Disclaimer: Prison School belongs to its original creator Akira Hiramoto and the anime series J.C Staff. Shadowdream30 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, original scenes.

Getting back from her "date" with Matsuri, Meiko began to question their belief in Matsuri and his connection to the photos of Yoshimiya. And her ever growing feelings for the boy, but this only goes far when Hana enters the scene, overhearing her conversation…


-Hachimitsu Academy- [Girls Bath]


May 21st Saturday

7:00pm

Time stood still around them, not a single word was uttered between the two councils. Meiko stood still sitting on the stool with her head turned around, looking over shoulders. Her eyes wide as dinner plates with her cheeks flushed deep crimson red. The shower left on, beating down on her bare naked body. She remained in stasis as she looked at the blonde member with shock and fear.

Hana, on her part, stood at least a good inch away from the gray-haired vice president, her hand clenched onto her towel that partly covered her breast, all the way down to her groin. She continues to look at Meiko, her mouth slightly open from hearing what she just said out loud.

This moment continued on before Hana finally spoke. "M-Meiko…..do you…..do you like Ma-"

Before she could finish, Meiko was in front of Hana in a flash. She clasped both of her hands together with her own, looking deep into Hana's eyes with complete franticness.

"N-N-NO! PLEASE DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME! I DIDN'T MEAN 'SWEET' IN AN AFFECTIONATE WAY! I-I-I MEAN 'SWEET' AS IN I RESPECT HIM AS A PERSON! NOT IN AN AFFECTIONATE WAY! NOT EVER!"

"O-Okay Meiko I get, pl-please calm down." Hana stuttered, feeling Meiko shoving herself onto her. Feeling her massive breast pressing against her small breasts.

"I DON'T HOLD ANY FEELINGS FOR THAT SCUMBAG! I-I-ITS GOES AGAINST MY BELIEF! NOT JUST MINE'S BUT MADAME PRESIDENT'S!" Meiko continued on with her ramble, practically but lightly forcing Hana to move backward.

Hana blushed from how close Meiko was towards her. But was rather terrified with how frantic she was. "M-Meiko calm down, will you!?"

"I AM MERELY JUST USING MATSURI TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOSHIMIYA! THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BETWEEN US TWO! THERE'S NOTHING I TELL YOU! NOTHING-"

Before she could utter another word. Hana's foot ends up slipping on a soap and her body goes flying backward. Pulling Meiko with her, the vice president's body weighed against Hana, pushing up against her body as the two fell to the wet tile floor. Hana hits the floor hard, with Meiko's body falling on top of her. The two ended up in an embarrassing position with Meiko face narrowly missing Hana face, hitting face the floor over her shoulders. Hana's body was pinned to the ground with Meiko bare naked form on top.


It took nearly a minute or so before the two washed their bodies and ended up in the tub filled with water. Soaking themselves in the bath water.

Both Hana and Meiko were side by side, both of them looking off to the sides with their cheeks bright as red. Hana was biting her lips trying to find some ways to distract herself from what just transpired between the two. Meiko on the other hand felt even more embarrassed as she just looked the other way with an equally embarrassed face. Both her hands squeezed her massive bosom, pushing them together forming into a sponge.

"I-I'm truly s-sorry Hana. I didn't know what came over me." Meiko said with somber in her tone. "I-I assumed that you would misunderstand what I meant by saying something ridiculous such as that. I'm very sorry."

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Hana said with a nervous smile. "I-I-I mean what I heard was weird, but it's nice to hear that you were just using it as a means to just get more information out of him. So in the end it was all just your plans to get towards Matsuri and gather information on Yoshimiya."

"Y-Yes! That is exactly it!" Meiko said with a smile before turning the other way, her smile faded and switched to a frown. "At least…..at least that's what I thought up at the moment. If Hana was to get the wrong idea, she'll possibly inform Madam President! I'll never hear the end of this."

"So….."

"Huh?"

"I was wondering if you found out anything about Matsuri. Did you get any information or new evidence that may point us to Yoshimiya's death."

Meiko gasped a little, her eyes looking at Hana's before she turned the other way with a frown. "S-Sadly, I did not."

"Huh? Seriously?" Hana said her smile faded into disappointment.

"I'm afraid so. But it just raised more questions and….our belief that Matsuri is the culprit behind Yoshimiya death, keeps falling apart."

Hana eyes widen for a moment. "What do you mean?"

Meiko looks at her close friend. Wearing a serious expression. "What I mean is that Matsuri is very unlikely to cause something that would result in Yoshimiya death." She said, looking at Hana's surprised expression already gave her an idea of what she was thinking. "Hana, based on what I've seen so far, Matsuri has shown little ill intentions against any of the female students and staff of this school. And just today when I went out together with him and his sisters. He showed little interest in performing anything perverted."

"O-Oh yeah," Hana stuttered a bit. Surprised by Meiko's report. "Is that so?"

"Yes. However, that doesn't mean that there are other possibilities with her death." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"Other possibilities, huh? Like what for example? Do we have anything we can base it on?"

Meiko took a moment to ponder, rubbing her chin with her finger. "Matsuri's sister mentioned something to me and it's been bugging me for a while now. There's a possibility that Matsuri is still involved in her death. But he could be just a pawn in someone else's scheme."

"Oh yeah? I never thought about that….then again," Hana thoughts transferred over to the boy and his demeanor. He is very unlikely to have caused any harm to someone he found precious to him. "Never mind. But if that was the case, then wouldn't that just lead us back to square one."

"Perhaps. But again, take this with a grain of salt. We don't have any evidence to go on that can support our claim."

Hana lets out a sigh before letting her back fall against the rim of the bath. "Great, that means we're stuck once more."

"...not necessarily." Meiko spoke out once more. Gaining her attention. "I believe that if we can play our cards right, perhaps we can continue our investigation into this. And I forgot to bring this up with Madam President, but the other day…I heard Matsuri talking in his sleep. He said something about a…..Hayakki."

"Hayakki…whose that?"

"Not sure. But my guesses are that it's someone that Matsuri knows…he was having trouble sleeping. It's like he was being tormented…he just kept turning and felt even more in pain before he finally relaxed. If anything, I believe that Matsuri was once bullied before he came here." She said, gripping her arm.

Hana just looked at Meiko with a curious but a subtle shocked gaze. She was not expecting to hear any of this from the fierce vice president, especially for someone who is willing to put any of the boys in their places in case they step out of line. But to see her show a completely different side to Matsuri just struck her as odd. What was it about Matsuri that made Meiko show this type of personality?

"Hey, Meiko." Hana gained the vice president's attention once more. "You've been having this thought about Matsuri for a while now, haven't you?"

Meiko flinched. "W-What do you mean!?"

"Well," Hana said as she brought a finger to her chin. "I mean, you've been rather soft around Matsuri for quite some time now. Not to mention, it feels like you really are growing feelings for him as well. Despite him being a boy."

"L-Like I said it's nothing like that." She said facing the other way, trying to hide her blush. She blinked in deep thoughts to herself. "If anything….it's more like I can understand where he's coming from."

"Huh?"

Meiko shook her head. "Nothing. It's really just a thought of this new possibility. I suggest we should wait until tomorrow and bring this up with Madam President."

"O-Oh! Yeah. Good idea. Perhaps she would know what to do with this." She said with a smile.

Meiko merely just nodded as she returned to relax against the side of the tub. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling. Today had been a rather long day for the most part. She went out together with Matsuri and his sisters, they went bowling and shopping for underwear for her.

The undergarment bit is where she felt her cheeks heated up the most. She could still remember that intense scene between them both. While she could've just got Ayame to help, she rushed and wanted Matsuri to help to get it over with. What truly amazed her about the boy was that he offered his assistance to put on her bra, but he kept his eyes closed while he was offering his assistance.

"Was he…..was he trying to make me feel comfortable around him…." She asked herself in her thoughts. She let her body lower into the water. Leaving half of her head floating just above the baseline height of the water. Her thoughts were on how it almost felt like the boy was hugging her from behind. It almost felt nice from her perspective. She would've preferred if he just helped from the front, but she wouldn't lie, she did enjoy that small moment between them.

"Now that I think about it…I haven't shown any hostility towards him when he is near me or touches me. When it's the boys, sure, I have no issues of showing no mercy, but Matsuri…..it's as if….its as if I'm becoming more and more comfortable with him in my space. Could I be…could I be slowly accepting his trust?"

As Meiko was deep in her own thoughts. Hana had her glance on the vice president with a suspicious look. Just what was happening with the vice president? She was still her, but to see her like this was odd.

And she could take a guess that Matsuri has something to do with it.


..


Andre sat alone in the room. He turned his head to look around, he recognized the small tv monitor that hung on the wall, the giant table that was in front of him. The gray textureless walls that surrounded him. Even though his clothing was different, he wore a familiar black and white jumpsuit. He was back in his prison clothing.

"Am I…..am I back in prison….." He said to himself as he looked around.

