Aki Kitsune (12/?), original fiction
On with the chapter!
Title: Aki Kitsune (Autumn Fox)
Setting: Present Japan
Type: Multi-chapter
Words: ~1900
Beta: Phoenix
Summary: Of an anti-social girl, with secrets half of which she has not yet uncovered, and a boy who wants to learn everything about her. What is behind the thick cold walls that she has built around herself?
Chapter Twelve
A Different Perception
Torikawa Sekai
The new girl, Nakamine Erika, reminded me somewhat of the first day that Kuromura came to my class.
Although Erika was definitely much livelier than Kuromura, who was only capable of throwing daggers at me through her eyes and making threats about my physical health everyday.
"Why are you staring ahead as if someone had just knocked your brain out?" Kuromura's voice distracted me from my memories. "Nevermind, I don't think there's much to fall out from your head anyways."
"You're mean, you know that? Girls shouldn't need to be so bitter."
"Whatever, not that I give a damn about that. Come on, get up. Next period's bell's about to ring and I refuse to be late for class with you."
I pouted as I patted my pants to get rid of dirt that clung on from the floor. "You know, when you're in a relationship, you shouldn't care about rumours."
She made a gagging sound at my joke before walking down the stairs back into the building.
I had suggested during class that maybe Erika could join us during lunch period at the landing at the roof of the classroom building but Kuromura refuted it right away, saying that she did not like eating alone with someone she had only spoken to for less than five minutes.
She then pfft-ed at me and rolled her eyes when I told her that she was not really alone since I would be there too.
Erika replied, as if she had not heard Kuromura's previous comment, that she wanted to stay in class and "interact with everyone".
Ever since we had come back from Kyoto, Kuromura had more or less given in to me following her to the open space on the roof, her "favourite spot", for lunch period. Although it did take much pleading, countless pouts and my full ignorance of her death threats before she relented.
It was not as if we talked a lot, even after those months together, which was expected of her anyway. Most of our conversations were contributed by me while Kuromura sketched absentmindedly at half an arm's length away, tuning me out. But from what I had observed since the unnoticed development of our lunch period companionship, she tended to stare out at the school grounds below as she sat on the floor and leaned her body sideways on the railings.
At times like those, I kept quiet and watched her sink into her thoughts, trying to guess whatever they could be.
As obtuse as I can be with questioning, I knew that Kuromura would never tell me what was going through her mind then, no matter how much I asked.
So I looked on, while something impossibly akin to resignation flashed across her darkened icy eyes each time she spaced out, as if contemplating about the end of the world.
Still, I continued watching her, feeling utterly helpless with the lack of any helpful knowledge I could use to at least lighten the elegantly furrowed eyebrows on her cleverly hidden tensed expression. The only thing I was capable of- at the present point of our strange friendship- was to guard over the small and heavy world the redhead had created around herself, all the while keeping myself within reach, in case she decided to finally let someone help with the weight.
"We're back!" I announced at the moment we stepped in the classroom from the second door. The rest of the students who were already in class ignored me while Kuromura outwardly showed her annoyance with a roll of her eyes. Erika skipped up to me.
"I was wondering when you two will get back! Or maybe you guys were too busy snogging to notice that you were going to be late."
"Snogging?" I sputtered. Where did she get that idea?
"As much as his clinging onto me seemed to suggest, I'd sooner join a circus as a perpetual smiling clown than to allow myself any sort of contact between my mouth and any piece of Torikawa's skin," Kuromura stated calmly as she made her way back to her seat.
"Whatever makes you happy," Erika shrugged. "By the way, I found this when I came back from the restroom a few moments ago. I don't really understand it."
I took the piece of paper that she drew out from underneath her pencil case. A brief glance at the words told me everything I needed to know.
"Kuromura, someone's trying to take over Takagi-sempai's previous role," I said, putting the note on her desk. She eyed it before raising an eyebrow at me, a mute "So what?"
"Why did you speak as if you have no idea what you've received?" She turned to ask the new girl.
"Um, because I really don't know what that note is?" Erika frowned. "Was I supposed to?"
Kuromura sighed, "I don't know whether to be glad that you've never seen this in your previous school or to be flabbergasted that you know nothing of it."
Erika cocked her head, clearly confused.
"Tell us everything that you did today, excluding events in this classroom," I leaned forward from my seat, vaguely aware that the teacher for next period had just come in. Kuromura rolled her eyes at my use of words to include her in the plan now forming in my mind.
* * * * *
"Wow! Aki-sempai, you are just too cool!"
In a nutshell, Kuromura had just taken out the bully who had wrote Nakamine the note she found on her desk.
Apparently the guy, who was currently cursing with colourful language at the undignified manner with which he was being dragged down the stairs and along the corridor towards the staff room, had a friend who tried to ask Erika out earlier this morning but was refused. The bully must have heard about the rejection and decided to stick up for his friend.
