Everyone was very quiet today trying to act normal, but many were whispering since they were scared and wanted to know if any of the others would vote for them. They also all desperately want to find a person to target before they start to fall apart terrified by the sheer thought of expulsion.
It was beautiful to watch since everyone was so scared of each other and it was causing relationships to become strained. "Damn it. This atmosphere sucks." Sudo escaped by leaving the classroom.
"Is it just gonna be like this until the vote?" Ike sighed as I noticed Yamauchi was texting then glancing everywhere including me many times.
"Is he targeting me?" I let out and then giggled since that's so funny.
To choose me out of anyone is the worst choice, but I will gladly invite it. I can make this all fall apart for him and for him to be confident to do that he will need a supporter.
"...Ari." I let out but decided to just watch for now to confirm if I was right or not.
"Everyone is desperate to keep their heads down before the vote." Suzune hummed then looked at me and sighed.
"Ah!" I whined seeing my castle of cards fall. "Zoo! Your breath turned into a tornado! Zoonado..."
"Zoonado?" Kei giggled as she patted my head. "It's amazing you can keep cheerful during this."
"Everyone is trying their best," I added. "It's best to talk another time when it's calmer so we are cool like lava."
"That isn't cool," Kei informed me.
"It ain't?" I asked shocked. "I thought sea water was hot when you first jump in."
"Guess your condition lets you mix it up." Kei hummed intrigued by it while I really do know what is right, but it's good to remind everyone of my condition right now.
Kei then walked back to a small group of girls. I wonder if they were talking about me since Kei never usually comes over to me in class. "You haven't mustered up the determination to cut someone loose?" Kiyotaka asked Suzune.
"You are talking like Ryuen now?" Suzune groaned.
"You claimed that Ryuen's attitude was false confidence, but it's your determination that seems false to me," Kiyotaka added.
"Yeah, like your attitude with your brother," I added.
"What was that?" Suzune gasped.
"So? What do you intend to do?" Kiyotaka asked.
"I..." Suzune let out.
"You can do it without being bad, just find the reason." I sighed as I got up.
Kiyoyaka handed me my cards since he picked them up for me and I grinned. He offered me those in exchange for the whipped cream can. I accepted then emptied the entire can by eating it and accepted the cards, so his plan didn't work.
He only asked for the can, not the stuff inside of it.
"Find the reason?" Suzune mumbled.
That should lead her on some stupid chase leaving us alone. She might even have a breakdown if I'm lucky, but I don't think she will break, unlike someone.
I glanced at Hirata before I left the class and he noticed me.
I waved at him and he did the same back nervously, but it seemed my joy cheered him up once again. He quickly got up to come over to us as I expected since I'm sure he wanted to rely on us, but there was no way I was helping him since it didn't benefit me at all.
"Could we meet up in the dorms this evening?" Hirata asked. "I'd like to discuss something with you both."
"Yeah!" I nodded. "But you need to bring a lemon!"
"...Of course." Hirata laughed not expecting that.
"Yay! Kiyo make the second-best cake!" I pulled on his sleeve showing I wanted pancakes today.
"Sure." He nodded.
As we walked home, I was humming happily excited for the next few days. "Are you going to act alone?" Kiyotaka asked me.
"You would be very useless this time." I grinned. "You can't act for anything! But just be a good pancake maker and you will become kimchi, not lettuce, but rotten lettuce."
Kiyotaka put a hand against my forehead then I yawned. "Pancake blanket?" He asked, and I put both of my hands on his hand that was on my forehead.
"You are rotten lettuce," I informed him.
"I am honoured." He hummed.
"What are you two doing?" Asahina laughed.
"Heading home to pancake everything, you should also turn into a pancake they are great," I suggested.
"Sounds like fun!" She laughed. "You two aren't with Honami today?"
"She feels better!" I grinned.
"We aren't especially close," Kiyotaka added.
"You are with Rekka, though," Asashina smirked.
"Don't turn into a Hashbrown. I like my hair on my head." I stated confusing her.
"Are you traumatised? Well, I came over to tell you both about our sweet Honami." Asahina got closer as I went behind Kiyotaka who moved his arm out, so I was out of her reach making her giggle at the action. "In the upcoming special exam. She asked Miyabi for help."
"Nugget?" I asked and she burst out laughing.
"Yeah, President Nugget. They need twenty million points to save someone from expulsion. She's asked him to lend her the difference. And what do you think Miyabi told her?" Asahina asked.
