Chapter 11: Exposed

I'm in quite a daze for the longest time. Head low, eyes glued to the floor beneath my feet, and with a half absent mind, I wander the empty halls. My mind is naturally elsewhere, with about a thousand different things screaming at me and eating away at me. I'm physically unable to snap myself out of that deep pit of confusion and anger. That is, until before I know it, there are a bunch of students walking around me.

Their chatter is distant… faded… It doesn't really register for a few moments, but when it finally does, the shock of the jumbled loud noises sucks the air right out of me and catches me off guard. Blinking rapidly, I tear my eyes from the floor and raise my head. When did this many people pour into the halls?

Grumbling, I circle back around from where I started outside the library and head down the stairs. I should really be getting to that art event. I don't want to be late and let our team down. I decide to make a quick stop at my locker in order to grab a few things, but when I make my way over there, I catch sight of two familiar faces waiting with rather impatient looks plastered across their features.

Approaching with a slight apologetic smile, since I technically left them hanging after music rehearsals, I try to come across as light-hearted after that disaster in the library. Maybe I should tell them what happened, though. One step at a time, I guess. "Hey, Mi-chan. Dell-kun. Really sorry for ditching like that. I lost track of time a bit, but now I've cleared my mind and I'm ready to go!" Grinning brightly, I expect an equally enthusiastic response.

However, that's not what I'm met with at all. Miku's glance meets mine, and that unexpected piercing, teary-eyed expression cuts deep into my soul. "I… I can't believe you…!" Even more surprisingly, not only is she just teary-eyed and apparently upset over something, she's also unleashing a terrible fury onto me. Her tone is weak, but that vague accusation is strong and unwavering.

I must've missed the memo. I flick my glance between Miku and Dell, and boy, I sure wish I hadn't looked at Dell. He looks as though he's about to rip my head off. "Wh-Whoa, hold on..." I throw my palms up in front of me, unable to stop myself from stammering. My throat is starting to grow dry.

"You better start explaining. And fast," Dell whispers in a low, almost threatening tone. His eyes are staring into the very core of my being right now.

I take in a shallow, shaky breath. I feel like everyone passing by is staring right at us. No… Right at me. I'm the scumbag here, for some reason. And it's like everybody already knows why. I'm the only one out of the loop. So, perhaps foolishly… I ask what he means. "What's going on…? I know I'm a little late for the art event, but I… have a good explanation, believe it or not." In a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, I give a strained chuckle.

Miku lowers her eyes after I say that, unable to look at me. The deeply pained expression on her face… all the heartache she's feeling because of me right now, even though I still don't know why… It must be killing her, with those drops slowly starting to trickle down her cheeks, but it's killing me just as much.

Dell rubs her shoulder in a reassuring manner, before taking a step forward. He steps uncomfortably close to me, crossing that invisible line into my personal space. While he's not that much taller than me, that small height difference really makes itself known in that moment, when he glares down at me. "Let's take a walk outside, Kaito-kun." Such innocent words come from his mouth… But the manner in which he says them causes a terrible, cold tingle to run down my spine.

As I hesitantly trail my eyes up to try and peer over Dell's shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miku and silently apologise to her, I'm unable to get her attention. However, a few lockers down on the other side of the hall, I briefly notice Rin and Len standing there with Neru. All three of them are staring right over here, probably wondering what all the commotion is about. Neru in particular seems rather curious, but I'm not really able to focus on that slightly suspicious gathering for long.

I'm dragged out of the halls by Dell. Well, of course, not literally… But he makes it clear that my only choice is to follow him outside, otherwise he may just resort to beating my ass in front of all those students.

"I had no idea you could be so fucking stupid." Once we're outside and out of sight of everybody else, teachers included, he hurls those words right at me.

Growing tired of all these vague accusations and jabs, I spin on my heels and stop in my tracks while we're still walking to somewhere more private. "Alright, enough already," I say, with a bit more frustration than intended. "Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on? If this is because I was late to the art event, then this is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? Arguing out here like idiots is just going to cause us to be even more late."

"You're so- Geez, you're so dense! The art event ended half an hour ago!" Dell explodes with rage at that moment, as though it's been bubbling up inside of him, just waiting for me to go ahead and say something dumb. He yells that like it's an obvious fact, something I should've already known, yet I genuinely hadn't.

