Ryo arrived at Hitomi's location, She was sitting on the steps of a classroom on the ground floor, that opened up to the vast field surrounding the school, with her friend group. All eyes turned to Ryo as he stood in front of them.
"Excuse me," Ryo said with fake sweetness in his voice, "Can I speak to Suzuki-san privately, please?"
Ryo had mind manipulated Hitomi's friends' minds so they wouldn't be hostile to him or ask questions, all of them quickly cleared out. Ryo had been mind manipulating everyone since his time at the Isokofo academy, so at the mere sight of him would release dopamine and endorphins in their brains, so seeing him would inspire happy emotions. That meant they all liked him and never questioned his actions. It made his school life incredibly easy, he didn't get into any drama and he could just say anything to anyone and they'd still like him.
After no one was left but Ryo and Hitomi, she started stuttering, the "Shy, submissive side character" title hovering above her head. Shy, submissive side characters are loved, but near the middle of the social hierarchy since they don't do much. They're all really beautiful and have great figures, because that's the only thing stopping them from fading into irrelevance. They all have the token stutter, they often faint or don't talk while near their crushes, they're all really sweet and they're all really weak in combat so the main character can be their knight in shining armor. Ryo had no use for weakness however, and with the perfect amount of training, encouragement and mind-control, he was sure he could make Hitomi into the perfect offense and defense.
Hitomi stuttered. "S-S-Sato-kun? W-W-What did y-you want m-me f-for?"
Despite Hitomi being a shy, submissive person, she has a lot of hatred in her heart. Particularly towards her older sister, parents and... Seitaro Hashimoto. Yeah, maybe it wasn't the best idea for me to put them on the team together. Who knows, maybe they'll end up fighting while doing an interview and take more attention away from me. Besides, I'm not surprised that she stutters. Considering her life at home, and the fact that stuttering is caused by stress, and that she's also a shy, submissive side character, it seems inevitable.
Ryo speaks in a soft, kind voice. "You know, we're supposed to group up for Isokofo squads. I was thinking how much of an advantage it would be to have you on my squad. You're pretty remarkable."
He spoke in that voice because he knew Hitomi hates loud noises, due to her family always yelling at her and screaming about how her older sister was so much better than her.
Classic dynamics of a family with narcissistic parents... I can sense her disbelief at the thought of someone thinking she's remarkable, but with parents like hers, it's really no wonder she acts like this.
Hitomi looked down with downcast eyes, her face morphing into a sad expression. "Y-Y-You're just u-u-using me t-to get closer t-to my s-s-sister, right? Y-y-you don't h-have t-t-to lie, I-I could just i-i-introduce y-you two."
Ryo speaks in the same kind and soft voice. "Your sister? Why would I want to get closer to your sister? I want you on my team, not her."
Hitomi says with a surprised expression. "Y-y-you want m-me?"
Ryo nods. "Yeah. Personally, I think you're even more remarkable than your sister, so that's why I want you in my squad. And more importantly, you seem... Lonely."
Hitomi thinks with bitterness. "Being surrounded by people who only want you for your older sister is a lonely life indeed. He thinks I'm better than my sister? I guess there's a first time for everything."
Just show this woman a tiny bit of attention that's not related to her sister, and she'll be your ride or die. Pathetic how she was reduced to this state, but if it benefits me, I'm not complaining. She thinks I want her for her sister... Her self-esteem is that low?
Hitomi says. "S-so you d-don't want me f-for my s-s-sister? And w-w-what do y-y-you mean by m-me being l-lonely?"
Ryo says with a faked smile. "No, once again, I don't want you for your sister. And what I mean by you seeming lonely is, you're always staring far off into space, you always have this look in your eyes like you don't belong there, or you'd rather be anywhere else. I... I want to help you, I want to provide a place where you feel like you belong."
Hitomi smiles, she thinks. "Every time, I've been the one to give and give, to prove myself as worthy as my sister... I've never been on the receiving end before... Maybe, maybe I'll finally be happy in Sato-san's squad... Or I'll just be happy he tried. I can't believe someone believed in me without me having to prove myself to them. I can't let him down, I can't disappoint him. I will get stronger."
Ryo speaks again. "Well, I've told you what I want, now it's up to you, Suzuki-san."
Hitomi says with a warm smile. "T-Thank you, S-S-Sato-san, I'll j-join your s-squad."
Ryo says with a faked smile. "So, I'll see you after school at the first squad meeting, Suzuki-san?"
Hitomi nods. "I-I'll be t-there, Sato-kun."
Ryo says in a faked happy tone. "Perfect! Well, I'll be off to recruit some more members, the squad can't just be the two of us, can it? Bye, Suzuki-san."
Hitomi says, a new determination in her voice. "Wait."
Ryo stops for a moment. "Huh? What is it?"
Hitomi declares with absolute conviction. "I-I know I'm weak, b-but, I p-promise I-I won't be d-deadweight. I-I'll train, and I-I'll get stronger, a-and no one w-will have t-to rescue m-me. I-I won't s-sit around, I-I'll be a m-major contributer, I p-promise!"
Ryo smiles at her, he didn't even have to provoke her into saying that! So easy. "I admire your conviction. I'll help you become stronger like you wish to. Don't worry, I didn't think you were dead weight, but the fact you want to get stronger is a good thing! I'm proud of you."
Hitomi blinked, her expression filled with surprise. "Y-y-you'll help m-me? And... You're p-p-proud of m-me?" Her resolve came back in full force, a determined grin crossing her face. "W-with your h-help, I'll b-be sure t-to get s-stronger! T-t-thank you, I w-w-won't let y-you down!"
Such surprise when I told her I was proud of her? It's clear she doesn't hear those words much... Great, now I'm going to have the pick up the slack her parents left behind. I'm going to have to build her self-esteem up from the ground, because if she doesn't believe in herself, she clearly doesn't, how's she going to get stronger? Her stupid parents just increased my work tenfold...
Ryo says in a happy and reassuring tone. "I never doubted you for a second! I know you won't let me down. Now, I'll have to go recruit other members, I'll see you after school?"
Hitomi nods. "I'll b-be there! B-b-bye Sato-san."
Ryo waves at her. "Bye, Suzuki-san."
Ryo walks off to his next target, Seitaro Hashimoto. After some time, he arrived to a locked classroom and tons of fan girls swarming outside.
He does the same thing he did to Hitomi's friends, and asks them to go away. They all do (with the help of mind control). Ryo then knocks on the door of the locked classroom.
It opens, and in the doorway stands Seitaro Hashimoto. Above his head, is his "Quiet, unexpressive deuteragonist" title was displayed. The tons of fan girls made sense then. People with Sasuke's title had lots of fan girls chasing after them, they usually also had a turn to the dark side and usually they all were orphans as their families were brutally killed. They were at the second place in the social hierarchy, above the love interests and below the main characters. Seitaro looked like he wanted to be left alone and just go sleep, forever. But right now, he had a surprised smile on his face.
