80 Order's Appeal

Disappointment seeped into Shujinkou as he walked along the exterior of his school. He knew probably shouldn't have let that emotion in, but he couldn't help it. Ever since Mali easily turned his plan against him yesterday, all he could think about was how he would find another chance to talk to her without her turning the tables on him. But despite spending hours upon hours trying to find a solution to his current dilemma, he just couldn't find one.

A solemn sigh brushed past his lips before he deciding to continue his contemplations.

"GROSS!" that high-pitch declaration was more than enough to drag Shujinkou away from his thoughts. He quickly locked towards the direction of the screams and noticed two girls running towards him. As they grew closer, Shujinkou noticed terror plastered across their faces. To him, their faces were comparable to someone who just saw the Grim Reaper or an equivalent scary figure. All he could think about as he watched them run into the school was what could have possibly scared them so much.

"Spiders sure are scary, huh, Senpai," the young man felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he heard that familiar carefree voice. Slowly and cautiously, Shujinkou turned around to find Mali brightly smiling at him. From her hands, he noticed a pair of spiders dangling from her fingers. "Even paper machete variations of them can do the job if you handle it just right."

"Mali…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he tried to think of what he could say. He wanted to say that she shouldn't have done such a thing, but…

"What? I only promised Senpai to stop doing things yesterday. Senpai didn't say forever," Mali reminded him

"I know. It's just that…"

"You stop you would have already convinced me to stop yesterday too," Mali interrupted. The glee from her face made it all too clear she enjoyed rubbing his failure in his face.

He once again felt disappointment seep into him as he considered his position. In fact, he was beginning to think that perhaps he should accept the feeling of disappointment. Perhaps he should welcome it warmly and provide it the red carpet treatment.

"Senpai's also cute when he's disappointed. I bet it's the same for all the other emotions," Mali giggled as she brushed past Shujinkou.

He just didn't have it in him to say anything more and couldn't think anything to prevent Mali from leaving. No, it wasn't that. Deep down, he let her leave. She had once again defeated him and had no choice but to accept his loss.

At the rate things were going, he knew that it wouldn't be long until Mali completely had the upper hand in their relationship. Along with the fact that she's continuing her pranks, Shujinkou knew that there was only one thing he could do.

"I need some advice," he concluded.

Later that afternoon, once the lunch bell rung, Shujinkou darted out of his seat and wasted no time in tracking down the person he knew could help him in his hour of need.

"You're asking me for advice?" surprise was plastered all over Natsuki's face as she stared at Shujinkou. She just couldn't believe that the person in front of her, of all people, was asking for her assistance.

"Yeah," Shujinkou confirmed.

"Why?" she instinctively asked.

"Because I can't talk to Mali without her putting me off-balance."

"But, why me?"

"Because, you're always able to speak your mind no matter what the situation is."

It was at that point where the surprise on Natsuki's face was quickly traded for annoyance. "So, what you're saying is you always thought of me as someone who can't stop voicing their opinions even when the situation doesn't call for it?"

"Huh? No. No. It's just that… What I mean is… Um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he continued to fumble over his words. "Honesty, There are a lot of times I wish could be more vocal about my own opinions. One of the things that I've always respected about you is how you have no issues doing that."

"Wh-!" Natsuki's cheeks immediately grew rosy red as she processed what she was told. She silently stared at Shujinkou before suddenly crossing her arms in a huff. "Sheesh, I was just joking. You didn't have to say something like that. You can seriously be a dummy sometimes."

"Like right now," Shujinkou chuckled.

"Hmph," a small smile flashed on Natsuki's face. "…So you're basically asking me how you can talk to Mali without her getting to you right?"

"Yeah."

"It's actually really simple. You know how she is so all you got to do is not let her get to you."

"That's easier said than done."

"Yeah, that's because she thinks she can push you around. Look, Shujinkou, I know being nice is your thing, but there's a difference between being nice and being a pushover. You can't let her think you're a pushover, especially since you're not."

"I'm not?"

"Of course not," a grin full of pride planted itself on Natsuki's face. "After all, you always shrugged off the harsh things I've said to you so I know you can handle what Mali can throw at you."

"I guess… But there's still the whole getting her not to run off thing," Shujinkou pointed out.

"Good point…" Natsuki sighed.

Memories of how Mali left the club yesterday caused a heavy atmosphere to form between them.