And then I realise, yes, I've been incredibly dumb. It's no wonder he's so pissed off at me… Not to mention my poor girlfriend, who I've let down yet again. Releasing a heavy sigh, I avert my glance from him. With tensions already reaching boiling point with all this cheating, and Neru leaving us for those Mahogany Creek twins, I couldn't have picked a worse time to go wandering off and lose myself in thought. "I'm… I'm sorry, Dell-kun. I've been a selfish idiot, haven't I?" I speak with the deepest sincerity, hoping to appeal to him somehow… Hoping I haven't totally messed everything up.

"Selfish doesn't even begin to cut it." He folds his arms over his chest, that tough shell not even slightly cracking. I expected him to cut me a little slack, but he really isn't budging. "Thanks to your utter stupidity, our team has been disqualified from the Talent Trials. Congrats, asshole, now we have to rely on Lily and her slaves to pull through for us."

Again, he speaks as if I already know this fact. But I had no idea whatsoever. I'm completely thrown off by that; my eyes grow wide, and for a moment, I wonder if I'm only imagining this. I'm knocked speechless, not sure how to process this information. He's telling me it's all my fault… But how? "H-Hey, I know I was late and messed up, but…" It feels as though my throat is closing up. What else am I supposed to say? Apologise and beg for forgiveness?

"You're still acting dumb…" Dell trails off, narrowing his eyes at me with a cold, piercing stare, letting a small scoff pass his lips. He's silently judging me right now, isn't he? The few moments of silence that hangs between us is unbearable. It feels as though it lasts forever. "Unbelievable. Tch… I'd tell you some more how much of a dickhead you've been, but sadly, I'm running out of time. Principal Hiyama wants to see you in his office. And trust me, after the bullshit you've already pulled, you do not want to make that man wait."

"H-Huh…?" More confusion. Blinking rapidly, I'm left to wonder what on earth the principal wants with me. Surely, missing one event isn't that bad…? Ah geez, but this is Mr. Hiyama I'm talking about here. He's going to want my head, even more than Dell. But still, in an attempt to wrap my head around all this, I seek answers from who I hope is still my best friend. "I'm not following. I got caught up in some crazy shit before all this. My mind is all over the place right now, so please tell me straight, what have I done that's so bad?"

Of all the reactions I expect, laughter is not one of them. Not pure-hearted laughter, of course. Mocking. Malicious. Vile. Something I'd expect to hear from… I don't know, maybe Gakupo. But not someone who I believe is my closest friend. "God, quit playing dumb already. Do you think you can seriously worm your way out of this?" That laughter is abruptly cut short, and before I know it, he's right in my face once more. Just like earlier in the halls, but this time, there's even less free space between us.

I can't help but sharply inhale, a wave of fear running over me as within a split second, he grabs a fistful of my shirt.

"You might have fooled us before, but you can't get away with it now. Have you always been this much of a scumbag, Kaito? Just waiting for the right moment to strike? Or is it that you've grown tired of us, just like that bitch Neru-chan, and you don't want to live this boring little life with us any longer? You wanted to crush us all along?" He hisses in my face, being sure not to raise his voice, and this time I'm truly left speechless as he comes out with countless horrible, heartless accusations against me. It's like I don't even recognise the person standing in front of me. With a low growl, he releases that grip on my shirt, shoving me backward with quite a bit of force as he does so.

Helplessly stumbling back a few steps, I have to stop myself from crashing straight to the ground. I allow all of this to happen, though. It's all happening so fast, and it really feels like I'm watching all of this from an outsider perspective. "I… I don't..." Shaking my head frantically, I screw my eyes shut and make an attempt to wrap my head around all of this.

"I'm only going to warn you once. Stay away from Miku-chan. Don't try to talk to her. Don't make up some more pathetic lies and excuses, don't play the innocent card any more. We both know what you're like now. You can try your shit on me all you want, I don't fucking care. But if you go anywhere near Miku-chan again…" That's when Dell issues this shiver-inducing threat. He's a scary guy on the outside, that's for sure. He can be overly protective, and he's one of the best friends a guy could ask for. But I've always known that he's kind-hearted, warm, and caring. This, however… Something isn't right here. He's been grumpy when someone's hurt him before, but I don't recognise him right now. What could I have possibly done wrong to make him this hostile? It can't just be because I was late to that last event.

