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3 yrs ago
starting off 2022 with COVID LESSGOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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6 yrs ago
Whoever says "the customer is always right" has not worked with atual customers.
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"Uh huh."

A non-conventional proposal. This guy was so full of shit. Unfortunately, the deed was done, and as much as she'd like to exercise her anger, it wasn't going to do anything. That, and it would look kinda bad if she just started wailing on the new guy right after he just got sent to Boxing Club Jail for being violent. She tried not to roll her eyes too much as he continued, though he did bring up a good point. The real culprit of this entire mess was whoever took the pictures in the first place. She regretted not going back and smacking the camera out of their hands. By his description, though, it could have been a few people.

"Well, I was going to pay a visit to the Newspaper Club after class, but now I have to go somewhere else," She reminded him. "'Cause you've described at least three people and if I'm kicking someone's teeth in, it has to be the right person."




Would it be out of character? No. But Ichika couldn't really admit to that without opening up a whole slew of problems. Shoot, she should be better at this sort of thing. She tucked a hair behind her ear as she tried to buy herself a little time, trying to think of how to approach this as diplomatically as possible.

"Not really. I'm shocked you're not more aware, Nakano."

Ichika closed her mouth and looked to her right, the source of the comment seated at her desk. Golden eyes were fixated on the sandwich the girl held, her mess of blonde hair looking just a touch different than typical shades. Her uniform was barely put together, her hoodie unzipped and hanging off her shoulders. Despite giving the trio no attention visually, it was clear she had been listening to them.

"Himawari's a known delinquent that's thrown plenty of punches. It's not that shocking to find her associating with another delinquent, is it?" She asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

Ichika was a little surprised by this. "That's a bold assumption to make," She frowned.

The girl snorted, taking a second to finish before replying, "If I took a picture of every shiner she gave me, I'd have a whole album. Granted, it's mutual, but don't go pretending she's a good girl when she isn't," She replied.






"My hair is obviously--that kind of question is--what is wrong with you?!"

Shiori was a little too wound up to be more articulate. Some of her fury fizzled away to embarrassment, but she was also too pissed off to not be angry. She was also wholly unamused by the explanation she was given. And to think she didn't rat him out, only for him to drag her down with him. What an actual asshole! The worst part was that as angry as she was with him, there was the tiniest sliver of truth somewhere in his explanation. Not the part where he admitted she was good company--she blamed that part entirely for flustering her--but maybe if she hadn't gotten him to leave they could've caught the rat before the photos were taken.

Taking in a deep breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "He says 'thankful.' This is what I get for being nice," She grumbled, taking in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down.

"You know, usually when you enjoy people's company, you just ask them to hang out. Now I think you hate me since you decided to drag me down to Boxing Club Hell with you," She huffed, crossing her arms. "I should ask to participate so I can learn how to give you a good right hook."




Ichika blinked slowly as she listened. Both Sakaguchi and Nakano were really confusing and she wasn't entirely sure how to approach the situation. Sakaguchi's comment made her feel a little bad, but it did explain why she assumed that Ichika was here as punishment. Nakano, on the other hand, was acting a lot like those girls that used to cozy up to her in an attempt to get access to her parents' money. She was entirely uncomfortable, but she had no idea how to escape this conversation without it getting awkward.

"Uh...I don't know any Totsuka, sorry," She started there. "Shi-Shi is, uh...well, grumpy. But she's a good person deep down! She's just kinda shy, that's all. So sometimes it's hard for her to talk to people, you know?"






The fact that Shiori's neck hadn't snapped from how quick she looked at Totsuka was a testament to the durability of the human body. The fact that she wasn't throttling him was also a testament to her own willpower. She should've outed him, she should've thrown him under the bus, she should've gotten a license so she could drive the bus just to run him over multiple times! What the hell?! Why the hell would he suggest this?! If her eyes could burn into him any more than they already were, he would've been set on fire by now as her rage burned behind her glare.

To her absolute horror, Touga was now thinking. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening! Shiori didn't even dare look her way in case anything she did swayed the teacher. Unfortunately for her, however, Touga agreed. "The manager graduated last year, so I'm pretty sure Shinsato-sensei's probably looking for someone to fill in the gap," She said, looking at Shiori. "An idle mind is the devil's playground...So keeping you busy is probably for the best. Good idea, Totsuka."

Shiori exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding, though she immediately protested. Unfortunately, any valid concerns she had were nonexistent as she couldn't think of anything that could get her out of this aside from blurting out, "But I don't want to!"

"And I don't want to see you two going down the wrong path," Touga scolded her. "It's not too late to turn things around! You have ambition. Just think of this as a way to keep you out of trouble. Now that that's settled, go back to lunch, you two still have time to eat something."

