T̴̢̜͎͒̍͝h̸̬͓̹͈̫̯̎i̸̭̫͕̤͛̽s̷͕̤͌̅͜ ̴̢̧̜̰̱̼͒̑̐̿̈́͝t̵̙́͊̽̽͛̒r̸̗̭̝͌̀̈̃͠u̵̡̻̪̫̮͖̇̒l̶̜̥͓̬͚̎̃̌̕͠͠y̵̥̠̟̜͖͚͗̑͛́͘ ̵̩̣̫́͑̓̋̕͜ï̸͓͔͇̱̎̈́͑̄̚s̸̨̛̼̪̝̰̻̉̀͋̃ ̴̰͉̞̗̆̊͝͝a̶͙̹̥̩̞͒́́͝ͅǹ̶͍̲̈̒̐͘ ̸̮̄͝ṷ̵̽̿̓̎͋n̶̡̫̑j̵͕͓̳̩͙̙̔̊u̷̧̜̗̩͙̞͒͒̾͊͝ŝ̶̞̬͌́͘t̸̩͚̊̈̇̔ ̷̟̠̙̓g̶̜̾̄a̷̯͑̈́̓͒̈́m̶̘̝̓͂ė̷̡̩͖̘͕͐͛.̵̰͕̍̽̏͒̓̚.̶͚̓̇.̷̹̯͎̆
.̵̗̙̱̊͂̈́́͝.̶͚̹͕̪̩͆.̷̮͍̒͐ͅ ̵̭͂̇͌y̴͖̜̮̮̰͉̾̄̒o̷̼̜̹̻͍̼͂͒͘ṵ̶̡͉͒͋͋͌͜͠ȑ̵̝͈̆̒̿ ̴̯̠̬̐͆̍͝c̵͔͎̘̉̇ḫ̷̛̻͆͗͘a̵͕͑̇̊̔͠n̵̢̙̗͚͗̀̎c̴̖̻̲̘͙̊̒͜é̷̢͇̗̻̻͈͝s̴͍̻̪͐̓ ̸̧̻̫̅͋͊̿͛a̵̫̗͉͂̋̉̀͌ͅt̴͍͙̏̈ ̷̮̗̠̀̐̊v̷̨̋̐ĩ̵̢̛̠̙͕̣̀̍͛͘c̴̰̣̫̭͒t̴̼͎̺̀̇́̈o̴̧̭͉͌́̀͜ŗ̸̧̥̹̫̼͂͗̐̚̕ẙ̵̡̰̠̠̽̊ ̶̬̭͎̱̽͛à̶͙͙̿͛̈́̿̚r̵̨͚̥̫̘͍̎͠e̴̝̘̓̓ ̵͎̠̻͚̟̎͝ͅa̶̦̘̭͝ͅl̸͙̫̽͊̑̅̋̊ͅm̶͎̝̄͊̍͝o̵̡̢͓̥͎̚ş̴̮͈͉̌̏͑͆̓t̷̨͖́̿͒̅̋̉ ̷͙͉̘̤͊͐ͅń̷̫͓̝̑́̂͐̕o̶̡͙̤͉̞̯̾͆͝͝ṋ̷͋ͅḙ̶̔.̴̨̛͇̯̎̉̓.̷̤̤͓͚̹̙́͘.̶̹͕̥̟̪̮͋͊͝
B̴̗́ǔ̴̡̱̼̫̤ẗ̶̮̹͚͕́͐̃͗ ̴̩͔̀̍e̵͕̫̫̔́̈́v̴̖̝͍͈͕̇̋͗e̷̦̘̮͒̇̔̚͘ͅn̵̟͊͐̍̈ ̷̭͕͚̎ş̵͍̱͔͝ó̸̪͐̃̇.̶̢̗͇͂̄.̷̧̯̳̰͂.̶̨͉͌
S̸͜͝h̸͕̣̿ȏ̶̬̻̈u̸̙̍l̶̠̓d̷̖̗͒̾ ̶̹͊m̵̢̏͠ỳ̸̼̳̊ ̶̧̩̐́v̸̩͊o̸̮̼̿i̶̲͒c̴̻̓͜ḛ̷̽̾ ̸r̶̩͗̄e̵͖͗̅a̵̳͠c̵̭̣͒̿h̶̛̙̩ ̶̤̃y̴̤͐ǫ̶̢̚ų̴̺̅̋.̸̳̌.̶̻̚.̴̪̯̆̃
T̴͕͒h̶̳̑e̵̗͂r̶͓͊e̷͆ͅ ̴̤̓m̶̥̃a̴̦̍y̵͖͝ ̶̲͋ẏ̶̹e̶̺̿t̶́͜ ̸͈͝b̵̪͛ȅ̷͔ ̸̢̆s̵̭̊ț̷͐i̵͖̚l̷̹͠l̶͈̚ ̸̲͐h̶̢̒o̸̡͆p̵̳̀é̵̱.̷̞͌.̴̠͝.̴̦̄ ̵̳̾
4/11, Mon
Morning - Unknown Location
(Optional OST - Awakening)
What's the matter...? Do you intend to simply stand idly by and watch?
