écriture fatale
by crisis rain
Disclaimer: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!/Maid-sama! belongs to Fujiwara Hiro. Fiction plot & originals belong to crisis rain. No infringement intended.
The low hiss of the transport vehicle's brakes sounded in the cold, January air. Students filed out of the bus, chattering excitedly amongst themselves as they walked down the brick-layered road towards their new school campus. A lone girl would step out of the bus last; her new shoes clacking softly against the ground. A cold wind would pass through the air, and clutching her school bag tightly close to her body, Kogarashi Hisui would take the first few steps towards the towering, gleaming white building that sat on top of the hill just beyond the front gates.
'Ugh… so ostentatious.' Hisui thought to herself, trying her hardest to withhold her scowl. She withdrew a piece of paper from her new school bag (yes, apparently even new, leather school bags were fitted for each student so that they wouldn't "lower" the standards of the other Miyabigaoka students), glancing it over quickly. Directions to the school sat on the top of the list, and then an itinerary followed after. They were to meet at the school's auditorium for their official semester opening ceremony.
"Yo!" A hand playfully clapped on her right shoulder, and Hisui glanced up to see the smiling and beaming faces of Endou and Shinohara. "Morning, Hisui! You ready for this?!"
The bespectacled girl gave a look of worry instead. "Hisui-san, are you feeling better now? I heard you were discharged from the hospital last month."
"Endou-san. Shinohara-san. Yes, thank you… I'm feeling better now." Hisui greeted each of them formally, nodding her head in respect. Endou looked like she was about to burst into laughter. "Hisui, Hisui… you can just call me Mie." Wagging a finger playfully, she wrapped an arm around the surprised health representative. "And Aya too! I'm sure Aya doesn't mind."
Shinohara Aya adjusted the frame of her glasses expertly, being the more docile of the two. "Of course not, please call me Aya by all means."
Defeated, Hisui nodded and smiled in return. "Thank you."
"Speaking of which," Chie piped up, wrapping an arm around Aya as well, tying the three of them together in a huddle. "Hisui-tan… you missed out on the Christmas party for our class." Hisui gulped, spotting the annoyed look of dejection on Chie's face. "I-I'm sorry… I had plans that night…"
"Plans, huh…?" Chie eyed her suspiciously, before letting out a sigh. "Teranishi was soooo bummed you weren't there– ack!" Before she could continue with her gossip, a hand had promptly landed squarely in the middle of the short-haired girl's head, rendering her speechless for a moment. Whirling around, she saw the figure of a scowling Teranishi Souhei standing before the trio. He pulled at the collar of his new uniform, looking clearly unadjusted to this new change of clothes.
"What about me now, Endou?" He sharply raised his hand again threateningly. Endou yelped and hid behind Hisui, cowering behind the brunette. "Bully! Meanie!" She shouted in response.
Hisui laughed, feeling the charm of her classmates' comedic interactions washing over her soul. "Good morning, Teranishi." She greeted him with a smile, but that only elicited a surprised look from him instead.
"O-Oh, yeah. Morning, inchou." She's awfully happy today, he thought to himself.
"Hurry, hurry – this way, kids." A gruff and familiar voice could be heard directing students to the direction of the auditorium, where the opening ceremony was beginning soon. "C'mon, pick up the pace, would ya? Can't afford to have my ass fired here." Hanazono Kengo grumbled. Hisui's mouth gaped wide open, before approaching the old Health Council's teacher advisor, and… she supposed, the former nurse of Oukashou High.
"Hanazono-sensei." She greeted, giving him a customary, curt bow. "It's a surprise to see you here."
The scruffy-looking man who still donned his white lab coat over his shirt and trousers glanced back at Hisui, before erupting into a wide smile. "Hisui-chan!" With a delighted cry, he would reach out for a bear hug, but Hisui would expertly side-step out of the way, allowing her former advisor to grapple nothing but the air. Guffawing as he wobbled out of balance, Hanazono shot his former pupil a withering look of rejection.
"Why so cold now, huh?" He moped. Hisui and Teranishi exchanged knowing, placid glances, before glancing back at their lecherous, former school nurse. "Are you still going to be a nurse on-site here, Hanazono-sensei?"