Shiori visibly deflated, dismayed. How did it come to this? As they were ushered out of the faculty room, the redhead felt herself visibly shake with anger. She quickly turned on Totsuka, once again glaring at him.

"What the hell?!" She snapped at him, furious. "First your little fire crotch comment--not cute, by the way!--but you decided to drag me into your punishment, too?!"




Ichika wasn't entirely sure what Nakano was writing, though she couldn't assume it was good. It was like she was being interviewed--oh no. Is that what was happening right now? Was she in the Newspaper Club? Suddenly Ichika felt like she made a big mistake. Wait, no, it was okay, right? It wasn't like she was gonna go saying bad things about Shiori. If anything, she could easily clear up any misunderstandings!

The brunette nodded at first, though she paused. "Well, we're cousins, actually," Ichika admitted. "We're not super close, but she used to come to visit me a lot back in Tokyo with my aunt--our moms are sisters."






"What you're lacking in is discipline, Totsuka. The club will help you with that and teach you how to redirect your feelings so you don't make the same mistake again," Touga corrected him. "I'll be checking in to make sure you attend as well, so I expect you to go there straight after school today to get yourself acquainted."

Shiori was a little surprised by this turn of events, to say the least. Since when was getting enrolled into a club punishment? Now that she thought about it, did the punishment really fit the crime? It seemed a little mean to have to give up your afternoons for the rest of the year. Then again, it'd likely discourage him from doing it again. Or at the very least, have him hone his abilities so the next time he'd knock out anyone that tried to take pictures.

With that settled, Shiori turned to leave. Unfortunately, it looked like Touga wasn't finished as she quickly grabbed Shiori's shoulder and turned her back around. "Not so fast, young lady. You're starting off the year on the wrong foot, too," She told her.

"I didn't do anything, remember?" She reminded her.

Touga narrowed her eyes. "Cigarettes were found where the pictures were taken," She stated, causing Shiori to grimace. "That's a week's worth of cleanup and detention for you, and I'm being light only because I didn't catch you in the act this time."

Shiori's lips formed a thin line as she closed her eyes. Welp, she couldn't get out of that one since those stupid photos basically outed her. She was definitely paying a visit to the Newspaper Club first, though. "Fine," She shrugged.




Detective? Ichika looked at the other girl, the one called Nakano. She was looking into Shiori? But why? Maybe it had to do with the article. She wished she had finished reading the article to completion before showing Shiori, but she had acted impulsively out of shock. Her fingers tapped her lunch as she deliberated on how to respond. Obviously, it was better if Nakano steered clear, but by what Sakaguchi said, maybe it was best to warn her ahead of time.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Shi-Shi can be kinda grumpy," Ichika frowned. "She's not exactly personable."






One of these days he was getting a smack, the guy was way too cocky for his own good. Shiori threw a glare up at the guy, even if it was probably going to get ignored. The silver lining was that at least he wasn't a snitch. One less thing to worry about, though she was aware she was probably gonna catch shit anyway; Touga wasn't looking too impressed, and admittedly Shiori's less-than-stellar reputation meant that there was the very real possibility that Touga didn't believe him. Not that he made it difficult, since apparently there was no way she could have put him up to that.

Touga herself said nothing, staring at Totsuka for a moment. She kept them waiting longer than Shiori cared for, but finally, she let out a long sigh. "I don't think I need to say that this behavior is unacceptable," She said, shaking her head. "I'm disappointed. Day one and you're already up to trouble! At least tell me why you did it."

"Sakaguchi had it coming. Not from Totsuka, but from...everyone and anyone, really," Shiori joked.

"It doesn't matter who it happened to, if you're to become a proper member of society, you can't just go around hitting people!" Touga couldn't help but yell, not appreciative of Shiori's response. "Clearly there is a lot of energy here that needs to be properly re-directed."

Touga picked up a paper, holding it out for the pair to see. "For that, I'm leaving you in Shinsato-sensei's care in the Boxing Club," She stated.




Alone again. Ichika let out a small sigh, placing her chin in her hands. Shiori avoided her yesterday, too. All she did was ask what she did during lunch, and now she was being ignored! What gives?! She couldn't help her annoyance, letting herself stew in her feelings for a second. Honestly, Shi-Shi could be so difficult that it was a wonder she had any friends!

She looked over at the one person who she managed to make something of a bond with, only to see her with someone else. Ichika didn't recognize the other girl, though she seemed friendly from what she could tell. She spoke as if she was familiar, and Sakaguchi reacted the way she normally did. Or did she? She seemed more annoyed today than she was yesterday.

Ichika scooted over, looking between the two. "Hiya!" She greeted the pair, her lunch on her lap. "What's happening?"






