Chapter Two: The 'First' Meeting
"Wait, you did what?!"
I've been in total agreement with Neru and Dell's idea to rally the school together for the Talent Trials. What I'm absolutely not in agreement with is… is this…!
"Oh man, I can't believe Principal Hiyama actually chose us!" Neru jumps around in excitement, a large grin plastered across her face.
"But- But you never even mentioned you put our names forward for the event!" I choke out, flabbergasted.
How it usually goes is the students put forward a list of four names, that list typically consisting of their friendship group, in hopes of making one of the two event teams. Then, the Principal pretty much pulls those slips of paper out of a hat or some bullshit in front of the other teachers, which determines who'll take part in the smaller events. These groups of friends normally discuss it amongst themselves before making the decision to hand in their names.
"Because, you know, it's supposed to be a team effort!" I glare at Neru, who promptly stops skipping around in circles.
"Hey, I knew you would never agree to it. It's for the greater good, Kai-kun." The blonde pouts at my lack of enthusiasm. In fact, I'm rather pissed off that she and Dell went behind my back and submitted our friendship group for the games.
"I can't- Are you hearing this, Mi-chan?" I turn to her for support, but she simply shrugs at me. Ah, as usual, I'm the only one who has a problem with this. One part of Neru's speech is right; we're all massive pushovers here and too damn submissive.
"S-Sorry, Kaito-kun..." she shyly laughs, rubbing her arm. "But it sounds like it'll be lots of fun…! Neru-chan and Dell-kun were seriously motivating out there. I almost feel like we can win."
I let out a groan in defeat. Sure, they might win one game, but this situation right here is something I can't win. "Okay, fine. I won't complain anymore. However..."
"Oh, here he goes again," Dell tuts, flashing me a playful smirk.
"Don't start with me, you smug son of a-"
"Your point, Shion?" Neru interrupts, raising a curious brow. She's grinning right alongside the silver-haired devil. Even Miku lets out a small giggle. Unbelievable. I feel like a stranger in my own home.
"Ugh," I roll my eyes. "Aren't teams expected to brush up on their skills at least a month or so before the games?" I'm actually surprised the principal was so lenient and forgiving of our lack of skill. Makes me think that the second team is full of brighter students.
"Well, Dell-kun and I are kind of pros in the areas to begin with..." Neru starts by bragging, that cocky tone of hers kicking in. I narrow my eyes at her without saying a word. "Uhh… Yeah, we should probably do some research after classes."
"Ah, jesus..." I mutter, rubbing the bridge of my nose in irritation. Before I can continue my rant of why this is such an awful idea, and we should resign while it's still early, the bell rings out from above our heads. We've been standing by our lockers the entire time, making quite the scene while other students pass by.
"C'mon, Kaito-kun. We got Literature class," Dell says, gesturing with his hand to get a move on.
"Don't forget we got Music class all together this afternoon! We'll discuss our plans during lunch!" Neru grins, before twirling around.
"You gonna be okay, Kaito-kun?" Miku asks, finally showing some concern for me.
"Nah, don't worry. I'll survive this, somehow." I smirk, patting the top of her head. "Thanks for looking out for me though. You're such a sweetheart." I lean down and press my lips to her cheek for a quick moment, as a way of saying 'seeya later.'
With that, Miku turns around to join Neru and head down the opposite end of the hall, while I spin around slowly with a heavy sigh to walk with my good friend Dell. While we're away from the girls, we usually get a chance to relax and have some room to breathe. Not that we don't like the girls, but sometimes a man needs space to himself.
"Sorry 'bout dragging you into the Talent Trials, Kaito-kun," Dell seems to get a chance to apologise, away from the fearsome clutches of Neru Akita.
"It's fine. I only feel slightly betrayed, but I guess this'll be a good bonding experience for us all," I casually shrug, waving my hand dismissively. Maybe I'm just overreacting because I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone. Even though I absolutely despise Mahogany Creek students… I'll focus on my friends and having a good time instead. It's hard to shake this weird feeling deep within me, though. I can't quite describe what it is.
Dell lets out a hearty chuckle at my self-deprecating melodrama. "Neru-chan has made a string of good decisions as of lately. Guess she really is maturing… Apart from yesterday, of course."