Wouldst thou forsake him to save thyself? Death is all that awaits him if you do nothing...
Was your previous decision a mistake then?
Memories returned to him in a flash: a cold night, months prior… a woman and a man…
A rotten adult, having fallen by his own hand but still choosing to put the blame on him… and a life… his life… ruined at the flip of a hat.
Did… did he regret that act of selflessness…?
He… no. He did not.
'N-No… No…NO! It wasn't…!'
Very well... I have heeded your resolve…
VOW TO ME!
A powerful shockwave tore through the cell.
The knights turned to face him, that… thing with the P.E teacher's face now regarded him with narrowed eyes. The blonde that was about to be executed fell to the ground as the entities in metal armour turned their undivided attention towards him.
He held his head, with pain surging through his skull like nothing he's ever felt prior. The edges of his eyes and the corners of his lips began to bleed a strange substance; black and red in colour, the thick ichor was Cursed to the touch, and it fell from him just as easily as any other substance would, staining the ground within moments.
He didn't react to any outside force, even as the knights shoved his back against the wall, restraining him with minimum difficulty. Slamming his head back onto the wall, his glasses were quickly lost as they fell to the floor, and as he leaned his head back in agony, the black and red ichor shifted up along his face and coalesced around his eyes.
Jerking forwards, the boy convulsed heavily in the gasp of the knights, with him gritting his teeth all the while, though by then, the red and black ichor had fully formed around his eyes, taking the form of a black and white domino mask. How it was formed from Cursed liquid mattered not to anyone at the moment, especially not its wearer, as it was causing him great pain just by being on his face…
A pulse… a flash of power that surged within him was audible to him and him alone… and be it instinct or the control of another, he brought his hands up to the mask and tore it off his person, with it peeling off his skin in a shower of red.
The mask fell to the ground moments later, only to explode into a blaze of indigo embers, knocking all present in the room onto their backs as the flames encircled the child's feet.
I am Thou…
The red that splattered the boy's eyes dissolved into nothing as flames danced along his skin. Pain was something he did not feel at the moment… rather; all he felt was elation.
Thou Art I...
That thing wearing the PE Teacher's face watched on in horror as the flames danced up the boy's skin, and the blonde he had saved found his eyes slowly widening in awe at the sight before him.
Thou who would accept blasphemy for the sake of thine own justice…
In the face of the fearful, however… the boy found himself smiling as the truest of his feelings resurfaced, having made manifest by the forceful removal of his mask. All his anger and hatred, the righteous fury that had long since resided within him… it came forth in a torrent of Cursed Magic.
And for the first time since forever… the boy felt truly alive.
Call upon my name, and release thy righteous rage!
Blue chains erupted from the ground as the boy's own shadow curled and twisted behind him. A sizable tophat alongside twin devilish horns formed from his very being, accompanied by lanky limbs that stretched and contorted in unnatural ways; befitting that of an otherworldly entity.
