Setting
Its a relatively medium sized city filled to the brim with all kinds of characters.
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
Takazara, Japan is a part of 
Book of Fairy -Reboot-.
12 Characters Here
Tsukino Hana [10] Little Red Riding Hood
Watanabe Tatsuo [9] Two Brothers
Nishizaka Minoru [8] The Snow Queen
Nishizaka Mashiro [8] The White Queen
Seiyuu Akihiko [6] The Tailor
Yoshida Isamu [5] The Little Mermaid
Ikeda Aika [5] The Nightingale
Takeshi Suzuki [3] The Gray Wolf
Dojima Haruo [2] The Frog Princess
Sakurano Yomi [1] The Ogress Queen
Start Character Here »
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It was a fine afternoon like any other days in the city of Takazara. Not a single thing to worry in the world, everybody just lives their lives away. Truly peaceful, indeed. Or at least, that was what a handful of students from Ichiro High thought, until the incident that happened during the school festival last month occurred and shook the lives of them up, in the most unexpected of ways that they could have never thought of.
The last bell finally rang, signaling the end of another school day. Many of the students tend to their clubs' activities afterwards, while the rest who didn't join any particular clubs, or in other words, members of the 'go-home' club, just left the campus and headed straight home, or stopped somewhere to hang out with their friends. Peacefully normal, just like any other schools in Japan. And as the sunset covered the whole horizon in an orange shade, at the track field situated to the west wing of the school, the track team is still practicing diligently, for the annual regional competition is only a few months away.
"Ready..." As the coach raised the gun and about to fire the shot, five male members of the team, including Mashiro, then assumed their crouching position. Bang. When the shot is fired, they all then began to run, as if their lives depend on it. It was a 100 meters sprint race, and as expected, Mashiro is the one to take the lead before any that of his teammates, and leave them behind in a considerable distant. His every movement is agile and his speed makes him run through the field like a breeze. The sight of an athlete who would wear his scarf even when he is running might seem weird, like really weird to any bystanders who are watching them nearby. But for all other members of the team, this is what they have beheld for almost everyday, so it didn't bother them as much.
The race finishes in a flash, and as usual, Mashiro made the top record again. "10.77." The member who recorded the time said to Mashiro and the others when they caught up to him. He loosened his scarf a bit and swept the sweats on his forehead before grinning and gave the others a V sign.
"Man, did you secretly have some sorts of propeller installed in your legs or something...? None of us can ever catch up with you like this, senpai." A fellow member who had just taken part in the race with him said.
"Hehe, I'm just lucky. I still have a long way. Don't be so down, you guys are really good too." He scratched the back of his head and said in his usual bright and cheerful manner.
"Alright team, that's it for today." The coach gathered everyone and announced, "You're all doing a great job, especially you, Nishizaka-kun. Just keep up the good work and we'll not only conquer the regional, we'll be heading straight to the Nationals. Ganbarou."
Everyone applauded in approval, before picking up their own stuffs and made their ways to the changing room. Mashiro gulped down the lemon salt water he brewed in his bottle and then went to dressed off too. On the way, the other members kept praising him, entrusting that he would bring victory to their school. They nicknamed him the Zephyr of Ichiro High is for a reason, after all.
But little did they all know that all of it could only make Mashiro felt even more frustrated and insecure about himself.
Some of the girls asked him to go to the karaoke with them, but Mashiro quickly excused himself and took his leave. He knows he should feel that way, but somehow, it makes him feel really uncomfortable spending time with too many people at once. There's been only one person that he is comfortable around with, so in fact. he couldn't wait to be as quick as he could to finish with the track team's practices to meet him.
"...自分とは何でどこへ向かうべきか 問い続ければ見えてくる
荒れた青春の海は厳しいけれど
明日の岸辺へと 夢の舟よ進め
今 負けないで 泣かないで 消えてしまいそうな時は
自分の声を信じ歩けばいいの
大人の僕も傷ついて眠れない夜はあるけど
苦くて甘い今を生きている
人生の全てに意味があるから 恐れずにあなたの夢を育てて
Keep on believing..."
At the stage of Ichiro High situated to the east wing of the campus, the school's choir is practicing one of the songs they are intending to use in an upcoming competition for a chance to perform at Tokyo Dome. This is, of course, a chance of a lifetime, so they are really putting a lot of their efforts into what they are doing. The song flows harmoniously, as both the vocals and the harmony fits perfectly with the piano accompany.
Minoru closes his eyes while he let his fingers trail across the piano's keyboard. Aside from the Orchestra, he is not a set member of any musical clubs in Ichiro High, but he is literally presented in any musical events that require someone to play a specific instrument, should those partake in them come to him and ask him nicely to accompany them. Of course, with his talents for many kinds of instruments out there, his list is always fully booked. He couldn't really help it though. There are plenty others who are good with music around school, yet he doesn't get why people always turn to him though. Probably due to what some of his classmates said to be his 'fanclub' or something.
The song finishes beautifully, and the choir decided to call it a day then. The girl who was the conductor then came over to him, "Thanks a lot, Minoru-san. I knew we could always count on you. You really helped us big time."
"No, it's nothing, Mariko-san." Minoru replied in his usual quiet, polite tone and his charismatic smile, "Anytime you need."
Mariko blushes a little before clearing her throat, "Hey, I was wondering if... if you would like to come with us for a treat? It's a thank you for helping us the past few days."
"Well, it's kind of you to invite. But I must apologize, since I already have some plans to do." Minoru gathered his stuffs and stood up from the piano's stool, "If there's nothing else that you need, please excuse me. I'll see everyone tomorrow if you need."
He then bowed to everyone and took his leave. Watching as Minoru left, Mariko sighed as another girl walked up to her, "See? I told you. I have never seen him hanging out with anyone, other than Mashiro-senpai the star of track team. He's always polite to everyone but it's hard to even approach him."
"Mashiro-senpai, huh? The two of them must be really close."
"Yeah, I heard they are only cousins but they are closer than any other siblings out there, if I must say." The girl shrugged, "Oh well, where shall we go today?"
Mashiro was standing at his shoe locker, changing from the school's uniform shoes to his usual white pair of boots. Many people tend to think he has an odd view when it comes to fashion, but he just dresses in any ways he felt comfortable in, so he didn't really get why they would think so. While he is still pondering over some rather trivial matters, he jolted a bit when he felt a pair of skinny arms wrapped around his chest, and someone's face buried into his back.
"Hey, didn't we agree that public intimacy is a no-no?" Mashiro said jokingly, already knowing who it was without even turning his head to look at the other.
"Don't care. There's no one around us anyway." Minoru said in a slightly whining tone. If anyone happened to stop by, they would certainly think the two of them are lovers. But that's not too far from the truth, anyway. "I need my Shiro-chan recharge ~" Minoru tightened his embrace. Hugging Mashiro for him is always the best, and even the fluffiest teddy bear in the world cannot match up to his cousin.
"Now, now. Let go of me before I choke." Reluctantly, Minoru let go as the two of them then headed off the campus, "I really must find a way to put some muscles on your body though."
"Well, I've tried everything since I was a kid already, but it doesn't really improve much, so good luck with that." Minoru chuckled.
The two of them converses about all their activities at school on their way towards the Watanabe family restaurant, which is thankfully not too far away from Ichiro High and rather close to their house. Since Kyouka will not be coming home today due to some urgent business she needed to take care of at the company so they have decided to eat out and let the helpers at their house to return home earlier than usual. Though this really saddens Minoru as he has anticipated that Mashiro would be cooking instead of eating out like this.
Watanabe's restaurant has been a favorite spot for the two of them to hang out recently, since it is generally quiet, it has an overall nice view and they wouldn't be bothered much here. They took their seats near a window and moments later, Tatsuo, the son of the owner of this place came and took their orders. Minoru can also see from afar that a fellow schoolmate with them, Hana, is also working.
"Hi Tatsuo-kun." Mashiro replied, skimming through the menu, "I'll have a katsudon, please."
"I'll have the same as him." Minoru said to Tatsuo, and the two of them then went on chatting, immersing in their own world.
The last bell finally rang, signaling the end of another school day. Many of the students tend to their clubs' activities afterwards, while the rest who didn't join any particular clubs, or in other words, members of the 'go-home' club, just left the campus and headed straight home, or stopped somewhere to hang out with their friends. Peacefully normal, just like any other schools in Japan. And as the sunset covered the whole horizon in an orange shade, at the track field situated to the west wing of the school, the track team is still practicing diligently, for the annual regional competition is only a few months away.
"Ready..." As the coach raised the gun and about to fire the shot, five male members of the team, including Mashiro, then assumed their crouching position. Bang. When the shot is fired, they all then began to run, as if their lives depend on it. It was a 100 meters sprint race, and as expected, Mashiro is the one to take the lead before any that of his teammates, and leave them behind in a considerable distant. His every movement is agile and his speed makes him run through the field like a breeze. The sight of an athlete who would wear his scarf even when he is running might seem weird, like really weird to any bystanders who are watching them nearby. But for all other members of the team, this is what they have beheld for almost everyday, so it didn't bother them as much.
The race finishes in a flash, and as usual, Mashiro made the top record again. "10.77." The member who recorded the time said to Mashiro and the others when they caught up to him. He loosened his scarf a bit and swept the sweats on his forehead before grinning and gave the others a V sign.
"Man, did you secretly have some sorts of propeller installed in your legs or something...? None of us can ever catch up with you like this, senpai." A fellow member who had just taken part in the race with him said.
"Hehe, I'm just lucky. I still have a long way. Don't be so down, you guys are really good too." He scratched the back of his head and said in his usual bright and cheerful manner.
"Alright team, that's it for today." The coach gathered everyone and announced, "You're all doing a great job, especially you, Nishizaka-kun. Just keep up the good work and we'll not only conquer the regional, we'll be heading straight to the Nationals. Ganbarou."
