Pov: Clara - The Enduring Cactus
I… I never really had actual friends. Maybe something was just wrong with me, but I was just no good at talking.
"It's ok sweety. Just be yourself and I'm sure you'll make lots of friends!"
Mom always told me that. All I had to do was be myself, right?
"Can you stop being so damned energetic? It's annoying!"
"Umm… s-sorry, but I don't want to play with you. You're kind of weird!"
"Mom said I can't play with you, sorry. But you did break my arm with your toys!"
"I don't want to be positive! Can you just leave me alone?!"
I tried. I tried, tried, and tried! People didn't want me to be myself! They wanted me to be just like everyone else!
"Then they're not true friends, honey. I know you'll find friends. Keep trying, ok?"
And I did, but nothing changed. I love mom, I really did, but her advice was horrible! Still… I couldn't tell her.
"Don't worry, mom. I'll just keep trying!"
I didn't want to worry her or my siblings. Maybe If I pretended to be happy, then I'd actually be happy? At least that's what I thought.
Before long, most of my childhood had passed me by. I didn't make friends that lasted more than a few days or weeks. I didn't find anyone that saw me for who I really was. All I did was make myself look like a weirdo.
"Huh? Sure, I'll be your friend."
Until I met him, that was.
"R-Really?"
I asked, voice practically dripping with desperation.
"Sure! You seem kind of lonely. Though, I'm a bit thirsty. Mind getting me a bit of juice first? We can hang out after."
A smile cut across my face. Finally!
"Sure!" I said enthusiastically. "What do you want to play first? I have finger guillotine or-"
"None of that stuff."
He never liked my games.
"Let's go for a walk instead. I have a few more friends you can meet."
Looking back on it, we only ever played once. From then on, he'd always ask me for things. The times we did hang out, none of them would pay me any mind. I was like a fly on a wall that they had to tolerate.
Still… they were my friends, right? They were people willing to tolerate me, at least! It was probably the best I could ever hope to get, so why ruin it?
"Hey, Clara. Mind getting me some Juice?"
"Clara, got some juice?"
"Oh, Clarin, got some juice?"
It was my first nickname. Just hearing it made me think it was all worth it.
"Juice, Clarin~"
But that lost its luster soon enough. It wasn't the kind of nickname friends gave each other.
…
No. It was the name of a pet.
Still, it was all I had. I… I didn't want to be alone again.
————————-
It didn't take all that long for just about everyone in school to hear about my "reputation."
Maybe I should just… stop? If I stopped, would people finally like me?
…
No. Mom would know. Mom would stop smiling. It would be my fault.
Endure. Smile. Laugh. That was me. That was Val-
I spun around, ready to run and work out these pesky thoughts. But then I smashed into a brick wall.
"Oweee!"
What the heck? Oh… he was tall. Really tall.
And most of all, he was lost! He needed help, but he wasn't looking at me with the same eyes everyone else was!
I smiled, and try as I might to contain myself, I still went and blabbed all about my games. He listened for a bit before getting annoyed.
"Sure, whatever. Look, I don't have time to play but you can hang out with me if you have nothing better to do. Just help me find-"
My heart practically jumped into my throat. I knew he was just saying to shut me up, but still! This was my chance! Maybe If I could convince him that I was worth having around, then others could see it too!
Looking back on it, I was more trying to convince myself.
—————
His name was Lee and he had an adorable and cool brother. To be honest, they were both pretty good people, at least in my opinion.
"Why would you ever find a game in which you try to avoid a flame spitting snake fun?"
Their other friend, Asmodeus Alice, was a bit too uptight, though. But that was fine! No matter how "annoying" I was, he didn't leave. Neither Iruma or Lee left!
"S-Sure, we can play tomorrow," Iruma said with a smile as he glanced toward his older brother. "Right,Lee?"
For a moment, it felt like my heart was about to burst.
"Sure," the older boy said with a shrug. "Anyways, let's get out of here."
I nearly cried. Did I finally find friends? People who could put up with me?
I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come!
——————
They call them "dreams" because people can never achieve them. I was blind not to see it. They'd been right about me- about everything. The only reason anyone ever hung out with me was so they could use my power.
All it took was hearing the ones I'd called "friends" for so long admit it.