If he was, then where was his friends? Why was it only him? Did he do something wrong?

"Kiyoshi…..Shingo, Gakuto…..Jo…where are they?"

"Andre~."

He snaps his head around. He turned to the entrance way that was opened. He listened closely to the voice that repeatedly called out to him. This femenine voice, he recognizes this voice.

"Andre~. Punishment Andre~."

"V-Vice President…my queen." He said as he slowly got up from his chair.

His breath became shaky as he walked towards the door. He opens it with ease and walks out into the dark hallway. He couldn't see anything or anyone. There was nothing but pitch black. He walked down the hallway, all he could hear was the sound of his footsteps that echoed across the hallway.

"Punishment~."

"That is…..that is her! My queen! My queen! I'm coming for my punishment!" He said as he ran towards the sound of her voice.

Andre ran as fast as he could, making a mad dash towards the sound! The sound grew louder against the impact he was making on the ground. His breath quickens at the same pace as his heart. He ran and ran down the continuous dark hallway! He was ready to receive his punishment that would be bestowed by the vice president.

He sees a light at the end of the hallway! Andre ran faster! The light grew brighter as he ran towards it. It grew brighter, brighter, until finally he found himself inside the light.


Andre finds himself outside, front of the prison block. But was he truly outside, it was almost too empty. He was practically in the middle of nowhere, with the only the prison building behind him. He was sure that he followed Meiko's voice outside and followed it to this room. But where was she?

"Madam Vice president!? Madam Vice President! Where are you!?"

"Andre~."

There it was again. He looks to his left. Standing there, in the distance. Standing tall in her high heel boots, but her wear was different. She wore a black corset, garter belt, and stockings that wrapped in her form. The corset tightly wrapped her waist, greatly accommodating her massive breast that were snuggled inside the black bras. Holding in her hand was her trusty horse whip.

"M-M-Mommy?"

"What?" Meiko spouts from her lips as she looks at Andre with fire in her eyes. "Did you just call me?"

Andre started to pant as he looked onward, his gaze on the figure of the vice president who was building with rage. She gripped her whip with force, she began to seethe through her teeth.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!? WHO ARE YOU CALLING MOTHER!? HUH!? ANDREEEEE!"

"Mommy! Mommy! Madam Vice President!"

Meiko brought out her whip and pointed it at Andre. "Come and get your punishment…..ANDRE!"

Andre made a mad dash towards the gray-haired vice president! This is what he was waiting for, he was waiting for this very moment to get his punishment! But he couldn't because of her spare time with Matsuri, but now she was all to himself! Saliva flew from his mouth as he ran after her, all common sense left his brain as he aimlessly ran towards her! He was in arms reach-

-Only to be stopped. Stopped? Stopped by what!? Something was pricking his hands. He looked closely at what he was grabbing. His face, his arms, his whole body was wrapped in…..barbwires!?

"What's wrong?" Meiko said as she whips the air in front of the hungry Andre. "Do you not want to be punished?"

"N-NO! I WANT TO BE PUNISHED! PLEASE VICE PRESIDENT! COME CLOSER! COME CLOSER TO ME! MOMMY!"

"Tsk. Guess you don't want this," Meiko said with a disappointed look as she turned around. Leaving the large boy struggling to get his punishment. "Oh well then."

Andre tried his very hardest to break the barb-wires with his brute strength, but nothing was working. The wires wrapped around him tighter. Trail of blood were oozing out of his skin as he tried to force his way through.

"NO! PLEASE! GIVE ME PUNISHMENT! SPIT ON ME! SLAP ME ACROSS THE FACE! STEP ON ME! SIT YOUR HUGE ASS ON ME! ANYTHING! PLEASE MADAM VICE PRESIDENT!"

He sees Meiko walking towards another figure. A smaller figure than him, a weaker frame, messy brown hair. But the clothing he wore, it looked like he was wearing a black bondage lingerie outfit that barely covered anything of his body. Leaving the majority of his skin exposed. His well toned chest and back were exposed. He wore an eye-patch on his left eye. He carried with him a whip in his left hand.

"WAIT! WHO IS THAT!? WHO ARE YOU!? WHY ARE YOU-"

"There you are Meiko." The male voice said as he stretched his hand out towards the gray-haired vice president.

A chain appeared in his hand as it started building itself towards Meiko's neck, a collar appeared around her neck. The boy pulls Meiko near his face, a smile smeared on his face. "Are you acting up again?"

"No, Master."

"MASTER!?"

The boy looked towards where Andre is sitting among the ground. "Ah. That fool Andre again. Was he attempting to get you to punish him again? Hehehe, such a fool he is."

Andre scrunched his eyes at the boy, that voice, that hair, his frame. He looked too familiar. But he couldn't put his finger on it. He tried to lean closer from where he was trapped. He looked closer at the boy…was it…..

"M-Matsuri?"

"Honestly," Matsuri pointed his whip at the boy who was trapped. Wearing a smug expression on his face. "Meiko is my pet and only I can choose what she can and can't do. Stay out of this."

"W-WHAT!? Wait a minute…..your…..you're not a masochist…..you're actually a…..you're a sadist!?"

"As for you Meiko," He said to the girl as he yanks her chain causing her to moan sexually in pain. "It seems like I have to give you a valuable lesson once more till you get it through your thick head."

"Y-Yes master~." She said as she followed the boy further away from Andre.

Andre couldn't believe what he was seeing, this wasn't what he imagined it to be. This wasn't what he predicted at all! He was wrong! The chemistry that was being played between the two was more of a S&M roleplay. And he was the unfortunate victim to watch in horror.

"N-NO! NO! VICE PRESIDENT WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? DON'T JUST DO WHAT HE SAID!? MATSURI YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO!? DON'T TAKE MY QUEEN AWAY FROM ME AND CLAIM HER AS YOUR OWN! GET BACK HERE! GET BACK HERE WITH MY QUEEEEEEEENNNNNNNN!"

Everything went white.


-Boy's Dormitory-


"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"GGAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

"INDEEEEEDDDD!?"

Andre shot straight up from the floor, his breath became shaky as he looked at his surroundings. He felt his clothing to see if he was still wearing his old pajamas. Knowing that he wasn't wearing his prison garment and he was within familiar territory. It was a dream…or more of a horrible nightmare.

"Andre?" Joe asked from his bed. "You okay?"

"Andre-dono? What ails you scream that loud? It's nearly 5am."

Andre didn't say anything, he just looked at his friends with a terrified expression and just looked towards his hands. They trembled as he gripped the edge of his blankets with fear. Just what was that dream? That nightmare? That horrible nightmare he had, represents what he been troubled by in real life. Meiko spending time with Matsuri and not receiving punishments. But his dream made it worse….

Matsuri…he was a demon in his dream. He took Meiko away from him and turned out to be a dominant who ruled over her and she was…..enjoying it?

He violently shook his head and looked towards his friends. "I-It's fine…..nothing to worry about."

"Are you positive," Gakuto said as he pushed his glasses up. "You seem to be out of it lately."

"Hey Andre," Joe began with a concerned voice. "If you're not feeling well, speak up. What's going on?"

"..." The large boy once again said nothing more but smiled. "Nothing is wrong. Let's go back to bed. Good night." He said as he returned back under his covers.

The two boys merely just looked at him with curiosity and concerns. Andre has been acting rather strange lately. They could guess what it was, but they were too tired to discuss it. Perhaps in the morning. The two returned back to sleep.

Andre however, remained sleepless. He just looked onward with uncertainty. He thought back to his nightmare. Meiko not giving him punishment and Matsuri being the dominant role and inflicting pain on Meiko.

All of this did not sit well with him.


-Out in the Courtyard-


May 22nd Sunday

4:00pm

The six boys, including Etsuko, were sitting around the table out in the courtyard. The five boys were exchanging conversation between each other, while Matsuri was looking at a piece of paper that he was holding onto.

"WHAT!?" Kiyoshi, Gakuto, Andre and Joe all looked at Shingo with shocked looks. "YOU PLANNING ON GOING ON A DATE WITH ANZU!?"

Shingo hissed at them. "Keep your voices down will you! A-Anyways, yeah. I was planning on asking out Anzu someday and going out on a date with h-her." He said trying to act cool.

Etsuko was the first to notice his "act" and called him. "Wow~. Look at you acting like you know what you're doing."

"S-Shut up! I know what I'm doing! I-It's just that I don't know where to take her." He said feeling unsure, but tried to play it off so that they wouldn't notice.

"Actually," Joe spoke with a cough. "What do you mean by 'date'? It's not like you got anything on your mind besides getting laid."

Shingo reacted by twitching. Pointing accusing eyes at the hooded boy. "D-DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! I wasn't thinking of that!"

"Your face says otherwise." Matsuri thought to himself with a deadpan look.

"In fact…..I-I was thinking of…..kissing her first."

"A KISS!?" All four of them, excluding Matsuri and Etsuko, shouted at the top of their tongues.