Seitaro whistled in admiration. "You got them away by simply asking? What are you, a fucking wizard?"
Ryo just said with a shrug. "I just prayed before asking, seems like the Supreme Goddess Satomi felt nice today."
Seitaro sits himself down on a chair. "Well, she's playing favorites, how come she never answers mine? All I want is to be left alone, not be swarmed like I'm some kind of object for people to drool over."
Ryo sits down on the chair beside him. "Maybe she got sick of hearing them too much."
Seitaro laughs. "Probably. So what are you here for? Everyone comes to me for at least something."
Ryo leans back in his chair. "I've come to ask you to join my squad."
Seitaro laughs. "You're the fourth one today! Though the first man who's asked me. I'm gonna tell you what I told everyone else. No. I'm gonna go solo, way less of a headache."
Ryo says suddenly, knowing Seitaro's biggest weakness was a good, warm fuzzy blanket and some good food. "I'll knit you a blanket, and I'll cook for you everyday if you join me."
Seitaro looks shocked. "You... You sick bastard... Bribing me with the things I love..." Seitaro starts grinning. "I'm in! If you're going to do all that work, you should've come with a marriage proposal! I'd have said yes, we all know what your Isorotomatai is."
No, he doesn't know what my real Isorotomatai is, he's just referring to my fake one, that's an ability passed through my bloodline that makes me change genders.
Ryo fakes a chuckle. "Not looking to get married anytime soon."
Seitaro fake-pouts. "Really? Shame."
Ryo says. "So... Are you gonna join my squad?"
Seitaro says dramatically. "Well, how could I POSSIBLY refuse the deal you offered me? I'm in, I'll see you after school."
Ryo says. "Perfect. Well, I'm gonna go recruit some more members, I'll see you later."
Seitaro smiles. "Bye."
He doesn't really conform to his role, I've never seen someone of his kind be so expressive.
He strolled through the pillared hallway, a friendly smile plastered on his face for passerby to admire.
It didn't take long to find Yuzuki Takeyama, she was flirting with a guy which made sense, because she had the title "Love interest" above her head. The title is self-explanatory. Love interests come in all shapes and sizes so it's pretty hard to generalize them. In the social hierarchy, the Love Interests are pretty high up, yet are lower than the deuteragonists and the main characters.
Ryo went up to the guy and asked him to leave, of course the guy left, so Ryo was left alone with Yuzuki Takeyama.
Yuzuki gasped. "Ryo-kun, I'd never imagined that you'd be interested in me!"
Do I have amnesia or did I not remember giving Yuzuki the permission to call me by my first name? But still, I'll ignore that.
Ryo says, tilting his head. "Huh? What do you mean, Takeyama-san? I simply wanted to recruit you to my squad."
Yuzuki smiles. "No need to be so formal, Ryo-kun. Please, call me Yuzuki. Anyway, join your squad? Why should I? No offense Ryo-kun, but we both know I can get way better options."
Ryo paused. For a moment, he considered seducing her, but immediately shot it down because that'd create more problems than necessary. And why should he do the work, when there was a walking sex symbol in his squad?
Ryo fake-sighed. "Oh, that really is true... You can totally get way better options. Whatever. I'm sure Hashimoto-kun will manage just fine... Maybe him and Suzuki-chan will get together, yeah, they'd be so cute together."
Yuzuki spluttered. "What? Hashimoto-kun with the shy girl? I'd be so much better for him though! And THE Seitaro Hashimoto is in your squad? Why didn't you tell me before!?"
Ryo shrugged. "You never asked."
Yuzuki pouted. "Touché. Well, now I'm DEFINITELY joining your squad."
Ryo fake smiled, that was much easier then he hoped. "Perfect, I'll see you after school."
Yuzuki smirked. "See you later."
Ryo was getting tired of all the walking at this point, so he just teleported to where Taro Yamazaki was. Taro was picking up trash, probably doing community service for fun. His title of "One-dimensional, good main character" immediately confirmed he was doing it for fun. People with this title have no other personality than being a good person, and no other motivation than to do good. They're on the lower end of the main character hierarchy, but still at the top of the social hierarchy, due to their main character status.
Ryo walked over to Taro. "What are you doing there, Yamazaki-kun?"
Taro smiled. "Picking up trash and recycling it properly, Satomi knows that due to some irresponsible student, an innocent turtle could die!"
Ryo says. "Well, while you're doing that, would you do another act to make a member of the community happy?"
Taro nods enthusiastically. "Of course!"
Ryo says, clasping his hands together. "Perfect. I want you to join my squad then."
Taro tilts his head. "How would that make someone happy?"
Ryo shrugs. "It'll make me happy."
Taro smiles. "Then I'll do it! Hey leader, wanna help me pick up the trash? The more, the merrier."
No. No, I don't want to help you pick up trash. I have way better things to do then pick up after other people's messes like I'm their damn mother.
Ryo fakes a grin. "Sure, why not?"
Ryo and Taro pick up the trash in peaceful and comfortable silence. After some time, they're both done and sort the trash into the correct bins.
Taro says with a smile. "That was quick! That was the final thing on my to-do list! I'm tired now."
Ryo tilts his head, faking curiousity. "To-do list? What things did you have on there?"
Taro says with a contemplative look. "Oh you know, volunteering at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, working my part time job so I can donate to charity, reading to kids at a library, advocating for Siphon rights and more. Basically, just things any decent person would do."
This guy's singlehandedly holding up my faith in humanity.
Ryo says with a fake smile. "Sounds awesome! Take me with you sometime."
Taro says. "Sure! Sounds good to me, like I said before, the more the merrier!"
Ryo says. "I'm going to have to go to recruit more people to the squad, I'll see you after school, Yamazaki-kun?"
Taro waves. "See you, I'll be there!"
Ryo roamed through the vast field aimlessly, contemplating the team dynamics before he went to recruit his next target. It wasn't like he didn't have much time, lunch time was an hour, and he had only spent 28 minutes recruiting half of the people he wanted to recruit. 2 minutes later, he finally decided to stop being a lazy ass bitch and went to find his next target: Iyori Fujiwara. He was interrupted in his quest by the sight of Naomi Zukeyama fighting a guy twice her size, with a crowd surrounding them. Ryo immediately rushed towards Naomi Zukeyama, who was knocked over by an uppercut the guy landed on her. He managed to catch her in time, and put her down on the ground, while supporting her so she wouldn't fall flat on her back.
Ryo said with a faked concerned tone. "Zukeyama-san, what's wrong? Why are you fighting this man?"
Naomi coughed up blood, and then wiped it off her mouth. "He wouldn't take a hint. It's like he doesn't understand what the word "No" means. He kept trying to grab and drag me."
