... A world of chaotic crimson.
Resting its back against a plastic white bag was a physical human body deeply sitting in a foul red pool.
A cold, sickening feeling suddenly emerged from behind and captured me in its immediate and unbreakable grip. Its intent was to force something out of me. Something I've tried to contain numerous times, but failed at every attempt. This was no different. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't free myself from its impeccable assault and without a moment's haste...
Prologue: Ultimate Fiasco
POV: Hanako Ume
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
My eyes rattled uncontrollably. My chest and stomach strongly tightened - tempting my body to begin regurgitation. I felt ready to collapse under the environmental pressure of the situation and probably would have if the Kitchen's brick red walls weren't behind me, pushing me forward as I naturally backed up. The violent beating coming from my heart caused heavy breathing in and out of me, so much so that I placed my trembling hands over my mouth forcibly to calm myself down, even though I knew it was a worthless effort.
All of those were signs indicting an unmistakable and absolute dread, which poured into and leaked out of me under a cohesive cycle.
"What the hell...? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" exclaimed Shingora, in his usual booming voice.
Shingora's response couldn't be any more perfect for this...this atrocity! Someone please, if tonight is actually just a bad dream, wake me up right now so I can move on with my normal, peaceful life! My head seemed to agree with me as I repeatedly kept telling myself, "This isn't real. This isn't real. This isn't real. THIS ISN'T REAL!" But alas, those were just wishes. Wishes that wouldn't come true unless the stars themselves had perfectly aligned. In the end, I had to accept this. No, I'm forced to accept this as a part of my reality.
"It doesn't make any sense! This corpse wasn't here when we last explored the Break Room! So why?! GOD DAMN IT!"
Shingora clenched both his large hands in a furious fit. Why did this happen? I thought we'd be safe now. Safe from anything outside the light's defensive veil. I thought I could finally take it easy while we figure out how to escape from the school! So why's everything out of whack?! This is no different from what we endured outside! Everyone's on edge and...I'm not sure what to do! What can anyone do when faced with-
"Wait..."
A sudden voice spoke up; proving my initial assumption wrong. It shouldn't be much of a surprise he didn't get shaken up.
Kuroki, who always solidified his usual tranquil state, gazed intently at the corpse. He didn't freak out, unlike us. His face didn't betray even a little distress. He just stared at it, analyzing every nook and cranny of the corpse from where he stood. I don't think anyone could have foreseen what Kuroki would do next. With not even a tremble in his step, he sauntered toward the corpse.
"H-Huh?! Hold on, pal! What do you think you're-"
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!"
A squeaky, yet cute voice interrupted Shingora's disapproval. From nowhere, I spotted a white figure run by me. They did the same with Shingora and Kuroki, but not without pushing Kuroki out of their way first, which didn't seem to faze him much.
Their final destination was none other than the corpse, the source of everyone's dismay. That person's - that girl's -next action was another no one would have foreseen, except it proved a more staggering display than Kuroki's. She bent down on her knees and...held the corpse in her arms!
"STOP! What do you think you're doing?! Get away from that!" Shingora shouted.
"W-Wah?! B-But I-" the girl stammered.
"No buts! Refrain from touching the body! It's crucial to preserve the crime scene! We can't afford any disturbance!"
The white clothed, yellow fluffy-haired girl shivered in her brown boots. Her orange eyes began tearing up following Shingora's outburst, but despite that, she didn't let the body go. Instead, she looked straight down at the bloody ground, her orange pupils nervously skimming over it. Shingora continued his order, but this time lowered his volume.
"Look, I don't mean to be strict, but understand that a crime has occurred here; thus, the crime scene needs to be untouched in order for a proper investigation."
"Hmph."
Kuroki made another one of his irked sounds, accompanied by an equally irked expression. Shingora took quick notice despite how quiet Kuroki's sound was and shifted his attention toward him.
"Do you have something you wish to say, Kuroki? You don't look pleased."
"Hmm… What a pitiful ape."
Shingora raised an eyebrow at the sharp insult. Compared to last time, he didn't seem down to overlooking Kuroki's demeaning behavior.
"It appears I had overestimated you. To think you're the very person who caught my weaponry bluff. Now I have nothing but shame for allowing you to do that," Kuroki said, with a scornful smirk.
"I don't think I follow. What are you trying to say?"