He would fold his arms angrily at the mention of his position. "Sadly, no! My days of being lazy and sleeping in the nurse's office are over!" Half-lidded stares passed from one to another. "Instead, they promoted me! To a full-time teaching position!" Hanazono cupped his face in dismay. "I knew my Masters' degree in the sciences was gonna bite me back in the ass someday!"
Hisui could only wryly smile at the fate of her lazy teacher. "Isn't that a good thing? It's a nice bump to your pay grade."
"True! Can't argue with that logic. Anyway, get your butts moving. Or I'll get fired!" He shouted frantically, and the group of students would quickly hurry off at his insistence.
The inside of Miyabigaoka's auditorium was by no means, short of impressive. The stage was easily twice as large as the stage in Oukashou's old gymnasium, and the amphitheater-style seating arranged a nice array of seats that would comfortably be able to seat the entire school population – and more, for guests. They spared no expense with the velvet-lined chairs, to the various large, digital monitors that hung near the front, as well as flanking the sides for those too far from the stage to see. A top-of-the-line sound system was also equipped.
This wasn't an auditorium. This was a theater.
Hisui fidgeted in her seat, soaking in the sheer size of her new school's facilities. On one side sat Chie and Aya – and on her other side, Teranishi. The four of them were fully immersed in gaping at the wonders Miyabigaoka has to offer.
"Geez, this place really is too big." Hisui muttered, glancing around quickly and watched as the rest of the other students filed in. Even with Oukashou's large student population, it seemed like there was still heaps of empty seats left. It goes to show just how large-scale Miyabigaoka was, to commoners like her. With a sigh, she leaned back against her seat, almost regretting at how comfortable these luxurious auditorium chairs felt.
"As expected, that's Miyabigaoka Academy for you. They spare no expense." Aya straightforwardly pointed towards the stage, where a glimpse of industrial fog machines and other special effects equipment could be seen, partially hidden by curtains. Hisui's heart thudded; she hated this feeling, but even she couldn't deny just how fortunate she was to be able to have such opportunities at the reach of her fingertips. A hand clenched at her chest, fingers curling around her new uniform tie.
The lights dimmed, signalling the start of the opening ceremony. Loud chatter soon fell to hushed whispers. A group of figures made their way to center stage, before one of the group would take his place behind the podium. Dressed in the bright white of the Miyabigaoka uniform, the unmistakable smirk on his face alerted Hisui that it was, of course, none other than Igarashi Tora himself. The student council president – no, would it be more accurate to say, her new student council president now?
Her fingers dug into the fabric of her long skirt.
"Welcome, students of Oukashou High. We, of Miyabigaoka Academy, is pleased to share this opportunity, due to the unfortunate circumstances of your old school campus. As such, the Miyabigaoka Student Council feels compelled to conduct this opening ceremony, of which we hope that will help you get better acquainted with your situation."
'How thoughtful.' Hisui dryly thought.
"The Miyabigaoka campus will be divided between the regular students that are studying here, and the Oukashou students. Please note that your campus, albeit being slightly smaller, is still fully equipped and will have a sizeable amount of classrooms needed to accommodate all classes." Tora continued, quickly glancing down at his papers. "Due to certain factors being merged, facilities such as the cafeteria, gymnasiums, libraries and reference rooms, the health clinic – which comprises an in-house team of doctors and nurses – school admission office, and most importantly, all clubs, will be merged. Miyabigaoka's current existing system will serve as an umbrella from now on." He smiled, glancing up at the stunned faces of the students. Loud murmuring rose from the audience.
"That's right; all athletic clubs, school clubs, and any other sort will go directly to Miyabigaoka's existing model. You will have to apply for admission if you want to continue to pursue club activities." Tora lightly explained, before gesturing to the row of students behind him. "As such, following protocol, there is only one student council that will handle all student-related affairs. If you have any concerns or complaints, Miyabigaoka's Student Council will be happy to address them."
Hisui's mouth slowly opened in disbelief. He was making a mockery of them. Every single one of the Oukashou students.
