Minutes before our arrival to said hellhole, Koga chickened out. For somebody with enough gall to disrespect me, he sure was a coward when whining that he didn't want to run into Juuna—with a beet red face and stammer of words, of course. Koga was quite the tsundere* if I had anything to say about it.

Not that I blamed him. I did say I would go, but it wasn't exactly easy convincing my mind that when my conscience continued insisting my true desires. That I wanted no more but to turn tail and run away like Koga. But, I needed to be strong. Expulsion was on the line for me. My freedom and acceptance from my dad was driving me forward.

It wasn't up for debate; I needed to get through this.

Oh no you don't, my conscience blared for the umpteenth time. Save that pride for your next school.

There's not going to be another school! I reprimanded it straightaway.

That's what you always say. And it never works out, does it?

Oh shut up, stupid inner voice!

I reached for the door handle and unlocked it with the key I'd been granted. Dammit, I was treating myself to two pastries and a sundae after this nightmare!

Ignoring my odd exchange with myself—that really wasn't such a surprise considering how many loose screws I possessed—I swung open the door.

"Listen, you devils!" I shouted as I stomped past the gorgeous flowerbeds. "I'm sick and tired of all of you and your fetishes! I am a human being and a student in this school, thus I deserve my rights! And if you can keep your belts and whips to yourselves and upkeep the civilized image you have there won't have to be any issues and a dead body by the end of this all—"

My voice died instantly in my throat once I reached the main area of the sanctuary. Not because hell on earth was waiting for me—well, it still was—but because of the person who had twirled around along with the Student Council President in the otherwise vacant room.

Emotions synonymic to relief displayed itself like a blinking sign on his face. A huge smile took the form of his lips. "Yonamine!"

I coughed incessantly to clear my throat from the carbon dioxide that was clogging up my windpipe. My hand over my throat, my bulged eyeballs scanned his exterior over and over again.

Much to my wish for it to be a dream, he didn't disappear.

"Holy hovering horses shit!" I yelled, finally getting my mouth to move a mile per minute. "Upperclassman Anzai? What are you doing here? Don't tell me these monsters have you trapped in this hellhole too—"

"Kasumi." Shuuhei's eerie bellow succeeded in halting my heartbeat dead in place. I inhaled and exhaled heavily to regain its rate, which thankfully occurred. I then rose my gaze forward to slip past a bemused Junto to Shuuhei who was glaring daggers at me. "You've always skipped out on the morning gatherings. I'm glad you decided to show up today, but fortunately or not, it'll only have to be us."

His words portrayed a lingering malice I was honestly afraid to put my finger on. Was it me or was Shuuhei angrier than ever?

Junto's head swayed from Shuuhei to me in evident surprise. "No way!" he said, his jaw falling. "I had no idea you two knew each other!"

Knew each other? I wanted to scoff, but held it back. Mainly because my next breath had already been snatched by him. It was still hard to fathom that Sunday's incident actually occurred, but even if it did that didn't change how radiant Junto still was. Gosh, he was undeniably hot even if he did write smut!

"Kasumi is the Student Council's pet."

I popped a nerve at Shuuhei's comment. Regardless, seeing him still at his desk surrounded in scattered sheets of papers with a pair of glasses hanging on the bridge of his nose took me by surprise.

"The Student Council's pet...?" Junto echoed dumbly. He frowned straightaway. "Shuuhei, I thought you were going to stop with the last one."

My ears perked. "L-last one?"

There was another one involved in the SC? And how did Junto know?

"I received another opportunity. That one didn't make it anyway," Shuuhei sighed, slipping off his frames and adjusting his bangs so they fell over his face.

"D-didn't make it?!"

Shuuhei scowled at me. The bags evident underneath his eyes only added to the hostile aura seeping from around him. "Kasumi, no yelling in the sanctuary."

My mouth slammed shut. I had the feeling if I didn't, I'd end up the same way this other 'pet' did...

"'Kasumi' was the name of the pet bird the Student Council had in the past," Junto elaborated for me before turning back to Shuuhei. "So where is this other 'Kasumi?'"

"You're looking at her," Shuuhei responded.

I could just about see question marks popping out from around Junto's head. "Her... But Yonamine is here?"

Maybe it hadn't sunk in for Junto yet, but it hit me like a soccer ball to the nose.

Whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

The Student Council had a pet bird named 'Kasumi' in the past? And it died? Was that why they were so strict on me? Holy crap. Juuna, too—they couldn't get over its death and went all loco in the head-o since my name was the same! Didn't that put me in more danger then?

Shuuhei exhaled loudly, pinching the skin between his eyes as he continued to move his pencil up and down on the pages he was working on. "Always a slow one, Junto. I named that bird Kasumi after this girl here."

"You did what?" Junto was shocked.

Yeah! He did what?!

"U-Upperclassman Anzai," I hissed, snagging his sleeve away from Mr. Loco himself. "What are you doing here? Save yourself from these monsters before it's too late!"

Junto trained his vision onto me, laughing as if he found what I said funny. "Oh, Shuuhei still has to finish the last of our draft so I can put them together."

"Draft...?" I followed his eyes to the seriously working blond at his desk, glasses once again rested by the bridge of his nose in utmost focus. "A draft for what?"

Junto brightened. "Remember? He's the friend I told you about."

"Friend...?"

*cue flashback of Junto mentioning his co-working manga friend.*

*cue le gasp and jaw drop*

*cue short period of me suffocating in disbelief*

Holy shitting bricks.

Holy mother of pantyhoses!

I should've guessed the fetish worshipping Student Council was involved in this S&M erotica writing business...!

After managing to calm down—I was literally going to be sent to the hospital from both all this unexpectedness and Junto's hand on my shoulder—Junto explained, "Shuuhei and I are childhood friends. But since there's always such a large crowd around him, it's been tough to approach him during school hours."

Childhood friends? With my kindhearted and loveable prince?

...Rokura High's kindhearted and loveable prince. Not mine. At least, not yet...

Both Shuuhei and Junto were famous around campus, that I knew. And there was also that belief that popular people only interacted with popular people and not lower class scum like me. Still, I'd never seen these two interacting at all! Maybe they shared short glances in the halls but these two were worshipped on two different planes in this school.

The inhumanly perfect, out of everyone's league, Shuuhei, versus only out of my status's league but still heavenly Junto.

I never would've thought these two were so intertwined like this!

A sudden gasp left Junto's lips. Before I could make sense of anything, he drew his face closer to mine. Immediate worry breached his countenance as he scooped up my hands, his bottom lip catching between his teeth.

"More importantly, Yonamine! Are you all right? You suddenly ran out on Sunday and I got so worried! You weren't answering my calls or messages either a-and—did I do something terrible? Is it because I write mature content you think I'm disgusting? Worse than scum?"

Junto's guilty puppy-eyes and my sister's words echoing in my mind sent me out of commission for a good period.

"N-n-no!" I forced out (thankfully). "No! I don't find it disgusting! And 'scum' and you don't belong in a sentence together! I think you're amazing!"

A swell of hope took over his widening eyes.

I stuttered on. "Sunday, just... I was a little surprised, is all. I'm sorry if you thought I hated you. I really don't—can't. Promise."

"Really?" His shoulders slumped as a warm smile graced his mouth. He looked about ready to tear up from happiness. "I'm so glad you don't hate me," he said, rubbing at his eye. "So, so glad."

Mother of flying cheese. Why was this gorgeous human being so blinding? He was so precious, goddammit! To think that such a sweet and innocent seeming human being could write those words I'd read on Sunday...!

"No," Shuuhei barked again.

Junto and I swivelled his way. I took notice then how much worse the guy was staring the two of us down. Slamming his hands onto the tabletop, he sprung to his feet, slipping off his glasses.

"She should hate you, Junto."

"Why?" I pressed, unease clenching my gut.

"Shuuhei," Junto warned, but Shuuhei was already strolling to me, thick stack of papers in hand.

"You're playing coward now?" Shuuhei snorted. "She's our most popular character."

"Popular? Character?"

My stomach flopped as I received the stack from a sketchy Shuuhei. I looked at Junto who instantly stiffened and dropped his head. He scuffed his feet.

"It was your idea," he mumbled.

"And you agreed because you were fond of her then, too."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I demanded.

There wasn't even the slightest reluctance nor regret slapped across Shuuhei's smile. "We made you the main character of our manga."

_______

- a Japanese term for a character development process that describes a person who is initially cold (and sometimes even hostile) before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.