It was by that point, all four of them crowded Shingo with angered expressions. Joe grabs Shingo by the hair with the other three looking at him with disbelief and anger.

"Y-You bastard!"

"Indeed! That is indeed an outrageous plan! Shingo-dono, you nefarious scoundrel!"

"W-Wait! At least let me explain first!" Shingo said, trying to calm his friends down. "P-Please! Do any of you know how to kiss a girl!?"

No words were exchanged between them. All of the boys just stared at Shingo with a stoned, expressionless gaze. Immediately giving him the answer that none of them have ever, in their entire lives have ever kissed a girl before. Matsuri and Etsuko just looked on with baffled gazes, has the conversation really gone this far.

"Y-YOU BASTARD," Joe burst first grabbing Shingo's hair once more. "LIKE HELL WE EVER KISSED A GIRL BEFORE!"

"THE IDEA OF ANY OF US HAVING TO KISS A GIRL IS INDEED A RIDICULOUS QUESTION! SHINGO-DONO YOU NEFARIOUS SCOUNDREL!"

"S-S-STOP ASKING STUPID QUESTIONS!" Andre burst with rage.

"YEAH SHINGO! THAT REALLY DUMB OF YOU FOR ASKING!"

"I-I'M SORRY FOR ASKING! BUT HAVE ANY OF YOU AT LEAST EX…."

They stopped for a moment. All five of them looked at each other with blank stares. As if they were connecting with each other through their thoughts alone. Slowly turning their heads towards the sixth boy on the table who was sitting beside Etsuko.

Matsuri was already regretting this. "W-What?" The boy asked with a stutter.

"Hey Matsuri…" Shingo was the first to ask. "Have you…ever kissed a girl before."

The boy's face flushed red, giving out a squeak. "WH-WHAT!?"

"Ah, who am I kidding. No way you get a kiss." The blonde boy waved it off.

"It could still be possible." Joe said with a cough. "I mean, he dated the Vice President yesterday." He said, unaware of the flinch from Andre.

"Hold on!" Matsuri slams his hand on the table, grabbing their attention. "How the hell did you know about that!?"

"So it's true then! You two went out on a date!" Shingo exclaimed once more.

"We overheard you two talking last night," Andre spoke, his friends not noticing his hand curling into a fist. "We thought it was just you talking on the phone or something, but we recognized the Vice President's voice. Then we heard you inviting her out to go bowling or something." He said before shifting his gaze off in the opposite direction.

"Sounded like you two had a swell time with each other."

"W-Wait hold on! It wasn't a date! I just invited her out with my sisters! That's all!"

"Aw~! Really!? No spicy moments between you two!" Etsuko said with stars in her eyes, her notebook already ready in hand.

"You seriously got your notebook out already!? And I'm not telling you guys anything!" Matsuri said facing the other way, his cheeks still flush red.

The boys took notice of his expression. Knowing fully well that something DID happened between the two members.

"Hey come on, we're all friends here. Surely you must have kissed her or something?" Shingo asked with a smirk.

"Indeed. Shingo-dono is right, Matsuri-dono. You may tell us how your day was with the ever so alluring Vice President."

"Come on talk already, you lucky bastard." Joe coughed.

Matsuri bit his lip, feeling their intense pressure surrounding him. Giving out a groan, feeling his heart thumping against his chest. "I'm telling the truth. Meiko and I did not kiss."

"Hey, there you go again," Kiyoshi spoke with a curious gaze. "You called her by first name."

"...w-well…..I mean she said she was fine with it. As long as it's not while we're in public together."

"SO THERE IS SOMETHING BETWEEN YOU TWO!?" The four boys exclaimed out loud.

By this point all of them (minus Andre and Kiyoshi) crowded the poor boy with multiple accusations, questions, and just venting out their anger on the boy. Matsuri tried his hardest to wave them off, but they just crowded him in one spot.

"YOU LITTLE! DON'T GET SO STUCK UP JUST BECAUSE YOU MANAGED TO LAY ONE ON THE VICE PREZ!"

"YOU BASTARD! YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"INDEED! TELL US THE DETAILS! HOW WAS HER KISS!?"

Matsuri's face was completely red by this point. He started to grit his teeth in frustration, he could feel sweat dripping against his cheeks. His eyes began to swirl, feeling all sorts of emotion as the boys surrounded him. His heart pounded hard, his blood starting boiling. He snapped.

"MY FIRST KISS WAS NOT AT HACHIMITSU ACADEMY!"


They all stopped. The three boys that crowded him, now stepping a few inches away from the trembling boy. Etsuko and Kiyoshi looked at the boy with sympathetic looks, but held on to very shocked expressions. They never knew or even saw how Matsuri could yell like that.

Matsuri bit his lip, his face still red from embarrassment and anger. He shook his head trying to calm down. "M-My first kiss," He choked. "Wasn't here….."

"...what?" Kiyoshi was the first to break the silence. "Then you have been kissed before?"

"W-Well…I wouldn't call it an actual k-kiss…but more of…call it a peck on the cheeks maybe."

"I-I mean, I guess it still counts." Shingo said, trying to regain himself from the sudden outburst from the boy. "S-So who was it from….oh wait."

"Matsuri-dono, if I'm implying correctly, your first kiss was from…Yoshimiya-dono was it?"

The boy bit his lip. He tried his best not to cry. He lets out a long breath before speaking. "Y-Yes. B-But like I said. We didn't actually kiss, but just a peck."

"Matsuri…" Etsuko whispered. Trying not to cry.

"Sounded like you two were very close, huh?" Kiyoshi said with a small smile.

Matsuri didn't say anything, but stayed silent. Recimenting his memories of the time he spent with the former council president at his old school. He recalls her smiles, her laughter, her ever mischievous grin, her short but beautiful hair with purple lining along the sides. What made her happy and what didn't. Her bravery. Everything he could recount from those memories.

"She was amazing."

The boys (including Etsuko) said nothing. They could feel the boy's pain and sadness. No word was needed to describe how he was feeling at that point….

"You must really admire her, huh?" Andre started. All of the attention was on him. "Your devotion for Yoshimiya I mean."

"W-Well, I mean…I really did."

"Then why?"

"Huh?"

"If you admire so much…if you really did treat her as your queen…" Andre started trembling at this point, his hand curled into a fist. "WHY DID YOU KILL HER!?"

A light gasp escaped their mouths, cold sweat dripped against their skin as they looked at Andre with warning glances. Their eyes wide as dinner plates as they looked at him, slowly turning their heads towards the boy in accusation. Matsuri looked at the large boy with a motionless gaze. His eyes wide, his heart thumped slowly against his chest. He started to tremble.

"A-Andre…." Kiyoshi tried to calm him down.

"You admire Yoshimiya as if she were your queen! That's your queen! And you…..you killed her!"

"Andre-dono! Pray! Calm yourself!"

"Y-Yeah, come on Andre!" Shingo added in.

Etsuko could only watch in concern as her gaze was on the boy next to her. Matsuri's lips started to tremble, trying to find the words to speak. "Actually, how do these guys know about Yoshimiya's death?"

By this point, his beady angered eyes were on the terrified boy. "How could you do such a thing to her! Was she not good enough for you! Did she not have what the Vice President has!? You took those photos didn't you!? And now you're gonna do the same to the Vice President!"

"N-N-" Matsuri tried to say something, anything! But he couldn't, he kept on stumbling on his words, his breathing catching in his throat.

"You're gonna attempt the same thing to my queen aren't you!? You're the reason why I can't get enough punishment from her! I can't get enough time with her alone because either of council duties or if it's just you two being together! I can't stand it! I can't bear the fact of you just using the Vice President for your own needs!"

"Andre, settle down!" Kiyoshi said as he walked over to set his hand over his shoulders.

Andre didn't listen, his rage completely blind him of any common sense, he got up from his seat and stormed over to Matsuri who remained still throughout the entire scenario. He was suddenly grabbed from the collar and hoisted up in the air, his face was towards Andre's angry face.

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU HIDING FROM US!?"

Matsuri's eyes trembled in fear, cold sweat dripped against his skin as he was looking straight at Andre who was at this point threatening Matsuri. Etsuko grabs onto Andre, trying to save her friend from Andre threatening rage, but proven to be futile. The boys tried to stop him, but were not strong enough.

"Must feel nice. Stealing my queen! And you're just gonna kill her as soon as you get your fill, huh!?"

"N-No….no….." Matsuri was on the verge of tears at this point. What was going on?

"Andre, stop!"

"WHY WON'T YOU TELL US!? DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT KILLED HER!? ANSWER ME, MATSURI HITOYOSHI!"

Andre punched Matsuri hard in the face.


The boys wore shocked expressions. Etsuko's mouth covered her mouth before a sharp gasp escaped her lips. Andre stood tall, breathing heavily from his sudden outburst. His fist trembled, his breath shaken and he could feel his heart thumped against his chest.