Ryo shoots a nasty look at the guy Naomi was fighting. "Back off."
Ryo mind manipulates the guy and triggers his fight or flight response, and chooses flight. Meanwhile in the real world, thanks to Ryo's mind manipulation, the guy winces at his harsh gaze, and walks off while muttering to himself. The crowd disperses, leaving Ryo and Naomi alone.
Ryo says, faking concern. "Zukeyama-san, you're injured, let me take you to the infirmary."
Naomi nodded, and with help of Ryo, she managed to get up.
Thank Satomi for my mind manipulation, she hates men, she'd probably tackle me to the ground for even touching and helping her if it weren't for my appearance triggering happy emotions inside her brain...
Naomi coughed up more blood and said in a hoarse voice. "Sato-kun, I've a request..."
Ryo says. "What?"
Naomi said. "Since your Isorotomatai is changing genders... Can you turn into a girl? I'd be way more comfortable with that."
Hm.
Ryo says. "Sure thing."
He turned into a girl and continued helping Naomi.
Naomi said, coughing up more blood. "Thanks, Sato-chan."
She's coughing up more blood? This idiot damaged her internal organs in that fight!
Ryo said, now a girl. "You're welcome."
Thankfully, the infirmary was quite close, Naomi managed to get healed and stopped coughing up more blood. Unfortunately, the principal was called, due to Naomi being in a fight.
The principal looked at Naomi in disapproval, a frown on her beautiful face. "I can't believe you got into a fight AGAIN. I ignored it the first 5 times, but I warned you that the sixth time won't go unnoticed! What are you, allergic to getting a teacher? I understand that the boy was sexually harassing you, and we will press charges against him on your behalf, but you didn't need to escalate the situation by fighting him! If this was real life, you would've been charged with an assault charge and the boy would've walked off scot free!" Her face softened. "Zukeyama-chan, I'm so sorry I have to do this, but I can't ignore it anymore. The best we can do is try to stop him from pressing charges by threatening to press charges of sexual harassment. You will have to be suspended for 3 days. That's final."
Looks like it's time for memory modification, man, I've had to use that a lot lately.
Ryo changes the memories of everyone in the school except Naomi, to make it seem like that the guy was instigating that encounter and landing the first punch, on top of sexually harassing her.
Ryo pipes up. "Kouchou-sensei, I think it's important to factor in that the guy landed in the first punch, Zukeyama-san was just acting in self defense."
The principal blinks, her memory now modified. "Oh. I guess you're right, Sato-chan. Zukeyama-chan, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, we'll make sure that the boy pays for harassing and assaulting you. Please rest as of now, you look very tired."
The principal walks out of the room.
Naomi whispers to Ryo. "Why did you lie? I was the one who threw that first punch."
Ryo says. "And you had good reason to. It's your right to defend yourself, especially when someone you don't know is trying to drag you to Satomi knows where without your consent. Also, I couldn't just do nothing while you were getting punished for fighting back. A little lie isn't all so bad if it's for a good cause."
Naomi said with gratefulness. "Wow... I don't know how to repay you... Wait..." Her expression turned suspicious. "Why are you doing this? What do you want from me!?" She scrambled away from Ryo.
A paranoid one? Why are the strong ones always the weirdest ones?
While she was getting away from Ryo, she forgot to cover her "Fan service side character" title. Fan service side characters are overly sexualized, they're beautiful and usually have sexy figures, they're often hated by prudes, a little annoying or pleasant to the general public and loved by the perverts. Satomi knows why, but Fate will always find some way to make their clothes come off in a fight. They're polarizing characters, you either hate them or love them.
Ryo shrugs. "Nothing. I don't want anything from you."
Naomi said with suspicion. "Then why are you being so nice to me!? You want something, I can tell!"
Ryo says, tilting his head. "Huh? It's basic human decency. Also, I hate perverts, so of course I lied to get that asshole in trouble."
Naomi blinks in surprise, then nods in agreement. "You hate perverts? Me too. They're all so disgusting, thinking they can violate a woman's privacy and personal space... It's like their parents didn't teach them any manners." Naomi's eyes narrowed. "Even though I agree with what you said, I still don't trust you. You want something from me, I can tell."
Ryo says, fake-sighing. "For the last time, I don't want anything from you. I was being nice because it's the right thing to do." He leans back. "I'm so tired... Recruiting members for my squad is more tiring than I'd hoped, and I still have 3 more to go."
Naomi says. "Huh? You're recruiting members for your squad?" Her expression turns sheepish. "Could I join? I don't really have anywhere else to go... I don't want to go solo because it's easier to go in a group, and I'll have a better chance when fighting against a group of criminals."
Ryo says. "Sure, but be forewarned, there's men in my squad. Are you sure you're alright with that?"
Naomi waves her hands dismissively. "I am! If they don't bother me first, I don't really care."
Ryo says with a smile. "Good."
The nurse came in. "Visiting time is over, Sato-chan, could you please leave?"
Ryo nods. "I'm sorry, I will." He looks at Naomi. "See you after school?"
Naomi nods. "See you."
Ryo waves goodbye and leaves.
Got to find Iyori Fujiwara now, luckily, she's quite close to my current location.
Ryo finds Iyori hanging out near an abandoned classroom.
What's with all these people hanging out near abandoned classrooms?
She looked at him and said with indifference. "Sato-chan. Why are you here?"
Ryo sits down beside her. "I'll get straight to the point because I have no time to waste. I want you in my squad, would you like to join?"
Iyori shakes her head. "No. I'm going solo, less people to waste my time, less people to take credit for my work."
Ryo says, fake sighing. "Very well, suit yourself. You do know that beginner Isokofo can't take on missions above Rytori rank if they go solo, right? Too bad you're missing out on such a fat paycheck. Don't worry, I'm sure the Meitori and Rytori rank missions pay good as well, but if you complete a Isotori rank mission with your team, you'd each have enough money to buy a skyscraper and have some money left over. Too bad you won't be able to-"
Iyori relents, an exasperated and frustrated look on her face at the thought of losing that much money. "Alright, Alright! I'll join your squad! So much money... If I do just one Isotori rank mission, I'll be set for life!" Her expression turns happy and she looks like she's in bliss at the thought of all that money.
This is actually the most emotion I've seen her show. She's usually so emotionally constipated. But I guess her title is to blame for that.
Iyori's title was "Cool, badass side character". People with that title were stoic and responsible, often great in combat, wouldn't break under pressure and often trusted to take care of everything because they were strong. Due to them looking and being cool, they were pretty high up on the social hierarchy, it's safe to say these types of people probably got asked to give an autograph for doing something simple, like walking into a grocery store, because they just looked that awesome doing it.
This one seems to have a strange infatuation with money, I better keep the money flowing or she'll leave in a heartbeat.
Ryo says. "Good, so I'll see you after school?"
Iyori says with . "Hold up."
