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“Breaking news: 'There have been reports saying the current serial killer has gotten himself an accomplice with the newfound evidence we’ve got from the recent death of their newest victim. This body has been left in a parking lot for approximately 6 days at least. The girl was cut up brutally, using what seemed like a pair of scissors. Judging by a strange hair strand near the scene of the crime, this new partner of his looks to be a girl. It appears that our murderer has successfully brainwashed and tricked this poor girl into committing these atrocious crimes, that or she has willingly followed him. Either way, whatever it is, everyone, please watch out and be careful.”
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Ako was there when the murder happened, though she did not pay attention enough at the time; it was just a normal Friday for her at first after all. Like always, she would turn the corner right after she got off the train station and continue walking past the numerous neon-lighted shops of the new district that had just opened up. Due to the exhausting toll her classes had taken on her, she wouldn't even pay attention to the usual antics that go on in there at this time of day; until something made her pay attention.
A strange cloaked figure, lights cast upon them and a shadow that seemed to be carried on both of their hands; Ako hesitated, not knowing what or who it was in the dark alleyway illuminated by dim lights from these mom-and-pop stores. She couldn’t make out who it was. She brushed it off though, probably some drunk guy getting carried away and being escorted out. Nothing extraordinary happened after that; it was just your typical do homework and go to bed routine for high schoolers.
Then the heavy news came the morning after, and just right when she had just started breakfast. Great. The newscaster reported a body discovered by one of the store owners just down the street, the body was cut nice and tidy, leaving just a few “beauty marks” as they call them. Now she can’t even look at her food the same way again. Leaving her delicious eggs and toast behind, Ako got on with her day and started walking to the station. Not sure why she was surprised but there are now yellow police tapes all over last night’s alleyway entrance, accompanying it with a white chalk outline depicting where the dead body was. It appears that the police are also keeping a close eye on this area. She hopes the security cameras didn't catch her face and lead the police to believe she was involved in some way; she just wants a peaceful school day today.
Without sparing a second, a couple of policemen came up to her; though they just asked a few simple questions, it looked like her dream would be crushed sooner rather than later. It looks like the police are going around interrogating anyone and everyone passing through this area, child or adult. She’s not getting out of this, is she?
“Who could even be calm in this situation?" I’d have been screwed if they'd seen my face. I’m just glad they didn’t have cameras in this area of town... Oh, maybe that’s why there are so many policemen here. ”
After a few more minutes, along with Ako’s nagging about being late to school, the police officers would finally let her go without any hindrance. She sighed in relief.
After the little incident with the police, the rest of her way to school was as expected, except for what her homeroom teacher was going to tell her anyway.
“You’re changing schools.” – The teacher said, without an expression on her face, as if this was just your typical Monday.
"Uh, what?" Ako asked, perplexed, "Why am I changing schools?"
“Your parents called me. They already talked to the principal last night right after the police discovered the body near the blanketed street, so they’re asking for you to be transferred right away. ” – she paused.... – “Your parents wanted you to transfer to a private school, Shiraie High, they are known for their good security system and strict education, so it should be much safer there than here.”
Still looking mildly confused, Ako opened up – “But wasn’t the crime scene near my house?“-
“You’ll also be moving to a different house. Your parents asked me to inform you about this too.”
The teacher then elaborated on all the procedures Ako will have to do in place of her parents, with her parent's permission of course, like filling out documents and just signing a lot of papers. She thought it wouldn’t take as long as she thought, all the boring paperwork felt like another day in class for her; so within the blink of an eye, she was no longer in school... for today, that is. Even though she will be transferring to a new school and moving into a new house, it does not seem to matter to her at the time. It didn't matter if her parents weren't going to be there for her anyway, or if it was just going to be another year of hopping from one school to the next; what mattered was what she was going to do now that she didn't have classes for the day.
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A few weeks have passed and just as planned, Ako will be going to Shiraie High from today onward. Because she had to constantly change schools in the past, it should have made sense for her not to be nervous, but despite having quite a bit of experience in this situation, the fear of being unwelcome and outcast lingered at the back of her throat.
"Welp, nothing I can do now." – She said, trying to calm her nerves, but it didn't seem to be effective.
As she walked past a wall of trees, her eyes were met with a mesmerizing view of the school building. The school was covered from head to toe in overgrown plant life, giving it this indescribable atmosphere; it was as if Ako was looking at a painting. Yep, this is a private academy alright. Accompanying and contrasting with the overtaken nature of the school was a tall brick wall and fancy-looking concrete tiles, showing how all the more separated she is now from the outside world. Not only that but as a cherry on top, the gate was carved out elegantly with intricate designs of snakes and fruit trees, unbefitting of a school. She’d be here all day just being hypnotized by how beautiful the high school looked if the student body president hadn’t shown up.