It didn't take long before he realized what he had done. His eyes started to tremble as he looked towards his hands. His breath started to shake, which caused him to do that? He never meant to do any physical harm, he was just angry, but he took his anger out. He looked right at Matsuri sprawled on the ground, his face covered by his hair. The boy was trembling from the impact.

Etsuko was quick to be by his side checking up on his injuries. "M-Matsuri….."

"Andre-dono….what led you to-"

"I-I didn't mean to do it! Something came over me!"

"Andre, you need to relax." Kiyoshi said with a concerned look.

"Yeah man."

"Andre *cough*."

Andre shook his head in disbelief, yes he did punch him. But he couldn't control himself. Something came over him to do such a thing to Matsuri, the one boy who did not deserve it. He walked up to Matsuri but stopped for a moment when he heard sniffling from the boy.

"M-Matsuri…..Matsuri I didn't-"

The boy didn't say anything as he ran away. Tears flew from his cheeks as he ran as fast as he could. Trying to get away from the area as far as his leg could carry him.

"MATSURI! MATSURI WAIT!" Etsuko yells as she follows him.

Leaving the five boys to themselves. The four boys did not say anything as they just looked at each other before looking at Andre with a disappointed look, but could feel his remorse from just him standing on the spot. Joe walks up to the large teenage boy to check on his condition.

"Andre…..hey…..are you okay?" He asked, setting his hand on his shoulders.

"...I…..I didn't mean it…I didn't mean to go that far. I…..I never intended on going that far….."

"It's fine Andre, but seriously, you need to relax. Just what has gotten into you lately?" Joe asked curious about his friend's mysterious behavior.

Andre shook his head with a groan. "I…..what has gotten into me….it's as if I couldn't stand losing my one and only queen to someone like Matsuri…..but the Matsuri in my dream…..was not the real one. No, far from it, the real Matsuri would not…the one in my nightmare was nothing but a nightmarish manifestation. And I…took it out on an innocent bystander."

"Andre?" Kiyoshi snapped his friend out of his trance.

"S-Sorry. M-Maybe I should…no. I should go and apologize to Matsuri."

"Indeed. That is the best choice of action," Gakuto said as he turned his eyes towards the table. He spots the small piece of paper on the table. The paper reads, Underground Student Council: Annual Activities. "Ah, it looks like Matsuri-dono has left his paper here."

"Oh yeah, he was gonna give that to the USC, right?" Shingo said.

"Indeed." He said as he looked at the paper, curious about the activities that the Underground student council had in store for the year. "Lads, how about we turn this paper into the ladies first before we attempt to apologize to the underground council."

"Yes." Andre said finally calming down from his outburst. "It's the least I can do for him."

"Indeed. Let us all go and explain this to the-" Gakuto stopped as his eyes were glued to the paper. He caught his breath in his throat as looked right at the paper. A fierce blush flushed on his cheeks as he began to shake. "Is this…is this a…this cannot be!"

"Gakuto?"

"Ah!" Gakuto quickly shoves the paper in his pocket before he looks towards the boy. "N-Nothing! I will tell you when we're done! But for the moment, let us continue our mission!"

The boy said as he power walked towards the underground student council office. Leaving the boy confused, but nonetheless, followed the long haired boy to their destination.


-Courtyard- [Somewhere outside of the school]


Matsuri ran. He ran as fast as he could, not caring where he was going. His hand holding his nose, still aching from the punch. Tear droplets flew from his eyes as he continued to run further away from the spot he left a few minutes ago. He could still hear Etsuko calling out for him, she was a good distance away, but he kept on running.

Getting a good good distance, he stopped where he was at, he was near the track field where a good number of girls, dressed in cheerleader outfits were doing stretches.

Paying no mind to them, the boy let his back fall against the building for support, sliding down onto the dirt. He lightly touched his nose only to twitch in pain, it was still a little painful to touch. He lightly rubbed the bottom of his nose, noticing blood from it. Just what led Andre to punch him like that?

He thought back to the words that Andre said about Meiko:

"Must feel nice. Stealing my queen! And you're just gonna kill her as soon as you get your fill, huh!?"

Matsuri blinked a few before sulking. Dose Andre….love Meiko?

From what he saw from the boy, Andre only seemed to be interested in getting punishments from her. It couldn't be love for her character, but more of receiving punishment from her raging persona then actually loving her. But either way, the boy felt like he did something wrong to upset Andre.

But what truly broke him was Andre knowing about the Yoshimiya incident. How did he know about the death, the only ones who were aware of Yoshimiya's death or at least knowing half of the story was the underground student council. And maybe Anzu since she was part of it. But none of that matters, he felt broken.

He hears footsteps approaching him with a panting breath. He did not bother to look up at the girl who had been chasing him for a while now.

"Geez, you run pretty fast. You know that, right?" Etsuko said with a panting breath.

"..." He did not say anything. He just buried his head into knees.

"Matsuri…." Etsuko wore a worried expression as she slowly approached her friend. Kneeling down near him, her hands on her knees as she leaned near him. "I'm not gonna leave if you're not gonna talk to me."

"..." Matsuri still did not say anything. He remained silent, not looking up at the girl.

Etsuko puffed her cheeks in annoyance. She got up from her position, shooting her body upward. Standing tall, overtowering the boy who was sulking in front of her. In a flash she raised her hand and sent it downward, impacting his head.

Earning a yelp from the boy.

"DUMMY!" Etsuko yelled, but kept on continuing to chop the top of his head while repeatedly saying the same word again and again.

Matsuri raised his head from his knees and looked up at the girl who stopped just at the moment before she hit him in the face. "E-Etsuko!? What are you-"

He stopped when she flicked him in the nose. Still bruised from the punch, Matsuri's whole body twitched as he sprawled to the ground. Holding his nose while groaning. "Etsuko!"

"You're a big dummy!"

"What?"

"Why you'd run!" She pointed at the boy with an accusing finger.

"What…..what are you…..what do you mean?" He asked with a baffled expression.

"Why didn't you go and prove him wrong! That you had nothing to do with her death!"

A light gasp escaped his mouth. So that's what she meant. His eyes lowered, he bit his lips from trembling. Trying to hold back the tears. He tried to hide his expression from the first-year student, but failed as she returned to kneeling before him and looked at him with a concerned expression.

"Matsuri….you didn't do it, right?" She said as she leaned in closer.

"I…." He shut his mouth as he began to tremble.

His head started spinning with vivid memories rushing through his mind. He started to tremble in fear, his breathing began to pace rapidly. Tears started to drip against his eyes. The boy tried his best to say something, anything! But he couldn't, his own fear was preventing himself from speaking. He was about to pass out-

Before he could, he felt his cheeks being forcefully grabbed by a pair of warm hands. His face was smashed as he was forced to look at a very angry Etsuko.

"E-Etsuko….."

"No more!"

"Huh?"

"No more running!"

"..."

"I don't want to see you in pain anymore!" She said as she looked straight at Matsuri with a stern gaze, but her expression shows that she was more concerned about the boy's predicament. "You have to face your past!"

"My…..past….."

"You can't keep running away from this anymore." She said with a bit of a somber tone. "I just…..I just hate seeing you in pain like this. I can't take it any more!"

Matsuri just looked at the girl with a somber expression. He took notice of Etsuko's lips trembling, almost to the point of crying. "Etsuko…"

"I want you to move on from this, I can't…I can't stand seeing you like this. You say that you're fine, but you're not. You say that you're doing okay, but you're not! You say that everything is good, that you're not in pain…BUT YOUR NOT!" She burst with small tears in her eyes.

Her teeth seethed, her eyes furrowed at the boy, her hands still squishing his cheeks together, but lightened a little after her outburst. She shook her head, trying to fight back the tears in her eyes. She looked straight at Matsuri.

"I…you need to get this off your chest…."

"...my past about Yoshimiya."

Etsuko nodded. "I don't want to see you hurt yourself over this anymore. I want you to be free from this pain. No more running away, no more lying to those around you. Why are you so afraid to talk about this with anyone!?"

Matsuri bit his lip before speaking. "I…it's…..it's not….."

"Do you…..do you really not trust us."

"N-No. It's not that I don't trust you guys, it's just that….I…I really trust you guys. At least to an extent." He quietly said the last part, his thoughts going back to the underground student council.

"Then why are you not telling us? We're your friends Matsuri. We are not gonna hurt you. I mean, I'm not sure what the underground student council is gonna do, but still. Even your family loves you." She said as she moved her hand away from Matsuri's cheeks. "I love you."

"Etsuko…."

"Of course as a big brother," Etsuko said to herself before looking at her friend. "But my point still stands. You can't keep running away from this, sooner or later you'll need to reveal what happened to Yoshimiya. Or this will haunt you for the rest of your lives."

"..." Matsuri blinked for a few moments. He was in deep thoughts. Deep down, he felt guilty. He never took into consideration his friends feelings. He never knew it would hurt them that much, but he's been focusing on keeping the truth to himself.

"Listen, if you don't want to tell anyone, then I'm not gonna force you. But remember, you have friends who are here to help you. You have a family that truly loves you. They are here to help you. Not hurt you."

