Tuesday, May 11th
There was completely and totally nothing for Akira to do. Besides the occasional studying, which didn't really amount to anything since he was well-versed in everything except for English, but even then after the day prior he was confident in it, he mulled around the apartment in a miserable fashion. At first, his idea of attempting to waste his free day away came in the form of watching TV.
Grabbing some popcorn and watching some Yensid Plus shows at first was genuinely kind of fun and interesting.
But it got tiring. Very quickly.
The same old tired-ass formulas man. Joke here, quip there, stiff ass choreography…
Only like two of these shows are actually good, that's insane…
Pulling himself from the intoxicating lure of the couch cushions, Akira flicked the TV onto his game.
While he had played with Ryuji and Morgana from time to time, the most recent from last night, he never really had the chance to play a game. From studying to dealing with Kamoshida to always being exhausted and tired, to always having something come up, Akira never noticed he never had any…well…intimate free-time with himself.
He couldn't complain either since he usually enjoyed hanging with everyone, but some alone time couldn't hurt.
Even if I've been forced to stay here for the day...
Goddamn it, Morgana.
Akira waddled into his room with his blanket wrapped around him, he kept getting cold flashes ever since Morgana and Ryuji left. It was annoying.
I'm still not going to Tae.
God, anything but that.
Pillaging his collection of games, he found the one disc he was looking for.
"Ahah! Avenue Brawler Third Blitz! God, I haven't played this in…a year?"
Shuffling out of the room, he went back to the console, popping the disc in, and started to wait for the installation process to finish while he started up another cup of tea.
I wonder if I still got it…
Maybe I should try a TOD first match? Are people still online with it? I know there was a bit of controversy around the online rerelease.
Shit, I was apart of that vocal portion…
Akira froze for a moment, thinking about the possibility of him wasting space and dealing with the annoying process of deleting shit off his PlayStation.
Eh. Fuck it. It's Avenue Brawler man, everyone plays each of these damn games.
Even Five.
People still play Five.
It's 2021.
How amazing.
Akira chuckled a bit as he went back to the sofa, sitting down and booting the game up as it swiftly finished.
Man, this truly is one of the greatest opening themes to a fighting game.
There's nothing else that can remotely compare to this.
Come on man, this is elite cream!
Maybe when Ryuji gets back, I'll screw with him on here.
"Whatchu know about this Ryuji?"
He paused as he gave the thought a little bit more breathing room.
Would I actually want Ryuji to stay over for TWO days straight?!
He pondered the question, it was admittedly kinda enticing.
Hmm.
I mean…
Maybe.
That shit might actually be fun…
Maybe—
Oh shit, hell no exams are tomorrow! I am not screwing up my sleeping schedule and mental health for him bro.
Afterwards? Definitely.
The Brotherhood of CPNB will raze this apartment complex to the ground with our—
Oh my god, I'm actually buying into this fucking cult.
It's a cult.
It's a nut-based cult.
A nult.
Ah yes.
Akira shook his head to yank himself from his mental tangent, he was definitely bored if he went into it unprovoked.
Akira took a few minutes to warm up his fingers before his first match started.
A Ken player.
Against my Chun-Li?
Hm...
I wonder if I can recreate a reverse Moment 37.
The first match was a brisk walk in the park for Akira, his muscle memory truly was astonishing although he had no luck with the reverse M37...
After a while of consecutively whooping ass, the wicked fingers of boredom were starting to creep inside of Akira once again.
"I'll give it one more time before I take a nap or some shit."
His next challenger popped up, their name being Redacted.
Literally.
"Oooooh so edgy, redacted. Decent record though."
It was another Ken player and the faint hope of recreating a reverse Moment 37 dawned upon his mind once again, "Nice."
Starting off, the first round went as expected which left Akira's face flat, "Goddamn it, not again…"
A sigh left his mouth as he realized he was stuck in the loop of mundanity, the second round was starting up and the least he could do was close out the match.
Within thirty seconds, Akira drained Redacted's health down to 15%.
"Just to make it something special…" He did the input for his finisher but…each consecutive hit was parried.
"W-wait what—" Akira's surprise must've been evident with how Redacted swiftly launched him into a TOD.
For the first time since his session started, Akira lost.
And he hated it.
Akira flung his controller into the couch as he coughed angrily throughout his spill, "Oh come on!
There's no way you're a real person! No way they took the condom off and fucked me raw with that Moment 37!"
The two players lingered on the results screen, with Akira instantly pressing for a rematch, "I'll be damned if I go out sad like that!"
The next two consecutive matches resulted in Akira getting swept with ease.
It was pathetic.
Akira slouched on the couch, his depression oozing from him, "Oh my god…they really took the condom off…"
Redacted left the lobby, leaving Akira a defeated mess until a message popped up in his account, "Huh?"
Redacted: Jeez…with a record like that, I would've thought you were hot shit. How disappointing.
Redacted: Are we buying elite accounts now to seem better? You played like a sick child with no fingers bruh do better.
The message room quickly disappeared as fast as it formed, leaving Akira a confused little shit.
I'm going to Tae's.
"Don't you have school or something today? And what happened to your nose…?" She sluggishly popped a lollipop in her mouth before offering Akira one.
He declined, "If you were here last week, you would know. But do you not see how I'm wrapped up in two bundles of clothing? Takemi my demons are winning man, I can't keep doing this."
"So…ah! You want another drug trip…?" She was a little perplexed, but honestly she couldn't complain if he willingly wanted to be her plaything again.
"What?! No! I just want regular-ass medicine! How the hell would that even help me, Takemi?!"
She shrugged lazily in her chair, her eyes hidden by some sunglasses that were clearly trying to hide her hangover, "Don't ask me…you just seem…a little stressed, Akira. Maybe a trip might do you a favor."
