Author's Note: I do not own Corpse Party, Team Gris Gris does.

Chapter 3: Morning Sickness

Most school classes were supposed to be uneventful, and Ken was only saying this in a general manner. Mediocre mood setting with four walls of bad contrast and bored students who tolerated with either jittery greenhorn teachers or prejudiced middle aged bozos who took up the job for the cash and to haul the students into a good seating place in colleges for the sake of their career affiliations. He expected no less than that when he was enrolled into Kisaragi Academy.

He was wrong. And somehow, he missed all that right now. He'd been accustomed to such a teaching environment back in Portsmouth.

In this class though, where the students were happy, check that, elated and joyous to be learning and with a young and fresh homeroom teacher who was actually dedicated to her job, it made him nauseous to be honest. Quite nauseous till he had to drink his entire canteen dry. He hoped he could find the vending machine around here once this was over.

He was not sure if he could ever get used to something like this.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Hmm?" Ken glanced at his right.

"You've been staring at your paper for ten minutes." Morishige supplied in a bored manner. "And the grammar work in here is actually no different than what secondary level students would learn, where you come from of course."

That was true. He could've done this no less that the ten minutes he wasted staring emptily at the paper.

"I'm not really in the mood to answer this quiz, Sakutaro."

The blue haired boy shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you might want to tell her why." He gestured with a jerk of a head towards Yui, who was sitting on her desk, grading some assignments handed to her from the students of the other classes she taught at. She was totally focused on her work, and was relaxed, and calm.

The carefree smile of hers was present.

For a moment, Ken felt guilty having to disrupt the positive mood she was having.

He cared not for the first three periods that involved the other teachers. Takanaka was always peeved at him being able to solve the homework without much flaws, and even inventing his own methods instead of using what she taught to finish it quicker than anyone else in the class. However for Japanese language with Hinagi and Economics with Mikami, he was commonly ridiculed and had been kicked out on one occasion. It wasn't his fault he was average and poor at both classes respectively, he barely could deal with Japanese written work let alone speaking it, and economics were hieroglyphs.

But that didn't mean they had to showcase their displeasure at him. Those three just hated his guts that's all. Add that with at least two more, P.E. and Chemistry jackasses, who loathed him, and he's basically considered a teacher's pest.

Yes, he made that up to conform original phrase, 'teacher's pet' because he thought it sounded fitting. Deal with it, reality.

Ms Yui though…he -

"Fuck this."

A few heads glanced at him, with curious and displeased looks. Ken stiffened when Ms Yui's attention itself had been caught.

"Sakamoto?"

Ken lower lip trembled. "Teach…I mean, Sensei?"

"Finished already, Sakamoto-san?"

"Um…no, not yet. Haven't started…to be honest."

"Is it too difficult for you?"

Was she paying attention to a few students present who begged to differ with their downtrodden expressions?

"No. It's not."

"Then…why do you sound…displeased?" She trailed off.

She heard that? Great, just great.

"I…I know…but it's just…that, I ah…"

By God, stop stuttering will you. She's not gonna whip your ass senseless!

"I just need to be excused for a few minutes. I'm feeling nauseous right now. Morning sickness."

She sounded resigned, as if she had been expecting something that sounded positively disappointing from the likes of him. "I see. Don't take too long alright, we still have twenty more minutes until this quiz is over."

Ken briskly got up from his seat, leaving the classroom before Yui could ask him if he was alright.

And Morishige got a good look at their teacher's face. She was upset.

When he got to the toilets, the first thing he did was bang his fist on the perfectly tiled wall. The cement and ceramic gave no way though, just leaving a dull pain on the bottom of his fist.

He still felt like breaking something though…for no apparent reason. Do you need a reason to break anything not of personal importance? It was called vandalism dumbass.

"Fuck fuck…fuck…what is wrong with me?"

He turned to look at himself in the mirror. He could still see the bruise Seiko had etched on his forehead, and his clothes were slightly disheveled. Goodness, add that with his edgy haircut and he practically had the look of a bloody delinquent.

Being called a troublemaker might've been tolerable enough.

Gripping the sink's edge tightly, he switched on the tap and splashed water on his face. He didn't recall how many times he did it though, but by the time he stopped, his shirt's neckline was drenched and drops of water were already dripping down his stubble.

A glance at his watch. It was 12:00. Better head back to class, he still has to finish the quiz.

That's the thing...it's not like he wanted to be in the class. It's just…that…he was too good for it. Yes, that was it. An undisputed fact.

Yes, he excelled better than any of them. He's done jackshit better, and wouldn't mind to prove it to show that he's better than any of those morons could ever do in here, and it'll be no different even in college.