Everyone applauded in approval, before picking up their own stuffs and made their ways to the changing room. Mashiro gulped down the lemon salt water he brewed in his bottle and then went to dressed off too. On the way, the other members kept praising him, entrusting that he would bring victory to their school. They nicknamed him the Zephyr of Ichiro High is for a reason, after all.
But little did they all know that all of it could only make Mashiro felt even more frustrated and insecure about himself.
Some of the girls asked him to go to the karaoke with them, but Mashiro quickly excused himself and took his leave. He knows he should feel that way, but somehow, it makes him feel really uncomfortable spending time with too many people at once. There's been only one person that he is comfortable around with, so in fact. he couldn't wait to be as quick as he could to finish with the track team's practices to meet him.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
"...自分とは何でどこへ向かうべきか 問い続ければ見えてくる
荒れた青春の海は厳しいけれど
明日の岸辺へと 夢の舟よ進め
今 負けないで 泣かないで 消えてしまいそうな時は
自分の声を信じ歩けばいいの
大人の僕も傷ついて眠れない夜はあるけど
苦くて甘い今を生きている
人生の全てに意味があるから 恐れずにあなたの夢を育てて
Keep on believing..."
At the stage of Ichiro High situated to the east wing of the campus, the school's choir is practicing one of the songs they are intending to use in an upcoming competition for a chance to perform at Tokyo Dome. This is, of course, a chance of a lifetime, so they are really putting a lot of their efforts into what they are doing. The song flows harmoniously, as both the vocals and the harmony fits perfectly with the piano accompany.
Minoru closes his eyes while he let his fingers trail across the piano's keyboard. Aside from the Orchestra, he is not a set member of any musical clubs in Ichiro High, but he is literally presented in any musical events that require someone to play a specific instrument, should those partake in them come to him and ask him nicely to accompany them. Of course, with his talents for many kinds of instruments out there, his list is always fully booked. He couldn't really help it though. There are plenty others who are good with music around school, yet he doesn't get why people always turn to him though. Probably due to what some of his classmates said to be his 'fanclub' or something.
The song finishes beautifully, and the choir decided to call it a day then. The girl who was the conductor then came over to him, "Thanks a lot, Minoru-san. I knew we could always count on you. You really helped us big time."
"No, it's nothing, Mariko-san." Minoru replied in his usual quiet, polite tone and his charismatic smile, "Anytime you need."
Mariko blushes a little before clearing her throat, "Hey, I was wondering if... if you would like to come with us for a treat? It's a thank you for helping us the past few days."
"Well, it's kind of you to invite. But I must apologize, since I already have some plans to do." Minoru gathered his stuffs and stood up from the piano's stool, "If there's nothing else that you need, please excuse me. I'll see everyone tomorrow if you need."
He then bowed to everyone and took his leave. Watching as Minoru left, Mariko sighed as another girl walked up to her, "See? I told you. I have never seen him hanging out with anyone, other than Mashiro-senpai the star of track team. He's always polite to everyone but it's hard to even approach him."
"Mashiro-senpai, huh? The two of them must be really close."
"Yeah, I heard they are only cousins but they are closer than any other siblings out there, if I must say." The girl shrugged, "Oh well, where shall we go today?"
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Mashiro was standing at his shoe locker, changing from the school's uniform shoes to his usual white pair of boots. Many people tend to think he has an odd view when it comes to fashion, but he just dresses in any ways he felt comfortable in, so he didn't really get why they would think so. While he is still pondering over some rather trivial matters, he jolted a bit when he felt a pair of skinny arms wrapped around his chest, and someone's face buried into his back.
"Hey, didn't we agree that public intimacy is a no-no?" Mashiro said jokingly, already knowing who it was without even turning his head to look at the other.
"Don't care. There's no one around us anyway." Minoru said in a slightly whining tone. If anyone happened to stop by, they would certainly think the two of them are lovers. But that's not too far from the truth, anyway. "I need my Shiro-chan recharge ~" Minoru tightened his embrace. Hugging Mashiro for him is always the best, and even the fluffiest teddy bear in the world cannot match up to his cousin.
"Now, now. Let go of me before I choke." Reluctantly, Minoru let go as the two of them then headed off the campus, "I really must find a way to put some muscles on your body though."
"Well, I've tried everything since I was a kid already, but it doesn't really improve much, so good luck with that." Minoru chuckled.
The two of them converses about all their activities at school on their way towards the Watanabe family restaurant, which is thankfully not too far away from Ichiro High and rather close to their house. Since Kyouka will not be coming home today due to some urgent business she needed to take care of at the company so they have decided to eat out and let the helpers at their house to return home earlier than usual. Though this really saddens Minoru as he has anticipated that Mashiro would be cooking instead of eating out like this.
Watanabe's restaurant has been a favorite spot for the two of them to hang out recently, since it is generally quiet, it has an overall nice view and they wouldn't be bothered much here. They took their seats near a window and moments later, Tatsuo, the son of the owner of this place came and took their orders. Minoru can also see from afar that a fellow schoolmate with them, Hana, is also working.
"Hi Tatsuo-kun." Mashiro replied, skimming through the menu, "I'll have a katsudon, please."
"I'll have the same as him." Minoru said to Tatsuo, and the two of them then went on chatting, immersing in their own world.
- WATANABE TATSUO -
“Coming right up!” Tatsuo took back the menu and hurried to the kitchen to pass the order. Those cousins sure seemed to get along, Tatsuo thought to himself. He and his sister on the other hand, Tatsuo shivered at the thought. He couldn't imagine going anywhere with just Akane peacefully.
“Two katsudon, table seven!” Tatsuo passed the order to his father in the kitchen. Watanabe Kyouma was the only one there, doing more cleaning than cooking now that the restaurant was still quiet. He must had sent the other cooks on a break.
“On it's way!” Kyouma gave his son the thumbs-up, ditching his gloves and taking two steps from the sink to the furnace. “Back to your studies, champ!”
“Of course, dad.” Tatsuo nodded, then quickly scanned around the restaurant before he opened his book back up. The moment his eyes passed Hana, Tatsuo abruptly hid his face behind the register. Did she really think that? Tatsuo blushed, thinking back on Hana's comment. She's not in league with my dad, is she? No, no, no, don't think about it!
“Tatsuo-kun, is that you?” Tatsuo looked up. It was mrs. Nakaruma, the elderly regular who had ordered the fish head soup. “Oh look at you, you have such a healthy colour on your cheeks. Come closer dear, how are you?” The woman beckoned, and Tatsuo complied.
“Hello mrs. Nakamura, mr. Nakamura.” Tatsuo bowed, “Are you enjoying your meal?”
It wasn't long until Tatsuo's father finished the katsudon. He put down the tray on the counter and shook his head as he watched old mrs. Nakamura interrogate Tatsuo for every last detail on his school life. “That boy just can't say no, can he?” Kyouma laughed and beckoned for Hana in Tatsuo's stead. “Hana-chan, two katsudon, table seven.”
Hana couldn't have taken two steps, before something weird happened inside the bowls. The sliced up tonkatsu lumped itself up into a big chunk of pork-chop and peeked over the edge of the bowl. As it did, the girl would hear a strange voice in her head; “You have such beautiful eyes, child,” a voice as fractured as the tonkatsu itself was spoke, “Come closer so I can look at them.”
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From a couple tables away, Hana curiously listened in to the conversation between Mrs. Nakamura and Watanabe, which made her smile. The old lady and her husband made Tsukino think of her grandparents. She loved the old people who came to the cafe; all of them so very nice.
Attention caught once again by another task at hand, Hana eagerly came back to fetch the next order, however before she could even get to table seven something made her freeze up.
“You have such beautiful eyes, child,”
Huh? She then glances down at the tray.
“Come closer so I can look at them.”
Her eyes quickly widen at the slight sight of movement of the meat within one of the bowls of katsudon. Hana's heart jumped out of her chest, a scream was let loose, and her body was covered in goosebumps. Not sure what was happening, her first reaction was to bring her fists to her chest and start crying out of fright. The fear still lingered after the bowls crashed to the floor, but now knowing that she made a big mistake made her blush intensely. Feeling as small as a mouse she timidly graces the eyes around the room before frantically beginning to clean up the mess without a single word uttered. Hana was saving her apologies for when she would be fired. Although she was still shaken up by what just happened, Hana tries to calm down. Carefully and quickly does she pick up the pieces of broken glass and throw it all into a trash can that wasn't but two feet in her reach. After about getting it all, she works to clean up the even bigger mess the katsudon made.
Oh, this is so embarrassing! Why did I have to scream like that?
- Ikeda Aika & Yoshida Izamu -
“Why should I not?” Akihiko retorted, looking down on Aika and Isamu in distaste. “You are the ones who ran into me. Therefore, it is your fault!” He threw his head back with a petulant huff, ignoring that he was also at fault for not looking where he was going. “And this gives me the right to respond anyway I please. Not like you idiots would understand.”
Isamu wasted no time in getting up into Akihiko’s face, despite the fact that he was far shorter. “Oh, right, because you’re that asshole who thinks you’re the shit and can go around yelling at people about every damn accident that has a negative effect on you.” He spat, ignoring Aika’s pull on his arms. He could see her signing at record speed in the corner of his eye, but he didn’t turn to read what she was saying, too engrossed in one-upping likely the only other person in the school who didn’t have any qualms about disrespecting upperclassmen.
“Why, Of course!” Akihiko responded, completely missing the point of Isamu’s insult and taking it at face value. “Naturally, I am the shit - do you not see this ideal body, this flawless brain?” He waved a hand over himself, confidence emanating from every pore in his body. “I am perfection itself! And therefore, I am completely in the right to yell when imperfect beings like yourself create accidents in my vicinity.” Akihiko looked down at them. “How clueless of you not to know that - ah, but I guess that is merely to be expected from plebeians like you.”