Ryo says, with faked curiosity. "Huh? What do you want?"
Iyori says, sounding final. "I want to go with you, I need to see what type of people I'm working with."
Ryo fake-sighs and gestures for her to come along. "Fine, come on."
They both walk together to where Fujisuke Ikehara was.
Fujisuke was leaning against a pillar, looking like he was about to go to sleep. His "Strong, cocky side character" title tilting down like his head. Fujisuke's title was self explanatory. Strong, cocky side characters were born in privileged families, their cocky attitude made them insufferable but also really cool. They often stole the spotlight, taking attention away from the main characters. They tended to push people away due to their mindset telling them they don't need weak people at their side. Since their cocky attitude had people infuriated and intimidated, there were people who tried to humble them by picking a fight or people that gave up all hope and just bowed down to them. Their place in the hierarchy is in the middle, since like the fan service characters, they're also polarizing characters. You either hate them or love them.
Fujisuke notices Ryo and calls him out. "Hey, you! You're the one my dad always talks about, you're Ryo Sato, right?"
Ryo nods. "Yes, that's me."
Fujisuke walks over to Ryo and Iyori. "I've always wanted to meet you, but my dad said no. Now that I have, you don't seem special. Why does my dad pay your bills again?"
Ryo says, with a shrug. "He said that he was impressed by my abilities as an Isokofo, and that talent like mine shouldn't be wasted because of poverty."
Iyori looked strangely bitter about that.
Fujisuke nods. "Oh." His expression changes from his usual cocky smirk to a demanding one with an undertone of desperation. "Does my dad... Does he talk about me?"
Ryo lies, trying to satisfy Fujisuke's insecurity. "He does. He says you're a smart, capable young man who he has the pleasure of being the father of. I swear, most of our monthly meetings are him just gushing about you."
It's not that much of a lie, Fujisuke's father really does love him a lot. But he only spends 1/4 of our meetings gushing about Fujisuke, which is not satisfactory for someone like him.
Fujisuke looked both happy and pained by that. "Really? Good."
Iyori interrupts, her indifferent voice is tinted with annoyance. "Now, if you're both done, can we get to the point?"
Ryo clears his throat. "Oh yeah, we just wanted to know if you wanted to join our squad? We want to do Isotori rank missions, and from what I've heard about you from your dad, you'd be great at such things. According to him, you never disappoint."
Pride returns to Fujisuke's face. "Well, he's right! And if my dad recommended me to you, I don't see why I shouldn't join. So, I'll see you two after school."
Ryo smiles. "We'll see you."
They walk off.
Iyori asks. "Who are we going to recruit next?"
Ryo says, shrugging. "The answer's no one, class is about to start, in like two minutes."
Iyori questions, her indifferent voice tinged with curiosity. "Then where are you taking me?"
Ryo says with a faked smile. "Good question. It's back to your class."
Iyori flushes. "Y-you're walking me back to class?"
Ryo nods. "Yeah, just what a friend would do."
Iyori's normal stoic mask returns but there's still disbelief in her eyes. "Friends... Do that?"
Yeah, how do you not know? You don't have friends?
Ryo nods, not saying another word.
The disbelief in her eyes fades, and she also goes silent.
They arrive at her classroom.
Ryo waves at her. "Bye."
Iyori just nods as a thank you and waves.
Ryo walks away.
I lied to Iyori, there's one more person left. His name is Kanji Ritsumitu. I "met" Kanji when we were 7. I was newly orphaned, and keeping up false pretenses of my parents being alive so I wouldn't lose my house and be put into foster care. I was walking to the nearest grocery store, and I saw Kanji on the top of the building, preparing to jump off. He did jump off, so I used my Essence to catch him and make him slowly land. It was strange, at that age, I only saw adults try to jump, not someone my age, and I felt like I knew him from somewhere, I know where now, but in the past, I didn't. I started stalking Kanji, trying to stop him from jumping off again. Whenever I tried to become his friend, he'd push me away, thinking I was joking. He's a nice guy, he's just been taken advantage of. A lot. Kids at our school thought it'd be funny to ask him to be their friend, give him hope, and then just ignore his existence. He's just developed a defense mechanism to push people away, in case they're joking. I'm particularly attached to this guy as I had an experience when I was 14, and I met his soul again. He's like a brother to me, even if we haven't interacted in this life, I know what he's like and I appreciate what he's done for me in the past. I could just mind manipulate him to be my friend, but I don't want to overwrite his mind. I could just remove his defense mechanism, but it's there for a reason. Lots of people still try to become his friend just to abandon him anyway, but he's prepared now. I don't want to rid him of the only thing that protects him. I'll just have to become his friend naturally.
Ryo arrives at the school rooftop, spotting Kanji, who was about to jump off. Just like the first time they "met".
Doesn't he ever learn?
Ryo teleports over to Kanji's location and grabs him, preventing him from jumping off.
Ryo says. "Stop. You've done this so many times before, and it didn't work. It still won't. Just stop."
Kanji just talks, not even bothering to look back. "Hey, Ryo-chan. I see you've decided to stay as a girl today."
Kanji thinks. "You keep bothering me so many times, I know you just by the sound of your voice."
Ryo fake sighs. "Yes, a friend asked that I walk around as a girl so they'd be more comfortable, and I haven't bothered to change. Come on, it's time to go to class. I'll cover for you."
Kanji chuckles bitterly. "A dead man doesn't need to go to class. What are they gonna do? Put my ashes in detention? Anyways..." Kanji looks back at Ryo with an exasperated face. "Didn't I tell you to back off? Your jokes aren't funny... Just stop pretending like you want to be my friend."
Ryo says, maintaining eye contact. "Didn't I tell you I do want to be your friend? I'm not pretending, I've been trying to be your friend ever since we were young. Come on, Kanji-kun... What's it going to take to convince you that I really do want to be your friend?"
Kanji replies. "Bullshit. Bullshit, all of it. You're just doing this to make fun of me, the second we become friends, you'll forget about me, just like the rest of them."
Ryo fake-sighs. "I knew you'd be like this. I knew it. I'm not trying to make fun of you, I swear. See, if you still don't trust me, I... I have this."
He shoves a piece of paper in Kanji's arms.
Kanji blinks in surprise. "What's this?"
Ryo takes out a pen from his pocket. "A contract. This states that if I forget you, I will have to pay a hundred thousand ryo to you as compensation for emotional damages. In exchange, you have to give me your trust and be my friend. Read the whole thing."
Kanji reads it and signs it. "Well, have fun being broke, but it'll be your fault for joking like this."
Ryo says with a faked smile. "Did you read the fine print?"
Kanji nods. "Yes, I'll be a part of your squad, Ryo-chan."
Ryo fakes a chuckle. "Perfect! Now let's get to class, we wouldn't want to be more late, right?"
Kanji sighs. "Sure, Ryo-chan. Sure."