Did that really meant he was already academically qualified to excel his teacher though?

He sighed. He didn't mean to hurt her…

Being an ex-student with many bountiful past memories, and then now a fresh teacher in her beloved school, Yui Shishido had seen her fair share of such characters with whom she has associated, cared, befriended and loved on a daily basis. The fact she herself was a bright, cheerful spark with a ton load of passion plus a burning ambition made it all the more obvious for people even older than herself to respect her and enjoy her company as much as her students did.

She however couldn't placate the qualification of her teacher's degree to have meaning the moment she had met this enigma known as Kenneth Sakamoto.

Once again, she asked herself. What was it about the boy that seemed so mysterious behind that moody, closeted, dismissive and indifferent mask that he was putting up?

She paused her work, glancing for the second time at the class door, hoping that the student she was worried about not going off to skip the class because of his…nausea.

She really hoped that he would still be around until the end of the period.

Compared to Morishige…and Yui held no accountable offense for this comparison, was fairly aware that he was still capable of fair speech and emotional exchange, though annoyance and awkwardness was often the by result.

It's like…everything was antagonizing for him.

"Sensei?"

Yui looked at the short blue haired girl raising her hand intently. The teacher felt grateful that her attention was diverted back so that she could focus on the current event right now. Finishing this English quiz before lunch break.

"Yes Shinozaki?" The girl was finished with the quiz. She did study hard for it after all, considering how determined she looked with what she must've jotting down in the paper.

"Is he coming back or not?"

"You mean Sakamoto…?" She tried to prevent a sigh escaping her lips.

Ayumi was peeved indeed. She hated the nerve of the new kid in the block, coming and going out of the classes as he chose. Yui's class was just one of it. As a class representative, it was her job to make sure things go smoothly in the class and too keep her fellow classmates in line with discipline and order. And if anyone knew Shinozaki, it was that she always brought the foot down with her duties.

It was seriously hard enough with her trying to keep the other ex-delinquent of the class on a moral leash, she glanced at the dozing beach blonde situated on the fourth row and the second desk.

The boy suddenly shot up. He felt a dark presence somewhere pissed at him for some reason.

She handled that one fine enough. But the other was pushing her buttons…a lot.

It had already been thirty minutes. The quiz was already over.

Another lesson skipped by Sakamoto, half-way. Who wasn't expecting this sort of thing to happen?

Yui, despondent she was at waiting for Ken to return, still had to wrap this lesson up before lunch break. She should've done that ten minutes ago actually…had she really been that distracted?

She sighed. She didn't feel angry at the boy, not one bit. It wasn't in her nature to even have anger at all. However she was upset, plainly upset that he had leave the class hanging like that.

"Time's up guys. Remember to write your names before passing your papers to the front. Tomorrow you'll get your results and we'll discuss the questions in the quiz before moving on with our next topic."

Could she have sounded any less half-hearted? Everyone was perfectly aware how this unspoken matter was affecting the teacher.

Ayumi wondered how long it would take before she snapped at the boy next time they met. Some of the students knew how she felt, but a lot of them shared the exact same opinion.

Yoshiki groaned deeply, as he blearily tried to compose himself when the bell rang, signalling the end of the period. He knew he shouldn't have worked that graveyard shift when this quiz was already set up for the day after. It was bad enough he hardly studied, but to sleep at this point…ugh, he hoped those ear plugs went unnoticed by the class rep.

"So you did work your butt off late night again? Honestly Yoshiki…"

Ah yes, here he was, his close friend Satoshi coming out of blue to give his sleepy brain the extra nudge.

"My boss gave me an extra wage, you'd think I refuse that?"

"Mmmhmm, I've heard that excuse before." Satoshi's teasing tone was present.

Yoshiki glared at him. "It's for real this time. I needed the cash to pay my rent."

Satoshi held both his hands up in mock surrender. "Really huh? Sorry then, my bad."

"Whatever man." Yoshiki strode off into the hallway, hoping that a visit to the school's rooftop and some fresh air will do his drowsy state some good.

"Oi, wait up!" Satoshi caught up to him and started to walk next to him. Yoshiki was a little annoyed at the calm and happy expression his friend was displaying. It just showed how much naïve he was when it came to a little thing called…'a moment'.

What made him curious though was why he brought a bento with him. He faintly could smell the aroma of his mother's homemade lunch…it had dried curry and fish in it again.

"Satoshi, don't tell me you're coming all the way to eat that with me…alone?"

Satoshi raised an eyebrow, obviously not catching the hint. "Huh?"

