I feel groggy and tired when I woke up this morning. We didn't get enough sleep last night due to the sudden passing of Akami-sama. Monika sat beside me with a quiet and sullen expression on her face. Yeah, watching someone die in front of our eyes seriously messed up our sleep. But to be honest, Akami-sama's death is a little bit anticlimactic. I place a hand on Monika's head and ruffle her brown hair. She let out an 'Eep' before recoiling in surprise.
" There is no use sulking in bed right now. Akami-sama would be disappointed if he knew that we got depressed over his death." My voice trembles as I speak. Monika let out a weak smile before sighing.
" You're right... There is no use worrying about the dead. We have other people to deal with right now." Monika says as she stands up. As she stretch her arms, I glance at her breasts. Her pajamas are thin enough that I could see the blue bra that she is wearing.
" Hmm? You want to play with them, Yoku? Ahaha~" Monika tease as I begin to get flustered. Her playful laughter sorta help me feel better.
" Maybe... Anyways, let's get downstairs to eat breakfast." I stand up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her face turning a slight shade of red at my gesture.
We got out of my room and head downstairs. We stop as we reach the last step due to the sound of sobbing in the room. The sobbing is silent and muffled, yet we could feel the pain this person is in. I take a look and see that it was Maido, sitting on the sofa and holding a picture of Akami-sama with Sayori and Natsuki in the park. Monika and I look at each other, her emerald green eyes glance at the crying blonde girl on the sofa, signifying that we should comfort her. I nod and take her arm, quickly closing the distance between us and the crying Maido. She notices our footsteps and quickly wipes away the tears from her face.
" S-Sorry... Did I bother you guys?" Maido says as she lets out a pained smile.
" Anyway, Akami-sama left this letter for you, and gift." Maido hands us a small brown piece of paper and an ornate and expensive looking pen. Her hands are shaking as she hands us the items.
" Maido... Are you ok? Do you need to talk? We're willing to listen to whatever you say." Monika says as she takes the letter and places it in her pocket.
Suddenly, Maido tightly squeezes me and wails on my shoulder. The girl's cries is filled with pain and anguish. She clenches my shirt as she lets out the strong emotions that she is feeling. She is crying nonstop like a waterfall. Monika and I gave her a warm and comforting embrace. We stand quietly as the girl cries out her eyes and empties her heart that is full of sorrow.
" Akami*hic* -sama! *sob* Why?! Why am I feeling... this sorrow?!" Monika and I pat her back as she cries on my chest. A spot on it is now wet and damp due to the girl's tears.
" You haven't felt this great of a sadness yet, haven't you..." I whisper to Maido. She stops crying for a moment to look at me.
" The pain of losing someone you love is really, REALLY painful. Trust me, I know..." I clench my chest, the pain of that memory resonates throughout my body.
" I've felt this before, whenever Akami-sama goes away for a long time... I feel sadness and loneliness. But I am always assured that he would always return... But this time, it's different. He isn't coming back... AAAaaaAAaaarrrghh!!!" Maido falls to the floor and weeps. Tears crash all around her as she express the great sadness she is feeling. Out of symphaty, I give her a hug.
" I know... I felt the same way with my dad too. It's painful isn't it? The pain when you lose someone that always returns to your side. But you know... sometimes we just have to deal with it and move forward." I say to her in a comforting manner. She pause for a moment, her tears finally slowing down. Her embrace becomes tighter as her tears stop falling.
" H-How did you deal with it?" She asks weakly. Her body slightly trembling and her hands clenching harder at my shirt.
" I always imagined what he would say when he saw me crying for him. My dad would be probably tease me and make me cry harder if he sees me crying. Haha, that old man of mine really is a joker... He even said on the morning of his death that I should keep his dinner warm. What a prick..." I could feel something damp trickling down my cheek as well. I touch it and see that it is tears, I am crying.
" That's... a pretty good advice... But, I never really saw Akami-sama as a master. I saw him more as a younger brother that always needed help. But I believe that advice would also work well, so thank you..." Maido pulls from the embrace and bows at Monika and me.
" I feel a little bit better now. It may take a while, but I believe I would be able to move on. Still, thank you for your concern... I appreciate it." Maido smiles as she stands straight. She wipes away the last drop of tear on her face and heads to the kitchen.
