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.

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Matsuri gets another visit from Kate, this time she's along with the other members of the student council. Inviting him to have a tea time with them, what will he learn about the grudge between the two members and what Kate has in her hands to win Matsuri trust…..


-Hachimitsu Academy- [Hallway]


June 5th Sunday

10:00am

Matsuri was walking down the hall, carrying a stack of papers in his hand. Minding his own business not paying any mind to the students who were walking by him. He took notice of their stares becoming more of curiosity than glares or scrutiny. His time under the USC seems to have improved his status and reputation here in the academy so far. Plus without the boys causing anymore trouble (at least he hopes so) that it would mean less trouble for him.

"Oh my, is that Matsuri Hitoyoshi I see." The boy stops at a familiar lady-like voice. He looked behind him and spotted the exceptionally beautiful teenage girl he met a few times now. Her familiar drilled orange-hair and long eyelashes. Approaching him as she swings her hips from left to right, fluttering her skirt up a bit. Garbed in her female Hachimitsu uniform without the jacket.

However, she was not alone.

Next to her was an unfamiliar girl he swore he had not seen before. She had short dark-blue hair cut in a way that would mistake her for a boy. Sharp looking eyes that were the same color as her hair, but her eyebrows were shaved and dark eye liner around them. To Matsuri, she seemed rather the punkish type with her uniform somewhat open revealing her small breast. To add to that, she carried a shinai bamboo over her shoulders.

The other girl next to her he remembered as Mitsuko. And unlike the other girl, she had a much friendlier and kinder look to herself.

"H-Hey Kate, I wasn't expecting to run into you." He said politely. But he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't a tad bit worried. He remembered specifically what Mari told him about Kate and her rather…questioning act.

Kate took notice of his demeanor and leaned towards him. "Hmm? What's the matter?"

Matsuri flinched back a bit. "A-Ah! Nothing. I just wasn't expecting you that's all. So um…..are those your friends?"

"You could say that," Kate said as she looked at the two members. "Do you want me to introduce you or are you two good with it?"

"Risa Bettou." The dark blue-haired girl approached the boy with her hand extended. Matsuri held the paper in one and shook hers. He noticed the slight grip in her hand shake, just like Kate's, hers was rather strong. "If you're worried about the shinai in my hand, I've just gotten accustomed to carrying it around. Since I'm in the kendo club."

"Oh, so that's why." He said as he looked at the wooden bamboo shinai. "You….must be pretty good with it then, huh?"

"You bet." Risa said as she swung her shinai down on the palm of her hand, looking at it. "I never lost a match."

"I can tell," He nervously chuckled. "Must be pretty amazing for your achievement and all."

Risa grinned with pride. "I'll take that as a compliment. Have you ever used one before?"

Matsuri felt a tad slight disappointment as he looked the other way with a frown. "Well, to be honest I did practice a little of it back then, but…sorry I don't really want to share it."

"Let me guess," Risa planted her shinai down on the floor with both of her palm settling on the hilt. "You got a big losing streak."

Matsuri bit his lips with a bit of shame in his eyes. "Yeah…I wanted to do kendo to become more confident in myself and catch up with my sisters. But I'm not really that good. I remembered being in a group where the rest of my team were doing good, but we lost because I lost a match."

Risa raised a brow at the boy. Kate and Mitsuko listened to the boy's rather sorrowful story.

"After the match, people keep on calling me out. Like saying how pathetic I am, you should never be in kendo in the first place, you're a disappointment…" He stopped right there. His eyes looked longfully to the side, taking a trip down memory lane. The boy remembered how all of his classmates would just belittle him for costing them the match.

"You okay?"

Matsuri snapped out his trance as he looked back at the group who were looking at him with a rather worried look. "Ah, sorry, didn't mean for you guys to hear my story. But yeah, kendo wasn't doing it for me. So it must be nice for them to have a strong person like you in the group."

"...um, thanks….I guess." Risa was unsure how to respond to that. She appreciated the praise, but it really did feel like he was singly himself out while putting her up and front. Something she doesn't really like to be honest. Risa scratched the back of her head with a bit of a blush, unsure what else to say.

"It must be rough for you." Mitsuko jumped in as she walked towards the boy wearing a sympathetic look on her face. She clasped his free hand. "But I think you shouldn't give up just because of what others were saying about you. I know my words won't mean much since I barely know you, but I can tell you work really hard to meet people's expectations. So I'll keep trying, right?"

Matsuri looked at the friendly green-haired girl. He offered a shy smile. "I know…I'll keep trying and push even harder."

"That's the spirit." Kate said with a smile as she approached the boy's side and placed her hand on his shoulders. "Say, would you like to join us?"

"Huh?"

"Join us for our meal," She said as she was carrying a bag with a bento box with her and the other had theirs. "We made some tasty snacks and desserts and we were just on our way to our spot. But since we're here with a friendly conversation with you, would you like to join us?"

Matsuri looked into the girl's glittering eyes. She was giving him such a friendly smile, that was almost tempting. But…

"Um…..s-sorry but I'm going to have to pass."

"Huh? Why?"

"She really needed to ask…..well, I can't exactly lie to her." He sighed to himself before speaking. "Um….I got a quick question…..how well….do you know Mari?"

Kate blinked at the mentioning of the name. A small grin graced her lips as she tapped her cheeks with a pondering thought. "That depends, how much do you want to know?"

"I mean…Mari said that you are not to be trusted."

"Oh~. Did she now?"

"I'm not saying I don't trust you, I barely even know who you are so…sorry, it's a bit hard to judge someone who I don't know."

"And you trust her?" Risa asked.

Matsuri felt like he was being ganged up on. "I didn't say that but…that doesn't mean I will throw her warning off the table."

"That's understandable. I appreciate a man who's honest with himself." Kate said as she looked at the boy with a pleasing grin. Thrusting her hip towards the boy. "I mean, if you want to heed Mari's…..little paranoid warning, then be my guest. But I was hoping we could chat with each other. I don't think we ever got the time to chat and get to know each other on a personal level. But if you wish to heed her warning, then don't make sweet ol' me get the way. Bye~."

