Chapter Four: Dirty Tricks
Lunch doesn't go down as well as other food has before. The food made earlier isn't even that bad after all. My soup sort of stings the throat and the inside of my mouth as it goes down, pinching my taste buds from a generous helping of salt. The chicken is hard but could be worse. Still, I can't bring myself to enjoy it after all the trouble it caused.
Miku holds another piece of crunchy broccoli toward my mouth with her chopsticks, a motherly grin on her face. "Come on, take another bite~ There's plenty to go around," she insists, with a giggle. Why is it I feel like a baby right now? She's given more bites of her stir-fry to me than the others, which is okay on its own but the fact that she's feeding it to me is ever so slightly embarrassing.
Rolling my eyes playfully with a smile, I accept the bite. "Ahh..." I open my mouth wide to let her drop the vegetable in. I start to crunch away at it, mouth closed now.
Sitting opposite us on the freshly cut grassy fields is Neru and Dell. Neru currently has her knees pulled up against her chest, slouching her back with a downtrodden expression slapped onto her face. She's been in a sour mood ever since she left Mr. Hiyama's office. Can't say I blame her.
"Um, you can have some more if you'd like, Neru-chan..." Dell awkwardly mimics Miku's movements, scooping up a soggy dumpling on a wooden spoon and holding it out to the tomboy.
She drags her gaze over to the dumpling in front of her, letting out a sigh. "Nah… You have it. I had the second last one. I don't wanna take the very last one from you," she politely rejects him. "Besides, I'm, ah… not that hungry anymore." The bowl full of sweet rice balls has barely been touched. I was able to pick out maybe one or two that weren't overdone, but that's about it. It's a shame though, because Neru hasn't even tried one herself.
The bowls are soon as empty as they can be. We shared out the stir-fry and dumplings between us the best we could, and even though we could've ate more, it seems our appetites are all gone at this point. A gloomy atmosphere hangs over us. Our confidence as a team has taken a huge blow. There's three hours until the next event; this one is another creativity contest, this time a woodwork category. Dell said last night he'd lead this one too, as he has a knack for art and has even tried his hand at some woodwork in the past. We should be planning right now. However…
Dell releases a soft sigh, pressing his hands behind him into the grass and leaning back a bit. "Well team, what should we do now?" He finally brings up the matter of the next event.
Naturally, I don't have much of an enthusiastic response. "Is it time to withdraw yet?" I half-jokingly suggest, slouching forward to rest a palm against my cheek.
Miku reaches out to grab the bowls from Neru and Dell, gently stacking them up into a neat pile, speaking while she does so. "How about we see what the next event is like first before we throw in the towel?" She has a more light-hearted proposal.
"Sure, but if Lily and her clown crusade laugh in that witchy tone at me one more time, I can't be held liable for what happens to them," Neru scoffs, and I don't think she's joking this time.
"Eh, that's fine by me," Dell simply shrugs. The wind outside has started to pick up a bit compared to the warm air this morning. The goosebumps showing up on my arms indicate it's probably time to head back inside and get down to business.
"I'd prefer if you didn't end up in the principal's office again," Miku laughs, a hint of shyness in her voice.
I can't help but stick my nose in, arching a brow. "How did that go for you, anyway?" I imagine it didn't go smoothly. I'd have hated to be locked in a small room with that man, knowing his hellfire has no boundaries.
Neru and Dell exchange concerned glances, a sweat drop running down Neru's face. Their faces momentarily flash with fear, similar to that of a 'nam flashback. Their lives must be racing before their eyes as they recall the horrors. "I-I'd rather not talk about it," Dell trips over his words a bit. Must have been some serious yelling.
"Well..." Miku coughs lightly, pulling her phone out and checking the time. She shifts the conversation to something less sinister. "It's almost 12:45. Should we head inside and find an empty classroom to do some planning in?"
"Ughhh..." Neru buries her head into her legs, yanking her knees closer so that she's curled up into a pitiable ball of rage. "I don't wanna do this B-S any longer."
Giving a defeated shrug, I suggest we remain seated for another fifteen minutes or so, and to try and help our hot-headed friend calm down. It's been a tough day for us all – it's okay for the pressure to get to us sometimes. Just as long as we're always there to support each other.
Dell draws Neru out of her anger bubble, getting the girl to pull her head up and actually make eye contact with us again. Just as she's finally beginning to relax, we're approached by two unfamiliar students.
"Hey there…!" A girl's voice interrupts our conversation.