"Well, I'm sure you understand." With that, he turns his back to me and doesn't bother giving me a chance to explain myself at all.

"I..." I'm finally able to release a deep breath that I barely even noticed I had been holding in. As he stomps off to go back inside, the tension I felt the entire time slowly begins to fade, yet a trickle of an unexplainable sensation remains long after he's gone. And for that long period of time… All I can do is aimlessly stare ahead of me to the doors that lead inside. What just happened…? My best friend despises me, seemingly over a simple mistake I made. My girlfriend is upset at me and doesn't want to see me any more. Am I just supposed to assume that she wants to break up? More importantly, do they seriously expect me to just accept all that? I have to figure out what I've done in order to make things right.

Principal Hiyama is sure to let me know every last detail. I'm not looking forward to this.

…

"I was finally beginning to have hope in my students, knowing they'd each try their hardest to make a comeback in this friendly competition. Note that the keyword is 'friendly'. That means, while there's an element of fun rivalry, it should be clear that there are no extreme measures taken in order to guarantee victory." Principal Hiyama paces back and forth behind his desk, clearly shaken by this turn of events, yet remaining as professional as possible. Although, there's that hint of frustration in his tone as he speaks, and his forehead creases ever so slightly.

All I can do is sit on the other side of that desk in a not-so-comfortable chair, the hard frame prodding into my back, which just forces me to sit upright with a strained but perfect posture. He must be using an incredible amount of willpower just to remain calm. Normally, if Dell or Neru were to be in my position, I'm sure he'd already be screaming at them at this point. But since it's me, someone who's not exactly known to be a troublemaker, part of him seems to want to give me the benefit of the doubt.

However, even that's not the case. The evidence is clearly stacked up against me. This is a serious offence, so the principal must want to take it as such, rather than resorting to traumatising me with his wrath. I let out a heavy, but quiet sigh. The office is small, dimly lit, and becoming more and more suffocating with each second that passes. The blinds probably haven't been cracked open in years. It's dark and scary, much like the teacher who occupies this room.

"Well, do you have anything to say? Any explanation, or at least some sort of weak excuse?" Mr. Hiyama finally stops in his tracks, pulling his hands from behind his back and resting his arms at his sides instead. He turns to directly face me, urging me to talk. But really, what am I supposed to say when I'm being accused of cheating in the Talent Trials?

I'm not sure how this possibly could've happened. I swear those girls with the weird gem necklaces are behind all this. I've been preoccupied for the past hour, after being caught up in their trap. That must've given them plenty of time to set me up. They're real good at manipulating the evidence, I'll give them that. But, damn it…! Now they've ruined everything.

"I must say, I certainly didn't expect it to turn out this way, Kaito." Mr. Hiyama speaks in that typical disappointed tone, one used as a guilt tripping tactic. "You've always been a decent student. Not the best of grades, rather average overall... but still, quite a promising future ahead of you."

Geez, thanks for the blow to my grades. Just kick me in the nuts after I've already been punched in the gut, why don'tcha. Rubbing at the back of my neck, growing increasingly anxious. Really not sure how I can deal with this. The evidence against me is so strong, there's no way I can provide evidence of my own that I've been framed. I can't say for certain who'd do this to me, anyway. Sure, it could be those four girls, but…

"Nothing?" Mr. Hiyama sets himself back down in his particularly cushy chair, raising a brow my way. If he expects me to confess, then I'm going to have to disappoint him on that one. "Kaito, this is quite the accusation. If this turns out to be true, there will be devastating consequences. The reputation of Oak Valley Academy will be at risk. This really is not like you. I have a feeling this act of cheating wasn't entirely malicious, that you didn't mean to hurt your friends, but rather make a foolish mistake to get revenge on the other teams. A heat of the moment thing, perhaps? I'm willing to let this one go, but only if you talk to me."

