Drip.
Drip. Drip.
Arrhythmia pervaded the silence. Much like the leaking faucet one of the inhabitants of this closed space was leaking frustration close to bursting.
It was only so long before the proverbial dam would burst.
"What's that look 'bout? Not prepared for a fistfight here are you?" A student, one that actually looked like a student, not a grown man with a mortgage revealed himself as soon as the stall burst open. The giant had finished his business.
The mountain put his hands in the air, eagerly attempting to sidestep the ruffian in his path.
"The fuck are you doing? Giving me a clear shot or something?" The sneering delinquent postured up, his hands ready to deliver a blow at any moment.
The giant gestured past the boy, pointing towards the sink.
"If you want to get past me, move me." He replied.
The giant looked once more at the aggravating brute in his path and then back at his hands, slowly mulling it over in his mind before shaking his head aggressively.
"Whatever, I'm not the type to turn away a free meal!" He rushed at the giant, a few kicks planted on the giant's calf before striking him in the ribs and finishing with a back kick into the gut.
The mountain stood unstopped by the meagre attacks of the human in his path. For what is a human to a mountain?
"Seriously? The hell are you made out of? Dirt?"
The giant did not appreciate the racially insensitive remark, but still he stayed his hands. For pacifism was the only true path to a peaceful life.
"…Fuck it!" The boy changed his target levelling a kick slightly lower, grazing the boulders at the mountain's base.
'Peace be damned.' Thought the giant.
That was the last straw. Channelling the national pride of his home country the giant decided to bear arms and ask questions later.
In a burst of impatience the mountain moved his hands quickly, his arm blasting through the air travelling in an arc, the rough sound of someone getting their shit rocked reverberating through the restroom. A slap with enough power to fell even a horse impacted on the ruffian's chin, sending him tumbling like a tower of building blocks in a child's play pen.
Though his conscience wavered for a moment, the brute found the ground and pushed off of it with all his might, though something perturbed him. There was something strange, something he couldn't place, a sensation that wasn't present mere moments ago.
He reached for his face, massaging the place he was hit. Sure it was sore, he hit like a freight train, but nothing was there… So why… Why….
No, surely, he misunderstood. The brute wiped his face again, standing but still that same inkling didn't leave. No, if anything it's presence was more noticeable by the second.
The sound of a running faucet the ruffian's only answer as to his current plight.
In a disgusting curiosity he turned his nose up, taking short bursts of air into his nostrils like a dog trailing a suspect.
He finally asked. "Oi… Why does it smell like ass?"
Like a man possessed the giant rubbed his hands in the sink, dispensing soap multiple times into his ginormous hands. Washing away the suds, but to the ruffian the smell remained.
Slowly, dreadful steps sounded behind the mountain, until they came to a shuddering stop. The giant didn't dare to look in the reflection of the mirror before him, for there may be a demon in his presence.
"…Do you wipe your ass with your raw hand or something, answer me." The tone had unmistakably become much more hostile. If that were at all possible…
The demon's hand gripped onto the shoulder of the mountain, turning him about face. Even through the dark eyeglasses it was clear that the mountain guiltily avoided eye-contact. Only exacerbating the ruffian's fury.
In an act of sheer brilliance the giant understood how to make things right. He placed his soapy hands on the ruffians face wiping the visible reddening from his supersonic slap before immediately drying it with the handkerchief he kept snugly in his blazer pocket.
A stark grin and thumbs-up followed the cleaning procession. An air of satisfaction emanating from the not-so-gentle-giant.
A vein close to bursting appeared on the demon's head, running from the temple all the way to his brow, his eyes reddened through sheer malevolence (or pinkeye) as he smacked the giant's arm away. Stomping loudly whilst visibly seething with rage towards the entrance of the bathroom. A dreadful aura emanating from his very being.
"I'm seriously, seriously… going to fucking end you." He managed to spit out, before making a retreat.
I mean… tactical getaway.
The mountain bowed slightly, lowering his head in thanks for the demon's magnanimous forgiveness.
But the demon had naught to worry about.
For a mountain had no stories to tell, only paths to travel.
The giant huffed a sigh of relief, washing his hands once more before drying them with a look of approval.
"GOMENASAI, BOSS-MAN." The giant uttered aloud in the forgotten bathroom. As if reciting a Buddhist sutra, the mountain lightly touched each shoulder and bowed once more. Humming as he escaped into the confines of the hall.
Uh…
Or not, I guess.
[Class C: Civil War]
We arrived at the apartment door, the key card slotted in the palm of my hand ready to enter.
