The next day, Natsumi was suspiciously quiet. She said scarcely a word to Hajime in between classes. She seemed distracted, preoccupied. Perhaps their previous conversation had impacted her more than he thought. Hajime noticed her glance down at her watch often throughout the day, which was odd. Did she have some kind of appointment? During lunch, Hajime confronted her about it.

"What's the deal with the watch?" He asked, flatout, while Natsumi was chowing down on rice.

"Whatmph arnn younn t-lkinn mhbout?" She mumbled as she chewed her food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. I'm asking why you keep checking your watch every five minutes. Do you have some kind of appointment or something?" He interrogated. Natsumi gulped down her food and chugged her iced tea to wash it down with a sigh.

"It's none of your business. It's not like you're my boyfriend or anything. So lay off," she snapped at him, before getting up out of her seat. She tossed her remaining food scraps in the garbage and headed back to class. Whatever it was, she wasn't telling Hajime.

Once again, it was the end of the day. Natsumi left the classroom without a word to Hajime. He didn't think much of it. It was just Natsumi being her usual weird self. Hajime shrugged it off and packed up his things. On his way out of the building, he noticed Sato carrying something into the building. In her right hand she held what looked like some kind of a musical instrument case. If he remembered correctly, Sato was a member of the photography club, but perhaps she had taken up a new hobby. Either way, it wasn't his business and he wasn't about to start up small talk with her.

When Hajime exited the building, he noticed a redheaded girl waiting by the school's gate. He hadn't exchanged words with her before, but they were still somewhat acquainted. When she saw him approaching she looked away, pretending she hadn't noticed him, hoping he would just pass by. Hajime stopped in his tracks. For some reason, something told him it was a good idea to talk to this girl. Maybe he could patch things up, since Natsumi was too stubborn to do it herself. It was worth a shot.

" Hey. It's Mahiru, isn't it? My name's Hajime Hinata," he said, introducing himself as politely as possible. Mahiru glanced up at him and didn't say anything for a few long moments.

"You're that boy from before… Natsumi's boyfriend or whatever," she muttered, with a subtle hint of disdain. She looked at him skeptically.

"Woah, I'm definitely n-not her boyfriend! Trust me on that," Hajime stammered, blushing awkwardly. "We are more like friends. Or… that's not it… more like… Uh, just classmates."

"Oh, I see. I guess you can't stand her either then? I don't see how anyone could," Mahiru sighed, with a sad smile on her face, as if reminiscing about painful memories.

"I'm not sure if I would go that far. She is a handful, but I don't think she's as bad as you might think. She thinks she tries to make herself look a lot more dangerous than she actually is. You should know that I got her to step back from this drama she's been causing with you and your friend," Mahiru perked up a bit and her eyes widened.

"Wait. You actually got her to listen to you? I don't think you realize what a big deal that is. Are you sure there isn't anything going on between you two?"

"No!… I mean, yes! I'm sure!... Look, I just told her that acting this way wasn't going to get her anywhere and she needed to cut it out, otherwise she was going to get herself kicked out of school. Honestly, I think she listened to me. She is way too proud to apologize herself, but I don't think she will be causing any more problems for you," Hajime explained to a very shocked and perplexed Mahiru.

"Geez… this is kinda hard to believe. It's about time someone talked some sense into her… umm… thanks for doing that. This has really been weighing on me. Oh, and Sato too. In fact, you should really tell her what you told me. She is really stressing out over it and I'm worried about her,"

Then Hajime remembered. "Oh yeah. I just saw her. She should still be in the building. We can go talk to her together. She was carrying her cello or whatever instrument it was. So I'm guessing she's practicing right now, or something," he deduced, while Mahiru just looked confused.

"Uhh, Sato doesn't play any instruments. At least not that I know of. She's never had an interest in music. Archery, maybe, but not music. Are you sure you saw her with an instrument?" Mahiru puzzled.

Hajime froze for a moment. Time seemed to slow down, as memories suddenly returned to him.

(Wait a minute. )

Hajime: "Do you have some kind of appointment or something?"

Natsumi: "It's none of your business. It's not like you're my boyfriend or anything. So lay off."