Isamu let the insult towards him fly almost completely over his head, instead focusing completely on the fact that Aika had been included in it. “Oh, fuck you!” He yelled, shoving Akihiko backwards and into a wall, the other people in the hallway long since having left for their own safety.
“No, fuck you!” Akihiko retorted back childishly. Grabbing Akihiko’s wrist, he pulled it off his being and twisted. Body turning as elegantly as a ballerina’s pirouette, Akihiko whirled around towards Isamu’s back and gave a quick tap, forcefully pushing Isamu forwards - and directly towards the wall.
Isamu growled, pushing off the wall and bodily tackling Akihiko to the floor. While they were falling, Akihiko grabbed Isamu by the lapels and pulled him down as well - directly into a headbutt.
It was like hitting a brick head on. Isamu fell back seeing stars, not using to hitting his head on things so hard, though the lack of clear vision and dizziness did nothing to sway him from attempting to punch Akihiko in the face. The punch landed off-center, hitting him in the ear instead of the nose, though just as powerful and likely just as painful.
Akihiko, who had been in fights since elementary school and had therefore developed a skull that was thicker than a yeti, dealt with the headbutt better than Isamu did. Unfortunately, that did nothing to take away the pain of a throbbing ear. Blinking away stars and slotting the pain away, Akihiko used one hand to grab Isamu’s shoulder in a deathgrip and the other in a powerful jab upwards directly into Isamu’s stomach.
One hand over his stomach and other still gripping at his throbbing temple, Isamu glared down at Akihiko and took the opportunity to spit directly into his face, a triumphant look on his face. “Looks like you aren’t quite perfect anymore!”
Akihiko’s eyes went wide as reddish spit dribbled down his face. It was warm to the touch. For a moment, he froze, as if he couldn’t quite believe what just happened. Staring up at Isamu, Akihiko’s eyes narrowed as anger overtook him.
He smiled. It was not a nice smile. “I do believe you are mistaken, heathen.”
In a blur of movement, he shoved and slammed Isamu into the ground. Akihiko, now the one pinning Isamu down, rained blows down on Isamu’s face and body.
“How dare you attempt to mar my beautiful face!” With each word, Akihiko emphasised it with a punch. He rained down blows on Isamu fast and furious, breaking through the boy’s defense with practiced blows. Pinned down, Isamu only had a second to register the smirk on Akihiko’s face before something wet hit him on the cheek.
In a near perfect imitation of Isamu, Akihiko had spit on the smaller boy.
Akihiko smirked, pausing for a second to wipe Isamu’s spit on his face and onto Isamu’s clothes. “Ha! This look suits you, you imper-”
Isamu, being much smaller than Akihiko, was able to get his feet underneath his opponent and kick him off, likely bruising his ribs in the process. “Fuck you!” He snarled, scrambling to his feet.
“And you with a rusty chainsaw!” Akihiko snarled back, teeth bared in a menacing grin. Growling at each other, the two sprinted at each other, fists swinging -
Only for shoes to bounce off their heads seconds before their fists reached the intended targets.
“Isamu!” A woman’s voice shouted, the few students still standing around watching now taking off at the sound. Isamu rubbed the side of his head and let out a groan, knowing full well what was to come. Soon enough, Aika came hurrying towards them, their English teacher - Yoshida Kanae, Isamu’s eldest sister - following. “What the hell are you doing?! I thought you said you wouldn’t get into fights this year!”
“I said I wouldn’t get into pointless fights. Big difference. And why’d you throw a shoe at me?!”
“Why’re you beating up an underclassman?!” She countered.
Akihiko’s eyebrows rose. “Upperclassman?!” He looked disbelievingly at Aika and Isamu. “But you’re so tiny!”
“Fuck you! You insulted Aika!”
“As if your small size could satisfy anyone, let alone me.”Akihiko snorted, tossing his hair back. “And I did not!” he bristled at the accusation, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had called them idiots to their faces. “All I said was to watch where you were going, you imbeciles!”
“Yeah, and you said it while calling us idiots! Which is an insult! Are you an idiot?!”
“As if! If anything, you’re the idiot! You and that girl for bumping into me.” Akihiko sniffed disdainfully, dusting down his shirt. “Surely you both could have seen and heard me walking?”
Kanae spoke up this time, sliding her shoes back onto her feet. “Actually, no, she can’t hear you walking. And most likely, she was turned away from her direction while trying to talk to Isamu, so while yes, she should have been paying attention, you should have been paying attention as well.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. Isamu got up from the floor and moved to where Aika was standing in the background, the latter frowning at him and signing furiously, her hand moving back and forth in the shape of a “K.” Stupid.
“Hmmph.” Akihiko frowned at the sight of the girl signing to her friend. Even if he didn’t act like it, Akihiko wasn’t an idiot. He didn’t know what she was saying, but he knew enough for it to be sign language, and the implications behind it. Still, he had to make absolutely sure - without them noticing, naturally. “If she were deaf, she should have been walking forwards instead of backwards. Still not my fault.” He muttered sulkily, crossing his arms.
“You’re such an asshole-” Isamu started, cut off by both Aika and Kanae smacking him across the head.
Kanae shoved her brother out of the way and approached Akihiko, pulling him to his feet and leveling him with a harsh stare. “You’re right. But everyone makes mistakes, even someone as self-centered as yourself. Your attitude toward other people in this world is going to get you into a lot more trouble than what happened today, so I suggest you get your damn ego in check and avoid my brother and Aika like the plague. Are we clear?” Backing off, she ruffled Aika’s hair and headed back down the hall.
“You’re both stuck cleaning the school still, by the way. Go find Suzuki-kun and see if there’s anything left for you to actually do.”
“Hmmph.” Akihiko looked like he wanted to argue, but instead kept his mouth shut and turned away. Not that he was afraid of the teacher, no! He just - didn’t want to get into something that could lead him into being expelled again before he could find his friend. Yep, that was it! Definitely not because the teacher was extremely intimidating (because she was). “Fine.”
“Why am I in detention too?!” Isamu questioned, his sister completely ignoring him. “Ugh!” With hardly even a glance in Akihiko’s direction, Isamu wiped the spit and blood from his face and let Aika drag him off down the hall, presumably toward wherever she assumed Suzuki was. She stopped them halfway down the corridor and turned back, waving Akihiko over despite Isamu’s groan of distaste. “Why’re you inviting him?” He asked pointlessly.
“Because she, unlike you, can recognise perfection when it’s in front of her eyes.” Akihiko said prissily, walking into step beside them.
And with that, the three of them walked towards the detention room, two arguing and one watching.
Isamu wasted no time in getting up into Akihiko’s face, despite the fact that he was far shorter. “Oh, right, because you’re that asshole who thinks you’re the shit and can go around yelling at people about every damn accident that has a negative effect on you.” He spat, ignoring Aika’s pull on his arms. He could see her signing at record speed in the corner of his eye, but he didn’t turn to read what she was saying, too engrossed in one-upping likely the only other person in the school who didn’t have any qualms about disrespecting upperclassmen.
“Why, Of course!” Akihiko responded, completely missing the point of Isamu’s insult and taking it at face value. “Naturally, I am the shit - do you not see this ideal body, this flawless brain?” He waved a hand over himself, confidence emanating from every pore in his body. “I am perfection itself! And therefore, I am completely in the right to yell when imperfect beings like yourself create accidents in my vicinity.” Akihiko looked down at them. “How clueless of you not to know that - ah, but I guess that is merely to be expected from plebeians like you.”
Isamu let the insult towards him fly almost completely over his head, instead focusing completely on the fact that Aika had been included in it. “Oh, fuck you!” He yelled, shoving Akihiko backwards and into a wall, the other people in the hallway long since having left for their own safety.
“No, fuck you!” Akihiko retorted back childishly. Grabbing Akihiko’s wrist, he pulled it off his being and twisted. Body turning as elegantly as a ballerina’s pirouette, Akihiko whirled around towards Isamu’s back and gave a quick tap, forcefully pushing Isamu forwards - and directly towards the wall.
Isamu growled, pushing off the wall and bodily tackling Akihiko to the floor. While they were falling, Akihiko grabbed Isamu by the lapels and pulled him down as well - directly into a headbutt.
It was like hitting a brick head on. Isamu fell back seeing stars, not using to hitting his head on things so hard, though the lack of clear vision and dizziness did nothing to sway him from attempting to punch Akihiko in the face. The punch landed off-center, hitting him in the ear instead of the nose, though just as powerful and likely just as painful.
Akihiko, who had been in fights since elementary school and had therefore developed a skull that was thicker than a yeti, dealt with the headbutt better than Isamu did. Unfortunately, that did nothing to take away the pain of a throbbing ear. Blinking away stars and slotting the pain away, Akihiko used one hand to grab Isamu’s shoulder in a deathgrip and the other in a powerful jab upwards directly into Isamu’s stomach.
One hand over his stomach and other still gripping at his throbbing temple, Isamu glared down at Akihiko and took the opportunity to spit directly into his face, a triumphant look on his face. “Looks like you aren’t quite perfect anymore!”
Akihiko’s eyes went wide as reddish spit dribbled down his face. It was warm to the touch. For a moment, he froze, as if he couldn’t quite believe what just happened. Staring up at Isamu, Akihiko’s eyes narrowed as anger overtook him.
He smiled. It was not a nice smile. “I do believe you are mistaken, heathen.”
In a blur of movement, he shoved and slammed Isamu into the ground. Akihiko, now the one pinning Isamu down, rained blows down on Isamu’s face and body.