Kate and the others walked away, before Mitsuko bowed before she caught up with the others. Matsuri looked at the back of the orange-haired girl with a curious look. The back of his mind keeps rewinding Mari's warning. But there was a curious side to himself that he wished to know more of the history between the two.

He sighed to himself before he called her name. "Kate!"

Kate stopped in her tracks, she looked over her shoulders at the boy with a smile.


-Boy's Dormitory-


"So um…it's just the two of us." Shingo said with a nervous tone. Placed in the middle was his bento box that had his meal inside. Some weaners, sandwiches and bread. Sitting across from him was a…pillow.

"I mean, I could've picked a better place, but anywhere is good, right?" He said awkwardly to the boy. He looked right at the pillow that sat there. He was imagining the pillow to be Anzu, but it wasn't as he just looked at the silent pillow. "So um….y-you want some sandwiches?"

"..."

"Don't be shy now, I got some more here for you to try." He said to the pillow.

Taking a bite out of the sandwich, his eyes wandered about, looking right at the pillow before him. He could imagine the pillow speaking to him as if it was Anzu herself. Of course this was just a practice round before he could go on a real date with her.

"So um…..h-how was your day?"

"..."

"Oh mine's. Well…..you could say my day was pretty good. The boys were talking about some important business."

"..."

"Huh!? S-Shut up! We weren't talking about perverted things! We were just talking about some important things. You know, like the summer seaside trip that will happen in August! Yeah I know there is still a long way to go, but it's best to be prepared early right!?"

"Seriously, how pathetic are you?"

Shingo flinched, his body sprawled on the floor, using his hands to support himself from falling on his back. Appearing right in his face, was Anzu herself. She was on four of her limbs, her face right inches close to his face with her nose almost touching his. If he were to look down, he could get a good view of her cleavage with her oversized bra exposing her bare breasts.

"A-Anzu!? W-Why are you here!?"

"Seriously! You too chicken to ask me out and yet your asking out a fuckin pillow!?"

"S-Shut up! I can ask you out with no problem at all!"

Anzu narrowed her eyes on the boy. "Yeah? Then why are you hesitating then?"

Shingo eyes looked the other way with a nervous twitch. His cheeks grew hot as she moved closer. His back leaned backward as she started crawling onto his body. Her breasts almost touch his clothes chest. His eyes couldn't look up as he was too distracted by her breast, he could almost see her nipples.

He could feel his heart beating hard against his chest. He could look at Anzu boobs all to himself. With just them alone. In the room. His room. This was a dream come true.

"Hey, you listening?" She said to the boy.

"Huh!?"

"You pervert~. You were looking at my breasts weren't you~?"

"S-Shut up! I wasn't!"

"There's no need to lie." She said as she inches closer to him. Her lips just inches away from his. "After all…..I know what gets you going."

Shingo's heart pumped faster. There was a sensation in his pants as she inches closer. His eyes now look at her light pink lips. "Y-You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh~. I don't, now." She said, her tone reaches a seductive manner. "Then why are you getting hard?"

Her hand moved and touched his mushroom that was growing in his pants. Shingo twitched at the touch. He could feel her hand rubbing it, moving her hand up and down at such a slow motion. Shingo started to breathe harder, beads of sweat trickled against his bare skin, his cheeks, trailing down his nose and arms.

"You loving this aren't you~."

"I'm not….."

"Then why are you getting hard?"

"Shut up…

"What happens when I go faster?"

"You better not!"

And she did. She stroked his mushroom faster, faster, faster! He felt a burning sensation on his mushroom as it grew bigger and harder. He could feel her breathing on his face. Her lips inches closer to his lips.

"Shingo…."

"Anzu…"

"Shingo…"

"Anzu….."

"Shingo!"


He snapped out of his trance as he looked in front of him, his hand was wrapped around the pillow, squeezing it against his chest with his lips closing in on the pillow. While his other hand was in neither region. It stood straight up, almost bursting from his pants. His eyes looked up at Kiyoshi who stood by the doorway with a baffled expression.

His eyes twitched under his brow. He could not even believe what he was looking at. Or what he could even say. Just seeing the blonde boy with his pillow squeezed against him and his other hand playing with his mushroom. With food on the ground.

Shingo felt beads of sweat rolling against his skin, his heart beating fast. Unsure of what to say to the blue-haired boy at this point.

"Um…..what…are you…doing?"

"..."

Shingo was unsure of what to say. Remaining speechless about the whole scenario. He can't believe that Kiyoshi saw what just happened!

"Um…Shingo?"

Shingo threw the pillow against the wall as it landed on the bed. Then he swiftly sat back down with his leg criss crossed, he slipped his hair backward and sat straight, looking at Kiyoshi with a serious look.

"Hello Kiyoshi, I wasn't expecting you to come back."

"Drop the manly act, I know what I saw."

"..." Shingo sighed in defeat. His head hung low. "You're right…..am I pathetic?"

"You mean trying to make out with a pillow?"

"It's not like that man! I…I was trying to test myself by going on a date with Anzu."

"So what I saw….."

"Was just me testing myself before I asked her. I don't have confidence in myself, I want to ask her out, but I'm too scared. I'm such a coward to ask out Anzu that I decided to test my luck on a frickin pillow!" He said as he punched the floor, gritting his teeth. "And I want to know how to kiss a girl!"

"This again!?"

"Yes damn it! I want to move our relationship to the next level! It's not fair that frickin lucky bastard, Matsuri gets to land one on the vice president! I can't believe how much of a coward I am to not make a move on him!"

Kiyoshi scratched the back of his head looking towards the wall. He could understand where the boy is coming from especially when it comes to dating a girl and gaining a kiss. But it's not like they were all in a competition with each other. And it's not like Matsuri was in a hurry to move his relationship.

"Kiyoshi…." He looked towards the blonde hair boy who looked up at him. "Have you….have you kissed a girl before!?"