"It's been a while." He muttered as we reached the entrance.
"Since you were last here?" The robot nodded in affirmation.
"Don't suppose I'm going to have to force myself in like back then?" He nudged. I suppose he was a bit forceful back then, not lacking for good reason. But it did make me slightly more self-conscious about his company this time around. When our relationship was a bit more complicated and muddied by lack of time or understanding. Now, I was asking specifically for the company of a friend. I don't know, it just made me feel strange… Like, was our bond this strong? Maybe I was rushing things. It just felt alien to drag someone else into the space that was supposed to be mine alone.
Brushing those feelings aside for the moment, I twisted the handle and ushered him inside. "Yeah, yeah. Just come in already."
Nothing good would come from constantly questioning myself, not when I had gotten this far already.
"Hmm…" He stopped at the entrance removing his shoes, peering around the room.
"You surveying or something? Go and sit down already dumba-" Ah, crap.
"D-Dummy…" I really couldn't think of anything else?!
He peered at me questioningly.
What? Was that enough to hurt your feelings?
No, don't be like that. It's you that needs to change remember. That's what all of this is for.
I need to dial it back a bit.
"I haven't seen any other dorm rooms yet. I was just curious if other people had decorated theirs. It looks the same as last time." Knowing that this was the only exposure he had to another room was… nice? Maybe? I'm not sure.
Not willing to entangle myself in internal thoughts much longer, I turned the question back to him. "Does that mean yours is any different?"
"Not really." Come to think of it I hadn't seen his room yet.
Yet?
Was that a plan I had?
I mean, I know we're friends now, but it would still be… going to a boy's room alone.
…
Seriously, what am I a middle-schooler?
It's just a room like any other.
I'm being too self-conscious, ever since Manabe pulled that stupid shit, it's hard to ignore stuff like that. Even though Ayanokouji already dispelled my suspicions, even though he bluntly told me that wasn't the extent of our relationship, a small part of me still continued to believe that he had no other reason to stay here beside me. I wasn't even sure if that was anything I wanted either. I didn't have the experience necessary to make that judgement.
I just wanted to do right by a friend. One of the only friends I ever had. Someone that genuinely wanted to know me.
And here I am spiralling thinking about this pointless stuff… I needed to get my mind off it.
Maybe that was why I misspoke… "Updating your software? I wouldn't expect a robot to understand interior des-"
Goddamnit, think before you speak!
"I was hoping to, but it seems you're on the last update as well." He replied immediately.
He wasn't offended?
Not just that, but did this bastard just make a joke? A competent one?
What's happening?!
No, no, no. Reset, Mio. Reset. Noone says the perfect line all the time. This is just Ayanokouji's way of saying it doesn't bother him. You wanted to be better than that, right? Better than him having to put up with you, let him be unbothered from the start. Control yourself. Perfectly.
"W-would you like tea or coffee perhaps, Ayanokouji-kun?" Rather than answering he plonked down the bag he brought with him, strangely enough it sounded as if something metallic or made from hard plastic was inside… Whatever it was, it was heavy…
"Allow me." He exuded an aura of confidence.
What. The…
What is this cardinal monstrosity?
It gleamed brilliantly from the bright downcast lighting of the kitchenette.
"Behold: the Deluxe Slush-Factory 3000TM." He added with an air of grandiosity.
"…Did you really have to include the trademark?" What is this, some kind of Truman show? Would I be reunited with my long-lost father soon?
"And it can be yours too with the low-low price of 30,000 yen!" Holding the machine close to his body, he parroted what seemed to be an infomercial pitch to me.
I'm actually dumbfounded…
How can someone so smart… be such an idiot?!
"…You paid 30k for a goddamn glorified smoothie machine?!"
"And- I brought snacks." He unzipped the rest of the bag to reveal a smattering collection of sweets, way too much for a single person to eat.
The only thing I could manage to do was look back and forth between him and the ridiculous collection of things he had brought. The worst thing is that he seemed genuinely proud of it, a small twinkling like the collection of a few small stars erupted around him. He was practically glowing with enthusiasm.
I need a moment…
Breathe, Mio. Breathe.
Don't make fun of him.
Don't. Make. Fun. Of. Him.
Even if he makes it so goddamn easy.
Just don't.
"What flavour do you want?"
"Pfft… Sorry, had a… a sneeze."
"It's great, isn't it?" He revelled in the constantly churning ice crystals as the liquid sugar was dispensed into a single cup.