“How dare you attempt to mar my beautiful face!” With each word, Akihiko emphasised it with a punch. He rained down blows on Isamu fast and furious, breaking through the boy’s defense with practiced blows. Pinned down, Isamu only had a second to register the smirk on Akihiko’s face before something wet hit him on the cheek.
In a near perfect imitation of Isamu, Akihiko had spit on the smaller boy.
Akihiko smirked, pausing for a second to wipe Isamu’s spit on his face and onto Isamu’s clothes. “Ha! This look suits you, you imper-”
Isamu, being much smaller than Akihiko, was able to get his feet underneath his opponent and kick him off, likely bruising his ribs in the process. “Fuck you!” He snarled, scrambling to his feet.
“And you with a rusty chainsaw!” Akihiko snarled back, teeth bared in a menacing grin. Growling at each other, the two sprinted at each other, fists swinging -
Only for shoes to bounce off their heads seconds before their fists reached the intended targets.
“Isamu!” A woman’s voice shouted, the few students still standing around watching now taking off at the sound. Isamu rubbed the side of his head and let out a groan, knowing full well what was to come. Soon enough, Aika came hurrying towards them, their English teacher - Yoshida Kanae, Isamu’s eldest sister - following. “What the hell are you doing?! I thought you said you wouldn’t get into fights this year!”
“I said I wouldn’t get into pointless fights. Big difference. And why’d you throw a shoe at me?!”
“Why’re you beating up an underclassman?!” She countered.
Akihiko’s eyebrows rose. “Upperclassman?!” He looked disbelievingly at Aika and Isamu. “But you’re so tiny!”
“Fuck you! You insulted Aika!”
“As if your small size could satisfy anyone, let alone me.”Akihiko snorted, tossing his hair back. “And I did not!” he bristled at the accusation, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had called them idiots to their faces. “All I said was to watch where you were going, you imbeciles!”
“Yeah, and you said it while calling us idiots! Which is an insult! Are you an idiot?!”
“As if! If anything, you’re the idiot! You and that girl for bumping into me.” Akihiko sniffed disdainfully, dusting down his shirt. “Surely you both could have seen and heard me walking?”
Kanae spoke up this time, sliding her shoes back onto her feet. “Actually, no, she can’t hear you walking. And most likely, she was turned away from her direction while trying to talk to Isamu, so while yes, she should have been paying attention, you should have been paying attention as well.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. Isamu got up from the floor and moved to where Aika was standing in the background, the latter frowning at him and signing furiously, her hand moving back and forth in the shape of a “K.” Stupid.
“Hmmph.” Akihiko frowned at the sight of the girl signing to her friend. Even if he didn’t act like it, Akihiko wasn’t an idiot. He didn’t know what she was saying, but he knew enough for it to be sign language, and the implications behind it. Still, he had to make absolutely sure - without them noticing, naturally. “If she were deaf, she should have been walking forwards instead of backwards. Still not my fault.” He muttered sulkily, crossing his arms.
“You’re such an asshole-” Isamu started, cut off by both Aika and Kanae smacking him across the head.
Kanae shoved her brother out of the way and approached Akihiko, pulling him to his feet and leveling him with a harsh stare. “You’re right. But everyone makes mistakes, even someone as self-centered as yourself. Your attitude toward other people in this world is going to get you into a lot more trouble than what happened today, so I suggest you get your damn ego in check and avoid my brother and Aika like the plague. Are we clear?” Backing off, she ruffled Aika’s hair and headed back down the hall.
“You’re both stuck cleaning the school still, by the way. Go find Suzuki-kun and see if there’s anything left for you to actually do.”
“Hmmph.” Akihiko looked like he wanted to argue, but instead kept his mouth shut and turned away. Not that he was afraid of the teacher, no! He just - didn’t want to get into something that could lead him into being expelled again before he could find his friend. Yep, that was it! Definitely not because the teacher was extremely intimidating (because she was). “Fine.”
“Why am I in detention too?!” Isamu questioned, his sister completely ignoring him. “Ugh!” With hardly even a glance in Akihiko’s direction, Isamu wiped the spit and blood from his face and let Aika drag him off down the hall, presumably toward wherever she assumed Suzuki was. She stopped them halfway down the corridor and turned back, waving Akihiko over despite Isamu’s groan of distaste. “Why’re you inviting him?” He asked pointlessly.
“Because she, unlike you, can recognise perfection when it’s in front of her eyes.” Akihiko said prissily, walking into step beside them.
And with that, the three of them walked towards the detention room, two arguing and one watching.
- SAKURANO YOMI -
It was almost eerie how empty the hall was. It was afternoon and Sakurano Yomi, a highschool girl, sat with crossed legs on the edge of the stage of a small theatre downtown. The fold-up chairs were neatly aligned, the lamps to the side of the stage were being nudged ever so-slightly by a the after-school drama teacher. In their greeting earlier she had smiled and nodded along, pretending she hadn't heard her friend's, Seiyuu Akihiko, many rants about him. Yomi hid her smile at the thought.
Speaking of Aki, Where is that braggart? Yomi thought, peddling her legs back and forth. Akihiko had promised to help set up, but he wasn't just late, almost everything was already for the show. Within an hour, it would be the first time Yomi would try her verses at a local slam poetry competition. She rehearsed each line in her head, each reverberating her heartstrings like the violin's. Yomi had written closer to her heart than she ever thought she would. She would be baring the back of her mind in front of an unknowing audience... It was a frightening thrill.
Her phone rang in her bag; the vibrations on the platform testing the acoustics of the room. Apologetically, Yomi waved at the drama teacher, before swiping the lock off of the touchscreen and seeing the alarm was set off by Amari Sakura, her friend who was out of town to visit family. “Break a leg!” Sakura's text read; and scrolling down was a picture of her four year old cousin awkwardly giving the camera a thumbs up. Yomi giggled.
Yomi scrolled her inbox once more, just to confirm Aki hadn't sent her anything. Come on, you're kidding me. She sighed, as she pulled up the keyboard. Where. Are. You. Yomi read along silently before sending the message. Aki might have his self-centred eccentricities, but today was important to Yomi and she was sure that, willing to admit it or not, Aki had recognised that when she told him.
“Miss Sakurano, could you help me test the sound?” The drama teacher asked, waking Yomi from her thoughts, as he did his final tests on the spotlights.
“Of course.” Yomi smiled, put her phone back in her back and lifted herself up the stage. She sauntered behind the microphone and took it from its stand. “Test, test, one, two, three. This is your captain speaking.”
Seiyuu Akihiko
Akihiko was no stranger to detention. The teacher currently appointed, a burly middle-aged man who'd been teaching there for over ten years, had taken one look at them and sighed as if they were headaches trying to invade his brain. "Another fight, Seiyuu?" He said resignedly, more of a statement than a question. To himself, he muttered almost inaudibly, "That's the fifth one this month..."
Before anyone could answer, he shook his head. "Alright, you know the drill." He said. "Students in detention must help clean the school. Suzuki's in charge of you - he'll tell you what to do. Once you're done, you are free to leave. Now then," he finished, gesturing to the door with a shooing motion. "Out you go."
The trip to meet Suzuki was short but monotonous, Akihiko refusing to talk to anyone. Halfway there, a whistle rang from Akihiko's phone, loud but pretty, a catchy four notes. Gling, gling-gling gliing gling, gling-gli-
Akihiko opened his phone before the sound carried on. His eyes widened at the sight of Yomi's message. Very carefully, he scrolled through her message.
Then he winced.
He'd... forgotten. No, not forgotten - it’d just slipped his mind, that was all! In the fight that was definitely not his fault (Akihiko ignored the thoughts that said ‘yes it was your fault’ with the ease of a seasoned veteran). There was a twinging in his gut that felt like someone had pricked him with a blunt needle, and Akihiko frowned, placing his hand lightly over his stomach. Maybe he was having a stomach ache?
(Wrong answer! It was actually the emotion guilt, but since Akihiko was a loser with the emotional awareness of a broken brick (aka none), it was questionable if he even knew what guilt was.)
Probably a stomach ache, Akihiko decided. Thumbs flying over the keyboard of his phone, Akihiko quickly texted back.
To Sakurano:
Naturally I would have attended your slam-poetry night! Alas, there is naught that even a perfect being such as I can do to go against the whims of the school administration, and so I regret to inform you that I can’t go to your competition because those demonic teachers simply do not understand the importance of battle, and deem it a terrible offense to the state of this school. I’m now chained by the threat of suspension to the demon Suzuki, alas, and stuck with the wretched job of cleaning this school of filth until the sun sets.
However! Surely you do not need me to be there? For clearly, the people against you are fools in the making, doomed to fail against you and your training! It is a sad thing indeed that I cannot see the lambs coming in to be slayed. And as Suzuki is approaching, I must cut this message short - and so I bid you adieu!
Akihiko barely had time to press send before they came upon Suzuki. He grinned and waved at the blonde teen as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, clearly unrepentant at being back in detention. “I'm back!” He said rapidly, baring his teeth in a smile. “What do we have to clean today?”
- WATANABE TATSUO -
“Oh that poor girl.” Mrs. Namakmura gasped when Hana dropped the plate. Tatsuo's heart jumped up in his throat. What was that! He thought, turning around to see Hana red as a beet as she frantically tried to clean up the dropped katsudon.
“Please excuse me.” Tatsuo bowed to the elderly couple – then rushed to get a cloth from behind the counter. Within a skip and a step, Tatsuo squatted down next to his colleague.
“Don't worry, I've got it.” Tatsuo sympathised, as he hastily tried to mop up the sauce before it got too deep into the wood. He barely dared to look at Hana. Tatsuo knew full well how it felt to drop a plate – and he didn't want to scare her.
