Chapter 2 : Start of something evil

The moment we reached school, I opened my bag to grab my assignment. I didn't take it out for anyone to see, I just kept my hand on it to quickly take it out in need.

(“Why do I have to go through all this? Fuck this shit.”)

As I reached my classroom I saw that the first class was about to start. It was biology class, specifically a lab class. We were taught complex biology with medical science as well. Each student in the class was competent enough to help in a minor surgery and some were even competent enough to perform themselves.

This was my chance, I quickly slid away from other students who were going to change into their lab clothes. I kept a water bottle in my hand just as a cover-up if needed and my bag contained the assignment.

I cautiously reached the faculty room. I am sure I wasn't caught by any cameras but I would be doomed if there were any hidden cameras. I tried not to think about it and tried to be optimistic. The faculty room had only one teacher, so to go past him I confronted him.

“Sir? Do you know where Mr. Smith is ?”

“Oh, he? H-he was called. There seemed to be an issue with the assignments so he was called…” he said stuttering.

(“Called? By whom? Where? And assignments? I mean I don't see any here. What a waste”)

Mr. Lee seemed a bit shaken so I tried to press on it. People's will is the weakest when they fear something, and it's easy to gather information if you know the correct methods.

“Hey, teach? Can I ask you something ?” I said, emphasizing my words.

“Huh? What is it? you can ask anything?” It seemed to lighten his mood.

(“Bingo”)

“Forgive me if I am intruding too much but what do you think of Mr. Smith ?” a polite and earnest question. He can’t say anything wrong about him even if he feels that way. This way I can lead the conversation to the conclusion I want.

“It’s an odd question coming from a student. Well, h-he is a good man, I guess? Honestly, we haven't talked much but I think others do trust him?”

He was easier to read than others. He doesn't like Mr. Smith. It wasn't that he was difficult to talk to, it was just they both didn't try talking to each other. The thing I am more curious about is his opinion about trust. What has happened that made him say that maybe others trust Mr. Smith more?

“Huh? I thought you both were really good friends. Earlier you said he was called. There was a tint of worry in your eyes for him. Everything good, teach ?”

I deliberately made a false statement about him being worried, he was more scared than worried. Maybe his respon-

“Worried? Me? No no, you have mistaken Reo. We aren't even close to worrying about each other. Mr. Smith deserved what he was called for anyway”

Everything has been working just as I expected, now I can finally ask the main point of my being here.

“Ah, I see now. Well maybe sometimes two good people can’t work with each other. Also, you said something about the assignments. Do you know where it is ?”

Wait for it….

“Good people? haha, nice one Reo, but none of us are good.” He said in a condescending tone. “We just don't go well together. Right now he was called because of some missing assignments.”

“You were the one who hid those assignments, right ?” an absolute statement, If report false statements I can even be expelled but I know I won't be.

Mr.Lee froze for a moment and looked at me with pure disgust. About 10 seconds later he laughed.

“Where did you see me doing such a thing Reo?”

His demeanor suggested that he had given up. So I tried to use this information for myself. I don't wanna roam around to find the missing assignments.

“Leave that teach, what do you think would happen if this information were to leak out?

I asked in a casual, threatening tone.

“You sure are a smooth talker. What do you want?” he said with a sneer.

He said what I wanted to hear the most.

(“Lessgo”)

“I want you to mix in my assignment with the rest of the ones you have hidden so it will seem like I submitted it yesterday.”

“Dodging the confinement? Well, I can understand it's very difficult. Fine, I'll help you out in exchange for you forgetting whatever I did. ”

“Deal.” With this, I bent down and opened my bag to reach out for the assignment and placed it under the table for him to pick up afterward.

I began going out until he called me out.

“Reo! You kind of helped me, you know. I wanted to take it off my chest, it helped.” rather than being angry he seemed pleased with my deed.

“No problem teach. See you later in class.” With this, I got out of the faculty room and hurried to the lab as the 10-minute break was about to be over.

I changed into my lab clothes and hurried towards the lab where everyone was getting inside. I stood at last, behind a girl who didn't seem to notice me.

I was finally inside the lab, and everything wen-

“Reo, why are you behind the girl's line?”

“huh?”

I heard the teacher say this just as I entered the class.

“Oi Reo, what are you doing?”

Echirou said so while looking at me dumbfounded. What the heck am I supposed to say here? I decided to stay silent and let someone say something.

