves when his job allowed short-sleeved polos in its uniform as well, "You can ask, but I won't tell you why I did it."

"I don't need to ask," Kanoshi shook his head, "You've never been a happy person, right?"

"Nah," Yuuri shook his head, twirling the revolver on his finger, "Life's kind of been caught between terrible and tolerable, just about the whole time.  Truth is, I wouldn't have normally done something like this, though.  I don't drink to excess and I've never considered drugs, hardly even use cigarettes, it doesn't take the edge off.  I was in a really bad place when that Distributor... Sugarcanesugarcane, it said it was called, approached me.  I agreed without thinking, and somehow, this does take the edge off."

"It does?" Kanoshi asked, stepping closer with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah," Yuuri nodded, now crossing his arms, "Strange, isn't it?  But that's the thing, I'm in control now.  That's what stands out about it.  I'm not dulling any pain, but I can prevent it."

"I get it," Kanoshi nodded, balling his hands up, "My reason... I want to be able to protect others.  And it's admirable, to do it to protect yourself, too."

"I'm fine with being injured while fighting," Yuuri explained, "I know that I can win.  I won't ever let anybody ruin me again.  I'll grow stronger... So I can be certain that nobody can lay a hand on me if I don't want them to."

"I want to protect you, Ruka-san!" Kanoshi exclaimed, holding his shield out to Yuuri with determination, "Like you protected me today, and I want to help you become strong enough to protect yourself!"

"Kyosuke-san..." Yuuri stared at him, then his smirk turned to a genuine smile, "I was worried if I told you, you'd lecture me about how irresponsible it was that I'd become a magical boy for such a petty reason as covering my own ass."

"That's not petty at all," Kanoshi shook his head, then looked down the subway tunnel, "How did you know that I needed help?"

"I got a text from Oh One saying that Lionhardt was in the area.  He's a notorious hunter of new magica, so I assumed he'd be going after you, and since you told me what line you were taking, I was able to catch up.  Lionhardt's ability is called the Incognito Trap.  He can turn any small area into an alternate dimension which normal humans can't enter, but only if it's possible for his target not to notice the shift," Yuuri explained, leaning back against the wall, "Of course, he waited till there was that level 8 alert, since The Prince has been keeping such a close eye on you."

"I need to become stronger," Kanoshi decided, fidgeting with his sleeves, "I can't rely on Horace, and I can't rely on you always coming to rescue me.  I had no idea what to do there except just keep getting beat up by him.  I need to be able to hold my own, independent of anybody else."

"I think it's fine if you stay the way you are," Yuuri spoke, his voice soft, "Supports are rare.  Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to unite Tokyo's magica into some sort of working group, since being healed mid-battle can give a ton of advantages."

"A team?  That's a little too much like the animes, right?  It's not like we'll be bound together by the power of friendship to beat any enemy," Kanoshi mumbled, lifting his arms to stare at both of his palms, "We're all the type of people who would give up on normalcy for some reason or another."

"We get along though, right?  And you and Horace do, too.  Working together could still be worth something," Yuuri offered, kicking at the ground with the toe of his boot, "I think so, anyway.  I could be wrong... I just think that a level 8 monster in Tokyo wouldn't be possible right now.  Nobody bothers coordinating their attacks."

"Who knows.  Maybe," Kanoshi sighed.

-----------------

The director of Aoba Public Middle was not expecting to say any of the school's past students that day, especially not one who barged in the front door without so much as buzzing in with the reception.  He slammed the electric lock hard enough to unlatch it, stormed in, and went straight past the office staff to the director's office.  Even in his surprise, however, he greeted the student, remembering his name after all this time, "Yuuri Ruka-kun.  To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Ain't a pleasure, you and me both know that," Yuuri curled his lip as he stepped closer, hands in his pockets, "You only remembered my name cause of all the shit I caused you, right?  No director would remember a kid who wasn't either excellent or awful, and I sure as Hell wasn't excellent."

"Ruka," The director dropped his polite behavior, narrowing his eyes, "What do you want?  If it's your transcript, the office staff can help you with that."

"If I wanted my transcript, I'd just send an email.  That's easy enough to do," Yuuri shook his head, "I'm here for a much more serious reason, director.  Aoba Middle has an admirable goal, offering education for kids who wouldn't get it otherwise, but you know... I think there's only one teacher who was actually committed to that goal, and you know what?  You're the moron who just fired him."

