The arcade was loud, full of noises and joyful screams as people wandered around the many games in the establishment. Hajime stood in front of a large screen, holding up a fake gun hooked up to the machine, and was rapidly tearing down the enemies that appeared on screen. The hit count at the corner hiked up into three digit numbers within ten minutes of playing the game, a mechanical voice monotonously congratulating him for his achievements. The plastic stick of a caramel flavored lollipop poked out from his lips as he frowned at the screen, 'GAME OVER!' flashing at him in bright lights. He held up the gun, index finger hooked on the trigger.
"Already?" He murmured in disappointment. Mahogany colored eyes stared at the newest high score presented on the scoreboard, his name taking up the top four spots. While the brown haired male was observing his new highest score, an arm looped around his shoulder as silver hair was pushed into his line of sight. Atsushi leaned forward to peer at the scoreboard and whistled in amazement.
"Highest score again, Hajime-kun?" Atsushi asked teasingly, "You might want to switch games some time. Leave some for the rest of the kids." The silver haired male gestured behind him with his thumb, making Hajime peer over his shoulder. A group of younger kids on the cusp of puberty stared in awe at the brown haired male, stars in their eyes as they looked from the scoreboard to the teenager holding the gun. Atsushi grinned and pulled his friend away from the shooting game, maneuvering through the crowd to the claw machines lined against the wall where a petite black haired female was pressed against the glass box.
Atsushi waved his hand over his head. "Hifumi-chan~ I found him!!" The blacked haired female looked away from the stuffed plushies, half-lidded teal colored eyes blinking up at the two males. Ibaragi Hifumi gave a quiet giggle as she saw her two companions.
Hajime was pulled near the claw machine as Atsushi stepped up to the controller, grabbing the tokens the black haired female presented to him. He inserted the tokens into the machine and stared intensely at the plushies ready to be taken. The brown haired male leaned against the glass of the claw machine, on the other side of the silver haired male, and sighed. The trio of students were dressed in their school uniforms, standing out starkly in their dull gray clothing amongst the flashing neon lights and bright colors. Atsushi and Hifumi had ambushed him at the main gate and coerced him into going to the arcade like they had been planning. It was still supposed to be in the planning stage, but they were all conveniently free that Friday afternoon.
Hifumi called out to Hajime, who was standing on the other side of the silver haired male hunched between them. "How has Class E been, Hajime-kun?" She questioned as Atsushi dropped a kumamon plushie and pursed his lips, making her rub his back consolingly while handing the male more tokens.
"It's alright," Hajime commented around the sweet in his mouth, leaning his head against the glass and watching Atsushi squint at the fallen Kumamon plushie. "A little chaotic, but the classes are easier and more relaxed. I'm enjoying it." The claw gripped tightly around the black bear and raised upward. It wobbled, and the three students watched with a baited breath as the claw moved towards the depositing area. It successfully dropped the Kumamon, making Atsushi jump up with a cry of joy.
The silver haired male wrapped his arms around the two student's shoulders, bringing them into his arms as he grinned widely. "Aha! Did you see that?! I did it!" Hifumi giggled in his hold while Hajime had an exasperated smile tugging on his lips at his friend's excitement. Atsushi released his friends to crouch down and grab the black bear plushie, staring at it in awe as he held the plushie with two hands. The male then stood and held the Kumamon out toward their female companion.
"For you, Hifumi-chan!" Atsushi announced with a grin.
Hajime rolled his eyes behind his childhood friend and pushed Atsushi to the side, ignoring the duo as he rolled up the sleeves of his sweater. Hifumi had accepted the plushie presented and the two had a hushed conversation that Hajime pretended he couldn't hear as he eyed the plushies available. There were a couple more Kumamon plushies and some fruit and vegetable shaped plushies. He smirked, moving the lollipop around in his mouth.
Sometime later, Hajime was sipping on a soft drink while holding a fat banana plushie under one arm. Atsushi had a matching Kumamon plushie with Hifumi, courtesy of Hajime, and the trio of students were walking to the train station to head home. It was late afternoon, the skies a beautiful mixture of purple, orange, and dark blue. Hifumi was walking between the two male students, looking content at her black bear when a question came to mind. She side-glanced the brown haired male and pursed her lips,
"Ne, Hajime-kun," The aforementioned male hummed non-committedly. "No one is. . . bothering you at school, right?"
