I - Spitfire, Hellion, Rock-Bottom

1 - Spark


Freedom.

Social Studies class was boring. It was so boring I was actually considering whom to kill before I killed myself out of boredom.

The teacher's voice had long become a grating noise like static. I've heard forks scratching on plates and that was less painful than listening to this dickhead drone on about history or politics. I enjoyed history. I enjoyed politics. But I couldn't for the life of me enjoy a bland lecture where life seemed to ebb away from the teacher with every breath he took. He was ruining two of my favorite subjects and I wanted to ruin his life for it.

Other dull noises eagerly joined in the monotone cacophony. There was an anxious tapping of pencils and the restless shifting of my classmates. At first, they'd distracted me long enough from thinking murder was the lesser evil, but now they were just pushing me over the edge. Analyzing who'd be missed the least when I put them six feet under kept my mind busy all the while.

Freedom.

My ears picked another sound, all of a sudden. It was faint, vaguely rhythmic, barely noticeable because of its pattern and less because of its intensity. I focused on it and I felt myself frown.

Is this fucker sleeping? I mussed inwardly. His heartbeat is slow.

I thought I was just hallucinating things from lack of stimulus. Then I remembered the teacher had reptile scales and slits for eyes. He must have been some sort of mutant, a cold-blooded one. I wasn't an expert on snakes and all, but I figured their heartbeats should've been slower in general. The teacher explained, explained, and rarely took pauses to rest, but his heart beat as if he was taking a nap.

I tuned him off for a moment. I focused in the sounds inside me. It was easy to find the one I sought, in spite of the blood flow in my veins or the subtle shifting of my working organs.

Perhaps my heartbeat is too fast in comparison, I concluded, something nasty pouring on my worsening mood. Oh, whatever. It pisses me off all the same. Serpent Man looks right at home running off his mouth. I bet he just forgot we exist.

It was irritating. I was wasting precious time in a useless class when I could've been doing something remotely useful anywhere else. It was even more irritating knowing that Serpent Man got paid for wasting my time.

Freedom.

A few were barely paying attention. Everyone else was off in his or her own little worlds. Shame on me, I was one of the first brave soldiers to fall in this war against insipid education. Nobody was making an effort anymore and I hated it the most even though I wasn't one to complain. Now, the option to bail out of class was always on the table, but…

I've got to lead by example, I thought to myself in a flash of inspiration. If I don't put up with this crap, these bastards won't either. At least they're not lynching the teacher. That's a start.

Responsibility was a bitch. Honestly, at my age, societal stereotypes dictated I wasn't supposed to be responsible. Alas, this was my bitch of a cross to bear. This could continue a dull class or turn into anarchy depending on how much of a good girl I was. That wouldn't have been a problem if I didn't have the same urge to cut loose.

I wanted to cut loose.

I blinked slowly and looked up until it was physically uncomfortable to do so.

Freedom, purred the voice in my head yet again. It sounded dangerously similar to my own voice and nearly convinced me I consciously concocted that word. I did not. For every logical argument I put up not to trash the classroom, the voice spoke the word again, louder, firmer, refusing to offer anything except a simple concept and a simpler intention with it.

Perhaps a simple concept worked as the antithesis against a dull, insignificant class. Freedom was there, dangled in front of my face by a spineless adult with feeble authority. Borrowed authority, the voice corrected indignantly, fuming at the idea it had been given to him in the first place. Authority was not given. Authority was earned. Authority was to be taken away—regained—from this weakling. It had to be done through force. Those unfit to rule had to be shown how dangerous their unrequited ambitions were for them.

Freedom. And it would be mine. It was mine, rightly so, and I'd cement that ownership by sinking my teeth into the teacher's flesh. It would only take second and I would bite his head off his body. Only then would he and others understand not to slight me, not to fuck with me, not to dare take his life for granted when I decided if he could keep it or not—

—I pinched a patch of skin off my hand.

The pain brought me back to reality.

I looked down. Blood quickly began pooling there where I injured myself. It couldn't trickle down quickly enough before the flesh beneath swallowed the liquid back like a sponge. Thin threads of steam emerged from the wound as a new layer of skin began forming to replace the one I took.

Ten seconds passed. My hand looked the exact same as it had before I hurt it.

I rolled the remaining piece of flesh around my fingers. With a quick flick and a wild spark, I charred the thing and threw it somewhere else.

Lead by example. Lead by example, just bear with it all, I insisted in my head moments later. It'll be over in a flash and then I can chill.