I turn my head to the side, darting my eyes about to pinpoint the source of the disruption, wondering if they're actually talking to us or some other group. It turns out there's a boy and girl walking straight over to us, and as they come closer, I'm able to piece together who they are. The blonde-haired twins who are part of Gakupo's team are waltzing toward us all casually, as if they have anything meaningful to say.
"R-Remember to stay calm, everyone," Miku speaks up with a hint of worry in her voice. She tries to ease the already rising tensions, anticipating something bad may happen.
Sure, I'll be calm. If there really is a way to politely tell someone to piss off. Narrowing my eyes, I watch as they stop just a few steps to the side of our group. "Well, well. If it isn't Mahogany Creek students," I say, entering defense mode. Folding my arms over my chest, I make it clear right off the bat we're not interested. "Whatever it is you have to say, it's not important and we don't care, so you better just leave, alright?"
The male throws his hands up, signalling that they may not have come for a verbal boxing match after all. "Whoa… I know you have every reason to be defensive and untrusting of us, 'cause we're supposedly enemies and all… But I can assure you, we don't want things to be that way."
"It's best if you just walk away," Miku speaks up. Even she wants them to leave, after learning exactly what they're like. "I mean… m-maybe you guys are nice and all, but..." Her words trail off as I give her a sort of disapproving look. She doesn't have it in her to be completely rude. That's why I have to keep her on the right track, so she doesn't get hurt by getting her hopes up.
"And like Kaito-kun said, we don't care what you have to say," Dell adds, before nudging the tomboy beside him, but without taking his eyes off the new pair. "Isn't that right, Neru-chan?"
Neru doesn't respond, which is totally unlike her. Pulling my eyes off the twins, whose motive I still don't understand, I flick my gaze to my friend for a moment. That's when I see that sparkle in those orbs of hers. Her lips slightly parted, she's gazing up at the male twin, in her own little world. It's not hard to tell what's going through her mind right now – I feel my heart sink in my chest.
"Neru-chan…?" Dell repeats, this time glancing over his shoulder at her. He snaps his fingers in front of her face a couple of times, bringing her back to earth from cloud nine.
"Sorry, we really don't want to cause a fight," the female twin gently smiles. She gestures to the grass beneath their feet. "Mind if we…?" They want to sit down with us.
I dart my eyes between Dell and Miku, letting them know that I absolutely do not want these Mahogany Creek kids sitting with us. They silently nod in agreement, but when I try to let Neru know, she doesn't even look back at me. She's still gawking like an idiot at the boy. This is unbelievable.
"No, go ahead…!" Neru answers for us about a second later, making the decision all on her own, when we clearly expressed through a firm exchange of glances that we don't want them here. What's worse is the fact that the usual roughness in her voice has faded away, and has been replaced by a mix between Lily's levels of two-faced sweetness and Miku's genuine love-struck babbling.
The twins bow graciously before lowering themselves onto the grass, forming a larger circle. Wow, this totally doesn't feel weird at all. The male speaks up, and the way they're both grinning so widely is starting to freak me out ever so slightly. "We'd like to apologise for the unfair judgement earlier," he starts.
As though they planned this speech, the female twin nods almost dramatically in agreement the second the boy finishes his part. The way they move and talk feels… mechanical. I can't quite describe it. "We know you would never steal ideas from your neighbouring school. It was just one big coincidence, you know?" Ah, that's it. She speaks exactly like Lily when she wants a favour from a teacher.
Dell, just as sceptical of this show as I am, makes a point to question pretty much everything they say. Miku remains silent at my side, waiting to see how it'll unfold. "We?" he repeats, picking out that single word from the girl's part, as if to ask who the 'we' in question are.
Neru now has her legs crossed and palm rested against her chin, intently focusing on the male twin, not saying a word but making it crystal clear she's listening to each word. Poor Dell hasn't even realised this yet.
"Yes, my brother and I," the girl responds, without missing a beat. "Gumi-chan, too. Gakupo-kun is still a bit touchy about the whole thing, but I know he'll come around soon. He's so stubborn, that silly boy...~"
Gumi? That must be the girl with the short green hair in their group. And hearing about Gakupo sort of catches my interest, as well. So, he thinks we really did steal his recipe ideas. Wait, why do I care so much about what that loser thinks? I'm sure that's exactly what he wants me to do.
"It's very nice of you to apologise," Neru smiles, apparently accepting their words at face value. How gullible can this air-head get? Doesn't she know how to recognise lies and manipulation by now, after all the shit Lily and SeeU put her through?
"Of course, of course," the girl giggles, flapping her hand about as though it's nothing. "Oh, and how rude of us – we haven't even introduced ourselves! I am Rin Kagamine, and this is my brother, Len." She points to the boy, who throws up a peace sign in response.