"That's… that's just…" Chie stammered, unable to believe what had happened. "That means… I have to try out again for Track? That's just insane, Miyabigaoka's standards are way too high! They'll… they'll never accept me!"
And Chie was right. Hisui clamped her hands around her head, feeling a headache coming in. No more clubs, meant no more health council meetings. Images of her club members flashed in her mind, each one of them no doubt, disappointed.
"Now, the east building has been designated for your classroom studies. You can find directions on the handouts you were given prior today. There are additional handouts by the auditorium exits. Please proceed to your appropriate classes. Dismissed." And with that, the ceremony was over. Just like that – a short speech to inform just how disadvantaged they were all suddenly.
"Let's go." Chie motioned for Hisui to follow her and Aya, and Hisui nodded blankly, getting up from her seat.
As they exited the auditorium, throngs of Miyabigaoka students stood outside, quietly chatting to themselves. Hisui barely noticed until she overheard some of the gossip that ran through the crowd.
"You see that? If they're wearing that style of our uniform, they're Oukashou students."
"What a drag… they've ruined the perfect design of Miyabigaoka uniforms."
Hisui instinctively looked down at herself, before shooting a glare at the wealthy students at the side. She hadn't realized it before until now, but Aya's text from the other night suddenly reminded her of how segregated their reality was. The Miyabigaoka uniform consisted of a white gakuran jacket and trousers, and black dress shirts for the males; the females donned a long-sleeved bolero jacket with a sailor collar and tie in white, on top of a long, black skirt. Both uniforms would have a dark purple accenting.
However, the Oukashou students were the exact reverse of that. Male students wore an off-black gakuran and pants with a white dress shirt inside – females, wore the dark tops and tie on top of a white skirt. Their accenting was red, instead of the purple.
A bead of sweat lined Hisui's forehead. 'Why… didn't I notice this before?'
"Great." Teranishi muttered under his breath. "We've got a big target on our backs, and it's the one thing we can't get rid of. Our uniforms."
Many other students were beginning to share the same sentiment of unease. Hisui scowled, fist clenching. This wasn't a "fantastic" opportunity.
This was segregation.
It was a rather long walk from the auditorium in the main building, all the way towards the east building, as per instruction, which was to be their new classrooms. Hisui supposed she couldn't complain too much; despite the eastern building being much less impressive than the main campus, it was still sufficiently large and a definite upgrade from their old school building.
Ascending to the second floor to find their classroom, the group of friends entered their new classrooms, each of them tired of lugging their winter coats and school bags around. Standing in front of the classroom white board, was none other than Hanazono Kengo. The man gave a casual wave with a grin as wide as his face.
"Yo!"
Hisui immediately closed the door shut. "Sorry, wrong classroom."
"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Hanazono struggled to open the door, looking stung from being rejected so harshly. "I'm your new homeroom teacher, y'know! So you gotta uh… treat your sensei with a bit more respect…!" He gave the door a final push with all his strength.
Hisui yanked the door back open, quickly stepping out of the way and allowing her teacher to fall flat on his face. Gingerly stepping over his twitching body, she made her way into the classroom without so much as a scoff. Chie, Aya, and Teranishi stared down at their fallen, lecherous teacher, before looking back at each other, not in the least bit sorry.
"Sensei had it coming."
"Uh-huh."
"Oh come on!" Hanazono protested loudly and rolled back to his feet. "Cut your new sensei a break, would ya?!"
"Impossible."
"Nah."
"That's asking too much."
'These brats!' His left brow began to twitch, but he forced to smile anyway. He didn't sign up for this. Being a biology teacher was a position that was thrusted on him, ever since the science department at Oukashou fell apart after the school's foreclosure. Slamming his hands on his teaching podium with renewed confidence, he shot glares at his students, before scooping up his clipboard.
"Alright, alright. Let's do roll call and get everyone caught up with what we've missed last week."
"Ahhhh man, I'm starving." Teranishi stretched audibly, letting out a loud yawn. "Should we head off and grab some lunch?"
Hisui closed her notebooks, before storing them neatly inside her desk. "Hm. Sounds like a good idea." Withdrawing her wrapped lunch box her mother had made her earlier this morning, she smiled at it happily, before picking it up and made her way towards Aya and Chie's desks.