"This is nothing. Ever since I dealt with the first two bullies on my first day of school last year and after the discipline mistress "converted" them, the wannabe bullies that popped up after their graduation are nothing but pathetic," Kuromura explain as she waved Erika's exclamation off with a free hand.
"I've never seen anything like that before! That move with the fake kick, and-and that weird maneuver... Oh! Plus the..."
"She's turning into a fanatic, Kuromura," I said with a brief glance at Erika, who was still going on about how Kuromura had sidestepped the guy so fast he had no idea what happened until she was holding him at the neck from behind, with his left arm held off at spraining point.
"Thanks to your knack for butting into people's business," she paused to unceremoniously dump the now fuming and very much bruised bully on the floor of the staff room. "If you hadn't insisted on knowing what was going on and started begging nonstop right into my ear about 'protecting the innocent of the school', I would have been off to my art lessons by now."
"Ah, but at the price of your few minutes, you have just rescued one distraught newcomer," I pointed at sideways at Erika, not quite done with gushing on excitedly about her dear Aki-sempai, "from the evil clutches of school violence!"
We had rounded the corner and were standing just outside the art studio. With one hand on the door, Kuromura turned to face me, a dry laughter escaping from her lips.
"I doubt that Nakamine was even remotely distraught. You are positively deaf to not hear her cheering me on, sans cheerleading pom-poms, shouting 'The head! Give him a kick! Oh, that's gonna hurt!' and clearly not bearing any signs of emotional trauma now."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "That was a good imitation of her, by the way."
Kuromura threw her hands up in frustration, just as the door slid open violently behind her.
"Aki-chan!"
Kuromura and I swerved around at that familiar booming tone. Erika looked on curiously.
"No wonder I thought I heard those voices before. It sounded so much like you and Sekai-kun bantering and when I opened the door- there you are!" Takagi-sempai exclaimed as he drew us into a bone-crunching hug.
"Too tight!" I gasped breathlessly while Kuromura's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden movement. Takagi-sempai let us go with a sheepish grin.
"Tackled another bully, Aki-chan?" He asked, leaning against the wall beside the art studio door.
"Long story," Kuromura huffed irritably and walked in the studio for her elective class.
Takagi-sempai glanced at Erika and did a quick once-over. "Who's this?"
"Our class' second transfer student, after Kuromura. This is Nakamine Erika," I held her shoulders so that she stood in front of me. "Erika, this is Takagi-sempai."
The girl smiled brightly, "Hi! Nice to meet you, please give me your guidance. Torikawa-sempai, is this the Takagi-sempai you and Aki-sempai mentioned earlier in class?"
"Yup, and as scary as he looked with piercing and all, it's like having the eldest brother watching your back once you know him. Oh, and I have to tell you what happened between him and Kuromura when she first transferred here."
"Really, Sekai-kun, must you?"
"If you let me, I'll tell you about Kuromura's latest bully-conquest."
Takagi-sempai relented; curiosity about the development of the school's new and barely-qualified bullies seemed to outweigh his embarrassing moment when he and Kentaro-sempai had their own "showdown" with Kuromura.
The three of us continued chatting on, catching up on the lost time after the previous batch of third year students graduated; Erika observing us, eyes wide with interest. None of us noticed the time until Kuromura came out of the studio two hours later when her class ended.
"Much to chat about?" Kuromura undid the band from her ponytail as she looked at our impromptu gathering. "Sensei's asking for you, Takagi. You'd better head in before she complains about you slacking off."
"Oops! I forgot all about work. Bye, guys, Aki-chan!" Takagi-sempai ruffled Kuromura's hair before heading in the studio, successfully escaping her curses.
"Takagi-sempai's back to help out as part of his curricular at the art school he's attending now," I told Kuromura while we were walking back to our dormitories.
She gave me a sidelong glance. "I know. My art teacher told us."
"And Kentaro-sempai is working at his family's furniture store."
"He already emailed me about that a few days ago."
"Is there anything that you don't already know?" Bringing up new information about people did not seem to work well with Kuromura. Kind of frustrating, actually, what with her poker face and singular tone.
"Let me think..." she tapped her forefinger against her jaw, as if seriously thinking about my question. "Not that I really care, no."
"You know, I think you guys are really cool. Female bully-slayer, reformed bully, you guys are really interesting!" Erika cut in while I fumed about Kuromura's lack of both liveliness and natural curiosity.
"Why didn't I get a title, Erika?"
"I don't know. Can't seem to think of a good one that doesn't mention any kind of overactive three-year-old child, no offence," Nakamine replied apologetically.
That seemed to get a reaction out of Kuromura, who had given a sharp laughter.
"You know, maybe Nakamine isn't as much of a turn-off as you are, Torikawa," she continued to guffaw at the younger girl's previous comment.
"Whatever," I sulked.
... To be continued
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