"A medical practitioner with a hangover is advising a minor to take hallucinogens."
She kicked herself off her desk, lazily spinning in her chair, "We threw morality out a long time ago. And besides…I gave you a month's worth of my best shit, how are you back here asking for more…?"
Akira nervously chuckled, "Ha…right…so…after I took out the money, I kinda…threw that stuff away."
Takemi's chair stopped spinning as she, somehow, gave Akira a death stare through her sunglasses.
It was deathly effective.
"M-Maybe I should—"
"Get on the examination bed, Akira."
"Yes ma'am."
Akira was exploring the barren halls of Shujin Academy. There was nothing intrinsically special about this version of Shujin. It was the same old same old. Perhaps a bit hazier, but nothing was out of the ordinary.
Maybe, in some twisted way, he missed Shujin? The incessant hum of the student body conversing about his past, the creaking of the floorboards underneath his feet, the comfort of his desk chair that his ass had finally broken into. The weird-ass conversations that he and Ryuji would have while traversing the halls…
Nah.
He didn't.
At least on the surface, he didn't.
"Okay…I'm assuming if I go into my classroom this trip will be over? Talking to my mind has to present some type of answer man."
As expected, there was no reply. A sight slid from his mouth as he pushed forward, eventually finding Kawakami's room.
Shutting the door behind him, Akira was presented with…absolutely nothing.
Not a single soul. Just desks that used to house the souls of the rude little shits of Shujin Academy.
"Oh for fuck's sake…" With annoyance plastered all over his face, Akira hopped on top of Kawakami's desk, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Hello?! Can I please get the hell out of here?! I'd much rather deal with Ryudalf! My younger selves! Hell even that BDSM version of Makoto! Anything!"
Wait…no, let me refrain from mentioning her…I don't want my mind to make some twisted version of our encounter from—
With a thundering boom akin to an ass getting slapped, a flash of lightning threw Shujin into a thunderstorm along with the appearance of…two Haru Okumuras.
Akira's eyes shuffled between them, "This…isn't what I asked for…"
I don't like the energy of this but my dick is twitching…
Stop it boner…
Akira gave the twin Harus a nervous wave, "Hi…? How are you—well, how are you two doing today? W-wonderful weather we're having, right?"
The two didn't reply as they stared at Akira emotionlessly. They met eyes and nodded, raising their palms to snap their fingers.
Akira tilted his head, noticing anything distinctly different from their snap. At least until he felt four hands shoving him off of Kawakami's desk face-first onto the floor.
For being on a drug trip, the pain still felt as real as ever.
I wonder if that means I fell off the examination bed in the real world…?
I'm gonna beat Tae's drunk ass when I sober up. I swear to Ryuji's left nut.
Pulling himself up from the floor, Akira started rubbing his cheek as he looked for the source of his shoving.
What the hell?!
Two Kawakamis?!
One was the regular-ass Kawakami he was so accustomed to seeing, the other was the French maid outfit one from before.
All four girls started encircling around Akira which caused him to surrender some nervous chuckles, "R-Right so…uh, wha—"
The four stopped. The sudden ceasing of movement made Akira almost soil himself.
I really don't have a good feeling about this.
Though that dread faded away as the four of them ripped through their shirts to expose their bare chests.
OKAY NEVER MIND I HAVE A WONDERFUL FEELING ABOUT THIS!
HONGER BONGER DOINKY BOINKIES!
FUCKING FABRIC STRETCHING, WIND FLAPPING, GRAVITY WELLING, MILK-FILLED SEX MOUNDS.
FUCK EVERYTHING I EVER SAID ABOUT TITTIES DURING MY LAST TRIP, I'M GOING INTO A FULL APE.
RYUDALF I'M TURNING INTO YOU BRUDDAH
A devilish smile poured itself onto Akira's face, sure, he was tripping balls, probably drooling buckets and slurring wild shit on Takemi's bed, but at the very least he could enjoy this trip.
Better start than last week.
"Now ladies—"
An intense stream of milk squirted in Akira's face, disorienting him as he struggled to stand up, having to use a desk as leverage, "W-What the fuck was—"
A few droplets dripped from Haru's nipple, the sight giving Akira thee most confusing erection in his life.
"That—W-Wha—How—"
Another milk shot smashed against his head, the recoil sending him almost over the desk until another drilled into the back of his skull. Another against his stomach, another against his chest, another against his cheeks until all four women centralized their streams purely on Akira.
It felt as if the streams were infinite. They…they weren't stopping. They wouldn't stop.
It had gotten to a point where the sheer volume of breast milk and velocity caused the room to become flooded.
And what made it worse? Akira couldn't breathe. He had been able to swim up to the very top of the room, barely being able to selfishly steal the little amount of oxygen that hid away at the top before being overtaken by the milk.
I'm drowning by proxy of titty milk on a drug trip.
WAIT.
I'M FUCKING DROWNING BECAUSE OF ELITE MILK AND MOMMY MILKERS.
YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS RIGHT NOW
OH MY GOD—
Akira's train of thought was swiftly shut off when he saw Ryudalf aimlessly floating around the titty milk mixture with sheer bliss on his face.
At least someone's enjoying this.
Well, a portion of my brain is enjoying this I suppose.
Aw, crap baskets–
I can't breathe! It's getting har–
Help–
Akira kept grasping at his neck as the milk kept engulfing his vision. After a while, it just became pure white.
At least until a thundering crack broke the confines of his homeroom and the milk started becoming sucked up into a vacuum, leaving Akira and Ryudalf on the floor, butt-ass naked.
A death rattle came from Akira as he struggled to push himself off of the ground, his vision was blurry as little particles of milk caked up in his eyes.
G-Great…I'm naked…again.
T-This is some fucking bullshit.