Matsuri felt tears in his eyes as he looked at Etsuko. His eyes shined at the girl in front him. He never took any of this into consideration at all. He felt a tug at his heart looking at the somber expression of Etsuko who looked like she was about to cry. It hurted him. He didn't mean to hurt anyone close to him. Now that he's looking at this, he felt that he needed to finally stop running.

"Etsuko….." He took a deep breath before talking. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I…..I never knew how much pain I caused you and those around me. Not only that, I feel like….I feel like that I've been causing trouble for you as well. Even my own family." He said, his voice breaking in some parts. But remained strong. "I trust you guys, it's just that….it's just that I was afraid."

"Afraid of what…"

"...I can't describe it….but you know. You're right." The boy folds his hands into a fist. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying. "For a long time now…..before I came here to Hachimitsu Academy, I thought to myself that I could start over. You know, mark this as my new life here. Leaving my old self behind…..guess that didn't work out. I just thought I could just forget everything that happened at Atsuhiko and start a fresh new chapter here at Hachimitsu, even if it's an all-girl school."

"Matsuri…"

"But in the end…it looks like my past caught up with me and is just causing trouble around me. The boys, the underground student council, Chiyo and Mayumi, my family…..and you." He said as he looked at the red ribbon girl who gazed at him with a sympathetic gaze. He returned his gaze to his hand that was settled on his knee. "There have been plenty of times that I want to tell you guys the whole story, but if I do…you might not look at me the same way anymore." He choked at the part.

A small gasp escaped Etsuko's lips. "M-Matsuri…what are you saying? You make it sound like that you really are the culprit…you….you're not the culprit….r-right?"

Matsuri looked into her eyes, she was desperately begging if he was lying. That there was another side to this story. Or if he was just playing a joke on her. Matsuri just stared at the girl who began to become teary eyed at her friend. She began to bite her lip as she shook her head slowly. To almost frantically.

"Say something!"

"Etsuko…I promise that I will tell you and the others the truth…..but before that…..there's….someone else who I wish to tell this to."

"Huh? W-Who?"

"...that's a secret for now. But I promise you'll be up to speed about the truth…..until then…..I'm glad that we became friends."

Etsuko blinked rapidly and batted her tears away. She vigorously wiped them away and attempted a smile at him. "Me too! I'm glad I'm your friend as well!"

She practically threw herself onto him. Wrapping him into a hug. Matsuri was caught off guard before returning the hug back. Despite not knowing the full story or if it's even true, Etsuko did not want it to be real. She had only known Matsuri for a little while but it felt like forever for her. He was the kindest boy she met, there's no way it could be true…


"Do my eyes deceive me? If it isn't Matsuri Hitoyoshi."

Both Matsuri and Etsuko broke away from the hug and looked at who was speaking to them. Matsuri's eyes widened with a surprise expression. He took note of the familiar orange hair that was tied into two drill ponytails. But her outfit was from before this time she was in a cheerleader outfit, she wore a pink and yellow sleeveless shirt that revealed her belly button. Wearing a small skirt that could make one almost see up her skirt.

"Kate Takenomiya….."

"Oh please, no need to be formal. Just call me Kate." She beamed an innocent smile. Something that kind of scared Etsuko. "Oh my, what happened to your face?"

"Huh? Oh." Matsuri looked at the nose, he completely forgot about his little scuffle with Andre. Or more of his outrage. "S-Sorry, got into a little trouble, nothing to worry about."

The boy flinched back when he felt a warm touch on his nose. He took notice of Kate getting too close to him. He took notice of her rather beautiful face and her long eyelashes. "Goodness, look at how bruised it is. What did those underground council members do to you?"

"Huh? N-No. I just got into a little misunderstanding with the boys. That's it."

"Is that so? Oh you poor thing." She said as she lightly caressed his nose in a gentle touch. "Those nasty boys. Must have been an unfair fight."

"N-No. It was just one." Matsuri said, raising his hand in defense. Trying to move a little back from how close she is getting. He gently grabs her hand and moves it away from his face. "T-Thank you for your concern. But I'm fine. Really."

While the two were talking, Etsuko had a rather suspicious look at Kate. She was not liking how she was flirting around the boy. How close she was getting and how kind she was towards him.

"Who the hell is this girl? And why is she getting close to Matsuri like that?"

Kate clasps onto Matsuri's hands with a serious look. "No! This simply will not do! Come along now."

"Huh?"

"I'm taking you to my clubroom. It's not much, but I will treat your wounds."

"N-No! You don't have to-"

Kate shushed him by pushing her finger towards his lips. "Nonsense. As the president of the student council, I cannot let this go unjust."

"...wait, what?" Matsuri blinked a few times. He looked at Kate with a baffled expression. Did he just hear that right? "Hold on, president of the…..student council? You mean the underground student council?"

Etsuko looked at Kate with an equally baffled expression just as Matsuri. "Hold on, you're the president of the underground student council!? I thought Mari was."

Kate just simply beamed a smile at them. "Oh no. Not the Underground student council…actually, I think it would be better if I showed you two, would you two come with me?" She said with a grin.

Matsuri and Etsuko exchanged looks before looking at Kate with an uneasy look. "S-Sure."

Kate's smile widened even more. Threatening to tear her face.


-Underground Student Council Office-


The three members were sitting in their respective seats drinking their teas that Hana had prepared. Discussing their operation into investigating more of Yoshimiya's death that would ultimately decide the fate of Matsuri.

"A new possibility?" Mari asked behind her cup.

"Yes, Madam President." Meiko said with a nod. "After my recent outing with Hitoyoshi, Ayame may have given us a new possibility about Yoshimiya's death. Of course, this is a hypothesis, so it may not be true." She said, gaining a nod from Mari. "She believes that Hitoyoshi is just a pawn in the scheme against Yoshimiya."

"A pawn?" Mari said with a curious look. "I never thought of that?"

"Yes, but this is just a hypothesis she came up with. But it's something worth looking into….at least I believe that."

"I like to vouch for this as well, Madam President," Hana said with a raised hand. "I know you wish to focus more on Matsuri, but I'm starting to think we're not gonna get anywhere with him if he refuses to speak."

Mari pondered for a moment, it was indeed a possibility that was worth looking into. However, she would like to keep Matsuri on a leash, in case he were to do something behind their back. Despite this new theory, what does the male member have to do with it? If he truly was just a pawn, then he still had some sort of connection.

"Even so," Mari began as she set her cup down on the table. "I would like to keep Matsuri on a tight leash. If he is a pawn in this, there is still a possibility that he could actually be the one who took those photos. Then again, from his behavior, it's still unlikely."

"So we're still gonna keep Matsuri within the council."

"Yes, but this time I would like to take a different approach. If Hitoyoshi is not gonna give us much access to Yoshimiya, then we will have to take this with drastic measures."

Meiko raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Meaning, we will possibly have to take this to Matsuri old school."

The two members looked at her with baffled but shocked expressions. Looking right at Mari as if she said something that was impossible or just plain crazy. Taking the investigation towards Matsuri old school!?

"M-Madam President," Meiko spoke. "I understand that you wish to solve this mystery to decide Hitoyoshi's fate, but going to a different school to interrogate students about Yoshimiya's death….I-I don't think we have that sort of power to do this sort of thing. Wouldn't this put us at odds with Atsuhiko Academy?"

"I assure you that won't be a problem." Mari said, looking at Meiko. "We will just pretend that we are simply just students from Hachimitsu academy, doing a written report for one of our classes that concerns Yoshimiya's death."

"So pretty much, we're undercover?" Hana asked.

"Yes. But I can't guarantee if this will work, we will have to look into more. Furthermore, we will need to know who we are looking for. We can't just go around asking like a loose cannon. If we do, we'll be in trouble."

"Right, so we just need to find some leads that know or who are close to Yoshimiya. Speaking of leads," Hana looked over at Meiko. "Did you mention a possible person who may be connected to Yoshimiya's death?"

"Yes. Her name is Hayakki. When Hitoyoshi was sleeping with me, I heard him in his sleep and he muttered something about a Hayakki."

"Hayakki?" Mari furrowed her brow. Keeping the name engraved in her mind.

"She could be a possible connection to Yoshimiya and to an extent, possibly Hitoyoshi." Meiko mumbled the last bit quietly to herself.

"I see," Mari said, pondering to herself. It was a stretch, but perhaps this could lead them to finally solve Yoshimiya's death. But if she did have a connection to Matsuri, it would only lead them to going back to Matsuri. "I will keep this in mind, but I wish to think about this more. We need to approach this carefully."

"You're right, we don't want Matsuri to be wary of us. Speaking of Matsuri, where is he?" Hana asked with a somewhat annoyed tone. "Wasn't he supposed to come back with the new copy of the underground student council annual activities."

"You're right," Mari said with a narrowed glare as she looked at the clock. "He should've been here an hour ago."

And just at that moment, the door opened up before them.