(Could it be…)

Natsumi: "I almost want to crush your precious Mahiru just to see the look on your face. It would be a shame if something were to happen to those hands of hers."

(No...)

Sato: "If you even touch Mahiru, I swear, I will personally end you, Natsumi."

All the pieces came together and Hajime's legs carried themselves. He turned from Mahiru and bolted inside as fast as he could. Mahiru was left standing speechless. "Hey, wait! What the hell?! Where are you going?"

Mahiru called after him, but Hajime didn't take the time to explain it to her. The hairs on his neck were sticking up. All of his intuition was telling him that Natsumi was in serious danger.

Natsumi stood in the music room, with crossed arms. She tapped her foot impatiently, staving off the jitters that were fluttering through her body. For some reason, her hand wouldn't stop shaking. She clenched it tightly to keep it still.

(Keep it together. You're a Kuzuryu, dammit. You shouldn't be afraid of some thirsty lesbo nerd.) she thought to herself. She had received Sato's invitation and she wasn't about to back out now.

The music room was a relatively basic one. There was a stage for rehearsals with a grand piano placed on it, a few tables, speakers and amplifiers that could be used freely by the students. The walls were decorated with musical notes, the kind of tacky decor one would expect to see in a place like this. There was a fish tank at the far end of the room, by the window which overlooked the wooded area behind the school. Natsumi almost jumped as the door to the music room slid open. She turned to see the "seaweed haired" girl herself, standing there, looking unkempt and disturbed, even more so than usual. She closed the door behind her, surreptitiously locking it, without Natsumi seeing. Natsumi put on her typical haughty demeanor, placing her hands on her hips.

"I was wondering if you were even gonna show up. So, what's the deal, huh? I doubt you invited me here to talk. What are we gonna do? How are we gonna settle this? The old fashioned way? I'm not afraid to throw down with a mangy bitch like you. Just try not to cry when I beat you down!" Natsumi gloated, cracking her knuckles.

Sato just stared at her vacantly. She had a cold, willful stare. She stood there, sizing Natsumi up. "I told you in the note. We are going to end this here… Right now… You will never, ever threaten Mahiru again," she said, in a dry, almost monotone voice.

"What makes you think I still give a shit about that ginger cunt-rag that you drag around? You're just paranoid. You should do the smart thing and just walk away now, before you really piss me off!" Natsumi spat, with a smug grin on her face. Sato walked over to a table that had a large black, instrument case on it, which Natsumi didn't even notice. It wasn't exactly out of place, in a music room.

"You just love to run your mouth, don't you Natsumi? Because you think you're invincible. And you think your precious family name can protect you. But you're dead fucking wrong about that," Sato said with a disturbing chuckle as she opened the box. She pulled out something that was not an instrument, at least not a musical one. It was a metal baseball bat.

Natsumi's heart dropped into her stomach as she saw it. She almost couldn't comprehend it at first. Her facade of confidence dropped immediately. The fear could be seen in her eyes, as she took a step back.

"Woah, wait. What the fuck?! What the hell are you doing with that? Are you crazy?" Her previous bravado was totally absent from her voice now.

"What happened to that cocky attitude of yours? You look scared, Natsumi. Are you just now getting a taste of what fear and powerlessness feels like? It's not so sweet is it?" Sato cackled, taking a few steps towards Natsumi, dragging the bat on the floor beside her with a loud metallic scraping noise. Sato was currently standing between Natsumi and the exit. Icy, paralyzing dread came over the blonde girl.

"Stay the fuck away from me, you psycho!" Natsumi screamed as she backed up as far as she could. Her heart was thumping in her chest. ( Shit, shit, shit, shit! This bitch wants to kill me!), her mind raced. Sato quickly lunged at her and swung the bat. Natsumi ducked out of the way just in time to avoid it. The bat smashed into a large aquarium, spilling fish, rocks and water all over the floor. Natsumi scrambled to crawl away, though she ended up slipping around on the slick floor.

"Help! Someone help me! She's trying to kill me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, as tears welled up in her eyes. Sato just laughed and looked down at Natsumi, resting the bat on her shoulder.