4 hours later.
The sun is shining brightly upon the Isokofo academy, everyone is in a jubilant mood due to it being the "Isotrikon Seremiya" meaning "Isokofo crowning ceremony". The squad leaders are standing on high platforms in the atrium, all of them proudly wearing their badges, representing their squad. The beginner Isokofo look both trepidly and in awe, they've been waiting for this moment all their life. Some of the bolder ones cheer for their friends upon the platforms, their friends smile and wave in return. The principal takes the mic while standing on a podium, much closer to the ground than any of the squad leaders.
"It is time for the Isotrikon Seremiya, please go to your picked squad leader when I allow you to do so." The principal's voice resounded through the atrium. "Row 1, please go ahead."
Row 1 left in an orderly line, then spread out and went to their respective squads. Ryo looked down to see Hitomi standing in front of his platform with a determined smile on her face.
"Row 2, go ahead."
Row 2 did the same as Row 1. Seitaro now joined the squad, Hitomi smiled at him with kind eyes but Ryo knew that inside, Hitomi was having major feelings of disgust.
"Row 3, go."
Yuzuki walked over to Ryo's platform, and placed herself in between Hitomi and Seitaro. Seitaro looked annoyed, while Hitomi looked at Yuzuki like she was heaven-sent.
"Row 4."
Taro joined the small group of people in front of Ryo's platform, smiling up at Ryo and waving hello to the others. Ryo smiled back at him.
"Row 5."
Iyori walked over to them, her stoic mask not showing any much emotion despite this being a major event. To her, it seemed like another Tuesday. Hitomi smiled at Iyori, which got Iyori to soften her expression up a little and Taro nodded happily at her, which made the corners of Iyori's mouth tilt up in the most unnoticeable way possible.
"Row 6."
Fujisuke confidently strided over to Ryo's squad, nodding at Iyori who he had seen before and looking up at Ryo and smirking with a little thumbs up. He went back to then largely ignoring everyone.
"Row 7"
Naomi walked over to Ryo's platform, she smiled sheepishly at him and mouthed "thank you". She waved at everyone, still trying to get herself used to socializing with men.
"Row 8."
Kanji sighed and walked over to the group, who would soon be his colleagues. Ryo mouthed "Didn't forget you" at Kanji and he just responded with an exasperated smile. Like every time in his life, he was mostly ignored by the group, except Hitomi who saw his title and felt sorry for him and waved sweetly at him, and Fujisuke who started a small, quiet conversation with him.
"Now, your Squad leader will descend from the platforms and hand you a badge that denotes what squad you belong to."
The platforms started to descend and slowly went back to their place in the ground. Ryo walked towards his group, taking a bag full of badges out of his pocket. It was a badge that looked like a two blue supergiants orbiting a black hole that was slowly sucking their matter in.
Seitaro whistled in admiration. "That badge looks so fucking cool! Did nobody fight with you over that?"
Ryo said, shrugging. "I made it. People can't fight over it if they don't know it exists."
Fujisuke takes his badge and examines it with a look of appreciation. "Wow, the design is utterly beautiful. Where did you find this design?"
Ryo says with a shrug and a smile. "I made the design too!"
Fujisuke gapes at Ryo, then says sarcastically. "Did you also make the badge-maker machine?"
Ryo nods. "That's true, I did!"
Fujisuke stares at Ryo without blinking. "Please tell me you're joking..."
Ryo shakes his head. "Not at all! Why buy something if you can make it?"
Fujisuke contemplates the life choices he made, while the rest of the group put their badges on.
The principal announces. "Now that you have gotten your badges, time to go to your headquarters which are at the school. The doors of your headquarters will have a logo of your badge, please go to your headquarters as I tell you and then choose a name for your squad."
"Ryo Sato's squad, you may go."
Ryo and his squad leave to their headquarters.
They arrive and open the door. The headquarters has a lounge, two bathrooms, a laundry room and a kitchen.
Yuzuki says with glee. "It's so spacious!"
Fujisuke inspects the room with a hint of satisfaction. "It's as big as my shed. Good enough."
Iyori mutters with annoyance. "This is why we should eat the rich."
Fujisuke heard that but pretended he didn't.
Ryo fake-laughs. "Alright everyone, sit down, we gotta decide on a name. Also, we need to get to know each other so we can work more effectively together."
Everyone takes their seats with Ryo sitting at a desk, with a computer to enter their squad name in, while the others sit on a sofa, a rocking chair, a recliner and a futon.
Ryo says, faking a determined expression. "Now what should we name our squad?"
Seitaro shrugs. "Just use a squad name generator, I don't really have the energy or creativity to think of one myself."
Kanji takes out his phone and does what Seitaro asked. He sniggers.
Hitomi tilts her head. "What's so funny Ritsumitu-kun?"
Kanji says, laughing. "I did what Hashimoto-kun asked me to and... Well this is the result."
He holds up his phone.
Fujisuke scoffs. "Why the hell would we go by "Super Safeguard Squad"? That just sounds like an insurance firm."
Seitaro says, acting like he's in a commercial. "Lost all your belongings in a house fire that your neighbour's kid TOTALLY didn't start? Well we, at Super Safeguard Squad, can help you not spiral into financial ruin! For the small price of 5,000 ryo per month, you, too, like the rest of society, won't lose your life savings just because your child broke his femur!"
Fujisuke scoffs at him, amused and annoyed. "You're an Isokofo, not a salesman."
Hitomi looks back at the list and said with a little concern. ""Child Defender Corps"? Sounds like the kind of company you'd call after your creepy oji-san got too close."
Naomi grimaced at that, she looked back at the list. ""Shield of Hope"? That's actually decent."
Kanji groaned. "No, it isn't decent! It sounds like the hero's trump card in a shitty Isekai you watch with your 5 year old little sister, who definitely has a crush on the generic ass MC, but will bludgeon you to death with a pillow if you even insinuate so!"
Taro says, a little concerned. "Bludgeon to death? What kind of household are you living in, Ritsumitu-kun?"
Everyone ignored Taro as Ryo said with a fake sigh. "That Time I Got Reincarnated As The Hero Of The World And Received The Shield Of Hope To Beat The Bad Guy Who Tried To Kill My Super Hot Girlfriend And I Had The Goddess Of The Universe As My First Kiss And In My Harem But She Still Can't Compare To My Super Hot Girlfriend Because I'm So Loyal (Said Goddess Is Hotter Than My Super Hot Girlfriend) And I'm So Awesome Compared To When I Was A Loser Otaku Who Only Came Out Of The Basement To Buy New Anime Girl Body Pillows And Purchase My Favourite Idol's Used Bathwater, right?"
Everyone in the room groaned.
Naomi grimaced. "I almost forgot about him, why'd you have to remind me again? This is why I hate men."