I bet my younger self would still deep-throat titties after this damn ambush…
Akira gave his head a few shakes to clear the milk, finally getting a few looks at where his doped-up mind took him.
It was the bandroom.
He struggled to slur some words from his mouth, "G-Great…am I going to see a naked Kamoshida? A homoerotic drug trip…?" His arms buckled under his weight with his naked form falling back to the ground, it was like he was a baby all over again.
A few footsteps echoed throughout the building as Akira (along with Ryudalf) started floating, his body getting placed on an examination table you'd see in some procedural cop drama. His wrist became welded to the table, which elicited no form of visible shock from the boy. At this point, he was just used to the strange shit.
Eventually, the footsteps revealed themselves to be attached to Haru. Though this Haru seemed to be more…normal than her clones.
Strolling up to Akira, she gave him a sardonic smile as she gently slapped his face, "Hi, Kurusu-kun!"
In the corner of Akira's eye, he noticed a version of Ann strapping Ryudalf to a wheelchair, only to take him deeper into the halls of the bandroom
Oh.
This is wonderful.
Is this going to turn into a BDSM thing? Haru instead of Makoto.
Cool.
Elite Milk hasn't let me down yet.
Well…
Pulling his consciousness from the depths of his psyche, Akira slurred out a reply, "Hi…Okumura-senpai."
Her smile darkened once hearing the honorific, "Kurusu-kun…don't tell me you're still mad at me…" She grazed her finger down his happy trail, keeping her gaze locked into his eyes, "Are you?"
At first, Akira's face telegraphed his confusion, something that his drugged Haru was able to pick up on, "Don't be an idiot darling, when was the last time you saw me? It's only been two days after all…"
His face fell flat.
Oh great.
Now my mind is doing a mental examination of how I feel about Haru.
I'm surprised I had one about Haru first instead of Niijima…
I'd much rather deal with Maid-Kami snipping off my cock and balls again while my younger selves watch…
Wait...
Wait…mommy milkers…
Ah.
Kawamommy?
A sigh slid from his mouth, "Out of sight, out of mind."
Haru gave a brief giggle, "That's not an answer, Kurusu-kun. You must be since you said 'Okumura-senpai', you haven't called me that at all in the real world. You did the same with Niijima-san and we saw how that went…"
God this is even more meta since she's a representation of my mind, all parts of me don't call her Makoto anymore, huh?
"Look—" Akira's voice evaporated as screaming could be heard.
"OH MY GOD! NOT THE BLACK DESTROYERS PLEASE GOD NO! GET THAT LEVITATING COCK AWAY FROM ME MISTRESS ANN!"
What the fuck is wrong with my mind.
I should really get around to that holy water bleaching…I need salvation…
Haru sweetly eyed him, "Kurusu-kun~"
"I'm not…mad at you." He paused for a moment, "I just…I'm just apprehensive."
"Because of the lies?"
"I'm not…it's not even that because I get it. I do."
"Then why haven't you texted me? Why did you leave school early?"
"Oh come on! I left school early because my body wanted to shit itself and explode! Much like it is now!"
Her face became flat, "Sounds like a bunch of excuses."
His face morphed as he struggled to put this into words.
He was never great at explaining.
He never was and he never will be if his father was any indication.
Yeah fuck no I'm not dragging dad into here.
"I…I like you, Haru."
"I'm pretty sure that was apparent with the nickname you have for me." His version of Haru groped her breasts, embarrassingly giving Akira an erection for Haru to just witness.
"L-Look I didn't mean it like that. I meant that from the time that I met you to Sunday, you have a great energy about you. I can tell you're nice. That you're a good person. Hell, you see the best in me and I'm a miserable piece of shit." He paused as he finally gazed into her eyes, "But…when people get closer to me…they…they only get worse. I make them worse. Some way, somehow."
"Kurusu-kun—"
"You see the best in me somehow. Those words you said before you left? For the first time in weeks, I actually felt kinda good about myself. But it wasn't enough because I know about myself. My effect on people. I don't want to corrupt that view that you have of me and change you…"
A chair materialized for Haru as she sat in it, "So, are you trying to say that you made Ryuji worse? Ann? Morgana? Makoto? I hope you don't mean in terms of their lives and just their personalities."
I'm really going through with this mental examination.
Shit.
"Think about it. Second I got here, shit got worse. Be it through my intervention or my presence, it got worse."
"But you helped to defeat Kamoshida! Come on Akira, stop letting Makoto's words poison you!"
Akira snapped his head towards her, "No! I—fuck!" There was a brief, albeit, pregnant pause, "Look. Even Ryuji said it…he did things he had never done before just to take Kamoshida down. And Ann? God. I wonder every day if what I did was the right thing. She hides away her emotions from us and I haven't seen that smile on her face ever since he got arrested. It's like she still has the weight of the world on her shoulders." A sigh came from his mouth, "What was the point of doing all of this if the victims don't smile? How fair is it that me and Ryuji are moving on and yet Ann and Mona go to Shiho every damn day to make sure she's fine!?"
Glasses materialized on her face, "Then why haven't the both—no…why haven't you gone?"
"Oh come on! You're me! You know why! How could I dare to show my face at that hospital and see her in that bed?!"
"So you just think it's better for your mental health and hers to just ignore her in the hospital? To not even visit her once? Who knows if she'll even fully pull through or wake up! Do you really think you can live with that for the rest of your life with no regrets? Hell, the both of you?!"
Akira hung his head as his eyes narrowed with stinging reluctance. "Then there's Morgana…he wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if I was a better example. But…all I can do is try to be better."
"Which is why you've been a bit more open to him. Even if it's small steps…and if you lied to him about your last time seeing Makoto." Haru gave a faint smirk.
"I didn't lie. He didn't ask. And besides, that was just between me and her. No need to bring that up to him."
