Chapter 23 - Twisted Endings

"Hum~ Hum, hum~" Koyuki's currently humming a happy song as she draws something on her sketch book with colorful crayons.

"Haa..." Jun who beside her sighs happily while looking at the photo in his hand with amicable smile, "Yes, a girl with unblemished skin sure is good."

"Wow, that statement is very dangerous, Jun-san." Yōta retorted from his desk.

"You need Jesus in your life!" Someone in the background shouted.

"Oh, shut up, Momoko! Stop with that Jesus thing! You're gonna drive me crazy over here, hearing all of that shit every day!" Jun shouted back at the girl in the background.

"I just want to make sure that you are saved."

"My faith is residing in Loliconia! My soul is already saved! You can't stop me, you overzealous proselytizer!!!"

"James 5:20..."

"NO! GOD!! NOO!!! GOD!!!! PLEASE NOOO!!!!! NOOOO!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!"

"...Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins..."

"NOOOOOO!!! SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE!!!!"

The others ignored the lolicon's scream for help as they simply enjoying whatever they've been doing right now.

They don't want to get into that rabbit hole themselves, they know better to not touch that shit.

So the smartest option for them is just to ignore those two.

And while Jun is cornered by Momoko in the background, Koyuki happily raises her sketch book with big smile before she turns to Yōta.

"Yōta, Yōta."

Yōta, who looks at the bizarre scene of Momoko sermoning Jun in the corner of the classroom, turn his head to Koyuki, "Hai, hai, Yōta desu."

"I'm done with the picture show!" Koyuki smiled brightly before showing her sketchbook to Yōta.

"Oh." Yōta perked up as he turns his body fully in Koyuki's direction, "So it's finally finished, huh?"

Koyuki nods her head repeatedly in excited manner, "Yes! It's Sakakibara Koyuki's 23rd work."

Yōta couldn't help himself to smile at that cute gesture, "What is it like this time, I wonder? Let me see it."

Miyako who'd been stay focused all of this time with her book despite the commotion nearby, perked up as well when she heard that, "I want to see it too."

"Let me join in. I want to see Koyuki's picture show." Kokoro chimed in from the front seat with curious expression on her face.

She loves picture show as she sometimes do the same with shadow puppets in her room.

Kokoro and Miyako moves their chairs and set it on beside Yōta as they start to focus on the sketchbook that Koyuki's been holding right now.

Koyuki smiles at the three of her friends and clear her throat before opening the sketch book that shows a cute drawing of a woman with a book in her hand.

"Okay. Then, let's start. The title is... Twisted Endings."

"Uh-oh..."

"...Ookay...?"

"...I have a bad feeling about this."

The three spectators quite suspicious at the title's name, but despite that they're still trying to humor the sweet girl and continue to look at the sketch book with undivided attention.

Koyuki once again flips the page.

"Tachibana Komako was a famous writer. Her stories never get old. Do you know why?" Koyuki asked with a rare serious face.

Yōta, Miyako, and Kokoro tilts their head at first before shaking it, saying that they don't know the reason.

"She's a fraud."

"How awful." Miyako commented.

"Yeah, that's not nice at all." Yōta said while crossing his arms.

"I agree. I dislike those type of people." Kokoro fanned her face as she covers her scowl with the sleeves of her kimono.

Fraudster is the worst.

"She looks up other people's stories and twists the endings."

"Why do I feel like I know this settings...?" Yōta asked no one else before shaking his head in denial, "Must be my imagination..."

Miyako and Kokoro simply tilts their head in confusion.

"One day, someone named Homura sent Komako a story called Mark Your Territory to her email address."

"... The title is not alarming at all..." Miyako murmured. She somehow feels like she know where this is going.

"Someone sent story called Mark Your Territory to a fraud is indeed not alarming at all..." Kokoro anxiously said.

"She began to imagine what kind of twisted ending she would write for."

"As she wrote the story until midnight, she's been yawning a lot, like a lot for just one day. But she never questions that at all. She thought that she simply tired because all of the work."

"Okay, that's quite alarming..." Yōta purses his lips.

Miyako and Kokoro nods their head in agreement at the same time.

"When she finally almost reached the end of the story, the last two pages were stuck together."

"Uh-oh, that's not good..." Miyako commented while slightly leaning forward.

Yōta who beside her also do the same, "Is it some kind of trap?"

"This happened a lot in mystery-related story." Kokoro stated while fanning her face.

Koyuki smiles at the comment that her friends made. She just loves it when they did that, it simply means that three of them are really pay attention to the story.

That's really mean a lot for her.

She then flips another page, "She carefully opened them. There was a note and it reads..."

"Dear Tachibana Komako,

I knew you would try to twist this story's ending. I would go to the cops, but that's less fun. Instead, I'm poisoning you. Why are you so sleepy? Because it's one of the symptoms. In five seconds, you'll die. Have a great time.

With hate,

Homura

That was the last thing Komako saw before she died. The end."

""What a twist!"" Yōta and Kokoro shouted at the same time as they stumble on their chairs.

Miyako on the other side simply shakes her head, "I didn't expect the dead ending to be honest, but just like the title said, what a twisted endings."

Koyuki giggled happily at her friends' reactions before she closes the sketchbook.

"Fuhahaha!!" A loud laugh entered the class' ears as the classroom's door opened forcefully, "Good morning, everyone! It is Kuki Hideo!"

"Good morning~!" Azumi chimed in from the side, saluting everyone in the class with her usual chirpy manner.

"I give you all the privilege to greet me, my people!"