"Isn't it obvious? What we see before us is not a crime scene. More of an imitative fiasco."
"A-An imitative fiasco?" I finally spoke.
"Yes. Observe."
Kuroki continued his previous action and walked toward the corpse, now in the hands of the fluffy-haired girl. Upon stopping right before the blood pool, he dipped his index finger into it and scooped up a sizeable portion. He then brought his bloody index finger near his face and...
"W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Shingora screamed.
Both me and Shingora stood there appalled once we witnessed Kuroki's unhesitant spectacle as he began sucking his bloody finger! It's like he's simply taste testing a hot and ready dish before deciding whether to scarf it down! Kuroki pulled his finger out of his mouth, leaving speckles of spit that attached themselves to it like a fish on a lure.
"HOLY HELL! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING, PAL?!"
"Uh, Kuroki, I'm no health expert, but I'm pretty sure it's not safe tasting someone else's blo-"
"Ugh! Disgusting! Whoever says ketchup makes anything taste good is wrong. The floor completely soiled it," Kuroki commented, interrupting me.
"W-What?"
"K-Ketchup?!" Shingora exclaimed.
"Yes," Kuroki reaffirmed, standing up and wiping off the spit on his finger using the legging of his suit. "Why don't you try for yourselves if you don't believe me?"
"N-Nonsense! Quit fooling around, pal!"
"No, Shingora," I interjected. "Kuroki never does 'fooling around'. And I especially don't think he would under these circumstances. So, I say we trust him a little here."
Shingora looked at me, stunned; and I don't blame him. I think anyone would react the same way in response to my abrupt statement. But if you've known Kuroki for as long as I have, you'd know he's nowhere near inconsiderate.
"Well," Kuroki continued, "whether or not you're up to the challenge rest entirely on your discretion. Doesn't affect me either way. But are you really letting such a 'possibility' escape and take 'proper action' without any verification?"
Taking in what Kuroki just said into account, me and Shingora looked at each other. We nodded and trod dubiously forward. We took our index fingers just like Kuroki did and scooped up a portion of the supposed ketchup. Asserting our decisions, we both chomped down on our fingers and sucked up the dubious liquid. To our surprise…
"Holy crap," Shingora quietly exclaimed.
"It does taste like ketchup!"
"Not does. It IS ketchup. Also, take a closer inspection at the so called 'corpse'," Kuroki insisted.
Now he wants us to get up close and personal?! Oh, I'm SO not prepared for this!
"All right," Shingora said. "You've proven your veracity so far. Might as well continue taking it at face value."
Shingora stood up and walked atop the now confirmed ketchup while making his way toward the corpse. He kneeled and gave it a careful examination.
"Hold on. Is this...?"
Shingora, who seemingly made a discovery, extended his hand out to touch the corpse. However, when he tried, the fluffy-haired girl holding the corpse pulled it away from his reach. She still continued looking down at the ground while her face contorted.
"Hey," Shingora sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. So let me atone for my mistake and allow me to better understand what's really going on. Will you, please?"
Appeared spellbound by his words, the girl softened her expression and instead of pulling away; she pushed the corpse closer into Shingora's reach. Now was his chance. Shingora grabbed onto the corpse's face in one fell swoop and spread his fingers all over it, perhaps savoring the feel. A stunned sound instantly escaped his mouth. Shingora reformed his grab into a small pick and tore off a piece of the corpse's face...Wait, what?!
"Unbelievable! This isn't human skin! The body's made of uncooked white rice grains stuck together by some substance. Is this glue?"
"Are you serious?! So this isn't actually a dead person?" I asked.
"Seems like it. So this is what you meant by an imitative fiasco, Kuroki... AHA HA HA HA HA! Yes, I get it now!"
"Nothing to flaunt about, ape. If you had taken a more perceptive approach to begin with, this whole farce would've ended sooner."
"I hate to admit it, but you're right. That was my fault. I shouldn't have panicked like I did, and for that, I apologize," Shingora shot back up, walked his way back to us, and bowed at Kuroki. "Thank you for opening our eyes to the truth, Kuroki. I'll use this experience as a lesson and make up for my shortcomings today!"
"H-Huh?" Kuroki said, looking taken aback. "Why are you being so dramatic? There's no need treating this as some grand revelation."
"DON'T DOWNGRADE THE MOMENT! What you did is worthy of a thousand praises!"