Haru scoffed, "Right. And speaking of Makoto…"
Oh great.
Here we go.
"There's nothing to say. I just brought her into the fold when I shouldn't have. I was being too nice. I let…sentimentality take a hold of me. I should've realized from the beginning that we were in two different worlds. And now…she hates me and thinks I'm the worst person in the world while her name gets dragged around in the mud due to." A sigh slipped from his mouth, "But it is what it is. I gotta stop caring. The student body will stop mentioning her name soon enough, and I'll be the sole source of those rumors again. We'll forget each other's names and existences." He rolled his eyes as he thought of Mishima, "If there's a piece of shit whose life I need to corrupt, it's Mishima. Such a little piece of shit man."
Haru sighed as she pulled herself from her chair, placing a finger against Akira's lips, "Kurusu-kun."
Though muffled, he gave a, "Hm?"
"You have not corrupted people. You have not corrupted Ryuji, you've brought life to him according to his mother. You are repairing and trying to be a better person for Morgana's sake. Ann, of course, is struggling right now but she doesn't have the destructive breathing of Kamoshida down her neck anymore. If she needs your help, she knows where to go. And Shiho…? She'll say what she needs to say when she wakes up. But it won't harm you to see her, just once." Akira couldn't hide his eyes from her anymore, "And Niijima-san? As you said, that has nothing to do with you anymore. It is what it is. But since that's how you rationalize it…realize her words don't apply to you either. You are not Kamoshida. And you are not Shido. You're a good person, and I meant it."
The two just stayed in each other's eyes as Haru surrendered a snap with her free hand, sending him back to the sober land of reality.
Huh.
I don't remember the examination bed being this soft.
Akira opened his eyes to see Takemi gazing down at him.
Wait.
Am I still drugged?
No way her milkers are in my face right now.
Wait…this positioning…
AM I ON HER THIGHS?
TAE TAKEMOMMY?
I have got to stop doing that oh my god—
His voice came out in a slur, "T…Takemi…?"
"Oh good! You're awake! Now get the hell off my thighs."
Akira admittedly had to contemplate that decision before he shot right up after seeing a murderous glare in her eyes, "W-Why the hell was I—"
"You were sweating and twitching a lot, I didn't want you to stain the merchandise."
Akira struggled off the bed, depressingly enjoying the touch and softness of her thighs, "But—"
"Shut up, Akira. My head is still killing me…just take the yen and the medicine, okay?"
A bit dejected, Akira accepted his treasures from her desk before turning around to leave
I don't like hungover Takemi.
"Wait…how was the drug this time?"
Resting his hand on the knob, Akira replied with one word instantly, "Horny."
Akira: Hey, Haru? Do you wanna study?
Akira aimlessly stared away at his phone, the textbox line blinking in and out.
Should I listen to Haru? Well, my drugged version of Haru?
It wouldn't…hurt to just invite her over.
I'm not being horny since Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana are coming straight here once school gets out…
She thinks I'm a good person.
She wants to get to know me.
Maybe I should let her.
Akira popped two pills as he pillaged the cupboard, searching for a small cup to use to wash the pills down.
Oh fuck it.
He pressed send.
Here's to minute personal growth!
Even if I'm still a piece of shit!
Within seconds his phone buzzed against the countertop.
Elite Milk: Hey! I'll see if my duties don't interfere but I would love to!
Elite Milk: Also, I didn't see you at school today or yesterday? Are you okay?
Besides having you almost pressurize my skull with your breast milk?
Akira: Yeah, just sick from the rain that's all.
Elite Milk: This is why I told you to allow me to give you a ride!
Akira: What can I say, I'm stubborn.
Akira: But I'm already feeling better.
Elite Milk: Wow, what's your secret?
Akira: Oh you know, just shady back-alley doctors who seduce minors with thighs and feet to have drug trips. Or trials as I should say. Typical things.
Oh shit.
I typed that out.
Oh man, I'm fucked.
Elite Milk: What an…imaginative mind! Was that your attempt to make me laugh?
Akira: Did it work?
Elite Milk: Mhmmmmm maybe
Akira: Sweet.
Akira: Here's my address.
The beginning of the studying session was, surprisingly, pretty fun and calm. Everyone surrounded Akira's living room table and kept flinging out trivia and testing one another. Haru, of course, was the prime source of what to actually study for on the test. Hell, even Ohya was getting in on the studying through Ryuji having her on a call.
Although he didn't look the most ecstatic about her intrusion.
Though…Akira felt something was off, which wasn't missed by Ryuji, "Dude, you alright?"
Akira tried to hide it, "Yeah? What makes you think I'm not?"
"You look like someone is twistin' your balls from underneath the table with rusty ass pliers." Although it took a moment, Ryuji remembered he wasn't alone with Akira and Morgana. He looked at Ann and Haru with embarrassment leaking from each of his pores, "S-Sorry."
Morgana sighed as he went back to his studying, "Okumura-senpai, you should probably get used to…Ryuji's vulgarity."
Ryuji quickly snapped his head, "Hey! I'm not vulgar! C'mon don't bad mouth me you jacka–" For once, Ryuji had some sort of self-restraint but it was too last as Morgana's point was already proven, causing the former, Ohya, and Haru especially to laugh.
It was embarrassing.
Giggling, Haru turned her attention to Mona, "Kurusu-kun, you don't have to be so formal…you can just call me Haru, okay?"
Admittedly, Mona paused as he thought about it, "I can't lie, I like the ring of it. Rolls off the tongue better. But…if you're saying that, then you know the same goes for us, right? There's one too many Kurusus around here…"
Haru nodded in agreement, "Right, right…I can see how that would cause some issues to arise in the future…what should I call you?"
Morgana scribbled away some notes as he nonchalantly shrugged, "Morgana would be fine. Mona's cool too."