"Hmmm," I hum, folding my arms over my chest as I walk down the hall. "And what else about Neru-chan?"
Dell blinks in surprise when I ask that. He rubs at the back of his neck with a bashful smile as a response. We reach the classroom, which he uses an excuse to dodge responding with words. He coughs lightly, pushing the door open. "I don't know what you mean," he finally speaks, looking over his shoulder at me. He enters the class first, and I follow behind him.
"I thought it was painfully obvious at this point." We take our seats at the back of the class, slipping down just in time before the teacher arrives. The second bell will probably ring any minute now – which gives me just a minute to interrogate Dell and get this out in the open once and for all.
"Nope, no idea what you mean," he insists, propping his elbows up onto the desk. He averts my sly gaze, turning his head to stare out the window.
"You always talk very highly of our dear friend Neru-chan… That's all." I can't help but snicker. I'm incredibly cruel at times. It's almost fun watching him squirm and come up with an excuse. Perhaps he doesn't even really realise his feelings.
"S-Stop it, Kaito-kun. We're gonna get in trouble as soon as Ms. Miki arrives," Dell stutters slightly, gulping down his nerves.
"Fine, fine..." I hold my hands up, unsuccessful in my pursuit of the truth. I'll get him to spill sooner or later. If not, Miku and I will have no choice but to intervene and set them up. It's been three years too long – Dell's been practically obsessed with the blonde-haired tomboy ever since we became closer as friends. The thought of being a matchmaker is pretty cool, too. But alas, my main focus at present is Literature. Not that it's a bad thing. It's my favourite subject – I'm a natural. If only there were some sort of event for this in the Trials… Then we'd definitely win.
Ms. Miki finally bursts through the classroom door. She's a few minutes late. It must be a pretty hectic day for all the staff. "I'm sorry for being late, everyone! Phew. Let us begin at once."
…
Literature class flies by as usual. The things you love always pass by so quickly. How unfair. It means I'm faced with our afternoon music class way sooner than I want. Lunch itself isn't so bad… Except from the part where Dell reminds us our group, of all people, have also volunteered to be part of the final event on the last day – a band battle sort of thing.
Naturally, I was even more outraged than this morning in the hall. I swear there was steam rising from my blue hair. I kept my cool this time though, which in hindsight was probably an awful idea, as we're now in a small studio connected to the main classroom, being overlooked by our music teacher.
"I literally cannot fathom how this could possibly get any worse," I mutter to myself, finding that I'm staring down at a guitar.
"Ooh, this is so exciting…!" Miku clasps her hands together, approaching a stand with a microphone already hooked up. Easy for her to say. She's a wonderful musician – her voice is angelic and she knows it. The confidence she radiates is majorly attractive. This should be a piece of cake for her. But for the rest of us? I'm afraid we might drag her down and humiliate her on stage.
"Oh hell yeaaah!" Neru's over-the-top call rings out from the right side of the studio. It's obvious she wants our attention, but I still sneak a peek over to her corner, out of morbid curiosity. She's standing over a pretty heavy-looking guitar. "I haven't touched an electric guitar in years! Oh wow, I absolutely have to use this for the event!"
"Neru-chan plays electric guitar?" I raise a brow, glancing over at Dell, who looks nothing but love-struck.
"Wow… Is there anything she can't do?" he says in a low tone, followed by a blissful sigh. Good lord.
"Looks like Neru-chan's got the guitar part covered," I change the subject, diverting this fool's attention away from his future girlfriend.
"She'll probably need some bass support, Kaito-kun." Miku smiles over at me, and at first, I think she's hinting that I take that spot.
"Woah, woah- No way! I can't play bass, I-!" Her glare sharpens and her teeth clench together. Without her even saying anything, I can tell she: wants to kill me, and also, is not referring to me. "Ohhh… Ahaha...~ Dell-kuuun, how about you take my place? I'm hopeless here, man." I flutter my lashes at the silver-haired boy. I think I can hear Miku slap her palm against her face.
"M-Me?" He points at himself, eyes widening and cheeks growing a nice shade of pink.
Neru must've been in her own world, blocking out the three of us, because she calls over to Dell a few moments later. "Ah, Dell-kun, I have a brilliant idea! How about you take up bass?" she grins, oblivious to what we said literally a second ago.