He raised an eyebrow at the odd question. "I doubt anyone would dare to try. What brought this on?"
Atsushi and Hifumi shared a look, before Atsushi sighed when the black haired female gestured for him to take over. "Some of your. . . victims from the lower sections have been talking lately. It's the same stuff as always, but the reactions have been different since you've been transferred. Apparently, it's different now that you're an End Class student." The silver haired male shrugged, "Not many care though since you were Class A when it all happened, but some might feel outwardly vindictive now that you're apparently 'lower than them'." Atsushi made quotation marks with his fingers on the words. Hifumi had a concerned furrow between her eyebrows as she listened to the explanation.
The brown haired male pondered over the words. He had expected it to happen sometime soon. It would explain the letter from a while ago, too. His reputation was being reconstructed ever since his suspension. Hajime waved around his beverage, "I doubt they'll do anything to me directly. Just because I was unexpectedly put in the End Class doesn't mean my leverage on them disappears. Besides," He gave the duo a closed-eye smile, "They were asking for it. I don't regret what I did. At least not enough to feel bad about myself."
Hifumi pouted, like she expected that answer from him. "Just be careful, alright?! Mou, you're not even in Class A anymore and you're still causing me stress!" She reached out and punched him on the shoulder. The male grabbed the spot she hit and feigned a wince, then laughed.
"Gomen, Hifumi-chan! I haven't picked on anyone since I transferred, so that's progress, right?!"
Hifumi hugged her plushie then huffed. "Whatever."
Atsushi, who had remained silent in thought while the two bantered, snapped his fingers as he recalled something. The remaining duo looked over at the silver haired male. "I just remembered, Hajime-kun, the monthly assembly is on Monday and Asano-kun told me he wanted to see you for something."
Hifumi reached out and pushed her index finger into the plump of his cheek. "That's something you should have told him before we left school, Atsushi-kun!" Atsushi cried out and grabbed her hand in an attempt to push it away, but ended up just holding it in his grasp. The two played push-and-pull while Hajime blinked in contemplation.
"It's fine, Hifumi-chan. I can just tell Asano-san I'll go visit him at school tomorrow." The brown haired male nodded at his decision, "It's probably just some student council stuff."
The next morning, Hajime entered the main campus dressed in civilian clothing. He had an oversized white t-shirt tucked into black trousers and wore his cherry red high top converses that had seen better days. The brown haired male had done as said and messaged the student council president the night prior. There were hardly any students on site considering it was the weekend, so Hajime was free to stroll down the halls without lingering eyes on him. It had been a while since he entered the main building and the brown haired male was taking his time to enjoy his surroundings. He approached the student council room and slid the door open, stepping through with a smile on his face.
The room looked the same since the last time he was there. Seated at the head of the rectangular table, Asano Gakushuu was looking over documents. The brown haired male stopped and stared at the overwhelming resemblance the strawberry blonde male had with his father. He shook off the image, then tipped his head down in greeting when they met eyes. "It's nice to see you again, Asano-san."
Asano stared for a moment, dragging his eyes over the male's attire, before nodding in return. "Good morning, Takano-san."
Hajime sauntered toward the table and pulled out a chair on Asano's right side, sliding into the seat with a relieved sigh. The seat was familiar, and Hajime reminisced all the times he sat on that particular seat during student council meetings and presentations. Long, delicate fingers rapped on the table as he glanced around the room. The bookshelves were filled with school records, organization and club funds, then other monitoring sheets. His eyes returned back to the student council president. Asano was writing something down on a document, a comfortable silence enveloping the room.
"Here," Asano suddenly said, pushing a different pile of papers in his direction. "These are the upcoming agenda the student council has planned to present for the assembly. You made the draft for these in advance last year, so please look them over again." The brown haired male took the papers without a word, skimming over the contents he had written down and humming in thought. Not much needed to be changed, but there were red pen scribbled remarks written all over his document. It offered suggestions that weren't terrible, per say, but unnecessary.