"You mean Kyosuke?" The director questioned, furrowing his brow as he stood up, "You must be mistaken.  Is he crying wrongful termination?  There's nothing wrongful about this at all.  The school could be sued or even shut down if we kept a magical boy on staff.  I bet he didn't even tell you that was the reason."

"I'm well aware of why he was fired, but I wouldn't say that's a good enough reason," Yuuri stepped closer to the director, glaring up at him, "You kept your job after you did worse, after all.  Besides, if he's a good teacher, what's it matter if he spends his nights fighting monsters?  Long as he doesn't let the kids find out, there ain't a single reason he can't continue teaching."

"I did worse?" The director asked, shaking his head with a grimace, "Are you really going to compare that to becoming a magica?  If those were even on the same scale, it's pretty obvious which is more terrible.  Becoming a magica is a one-way ticket to committing crimes without consequence!"

"Huh, that's funny, I really thought that getting away with crime was your favorite thing to do," Yuuri taunted, holding his hands out to either side of himself, "Maybe you oughta become a magical boy, then."

"Yuuri!" The director snapped, stepping forward again, "You can't blame me for that!  It was your mother.  I paid her, and she told me that you were just an especially youthful adult.  She told me that it was just part of the experience I paid for that you'd resist.  I was horrified when you enrolled in this school.  Had I known you were a child..."

"You would never have done it?  I doubt that.  I think if you were into having an especially youthful adult struggle against your advances in the first place, then you're a pretty awful person," Yuuri lifted a hand and pushed the director against the wall with ease.  Having his mark on his arm meant he had all the same strength he would if he were transformed, and to strength like that, humans were mere insects, "I let you off the hook, though, because Hell, all you really did wrong was pay a prostitute.  My mother was a damn good liar.  However, if you're going to fire the only teacher at this school who actually took the time to offer me help, then I at least have to hold a mirror up to your wrongdoings, yeah?"

"I am sorry, Yuuri.  I never wanted to cause you, or anyone, any harm.  I grapple with the reality of the part I had in making your childhood so terrible, every day of my life.  However... This school, it's all I can do to try and be a good person.  If I kept Kyosuke employed, we could be closed down, and there wouldn't be a public middle school in the area at all anymore.  If Aoba wasn't here, then you wouldn't have gotten an education past primary school.  I mean, chances are pretty high you'd still be getting sold by that woman!" The director sounded sincere, but that last bit cut deep.  It was a slip-up said in spite, some self-righteous anger that Yuuri would imply he wasn't filled with regret for his small part in his childhood misery.

"That's bullshit!" Yuuri shouted, getting in his face.  He was acting in fury to mask the fact that this entire conversation had him on the brink of tears, "I never would have lived that long!  God, it was because just that one person.  Kyosuke-sensei... Was there to tell me it was fine!  When I found out it really was wrong, what happened to me, I was going to die, but then he said it.  It was so dumb.  He said... 'Ruka-san, I know you have a lot going on, but just tell me if you ever need some extra help.  I'd hate for this to keep you from getting into high school, because I think you have potential.'  That's what he said to me, and that's what kept me from just giving up on it all.  It was only because of him.  So don't you dare claim that you ever did any good for me.  This school's goddamn worthless without a teacher like him.  I wish it would shut down."

"Now, come on, let's be rational adults here," The director knew he'd made a mistake, and began looking for a way out of the situation, only to find that he was really backed into a corner.

"I guess I can't change your mind," Yuuri mumbled, reaching for the right sleeve of his jacket with his left hand, "But your actions have consequences.  You have to suffer some sort of punishment."

"Please," The director protested, but Yuuri just grinned as he rolled his sleeve up to show the question mark on his arm.

"Get fucking bent," Yuuri hissed in the moment that he transformed, immediately holding his revolver up to the director's face, "Here, you ever played Russian Roulette?"

"Y-You..." The director stuttered, then narrowed his eyes, "Of course you're one of them!  I should have expected this from you!"

"Where did all that regret for how you hurt me go?" Yuuri questioned, tilting his head to the side, "Anyway, here's the game.  I have one chamber with a real bullet in it.  One with a blank.  The remaining four hold smoke pellets with different properties.  One will render you unable to walk for one week.  One will prevent you from sleeping for four days.  One will cause you to, for three months, be unable to be at a comfortable temperature.  Always too cold or too warm.  This last one's my favorite, impotent for a month.  I think that would suit you especially well.  Oh, and smokes as powerful as these only work on humans, so I don't have to worry about getting caught in it too."