"M-Me?!" He again points at himself, only this time more frantic, and his voice is so high I swear someone pinched his balls.
"Oh~ Don't be nervous! Stage fright is a serious thing, but I can teach you how to overcome it in no time!" Neru gestures for Dell to go on over to her. And just like a hypnotised little lamb, he trots on over to her side of the studio.
"Can I say, pussy-whipped?" I hiss in a low tone to Miku, slinking over to where she stands next to the microphone. I get the exact type of look I expected for making such a disgusting remark. "Hey, I was just kid-DING-!" She slams the back of her heel right into my foot, stomping down so hard that my words are cut off and instead continue as a loud squeak.
"That'll teach you not to be so crude..." She sweetly giggles. Ahhh, sometimes I forget she can be the devil in disguise. I also keep forgetting that she's not one of the guys, hence I have to watch my mouth around her. One would think the last ten heel jabs made me learn my lesson…
"Y-Yes ma'am," I wheeze, holding back tears.
Our banter continues for a short while; Dell and Neru are in their own corner giving each other music tips, whereas Miku gives me suggestions on which instrument I should take up. Things are starting to fall into place, until there's a light tap on the studio door before it's pushed open by our teacher.
We turn our heads to look at her, and I'm wondering if there's some kind of problem. Perhaps we've been too loud? "Sorry to interrupt, dears. I just thought I'd let you all know that the other band for the Talent Trials are looking to use this studio here."
"Wait, for real?" Neru is the first to pipe up. "Tell 'em we're busy using it." I wish she wouldn't talk back so rudely to teachers. Especially Mrs. Prima – this woman is famous in the music industry! Neru needs to show some damn respect.
"Sorry, we're short on studios, what with the Talent Trials and all..." Mrs. Prima chuckles, lightly scratching at her cheek with her finger. "I'll tell you what. How about you share? You guys can have the studio for half an hour, and then the other band can have it for the remaining half hour of the period. But they'll have to sit over that side..." She directs our attention to the other half of the studio, which is separated by a glass window. That's where all the mixing desks and fancy stuff is, with a few soft chairs.
"Ughhh..." Neru draws out an irritated moan.
"It's no big deal," Dell laughs, patting the tomboy on the shoulder.
"Thank you for letting us know, Mrs. Prima," Miku gently smiles at the teacher.
The woman nods in response and turns around, leaving us be. Just a few moments after she leaves, I see the students on the other side of the studio enter. There's two girls, two boys… Uh oh.
"Remember how I said, I literally cannot fathom how this could get any worse?" I ask out loud, referring to no one in general. One by one, my friends all stare through the glass window, to see that's all that separates us from Lily, SeeU, Fukase and Oliver.
Lily gives us a wave with a smug grin on that bitchy face of hers, whereas SeeU blows us a kiss.
"Grrr…!" Neru begins to shake with rage. "Cover your ears, because I really need to swear right now!" I dart my glance nervously between Miku and Dell. The blonde is swift to plug her guitar into an amp. After bumping up the dial to what I assume are dangerous levels, she lifts her hand up in the air.
"Neru-chan, bad idea…!"
"FU-"
I try to stop her, but all I end up hearing is a loud ass strum, and I see her mouth open wide as she screams expletives – ones I can't hear over the deafening guitar noises.
It's over within a few seconds, but I don't think my ears will ever be the same again. I watch Neru place the guitar against the amp and turn down the volume, before grinning as brightly as ever again.
"Owwie, my head..." Miku frowns.
"Wh-What did you say?!" Dell is apparently struggling to hear. What an absolute disaster.
As we only have half an hour to learn how to play the most basic shit, there's not much that gets accomplished in this session. We have just three days to put together some kind of song; we can't even rip off something we hear on the radio. It has to be fully original or we'll be disqualified from the music contest. By the time I start to sort of get a grasp on how to handle a piano, our time is up. And literally.
The second our allocated 30-minute period is over, the other group led by Lily barges into the studio. Her bleach blonde hair flowing behind her, she struts toward us like she's some sort of model. She stands with the most fake smile I've ever witnessed, resting a hand on her hip. "Well, thanks for killing our ears. It's time to go now."