The blonde resisted the urge to facepalm. "C'mon, you know…you and me, all alone in one spot, where it's nice and breezy and where the leaves are flying…dude are you even getting what I'm saying…"

Satoshi remained confused and blank. "No…I'm eating lunch with the rest in the courtyard. I just hoped you were coming along…you're coming along right?"

Yoshiki's eye twitched, and he sighed, partially from relief and the rest plain indifference. It was probably better if Mochida didn't really catch what he was trying to convey. Let his naivety continue to blissfully keep him in the dark.

"I'll…catch up with you and the rest later. I just need a breather."

Satoshi stared at his friend. He had that sudden dejavu feeling ringing in his head.

"Hmm, what's with the staring? Getting attracted to me at last are you?"

"What?! No no no…it's nothing. Nothing important." Satoshi was flushed. For a boy of course. Boys can be flushed…right?

Now it was Yosihiki's turn to stare at him. It usually worked, for such a stare from this, ahem, former delinquent was unnerving enough for the wrong person when those piercing grey eyes were focusing on you. In Satoshi's case, his hastily erected composure was broken quickly.

"Ugh…fine, just don't stare at me like that. You know Sakamoto?"

Yoshiki tilted his head curiously. "What about him?"

"He left before the quiz ended. He made a somewhat…similar kind of excuse to Ms. Yui before he did."

Yoshiki stopped at his tracks. "Did he?" He wasn't aware of that an hour ago. First thirty minutes he struggled to keep his eyes wide open, next thirty was a blurry mishmash of trying to not bonk his head on the desk and not slumping on the back of the chair.

The blonde queried further, "You thought he sounded…"

Satoshi's sheepish face was cringe worthy, like he was a kid afraid getting ragged for his lunch money by a thug. Yoshiki himself couldn't understand why the girls in the school found that adorable. Sometimes the mere memory of such scenarios annoyed him till he'd might be willing to wipe that face off with a threatening fist if it was for the fun of it, just to see his best friend getting scared shitless and covering his face, whimpering like a pussy and see how the girls found that 'adorable'…but luckily for anyone of course, Yoshiki always kept that obviously dark humour of his bound and locked away from public view and let his mind do the visual entertainment.

It wouldn't hurt to try though…

"Hmph." Yoshiki chose not to pursue the topic further. Unlike other students, he chose not to pay much attention to Kenneth. And it wasn't because he didn't like the guy…nor did he apparently hated his guts.

The fellow didn't seem worth his time to be spent chatting and gossiping over, especially in a negative atmosphere. Check that, it was usually in a negative atmosphere.

Man, the guy was growing a reputation far worse than his two years ago.

"You don't seem to care much do you? Shinozaki's pretty much the only one steaming about it."

Yoshiki shrugged, his body language dismissive. "Nope. If he wants to act like a badass, let him be. I mean…this is coming from me, someone who used to be one, and you've got to thank her for giving me the nudge to stick my ass around in here."

Satoshi chuckled. He couldn't deny that fact. Ayumi did gave him a total turnaround from being an outcast…whether or not Yoshiki would admit it. "Could've fooled everyone. I don't really see the picture I was hoping for." Yoshiki himself couldn't help smirking a little.

"What, you expected another Mochida to pop after some short class rep rescues you from suspension and lectures you with some insightful advice?"

Satoshi was once again confused. "Eh?"

Yoshiki shook his head, waving dismissively. "Never mind. Inside joke."

He chewed on his gum. For a non-smoker, nicotine was strangely addictive. It was latched onto your taste buds and subconscious memory always brings out the urge to have more of the fucker on your tongue once you've repeatedly taken enough into your system. This was what he felt of course.

The clouds seemed awfully contorted today…he couldn't make out shapes to pass the time. What a bummer…coming up here to see a bad view.

Still, the clear blue sky and the wind did justice. That was at least a tad bit relaxing for his mood.

"Well well well, didn't expect anyone else up here right now."

What's this? Another fellow up here in his favorite spot?

"Kishinuma…right?" The beach blonde boy was right below his vision of sight, as he was sitting on top of the radiator. Yoshik shielded his eyes from the rays of the sun and peered at him generously.

"Yup, that's me. What brings you to my favourite spot in this place?"

"Your favourite spot? You must be mistaken. I come here all the time -,"

"All the time you skip your lessons?"

Ken's eyes narrowed darkly. "Don't exaggerate. I don't do it all the time."

Yoshiki let a snicker escape him. "Sure."

Ken hardly considered Yoshiki to be relevant in the surroundings that existed around him. He paid divided attention to his academics and keeping his head on a low around here, and he'd rather keep that notion intact since he wanted to be alone.

