Lunchtime Talks

Cristina King sat comfortably on a plush couch in her lavish mansion, reading a book, while her husband, Alric King, reclined nearby, idly watching TV. As they relaxed, Alric couldn't help but voice a nagging thought, asking, "Do you get the feeling like we're forgetting someone?" Cristina, not looking up from her book, responded, "Yes, our son still hasn't returned home."

Alric nodded, not overly concerned, and remarked, "That's true. Let's hope he didn't fall down some stairs, drunk, and get stabbed in a fight or something." They shared the sentiment with a hint of amusement, not entirely worried about their son's well-being.

Then, the doorbell rang. Hearing the doorbell, the maid's voice echoed from another room, "I'll get it." Alric King, not taking his eyes off the TV, assumed, "That's probably Richard." Cristina, absorbed in her book, nodded in agreement, saying, "Most likely."

But the tranquility of their evening was abruptly shattered by a scream that made both Alric and Cristina jump to their feet. "That was the maid!" Alric exclaimed. They rushed to the front door to see what happened.

They discovered the maid, standing in shock in front of the open front door, her gaze fixed on something unusual. Approaching her, they saw the source of her scream. Their son, unconscious and bleeding, with his clothes covered in blood. He was being supported by another boy whose clothing was similarly stained with blood and other matter.

The boy wore a calm expression as he inquired, "Are you Richard's parents?" Alric, without responding, rushed to Richard's side, attempting to wake him, while Cristina, her voice trembling, asked, "What... what happened?"

The boy thought for a moment, seemingly unfazed, before offering a misleading explanation, "He got stabbed in a fight while being drunk and then fell down some stairs... also drunk." Cristina was taken aback by this glaring lie, and she retorted, "Do you really expect me to believe that?" The boy, unfazed, simply replied, "Yes."

Alric turned to the maid and instructed her, "Take him up to his room and call the doctor," as he handed over Richard to her. The maid nodded and carried Richard upstairs. Alric then confronted the boy, asking, "If he got injured like that, then what about you, huh?" The boy contemplated for a moment before delivering another blatantly fabricated story, "I also fell down the same stairs drunk and got stabbed in the same fight as him." His obvious falsehood left both Alric and Cristina utterly bewildered.

The boy then bowed before turning to leave, but Alric stopped him, asking, "Wait! Aren't you supposed to be hurt? And what's your name?" The boy, turned around and responded, "I'm not seriously injured, and my name is Miamoto Sasaki." With that, he turned and walked away. Richard's parents decided not to stop him, with Cristina suggesting, "Let's wait until Richard wakes up and ask him what happened." Alric nodded, "Agreed."

**The Next Day**

Sasaki's body had repaired....mostly, *My back hasn't completely healed,* he thought as he strolled through the school towards his classroom. Upon entering the classroom, he quickly noticed that Richard was absent. *Probably taking a day off after that fight,* Sasaki thought as he settled into his seat.

While getting ready for the school day, Sasaki overheard, "Hey, have any of you been able to reach Richard? His phone has been off since last night," Toshiyuki ask Hajime and Shichiro.

"I've tried, but no luck," Shichiro replied to Toshiyuki's question. Hajime chimed in, asking, "What do you think happened with Izanami?" Toshiyuki responded thoughtfully, "I really feel like they broke up." The conversation continued until the teacher entered the classroom, "Everyone to their seats." As the students settled down, the teacher surveyed the room and noticed Richard's absence.

The teacher asked, "Does anyone know why King isn't here?" The students who were familiar with Richard shook their heads, while Sasaki raised his hand to respond.

The teacher nodded at Sasaki, who stood up to provide an explanation. As Sasaki started to speak, Hajime couldn't help but wonder, *How would he know?*

Sasaki began, "He hurt himself by falling down some stairs, and he was also stabbed in a fight." The entire class turned to him, their faces reflecting a mix of confusion and concern. The teacher, equally confused, asked, "Excuse me, what?"

Sasaki began to say again, "He hurt himself falling-" but the teacher stopped him by raising his hand and said, "No, no, I heard that. I'm just shocked? Confused…? Honestly, it's a lot to process, if it's true."

"Sit back down," the teacher instructed Sasaki, who did as such. The teacher then pulled out his phone, intending to contact Richard's parents. He scrolled through his contacts, located Richard's father's number, and was just about to make the call when the classroom door slid open.

"Sorry I'm late," Richard uttered as he entered the classroom, catching everyone's attention.

Richard had a plaster on his face, and several Band-Aids covered some minor injuries. The teacher let out a relieved sigh upon seeing him. Richard appeared relatively unhurt, which raised suspicions about Sasaki's earlier statement. The teacher thought to himself, *I'll need to address the issue of Miamoto's lie later in detention.*

Addressing Richard, the teacher asked, "What happened? You're usually never late, and I was concerned after hearing what Miamoto said." Richard looked at Sasaki and then turned to the teacher, asking, "What did he say?"