“A-are you okay?” Tatsuo finally dared ask when they had gotten the worst of it. From the corner of his eye, he tried to look at Hana – but somehow fixated on the girl's shoulder, not sure if he should look her straight in the eye. “What happened?”
In the aftermath Hana was failing to completely calm down. Hearing the murmurs and feeling the eyes watching her like hawks circling around a helpless mouse, It was getting hard for her to determine whether her face was burning hot due to how mortified she is or if she has developed a high fever. What she concluded to be a hallucination had gotten her all messed up now. If she was getting sick, that made sense, but the timing for it was completely bad.
Oh no. No, not now… Rin is counting on me this week… A mental image of all the cosplay she was coaxed into wearing made her blush even more (if that was even possible), but nevermind that! The more important thing was she had to say something to Tatsuo because she anticipated the question he would ask after he helped her clean up the rest of the mess. “Thank you, I’m so sorry,” were the only words she managed to utter as she stood back up; rushed and quiet.
“I-” Hana choked on her words as she avoided the gaze of her coworker by looking down at her feet. “Um-” Coming up with the right thing to say was something she wanted to be careful about, though what would make her sound the least bit bonkers? Certainly she didn't want to mention the talking bowl of katsudon so bluntly.
Finally after a moment’s pause she looked up and forced herself to look at him. “I may need to go home just this once,” she responded in a nervous whisper, “I hallucinated… I think. I’m so sorry for the trouble. This has never happened before, so I must be coming down with something..” Tsukino tipped her spine with all sincerity before straightening her posture and looking down at her hands which she kept close to her heart; they were trembling the whole time.
Oh no. No, not now… Rin is counting on me this week… A mental image of all the cosplay she was coaxed into wearing made her blush even more (if that was even possible), but nevermind that! The more important thing was she had to say something to Tatsuo because she anticipated the question he would ask after he helped her clean up the rest of the mess. “Thank you, I’m so sorry,” were the only words she managed to utter as she stood back up; rushed and quiet.
“I-” Hana choked on her words as she avoided the gaze of her coworker by looking down at her feet. “Um-” Coming up with the right thing to say was something she wanted to be careful about, though what would make her sound the least bit bonkers? Certainly she didn't want to mention the talking bowl of katsudon so bluntly.
Finally after a moment’s pause she looked up and forced herself to look at him. “I may need to go home just this once,” she responded in a nervous whisper, “I hallucinated… I think. I’m so sorry for the trouble. This has never happened before, so I must be coming down with something..” Tsukino tipped her spine with all sincerity before straightening her posture and looking down at her hands which she kept close to her heart; they were trembling the whole time.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mashiro and Minoru were indulging in their own conversation, until the screaming of Hana and the sound of something shattering into pieces caught their attention. It seemed that she was about to bring them their katsudon, but then was startled because of something in the bowls.
“Wait…” Minoru raised an eyebrow as he saw something was moving inside the mess that the two bowls made on the floor. The slices of deep-fried pork wriggled as if they were alive. If he was just like any other people sitting here, he would be convinced that it was merely a hallucination, but now, as a member of the club and someone who had just recently found out about his brand and power, he knows that this is real, and something odd is definitely going on.
“Erm… Are you seeing what I think I am seeing…?” Mashiro, who now have also taken notice of what had happened, questioned.
Minoru nodded in acknowledgement to his cousin, “Mikami-sensei will like to know about this.” By this time, Tatsuo has also come to check up on Hana and helped her to clean up the mess, “I’ll call him. You should go and tell Watanabe-san.”
They nodded to each other as Mashiro stood up and approached the two. “Hey, everything’s okay over here?” He asked Hana with a smile, while shooting a glance at Tatsuo that says “she was not hallucinating.” Meanwhile, Minoru took out his phone and dialed one of the sole two phone numbers he had, which belonged to Mikami Sora - the adviser of the club. When someone on the other side picked up, he reported, “Sensei? There’s something going on over here I think you’d like to know.”
“Wait…” Minoru raised an eyebrow as he saw something was moving inside the mess that the two bowls made on the floor. The slices of deep-fried pork wriggled as if they were alive. If he was just like any other people sitting here, he would be convinced that it was merely a hallucination, but now, as a member of the club and someone who had just recently found out about his brand and power, he knows that this is real, and something odd is definitely going on.
“Erm… Are you seeing what I think I am seeing…?” Mashiro, who now have also taken notice of what had happened, questioned.
Minoru nodded in acknowledgement to his cousin, “Mikami-sensei will like to know about this.” By this time, Tatsuo has also come to check up on Hana and helped her to clean up the mess, “I’ll call him. You should go and tell Watanabe-san.”
They nodded to each other as Mashiro stood up and approached the two. “Hey, everything’s okay over here?” He asked Hana with a smile, while shooting a glance at Tatsuo that says “she was not hallucinating.” Meanwhile, Minoru took out his phone and dialed one of the sole two phone numbers he had, which belonged to Mikami Sora - the adviser of the club. When someone on the other side picked up, he reported, “Sensei? There’s something going on over here I think you’d like to know.”
- WATANABE TATSUO -
“It's okay! Please don't feel bad about it!” Tatsuo almost shouted in response. His face turned red as a beet and Tatsuo scrubbed so vividly he'd almost risk removing the lacquer. It wasn't until Mashiro came up that Tatsuo could think of anything else, but when his magenta eyes met Tatsuo's – why is Mashiro-senpai..!
The katsudon pieces Hana and Tatsuo had picked up were squirming. Like worms they were trying to reach for Hana; but in their cut up form they could hardly move – and if Mashiro saw it too... Tatsuo nodded to his senior in understanding, silently thanking him for his support.
“You're not hallucinating Hana.” Tatsuo tried to bring up. “It's the katsudon, isn't it?” He kept his voice low – but wary. Tatsuo too, had been in for quite the surprise himself when he first discovered the book had chosen him... And he knew he wasn't the only one in the club that strange things had been happening to.“M-mashiro-senpai and I know someone who can help, but-”
Tatsuo was cut off by a voice even he, Mashiro and Minoru could hear. It was coming mrs. Nakamura; who shrieked at the discovery the fishhead had jumped out of it's soup. However, it's glazing eyes had turned vivid and yellow and stared straight at Hana.
“Why, child, my eyes are so big so I can better see you.” A voice echoed through the restaurant. The fish no longer even smelled like fish. It reeked of wet dog. Flopping ever so slightly it inched towards the three youngsters. As did the katsudon... Which seemed to be starting to grow grey hair!
For a second Tatsuo hesitated. “Mashiro-senpai, please take care of Hana-san.” Tatsuo chirped as he jumped up. His fingers quivered – but this was his family's restaurant and Tatsuo had to to something! He rushed towards the kitchen, looking for anything to help him ward off the strange food. A pan. A knife. Something to keep whatever was chasing Hana at bay... But the moment he entered the kitchen...
“Have you seen a girl with a red hood?” A stew murmured. Tatsuo promptly slammed the lid on the pan! All of the food in it had warped in shape! There were wolf ears, paws, tails! It was as if their kitchen had been a butchery for an entire wolf-pack... But the wolves were trying to put their selves back together! Tatsuo's heart pounded in his chest. His father was nowhere to be seen – and Tatsuo, too afraid to reach for the knife drawer, instead grabbed a broom and ran back out of the kitchen. Minoru was the first person he saw and Tatsuo almost bumped into him.
“Help! There's wolves in there!” Tatsuo pointed at the kitchen, putting the broom in front of him like a pike. He hoped Minoru could keep his cool, because right now, Tatsuo certainly could not!
When Mashiro came up and asked if everything was okay, a soft and slightly nervous laugh came out of her mouth. Not even looking up from her hands she replied timidly “Everything is fine.” And it was back to silence until Tatsuo told her something that she didn’t believe. He sounded like he had lost it when he had told her that she wasn't hallucinating.
“What do you mean?” A sense of confusion consumed her from this point forward. Eyebrows coming together, for once she prayed for what he said to be a sick joke, but having been witness to the looks the boys exchanged and the serious tone, Tsukino knew that something was really wrong. The fear and confusion only heightened with the scream of the elderly lady she had served only a few minutes ago. The scream made her head turn and little could she think over the increase of her pounding heart.
“Why, child, my eyes are so big so I can better see you.”
Cold droplets of sweat started to appear and drip from her skin. The fish had changed, speaking demonically and glaring right at her with big yellow eyes. The overwhelming aroma of wet dog made her actually feel sick. In the back of her mind she knew that this entity was directing it's voice at her. It was for a reason she couldn't gather into words or mentally explain to herself. Knowing it wasn't her mind playing tricks due to some illness, Hana didn't know what to think anymore. What kind of world am I living in? Frozen solid, she was on the edge of denial, but simultaneously she knew this was her reality which she could not escape. She knew things like ghosts existed, she has seen them with her own eyes, but this was something more than paranormal. As much as she wished to wake up from this nightmare she knew that none of this was a dream. All she knew was that things like this do not and should not be happening..
“I’m scared!” She blurted out as more tears burst from her eyelids. Her puffy eyes were as wide as walnuts while she looked unblinkingly at the thing that started flopping towards them. As if it were a rodent Hana screamed bloody murder and like a frightened creature she ran off towards the exit. Her heart stopped when she jiggled the door knob. It was either jammed or locked, but either way she and everyone inside the restaurant was trapped. Everything going on around her was one thing and not knowing what to do about it but cry and or run away was another. She felt terrible and angry. The ability of flight was now not one of her options, but the seemingly impossible instinct to fight was starting to kick in. She was now searching for her courage to do something that most wouldn't expect of someone like Hana. Little did she realize in that moment she was about to go through many changes... literally.