I suppose it's nice that he's making an attempt to appeal to me on a personal level. It's rather insulting in itself though, to assume I'd stoop that low to begin with, but oh well. I'm still innocent here. Although the evidence is strong, it's still a bit suspicious to me.

An anonymous person tipped Mr. Hiyama off, claiming that I've been harassing Xingchen's team in order to get their plans from them. Not just that, but this person also claimed to have 'proof' that I had stolen Gakupo's team notes – apparently, while all that shit went down in the library, Ms. Yuzuki barged into my private bedroom and tore it apart, finding those notes and other copies of their plans amongst my belongings, in 'my' handwriting. And if that isn't crazy enough on its own, somehow they also saw me with Gakupo heading into the library, except their version of events is a bit different, in that I started an argument with him and bullied him into telling me important team information… or something like that. That means somebody has been following me.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hiyama. But I simply can't admit to something I haven't done." I speak up for the first time in a while, being careful on where exactly I answer. I'm on thin ice already, so I need to think of my next move on the spot, without landing myself right into another trap. "I'm not sure where these notes with my handwriting have come from, but I'm going to prove somehow that they're not mine and I had no idea they even existed." Also, there's not a chance in hell that Gakupo keeps any notes at all in that bedroom of ours. I've never seen such a thing in the couple of days he's been here.

Mr. Hiyama lets out a sigh, deep and contemplative, mulling over it for a few moments before deciding to come to a conclusion. "Well, I tried. It seems it just may have been malicious after all. I am truly disappointed to hear that," he says. Trust me, I feel bad enough for the pain this anonymous person has caused Miku and Dell. But I also feel bad for Mr. Hiyama; all those high hopes he had for me have now been crushed. I can't imagine the despair a teacher feels when they see a student crash to an all-time low. "As you know, your team is no longer allowed to participate in the Talent Trials. For Ms. Lily's sake, along with her three friends, we will be keeping the points that your team scored. It's only fair, as they've played by the rules, and shouldn't have to be punished along with you. You may attend the music show tonight, but please, remain in your dorm for the remainder of the night after dinner."

Yeah, I don't see that as a total loss. Uh, well, everything else is, of course. But I'm not exactly excited about the party after the music show to begin with, so… Slight win? Ugh, my morals are so fucked because of all this.

"We will talk again once the Mahogany Creek students return home. That is all, Kaito." With that, he dismisses me from his office. It didn't turn out as bad as expected. The only problem now is that I have to deal with my girlfriend breaking up with me, and how could I forget, my best friend wanting to beat the ever-loving shit out of me.

Reluctantly, with a small groan, I pull myself up from that chair, my entire body stiff and aching. Perhaps that's partly the effects of that chair, and partly because this whole ass day has been exhausting as fuck. And it's barely even 4pm! There's still a lot left to do today. So much for 'fighting back' and 'enough is enough'. We were too slow. Now they've got us cornered and are about to steal the win back.

"I… I'll make this right, Mr. Hiyama. I promise." I take a final glance over my shoulder as I approach the door, offering just a few sincere words to the principal. I want him to have faith in me. I'm sure he knows, deep down, I'm innocent. He just has to. Without looking back, I take a step outside the office and gently shut the door behind me, sealing away the events that went down and letting it become a distant memory quickly before I lose my sanity.

But it's all too much. There's only one emotion eating away at me right now. As much as I've tried to suppress it all this time. I've tried to be rational, I've tried to calm myself before it consumes me. Yet now, my girlfriend hates me. My best friend hates me. My other best friend doesn't want to be involved with me any more. And ironically, with all this rage swirling inside my mind, screaming at me to not just idly sit by and let this happen, the pieces fall into place at last. There's only one person this could all lead back to. No, not one person… People. I'm done being reluctant. I will not be hesitant. I will take this into my own hands and get the damn answers, no matter what this time.

…

It's not exactly difficult to figure out where these people will be at this point in time. The music event is starting in less than a few hours; anyone who's taking the Talent Trials seriously will be getting in some last minute practice. And of course, the people I have in mind will definitely be taking this seriously. They wouldn't have went through this much effort to force a win on their end if they didn't care.