I had to set that example. Not through force, not now. Freedom was mine already. Freedom was a precious benefit, too, and there wasn't a greater show of willpower than rejecting precious things that could be mine if I so wished.

I had the gun. I didn't need to pull the trigger.

…Really though, who was I trying to fool?

I was the only one with the class textbook open on my desk. 'The Hero System and the Rebranding of Crime' was its name. Nothing to say about it, except that there was another book on business management sandwiched between its glossy pages. A smartass might've shed light on the irony – the role model wasn't any better than those she was trying to set straight.

At least I pretended to pay attention. It was something and it was huge compared to the huge nothingness my useless classmates were contributing with so eagerly. Switching one boring subject for a slightly less another wasn't doing me any favors, though. The restlessness was getting to me.

Freedom.

Sighing, I flicked my right hand towards me.

My wristwatch told me in rather succinct terms to go fuck myself. Seven minutes had passed since I last checked, thirty-five remaining till class concluded.

I smacked my hand against the desk. Another sigh came out, adorned with an ugly grumble like a croak.

I glanced around, telling myself I wasn't the only idiot suffering through it all. It'd probably calm me down to know this was a collective pain in the ass and I wasn't just being a wuss.

There at the rightmost corner of the classroom was Mikoto. She was real sneaky reading manga hidden between her legs. The not so sneaky Kenji at the desk alongside was busy inhaling chips in front of the teacher only to unload a can of cola down his throat afterwards. Twitches began racing around my eyes as I heard his loud, loud chewing deep in my ear. What a pig.

I turned my head. Then there was… ah, Miguel and Miwa had joined desks and were playing shogi. It was almost cute and a bit horrifying to see two violent dickheads bonding for a change and not at knifepoint. Was this how mums felt when the parasitical beings they called children turned over a new leaf?

Miguel didn't know how to play shogi for shit, though. From my desk I could witness how Miwa dicked him at every opportunity. She looked calm and collected, but her quickening heartbeat was a telling detail of her sadism. She spared no insults or snarky comments either and opted to drink in the sight of her opponent losing his mind silently. She was a playful kitty cat toying with her food.

Miguel nonetheless had enough brain cells to tell Miwa was taking advantage of his inexperience. At some point, his eyes went from the board to the girl in front. Something Miwa did then provoked him, perhaps. He pointed a finger at her and did a throat-slitting gesture.

"Stop looking at me like that or I'll gut you like a fish, puta," I heard Miguel say.

Miwa slapped the table. She flipped him off too, laughing.

"Try if you dare, faggot."

The guy sucked in a sharp breath. He grabbed his chair as if threatening to get up.

Then he saw me looking. Miguel immediately lifted a hand in an appeasing gesture and returned to his game, gulping. Miwa looked back for a second, saw me, and clenched her asscheeks as hard as she could while mouthing 'sorry'.

Their match continued a full minute of fidgeting later.

…On one hand, commanding instant respect was good. On the other hand, was my ugly mug so scary? I was feeling irritable and perhaps it showed too much.

Eh, whatever.

My eyes darted somewhere else. I spotted good ol' Chiaki. She was all cozy and tucked in her oversized black-pink hoodie, legs kicked over her desk, leaning back on her chair. She was extremely concentrated on her phone. I squinted and focused on it… ah, she seemed to be playing one of these, eh… 'gacha'! Yeah, a gacha game, one of these where you could pay real cash to get items and stuff like that inside the game.

I squinted harder. This particular game was about… I guessed magical girls fighting against demons, if I remembered correctly. I wasn't too sure. I recognized the skimpy outfits and the jiggling boobs well enough but that was where the familiarity ended.

I wasn't too big on videogames. But I was incredibly interested in the business strategies behind gachas. These heavily relied on the players spending their money on a chance of getting the object they wanted, so the random nature of the prize was meant to encourage a constant flow of cash in hopes of getting the prize. Although not a necessary mechanic, it was a core characteristic of the gacha, the only way of getting the full gaming experience. Sure, one could play without spending a single yen, but they wouldn't have a taste of all the characters, the costumes, the items, and yadda yadda.

Even if companies denied it, it was a literal form of gambling transformed to appeal younger and more numerous scores of people. Attractive on its own, addictive in depth…

…I guess I also liked the cute anime girls with the big tits.

Credit where credit was due. Japan could be sunk by an asteroid as God intended it to and I'd be a happy camper. The people here entertained me well enough to convince me not to sink the island myself, though.

I leaned back. I felt… strangely satisfied I managed to distract myself with something interesting for a while. I also felt my lips twitching upwards for the briefest instant.