Hajime reached over and snatched an extra pen that Asano had placed on the table, striking out the suggestions and writing down his own thoughts on why it was a bad idea. Whoever wrote down these comments on his project had no reason to be offering so many inefficient plans without foundation, Hajime pursed his lips. The president and vice president worked in an amicable silence.
Asano rested his pen down and glanced at his companion. "I heard about the photographs."
"Chairman Asano told you?" Hajime mused without looking up, striking out a comment about increasing Class A's funds. What nonsense and bias, the brown haired male frowned. As if Class A wasn't already the most funded classroom in the entire school. They deserved some benefits for being the star section, but excessive treatment led to the students becoming conceited and taking what they have for granted.
The president shook his head, "I asked father about you and he told me about them."
That caused the brown haired male to pause. Being told and fishing for information were two different things. "That's. . ." Hajime contemplated on a response, staring at the documents in his grasp. It was likely the chairman had shown his son the contents of the photographs if Asano was bringing it up. That was an invasion of privacy, Hajime mused, but who was he to tell the son of the chairman off. He glanced up to see Asano's indifferent expression, but there was a gleam in his eyes that had the brown haired male sighing loudly. Hajime set down the papers and gestured toward the president, expression pinching into a scowl.
"Go on, say it."
Asano didn't miss a beat. "I told you so, Takano-san." Hajime appeared as if he had eaten something sour. "That bad habit of yours would get you in trouble sooner or later, and it did."
"Yeah, yeah. . . What's done is done, Asano-san. It's my fault for being careless. I got caught, so I'll face the consequences." Hajime sighed and picked up the pen, twirling between his fingers. He didn't like being told off, by the student council president no less, but Hajime supposed it was his fault that things had turned out the way they had. Asano was kind enough not to mention it the first time he caught Hajime merely because the brown haired male was an essential part of the student council. Hajime had learned how to hide it from the president after that, but it was out of his hands the moment the chairman caught word, or sight (technically) of his transgressions.
Asano remained silent at the confession, then steepled his fingers and stared at his right hand man with bright violet colored eyes. They were the exact same shade as the chairman, Hajime noted. Like father, like son, indeed. "Chairman Asano received them in an unorthodox method." He stated.
Hajime glanced up in recollection. An anonymous person sent it to his office, if he recalled correctly. "So?"
"It's possible to open an investigation regarding the photographs since they appeared to be taken without your consent." Asano continued, "If there's enough evidence and the person behind it is convicted, there's a chance that your punishment may be reconsidered, Takano-san."
He couldn't mean─ "You could return to the main building, Takano-san. Of course, you'd need to undergo a drug test to confirm that you're not using substances, but I believe that is something that you can handle. Your seat in Class A would be returned to you after midterms, given you'll do well on the exams, and your declining reputation would be restored." Hajime stared at Asano in surprise. The offer was beneficial and extremely helpful if one considered how much Takano Hajime lost when he was caught all those months ago. His pristine reputation, for one; rumors were rumors as long as there was nothing backing them, but his demotion meant there was dirt on Hajime. Even if the reason behind his transfer was kept quiet, courtesy of the chairman Hajime gathered, there would always be a mark that proved Hajime was not the clean-cut model student everyone adored.
Even so, this was something else. "That's surprisingly. . . kind of you, Asano-san." Hajime commented, tapping the pen on the table surface. Hajime and Asano weren't close, per say, as most of their interactions were related to the student council. "Not to seem ungrateful, because I'm not, but is there a reason why you're offering to help me?"
Asano went silent at that, leaning over to grab the papers that Hajime was grading. His violet colored eyes skimmed over the crossed out suggestions. The corner of his lip curled upward the slightest hint at the passive aggressive wording Hajime used. "There are very few that I consider my equal," He stated, then peered over the papers to meet downturned mahogany colored eyes. "You. . . happen to be one of them."
