New chapter coming you're way y'all!
Character interactions galore, as our teethy tennis player and short boxer have a little heart-to-heart.
Enjoy!
- KILL AVANT KILL -
EPISODE 3: I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW
The sound of the round bell ringing was like music to Takaharu's ears.
It utterly amazed him that things could be organized so quickly, if the organizer in question had the drive to see the job through and through. Such was the case right now, in the newly organized and spacious clubroom that was now the home of Honnoji Academy's Boxing Club.
The place had been crafted exactly to Takaharu's specifications. In its own large space within the massive club wing of Honnoji Academy, the club-space of the Boxing Club was comparable to a full size gymnasium. Behind the main space used for training and matches was a small locker room, tailored specifically for the use of those in the boxing club. Takaharu himself had a red and gold locker with his name emblazoned on it. He had been sure to request it be a floor locker of course, much to his own embarrassment.
In the main space, a huge boxing ring lay in the center. The ring's platform was a bright, powerful red, and to Takaharu, it served a promising sight to any members who might wander into the club-room out of curiosity.
In fact, his use of copious fliers and the club-room's grand stage had both been successful in attracting members on Boxing Club's very first day of operation.
But moments after the bell rang, and one hard punch later, Takaharu soon realized that his problems in jump-starting his club's growth were only beginning.
Naturally, he downed his rookie opponent in that one punch. Unfortunately, that one punch had also knocked the No-Star boy out completely, much to Takaharu's surprise.
"Hey, hey. We're just getting started. This is a warm-up." he said in his friendliest voice, attempting to help the No-Star up. But the No-Star student, fully knocked out, remained limp and unresponsive, leaving Takaharu to smile nervously as he looked down from the platform at the remaining students below.
He could easily see the looks of fear on their faces. If he was going to have even a chance of keeping his club, then he was going to have to think fast.
"Ah, he's fine. You're fine, aren't you?" Takaharu said with a haughty smile, before he began speaking in a different tone out of the corner of his mouth.
"Sure, sure!" the No-Star "replied", as Takaharu bobbed his head back and forth to make him look more lively. "I could train with you all day! Nothing to it!"
The No-Stars with interest in the club seemed to not really no how to respond, even as Takaharu grinned with all of his sincerity, the gap in his mouth where a tooth used to be quite prominent.
Unfortunately for the President of the Boxing Club, he failed to notice the copious stream of blood that began to fountain down from the No-Stars' nose and onto his shirt. That sight was all the other No-Star students needed to see before their mind was made up. A cloud of dust and shuffling later, and they were gone.
Takaharu could only sigh as he set the injured No-Star down. Pulling off one of his beat-up boxing gloves, he proceeded to comically stuff it into the student's nose, plugging up his blood loss completely.
Leaning him against one of the ring posts, Takaharu took the other glove off as he sat ringside and contemplated what could have possibly made them run-off.
Had he done anything wrong? Of course not. He had shown them his pure, unrestrained skill in boxing. Takaharu's hope would have been that these newbloods would look to him as a mentor, and by seeing his skill, they would be inspired to pursue greater heights of the boxing arts.
But as he looked over at the beaten No-Star, the white boxing glove in his nose starting to stain with red, Takaharu began to wonder if perhaps his skill was what just drove the first group of the day away.
Then he remembered Gamagoori's promise of helping him in his goal, if he continued to impress him. Takaharu remembered Sanageyama's words, that punctuality was important than most people thought. He smiled to himself, and assumed that a time like this, he was probably doing much better than Omiko Hakodate.
Everything would be fine, he decided. As far as Takaharu was concerned, the first group of No-Stars just weren't meant for his club. If the bleeding one woke up, he might very well turn out to be a real boxer and insist they continue training.
Takaharu could see the spoils of victory now. Clearly, he was just worrying for no reason.
"You better watch out, Hakodate-san." he declared to no one in particular, his thoughts drifting as he wondered what Omiko was up to at this very moment...
"So you think you can play tennis? Wrong! Think again!"
Those were the very first words from Omiko Hakodate's mouth, as she addressed the three dozen No-Star girls that had showed up to the very first Girls' Tennis Club meeting. The name itself had been changed earlier in the day, after Omiko realized that making her club unisex might give Takaharu the idea that he could join her club and upstage her. It was this paranoia of losing to him that drove Omiko to do an extra hour of early-morning paperwork, in order for Gamagoori to approve her new club name and membership requirements.