“Hey, I am asking you something here Reo?” The teacher was getting impatient and annoyed with my silent treatment. I was getting nowhere with it so I decided to break the silence and say the most basic thing.

“I was in the restroom. It took longer than I expected.”

I thought everything would be alright but suddenly Tylor, A dumb guy who I have no fucking connections with said, “Hey, but I saw you go with a water bottle. Wh-what were you doing with a wa-”

“It's not what you think it is, Tylor. You are reading into things too much. I took the water bottle because I wanted to fill it on my way to the restroom.”

“Fine, go take your seat” the teacher instructed all of us to be seated.

After a few minutes, the teacher called each one of us and asked us to show our readings from the previous experiment. I checked into my bag and….

“This can’t be happening”

I, Reo Becker, have officially forgotten to bring my biology notebook from class. It sounds really stupid like I can run and bring that notebook from the class within 3 minutes, but here this is a crime.

I waited for my destined punishment and when my name was called out I gave up. When I was being taken away to the confinement room I saw a girl running towards the lab and slowed down as she passed by the teachers taking me. When she reached near me she looked onto my face and suddenly tripped.

I could have caught her if I wanted to but I didn't, she fell face first and it made me chuckle a bit. The teacher heard it and smacked her book on my head after which she helped that girl. She didn't seem like a student as she wasn't in a uniform. I couldn't look at her properly as my vision was blocked by the teacher but it didn’t matter either way.

It was again punishment time for me and I was almost at my limit. Violence isn't prohibited in our school but Nexus gives us time to mend our mistakes. 10 confinement resulted in a strict beating. No parents want this to happen or see their child like this but everyone was helpless against the power in control.

They pushed me into the dark confinement where I couldn't even try to sit properly. I usually use this time as a meditation and self-reflection but today was not my day as it seemed.

Around 15 minutes later, I heard some noise.

“Ahhh, leave me. W-what ar- ahhh”

It sounded like a girl trying to get away from something.

“Shut Up, breaking rules on your first day? What were you thinking?”

It was a faculty teacher who said that as she was struggling to put that girl inside.

There was one more faculty teacher as I heard 3 footsteps there.

The girl tried her best to get away from the teacher but it was not futile. Later the confinement next to me was shut and I could hear bangs in it.

“Hello? Can someone just take me out pleaseee? Can anyone hear me ?”

She kept on yelling. At first, I thought of just ignoring but she was getting on my nerves. And when she said something once more I yelled.

“Can’t you just shut the fuck up? Your voice is annoying me.”

I guess she was startled by it and screamed in shock.

(What was the girl thinking? Yelling around and then getting shocked when she got a response)

Before I could ask her anything I heard a loud thud as if something had fallen.

“Oi, you okay ?” I asked. But I got no response.

I decided to go out and check, of course, coming outside your confinement period was strictly prohibited but maybe this was excusable. I'd say that I thought it was an earthquake as I heard something fall that made a huge noise.

Upon coming out I saw that the confinement next to me was on the floor face first. I tried to pick it up and heard the girl crying in it.

“Stop crying. Let me pick it up, " I reassured her.

“O-Okay” she was still sobbing.

I picked it up and opened the door where stood the same girl who fell face first, now twice, during my confiscation. If she's here then does that mean she's a student?

Before I could ask her anything she glared at me which unknowingly made me take a step back.

“IF YOU COULD OPEN THE DOOR THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU HELP ME EARLIER WHEN I WAS CRYING?”

(“This ungrateful bitch, I helped her yet she’s trying to blame me”)

“Well, you could open it as well if you used your brain. But never mind, the way you were yelling makes it obvious that you are a brainless retard who doesn't even know the rules here. You forgot right ?”

I didn't know how to sugarcoat things but maybe here I did go too far.

“What did you just say? What kind of rule is this? I was only late for the class because it was my first day of school and and-”

“Why don't we calm down first ?” I wasn't able to process whatever she was rambling about and honestly, I wasn't even interested. The faculty member might even come to check so I interrupted her so that she could actually calm down.

When we interrupt people mid-sentence it forms a sense of dominance and pointing something out about their speech makes them shift their attention from their problem or their issues to the thing we said.

It's like getting a strong physical stimulus while feeling any kind of anxiety or fear. That stimulus overwrites the feeling of anxiety or fear. Of course, it doesn't always work and you will make a fool out of yourself if you don't apply it properly.