"Len..." Neru quietly whispers, repeating his name and letting out a dreamy sigh. This is actually kind of gross. I've never seen her so… emotional. Not in the lovey-dovey sense, that is. "I-I'm Neru Akita. These are my friends-"
"Yes, and we really must be going," I interrupt the tomboy, unable to take anymore of this utter shitfest. I can only handle so much crap in one afternoon, and I've just about had my limit. Neru looks just as disappointed as the twins, the three of them letting out an 'aww' in unison. I pull myself up from the grass, and as I expected, Dell quickly follows suit.
"Already?" Rin pouts, the comically large bow on her head drooping. "But we were just about to get to know one another."
"Sorry, we're super busy with the trials and all," I dismiss them further, biting my tongue to stop myself from being too cold. Don't want to arouse suspicion, after all. I lean down and offer Miku my hand.
"H-Hmm…?" Miku doesn't seem to quite get what's happening, but once I send her a subtle wink as she reaches up to take my hand, she lets out an 'oh!'. She wraps her hand around mine. "Aha~ That's right. So sorry, you two."
I use my free hand, sliding it down to her waist, supporting her as I help her up from the grass. It takes about a moment or so before we're all standing up, which leaves just the twins and Neru sitting there. I keep hold of my girlfriend's hand, wanting to support her, but also in need of that same support.
"Neru-chan, aren't you coming?" Dell tilts his head to the side slightly, lowering his glance to her. She isn't budging from her spot.
"Umm..." She hesitates to answer, nervously looking between us and the twins. I'm shocked that this is even a hard choice to begin with. Then her expression forms into that of a guilty one, before avoiding our eyes. "I'm gonna stay here, actually. It's a better idea to try and get along with these guys, rather than fighting them all the time."
Blinking a couple times in a row, trying to process this information, all I can do in the end is go along with her decision. "Fine. We'll be over in the dorms whenever you wanna come find us."
"Hmm..." Dell pouts lightly. It's like the realisation has finally hit him. The betrayal has officially sunk in. I know exactly how he feels. It's killing me on the inside, too.
"Y-Yeah, okay," Neru nods, softly stuttering as she turns her focus back onto the twins.
"Well, it was nice to meet you guys," Len pipes up, giving us a wave as we begin to walk away.
I slowly shake my head, tugging lightly on Miku's hand, gesturing for her to catch up with me. She's torn between staying with her best friend and going along with Dell and I. Of course, in the end, she comes with us. I'm left with an empty feeling as we get further away from the fields. Their laughter and chatter fills my ears – they're acting like they've been friends for years already. It soon fades away the more distance we put between them and us, but it echoes in my mind for much longer after the voices are no longer in the background.
"Kaito-kun..." Miku's soft yet worrisome voice comes out as barely audible.
Dell stuffs his hands into his pocket, scraping the front of his shoe against the gravel with a tut.
"What is it, Mi-chan?" I try my best to speak in the same gentle tone she approaches me with, but it's hard to not let even a fraction of unexplainable anger seep through.
"Wh-Why is it… I feel like Neru-chan just… betrayed us?" I can tell how much it pains her to even say such words. The fact that she trips over her words and can barely get the question out…
Dell has been silent for the entire walk back to the dorms, but after Miku says that, he has his own input. It's optimistic, though. "Don't worry, Miku-chan." He can answer and wash away all her worries better than I can. It's best if he's optimistic and I'm silent, rather than him being silent and myself being pessimistic. "You know those Mahogany Creek kids are slimy. They'll feed Neru-chan a bunch of lies and she'll buy it for a while… But then she'll see they're full of it and not waste anymore time on them."
Miku squeezes my hand a little tighter. Being connected at the hands like this almost makes me feel like we're temporarily linked through heart and mind. That single squeeze transfers a lot more pain than I can comprehend.
…
The next event is drawing nearer and nearer. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to manage to make something with wood. I've taken one or two woodwork classes, which were at the beginning of my first year here, and I dropped out after my hand slipped holding a hammer which subsequently sent me to the hospital for a broken finger. I still shudder whenever I think of that day. Besides, even if that still didn't give me nightmares, I can't get past the way the cheap hunks of wood actually feel. The rough edges cause me to break out in a cold sweat whenever my fingernails accidentally brush over them, and I absolutely cannot stand the splinters. Not to mention the unpleasant smell of aged wood and the overwhelming rusty metal of the vices clashing. An instant gag when first entering the room.