" Maido, you do-"
" Cooking helps calm my nerves. So please don't fret, Yoku. Relax and examine the letter." Maido said warmly as she begins to make our breakfast.
Monika and I sat down and begin to read the contents of the letter. The messy handwriting on it is definitely Akami-sama's. It is a short letter addressed to me.
To Yoku,
I left you a fortune of 10 million dollars. Now that I think about it, it might cause you some problems. Therefore, I have decided to split it up between you five! Each of you will receive 2 million dollars as inheritance. All of you in the literature club will receive the money after you graduate. But in order to for you to receive this, you must first save all of the girls. I hope you understand.
Best wishes,
Akami-sama
PS:
Be creative with that pen!
This god, he really wants to help others, huh? I put the letter away and examine the pen. It seems to be a normal pen, no... it is a normal pen. The pen has a black coating with colorful floral designs running throughout it's entirety. The cap has a dragon's head that glimmers due to it's golden hue. The pen is well balanced and the handle has a nice feel to it. I feel that I'm holding a great sword in my hands right now. I unsheathe the pen and look at ballpoint end. It has tip size of .7 and it writes pretty well. I place the pen in my bag and begin to ponder, what did he mean when he said 'be creative' with this? I hear Maido call out to us while I am busy thinking about my next plan. We got up and head towards the dining room.
" Since everyone in this house is vegetarian, I made some omelette rice for you two with a tofu substitute instead of ground pork. I'll head over to Sayori's house to inform them of breakfast." Maido smiles sweetly as she walks away. Looking at the way she walks, you might think that she is a small child in a costume.
She left the house and Monika and I sat beside each other, eating the hot breakfast that Miado made. It's really delicious, and heavy on the stomach! Looks like this might fill my stomach for a while. Suddenly, the door opens and a bright atmosphere of cheerfulness seem to accompany it. I stand up to greet the
" Akami-sa- ... Oh, Hi Sayori! You hungry?" I have a sort of dissapointed expression on my face. Sayori notices this and smiles warmly. Suddenly, she tries to speak in a deeper yet still girly tone.
" Ehehe~ Yoku! Move over, I'm hungry and I'm gonna eat everything in your fridge! Ahaha, now where are the young girls that I like so much? Hehehe... How is that? Is my impression of Akami-sensei good?" She cheerfully says as she takes a sit in front of me.
" Nah... I'm pretty sure he would deny that he is a lolicon, and I'm pretty sure he won't say that he is gonna eat all of my food. He'd probably go ahead and start eating and laughing." I laugh loudly as I recall the past two weeks. Sayori chuckles as well. The door opens and Maido enters with a sour Natsuki. I see that Maido is carrying NyanNyan in her arms, the small kitten purring loudly as she rubs it.
" Hey... what's the matter?" Monika asks as she looks at Natsuki, who simply pouts and walks over to the table loudly.
" She is just angry that no one woke her up this morning. Akami-sama usually wakes her up by opening the curtains widely." Sayori says as she digs into the omurice.
" N-No! I'm just... mad that... erm... it doesn't fit me... anymore..." Natsuki is flustered and red. It took me a second but I manage to figure out what she is saying.
" Oh! I see, then why don't you girls go and have fun later while you do some shopping. Does that sound good?" Natsuki's face turns into a bright shade of pink as she covers her modest chest.
" Hahaha, even if I keep staring at them, I'm pretty sure they won't grow." I say as I take a bite of my omurice.
" P-PERV! GO CHOKE AND DIE NOW!" Natsuki shrieks at me as she covers her body with her hands.
" Yoku! You meanie! You can't just say that to a girl!" Sayori pouts while looking at me with an angry face.
" Ahaha~ Well he is right... but still! Yoku! That's mean of you." Monika pouts at me while trying to keep in her smile.
"..." Maido stays quiet as she eats her food.
We finish eating our breakfast and we once again, did our daily routine. Shower, put on our uniforms, say goodbye to Maido and NyanNyan and walk towards the school. The four of us head out together, talking happily and walking cheerfully. I remember the times when Sayori and I walk alone together, thankfully that has changed for the better. The morning route towards our school is much more livelier and Sayori seems to be enjoying it more. The four of us continue to talk about the haggard and tiring school festival and how fun it was. We reach the school gates 10 minutes before the bell rang, so we all decide to eat some snacks from the cafeteria. As we walk trough the hallway leading towards the cafeteria, we see a group of girls huddled together near the girl's comfort room. They seem to be picking on someone, laughing and taunting at the poor girl. Natsuki doesn't want to be a part of this so she decides to press forward, then we heard it.