"She's pest. Useless without her powers."
He was right.
Even Lee looked at my power more than me! The way he stared wasn't like anyone else, but still!
I was sick of it! I was sick of everything and everyone!
What was wrong with being a little different? So what If I wasn't like everyone else?!
What was I supposed to do?!
--
"Give. Me. Juice."
Ah… those words again. I just… I didn't want to give him anything. I wanted to slap that look right off his face! But… but If I did that, then I'd really be completely lost. Wouldn't I?
It felt like the world was closing in around me.
What do I do?
What do I do?!
"Punch him in the face." A slightly annoyed voice whispered into my ear.
I shivered. Punch? Punch him?
"You'll feel a lot better afterward."
My fist moved before I could finish the thought. The soft, fleshy nose it struck crumbled like wet cardboard.
Oh.
Why? Why hadn't I done that sooner?
All the stress, anger, and frustration I'd been building up seemed to just rush out of me.
I was surprised at the giggle that left my lip. Was it always this easy? Was this what I had to do to feel better about myself?
It didn't feel right, but… Lee wasn't wrong.
"Yeah…"
I smiled. For the first time in a long while, a relieved smile graced my lip.
Maybe I'd feel worse tomorrow. Maybe I'd realize how lonely I was, but at this moment, I was happy.
And that was more than enough for me.
—————
Lee POV
—————
"You know, I should have guessed that demons discriminated against one another too," I said with a sigh, looking down at the "food," we'd been served. "Didn't expect it to be based on some imaginary rankings and stuff."
Alice cleared his throat and nodded.
"It's a system that's been integral to the school since it's founding," he said with a classy smile. "As much as I'd love to change it for you and Iruma-sama, such things would require power and political might that none of us posses."
I furrowed my brow and shrugged. Eh, whatever. The food looked like a melted pile of fish, garlic, paste and mush, but it was still not the worst.
Iruma was already digging in an on his second plate. For such a small kid, he could eat someone out of house and home! Hell, I'd still never managed to beat that demonic stomach of his.
"Let's finish up and leave before we run into anymore trouble," I said with a sigh.
Sitting to my right was Val. Compared to the energizer bunny she'd been the last two days, the girl looked dazed. She was quiet, meek, and always kept throwing glances mine and Iruma's way.
Did she want to say something? Well, I wasn't going to be the one to start that conversation. If she wanted to say it, then she could do so herself!
"You two…" Alice cringed as he watches us eat the food.
Almost as if to prove me right, a very familiar teacher walked into the dinning room. What the hell was his name again? I'd already forgotten.
Narveerius? Norbverius? Nooberius?
…
Hoot. I think Hoot was probably the best I was going to get with him. It fit pretty well in my opinion!
The teacher stopped in his tracks and took a good look at me, Iruma and Alice. I don't think I'd ever seen someone visibly express their disgust and frustration that obviously before.
When Val took a bit of food from my plate, his brow twitched. He didn't utter a single word and then walked away.
Huh. He was smarter than I gave him credit for.
"So, finish food and then find our class?" I asked.
"Yeah," Iruma said with a nod.
Easy.
————
"Think this is a big joke or something?" I asked, staring up at the big, ancient doors. "This place looks like a tomb or something, not a damned class."
"I-It is a bit scary," Iruma whispered, glancing a the small note we'd been given. "B-But this is the place! The abnormal class, a-at least that's what Su- grandfather said…"
Ugh… was he really still calling him that? The old goat wasn't here.
"While I am worried, I do believe your grandfather wouldn't intentionally lead you astray," Alice said with a smile. "Please, let's go in and-"
"S-Surprise!" Val said as she rushed forward and tried to push Iruma. I doubted it was anything malicious, but something like that wasn't going to fly when I was right there.
"Bad surprise," I said, gently snatching her hand out of the air. I gave it a firm squeeze to show her that it wasn't ok to do that to Iruma. "Don't-"
I'd expected many things, but not what she did next. Val let out a squeal that reminded me of what a dying cat sounded like. Her cheeks turned scarlet and then she pushed both me and Iruma forward.
"H-Hyah!"
It was so sudden that I couldn't stop it. Heck, I wasn't sure if I could.
How strong was this girl?!
Suffice it to say, I smashed into the door with the back of my head. Iruma went flying over me.