Why do I feel like he's taunting me?
It's almost as if he's making it easier to bully him.
I'm losing my mind.
"…You can mix them." I offered.
A face of sheer shock looked back at me.
"It was designed for that?" As if testing out the newest theory of physics he grabbed another plastic cup placing it under and dispensing equal parts of either mixture. I half expected him to materialise a pair of goggles and a lab coat out of nowhere.
"It works…" He muttered in utter disbelief.
I can't! He's like a kid in a candy shop for the first time!
"So, what are we watching?" Punctuating the sentence with a single slurp from his drink.
I had only prepared a few choice films from the somewhat limited collection at the electronics shop in Keyaki Mall. I would've never even known about it if Kushida hadn't pushed me in the right direction.
They were good, but this called for something else…
There's only one way I could react to the ridiculous enthusiasm he had shown already.
They've got to have it, I'm sure of it-!
Yes!
"What is it?" He pondered as the tv flickered between several web pages. Finally sitting down on the opposite end of the couch, the rustling of plastic wrappers sounding out as he dropped the ridiculous number of sweets in the middle of the shared seating.
"I've been searching for streaming services for a while, it looks like they provide selections of recorded programmes and films, if you pay a fee. Just none of the usual ones…" Just like any of the other streaming services you would find in the real world. I wonder if they even have a good selection though? Why don't they just give access to the usual services here? It almost feels like it's hidden in a sense.
Was this just another way for the school to control the environment? Daily news and other things you might see outside of this place isn't broadcast inside. It wasn't that you couldn't access it… but it isn't in your face like it would've been in the past.
…I'm sounding more and more like a conspiracy theorist by the moment.
"Still, those prices…" He enunciated with another slurp of his iced drink.
Says the guy that bought a whole fricking slushie machine!
I can't admit it…
I can't admit that it actually looks so good!
"50,000 yen for the next three years…" There were other payment plans, but the clear winner was a fire sale deal that appended the bottom of the screen with big bold red lettering. Even I knew that this looked shady. But it would be saving tens of thousands of points in the long run.
…I have the points.
Deftly navigating to the information tab and grabbing my student ID.
"You're really going to buy it?"
"…" I fought bitterly against the urge to stare at him.
"You should probably be more careful with your money." Slurp.
My eye twitched.
"You have some films ready, don't you? We could always just watch them first."
"Listen-" Finally turning to the pain in my side, he abruptly passed me a drink. Sipping from his own with a contented expression.
My eyes narrowed slightly. "I feel like you're doing that on purpose…"
"Doing what? I have no idea what you mean." This guy…
Whatever, forget that for the moment. Disregard the sudden expense. It wasn't purchasing on a whim. Okay, maybe it was slightly… But there was good reason! It was probably a little selfish and manipulative of a reason, but still, it was for a good cause!
As the payment proceeded and verification came through, a landing page with a host of options revealed itself.
Stop thinking about what doesn't matter at this moment, the only thing that matters right now is…
What to watch first?
[Class C: Civil War]
"That's all. Good work for today, enjoy your weekend everyone."
"Thanks, Mashima-sensei!" Their homeroom teacher quietly escaped from the confines of the classroom leaving the diligent students to their own devices. Friends lightly engaging in conversation as they gathered the supplies and prepared to leave the school. The weekend freeing them from the shackles of responsibility for a brief respite.
Clack.
Clack…
Clack.
Students did their best to ignore the sound, a concession they made in order not to alienate the girl responsible. Little did they know she banked on that behaviour. Short impacts repeated at a relaxed cadence as the girl reached towards the lectern. Resting beside it as if prepared to present something to her classmates.
"If I may have everyone's attention for just a moment."
"What do you want to waste our time with now?" A boy immediately rebutted with an arrogant tone.
"I assure you it won't be a waste of time, Ya- Ya… Mojito-kun?"
"It's Yahiko! How do you get this wrong every time!? It sounds nothing like my name!"
"Sakayanagi-san, you shouldn't bully Ya- Ya… Yahikikomori-kun, he has a frail ego."
"Oi, Hashimoto! You know that's not my name!"
"Get to your point Sakayanagi-kun. It wouldn't do to be loitering in class without good reason." A single voice cut through the noise, his tone not allowing for dissention. It held an air of formidability. The boy matched that tone with a hardened constitution. Truly, he was rough and abrasive, but diligent and meticulous all the same.
Yes, he was just like…
Like a hard-boiled egg. Unobtrusive, but surprisingly resilient. That's what came to mind when one first set eyes on him.
