Time and Time, Life Will Throw You a Curve Ball (End)

[Kawasaki Saki's POV]

I was sitting at the reception table, needlessly guarding the now-empty class when I noticed how quiet the hall was. Today was Sunday and everyone was busy enjoying the festival, so it wasn't that surprising. Uncharacteristically though, I felt a chill down my spine. I had never been good at horror movies or anything that gave me jumpscares. I contemplated going somewhere but immediately discarded it as I had nowhere to go.

My mind idly thought about what had happened the day before. What Shinobu did to Hachiman was kept secret between Ebina, Miura, and me. It was clear as day that Shinobu fancied Hachiman since day one. She was very upfront about it. However, we could agree that none of us had expected her to be that bold. Hachiman's reaction told me that they weren't an item as he was equally baffled. He took care of the situation very calmly, though, so I wondered if they became an item afterward.

"Well, aren't you deep in thought, young lady?"

"Gah!"

I jumped up in fright when I noticed someone's face just a mere inch from mine. The person smiled in amusement as he pulled his head back and stood straight. I observed the man and took in his appearance. He had short brown hair, black eyes, a face that you would consider attractive, and fair skin. Dressed in a black suit, coupled with his facial expression, the man looked mysterious and mischievous.

"Who are you?" I hissed.

"Me? Let's just call me… Ah, yes. I'll go with that. Call me Messenger-san," the man answered cryptically.

"Piss off. I will scream if you do anything stupid."

"What if you scream, though? Will it help you?"

The man's genuine curiosity made my blood run cold. The man was either not planning to do anything or confident that he would get away with whatever he wanted to do. Judging by the glint in his eyes, I was afraid it was the latter. I immediately dashed to the stairs, but the man didn't chase after me. I was slightly relieved and hoped that it was just a silly prank done by an unemployed adult who had too much time on his hands.

I was about to reach the intersection when my feet couldn't feel the ground. I was lifted and then slammed into the wall. I whimpered slightly in pain but couldn't scream as I found myself paralyzed by fear. The man's black eyes were now shining in malice. He was pinning me against the wall and I couldn't resist.

"You have a unique sent, you know? Just smelling you from afar makes my mouth water."

His words made me tear up silently. All of the training I had done and the number of moves I had mastered were useless before him. I could only whimper pathetically as he put his hand on my neck. I could feel his sharp nails touching my skin. How pathetic of me to lose my purity this way, at school no less.

"Whatever you want to do, I suggest you stop," a familiar voice said, making me open my eyes hopefully.

"Hachiman…" I whimpered.

Hachiman's face contorted as he approached us. The man, instead of letting go of me, smiled maniacally at Hachiman. Then, I felt something piercing my neck. When I gasped, Hachiman kicked the man in the face, removing him from me. The force behind that kick was inhuman as I could feel the wind of the impact crash into my face.

Hachiman immediately turned to me and cursed. He swiftly put his hand on my neck, making me flinch. It was at that moment that I registered the fact that it was bleeding. Panic washed over me but Hachiman's hand that was on my head calmed me down immediately. I looked into his eyes and found them shining radiantly in their red color.

"Well, well, well. That was a strong kick, wasn't it?"

Our attention was taken by the creepy man who was standing up from the ground. His neck was bent at an awkward angle but was quickly getting in place. My face paled at the straight-out-of-horror-movie scene. My fear was amplified when he smirked so widely at us that his face might be split in two.

"Aren't you a bit overprotective toward these blood bags?"

Instead of paying any attention to the man, Hachiman looked at me seriously. "Get away from this and find Shinobu. If anyone other than Shinobu asks you what happened, don't say anything about this weirdo here. Understood?"

Before I could protest, the said weirdo cackled madly. "I have poisoned her blood. She wouldn't be able to live after five minutes. Let alone running away from here."

Hachiman took his hand off my neck and immediately got solemn. I instinctively touched it and only found a slightly wet wound. The blood had stopped. I was about to wonder how that happened when my feet turned jelly.

"There is only one way to save her and you can do that easily," the man exclaimed. "But can you do that?"

Bam!