Dell affirms for the third time today that he's got everything under control, while Miku and I lazily trail behind him along the hall. I flick my glance over the edge of the balcony, looking down to the lower floors. Currently, we're on the second floor of the school, where there are less classrooms and more studying and leisure areas.
"So, where are we going, exactly?" I question, throwing my glance back to my friend.
"Mm… Shouldn't we be on the way to the library?" Miku adds, a confused hint to her own query.
Dell simply shrugs, his back still turned to us as he leads the way to… somewhere. "We need somewhere to work on both woodwork plans and songwriting."
I exchange glances with Miku, raising a brow. I echo what she must be thinking, "Don't we need Neru-chan for music practice?"
"We do," he answers with a certain bitterness to his words. "But she's too busy making friends. We can do this without her for today."
Miku bites down on her lower lip, chewing nervously. It appears that she wants to say something to defend her best friend, but nothing comes out, most likely to avoid conflict. She lowers her eyes to the floor, which causes me to let an uncontrollable, hurt sigh slip. Maybe she's as annoyed at Neru as I am too, though. Just makes it all the more unbearable.
"Sure, I guess," I awkwardly chuckle, giving a non-committal, casual response. I don't want to let out anything too revealing regarding my thoughts. If I side with Dell and bad-mouth Neru, I could hurt Miku. On the flip side, if I agree with Miku in saying we should wait for her, then I'll make Dell mad. There's no winning here this time.
"It's her own fault if she doesn't know the song in two days' time," the silver-haired boy holds back a scoff, allowing more resentful words to roll off his tongue. I'm starting to understand now. He's masking his pain with indirect aggression in order to feel better. Reminds me of a certain tomboy. They're more alike than he could ever know, which is why this feels so frustrating. "If we lose the final competition, it's on her."
Ouch, that blame game stings me on Neru's behalf. Still, there's not much I can say to that, so I just mumble as an acknowledgement of his musings. Miku sort of does the same, though there's more of a dark cloud hanging over her head right now.
Finally, we arrive at an empty classroom not far from the library. Dell stops outside the door, scanning his eyes over the whiteboard that's stuck up on the wall. "Looks like nobody's scheduled in to use this room for another few hours," he announces after a moment, before pushing the door open.
Letting out a soft sigh, I step aside to let Miku enter before me, and then I follow after Dell. The inside of the room is small indeed, only two tables rest inside. We gather round one of the circular tables and each take a seat. "So, what're we doing first?"
"I can let you guys take a look at the woodwork plans I drew up, with..." His words suddenly trail off just as he's about to say who helped him. Is it possible for the atmosphere to feel any more gloomy? He promptly shakes his head, choosing not to finish that sentence. He instead pulls a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
"O-Oh, you sure are prepared," Miku says, putting on a slight smile.
"Yeah, we… Uh, I made it a couple weeks ago," Dell answers, again faltering and mixing up his words. He hastily unfolds the paper, spreading it out onto the table in front of us. A detailed, complex design has been drawn in the centre, with a load of scribbles slapped around in random places – it's like reading a foreign language. "I've had it lying on my bedside table for a while, underneath my lamp."
Squinting my eyes at the sheet for a moment, I try to make out as many of the scribbles as I can before Dell suddenly snatches it away and turns it over to face him. A pout pulls at my lips. "I can't make out any of this. Give it back for a sec." I make a grab for it but he recoils back further with a slight smirk.
"You don't need to read it, just take a look at the design," he tuts teasingly.
"Wow! Is it… a birdhouse?" Miku tilts her head to the side a bit, in awe. Dell gives a nod, and her mood brightens up some more. "B-But do we all have to work on it?" Met with a shake of the head this time, Miku relaxes.
"That's… certainly a challenge." I'm not sure how to process this exactly. We'll probably only have an hour or so, maybe an extra half hour if we're lucky. And this ambitious fool wants to create an entire birdhouse? I suppose I should have a bit more faith in him, though. He's the creative one of the group. Leaves me wondering what exactly my special talent is…
"I… Ugh," Dell starts to say something, but instead grunts. "Neru-chan is going to help me with the structure. Kaito-kun, you and Miku-chan can help pass over bits of wood and then later paint over it."
I can't help but gulp at that. "You want me to paint?"
"You want me to paint?!" Miku exclaims this at near enough the same time as me, except she sounds way more enthusiastic at the opportunity.
A hearty chuckle passes the boy's lips. "You two sure are something else," he says, taking one last look at the blueprints before folding it back up into a small square. Stuffing it into his pocket, he continues. "Anyway, we don't need to do much planning for that event. I was thinking we should focus on writing our music instead."