Yuzuki said with a grimace. "The protagonist is a boring shithead. Classic Isekai. And you know what's the worst thing? That thing was shown to children!"
Seitaro sighed with relief. "I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who thought the Goddess of the universe was hotter than that guy's girlfriend... What did the guy see in her? Hell, What'd the guy's girlfriend and the Goddess of the universe see in HIM?"
Naomi nodded. "I know, right? I know he was the saviour of the universe and whatnot, but the guy was SO bland! Personality matters, y'all, and even SUPER-CONCRETE has more personality than that guy."
Taro shuddered. "He wasn't just bland, he was straight up evil! The guy owned slaves and even whipped one of them for having a friendly interaction with one of the women in his harem! And that's what they show to kids like it's a good thing?!"
Iyori had her usual stoic expression but her eyes betrayed her disgust. "He was also actively racist. Remember the goblin episode? They just wanted refuge... And he wiped them all out just because his girlfriend thought they looked creepy..."
Fujisuke nodded. "Then he pillaged their homeland and blew all their money on gambling. Actively disgusting human being, even worse economist. He should've never gotten out of that basement."
Ryo said sarcastically. "Don't tell me that, staying in a basement for the entirety of your adult life and having your only form of interaction with women being yelling at your favorite idol online for not wanting to have sex with you and muttering creepily to your anime girl body pillow about how women didn't understand you like it did, somehow isn't healthy for your perception of women? Everyone remember how he got most of the girls in his harem?"
Hitomi shuddered. "Don't remind me... He kidnapped and coerced the poor girls... They had lives, lovers, friends... Until he ripped them all away by attacking their kingdoms, just because he was a pervert and he wanted some sex slaves."
Kanji nodded. "He was collecting sex slaves like they were Pokémon! And the worst part of that was that it was presented like a good thing! Like "hurray, I pillaged village number x and enslaved the women there and killed all the men in their life so I have no competition, look at how cool I am!" That was basically the whole Mizenaotoka arc."
Naomi scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if what you said was actually a dialogue in the whole thing, you know? I just googled it, It's still apparently ongoing."
Yuzuki gapes. "No way! Didn't it get shut down for traumatizing the child population of Ikamatei?"
Fujisuke sighs. "Unfortunately not, it's still ongoing."
Seitaro says with curiosity. "Hey, what was the MC's name again?"
Iyori says. "No idea, I'd rather prefer to forget him and his awful show."
Kanji says with a hint of self-loathing. "His name was Izoki Mikehada, I wish I didn't know that."
Seitaro says, half joking and half serious. "You know, since we all hate this guy, we should call our squad "The number 1 Izoki Mikehada haters"."
Ryo checks the list of taken names. "That's already taken."
Fujisuke says with disbelief. "What?"
Ryo repeats. "It's taken."
Yuzuki smirks. "Are you surprised though? The whole country hates him!"
Hitomi tries again. "Can we do "The Number 2 Izoki Mikehada haters"?"
Ryo shakes his head. "Best we can do is "The Number 432, 843 Izoki Mikehada haters", and that doesn't have much of an effect, does it?"
Everyone nods.
Seitaro suggests. "The Janitors? You know, since we're Isokofo and we clean up crime?"
Fujisuke shakes his head. "No. Just no."
Ryo says, entering the name into a computer. "It's also taken."
Yuzuki suggests. ""Soulstrikers"?"
Seitaro says with distaste. "That just sounds corny, and who's soul are we striking?"
Yuzuki says, deadpan. "The villains obviously, you dumb b-"
Ryo says hurriedly. ""Soulstrikers" is taken, choose another name."
Taro pipes up. "I think Takeyama-san's idea was good, we should put a little spin on it. What about "Soulsavers"?"
Seitaro says. "Again, corny."
Ryo says, faking an apologetic voice. "It's taken, unfortunately."
Everyone starts to get frustrated.
Fujisuke suggests. "What about "Crucifiers"? Criminals would get crucified back in the day, and we deal with criminals."
Seitaro laughs. "That sounds like a name of a rock band, if this name isn't taken, I'm gonna start learning how to play the guitar."
Ryo says, apologetically. "It's taken, unfortunately. Not by an Isokofo squad, but a rock band, I'll be entirely honest, I don't want us to be sued and taken out of the industry before we even go on our first mission."
Hitomi chuckles. "Just about every name is taken."
Kanji pipes up. "Well, if you'd consider how many Isokofo are in the industry, it makes sense, right?"
Yuzuki claps her hands together. "I have the perfect name! "The Government"! Because we're all idiots who argue with each other!"
Ryo says. "That is taken."
Seitaro groans while eating some food he had in his bag. "I have no idea, man, just put in "Children of Satomi". If that's taken, just smash your keyboard and be done with it. It's sad to know that our team name something like hdfguafsgryuehfguawidfgeygesiu-" Seitaro coughs up the food he swallowed and starts choking on it while trying to emulate the sound.
Hitomi rushes over and slaps his back really hard, so all the air would go out of his lungs and force the piece of food out. It worked and Seitaro spat out the piece of food, which coincidentally landed in the trash can.
Hitomi yelled. "Hashimoto-san, are you alright!?"
Seitaro, looking a little troubled, stares up at Hitomi and whispers. "You just saved my life..."
Hitomi thought. "It felt good to have an excuse to finally slap you... But, even if hate you as you choke."
Fujisuke gets some water for Seitaro. "Here you go, Hashimoto-san. Drink this, it should help."
Seitaro grimaces. "I don't want to swallow anything after what just happened."
Hitomi pats Seitaro's back. "Please drink, Hashimoto-san, it should help."
Seitaro begrudgingly takes the water and drinks it. He then sits back on the rocking chair silently.
The whole room is awkwardly silent till Ryo speaks up.
"Well, the only suggestion we've yet to try is Hashimoto-san's suggestion." Ryo says, looking at everyone in the room.
Iyori sighed. "Just do that then."
Ryo obliges. "Not taken."
Ryo says, casting a vote. "Those all in favor of "Children Of Satomi", raise your hands."
Everybody's hands shot up.
Fujisuke groaned, he looked tired. "At this point, a name that isn't taken is a blessing."
Taro smiled. "Look at the bright side, At least we finally found a name!"
Ryo nods. "We are, as of today, now officially members of the squad known as "Children of Satomi"."
Everyone cheered, except Iyori, who had a faint smile on her face, and Seitaro, still shaken from his near death experience.
Ryo stands up and walks over to a recliner, he sits down in it while reclining all the way. "Great, we're finally done. Now, get to know each other, if you don't like each other, speak later or forever hold your peace."
Seitaro taps Ryo on the shoulder, his voice shaky and hoarse from his near death experience. "H-H-Hey dude, did y-you remember m-my blanket and f-f-food?"
Ryo nods. "Ah yes, I'll get them now."
He freezes time, leaving everyone frozen like a statue and still, like they were in a picture.