Then I checked my wristwatch and only three fucking minutes went by. Terrific.

Freedom.

I clenched my teeth and looked around some more.

Oyuki at the front didn't even bother with anything anymore. She was snoozing off, sprawled like dead chicken, just a bad move away from sliding to the floor. Daeyang a few desks in front didn't waste the opportunity to ogle from afar, trying to see if he got a good view of Oyuki's underskirt.

I caught him looking. He realized and gave me a sheepish smile. Seconds later, he was licking his lips and staring at Oyuki with more intensity.

Dirty bastard. I was gonna slap his Korean testicles with the business end of my shoe later.

I sniffed and leaned back on my chair. Okay, I was wrong. Looking for entertainment in my classmates was a stupid waste of time. I didn't even bother to check on the teacher again; he knew his class sucked ass and was pleased to fulfill his task as long as no one interrupted him.

I empathized with him some. I would also give up if my students were unpredictable deviants… but still, screw him. I didn't come here early in the morning to get bored. At least I wanted to learn. He owed me that much considering he could deliver a lesson in the first place.

We were supposed to discuss the sociopolitical effects of quirks when they manifested some hundred years and something ago. I remember a young a foolish me excited at the idea of learning history. Now I just looked back at my past self and pitied her for showing a sliver of interest at all.

My investment was officially extinguished, castrated, emasculated. All that was left was to suck it up and bear with the boredom.

Freedom.

With a sigh, I returned to my business management book.

Just as I began to focus and read the first lines, I felt something tap against my head. It bounced on my temple, bounced on my desk and finally fell on the floor next to me.

I pulled away from my read. As I craned my neck and stared down, I saw a paper ball rolling away from me.

Charming.

I clicked my tongue and went back to my book.

One, two, three seconds passed and I felt another paper ball bounce on my head.

"Pssst, boss."

I chewed on my lower lip without paying attention. My index and thumb took the page and turned it to the other. I hadn't even finished reading that.

Another paper ball hit me. It was bigger this time.

I stole a glance at my wristwatch. A counter for my heartbeat in real time flashed on its dark surface, appearing just beneath the numbers that marked the hour. Ninety-nine beats per minute and steadily rising. I shook my head a bit and tried to concentrate on the book.

"Piss off," I said.

There was a short while of tranquility. After steadying my breathing, I turned the page to where I was before, and settled down in a comfortable posture. I nearly, nearly forgot I was bored as heck and irritated on top of it.

My head budged an inch as I got hit yet again.

Disrespect.

I gritted my teeth. Then I looked down.

There was a giant paper ball the size of my right tit on the ground.

A growl crawled up my throat. I felt my knuckles tighten their hold on the book. Something that tasted like gunpowder rolled on my tongue.

"Suck my fat dick, Natsuko," I growled to the worthless bitch alongside my desk. "Throw me another one of those and I'll shove all that paper down your throat."

She chuckled mischievously.

"C'mon, boss. I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes," she reasoned. "This boredom's gonna suck the soul out of me like a thirsty hooker on her knees sucks her sugar papa. Can you chit-chat with your loyal subordinate a lil bit?"

I rolled my eyes. With a groan, I turned my head.

Natsuko was an interesting dichotomy. She seemed like a charming young girl at first glance, with short blue-marine hair and dark innocent eyes. Her tiny smile must've fooled many into thinking she was an upbeat teenager who couldn't possibly harbor bad intentions.

If she decided to pursue an acting career, she'd go far. This creature was many things and none of them good. She was the kind of person that would hire the yakuza to kidnap a classmate for the giggles or some freaky shit like that. She seemed capable, held back only by her own lack of resources and maybe, just maybe, a tiny and minuscule shred of morality floating around in the black hole where her heart used to be.

Insolence.

This blue midget got on my nerves. That ugly grin on her face was an eyesore too.

"Okay. Why didn't you ask instead of throwing paper around like a mongoloid? It would only take a second and I'd respectfully tell you skedaddle back to the abyss you crawled out of."

Natsuko smiled again. "Because I wanted to start a conversation without getting rejected. Besides, boss, it's your fault class is so damn boring. At least take responsibility for your decisions. Without their bread and circus, the crowd gets angry…"

I scoffed.

"It's not my responsibility to keep you freaks of nature entertained. I ain't anybody's nanny."

She huffed while shrugging her shoulders.

"There has to be a compromise somewhere along this rocky road, boss. Can't we, I don't know… decapitate this pathetic excuse of a teacher we have? It'd do wonders to our mood and nobody would miss him."