"You're sick.  You're goddamn sick and twisted," The director accused him between heavy, sharp breaths.  He was scared.  Good.  That was exactly what Yuuri was going for.

"I guess I am," He embraced the accusation with a smile, spun the chamber on his revolver, then fired at the director's forehead.  Smoke filled the room, and Yuuri noted the color of it.  The sleep curse.  Well... He thought for only a moment before he fired twice more, dispensing two more of the smoke pellets.  Temperature and impotence.  He smirked.  That was a veritable cocktail of inconvenient misery.  He didn't wait to see the director's reaction, instead turning to walk out of the office, releasing his transformation as he went, back to just a normal human in appearance.  Yuuri hadn't put a real bullet into any of the chambers; he didn't want to tank his rankings by killing anybody, but he needed to get revenge.  Revenge for Kanoshi's firing, but also just the pent-up anger he had towards anyone who had believed his mother's lies about him when he was a child.

Maybe it was a little petty of him.  It had been seven years since his his mother was arrested, but he still wasn't over it.  He wanted everyone who hadn't thought critically when it came to using him to pay some sort of price; The director firing somebody who he considered to be a dear friend was just the inciting incident for targeting him.  He'd already gotten some degree of revenge on a number of the others, but now he could claim it wasn't so selfish.  He did this to defend somebody's honor, not just his own.  That man would be inconvenienced for three months by the curses that Yuuri had set upon him with the use of that smoke.  It was particularly useful against humans; there wasn't a lot he could do against other magica with his smoke, just using it to obscure his movement and create some distracting, acidic clouds.  He didn't need to do a lot against other magica, though.  He had good aim, and hadn't encountered a real challenge in his four months of being a magical boy so far.

Infernal

"Hey you," Somebody interrupted Yuuri's thoughts, and he looked up to realize he'd wandered a bit away from civilization, into the woods near the middle school.  The voice he'd heard came from the top of the hill, and he peered up to see who was standing there.  He didn't recognize this magical boy who continued to address him, "I'm new in town.  Is it common for Tokyo's magica to torture humans?  Where I come from, that's a good way to lose ranking."

"How did you know what happened in there?" Yuuri asked, staring up at the unfamiliar man in confusion.

"This distributor is named Blem, it can see through walls," He gestured to Blem, who blinked slowly, then waved at Yuuri with its eyestalks.

"Hello, Yuuri Ruka," Blem greeted him, "This is Must Pope's magica from Hokkaido.  He's called Devilman.  Just kidding.  He's called Infernal.  He decided to come to Tokyo when Oh One told him that Kanoshi Kyosuke became a magical boy."

"I never thought Kano-kun would really do it," Infernal noted, holding both hands to his cheeks in a melodramatic show, "But now that he has, I want to show my support.  I think you do too.  And since we've been contracted by distributors in the same posse, there's no reason any of us would backstab to climb higher up the rankings. Let's work out an agreement."

"I think that's a great idea."

Next Chapter ->

Checkboxes Chapter Eleven

<-Previous Chapter

<--------First Chapter

It's strange to be back from the school trip.

School starts back up the day after our return, even though we arrived so late at night.  I guess they figure that if kids want to sleep in, we'll be tardy, given that nobody cares much about being on time anyway.  It's very kind of the school to give the accessibility necessary for its student body to be composed of the sort of people it invites, not deducting points for missed classes.  As long as the work gets done; and it's really not a whole lot of work, since I've pretty much caught up on what I missed in three months already while keeping up with the new.

It isn't the schoolwork which makes graduates of Korekara capable, it's the fact that we learn how to live.  I guess maybe that's why it has that reputation of being so dangerous, too.  Anyone can take on real life if they've survived a high school full of people who, just like them, have already experienced some sort of trauma.  It's a good thing, though, that those employers who take Korekara at its word for its prestige don't find out how lenient the academic curriculum really is.  Though, I don't feel like I'm actually missing out on any information, even if the method of teaching it is different.  Maybe I won't remember anything since I'm just learning it for long enough to do the work, but if my middle school experience is anything to go on, I wouldn't remember traditional schooling any better.

I don't have any directives yet, on what I'm supposed to do this week, at least not during the school day.  I find myself looking for someone to eat lunch with again, and end up with Haruka and Takeda, since I can't seem to find Amai.  They're sitting in the cafeteria, sharing one meal which is on the larger side of portions.  I walk up and wave to them, "Hi there.  Fukui-chan, Takeda-chan, is it okay if I sit here with you?