Veronica barely paid any attention, more interested in the ends of her hair. The physical training they endured was starting to affect her in ways she wasn't appreciating, and she swore some of her ends were starting to split. A haircut was definitely due, but considering the shoddy grooming services the school offered, she wasn't sure she could trust them with what she considered to be her best feature. Besides, all the talks of Crests and the like were things she heard and found boring. She was already born with the divine right, did she really need to be lectured on it any further?

At Kayden's words, she openly rolled her eyes. "Imagine being concerned about the very thing that has deemed you worthy in the eyes of the Goddess," She stated, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I can't relate."

Meanwhile, Derec was hot on Lysander's heels as they gave themselves some distance, though his patience wore thin. Once he thought they were far enough, he ended up ripping into the Professor. "In what world could I possibly continue staying in the shadows when I'm enrolled in a class specializing in showing off Crests?" He threw all formality to the wind, albeit there was visible panic as opposed to anger by the time he finished speaking.

Lysander looked at Derec, frowning. "On the contrary, I believed if you could control it now, it was better than the symbol appearing during combat without intention," He replied, keeping his voice down.

"Couldn't I have been put in a private class? Or...or at least I could have not been completely blindsided by this!"

"What did you think this introductory class was?"

Derec took a few seconds to collect himself before he continued. "Professor, I was promised safety while I attended. Don't you think this compromises that somewhat?"

Lysander stared at Derec for a moment. "No," He answered honestly. "The truth of the matter is that the truth will come out, one way or the other. All we can do is prepare you the best we can, and I believe these classes will do so."




Touga wasn't happy about Totsuka's comment, nor was she happy at Shiori's snort. She beckoned the two to follow her, ignoring the class for the most part. Shiori slinked along, throwing her head back in exasperation. Welp, the Newspaper Club was definitely on her shit list, but she was a little confused as to why she was getting dragged along. Then again, Ichika recognized her instantly--maybe Miss Touga thought that she had something to do with the little incident yesterday.

Speaking of which, what was she supposed to say? Despite being strangers, it felt wrong to just throw him under the bus. Sakaguchi hadn't shown his face, either. Maybe she could lie and say he started it? Then again, the retaliation was kinda brutal. Before she could make up her mind, they had arrived. To her surprise, the faculty room was empty. She was so sure the principal was going to show up, but maybe they got lucky?

Touga let out a huff, her hand to her forehead. "I don't think I need to ask if it's actually you two in the paper," She began.

"Are you sure it's me?" Shiori asked, waving the paper. "This blurred image could be any redhead."

Touga snatched the paper from her, mimicking Shiori and waving it around. "This is not a joke, Himawari! Totsuka has been here for one day and he's already taking after you!" She snapped, though she turned her attention to the man in question. "Did she put you up to this?"

Shiori's jaw dropped, though after a few seconds she recovered and let out a huff of indignance. She couldn't believe she was being blamed for this! Go figure, you do something nice and suddenly you're pointed at as some corruptor. This was some karmic bullshit that she didn't like.





April 8th, 20xx
5:45 a.m.
Weather: Dark Clouds

"I feel like we're gonna get in trouble for this."

Umeko looked up from her computer, the screen reflected on her glasses. At this point, they were ready to print, but she usually went over one last read-through of the paper. She was actually surprised that anyone was questioning the paper--for once, things were actually happening. Granted, she fully believed they weren't going to be able to publish anything this gossipy, but Nakano's push for the story to be published won over the editor, and thus her story was on the front page. Personally, she had no real issue with it--if the new kid was a delinquent, then everyone deserved to know.

Shoichi, on the other hand, didn't like it. While he definitely thought that Sakaguchi deserved it and more based on the rumors, he thought it was kinda harsh to basically rat out the new kid day one. Everyone had heard what happened as Sakaguchi was basically dragged to the nurse, but he refused to tell who actually did it. If Sakaguchi himself didn't want to say who it was, then it was wrong for Nakano to tattle. Sadly, he was in the minority.

Letting out a sigh, Umeko saved the file before looking over at Shoichi. "We're bringing the troublemaker to justice. What's wrong with that?" She asked him.

"Touga wanted feel-good stories. This is the complete opposite," He replied. "Plus, if Nakano's story is true, don't you think he'll get mad and come here?"

"And?"

"He beamed Sakaguchi with a skateboard! Who's to say he won't come to do the same to us!"

Umeko rolled her eyes, double-clicking her mouse. The printer whirred to life and got to work. "Nakano put her name on it, so she'll be the one to deal with it," She said. "Besides...if he didn't want trouble, he shouldn't have done it. Did you see Sakaguchi's face?"

"Oh no, someone gave the druggie a boo-boo," Shoichi's sarcasm dripped off every word. "It's like a vigilante dealing with a criminal. Are we really going to fault the vigi for doing what everyone else wished they could?"