"What's with you two?" that simple question easily dispersed the atmosphere as a familiar figure approached them.

"Kiyoko," Shujinkou couldn't help but feel amazed that despite the curious expression on her face, she was able to exude a calm and casual atmosphere.

"We were just thinking about how to keep the school prankster in one place for long enough," Natsuki answered.

It was amazing how Shujinkou came for advice for one problem, he found himself having to consider another problem that he forgot. He spent so much time focusing on how to converse with Mali that he didn't think about how he would keep her in one place for long. Deep down, he just knew it was going to take hours to come up with someth-

"I got it!" Shujinkou suddenly blurt out.

"Already?!" surprise was once again plastered all over Natsuki's face as Kiyoko playfully shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll invite her to a place that no one usually leaves quickly; someone's house," Shujinkou explained.

"Who's place though?" Kiyoko asked.

"Huh? Oh, um… I guess my place," Shujinkou answered.

"Really?" Natsuki chimed in. Her expression suggested annoyance, but her eyes seemed to possess a hint of worry. "You want to invite the girl who wasted no time in torturing you to your house?"

Shujinkou silently scratched his right cheek as he pondered Natsuki's point. It was indeed a risk to show Mali his home. Even so… "Well, it's not like I have anywhere else I could take her to. Anywhere else would make it too easy for her to give me the slip."

"How about my place?" Kiyoko suddenly suggested.

Shujinkou and Natsuki were taken aback by such a suggestion. Despite the fact Kiyoko knew who they were trying to devise a plan for; she was still able to make such a proposition in such a carefree manner.

"Are you sure, Kiyoko?" Shujinkou questioned.

"Sure. I doubt she has any interest in me so using my place should be good," Kiyoko assured him. "In fact, just to make it more convincing, how about we invite everyone over?"

A wry smile crossed Natsuki's face. "I can hear it now…"

She suddenly moved closer to Shujinkou and shot him a bright smile. "We should totally do it, Shujinkou! Going to Kiyo's place will be so much fun!"

Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. He was pretty sure that was exactly what Sayori will say when she's informed of this plan. "I just hope this one works. Mali is a really clever person."

With a new plan in mind, all Shujinkou had to do was wait. Anticipation and worry built up in him as he counted the bells until the final one of the day. Once he heard the final bell, Shujinkou quickly gathered his things and immediately made his way to Mali's classroom. As he had hoped, she was still there.

"Hey, Mali," he waved as he approached the first-year student.

He didn't receive a response as he stepped in front of her desk. Curious as to what had had her attention; he glanced down and noticed her drawing on a tiny piece of paper

"What are you doing?" Shujinkou asked.

"Just designing something, Senpai," Mali answered, before suddenly stuffing the paper in her coat pocket. She then glanced up at Shujinkou and smiled. "So, what's Senpai's strategy today?"

"No strategy," Shujinkou assured her as scratched his right cheek. "A friend of mine invited me and my other friends to their house and I wanted to know if you wanted to come too."

"Really? I would have thought Senpai would have wanted to keep me away from his social life."

"So, that's a no?"

"Hmm…" Mali's eyes meticulously scanned Shujinkou from head to toe, causing the young man to feel a bit nervous. Once her curious eyes landed on his, a big, innocent smile stretched across her face. "Okay, Senpai! I'll accept your invite."

"In that case, we got to meet them at the front of the school before Natsuki gets mad at me for taking too long," Shujinkou began to wonder if he really needed to say that last part like Natsuki insisted she did.

Once at the front of school, Shujinkou noticed that the group was missing a member.

"Where's Fuyu?" he asked.

"She said that she had a lot of work to do," Monika answered. "I guess the sudden schedule change may have given her a lot more stuff to do on top of the other jobs she has to take care of."

"What other jobs does Fuyu have to do?" Sayori queried.

"Since she's the only member of the Student Council, she has to the jobs others would usually like to do. Not to mention she doesn't have a secretary or vice-president to help lower the workload."

"Wow, Fuyu's really a hard worker," Sayori noted.

Shujinkou thought back to the offer Fuyu made him to become Vice-President and how she gave him the job of student ambassador. He was beginning to wonder whether if those moments occurred because she had a heavy workload.

From the corner of eyes, he noticed Rei staring at him. But before he could say anything, Mali said, "Shouldn't we be going now?"