"Wow, you guys did like, such a great job and all!" SeeU giggles, and though her words sound sickly sweet enough, there's a bitter hint in there.
"Thank you," Miku says. She knows it's fake, but she's learned along with the rest of us, it's best to get under their skin with little things like accepting their 'compliments'.
"We're gonna blow you freaks out of the water when it comes to the Trials," Fukase snickers. His voice is rough like Neru's, except it's like this guy is trying way too hard to sound badass.
"You do realise we're not competing amongst ourselves, right?" Dell scoffs at the red-head, clearly bored of their attitude. "But please, keep up that energy when it comes to the night of the event."
"Hehe..." Lily giggles softly, taking a few steps closer to us. She stops in her tracks right in front of Neru, hand on hip and all. She snaps her fingers, and SeeU comes running to her side like a dog. The two girls scan their eyes over Neru – the blonde-haired tomboy doesn't even blink at their intimidation tactics.
"Ah…!" Dell looks pissed. There's a fire in his eyes when I look over my shoulder, and it appears like he's about to storm forward. I'm quick to block his path by holding out my arm, firmly shaking my head. Don't be such an idiot.
"This bitch thinks she can run our school..." Lily speaks in such a shiver-inducing tone, but her eyes are bright and that fake smile is still stuck on her face.
"How pathetic," Oliver chimes in, standing beside Fukase, just a few steps behind their 'queen'. I can't believe I'm even witnessing this right now.
"Where'd you get the guts from, Akita?" SeeU sneers, before extending her arm and placing her fingertips under Neru's chin. She tilts our friend's head up so that their eyes meet.
"Don't fucking touch me," Neru growls, immediately taking a step back and shaking her off.
I grit my teeth together in frustration. Knowing that all I can do is watch just pisses me off. If any of us try to step in and defend Neru, they'll turn their anger and malice towards all of us. I don't want to give them the ammo they need to go out of their way to seriously fuck things up for us. Although it seems like this is what they've been planning since this morning.
"Ooh, she's a tough little cookie," comes Fukase's tutting.
"I don't know why your worthless self thought it'd be a good idea to grow some balls for a change, but you'll soon learn from your mistakes," Lily finally speaks in a more threatening tone. "Mahogany Creek students aren't your enemies, Akita. You'll see."
"Gr..." Neru can only huff in anger. Her cheeks look like they're burning red from both rage and embarrassment. I feel so bad that all we can do is watch. Lily has always targeted Neru, and every time they corner her like this, it's so hard to just stand there. She clenches her fists, and it looks as though she wants to fight back. However… "Let's get out of here, guys."
She instead turns to the three of us. Without even waiting for us to react, she hurries out of the room and doesn't look back.
"Neru-chan..." Miku whispers. I can hear the regret and sadness in her voice.
"Go on, better go follow your freak of a friend before she punches a hole into a wall." Oliver delivers one final insult – incredibly low, considering she's already left the room.
"Come on, Mi-chan." I finally say, releasing my breath after holding it without even realising. I take hold of her hand and quickly pull her out of the studio. Dell follows as soon as we make a break for it, hands stuffed into his pockets.
"Buh-bye, rejects!" SeeU calls out from behind us, and just before I slam the door, I hear the four of them burst out into cruel laughter.
When we exit the studio, Neru is nowhere to be seen in the main classroom. I scan my eyes around to look at the tables, which confirms she's definitely not here anymore. Mrs. Prima also isn't in the room, so I decide to take the initiative and leave without permission. I slip my hand out of Miku's.
"Wh-What are you doing…?" she questions me. She sounds all shaken up still.
"We gotta find Neru-chan," Dell answers for me, pushing past the two of us toward the classroom door.
"But… but we'll get-!"
"In trouble?" I interrupt, predicting what she'll say next. When our eyes meet, she breaks out into shy laughter. "Come on."
With that, Miku and I catch up with Dell, sneaking out into the hall. Maybe we can get away with skipping class if we stay very, very quiet…
"Fuuuuck! Fuck, fucking fake bitches, god damn it!" A voice screams out from just down the hall. Miku and I exchange concerned glances. So much for quiet.