"I agree with Shingora here! That was some awesome observational work, detective Kuroki," I jokingly added.
"God, not you too. Honestly, you're both exaggerating this to an astronomical degree! It wasn't difficult to discover this fake out if you just looked closely at it."
"Speaking of fake out, who arranged this anyway? This was so not cool!" I yelled.
"I concur! This went way too far for a prank!" Shingora exclaimed.
Kuroki gave his two cents on the matter with a sigh and another irked expression. "Are you two THIS slow? I assumed it was obvious who contrived this fiasco."
Kuroki shot an accusatory gaze ahead, and we followed it. Our eyes landed on the fluffy-haired girl who still held the fake corpse in her arms. Her body shook again as she noticed our stares.
"Ah, I see! No wonder you went and picked up the body, as well as pulled it away from me when I tried to touch it. Because you're the one who made it, aren't you?!" Shingora yelled.
"U-Uh... Uh-"
"So this little girl was the one who set up this fake crime scene?" I inquired.
"Mmm... H-huh-"
"Exactly. She hurried to recover the body and no one else came forth attempting the same thing. Thus, we can conclude she's the only person who could be responsible; our culprit!" Kuroki declared, pointing his finger straight at the girl.
"S-Stop it. Stop pointing at me. S-Stop a-accu... Accusing-" the girl's face contorted again and turned bright red, so much so I assumed she was in pain. Once her face couldn't contort any further, "W-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Ah-ah-ah-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHA!"
She cried uncontrollably, her tears either dropped onto the fake body or merged with the ketchup stained floor.
"Kuroki, look what you did!" I shouted.
"For shame, Kuroki! Making a young girl cry isn't manly whatsoever!" Shingora followed.
"Is chiding me our biggest concern right now?! Did you two imbeciles forget what I just said?!"
"In any case, we have to calm her down!"
Declaring that, I rushed to the girl. Sliding down on both my knees, I firmly grabbed her shoulders and brought the girl closer against my own.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. There's no need to cry. My friend's just naturally grumpy is all."
"Oh, you have got to be kid-"
"Shush!" Shingora commanded.
"..."
Whether he was complaining or quiet, it didn't stop Kuroki from staring daggers deep into my back. I ignored them, however, and continued my comforting.
"Don't worry. I promise nothing bad will happen to you."
Fruitlessly, my words of reassurance had no effect; not even a back rub helped. The girl continued to cry and cry; her hot tears dribbling down my exposed shoulder. At this rate, nothing will get her out of this unbridled stat. Wait, there might be one thing that will! But would it even work on her? We don't know each other! No, I can't keep hesitating! If there's a slight chance of calming her down, I'll take it!
"Here goes nothing."
Taking a single breath in and breath out, I sprung my last resort:
Heavy rain crashing down
Onto the damp, shallow soil
Trapped beneath the bridled soil
Hid a seed
A seed of misplaced faults
Mistake
Blame
Rejection
All forced upon it
A seed whose future was clear as day
to never blossom
But the rain crashed upon
A chink in the soil's selfish armor
The seed gulped it up and reinvigorated
The very seed defined by its faults
Rose out of the selfish soil
No longer a seed that it once was
Blossomed into a healthy flower
Standing tall in the pouring rain
A flower stood
to welcome
Everlasting glow
...
They reduced. The tears reduced and reduced until they finally stopped their fiery assault on my shoulder. I gently tightened my hug on the girl who became mesmerized by my tranquil melody; a melody that changed all within its vicinity.
"Everything will be fine. So no crying, okay?"
"R-Really…? You promise?" she asked.
"Mhm!"
"You're not lying?"
"Nope!"
"Are you sure?"
"Jeez, no. I wouldn't lie to you while you're like this. That wouldn't be right to you or me."
"O-Okay. Sorry," the girl said, hanging a head down and meeting her eyes toward the ground again.
"No problem! Have you calmed down now? Can you stand?"
The girl gave me a nod while wiping away her tears.
"Good. Let's go then!"
"Wait. What about...?"the girl shot a glance at the fake body. I see. She's still worried about it.
"We'll deal with that later. For now, follow me, okay?"
She gave me another nod, although slightly hesitant. I gently grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her up mildly, making her drop the fake body.
"Easy now. Don't want to slip and get yourself even more messy."