In the blink of an eye, I found Hachiman holding the hand of the man who was about to pierce my eyes with it. He lifted the man off the floor by yanking his hand, but the man easily regained his footing. Then, a couple of punches and kicks were traded in quick succession. My eyes saw nothing but blurry movements. Before long, a gash appeared on the man's face. He was greatly baffled, so Hachiman exploited the gap in his defense.

Stab!

It was much to my horror that Hachiman's hand easily pierced through the man's body. The man coughed up a mouthful of blood but could still laugh maniacally.

"As expected of that person's creation! You could even easily defeat this old one."

"Shut the fuck up!"

It was my first time seeing Hachiman so emotional. The sheer indignation in his voice was enough to make me feel threatened.

"Well, I think it is time for me to leave." With complete disregard for his survival, the man jumped back to forcefully remove Hachiman's hand, causing blood to pour out of the hole in his stomach. "See you soon, Hachiman-kun! Ah, don't be late lest she dies."

The ground swallowed the man before Hachiman could grab him. Hachiman swept his hair back in frustration before immediately rushing at me. He had a somber look as he inspected my condition. I could also feel the death looming above me, but I was too entranced by his handsome visage to feel scared.

"Do you feel any pain?" he asked with care.

"No. On the contrary, I feel very relaxed," I answered, slurring my speech.

Hachiman chuckled. "I can see that. I guess that's why you are not freaking out."

"Yeah…but you were awesome back then."

Hachiman stared at me silently. He was deep in contemplation. I stared at him in wonder what he was thinking about. When finished his contemplation, he put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me firmly.

"Saki, what I am about to do is going to hurt you slightly and might even change you. However, I will guarantee you will live. What do you think about it?"

"Do it," I said in a heartbeat. "Even if I have to live the rest of my life as a blood maniac, I won't mind as long as I can watch over my siblings and ensure they grow up properly."

A small smile adorned Hachiman's face as he said, "Very well. Then, close your eyes and forget what happened." His red eyes shone brighter and I found myself captivated by them.

"I can close my eyes, but how do I forget what happened?" I asked in confusion.

"What…?" Hachiman seemed taken aback. "It didn't work."

He looked at me awkwardly before shaking his head to maybe get rid of whatever he was thinking. Then, he brought his mouth to my neck, making me go rigid. My body shivered as I felt his breath touching my neck. When he licked the wound on my neck, I felt my cheeks burning. My stomach strangely felt warm and my heart beat like I had just run a marathon.

Without warning, I felt something piercing my neck. I yelped as the excruciating pain overwhelmed me, making me feel more alive than I had ever been. The pain lasted just as fast as it came. When it subsided, I felt something too embarrassing to admit. I would still wince from time to time, but the sensation I felt on my neck made me feel itchy somewhere. I also felt something running through my veins, warming my body up.

Before long, I found myself squirming as I wrapped my arms around Hachiman. He supported my back with his hand as it was no longer touching the wall. My face became hotter and so was the area below my stomach. My whole body tensed and a suggestive moan came out of my mouth. I should have been embarrassed, but I was too occupied by the sensation overwhelming my body. My toes curled and I had the urge to discharge something out of my body. Something came out and my panties were soon drenched. My body soon went limp.

Hachiman pulled away, allowing me to see a trickle of blood on the side of his mouth. He wiped it with his thumb and then sucked on it, flaming my face even further. I couldn't quite understand what happened but knew it was embarrassing. I wouldn't be able to look at Hachiman in the eyes if I could think straight, so I just enjoyed the moment of tranquility while I was still lightheaded.

"You should be fine now."

"Hm."

Hachiman didn't comment on my noncommittal response. I watched as he stood up and then took out his phone. He called Shinobu to come. We spent the time in silence until Shinobu arrived. Shinobu approached me and then shot a forced smile toward Hachiman that promised pain. Hachiman slightly flinched, but I ignored it in favor of meeting Shinobu's wry smile.

"You need a new pair of panties, don't you?"

I nodded dumbly.

===

Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Bowzer

Venerable Immortal Drowz

Venerable Immortal Funéral

Venerable Immortal Keksimus Rex

Venerable Immortal Orion

Venerable Immortal P. Felipe

Venerable Immortal W. M. Jones

Venerable Immortal x_iLaggedOut_x