A wave of dread washes over me. I really don't want to touch an instrument ever again after that terrible music session yesterday. Sure, I know how to play basic notes on a piano now, but is it really possible to learn and memorise chords in just two days? I have no other choice though, of course. Giving in, with a defeated, sour expression taking over my face, I slowly nod.
"That's a great idea!" Again, I envy Miku's constant bright mood. Well, almost constant, but… Seems like she's doing her best to power through this afternoon and remain positive. If only it was that easy for me. I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that something – I don't know what – is going to go terribly wrong. Probably the music event.
"Uhh..." Dell pats at his lower half, where his pockets should be. "Don't suppose anyone brought some sheet music and a notepad?"
Furrowing my brows, I stare in mild disbelief at him. "You brought us here to write music, and you didn't even come prepared?" I can't believe I'm even asking that. I'm met with an innocent, twitching grin.
"Don't worry," Miku interrupts, with a bubbly tone. She swiftly stands up from her seat, her skirt lightly bouncing along with her movements. "I'll go to the library and borrow some. I'll go grab some snacks for us too, 'kay?"
"Mi-chan, you really are too good for this world," I sigh in admiration. She had me at 'snacks'. I love this girl.
"Anything in particular you boys want?~" Miku flutters her lashes at me, even though she directs the question to both of us.
"Yeah, I'd-"
"I'd love some cookies," I find myself interrupting Dell without even being consciously aware, staring up into Miku's beautiful bright eyes.
"Okay! I can do that!" she giggles, before leaning down to cup my cheeks in her hands. Being so close to her like this, I can't help but inhale her sweet perfume. She sends a soft kiss to the tip of my nose and pulls away a moment later.
All my tension has melted away. It's a weird sensation, and it's completely overpowered me. I release a heavy sigh as I watch her twirl on her heels and skip out of the classroom. When I look back at Dell, he just stares blankly at me, blinking a few times.
"What was all that?" He finally stutters out.
I rub at the back of my neck, my fuzzy head starting to clear up a bit now that Miku has left the room. He's right – what was that? It felt like she and I were the only ones in the room, making a strong connection… I wasn't able to pull my eyes off her. I know we're in love and all, but that was over the top, even for me. It's like my subconscious had been whispering to me, a soothing voice letting me know everything will be okay… And that I should calm down. That feeling is starting to slowly fade but it's still nagging away at me. "Not sure."
"You kinda interrupted me." Dell appears to be slightly offended, arms folded over his chest while leaning back against his seat. "And, come to think of it, Miku-chan didn't answer me either."
"Sorry," I shrug. That's all I can offer, as I don't have an explanation otherwise.
"You sure your girlfriend really isn't a magical angel in disguise?" Dell snickers, though a hint of his voice suggests he's only half-joking.
I narrow my eyes, seriously considering that possibility, though only for the duration of about a second. "Haha… Wh-Why am I hesitating to answer that one…?" I whisper as a sort of wheeze to myself, my expression tensing up again. There's that small, strange spark again. I speak in a more audible voice this time. "No, of course she isn't."
The silver-haired boy puffs his chest out to take in a deep breath. "I sounded totally jealous there, didn't I?" He laughs at himself. Yeah, that reaction to being interrupted and ignored had a childish hint to it, but it's not like I can say that to his face.
I flap my hand dismissively. "That was rude of us, to be fair," I reply.
The mood darkens a bit again. This time, the grey cloud hangs over Dell's head. He slouches forward against the table, pressing his palms against his cheeks. "You were right, you know..."
"Oh?" I'm right about a lot of things, so naturally, I wonder what he's referring to in this instance.
"I'm starting to understand just how important Neru-chan is to me," Dell softly admits, although he can't look me in the eye when he does so.
I keep my eyes fixed on him. I should be gloating right now with him finally giving in. But… I don't feel like it, given the current circumstances.
"I… I was gonna tell her how I feel today, actually."
My eyes widen at this revelation. I'm shocked at his sudden massive balls – but soon I understand he no longer plans to tell her. "Y-You still should…!" I'm totally not the best person to give love advice, considering Miku asked me out while I avoided my feelings for months. However, this is different – Neru is at risk of being dragged away from us, while Dell will only continue to suffer if he keeps it bottled in any longer.
"You saw the way she looked at Len-san, right?" A scowl forms on his face, but it's not directed to me… More like, it's directed to the charming Len. Not gonna lie, if I was a girl and single, I'd probably be drooling all over the boy, too. Uh, totally not gay of you, Kaito.