Ryo relaxes. "But for now, I'll just go to sleep."
After sleeping for what would be 18 hours if time were still ticking, he wakes up.
Still got to make Seitaro's blanket...
Ryo manipulates atoms to create extremely soft, extremely durable, extremely easy to wash and dry and insulating fabric, he also puts some of his Essence inside to mind manipulate Seitaro into having feelings of bliss whenever he uses the blanket. Ryo started knitting, if time passed, he'd would've spent 4 months knitting. Ryo now did the whole process 6 more times, creating fabric with the same properties but in a different color, and knitting it into a blanket. He had finished after what would've been 2 years and 4 months if time hadn't stopped, Ryo took one last nap after stuffing the blankets into his bag to present to Seitaro. Eventually, after 18 hours, he woke up and unfroze time.
Ryo takes out the 7 blankets from his bag, he gives them to Seitaro.
Ryo says with a faked smile. "There. One for each day of the week."
Seitaro blinks. "You know an Isokofo week is only 5 days, right?"
Ryo shrugs. "I made you spares for laundry day. You throw your other 5 into the washing machine and use these for the time being."
Seitaro smiles. "Thanks dude, I'll take it!"
He then goes off to the futon and sits, wrapping himself up with his blanket.
Ryo gets up. "Time to get started on the food..."
He goes into the kitchen and starts making cakepops, Seitaro's favorite food, Seitaro had a huge sweet tooth.
Now following Hitomi Suzuki
Hitomi sat quietly on the sofa, she had to stop herself from bursting from excitement at the prospect of meeting new people, the knowledge that they'd probably ignore her like her parents do did the trick and spoilt her excitement.
Hitomi thinks. "Wait, why's Seitaro Hashimoto approaching me...? Oh shit."
Seitaro sits down next to her, wrapped up in the blanket he'd gotten from Ryo.
Hitomi is bursting with questions but manages to keep them behind the absentminded smile on her face. She decided to keep to herself and stared off into space.
Neither Seitaro or Hitomi wanted to talk about what happened earlier, so an awkward silence settled between them.
Seitaro, sensing the awkwardness, decided to alleviate it with questions. "So... How did Sato-kun scout you?"
Hitomi shrugs. "H-He found me, a-and c-c-convinced me t-to join."
Seitaro laughs. "Same! I got this blanket from him as a bribe.He told me he was going to knit blankets for me, and make my favorite food if I joined!"
Hitomi smiled shakily, she could not wait to get away from Sasuke. "To o-offer so m-much... h-he must've r-really wanted y-y-you."
Seitaro shrugged. "I guess he did." Seitaro leaned in, an extremely serious expression on his face. "Do you want to know a secret?"
Hitomi really didn't. "S-Sure..."
Seitaro says seriously. "You know Sato-kun's Isorotomatai, right?" Hitomi nodded. "He's my wife."
Hitomi gasped. "Really!? You're way out of his league."
Hitomi thinks. "And when I say 'way out of', I mean way below."
Seitaro blushes. "Aww, you really think so?" Then he immediately burst into laughter. "You're so gullible! I was kidding!"
Hitomi nods. "Oh. You were? It makes sense, Sato-kun's not the kind of person to get married to anyone so young."
Seitaro wipes away his tears of laughter. "True, but whenever someone hits on me, I'll just say Sato-kun's my wife."
Hitomi laughs. "Good luck getting them to believe it. They're not all stupid like me." She says jokingly. "Can I see the ring?"
Seitaro cackles and nods, holding up a blue plastic ring on his hand that he clearly got from one of those candies with rewards.
Hitomi gasps jokingly. "Oh my God, where'd you get this? I've never seen such an exquisite thing in my life."
Seitaro says mock-haughtily. "A peasant like you wouldn't know, why would you even need to know this information? You can't afford to buy it anyway."
Hitomi sniggered. "Geez, I was just asking!"
Hitomi thinks whilesmiling. "I'm really having trouble not following up on my violent thoughts. Maybe I should just clasp my hands together really hard so I don't reach out and hit him."
Now shifting to following Yuzuki Takeyama.
Yuzuki watches Hitomi and Seitaro like a hawk, pretending to be spaced out.
Yuzuki thinks. "How lovely, they're bonding. Sato-kun was right, they really do make a cute couple. It's clear I don't stand a chance, why even bother? I failed at my life's purpose, and I lost all that to Suzuki-chan."
Seitaro shouts, choking while laughing. "Get away from me, you homewrecker!"
Hitomi looked alarmed and did an embarrassed little laugh. "Hashimoto-kun, are you alright? You're choking again. Should I perform CPR?"
Seitaro gets himself under control. "No, no. I'm fine. But if you were thinking of doing mouth-to-mouth, go ah-"
Fujisuke states loudly, drowning out Seitaro's voice. "You two are so loud. Can't you see a man's sleeping?" He points to Kanji, who was passed out on the recliner.
Hitomi says with concern. "Is he okay? He looks unconscious."
Fujisuke nods. "He's fine. He's just sleeping."
Yuzuki snorted. "Of course he is. Poor guy looked like all he wanted to do was to sleep."
Fujisuke nods. "Exactly, so all of you shut up."
Seitaro speaks up. "Alright, I can respect a man's need for sleep. We'll be quiet now."
Yuzuki thinks. "Well, that ended without much drama. Now, I'm left to wallowing in my own self-pity. I can't believe I didn't get Hashimoto-kun's attention, I'm supposed to be the one every man loves, I'm supposed to get a man of high status, I'm supposed to be the love interest and fulfil my purpose and I can't even do that."
Her thoughts were interrupted by a kind voice, she looked up and saw the smiling face of an angel. One that she never wanted to see grow sad.
Taro said with a kind smile and an outstretched hand. "Hello. There's a really good smell coming from the kitchen, you want to check that out?"
Yuzuki nods without even questioning and takes his hand, dreading the fact that she had to let go.
Now shifting to following Iyori Fujiwara.
Iyori looked expressionlessly at Fujisuke, she was internally pleased with the information she was getting.
Fujisuke explains. "Of course, mining is also a valuable source of income, especially since that we've already figured out how to manage eco-friendly mining. You have to find a resource-rich land, a way to do that is sniffing the ground. If it smells like, well, dirt, it doesn't have metals in it. If the ground smells like cheese, it does have metals in it. Tread the land, and when it gets more bluish, you immediately start digging there. You're sure to find valuable metals that you can sell for a shit ton."
Iyori nods. "Thank you for this information, I'll make good use of it."
Iyori thinks. "You're way less insufferable when you talk to me like that."
Fujisuke nods in response. "You're welcome. But you don't really need this information, honestly. We're doing Isotori rank missions after all, you'll get rich way faster that way."
Iyori pauses. "That... Is True. I have to say, I'm excited to do them. It seems thrilling how you can get your retirement fund, from just one mission."