Haru placed an inquisitive hand on her chin, "Mona-chan…what a nice nickname…and for Kurusu-kun?"
Akira pulled his head up from his English book, "Oh, Akira would be—"
Ryuji quickly perked his head up, "Aki-chan! Or Frizzy-chan if you're feelin' frisky!"
Morgana nodded in agreement, "Oh that's perfect. That's totally what you should call him, Haru!"
Akira quickly shot up from his comforter, "Wait! Wait! No! We are NOT doing this again! Haru for the love of God just please call me—"
"Aki-chan…Aki-chan…" Haru kept reciting the nickname over and over like a mantra, seemingly contemplating it before she snapped her head to him with a beaming smile on her face, "Aki-chan!"
Morgana and Ryuji roared with a cheer, joining Haru in calling Akira 'Aki-chan' while he groaned with much disgust.
Oh, COME ON!
YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME
In the midst of the humorous moment, Akira couldn't help but notice that Ann was simply flat-faced and continued on with her face in her book.
Akira's mind kept harkening back to the clinic trip.
I mean Haru is going well so far…maybe I can just see how Ann is?
Ann's lack of emotion wasn't missed by Ryuji either, as he nudged his best friend to capture his attention, telling him to check his phone as he placed Ohya on mute.
Ryuji: Hey, you think she's okay?
Akira: Who? Ann?
Akira: You noticed it too?
Ryuji: Gee jackass how the hell wouldn't I?
Akira: Don't be a smartass unless you wanna run fades in DSBZ
Ryuji: So?! I'll embarrass your ass right in front of Haru! Let's see if your dick gets wet now!
Akira: ITS NOT LIKE THAT JACKASS OH MY GOD
Akira: I don't want to—man shut up.
Akira: And besides, what's the record between us right now?!
Ryuji: I dunno but I know I'm in the lead.
Akira: It's 26-16 in my favor dude
Akira: I can even ask Morgana or check the settings of our last hangovers.
Ryuji: ….
Ryuji: Ain't we supposed to be worryin about Ann?!
Akira: You can weasel your way out of this since it's more important…but just know…your asscheeks are mine.
Ryuji: ?
Akira: Did I stutter?
Ryuji: DUDE
Ryuji: IM NOT LAVENZA
Akira: …
Akira: ANYWAY DO YOU WANNA TALK TO HER PRIVATELY?
Ryuji: Sure, whaddya wanna do?
Akira: Well I'm sure doing this shit over text would be a horrible idea…
Ryuji: Then we do what we do best, corner her!
Akira: This sounds horrible outta context...
Akira: But sure, my room shall be da basis.
Ryuji: Da?
Akira: I'm bored man, shut up.
Ryuji cleared his throat as he took Ohya off pause and mute, "Sorry babe, I gotta take a leak."
"Oh, alright."
Ryuji bypassed Akira as the latter waited a few minutes before walking over to Ann's side, tapping her on the shoulder, "Hey, mind helping me find this old English book I packed? Shouldn't take that long to comb through my boxes."
A sigh ripped itself from her mouth as she followed him to his room, stepping in before Ryuji closed the door quietly behind them.
Bouncing her eyes between the two of them she sighed once again, "What is it now? What did you two do?"
"What?! What the hell?"
"Don't act stupid Ryuji, ever since you two came together as the dynamic duo, name a time you two have been around me and y'all haven't descended into bullshit?"
Ryuji stammered, "W-Well…but—"
Akira groaned and cut him off, "Anyway, Ann are you okay? You seem a little…"
"Distant? My bad I'm not immediately open arms for another third-year that seems to have you around their finger again.
Ryuji looked at him with an expression that screamed, 'Oh shit dude' as a bewildered Akira struggled to piece some words together.
"Ann—wha—it…it isn't like that. She's just a friend."
She waved her hands up defensively, "Don't blame me for not believing that. You don't seem to have the best judge of character."
Yeesh.
Here's that signature Ann bite from last month…
He sighed as he paced around his room a bit, eventually pausing in front of her, "Look, I know…I messed up with Niijima-senpai. I know. But Haru is different. At least so far. All she's been to me so far is nice and helpful. That's more than I can say for Niijima-senpai when we first met. Can you just…do me this tiny little solid and at least try to get to know her?"
Ann stared him in the eyes, eventually breaking her resolve as a groan slid from her mouth, "Fine. But if this comes back to bite us in the ass in any way, shape, or form, I will castrate you."
Akira almost choked on his spit, "Wha—"
Ann pivoted on her foot as she muttered on her breath, "Getting to know a girl. Shouldn't be any harder than Kamoshida…"
Grasping the handle she paused, "Will you guys finally come see Shiho, soon?"
Ryuji paused for a bit before answering, "I uh…I got a couple of job interviews, soon…but I promise I will, Ann."
She gave a disinterested nod as she looked at Akira, "Aki?"
I…
I….
Little blobs of that day kept forming in his mind along with Haru's voice in his head.
Though, he shook it all away.
"Crap. Iwai wants me to work double-time at his uncle's shop and take care of his brother, but I promise I will soon."
He brushed his finger gently against his cheek.
She gave a few nods as she exited the room.
Fuck.
Ryuji looked at Akira again, "Dude, you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah…I don't know…it's like I'm feeling a disturbance…like, with single women."
Ryuji was perplexed, "Single women?"
"Yes…I know it sounds weird but—"
Ryuji pretended to stroke a fake beard, his voice taking on a wise rattle to it, "You feel a disturbance…like a trillion bad bitches screaming out in pleasure and ecstasy…"
Akira punched him in the shoulder, "Oh shut up man."
Wednesday, May 12th
"Akira?"
Ryuji's voice fell on deaf ears as Akira stared aimlessly into the vast crowd that encircled them in the familiar gym.