I quickly head down the hallway, and when I come closer, I see two people. Dell is there, trying to calm the other down… And Neru is in the middle of throwing a rage-fuelled fit, throwing her heel into the nearest things she can find – unfortunately, she sets her sights on a trash can, and within seconds, its contents are spilled all over the freshly waxed floors.
"Hey, hey, hey…!" I wave my arms at her to get her attention.
"Neru-chan, hey..." Dell is standing closer to the girl, so he's the one to tightly grab her by the shoulders and get her to snap out of it. Miku stands by my side, a heartbreaking expression in her eyes.
"Why are they so mean, Kaito-kun?" Miku quietly asks, but that's something I can't answer.
Neru squeezes her eyes shut and tilts her head downward, avoiding eye contact. "They always… always have to fuck with me…! What the hell did I do to them?!"
"Lily is power mad, you know that," Dell softly chuckles. "They're just jealous of how amazing and confident you are. They're jealous of the true power you have."
Neru slowly opens her eyes and looks up at the silver-haired boy. Seeing this from the sidelines is actually pretty breathtaking. They're just staring into each other's eyes, Neru's face filling with happiness and almost some sort of realisation. Dell, on the other hand, looks as love-struck as ever.
"Wow," Miku mutters. I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close to me. "I guess Neru-chan will be okay after all."
I mumble an 'mhm' in agreement, with a sigh. It's still kind of worrying, seeing Neru fully freak out like that. She's so good at hiding her emotions – keeping them pent up inside of her. This is the first proper outburst she's had in the time we've all been friends.
"Maybe… Maybe I should tell Principal Hiyama that we're going to withdraw." Neru's eyes fall down to her feet. She's suddenly filled with doubt.
I suppose this should be my cue to convince her otherwise. I haven't exactly been a great help to her confidence, what with all my complaining about being part of the event. I take a step forward, breathing in. "Hey, the Neru-chan I know would never say that."
"Kai-kun..." Neru softly smiles at me. It's kind of surreal seeing her in such a vulnerable, emotional state. She then looks back at Dell, who finally lets go of her shoulders. A moment passes, and… "Fuck it, you're right. I shouldn't let those hoes get to me. Sorry for flipping out."
"Don't worry about it, Neru-chan~" Miku beams, supporting her best friend. "Dell-kun is right, too. Their jealousy really reared its ugly head back there…"
"You think they'll try to sabotage us when we participate?" Neru raises a brow slightly, overcome with worry.
"Ehh..." Dell and I mutter at the same time, at a loss for words.
"I wouldn't worry too much," Miku answers, before directing a tut toward the both of us boys. She's far more reassuring and optimistic than I can ever be. "If they try anything, I'm sure Mr. Hiyama will disqualify them and replace them."
"I guess," Neru shrugs, deciding to accept that for now. "Let's try to stay one step ahead of 'em, though. We'll host a meeting in the dorm lounge before the Mahogany Creek students arrive, alright? We need to prepare for tomorrow and get everything ready." Looks like she's back to being the bossy leader. Although, I'm finally starting to feel a little less apprehensive to the whole situation. I hope that weird feeling of mine fades soon enough.
…
A pile of books blocks my entire frontal view out. It's not even a pile – it's more like a stack. Not even that, a giant stack of books, right in front of my face! If that isn't bad enough, they're starting to wobble and shift out of place as I take slow steps down the dorm hall toward the chill-out area.
Neru is taking the lead once more, suggesting that we should brush up on skills we haven't applied in a while, as well as learning new ones. Since we're one of the two teams, we'll be facing Mahogany Creek head on in events such as baking, art, woodwork design and other academic subjects. The pressure is insane, pretty much. The entire school will be looking up to us. Of course, the lower year groups have their own teams to support, but being the oldest, the hate and blame will fall to us if we make any mistakes.
Neru also ordered me to bring a stack of books from the library, which is ridiculously far away from the dorms here. I'm surprised I haven't dropped any books on the pile yet. Given that the hall that stretches down toward the lounge area is rather narrow, it means I can't see if anyone is walking in front of me. There'll barely be any room to squeeze past. I should be able to handle it, though.
I can tell I'm getting closer from the sounds of chatter drifting down the hall. "Ahh, finally. Stupid Neru-chan, making me pick up cookbooks and other academic textbooks..." I grumble to myself.
