Chapter 29: The Sweetest Monster

"Hehe, I hope we can all get along everyone~"

Huh? Is this for real? How?

The gears in my brain rapidly turn as I try to comprehend the turn of events occurring in front of me.

I've never even heard of someone transferring to a different class in the middle of the semester. I didn't even know that was possible.

Just what the hell happened while I was absent from school? And more importantly… Who could've possibly orchestrated this?

"Ehehe~"

I turn toward Kyoko who's giggling heartily, seemingly enjoying my state of confusion.

"Kyoko… Did you…"

"I told ya you'd be surprised," Yamaguchi remarks, making a smug expression.

"You mean…"

This is the surprise Yamaguchi was talking about?

"For now just take any one of the open seats."

"Okay, okay!"

After Kotori finished introducing herself, the teacher pointed out the open seats in the class.

There are 4 open seats in our classroom of around 32 students. Two of the seats are toward the front of the class.

Objectively speaking those are probably the best seats for her since she'd have a hard time seeing the board from the back. Although, something tells me she won't opt to sit so close to the board despite being so short.

That leaves two more available seats. Coincidentally both of them are by Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi sits in the last row to the right and Kyoko sits directly behind her.

The open seats are the one's directly in front of her and to the left of her. It's almost like the students avoided sitting next to her, opting to leave a seat's worth of space between them.

I'm pretty sure they're just scared of her which is why they chose to do that. I kind of feel bad for her, but she doesn't seem bothered by it. And besides, she has Kyoko sitting behind her, so it's not really a big deal anyway.

As Kotori stood atop the podium surveying the empty seats, Kyoko shot up from her chair enthusiastically waving at her. "Kotori-chan! Over here, over here~"

Noticing the empty seats by Yamaguchi, Kotori's face lit up with elation. "Then, I'll sit in front of Yurika-chan!"

Kotori happily trots over to Yamaguchi, stifling her with an affectionate embrace as she rubbed her cheek against Yamaguchi's.

"Yurika-chan~"

"W-what?"

"Aren't you happy we get to sit together? I know I am~"

"W-well, I ain't opposed to it or anything…"

"Oh, you~ You're just the cutest when you're not being honest."

"H-hey! Don't nuzzle yer face into my chest, Kotori!"

"…"

Speechless, I, along with the rest of the class, watched their interaction with great interest.

Instantly noticing the inquisitive gazes following her, Yamaguchi's attitude does a complete 180.

Sharp enough to split the tension in the room, Yamaguchi directs a menacing glare toward her classmates.

For some reason, I was also a recipient of her invisible eye blast. Who did she think she was, Jiren The Grey?

"What the hell are you all looking at, huh?! Y'all got a starin' problem or somethin'?!"

Yamaguchi snaps at her curious classmates causing them to quickly go back to chatting amongst themselves.

Gossip begins to ensue, and to absolutely no one's surprise, I hear Kotori and Yamaguchi's names being whispered amongst the student groups.

Teenage gossip is a scary thing. Kids these days are not only speedy but ruthless when it comes to spreading rumors. Be careful out there guys.

"Jeez… This ain't some kinda public display. Tch…"

"Hm? Does Yurika-chan not get along with the class, Kyoko-chan?" Kotori asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Well, I think she just has a hard time articulating herself," Kyoko answered with a playful laugh. "I think they'll come around when they see how much of a sweetheart Ri-chan really is."

"Guh… W-what the heck are ya sayin', Kyo-chan?! I ain't no s-s-sweetheart!"

"Yes, yes, whatever you say Ri-chan~"

"Yurika-chan is totally a big sweetheart, eheh."

"Not you too, Kotori…"

"Um…"

Fujibayashi raises his hand, cutting into their conversation.

This whole time, Fujibayashi, Manabe, and I have just been silently watching them.

The bell hasn't rung yet so we're still gathered around Kyoko and Yamaguchi's desks. The three girls had gone off into their own world, completely ignoring us.

To be honest, though, I'm still dumbfounded by the fact that Kotori is somehow now in our class.

"Yes?" Kyoko asks, tilting her head.

"Erm… The two of you are already acquainted with the transfer student?" Fujibayashi inquired.

"That's right~ Me, Ri-chan, and Akira-kun are good friends with Kotori-chan."

"Ah, I see, I see." Fujibayashi nods.

"Satoru, are you an idiot?" Manabe chimes in.