"We're going to head out for lunch. Did you two want to join us?" Hisui offered, and the two girls nodded back. "Sounds good! I've always wanted to see what sort of luxury lunch sets Miyabigaoka has to offer." Chie drooled a little at the thought, and quickly got up, grabbing her coin pouch. "Let's go!"
When they arrived at the school cafeteria, they were immediately greeted by a waitstaff who was hosting the dining area. Dressed in a formal uniform, he would give the students a quick bow, before gesturing to the tables behind him.
"Sir, madams. Would you be joining us for a sit down service, or a self-serve?"
"Uh…" Hisui gripped her lunch box tightly in her hands. "Is there any public seating if we've brought our own lunches?"
"Most certainly. Just simply proceed to follow the checkout lines and there will be additional seating there."
She felt a little bad, but nevertheless her classmates seemed more interested in the self-serve area. "Don't mind us, Hisui." Chie piped up. "What's a 'sit down service' anyway? I mean aren't all cafeterias just grab 'n go?"
"A sit-down service is like how you would order from a sit-down restaurant, Chie." Aya explained. "The menu would change everyday, depending on what's in season and the chef in charge."
"Besides…" Teranishi laughed nervously. "...I checked the sit down menu prices. I doubt we'd be able to afford it."
Nobody seemed to want to ask Teranishi exactly how much it was, as they were too afraid to know.
"Ah! Look, there's a menu for the self-serve. Let's see… erm…" Chie squinted at the prices listed above the cash register, where a hefty line of Miyabigaoka students were currently lined up behind.
"There are five main different lunch sets… each one ranging from ¥4500 to ¥9800?! What the heck is this?" If Teranishi's eyes were capable of popping out – it would. "These prices are insane!"
Chie laughed weakly, pointing at a particular section of the menu. "L-Look… a bottle of "natural, spring water" costs ¥2400… today I learned that water here costs more than my pocket allowance…"
Hisui shook her head, before smiling faintly. "It's fine. My mother packed me an especially large lunch today. I can share it with you guys, if you want." Chie wrapped her arms around her, grateful tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hisui to the rescue!"
And so, the five of them found themselves seated at one of the tables in the open dining area, all huddled around a single lunch box. Hisui cracked open the lid of her bento, revealing rows of tamagoyaki, a side of fresh salad, and various other sides. Teranishi looked at the fluffy, yellow rolls of egg, before glancing back at Hisui curiously.
"Is tamagoyaki your favorite food, inchou? I have a strong feeling that it is." He jokingly took a piece, before popping the sweet and savory egg roll into his mouth. She looked a little embarrassed about it, but took one as well and helped herself to a bite. This prompted laughter from their two other comrades.
"Somehow Hisui liking tamagoyaki is very believable." Chie laughed, wiping away a tear of mirth. "Somehow… you're very… fluffy?"
"What's that suppose to mean?!" It was Hisui's turn to laugh now.
From further away, Igarashi Tora and Kanade Maki had also arrived at the cafeteria for their lunch hour. Despite the crowd of students he had following him, Tora calmly made his way through the dining area, motioning for his vice president to following him closely.
"Sir?" Maki started, wondering why his president wasn't joining the rest of the council members for their sit down lunch. He stopped short when he spotted the president smirking to himself, his eyes trained on a particular group of students – Oukashou students – seated nearby. Tora spotted Hisui laughing cheerfully, surrounded by her classmates, as they seem to appear to be sharing lunch with one another.
"Hisui." A male student he didn't recognize, was seated beside her, and had addressed her rather casually by her first name. "You've got something on your face." Tora stopped, watching as the red-haired male lean in a little, fingers picking off a piece of food off the corner of her mouth. Hisui jumped a little at his touch, clearly embarrassed.
"Geez, I'm sorry… I'm not usually a messy eater…"
A pang of jealousy coursed through Igarashi Tora's chest. He was about to take a step forward, hellbent on intervening – he'll just improvise the reason as he goes along – when a flock of Miyabigaoka students beat him to the chase. A female student's hand whipped out, knocking their lunch to the ground. Pieces of food scattered on the cafeteria floor, and silence fell around them. Looking back at the five Oukashou students, who sat stunned at what had happened, the female student flicked her wrist with a disgusted look on her face.