“Hello there, you must be Ako, the new transfer student?” – He asked, politely.
“Oh uh.. yes! And you are?”
“I’m the student council president. I was instructed to greet you and give you a tour of our school by the teachers, you can call me Aren.”
After introducing himself, the self-proclaimed president of the student council led Ako into the school grounds.
“It looks just as pretty in here as it does out..”
“It sure is amazing, yeah?” – Aren chimed in. Crap, I said that out loud. – “I remember being just as amazed as you the first time I came to this school.”
As they walk along the school grounds, exchanging conversations, introducing Ako to the inner workings of Shiraie High. He had quite a detailed explanation, she must say, it seems like he’s quite fond of this school if he can talk this much about it. Well, however long his tour was, it was done just in time for the bell to ring.
“Oh, and that’s our school bell, it signals t-“
“That class is in session, I know I know. I go to school too, you know. ” – Ako snickered, giggling at her joke.
He bloomed a smile for her, shaking his head in disappointment at the terrible joke. But it was time for class, and Ako was now practically sprinting to the school building. I swear this school is way too big for its own good. Huffing and puffing as she goes up the stairs to the 3rd floor, where her class is situated. The bell stopped ringing right as the girl got to the classroom’s door.
“Oh my, isn’t that a new face we have here? You must be Ako, yes?”
The teacher heading her way spoke out to her, asking for her information and confirming her identity. Thank god she brought everything her old teacher instructed her to.
“Aren must have said this already while he gave you the tour earlier but Shiraie High welcomes you. I hope you have a wonderful time here. Now let’s get you to class, I’ve wasted enough time already.” – As he finishes his sentence, the teacher opens the door to the classroom, with Ako walking right behind him.
After a short introduction from Ako to her soon-to-be classmates, she went down to an empty chair near a window that must have been pre-prepared for her. The rest of the classes continued as normal as in any other school, accompanying these usual periods are short break times where things would get hectic every time. Students upon students would flood to her table, asking your typical questions to the new kid, It’s like this every time she changes schools, the experience was fun and made her feel welcomed the first few times but it just seems so tedious now. Though she wouldn’t have felt as exhausted as she was if they didn’t repeat this every break they got.
“How was your last school? What about your old classmates? Why did you choose to move here? Want to go grab lunch with us?” – just question after question after question until – “Is Ako here?”
Ako turned to the wide-open classroom door along with the classmates around her desk, everyone with a surprised look on their faces. It was Aren, and just in time for lunch.
“Oh my gosh, you rescued me there.”
“It wasn’t a big deal, you seemed like you needed it, anyone could tell just from a glance.”
“Ah… was I that obvious… Anyway, what were you doing on the 3rd floor? Not anything illegal I assume?” – The girl teased.
“Well, the student council office is, in fact, on the 3rd floor Ako. I was just leaving there to deliver some documents to the teachers. It’s almost test season after all.”
“Would you like some help with that pile you’re carrying? I don’t mind lending a hand.”
“Oh no I- “ – Ako interrupted him unexpectedly and snatched half of the papers on top of the pile – “Alrighty~ no need to thank me, just treat me to lunch later okay? No takeback-sies.”
She practically ran off with her tail between her legs along with the documents to the teacher’s office, giving Aren no shot to say no. Aren had nothing to say other than a short sign.
“The cafeteria’s free of charge Ako….”
By the time they finished organizing the papers in the teacher’s office, the bell rang a second time, notifying students and teachers that it was time for lunch.
Since they were both here, Ako decided to walk to the cafeteria with Aren and get to know the council president better; after all, it doesn't hurt to be friendly to others. As they walked down the corridor, the silence grew longer and longer. Despite that, it didn't feel awkward for Ako, nor did it appear to bother Aren. As she walks alongside him, she finally has the opportunity to observe him properly, as she had been looking at the school the entire time he was giving her the tour. How did I not notice how pretty he looked? Aren is a full head taller than Ako, with blonde hair parted on one side and brown roots accompanying it. He’s also wearing a pair of round glasses, and a little dimple would appear on his left cheek whenever he smiles lightly. But as they inch closer to the cafeteria, their peaceful moment with each other is broken by the flood of students rushing to get lunch.