"Hah?! Who's an idiot?!"

"You." Manabe and I respond in unison.

"Wha—"

"That's Kotori. Don't you remember? She's the girl Fuyuki was trying to help. How the hell did ya forget already?"

Trying to help huh…

Manabe's words cause me to awkwardly avert my gaze.

"Ah! You're right, it really is her." Fujibayashi briefly looks at Kotori before turning back to Manabe. "But wait, didn't she have long twin tails though?"

"Heh-heh. I cut my hair the other day," Kotori answers in place of Manabe. "Looks good right?"

Fujibayashi awkwardly averts his gaze. "Y-yeah… I think it looks great…"

"Ehehe~ Thank you."

"Heh, what happened to all your energy, Fujibayashi?" Manabe said, nudging Fujibayashi's shoulder.

"S-shut up…"

"You guys are all a bunch of idiots, ya know that?" Yamaguchi sighs.

"But it feels much more lively now, doesn't it, Ri-chan?"

"Well, I can't deny there are more energetic idiots now."

"Even me Yurika-chan?" Kotori asked, pointing to herself.

"Especially you, Kotori."

"Mmmm, meanie…"

"Wait. Hold up, guys. Isn't this weird?" I asked.

The five of them exchanged glances before turning back to me with puzzled expressions.

"What's up Fuyuki-kun?" Kotori asked me.

"A-ah… Er…"

Shit… I can't even look her in the eyes anymore.

"Hm?" Kotori tilts her head curiously.

"Well, I was just wondering how you could transfer classes in the middle of the semester…Miyazaki."

"Actually I— Eh? Miyazaki?"

"Yeah…"

"Why're ya calling Kotori by her last name now Fuyuki?" Yamaguchi inquired.

Because I don't deserve to act all friendly with her… But of course, I can't tell them that.

"I… I thought Kyoko might be jealous if I called another girl by her first name…" I muttered, averting my gaze.

Yamaguchi raises her brow in question. "Hah?! But didn't you— Ah. A-actually never mind…" Yamaguchi cut herself off, her face had begun to flush red.

"Akira-kun… You were being that considerate for my sake?" Kyoko wore a look of deep adoration.

"Y-yeah…"

Sorry, Kyoko… I lied to you.

"Hehe~ I don't particularly mind since it's Kotori-chan though."

Kyoko's happiness couldn't be any more transparent if she tried to make it. Her credulous nature was fairly concerning. Or maybe she just trusted me that much.

Either way, a bastard like me definitely doesn't deserve someone like Kyoko.

"So that's what it was." Yamaguchi sighed.

"I…see," Kotori murmured, wearing a forced smile—one that clearly held a feeling of sadness behind it, "Well, if that's what it is, I guess it, like, can't be helped. Feels kind of lonely though, haha."

"Sorry…" I apologized. That was all I could do back then, and that's all I can do now.

Arising from the pit of my stomach, a feeling of guilt assails my conscience making me feel sick.

An awkward silence lingered in the air.

Not one of us so much as utters a single word as the tension grows thick enough to suffocate me.

"I—"

(Ding Dong Ding)

"Alright, everyone takes your seats. Class is starting."

With impeccable timing, just as I tried to break our six-way stalemate, the bell rang and the teacher directed us to sit down.

Kotori dejectedly walks over to her desk and Yamaguchi in turn shoots me a sharp glare.

Unable to stomach the sinking feeling of guilt any longer, I turn away and head toward my desk.

Manabe and Fujibayashi follow suit and place their hands on my shoulder.

"You didn't do anything wrong bro, don't worry about it."

"Yeah Fuyuki, you were just being considerate of Kyoko-chan."

"Manabe… Fujibayashi… Thanks, guys."

Thanks, but you're wrong.

Just how many more people am I going to lie to before this feeling becomes unbearable…

I take a seat and immediately put my head down

Suddenly remembering something, I find myself subconsciously looking in Kyoko's direction.

Kyoko almost immediately notices my gaze and waves to me, flashing a beautiful smile. A smile that has become my solace.

I turn my head back into my arms, letting out a disheartened sigh.

"In the end, I didn't even get the answer to my question," I mumbled to myself as I closed my eyes and let my morning lethargy take hold of my consciousness.

******

(Ding Dong Ding)

The bell rang signaling that homeroom was over.

Shortly after class ended several students directed their attention toward Kotori.