The sound of blades cutting through the air had me on my feet in a second. When I spun around, half a dozen weapons were sunken into the floor and walls. A spear here, an axe there. Hell, there were even a few katanas and a damned iron ball!
Iruma, of course, dodged them all. If I was some sort of demon, then clearly he had been blessed by an angel.
"W-Wow!"
"Amazing!"
"Damn it! I lost the bet!"
Out from the shadow burst a number of unfamiliar faces. Amongst them was one I did recognize.
That blond hairstyle with the black, squiggly line and small, black horns could only belong to one person.
Shax Lied. That was his name, right?
"Good to see you again," he greeted me with a smile. "Gotta say, wasn't expecting to you or your brother to wind up here."
I nodded and then took a good look at the weapons. Those were real. Who the hell set up that trap?
"Eh, everyone had to get through that," Shax said with a shrug. "Though, don't think anyone expected him to dodge every single one."
He pointed a thumb behind himself.
"There's another guy. He walked right through the things!" he said with a laugh. "He's crazy, I tell you what."
"Of course I would not dodge!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear. "The demon king is no coward, so he faces all challenges head on!"
I raised a brow as another student walked forward.
Who the hell was this guy? I had to turn my head up just to meet his eyes. He was at least as tall as Iruma and I combined. His muscles were like… like something out of a comic book! Also, he had a bunch of swords and spears sticking out of him.
But he wasn't bleeding.
What the hell?
"Remember my name!" he shouted. "I am Sabnock Subolo and I'm the only one suitable to be the demon king!"
Oh. I understand.
"You're just an idiot."
I could see a vain nearly pop in his forehead.
"You two might be an honor students, but there's a big difference between you and I." He said, flexing his muscles. The many weapons stuck into his body cracked and then exploded. The bits left over fell out of his flesh as if they were made of crackers. "And that is passion! You will never achieve anything worth while with those dead eyes of yours."
He huffed and then spun around.
"Against such pathetic wills, all I have to do is crush you and prove myself as the strongest."
…
Wow. That's why this place was called the abnormal class huh?
Everyone inside was a complete nutter.
Pov: Clara - The Enduring Cactus
I… I never really had actual friends. Maybe something was just wrong with me, but I was just no good at talking.
"It's ok sweety. Just be yourself and I'm sure you'll make lots of friends!"
Mom always told me that. All I had to do was be myself, right?
"Can you stop being so damned energetic? It's annoying!"
"Umm… s-sorry, but I don't want to play with you. You're kind of weird!"
"Mom said I can't play with you, sorry. But you did break my arm with your toys!"
"I don't want to be positive! Can you just leave me alone?!"
I tried. I tried, tried, and tried! People didn't want me to be myself! They wanted me to be just like everyone else!
"Then they're not true friends, honey. I know you'll find friends. Keep trying, ok?"
And I did, but nothing changed. I love mom, I really did, but her advice was horrible! Still… I couldn't tell her.
"Don't worry, mom. I'll just keep trying!"
I didn't want to worry her or my siblings. Maybe If I pretended to be happy, then I'd actually be happy? At least that's what I thought.
Before long, most of my childhood had passed me by. I didn't make friends that lasted more than a few days or weeks. I didn't find anyone that saw me for who I really was. All I did was make myself look like a weirdo.
"Huh? Sure, I'll be your friend."
Until I met him, that was.
"R-Really?"
I asked, voice practically dripping with desperation.
"Sure! You seem kind of lonely. Though, I'm a bit thirsty. Mind getting me a bit of juice first? We can hang out after."
A smile cut across my face. Finally!
"Sure!" I said enthusiastically. "What do you want to play first? I have finger guillotine or-"
"None of that stuff."
He never liked my games.
"Let's go for a walk instead. I have a few more friends you can meet."
Looking back on it, we only ever played once. From then on, he'd always ask me for things. The times we did hang out, none of them would pay me any mind. I was like a fly on a wall that they had to tolerate.
Still… they were my friends, right? They were people willing to tolerate me, at least! It was probably the best I could ever hope to get, so why ruin it?
"Hey, Clara. Mind getting me some Juice?"
"Clara, got some juice?"
"Oh, Clarin, got some juice?"