"It's about time you arrived, Hitoyo-" She stopped. Being caught off guard by who arrived at the door.


Entering the room, the five boys walked in with very nervous sweat dripping against their skin. The one who was scared the most (well two in this case) Kiyoshi was trying to make himself invisible among his friends. Hiding away from Hana sight. Then there was Andre who feared what would happen to him once they reveal the reason why they're here and not Matsuri.

"You guys?" Meiko asked with a raised brow. Her tone with a commanding voice once more.

"Where is Hitoyoshi?" Mari asked with a furrowed brow.

"P-Pray, please be at ease Madam President-dono. L-Let me explain first." Gakuto became the spokesperson for the group. He reached into his pocket and showed them the piece of paper that was the annual activities. "B-Behold! Your annual activities! And may I say, what a planned and structured schedule. Indeed, you have yourself a well behaved apprentice."

"You're being too uptight about this!" All four of the boys thought at the same time.

The three girls however, were not convinced. From his wording, it sounded like they did something wrong. Which shouldn't come as a shocker to them. Mari sighed to herself as she set the tea down on the table and gave the boys a stern look.

"What happened?"

"I-Indeed?"

"Don't 'indeed' us four-eyes! What type of trouble did you guys get into!" Hana exclaimed.

Gakuto twitches under his skin from Hana's accusation. Looks like they caught on to them and they can't hide from them forever. He looked towards the boys as they carried similar expressions.

They were screwed.

"P-Pray, calm down Hana-dono. What would you like to hear?" He said as he pushed his glasses up.

Mari spoke up next. "For starters, why is it just you guys here and not Hitoyoshi? And also, what have you done to make you so nervous?"

"I-Indeed…..a-allow me to ex-" He stopped when he felt Andre hand on his shoulders.

He looks to his large friend, who holds a sympathetic gaze. He looked into his beady eyes, the boy carried an emotion that spoke to him loud and clear. He wanted to be the one to explain to them about what had transpired between him and Matsuri. Gakuto nodded as he stepped aside, to allow Andre to walk forward.

"Um…..first thing first," He started. "We…..we are aware of the Yoshimiya case." The girls eyes widened with a light gasp escaping their lips. "So, we began to speculate that Matsuri had something to do with Yoshimiya's death but we don't have enough claims to confirm it."

"What did you say to him?" Mari said with a warning glare.

"N-No. We…" Andre stopped for a moment. His head lowered, looking at his own feet. He felt guilty for what he did to the boy and furthermore, accused him of a crime that they didn't know.

He didn't have enough time to think when he spotted Meiko right in front of him with a glare. "What happened? What did you do to Hitoyoshi?" She said with a venomous tone.

Andre trembled under her glare. "I…..I…I said some horrible things to him. I accused him out of nowhere about Yoshimiya's death. I…I didn't know what came over me, but I just couldn't control myself. I said some things to him. And I just….well…"

Andre started into a cold sweat. He curled his hand into a fist, he wanted to hit himself for doing such a thing to Matsuri. The boy who came to save them and got them out of trouble. Who showed nothing but kindness to them all. This Matsuri, the real life Matsuri, is nothing like the one in his dream. That was manifested by him and him alone.

He needed to accept his consequences.

"I said horrible things to him…..and I punched him."

Before he knew it, he was punched right in the face.


It came out of nowhere. He was punched hard, right in the middle of the face. Right on his nose. Expression swiped across the room, carrying shocked expressions on their faces. Even the two members of the underground council held onto shocked expressions.

Andre was sent flying, his back hitting the door. Blood leaked from his bruised nose, looking up at the person who punched him.

Standing there, with her fist still stretched out. She breathed heavily, she carried an air of fear, anger, and somber. But what was plastered on the vice president's face was pure outrage. She looks right at Andre with eyes of hatred and pain.

"You…you bastard." She growled.

Andre trembled in fear. He felt no pleasure from that punch. That punch hurt him and he felt like his nose was broken. Blood spilled from his nose, this scene felt too familiar. He was in Matsuri position and standing over him was himself, disguised as Meiko.

Meiko storms over to him, her body looms over his trembled body. "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!? WHAT AILED YOU TO DO THAT!?"

"I-I'm sorry! I wasn't myself! I-I wasn't myself! I'm sorry! I'm very sorry, Vice President!"

Meiko's foot flew past Andre's ear and planted on the door. She leaned right into his face, her raged face never leaving her face. "YOU FIND IT FUN TO PUNCH THOSE WHO ARE WEAKER THAN YOU IN THE FACE!? HUH, FATTY!"

"N-No! Like I said I-"

Meiko didn't let him finish. Her anger took over her emotion as she was ready to end it. "DON'T GIVE THAT LAME ASS EXCUSE!"

She raised her fist and was ready to give him one hell of a punch-

-Suddenly, her fist was stopped by Mari's hand. She stepped in between the two before the vice president would do anything that she might regret. The room fell silent. Not a word was spoken from either of the occupant in the room. All that was heard was Meiko heavy, shaky breathing.

"Please Meiko…..constrain yourself." Mari spoke in a clam but stern voice.

A light gasp escaped her lips as she retracted her foot from the door and stood straight with her hands planted on her sides. Sweat dripped against her skin. "I-I'm sorry, Madam President."

Mari got up from her position and looked over her shoulders. Andre is still shaking from the impact. "However, her anger is not unjustified. What you did was unnecessary and horrible to our male member of the underground student council."

Andre's lips trembled, almost threatening to break into tears. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for my actions, Madam President. I'm sorry everyone for my action against Matsuri."

The boys didn't say anything as they just glanced at Andre with a sympathetic look. They had no idea what was going on with the large boy. But if they could take a guess, it would possibly have to be his connection with the vice president of not giving him too many punishments. And that jealousy led him to do something horrible to the boy.

Mari looked over to the boys. "Where is Hitoyoshi?"

"We-We don't know." Kiyoshi said hastily. "We were going to try and find him and apologize."

Mari eyes searched in the other direction, pondering in deep thoughts. The president furrowed her eyes before looking at the boys. "You guys may go back to your dorm for the moment."

"Huh?"

"B-But, what of Matsuri-dono?"

"It's alright." Mari looked at him with a stern look. "I will go and fetch him."

"Do you know where he is?" Hana asked with a curious tilt.

"I have an idea. Can't guarantee it, but I have a good idea where he might be. You two escort the boys back to their dorms for today. There is something I would like to speak with them when I am done. As for you Andre," Mari looked at the large boy. "You will be punished for your injustice against Hitoyoshi."

"Y-Yes, Madam President….." Andre said with a somber tone.

Mari walked out of the room, leaving the occupants in the room to themselves. Could she perhaps know where Matsuri is? If so, then why is she the only one going. But to more pressing matters…..

"Hey, Kiyoshi!" Hana called out to the boy who flinched under her voice. "Just what the hell is wrong with you guys. Keep Andre on a leash if he's gonna act up like that again, got it!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"I-Indeed! It will not happen again!"

"For your sake it better not." Meiko growled at the boys. More specifically at Andre.

Kiyoshi's eyes looked the other way, trying to avoid Hana gaze who was locked on his for a while. It terrified him. "Aw geez, she's looking at me with that stare! No doubt that she remembered what happened back in the nurse room! I'm a dead man walking!"

Hana kept her gaze on the boy for a while with her hand to her chin. "If I remember correctly, I baited him into the nurse room to get my revenge. We ended up under the bed to hide from the nurse, Matsuri and Etsuko. But then after that…I can't remember. I just woke up in my bed…..I'm sure he did something to me, but what was it?"

She had no idea what had transpired between the two during that scenario.


Mari walked down the hallway with a stern glare. Her foot carried her down the hallway with heavy stomps.

"If my intuitions are correct, it could be possible that Hitoyoshi is within contact with that woman."


-Unknown Abandon Clubroom-


Somewhere on the campus of Hachimitsu Academy, a lone building stood off somewhere, surrounded by trees, away from the main building and the dorms. The building looked abandoned and run down a wooden shed. Covered with old moss growing on the side of the walls. The windows were stained with dirt and the metal roof was not in the best shape with its edges chipped away.

Matsuri and Etsuko's eyes looked at the abandoned building with curiosity and…disappointment. This was her student council office? An abandoned rundown shed that looked like it had seen better days.

"Well, here we are." Kate said with a smile. "It's not much, but this is our room. So, what do you think?" She said looking at the two with a smile.

Matsuri didn't know what to say as he just looked at the building. "Um…it's…..pretty good."

"What a piece of junk." Etsuko bluntly said.

"ETSUKO!" Matsuri yelled at his friend before turning back to Kate. "I-I'm sorry! She has a sharp tongue."

"Oh no, please don't worry about it," Kate said as she looked at the building herself. "Besides, she is right. It's not exactly the most luxurious place as say the underground student council office. Just wait till you see inside."

"Inside?"

Kate didn't say anything as she gestured to them to come over. Allowing them inside.