"Y-Yeah..." I awkwardly answer. I had hoped that he didn't see that at all, actually. Seems he did.
Dell slowly lifts his eyes up to glance at me. The look in his eyes is so… vulnerable. I've never seen this side of him before. We've grown a lot as best friends over the years. At the age of twelve, we'd be laughing like the immature boys we are over girls, calling them gross and pretending we didn't like them. This moment right here is such a stark contrast and wakes me up to the reality of who I've become now.
"Hey, she hasn't abandoned us, you know." I speak in a reassuring tone, taking a moment to be wise and mature, apparently. This is what he needs to hear, though. And it's true. She's just been temporarily drawn in by their sly ways. Doesn't mean she's leaving us for them. "Things will be back to normal by tonight. You'll see."
"Hmm..." Dell quietly hums, lowering his gaze once more. He plops one of his hands onto the table, idly starting to push his finger up and down the smooth surface. "I hope so. I… I think I love her, Kaito-kun."
A big cheesy grin sneaks its way onto my face. I've been wanting to hear those words for the longest time. God, one would think Dell just confessed his love to me with the way I'm reacting. But in reality, I'm just proud that he's finally manned up and is ready to face the world of romance.
"Oi, why the hell are you grinning like that, you weirdo?" Dell's face twists into that of disgust, visibly disturbed when his eyes lift up to scan over my expression. "I'm not telling you that I love you…!"
I burst out into genuine belly laughter, frantically waving my hands in front of myself to tell him I've absolutely not come to that conclusion. "I just… Wow. I can't believe it's taken this long, that's all." It's hard to get the words out between desperate, gasping giggles, but I finally manage it before exhaling deeply. "C'mon, you can't give up, though. You should tell her how you feel!" I continue to urge him on, throwing him a thumbs up.
He hums again, this time in a deeper tone, and an intense thoughtful look crossing his features. He sucks in a breath, shrugging after a few moments. "Maybe. Let's focus on today's event first, though."
Opening my mouth to reply to that, I'm cut short by the sound of a soft click behind me. I turn my head over my shoulder, seeing that Miku has returned and is carrying several things in her arms. I grin over at her, eyes sparkling as I see the cookies. Never mind being dazzled by my own girlfriend… Nope, just the cookies this time.
"Sorry for the wait!" she lets out a sort of exhausted huff, moving over to the desk and plopping down a whole pile of things before us. She swipes at her forehead with the back of her hand.
"You good there, Miku-chan?" Dell half laughs, brow raised. He pulls himself up from slouching over the table, folding his arms back over his chest instead.
The teal-haired girl lets out a final huff, dropping down onto the seat next to me, flashing a smile. "All good. I just had to dash down to the library below us, because there were no more spare sheets of paper lying around..." Is that a pinch of mild annoyance in her voice? "And then I had to dash back up the stairs to get our snacks."
Speaking of those snacks, I dart my eyes to them the second she mentions them. I set my eyes upon a pack of cookies, a share bag of chips and of course some dip. Two small pots of different flavours. My mouth starts watering instantly at the sight – lunch time wasn't that long ago, but the food was so lousy that I'm still hungry. I want to devour all of this right this second.
"I see that hungry look in Kaito-kun's eyes..." Dell quietly commentates. Although I can't see his face, I'm pretty sure there's a smirk pulling at his lips.
"Well, let's make some progress on our music first, then we can take a snack break." Miku takes control just for now, a grin on her face, which seems to suggest she enjoys being a leader. Better not let the power get to her head.
Trying to clear my mind of any negative thoughts, and pushing that strange feeling within me aside, I set my sights on the bigger picture once more.
…
"And you've… set me free..."
I'm left speechless at the end of the song. I don't have the right words to express the emotions Miku's incredible voice invokes within me. The fact that she's come up with the vocal melody in such a short span of time, and that she's almost perfectly memorised it… How the hell does she manage it?
"Perfect!" Dell happily nods, after a couple moments of silence. Her lyrics are still echoing in my mind.
A light pink stains the girl's cheeks. "Y-You guys helped out with the lyrics… I just sang them, that's all," she giggles, a modest tone taking over.
"Yeah, but it's one thing to write out lyrics. It's not that hard," I say with a smirk, trying to boost her confidence some more. She deserves to feel good after today. "Coming up with an entire melody, and managing to keep in time just by using your head… Wow."
"Aha… Thank you, Kaito-kun." Miku accepts the praise, bowing her head.