I guided the girl carefully through the ketchup stained floor; giving time to pull herself together and let her rub her eyes as much as she wants. Not long after, we arrive back to Kuroki and Shingora.
"Hanako... That was excellent! You settled her down with no problems at all!" Shingora yelled, happily.
"Aw, it's nothing!" I insisted, my cheeks feeling hot from the sudden praise.
"And that song, wow! I didn't expect you to whip out such a great tune like that! And for it to be useful at a time like this; I have must say you're pretty amazing!"
"It's not THAT impressive. Just a little something I picked up on back home. I'm used to handling stuff like this all the time."
"Really now? How so?"
"Well, back home, I-"
"Stop. Let me remind you that this isn't the time for idle chit-chat," Kuroki abruptly stated.
"Oh, yeah. I guess you're right."
"Yes! My apologizes once again!" Shingora said, and after taking another blow from one of Kuroki's critical remarks, he kneeled down to talk to the fluffy-haired girl. "Hey. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"
The girl didn't respond and shifted her head away from Shingora. Seems like my work here isn't over yet.
"It's okay. Remember, everything will be fine."
The girl gazed up at me and saw my reassuring smile. Just like that, the tension on her face dissipated more and more. Although she still wouldn't look Shingora straight in the eyes - or eye - she at least gave him a nod to approve her cooperation.
"Good. We'll start simple. What's your name?" Shingora asked.
"Emi…"
"Oh! Uh, what about your surname?"
"Nanako..."
"Emi Nanako. Okay. How old are you, Emi?"
"Sixteen..."
"Ah...AH?!"
She's sixteen?! I thought she was thirteen, at best! I glanced over at Kuroki, and even he of all people looked astonished once he heard this!
"What? What's that face for?" Emi asked with a scowl.
"N-Nothing! It's nothing, don't worry!" Shingora replied, although his awkward sideways grin said otherwise. "Let's get back on topic... So, what grade are you-"
"Quit walking on eggshells. Get to the point."
"Oof! You don't beat around the bush. Fine. I'll be more direct than if that's what you wish, "Shingora closed his eye and took a deep breath in. He reopened it as he slowly exhaled. "Were you the one who created this fake crime scene?"
Emi's face flinched. Despite being the one who demanded Shingora to be more straightforward, she's still hesitant to speak regarding the fabricated crime scene. So I gently squeezed Emi's hand for attention. When she noticed, I gave a reassuring nod, along with my smile. That shook off the remaining tension left on her face and finally, she answered.
"Yes. It was me."
"Why would you do something like that?! You had us all on edge!" Shingora's sudden yell brought all the tension I worked hard to remove back on Emi as her entire face widened into a frightful expression.
"Shingora, lower your voice, please!" I yelled back.
"Ack, sorry! I didn't mean to raise it just now!"
"I-I didn't mean for this to happen," Emi continued, and thankfully recomposed herself this time.
"What do you mean by that?" Shingora inquired.
"I only made the body because I got nervous. When I am, my habit of creating things on a whim comes out, a-and my imagination takes full control over me during that time."
"But why did you make a fake human corpse, of all things? You should have realized that would cause distress based on our situation!"
"L-Like I said, I make things on a whim. And I then determine the final product, depending on what's making me nervous or what I set my mind to. I-I-"
"Your emotions are like themes you use as a guide when creating things, right?" I added.
"I-In a sense, yes. I also use what's currently around me in my creations."
"Which explains why the mediums used for the body are food products. You worked here in the Kitchen the whole time," Kuroki deduced.
"But is an unnatural habit like that really possible? I'm not saying I don't believe her, but it sounds so unrealistic," I asked.
"If an ordinary individual were telling us this, then it'd be easy to dismiss what she's saying as ludicrous. But we're talking about an Ultimate here; one who's capable of accomplishing abnormal but extraordinary achievements."
"Yeah. I suppose you're right."
"Now everything's coming together," Shingora said, standing up. "All right, just need to relay this misunderstanding to everyone. Once our report settles them down, we can then push forward as if this never happened! Hmm?"
Shingora looked back down at Emi after his speech and noticed a lowered brow, accompanied by tightly pursed lips.
"H-Hey, what's the matter? Did my scream frightened you again?"