"Ahh, Hako-chan!  It's more than okay," Haruka nods, pulling out a chair, then gestures between Takeda and me, "Takkun!  You remember Hako-chan, right?"

"Hm?" Takeda looks up, then checks her fingers.  I did notice on the school trip that she'd taken my advice of using colored elastics, but I was too worried then to actually feel proud that I'd been able to help her, "Ah, yes!  Good to see you again, Hako-chan!  It seems you're always helping me out."

"I'm always helping everybody out!  So, how's the flute practice going?" I ask, trying to make small talk with this pair I don't know very much about.

"Hm, pretty good, thanks for asking!" Takeda grins, balling up her hands, "How about your whole... Helping people deal?"

"I can't tell for sure, but I don't think it's going badly," I answer with a bit of a laugh.

"Oh that's wonderful to hear!" Haruka smiles, holding her hands to her cheeks, "I think it's almost romantic, in a way, to have a goal like that... Ah, am I using the word 'romantic' correctly there?"

"Yes, in one of its definitions anyway.  Romantic is a weird word that way, it can mean all sorts of things even though it's just the same word the whole time," I hold a finger to my chin as I think about this, "It can mean being in love with somebody, or just being somebody who's hopeful and optimistic.  I guess those go hand in hand, though, because if you fall in love you're hopeful and optimistic that you'll be together forever."

"Either that or you're just a nihilist," Somebody else speaks up, and I turn to see one of my classmates, a member of the science club named Rei Akabane, "And you have a pessimistic outlook.  You want to be together forever but you're hopeless when it comes to the idea of it."

Rei Akabane

"Well, that's a sad way of looking at being in love.  Why be in love if that's the way you feel about it?" I question, screwing up my face in confusion.

"It's not like people who feel that way can help it," She answers, staring off at a far wall, "But some people are simply unobtainable, in a romantic sense.  Yet, people still fall for the unattainable, and it's really quite sad.  That's when love is neither hopeful nor optimistic, and it's just another tragedy that we as those who've been selected to lead the path into the future must endure."

"That sounds really unpleasant," I frown at her, clasping my hands together, "Who do you have these unachievable feelings toward, Akabane-san?"

"I can't say," She shakes her head and starts to walk away, "Someone who's so wrapped up in work, there's no time to show tenderness to anybody, I suppose."

"You suppose?" I question her again, but at this point she's already gone.  I sigh and return my attention to my own lunch.

"That was weird," Haruka notes, picking up a tomato, "I wonder what Akabane-senpai's deal is.  Butting in to a conversation which isn't hers just to offer a pessimistic worldview?"

"I agree," Takeda nods, and I realize the way that Haruka worded her statement.  She included a recap right there, so that even if the event had already slipped Takeda's mind, she would understand the situation anyway.  I can see why these two get along; Haruka's very conscious of Takeda's disability and works to accommodate her without it seeming out of place.

"It was weird, yeah, but not that weird, considering," I shrug it off, "We are at a school which invites people who've been through some pretty bad stuff, almost exclusively.  Can you really expect anyone to react normally to just about any social situation?"

"That is a good point," Haruka agrees with me, then looks around the cafeteria, "If you think about it, it's a wonder any of us have managed to make friends at all.  I guess we ought to just encourage everybody at every turn!"

"We should, probably!  That's what I'm trying to do these days, though I might not be the most efficient at it since I'm not an adult and can't be a role model but at least I can be a good friend, and I think that's close enough," I can't help but laugh a bit at myself.  What am I doing with my life?  My best, that's what.  I just have to hope that my best is enough.  Suddenly, the bell rings for classes to return to session, so I say goodbye to Haruka and Takeda, and wait during class for Fucko to give me some direction.  I need to know what I'm doing, because if left to my own devices, I definitely wouldn't follow this very specific set of instructions.  Too specific for me to happen upon it by coincidence.

Okay, Box, today is the day that you're going to talk to a very difficult girl.  Natsuki Nagata.  As I said, she has her reasons to be civil towards you, but that doesn't mean talking to her will be easy.

I'm definitely up for the challenge, even if I did hear that Natsuki is a bully.  She's a third year, and if she has enough of a social circle to beget cruelty towards others, she'll probably know more about this school than introverts like Mishio or Sayuri, and maybe be more willing to part with that information than the council president who has a duty to maintain confidentiality.  Yumiko could only tell me so much about the graduating class of 2015, who in fact, never did graduate.