“What do you mean?” A sense of confusion consumed her from this point forward. Eyebrows coming together, for once she prayed for what he said to be a sick joke, but having been witness to the looks the boys exchanged and the serious tone, Tsukino knew that something was really wrong. The fear and confusion only heightened with the scream of the elderly lady she had served only a few minutes ago. The scream made her head turn and little could she think over the increase of her pounding heart.
“Why, child, my eyes are so big so I can better see you.”
Cold droplets of sweat started to appear and drip from her skin. The fish had changed, speaking demonically and glaring right at her with big yellow eyes. The overwhelming aroma of wet dog made her actually feel sick. In the back of her mind she knew that this entity was directing it's voice at her. It was for a reason she couldn't gather into words or mentally explain to herself. Knowing it wasn't her mind playing tricks due to some illness, Hana didn't know what to think anymore. What kind of world am I living in? Frozen solid, she was on the edge of denial, but simultaneously she knew this was her reality which she could not escape. She knew things like ghosts existed, she has seen them with her own eyes, but this was something more than paranormal. As much as she wished to wake up from this nightmare she knew that none of this was a dream. All she knew was that things like this do not and should not be happening..
“I’m scared!” She blurted out as more tears burst from her eyelids. Her puffy eyes were as wide as walnuts while she looked unblinkingly at the thing that started flopping towards them. As if it were a rodent Hana screamed bloody murder and like a frightened creature she ran off towards the exit. Her heart stopped when she jiggled the door knob. It was either jammed or locked, but either way she and everyone inside the restaurant was trapped. Everything going on around her was one thing and not knowing what to do about it but cry and or run away was another. She felt terrible and angry. The ability of flight was now not one of her options, but the seemingly impossible instinct to fight was starting to kick in. She was now searching for her courage to do something that most wouldn't expect of someone like Hana. Little did she realize in that moment she was about to go through many changes... literally.
"No, no, like this..." The boy said, laughing softly and brushing his well-kempt ashen black bangs behind his ear. He put one hand warmly on the child's shoulder, and the other hand on the keyboard. "Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf." He said in sequence, pressing the keys on the piano in tandem with the numbers that sprang forth from his sing-song voice. The man lifted his hand from the keyboard and put it firmly on the child's shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze. "Now, you."
"O-one, two, three, four, f-" the child stopped abruptly, hitting the wrong key, sending the melody to a halt. Frustration washed over the young child's face. "I hate this stupid thing. I want to play the sax like you, or the drums." The stubborn child said.
"If you want to be a musician, you have to master the fundamentals first." The older boy said. "You aren't going to become a saxophone prodigy or a master drummer without first learning how to play a simple melody." The child furrowed his brow. "Fine."
He turned to face his b҉r̵oth͢e҉r, but he was met with only empty space. "What? where did he.." the child turned around to face the piano once again, but was met with something different entirely. A bo͞dy҉. It was a y̗͍̼̠͕̻̣o̼̖u̡̹͇n͔̣̫g͓͟ ̷̺̠̲ͅw̛̟͍̖̟̱o̯m҉̘̹͕a̪̣͟n̠͉͎͓̜͜. She was
l͢҉̕a̵̸yì̸ng̨͘ ͢͞f̴̢̡a̢ce̴ ́d͏̶oẃ͘͠n҉̸ in a p̧̠̘͓̘͚ŏ̜͚̫̦̬̻͙o͉͚̭͕̺͙ͅl̝̩̥͈̳̝̏̅ͤ̂̿͟ ͎͇̫̮̼̩̄ͤ͗̓o͆̇̒͊ͫ͗̌f̻͚̪̝̗͗̅̂̆ͪ͑́ ̳̝̬̱͕ͩb̵͉̝͇͎̝͕l̘̤ͤͧ͐̈ͅͅǫ͍̻o̔̍҉dͬ. The child jumped up and gasped, he turned again to look for his brother, but he was nowhere to be found. I͠ņs̷t̶ead ̵h̨e ̵wa̧s ҉g̢ręȩted̶ by ̨a͏ ͢bl̵o͞o͡d͘y̧ kit͏c̵hen̢ kǹif̷e,҉ w̸hi͡c̸h͡,͝ ùpơn f͜u͘rt͘ḩer̀ ins͝pec͞tìon͢ w͟as͠ ͠se͏at͡e̵d dee͠p̷ ̴in͏ ͞h̢i͝s-͜
̡
̨
"That fucking dream again..." he thought, jolting up from his bed, his twelve pillows, or at least the one under his head, damp with sweat. His over sized fluffy blanket felt like a straight jacket tethering him to his bed, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead onto his bare chest. He pushed his hair back with his trembling hand, and looked around his room to anchor himself to reality. He scanned the room, observing his many poster of famous musicians, movies and video games.
He looked at his laptop, dimly glowing on top of his oaken desk, and a cheesy lava lamp that sat beside it, which had been given as a gift to him by his mother the previous year. He noticed a spilled glass of water on the floor, which he must have knocked down in his fervor, and leaned over to pick it up. As he was doing so his heart skipped a beat as he noticed the time, which was displayed with angry crimson LEDs on his cheap department store alarm clock.
"Shit."
"Late again, Dojima-san..." the secretary blurted out with a sigh as Haruo entered the school building. "I've been told that you're to report immediately to detention after class." he furrowed his brow at the slightly pretty middle-aged woman who manned the front-lines of the battlefield that was high school. "Whatever." He said bitterly. "Suzuki teaches me more with his cleaning lessons then you lot do in five hour-long periods anyway." The secretary scowled. "Don't be angry at me Mr. Tardy, I'm just the messenger. " Haruo waved her off as he made his way down the hallway, toward his last/first class.
Making his way to were he knew Suzuki would be, Haruo lamented that fact that he would miss the poetry slam. Though he was one of the newer additions to the Fairy Tale club, he had begun to feel a bond to the group, and was finally beginning to appreciate the fact that he now had friends for the first time since the incident. He was exited to tag along with Akihiko. Though the boy was haughty and narcissistic, Haruo liked him and felt a kinship with him through the experience of discovering their powers and helping each other grow. It made him feel like there was something else in his life, something bigger then the dark cloud that was his brother, whom always loomed over him.
He also lamented his cowardice, which prevented him from inviting Hana to attend the poetry event with him. All of his club mates knew that he had a crush on the girl, and they encouraged him to bring her along, but his fear of rejection kept that from happening. Besides, he thought, it was just as likely that he would be decapitated by Rin, had she caught wind of him asking her sister on a date.
As he finally located Suzuki to report for detention, he noticed something odd. The blue-haired beauty himself, followed by two other students who Haruo recognized as having belonged to his class. They looked as though they had been involved in some kind of melee, which was not out of the norm for Seiyuu, and probably the reason why he was approaching Suzuki as well.
"Well well, your excellency..." He said, looking towards Seiyuu as they both approached Suzuki from opposite sides. "Guess neither of us will be going to the poetry slam, huh?"
“What do we have to do today?”
”Ah! You must be the extra hands--wait--” Takeshi turned to greet the newcomers and noticed Aki standing among them, slipping his phone into his pocket. A regular even among the maintenance team, Akihiko stood out amongst them thanks to his bright blue hair - especially in the school corridor with only four people present. Apparently, he was the person who got into that squabble he passed earlier.
”You here again Aki? Hehe, how many times have you f*cked someone up this month huh? Three?” He greeted the familiar face with his usual outgoing air.
Aki let out a huff, combing a hand through his hair. “Five, thank you very much!” He said offendedly, as if he was a victorian lady who’d just had her honor besmirched. “They were totally asking for it.”
”Not going to fly anymore man. You know what they say--always take the higher uhh, plane? Ground? I don’t know. I never listened to Sunday school haha!” Takeshi laughed at Aki’s misfortune. Well, it was his own doing anyway. ”A-ny-way...stuff,stuff…” Takeshi muttered to himself as he tried to recall what hasn’t been attended to yet. ”Right! The bins. Uhh, you guys need to empty the bins in each room. Aki, you take the ground floor. You know how stuff works already. Uhh...blondie can take the second and little lady can attend to the bins in the clubrooms.”
”It’s just a quick routine. There’s this massive bin just by the restrooms on each floor. Just chuck the remains of the smaller bins there so you can take it all down in one go. Incinerator is Aki’s job and he’s done it before so no problems on this end--” In the middle of explaining the routine, Takeshi received a call from the radio he was given.
People working with the maintenance were given small radios in order to call them over quickly when they were needed. It was also used if they were to be given new tasks to attend to.
”Alright. Got it.” Takeshi cutted contact. ”Well, let’s try to do this fast since we just got called in to help in the drama room. You know what that means? Free front row tickets to whatever’s currently being rehearsed there!”
Takeshi tried to uplift everyone’s mood as he talked, laughing and grinning all the while. It certainly worked well on Akihiko - his eyes light up with surprised glee, a relieved smile forming on his face.
“Yes!” Akihiko did a silent fist pump before he remembered that he was surrounded by other people. Quickly, he raised his fist to his lips with a fake cough, pretending that he was unaffected - not that it fooled anybody. “Ahem! I-I mean, yes! It is only natural that they require our presence!” He began to take quick strides. “Let's go!”
The store room might have been neat once, but thanks to a stressed rehearsal and not enough time, it was now a mess. The room was small and cluttered to the brim with objects ranging from dusty backgrounds that reached the ceiling to a small sewing kits people had forgotten to bring back. To the left stood a mass of hangers that held costumes captive, and to the right was a bunch of equipment. Overhead, the dingy lights flickered over the windowless room, casting everything in a bright, if eery glow.
Overall, it was a completely stuffy room, chilly despite the hot weather. It was also being used to practice a play by the drama club instead of the poetry slam competition, something Akihiko had only found out when he’d barged into the room with a winning smile.