They all looked apprehensive to go up to her, and if I had to guess why I'd bet my mother's soul it was probably because of Yamaguchi's presence.

Kotori and Kyoko were talking to Yamaguchi, completely oblivious to the curious eyes glued to them.

On the other hand, Yamaguchi seems to almost instantly notice them staring in Kotori's direction.

Yamaguchi wore a puzzled expression as she alternated her gaze between Kotori and the other kids.

However, her expression soon changed after she realized the reason they weren't approaching Kotori was because of her.

After realizing this, Yamaguchi, who had an extremely annoyed look on her face, clicked her tongue before abruptly standing up.

"I'm gonna go get a drink," Yamaguchi announced before walking away.

"What's wrong, Ri-chan?" Kyoko asked.

"Nothing. Just thirsty."

"Wait, Ri-chan!" Kyoko called out to her.

"What is it?"

"Have a good trip~"

Yamaguchi briefly peered back at Kyoko before walking out of the classroom. If you looked close enough you would've sworn she had a very faint smile as she left.

That's just the kind of effect Kyoko has on people. I wouldn't be surprised if she could tell Yamaguchi was in a bad mood.

Although she seems like an airhead on the outside, I've noticed Kyoko is pretty emotionally aware. She can usually read the room and has a knack for telling when someone is feeling down.

It's basically impossible to hide how you're feeling from her, which has caused me all sorts of problems…

"Oh! Oh! I'll go with you Yurika-ch—"

As Kotori tries to chase after Yamaguchi, she's instantaneously surrounded by a swarm of students. Which, funnily enough, included, but was not limited to my good friend Fujibayashi…

"When did he?" I mumbled.

"Haha, looks like Satoru has found another girl to chase after," Manabe playfully remarked.

"How many is that this month?"

"I thought you were keepin' count, Fuyuki?"

"No way. I figured you'd keep count, so I didn't bother."

"Ah."

"Ah."

"Wanna just say about three?"

"That's a very generous number, Manabe. Didn't he have three slap marks just last week?"

"Ehh… Maybe I should reevaluate our friendship…"

"Trust me, I reevaluate it every day."

"Hahaha, you're as honest as ever Fuyuki."

"Well, you know me. Still though… He's interested in Miyazaki, huh?"

"Looks like it. Probably just a phase though."

"I sure hope so."

"Why? Are you jealous or somethin'? Even though you have such a cute girlfriend."

"Of course not. I meant for his sake. She has quite a scary person protecting her, you know?"

"You mean Yurika-san?"

"Yep. Didn't you notice that they didn't approach Miyazaki until she left?"

"Really? Maybe they were in just awe of her loveliness. I don't blame 'em."

"Manabe, you still haven't given up on Yamaguchi?"

"'Course I haven't. I told ya I'd make her mine one day, didn't I?"

" Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"

"Haha, that's cold-hearted bro."

"My bad."

"Well, I don't dislike that blunt side of you though."

Despite being good-looking, tall, athletic, and popular, Manabe still opts to hang out with me and Fujibayashi. I honestly have no idea what he's thinking, but at the very least I can tell he isn't a bad person. I do wish he would give up on Yamaguchi already though…

"S-sorry guys, that's all the questions I can handle for now, haha."

When I looked back over to where Kotori was she looked a bit flustered.

I can't blame her. Anyone would be overwhelmed if they were swarmed by so many people.

Kotori stood up and started slowly walking backwards toward the door as she tried to escape the hyena pack of students that were relentlessly hounding her with attention.

"Where are you going Kotori-chan?" Kyoko asked.

"I'm gonna go catch up to Yurika-chan. You wanna come?"

"Sure~"

"Wait!" I called out to Kyoko.

This is the perfect chance to get some answers.

Leaving Manabe behind, I quickly made my way over to Kyoko's desk.

"Hiya, Akira-kun~"

"Kyoko, can I borrow you for a second?"

"Sure~ Let's walk with Kot—"

"No. I want it to just be us two," I demanded.

I would really prefer to not be around Kotori. At least not until I sort through my feelings.

Kyoko's face flushes a bright red. "…J-just the two of us? I see. Oh jeez, what should I do? My heart isn't ready..."

Her heart isn't ready? What the hell is she talking about? And why does she look so embarrassed?

"Uwaa! Fuyuki-kun, you're so bold," Kotori exclaims. Her face was also beet red for some reason.

"Huh?" What is she talking about now?