"Yes. Go ahead and get it over with," I grumbled.

"Really?"

"Yep," I confirmed. "I'm afraid I'll have to split you in half when you're done with him, though."

"…That doesn't sound like a fair trade. I want to live too."

"That's the beauty of freedom, hoe. You can do whatever the hell you want, but don't feel too shocked when I snap your neck for disobeying me. Those are the rules and that's the only reason I haven't burned this school to the ground. It's more trouble than it's worth."

I sniffed again and then shut both of my books closed. I laid them on my desk.

"For now," I added seconds later. "I'd be lying if I said I ain't got a bitch of an itch to commit arson right now."

"Well, why not give in to your instincts?" she cheerfully suggested with spread arms. "Let the beast cut loose and embrace your true nature! Set alight the flames of hatred!"

Disrespect.

I leaned back and put a foot on the desk.

"Do not tease me."

"Ah, boss, I wouldn't dare to~" replied Natsuko with a grin. "But let's be frank. You of all people can't possibly enjoy this dull pantomime of a normal school we've created. Sometimes I miss when Mirai was top-dog… with him it was always a festival."

Upon hearing her commentary, I began to gather as much saliva as I could. Then, I leaned towards her and spat on her uncovered arm.

She instantly recoiled in pain. The part of her skin where I sprayed her began to give off steam and a strong smell.

"Fuck, that burns!" she cried out. "Shit, hot, hot, hot!"

A few heads turned, including the teacher's. I gave them all a look and they went back to their business. I was left with a writhing Natsuko.

"Is that insubordination I sense?"

"No, dammit… it was just a joke…" she assured while carefully rubbing the spot where I hurt her. "Fuck Mirai. He was a pretentious dick anyway."

"Nah, he was pretty cool, actually," I said and she groaned. "The people he commanded were not, though. You animals can't settle down with a normal life… and you know what? I don't care either way. As long as you don't break the rules, it's no skin off my back."

Natsuko checked her injury and sighed dejectedly.

"This… This is definitely going to scar," she observed with a whine. "Seriously boss, why do you need to be a total bitch out of nowhere?"

I left the question hanging in the air. I leaned back even more on my chair and put both hands behind my head. After some seconds, I turned to stare at her.

"I was bored. Seeing you twitch like a fucking worm on a frying pan was hilarious," I commented, making sure a smile did not creep onto my face. "See? You can have fun without killing people, you psycho."

Before Natsuko had any time to follow up with another shitty commentary, I jabbed a finger in her direction.

"And," I interrupted, "I told you not to call me 'boss' during class."

"Huh…? Now that's an unreasonable order, boss," said she with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, as if she hadn't been burned a moment ago. "What's so wrong about singing your praises? My silver tongue is just about the only talent I have. I'm a defenceless girl who has to survive in a horrible world. Not all of us can brute force through our problems. That's why I wanna get on your good side so you can do it for me."

"You're doing such a good job at it," I replied drily. "Keep being a darling and I'll promote you to court buffoon sooner or later."

"Ah… flattering position for one as lowly as me, truly."

Neither of us said much for a couple of minutes. Natsuko simply kept rubbing the nice little wound I gave her. After a short while, I put my feet on the ground and elbows on the desk.

"For real, though. Don't call me boss unless we're talking business. If you didn't get the memo yet, I can open up your skull and burn it on your brain to make sure."

The smug girl raised her hands in the air, as if giving up.

"Yes, yes, Hikari. Forgive my insolence, I promise I'll never do it again."

I hummed.

"Too sassy, but I'll take it."

Another interval of silence settled in. The teacher was still droning on, purposefully oblivious to the indifference of the students he was supposed to educate. My eyes fell on my wristwatch once again. Fifteen minutes before the bell rang. Out of curiosity, I checked my heartbeat. It was a normal seventy-four beats per minute. I leaned back again and nearly felt like zoning out for the remainder of the class. I didn't. An idea came to my mind, and then I wanted to confirm something.

"Hey," I called Natsuko.

"Yes?"

"Chiaki's playing a game on her phone. A gacha game, y'know. It's one of those where you pay for in-game items."

"I've played some myself, yes," she responded. "What about it?"

I gestured at the transfixed Chiaki with my chin. "Do you know which game she's playing?"

Natsuko chuckled. I turned to look at her and saw her face had relaxed into a dopey grin. She held out a hand.

"She's right there. Just ask her," said Natsuko with a mocking expression and she seemed seconds away from adding 'don't be stupid'.