"Ugh, so gross! What's with this smelly food? Who even brings this kind of crap to school?" She complained loudly, before crushing a fallen tamagoyaki with the heel of her shoe. "Aw, look, it's gotten all over the floor! Now even the floor is dirty!"
Hisui glared at the girl, quickly standing up from her seat and effectively pushed her chair back, breaking the silence as the chair legs screeched against the floor. "You should apologize first, since you're the one who made this mess."
The girl wiped her hands with a handkerchief, raising a brow at Hisui. "Clearly, you should apologize for bringing such disgusting food to school in the first place. What if somebody gets sick because of it?" She smiled, watching Hisui shake in anger.
"That's… my mother's cooking you're talking about…" Hisui retorted through clenched teeth. Taking in a deep breath, she picked up the lunch box from the table, before bending down to the floor and began picking up the fallen remnants of her lunch. "Hisui…" Chie started weakly, and was about to help her when the female Miyabigaoka student stepped on a piece of shrimp, kicking it away from Hisui's reach.
"Nobody wants you Oukashou filth hanging around here." The female snarled, prompting a round of jeers in agreement from the other Miyabigaoka students. "So why don't the trash take themselves out, hmm?"
Hisui picked up a piece of tamagoyaki that still looked intact, and stood up, facing the girl before putting it in her mouth, chewing it. The girl burst out in laughter, tears forming in her eyes. "Commoners are so disgusting, they'll even eat food off the floor!"
"I'm not being wasteful, because this is my mother's cooking." Hisui calmly replied, her mind finally cleared of anger. She took a step forward at the girl, picked up another piece of her lunch, and without pause, thrusted the egg roll into the girl's mouth. This took the female student by surprise, who immediately fell back with a muffled shriek.
Tora could hardly contain his laughter at what he had just witnessed. "Pfft—bwahahahaha!" He was clutching his sides now, tears forming from laughing too hard. The girl who had a tamagoyaki stuffed in her mouth impromptu spat it out, desperately wiping her mouth off with her handkerchief.
"Argh—! So… So disgusting!" She screamed, and in retaliation, she grabbed a nearby glass of water and threw the contents at Hisui squarely. Hisui immediately threw her hands up to shield her face, but the damage was done. Her top now soaked, started to drip the water back onto the floor. Teranishi immediately flew up from his spot, about to step in front to shield her from any other attacks from the other students —
— until, the president of the Miyabigaoka Student Council stepped in front instead, raising an arm as to quell any remaining intentions to attack or injure the drenched girl. He was unsmiling now, and cast a glowering glance at the crowd that had gathered.
"Already making trouble on your first day, Kogarashi?" He would politely quip, and Hisui gaped back in surprise, before quickly shutting her mouth. She didn't want her classmates to know just the extent of what her relationship with Igarashi Tora is like — or was — and merely looked away, grimacing. She regretfully wondered just how long he had been watching this pettiness before things escalated to this outcome.
"P-President!" The female student would gasp in alarm, before alligator tears started to dot her eyes. "Please control these… these uncouth Oukashou students!" Turning to him as if expecting some salvation on her part, her hands reached out, pleading for her request to be granted —
Maki would step in this time, redirecting her touch away from Tora. He smiled thinly down at her. "Please do not touch the Student Council President." He merely stated, and the girl looked back in shock, before throwing a venomous glare at Hisui. Hisui saw this, visibly shaken at how much hatred she could see in the girl's face.
"It's rather ill-becoming of you to act like this, Saionji-san." Tora lightly followed afterwards, and the female in question — Saionji — guiltily glanced back at the student council president before throwing an accusatory finger at Hisui. "It's ill-becoming of our school to accept lowborn, poor, filthy commoners —"
"Maki." Tora began to unbutton his jacket, taking it off swiftly before wrapping it around Hisui's shoulders, much to her surprise; to Chie, Aya and Teranishi's surprise; and most of all, to Saionji, who looked like she was burned by an open flame at what she saw unfold before her. Was he taking the commoner's side? She had never seen Igarashi Tora so willingly perform such a humble act upon anyone else, let alone being a Good Samaritan. He was the leader of this school — the top of the food chain — and yet, how could he so easily allow himself to show this act of kindness for someone less insignificant than an insect?
