Kyousuke grew more and more ecstatic. Her cheeks looked luxuriantly soft.
“Okay! Once you’re ready, let’s go eat lunch! The cafeteria or the school store, which do you prefer, Maina? …Oh, excuse me. I called you by your first name! …Ah, but you can just call me Kyousuke, all right? By the way, I don’t have to tell you, but you’re really cute, Maina! How should I put it, this… Do you want me to protect you? It feels like you’ll never get out of here, right? If you’re on board, how about we be good frien—”
“Eeeeeeeeek?! K-kakaka…kami…
Kamiya Kyoushukey?!
Ee…ee?! Aiiiiiiiiiiii!!” Shrinking back quickly, Maina pointed a trembling finger at Kyousuke.
“What…?”
Her vision unclouded by tears, Maina had realized exactly with whom she was speaking. “Eeeeeeeeek?! D-d-don’t kill…don’t kill me, pleeeeeeeease! I’ll do whatever you say! Please! Pleeease! Just spare my life! My liiiiiife!!” She collapsed on the linoleum floor in a ball, sobbing and shaking in abject terror.
Rushing over, Kyousuke put on his softest voice. “Oh no, you’ve got it wrong. I wasn’t planning on killing you—I wasn’t planning anything really! So please calm down, okay? I thought I told you before, I’m at my wits’ end with all this, too, just like you. I’m stuck in here just the same, remember? You understand, right?”
“Um…yes,” Maina squeaked. “I und-d-derstand; you haven’t k-k-killed enough people to satisfy you yet, is that right?”
“Yeah, sure.” Kyousuke rolled his eyes. “I killed twelve people all in one go, but you know what I was thinking?” His tone was more acridthan he’d intended. “I was wondering if I could kill even more next time! Yep, that’s definitely it. But then I got arrested, what a pain! I’m just not satisfied at all… You’ve got it all wrooong!”
“Eeeeeek!! The mask came ooooooff!!”
“There’s no mask, it was a joke! And anyway, in the first place—”
Killing twelve people was a false charge.
A split second away from letting his secret slip, Kyousuke snapped his mouth shut. A number of other students, drawn by the commotion, had gathered in groups and were looking on discreetly. He couldn’t let them hear what he had to say; if Kyousuke wanted to explain things to Maina, they would have to find somewhere more private.
“Look, it’s complicated.” He extended a hand toward her trembling shoulder. “Why don’t we get out of here, eh? We kinda seem to have drawn a crowd…”
“What?! P-pwease don’t touch me! There’s no way I would go with you!
You’re a terrible criminal who killed twelve peeeeeeople!
Waaaaaaaaah!”
Maina turned and dashed away, tripping several times in the process, until still screaming, she disappeared around a corner. Her pink handkerchief, forgotten in the rush, fluttered to the ground as the sound of her frantic footsteps and crying voice faded with distance. The hallway sunk into a nervous silence, until…
“…Twelve people? He killed twelve people, that guy? …I-is this a joke?”
The hush broken, the corridor instantly filled with commotion as the other students chattered to one another in excitement.
“Twelve people?! Eh, is that… Really?! I thought he had a fiendish face, but…”
“He’s in Class A, that guy. Twelve people is really bad, right? I’m glad I’m in Class B…”
“That many…amazing! I think he killed my heart, too. Oohh!”
“Wha—?! Calm down! Calm down, my left arm! …Ah, I know. We’ll bury him. But it’s not time yet. Be brave, be brave, Azrael!”
The clamor continued on and on, and Kyousuke found himself at his wits’ end.
This is the worst…now everybody’s heard the story! Notwhat I wanted at all! On the other hand…they seem kinda scared…scared of me.
He snatched up the forgotten handkerchief and pressed a hand to his now-aching forehead. Maina’s misunderstanding had not been unreasonable, but it did make things more difficult for
“Okay! Once you’re ready, let’s go eat lunch! The cafeteria or the school store, which do you prefer, Maina? …Oh, excuse me. I called you by your first name! …Ah, but you can just call me Kyousuke, all right? By the way, I don’t have to tell you, but you’re really cute, Maina! How should I put it, this… Do you want me to protect you? It feels like you’ll never get out of here, right? If you’re on board, how about we be good frien—”
“Eeeeeeeeek?! K-kakaka…kami…
Kamiya Kyoushukey?!
Ee…ee?! Aiiiiiiiiiiii!!” Shrinking back quickly, Maina pointed a trembling finger at Kyousuke.
“What…?”
Her vision unclouded by tears, Maina had realized exactly with whom she was speaking. “Eeeeeeeeek?! D-d-don’t kill…don’t kill me, pleeeeeeeease! I’ll do whatever you say! Please! Pleeease! Just spare my life! My liiiiiife!!” She collapsed on the linoleum floor in a ball, sobbing and shaking in abject terror.
Rushing over, Kyousuke put on his softest voice. “Oh no, you’ve got it wrong. I wasn’t planning on killing you—I wasn’t planning anything really! So please calm down, okay? I thought I told you before, I’m at my wits’ end with all this, too, just like you. I’m stuck in here just the same, remember? You understand, right?”
“Um…yes,” Maina squeaked. “I und-d-derstand; you haven’t k-k-killed enough people to satisfy you yet, is that right?”
“Yeah, sure.” Kyousuke rolled his eyes. “I killed twelve people all in one go, but you know what I was thinking?” His tone was more acridthan he’d intended. “I was wondering if I could kill even more next time! Yep, that’s definitely it. But then I got arrested, what a pain! I’m just not satisfied at all… You’ve got it all wrooong!”
“Eeeeeek!! The mask came ooooooff!!”
“There’s no mask, it was a joke! And anyway, in the first place—”
Killing twelve people was a false charge.
A split second away from letting his secret slip, Kyousuke snapped his mouth shut. A number of other students, drawn by the commotion, had gathered in groups and were looking on discreetly. He couldn’t let them hear what he had to say; if Kyousuke wanted to explain things to Maina, they would have to find somewhere more private.
“Look, it’s complicated.” He extended a hand toward her trembling shoulder. “Why don’t we get out of here, eh? We kinda seem to have drawn a crowd…”
“What?! P-pwease don’t touch me! There’s no way I would go with you!
You’re a terrible criminal who killed twelve peeeeeeople!
Waaaaaaaaah!”
Maina turned and dashed away, tripping several times in the process, until still screaming, she disappeared around a corner. Her pink handkerchief, forgotten in the rush, fluttered to the ground as the sound of her frantic footsteps and crying voice faded with distance. The hallway sunk into a nervous silence, until…
“…Twelve people? He killed twelve people, that guy? …I-is this a joke?”
The hush broken, the corridor instantly filled with commotion as the other students chattered to one another in excitement.
“Twelve people?! Eh, is that… Really?! I thought he had a fiendish face, but…”
“He’s in Class A, that guy. Twelve people is really bad, right? I’m glad I’m in Class B…”
“That many…amazing! I think he killed my heart, too. Oohh!”
“Wha—?! Calm down! Calm down, my left arm! …Ah, I know. We’ll bury him. But it’s not time yet. Be brave, be brave, Azrael!”
The clamor continued on and on, and Kyousuke found himself at his wits’ end.
This is the worst…now everybody’s heard the story! Notwhat I wanted at all! On the other hand…they seem kinda scared…scared of me.
He snatched up the forgotten handkerchief and pressed a hand to his now-aching forehead. Maina’s misunderstanding had not been unreasonable, but it did make things more difficult for
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