“And here we are, this is our cafeteria.” – Aren decided to finally speak up – “Since we didn’t have the chance to go inside this morning, let’s eat together today so that you can get used to the school a little better, what do you think?” - Aren said as he pointed in the direction of the wave of students running into a large building opposite to their school building. The cafeteria was unexpectedly bigger than Ako thought. Of course, a private school's cafeteria would be big, what was I thinking? As they went further inside, they were greeted with a scene of chaos: students rushing to get their favorite foods, people from every direction hustling to tables to seize the "good table".
"Yep, this is indeed our cafeteria. It is normally like this so I hope you're not too startled, alright let’s go get some lunch, shall we? The food's gonna be out in due time."
They then went to get their lunch trays near the entrance and continued to the food stalls. But Ako wouldn't say their short walk to get food was peaceful, everywhere they stepped foot, Aren was surrounded by people constantly which made quite the clutter, to say the least.
"You're quite the big shot aren’t you?" - Ako huffs, barely getting them both out of the crowd.
"Haha... though I wouldn't say so, I'd say people just want to get on the council president's good side rather than mine. It’s just how people are." - Well, this is awkward.
"So do you have anyone to eat lunch with?” - No way the all-popular student council president doesn’t have anyone - “It looks like the whole school wants to eat lunch with you.”
Despite her lighthearted demeanor, Aren appears to be taking things quite seriously. But just as he was about to say something, a girl casually interrupted their talk.
"A~ren” - The strange girl hums. - "Oh dear, who is this... Ah, you must be the new kid everyone's been talking about!"
After exchanging a few words with one another, Ako and the girl - Mia - were just having some small talk as Aren deemed Ako too clueless to navigate the cafeteria and just decided to go get their lunch himself.
"You can go take up a table first to wait for me, it'd be faster if I go alone" - he says.
It didn’t take him long at all to go get some lunch for the three of them, it was much faster than her going around looking for something to eat cluelessly like before. As such, Ako is now sitting soundly at her lunch table with her tour guide after some time quarreling around with him and unexpectedly, are now having their meal with another student. They weren’t talking about anything in particular, just a few topics to pass the time, seems like they’ve known each other for quite some time, turns out he does have friends after all. She giggled to herself after such a ridiculous thought, he’s the president for Christ’s sake.
“What’s so funny?” – Mia asked. she didn’t think Mia would mind her from how introspective she was with their conversation, I really shouldn’t have laughed out loud like that – “Oh, I know! Is it about my hamster story? I knew someone would find that funny! Right, Aren?”
“Oh yeah, wasn’t that hamster, like, your third one already? Please don’t tell me you’re gonna buy another one, your cat is just gonna eat it again.” – He signs unamusingly. Ako wasn’t sure why this story was supposed to be funny but might as well laugh it off, no use questioning it now.
“Yeah yeah, stop nagging me. Anyway, shouldn’t we be talking about Ako here? It’s her first day today, let's make her feel welcome!”
“Oh no no, I’m fine already, my class has made me feel plenty welcome. Maybe to the point of me getting tired of It actually, everyone is just so friendly here. And with you eating with me, I feel like I’m making a friend already!” – Aren't I being too friendly now, wouldn’t they think of me as being creepy – “S-so I’d like to ask about how you came to this school, Mia. It’s no fun talking about me all the time.”
Ako never was the person to partake in small talk and even less so, starting it, so naturally she wasn’t used to the overly friendly type of persona she had given herself.
“Well, it’s nothing special like your situation, Ako. I just wanted to go to the same school as my friends from middle school. Even though that was the case, since we’re in different classes now, we don’t have the chance to talk and hang out like we used to anymore. I guess you could say we’re just mere acquaintances now. But I’ve got Aren with me now so I haven’t had any problems since entering Shiraie High.” – Even though she quickly changed the subject, Ako couldn’t help but catch a bittersweet smile on her face as she told her story. Ako didn’t think that such a story could spawn from these small talks.
“And what about you Aren?” – Ako nervously spoke up – “You’ve heard all about our stories already, so don’t you think it’s your turn now? Don’t you dare think you can run away from this.” – She smiled sarcastically at him, looking as if she wanted to provoke him.
“Hah, you… Well, it’s not very interesting in the slightest, my parents just wanted me to go to a good school so that the school could help me go to university easily. That’s also partly why I applied for the school council. It gives me a good resume.” – He tilted his head back slightly, looking as smug as possible, nodding his head up and down in rhythm with his small laugh. God this is why I hate narcissists. Ako couldn’t have a more disgusted look on her face, if this was their council president then this school would for sure go to hell. With nothing else able to top that, she finishes her meal in silence.
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As they wrapped up their lunches, the bell rang once more, indicating that there were only a few more minutes before class resumed for the afternoon periods.