"Indeed, that's a responsible answer. No wonder you believe in Katsuragi-kun so much, Yakitori-kun."
"Once again, not my name… Obviously, I trust him! Katsuragi-san is a much more reliable leader than you could ever be!" He pointed rudely at the well-mannered girl.
"Is that so?" She bat her eyes innocently.
"1000%, I would be so confident that I proclaim he is in fact the best student in this school!" His nose pointed in the air, a certain proud satisfaction oozing from him, as if he were the recipient of the praise itself.
"Wow, such high praise. Does everyone else feel the same?" Sakayanagi redirected the question to the entire class.
A bit more than half of the class had answered in confidence as well. Katsuragi Kohei had a good reputation as both an academic and dependable student that could be counted on. Much like a strong silent older brother to the class.
"What is this, Sakayanagi-kun? This is hardly-"
"I just wanted to see the general consensus of my fellow students. It would be difficult for everyone if we were to drive a wedge between ourselves for the sole purpose of gaining leadership. No?"
"Certainly, I feel the same. Is that what you intend to do?"
"In my mind the most competent should be placed in the position. If everyone feels the same, then I wouldn't be against stepping down in the running. That's only fair, correct?"
"Yes. Though, I can hardly ever imagine you admitting fault…"
"Indeed, so I suggest we allow the class to decide."
"…Just what are you planning?"
"There's no need for a plan when you believe in the choices of your classmates." She said with sincerity.
"Eh, we're doing this right now?" A student voiced out.
"I understand everyone has plans so the quicker we get this over with the sooner you can proceed with them."
"I mean- but shouldn't something like this be done with a proper discussion. Like, this is a big decision…"
"Not necessarily. Everyone already has a candidate in mind, all you have to do is cast your vote with the relevant information."
"Easy." She smiled in response to Yahiko's assertion.
"Of course, we should remind our classmates of exactly what we bring to the table."
"Like a real presidential debate?"
"Think of it as you like. However, politicians use tricky language. Silver tongued leaders shouldn't be the ones speaking. It should be their followers."
"I'll speak for Katsuragi-san!"
"I guess, I'll speak for princess then." Hashimoto chuckled lightly, standing from his seat.
"Thank you for the offer, Hashimoto-kun. However, I believe Masumi-san would like to volunteer as well."
"Hold on. Whilst I'd agree that both you and me are glib enough with our words and can twist them to mean what we want. I believe the same applies to those two as well." Katsuragi pointed at Hashimoto and Kamuro.
"What can I do? I just have so many proficient people in my cohort." Sakayanagi pressed her hand to her forehead in mock horror. "I suppose just this once, I'll allow your pick. Well, your second's pick that is."
"…Yahiko, go ahead. Is this fine, Sakayanagi-kun, I don't want any complaints after this is over. You were the one that initiated this."
"What can I say; I'm just so confident in my allies abilities that it's of little consequence who comes up to speak. It can be anyone. Absolutely anyone."
"Heh. Yamamura Miki. That's who I pick. You hear that Yamamura! Come on up!" Yahiko shouted in victory.
A pencil rolled to the floor, the sharp clattering gathering the attention of the entire class at the back of the room. A forgotten corner that Yamamura eagerly called her home.
"You're friends, aren't you? This shouldn't be an issue after all." Yahiko doubled down.
"Not at all. I would be delighted to rely on Yamamura-san. Yamamura-san, please feel free to join me in your own time." An easy smile covered Sakayanagi's features.
She shuddered, the chair making an uneasy creaking as the metal shrieked across the floor. Stuttering steps taken like a deer on ice until she eventually reached the podium.
"This'll be too easy…" Yahiko muttered to himself.
"Then, if you'd be so kind as to go first, Katsuragi's speaker." Sakayanagi urged him, taking a few paces away from the stand to offer up the space.
"…Are you just refusing to say my name at this point?" Yahiko asked listlessly.
Sakayanagi allowed the smile to reach her eyes slightly more but said nothing in response.
"Katsuragi is a reliable and kind leader. Has he wronged any of you during the time we've been here? Good grades and he has plenty of experience with leadership thanks to his previous tenure as student council president of his past school. With time I'm sure Katsuragi-san will apply and join the student council here all the same! Without a doubt, I can say with confidence that there is no better candidate to put your faith in the man known as Katsuragi Kohei. He is much… much more qualified than Sakayanagi-san will ever be. No more than that needs to be said." Confidence dripped from every statement. As soon as he finished, he confidently strutted back to Katsuragi's side, clearly defining his allegiance.