"Well, hate to break this up..." comes Dell's sigh. When I turn to look at him, he's sliding his phone into his back pocket. He must've been checking what time it is right now, which I assume means we have to get to the workshop downstairs.
"But we have to go now?" Miku's bright smile fades a bit, although a bit of positivity remains. "Hmm… I guess Neru-chan must be waiting for us in the event room."
I tried my best to convince Dell that Neru is still on our side. I even did my best to believe those words myself. However, she didn't turn up during our practice session. She knows how important this is – after all, she's the one who signed us up for the Talent Trials in the first place. I just hope that while I'm thinking the worst, she proves us wrong in the final event of the day.
Gathering up the leftover snacks – although there's really not much waste – I stand up from my seat, stretching my arms out. I'm a little bit sleepy… But I just have to push through a couple more hours. I'm filled to the brim with uncertainty, however, with no idea what to expect for the event.
There's about ten minutes until the second event begins, so my friends and I hurry downstairs from the second floor. The wood workshop is on the lowest floor, meaning there's quite a lot of ground to rush across to make it in time. Thankfully, we arrive with about two minutes to spare.
Pushing my way into the classroom, being the first to enter before Dell and Miku, I glance around the room. I steady my pounding heart – I don't know if it's nerves or too much dashing around to get here on time, but it's intense. Mr. Hiyama is standing in the middle of the room, glaring down intently at his wristwatch, with Ms. Yuzuki by his side. She's greeting each of the students. As I make my way over to a spare desk, Dell and Miku trailing behind me, I notice that for a start – Neru is nowhere to be seen. Pushing aside my irritation, I also see another man standing with the principals, who I assume is a teacher, too.
A tall man stands there with a stern, almost disinterested grimace on his face. He's even ever so slightly taller than Mr. Hiyama. I didn't think there could be a man scarier than our hot-headed, unpredictable principal, but this new teacher sure has him beat. His hair stands out the most; a fiery light red ponytail, tightly tied, runs thinly down his back. I pull my eyes from him with a gulp.
When we arrive at the desk, I can hear a small grunt coming from Dell. I know what he must be thinking. I don't quite understand the extent of his sour twisted expression, until I scan my eyes around the room and take note that, while everyone else is in their respective teams in their own corners, a certain banana blonde-headed, charming twin is also missing from his group.
Before I can catch Rin's attention, Mr. Hiyama coughs loudly to steal the spotlight, lowering his watch. "Has anybody seen Miss Akita?" he calls out. "And Mr. Kagamine is missing too, it seems. Rin?" He darts his glance to the girl.
"Sorry, Sir," she nonchalantly shrugs. That's all she says. So, she doesn't know where her own brother is… Or is she hiding something? I can't bring myself to trust the twins, no matter how innocent they try to play.
Mr. Hiyama mumbles to himself in a low tone, forehead creasing. He's going to have some serious stress lines in his thirties, I can tell that now. "Well, if that's the case, I'll have no choice but to-"
"Sorry!"
Just in time, the workshop door is thrust open, causing the majority of us to glance over in that direction. Neru bursts through, gasping for breath, with Len right behind her.
"Akita, Kagamine. You're late. What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Hiyama asks bluntly, pushing his glasses up.
Neru's cheeks flush a deep red, and she darts her eyes over her shoulder at Len – the two of them quietly laugh together. I can hear more frustrated mumbles from Dell, a bit louder than last time. "W-We, uhh… I…"
"I had to use the bathroom, Sir. We're very sorry," Len speaks up for Neru, who can't quite get her excuse out.
"Don't be so hard on them, Mr. Hiyama," Principal Yuzuki offers a sincere smile to the two teens, letting them off the hook. Mr. Hiyama simply tuts, shaking his head, not wanting to cause any more of a scene, as we're a few minutes behind schedule now.
I watch as Len sends a wink to Neru as they part ways, and the tomboy casually struts on over to us. Her cheeks are still burning. I can't help but feel incredibly disappointed. I know I shouldn't, but god damn it.
Dell rolls his eyes and digs into his back pocket, deciding not to say anything. In fact, even Miku is silent.
"Uhhh… Good to see you too, guys?" Neru appears to be confused at the lack of a greeting. Perhaps we're overreacting just a little bit. "Sorry for being late. Len-kun was showing me-"
"It's fine," Dell rudely cuts her off mid-sentence, through slightly clenched teeth.
The girl simply scoffs. "Alrighty then," she mutters.
Geez, this tension is almost suffocating.