Once again, Kobayakawa called them into the gym for something. The entirety of the student body was roused up once again as their discourse jumped between it having something to do with Kamoshida, the closing of the school, or even Akira and Ryuji once again.
Ryuji could genuinely care less since it gave Kobayakawa another chance to make a fool of himself either way.
Although he would've enjoyed it more if his best friend wasn't looking like an idiotic frizzy-haired zombie.
Ryuji elbowed him in the gut, "Dude!"
Amira almost doubled over from the hit but it snapped him back to reality, "What?!"
"You've been like this last night! Don't tell me the moans of the bad bitches are plaguin' you! 'Cause, that sounds like a dream come true." Ryuji chuckled, "Ha, get it? C—"
"Grow up."
"Nah, ima grow down."
Akira paused for a minute, "What the fuck does that mean."
"Akira, you should really stop askin' questions."
Akira fully turned his body towards the blond, "Dude you can't just say weird shit like that and expect—"
Morgana shuffled his way through the crowd with Kasumi in tow, she and Akira briefly made eye contact as she quickly pulled them away.
Sheesh.
Tough crowd huh.
"There you are! God, I was wondering where you two were."
Ryuji depressingly sighed, "Yup. We're in another bullshit ass assembly. I guess it's cool since we get to kinda miss some of the exam."
The Kurusu boys nodded in agreement as Akira yawned, "Hey at least CPNB gets to suffer together right? What's better than suffering alone? Suffering with friends!"
Ryuji raised an eyebrow, "That's kinda depressin' Aki-chan."
Akira gave the most guttural groan from the usage of that awful nickname, "Oh, eat a d—" He held himself as he remembered Kasumi was there, "Hi, I'm Akira Kurusu, we met on the train last month and in the hallways that one time." He stuck a hand out with a fake, albeit beaming, smile on his face.
She paused for a moment before eventually shaking it, "H-Hi. I remember, Kurusu-senpai."
"Oh, wow, you're the first person to call me senpai and not something completely degrading. Kinda odd. Call me a delinquent or something, senpai is weird."
Dry wit for the win because this is fucking awkward.
Morgana, do you really want a girl that feels uncomfortable around your older brother? That's not fair to you man…
Kasumi robotically turned back to the stage, ignoring Akira's entire existence as Mona stared at his older brother.
"Really?"
"What? I just…wanted to introduce myself."
"You did such a great job, jackass."
Ryuji perked his head up, "Finally you called someone else a jackass instead of me!"
"Shut up Ryuji." He turned back to Akira, "Come on! Play nice!"
"I was! It was just…awkward in—"
Morgana pinched his brother's lips, "Shut up, man."
How dare you lay a hand on the Four-Knuckle Shuffle Officiator!? This is punishable by castration!
Oh god.
I gotta stop getting deeper into this little joke.
Akira did a zipping motion as Morgana let go of his lips, giving a silent promise to ascertain his silence. Though it didn't matter as Kobayakawa finally waddled onto the stage, speaking into the mic to quell the masses.
"Good morning, my wonderful students! I know there must be mass confusion on why we've called another assembly, especially so soon after our last and with exams scheduled to start in a few hours. I know some of you must be distraught over this when you could be studying."
I mean I'm not that distraught.
Hell, I know Ryuji isn't.
Unbeknownst to Akira, Haru strolled up behind him, surprising him as she tapped him on the shoulder, "Aki-chan?"
I…
Good god, I hate it so much.
But goddamn it, she makes it sound cute.
"Hm? What's up, Haru?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were ready for the exams today…do you feel confident in your English?"
Akira waved away her concerns, "As confident as I would be stealing candy from a baby."
She faintly nodded at his joke, "Interesting, is that another rumor?" He nodded his head, "Hm…that's how they probably think you lured the children to the fight club.."
Akira couldn't help but chuckle, "Look at you, getting in tune more with my jokes."
She flashed a smile that made him weak in the knees, "Still going to take some getting used to…but I think we should focus on Kobayakawa-sensei."
"…Now, back to the reason why I summoned you all here…once again, the past few weeks here at our lovely Shujin Academy have served as a sobering sense of clarity for us, me especially…"
Oh for the love of God.
Please, please just get to the point, I don't want to hear your incessant bullshit today…I'm already stressed enough about exams…
"The idea that students don't feel comfortable enough to express themselves in any way shape or form is truly distressing. Your mental health is something that can not be ignored nor bottled up…it's truly the cornerstone of a healthy existence!"
Gee, I could almost believe that if he didn't have Niijima-senpai seal the fate of the band programs...
"Which is why…" He cleared his throat as he stepped down, "I've introduced some new faculty members that will serve to fix Shujin and help further our goal of nurturing the next generation of great minds that will lead Japan forward!"
Kobayakawa gave a bow as a man stepped out, he was rather…unremarkable in Akira's eyes. He wore a typical blue dress shirt with a loose tie, though Akira barely noticed it as it was sheltered by a lab coat.
His face was completed with some glasses that reminded Akira of his. He had an unkempt set of hair along with a faint amount of stubble on his chin.
Whoever this guy was, Akira could tell he wanted to shit himself as he hopped on top of the podium, staring nervously into the crowd. Although that part was partially up to discussion since he was nonchalantly sucking on a juice box.
Placing it down on the podium, he meekly spoke into the mic "H-Hi." He took a glance at Kobayakawa who kept waving for him to continue, "Uh…my name is Takuto Maruki. It's nice to meet you all."
Quite a few steps away from Akira he heard a girl mumble under her voice, "God his voice is really sexy."
Yes I'm pretty sure a sexy ass himbo will quell all of our mental health issues, Kobayakawa. Great Principling.
Is that a word?
It has to be.