"Bwuh!? Where the hell did that come from!?"

"I just need advice or tips or anything on kissing a girl!"

"But what makes you think I know the answer!"

"Because you haven't joined our conversation throughout that entire time." Kiyoshi flinched at that. He was right, Kiyoshi did not join their conversation since he was too distracted by his little incident with Hana. He could still feel her lips touching his. He shook his head. "See, you were thinking weren't you!"

"I wasn't!"

"Yes you were….hold on…" Shingo looked at Kiyoshi with such a serious look. He leaned closer as he used his hands to support his balance. "Kiyoshi, are you saying that…you kissed someone before?"

Kiyoshi started to sweat on the spot. He could feel the flood of desperation trickled down against his skin. Biting down on his lips. He looked the other way, avoiding Shingo scrutinizing gaze at the boy. Why on earth did he have to have that terrifying and yet hot experience with Hana! If it was with Chiyo, then he would…..

No! He can't taint Chiyo's innocence even further! Or make her hate him!

"No! I haven't kissed anyone!"

"You sure? Then why aren't you looking at me?"

"I'm not looking at you because I-I'm disgusted with you!" He lied.

"Disgusted with me? Why?"

Kiyoshi looks at him. "You assumed that I kissed a girl! Don't be ridiculous! Honestly, to think that my dear friend from middle school would assume that I kissed a girl here behind your guys back!"

Shingo just raised a brow at him. Just what was getting up his ass? Was he seriously getting offended by getting accuse of kissing a girl behind their back? Talk about over dramatic much. But still…..

"Listen man, I'm not trying to accuse you, I just thought you did…."

"No matter how you sugarcoat it, it is still accusation. But I will say this, I swear, for Chiyo-chan sake that I did not kiss a girl…but I have seen it."

"You've seen it? Where?"

"O-On video, an adult porn video!" He said as he looked the other way with faint blush on his cheeks.

"Hold up! You porn stashed in our room!? You ass, you've been holding out on us!"

"I do not! This was something that I've found surfing the internet so I do not own any porn videos here!" Kiyoshi quickly defends himself with lies after lies. Not sure how far he could keep up with this.

"W-Well, okay then, so what do you got?"

Kiyoshi pondered for a moment. Unsure of what else to say to the boy. He really hasn't experienced any kiss except for Hana's…that's it. Even though it wasn't a real kiss, it was still something and close to one as well. As long as he tells this to Shingo and only Shingo, then it would not get out of hand…..right?

He walked up to the boy and sat in front of him. Both his knees folded inward. His hand settled on his legs as he looked at the boy's face. "I will share with you…..I will share with you how to kiss a girl."


-Hachimitsu Academy- [Hallway]


Meiko walks down the hall with her head up high, waving back to the number of students who giggled and waved back at her. She could have sworn she heard a couple of them whispering amongst themselves; the topic was more about Meiko and Matsuri.

She felt her cheeks go hot. Since when did they become such a hot topic? She remembered her time with the boy back in the storage closet, and quite honestly, she could still freshly recall her being rather bold on the shy boy.

"Perhaps I was being a little…..too rough. But I needed to confirm if he was serious about me." She thought to herself, feeling her cheeks growing hot.

"Madam Vice President!" She hears a familiar voice. But not the one she was hoping for. She turned and noticed the large boy came up to her.

"Ah, it's you, pig." She said with a little taste of disappointment.

Andre took notice of her tone of voice. He became aware of the name calling, but as for her tone of voice, she was lacking in the drill sergeant voice that he became attached to. He tried not to let it get to him as he approached her with a smile.

"U-Um….so how are you today, my queen?"

"I am fine. I was just on my way to do some errands. I needed to take these forms over to the teacher lounge. Their supplementary lesson forms for one of the classes. Then I need to pick up the tea that Hana have ordered."

"A-Ah, momm-Vice President. You're pushing yourself too hard." He slipped on his wording almost accidentally calling her 'mommy'. He had hope that she at least got a reaction from her or something, anything at least!

Meiko caught it…but shrugged it off. "It's fine. I'm used to doing things for the underground student council."

Andre started to dread for a moment. Usually she would strike him or something. But nothing! He needed a different approach. "Um….s-should I help you out then? Allow me to-" He suddenly tripped on himself. He fell forward, about a few inches away from the Vice President. He stretched out his arms and aimed directly towards the vice president. Once he was about to hit the ground, his arms reached right under her skirt. Pulling down her thin purple thongs.

The hallway grew quiet. They all looked at the two students with their mouths covered by their hands. What just unfolded in front of them was a scene that they were not expecting. Andre's face was planted on the floor as he looked up from the floor, his eyes took notice of the thin purple thongs that were grabbed for. And what he had in intention. He looks up from the leg towards the vice president's face. Due to the angle he was at, he could almost see the Vice President's national treasure trove.

Meiko's cheeks grew hot as she stood there with her hands clenched into a fist. Her eyes were filled with rage as she looked directly at the large boy who was still on the ground with an apologetic face.

"Yes! That's the face I'm looking for! Be angry with me! Spit on me! Hit me! Step on me! Crush my face with your ass! ANYTHING!"

Meiko was steaming mad. She was about to blow up in his face. But then she took a deep breath, taking a breather before she attempted anything. Meiko simply bended down and grabbed her thongs and pulled them up along her plump thighs and brought them to her waist.

She looked at the large boy beneath her. "I'll try to ignore that. Have you seen Hitoyoshi by any chance?"

"THAT DIDN'T WORK EITHER!?" Andre was completely devastated by this. There was no way that didn't work. It had to work! It didn't do the trick!

"U-Um….no."

"I see. Well then, keep out of trouble then…..oh and before I go," The next thing Andre knew was that his finger was crushed under a powerful force. His fingers were being crushed under the weight of Meiko's high boots as she used the front ends. "Next time you try something like that, I won't be nice." She stepped off of his fingers and walked away.

