Volume 2 - Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji-kun [DISCONTINUED] [READ THE REVISION]

Chapter 32 - A Grim Garden Garnished With Flowers

Day in and day out, the scarecrow would ward off any pests.

It did its very best for its creator who had blown life into its soulless body.

Not once did the scarecrow stop to think that there maybe was another duty to be fulfilled.

It knew what it was doing, it knew what it had to do, and it did it with joy.

One day, there was an especially large flock of crows. They were aiming to take revenge on the scarecrow.

They pecked on him relentlessly, not stopping until the scarecrow had become unrecognizable from its original form.

But it wasn't scared.

After all, the farmer would patch the scarecrow up again with the materials left.

But the farmer never came.

---

The rain was pouring down heavily, drenching the streets and making the pavement slick underfoot. Konno Erika huddled under the eaves of a building, trying to stay dry, but still shivering in her coat. She had wrapped her arms around her chest in a futile attempt to ward off the chill that seemed to seep into her very bones. She could feel the raindrops plopping down on the roof above her and rolling off its edge. The rain was relentless, battering down on the city, creating a symphony of sound that echoed throughout the alley. 

Just earlier, she'd received a message from Shimano to meet her in this cold alley late at night. As she waited, she felt her fingers going numb and the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

At first, she had been hesitant to come. She tried to dismiss it by telling her to meet up later, but Shimano was being weirdly insistent, accumulating worries in Konno's head.

This could be something serious, she thought. And so, she took action. She'd been facing various unusual encounters these past few days anyway. At times, she almost thought it was fate with how convenient the people she met were. Like someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes and laying it all bare before her.

But someone like that doesn't exist, she murmured to herself in this downpour.

She had always thought of herself as fearless, but as she stood in the darkness, she realized that she was far from it. The shadows seemed to be closing in on her, and she couldn't shake the feeling that someone, or something, was watching her.

The face of an indescribable existence popped up in her mind.

It was Ayanokōji Kiyotaka.

He was someone who had been a mystery to Konno. On the surface, he seemed like any other average student in their class—maybe even more "average than the average," but there was something off about him. He was always so reserved and emotionless, with a blank expression that never seemed to change no matter what was happening around him. And yet, despite this, he was one of the few people who had never cowered before her, who had never backed down when she had tried to bully him. She did her best to bully him into submission, but he didn't seem to be affected by her threats and taunts. It was as if he was immune to her insults, and she couldn't help but feel frustrated. His lack of emotion was too unusual.

Kiyotaka's behavior was even more strange when it came to his interactions with her. He seemed to enjoy needling her, taunting her, and making her angry. He would say things that were deliberately meant to irritate her, and yet, he never seemed to show any sign of actually enjoying himself. His face remained as expressionless as ever, his eyes as cold and unfeeling as if they were made of stone. She had never encountered someone like him before. He was a mystery to her, and she felt a sense of wonder, seeing someone so unlike the masses. Of course, that feeling was far removed from something like "respect" or "admiration."