I look for Natsuki first in the science room, but she's nowhere to be seen.  I ask her clubmates, though, and Maka informs me that she's gone to the back of the school, where the dumpsters are.  I think that's a bit odd of course, but I make my way over there, and Natsuki is standing there.  She's got her robotic arm holding down the lid of a dumpster as she works to drill nails into it to seal it shut.  I frown and walk up to her, "Nagata-senpai?  What are you doing?"

"Sealing this dumpster so that the trash stays inside," She answers, setting down the drill gun to put her real hand on her hip, "Why are you here?"

"I was looking for you," I explain, then look at the dumpster in question and note that it's not the one connected to the chute for the debris from the incinerator, "Uh, I think that Yuu-senpai lives in there."

"That's correct," Natsuki nods, and there's a clattering noise from inside, "Like I said.  I'm sealing the trash inside."

"I'm... Sorry, but I can't just let you seal up one of our classmates inside of a dumpster," I raise a hand up, then pat the dumpster with it, "Yuu-senpai?  You okay in there?"

Natsuki Nagata

"Me?  Oh, I'm fine!" Sakazaki answers, shouting through the plastic, "It's not like is the first time I've been Cask of Amontillado'd."

"What possible reason could there be for doing this?" I question, leaving it vague so that either of them could answer me if they so chose.  Sakazaki's the one who calls out again.

"I'm a sneaky rat!" Her answer isn't at all satisfactory, though.

"She knows too much," Natsuki elaborates, "Caught her snooping around the science room, trying to use Rei's cameras, and figuring out all sorts of other things we've been working on.  It's bad form to allow somebody like that to continue operating freely."

"Rei's cameras?" I question, furrowing my brow.

"It's fine if you know as long as you don't try to use them yourself.  Or go snitching to anyone who'll care.  Rei Akabane has surveillance set up around the whole school, and it's been useful plenty of times in the past," 

"Surveillance cameras?" I move from the dumpster, leaving Sakazaki to her fate for the time being, "If that's the case, I have to wonder... Do you think you'd have recorded what happened to me in June?"

"What happened to you in June?  Oh, right, that sickness thing is just a cover story.  Well, I guess I probably could take a look through and see if I've got any information on that, but I can't make any promises.  Plus, it'll cost you!" She waves a hand in the air as she says this, smirking.

"Cost me?  Well... What will it cost?  I can pay the price," I say, looking all around, "I'd really like to know the truth."

"I hear that you've got some Assis-Co tech at your disposal," Natsuki says with a condescending chuckle, "And I'm very interested in that company.  I've already got to look inside their doors and security systems, the easier things to get ahold of, but I get the feeling what you have is something a little bit more unique than that.  Now, I'm not asking to take it from you, but I want you to tell me everything you know about it."

"I..." I start, then sigh, "I'm afraid that I just can't do that.  I'm supposed to keep quiet about it.  It's bad enough that Tachibana-senpai figured out I had it at all, but hers is similar to mine, so why don't you just ask her about it?  I can give you anything but info on Assis-co, so..."

"That's a shame," Natsuki groans, looking up at the sky, "I really want to get to know how Assis-co and Feru Innovations make all their stuff.  Those companies are on the cutting edge of technology, right?  If I want to ever go to space, I have to get in with them.  Me and Rei made a pact, you know.  We'll both work extra hard and get a job working together at one of those companies' labs, and she can make robots, and I can grow tomatoes in space."

"If your goal is to go to space and grow plants, why do you need to know how things are built?" I ask, confused by her reasoning.

"Rei taught me how to mess around with electronics, and I think that's the easiest way to get in on the entry level with those places.  I'm not the best at it, but I did make my own prosthetics, and they haven't failed me yet.  So... I'll use this skill to achieve my dream," She balls up her fist, then grabs the drill gun again, "Of course, I can't do that if this garbage woman runs and blabs to somebody she shouldn't about what the science club's been up to!"

"...Well, it's admirable that you're so ambitious, but I still think you shouldn't be trapping your enemies inside of dumpsters," I say, watching as she continues to seal Sakazaki in.

"Don't worry about me, Hako-chan!  I'll get out!" Sakazaki reassures me with another yell from inside.