“You are right”

She seemed to understand what I was saying. Suddenly I heard someone coming our way.

“T-thank-”

Before she could complete I shoved her into the box again and told her to shut up.

“Wh-whaa” she seems to be startled but I can't afford to let myself get caught just because of this girl.

The gate opens to our room and we successfully hide ourselves in that confinement again.

After the teacher left,

“Hey, hey? HEYYYY ?”

“WHAT ?” She is really getting on my nerves.

“I was getting bored”

“Me too, that’s why I am enjoying the silence.”

With this, I tried to end the conversation but fate wanted something else.

“At Least care to tell me your name ?”

“August”

I lied because why not?

“Huh? What a weird name.”

“I know”

“Hmm”

With this, she finally stopped spea-

“Aren’t you going to ask my name? Don't you know how a conversation works?”

(Well don't you introduce yourself first before asking someone’s name ?)

“Haha, what’s your name?” I said with a dead tone in my voice.

“Don't ‘haha’ me. God, you are so rude.”

“If you don't wanna tell your name to the person who helped you then sure, go ahead and keep silent”

I gaslighted her into thinking she was overreacting and being rude, putting her in a guilty state.

“You sure are good with words… it’s Miette”

*phew* “Nice to meet you Miette”

It was finally silent and I could sleep peacefully. I thought of Miette while I tried to sleep. How can she be so stupid to forget about the uniform and even come in late? God

It was finally time for our homeroom so I was taken out of the confinement where I couldn't see Miette anywhere.

(Maybe she left for her class. That girl is sure a hassle. I am glad she isn't in my class.)

I hope I didn't just jinx myself, again.

It was Mr. Lee’s, our homeroom teacher, class. There with him stood the hassle I was talking to about an hour ago.

Mr. Lee was looking at me as what happened today was something that could trouble him but I don't break deals, at least not until I am in dreadful danger.

Miette looked at me and waved.

(Why did she do that? Fuck her. Now everyone is watching me with a weird look in their eyes.)

The first one was Mr. Lee.

“Oh? You seem to have acquired with Reo already I see”

“Reo? Who’s that ?”

(Fuck.)

“Uh, that boy in the third bench by the window. You were looking at him weren't you?”

Both of them were visibly confused along with the whole class. Today is surely one of the most hassleful days of my life.

“ah! He’s my friend, August”

“W-wait… what are you saying?” I had to jump in to stop this misunderstanding from deepening any further.

“August?” Echirou sitting in the front seat said lightly.

“It seems like there is a misunderstanding Miette, this boy isn't August, his name is Reo” Mr. Lee smirked while trying to clarify this fact.

“But he sai-”

“Aren't we getting late for class, teach?” I interrupted to stop this from growing any further in front of the class.

“Ah yes, please take your seat. You can sit with your friend, August over there” he said, trying to make a joke about it while looking at me with hatred in his eyes.

(“Whatever, bring it on you shitty teach”)

“Okay, Sorry for wasting your time guys” she seemed to address the whole class. She’s more mannered than I expected.

After she came to my seat I gave her a fake smile but she looked serious and didn't say anything. Just sat down while slamming the books onto the table and noted down whatever was taught. I wonder if she was imagining the table was me but I don't want to put much thought to it.

After the class was over I turned my head over to Miette to check what she was doing but she was already staring at me. This was probably the first time I looked at her properly. I was frozen. All of our class was also looking at her. She had pitch-black hair and such wide hazelnut eyes. It wasn't a mystery why everyone was looking at her. Her lips were small and perfectly shaped. I never complimented anyone and never even had any kind of romantic relationship with anyone since the last one, which ended two years ago. It's not something I want to talk about so I will skip that. Even though I didn't compliment anyone, she was surely a pretty girl. If she was properly dressed and had done a little bit of makeup she would surely be confused with a model.

“Care to explain? A.U.G.U.S.T???” she seemed pissed at me.

“What's there to explain? You were annoying me and I thought you’d find me again if I gave you my correct name so I just said whatever I felt like at the moment”

Annoyance was dripping off her face.

“WHAT ?” She stood up.

“Sit down first” I unknowingly grabbed her arm and made her sit down. I can feel the bloodlust from everyone around me.

“So you are Reo. HEH, the mid name”

“Yeah yeah, I know” I didn’t say anything else for her to pick up any conversation and we soon became quiet.