The annoyance of having to do all that work stayed with Omiko all day however, and it was at this time that she decided she would take it out on the newbloods brave enough to try and join her Girls' Tennis Club.
Omiko grimaced through her shark teeth, racket in hand as she surveyed the girls who seemed to think they were good enough to be a part of her tennis club. Her words had done their job from the moment they came out of their mouth, and Omiko could see their results from the scared looks in the eyes of the No-Star girls.
A few of them were even shaking. With her day having already gone bad enough, this sudden place of power over others actually cheered Omiko up, if only somewhat.
"Let me tell you something about tennis." Omiko began, before lifting up her racket and slamming down hard on the green ball in her other hand. As the No-Stars watched, the tennis ball slammed into the outside wall surrounding Omiko's court, breaking the concrete as it made an audible crack. A few of the girls gasped at the sight, but Omiko seemed disaffected as she pulled the ball from the hole. She showed the marred object to her prospective club members as she made her point.
"In tennis, in REAL tennis, with REAL players: people DIE. If you can't hit a ball going at seventy miles an hour, than you better be prepared for it to put a crater in your skull!" she exclaimed to them, making it very clear from her tone of voice that she wanted them all to feel afraid.
Omiko narrowed her eyes threateningly, and in response, the female No-Stars cuddled against each other like scared meerkats. The fact that Omiko was annoyed and needed someone to take it out on was clear, but her constant display of sharp teeth was certainly not helping her cause very much.
"Ah, I don't want to play tennis anymore! I just want to go home!" one of the No-Star girls whined in absolute terror, her friends quickly joining in.
"Me too! I don't want to die!"
"Please don't kill us, Hakodate-san!" another one begged, others getting on their knees as they cried like a bunch of infants.
"Spare me, please! I can't afford the Back-Alley Clinic!"
The complaints and begs for mercy seemed to go on and on, so much in fact that Omiko didn't even have a chance to breathe in response.
"Wait, will you-, agh, if you just," she said between breaths, as the girls continued to raise their voices in a whining chorus. "Will you all, agh-, will you all just liste-"
But the twin-tailed blonde couldn't get her words out, no matter how much she tried. Finally, she seemed unable to take anymore of it, disgusted by the cowardice of these No-Stars. Picking up the tennis ball, she slammed her racket down hard on it, causing another impact in the ground so loud that it shocked the whining No-Stars into complete silence.
Finally, they stopped for good. Omiko was glad for the quiet, but still thoroughly pissed.
"You crybabies! If you're gonna whine like I'm killing you, then get out of my club!" she exclaimed, and the No-Stars seemed to quickly obliged. They were off her court as a frenzied mob in seconds.
When the dust cleared, Omiko Hakodate was left by herself, with only her stark white tennis racket for company.
The fact that she had no club members to boss around now only frustrated the sharp-toothed girl further, and she stamped on the ground in anger.
"That's right! Leave! I don't need whiners like you anyway!" she declared, her response obviously delayed. It only took Omiko a good five minutes before the concept of having no club members, and essentially no club, sunk in fully.
Omiko could only resist the urge to let out tears, curling up on the court's floor and wondering if Takaharu was faring any better.
But the more she thought about it, the more she figured he most likely was.
The faster this terrible day was over, the better.
Secrets, especially the one she was indulging in right now, were a very precious thing to Omiko.
Sitting alone on a bench only a few feet away from the tennis court, it was days like this one that made Omiko wonder if attending this Academy was really all worth it in the first place. Annoyed at the status of her club, annoyed at the thought of disappointing Sanageyama, and annoyed at the possibility that Takaharu might be doing better than her, Omiko wanted nothing more than to be left alone for the rest of the day.
Yesterday had been a huge disappointment, she thought to herself. The sharp-toothed girl couldn't help but dread this upcoming afternoon.
But there was a silver lining to this seemingly sad situation. She did have her one tasty little treat with her, which if anything, would make the day a little bit better. As she opened up her bento box, made lovingly by her father for this particular day, she smiled as the wonderful briney scent entered her nostrils. Omiko licked her lips as she looked down at the beautiful little lunch made for her.