"Piss off, no, give me something, have you ever heard of Jesus Duck?" I guessed.
"No...Jesus duck?" She mumbled and I nodded. "Sounds amazing."
"Did he require some kind of harsh condition?" Kiyotaka asked.
"The condition for lending her the points is for her to date him." She answered.
"Oh...that's awful." I hummed.
"Are you sure you want to tell us this?" Kiyotaka asked.
"I'm doing it to help my own class," Asahina explained. "If Miyabi lends that many points to a first year, it could be a burden to us later. And most of all, I'd feel bad for Honami if she put herself through that to help out a friend."
"Why did you tell us?" Kiyotaka asked.
"I just thought you two might be able to do something about it." She grinned. "It's like sending out a prayer just in case, kind of." She showed her charm to us. "Anyway, now you have the story. You can decide what to do with it."
She walked off and Kiyotaka looked at me. "What do you want to do with it?"
"He would break her." I let out. "Unfair, I like doing the snapping lately. Just like bones, it's been so easy!"
"Then it's decided." Kiyotaka hummed.
"Man, I'm so busy tonight." I grinned. "But I need to make my masterpiece if there is no lemon then there are no organs."
Kiyotaka grabbed my hand this time to hold it to make sure I didn't fall then placed his forehead against mine and I stared up at him as he was very close to me with his eyes closed. "You aren't delusional." He nodded as he opened his eyes to see my annoyed stare.
"Hey, I'm not Kushida or Hirata!" I whined.
"You think he's delusional?" Kiyotaka asked me.
"Of course! He believes we can save everyone! No! There are no loops on purpose. Someone has to leave." I stated. "But I'm sure someone getting ganged up on will hurt him even though I love it."
We made it back to the dorms to find Hirata with a lemon in hand and I happily received it. "Sorry to take up your time like this." Hirata apologised.
"Rekka got lemon," Kiyotaka stated showing it's fine.
"You look tired." I hummed.
"Do I?" Hirata laughed nervously. "Well, let's not just stand around here. We can talk in my room."
We called down the elevator and out came a huge lemon. "My, what a coincidence." Koenji grinned. "If it isn't the boys and Fire Girl. Rack those brains to figure out a way through this exam, would you, boys?"
"You never change, do you?" Hirata groaned.
"This exam isn't enough to change me," Koenji stated showing how strong he is mentally. "While licking wounds with your comrades see that you take out the unneeded trash."
He gave good advice like I did to Suzune, but the leaders of our class are wimps.
Hirata then punched a wall, and I didn't get why. "...He did a me?" I mumbled.
"No, he's venting his anger out," Kiyotaka whispered to me. "It's not like you when you threaten to break something of yours to make me do something."
"Let's go." Hirata let out.
"Yeah, we need peas for your hand." I hummed as I took his hand and he just stared at me. "Peas are cold, right?"
"They are." Hirata nodded with a small smile.
We went to his room, and it felt very Hirata-like and I was moving the curtain back and forth to hear the sound of it. Hirata laughed seeing I was in a trance and hadn't put down the lemon yet.
"The year is almost over, huh?" He let out.
"We were sent to a deserted island, a training camp-" Kiyotaka hummed.
"Use a louder voice! We saw a waterfall! Then there were boars and I rode one! Then Christmas trees." I stated.
"Rode one?" Hirata let out terrified at what I said.
"Yeah! A fun year! Also, you have many little Rekka's around." I hummed as I stared at his plants. "I'm stronger than you all."
"Rekka's?" Hirata asked.
"Since they need caring for and look well," Kiyotaka explained.
"Yeah, he's doing a good job," I added. "So, why are we here?"
"We all started to get along until this latest test. I just can't think of a way around this test. No matter how hard I think about it. Is there really no way to save the entire class?" Hirata asked.
"I'm afraid I can't think of one," Kiyotaka added. "Getting twenty million points together isn't a realistic option."
"It just isn't an option," I added.
"Hey...is there anyone you two think we could do without?" Hirata asked.
"No one in particular." Kiyotaka shook his head.
"...I do..." I mumbled shocking him.
"Rekka, whoever it is, forget it," Hirata demanded shocking us both. "Ganging up on one person is a bad thing to do."
"You don't want to hear my reasoning?" I asked and he shook his head. "Okay."
I just left on my own confusing him and Kiyotaka followed me then once we got back.