Andre brought his hand to himself, seething through his teeth as he tried to ease the pain. A nasty bruise could be seen right on his fingers. The girls around cautiously walked up to him, wondering if he was alright. However, as they walked up towards him, what they heard wasn't whimpering in pain, but was…laughing?

"Yes…" Andre said as he began to laugh a little harder. "Yes…..hahaha…..HAHAHAHA! THAT IS IT! THAT IS THE PAIN I LONGED FOR! I LOVE IT! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!" He laughed in tears of joy!

His crazy antics were rather making the girls around him uncomfortable. They all started to whisper about his rather strange behavior. It was almost like he was almost losing his sanity at that point. Andre just laughed his ass off as tears continued to leak down against his cheeks, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

He calmed down after a few laughs, still holding his fingers. He looked at his fingers with a confident smile. "This pain…this pain is not enough. I need more…..I need more. No one else can do it better than the Vice President…yes…I need to think of what I'm going to do."

He looks ahead of him with a newfound purpose. His eyes in the direction of where the vice president left.

"Prepare yourself, Vice President…"


-Outskirt of Hachimitsu Academy-


"Ah, this spot is my most favorite….." Kate said as sat back against the lone tree behind her. With Risa laying the blanket in front of them and Mitsuko setting out the food on the blanket. Meanwhile, Matsuri was seen sitting near Kate, feeling uncomfortable about the whole scenario. Here he was, sitting with the one girl that he was specifically warned about. He could already feel Mari intense stare from afar, even though she was nowhere to be found.

"Matsuri?" He snapped out of his trance when he found Kate looking at him with a frown. "Are you okay? You're not still worried about what Mari said about me?"

"Well…..I would be lying to myself if I said, no." He replied with a nervous smile before looking the other way. "Why am I even here? Mari is going to kill me if she sees me with Kate…..better make my visit short before she finds me out."

Kate sets her hand on top of Matsuri's. "Now, now, don't let Mari's words say anything about me. I promise you that I'm not an evil witch of how she paints me as. I'm actually really nice. Am I girls?"

"Yeah, Kate is super nice once you get to know her better." Mitsuko said with a smile.

"Don't let the underground student council president trick you. She's just saying that because she doesn't like Kate." Risa said as she settled her shinai down next to her.

Matsuri wanted to believe them. But again, the back of his mind keeps going back to what Mari warned him. But could they really be bad, they seemed overall nice. Granted he doesn't know them on a personal level, but he would like to know what he's dealing with here before he could make a strong judgment. Or even consider fully taking Mari for her warning.

"Hey, come on, dig in." Kate pleaded as she looks towards the boy. "We worked very hard to make this. We even made some cookies as well."

"O-Oh….thanks." He said as he grabbed a sandwich from the small box.

He bit into it, tasting the ingredients and flavor to it. "It's good."

Kate giggled at his complement. "I'm glad you like it. We made plenty more, so go ahead and eat up."

Matsuri nodded as he continued to bite into the sandwich. He could hear the cicadas buzzing around them with the summer breeze blowing through his face. The small rays of sunlight poked through the trees. This spot that they have chosen was definitely relaxing and he would love to enjoy it more. But then again, he was still having meal time with the potential enemies. But they can't really be bad.

His eyes turned towards the orange-haired girl. He really had to admit, she was absolutely stunning. Her most noticeable feature (to him at least) would have to be her long eyelashes that really did accommodate her looks. Her soft pink lips that shone. And the almost too innocent aura she had with her. But there was another part to her that he can't describe. It felt rather familiar…almost too familiar.

"Matsuri?" Kate asked, snapping out his trance. "You okay, you've been staring at me."

"Gak! Sorry…..I was just in deep thought that's all." Matsuri said with a blush looking the other way.

"...say Matsuri, do you like me?"

Matsuri nearly choked on the sandwich. He looks towards Kate with furious blush. "Huh!? Where did that come from!?"

"Oh? Is something wrong?" Kate said with an innocent grin. "I just simply mean do you like me as a friend?"

"O-O-Oh…that's what you mean?" He said as placed his hand over his heart to calm himself. "As for your question…I uh…I'm trying not to be rude here. But I barely know you. I don't know who the student councils are nor do I know you guys on a personal level. Which leads me to my next question, why are you being nice to me."

Kate simply smiled at the boy. She poked the tip of her lip with a pondering thought. "I mean, you are right. I don't know who you are? But is it wrong to make friends with new people? Also I am the president of the student council, so it is my duty to make sure that all students are safe and comfortable at this school."

"Even when they don't know the student council."

"Our position isn't the best," Risa added while looking at the boy. "Due to the underground student council popularity and all. We're pretty much at the bottom. But that doesn't stop us from doing our job. I just wish we get as many privileges as the underground student council."

"It's a pretty hard life for us, but we manage though." Mitsuko said with an encouraging smile.

Matsuri blinked at the girls. He was surprised by their commitment to their role, despite their status and reputation. That is something he has to praise them for. They sure were brave…..if only he could find a way for both of them to cooperate with each other, then it wouldn't be an issue.

"I bet your thinking that the student council and underground student council should work together, aren't you?" She said with a grin.

"I mean…is it still possible?" Matsuri asked with a hopeful look.

"Our ideals are different, so I don't think it would work. Plus, I don't think Mari would appreciate my company, even Meiko wouldn't."

Matsuri blinked. "You…..you knew Meiko as well?"

"Of course. Actually, I knew both of them back in elementary. I only knew Hana when we entered highschool, but I, Mari, and Meiko used to go a long way back."

"Really now…so what happened between you guys?"

Kate paused for a moment. She felt a bit of distaste in her mouth as she looked at the sandwich with a hint of anger in her eyes. Unaware of how much force she was squeezing against the sandwich. Taking a trip down memory lane that wasn't so pleasant for her. She remembered exactly what those two did to her back at elementary.

Matsuri took notice of the sandwich that was being squeezed against her fingers as she took a longful look at it. He could feel all sorts of rage building within her.

"Um….Matsuri-kun," Mitsuko whispered towards the boy's ear. "It's best if you don't bring up any memories around her."

