Chapter 87: Book 2 – Chapter 13b

Tension was building across the school.

 

Toshi was uncertain what was going on. Kenko and his friends were running interference, again. Toshi hated that about the boys in his class. Toshi had gotten a sixth sense about this sort of thing. Whenever some sort of unpleasant social situation was arising, they worked hard to keep Toshi in the dark. The past few days he caught snippets of talk. Something was going on with Sado Kingo. Nobody would talk about it, but Toshi knew something was up the way the cheerleaders would give him dirty looks.

 

Well... even dirtier looks than usual.

 

Toshi didn't mind interference of that sort, although he wished he could just talk it out with Kingo and get it over with. Toshi would let him HAVE Madoka, but Madoka didn't want Kingo. Thus Kingo and his followers thought that Toshi was playing some sort of subtle, sinister manipulative game. How do you explain the problem is she just isn't in to you? Of course Toshi's unwillingness to talk about the date only confirmed to everyone he wanted to date. Not that Toshi understood that sort of backwards logic. The problem with conspiracy theories is that they depend upon the existence of a hyper-competent enemy. The reason this is appealing is that even if you are outmatched or outgunned, you still have someone to blame. There is a single point of failure that you can define to fix your problems. Without a conspiracy, the solution is often not only unobtainable, but not even understandable in most cases.

 

Toshi was used to being the subject of nonsense, but there were times he wished his friends kept him in the loop. Especially on days like this. There was some sort of vibration in the air. It was like everyone was holding their breath. Not only that,  but Toshi was feeling... something. Not like how it felt when he had itchy teeth, but a form of energy none the less. It was louder. No, that wasn't it either. The energy that was flowing through the school felt powerful. It was like someone playing classical music in an EDM concert. It wasn't that anything changed, but something new had come to the school. Toshi had resolved to skip lunch and try and find out what was going on.

 

 

Toshi tried to ditch the boys, but they weren't going to leave him alone for any reason. When Toshi said he'd catch up with them in the cafeteria, they all refused to go ahead and waited for him. Unfortunately for Toshi, he was just trying to lose them, so he had to make up busy work. One even hung out at the classroom door, watching for something. It gave Toshi a brief flashback to this past Tuesday. The odd parallel that he and Naora both had bodyguards hit him rather hard, ~Another otome game trope.~ Toshi couldn't stall for long so he headed out in short order. His plan was to make them go past Naora's section of the hall and use the boys bathroom there. There was no way Kenko and crew would wait for him. He was approaching the corner when he heard a student shouting way down the hall.

 

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP FOR FIVE GODDAMN SECONDS AND LET ME THINK?"

 

Naora and about a half dozen girls came into view as Toshi rounded the corner. Her crew was hanging out in her claimed section of the hallway, but they weren't leering or being crude as they usually were. They were looking down the hallway towards the lunchroom and at the commotion that had just begun. Naora had pushed off the wall she was leaning against to step into the middle of the hallway. She was squinting, trying to see what was happening as Toshi and crew came into view. The others resisted entering this 'female space', but Toshi had no respect for social barriers. Toshi stepped out of the pack of boys to come to a stop beside Naora, "What's going on?"

 

Naora responded casually, "It sounds like Kingo is having a proper freak-out." She did a double take when she noticed it was Toshi. With a smirk she inquired, "Hey, prince pochi-kun. What brings you slumming?" Toshi was about to answer when Kingo pushed his way out of the far crowd and came stomping down the hallway. He was holding his head as if he was in terrible pain, "Stop it! Just everyone stop it! NONE OF YOU ARE MAKING ANY-" He stopped dead.

 

He just stared down the corridor in Toshi's direction.

 

Sado Kingo didn't look anything like himself. He was still the tallest and strongest boy in school. He was dressed in his school uniform, but it was uncharacteristically wrinkled. His collar was undone and open enough to reveal his undershirt. His sleeves were unbuttoned and the cuffs flipped up, a major social no-no. His hair wasn't carefully styled in its usual form, but just combed to have a part down one side. He was sweating all over giving his skin a moist sheen. What really stood out about him was how flat and lifeless his face looked, at least to the other students. He looked to most as quite unhealthy, but Toshi noticed what the real change was right away. It stood out like a sore thumb to a male from another world.

 

Kingo wasn't wearing any make-up.

 

The cheerleader squad had caught up and were trying to talk to him, but he wasn't giving them so much as a glance. He was staring down the hall. Kingo's head was slowly twisting to the side. One eye was closing and twitching as he squinted at something that didn't appear to fit into his current world view. His expression was one of utter bewilderment. He started to slowly shake his head as if he was trying to deny the existence of the very reality right before his eyes. Abruptly he broke into a sprint, barreling down the hallway as fast as he could pump his legs.

 

Toshi mumbled, "Oh Shit." Kenko and his friends started to move up, but Naora acted first. She pushed Toshi back behind her as she stepped forward to intercept the charging Kingo. She had enough time to crack her neck and flex her shoulders before she took a battle stance, one foot forward so she had a smaller profile. Someone was shouting after him to stop. Naora held up one hand, "Kingo, I don't know what your fuckin' problem is, but you-"

 

He screeched to a halt in front of Naora.