Insolence.

"I'm asking you, Smurfette."

Besides, Chiaki was concentrated and I didn't want to disturb her. She'd been a model student so far without bothering anyone too, so it was only right for me not to bother her when she didn't deserve it.

Natsuko rolled her eyes and leaned forward to get a better glimpse of Chiaki's phone. She squinted, trying to get a good glance as much as she was racking her mind for the memory she needed.

"Hmm… It is… Oh, I know!" Her face brightened up with the realization. "That one's called 'Dark Princess' Blade'. It's an action RPG and it's also age-restricted."

"No shit, Sherlock. I almost didn't see the giant tits occupying two thirds of the screen," I said. "Family-unfriendly content aside, you seem to be acquainted with that game."

"And then she complains I'm Captain Obvious," chuckled Natsuko.

"I'm your superior. This ain't a democracy so I can get away doing the things I'd spank you for. If you don't like it, well… throw yourself off the school roof and pray you'll be stronger in your next life. Maybe you can be alpha bitch too. Wait, you do believe in a next life, no?"

"Heavens no!" she instantly denied. "Thank God I'm an atheist. I wouldn't get a wink of sleep at night knowing what awaits me after I kick the bucket otherwise. I have never apologized and never will~"

"At least you admit you're a perfidious little rat." I wiggled a hand at her. "Anyway, the, huh… the game. Which company made it?"

Natsuko snorted and smiled me a crooked smile. "I'll remind you that NEET and hikikomori to-be is just a few desks in front of you. Anyway, if my memory doesn't fail me…"

"It can't fail."

"It can't, of course," she responded. "The developer is called something something 'Ryusenji Entertainment Company'. Its forte is RPGs and they've been gaining a lot of traction with a couple of big titles like 'Sky Castle' and 'The Dawn of the Dragon King'. It has recently expanded its business into the mobile game territory and its main clientele is Chiaki over there who's a few taps away from draining whichever debit card she's using to get useless digital items."

Chiaki turned her hooded head towards us at that moment. We turned to stare too. We could only see half of her face.

"There's a limited summer event going on right now and I'm not missing out on it," explained Chiaki. "Money is temporal, but swimsuit costumes are forever."

Having said that, she returned to the cash leakage simulator.

"Business is going well, as you can see," said Natsuko while gesturing at Chiaki with her hands.

"Evidently." I grabbed a lock of half-black, half-red hair that strayed closed to my face and rolled it around my finger. "Ryusenji Entertainment Company… do you know if this developer has like, a parent company or something like that?"

"If I didn't know the answer I'd say you're stretching my knowledge thin." Natsuko crossed her arms and pushed her lip with a thumb. "As a matter of fact, it does. It belongs to the 'Kiryu Holdings' conglomerate. Pretty big competitor in the technological and entertainment market though it usually keeps to itself. It was founded and it is stationed in Japan, but some rumors say it has roots and connections in China."

I pulled the lock of hair strongly as she finished explaining. I also felt myself pulling a face and not a particularly pretty one. I didn't turn to stare at Natsuko.

Now I know why the game seemed familiar, I thought. And now I'm in a bad mood again. Fuck my curiosity and fuck me.

"Have mine answers quenched thine thirst for knowledge?" said the blue midget and I saw her bowing from the corner of my eye. She stood up and bowed, actually.

"Yeah."

"Groovy!" she cheered while sitting her ass back on her chair. "Would you be so kind as to answer me one or two questions now? I mean, seeing as you just used me as your human encyclopedia, it'd only be right."

"Did you just say groovy?" I questioned while raising both eyebrows at her. "I mean, yeah, ask away. What is it?"

"Why the sudden interest in gaming and corporate affiliations?" asked she while posing her cheek on her open palm. "Please don't tell me you're planning on developing an RPG game yourself. Or worse, playing one. Not that I'd mind, but we already have a digital junkie and she's as productive as a solar panel at midnight."

"Ditto," said Chiaki while raising her arm and a finger, without turning her back.

"Yes, and having our boss get hooked to that technological drug would set a bad example."

I tsk-ed.

"First off, I already said I do whatever I want. Secondly, no, I won't play games anytime soon, but that's because I'm doing important stuff unlike you losers. And finally, how is sitting your ass down and playing a harmless game setting a bad example, huh? That's what high schoolers do and you'd benefit a freaking lot from behaving normally. Do you get off watching teenagers brutalize each other instead or what?"

"Immensely so," responded Natsuko while showing her tongue.