"She always does," Natsuki agrees in a monotone, rolling her eyes, "And don't call her my enemy.  This dirty, sneaky, garbage rat is still my friend, even if she's a thorn in my side at every turn," She then addresses Sakazaki, "Sakkun, explain to Hako-chan, will you?"

"I deserve to be Cask of Amontillado'd again because since my first year I have not stopped meddling in the science club's activities and I need to be punished to ensure that I don't tell anybody who shouldn't know, such as my boss.  I wouldn't want to anyway, but Natsucchi is paranoid so I humor her!" Sakazaki answers.

"Well, if you're fine with it, then I guess I can't keep standing up for you," I mumble, then turn back to Natsuki, "Isn't there any way I could convince you to let me look at that camera footage without breaking any rules?"

"I guess there is one way," Natsuki shrugs as she finishes off the final screw in the dumpster, then crosses her arms, "I'm head of the science club, sure, but if you can convince Rei, they are her cameras.  She could give you permission just like I could.  But be warned, chances are she'd ask the same price I am.  Whatever tech you've got is definitely rare, and we can't just let you hold onto it without sharing.  You know that sharing is important, right?"

"I do, but I'm afraid that I just can't," I shake my head, "I'm not allowed to.  Anyway, could you let me know if you change your mind and decide to let me see?"

"Well," Natsuki pauses, then groans, "I guess I could just do you this one favor, but like I said, there's no guarantee those cameras captured what happened.  Just because there's surveillance all over the school doesn't mean every minute of every day gets recorded.  They're only active when they detect motion, or when Rei's watching them, and the motion sensors wouldn't necessarily pick up whatever happened if there was too much movement.  They're tuned to not record when students are just milling about, after all."

"I guess that's a smart way to keep from recording anything extraneous.  What is she watching for on those cameras anyhow?" I wonder.

"Nothing in particular, to be honest with you," Natsuki answers, wandering back towards the front of the school.  I follow her, "Rei just likes people-watching, and to get permission for putting the cameras up from our faculty advisor, she agreed to tune them to detect certain levels of motion, to help catch trespassers.  We've had a few problems with those at this school, you know.  Some people even say that the class of 2015 were all killed by somebody who never should have been on campus in the first place..."

"Do you think that's true?" I ask, and now that I know they're there, I can spot some of Rei's cameras around the campus.

"No," She doesn't even hesitate, grimacing, "Even if it wasn't a student, I don't believe that what happened to that class was a mere accident, the result of a stranger.  We all know the status of this school, and about a quarter of the deaths that year were suicides.  Another quarter were assumed to be foul play, and half were assumed to be unfortunate accidents.  Even if it was somebody from off-campus who caused all of that, I'd say it was on the orders of a faculty member.  Things were getting too boring around here for somebody upstairs, so they arranged to revitalize the rumors on how awful this place is.  Besides, there's one other thing to think about.  When anyone's killed off-campus, it gets covered up," She pushes her glasses up her nose, the grimace turning to a pained grin as she laughs bitterly, "Have you thought about it?  Headmaster Kira.  That's a suspicious name, isn't it?  There's a reason we're picked.  We've suffered enough that we won't be missed, but talented enough to be a benefit to society should we survive.  This place is still in operation, even after what happened to my upperclassmen, and that's because the publicity painted it as natural selection, not tragedies..." Her volume is mounting, "All anybody even cared about was when the heir to the Asahi Company got killed, and even then they decided to pin the blame on her!?"

"Nagata-senpai-" I start, a bit shocked to find that she's showing so much emotion on this topic.  I didn't take her as the type.

"That's why... I can't stand it, when our peers go ahead and throw their reputations in the gutter, you know?  I want to at least be able to fool myself into thinking that if everyone at this school got killed one day, somebody would give half a damn that we were gone..." She clenches her fists and shakes her head, "We can't give them ammunition.  Most people think that Korekara is just an especially good, prestigious reform school, so all they gotta do to say we deserved to die is pull up the list of what we've done wrong and say we just failed to get reformed and it ended up being our downfall.  We're the nation's most talented, but if we seem like we haven't been good members of society, then it's fine if we die.  Talent doesn't mean anything when we haven't been good girls..."

"Is that why you're a bully?" I ask, holding my hands to my chest, "I heard from Akashiya-san, that you..."

"I may have made a comment on how she should do something about those rumors, yeah," Natsuki shrugs, sticking her tongue out partially and biting down on it with her canines as she huffs, then speaks again, "What's it to you if I wanna get my classmates to make a bit of an effort to preserve their reputations?"