Show the strength of thy will to ascertain the truth on thine own…
Through the torrent of Cursed energy and the unrelenting heat of the azure flames, a mask made itself known to all through the sweltering heat. Obsidian black with two dastardly horns pointing forwards, it was quick to blaze to life as twin cruel eyes and a mocking smile was scorched onto its surface; both befitting of a righteous fallen angel.
THOUGH THOU BE CHAINED DOWN TO HELL ITSELF!
"To me… ARSÈNE!"
And at his command, and with a dramatic outwards swing of his arms, mighty wings of coal exploded out from the blue flames surrounding the boy as the Gentleman Thief, Arsène Lupin, fully emerged from behind the child, his presence demanding the attention of the fools around them as the child…
Nay…
As the Trickster finally awoke to his true self.
"I am the Pillager of Twilight… ARSÈNE!"
"Man… have you heard about the rumors surrounding that new transfer student?"
"Oh yeah… think he's anything like Mixta-San?"
"Hell no! He's got a criminal record! At least Mixta-San is chill! This guy might murder us if we look at him wrong!"
"FOR REAL?!"
"Oh crap, he's late! On his first day too!"
"I think I saw him with Sakamoto on the way here! What the Hell?!"
"Holy shit… there he is!"
"Quick, hide before he shanks us or something!"
"..."
Not much was uttered by Akatsuki as he stood idly by the Shujin Academy store, with him biting on his jam bread whilst waiting for Lunchtime to pass him by. Beside him stood Haru, who hummed lightly to herself as she nibbled on her Yakisoba Pan; they had somehow managed to snag one before it was sold out, thank God, and Augus had offered it to his friend, doing the gentlemanly thing all the while.
Unsurprisingly, they it were also inadvertently exposed to the mountain of rumors that circulated around the general student body, all in relation to a single transfer student. If they weren't mistaken, the whole conversation regarding the transfer had begun near the start of the school year, though the duo were a little busy trying to help their painter friend with his dilemma to really pay attention to that matter. Now that they were actually giving it some thought, though, the duo couldn't help but wonder…
"This… transfer student… I wonder what they're really like," mused Haru absentmindedly as she finished up her Yakisoba Pan, to which her friend shrugged. He was indifferent to all the rumors in regards to the transfer, but even so, he would've been lying if he claimed to not be at least a little intrigued all the while…
"Who knows? They're all calling him some sorta delinquent, but doesn't that seem kinda harsh to you? Besides, everyone called me a delinquent when I first got here, and look where those comments got us," mused Akatsuki indifferently. Haru responded to this with a nod, with her preferring to reserve her judgement of him for some other time, though right as she did so, the students around them began to scatter, confusing the Third Years briefly all the while, but even so… their confusion eventually died down when they saw that the source of their worries was none other than the transfer student himself.
The aforementioned transfer student was a shaggy looking kid, with messy black hair, bespectacled grey eyes and his bag slung over his right shoulder. His attire was the atypical Shujin uniform, neatly pressed and normally worn, which was to be expected, and overall… the kid looked… normal. No signs of delinquency anywhere; not even a hint of malice to be seen… sure, he did have an aura of mystery around him, but outside of that… nada…!
So what was with those rumors…?
Beside the transfer student was, surprisingly enough, Sakamoto Ryuji, who was hunched over as per usual, though his expression seemed a bit more sour than either had seen it prior. His expression softened ever so slightly, however, when he took stock of Haru and Akatsuki, with him nodding in their direction before he marched off to his class, half a day late but still determined to get there regardless, though at the same time, the transfer student stood awkwardly by the entrance to Shujin, seeming a little… lost, all the while.
"..." glancing over at Akatsuki and Haru, the transfer seemed a little unsure on what to do for a while, though before long, he sucked up his nerves and approached the duo with a measured stride. The other students that were still around them whispered amongst themselves as the newcomer stopped in front of the two Third Years, and after scratching the back of his head, he asked a simple question. "Hey, uh… do you guys know where the Faculty Office is…?"
Well, this was certainly quite the stark contrast to what the rumors were making him out to be, and it was quite jarring to both Akatsuki and Haru, who both took a moment to process this, but even so, they were quick to get over it as the latter smiled and nodded lightly.