Isamu and Aika, having grown up in a crowded home where constant chaos was unavoidable, gave hardly even a passing glance to the mess. Aika did, however, instantly take notice of the costume rack, rubbing her fingers over the fabric and silently admiring the stitchwork. It was very well-done sewing, each thread exactly the same distance apart and not a hole in sight. Isamu steps up beside her and brings one hand up, pinky outstretched, the other hand moving over it in a circle. Pretty? Aika nods with a smile, her hand mimicking a finger gun, the sign for “very.”
The edges of Isamu’s mouth quirk upward slightly, and Aika holds onto his sleeve as they follow Suzuki and Seiyuu through the store room. “So, what’re we gonna be doing, anyways?” Isamu questions, crossing his arms over each other and frowning.
”Alright. Staff said the lights are a little too dim for the practice today so I’ll need a couple of hands who’ll accompany me up there--” Takeshi points at the suspiciously fragile looking platform holding all the lights together. ”As you can see, that shit’s a heart attack for anyone scared of heights. The rest will do the AC temps and the old costumes.”
Takeshi noticed the abnormal cold that has settled on the room. He’d somehow grown a thicker hide ever since he started living on his own but this was a bit too much. ”Some a**holes probably jacked the temps down to below seventeen degrees...Well, who’s up for some monkey business? Blondie? Aki?” Takeshi turns to the two other boys with him, flashing them his usual cheeky grin.
“I’m willing to risk my life to fix the lighting, I have no qualms with heights.” Isamu said matter-of-factly, gesturing vaguely toward the ceiling. He figured being up high would mean less general interaction with Seiyuu, which was all he really wanted. “Aika will probably want to work with costumes, she would enjoy that.” Isamu looks at Aika as he spoke and she nodded in agreement.
“Sacrifice my life by using that rusty cat walk? Nonsense!” Akihiko tossed his hair back as if the very idea offended him. “I’ll have the AC done before you fall from that ridiculous excuse of a platform.”
Isamu follows Takeshi’s directions up to the catwalk, taking gentle steps and clinging onto the rail just in case the entire thing collapsed. He takes a moment to take in the view from the top- he can see all the way across the theater, every seat as well as the stage below. “Wow.” Thinking on the task at hand, Isamu reaches down and carefully brightens each of the stage lights until Takeshi tells him they’re bright enough, finishing quickly.
Aika tries not to worry about Isamu, being so high up on a platform that surely can’t be approved of by anyone who even vaguely knows of safety guidelines. Tearing her eyes from her friend, she heads back the way they’d come in, stopping at the racks of costumes with a smile on her face. A fairy dress with dusty rose-pink sequins sewn into the fabric catches her eye, and she runs her fingers over the intricate details, dedicating each one to memory for future reference.
Down below, the rehearsal is finishing up in its grand finale. The leading actress takes a bow, and people laugh as the actor gives them a jaunty wink. The people crowd around, chatting and encouraging and criticising amongst each other as they begin to finish their work. A few breath sighs of relief at finally being able to escape the cold room.
In the process, nobody notices the shaking of a person’s hands, the drop in temperature, or the glitter of ice crystals that began to appear on the ceiling.
”Alright! That’s a wrap. Now all we need to do is--hmm?” It may have been a slight change in the temperature in the room but Takeshi felt it drop down fast. ”Oi, Aki! Are you bringing the temps down instead of up like I said? It’s starting to feel like Sandy Claws came early in here!” He calls out to the volunteer, barely noticing small specks of white suddenly appearing from above.
When it happens, it’s sudden and fast. People scream in shock as ice flashes into being in the room. Frost flutters away in white specks as the windows and doors freeze shut, trapping Takeshi, Aika, Isamu and the rest of the drama crew in the room and leaving Haruo and the rest of the detention crew outside with no way in.
Inside the room, ice begins to frost over the ceiling as the temperature begins to drop. The temperature might be bearable, but with the rate the temperature was dropping it wouldn't be long before they all became ice popsicles for eternity.
”Ah! You must be the extra hands--wait--” Takeshi turned to greet the newcomers and noticed Aki standing among them, slipping his phone into his pocket. A regular even among the maintenance team, Akihiko stood out amongst them thanks to his bright blue hair - especially in the school corridor with only four people present. Apparently, he was the person who got into that squabble he passed earlier.
”You here again Aki? Hehe, how many times have you f*cked someone up this month huh? Three?” He greeted the familiar face with his usual outgoing air.
Aki let out a huff, combing a hand through his hair. “Five, thank you very much!” He said offendedly, as if he was a victorian lady who’d just had her honor besmirched. “They were totally asking for it.”
”Not going to fly anymore man. You know what they say--always take the higher uhh, plane? Ground? I don’t know. I never listened to Sunday school haha!” Takeshi laughed at Aki’s misfortune. Well, it was his own doing anyway. ”A-ny-way...stuff,stuff…” Takeshi muttered to himself as he tried to recall what hasn’t been attended to yet. ”Right! The bins. Uhh, you guys need to empty the bins in each room. Aki, you take the ground floor. You know how stuff works already. Uhh...blondie can take the second and little lady can attend to the bins in the clubrooms.”
”It’s just a quick routine. There’s this massive bin just by the restrooms on each floor. Just chuck the remains of the smaller bins there so you can take it all down in one go. Incinerator is Aki’s job and he’s done it before so no problems on this end--” In the middle of explaining the routine, Takeshi received a call from the radio he was given.
People working with the maintenance were given small radios in order to call them over quickly when they were needed. It was also used if they were to be given new tasks to attend to.
”Alright. Got it.” Takeshi cutted contact. ”Well, let’s try to do this fast since we just got called in to help in the drama room. You know what that means? Free front row tickets to whatever’s currently being rehearsed there!”
Takeshi tried to uplift everyone’s mood as he talked, laughing and grinning all the while. It certainly worked well on Akihiko - his eyes light up with surprised glee, a relieved smile forming on his face.
“Yes!” Akihiko did a silent fist pump before he remembered that he was surrounded by other people. Quickly, he raised his fist to his lips with a fake cough, pretending that he was unaffected - not that it fooled anybody. “Ahem! I-I mean, yes! It is only natural that they require our presence!” He began to take quick strides. “Let's go!”
The store room might have been neat once, but thanks to a stressed rehearsal and not enough time, it was now a mess. The room was small and cluttered to the brim with objects ranging from dusty backgrounds that reached the ceiling to a small sewing kits people had forgotten to bring back. To the left stood a mass of hangers that held costumes captive, and to the right was a bunch of equipment. Overhead, the dingy lights flickered over the windowless room, casting everything in a bright, if eery glow.
Overall, it was a completely stuffy room, chilly despite the hot weather. It was also being used to practice a play by the drama club instead of the poetry slam competition, something Akihiko had only found out when he’d barged into the room with a winning smile.
Isamu and Aika, having grown up in a crowded home where constant chaos was unavoidable, gave hardly even a passing glance to the mess. Aika did, however, instantly take notice of the costume rack, rubbing her fingers over the fabric and silently admiring the stitchwork. It was very well-done sewing, each thread exactly the same distance apart and not a hole in sight. Isamu steps up beside her and brings one hand up, pinky outstretched, the other hand moving over it in a circle. Pretty? Aika nods with a smile, her hand mimicking a finger gun, the sign for “very.”
The edges of Isamu’s mouth quirk upward slightly, and Aika holds onto his sleeve as they follow Suzuki and Seiyuu through the store room. “So, what’re we gonna be doing, anyways?” Isamu questions, crossing his arms over each other and frowning.
”Alright. Staff said the lights are a little too dim for the practice today so I’ll need a couple of hands who’ll accompany me up there--” Takeshi points at the suspiciously fragile looking platform holding all the lights together. ”As you can see, that shit’s a heart attack for anyone scared of heights. The rest will do the AC temps and the old costumes.”
Takeshi noticed the abnormal cold that has settled on the room. He’d somehow grown a thicker hide ever since he started living on his own but this was a bit too much. ”Some a**holes probably jacked the temps down to below seventeen degrees...Well, who’s up for some monkey business? Blondie? Aki?” Takeshi turns to the two other boys with him, flashing them his usual cheeky grin.
“I’m willing to risk my life to fix the lighting, I have no qualms with heights.” Isamu said matter-of-factly, gesturing vaguely toward the ceiling. He figured being up high would mean less general interaction with Seiyuu, which was all he really wanted. “Aika will probably want to work with costumes, she would enjoy that.” Isamu looks at Aika as he spoke and she nodded in agreement.
“Sacrifice my life by using that rusty cat walk? Nonsense!” Akihiko tossed his hair back as if the very idea offended him. “I’ll have the AC done before you fall from that ridiculous excuse of a platform.”
Isamu follows Takeshi’s directions up to the catwalk, taking gentle steps and clinging onto the rail just in case the entire thing collapsed. He takes a moment to take in the view from the top- he can see all the way across the theater, every seat as well as the stage below. “Wow.” Thinking on the task at hand, Isamu reaches down and carefully brightens each of the stage lights until Takeshi tells him they’re bright enough, finishing quickly.
Aika tries not to worry about Isamu, being so high up on a platform that surely can’t be approved of by anyone who even vaguely knows of safety guidelines. Tearing her eyes from her friend, she heads back the way they’d come in, stopping at the racks of costumes with a smile on her face. A fairy dress with dusty rose-pink sequins sewn into the fabric catches her eye, and she runs her fingers over the intricate details, dedicating each one to memory for future reference.
Down below, the rehearsal is finishing up in its grand finale. The leading actress takes a bow, and people laugh as the actor gives them a jaunty wink. The people crowd around, chatting and encouraging and criticising amongst each other as they begin to finish their work. A few breath sighs of relief at finally being able to escape the cold room.
In the process, nobody notices the shaking of a person’s hands, the drop in temperature, or the glitter of ice crystals that began to appear on the ceiling.