His vice president seemed to understand his command, and gave a curt bow to Hisui's classmates behind them. "I apologize sincerely for this unsightly matter on your first day here at Miyabigaoka. Since this is a dispute between students, the Student Council will be bringing in Kogarashi-san to the Student Council office temporarily. I will give note to her teacher for her next period regarding her absence in class."
And with that, both Hisui and Saionji were whisked away by the Student Council, marched off to another unknown.
"Hisui…" Chie worriedly glanced at the retreating backs of the students that began to file out of the cafeteria. "I hope she's alright."
Teranishi merely stared at a certain Student Council president, his brow furrowing into a frown.
Hisui kept her eyes downcast, silently following Maki Kanade and Igarashi Tora to where, she presumed, would be the Student Council Office. The grandeur of the hallways was more than enough of a telltale sign that reminded her the difference of standards between Miyabigaoka and Oukashou. But more worrisome was the silence that perpetuated the lengthy march to said Student Council Office. Hisui cast a quick, momentary glance upwards, her eyes capturing the outline of Tora's back. His jacket, now damp, was still cloaked over her shoulders. Hisui bit her lip, quickly looking down again and gripped her hands together.
"Saionji-san. Kogarashi-san." Maki's voice would be the first to disturb the silence, as he opened a set of doors and presented them the waiting room of the Student Council Office. "Please, come in."
Hisui gazed in wonderment at the lavish interior of the room; expensive-looking furniture and amenities of all kinds made the room vastly luxurious and comfortable. A chandelier hung from the ceiling above, showering the room with a warm light in the absence of windows. Doors leading to several more office spaces, she assumed, led her to believe that the Student Council Office was much bigger than just this.
"Please wait here." Maki gestured for the female Miyabigaoka student to have a seat on one of the sofas. She didn't say a word, but did was she was told, an unpleasant scowl scrawled on her face. Tora would continue forwards, entering the back room before closing the door behind him firmly shut. Hisui stood, quivering, wondering if she was indeed, in trouble.
"Kogarashi-san, we'd best take care of your uniform. The President is granting you access to the Student Council's suite. A change of clothes will be prepared for you." Maki opened another set of doors separate from the one that Tora had disappeared into, revealing a long hallway behind it. Hisui threw a quick glance back behind her. Saionji sat sullenly, refusing to meet eye contact.
"Y-Yes…"
Wondering how rotten her luck was that she kept getting wound up in situations where drinks were dumped one after another on her (re: Christmas Charity Ball, and Koganei Hirofumi), and having to clean up after each messy encounter. Letting out a small sigh, she eventually wandered her way down the hallway, spotting the entrance to a locker room. 'I suppose this is it…?'
Meanwhile, Maki entered back into the waiting room and into the president's private office. He stood by the entrance, murmuring quietly, before motioning for Saionji to enter. She got up, nervously entering Tora's office. He sat behind his desk, having undone the top button of his shirt and loosened his tie, and soon turned his attention to her.
"Saionji Sumire. Year 2, Class A." Tora stated stoically, glancing down at the paperwork Maki had prepared for him. "Daughter of the head of the Saionji Financial Group. Recipient to various bank branches across Japan and overseas. You have an impressive family history."
A look of relief washed over her face; feeling pleased about his compliments.
"Do you understand the true purpose and intent behind merging Oukashou Academy with our school?" Tora would continue quickly, and looked at her expectantly for an answer. This threw her off-guard, and she started to stammer. "U-Uh… Um… pardon me, President… but I, like many others, don't seem to understand what you are trying to do…!"
She stood up from her seat, swaying on the momentum of her emotions. "If you ask anyone else, we certainly aren't pleased to being subjected to such common filth on our school grounds!"
Tora cupped his hands together, pensive. "I see, Saionji-san. I'm sorry, but you fail."
She could only look on in shock.