"It is on the second floor; directly by that stairwell. As soon as you reach the second floor, simply go straight and the second door ahead to your left will be the Faculty Office," informed Haru kindly, and to this, the transfer smiled slightly and bowed his head in thanks.
"Thank you," thanked the newcomer with a curt nod, and with that, he was off, speedwalking up to the Faculty Office with the haste of a cheetah. Whilst he left, however, a few mumbles broke out around them, all of which now wondered if the guy was a Yakuza after he had made contact with Akatsuki, and to this, Augus simply paled lightly.
"Fuck…" muttered the boy sadly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, and to this, Haru eyed him worriedly.
"What's wrong, Akatsuki-Kun?" asked Haru curiously, to which Akatsuki scowled.
"People are gonna start to assume that he's Yakuza because of me. Cos… y'know… the whole rumor about me being a Yakuza guy's son? It's technically not wrong, but still…" muttered Akatsuki, with his frustration evident as he facepalmed himself with quite a bit of force, and to this, the girl paled lightly as well, with her finding the whole issue to be very much unfortunate all the while.
"I… I hope that they don't bully him… that would be very much unbecoming of us Shujin students," stated Haru sadly, eliciting a nod from Akatsuki all the while.
"Hmph… same. That kid looked like a good person, too. Here's hoping that trouble doesn't find him…"
4/12, Tues
After School - Unknown Location
(Optional OST - Awakening)
You made me wait quite a while…
The spike of pain that surged through his head was unbearable, and it caused him to double over in agony. His friend had told him that this was Hell… but even so… he had not expected the pain to come so suddenly.
The pain felt like nothing he's ever felt before… both physically… and mentally. Clawing at his head to the point where his scalp began to bleed, the boy screamed out in pain as he fell onto his side, crying out in agony all the while.
You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact…
Spit was flung from his mouth and tears fell from his eyes as he stuggled on the ground, crying out in pain as the voice echoed in his mind. Memories came pouring back to him in an instant.
Good ones from his early days on the track team… running with his friends and laughing alongside them as the wind rushed towards his face…
And horrendous ones… like the day that accursed PE Teacher had first come to his school… when the Track Team had been dissolved…
And the day when his life was ruined after that bastard had broken his leg…nothing was ever truly the same after that… and he had simply… lived with it.
Your name has already been disgraced; you have nothing more to lose, so why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...?
He lived with the shame that came with having his club, practically his lifeblood, be ripped from his very hands.
He lived with the disgrace that came over his family name thanks to the very PE Teacher that broke his leg.
He kept his head down to avoid any troubles, like a fucking coward…
And he constantly ignored the scream of rage that never did stop emanating from within him, even if he knew that to acknowledge it would cost him everything…
Feed into the parts of your other self that cry out for vengeance…
And yet… now, in this accursed Castle of Lust, his worries were no longer present.
He felt anger at first… and then shame… and then… he felt the need to fight.
Whoever this voice was… they were right. There was nothing more for him to lose…
It was time to stop taking everything on the chin… it was time to STRIKE BACK!
I am Thou…
Rising up to one knee, the boy grit his teeth as he forced himself to bare with the pain both in his leg and focused in his mind. He was done running away… and as he showed the strength of his will, thunderclaps could be heard all around him… and lightning coalesced at his feet.
Blazing gold and rising in strength, the lightning gathered around him and raced up his body, though they did not hurt, not one bit…
Accompanied by a pained cry, the boy's head jolted upwards, and as it did so, the lightning danced up to the upper half of his face and coalesced around his eyes, forming what seemed to be a skull-shaped mask all the while.
Dark and menacing, it was a stark contrast to the boy's own attitude.
There is no turning back…
From this day onwards…
And with a mighty tug, the child ripped the mask off, his eyes rolling back into his head as he cried out in agony, with blood staining the regions where the mask had initially been attached to his face.
THE SKULL OF REBELLION SHALL BE YOUR FLAG HENCEFORTH!