Fujisuke snorts. "That money wouldn't even make a dent in my bank account. Besides, these missions are dangerous, are you the type to sacrifice yourself over just some money?"
Iyori says with disbelief. "Some? Some? That money could help me live extravagantly and still have some money to pass over to the next generation! It's not my fault you're a billionaire and don't understand the significance of money!"
Fujisuke hums. "Well, it's not my fault you're poor and don't understand the significance of your life. How're you going to spend all that money if you died in the process to get it? Someone like you has probably never seen a million dollars before. So, are you really an Isokofo for the money?"
Iyori nods. "Yes. What're you an Isokofo for?"
Fujisuke says with a little disgust. "I'm an Isokofo to deliver justice and put criminals in a jail cell. I would judge you on the fact you're only doing this for money, but it's really not your fault you're poor."
Iyori says sarcastically. "Wow, thanks a lot for not judging me, it's not like it's the bare minimum or anything."
Fujisuke responds with even more sarcasm. "You're welcome, it's not like you're supposed to do this job to help your country, I can't really blame you for only thinking about money."
Iyori thinks. "This guy's a stuck-up piece of shit with way too much money on his hands. I pity the girl who has to fall in love with this bastard."
Fujisuke leans in. "I want to ask you one thing. What's even the point in doing near-suicide missions for money when you could die? If you'll die, what's even the point of the money?"
Iyori says with absolute certainty. "It'll go to my family, and that's best-case scenario."
Fujisuke looks at Iyori with a strange look in his eyes. "I can't decide whetheryou're the most materialistic person I've met, or the most selfless."
Iyori shrugged. "Why can't I be both?"
Now shifting back to Ryo.
He headed out of the kitchen with a tray of cakepops in his hands and set it on the table. "Everyone, I made cakepops. Take them if you want!"
Seitaro smiles. "Wow, that was quick! Thanks Sato-kun!"
Yuzuki, who was enraptured in a conversation with Taro, casted a side glance at the cake pops. "They look delicious but I'm on a diet. I can't have them."
Taro tilts his head. "You're on a diet? But you already look amazing!"
Yuzuki blushes. "Well, I do have to maintain my figure."
Taro said with disbelief. "No cheat days?"
Yuzuki laughs at Taro's astounded expression. "No cheat days. I'm very strict about my weight, I want to keep it as low as possible."
Taro gasps. "Seriously?" Taro beams at her. "Your self-control is amazing, though I do think you'd still look beautiful even if you gained weight." His face turns serious. "You do eat enough calories to maintain average weight, right?"
Yuzuki lets out a sad little chuckle. "I wish I'd think about myself that way too." Yuzuki lies. "Of course I eat enough."
New thing on my to-do list, examine everyone in the squad for any health problems, this girl is clearly anorexic and I need to help her. It'd be a pain in the ass if she passes out from starvation in the middle of battle.
Ryo clears his throat. "Takeyama-san, please just eat one. I learnt the recipe from my grandfather, the cakepops have lots of nutrients in them, trust me. They're healthy."
Ryo alters the composition of the cakepops so that while looking and tasting like cakepops, they'd have lots of nutritional value packed in them.
Yuzuki thinks to herself. "I'll eat one here to keep up appearances. Then, I'll go to the bathroom to throw it up. They won't know, they can't know."
I heard that.
Ryo hands a cakepop to Yuzuki while Kanji wakes up because of all the noise. Ryo turns to Kanji. "Would you like to eat cakepops?"
Kanji nods, and eats one, still looking a little sleepy. He then speaks, his voice sounds a lot softer than before. "They're good. What's the recipe...?"
Ryo smiled. "Recipe? Are you interested in baking too?"
Kanji mutters. "Used to be. I used to love a lot of things before, now I feel too unmotivated and lazy to do them."
Ryo offers. "Well, how about we go into the kitchen and start baking? Maybe you like doing it with another person?"
Kanji nods. They both head into the kitchen.
Kanji excels at baking, so Ryo decides to teach him how to cook.
A loud explosion can be heard coming from the kitchen, so everyone in the living room rushes to the kitchen to check if everything's okay.
There is a cloud of smoke, and sounds of coughing coming from the kitchen, just as the smoke dissipates, it reveals a coughing Kanji and a relatively unfazed Ryo.
"I'm-" Kanji gasps for more air. "So sorry-"
Ryo said, unconcerned. "It's alright, you'll learn."
Yuzuki shrieks. "What just happened!?"
Ryo mutters, handing Kanji some water. "I tried to teach him how to cook and he accidentally turnt the vegetables into a chemical bomb."
Naomi looks horrified. "What? How? Why? Nevermind, I don't want answers! One thing's clear, you should never cook again!"
Fujisuke nodded. "Zukeyama-san's right. We're in peace time, we don't need bombs. But, feel free to cook in war time."
Iyori says monotonously. "You should be ashamed of yourself, you put a school in danger because of your cooking."
Yuzuki shoots a sidelong glance at Iyori. "Fujiwara-san, that's incredibly rude but you're right. Ritsumitu-kun, please stop being a danger to children, stop cooking."
Hitomi tries to see the bright side. "Hey, we all have strengths and weaknesses, maybe cooking isn't your strength but something else is!"
Taro nods enthusiastically. "She's right! And remember, practice makes perfect! If you try hard enough, you'll get better!"
Seitaro shudders. "I'm not sure I want him to try again... Two near death experiences in one day."
Ryo was getting tired of how they were dissing his favorite person who's alive right now. This will be explained, I swear as author. "Oh, Hashimoto-san, you'll be okay. It was just a chemical bomb. Nothing much. Could only obliterate a universe if set free."
Everyone sighed from relief. Seitaro muttered again. "Still, even if it was such a weak bomb... I don't want him to try again. What if he makes something stronger?"
If you're wondering why they're not pissing their pants in fear, that's because something lower than the power of someone's destructive Essence cannot hurt them, at all. Something equivalent to the power of their destructive Essence, would only barely manage to put a scratch on them. Something 10 times the power of their destructive Essence would hurt them a little, like a scrape on the knee, something 100 times the power of their destructive Essence would hurt them considerably, but wouldn't be fatal, something 1000 times the power of their destructive Essence would hurt them seriously, but still be recoverable, something 10,000 times the power of their destructive Essence would kill them. However, Isorotomatai are fueled by people's Essence, and if killing intent or strong emotions are involved, the Essence can infiltrate their opponent's body and judge the destructive Essence inside, then temporarily power up enough to hurt and kill their opponent. Buildings account for this factor, and are durable to this, unless it's especially strong Essence.
Ryo said. "Anyway, I think-"
The sound of a knock came from behind the door, the outsider discovered the door was unlocked so they opened it.
Naomi questions. "Who... Is that?"
Ryo knew, but like the asshole he was, he didn't bother elaborating.