The halls are mostly empty now. Classes for the younger students have ended, and the older students are expected to be rehearsing. Or if they're really not interested in trying, they have to steer clear of the campus so that they don't 'disturb the peace' or whatever. If I get caught sneaking through the halls again, I think Principal Hiyama will actually rip my head clean off my shoulders. If I'm super unlucky, it'll be Principal Yuzuki who catches me.

That's why I'm sure to be as light-footed as possible while walking toward the main music classroom. Mrs. Prima has trusted students to practice on their own before, so it can't be any different on such an important day, right…? Maybe this is the dumbest thing I've done all week. All month? This is a close tie with Neru's birthday party… If I fix things on this final day of the Talent Trials, I hope everything goes back to normal, and we can forget all about this mess.

I stop a few paces in front of the door to the music classroom. Reaching a hand out to grip at the handle, I suck in a breath and sort of squint an eye while making an attempt to listen in. It doesn't sound like it's too busy in there. Then again, there could be a whole bunch of students crowding inside the studio, waiting for the opportunity to gain access to the best rehearsal room on the entire campus. That's not an exaggeration either.

Steadying my shaking hand, I mentally prepare myself. If Mrs. Prima is in here, I need to have a damn good excuse as to why I'm showing my face in her sacred classroom when I've essentially been grounded like a child. Sure, she has the patience of a saint and is usually calm and friendly while we're in her presence. But I know she doesn't take any crap. "Just play it cool… Say you're here looking for Neru-chan or something," I mutter. Speaking out loud gives me a chance to gather my thoughts better. That should be a good enough excuse.

Tightening my grip around the handle, I give it a firm push and swing the door open. I'm met with a blast of warm yet suffocating air from inside the room, an almost stunning contrast from the cold halls behind me. As I suspected, the room is empty. Mrs. Prima is nowhere in sight, either. Perhaps she's making the rounds to the nearby studios, though. I need to play this smart, and I need to remain calm. My mind is still clouded with nothing but anger, yet I know I can't cause a scene unless I want to be kicked out of school. Releasing a deep sigh, I softly shut the door behind me and head straight for the studio connected to the classroom.

To both my surprise and relief, there isn't a crowd of kids hanging around the studio awaiting their turn. I guess they aren't as committed as I thought, which is a good thing. That still doesn't tell me if the people I'm looking for are in here or not. Pressing my ear up against the door only proves to be half-helpful, as I can definitely hear faint music drifting toward me from inside the studio, but there's no way of seeing who it is.

"My my, what a pitiful sight."

"Ah-!" The sudden shrill, mocking voice from behind me almost causes me to jump out of my damn skin. I immediately spin around after gasping kind of dramatically from the shock, and while my heart is pounding in my chest like the big baby I am, I plaster on a nonchalant expression when I set eyes upon the group standing there. I can act tough all I want… Doesn't change that they heard the pathetic noise I just made.

"Looking for somebody, Shion-san?" That same shrill voice pipes up. Of course… I should've recognised it from the start when I still had my back turned.

"Actually, yes. Looks like I've found you though, Gumi-san." I flash a smug little grin as I say that. I'm still recovering from the mild embarrassment of being caught acting like a creep outside the studio, but at least this is the first step in the right direction for me. These four… No, it's not even four. Neru is standing at one end, uncomfortably close to Len. They've managed to rope her into this somehow.

"Aw, so you were looking for us, huh? That's so cute. We have a fan." Gumi continues to run her mouth, thinking she can beat me at this game of passive-aggression. The only cute thing about this is how tough she's acting, like she's hoping to impress her boyfriend or something. Gag. And right on cue, she nudges the purple-haired male at her side, looking up at him with expectant eyes, urging him to join in.

"Tch," he simply scoffs. His eyes meet mine for a split second, and it's hard to tell what emotions are behind that vague glare of his. Regret, maybe? Little late for that, unfortunately.

I take a couple of steps away from the studio, not wanting to disturb their rehearsal. Then again, if these clowns push me any further, I might lose control of the irritation burning inside me. I swallow hard, desperate to keep myself calm.

"We heard what happened with Principal Hiyama..." Rin speaks up in a lighter tone, as if to ease the obvious tension between Gumi and me. A pout pulls at her lips as she says this, and I have no idea if it's genuine or not. No… I came looking for them to put the blame onto them. It can't have been just Gakupo, Gumi and those four girls with the weird necklaces. "I'm so sorry that it turned out this way, Kaito-san. I really didn't expect you of all people to do such a thing."