Plus he was not in the conversational mood.

He couldn't remember the last time he ever had a proper conversation…but that's another story.

"Does it bother you that I'm here?"

Yoshiki shrugged indifferently, stretching his arms. He used to do the same thing a lot for having a non-focused mind-set in the past. Seeing someone else doing it in broad daylight just when he was trying to reform himself gave him nostalgia. He tried to remain nonchalant about it though.

"Nah, not really. Kinda surprising to see a new face in here though..."

A snicker escaped Ken, and he spat out the gum.

"Chewing gum?"

"It's nicotine." Ken tonelessly muttered.

Yoshiki was not surprised. He hardly paid attention with Ken's presence and had expected weird from him.

"How'd you manage to get that here?"

"Pft, same way most of the morons in here bring cigarettes and drugs without much prying eyes." Ken popped another square piece in his mouth. "It helps me keep my senses numb."

"You want some?" He held the packet out to the blonde.

Yoshiki started to recall the past events which had led him to quit smoking. He chewed on this to keep the psych activity of smoking present without actually having the smoke in his lungs. He remembered later getting a tirade from Ayumi that it was vaguely carcinogenic and it held no difference that being just as addictive as a normal cigarette. He eventually stopped taking the gum drops months later.

He pondered if he should advice Ken or not. Normally he was the last person around Kisaragi Academy, nor his circle of friends to ever would ever give meaningful advice. Doing it would be a comedy reel of sarcastic and witty proportions.

Perhaps not, he wouldn't be able to tell if Ken did show any recognizable expression that he did listen.

"I'm good." Ken slide the packet back into his breast pocket.

An awkward silence passed between them. What'd you really expect from a troublemaker and an ex-delinquent to just dive in into some random topic about the weather or which chick in here was imagine doing the big deed with the likes of either of them?

While Yoshiki himself had a small circle of people he was friends with, he hardly socialized much with anyone else but Ms Yui for small talks and homework. Ken himself was a shadow, being there in one spot and then off to another, never sticking around to be aware of the public and instead trying to remain as anonymous as possible.

They never exchanged a word to each other since Ken's first day. Till now.

Yoshiki wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He of all people should know that associating himself with a bad seed could elicit a ton of newfound rumors.

He smiled thinly. Yoshiki Kishinuma, a former delinquent turned delinquent-in-arms? That was really silly…

"Just so you know, Kishinuma…I didn't mean to just sneak out of the class like that."

Just like that, the silence was broken. With a statement that distracted the blonde from his thoughts.

"I wasn't aware what was going on actually." Yoshiki answered, pocketing his hands and leaning beside the doorway leading to the lower floors. "Dozed through half the period...hey why did you sneak out anyway?"

Ken stopped chewing, resting his hands on the radiator's steel plated surface, ignoring the question. "Doesn't matter, I'm just telling you that I had no intention of upsetting Yui-sensei back there. Can you just make that clear to your girlfriend before she goes wildcat on me?"

(Yoshiki's eyes become minuscule white spots and his mouth forms a perfect O for a second)

"Who…what are you talking about Sakamoto? I don't have a girlfriend." Inwardly, he was cursing the cryptic sounding bastard in his head for making him stutter.

"Hmm…isn't the class rep your girl?"

That sent a jolt of shock to his brain. How on Earth did he possibly come up with that ludicrous statement?

"Waaa…that's a load of bull. We're not a thing." Yoshiki replied crossly. "What makes you say that?"

"I just had a hunch feeling, that's all. You two would look adorable together."

The lack of emotion present in Ken's words didn't serve to make Yoshiki any less flustered. He sounded like he was reading off an encyclopedia.

All the bleach blonde wanted to do was to come up here wanting to give himself a few minutes of being alone and letting the afternoon wind dictate where his mind went. Apparently, someone had the same thought and had beaten his habitual activity to dust. And while Yoshiki tried to contemplate it, a gut instinct crept somewhere that this fellow here was going to give him a bad day and he wouldn't even knew how was that gonna happen.

"Can't you tell her that yourself?"

"I don't find her easy to talk to. Especially if she's pissed."

Yoshiki stared at the boy. That was surprisingly spot on about Ayumi...though he better not actually say that directly to her face.

Hang on, did he just…ask him to do something for him? Why did he just realize that now?

Did the talk of the school just asked a favour from someone as insignificant like him? Sure they were classmates, but Yoshiki hardly thought himself any more important than a preacher's topic. In this case, Ken was the preacher.

"You're in deep thought, something up beneath that beach blonde hair and grey eyes?"

