It hasn't even been two seconds since your outburst at the end of the last chapter and you still have to repeat yourself. The redhead seems to have the same problem because she joins in and it makes you even more annoyed that you two have anything at all in common.
"My buddy is... this bitch/this kid?!"
Nozomi rolls her eyes and leaves the room with a victorious look on her face. The kind of look she always has despite being such a big boobed loser monster. It drives you nuts when she looks like that because you usually wind up the butt of some joke or scheme when all you want to do is relax and dwell on the night's shift and how hungry and tired you'll be when you finally get home. Worse than being the butt of a joke though; you're left with this girl. What did Nozomi say her name was? Wait wait wait! Nozomi... that bitch! She didn't even introduce you.
Meanwhile out in the hallway Nozomi keeps walking, stopping to shuffle her tarot card deck infront of a student or two. "Take a card, any card." She says with her mouth while her eyes say do it or washi washi monster will get you. The ginger girl takes a card at random because her friend is bust choking on rice. Nozomi rips it in half and then pulls a new card from between her boobs.
"Was this your card?" She asks while smiling. The rice choking girl screams and dances with shock. The ginger girl has a mini heart attack while nodding. It's the same card Nozomi just tore to pieces. The purple haired third year looks at the card and smiles... "The lovers, huh? Ufufufu~ Have fun Niccochi."
It's an hour later and you are not having fun. Maki, the girl eventually told you her name, has been sitting staring at you for an hour now and she looks like she just stepped in something unpleasant. You're doing your best to glare back at her and it must be working because she finally stops with red in her face. Did you manage to make her embarrassed about this morning?
"You have a booger on your nose, kid." She says at last. Your face explodes into fire and you run to the mirror... there's nothing there. Your nose is there actually but nothing is on your nose. You spin around three hundred and sixty degrees and glare at your 'buddy' with hate in your ruby red eyes that match her hair. She's smirking. Your heart skips a beat (with rage you bet) and you really wish you could punch her to death. You've ready enough yandere A-Rise fanfic to pull off the perfect kill and you know it, but before you can come up with a plan (but while you were stomping towards Maki) she throws her hands up and apology.
"I was just trying to break the ice," she says, gentle smiling. "I don't need my buddy hating me and..." she blush a bit "You seem nice. I was just embarrassed about knocking you down and making a mistake so I lashed out. Sorry."
She bows her head so low she smashes the desk in two in your imagination. Looks like she's not all bad and you can't help but turn away and blush. This is the first time since you spoke to Nozomi that anyone at school has been nice to you. They either ignore you for being so small, laugh at your idol club, laugh at your poor family or act like Eli. You still don't know why she hates you so much but she tries so hard to have your club finished completely. You won't let that happen, and at least you have Nozomi's support.
But back to Maki. She apologised and your dad always taught you to be respectful if someone says sorry. You wave your hand and pull your Nico pose, cutely.
"Don't worry about it! Nico could never hate a fan! She's duty bound to show wuv and affection to every one of you! "
Silence falls and you stick your tongue out and wink at Maki. Silence falls further. Not even the birds in the sky or the great old ones sleeping under the Earth make a single sound, long may they stay placated for the good and glory of Japan. Eventually she gets her bag and leaves, quickly.
"You are a fucking idiot." She says, without turning back.
Meanwhile on the other side of the school a ginger and a rice baby were walking hand in hand, singing cutely to eachother and smiling and being friendly. Suddenly the rice baby tilts her head, feeling something weird in the ginger cat girl's hand.
"Rin-chan... what's this?" She asks, licking her lips and hoping it's food.
"Nyaa?" Rin says and tilts her head this time before letting the other girl's hand go and inspecting it. In her hand is a piece of... card? A whole card, like the one Nozomi tore up a while ago for that weird magic trick. "Nyaa, Rin accidentally took two of those cards Kayo-chin...! Should we give it back?"
Kayo-chin nodded. If it was a valuable card then they might get rice as a reward and if it wasn't then they couldn't even sell it to buy some more rice. Keeping it wasn't an option either; the picture scared her.
"What's with the creepy picture though...?" Kayo-chin asked while she hides behind Rin's shoulder. "Is that a skeleton?"
"Nyaa... it says DEATH on it too. Is Senpai into the occult? How strange, nyaa."
Nozomi sat in the student council office waiting for Eli and opening more tarot card booster packs to see if she could find a replacement for her torn up lovers card and her missing Death card. If she knew where and when she had lost it in that spontaneous fortune telling then the weeks to come... would have been very different. Everything would start to change at Nico's work that night, after all...
a/n: Another chapter and, gasp, plot has arrived! Stay tuned to find out what fate awaits Nico, Maki, and the other members of MUSE.