Pain {Kakegurui FanFic}

10.

Warning, this chapter contains some use of offensive language, mild depressive thoughts and scenes of bullying. I try to be very cautious about what I write and I would never want to intentionally trigger someone If you feel uncomfortable with any of these things, please proceed with caution or skip this chapter as the next one will have a short summary of this chapter. Remember to always take care of your mental health as it should always come first. This whole chapter is a flashback into Aikos first year at the academy just in case any of you just confused whilst reading this. Sorry that the chapter took so long but I hope that you enjoy looking into Aiko's past despite how twisted it is. I will try my hardest to push out more chapters at a much faster rate because I feel bad for making you guys wait. Thank you for sticking with me during this time.

I strutted through halls of the academy, smiling and responding to some of the compliments being thrown my way. I had joined the academy about four weeks after the school year officially started but somehow I had already climbed up the popularity ladder in the academy and people had taken a great interest in me. It was almost as if I was like royalty. Running a hand through my long platinum blonde hair that grazed my lower back I paused, placing the other hand on my hip as I defiantly stared at the people in front of me. Mary, my new found friend and partner in crime was holding a rather irritated looking Sora by his tie, pulling him down to her level. I smirked as Mary gave him her signature devilish smile and decided to intervene due to simple curiosity.

"Mary please, lay off the poor boy!" I teasingly exclaimed and Mary gasped in mock horror before letting Sora go, smoothing out his tie with a smile on her face. He tutted his teeth then looked over at me, a cool smirk on his face.

"Thanks Aiko, your friend really doesn't know when to quit," he said before smirking even more and crossing his arms. "So, about that movie I wanted to see, you still up for us to watch it next week Friday?" He smoothly asked and I giggled, grabbing Mary and giving Sora a thumbs up before walking away. Mary burst into laughter at the apparent blush on my cheeks and I rolled my eyes as I pulled her into the nearest bathroom in a bid to escape the prying eyes that seemed to follow me everywhere.

"Aw, look at you going on dates and being all cute!" Mary teased and I snorted, ruffling my hair a bit. My hair reached to my lower back and caused me a lot of attention due to the unnatural colour that it was. It fell losely around my shoulders and I smiled, swipping my lipgloss across my lips once more before pocketing it. I stared at Mary quickly in the mirror to see her in deep thought, a frown on her face. She glanced up at me, hesitating slightly before opening her mouth.

"Aiko, you've gotta gamble sooner or later you know that right?" Mary said and I frowned, staring down at the marble counter. Despite attending a school that was mostly about gambling, I was actually quite bad at it. I had tried to learn everything I could before I attended the school but I surely wasn't good enough to compete with the other kids here. Plus, I had only attended the school due to the fact that most wealthy children with influential and highly regarded parents attended here and my father had wanted me to come here to spread and honour our family name. Still, I knew that I would have to gamble eventually, it had already been over a month since I first arrived and I'd been asked to participate in gambles numerous times. I had to do it.

"I know, I know," I sighed whilst anxiously playing with my hair, "but this new HousePets rule and stuff just makes me a bit nervous, that's all." I said and Mary slapped me on my back whilst smiling more broadly than usual. Despite her smiles, I couldn't help but feel afraid. The new HousePets system was a new concept introduced by the new school president. Students who couldn't pay their debts would be treated like dirt, removed from the society of the school by wearing tags to set them apart from the rest of us and make their horrific fate known to the rest of us. You would think that people here would treat their former classmates turned HousePets with respect but the small amount of people who were HousePets were subjected to being beaten and treated disgustingly every single day. It was expected though; the school was full of sadists alike.