”Alright! That’s a wrap. Now all we need to do is--hmm?” It may have been a slight change in the temperature in the room but Takeshi felt it drop down fast. ”Oi, Aki! Are you bringing the temps down instead of up like I said? It’s starting to feel like Sandy Claws came early in here!” He calls out to the volunteer, barely noticing small specks of white suddenly appearing from above.
When it happens, it’s sudden and fast. People scream in shock as ice flashes into being in the room. Frost flutters away in white specks as the windows and doors freeze shut, trapping Takeshi, Aika, Isamu and the rest of the drama crew in the room and leaving Haruo and the rest of the detention crew outside with no way in.
Inside the room, ice begins to frost over the ceiling as the temperature begins to drop. The temperature might be bearable, but with the rate the temperature was dropping it wouldn't be long before they all became ice popsicles for eternity.
- Ikeda Aika & Yoshida Isamu -
Isamu barely registers how cold the metal of each light fixture is, too concerned with getting the settings right- and not falling to his death. As voices from down below start to rise in volume and sound more panicked, his face scrunches up in thought, trying to discern why. It's then that Isamu notices the frost crawling up the railings of the catwalk, rendering the light fixtures immobile as ice roots them in place. He's quick to pull his hands away from the railing before the ice has a chance to trap his fingers also. XX
"Oi, does anyone know what the hell is going on?!" He shouts, taking slow, careful steps toward the ladder leading back to the ground. The catwalk creaks with every movement and he has little faith in its stability. It holds long enough for him to get to the ladder. His skin sticks to the cold metal of the rungs as he climbs back down to the floor, and Isamu rushes over to the group, most of whom are as obviously shocked and confused as he is. XX
Isamu's mind flits back to Aika and her mysterious new power. How weird would it be if that had something to do with this weird indoor blizzard? The idea isn't one he wants to consider, so he shoves it to the back of his mind and goes off in search of Aika, though he doesn't have to look for long. She comes rushing out of the back room with a worried expression, hands spread out in front of her in a show of confusion. Isamu simply shrugs, gesturing to the snow - the snow - floating down from the eaves above. "It's snowing." He mouths, as if that would explain all the things going on. Aika shoots him an unimpressed look. XX
Shouting from the other side of the room grabs their attention, and they turn to see some of the students in the drama club attempting to open the exit doors, to no avail. "I'm starting to think we're trapped in this icy winter wonderland..." XX
"Oi, does anyone know what the hell is going on?!" He shouts, taking slow, careful steps toward the ladder leading back to the ground. The catwalk creaks with every movement and he has little faith in its stability. It holds long enough for him to get to the ladder. His skin sticks to the cold metal of the rungs as he climbs back down to the floor, and Isamu rushes over to the group, most of whom are as obviously shocked and confused as he is. XX
Isamu's mind flits back to Aika and her mysterious new power. How weird would it be if that had something to do with this weird indoor blizzard? The idea isn't one he wants to consider, so he shoves it to the back of his mind and goes off in search of Aika, though he doesn't have to look for long. She comes rushing out of the back room with a worried expression, hands spread out in front of her in a show of confusion. Isamu simply shrugs, gesturing to the snow - the snow - floating down from the eaves above. "It's snowing." He mouths, as if that would explain all the things going on. Aika shoots him an unimpressed look. XX
Shouting from the other side of the room grabs their attention, and they turn to see some of the students in the drama club attempting to open the exit doors, to no avail. "I'm starting to think we're trapped in this icy winter wonderland..." XX
Akihiko was not sulking. He was not sulking, and he definitely was not worried about how badly Yomi was going to take him missing her rehearsal while cleaning the windows with Haruo. No, he was instead completely focused on cleaning the windows (so clean that people could eat off them, although why they’d want to eat off a window Akihiko had no clue) so that he could get out of this stupid detention without issues and continue not worrying at the slam poetry venue hall in peace.
(alright, so maybe he was a little worried. A little. A tiny infinitesimal smidge of worry in the galaxy of confidence Akihiko was made of, nothing that’d impact him, he could totally handle her totally he was the most awesomest person in the universe why on earth would anyone else think otherwise?
He was so screwed.)
Naturally, as Akihiko did when he wasn’t worrying, he talked. “These windows are deplorable!” he exclaimed to the world at large but more specifically one Dojima Haruo. Scowling, Akihiko rubbed vigorously at the windows. Two were spotlessly clean, while the rest were covered in grime and other deplorable substances. “Did the people forgot to clean up after the reenactment of Attack of the Sludge Monster last night?! Surely these plebeians know that the windows would be affected as well, not just the floor and walls! Naturally one such as I can clean this perfectly, but - whatthefuck is this?!”
Akihiko yanked at his hands. One hand came away free. The other hand and the cleaning cloth he was using remained stuck to the window, which was rapidly covering in frost. Eyes widening, Akihiko yanked at his hand again - only to hiss in pain as his hand threatened to let go without the skin. Even as he looked at his palm, the ice was beginning to climb up past his fingers like the rising bread of doom to envelope his hand and bury it into the ice age.
Yanking would be no good. Mind calculating, Akihiko whirled to face Haruo. “Hot water!” He called imperiously, or as imperiously as a boy stuck in an awkward half crouched position could call (which was not very imperious at all). “It’ll melt the ice and -” the words ‘free me’ stuck in his throat on the way out and turn into, “- and prevent frostbite!”
No need to draw attention to the fact that he needed help - not that he needed it, oh not at all. Akihiko could free himself perfectly fine - with a little time to think of a plan, that is.
---------------
After what seemed like forever, Mikami picked up the phone.
“Mikami speaking,” The teacher’s voice rang smoothly through the phone like melted chocolate, slightly amused as if he knew a joke the others weren’t getting. Pretty much normal for him. “What’s going on?”
He listened to the entire story, giving the complimentary oo’s and aaa’s as he did so. When Mashiro finally finished, there was a few seconds of thoughtful silence. “Got it.” Mikami said briskly. “Ok. First, you need to get the girl away from the food, out of the store if necessary. Second - is the food coming to life?”
The food was, in fact, coming to life - the sounds were growing louder and louder by the second and when looked closely, the animal parts were starting to move, trembling where they were.
It might have been a trick of the eye, something caused by the rising tension in the shop. But if it wasn’t, something huge was about to happen.
“If it is - Run.” If Mikami was there, his face would have bored uncharacteristic seriousness. As it was, the voice coming through the speaker held enough gravity to pull a meteor into the atmosphere. “Find a safe space, find her mark, text me the results. Or if you need me - oops!” Thre was a large crash on the other side of the phone. When Mikami picked up again he sounded slightly breathless and a lot more cheerful. “If you need me call me! And make sure to stay safe and use protection!”
And with that suspiciously cheerful sentence, Mikami hung up.
(alright, so maybe he was a little worried. A little. A tiny infinitesimal smidge of worry in the galaxy of confidence Akihiko was made of, nothing that’d impact him, he could totally handle her totally he was the most awesomest person in the universe why on earth would anyone else think otherwise?
He was so screwed.)
Naturally, as Akihiko did when he wasn’t worrying, he talked. “These windows are deplorable!” he exclaimed to the world at large but more specifically one Dojima Haruo. Scowling, Akihiko rubbed vigorously at the windows. Two were spotlessly clean, while the rest were covered in grime and other deplorable substances. “Did the people forgot to clean up after the reenactment of Attack of the Sludge Monster last night?! Surely these plebeians know that the windows would be affected as well, not just the floor and walls! Naturally one such as I can clean this perfectly, but - whatthefuck is this?!”
Akihiko yanked at his hands. One hand came away free. The other hand and the cleaning cloth he was using remained stuck to the window, which was rapidly covering in frost. Eyes widening, Akihiko yanked at his hand again - only to hiss in pain as his hand threatened to let go without the skin. Even as he looked at his palm, the ice was beginning to climb up past his fingers like the rising bread of doom to envelope his hand and bury it into the ice age.
Yanking would be no good. Mind calculating, Akihiko whirled to face Haruo. “Hot water!” He called imperiously, or as imperiously as a boy stuck in an awkward half crouched position could call (which was not very imperious at all). “It’ll melt the ice and -” the words ‘free me’ stuck in his throat on the way out and turn into, “- and prevent frostbite!”
No need to draw attention to the fact that he needed help - not that he needed it, oh not at all. Akihiko could free himself perfectly fine - with a little time to think of a plan, that is.
---------------
After what seemed like forever, Mikami picked up the phone.
“Mikami speaking,” The teacher’s voice rang smoothly through the phone like melted chocolate, slightly amused as if he knew a joke the others weren’t getting. Pretty much normal for him. “What’s going on?”
He listened to the entire story, giving the complimentary oo’s and aaa’s as he did so. When Mashiro finally finished, there was a few seconds of thoughtful silence. “Got it.” Mikami said briskly. “Ok. First, you need to get the girl away from the food, out of the store if necessary. Second - is the food coming to life?”
The food was, in fact, coming to life - the sounds were growing louder and louder by the second and when looked closely, the animal parts were starting to move, trembling where they were.
It might have been a trick of the eye, something caused by the rising tension in the shop. But if it wasn’t, something huge was about to happen.
“If it is - Run.” If Mikami was there, his face would have bored uncharacteristic seriousness. As it was, the voice coming through the speaker held enough gravity to pull a meteor into the atmosphere. “Find a safe space, find her mark, text me the results. Or if you need me - oops!” Thre was a large crash on the other side of the phone. When Mikami picked up again he sounded slightly breathless and a lot more cheerful. “If you need me call me! And make sure to stay safe and use protection!”
And with that suspiciously cheerful sentence, Mikami hung up.
- 15 posts here • Page 1 of 1