"Ask and you shall receive," Kiyoko replied with a chuckle.

Kiyoko began to lead the group to her home.

"Hey, Kiyo, what's your place like?" Sayori suddenly asked.

"Um, just like anyone else's," Kiyoko casually answered. "I live there, I relax there and sleep there like everyone else does at their house."

"Have you ever invited anyone over before?" Yuri asked.

"Not really. Never had a reason too," Kiyoko answered.

"Are you sure Senpai isn't a womanizer?" Mali asked.

"Wh-?!" Power drained from Shujinkou the moment Mali brought up his old fear.

"What makes you say that?" Kiyoko asked Mali.

"Because all of Senpai's friends are really cute girls," Mali pointed out.

"I don't know, Mali. I'm pretty sure a womanizer wouldn't socialize with someone who nailed him in the head with a basketball several times," Mali chuckled as she glanced at Shujinkou. "I bet you're happy that I'm no longer on the Basketball team."

Shujinkou chuckled in response. Despite her casual response, he knew that it was just her way of deflecting Mali's malicious question away from him, a fact that he deeply appreciated.

"Anyway, we should be coming up on my place soon," Kiyoko continued.

"Really?" Sayori looked around their immediate area. There was nothing but lantern poles and a large building.

"Right there," Kiyoko answered, pointing at the large building.

"Whoa!" the group exclaimed as they laid eyes on the residence that Kiyoko pointed out to them. To their absolute shock, it wasn't a house; it was an inn.

"T-That's your place?!" Natsuki sputtered.

"Yeah," Kiyoko nonchalantly answered.

The group soon followed her past the giant front gate that guarded the building, their eyes darting across the landscape as they tried to fathom the fact that all of it was Kiyoko's.

"Is this place really yours, Kiyo?" Sayori asked, her eyes sparkling with amazement.

"Yeah," she answered. Her casual attitude constantly contrasted the others shocked attitude.

"How?" Natsuki asked. Her voice made it clear that she really needed that question to have an answer.

"Well, my grandparents owned it and gave it to me instead of my parents when they passed away. Then my parents passed away, leaving me no choice but to move in here," Kiyoko explained.

"No choice? She makes it sound like a bad thing," Natsuki thought. Envy was beginning to well up in her, until surprise quickly pushed it aside, "Wait, did she just say her parents and grandparents are dead? And in her usual casual way?"

Natsuki wondered how she could have done that, something Shujinkou had been wondering himself since summer vacation. But as he once again pondered that question, he also realized something about Kiyoko's invitation.

"Maybe this was another reason Kiyoko suggested her place. Who would be in a hurry to leave here so soon?" Shujinkou theorized.

They soon walked inside and dropped their things at the door on Kiyoko's playful insistence.

"This inn has a calming atmosphere to it," Yuri noted.

"I guess that makes sense since this is Kiyoko's place," Shujinkou replied.

"Yeesh, first it turns out your grandmother owns a popular resort, then Kiyoko has her own personal inn…" the shock and disbelief that Natsuki felt could not be contained. "Does anyone else have anything shocking to casually reveal?"

"Umm… Did you know that lockpicking is actually easier than you think it is?" Mali asked with an innocent grin.

Such a question was all it took to unnerve most of the guests.

"So, I guess I should probably give you guys the grand tour," Kiyoko said before leading the group further in. "To your left is the living room."

The guest glanced into the living room. Like any other it had a couch and TV, along with a few bean bag chairs.

"To your right further down is the kitchen," Kiyoko continued.

The kitchen was as they expected an inn's kitchen to be, spacious and clean.

"Upstairs is just a bunch of rooms for people to use and outside there's a lot of space to stretch out along with housing a bird house, having a hammock and a spring."

"A spring?" Monika eye's slightly widened with surprise.

"Yep. The place was built around a natural hot spring," Kiyoko answered.

"And the comparisons get stronger," a small smile crept on Natsuki's face as she pointed this out..

"Anyway, those are the highlights," Kiyoko said with a shrug. "Any questions?"

"Can you think we can get some snacks now?" Sayori asked.

Don't just ask for someone else's food like that!" Natsuki snapped. "It's rude!"

"But it's my usual snack time," Sayori whined.

"It is her usual snack time," Shujinkou agreed.

"Don't defend her, Shujinkou. The enabling not going to do her any favors in the long run," Natsuki replied.