"You could do it in a way which isn't cruel," I offer.

"Cruelty's all that gets through to some people," Natsuki grimaces, kicking at a pebble with her prosthetic leg, "It's not like I meant for Hanamura-chan to start poking fun at her for it!  Shouldn't have even heard me, the conversation should've been a private affair between me and Akashiya-kun.  I wanted to motivate her to shut down the rumors, that's all.  I know she isn't actually doing any of that, I mean... She has a legitimate part time job, and with the stipend the school offers anyone in the dorms, there's no reason she'd need to do that shit if she wasn't living beyond her means.  Say a student here was doing compensated dating to support her mother, I wouldn't say a word about it.  If you're gonna ruin your rep like that, you need a good reason."

"Nagata-senpai," I hold my arms behind my back and dash to stand in front of her, turning to face her, "I feel like I understand you a lot more now, even if I don't agree with your methods.  Could you tell me... What happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" She asks, and I note a moment of genuine surprise on her face, "You mean these?" She points to her prosthetics, "Funny, that's the first time anyone's asked me that and meant it!  It's an easy comeback.  You genuinely want to know?"

"I want to know everything about everyone," I explain, "You're using cruelty to try and keep us safe, right?  If it really is a conspiracy, then the faculty wouldn't have anyone killed if there's no way to believably twist it into being no big deal.  Point out all our flaws, and we'll want to change them, and we'll stay safe.  I want to keep everyone safe by becoming friends with them, though.  Sometimes all it takes to keep somebody from ending their own life is one person caring, sometimes one conversation can prevent an accident.  I guess if we're attacking from both sides, nobody will get hurt, right?  But you're forsaking yourself, by becoming so cruel.  They'd report your death like you weren't a genius at all, just a bully through and through.  So I need to be your friend too.  If nothing else, if you die, I'll set the record straight."

"Good grief," Natsuki laughs, then pulls her glasses off to look me in the eyes, "Well, after a speech like that, how can I refuse?  You wanna know what happened to my arm and my leg?  I'll tell you.  My uncle cut 'em off."

"What!?" I wasn't expecting that answer, at all, and it shows.  I'm shocked, shook to my very core at this statement.  Her uncle did what?

"I come from a pretty big family, it's easy for things to be lost in the cracks.  My parents always had a problem handling all of us, never meant to have so many.  Three was what they wanted, but Matsuda, Aikoi and I were triplets.  Five children?  No wonder they started sending us off to different relatives," She explains, not seeming at all bothered by the horrible story she's telling, as if she was just talking about her most recent shopping trip, "I ended up with my uncle.  I don't even remember his name, actually.  It's not like I only knew him as a little kid, but I dislike him so much I'll disrespect him by ignoring the fact he has a name.  He was always a weird guy, and we kept to ourselves.  He let me plant a garden in his front yard, and I got along with his girlfriend, though I wouldn't consider her my aunt.  We always ate dinner together, but never had a real conversation.  He was the sort of man who had the opinion that the opinions of children mean nothing."

"Anyway," Natsuki continues, "That's enough waxing poetic about him, it's not like I want to defend him.  His girlfriend left him when I was in middle school, and that was when he started actually talking to me.  I kind of wish his girlfriend had thought to warn me that the reason she'd left him wasn't just because of his occasional violent habits, but because he'd admitted to her that he was aroused by the idea of amputation.  She didn't tell me till my first year here at Korekara, I guess she felt guilty.  Particularly, creating a pleasure doll by amputating all four limbs.  That's fine I guess, when it's the stuff of doujins, but it was the final straw when his desire to do that to her seemed too real.  I don't forgive her, for not warning the child under his care who had been growing into a plain, but nonetheless desired young woman."

"That's terrible," I frown, and notice that my eyes are wet.

"You asked to hear it.  This is Korekara Academy, and I'm sure my story's not even the most gruesome here.  He didn't kiss me, or take my virginity, or force me to do anything.  Cutting me up was enough for him, and he went into the other room.  I never saw him naked.  He had me wear a swimsuit when he did it, too, I guess he wasn't really into kids, or incest, or both.  I'm lucky for that," She crosses her arms after putting her glasses back on, "Most of our classmates don't have good luck like I do.  Anyway, He cauterized the wounds after that, and started homeschooling me.  He was trying to be kind, get rid of the guilt I guess.  He was very drunk when he did it, might have been on drugs too.  Not like that's an excuse.  I ran away a month later, which he didn't think I'd be able to do, and I lived with my oldest brother Sugawa until I was invited to Korekara."