"O-Oh…s-sorry. I didn't mean to say anything if it offended you."

Kate shook her head and looked at Matsuri with a smile. "Oh no, it's fine. It's completely normal for you to be curious about my past history with Mari and Meiko, so I think it's fair that I share with you my story. Although, we will be here all day if I tell you, so I'll just be rather brief with you."

Matsuri nodded. Curious about her relationship between the three.

Kate's smile grew wider. "Well then, to be brief, all three of us were in elementary school. I was the representative student of the class, a perfect role model. Top grades in nearly all the subjects, athletics, so on and so forth. Of course all of that was taken when Mari transferred to the school both I and Meiko went to."

"Transferred? You mean Mari wasn't a regular."

"Nope. But anyways, it wasn't long before Mari took that all away. She was picked as top representative and even excelled in all the areas. I worked very hard to get where I needed to be, but it all went away when she appeared into my life. I keep wondering to myself, what do I need to do to be on equal standing with her. What do I need to do to prove my worth? Is it all just a waste? Nothing but a fleeting dream? These were questions that I asked myself for the longest and I never had a real answer. I just kept on pushing forward. No matter how hard it is or how far my goal is, I will continue to work hard to reach where she stands."

Matsuri just looked at her completely in awe. But he would admit that he did feel a little sympathetic towards the girl. All of it was taken away from her, but that's how it goes with life, your status is taken away from unforeseen circumstances. He knew where she was coming from.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to bore you with any details."

"N-No. It's fine." Matsuri said, raising his hand in defense. "I mean, I did ask because I was curious about you and Mari. I'm still not sure where to put my own opinion on this matter, but if I were to really say something. Just because Mari is rich and very talented. But that doesn't mean you gave up right? From what I heard, it's like you never gave up. You worked hard to get where you're at." He smiled at the girl.

Kate felt her cheeks go hot for a moment as she looked at the boy. The girl's heart fluttered for a moment after hearing the boy praise. That was something she was not expecting to hear. She just looked at the boy with a baffled expression.

"O-Oh….why thank you. I wasn't expecting such a compliment from such a handsome young man."

Matsuri looked the other way, scratching his cheeks. "T-There's no need to go that far."

"Nonsense, you're noble and handsome."

"I think you're very cool." Mitsuko said with a smile.

"You're pretty amazing in your own right."

Matsuri was feeling rather embarrassed from all the compliments. He doesn't really find himself to be anything skillful or strong. There are moments when he feels inferior with not just the underground student council, but nearly everyone at this school. Even the boys he feels inferior to them, now he wouldn't go around attempting any sexual things but he does admire their bravery.

Matsuri shook his head. "A-Anyways, all I'm just saying is that you work hard. By the way, that was just Mari though, but what about Meiko?"

"Oh my, how could I forget about sweet Meiko," She said, tapping her lips with her finger. A mischievous grin appeared on her face. "But before I talk about her, are you and Meiko dating?"

Matsuri's face heats up at the mention of them dating! Seriously now!? This is getting out of hand! "N-No! We're not! We're just friends that's all!"

"Oh? But there's been rumors going around that you two have been getting along well with each other." Kate said as she kept her grin, enjoying the boy's reaction.

Matsuri waved his hand in defense. "N-No. Of course we're not dating, we just happen to be close partners, you know since we're in the underground student council and all."

"Oh…..Well either way, I believe you should be cautious around Meiko."

"Huh? Why?" Matsuri was confused by her warning.

"Meiko is a rather….dangerous individual. She was sweet at first, but due to Mari's involvement in her life, she went and changed into a complete beast."

"I-Isn't that because Meiko was picked on?"

"That is true. But ever since Mari came into her life, she became nothing more than her loyal pet and would throttle anyone who would try and challenge the president…she even tried to attack me once."

Matsuri's eyes widened in shock. That was something he wasn't expecting to hear. Then again, it feels like something Meiko would do if anyone were to insult or even dare challenge her. He would admit, she could be a bit of a challenge to handle, but that's just her returning the favor for Mari.

"It was horrifying." Kate said as she latched onto Matsuri's arm. "She brutally attacked my friends. She was a monster, a beast, a horrifying demon from hell as she just went from one to the next. I was left alone as she started to aim for me…..I…..I was spared when Mari stopped her and saved me. I never felt so scared in my life…..and humiliated."

Matsuri listened to her tale, all the details. He couldn't help but to feel sympathy for the orange-haired girl and believe that is the Meiko he knows today, but something doesn't add up. According to Meiko, she was picked on because of her boobs, it was only thanks to Mari that she changed. Something was missing, but he would assume that Mari and Kate must have gotten into a fight and Meiko must have lashed out.

"I see…I'm sorry to hear that….I didn't know."

A hidden smile graced her lips, completely unaware of the boy before she removed herself from his arm and looked at him with a smile. "Thank you for hearing my tale, you're such a good listener."

Matsuri felt his cheeks heat up as he looked the other way. "Y-Yeah….thanks." He said, but couldn't help but to think for a moment. "Meiko…you must have had a reason to lash out like that."

Kate's smile grew wider. She went out and brought out a laptop from her bag. "Say Matsuri, since we're here, I really do want to be your friend. So I have a little something special for you to see."

"You have something for me?" He tilted his head.

"Yes. As proof of our friendship." She said with her smile that grew even wider.


-Hachimitsu Academy- [Chairman Office]


"I trust that you are treating Matsuri well…..Mari." Usano said, sitting on the chair, facing his daughter who sat across from him.

"There is nothing to be concerned about, Matsuri is being treated well under us. Do you not trust us?"

"It's not that I don't trust you. I appreciate that you girls are now trusting Matsuri as if he was one of your own valuable members. I'm just making sure that this have cured your hatred towards the opposite sex. But even I know that is too much to ask for, wouldn't you agree…..Mari."

"Don't misunderstand me. Males are still scum in my eyes. No matter how you try to sugarcoat it. But after the incident with Matsuri and learning of who was directly responsible for killing Yoshimya…I will admit, even females are not to be trusted on some occasions."