The inside of the room wasn't any better. Unlike the underground student council office, the student council office was not as luxurious or special to look at. Just like outside, the room itself was completely rundown and abandoned. The wall, just like the windows, had old stains that were coated the walls. The room looked rather cramped and small. The couches that occupied the room looked torn and old.

Matsuri couldn't describe what he was seeing at the moment. But it was close to what Etsuko would say, this place looked rather…..unpleasant.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home you two…..if you can that is." Kate muttered the last part to herself.

Matsuri didn't know where to even make himself comfortable in a room this small and cramped. Taking into the surroundings, he notices that there was a board on the other side of the wall which looked like a whiteboard. Off to the side was an old sink. He shivered at the thought of the water not being any good.

He didn't have time to think further when he heard a slight whine in front of him. He looked towards the couch and found Etsuko sitting up straight on the couch. Her eyes teared up.

"E-Etsuko?"

"The couches are super stiff and I hurt my butt."

"Seriously?" He asked with curiosity getting the best of him.

He went to the opposite side of the room and sat on the bigger couch. He sat down….she was right. These couches were stiff and not as fluffy or soft as the couches in the underground council office.

"You're not kidding."

"I'm terribly sorry for the furniture in this room," Kate said as she approached the boy with a box in her hand. "This room isn't as luxurious or as good looking as the underground student council. But what can you do, right?"

Kate sat down next to Matsuri and rummaged through the box on her lap. Before bringing out a bag that had some small cottens in it. She dapped some water on it before lightly cleaning his nose off. Taking some of the bruises off the nose.

Matsuri flinched from the touch. "Oh, I'm sorry. Does it still hurt?"

"Y-Yeah, just a little."

Kate continued to clean off his nose. Getting a few flinches from the boy, but finally managed to clean off what she could before grabbing a bandaid and applied it to the boy's nose. She beamed him a smile.

"There we go. It's not much, but luckily your nose isn't too badly damaged. But I would possibly get it checked out by the nurse, just in case."

"Um….t-thank you, Madam President."

Kate didn't say anything for a moment but simply had a small baffled expression before beaming a small smile. "Oh please, no need to be too formal. Just call me Kate."

"K-Kate then, sorry. It's just that….you completely caught me off guard when you mentioned that you were the president of the student council. I didn't want to be rude."

Kate giggled a little at his reaction. "I appreciate your concerns, really I do. But I'm not as uptight as Mari is, so please, Kate will do just fine."

Etsuko looked around the room from her seat, taking notice of how seriously rundown the place was. There was such a huge contrast between the two councils. "Hey, hey Kate. I have a question."

"Of course."

"You say you're the real student council, so how come you get this room and not the room that Crow Mistress has."

Kate simply just looked onward. She set the box to the side and looked towards the ceiling, letting her back slide against the back of the seat of the couch. "Popularity."

"Huh?"

"Underground student council carries a lot more popularity than the real student council. They get all the funding, all the attention and all the power because of what they do for this school. It's always been like this from the beginning." Kate said with an annoyed look, her eyes gazing in the opposite direction. "I mean, don't tell me you guys thought that the underground student council was the real council."

"Huh!? O-Oh, um…s-sorry. I wasn't aware that there was an actual student council."

"Well, it's alright. I mean, how could I blame you two for not knowing. After all, this is what I mean by popularity with the underground student council."

"Ah, I see," Etsuko said. "So does that mean that the underground student council controls all of the school. I mean, you guys should have some control, right?"

Kate released an exasperated sigh. "Sadly the only things we can do are just minor. Like managing club activities and running newspapers for the school. But other than that, the underground student council is the one who control the majority of the school. Of course, the chairman and the staff are still overseeing their actions."

Matsuri blinked for a moment. "Wait, newspaper…..you're the one who wrote that?"

"Oh no, not me. Mitsuko is the one who wrote that."

"Mitsuko!? She's on the council!"

"Hmm-mm~. Mitsuko is the secretary of the student council and my other member, Risa, she's the vice president. I bet you already met Mitsuko, but too bad Risa isn't here. I would've loved to introduce her to you."

Etsuko pondered for a moment. "Secretary and Vice President, huh? Just like Hana and Meiko."

Kate makes an innocent frown at the boy. "But I'm very sorry I'm not able to offer much. I don't have as much as the underground student council nor do I even have the freedom as they do."

"N-No. It's fine." Matsuri raised his hands in defense. "I mean, I know you're not able to do much from your end. A-And beside, you did a good job on cleaning up the bruise. S-So thank you."

A small smile crept on her lips as she went in and clasped onto Matsuri's hands. The boy was surprised by this as he jumped a little from his seat and blushed as she practically shoved her face close to his. "Oh, you're welcome. I'm just doing my job as a council president. I mean, my job is to watch over my students at school."

Matsuri blinked his eyes as he began to ponder. He looks back at the room. It really was not in the best condition. Mold on the walls, an old sink that has seen better days, bad furniture and a small cramped area for just three members. He returns his gaze to the girl who was looking at him with the most innocent and sweet smile.

"How in the world can she live like this….."

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his cheeks yanks onto. Etsuko was behind Matsuri with an annoyed look as she was continuously yanking on him, confusing Kate looking at the two interactions.

"Ma-tsu-riiii!"

"O-Ow! Etsuko!"

"Remember who your heart belongs to!" She said as she let go of his cheeks.

The boy only pouted at the girl who was giving him the glare. She didn't have to go and do that just to get him to know of where his heart belonged. Kate looked at the two with a head tilt, curious of their interaction.

"Oh~? Are you two a couple?"

"N-No! We're not!" Matsuri said with a blush.

"We're just close friends. His heart belongs to-!" She was stopped when her mouth was slapped shut.

Matsuri's cheeks were crimson red, looking at the girl with a warning gaze. Only to return back to Kate. "U-Um….don't pay too much attention to her. She only likes to cause trouble."

Kate only blinked, followed by a giggle. "I must say, you two are rather interesting."

"Well, it's never a boring day with Etsuko…..in fact it's never a boring day at this school," He thought to himself as he removed his hand from a pouting Etsuko. He looks towards Kate. "Listen, Kate. I uh…..may not be able to help you, but what if you work together with the underground student council?"

Kate simply froze. Her smile still remained, her eyes widened. She tilted her head. "Hm~?"

"I-I mean, maybe you can talk with the chairman and perhaps he can offer an idea. Maybe you two could work together and run the school. Then you don't have to stay in the room." He said to the girl. Kate did not say anything as she just stared at the boy with widened eyes and a smile.

Matsuri just looked from left to right, feeling very nervous about her stare. It made him very uncomfortable from her smile and her widened eyes, her smile was innocent…almost too innocent and sweet. The boy looked to Etsuko who exchanged glances at him back, even though she was unsure. Feeling like he said something stupid, he returned back to Kate.

"U-Um….s-sorry. I just thought that….well…..I could help your council by teaming up with the underground student council…s-sorry. I guess I should be quiet."

Kate giggled at the boy. "Oh no, don't misunderstand me. It's just that, I wasn't expecting that idea. Teaming up with the underground student council…..to be honest…..that sounds like a swell idea. Yes…..a swell idea indeed~." Kate said with an almost amonous tone.

The hairs on Matsuri and Etsuko skin raised up at her tone.

Then it completely disappears when she smiles once more. "Just kidding~. I appreciate the offer, but I don't think that will work. Especially with the USC moral and view clashing with ours. But thank you Matsuri," She said as she set her hand on his once more. "I may not be able to do much, but if there's anything you need, I'll hopefully be of aid for you."

"U-Um…..sure. Thank you, Kate."


Their conversation was interrupted when a figure opened the door. Etsuko nearly jumps out of her seat when she hears it being forced open by the familiar student.

Standing in the doorway, Mari stood with her still on the door. Her sharp blues scanned the room, looking at Etsuko who looked like she was spooked by a ghost. Then she looked at Matsuri next to her, with a bandage on his nose. And holding his hand, was Kate with her (innocent) smile.

"Hitoyoshi, why are you holding Kate's hands?"

"Huh? O-Oh! Sorry!" He said as he moved Kate's hand towards her own lap before retracting his own to his lap. Looking the other way with a blush.

"Hello to you too, Mari." Kate said, her smile not leaving.

"...so I was right. You were tending to Hitoyoshi's wounds."

"Yes. And a good thing too." Kate said as she stood from her seat and looked at Mari with her hands on her hip. "You better keep a good watch on those ruffians. Wouldn't want anything happening to poor Matsuri."

"..." Mari didn't say anything as she looked over at Matsuri. "Hitoyoshi, Etsuko!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" They both said as they shot up from their seats.

"Could both of you wait outside for me? I wish to speak with Kate….alone."

The two glanced at each other with confused gaze, but wasted no time as they did not want to anger Mari. The two said their goodbyes to Kate before walking outside. As Matsuri walked past by Mari, the crow master could not stop looking at him with a suspicious glare. As they left, Mari shut the door behind her, leaving only her and Kate alone.