And with the removal of his mask, a pillar of blue flame engulfed his body as the boy awoke to who he truly was, and moments later, his other self manifested behind him, with its flag hoisted and ready to set sail to a brighter.
Lightning crackled by the tips of its cannon arm as its tipped its pirate hat down in a somewhat menacing fashion, and before them, the masked gentleman and gentleman cat got back up to their feet as the newly awakened Chariot threw his head back and grinned, knowing that with his awakening, there would be Hell to pay.
"Oh man… wassup Persona? This effin rocks…!"
"Blast em away… CAPTAIN KIDD!"
4/13, Wed
Afternoon - Shujin Rooftop
The new kid seemed to be getting a little chummy around Sakamoto Ryuji, something that came off as a bit of a shock to Akatsuki and Haru at first, but still, they eventually realized that, in retrospect… it wasn't all that surprising.
Though they had barely interacted with one another, Ryuji, for all his faults, had shown himself to be someone that could see the best in others, and it was likely that he saw something in the transfer student that made him befriend him. Regardless of his reasonings for staying close to the transfer, however, the two did hope that they stayed safe. The school had already pinned the transfer down as a delinquent despite his, thus far, gentle nature, and Sakamoto himself was a delinquent that didn't seem to deserve such a title, so rumors about them were bound to be spread like there was no tomorrow, now that they were traveling together.
Either way, the Volleyball rally was scheduled for the day, but in truth, neither Akatsuki nor Haru really gave a toss about it. In the past, the latter would've gone off to participate in it, if only out of obligation, but her hanging out with the former had given her a heightened sense of confidence, and as such, she found it in her to not feed into Kamoshida's ego and just do her own thing to pass the time.
In this case… it was to hang out with Akatsuki on the roof, as per usual.
"Everywhere I go, all I hear about is that transfer student…" lamented Akatsuki, with him sighing as he acknowledged how the rumors about the new kid were getting rather out of hand. The rumor about him and Haru dating had been all but squashed out by it by now, and in all honesty, whilst he was alright with that rumor being silenced, he still felt bad for the kid that was taking the full brunt of the gossip mill in his steed. "I kind of feel bad for him…"
"I do too, but that's just how rumors work. When a new one comes up, the old ones tend to be phased out in favour of them," stated Haru as she watered some of the plants, and at that, Akatsuki sighed and nodded sadly in agreement. "It's a self-perpetuating system that will never end, and until something new comes in to dethrone the transfer student's position as the latest rumor magnet, he will constantly be put under scrutiny."
"Yeah… speaking from experience, hm?" mused Akatsuki and to this, Haru blushed as… yes, she was indeed speaking from experience. Having a father that was quite the rumor magnet did that to a person, she supposed.
Either way, the volleyball rally ended quickly enough, though the two Third Years remained on the roof well into the day, with Haru showing some elation as she took note of some of the grape plants blossoming healthily. Akatsuki's grin mirrored her own for a multitude of reasons, but even so, he didn't let his gluttony for grapes show all that much as he cleared his throat and said that it was rather cool.
The teachers didn't seem to mind their prolonged absence (well, most of them, anyways, as Kawakami, despite not being his homeroom anymore, was a bit peeved at Akatsuki's blatant disregard for protocol), though then again, many of them were faceless mooks on Kobayakawa's payroll, so that made enough sense, they supposed.
Whilst leaving the school, however, the duo did bump into Shiho Suzui, who stood by the courtyard of Shujin with her phone held up to her ear. At first, the two were curious as to why she was still here, so close to the end of the school day no less, though they were intent on leaving her be; whatever Suzui was doing was none of their business, after all.
But even so… they were quick to notice that the girl seemed distraught as her eyes were glued to the distance, blank and lifeless, something that worried them as they shared a quick look, only to nod and move in to ask her if she was alright. Suzui may not have been a friend, per say, but as decent human beings, Akatsuki and Haru still felt obligated to try and lift her chin up in some way.
And yet, right as they opened the door to the courtyard…
"You're a sick human being…"
"Y-You… n-no…! You can't do that to her…!"