Wait a minute I can't say anything…Kawamommy keeps appearing to me—
There's no way I'm turning that into a running joke.
I am not a real person.
Oh my god.
Somehow, while Akira was partially pondering the complexities of his CPNB existence, Maruki smacked his forehead into the microphone, causing the feedback, and the subsequent laughter, to jolt Akira back into the land of the living.
Rubbing his head, "T-Thank you for welcoming me to your school, everyone. There's no real need to be excessively formal. I just…want you guys to see me as someone to come to when you need to talk. To be a confidant." Maruki placed an inquisitive hand on his chin as an idea popped into his head, "You can even call me Doc if it makes you comfortable. Oh, and another thing, I'm not great with money problems though…I cry every time I pump money into a pachinko…and yet I still do it…" The laughter of so many Shujin women filled the gymnasium while Akira and Ryuji gazed at each other with disinterest, "Who the hell still plays pachinkos in 2021?"
Ryuji shivered, "God…my old man used to love pachinkos…"
That…that makes sense.
Haru interjected, "Surprisingly, pachinkos are sources of mass money in today's landscapes, even my father indulges in them from time to time."
Ryuji tilted his head, "What…counts as an indulgence for your father…?"
"At our winter home, he has a few on the top floor."
Ryuji wanted to spit out a joke or at least a word, but nothing came from his mouth as it was left ajar.
Maruki stepped away from the mic as Kobayakawa returned, "I hope you all visit Maruki with any of your pressing issues or concerns." Kobayakawa's eyes lingered dangerously close to where the CPNB brotherhood stood.
Oh, screw you.
"But…that is not all."
Ooh, are we gonna get a sexy ass new milf therapist too? Maybe some physical therapy?!
Kobayakawa-sensei might actually be the greatest of all—
A simple footstep muted Akira's mental voice.
His jaw loosened as his mouth became agape.
Eventually, Shujin's newest faculty member stepped up to the podium as Kobayakawa gleefully flashed them a smile as they tapped a little on the mic before leaning into it, "Hello. My name is Sojiro Sakura."
Morgana and Ryuji both snapped their heads to Akira, both equally sharing disbelief as Akira stood frozen.
"Originally…the band programs across Shujin were meant to be shut down. However, the idea of shutting children out of something they can use as a way to express themselves, their frustrations, and use to elevate them to a better status rubbed Kobayakawa-san the wrong way. I felt the same way…which is why we both came to the conclusion that Shujin needs a restart." Sojiro, somehow, met Akira's frozen gaze, "And that restart…will start with me. The new Head Band Director over concert band, jazz band, wind ensemble, and…marching band."
Wha—
Sojiro flashed him a smile as he bowed, "The restart date of the marching program will be forthcoming. In the meantime…I hope you all will welcome me. "
Sojiro gave a bow.
With a little free time before the start of the hell known as exams, the group, with the exception of Kasumi as she went back to class, went to the roof.
Ryuji was the first to talk, "Dude, is that the same Sakura guy that owns your apartment?!" Morgana quickly clamped his hands over Ryuji's mouth.
He harshly put his voice down to a whisper so Haru wouldn't hear, "Shut up! You damn monkey! Can you imagine the shit show we'll be in if people find out we have some connection to the mysterious new band director that showed up after Kamoshida's arrest which people think we're responsible for!"
Akira lazily plopped into a chair as he aimlessly stared into the sky, though it wasn't for long as Haru materialized over his face, "Aki-chan? That guy…Sakura-senpai? He owns your apartment?"
Akira gave a sigh, "It's…it's a long story. But he's a family friend. Kinda."
"Interesting…Sojiro Sakura…why does that name sound familiar…?"
Familiar? Wait—
Ann's footsteps could be heard reverberating through the stairway as she burst onto the scene, her face becoming flat as she saw Haru, "Oh, hey Haru."
Haru gave her a head nod, "Hi, Takamaki-chan!"
Ann walked over to Akira, "So uh…"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Noted. But uh…Kawakami got a call…Sakura-senpai wants to see you…in the bandroom."
Everyone looked at Akira as he slouched deeper into his chair, a sigh coming out of his mouth, "Fuck."
Makoto, quite simply, could not understand why today had…transpired in the fashion that it did.
Her mind was in a constant hyper-aware loop of the last week attempting to understand…to just…at least understand something. From the restoration of the musical programs despite submitting the paperwork, the appearance of this…odd Takuto Maruki…and Sojiro Sakura.
She was completely left in the dark. Kobayakawa hadn't remotely informed her of anything.
So much for a healthy relationship between students and faculty.
Makoto was doing a final refresher over her notes for exams when a form outside of her window caught her eye.
What the…?
It was a student, clad with a typical Shujin uniform and an unkempt set of raven hair. Conversing with a security guard led him to be freely let loose in the direction of the bandroom.
Kurusu-kun…of course….
Now, what are you up to…?
She raised her hand, "Sensei, may I be excused?"
Her teacher nonchalantly waved her off, giving her free agency to follow the hunch in her stomach.
Makoto shuffled out of her classroom, almost crashing into a fellow classmate. Her name was escaping her, maybe it was something like Harumi or Haru, but either way, Makoto apologized for almost colliding with her.
After a few moments of dodging her peers and bypassing the security guard with her status, Makoto carefully entered the muted bandroom. There were no lights on except from Kamoshida's old office.
Seeing Akira and Sojiro staring at one another elicited her to sleuth closer and closer, eventually being able to hear the start of their conversation.
"Why the hell did you call me here, Sojiro?"
First name basis? They know each other?
"Geez, should you be talking to a teacher like that, kid? And what the hell happened to your nose?"
"Nunya."
"Nunya? Who the hell—"
"It's none of your damn business, old man. But moving on to more important shit, I just fail to understand why you would work at an institution like Shujin when…by your own admission you don't like nor trust me. Hell, why are you even here in the first place? You barely like kids! When was the last time you even touched an instrument?!"