"Is something the matter?"

"How long do you plan on keeping up that act?"

"Act? What act?"

"This." Mari pointed at her. She walks up towards the council president. Her glare is not leaving. Once she was in reach of her, she stopped just a few inches. "Your obvious little disguise. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to take advantage of Hitoyoshi's current state and use him against me, aren't you?"

"Oh my? Such accusations. I would never do such a thing to Matsuri. You're just throwing a tantrum because I was there to treat him and not you~. And honestly, an apprentice. He's not incompetent or anything. Why not give him a more deserving role."

Mari just furrowed her eyes at the girl. "You can't fool me. You're lucky, Hitoyoshi doesn't know you. But I do. I know too well that you're obviously just after Hitoyoshi and trying to overthrow the underground student council."

"Oh please, don't pretend I'm the bad guy here. What about you? Why is the male hating president, caring for a boy? Why invite him to the council, you could've easily just thrown him in prison and abused him like the other boys who were imprisoned."

Mari bit her lip. She was trying to get under her skin. But shook it off. "I have my reasons. As much as I want to continue this lovely conversation, I have other business to attend to. By the way, I know you have Hitoyoshi's records. And I would like it back."

Kate simply puffed her cheeks. Not wanting to waste time, she turns around and heads for the desk. Fiddling around behind the desk she reached for the folder with Hitoyoshi's records and gave it to the crow master.

"Go ahead and take it back. Not much I can use from it anyways, but it looks to me that you already have your hand full, I wonder what you'll do with the boy next~?"

Mari simply just looks at her with glare before leaving the room. Opening the door and walking through the doorway, she stops in mid way before turning over her shoulders to look at Kate. "I know what you're after. You're trying to overthrow the underground student council. If that is your aim, then stay away from Hitoyoshi. He doesn't need to be involved with your childish games."

She said as she shut the door. Leaving Kate to herself.

The orange-hair president just stood there with a mischievous grin that threatened to split her face. "Oh Mari, it's more than just a simple game…I will take back everything you stole from me and while I'm at it…..the underground student council will be abolished."


-Rooftop-


The three students found themselves on the rooftop of the school once more. Mari walks over to the railing guard to look off into the distance. From afar, she could see her crows flying in the distance, past the walls that surrounded the school and towards the outside world that was just a inch from them.

Matsuri and Etsuko joined her in the view, unsure of what to say to her.

"...Hitoyoshi."

"Y-Yes."

Mari turned towards him. "What did you two discuss?"

"...well…..nothing much. She was just tending to my wounds and we just spoke, that's it." He said tracing back to his moment with Kate.

"...are you certain." She said, her stern tone not fading. "Nothing else."

"N-No."

"Do you and Kate know each other?" Etsuko asked from her spot.

Mari didn't respond but just looked out in the distance. "Yes, actually. You could say we hold onto some rivalry between each other. Kate is more of a troublemaker to be honest, she always tries to find ways to one up me but always falls flat in the end."

"...um…..Madam President," Matsuri stuttered. "Kate mentioned that she's the student council president of the real student council. And I wanted to ask…..just what is the underground student council?" He asked with some regret. He didn't want to come off rude, but he needed to know.

Mari sighed to herself. "Yes, Kate is the president of the real student council. You could say they are known as the aboveground student council. We, on the other hand, are the underground student council. Back when this school was just an all-female school, our job was to protect the school and its students from males who would harass them. You could say, it was our actions that led to our soaring popularity. Pushing the aboveground student council further from their status of the school. In fact, you could say even if you knew who they were, you barely even knew they existed."

Matsuri blinked, that was…..rather brutally honest. "That's kind of harsh."

"Indeed,but that is how it is. There's no changing that." She said before she turned to glare at the boy and girl. "Listen, both of you. Kate is not to be trusted. She may act nice and innocent, but deep down, she is a witch. Whatever she tries to pull or even says to you, please exercise cautions. It is best to stay away from her instead of crossing her path."

"Um…..but….." Matsuri thought back to their position back in that abandoned wooden shed. Was that really how they lived? He knows that Mari is trying to give them advice, but he couldn't help but think back. "But they-"

He didn't finish when he found Mari in front of him. Her face inches from him. The boy flinched a little from her approach.

"Please Matsuri," She said with a voice of concern. "Do not cross paths with her. Don't even take her side. If you were to cross her path, you will suffer dire consequences…." She said as she took Matsuri's hands into her own. "Do not take this as an order from a president…but from a friend."

Matsuri blinked rapidly. A blush flushed on his cheeks. He never expected to hear that from Mari. Calling him a friend. Or could it be just her trying to get him away from Kate? Many possibilities running through his head. But he didn't want to ponder on them.

He nodded his head. "Okay….I'll try to keep my distance. But…..don't expect me to refuse to offer some hospitality."

Mari sighed. But offered a rare smile. "Of course. That goes for you too, Etsuko." She looked towards the first-year who flinched. "Do not cross fire with her. Understand?"

"Eep! I just realized I called her clubroom a 'piece of junk'! Does that mean she's gonna unleash all-mighty wrath on me!?" Etsuko said with a panic.

"No. I'm pretty sure that Kate even agrees that the clubroom is not the finest to stay at. So I doubt she'll come after you for that."

"Oh thank god!" Etsuko said with a sigh of relief.

Matsuri was still pondering thoughts. His mind goes back to the aboveground student council. He couldn't get them out of his mind. Just their living conditions and their status of the school, he just can't help himself. He felt…..sorry for them.

"Feeling sorry for them?"

Matsuri looked towards Mari who was giving him a knowing look with a raised brow. The boy scratched the back of his head with a blush. "S-Sorry….I know it's an annoying habit."

"No." Both the boy and the girl looked at her. A rare smile graced her lips. "I shouldn't judge you for your character. You're a kind man. Aren't you?"

Matsuri blushed as he scratched his nose, looking the other way. "I…..I'm just looking out for people that's all."

Mari offered a small chuckle as she looked back to the view. "I see."

"Um…should we….should we head back to the office or something?"

"No…..I wish to unwind myself. You two should do so as well, Hitoyoshi and Etsuko." She said surprising the two. "This is my favorite spot to just get away from all the stress. No one to bother you, no work to be done. Just let your stress and worries fly away."

Matsuri just blinked at the girl before turning towards the view. The sun setted over the city, creating a twilight dusk sky. He notes the crows that flew in above the school, enjoying their freedom and wide open space to fly about. He felt the wind blow his face, its soft breeze bristled his cheeks and hair.

He felt a touch on his hand, he looked down and noticed Etsuko who was offering a sad smile before leading him to the rail guard. Settling him next to Mari. The boy set his one free hand on the rail guard, while the other was holding onto Etsuko's, who was squeezing his hand with a grip, but made sure not to hurt him.

Matsuri could tell that she was trying to enjoy her last moment with the boy before he tells them the truth about Yoshimiya. He almost regretted himself committing to tell them the truth…..

"No…no more running. No more hiding. No more lying….it's time I come face my past, my mistakes. And myself. Once that time comes," He looks to Mari who continues to enjoy the view. Oblivious to the stare that the boy was giving her. He bit his lip, trying not to cry. "Mari…once I tell you the truth behind her death…you'll finally have your justice."

He returned to viewing the sunset with them. Enjoying this last moment of peace before his fate comes and puts him behind bars.


..


And that's a wrap on another chapter! After so long, Matsuri will finally come face to face with his past and just what happened to Yoshimiya! But deep down, he feels nothing but dread of what will come next. The heat is cranking up once more in the "USC Beginning Arc"!

I bet you guys were waiting for this moment to finally happen. Matsuri finally comes out of his corner and comes to face his past and tell the USC what really happened to Yoshimiya? I feel I've kept this wrapped long enough. It is time that Matsuri finally comes to shed light on Yoshimiya's death. I've been playing with this idea for a while and wondered how it was going to be revealed and just who he was going to tell it to. Meiko would've been the likely candidate with her chemistry with the boy, but I believe Mari would be the best fit for it. Since she's been gunning for Matsuri head for the longest, but it's not just her he will talk to, there's another character he will tell the truth to. But who is it? That's for me to know and you guys to find out. XD

Kate makes another lengthy appearance once more and this time reveals to Matsuri more secrets of Hachimitsu Academy and its differences between the two Student Council. Of course she will still play minor roles here and there before she comes out and plays a major role within the story. The rivalry between Mari and Kate was always something I looked forward to, and this is just the beginning.

By the way, how did you guys like the dream sequences in this chapter? Not gonna lie, it does feel a little out of place and extreme. But, this is Andre we're talking about, so his mindset is bound to be something weird and fetishy. So yes, his dream, his world.

Anyways, hope you guys are loving the story so far. Don't forget to share with me your potential ideas for this story and I *maybe* use it in the story. Don't guarantee it, but it's always nice to share some ideas if you have any.

As always, feedback would be nice for improvement on the story.

Stay safe and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!