There's something about that incredibly convincing tone that rubs me the wrong way. It's only natural, right? I can't be just imagining that subtle, underlying patronising hint in her voice. She's hoping to get a reaction from me. I lightly shake my head. The more I hear, the more things start to make sense. "Wow. That's just great. You're super convincing, you know. Have you considered taking drama classes?"

The blonde-haired girl blinks rapidly in supposed confusion, eyebrows slightly raised. "H-Huh…? I'm… I'm not sure what you…"

"Hey, there's no need to be rude to us," Len steps forward, defending his sister. "I don't know why you bothered to come looking for us, but whatever it is you have to say, it's best you forget it and leave us alone."

I can't believe this. I've only got about two words in and they're already making me out to be the bad guy, demanding I leave. I'm not sure why they're acting dumb, even after they've done their job of getting my team kicked out of the trials. Surely there's no reason for them to play innocent any more…? Do they really want to come off as oblivious until the very end? It's hard to come up with a way to approach this if they want to be stern about it. How am I supposed to get answers now? Fuck.

"You heard him," Neru scowls, after a short silence. Right, I almost forgot she hates my guts, too. I've had to deal with the reality of my best friend and girlfriend despising me, so everything else outside of this shit-show hasn't exactly been priority in my poor, slow mind. "Fuck off and leave us alone."

The way she spits that out so harshly kind of throws me off. It's the type of aggression I expect to hear from, I don't know, maybe Gakupo or Gumi. Not from Neru… It's like I can't even recognise her any more.

"I-It's okay, Neru-chan..." Rin timidly cuts her new 'best friend' off, looking up at her with sickening, sparkling puppy-dog eyes. "W-We haven't even let Kaito-san speak… He might have come to apologise…?"

I can't help but stare at the lot of them in disgust for a good couple of moments. These people are ridiculous. I can't figure them out. It's like they made up this plan to frame me for some unknown reason, but halfway through that plan, they couldn't decide if they wanted to act nice or be straight up assholes toward me. Seems like they still haven't figured out how to collectively act. Although… I guess this shows how dumb they really are, and how weak their plan is.

Len narrows his eyes, straightening himself up and staring me down. Oh, I'm so intimidated. "You better make it quick."

I let out a heavy groan. It's sort of impulse at this point. "Alright, fine. I came here to get answers, hoping you'd at least have the decency to tell me why you framed me for cheating, but… If you want to act dumb, I suppose I'll have to come up with some other evidence." Not sure what that evidence should be, but they don't have to know that little detail…

"Wait, you're still trying to pin the blame onto us?" Gakupo speaks up at last, and honestly, I didn't expect him to go along with this dumb plan after the seemingly genuine talk we had earlier… But it looks like none of that got through to him and he wants to keep following his buddies. And to think, I had been considering making peace with the moron. No way in hell now. His expression just screams offended, as if his poorly-faked, overly-dramatic manner of shouting those words hadn't been bad enough. "You were busted for stealing our ideas. I'm not sure how that means we're the guilty ones in your eyes."

Stay calm, Kaito… Despite how terribly coordinated these guys are, they're good at one thing – sticking to their plan of feigning ignorance. They don't want to slip up and accept blame now, do they?

"W-We thought it was all a big misunderstanding, as well…" Rin shyly adds to Gakupo's burst of outrage. "We know you're not a malicious person, Kaito-san, so please… Please don't continue to act that way…!"

Is she seriously trying to push a 'change of heart' speech onto me? Not gonna lie, I'm a little weirded out now. In fact, that strange feeling I've had before… washes over me in that moment.

"Don't bother, Rin." Len firmly tells her to give up, and with a defeated whimper, she nods once and falls silent. Again, I've had no chances to get a word in. They're trying hard to manipulate the situation.

"I see how you managed to convince Principal Hiyama that I'm guilty of cheating," I finally tut, and even though the blonde-haired male is eyeing me up with a mean glare, I stand unafraid. I'm confident in the thought that he won't dare to lay a hand on me. He's good at manipulating, and he's good at lying. But he won't be able to worm his way out of assaulting someone.