Chopsticks in hand, she opened wide as she brought the morsel right up to her jaws, her eyes lighting up as she anticipated that delicious first bite.
For once, Takaharu didn't feel like training during his lunch break.
It was nice, he thought, to stretch and take a walk around the Academy campus, rather than being stuck inside a cold freezer room punching frozen meat.
Aggravated on multiple levels, the boxing prodigy was itching to get his mind off the topic of punching, if only for the lunch period. Much like Omiko, the fact that he didn't have much of a club to speak of was bothering Takaharu very much, to the point where he too was almost dreading having to go to his empty club after school.
Before he even realized where he was going, Takaharu could see the tennis court right up ahead. Thoughts of Omiko and what she was up to entered the young boxer's mind, but they were swiftly replaced as his stomach growled up at him like a tiger.
He could feel himself salivating. His senses perked up from hunger, Takaharu caught a scent in the air, and he soon found himself getting ever closer to the tennis court.
The smell was strong, and very salty. Its origin was revealed once Takaharu noticed none other than Omiko sitting on a bench just a few feet away.
"Hey! Hakodate-san!" he said happily, waving to her as she looked towards him.
But he was not fully prepared for what he was about to see.
As the twin-tailed girl turned, Takaharu could see an almost bloodthirsty look in her eyes, her teeth slicing right into a entire fresh tuna fish as if she had just ripped it out the bay nearby. Takaharu's face turned white at the sight, and Omiko did not help his fear when she chomped down on the tuna once, andd then once again, before she literally gulped it down with all the finesse of a mako shark.
Omiko was wearing a grimace as Takaharu approached, clearly not appreciating his laugh as he attempted to make light of the situation.
"Wow. You sure...you sure like fish, Hakodate-san." he commented, but unfortunately, he was met with a sharp reply.
"Open your mouth to anyone about what you just saw, and I swear to y-"
But she stopped as Takaharu put his hands up in mock surrender.
"Hey, relax. I don't any harm. I was just walking around, and I happened to smell that fish of yours. It smells pretty delicious." he said, hoping to calm down Omiko at least a little. His stomach's grumble accompanied his words.
Unfortunately, it only seemed to make her more agitated.
A red flush came onto her face as she spoke. "I-I'm not sharing, so don't even think about asking!"
For some reason, the very thought of sharing her precious lunch with Takaharu made Omiko heat up with embarrassment. His gap-toothed smile wasn't helping very much either, and she found herself being overly protective of the box filled with fresh tuna fish caught and prepared by her father straight from Tokyo Bay.
Looking for a way to ease the situation, Takaharu's keen eyes spotted the empty seat on the bench next to him. His stomach growled loudly again, causing Omiko to narrow her eyes as it further fueled her paranoia of him stealing her food.
"Is it alright if I take that seat?" Takaharu asked quite innocently.
There was a few seconds of silence as Omiko thought about it. Finally, she sighed, and turned as she moved slightly to give him space.
"Fine. Just don't touch my food." she reminded him, but Takaharu still smiled as he took the seat and allowed himself to relax.
A few more seconds of silence passed as Takaharu stared up at the sky. Omiko, now somewhat comfortable again, began eating the next tuna in her bento box, trying to enjoy every wet, briny bite. She made note to be careful in her eating however, not getting a single grease stain on her spotless No-Star ensemble despite how messy her chewing seemed.
Finally, Takaharu seemed unable to handle simply sitting next to his classmate and fellow club president like this.
"So." he said, his tone of voice relaxed. "How did you first club meeting go yesterday?"
Omiko stopped chewing instantly. She was so unprepared for that question, in fact, that she almost allowed the tail of the tuna she was chewing on to drop onto her dress. Slurping up the tail before it could escape her lips, Omiko processed what she could possibly say to Takaharu without making herself look like a complete novice for being unable to keep even one club member after her first day.
"Great." she responded, smiling through her teeth sounding quite satisfied. "It was perfect, in fact."
Takaharu's eyebrows perked up as he listened to her talk about her success. He sighed to himself, before smiling and looking up again.
"Well, that sounds great, Hakodate-san. I wish I had been so lucky."
