Bara no Scarlet
Chapter 44
Reaction
The Student Council room was silent. Rika sat at her place with a vacant stare. Izumi and Keuseke each sat in silence, the harsh reality of Mariko's absence a sharp contrast to the cozy little world that they'd been living within.
Izumi leaned forward and looked at Rika. "I'm sorry, Rika, but I have to say this. I'm afraid you were right." He turned the photo of Mariko and looked at it sadly. "I think she may have done something to anger End of the World."
Rika gave Izumi a frantic and pained look before bursting into tears. She grabbed at the nearby box of tissues and cried herself into silence, anger gradually overtaking pain and sorrow. She recalled how different Mariko had looked that morning when she'd been late. She heard the words of the letter that Mariko had brought, heard the tone with which End of the World had chided them, and with every thought, she got angrier and angrier.
The silence stretched on until, at length, Rika had stewed long enough, and all of her pent-up emotion exploded. She slammed her hand down on the table with enough force to make the framed photo of Mariko bounce and fall over.
"Damn it all!"
Keuseke and Izumi looked at her, startled. "Rika..." Izumi started, but undaunted, she continued.
"Don't you see? He did this! End of the World! We're nothing more than pawns in his sadistic little game," Rika cried, brown eyes sparking with fury. "We're bound by these.. things!" She glared at her ring, yanking it off of her finger. "These rings," she shook hers at the boys. "We shouldn't be wearing these. This isn't what and who we are! We're children, playing at an adult game that we don't belong in." She tossed her ring onto the table, glaring at it as it rolled on its edge to a stop and fell over, the rose facing her as if mocking her.
Keuseke sat back in his chair, sullen. "We aren't children, Rika. That's why we're chosen to participate."
"Listen to you!" Rika shouted, and Izumi wondered how far her voice was carrying. "Izumi's fifteen. I'm only fourteen. You're sixteen, Keuseke, and so was Mariko!" Her voice faded to a whisper. "She's dead... she was only sixteen years old..."
Izumi felt uncomfortable. In a way, Rika was right. They weren't adults, they weren't supposed to have to look Death into the eyes and try to figure out how to keep living. Mariko should have been flirting with every male in the school, trying on makeup for the first time, worrying about dates to school dances.
"In the... light... of recent... events... perhaps..." Izumi started quietly. "Maybe we should..."
"I'm disbanding the Student Council," Keuseke said without warning. "We've failed the students and the faculty by becoming more interested in the Duels than in the school."
Izumi and Rika stared at him, all anger evaporating into shock. "But... Keuseke... now, more than ever, we need to stick together. We're under..." Izumi didn't want to sound alarmist, but he couldn't find any better way to put it. "We're under attack by End of the World. If he's the one who has killed Mariko... who is to say someone else won't die?"
Rika paled, her hand going to her mouth. "We should do something to keep the students safe... we need to think."
"Fine. You think. I am going to find Counselor Kiryuu and tell him that I plan to disband the Student Council in light of its recent failure to protect the students." Keuseke stood.
Suddenly, something connected in Rika's mind. "Kiryuu! Oh, Nanami! She was the first one to be attacked!" Horror filled her eyes. "Do you... you don't... did End of the World attack her too?"
Silence filled the room again, and Izumi looked to Rika, disturbed. He hadn't seen that. It hadn't occurred to him that End of the World might have been controlling her. But that black ring... "I'll call the hospital and see what her condition is."
Keuseke and Izumi both left the room, Rika still in her seat, staring blankly at the photograph of Mariko which smiled back at her, as if it knew all the secrets.
The Student Council room was silent. Rika sat at her place with a vacant stare. Izumi and Keuseke each sat in silence, the harsh reality of Mariko's absence a sharp contrast to the cozy little world that they'd been living within.
Izumi leaned forward and looked at Rika. "I'm sorry, Rika, but I have to say this. I'm afraid you were right." He turned the photo of Mariko and looked at it sadly. "I think she may have done something to anger End of the World."
Rika gave Izumi a frantic and pained look before bursting into tears. She grabbed at the nearby box of tissues and cried herself into silence, anger gradually overtaking pain and sorrow. She recalled how different Mariko had looked that morning when she'd been late. She heard the words of the letter that Mariko had brought, heard the tone with which End of the World had chided them, and with every thought, she got angrier and angrier.
The silence stretched on until, at length, Rika had stewed long enough, and all of her pent-up emotion exploded. She slammed her hand down on the table with enough force to make the framed photo of Mariko bounce and fall over.
"Damn it all!"
Keuseke and Izumi looked at her, startled. "Rika..." Izumi started, but undaunted, she continued.
"Don't you see? He did this! End of the World! We're nothing more than pawns in his sadistic little game," Rika cried, brown eyes sparking with fury. "We're bound by these.. things!" She glared at her ring, yanking it off of her finger. "These rings," she shook hers at the boys. "We shouldn't be wearing these. This isn't what and who we are! We're children, playing at an adult game that we don't belong in." She tossed her ring onto the table, glaring at it as it rolled on its edge to a stop and fell over, the rose facing her as if mocking her.
Keuseke sat back in his chair, sullen. "We aren't children, Rika. That's why we're chosen to participate."
"Listen to you!" Rika shouted, and Izumi wondered how far her voice was carrying. "Izumi's fifteen. I'm only fourteen. You're sixteen, Keuseke, and so was Mariko!" Her voice faded to a whisper. "She's dead... she was only sixteen years old..."
Izumi felt uncomfortable. In a way, Rika was right. They weren't adults, they weren't supposed to have to look Death into the eyes and try to figure out how to keep living. Mariko should have been flirting with every male in the school, trying on makeup for the first time, worrying about dates to school dances.
"In the... light... of recent... events... perhaps..." Izumi started quietly. "Maybe we should..."
"I'm disbanding the Student Council," Keuseke said without warning. "We've failed the students and the faculty by becoming more interested in the Duels than in the school."
Izumi and Rika stared at him, all anger evaporating into shock. "But... Keuseke... now, more than ever, we need to stick together. We're under..." Izumi didn't want to sound alarmist, but he couldn't find any better way to put it. "We're under attack by End of the World. If he's the one who has killed Mariko... who is to say someone else won't die?"
Rika paled, her hand going to her mouth. "We should do something to keep the students safe... we need to think."
"Fine. You think. I am going to find Counselor Kiryuu and tell him that I plan to disband the Student Council in light of its recent failure to protect the students." Keuseke stood.
Suddenly, something connected in Rika's mind. "Kiryuu! Oh, Nanami! She was the first one to be attacked!" Horror filled her eyes. "Do you... you don't... did End of the World attack her too?"
Silence filled the room again, and Izumi looked to Rika, disturbed. He hadn't seen that. It hadn't occurred to him that End of the World might have been controlling her. But that black ring... "I'll call the hospital and see what her condition is."
Keuseke and Izumi both left the room, Rika still in her seat, staring blankly at the photograph of Mariko which smiled back at her, as if it knew all the secrets.