“Can you go with Ako back to her class, Mia?” – Aren asks as all three of them are walking out of the cafeteria together.
“Oh, sure! I’ll help her with her way back to class, I don’t think Ako could have remembered all the nooks and crannies in the school on her first day already so I’ll help out as much as I can!” – Mia cheerfully responds.
To be honest, Aren’s tour this morning had covered everything there is to know on the school grounds already, and she has also memorized the directions to notable places like her classroom and the teacher’s office, but the possibility of really making a friend doesn’t sound half bad. The second bell then rings, which is the indication for Aren to run off for another errand and leave the two girls alone once more. The silence slowly dawned on them as they started walking back to class as quickly as possible. The Mia who looked like she could talk about anything to anyone earlier seemed nonexistent, Ako wondered why she wasn’t saying anything. It was a bit strange but Ako just assumed that she might feel shy in front of a practical stranger. As a result, Ako decides to open up first.
“So h-“ – As she was starting to say something, Mia immediately interrupted her – “Please shut up.” - Mia spoke, with an unamused face, an opposite reaction from when they were with Aren just a few minutes ago.
“I know Aren is just acting nicely in front of you because he's the face of the school and all, so don't get all friendly with him just cause he sat for lunch with you once.”
Right after she finished her sentence, she left immediately in the opposite direction of Ako’s classroom. Well, you didn't have to make it so dramatic… She shrugged it off and returned to her class just as the period was about to begin. When she opens the door, the normally noisy classroom from earlier in the day immediately quiets down. The atmosphere appears to be... different. Everyone seemed to ignore her, no one was jumping in front of her face to nag her or insisting on welcoming her to the new environment.
Did something happen while I was gone? The girl looked confused but didn't question it much. I'm sure everyone’s just prepping for the upcoming period, I’ll just get back to my seat. Their eyes wandered upon her every move, like a predator watching its prey, Ako was hoping the teacher would come in, right this instant to break this awkward silence. But that was asking for too much. She found out later that this was all Mia’s doings.
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The next day, Ako was settling into her new school life and surroundings. Sure, things were a little tough to deal with, the thing being Mia, but everything else was fairly tranquil. …But she was definitely thinking too enthusiastically about it.
That same day, Ako injured her arm. It was around break time, after the first few periods had ended, and Ako was on her way to the restroom when she felt a tingling feeling on the back of her neck. But she paid it no mind, it might have been the wind or something. It wasn't until she walked out of the bathroom that she a group of students rummaging inside, one of them bumping into her and slamming her to the wall. And to no surprise, she definitely saw Mia in that group. So now, with her arm bruised, Ako’s on her way to the infirmary. Great job Ako, just a week in this new school, and you already got yourself injured? I have to skip class to go get this treated too… what are the teachers gonna think of me? The walk to the nurse’s office was agonizing, with her thoughts swarming her mind and the pain from her bruise, things weren’t looking so good for Ako.
And just as the girl opened the door to the infirmary, there he was the reason why the bullying even happened.
“Oh? Ako, what are you doing here?” - Aren turned away from the nurse’s desk and walked towards the door. With a sheepish look on his face, he shifts his gaze to Ako’s injury. Well, with her hand touching the bruise on the other arm, who wouldn’t?
“My arm is quite bruised at the moment, so I just wanted to ask if there’s some ointment to reduce the bruising from the nurse… But I assume she isn’t here?” - The nurse's desk is empty and the only person in the room is Aren, shuffling papers on the desk when Ako opened the door. - “I assume the nurse asked you to be here for her?”
Aren chuckled slightly at the question, maybe he finds this funny. But ultimately, he shakes his head as he starts to answer.
“No, no. I’m just here because I had some documents that needed to be double-checked. It’s only a coincidence that the nurse wasn’t here when I came in. Well anyways, you said you needed some medicine for that bruise?” - It didn’t even take him a minute to change the topic to Ako again. Though she found that it was quite sudden, she appreciated it nonetheless with her arm aching all the more as time went by.
“Yeah, it isn’t anything serious though. I just needed something to reduce the time it stays and to make the color not so purple I guess.” - After Ako finished, she could tell Aren hesitated for a bit but he offered help regardless.
“Alright, let me see if there’s anything in here that could help with that. Don’t blame me and my mediocre first aid skills okay?” - He gave a small pout to her before turning away.
Aren quickly went to the medication cabinet and began looking for anything that may assist with Ako's injury. Not surprisingly, he didn't discover it right away. It appears that his abilities in this area are still relatively limited. As Ako sat on one of the room's vacant beds, seeing Aren out of his environment for a change, she couldn't help but giggle to herself. Perhaps he is not the all-powerful 'Student Council President' after all. Perhaps Aren heard her small laugh, he’s now more determined to keep digging even deeper into the cabinets to find the ointment.