" You fucking edgy slut! I bet you're cutting yourself this early in the morning, huh?" The blonde girl that seems to be the alpha bitch of the group said out loud. We turn around and see a lock of deep purple hair in the center of the huddle. Yuri, Yuri is being picked on and we just passed by her.
" Damn nerd, you keep trying to act smart, but I bet you just use that big tits you have to lure in the boys." Another one of the girls said out loud before breaking into laughter.
" You may act all smart and sophisticated, but deep down, you're nothing more but an edgy, self harming bitch." The alpha bitch said before grabbing hold of Yuri's collar.
" N-no... I... I... It's not like that..."
" Hey! It's not nice to gang up on someone! Go pick on someone your own size!" Before I knew it, Natsuki is gone from our side and is now defending Yuri. Yuri had a relieved smile on her face, but the group of girls shot Natsuki an annoyed glare.
" Is this shrimp a friend of yours, Yuri?" The blonde girl shoves Yuri aside and looks down at the smaller Natsuki.
" Yeah, what are you gonna do about it, You dumb bitch?" Natsuki has a smug look on her face. I could see a vein popping in the girl's head.
" You little brat, I'll show you what happens to little shits like you!" The girl is about to slap Natsuki, who is prepared to throw a punch. I dash towards Natsuki and blocked the slap with my arm.
" Now, now... I don't think we should all fight so early in the morning. Look, I'm hungry, and you guys are in my damn way." I say as the girl pulls back her hand and clicks her tongue.
A moment of silence happens between us. Monika glares at the group while Sayori tries to pull me away from them. The bell rings loudly throughout the school and I am relieved that this encounter is finally finished.
" Tsk, what a kill joy... let's just go!" She shouts as she shoves Yuri aside and walks away in the opposite direction. I shake my head and slightly flick my finger on Natsuki's forehead.
" Wait for my instructions before doing something reckless like that! Geez, you could have gotten hurt." I say to Natsuki as I pick up Yuri's books on the floor.
" T-Thank you..." Yuri says as she wipes away some of her tears.
" Don't mention it. Besides, it was Natsuki here who decided to act first." I hand her the books while glancing at Natsuki. Natsuki is gritting her teeth as she look at the group.
" Natsuki, just ignore them... it's time to go to our classrooms." I say as I help Yuri up, her legs are shivering and her arms are trembling in fear.
" You guys go on ahead. I'll walk Yuri to her room to prevent anymore... incidents." Monika says as she takes the books from Yuri's arms. She gives Yuri a smile and they proceed to walk away from us.
" Now... Why don't we all go ahead and forget this whole thing that just happened, okay?" I try to take the lead and get the girls to walk to their classrooms, but they were shaken by what just happened so I had a hard time calming them down. Especially Natsuki, she is fuming right now.
" If Akami-sensei was here, that wouldn't have happened..." Natsuki murmured as she begins to walk.
" B-But I'm sure Yoku could still protect us, right?" Sayori tries her best to say something reassuring to Natsuki. I simply pat her head and smile at them, before raising a thumb and pointing it towards my chest.
" Hahaha, that's right! No meanie or bully can threaten you guys as long as I'm here! After all, Akami-sensei placed his trust in me." I say confidently, to hide the fear and anger swelling up in me.
" You see, Natsuki! Yoku would be able to defend us from those kinds of people." Sayori says as she pats my back. Natsuki looks at me and scoffs.
" If I get picked on in the future and you don't come and save me... I'll kill you myself, idiot... So you better come and sweep me off my feet when that happens, okay?!" Natsuki huffs out for a moment, before giggling. It seems not even this tsundere can keep her feelings hidden.
We all head towards out classrooms and we begin our mundane day. The classes are boring and uninteresting, but it seems the topics we are discussing is easier than I thought. As lunch time nears, I think back on the incidents that once plagued my life. The days when I alienated myself and felt alone due to the constant fear of everyone. The times when I have no one to call friends, and the only people I consider my family is far away. I hate those days, and I hope I can show Yuri the joy I felt when I found my way out of that pit. It's funny, it seems as though all of it started on the day that he died.