"It's horrifying that a man like that exists," I can't help but say, even though I know she'll just laugh again.  She does.  I try to defend my position, "Well, I know there are a lot of bad people in the world!  I just... Somebody who loses so much self control when under the influence of substances that he could cause permanent damage like that?"

"Morals are just another type of inhibition, and things like that do away with inhibitions.  For plenty of people, that's a good thing, but for plenty it's a bad thing.  A man with a shitty temper who knows better than to hit his wife... When sober.  A lonely housewife who knows better than to cheat on her husband with her son's friends... When sober.  A university student who knows better than to try jumping into a pool from fifteen stories up... When sober," She adjusts her glasses again, "My uncle knew better than to actually cut somebody's limbs off, when sober.  What scares me more are people like Shirato-san, who don't know better when they're sober.  People who don't need drugs or alcohol to do bad things."

"What... Are you talking about Kyoko Shirato?" I question.

"I am indeed.  I'm not a good person at all, but even I hate her.  Maybe it's naive of me, but I choose to believe what I hear about people unless they've given me a reason not to.  Shirato-san is scum.  Shirato-san is a mess.  Shirato-san is the worst person in this school by far," She complains, tossing her hair back, "When it comes to her, she's one of those people who I hope doesn't learn a thing if I'm cruel to her, because I genuinely just hate her guts.  As an idol, her fans put a certain level of faith in her, and she betrayed that trust time and time again.  Just because you're a star doesn't mean you get a free pass to skip on getting consent."

"What are you talking about?" I question, now worrying.  Ayano wanted to get to know Kyoko, does this mean that she's in danger?

"Why don't you ask her yourself?  I heard she was going to stay after today, in one of the empty classrooms, because that pathetic little first year wanted to talk with her," She pauses, "Ugh, there's a good number of pathetic little first years.  The one with the little kid backpack."

"...Thanks," I mumble, then just wave goodbye to Natsuki as I run towards the classroom, ignoring the ringing in my head.  Fucko's saying something, but I'm so worried at the moment that I can't even interpret what it's trying to tell me.  It's only when I reach the empty classroom and go to open the door, only to have my hand wrench itself away against my will that I stop to listen.

I can't believe you made me do that.  I thought that as long as my instructions didn't go against your true nature, I wouldn't have to take control of your body at all.  You need to listen.

Ayano is in danger and I need to get inside the classroom.  I lift my hand toward the door again, only to take four steps backward without meaning to.

I don't want to control you, Box, but I will if I have to.  You cannot interfere.  She is not in danger.  In fact, it's important that those two get together.  I told you before that Kyoko Shirato is a potential problem for Sakazaki Yuu's continued survival, right?  And I made sure you introduced Ayano and Kyoko.  It's true that Kyoko has caused some terrible harm, but Ayano will be safe.

I need more of an explanation than this.  I can't just accept the vague instructions now.

Fine, then.  Were Ayano and Kyoko not to date each other, Kyoko would force herself on Sakazaki Yuu.  In a fit of jealousy, Ayano would stop taking her medicine and kill Sakazaki, then go on to attack a number of Kyoko's fans.  As it stands... Kyoko will not see Ayano as an object of lust, and Ayano will naturally come to the conclusion that she loved the idea of Kyoko, the idol, more than the real Kyoko.

How can Fucko possibly know all of this?  I'll readily admit that it hasn't been wrong before, but I would love to know how it has such intimate knowledge on my classmates and everything that goes on with them.

If I told you the truth, you would never believe me.  Not until we have results, so just go ahead and back off from this classroom, okay?  Go home.  There's nothing left for you to do today.  All you had to do today was get Natsuki to open up to you; she will be a valuable asset before the month is up.

I'm tired, I'm so tired of not knowing what's going on.  I feel like it's more unbelievable that Fucko knows these things than whatever reason it has for knowing them, but I suppose I can't argue with it too much.  It's a piece of highly advanced technology, and I'm just some impulsive kid whose only talent is making friends.  I don't want to rebel against it.  I don't want to disobey it, or stop being of use to my peers and to Assis-co, I just wish that I understood.

I want to understand.

Please.

Let me understand.

I promise I'll explain it all soon.

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