"Scream all you want, Natsumi. It won't do you any good. This is the most soundproof room in the building. Top of the line. That way the music doesn't disturb other classes. I picked this room for a reason. No one is going to come and rescue you, no matter how much you scream. None of your little yakuza flunkies can save you either," she elaborated menacingly, as she stepped towards Natsumi. The sound of aquarium rocks crunched beneath her.

Natsumi backed away, still on the floor, as Sato closed in on her, like a cat cornering its prey.

"Listen, Sato! I wasn't serious! I was just messing around! I wasn't actually gonna do anything. I don't even have that kind of clout to-AIIEH!" she screamed as she rolled out of the way to avoid a deadly blow with the bat. Tears of terror flowed freely down Natsumi's cheeks.

"Fucking shit, Sato! Please don't do this! I don't wanna die! We were friends, remember!?" Natsumi cried out desperately, holding her hands in front of her face, in a vain attempt to protect herself from Sato. Sato was losing her composure as well. The girl was not a trained killer. This struggle was dragging on long enough for the reality of her actions to begin setting in. Her adrenaline had gotten her this far, but she was starting to realize what she had committed to. Her eyes were manic and frightened, but determined. There was no turning back now.

"Shut the fuck up, Natsumi! Don't give me that crap! You were never a friend. You're just a vile evil, piece of shit. And I'm going to put a stop to you! Forever!" She screeched, but as she did, Natsumi grabbed a stool and threw it at her. In the moments it took Sato to guard from the incoming object, Natsumi was able to slip away and make a break for the door. She grabbed the handle frantically.

( Fuck! Open, open!) she screamed in her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted as Sato caught up to her and swung for her head. Somehow Natsumi instinctively ducked and caused the bat to shatter the glass window of the door.

The bat was temporarily stuck in the door's window and Natsumi seized this opportunity to elbow Sato in the ribs, causing her to lose her grip on the bat. It fell to the floor with a clang and Natsumi kicked it away. Everything happened so fast, but to their adrenaline fueled minds, it was all in slow motion. Natsumi realized this was her one chance to save herself. She leaned forward towards the broken window and took a deep breath to give her loudest scream possible.

"Hel -mmphh!" She attempted to call out, but as she did, Sato's hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her voice. Sato was inwardly panicking. Her whole plan was falling apart. This was taking too long. In her blind fury she had just accidentally undone the entire point of picking this room in the first place. It was no longer soundproof. She had to end this now. She wrapped her other arm over Natsumi's neck in a lock and she squeezed tightly, choking her.

Natsumi's eyes widened as her windpipe was constricted. Sato's tight grip began to cut off the blood supply to her brain. She choked and sputtered as she struggled against her attacker. She made desperate gurgling noises, her hands flailing around. Her attempts to pull free herself from Sato's grasp failed miserably. Her face was beet red and her tears streamed down her cheeks. Her struggles gradually weakened, however. The lack of blood flow made her head increasingly light and dizzy. Finally, Natsumi's hands fell to her sides and she lost consciousness. Sato loosened her grasp and her victim collapsed to the floor, banging her head on the floor.

Sato looked down at what she had done. She felt ill. An overwhelming sense of nausea had come over her. Had she really just killed another person? With her own bare hands, no less? No. It couldn't be. She knelt down next to Natsumi. The unconscious girl let out a sharp, raspy gasp in her sleep, followed by a few more ragged breaths, at irregular intervals. Sato could see her chest rise and fall with each breath. The girl was still alive, but she wouldn't be conscious for at least a few more minutes.

"There is no going back now," Sato told herself over and over. "This is for Mahiru."

Sato examined her surroundings in a dull eyed, zombie-like state. She could hear her own heartbeat and time seemed to be moving slower. She felt detached from everything that was happening around her. The gears of her mind began to turn as she examined the scene. She had time to formulate a superior plan for conducting the murder. She had an opportunity to alter the scene and murder weapon. If she was smart about it, she could make it look like the actions of a crazed pervert, rather than an attempt at revenge.

Natsumi's backpack had her swimsuit partially sticking out of it. That could prove useful. The macabre inspiration of bloodlust, which had started as a spark, now was a roaring fire. She knew exactly how she would kill Natsumi.