Silence followed that statement. His ears were hot and most likely colored an embarrassing pink as he stared incredulously at the strawberry blond. Asano looked entirely serious with his confession, making Hajime tear his gaze away to stare at a nearby wall. It would be all so easy to take the opportunity being presented and reclaim his position in the main building, but there would be so many conflicts if he did. Hajime recalled the non-disclosure agreement he signed before entering the End Class, it would be hard to work on his assassination attempts when he wasn't even in the same class as the eccentric octopus teacher. He would have to undergo that ominous memory erasure treatment, which Hajime preferred not to.
Not to mention, Hajime would have to build up his reputation amongst the main building students and reassert his position at the top of the social pyramid again.
That sounded exhausting, Hajimed mused and tilted his head backward in thought. Why work so hard in restoring something already crooked, when he could tear it down and make a new one? It was the perfect scenario to cut ties with the main building and start anew as an End Class student.
Still, Hajime met Asano's heavy stare, he felt bad. The brown haired male pouted, what a terrible dilemma. Getting recognition from this serious fellow meant a lot to him. "I'm honored. . ." Hajime mumbled, trailing off. He would regret not taking the chance, but he would also regret leaving behind Class E. His hand burned at the feeling of holding a knife or gun, and the decision was made. "I feel terrible doing this, but I'll have to decline, Asano-san."
Hajime winced at the hint of surprise that took over the strawberry blonde's expression. Damn, he was an ungrateful asshole, after all. Asano leaned back as his composure returned, "May I ask why? It's a good deal." It most certainly was, Hajime withheld the urge to comment. If he hadn't be introduced to Korosensei and Karasuma and all these assassination shenanigans, Hajime was certain he would take the hand offered in a heartbeat.
Instead, he scrambled for a suitable lie. "Would you believe me if I said I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and humble myself?"
"No." Asano retorted instantly.
Hajime frowned, rude. "Then, no, you may not ask."
The strawberry blonde pondered over his answer as Hajime slumped in his seat. Asano sighed, slightly burdened, then began to clean up the papers that were scattered across the table. Hajime watched his president apprehensively in silence as the male put everything away and in its place. Asano stood, and then looked down on the brown haired male. "I'll respect your decision, Takano-san. It's unfortunate, but I'd like to thank you for all your contributions to the council the past years and I'd like to receive your resignation letter as Vice President of the Student Council by Monday morning." There was a slight burrow between his eyebrows, like it pained the student to say such words.
Hajime's gaped at the male, appalled by his words. "What?! Why?!" The brown haired male scoured his mind for an answer to the incredulous orders given to him.
Asano stepped to the side and tucked in his chair, "According to the Student Handbook, students with deficiencies are not allowed to─"
"Participate in extracurricular activities after school such as organizations, councils/committees and clubs associated with the institution. Oh, fuck me." Hajime recited with a loud groan, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand. He had forgotten all about that stupid rule in the student hand book written by stupid, discriminative people. Asano gave a single huff that sounded much like a laugh.
"Language, Takano-san." He raised an eyebrow, though the words held no bearing.
The brown haired male stood and tucked in his chair, a conflicted expression on his face. His position as vice president meant a lot to him. It was what he was known as to the student body. Takano Hajime, the vice president of the student council. Was he willing to give up that up for the sake of being involved in an assassination scheme that the world depended on? The next time Hajime looked up to meet Asano's appraising stare, his downturned eyes were slightly dewy. "Who's. . . replacing me then?" The words tasted foul in his mouth as he said them.
Asano looked particularly troubled at the question. "Araki Teppei, I presume. Unofficially, of course, since elections were held last year, but he would be taking your tasks."
He would be replaced by some plain, bespectacled broadcasting student. Oh, how the prestige of the vice presidency had fallen, Hajime cupped his face and mourned. The two students headed for the door, Asano stepping out first. The president looked back as Hajime placed his hand on the threshold, face twisted into something bitter. "I'll. . . play by the rules then. It was nice working with you, kaichou."
"Likewise, Takano-san."
Hajime sighed and stepped forward, sliding the door shut behind him. This wasn't what he had planned that morning, but he made his choice. Curse him and his unorthodox hobbies that were finally being put to use. Hajime walked past the strawberry blonde, patting him lightly on the shoulder with a stilted half-grin.
"Don't miss me too much, Asano-san."