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Kingo looked like he'd seen a ghost. He was moving like reality was broken. His movements were jerky as he reached out to her with trembling hands, but hesitated at the last moment. It was as if he was seeing an illusion and touching it would break the spell. He spoke a single word with disbelief and endearment, "Saiai?" Naora blinked hard at the intensity of Kingo's look, "What?" She held up a flat hand in his face, "Look. You-" He grabbed it abruptly, but not to do anything beyond caressing it. He pulled it slightly closer to his face as he examined each finger from inches away. It was as if he seemed to be trying to figure out what they were.

 

"You-you-you're... real?"

 

Naora abruptly pulled her hand away and retreated a step, "What? Are you on-" The rest of Kingo's friends were finally catching up. Kagi stepped up next to Naora, "Kingo, are you high?" Naora glanced sideways to look at Kagi and smirked. In that momentary distraction, Kingo grabbed Naora with both arms. Everyone was boggled that Kingo would attack Naora like that. It was an absolutely insane thing to do. Kagi and Midori both looked like they were going to beat the ever living shit out of him. Toshi, on the other hand, knew Kingo wasn't attacking Naora. Oh No.

 

He was hugging her.

 

Toshi's mind began to race and he was coming to a rather uncomfortable conclusion, ~Oh fuck Oh fuck OH FUCK! God, tell me this is not happening!~ Alas, god did not reply. Instead Toshi backed up a step as his mind raced around in circles, trying to comprehend what he was witnessing. He did not like the conclusion that he was drawing AT ALL.

 

Naora let out a strangled, "ACK!" As Kingo wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, "You're ALIVE!" He let out a loud laugh as he spun around with her, "YOU'RE ALIVE!!!" Naora involuntarily let out a loud gasp as he crushed the air from her lungs, "Let GO of ME!" She flexed and easily burst out of his arms. She landed and staggered back a step. She pulled back a fist in the process, "What The FUCK is wrong with you???"

 

Kingo seemed surprised at her getting free, "Wrong with me?" He stood still and stared at her fist, then at Naora's face, "What's wrong with this SCHOOL?"  He held his hands out open towards her, "You're supposed to be dead!" He pointed at himself with both hands, "I held you in my arms as you died!" He stabbed a finger down the hall towards the front of the school, "Right outside! That CUNT Gen had you gunned down right in front of the school!"

 

Naora went white at the name of her most hated rival, "what?"

 

Kingo stepped closer causing Naora to retreat as Kagi and Midori stepped in between, blocking him from getting any closer, "How could you be alive? I saw you die!" He ran his trembling fingers through his hair as his voice started to crack, "How... how is this-?" Ikemoto, Kingo's right hand man and the same one who 'accidentally' knocked Toshi over the railing, stepped out of the gathering crowd. He came up behind Kingo to touch him gently on the back to get his attention, "Kingo? Buddy?" Kingo looked at Ikemoto, "Ike? What's going on? What's wrong with everyone?" He grabbed Ikemoto by the shoulders and shook him, "How is Naora ALIVE???"

 

Ikemoto spoke softly and gently pointed at Toshi, "Uh... he saved her life." Kingo snapped his head to lock on Toshi, "What?" Ikemoto put a hand on Kingo's arm and gently gave it a pat, "It was a few months ago, remember? There was a shooting? Toshi knocked Naora to the ground and took three bullets in the back." Toshi interrupted, "Two." He held up two fingers, "And they bounced off the laptop in my backpack." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, "Never actually entered my body."

 

Kingo's expression was a look of confusion that shifted to gratitude. He took two steps to close the gap and grabbed Toshi by both shoulders, "I have no idea what is going on, who you are, or how it happened but... Thank You." Toshi stared up at Kingo who was smiling and trying hard not to tear up. Toshi swallowed, ~I think I know what happened, but 'How the fuck do I get you alone to explain' is the real question.~

 

At that moment, Hinako managed to make her way through the crowd. Spotting Kingo holding her brother, she leaped in between both of them and shoved Kingo away, "Hands Off My Brother!" Kingo staggered back and looked at her, "Hinako? Hey! I'm-" He paused, looked at Toshi, then back at Hinako, "Wait. You have two brothers?" Hinako squinted, "Kingo, Are you on drugs? Are you high or something? I only have one brother." She spoke through gritted teeth, "I know you hate him but you need-" Kingo squinted as Hinako spoke, then abruptly clapped his hands together, "HOLD IT."

 

He looked from Toshi to Hinako, then back again, "Wait. He's-" That's when the teacher Okuda finally arrived. She walked into the middle of the group clapping her hands to get everyone's attention, "The bell went off five minutes ago! Everyone should be wherever they are supposed to be, unless you have a hall-." Abruptly she started sneezing rather violently, her whole body shaking all over and becoming the focus as everyone politely waited from her allergic reaction to abate. In that moment, Toshi used the distraction to step up to Kingo, grab him by the collar, and pull his head low so Toshi could whisper in his ear.

 

"Am I supposed to be dead?"

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