"Okay, I fell into that one," I grunted. "My point stands, though. You surely don't get to judge anyone when you need a body count to rate your hobbies as good or not."

"What can I say? The more the merrier. It gets boring to play with myself after a while."

That commentary got another groan out of me. She simply smiled.

"My question still needs answering, Hikari," she reminded me.

"Uh-huh. 'Why the sudden interest in corporations and shit?' Well, I…" I nearly trailed off for far too long. Natsuko was a sucker for secrets and I wasn't gonna give her any clue I had them. I quickly grabbed my book on business management and waved it at her. "…I'm basically running a business, ain't I? I got interested in big corporations and vertical business relations. It may just help me down the road. The games are secondary."

There. It was the truth. Just not the whole of it.

"Ahhh, that's like the Hikari I know. Always seeking opportunities and aiming higher. It's sooo adorable that you want to learn from your betters in this capitalist jungle called Japan, sweetheart~"

Insolence.

I tensed up and nearly barked a reprimand. I waited for a few seconds instead, took a mouthful of air, and spoke only when I felt calmer.

"Call me sweetheart ever again and I'll rip your goddamn heart out."

"Okie-do~" immediately agreed Natsuko. "I'll cross that one out from my irritating names checklist. Seriously though, are you that confident you'll make it big once out of Dairoku? I don't think I could even run a bakery store without setting it on fire first."

A roll of eyes and a huff later, I responded.

"Gotta be confident. It's either swim or sink and I'd rather pilot a big-ass yacht, but I gotta make money to buy it first. I dunno, mommy and daddy ain't gonna bother much with me after I escape this hellhole. What about you?"

"Heeeeeey, don't hit me below the belt like that. My parents love me and I'm not about to deny their gracious assistance, financially speaking. Is it wrong to support your child even if she's a bit… eccentric?"

I almost choked laughing after she said that. I slapped a hand over my mouth and took another calming breath.

"Eccentric? Sorry, is that rich-people talk to say 'out of my fucking mind'?"

"Whichever definition is fine. It's not as if I can fight you about it. Anyway, opinions don't kill~"

"As long as you don't speak them out loud, yeah."

I glanced at my wristwatch again. Three minutes and class would end. Satisfied after fooling around for a bit, I extended my arms above my head and stretched my back along with them. The joints firmly clicked into place the moment I relaxed. My back felt like a spring snapping back into itself after being strained to the limit. There was something moving, shifting, just there within my vertebrae. It felt tingly.

Just then, I spared Natsuko a look. She was not looking at me.

I leaned and twisted my body until I was inches away from the floor. I did so slowly, silently. As soon as I could, I grabbed the last paper ball she threw at me, the giant one.

Punishment.

I returned to my seat. Nursing my newly acquired paper ball between my hands, I spoke.

"Hey, bitch."

I heard Natsuko shifting. Half a second later, without looking, I wound up my arm behind me and returned the Gremlin's favor with a vengeance.

The ensuing smack was loud. Very loud. It sounded like someone got slapped on the wrist with a ruler. Natsuko couldn't even form a word as she received a big fucking mouthful of paper right on the nose. The impact threw her off balance and she fell off her chair.

Everyone stopped. My classmates turned to look at what happened and even the teacher pulled away from his one-sided lecture.

I couldn't see Natsuko's face. Her legs were dangling from the edge of her upturned chair. A few seconds passed and I saw a raised hand.

"Ahem…. What was that for?"

I dedicated her a smile I intended to make as smug as possible, even if she couldn't see it.

"I only said 'bitch'. The one to turn first was the one who would get it. It's not my fault you identify as one," I explained. "How's that for bread and circus, bitch?"

I first heard a gasp after responding. Then I heard a wheeze. A girly, joyous laughter followed and I could see Natsuko's chair shaking from the movement. Everyone else joined in with wilder laughter. Some even made more paper balls and threw them at the Natsuko who only laughed harder at the assault, if anything. The teacher ignored us and packed his belongings as quickly as possible in another display of spinelessness.

The bell rang one minute of laughing later. Class finished and we eagerly exited the room, smiling to each other like devils.


I wrote my first fanfiction ever for MHA. It was unbelievably terrible, but it makes me feel giddy to return with a new project to the place where I started writing in general.

I hope you enjoy. If you have time and energy, please consider reviewing after reading. Feedback helps me immensely!

Next chapter may come soon-ish. Update dates are not set in stone, unfortunately, and college and work take precedence, so each chapter will be a surprise. ;D

See ya around!

(21/05/2023)