"Well, now that we're all here..." Mr. Hiyama speaks up once more, before gesturing to the man at his side. "This is Mr. Kasane, a highly professional woodwork tutor from Mahogany Creek Academy. As this event is based around potentially dangerous work, Mr. Kasane here will be guiding you all and giving you advice on how to properly and safely use the tools in this room."
He stands with his hands behind his back, giving a little nod at the end of Mr. Hiyama's introduction. "Yes, that is right. I will be here to make sure nobody gets hurt. If you are unsure on how to use any of the machines, please do not hesitate to ask me. I will show you the correct methods, while retaining your independence," he explains thoroughly enough. He's got the deep kind of tone I anticipated. "I am not here to hold your hand or babysit you, so don't expect me to use the machines for you!"
Yikes. A teacher scarier than Mr. Hiyama. Impossible…!
"Y-Yes, thank you for your speech, Mr. Kasane..." Ms. Yuzuki nervously chuckles, patting the man on the shoulder. "That'll be all. I'm sure the kids will do their best without too much help."
"I don't like him..." Miku leans close to me, whispering as quietly as possible into my ear, a soft whimper escaping her lips.
"Yeah… me neither," I sigh in agreement. My eyes wander over the shoulder of Mr. Kasane, and land on the back of Gakupo. He's currently chatting with Len. Why do I get the feeling they're all working together to try and achieve something horrible…?
The timer is set off by Ms. Yuzuki, who uses yet another toy gun to signal the beginning of the event. There are already a few hunks of wood laid out across the work-desk, so Dell grabs hold of one just as Neru reaches out to pick the same piece.
"O-Oh..." Neru blinks in confusion yet again. Dell doesn't offer the piece to her, which seems to throw her off. "Uh, I'll go get the safety goggles and tools, I guess." Shaking her head lightly, she turns on her heels to head to the back of the classroom – all the cabinets and boxes full of supplies are spread out along the back wall.
"Dell-kun…?" Miku makes a start with a hint of sadness.
The silver-haired boy grits his teeth together, snatching a marker up from the desk and popping the lid off. "I'm not mad at you guys," he quietly says, before scribbling down some small dashes onto the surface of the wood.
"Yeah," I sigh. Part of me feels a pang of guilt for acting so coldly towards Neru. "I don't think it's a good idea to jump to conclusions, though." I try to suggest this, only to be met with a bitter remark.
"Huh, well… I'm not forcing you guys to think the worst. I just need to focus right now, and if that means ignoring Neru-chan, then..." With that, he clicks the lid back onto the marker, setting it down beside the piece of wood.
Miku frowns. "But, she's..."
"Alright, I'm back!" Neru cheerily announces, putting an end to our private conversation. She drops a handful of things we need onto the worktable, including two pairs of goggles, two small handsaws and some other things. "I understand why you guys are so down. I know we totally flunked the first event, but we gotta stay positive!"
That's not why we're down. Nevertheless, I'm done being annoyed at her. Dell's pettiness will smooth over tonight, hopefully. "Thanks for the motivating words," I softly laugh.
Miku grins along with me, before leaning down against the desk, arms propped up. "So, how long you been into woodwork, Neru-chan?" she wonders.
"Oh, y'know… Not that long, but since Dell-kun went to all the effort of putting the sketch together, I figured I might as well give him a hand," Neru sincerely answers, although slightly bashful at her low skill level.
"Mmh..." The boy in question just grunts as a form of response, before sliding the marked up chunk of wood to Neru. "Think you can cut down this line?"
"Uhh, sure! No problem," she nods in surprise. Seems she didn't expect to actually be put to work so soon. She grabs a pair of goggles, sliding them over her eyes and snapping the band behind her. While Dell starts to mark some more pieces of wood, Neru wraps her hand around the metal bolt of the vice.
Raising a brow, I butt in despite knowing she won't take my suggestion into consideration. "Um, Neru-chan..."
The girl holds a spare hand up, stopping my in my tracks. Wow, didn't even get anything out. "I got this, Kaito-kun," she answers, grunting quietly as she firstly loosens the bolt. "Nngh… Gah… Hah! Got it." With a bit of force, the bolt starts to spin freely, and the vice smoothly opens up. She slips the piece of wood into the vice, lining it up just a little bit off the mark, before spinning the bolt once more to tighten it.
"Well, Mi-chan," I start, making eye contact with her. "Sit back, relax and enjoy the show." I don't mean to have such little faith in Neru, but… She's already struggling to hold the handsaw correctly. Let's hope she doesn't chop a finger off.
"Hmm..." Miku narrows her eyes at her best friend opposite her. That's the only reaction she gives, and she doesn't sound too confident. Well, at least we can say we tried in the end.
...