Yoshiki struggled not to stare at him weirdly. "Yeah, just wondering whether or not I should pass on this message. I don't see what's in it for me."

That was true, he didn't really saw the point of helping this fellow out.

"Some goodwill and free kindness goes a long way." He intoned.

"..."

(Chibi Yoshiki gives a poker face at an indifferent looking Chibi Ken)

Never mind, he's weird. Not that he would say it out loud…

In fact, Yoshiki struggled to keep his impassive comments about Sakamoto hidden away. The guy would definitely sound like he always did in front of anyone who tried to talk to him, indifferent and non-committal. He just…didn't seem to care much about what anyone thought nor said about him. The culprits themselves were the witnesses to such behavior.

Whether or not this was noticed by everyone else, Yoshiki had a vague thought that the Kenneth had an aura of a stalker.

(A dark purplish aura surrounds Ken in a creepy manner and only Yoshiki can see it)

Hell, even the way he slouched obviously hid a shrewdness Yoshiki was not prepared to deal with. He didn't think anyone could.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, blondie?"

Yoshiki's brow furrowed with incredulity. Did he actually just call him that? Not even Satoshi had teased him about his hair.

"What?"

"Your presence here interrupts my peace. And you do have other matters to attend to no?"

A slow burn of realization struck the tip of his mind. His eyes narrowed at what Ken was really implying behind the obvious question.

Ken's thin lips smiled with humourless effect. "You aren't void of quick thinking."

Yoshiki hardly believed what he was hearing. First the guy told him to pass a message and then he's patronizing him just so he can fuck off and leave him alone. Basically it took him thirty seconds to treat him like damned bell boy.

He wouldn't be so angered so easily though. Keeping a cool head was a basic necessity for every student who dealt with frustrating events in school. Yoshiki's case though, he's been in more times he could count. It really paid to keep it intact.

"There's a thing call asking nicely." The beach blonde's voice took a sharp edge, wanting to make the following sentences carved on Kenneth's patronizing mood. "I wouldn't mind."

"Your point?" There he goes again, being indifferent and rude. Oddly this gave Yoshiki a well enough reminiscence of his own behaviour in his delinquent days. Not that he wanted to be reminded of it again…

He should've followed Satoshi right then and there. Would've save him the trouble of having to be three meters with this guy…that he of all people had hardly expected to come and interrupt his self-therapy sessions.

Suddenly, the urge to challenge his snarky demeanour presented itself seemed too enticing to pass up on. Deep down he, was quite inquisitive and wanted to see first-hand of what everyone in class 2-9 thought about him was true.

"I don't know why the hell I'm saying this but…sometimes it wouldn't hurt being different from this lone wolf attitude for a change. You're friends with Morishige right? The guy's a loner, but he's got a group of friends even he hangs around with on a daily basis. Compared to you here, he isn't having that borderline stay the hell away from me attitude."

Ken retorted wryly. "Sakutaro's a good acquaintance, nothing more. Though I can't understand why he chooses to hang around with a strange group of characters." He continued. "One of which is really annoying the fuck out of me, the one with the ridiculous cat smile. And the brown haired kid, Mochida was it? Ignorant fellow, the girls around the block fawn him over and he's just still being goody two shoes around the teachers and everyone in general because that's just who he is? And there's the class rep, oh she's the bell of the ball isn't she -,"

Yoshiki fists balled up. "That's my friends you're talking about."

Ken chuckled. A low deep sound that had an ignorant mirth to it. "Look, this is exactly why I find it strange. You Japs get offended so easily when someone busts a ball about the bonds you share with people you're close with. Sakutaro himself takes pride in his family name…and just to keep myself in touch with him I have got to shut up about it."

He really wanted him to leave him alone. For that, he's got to say such nasty things with a straight face. And it was pissing Yoshiki off. This was the first time they spoke more than five minutes, going from simple, then to the drain just like that. But Yoshiki had gotten the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't the only one just who felt like punching the lights out of him.

"Jackass."

The half-blood feigned a yawn. "I've been called worse."

Yoshiki scowled with disgust, opting at last to leave the snarky fellow to solitude. He learnt a lesson long ago that punching an asshole was sometimes not really worth your time.

The last thing Ken heard was echoing footsteps from the beach blonde's uwabaki slippers.

Ken shrugged. "Whatever." His gaze returned to the group of students in the courtyard, six of them specifically.

They were talking about him, he just knew it. Not a hunch this time. He just knew those six in particular.

Then another member of the circle was gonna join them. He'd give that – he glanced at his watch – five minutes from now.

He kept chewing his gum.