And, when the two anonymous boys jumped into the conversation, Etsuko was faced with the biggest issue she had with people: their sudden need for confrontation. Of course, the talking bothered her, the constant need for companionship, peer pressure, pretentiousness and everything else about humans annoyed her greatly, but at her core, their aggressiveness made her wish she was a tiger instead. Tigers hated everyone and everything; but, most importantly, they were [i]solitary[/i] creatures.

When the two boys approached, immediately jumping at the chance to degrade Keigo for a simple joke – an unfunny one, but still a joke – Etsuko had half a mind to speak up. However, no matter how much she hated these undeniable facts about humanity and how much she just wanted to yell and punch everyone in the classroom, it was against her nature. So, she carefully tried to slink away, her foot sliding partially to the side, until an annoyingly warm hand latched onto her arm, seeking comfort that she didn’t want to give. Etsuko shot Chiasa a look; it seemed indifferent enough, but on the inside she was boiling.

[color=f6989d]“Hey, idiots, leave him alone. He was just kidding!”[/color] Chiasa hissed, squeezing Etsuko’s arm for assistance. [color=f6989d]“Etsuko-chan, tell them.”[/color]

The strawberry blonde blinked slowly, taking the time to cool her nerves before opening her eyes again and nodding tightly. [color=7ea7d8]“He was.”[/color]

She hoped that would have been enough to cease the situation and sent a quick prayer to God, despite not being religious in the least.