Then somehow, his digging worked! He found a small box of ointment labeled “Bruise relief” at the back of the cabinet. He hurried to where Ako sat and started to apply the cream over the large, now a deep purple, bruise on her upper arm.
“Ouch! That hurts! Can you try to apply it without pushing too much on my wound, please?” - Ako winces at the pain, mostly over-exaggerating the pain as she thought it would be a chance to see Aren flustered. But the reaction she received was only a solemn look on his face.
“Ako, how did this happen? Did you bump into something?” - Aren stops his hand that was applying the cream and looks straight into Ako’s eyes. She didn’t know what the correct response would be, she didn’t want to make the situation any bigger than it already was but… getting some help against Mia’s bullying would be nice.
“...It’s really nothing. I was just being careless. And can you finish applying the ointment so I can get back to class?” - She thought about it for a second but decided against it at the end. She was sure the bullying would stop soon enough and giving Mia the attention she wants is probably not the smartest idea.
Aren looked at Ako’s bruise, then to her face, and then he said nothing. His face looks like he knows what happened but won’t pry further because she didn’t want to talk. Honestly, Ako didn’t like that “all-knowing” look on his face all the time, but she was glad he didn’t ask any further questions. After their short conversation, Aren puts the cream back in the box and returns it to its place. Aren had to go elsewhere so they said their goodbyes, with Ako staying back at the infirmary for the rest of the period.
Aside from that one eventful morning, the rest of her week went by like a flash. Nothing really serious happened throughout, besides Mia’s awful attempts at sabotaging her that is. However, Ako’s been trying to get out of her shell and atleast make one friend in her school life despite that. But unsurprisingly, that hasn’t gone very well.
“Great, because of Mia’s influence, now no one in class wants to even stand next to me…” - Ako said, slumped over next to the school building. During lunch, students would sit next to their friends and eat with each other in the cafeteria or bring their meals to the classroom. On the other hand, Ako is sitting alone on a bench facing a group of students playing on the basketball court with a lunch box she bought from the cafeteria. Atleast I won’t be bored when I’m eating… It’s probably good to remain positive in these trying times.
Halfway through her meal, one of the basketball players starts walking towards Ako. His skin is dark, like chocolate, and maybe a little tan too from all the time he spent under the sun. As he turns his head back at his friends, his hair glistens a pastel light green, shining under the warm sun. He turns to her as he approaches closer, looking at her with his bright yellow eyes. Then, a smirk on his face, befitting of someone like him.
“Hey, what’re you doing here eating lunch alone?” - As he started to talk, he bent down to her height, now with his chin on his knees - “Wait, you probably don’t know me. My name’s Natsu.”
“Oh, my name’s Ako. And no, I don’t know you, or anyone here as a matter of fact. I just transferred here.” - Having a conversation while you’re eating was definitely not what the girl expected when she decided to have lunch here. Not only that, she did find it weird some stranger would come to talk to her so suddenly, it wouldn’t hurt to ask right? - “So… Why did you want to talk to me?”
“Ah…” - His smirk disappears, instead Natsu leans his head and rests it on his arms, looking up at her like a puppy with a small smile instead - “It’s because I caught you staring.”
An immediate flush washes over her face, some passerby would probably think she has a slight fever.
“Hey, where else was I supposed to look? All of you were playing basketball right in front of my face!” - In a panic, Ako tried coming up with some kind of defense for herself… guess that didn’t work out well.
“I’m joking, I’m joking. I’m just teasing you, I’m not actually offended. I’d say I’m quite flattered… Seeing a pretty girl like you staring at me? Who wouldn’t be?” - His smile turns into a smirk in the blink of an eye, but that’s part of his charm Ako supposes.
The more he opens his mouth, the more Ako can see his personality. He’s definitely the type to go around and flirt with anyone he can see and play with their hearts anytime he pleases. And now that she mentions it, she remembers hearing from one of her classmates about some freshman who keeps going around to flirt with anyone he laid his eyes on. Looking at Natsu, he fits the description to a tee.
“Hey, just a suggestion, but your “flirting” isn’t all that charming if all you talk about is yourself.” - After taking a deep breath, Ako looked him dead in the eye, not amused by his talk at all. She picked up her lunch box and then left. Eating in class is still the most peaceful option in the end…
Natsu, dumbfounded at the sudden rejection, scratches his head as he looks at Ako’s back disappearing slowly into the distance.
As much as she was desperate for a friend, someone like him was out of the equation.