Canvas (Soukoku Highschool)

2

After so much effort of modelling and posing for the great Dazai Osamu for around 2 and a half weeks, the painting was almost complete. Everything was coming into shape, Dazai looked like Dazai, and Chuuya looked good enough to not be like a dying pig.

All was well. Dazai wanted to win this contest, and Chuuya too was confident in his friend that he could win the first place.

All was well.

"Which of you scumbags did it?"

Chuuya was this close to snapping. At that moment, jail charges, even death penalties didn't matter to him. He wanted to strangle someone, snap their neck and torture someone so bad they suffer from trauma till the end of their life.

They left for lunch. It was just a few hours, and they come back to a dab of mixed up paint on Dazai's painting. Very specifically targeted at Dazai's face in the painting.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Chuuya slammed his fist onto the table of the girl who spilled water on Dazai's lap some time back. Flinching at the ginger's enraged face, a few tears escaped her eyes.

"I-It wasn't me....! I swear.... I wouldn't dare to! I would never resort to a method like this just to win some art contest... Besides, if I were to ruin someone's artwork, it would of course be the one with the highest probability of winning..."

"You have the nerve to say that knowing what place you're in right now?" Chuuya seethed. "By the time I'm done with you, even the dogs at your house will bite the shit out of you from how much of a pig you look like. Your parents can cry about their beloved daughter getting a nice fixing for her face all they want-"

"Nakahara, that's enough."

The door slammed close as the teacher walked into the classroom. Chuuya stood away from the girl with an eyeroll, approaching Dazai who only stood in the corner of the classroom all that time.

"Dazai, say something. She's probably the only one who'd do that shit to you," Chuuya shook the brunette's shoulders. "Come on, anything. It's a painting you worked your ass off for, aren't you mad in the slightest!?"

"I've heard what happened and I must say it's your fault for not looking after your work properly, Osamu. Now please return to your seat, class is about to start."

"But, sensei-"

"Listen to the teacher, Chuuya," Dazai pushed the ginger aside, walking back towards his seat. "I'll get expelled if this goes on. All I'll do is just quit the art contest, I guess... Two weeks is just a small part of a whole lifetime, after all."

"Dazai.." Chuuya frowned, clenching his fists.

"Nakahara, you heard him. Sit back down."

As much as he wanted to fight back, what Dazai said was true. If this fight actually starts and the girl gets beaten up again, Dazai will actually get expelled from the school this time round, and he can't have that happening anytime soon.

"...Fine.."

The two of them sat on the plain grass field, staring at the clouds in silence. The ruined painting on the canvas was set down nearby, along with some acrylic paint tubes and paint brushes by the side.

"Are you really going to quit the art contest?"

Chuuya turned towards the brunette who only looked back down at his own feet. Even after venting out all his anger at the girl who hasn't even been confirmed to be the one behind the incident yet, Chuuya had yet to ask Dazai about his feelings.

"Yeah, there's no way I can redraw it and submit it in time," Dazai answered with a small sigh. "It's fine. It's just an art contest."

"Doesn't sound very fine to me," Chuuya insisted. "Are you really sure you're not even upset in the slightest? Angry? Mad?"