Usano brought his hand under his chin as he began to ponder before saying anything else. "It is nice that you are broadening your horizons. Even if it is little by little, it would seem that Matsuri is keeping his end of the promise."

"If I am to assume, was the promise between you two happen to concern me, by any chance."

"Precisely." He said with his usual speech mannerism, holding a gaze at her. "I was hoping that Matsuri would become your friend. Not just a friend, a male friend who is reliable. Someone whom you can trust."

"I had Meiko and Hana before Matsuri came into the picture."

"True. But as I mentioned before, I was hoping Matsuri could be a male friend for you to trust and rely on based on his character and not what he is on the outside. It's not the outside that matters or defines the character. It is what they are inside. I was glad to have chosen Matsuri to do the…job."

Mari rolled her eyes with a hint of a smirk. "Of course you would come up with such rigid wordings such as that. Don't misunderstand me. While Matsuri may have been clear with the Yoshimiya incident, there's one thing I want him to do."

"Oh….and that is?" Usano looked at his daughter with a curious glance.

"Who is he loyal to?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to make sure that Matsuri will not betray us. He has proven that he is loyal to those around him, even to Yoshimiya before her death. But how far will he go to maintain his trust with not just the boys but to the underground student council. The last thing I want is to accept a boy who does not keep his promise and ends up breaking not just my trust…but my heart."

Usano raised a brow. This was something he was not expecting to hear from his own daughter. "Well now, I was expecting to hear this from you. The male hating President of the underground student…..council."

Mari tried hard to resist an eye roll. Out of all the time of day he chose to be funny, it had to be now. "I'm being serious."

"You're right. It was my fault. I'm sorry."

"Anyways, I need to go back to the office and do some work. I'll leave you to your own…..'personal' work." She emphasized on the word, personal something that Usano caught on to.

"It's nothing like…..that!"

"I'm sure it is. I'll be leaving." Mari said as she got up from the chair and headed for the door. Before she reached for the doorknob, she stopped. "Oh and father…..when I said that if Matsuri were to break my heart…..I wasn't just talking about my heart." She said before she left through the door.

Leaving a pondering Usano who was left with only a few words that he doesn't know himself. Just what was his daughter referring to or whom she was referring to.


-Outskirt of Hachimitsu-


Matsuri was reading something from the laptop that was sitting on top of Kate's lap. The boy's eyes were wide, his mouth was partly opened. His eyes scanned the computer screen from left to right. Meanwhile, Kate remained seated as she looked at the boy with a smile that almost made one look anonymous. While Mitsuko and Risa watched from the sideline.

"Is this…..this is for the newspaper?"

"That's right." Kate said with a cheerful tone. Leaning her head closer to Matsuri's. "I happened to overhear from that boy Gakuto, from what he told Mitsuko about your little incident with Yoshimiya death back at your old school."

Matsuri's eyes were glued to the screen. From what he was reading from the headline, it pretty much reads "The Truth and Tragic Backstory of Yoshimiya" and it has a missing picture for the front line.

"So Gakuto told Mitsuko about this?"

"I-I'm sorry! Please don't be mad at Gakuto!" She bowed her head as it almost hit the ground.

Matsuri raised his hand in defense. "N-No. It's fine. I mean…..I was just surprised that he would tell someone about Yoshimiya's death, that's all."

Mitusko raised her head as she scratched the back of her head. "B-But still….sorry about this."

Matsuri offers a small smile towards the girl before looking towards Kate. "S-So, were you planning on using this as a news story for the school. Even though this is a different school."

"I mean sure," Kate said as she snuggled next to the boy, making him a little uncomfortable. "This is a little much, but after what I heard of what happened and how much pain you went through, I wanted the whole school to know. Why stop there, we could take this to the police and charge that horrible Hayakki for what she has done."

Matsuri's eyes turned back to the screen. He was just stunned by how far this girl would go and do this much for him. Given that they've barely known each other for a good while, so do this for a complete stranger? It confused him and just asking away would just confuse him even further at this point.

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"We barely know each other and you're doing this much for me…..why are you….doing this….."

Kate simply just offered a frown. "Do you not trust me?"

"It's not that. But it just surprised me that you would go this far for a complete stranger. I mean, I'm not that special myself, nor am I anything to waste your time on, so why?"

"Isn't it obvious? I like you, Matsuri." She said, poking his nose. "I want to be your friend, just to show what type of character I am. And as your friend, I want to make sure that everyone knows what really happened on that day. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Um…..y-you do know that I'm also responsible for her death too, right?"

"But you were dragged into this, right?" Risa said as she looked at the boy with her sharp glare. "You were just brought into this unfair game and were manipulated by that bitch. And she forced you to take those photos."

"Their right," Mitsuko added. "Something like that deserves to be made known as the real culprit should be punished." She was all the more mad about the way Hayakki got away with this. All while Matsuri and Yoshimiya suffered the worst case scenario. It just didn't settle with her right.

Matsuri blinked, he'd heard their reasoning of why they would go this far. And they're not entirely wrong, they had every right to be mad. Himself included, he did resent Hayakki for what happened to Yoshimiya, but to go far for veganace. Would he go far just for that….

Matsuri took a breather. "Thank you guys for this….really I am. But….." Matsuri took a moment to think to himself. He wanted to think about what to say next. This all just came out all of a sudden and I wasn't sure of how to respond to it. Kate was willing to go this far for someone like him. But did he really want everyone to know about what happened back in Atsuhiko Academy? Then again, they didn't need to go that far, plus he didn't want to cause such a ruckus at the school.

"Matsuri, you okay?" Kate asked with a frown.

"I-I'm fine…..um….I appreciate you guys for helping. But…..if you're going to post this story. Can you please explain every detail of what happened. That includes me."

The girls looked at the boy with a baffled expression.

"Um…..what…..are you sure?"

"No matter how anyone tries to sugar coat it, it was still my fault for what happened to Yoshimiya. I let Hayakki manipulated me to get back at Yoshimiya. She suffered so much for me…..it's not fair."