"You can't…! No… I won't let you! You… y-you…!"
"I… o-okay… f-f-fine… I… you win… you… you may have me… m-my king…"
… Akatsuki and Haru both felt their faces losing colour as they realized what they had just walked in on, and on instinct, the latter gasped out in shock, with that sound causing Shiho to panic as she nearly dropped her phone whilst turning to face them. Hastily, she wiped at her eyes, ridding the tears staining them, when she saw her acquaintances standing by the door to the courtyard, and upon realizing that she might've been eavesdropped on, she turned tail and ran.
"Suzui-San, WAIT!" proclaimed Haru as she bolted ahead, with Akatsuki following suit soon enough, though it was rather clear to them that Shiho was faster. Or at least… "Akatsuki, go! I'll catch up!"
"Mm!" was all Akatsuki could push out at that time as he broke out from a run into a full sprint, with him covering a lot of ground as a result. Running in the school halls was something one should refrain from doing, but even so, Augus couldn't give less of a shit right now as he closed in on Shiho, whom he tailed all the way to the school gates.
Suzui's head start was a large one, but even so, the stairs that led up to Shujin slowed her down significantly, even as she descended them two at a time; Akatsuki opted to just jump down the flight and managed to land in an awkward stumble before he continued his pursuit of Shiho, ignoring how he gained a lot of attention because of this, and ultimately, the chase lasted for just a few more seconds before the volleyball girl ran out of steam. It was rather obvious then, that she had been running on fumes this whole time, as she took a turn into an alley and nearly collapsed in exhaustion, giving Augus enough time to catch up to her thereafter.
"Suzui-San… stop… running, dammit! We just want to help you!" forced out Akatsuki in between gasps of air, and to this, the volleyball team member grimaced and turned to glare at Augus, with her hollowed eyes gazing directly into his soul all the while. She didn't seem to trust him to the point of speaking her mind just yet.
"I don't need your help… I… I don't… I… I-I… you can't help me… you can't…" began Shiho, only for her words to devolve into choked sobs as she felt a mixture of exhaustion, pain inherited from volleyball practice and what she had been planning to do rain down upon her all at once. Covering her face with both her hands, Suzui broke down into tears, with Akatsuki flinching as he as he crouched down and held a hand out towards her shoulder awkwardly, though as luck would have it, Haru had been close by, and, guided by the sound of Shiho's sobbing, the girl found her way to her friend and acquaintance and was quick to gasp.
"Suzui-San… oh, Suzui…" muttered Haru sympathetically, with her understanding, to a certain degree, what her situation was as she stepped in to hold her acquaintance close, and when she did, Shiho promptly wrapped her arms around her smaller body and cried into her chest, with her wailing into it as she let out all her repressed emotions.
Evening - Aoyama Park
It took some time, but eventually, Shiho had calmed herself down after a few moments of bawling into Haru's chest, and once she was in a semi-stable frame of mind, the girl was brought to a local park in Aoyama-Itchome, which proved to be rather quiet thanks to what time it was, where the two Third Years sat her down on a bench; Haru sat to her left whilst Akatsuki stood by her right, glancing down at the girl worriedly all the while.
Reaching into her bag, Haru pulled out a small flask filled with tea, offering it to Shiho all the while. She liked to use it to share some of the tea she made at home with her friend on the roof, though considering their current situation, Suzui no doubt needed it more. The volleyball team member didn't seem keen on drinking at first, but she eventually accepted it, and upon taking a sip, she couldn't help but smile.
"This… t-this is very good, Okumura-Senpai…" muttered Shiho with a smile, to which Haru nodded, and at that, she took a few more sips before handing it back to her senior, who capped it and went silent. By the sidelines, Akatsuki thumbed through his phone, informing Yusuke that something had come up and neither he nor Haru would be answering his messages for a while, something he understood completely before going dark.
With that done, Akatsuki turned back towards Shiho worriedly. He really wanted to just ask her about her situation, but considering what he's heard prior… it would be best to not push the issue without explicit consent from the girl.
