Episode (5): Nanase Aoi (1)
SOVEREIGN OF DEATH~(5)
[Aoi, can I borrow your notebook?]
Afternoon.
It was currently lunch and the classroom was bustling with activity after class.
Aoi, the girl mentioned was a beautiful girl with lush black hair reaching below her shoulders and a cute atmosphere.
She glanced at the owner of the voice, her best friend Sasaki Akane.
With brown hair barely reaching her shoulders, emerald green eyes and wild but cute features she looked every bit the type to do whatever she wanted.
[You want to borrow my work again?]
Why doesn't she just do it at home like everybody else?
But, thinking about this friend of hers and her carefree personality she really didn't know what to say.
At this rate, she would never make it to second year.
No, with her grades it might be possible to go through even while missing a few assignments but the question was if she would even do one properly by herself.
Sigh*
[Just do your assignment properly next time, I won't baby you again!]
In any case, lunch was almost over and she couldn't wait to see what excuse she would give the teacher today for her half finished work.
She couldn't wait to watch the show.
And even if she didn't fully complete the assignment at least she could get some of it done.
But I don't like that frivolous expression, let me fix it!
Grabbing her cheeks, Aoi pulled and stretched ignoring the cries of agony. They sounded like music to her ears.
Satisfied seeing Akane pout and caress her bright red cheeks, Akane ignored her.
What was there to even worry about?
Although she said she worried about Akane making it to second year, it wasn't like Akane got low enough to worry about the next year.
This class was one of the brightest for a reason. Even slackers made it to the next year with a grade average of 70 and above.
Akane was in the mid-tier of the class and therefore, even if she only did half the assignments allocated to us she would still go through to the next year.
Scrolling away on her phone, ten minutes flashed by in an instant.
[All done!]
Working was tiring and so was copying someone else's work. Not only did you need to write a bunch of words, you would also need to decipher it in your own terms or it would be obvious you cheated.
But, finished Akane stretched with a sense of release.
[That was some difficult work]
Aoi was stunned.
No, this didn't make sense. What she had was nearly six whole pages worth of writing and drawings of tables and graphs.
No way it was done so quickly right?
But looking at Akane's book she saw that not only had she finished converting everything into her own words, but the drawings were done.
They were crude and done like a five year olds first art project, but it was done.
Akane saw Aoi's expression and grinned smugly.
Too arrogant, watch how you suffer next time.
She planned to make her assignment into an essay with several pages, let's see how you copy then!
This was only a small interlude in their lives.
[So Aoi, did you see the new Café that just opened?]
Café?
Aoi tried to place it but couldn't.
[Which one, a bunch of them started popping up all over the place?]
Recently it was as if café owners unlocked some hidden truth of the world and cafés were jumping out of the woodwork left and right.
[Hmm, can't recall the name…it's a really popular place and it sells tasty snacks and cake]
Tasty, if it was that a vivid memory came to mind.
The other day she had bumped into a child and her crepe fell making Aoi have to compensate and buy her another one.
When she entered the shop, she saw the other customer's reaction and decided to try one herself. It was pretty nice.
[I think I know the place. The food there is good]
Had it not been for the fact that she had to watch the calories she might go there every day.
[Right? I'm thinking about threatening my big bro to go splurge this weekend]
Entertaining this deviant of a sister, it must be hard.
Fight on big bro!
[You're still using that trick?]
Akane, the young middle schooler who had just understood the ways of a man and a woman found her big brothers porn stash and used it to threaten him to this day.
[Hehehe, a man considers his p*rn stash to be the most sacred thing, they'll carry it to their graves]
One could only say her brother had bad luck being caught by this wicked demon.
Aoi felt even more pity, that guy would probably live under his sister's shoe until his was old and on his last breath.
Sigh*
[Instead of doing that, wouldn't it be much better studying some college math?]
Ugh! What did she just hear?
[Blegh]
College what? In her first year of high school already worried about college subjects?
[Let's worry about college when we get there. For now, it's more fun watching my brother squirm under my power! AHAHAHAHAAH!]
Wow! Trash!
[Ha....if you say so]
Aoi gave up. This woman was too far gone in her tyranny to convince her otherwise.
Brother, my condolences. I couldn't change her.
[Anyway, Aoi. Are you free for this evening?]
Suspicious, why was she asking about this evening all of a sudden?
It was odd, but Aoi answered truthfully.
[No, not really. Why?]
She did, have club but she only needed to attend once a week and had gone yesterday and was free for the rest of the time.
[Aki invited us to karaoke. I'm bored so I wanted to go at first but recalling last time I wanted to ask you first before…]
Last time, the words brought memories back to mind.
Right, last time was trauma inducing.
Akane and Aoi had gone just to hang out with friends, they didn't even know other guys were attending.
And worse, those guys kept hitting on them both no matter how they were rejected as if cotton was stuck in their ears.
She wanted to refuse. Aki was a good person but her friends were definitely less than human lower species.
Before she could however-
[Let's not go, I heard that bastard Renji is gonna go and I really can't stand him!]
[I'll go!!]
????
Akane froze. Miss, you looked so conflicted just now so what was with the change of heart?
Please explain?
[Don't tell me it's because of that bastard]
Unlike the other girls that were always head over heels for him, Akane knew his true nature and knew him for what he was. Trash!
But, how dare Akane speak of her dream guy that way?
[Don't call him bastard! He's a great guy if you just get to know him]
Renji Aikawa.
The handsome prince and male lead of the school. Literally, this was what he was called by girls.
Guys hated him but girls loved him.
That handsome appearance, his wealth and he was so always in the top ten whether it be in academics or sports.
He was perfect!
[You've never even held a conversation lasting longer than ten seconds with the guy, what would you know?]
If that was all it took to know a person, Akane would be popular all over japan by now.
Hmph!
[That's....not the point! He's my hero]
When those guys tried to kidnap her, Renji was the one who saved her from those thugs.
She was barely conscious so she couldn't see properly, but when she woke up he was the one by her side so who else could it be?
[Aren't you sure he didn't make a mistake]
Akane had seen Renji that day and the timing from when she saw him leave school to when Aoi was saved from thugs didn't match up.
It could have just been Renji heard she was injured and was nearby and went to check up on her.
[Hmph! I can tell through the power of love!]
Renji said it was him and the guy she liked would never lie to her!
[The power of love, is it? Look, I'll support you as a best friend but I really can't accept that guy]
Ah, she's done for.
Akane had no drive to even bother convincing this friend that she was being played. Unless he could teleport then it didn't make sense!
But, it was her precious best friend, so-
[I don't like it but whatever-]
[Akane! Thank you!! That's why you're my best friend!]
[Sure sure, just try not to get hurt]
Acting cute won't make me accept him you know? But she smiled seeing her friend happy.
It was then-
A blinding light swallowed everything in sight.
Yelling and shouting echoed, but the light prevented them from even seeing their surroundings.