"We'll see what everyone thinks then. Is he a hero, or just another troublemaker?"

April 8th, 20xx
12:00 p.m.
Weather: Heavy Rain

HEADLINE: UTSUBEATDOWN! BRUTAL ASSAULT IN THE HIGHSCHOOL PARKING LOT!

While many students returned to Utsubyo High excited for the new academic year, others harbored darker intentions. At lunch yesterday, two unknown individuals, alleged to be underclassmen, came to blows in the high school parking lot. In the aftermath, the apparent aggressor and another student retreated to the old sports shed for a little R&R.

We caught up with the victim, (Who has asked to remain anonymous) and you can read his statement on page 3! Be warned, the pictures may not be suitable for the faint of heart!


While the day had started the same as yesterday, today's lunch was a little different. While the newspaper had been available bright and early, the whispers really didn't pick up until later on. At that point, the story had spread like wildfire; everyone was talking about it, for better or for worse. Copies of the newspaper were now hard to find, as people clung to the evidence just so they could show it off to one another. The news had also spread to the faculty room, for better or for worse. There had been an impromptu meeting where poor Miss Touga had gotten reamed about the circumstances. Unfortunately, she had failed as both a homeroom teacher and as a supervisor of the Newspaper Club.




Shiori had noticed the murmuring, but she was too upset with the rain to care. She could probably get away with sneaking over to the old shed, but was it worth it? She burned three cigarettes yesterday--two at lunch, and one after a particularly stressful dinner where Ichika insisted on burning everything that touched the stove. Her pack was a little too light for her liking, and she wasn't going to go to her parent's house before the weekend since her father wasn't going to buy more cigarettes until then.

As she deliberated, her eyes briefly rested on her partner-in-crime. Her supply would definitely dwindle faster if he saw her leave, and she wasn't sure if he was gonna hover over her. He didn't seem like the type, but anyone that can get anything free was sure to return. She had to scowl at the thought, though she wondered why she wouldn't just say 'no'.

She looked over at Ichika, who was absorbed in the day's paper. Right, she did see it around a lot more than usual. Before she could question it, however, Ichika let out a comically loud squeal and looked over at Shiori with a horrified look.

She quickly flashed the paper at her, pointing to a picture. "Is--Is this you, Shi-shi?!" She squeaked.

Shiori was probably never going to get used to that level of energy. She had no idea what she was talking about, either, only seeing a picture of one extremely blurred-out mess of red and white and--holy shit was that Totsuka?! She snatched the paper out of Ichika's hands and quickly poured it over. There wasn't just one picture, but two of her and Totsuka. She was blurred out, but she recognized both the scene of the crime and the shed. Speaking of which, there was a beautiful shot of the new kid reeling back with skateboard in hand. The only thing that almost made her laugh was that there was a black bar over his eyes and Sakaguchi's, but the picture of his injuries killed any sense of laughter.

The redhead grimaced, then looked over at Tostuka. "I'm borrowing this," She told Ichika, ignoring her protest as she got up from her seat.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one looking for Ryusei. Miss Touga returned to the classroom, looking very much like a scolded child. She noticed Shiori, striding over and stopping the girl in her tracks. "I need to see you and Totsuka," She stated, crossing her arms. "Come with me to the faculty room."








Eila couldn't help but enjoy her interaction with Ermes. He was such a curious thing, full of life and enough pluck to ensure he would survive this world. He was wise enough to know the dangers of the world, but he could be mistaken in his statement: sometimes people truly were worse than monsters. But that was a topic that had no business here, nor would it pertain to their current conversation. Instead, she focused on the young lad and his mannerisms. He clearly took some offense to what she said, despite her intentions. Ignorance was not a sin, after all, and she was aware not everyone had access to the vast amount of knowledge as she did.

At his last words, however, her smile lessened as she, too, could see her assumption was correct. Or rather, it was a close guess; the woman was a mixed breed, not quite reaching the same statures pure-blooded orcs did. No, she did, but she didn't quite look like she was pure-blooded. There was something amiss, but Eila couldn't put her finger on it. Granted, she was not a geneticist, but she knew enough. The woman assumed they were looking for the town, though she did make sure to voice that the House earned its reputation.

Eila's response was interrupted by the emergence of a weathered trio who had likely seen better days. And what characters! The small one's hat could just as easily swallow her whole, and the cloaked one looked like his protection had seen better days. The leader was the one that left her most wary, his stance one of someone practiced. Still, no harm, no foul, and it wouldn't do to cast aspersions on strangers.

Eila nodded in response to his statement, though she gave the woman her attention. "That would be our goal. We, too, are bound for the House," She explained. "Getting put to work is precisely why we are going. But don't let us keep you! Come, Ermes, let us not disturb her any longer than we already have."


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