Suddenly, a loud growl sounded throughout the room, surprising everyone. They followed the direction of the sound to Rei's stomach. Despite her clear hunger, she was still sporting the same blank expression as always.

"She's still a rock…" Shujinkou chuckled as he scratched his right cheek.

With Kiyoko's permission, the guest proceeded to get their snacks and followed their host to the living room. Kiyoko wasted no time in plopping herself on one of the beanbag chairs and turning the TV on. Following her example, her guests sat on the other bean bag chairs and began to eat their snacks.

"Anyone ever wonder why the living room is called the 'living' room?" Shujinkou suddenly asked.

"Huh? Where did that come from?" Natsuki shot a surprised look at Shujinkou.

"I was just curious. It's called a living room but no one lives in it," he explained.

"Actually, there's a fairly interesting story behind the name," Yuri spoke up.

"Really? What is it?" Kiyoko questioned.

"Well, back during the Victorian Era, the room we know as the Living Room was actually known as the "Death Room" Yuri answered.

"Death room?" Sayori's eyes widened with surprise.

"Mm-hmm," Yuri nodded. "It played an important part during the funeral rituals of the 19th century. It was where the deceased's family members were arranged for the last visits before the oblivion of the tomb. For that reason, it was given the name 'Death Room'.

Before the end of the nineteenth century the space of the house was then renamed as "Living Room", a real oxymoron compared to the previous definition, all Victorian, of 'Death Room', where post-mortem photographs were often made.

With the improvement of the conditions of treatment of the dead and the decrease in the number of deaths, the Ladies Home Journal, in 1910, suggested that the living room was no longer a room of death, and that it would be appropriate to call it living room. The term has since become widespread, and the room became known univocally as 'living room', losing the english word 'death; that characterized it, of course, negatively."

"Huh," Kiyoko casually replied before returning to her snack.

"That's… surprisingly dark," Natsuki finally said.

"It's surprisingly awesome," Mali grinned. "Who knew such a boring room had a cool backstory?"

"Well, I guess it is kinda a décor question," Shujinkou smiled as he scratched his right cheek. "Should've known that you had the answer, Yuri."

"It's nothing impressive… Just some info I ran into…" a small smile formed on the young maiden's face as she begun playing with her hair.

Mali silently watched Yuri continue to play with her hair as a small smirk flashed on her face.

"That's two…" she thought.

"So, Mali…" snapping out of her thoughts, Mali turned her attention to Monika. "How are you enjoying your first year at our school?"

"I like it. The other students are fun to mess with," Mali answered with an innocent smile.

"Speaking of which… How come no one even knows that you're the pranker other than us?" Natsuki asked.

"Well, the first reason is because no one looks up or down that much," Mali replied, turning her attention to Shujinkou. "Senpai, can account for that."

"Uh…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek as he recalled the trap Mali laid for him a few days earlier. "She's got me there."

"As for the second part…" Mali Quickly turned her attention to Rei before continuing, "She caught me."

Rei silently glanced up from her snack as all the eyes in the room locked on to her. She briefly exchanged glances with everyone before returning to her snack.

"I was in the middle of rigging the tennis machine to shoot marshmallows until I noticed her watching me," Mali continued. "I tried to talk my way out of the situation, but she didn't really respond to what I said."

That single admittance was all it took for a proud smirk to stretch across Natsuki's face.

"Way to go, Rei," she congratulated.

"After that, Ms. President showed up and I turned myself in," Mali said with a surprise on her face.

Her happy attitude and explanation of her capture confused the Literature Club. They couldn't tell what was more shocking.

"I followed her to her office and she tried to make a deal with me. She promised that she wouldn't reveal that I was the one pulling pranks if I agreed to stop," Mali continued. "Of course I said no, so she instead tried to strike another deal; either I agree to spend time with an upperclassman or she would have no choice but to expel me."

"What?!" Shujinkou imagined his jaw hitting the floor as he processed what he just heard.

"Oh yeah… She didn't want Senpai to know that part," Mali giggled.

That giggle added to the pressure the new information gave him. If he failed at getting Mali to stop her pranks, she was going to get expelled.

"I get it," Sayori's eye lit up. "Fuyu decided that the only one up for the job to save the school and keep you from getting expelled was Shujinkou."

"Save the school? I never realized that Senpai was such a respected figure," Mali said.