Omiko laughed. "Oh, don't humor me. We both know you're just playing modest to save face, when you're really sitting on a gold mine of members for your Boxing Club."
"I'm being serious!" Takaharu insisted. "I'm not some Mickey Goldmill here! I scared away all of the people who joined my club. I don't have a body in that room to speak of. Well, not any conscious ones."
Takaharu gulped, as he remembered the No-Star who he had accidentally knocked out. Takaharu could only hope that the boy had woken up and left by now, and that none of his blood had gotten onto the pristine ring floor that Takaharu had worked so hard to keep clean.
Omiko didn't seem to have an immediate response, her expression becoming less confident as she looked down at her half-finished bento box. Just thinking about the fact that Takaharu was so honest about his own failings made her realize just how much she had lied through her teeth.
She put on a more sincere expression, before making a smile as she continued to look at her bento box.
"So you didn't get anyone either?
Omiko laughed to herself, somehow feeling better now that she able to fully admit her failure. "I'm disappointed, Takaharu-kun. You were supposed to be upstaging me all this time."
The boxer felt his face go warm at the sound of Omiko addressing him by her first name. Still, he managed to keep his composure as he stopped lounging and tried his best to cheer her up.
"Will you stop with that talk?" he declared, a competitive look emerging on his face. "This isn't some one-sided rivalry here. I expect only the best out of you, Hakodate-san!"
Surprising her completely, Takaharu got all up in Omiko's face as he recited the words said to them on their very first day at the Academy.
"Remember what Satsuki-sama said? Nothing less than excellence!"
The girl simply shot back a sharp-toothed smile, crossing her arms at him. "Well, of course. I was planning on making up for today's lackluster performance with tomorrow's success. You should have guessed that by now."
Takaharu grinned, sensing the fight spirit burning up within her again. "Well, actions speak louder than words. We'll just have to wait and see if you can deliver, Hakodate-san."
Takaharu's stomach growled loudly, reminding him once again that he was still indeed hungry. Seemingly satisfied, Omiko put the remains of her bento box on his lap. It was obvious she was trying somewhat to brush off the importance of such a kind gesture as she spoke.
"You...you can have the rest. I'm way too full." she said to him, and Takaharu's jaw almost dropped as he could smell the wonderful aroma of tuna fish, rice and various vegetables that Omiko's father had cooked to perfection.
An instant later, and he was digging in, his stomach practically singing as it was quickly filled with delicious morsels. Omiko simply made a small smile as she watched Takaharu devour the rest of her bento box.
Once he was full, he made a loud burp as he patted his stomach in satisfaction.
"I wouldn't get too comfortable, Takaharu-kun. That may be the only nice gesture you get from this point forward." Omiko reminded him, and the boxer stretched his arms as he acknowledged her.
"I'm never too comfortable, Hakodate-san. You can be sure of that." he replied with confidence. Omiko, far more relaxed than she had been before, paused for a brief moment.
The breeze caught onto Omiko's hair, and as Takaharu looked, he could see an expression on her face that was very much unlike her. It was pleasant, non-threatening, and most of all: nice.
"You can call me Omiko." the twin-tailed blonde said, her voice somewhat low. Still, it was loud enough for Takaharu to hear her, and enough to cause his cheeks to glow just a bit redder than he would have liked.
"Oh. Well, alright then, Hak-"
Takaharu stopped himself, realizing his mistake as he said her name.
"...I mean...alright, Omiko."
Similarly, Omiko had to pull her cap to hide her own embarrassment. Perhaps it was simply because Takaharu was the closest thing to a friend she had made so far in her time at Honnoji Academy.
Maybe it was just because she had never heard a boy call her by her first name before. Usually they just ran off when they noticed just how big and sharp her teeth were. Omiko shivered at the nickname she had received starting in elementary school.
For as long as she remembered, she had been Jaws-chan all the way up to middle school.
Omiko hoped to change that.
And as she looked on at Takaharu, she could feel warmth in her chest.
Maybe the Goku Uniform wasn't the most important thing anymore.
Maybe, just maybe, with Takaharu as her friend, she could put the days of being Jaws-chan behind her for good.
Hope y'all enjoyed that chapter, cause it was a blast to write.
More to come! Stay tuned.