Sojiro took a seat as an exhausted sigh came from him, "Watch it with all the yellin', kid. And I don't like you nor trust you, that is still true. And yeah…that is valid, I don't like kids, but Futaba exists. but I touched my old trumpet last week so that's something."
"Did you actually play it or did you move it to get to something else?"
"You did say touch. Nothing about playing."
"You're debating semantics right now—"
"The only reason why I'm here…is because someone put in a good name for me. I'm not sure who…for a moment I thought it was Hotaru but even he was confused when I called him."
"And Kobayakawa just…signed off on that? Despite the fact you're housing a delinquent that he probably hates?"
"Considering the fact he got a hefty donation, I genuinely think he doesn't care. I doubt he even cares about the programs at all—"
"It's just to save face. That fat bastard doesn't care about anything or anyone. But yet people still heed to his every word."
Makoto's jaw tightened a bit.
"You sound…really emotional, Kurusu-kun. Need some napkins to wipe away your tears when they fall?"
"Kiss my goddamn ass, Sojiro."
A fit of chuckles came from his mouth, "Ooh, yeah let me stop before I become your next assault victim."
Akira's voice became soaked with silent rage, "Shut the hell up, Sojiro. You don't know what you're talking about. Is this why you called me down here? To just…jerk and poke at me? You're a grown-ass man."
Akira's hand could be heard grabbing the handle, giving Makoto a renewed sense of anxiety as she jolted in fear, but Sojiro spoke again, "Look kid. I don't want to be here anymore than you want me to be. But I owe your uncle this. Plus I think after loaning you my apartment, this should be a fun little arrangement. As long as you play nice, I'll play nice. Then before you know it, you won't even notice I'm here and your year here will be over. Just don't mention to people I'm actually supposed to be taking care of you."
Akira scoffed as Makoto scurried off, "Trust me I don't want to be associated with an old ass man either."
Sojiro Sakura is his caretaker?
Is this what he was planning all along? For Sojiro to take over after Kamoshida?
God…
God, I need to focus on this first day. I can wonder about all of this later.
Exams are more important.
The moment school let out, Makoto sped towards Kobayakawa's office, catching him right as he was finishing up his lunch.
"Niijima-san? What do I owe the pleasure?"
Closing the door behind her, she spoke, "I thought…Kobayakawa-sensei, if I may speak at 100% honesty?"
"You may."
"I thought you were okay with dissolving the musical programs in order to facilitate the funds towards other more promising ventures here?"
"Right. Right. I did tell you that…I was going to originally, but after sitting down and contemplating on it…I realized it wouldn't be fair to these children who see a pathway to the future with those programs."
You mean you got a fat paycheck that made you flip flop.
Stop faking sincerity like Kurusu-kun.
Makoto waved those thoughts away, "I see…I just wish…I would've told me."
"My apologies, I just didn't want to burden you with any more unnecessary stress with exams coming up. But I do think this will be the best for the future. I mean, after all, we do have two masterful musical alumni that come from this school after all. Your wonderful sister with her escapades around the country with Judgment Leviathan and Junya Kaneshiro with his masterful production abilities. So why not try to foster more growth like that?"
Makoto clenched her jaw as she swallowed down his massive chunk of bullshit, "Right…but what makes this…Sakura-san so special? Why did he even agree to come here?"
Kobayakawa paused for a moment, clearly attempting to piece together another lie to Makoto to cover his greed, "Sakura-san saw something in here…a school that should give its program another chance at greatness. He sees the ability to grow and build proper musicians who will carry the future for decades to come."
Makoto sighed as she couldn't take it anymore, "Kobayakawa-sensei, is that such a good idea when he's the legal caretaker of both Akira Kurusu and Morgana Kurusu? Two students who have been rumored and involved with so many incidents since they appeared here? Sensei, they were questioned by my cousin not that long ago, and now their guardian just magically popped up and took the job of the man they had issues with? Is that not concerning?"
Kobayakawa's irritation could be seen as he wiped his mouth, "Niijima-san…I have thought about that and addressed it. While I'm willing to give Sakura-san the benefit of the doubt…I don't extend that to the boys. Which is why I wanted to talk to you about it once exams were over but…I see that isn't possible."
She tilted her head, "Talk to me about what?"
"As Student Council President, you are burdened with taking care of the student body and making sure everyone is being an upstanding representation of Shujin Academy and staying within the rigorous academic environment we provide. Now when there are students who don't do this…"
She continued his sentence, "I'm supposed to watch over them. Steer them in the right direction with a mindful eye."
"Correct. With that being said…I would like for you to watch over them."
"Does that include Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki?"
He pondered on the idea for a moment, "No…actually, I don't even really want you to focus on the younger Kurusu…just his older brother. I feel that he…he has a hand in everything. He's the one to truly worry over." He met Makoto's eye, "Can I trust you to do that?"
"To watch over Akira Kurusu?"
"Yes. In any setting, just to observe his movements, his daily actions, the people he interacts with…and then report it back to me."
Makoto faltered for a moment.
Is…
Is this right?
Is this just?
…Kurusu-kun has already broken what would be considered right and he's a suspicious unknown variable.
Today, especially, shows that.
Keeping a watchful eye over him to make sure he isn't doing anything awful is okay.
It has to be.
I still don't know what he did back in Kyoto.
I don't know the type of person he was.
God, I don't even know the type of person he is now.
He's an unknown. A dangerous one.
She nodded, "I'm fine with this, sir."
"Good, I was hoping you'd say that. Now with that being done…you can leave, Niijima-san."
She gave a respectful bow and stepped from his office, pondering how this was going to exactly work.
It didn't matter though, she had a role and she needed to play it correctly.