"Or maybe she feels guilty about her actions, or worse, nervous about the consequences," I speculated. "You don't have to worry. We're not planning to punish you or anything."
And yet, she said nothing. Emi still held the same negative expression. After a few seconds, though, she suddenly glared up at one of us, someone who hasn't been the most amiable person within our group.
"H-How did you know?" Emi asked.
"Know what?" Kuroki replied.
"How did... How did you know I was an Ultimate?"
"Is that all? What a redundant concern. Obviously-"
Kuroki opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, his lips quivered and his eyes widened.
"Kuroki? What's wrong?" I asked.
"I...don't know."
"Huh?"
"I have no idea how I knew. The word Ultimate suddenly popped into my head as I spoke. But for whatever reason, I was certain of who you were."
Is he serious? If so, that's unlike him. Kuroki never says anything out of the blue. He's always quick with his words, but that doesn't mean he never thinks before he talks. It's a little scary seeing him so uneasy.
"You're not the only one," our attention got diverted toward Shingora, who suddenly spoke up. "While we listened to Emi's confession, I didn't have a doubt in my mind she was an Ultimate. In fact, said conclusion only reinforced itself within me as she told us about her strange habit. But this is the first time we're meeting, isn't it? So how come I knew that with such certainty?"
And so, just when we all thought we could be at ease after finishing up this revelation, another one instantly pushes us further away from that lofty security. Thinking about it, this theme has been constant all day, hasn't it? Whenever we learn something new, another obstacle rears its ugly head again and again, and then we'd have to deal with it, and-
Sh… Ac…y.
But this shouldn't have been one of them, because-
"I don't see the problem here, you all, isn't this place Shinzai Academy?" I said.
"Shinzai Academy?" Shingora asked back, rubbing his head. "You mean the Academy attended only by those deemed the gifted; ones of exceptional talent destined tochange the world? You're right! As it so happens, I'm a student attending here!"
"Same here! I'm also studying here at Shinzai! I assume you're a student here too, Emi?" I asked.
"Y-Yeah. I am," Emi answered.
"Since this school only accepts Ultimates, that's probably why Kuroki knew you were one. We all also seem to be around the same age, so it all fits! Right, Kuroki?"
"Yes, I think you're correct… No, you are correct, because I'm a student here too."
"BWA HA HA HA HA HA! Holy shit! We forgot such an important fact about ourselves? We must be complete fools! Guess this really was a redundant concern, like Kuroki said!" Shingora bellowed, but then quickly released an alarmed gasp. "Oh, wait! I didn't-"
"Y-Yeah. I guess it was redundant. My b-bad." Emi said, with her eyes welling up again.
"Oh no, don't cry!" I urged. "Shingora meant nothing by it! R-Right, Shingora!"
"R-Right! Purely ironically, nothing more! I wasn't trying to judge you!"
"Hey, let's get out of here! I think the vibe from this fabricated crime scene is getting to us," I hurriedly suggested.
"Yes, good call! I need to let everyone know about this misunderstanding!" Shingora swiftly turned around and ran toward the door leading back into the Dining Hall. Though, I wonder if either rushing to inform everyone or escaping the upsetting Emi for the sake of his conscious could be his top priority right now.
"OOF! Whoops! Sorry!"
Shingora accidentally bumped into someone on the way out and ran past him. That person turned their head and stared at us for a few seconds with his deep gray eye, before awkwardly scratching the back of his head, turning around, and exited the Kitchentoo. Kuroki crossed his arms and walked out toward the door as well.
"Hey, Kuroki! Looks like I got the one up on you this time!" I called.
"Whatever are you talking about?" Kuroki asked.
"I mean the part about us being Shinzai students. You were so shaken up before when you caught yourself calling Emi here an Ultimate, only to realize you forgot where we were. Luckily, I didn't forget and fixed your mistake! Good thing my sharp mind kicked in and save the day!" I explained, thumbing my nose up.
"Heh. Says the girl who exclaimed 'I'm not perceptive like you are, Kuroki!' not too long ago," Kuroki said, along with a terrible exaggerated imitation of my voice!
"I-I didn't say that!"
Well, actually, I did now that I'm remembering it. Kuroki left through the door with a smirk still visible on his face, leaving me as red as an apple.
"Whatever! That's a win for me whether you like it or not!" I shouted, claiming my rightful victory. "All right, shall we go too, Emi?"