"There are two reasons why the Saionji Group retains its wealth." His hands unfolded, spreading it on the desk as he detached a stack of papers. Financial reports, statistics, and other documents containing important, private data could be seen laid in plain view. "The first reason, is its partnership with the Igarashi Foundation."
Saionji visibly paled.
"Second, your family's banks are built on the trust and accumulated wealth of the common people. The same breed of people you call 'filth'." Tora was grinning now, waving a stack of papers at her direction. "If the common people lose faith in your family's business because of your mistreatment to your clients, what do you think will happen?"
She didn't have to answer him. She knew the answer.
"What I'm trying to achieve with Miyabigaoka, is to foster a better image for the public's eyes. By closing the gap between the rich and the poor, wouldn't you say it'll be an experimental way to stir up business interests for everyone involved?" Leaning forward, he looked back at Saionji, very seriously, eyes glinting in the dimness of his office.
"You best be careful, Saionji. Remember your family's business partners."
Back in the changing room, Hisui let out a sigh of relief. She was thankful that this time around, no one was peeping, intruding, or barging in without notice or permission while she was getting changed. She was given a spare girls' Miyabigaoka uniform to wear for now, but it was better than nothing. Glancing back at her wet uniform as well as Tora's jacket, she let out another sigh; this time not so relieved. Quickly folding her uniform together neatly, she picked up his uniform jacket, holding it for a moment, staring at it.
A knock on the door outside jolted her back to reality. Maki's muffled voice could be heard from the other side.
"Kogarashi-san, if you're ready, please come to the President's office."
"Y-Yes!" She loudly stammered, and picked up her uniform along with his jacket, hurrying out. Following Maki back to the waiting room, she noticed that Saionji was gone already. Perhaps she was already finished with her business here. She didn't notice it until now, but her heart was pounding loudly inside her chest. As Maki opened the doors to his office, the feeling only intensified, leaving behind a constricting pain. Shakily entering the room illuminated only by the large windows behind his desk, she stood, face-to-face once more with Igarashi Tora.
Maki bowed, before making his exit, closing the doors carefully behind him.
He noticed that she was trembling slightly, clutching her wet uniform in her arms tightly, as well as his stained jacket he had given to her earlier. A pained expression was painted on her face, and she refused to look at him in the eyes.
"Hisui." He called out her name; his tone, earnest.
Jerking into motion, Hisui stiffly took a step forwards, handing over his jacket she had tried to fold up neatly. "T-The cleaning cost… I'll try to… pay for it…" She muttered, feeling the back of her throat starting to itch.
Tora stood up from his chair, before walking over around his desk, taking the jacket from her hands. He looked at it, tossing it back on his desk and reached out for her instead, pressing her close to him. The uniform she was holding onto fell from her slackened grasp, soundlessly onto the floor. Locking his hands around her waist, he squeezed her tightly. He wanted to stop her from trembling, whether it was from the cold or otherwise.
"...Why?" Her voice came through, muffled at first, and he looked down at her curiously. "Why did you do all of this? Buying out my school, giving us a place to study… saving me…" Hisui stammered, feeling a faint prickle in her eyes. A hand covered her face, and her shoulders trembled.
"Is this another game to you?"
He couldn't stand it anymore. "Of course not!" He bellowed aloud, sending a look of astonishment on her face. She had never seen him burst out loud like this before, nevertheless, allowed himself to express himself in such a manner. "I know I screwed up last time, so I wanted to make it up to you. I did this all for you!" He was frustrated and angry that she couldn't see his intent behind his actions. Clicking his tongue, he cleared his throat and regained his composure.
"I'm a greedy man. If there's something I want, I get my hands on it." He stated simply staring her down. "And Kogarashi Hisui, what I want, is you."
"Wha…" Scarlet flushed brightly in her cheeks, and her heart was beating out of control. 'What on earth…?' Hisui tried as hard as she could to formulate the words she wanted to say, but she couldn't. Her brain and her heart was all a scrambled mess. "I… I-I…"
He was serious. He was completely serious.
Tora leaned down closer, his grip around her tightening. Those unforgettable, golden eyes burned with an intensity she had never seen before.
"Hisui, be my woman."