"Short and sweet." Sakayanagi said playfully.
"Thank you, Yahiko." Katsuragi barely acknowledged her, simply waiting.
"…"
"Yamamura-kun, whenever you're ready." He added, noticing the girls' reluctance to approach the stand.
"…Hehe, I guess it's that hard to think of good things to say about Sakayanagi-san, huh?" One student muttered aloud.
"I dunno she's convinced me." Another added with a giggle.
"Take it at your own pace, Yamamura-san." Sakayanagi, placed her hand on her shoulder, lightly squeezing with a calm smile covering her features, a small warmth emanating from her.
"U-Umm, Sakayanagi-san h-has good grades, b-better than mine. A-and she figured out the S-system! A-And she…" Yamamura quietened down to a whisper, trailing off at the end of that thought. Even with encouragement, her fear and anxiety wrestled out control from beneath her.
"…"
"Running a blank? Besides, Katsuragi-san has good grades as well. We can't say who's better until the first midterms." Yahiko derided her. Aware of just why he chose her in the first place. It was the winning straw, one that was placed right before him without him even realising it.
"'Better than my grades' who does she think she is?" A few of the classmates began to whisper to each other, especially those firmly in Katsuragi's camp.
"…" In any other circumstance Katsuragi would've intervened, it was against his morals to allow badmouthing on such a large scale in front of the said person. But as this was a procession that involved many more people. The negative view of Sakayanagi's camp and by extension Sakayanagi herself, was a boon to him. An opportunity too expansive to leave it by the wayside. A moment's silence for the benefit of many more people.
Katsuragi Kohei knew. Sakayanagi wasn't the type to care abundantly about sacrifices in the future. She was a fearsome opponent, but a compassionless leader.
He hoped that this moment may have been a turning point for that. But a similar sense of unease was choking him. He couldn't help but feel that something was off about this entire event. The way that everything unfolded, it was far too quick and proceeding far too smoothly in his favour.
"Ah, if I may add-" Sakayanagi began.
"I thought we were allowing our supporters to talk." Katsuragi quickly interrupted.
"Of course, then if you would read this Yamamura-san."
"This isn't-"
"I promise, it's relevant information. Doesn't matter who's mouth it came from."
Katsuragi was stopped in his tracks, wondering just what possible information could be stored on the parchment she just handed the shy girl.
After choking up, Yamamura quickly found her bearings, perhaps the fact that she could rely on the writings of another was saving her conscience in the moment. "E-Effective i-immediately, Sakayanagi Arisu is appointed as first-year representative of the stu-student council. Approved: Student Council President- Horikita Manabu, Secretary- Tachibana Akane."
"…"
The students of both allegiances and those that stood firmly in the middle ground begun to solicit each other forming a chorus of confusion.
"Aren't there only allowed to be two representatives in the first years?"
"Are they both going to be one, both in class A?"
"If that's the case, wouldn't Katsuragi-kun-"
"S-SO WHAT?! Katsuragi-San only needs to apply to equal the playing field-"
"Is that true, Katsuragi-kun? Will you be accepted if you were only to apply to the student council?" Seeing her opportunity Sakayanagi pounced on it immediately.
Now he understood. The reason why she didn't care who spoke for her. No, if anything Yamamura was the intended pick. It shown just how confident she was, that she could win even if the speaker was inarticulate. It was a display of dominance. He couldn't lie. Regardless of the reasons, Katsuragi's application was rejected by the student council president. Lying would follow him for the rest of his school career, it also wasn't something he chose lightly, he knew the importance of authenticity and honesty. But admitting was the equivalent of cementing Sakayanagi's supremacy. As she had stated only a few minutes ago 'the most competent should get the position.'
The reason don't matter. It's the results and optics which get votes. To which he couldn't argue with. He didn't know how Sakayanagi did it. But she did. And the question: 'Why did they reject him instead?' That question would always linger at the back of his classmates' minds.
He could continue to fight for it, but at this point…
Her victory was assured.
The only thing left to do was fall with dignity.
"…No. I was rejected by the council." He revealed to the class, speaking with a firm tone. Not allowing for any inferences.
"I see. Now that is a shame, I would've thought a man such as yourself a shoo-in for the position." A thin trace of smugness pervaded through her kind demeanour.
"…"
"Then the Student council President, is clearly deranged! In what world are you more competent than Katsuragi-san?!"
"In a meritocracy isn't it only natural that the best filter to the top?"