It was my first nickname. Just hearing it made me think it was all worth it.
"Juice, Clarin~"
But that lost its luster soon enough. It wasn't the kind of nickname friends gave each other.
…
No. It was the name of a pet.
Still, it was all I had. I… I didn't want to be alone again.
————————-
It didn't take all that long for just about everyone in school to hear about my "reputation."
Maybe I should just… stop? If I stopped, would people finally like me?
…
No. Mom would know. Mom would stop smiling. It would be my fault.
Endure. Smile. Laugh. That was me. That was Val-
I spun around, ready to run and work out these pesky thoughts. But then I smashed into a brick wall.
"Oweee!"
What the heck? Oh… he was tall. Really tall.
And most of all, he was lost! He needed help, but he wasn't looking at me with the same eyes everyone else was!
I smiled, and try as I might to contain myself, I still went and blabbed all about my games. He listened for a bit before getting annoyed.
"Sure, whatever. Look, I don't have time to play but you can hang out with me if you have nothing better to do. Just help me find-"
My heart practically jumped into my throat. I knew he was just saying to shut me up, but still! This was my chance! Maybe If I could convince him that I was worth having around, then others could see it too!
Looking back on it, I was more trying to convince myself.
—————
His name was Lee and he had an adorable and cool brother. To be honest, they were both pretty good people, at least in my opinion.
"Why would you ever find a game in which you try to avoid a flame spitting snake fun?"
Their other friend, Asmodeus Alice, was a bit too uptight, though. But that was fine! No matter how "annoying" I was, he didn't leave. Neither Iruma or Lee left!
"S-Sure, we can play tomorrow," Iruma said with a smile as he glanced toward his older brother. "Right,Lee?"
For a moment, it felt like my heart was about to burst.
"Sure," the older boy said with a shrug. "Anyways, let's get out of here."
I nearly cried. Did I finally find friends? People who could put up with me?
I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come!
——————
They call them "dreams" because people can never achieve them. I was blind not to see it. They'd been right about me- about everything. The only reason anyone ever hung out with me was so they could use my power.
All it took was hearing the ones I'd called "friends" for so long admit it.
"She's pest. Useless without her powers."
He was right.
Even Lee looked at my power more than me! The way he stared wasn't like anyone else, but still!
I was sick of it! I was sick of everything and everyone!
What was wrong with being a little different? So what If I wasn't like everyone else?!
What was I supposed to do?!
--
"Give. Me. Juice."
Ah… those words again. I just… I didn't want to give him anything. I wanted to slap that look right off his face! But… but If I did that, then I'd really be completely lost. Wouldn't I?
It felt like the world was closing in around me.
What do I do?
What do I do?!
"Punch him in the face." A slightly annoyed voice whispered into my ear.
I shivered. Punch? Punch him?
"You'll feel a lot better afterward."
My fist moved before I could finish the thought. The soft, fleshy nose it struck crumbled like wet cardboard.
Oh.
Why? Why hadn't I done that sooner?
All the stress, anger, and frustration I'd been building up seemed to just rush out of me.
I was surprised at the giggle that left my lip. Was it always this easy? Was this what I had to do to feel better about myself?
It didn't feel right, but… Lee wasn't wrong.
"Yeah…"
I smiled. For the first time in a long while, a relieved smile graced my lip.
Maybe I'd feel worse tomorrow. Maybe I'd realize how lonely I was, but at this moment, I was happy.
And that was more than enough for me.
—————
Lee POV
—————
"You know, I should have guessed that demons discriminated against one another too," I said with a sigh, looking down at the "food," we'd been served. "Didn't expect it to be based on some imaginary rankings and stuff."
Alice cleared his throat and nodded.
"It's a system that's been integral to the school since it's founding," he said with a classy smile. "As much as I'd love to change it for you and Iruma-sama, such things would require power and political might that none of us posses."
I furrowed my brow and shrugged. Eh, whatever. The food looked like a melted pile of fish, garlic, paste and mush, but it was still not the worst.
Iruma was already digging in an on his second plate. For such a small kid, he could eat someone out of house and home! Hell, I'd still never managed to beat that demonic stomach of his.
"Let's finish up and leave before we run into anymore trouble," I said with a sigh.