"You're both probably wondering what that was, huh?" mused Shiho after some time had passed, with her sitting with her hands on her thighs, with them clenched tightly as she spoke, eliciting a small nod from Haru and a mild grunt from Akatsuki. "Well… w-what do you think it was about?"
"... I… do not wish to think about the possibilities but…" gulped Haru, with her voice shuddering almost as much as her fists were. "Suzui… Shiho… is someone blackmailing you into performing… sexual favours for them?"
"..." Shiho's gaze lowered, with her bangs covering her eyes as she offered a small nod of her head, and at that, Haru suppressed a gasp as she held a hand up to her mouth, with her struggling to process what she had just heard all the while. Akatsuki, on the other hand, felt his vision burning as white hot rage bubbled up in his stomach, and in an instant, he clenched his fist to the point of his nails drawing blood.
"Shiho. Suzui Shiho… look at me, please" muttered Akatsuki, with him keeping his voice firm yet gentle all at once. His features softened as he marched in front of the volleyball team member and crouched down to look her in the eye. Somewhat uncertainly, Shiho did as she was told, and when she did, she was surprised to see just how… protective the boy before her looked. Likewise, Haru's gaze reflected no small amount of protectiveness directed at her as well; their combined presence made it known to her that whoever it was that wished for her to perform sexual acts for them… they would pay dearly.
"Y-Yes, Mixta-Senpai…?" muttered Shiho, and to this, Akatsuki continued.
"Tell me who asked you to perform sexual favours for them. Please. You don't need to protect them. I promise you that Haru and I can and will keep you safe from them," promised Akatsuki, and to this, the volleyball team member could only flinch in surprise at his words. No one had bothered to ask her about the issue, not until now, anyways. Only Ann had done so, and even then, Suzui had not told her the entire truth, not when it would only cause her reputation to be dragged through the mud alongside her own.
"It… wouldn't matter… they're too powerful," muttered Shiho, with her words causing both Third Years to flinch as they glanced at one another in defeat… only for their defeat to turn into determination once more as Haru and Akatsuki turned back to Suzui with a fire in their eyes.
"It doesn't matter, as the lawyers of Okumura Enterprises are even stronger!" protested Haru, with her pumping her fist as she spoke, and likewise…
"And the lawyers of Hanatsu will back them up if they somehow aren't," added Akatsuki, with him grinning just a bit when Shiho abruptly tensed up.
"Okumura Enterprises… Hanatsu…? Why would…"
The words were caught in her throat as she made the realization that Haru was more than willing to use her family connections to save her from this Hell she had found herself in, with her widening her eyes at this, but at the same time… Hanatsu? How would…
"... I don't want to waste your resources, Okumura-Senpai… and why would an organisation like Hanatsu even turn to acknowledge someone like me? I doubt I'm worth their time…" muttered Shiho in despair, to which Akatsuki grinned.
"Don't say that, Shiho; no one is unworthy of Hanatsu's time, and even if that were the case, they will help you if I tell them to," grinned Akatsuki, and when Shiho turned to face him, confused at his words, and to this, the boy explained himself without pause. "No point in hiding it now; my proper name is Augus 'Mixta' Akatsuki… son of Mixta Atra and the adopted son to Aina Bernstein Kudelia, the founder of Hanatsu."
To prove his words, Akatsuki pulled out his identity card and offered it to Shiho, who had to read it thrice over before handing it back shakily. Once the boy had it back in his hands, he watched as Suzui hugged herself whilst chuckling lightly, sounding just a bit manic all the while.
"I… I never knew… if only I had know… you… y-you can really get rid of that shithead, yeah?" muttered Shiho, sounding hopeful as she held herself tightly, and to this, the pink haired boy huffed whilst the auburn haired girl nodded firmly.
"We can, though we'll need some time to do it. Until then, we can keep you safe until further notice," assured Haru, with her smiling lightly when she felt Shiho's mood lift.
"Me… and Takamaki Ann, please. She's affected by this too…" said Shiho, and when Akatsuki and Haru nodded, she mustered up her courage… and told them who it was.
Welcome... to the Kamoshida Arc!