"Huh?"

"It's not fair what happened to Yoshimiya. And I didn't do anything…..to be honest, I still haven't forgiven myself over what happened. But if everyone knows the truth….the actual truth, then maybe I will be on equal footing. I'm willing to put myself through the same trouble that she went through and-"

"Stop."

Matsuri stopped as he looked at Kate who was giving him a stern look. Mitsuko and Risa looked towards their friend with mixed expressions. Risa kept her sharp gaze, but was softened, while Mitsuko had a baffled expression. Mainly from Matsuri's bold decision, but was surprised by Kate's action.

Kate gave the boy a look. "Just stop. You are most certainly not gonna put yourself through that. Yoshimiya gave her life up for you so won't live in fear anymore. Just you putting yourself through that again isn't going to change anything. She gave up her life because you're her friend!" She said as she pointed her finger at his nose.

Matsuri rubbed his nose with a baffled expression. "I…Sorry…..maybe that was a little bold, but it's just that she was a very dear friend of mine…..I just wanted to experience the same pain she went through."

Kate took a moment of thought, wondering what to say next to the boy. Her eyes glued back to the screen, reading the 'work-in-progress' headline. She really was just planning on using this to get Matsuri trust and use him against the USC somehow. She managed to successfully gain his trust in one way or another. But the aftermath was something….unexpected.

Kate tapped her lips with her finger pondering before speaking. "Well, I most certainly don't want anything happening to you to be quite frank. Tell you what, how about I hold off on this for a while until then."

"Huh?"

"I'll admit, it was rather brave of you making such a bold choice, but Matsuri, you really shouldn't beat yourself up over this. Yoshimiya gave you a chance at living for a reason, don't let her death be in vain."

"...right…..you're right. Sorry."

"Oh don't be. Like I said, it was a rather bold choice. But try to be more careful of your choice of how to live your life. You don't want to go and regret now, do you?"

"I guess you're right about that…a-anyways, I should possibly go now." Matsuri said as he got up from the ground before dusting himself off.

"Aw~. Leaving so soon." Kate said in a cute manner.

"I need to head over to the underground student council office, they may have some jobs for me to do."

"Oh, that reminds me," Kate said as she got up as well, planting her hands on her hip. "How is the USC? Are they treating you fairly?"

"Yeah, they're taking care of me. I'll admit, I feel a little misplaced though, since they're all girls and I'm the only boy in the group." He admits to himself rather sheepishly, messing with the strands from his hair.

Kate's smile transformed into a mischief grin. "You must have had a lot of imagination in your head when you're around them, don't you?"

Matsuri's face turned red, his mouth gaped wide open. "N-No! That's not it! I learn to keep my hands to myself….unless if she wants to be touched." The last part he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Kate leaned in closer to the boy with a playful mood.

"N-Nothing. A-Anyways, I gotta go now."

"You stay safe now, Matsuri." Kate said as she waved goodbye to the boy. Watching him head off towards the building.

"So, are you satisfied with the result?" Risa said as she moved over and sat next to her friend. "It didn't go as planned, but it looks like we gained his trust one way or another."

"It was all too easy." Kate said with a grin as she took a cherry from the container. "We just needed to show him that we're on his side. It is rather a shame that Mari and her little lackeys haven't made an attempt to even help the poor boy by revealing the type of monster that Hayakki is."

"I mean, it's not like we could do much. Just sharing the story in our school won't do any good. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised that bitch destroyed the evidence, which means, she gets out scott free."

"Hmm…..true. It wouldn't do much, but we still managed to obtain his trust. As long as we managed to shove away any unnecessary contradictions that Mari had implanted in that boy's head. We should keep it like that." She said as she ate the cherry.

"H-Hey," Mitsuko gathered Kate's attention. "What are we going to do once Matsuri finds out what our true goal is? Isn't this making us just as bad as Hayakki?"

Kate pondered for a moment, Mitsuko is right on one thing. This was making them bad, from what she heard, Hayakki was pretty much Matsuri's tormentor. Granted, Kate herself wasn't all rainbow and sunshine herself even back then. At least she was willing to admit it.

"True. But I don't want to harm the boy. I just simply wish for us to be friends. Too bad he got the underground student council president under her thumb."

"Speaking of the underground student council, what's our next step?"

"With Matsuri now having trust in us, we take advantage of this moment. Let's break his trust in the USC, erasing elements from Mari's little circle. Once we're at it, we turn the public opinion against the USC, showing them their ugly side. If we can complete that, we destroy their image, and they will have no choice but to transfer power to us."

She began to squeeze the cherry harder as it began to shape.

"...and once we take that power of authority….."

The cherry in her fingers popped. Squirting juice, splattering on her fingers.

"...we destroy the USC for good."


-Hallway-


Matsuri lightly jogged down the hallway on his way to the USC office hoping to get another task from Mari. He thinks back to the conversation he had with Kate and the others. He knows Mari about them being dangerous and not to be trusted. But during his conversation with them, he could maybe sense a hint of bitterness between the two.

"Kate seems friendly enough…although I think her going and revealing the truth behind Yoshimiya's death was a bit much." He began to ponder around in thoughts. "Still though…to think that there's an actual student council here….and yet Kate is constantly pushed into the shadows."

He can't help but to feel a bit of sympathy for the girl. He knows he wasn't supposed to help them according to Mari, but the more he thinks about it, the more it just tugs in his mind. "If only there was a way for both of them to cooperate….."

"Matsuri?" He turns to a familiar voice. He spots the Vice President walking up to him. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Everything is fine…" Matsuri began to ponder for a moment. Should he really tell her about his visit with Kate? According to the orange-haired girl, the three of them knew each other back in elementary. "Um…..Meiko. Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"Um…how well…..do you and Mari know Kate?"

"!" Meiko's eyes snapped open. She started to break into a cold sweat, dripping against her plush, soft skin. Her breathing started to quicken as memories rushed through her head. Unaware of Matsuri's worried expression. The papers in her hand fell from her hand as she dropped on her knees.