"S-Sure."
Holding Emi's hand tightly to reassure her one last time that things will be okay, I followed suit to what the others did and walked into the Dining Hall with her; closing the book on the mystery of the imitative fiasco.
Dining Hall
"Wha?! A false alarm?!"
Immediately after I left the Kitchen with Emi, I saw everyone who we found agitated earlier gathered around a table. They replaced their troubled expressions with puzzlement as everyone kept their eyes glued on Shingora, who stood atop a long table. Can the table remain stable with someone almost twice its size on top of it?!
"Yep! There's absolutely nothing to worry about, because the body isn't real!" Shingora firmly announced.
"The body isn't real? How can you tell?" asked a man who wore a black cylinder top hat surrounded by a red ribbon.
"Upon recent investigations, we've concluded the body's made outof food products - specifically ketchup portrayed as blood and uncooked rice used for the physical body's creation stuck together by glue," Shingora explained.
"Are you certain that's correct? It looks so real," inquired a jet black pony tailed lady in a similarly colored yukata.
"Positive! We even had some volunteers - including myself - taste the blood and we can all confirm, with absolute certainty, it's ketchup!"
"Whoa! You actually tasted it?! Way to be a rebel against the 5 second rule!" snickered a celadon frizzy haired girl.
"I'm...inclined to agree," the yukata lady remarked, appalled.
"Indeed. Such dedication," a grey-haired, bushy eyebrows man in a forest green suit added, looking equally appalled.
"W-Why are you looking at me like that?! It's not like I wanted to taste it! I did it for your sakes!" Shingora protested.
"Exactamundo! It's the thought that counts in the end, so bravo, Shingora! If this was a contest, you'd effortlessly win the title of 'The Bravest Man; Ultimate Sacrifice'!" announced the clapping top hatted man.
"How's that a sacrifice?! I only did my job; don't make it sound unfortunate! Though I'll admit, it was pretty disgusting! BWA HA HA HA HA HA!"
"Do my eyes and ears deceive me, or is he genuinely amused by his own misfortune?" asked a long black-haired girl wearing a purple dress, her puzzled expression growing more and more.
Wow. I knew breaking it to everyone that the body was fake would lower their discomfort, but I didn't expect it'd be THIS effective! Everyone appeared very rowdy; as though what we had experienced actually never happened.
Maybe it's because we're Ultimates? We can perk ourselves back up instantly from a stressful situation because we're not exactly normal. Or that's just me reading too much into it! Either way, this is nice. Yes, this easiness I've been seeking all day! At long last, we've reached a true mirac-
"So lemme pick up what you're puttin' down here."
A guy clad in an unopened orange leather jacket and swung back mohawk hairstyle with dreads drooping from each side matched in the same color stomped up toward Shingora's table. As he walked, the guy fixed the blue shades adorned on his face and puffed his chest upward upon arrival, which made not only the orange leather jacket, but his whole orange colored attire gain a lustrous shine thanks to the long ceiling lights beaming off them.
I suddenly heard the orange guy grunt and slid his mouth very far toward his cheek. Is he trying to look more intimidating?
"Ya're telling me some fool decided to be funny and set up a fake, but mad realistic lookin' body, used ketchup of all things as blood, and left it there for anyone to waltz in and shit bricks?"
"You're not off the mark, yes," Shingora answered. "But I think you're over blowing it a li-"
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Dat fuckin' asshole! Ya think ya're funny, eh?! Well when I find ya, I'm finna clock ya real good, ya hear?!" the orange guy shouted, clenching all ten of his fingers together. Doing so emitted clacking echoes in the Dining Hall because of the varying colored rings on each finger.
I then felt a small tense vibration in my hand for a split second. It came from none other than Emi, who tensed up after hearing that mohawk guy basicallyreferring to her.
"Finna clock ya? What in god's name are you saying?" asked the purple dressed girl.
"It means I'm finna beat their ass into the ground until they bleed REAL blood, dat's what! And I don't care who it is! No one messes with Yama Atsuki, the Ultimate Gangsta, and gets away with it, goddamn it!"
Oh no. That did it. I looked back at Emi and noticed her gripping her chest, lips trembling, eyes tearing up, and sharp breath strokes. At this rate, she's going to have a panic attack or something! I don't think telling her everything will be fine a third time will do anything now!
What should I do?!