Hello, my little chickadees! It has been ages and ages since I last posted! Oh my lord! I am so sorry, my life got really busy really quickly. Soon, I anticipate having a lot more time to write, though. Thank you for bearing with me! :)
This chapter is extremely short but I wanted to give you all something to read.
Disclaimer: I do not own Corpse Party.
"There's a new sushi place down the street," Ayumi said.
"Let's try it out," said Naomi.
"Sounds good," Yoshiki agreed.
The sushi restaurant was crowded, but the four managed to get a booth near the back. Satoshi immediately pulled Naomi into one side, leaving Yoshiki and Ayumi to sit next to each other. As Yoshiki was sliding into the booth, his hand brushed Ayumi's bare thigh and she jumped.
"Sorry!" he apologized hastily, scooting away from her. Satoshi and Naomi snickered.
"It's okay," Ayumi managed breathily, her heart pounding. The simple touch had made all her muscles tense up at once in a not-entirely-unpleasant way. Her whole body felt drawn to him, like a magnet.
"I'm so hungry!" Naomi exclaimed.
"Me, too," Satoshi agreed.
"I bet I'm more hungry," Naomi said challengingly.
"I bet you're not," Satoshi argued.
"Oh, it's on!"
"Whoever eats the most sushi wins!" Satoshi proclaimed.
"Are you hungry, Shinozaki?" Yoshiki asked with a grin.
"A bit, I guess," Ayumi hedged.
"Are you, or aren't you?" Naomi demanded. "How do you not know?"
Ayumi's temper flared up. "I know a lot more than you, Nakashima, and I don't think it should matter to you whether I'm hungry or not!"
The other three stared at her for a moment.
"Shinozaki, we're just joking around," Yoshiki said nervously.
"Well, stop it!" Now Ayumi felt stupid. She crossed her arms, her cheeks bright red, and stared at the table.
"I'm sorry, class rep," Naomi said sincerely. "I didn't realize you would take offense."
"Well, it's okay, I suppose," Ayumi mumbled reluctantly.
Just then, a waitress came and took their order. Satoshi and Naomi were still hell-bent on having an eating contest, and they ordered five or six plates of food each. After giving them a confused look, the waitress returned to the kitchen with her notepad.
"Are you guys excited that Christmas is coming up?" Naomi asked.
"Hell, yeah!" Satoshi replied enthusiastically. "My parents always get me an awesome present - I'm expecting an Xbox One this year! Plus, Yuka is so happy when she opens her presents. She always tries to stay up late so she'll see Santa come down the chimney."
"Aww, so cute!" Naomi and Ayumi exclaimed.
"I love Christmas, too," Ayumi piped up. "Making gingerbread houses and decorating the tree with Hinoe and my parents is so fun!"
Yoshiki watched his crush's face light up like the sun. He wished that he could be as excited for Christmas, but his parents had never bothered with heartfelt bonding activities - at least, not with him. He thought back to the Christmas when he had been nine years old…
"Can I sit on Santa's lap?" Miki begged her parents as they walked through the mall. In a roped-off area, fake snow was dusted around the feet of a huge red chair where "Santa" sat. Two small children were perched on his knees, their gap-toothed smiles wide.
Yoshiki was walking slightly behind his family, his usual position. His parents had Miki between them and each were holding one of her pudgy five year-old hands. Miki was constantly showered with the love and affection that had been withheld from Yoshiki, but he wasn't jealous. It was just the way things were.
"Of course you can sit on his lap," Yoshiki's mother cooed. "We'll take a lovely little picture to send to your aunts and uncles for the holidays." They waited in line for a while; then it was their turn. Yoshiki's father carefully placed his precious baby girl on Santa's lap. When Yoshiki moved to stand beside her, assuming that he would be in the picture, he felt a rough jerk on the back of his collar that sent him reeling backwards.
"You're not going to be in the picture, idiot boy," his father growled in his ear, his strong grip pulling Yoshiki's collar tight around his neck. The young boy struggled to breathe. After a few moments of terrifying asphyxiation, his father released him. A lightheaded Yoshiki stumbled away, biting back tears and rubbing the marks that the collar had left on his throat.
Perhaps the worst part was that not one of the witnesses to the cruelty that his parents inflicted upon him bothered to protest. They just looked away. They always looked away.
Yoshiki's parents gave him turtlenecks to wear for the next few days until the marks disappeared. It would be a shame if someone noticed.
"Don't you like Christmas, Yoshiki?" Ayumi's voice broke into his thoughts. He started slightly.
"Uh, I guess so." Yoshiki scratched the back of his head nervously.
"You guess so?" Satoshi said incredulously. "Everyone likes Christmas!"
"Sure," Yoshiki agreed quietly. "Everyone likes Christmas."
Thanks for reading and for all the lovely reviews I hope you will post! :)
Until next time!