"M-Meiko!?" The boy dropped to her level and grabbed her shoulders. "Meiko! Hey Meiko! Come on, wake up!"

Meiko snapped out with a sharp gasp as she looked at the boy breathing heavily. "M-Matsuri?"

"Are you okay, you just froze up there….."

Meiko shook her head. "Y-Yes…..don't worry I'm fine. But…..how do you….how do you know her?"

"You mean Kate?" He asked, getting a nod from the girl. "I met her on some occasions, Mari even told me that she is not to be trusted. I-Is this true?"

Meiko bit her lip as she looked to the side of her with a glare. "That bitch…..is not to be trusted."

"Huh?"

Meiko turns towards Matsuri. "Listen Matsuri, don't even think for a moment that she deserves any sympathy. She may look like an ever so pleasant girl. But underneath that coat is just a pitiful bitch who only resents the President and also…" She stopped as she grabbed her right arm, her left arm resting under her bosom, pushing them up. Her breathing pumped them up and down.

Matsuri was too focused on the girl's troubled state; he had never seen her so troubled like this. Was there a rough history between the two? He would have to focus on that later as he looks at the girl with a caressing smile. He softly touched her shoulders.

"If you don't wish to talk about it, don't force yourself. I'm sorry for bringing it up in the first place…." He said as he twirled around the strand of his hair.

Meiko slowly started to calm down as she looked at the boy with a soft expression. She took a deep breath before speaking. "It's alright…thank you for your concern."

The boy gathered up the papers and got up halfway, stretching his hand out towards the vice president as she accepted the help. She dusted herself off before looking at the boy. "So you've encountered her then, huh?"

"Y-Yeah….and I found out the other day that she was the president of the student council. Is that also true?"

"Yes. It is true. However we usurped them through popularity."

"Yeah, Mari told me that."

"Did she? Well then, that makes it easier for both of us. But pay no attention to them. Kate and her friends will only bring disaster to the underground student council."

Matsuri took a moment to think. It's the same as Mari said. But he couldn't really just ignore them, he knows too well that if he continues this conversation with her with his own opinion. It would just lead to a big argument.

"Okay…..I'll try to ignore them." He said with a stern expression.

Meiko just simply looked at him with a blank stare. She leaned towards his face, her nose almost touching his.

"W-What?"

"You're lying."

"...it's obvious it isn't." He sighed in defeat.

Meiko rolled her eyes at the boy as she stood back up, crossing her arms under her bosom. "Oh please, I've been with you for too long to figure out how you operate. Your obvious weakness is your kindness. You let your sense of justice get in the way of what's in front of you. It is that alone that leads you into trouble….however, that is one of your quirks. And I'll admit, you never really let anyone get left behind. I admire that about you."

Matsuri blinked. "Wow, you got all of that?"

"Of course. It's pretty easy to grasp your character." Meiko said as she huffed the other way, her nose pointing up. She took a glance at the boy before speaking. "But sometimes even someone like you never ceases to surprise me. That part is also why I admire you."

Matsuri's cheeks felt hot, his hair flared up from the praise.

Meiko cleared her throat. "A-Anyways. I assume that you were on your way to the USC office."

"Y-Yeah! I was!"

"S-Should we walk together?"

"I-I mean, it's easier since we're both going there."

In complete silence, the two found themselves walking together in the hallway once more. Matsuri took notice of the students around them gossiping about them once more. He heard that they were saying all sorts that would make even him blush in embarrassment.

"Look how cute they are."

"Wow, there they go again, they're definitely dating."

"I mean with the ban of interacting with the same sex lightly lifted, maybe we could find some boys."

"You think the two ever had sex?"

"Shh! They'll hear you!"

Matsuri heard them pretty well. He'll admit, sometimes he thinks that being in public like this while everyone began to jump the gun is a little much. He curses himself several times thinking how embarrassed Meiko felt about all of this.

"I know you don't like public displays." Meiko whispered, getting his attention. "I am not used to these as well. With them gossiping up a storm like this is a bitch. But….I certainly don't mind when I'm with you."

Matsuri's heart skipped a beat. She really was showing her love for the boy. He already knows that he would need to live up to her expectations and hopefully one of these days, he would confess his feelings.

This was going to be a long uphill battle from here, he just knows it…..


..


And that's a wrap! Kate and the student council make their move by gaining Matsuri's trust and now move on with their plan to strip the power away from the USC! The short peaceful life will turn into a wild ride from here and chaos will soon break loose at the school of Hachimitsu!

This chapter is actually pretty short compared to the other chapters which ranged from 11k-15k words. But nothing much happens in this chapter as it is only the beginning of the chaos that will soon break out in the later chapters.

It's pretty fun writing Kate's character in this. That is something that was not really explored too much in the manga, the rivalry between Mari and Kate is always interesting to me because of how Kate 's character works hard to rival Mari level. I know full well that Mari admires that about her, even though the two constantly do not see eye to eye. Here, I want to try and show a bit more of a rivalry between the two, showing how both of them are rather the same, but different in terms of talent/skill/intelligence. Of course, Kate herself is sneaky and a bit of a wild card in the manga. I'll possibly tone that bit down just a tad, especially when it comes to Matsuri. Kate is not all that evil and it shows she cares for her friends.

Then there's the Andre character that I teased in this chapter. I'm pretty sure those who have read the manga know where this will go in terms of character direction. To those who don't know, well….you'll find out.

I'm officially on winter break, so I should have some free time of my own to work on these chapters faster. But don't take my words for it, I like to spend time with these chapters to see if they are good enough or flow in the right direction. So please be patient.

Before I go, I've been thinking of writing a spin-off story that will basically be an adaptation of Etsuko's fanfic story. It will possibly be a short one-shot series, so it won't be ongoing like this, but who knows. I just like to write these stories because of how fun it is.

As always, thank you for reading, leave feedback for improvements. Stay safe and I'll see you in the next chapter!