Pancakes!
Kiytoaka watched me after he had laid out the first pancake on the plate for me. He was leaning on the counter as I was sitting at the little table on the floor with my pancake blanket around me.
I used the knife to carve wings and little legs from the pancake and a fat hat then used toothpicks to pin them to the lemon. "Finished!" I exclaimed. "My own duck!"
I then held it up to Kiyotaka who nodded as he sipped his drink. "What species is it?" He asked me.
"Pan duck," I stated. "It's called Taka."
"That means hawk." Kiyotaka hummed.
"I know, but it's so ugly you can't tell what it is," I stated and he nodded. "But its existence is awesome, so eat the Taka Kiyo then you will truly be Kiyotaka."
"You just want to see me eat a lemon?" He asked me.
"Yep." I nodded as I handed it to him.
He took a bite out of it, and he didn't even react to the sourness. "...Maybe it takes longer to kick in so keep eating it," I demanded as I ate the leftovers of the pancake.
The doorbell then rang, so I answered it and opened the door. "Ichi!" I exclaimed.
"Hell-" She paused seeing me eating what was left of a pancake and my amazing pancake blanket. Kiyotaka is also behind me eating some abomination with a lemon as the center and he isn't flinching.
Ichinose just burst out laughing confusing us, but she eventually came in after he had finished eating Taka.
She sat with me as Kiyotaka started to make her a drink and carried on with the pancakes. "Um...Sorry to say I forgot to bring back the blanket you gave me." Ichinose reminded me of its existence.
"Oh...keep it." I shrugged.
She looked very happy that I let her and she nodded. "I will treasure it, so why is it that you two called me over?" She mumbled.
"How do you intend to approach this exam?" Kiyotaka asked.
"I'm still thinking over ways to keep someone from being expelled." Ichinose hummed.
"But Nugget? Good food, but dating I don't suggest," I added.
"Ah, you heard." She laughed nervously. "Asahina?"
"Yep, the sun sun girl." I nodded.
"It's ridiculous, right? In all kinds of ways." Ichinose sighed then Kiyotaka handed her a drink and gave me a new pancake.
"How many points shy are you?" Kiytoaka asked.
"A little over four million." She answered and I smirked.
"Forget the deal," I demanded confusing her. "I know it will come, an opportunity to get that much for you."
"How?! Please don't sacrifice yourself!" Ichinose pleaded with me.
"I won't, you will need to do something for it...I want Ryuen to stay." I explained stunning her. "He has helped me with lots of stuff, so if I can get you the money without sacrificing myself will you use all your positive votes on him?"
"...Yeah!" She nodded. "I would love to help you, being able to save two people...that sounds amazing Rekka."
"Do you both not judge me for wanting to take the other deal?" Ichinose asked nervously. "You spoke to me since you must be certain I would take it."
"I see nothing to judge you for," Kiyotaka added. "Though I don't understand why you are so desperate to save one person."
"It makes me happy you were both worried...I won't accept yet, but I will if the other deal doesn't come in. So don't feel guilty if you can't do it. You both are already amazing." Ichinose stated.
"I know this blanket just makes anyone amazing." I nodded.
"I'm afraid I don't feel that way," Kiyotaka mumbled.
"That makes you both even more amazing! Because you are both just..." Ichinose cut herself off.
"What's wrong?" Kiyotaka asked.
It was obvious she had a crush on him, but I can't say for certain she holds the same feelings for me. I'm sure it's more like a little sister type of love for me that has started to appear.
We left it on that note and I carried on eating once she left.
Kiyotaka kept giving me pancakes until he found me on my side. He placed a plate down with the newest pancake to see my reaction, but I didn't even move.
"You don't want anymore?" Kiyotaka asked and I groaned at him. "Sleep it is."
He moved the plate off to the side then crouched down next to me and scooped me up into his arms. He made sure my head rested on his shoulder in case I puked from eating too much since if my head dangles back he might not be able to tell I did and I would just choke in my sleep silently.
Kiyotaka took me back to my room and then laid me under my covers as he checked to make sure everything was in place in case I decided to roll off my bed in my sleep.
He looked down at me to see I was peacefully sleeping then moved some of my hair out of my face. "She is very docile here while back there she never acted like this." Kiyotaka hummed. "She flourishes in this environment. She would have been put to more use than me if we stayed back there."
He ruffled my hair then left the room to clean up and go to bed himself.