Sitting to my right was Val. Compared to the energizer bunny she'd been the last two days, the girl looked dazed. She was quiet, meek, and always kept throwing glances mine and Iruma's way.
Did she want to say something? Well, I wasn't going to be the one to start that conversation. If she wanted to say it, then she could do so herself!
"You two…" Alice cringed as he watches us eat the food.
Almost as if to prove me right, a very familiar teacher walked into the dinning room. What the hell was his name again? I'd already forgotten.
Narveerius? Norbverius? Nooberius?
…
Hoot. I think Hoot was probably the best I was going to get with him. It fit pretty well in my opinion!
The teacher stopped in his tracks and took a good look at me, Iruma and Alice. I don't think I'd ever seen someone visibly express their disgust and frustration that obviously before.
When Val took a bit of food from my plate, his brow twitched. He didn't utter a single word and then walked away.
Huh. He was smarter than I gave him credit for.
"So, finish food and then find our class?" I asked.
"Yeah," Iruma said with a nod.
Easy.
————
"Think this is a big joke or something?" I asked, staring up at the big, ancient doors. "This place looks like a tomb or something, not a damned class."
"I-It is a bit scary," Iruma whispered, glancing a the small note we'd been given. "B-But this is the place! The abnormal class, a-at least that's what Su- grandfather said…"
Ugh… was he really still calling him that? The old goat wasn't here.
"While I am worried, I do believe your grandfather wouldn't intentionally lead you astray," Alice said with a smile. "Please, let's go in and-"
"S-Surprise!" Val said as she rushed forward and tried to push Iruma. I doubted it was anything malicious, but something like that wasn't going to fly when I was right there.
"Bad surprise," I said, gently snatching her hand out of the air. I gave it a firm squeeze to show her that it wasn't ok to do that to Iruma. "Don't-"
I'd expected many things, but not what she did next. Val let out a squeal that reminded me of what a dying cat sounded like. Her cheeks turned scarlet and then she pushed both me and Iruma forward.
"H-Hyah!"
It was so sudden that I couldn't stop it. Heck, I wasn't sure if I could.
How strong was this girl?!
Suffice it to say, I smashed into the door with the back of my head. Iruma went flying over me.
The sound of blades cutting through the air had me on my feet in a second. When I spun around, half a dozen weapons were sunken into the floor and walls. A spear here, an axe there. Hell, there were even a few katanas and a damned iron ball!
Iruma, of course, dodged them all. If I was some sort of demon, then clearly he had been blessed by an angel.
"W-Wow!"
"Amazing!"
"Damn it! I lost the bet!"
Out from the shadow burst a number of unfamiliar faces. Amongst them was one I did recognize.
That blond hairstyle with the black, squiggly line and small, black horns could only belong to one person.
Shax Lied. That was his name, right?
"Good to see you again," he greeted me with a smile. "Gotta say, wasn't expecting to you or your brother to wind up here."
I nodded and then took a good look at the weapons. Those were real. Who the hell set up that trap?
"Eh, everyone had to get through that," Shax said with a shrug. "Though, don't think anyone expected him to dodge every single one."
He pointed a thumb behind himself.
"There's another guy. He walked right through the things!" he said with a laugh. "He's crazy, I tell you what."
"Of course I would not dodge!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear. "The demon king is no coward, so he faces all challenges head on!"
I raised a brow as another student walked forward.
Who the hell was this guy? I had to turn my head up just to meet his eyes. He was at least as tall as Iruma and I combined. His muscles were like… like something out of a comic book! Also, he had a bunch of swords and spears sticking out of him.
But he wasn't bleeding.
What the hell?
"Remember my name!" he shouted. "I am Sabnock Subolo and I'm the only one suitable to be the demon king!"
Oh. I understand.
"You're just an idiot."
I could see a vain nearly pop in his forehead.
"You two might be an honor students, but there's a big difference between you and I." He said, flexing his muscles. The many weapons stuck into his body cracked and then exploded. The bits left over fell out of his flesh as if they were made of crackers. "And that is passion! You will never achieve anything worth while with those dead eyes of yours."
He huffed and then spun around.
"Against such pathetic wills, all I have to do is crush you and prove myself as the strongest."
…
Wow. That's why this place was called the abnormal class huh?
Everyone inside was a complete nutter.