The teacher waved Richard off, dismissing the matter. "He claimed you got stabbed and fell down some stairs, which sounded like a bad lie." Richard chuckled in response, "Oh, really? Well, that wasn't a lie."

This statement left both the teacher and the classmates bewildered. The teacher, still puzzled, asked, "Wha-what? What do you mean that wasn't a lie?" Richard calmly proceeded to his seat next to the window, took his place, and elaborated, "Yeah, what Sasaki said is true. I fell down some stairs, after which I got stabbed in a fight. But don't worry, I'm fine. It wasn't all that bad."

The teacher, now even more bewildered, massaged his temples and mumbled, "Okay I... let's just start the class, I suppose." But in his mind, he couldn't help but think, *It has to be a lie, right? sigh They're probably just playing a prank on me.*

**60 Minutes Later**

After the class ended and the bell rang, the teacher announced, "Alright, prepare for English class," and then left the room. Hajime took this opportunity to approach Richard, asking, "Hey, man, what really happened last night?" Richard began to respond, "I already told the teache..." but Hajime interrupted him, saying, "Yeah, I don't buy that story. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, but what happened between you and Izanami?"

Richard let out a sigh and replied, "We broke up, what else?" His tone was quite nonchalant, which made Hajime curious. "You don't sound too upset," he observed.

Richard shrugged and stated, "I'm over it, especially after what happened last night." Before Hajime could dig deeper, the English teacher entered the classroom, instructing everyone to take their seats.

Hajime, before returning to his seat, suggested, "Let's talk during lunchtime." Richard didn't respond, and Hajime made his way back to his seat.

**60 Minutes Later**

As soon as lunchtime began and the teacher left the classroom, students started conversing and moving around. Hajime, Shichiro, and Toshiyuki planned to approach Richard, but they realized he had already left his seat. Shichiro wondered aloud, "Where the fuck did he...?" and then his gaze locked onto Richard, engaged in a conversation with Sasaki. Toshiyuki added, "Wasn't Richard giving Sasaki a hard time yesterday?" Hajime, bewildered by the situation, asked, "What's going on? What the hell happened last night?" Before they could react, Richard exited the classroom with Sasaki, completely ignoring them.

Sasaki followed Richard to the rooftop with the intention of having a conversation, *Most likely about what happened last night* Sasaki thought. He navigated the hallways and staircases, where he noticed some students looking at them with concern. Sasaki found their reactions strange but chose not to dwell on it.

As they made their way, one student whispered to another, "Do you think Richard is going to beat up Sasaki?" The other student responded, "It wouldn't surprise me, considering what happened in the cafeteria yesterday." The first student held their hands together in mock prayer and added, "We'll pray for your survival, Sasaki!"

On the rooftop, Richard leaned against the railing, his gaze fixed on the open sky. He initiated the conversation, "So, what's the deal with what happened yesterday?"

Sasaki joined him, placing his hand on the railing. "It was a fight between me and another Monster of Humanity," he replied matter-of-factly.

Frowning, Richard pressed further, "I get that part, but it seemed like it was planned. What's the story behind that?"

Sasaki rested a hand against his chin, like he was in thought. "It was planned, but I'm not sure if I can share all the details with you."

Richard's anger flared, and he glared at Sasaki. "Yeah, why the fuck not," he said, his tone growing aggressive. Sasaki, on the other hand, remained calm.

"Because if I tell you," Sasaki replied, "your life would be at risk."

Richard stepped closer, his face inches from Sasaki's. "Did you see what I did to that thing? You were about to die to it, while I beat it. I doubt whatever your group is can kill me," he declared defiantly.

Sasaki maintained his composure and calmly stepped back. "You're not weak, but that doesn't matter. The ones who orchestrated that fight are far stronger than me and the man from last night. They have powerful connections, so you can't threaten me into revealing more about them," he explained, offering a simple clarification.

Richard clenched his teeth, clearly pissed off. Sasaki tilted his head, curiosity evident in his eyes. "Why do you want to know so badly?" he asked.

Richard replied, his voice laced with irritation, "How could I not? After seeing what I saw, anyone would be itching to find out more."

Sasaki shook his head in disagreement. "Most people would be traumatized after witnessing last night's fight," he pointed out.

Richard waved off the comment dismissively. "Well, I'm not most people. If you won't tell me now, I'll try later. But I've got other things to keep me occupied," he said.

Sasaki raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, you brought me all the way up here during lunchtime, and I haven't eaten anything yet," he remarked.

Richard seemed unperturbed. "So?" he responded.

Then, Sasaki's stomach grumbled audibly. "So, are you going to buy me lunch?" he asked.

Richard paused for a moment before questioning, "Will you tell me more about what's going on if I do?"

Sasaki let out a soft sigh and replied, "I'll tell you more about what we are." Richard, showing a surprising change in demeanor, put his arm around Sasaki and exclaimed, "I'll treat you to a fucking gourmet!" He started to drag Sasaki towards the cafeteria, leaving Sasaki to wonder, *A gourmet meal at school?*