"Well, I'll give you guys your privacy. Good luck, Kyoko-chan. Hehe~ Don't go too crazy." Leaving her with those bizarre parting words, Kotori leaves the classroom.

"Kotori you dummy…" Kyoko mumbles. By this point, you could practically see the steam being emitted from her head.

"Uhh, so I—"

"Wait!" Kyoko interjected, holding out her hand. "…we're doing it here? In front of all these people?"

"Yeah? I don't see a problem with it?"

Besides, we're just having a conversation.

"Ehh…" Kyoko, clearly taken aback by my response, scoots further into her desk, drawing her fingers to her lips. "Wait, Akira-kun. Wait, wait, wait! Really think about this. I know that I… you know… Um…can be a little flirty, but aren't you embarrassed?"

"No? I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about." And what does being flirty have to do with anything?

"Uuuu…" Kyoko's face flushes even further as she lets out a cute, animal-like sound. "D-do we have to do it here no matter what?"

"Well, break is about to end, so yes, I'd prefer if we did."

"…"

Kyoko says nothing, looking down as if she were deeply contemplating what to do.

Why is she suddenly so against talking to me during break?

Kyoko looks up; her gaze rapidly flickering as if she didn't want to look me directly in the eyes.

Drawing her hand up, Kyoko traces over her lips with a finger in a very bewitching manner. "J-just this once, ok…? Only because you really want to..."

Ba-bump Ba-bump

"S-sure. Thanks."

"Then…"

Kyoko's moist, sky-blue eyes intently gaze into my own. As she entraps me with her eyes, Kyoko then glances around the classroom numerous times before scurrying directly in front of me.

Standing in front of me, Kyoko places her hands on my chest.

I look down at her, acknowledging the cute height difference in my mind. Her face bright red up to her ears, Kyoko silently stood there, not uttering a single word.

"Kyoko?" I called out to her.

"..."

Kyoko said nothing and lowered her head for a few seconds before looking back up with her eyes closed and lips pursued.

"…"

I find myself completely at a loss for words. I had no idea what exactly she was doing and ended up unintentionally staring at her, dumbfounded.

A few more seconds passed and Kyoko's face started to resemble Misaki's after Touma told her to wipe the mustard off her face. Since when did Kyoko become a tsundere???

"Hurry up… It's…really embarrassing…"

"Um… Kyoko, what exactly are you doing?"

Kyoko's eyes shoot open. "Eh? B-but I thought you wanted to…"

"I wanted to ask you about how Ko— Miyazaki was able to transfer into this class. You know something right?"

"..."

"Kyoko?"

"Mmmm…"

"Er, did I do something wrong?"

Kyoko averts her head, pouting. "Hmph."

"K-Kyoko?"

"Akira-kun, you dummy…"

"Ehhhh?"

Don't tell me… Did she think I wanted to kiss her?

"Um, Kyoko-san… Could it be you thought I wanted to ki—"

"Nope, not one bit."

She definitely was…

Of course, I would never do something that embarrassing in front of so many people. Wait, was she seriously ok with doing that if I was hypothetically asking? I'll have to keep that in mind for later. Either way, I should probably apologize.

"Sorry, Kyoko," I apologize sincerely.

"…That took a lot of courage, you know?"

"Yeah."

"I feel so stupid now…"

"Sorry…"

What should I say… I don't want her to be mad at me.

Kyoko suddenly tugs at the hem of my vest. "Does Akira-kun think that I'm an indecent girl…?" she asked, her voice nearly inaudible. Her eyes, filled with worry, peer at me in anticipation.

Kyoko went out of her way to do something embarrassing because she thought it would make me happy. There's no way I would think of her that way.

"You're wrong, Kyoko. I would never think that. "And…even if you were, I wouldn't feel any differently about you."

Directly meeting Kyoko's anxious gaze, I conveyed my honest feelings to her without batting an eye.

"Are you saying you'd still love me?"

"Y-yeah."

"Even if I wanted to kiss you all the time?"

"I don't think any guy would hate that."

"I see. Hehe, I'm glad."

"Um… Maybe not in front of so many people, but if it's just the two of us and you wanted to erm… you know… then I wouldn't say no to you."

"Fufu~ Then I'll hold you to that," Kyoko said, teasingly, giving me a playful wink.

Yeah, my girlfriend really is the cutest after all.

"By the way, about Kotori-chan transferring…"

"Yeah?"