"Did you only come here to freak out on us? I don't quite get it," Gumi casually asks, staring down at her nails, as though growing bored.

"I think he's lost it," Neru snickers, answering her friend. "His fragile little ego simply can't bear that he's messed up and been called out for the cheater he is."

"That's exactly it," Len says, reaffirming Neru's statement and treating it like fact. Acting like some sort of glorious leader and letting his 'subjects' know how awful and fragile I apparently am. And I mean, as weird as it is on its own, it's not that bad… Except there's that strange feeling nagging at me again. "He hates that he's been caught for cheating. For stealing our ideas and trying to get us disqualified from the Talent Trials. He's deluded himself into thinking it's our fault. He's looking for someone to push all of his anger onto."

The air in here… It hasn't been this hot all along, has it? The light trickle of sweat on my forehead has made itself apparent, following with a swift shiver down my spine. I remember feeling a slight warmth when I first came into the music classroom, but it's growing to be almost too much to handle.

I try to speak up to defend myself amidst this madness, but I find that my words get all caught up in my throat. And that's when I realise why I'm suddenly struck with fear. I slowly scan my eyes over the five of them. Len standing in the middle of the group, a few paces closer to me than I last remember. Neru and Rin are stood together on one side… and Gakupo and Gumi the other… "Wh-What…?" That's the most I can muster; a pathetic, weak hiss, unable to believe my eyes. Their faces are somehow devoid of any emotion. Blank slates. Looking right at me. Am I… Am I really growing delusional…?

"You don't understand, do you, Kaito-san?" Len is the only one who's able to say anything and show any sort of expression. The room is silent. So fucking silent. Yet I swear there's some barely audible hissing, or… or burning… just idly lingering somewhere… "You're the cheater here. You tried to ruin our lives. And now you're trying to make it seem like we're the bad ones."

"H-Hey," I can't raise my voice as much as I'd like to, but I manage to get that one little thing out. That's my only form of defense, a small order, as he takes a couple more steps toward me. I don't know why, but that strange feeling is now screaming at me, like some sort of alarm, warning me that if I don't snap out of paralysis, something bad will happen. Something bad will happen if I let Len take any more steps closer. "I… I said, hey…!" I can't move. Shit, why can't I move…?! Breathing growing shallow, my heart races. My entire body is shaking for reasons I can't understand, but in the midst of the horrible, burning fear in the pit of my stomach, I'm able to gain back slight control. And it happens without even a second thought.

I swiftly throw my hands forward in hopes of shoving Len away from me, and while my palms certainly make contact with something, I'm not sure what that something is. The second I come anywhere near him, a bright burning light materialises from thin air, and I immediately screw my eyes shut in reaction. "F-Fuck!" I pull my hands back and cover my eyes. It feels like I may very well go blind if I don't get as much darkness and cover as possible within the next second. Of course, I lose control of every other part of my body while stumbling back to turn away from that light.

"Oww..." With a harsh thud and maybe even a crack, I land onto my backside. And when my body makes that connection with the floor… It's all over. I no longer feel a terrible pressure telling me to keep my eyes shut… And so, I slowly lower my arms from my face and my eyelids flutter open.

…

"Oh, oh no… A-Are you okay…?"

"Wuah!" Sucking in a sharp breath, I'm startled by the unexpected sight of Rin Kagamine leaning down rather close to me with her hand stuck out. I scramble back a bit, pretty much just scooting my poor, sore butt across the floor to get some much needed personal space. My heart is still going crazy in my chest. Instinctively, I throw an arm up in front of me, although I do so rather weakly due to the drowsiness I start to feel in that moment. "I… I'm…"

What happened? Did I pass out? I flick my glance between the group. Rin has a terribly worried pout pulling at her lips; Neru and Len are stood together with equally concerned expressions. Gakupo and Gumi… They're also standing together, but that's when I notice Mrs. Prima beside them. Gakupo's mouth is moving… I can't quite hear what he's saying, as they're at another end of the classroom presumably for privacy.

"Ah…!" Rin lets out a deep sigh in relief. "I'm so glad you're okay. You had us so worried… You suddenly passed out, and had quite a nasty hit to your head…!"

