Ueno stood as if thunder had struck her. A storm might come their way despite the crystal clear sky.
The raspy breaths of others filled the silence in the room.
"Oh, my." The headmistress' daughter gasped, giving her words a mocking tone. "What a brute." She turned. "Aiyok—" Her blond prince charming had disappeared. "Where?" Her head jerked left and right, and her long, black hair followed.
Rigaku, the only Greek God who remained, stood up, stuffing the packed object into his bag. Another thunder echoed above them, and a big flash engulfed the room as heavy clouds raced to gulp the entire city.
Ueno moved her attention to him. "Rigaku-san—"
"Don't talk to me, you disgusting creature." His cold eyes shot icicles through her mind and heart. Without a word, he left the court hall.
Not even breath disrupted the eerie emptiness until Ueno shouted, "Find that witch! Now!"
Chaos broke inside as everybody hurried toward the exit, blocking them.
Meanwhile, Freya escaped from the school through the less-used back door, panting and leaning against the wall. Her mind spun as the fever did a good job melting her body. Tears kept falling from her cheeks.
'Those... Those!' She wiped her vision clear. But that didn't last for a second.
A hand grabbed her from behind. She turned around, her knees giving up under her.
"Watch out!" Aiyoku called, holding her steady.
Freya shrieked as much as her sore throat allowed her. Her fists landed on the boy's head, but he ignored them, as they had almost no strength.
Shouts reached them, but the girl didn't hear them, pouring her energy into getting away.
"We gotta move!" The boy lifted her bridal style, leaving her confused for a few moments before she resumed her wild punches. "That's okay!" He jerked a bit as she hit his throat. "Keep punching me!"
He carried her away from the school, short of breath. His legs turned into spaghetti, but he didn't stop until they hid behind the gym. There he let Freya slide onto the ground before he rolled a few steps aside, taking deep and ragged breaths.
The redheaded girl finally calmed down to pay attention to her surrounding. Perhaps she was too tired to fight back. Her arms rested along her body, and her chest billowed like a stormy sea.
"I'm... sorry." Aiyoku breathed. "I never expected... she would... this." He took a long breath and held it for ten seconds before he allowed his lungs to relax. He sat up, his clothes green from the grass and brown from the dirt.
"When she mentioned a surprise,"—he paused for a moment—"I assumed it was something for that stupid Fan Club."
If Freya had cat ears, they would perk. 'Did he call his Fan Club stupid?' She hugged her knees, dragging them closer as a defensive shell.
The boy shifted in his place, sitting on his long locks. His eyebrows knitted as he tried to get every single hair from under his butt. However, it seemed his fingers got tangled in it instead, adding blades of grass, leaves, and a thin branch.
Then Aiyoku did another unexpected thing. "Stupid hair!" he cursed under his breath, trying to untangle the ends. "So stupidly long!" He ripped the stick out together with his hair as if it wasn't his most prized possession.
He let his hands lay next to him, watching the sky. Huge, lazy clouds blocked the azure horizon. Their thickness turned dark gray, and flashes with rumble rained from above as if ogres brew an energizing soup.
"I'm truly sorry. And I understand if you don't trust me."
Her green eyes scanned him as he tried to straighten up. "Here." He placed her bag, which he grabbed between them.
She looked at it and then at him, making no movement. He retracted his arm. "I'll talk with Ueno-san. This went too far. You don't deserve this treatment."
She cast her eyes in front of her, letting the breeze cool down her cheeks. Sweat covered her face, and she shivered. She rubbed her arms. Aiyoku wrestled with his jacket before he put it around her shoulders.
"I swear there is no ulterior motive here." He backed off a few steps. "You can return it anytime you want. No need to wash it." His legs ached, so he had to massage them for a few moments to spring a life into them. "I'll excuse you with senseis. So, don't worry. I'll note everything for you." Letting out a hiss, he brought his limbs back to activity. As he was leaving, he gave her one last glance over his shoulder before the gym's wall hid her.
Freya pulled the jacket closer. 'Why am I not angry at him?' Her nose wrinkled. 'What is this familiar smell?' She moved her head, searching for the source.
Her arm got pricked, so she checked the inside to find a single straw stuck in the inner pocket. She frowned, examining it under the natural light.
In the same place was a name card with scribbles on the other side. She took it out, reading them, "If you need somebody to call... chat... message..." And Aiyoku's number followed.
The words "call" and "chat" were crossed as if he realized how weird it was to tell a mute person to talk. It brought a small smile onto her face.
Aiyoku checked his phone for the tenth time before he arrived at the area around the main entrance. "I guess it's stupid to..." A sigh left his lips as his younger brother's voice reached him before the middle Kamini could see him.
"Who do you think you are?" Kagetsu roared. "Like I need a pack of chicks to solve my problems!" His voice terrified the heavy clouds above them as they cleared to not face his wrath.
The girls hid behind Aoi Ueno as the youngest triplet approached them with a crimson face and ragged breath. But he still had enough lung power to savage them.
The headmistress' daughter would say something when Aiyoku returned with words, "Ueno-san."
"Och, Aiyoku-sama, I was so worried about you!" She ignored the youngest brother, pushing him aside. He needed a breathing break, anyway.
"That was ugly."
"You are correct. Freya was acting so—"
"No, not her. Your behavior."
Ueno stepped back, her eyes widening in shock. "B-But she was so disrespectful toward you. I couldn't tolerate it any longer!" She gave him sad puppy eyes.
"It wasn't the right thing to do. And respect is not given but earned with hard work." Ueno sent him a puzzled look. He looked up at the clouds strolling across the eternal blue. "I know you didn't click together, and that Freya-chan kept her distance from everybody. But that's not a reason to harass her."
Ueno played with her hair, biting her lip.
"We all are different, but more so the same. There is so much we can share, only if we learn to trust." He gave her a bit of a sad smile, full of sincerity.
His words reminded her of somebody. His face flashed inside her mind. "We may have been too hard on her," she stated after a few moments.
She didn't notice the slight frown on Aiyoku's forehead. "To put it simply, yes. I don't want to see a lovely girl cry like this, Ueno-san." Aiyoku let out a sigh. This might take time.
She immediately assumed the girl meant her. "You are right," she agreed. "I'll try to be nicer to her from now on. Let's put our differences aside." The memory turned into a haze. An illusion that never existed.
If a few lies and sweet words would win her the favor of this gorgeous boy, so what? A bit of acting was nothing if she could become the most popular girl and make connections. Who knew, but maybe she could dig some dirt about these triplets and use it to her advantage.
After all, absolute power over society was the only thing that mattered, right?
"Yes, let's try."