Sukeban (Discontinued)

Chapter 2: Confronting the Boss

“Nicely done, Ogawa,” Rina said between her laughs, the familiar shine coming back to her face. Tomomi was beginning to learn that Rina was a good actor. She hid her real emotions. That’s what that was about back there. Rina extended a hand to her classmate, helping her off the ground before handing her bag to her.

“So this is it?” Tomomi asked, looking up at the grey building they stood beside. Rina nodded, before turning around and walking around the side of the building. Tomomi followed, finding Rina pushing open a door in the back of the building. As the duo walked in, Tomomi took note of the scenery of the building. There were only a few people in the dimly lit room. On the left side of the building, leaned against a wall sat a girl with blonde and teal hair. She growled softly at the small DS she held in her hands. Directly across from her, two other girls sat at a table, talking about whatever it was they were talking about. The room was pretty barren except for a few chairs and tables that laid around the room.

“Senpai!” Rina called, running into the room and drawing the attention of all three girls. Tomomi drew in a shaky breath, following Rina into the room. She instantly noticed the three sets of eyes that now watched her every movement like a hawk. “I brought her!” Rina’s voice was filled with a unique happiness that Tomomi had never heard from her before. It was somehow different than her usual brand of happiness. Tomomi stood behind Rina as she looked straight ahead, noticing a figure on the bench in front of them. The figure pushed itself up, stretching and giving a small yawn before they pushed themselves into a sitting position.

Haruna.

Tomomi drew in a sharp breath as she gazed at the gang’s leader. This was it. There wasn’t any going back for her now; she had to face the leader. Haruna looked directly at the girl, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes narrowed into a glare.

“What is she doing here?” Haruna spit out, continuing to glare menacingly at Tomomi. She knew who this girl was and she knew that she didn’t belong here. Tomomi was the smartest girl in school and everyone knew her parents. She had her entire life going for her. She would never belong here. Besides, she was a goody two shoes and a snitch above all else. She didn’t know what Rina had been thinking when she had led her here.

“Well… She asked me during school to take her to come see you. I thought you might want to meet her. Even if she’s not material, what’s the harm in bringing her just to see?” Rina asked, her voice softening by the end of the sentence.

“She’s a snitch! She could rat us out! Did you stop to think about that?” Haruna boomed, pushing herself into a standing position now. Rina let out a small whimper, cowering away from Haruna who could only sigh in return. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. Tomomi, get over here.” Tomomi was a bit taken aback by the use of her first name; she hadn’t expected Haruna to address her so casually.

“Go on,” Rina whispered, noticing Tomomi’s hesitant behavior. Rina gave her classmate a little nudge, encouraging her to move forward. With a small gulp, Tomomi walked closer to Haruna, stopping just in front of her.

“What do you want with us?” Haruna crossed her arms over her chest once again, the menacingly glare coming back.

“I-I want to join your gang,” Tomomi stuttered out, inwardly cursing herself for stuttering in front of Haruna. That wasn’t going to make a good impression on the boss. Haruna laughed softly, shaking her head in response to Tomomi’s statement. She wanted to join? What a joke.

“You want to join us? Why? Who put you up to this?” The questions came one after the other, bombarding Tomomi before she had time to answer any of them. “We know you don’t belong here. You know you don’t belong here. So who put you up to this? This couldn’t have been your idea.”