"They were wrong to put you in this class and give you that position. I bet just because you're daddy's little princess he rigged the entire system-!"
"That's enough, Yahiko."
"But Katsuragi-san-!"
"Don't besmirch the name of this school. You've seen the difference between the classes. We've all seen Sakayanagi's abilities for ourselves when we first arrived. It's true that she's talented and capable, my offense to her leadership has always been a matter of civility. I did not believe she had the students' best interests at heart."
She was silent in response, allowing her opposition to self-destruct without any need for outside interference.
"As disheartening as it is, I've been judged as less capable in this setting. That's all it comes down to."
"Then the student council president must be-"
"Disillusioned? Maybe in our minds he is. But to the history of this school, there have been no more competent leaders than he. It is clear that what this school requires to succeed is something different than what we might value. As the one that stands at the top of those ideals, I'm sure that he can recognise that more readily in others."
"…"
"I will stop wrestling for control over the class from you, Sakayanagi-kun."
"So, you're a man of your word? I expected that much of you, Katsuragi-kun."
"However, should I see that you continue to disregard the students whom you are responsible to nurture and guide. I will not hold back in the future."
"Very well, let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"Hm. We shall see." He removed himself from the class in a dignified manner, much as he usually did. Even in loss, he wasn't so uncouth as to show his vulnerability to an enemy.
Recognising that it was over the rest of the students eagerly filtered out of the classroom, anticipating their long-awaited weekend away from school responsibilities.
All that was left was two students.
The silence a stark contrast to the boisterousness mere moments ago.
A word wasn't said between either of them. Just the feeling that she was not allowed to move until this was over. It was tacit, unanimous. A decision she could overrule but couldn't predict the consequences beforehand.
"Yamamura-san. Thank you. You couldn't have played your part in this any better." The girl removed her beret bowing in the other's direction, before neatly placing it atop her head once more.
"S-Sakayanagi-san-" Yamamura began, startled by the sudden gratuity.
Clack.
She placed her hand on Yamamura's shoulder, resting just like a whisper above the contours of her own body. It was feeble, as if a solid breeze might blow it away. "I apologise for putting you through that. I know it must not have been comfortable. You did well, you should be proud." The meek girl couldn't look her in the eye, listlessly looking towards the ground as if to search for some saviour.
The silence pressed on.
Yamamura didn't have a chance to acknowledge, dismiss or deflect the compliment forced upon her. As soon as her mouth gave space for breath Sakayanagi had squeezed her shoulder lightly before turning with a few echoing strides.
"Do enjoy the rest of your weekend, Yamamura-san. I look forward to seeing you at the start of the next. Farewell." Sakayanagi strode through the open sliding door leaving Yamamura to her thoughts.
Thoughts of frustration with nowhere to voice them. So they were swallowed up, metastasizing, festering like a putrid growth. But as she always had, she remained silent. Echoing those thoughts within like a metronome, wave after wave constantly renewing that feeling. Intrusive thoughts collapsing like the tide on a desolate shore. Frustration giving birth to a façade of apathy. One that was all too easy to discern and much too easy to give direction.
Whether she knew it or not. Whether she pretended to disregard it or purposely dismiss it. Yamamura Miki did not want to be alone. It was a concession. A choice made to protect herself.
It was only the lone herbivore bred in captivity that stood beside a wounded lioness hoping for camaraderie. When that lioness' wounds heal and the opportunity strikes, she would sooner sink her teeth into the flesh of a companion than fail to survive the coming winter. Until then, she would permit the harmless herbivore's existence, allow it to get attached, fatten it up. All in preparation for the possibility of a slaughter.
But for now… The herbivore continues unaware.
---
Word count: 5188
BTW yes, I genuinely checked and some slushie machines actually go for that much. Commercial ones, but the point is you can buy them at that price. They were honestly the first things that popped up on a google search. I had written the price before even checking and was surprised to see they were actually that expensive. But it makes Ayanokouji's frivolous purchase a bit funnier in retrospect. It also feels like something he might do. Like he's meticulous with plans but when his curiosity is set on something, fuck it we ball.
The last paragraph had me stumped for a bit. It sounds edgy and maybe slightly cringey, but this is kind of the Sakayanagi we were promised in the early days. Ruthless, effective, cold leadership. Katsuragi was always right on the money, she really didn't care about the class until later. Only wanting fun battles until then, because she was always assured she would end up the victor anyway.
Feel free to visit patreon.com/Shir0249
Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter, let me know your thoughts below.
Until next time.