My head? As she says that, I lightly run my fingers over the back of my head. "Ouch-!" Even with the slightest pressure applied, there is indeed a sore spot back there. I yank my fingers away, bitterly scowling. It's strange. I don't recall passing out. Although… I suppose it's not normal to remember those things…

"Here, let me help you up," Rin smiles brightly at me, gesturing to her hand that she's still patiently holding out for me.

I hesitantly stare up at her hand, before trailing my eyes along her arm and up to her face. I can't remember a damn thing that happened. All I know is that I went looking for Rin and her friends in a fit of anger. I must've came here, and then… Passed out? It's all confusing. She's offering me a sweet, genuine smile. In that moment, doubt crosses my mind. If she's the one who framed me, she wouldn't be this nice to me. Right…?

"We had to call Mrs. Prima over. We weren't sure what else to do," she softly giggles, appearing to be embarrassed by her lack of logical thinking during panic.

"Oh…?" I weakly smile, stretching my hand out and finally taking hold of hers. "C-Careful, I'm heavier than I look..." With a snicker, I shuffle myself into a different position that makes it a bit easier to be hauled back up to my feet.

"Oh, I'm stronger than I look, don't worry," she playfully responds, sliding her free hand down to support my arm. She's able to pull me back up relatively easily. Seems like she's telling the truth about being pretty strong. "There we go." She takes a step back, giving me some much needed room to breathe.

"Geez..." My whole body feels awful. I'm in that disorientated state that I'm only used to feeling after a power-nap. I look down at my legs in a sort of confused state, checking for any scratches or scrapes. I trail my eyes up and land on my palms. That's weird. They're burning bright red. They aren't stinging that much… It looks a lot worse than it feels, but I don't quite understand how they ended up like that. "S-So… What happened to me?"

"Huh? Well…" Rin seems to be a bit caught off by the question.

"Oh, you clumsy thing!" Mrs. Prima is coming my way, with Gakupo and Gumi following behind her. She calls out to me with a scolding yet sympathetic tone. Not sure whether to be offended or… "Now, Kaito. You know you're not supposed to be wandering the halls while you're on curfew, yes?"

"I, uh…" Yeah, I don't have an excuse for that. At least she doesn't want to tear my head off.

"Aha, about that, Mrs. Prima…!" Gumi comes to my rescue, and I'm not sure why it's her of all people, but I'm not exactly complaining. I'm sure the last time I spoke to her, she wasn't my biggest fan… She butts in with an apologetic grin. "You see, we called him over because we, um… We really wanted to sort out this whole mess and come to an understanding. See, we don't really believe that Kaito-san would… you know… And, well, basically we just wanted to talk with him."

I raise a brow at that. Not the best excuse ever, yet Mrs. Prima buys it. "Y-Yeah, that's right…"

Well, she half buys it. "That's very sweet of you, Gumi. However, Principal Hiyama has made it clear that Kaito is not allowed to be roaming the halls under strict punishment. The judgement must be made by Mr. Hiyama and Mr. Hiyama alone, so while I appreciate your kindness, I will have to give out a punishment of my own."

"Ha… aha..." Gumi's laughter fades into a nervous smile, darting her apologetic eyes between her friends.

"Gumi, since you're so thoughtful, you will accompany Kaito while he gets checked over at the Nurse's Office," Mrs. Prima announces. Not sure how I feel about that one. Besides, I don't really need to go see the nurse… "The rest of you can head back to your dorms until the music show in a couple of hours. I believe it's time you get dressed, no?"

"Wh-What about me…?" Gumi puffs her cheeks out in protest.

"I'm sure you won't mind sparing your looks in order to be there for your new best friend, hmm?" Mrs. Prima devilishly grins at the green-haired girl. She claps her hands twice to redirect everyone's attention back onto her. "Chop, chop! Off we go, out of my classroom, please!"

"Ah, geez," I sigh under my breath. Sure, don't ask me what I'd like to do. Just pretend I agree with everything teacher says. I'd rather go lay down in my bedroom and sleep the entire night away. Then in the morning, I can forget the Talent Trials ever happened. But, looks like I'm going to the Nurse's Office whether I like it or not.

…