"I'm nowhere close to being a respected figure," Shujinkou replied. "Let alone to that level."

"Don't say that, Shujinkou. You're respected," Monika assured him.

"I certainly respect you," Kiyoko chimed in.

"Really?" Shujinkou was surprised to hear that. He didn't really know what Kiyoko thought of him, so hearing that she respected them was a little too hard to believe.

Kiyoko turned her head at Shujinkou and smiled. That smile was all it took to alleviate his disbelief.

Suddenly, he felt an alarming feeling in his body.

"Hey, Kiyoko? Where's the bathroom?" he awkwardly asked.

Kiyoko gave him the instructions he need and Shujinkou wasted no time rushing to the desired destination. He breathed a solemn sigh as he let nature take his course.

"Expulsion? If I don't get Mali to stop, she'll really get expelled?" thinking about all the pranks Mali had pulled, there was no doubt that expulsion would usually be the only course of action to take. "Fuyu must have not wanted to put pressure on me? But if Mali is going to get expelled, then I better try and convince her while I still have a chance."

A newfound sense of determination coursed through his body as he washed his hands. He then dried his hands and walked out of the bathroom.

"Senpai," a sharp chill shot up Shujinkou's spine as he heard his given nickname. He immediately turned around and found Mali smiling at him. "Senpai's pretty clever to invite me to a place no one would want to leave so soon."

"I knew she knew this whole time…" Shujinkou weakly chuckled as he thought this.

"Senpai must be pretty desperate if he's going to such lengths right off the bat."

"I wouldn't say desperate, it's just that…"

"You want to convince me to stop pulling pranks as soon as possible?" Mali interrupted.

"Well, yeah. You've kinda been terrorizing everyone with your pranks. How would you feel if someone pulled these kinds of pranks on you?" Shujinkou questioned.

"It would feel expected," Mali answered.

Shujinkou's eyes widened with surprise. He did not expect such an answer, nor did he expect it to come in such a nonchalant manner.

"But don't you think that some of your pranks are a little too… harsh?" Shujinkou asked.

"Most likely," Mali replied.

"…But don't you care that innocent strangers are having their days ruined for no good reason?"

"I doubt that's the case."

He couldn't believe how easy Mali was shrugging off his questions. It was like she was both cynical and lacked empathy. Such a combination led Shujinkou to only one conclusion. He was a bit nervous to ask, but he had to know.

"…Mali… Do you… Do you not like other people?" Shujinkou questioned.

A look of surprise landed on the young girl's face as she silently stared at Shujinkou. In no time at all, an intrigued smile stretched across her face as she slowly approached her senpai.

"You know… most people I know are pretty boring, but Senpai's proven to be very interesting," she said.

Standing on her toes, Mali raised herself closer to Shujinkou's face as she pressed her breasts against his chest. His face turned bright red as he tried to endure this sudden close interaction Mali had imposed on him.

"As usual, Senpai's really cute when he nervous," a smirk of superiority crossed her face as she continued to push her breasts into him. "Senpai really wants me to stop pulling pranks, right? How come?"

"Be-Because you're making things uncomfortable for everyone else," Shujinkou stammered, trying his best to say composed.

"Is that really the reason?" Mali questioned. "Are you sure it's not because you don't want to fail the task you were given? Or maybe you just want to guarantee that you're not a target anymore?"

"Well, it would be nice not to be a target anymore, but it would also be really nice for others not to suffer for no good reason," Shujinkou answered.

Mali's face inched closer and closer to Shujinkou's as she curiously gazed into his eyes. Her curious gaze was then replaced with a smile. But unlike her other ones, this one was genuine. "Senpai is definitely interesting."

She giggled as she slowly stepped back from Shujinkou. "Okay, Senpai, I'll stop pulling pranks."

"Really?" though those were the words he wanted to hear, he couldn't help but feel suspicious over how genuine they were. After all, he had heard them before.

"Yep. I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize spending more time with Senpai," Mali explained with her usual innocent smile.

"Um…" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Once again, he found himself at a loss of words. But unlike the other times, it was because something good happen.

Suddenly, he felt Mali's arm wrap around his before she led him down the hall. "Come on, Senpai. You wouldn't want to keep the potentials waiting, do you?"

"Potentials? What's that mean?" Shujinkou questioned.

Mali giggled before answering with, "Senpai's so blind. This is going to be fun."