She turned to look back to look at the girl laying by the door, but she saw something else. It was an arm reaching through the broken window. She could recognize the black, standard issue, male uniform coat. The boy's hand found the lock and flipped it. Then the door slid open. There Hajime stood, still panting from the sprint up several floors.

He had mere moments to take in the full situation. Natsumi was on the floor, bleeding from her head. The room was smashed up. Sato had already rushed over to pick up the bat off the floor.

At first he was hit by an unrelenting wave of dread, but he collected himself and dashed over to kneel by Natsumi, to see if she was still alive. He could tell relatively quickly that she was breathing. ( Thank God) he thought. Then he heard a voice.

"Out of my way!"

It was Sato's voice. Hajime had never seen anyone with a face like hers before. She was ghoulish, terrified, and completely unhinged. She walked up to him, holding the bat in both hands, trembling. "Don't get in my way! I have to do this!" She cried, as tears poured down her face.

The elaborate plan she had just concocted was eviscerated, the moment that Hajime entered the room. She wasn't going to have a life after this, but she would make sure that Natsumi didn't either. That was all that mattered now.

Hajime placed himself between her and Natsumi, without thinking. Why he would put his life on the line for this bratty, abrasive, defective girl, was beyond him. Nevertheless, he was determined to protect her.

"No, you don't! You don't have to do this! This is wrong! Think about what you're doing!"

"I have thought about it! I've known her way longer than you have! She's a scumbag who does nothing but hurt the people around her! What are you? You're just her lapdog! You're just defending her because she is probably f-fucking you or something! Get out of my way!"

She screamed as she swung the bat at Hajime. She didn't aim for his head, because she didn't actually want to kill him. She hit him squarely in the ribs, breaking at least two of them. Hajime grunted and agony and clutched his side. Pain and adrenaline coursed through his body. He dropped to his knees, but he didn't move from his spot.

"You made me do that!" she cried out. "Just move aside! I have to protect Mahiru!"

"Nggh…J-just let me explain. Everything will be fine. Just hear me out," Hajime grunted, while clutching his bleeding side. He had to break through to this girl.

"Stop defending her, you fucking idiot! " she cried out, raising the bat high above her head. "She has to die!" she cried out as she swung the bat downward, towards Natsumi's head. Hajime could tell what she was trying to do. She was trying to angle it to swing to his left, missing him entirely and hitting Natsumi. She was getting desperate, running out of time. If she was caught now, she would certainly be expelled, she would no longer be able to protect Mahiru from this perceived threat. There really was nothing that Hajime could say to her at this point to call her off. Things had already gone too far. Hajime did the only thing he could. He lifted his left arm above his head. Shifted to place his arm in front of the bat.

The metal weapon came down on his arm, which absorbed most of the force. As it slammed into his forearm, it snapped his ulma on impact. The bat was redirected and skewed to the right, missing Natsumi completely. However, Hajime's left arm was now broken. Pain was just beginning to shoot through it.

The pain was dizzying and intense. He didn't know if he would be able to remain conscious for much longer. Sato pulled the bat up again, readying it for another attack.

"I… I don't want to hurt you. You're just her, pawn… Just another person she's manipulated... Please, just get out of my way!" she sobbed, as her eyes grew more puffy and inflamed.

Hajime didn't say anything. He could barely think straight. So he instinctively raised his right arm, prepared to sacrifice it as well. He winced in pain and looked up at her through blurred vision. She just stared down at him in disbelief. Why would he go through so much pain for this girl he barely knows. She hesitated and lowered her bat slowly and then a voice pierced the silence.

"Sato?" A gentle voice cooed. It was unmistakable. The redheaded girl stood in the doorway, staring terrified, at her friend. Sato stared back at her in a moment of pure shock. Before Hajime could see what happened, Mahiru was embracing Sato, crying into her chest, while the clanging of the bat could be heard, dropping to the floor. Hajime let out a sigh of relief, and that was it for him. He couldn't maintain consciousness anymore. He collapsed on the floor next to Natsumi and his world faded to darkness.

.