"I requested they transfer her to this class."

"Whaaaat?!"

So it was her behind it after all! But wait a minute, does she really have that kind of power? I know she's a student council member, but she must've had a damn good reason for them to actually oblige with an outlandish request like that.

"How did you convince them to do such a thing?" I asked.

"I asked Kamakura-sensei if he could request it for me."

"And he actually agreed to?"

"Well, if anyone else asked him, I'm sure he would've said no. If I had to guess, I'd say there are three reasons he accepted my request."

"And they are?"

"For one, I told him Kotori was being bullied and it would only get worse if she stayed in that class."

That makes sense. This school is pretty strict when it comes to bullying and harassment. I doubt they would ignore it if they knew that someone was being bullied.

"The second reason is probably that I'm in the student council. I don't want to sound like I'm boasting, but the student council has a lot of influence in the school. The staff and teachers often dump the majority of the important work and responsibilities onto us. Things like club management, budgeting, event planning, etc. The point is that they rely on us a lot so it's only natural we have an eminent presence in the school."

"Sounds like the staff is just lazy."

"W-well… I'm sure they're doing their best, ahaha."

No need to sugarcoat it, Kyoko. You might as well have just said they're lazy bums that rely on the student council for everything.

"So what's the third reason?"

"That is…" Kyoko scratches her cheek, coyly. She looks somewhat hesitant to tell me the last reason."The third reason is more than likely because…"

"Because?"

"Well, Kamakura-Sensei is good friends with my family."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously…"

Wow, talk about using your connections to your advantage. I don't blame her though. If I could get things I wanted through my connections I would have zero grievances doing so.

In this world, the best way to get ahead is by networking. So long as you have the right people in your circle you can climb to the summit of the mountain and stand above the rest.

Well, I'm not really interested in reaching that high either way. I'm perfectly content camping at the base, so long as I have the people that are important to me by my side.

"I feel a bit bad about it, but it was for Kotori-chain's sake, so…"

"Why? I don't think there's anything wrong with using all the cards you have in your deck."

"Uuu… Please don't say it like that…"

Does she really feel bad about using her personal connections to get something she wants? Even though it was to help someone else she feels a sense of guilt. Kyoko must be some kind of saint sent from above.

"Wait. You said you told him Kot— Miyzaki was being bullied, right?"

"Hm? Yeah I did."

"I get that changing classes would help her avoid being picked on by her classmates that she used to hang out with, but what about Ryuji? He might still be planning to bother her."

"Ah, you don't have to worry about Ryuji-senpai. He won't be bothering Kotori anymore."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask, doubtful.

Knowing him he's probably plotting something right now. He's the kind of person that gets pleasure out of other people's unhappiness. So I can't imagine that he's just going to stop bothering Kotori or any of us for that matter.

"I made sure he wouldn't want to come anywhere near Kotori ever again," Kyoko said, a broad and yet somehow terrifying smile across her face.

"Huh? How exactly did you do that?" I asked, nervously.

"As it turns out his dad was in the Marines."

"What does that have to do with him bothering Kotori?"

"Just think about it, Akira-kun. How would an Ex-Marine, someone devoted to protecting the weak, feel if he found out his son was tormenting a small girl like Kotori-chan, hm?"

"Well, I guess he probably wouldn't be too happy about it."

"Bingo~ And he wasn't. In fact, he sounded very angry."

"Hold up, sounded angry? Kyoko don't tell me you…"

"Ehehe~ I'm just glad everything worked out and Kotori-chan is happy now."

"We're back!" Kotori announces as she and Yamaguchi both walk into the classroom. "Are you two done flirting already?"

"Jeez, Kotori-chan! We weren't doing anything like that."

"Hehhhh, really?"

"Mmm… Ei! Take this!"

"S-stop… Don't… ehehe…. tickle me there… Ah, Kyoko-chan, don't… I… Ahahaha… Not there…Wah!"

"W-wow… Kotori-chan, your boobs are almost as big as Ri-chan's."

"D-don't…Kyoko-chan. E-even if you grope them, it won't transfer over to your chest…"

"Ahhhh! You really said it now Kotori-chan!"

"Sigh… Yer both somethin' else. Hm? Fuyuki, are ya alright? Ya look like ya just see a monster or something."

A monster huh…

"Haha… Well, that isn't completely wrong…"

"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Yamaguchi."

Note to self: Never get on Kyoko's bad side.