Just as I'm nearing the end of my unbearable journey, I suddenly feel someone's shoulder clash straight into me from the front. "Wah!" I gasp, instantly being shoved to the side without any warning. I try my best to maintain my balance, but it's incredibly difficult – my feet tangle together.
"Hey, watch where you're going…!" An unfamiliar voice scolds me.
"You're the one who knocked into- Ahh…!" I can't finish that sentence. I can't even see this guy's face, but that's the least of my worries. My fingers slip out of place from the books since I've been so preoccupied on keeping my feet straight.
A loud crash resonates through the hall. The heavy thud of many books falling down is heard, along with my incredibly painful crash to the floor. Another gasp follows about a split second after that – it turns out that yell belongs to the one who caused this mess in the first place.
"Ow, ow, ow!" I exclaim, my entire body immediately beginning to ache. A few books fell onto my head and legs, whereas an entire person nearly crushed me, too. The intense pain I feel right now doesn't mean I'm not about to seriously lay into this inconsiderate asshole. I begin to pick myself up as I landed face first. I struggle, but I shift myself onto my knees, eyes still low. "You need to… huff… be more aware of your surroundings, you damn jerk…!"
"Are you kidding me? You're the one who… ouch…! Who is carrying around a pile of books like that. Talk about a health and safety breach!"
I lift my eyes up after sorting out a few books, and realise this guy's face is incredibly close to mine. We must've fallen and bumped our heads together. "That's irrelevant! I'm-!" My words get caught in my throat the second I look into his eyes. "I'm… uh…" Why am I speechless all of a sudden?
"Huh?" He mumbles. I've never seen this boy in my life. He has long purple hair which is tied up and deep blue eyes. His eyes… Why can't I stop staring into his eyes? My heart is pounding in my chest. He's looking at me with the exact same expression that I'm wearing. Confusion. Bewilderment. A strange sense of familiarity.
"S-S-Sorry, wh-who… who are you…?" Those words come out of my mouth all on their own, along with an incredibly nervous, shaky stutter. I'm feeling light-headed and breathless out of nowhere. Did I hit my head that hard? And why are my cheeks burning?
He continues to stare at me, not saying a word. This is… I don't know how to describe this… I'm overwhelmed with the intense feeling that I've already met this boy in front of me before. Does he go to this school? No, even if he did, I wouldn't be feeling this way. It's like the exact same thoughts are racing through his mind, except he pulls himself up to his feet in a hurry. In fact, he practically jolts up, as though struck by some kind of spark. He dusts himself off swiftly. "Gakupo Kamui. From Mahogany Creek Academy." His voice comes out, and it's pretty deep and serious but also calm.
I begin to panic. I helplessly follow his movements with my eyes, trying to pin where I recognise him from. I've never took part in the Talent Trials before… No, that doesn't feel right. It feels deeper than that. There's simply no way I've met him before. I don't even recognise the name. It's impossible.
"The hell are you staring at me like that for, brat?" He lets out an irritated scoff, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The second he starts talking that bullshit, the feeling fades and I'm left in a daze. I blink rapidly, wondering exactly what I'm doing here in the middle of the hall on my knees.
"Shit, my books…!" I gasp, clambering to pile them back up. "Did you bump into me and knock my books over? You damn asshole!"
"Tch, get over yourself, kid. You're the one who bumped into me, for your information," he retorts. I genuinely have no clue how I got in this situation. It feels like I just woke up from some sort of dream, but how can that be? "Just who do you think you're talking to like that, anyway? I'll crush you like the bug you are if you say another word to me."
"Wh- Hah-!" My eyes grow wide. I forgot how utterly arrogant and disgusting Mahogany Creek students are. He doesn't even need to mention where he's from, I can tell by the way he acts he's not from Oak Valley. I choke out a laugh, at a loss for words, wondering where to begin in my rant of telling him off. As I find the right words, it's already too late, because he's long gone. "Eh? Wh-Where did that asshole go?"
I turn my head over my shoulder, to see that he's quite the distance away from me already. "Gah! That dick…! He isn't even gonna help me clean up this mess!" I continue to curse that purple-haired demon while I pick up the rest of the books, knowing these next few days are going to be a living Hell.
...