"Morning~" Koyuki waves her hand with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Hideo-san." Yōta nods and bows his body slightly to greet the Kuki.

Kokoro followed suit but with more refined manner, "You're so noisy as usual, Hideo. But good morning to you as well."

"Morning." And of course Miyako simply nods her head and greet the man quietly.

"Fuhahaha!" Hideo once again laugh as he turns his back to everyone and grins over his shoulders, "You should live your very best, Fushikawa Kokoro. That is Kuki's motto!"

"I'm not a Kuki though?" Kokoro tilts her head.

"Fuha!" Hideo snorts at that, "That's what I thought! Fuhahahaha!" And with that he's leaving a fuming Kokoro behind.

Azumi who watched the whole interaction couldn't helped but to snort in amusement as well.

He played her.

"Mukiiii!!!"

"Yosh, yosh, it's okay..." Yōta moves fast to calm the Fushikawa down as he gives her a comfort pat on top of her head.

"Mukiii, she said..."

"Hehe~ Mukiii~~"

Miyako and Koyuki covered their mouth while giggling at Kokoro's predicament in the background together.

"Fuhaha! Then I shall go to club room first." Hideo suddenly said after Azumi put his bag on his desk.

"Should I come with you, Hideo-sama?" Azumi asked.

Hideo smiles and shakes his head, "There's no need. I just want to check something with the manager, that's all."

"Understood, Hideo-sama." Azumi saluted.

"All right. I'll be going then." Hideo puffs his chest up in pride as he walks outside the classroom.

"Have a safe trip, Hideo-sama!"

Azumi looks at Hideo's gallant figure from the front of the classroom while waving her hand dramatically.

As Hideo's figure finally disappeared from her view, she sighs as her body slightly hunching down.

"Phew... Maids have it tough."

"You're doing a good job, Azumi-san." Yōta commented from the side.

Azumi turns to Yōta and gives him an appreciative smile, "Yeah, thanks. By the way, what's wrong with that Baldie over there?"

The others look at Jun who's currently lying down on the floor with empty looks on his face as if his soul was being sucked out of his body.

His eyes look so lifeless as he holds the picture of a little girl with care and gentle manner in his arms.

It's the only thing that could stop him from being insane.

"Don't worry about him, he's simply being sermonized by Momoko-san like usual."

Azumi stares at Jun with half-lidded eyes before she turns her attention to Yōta and the girls near him.

She smirks and takes Kokoro's seat, "I heard that you went on a date with Shiina and Sakakibara yesterday. How's that going?"

Yōta raises his eyebrows in response to that, "I don't know how you obtained that information, but this is what you can expect from Queen Bee, I guess."

"Oh, stop that, will you?" Azumi groaned as she rests her chin on the palm, "You knew I already washed my hands of the mercenary life, I'm a simple maid right now."

"Simple maid doesn't carry all kind of weapons inside her skirt." Miyako stated while tilting her head.

"And simple maid doesn't know Ninjutsu Arts as well." Kokoro added.

Azumi turns silence for a second before she groans once again, "Fine...! I'm not a simple maid..."

"You're a super maid." Yōta finished her sentence with a chuckle.

"Don't flatter me, jackass." Azumi playfully punches Yōta's shoulder.

"What? I'm just being honest here."

"Stop it, dammit!"

"Don't tell me, you feel embarrassed? Oh wow, great Azumi-sama is feeling embarrassed right now! That's so cute, Azumi-san!"

"That's it!! I'm gonna kick your ass!!!"

And with that, Azumi charges at Yōta with great speed but the Nagakura easily avoids her and starts running around the classroom.

The others look at the two's usual antics and couldn't stop themselves from laughing at the funny scene of Yōta's running erratically from Azumi.

Only Yōta who dared to tease Azumi and come back unscathed from it.

-Scene Change-

The school is now out for today.

While the other students are going home or attending their club activities, Yōta and Kazuko on the other hands are together in the riverbed of Tama River, doing some exercise.

"Raise your hand like this." Yōta instructed as he raised two of his hands while slightly twisting his body to the side and steps one foot in front.

"Like this?" Kazuko followed suit with a perfect posture.

"Yes, you're doing good, Kazuko-chan. Then raise your arms up, give them a shake and bring them back down like this."

"You should relax it when you give them a good shake."

Kazuko nods her head before she followed suit.

She raises her arms high and shake them up and down while twisting her upper body to left and right at the same time.

Yōta smiles at the sight as he do the exercise together with her even though he doesn't need to do it.

It feels appropriate for him to join her rather than let her work alone.

"How long should I do this, Yōkkun?"

"Hm... Do it until the fibers in your arms stretch to a point where it feels like you're flying."

"Alright!"

The pedestrians nearby couldn't helped themselves but to look at the two teenagers in the riverbank weirdly and in amusement.

With how both of them flapping their hands so erratically like that, it's very funny and weird at the same time.

As Yōta and Kazuko happily doing their exercise, someone approached them.

"Well, well, look who it is..." A young man of average height with short dark hair and wears a headband on his head said, "The Young Emperor and Tenmōko are together... So the rumors are true, after all, you two are a thing, huh..."

Behind him, there was 20 or more thugs with all kind of weapons in their hands.

They start surrounding Yōta and Kazuko.

"Who the fizzity-yuck are you?" Yōta asked, ignoring the statement of he and Kazuko are a thing.

"I'm the fizzity-yuck Kōga—Shut the fuck up!!" Kōga answered but stopped himself as he stomps the ground underneath angrily. He can't believe he just fall for thay shit.

"What rumors are you talking about? A thing? What a thing?" Kazuko asked in curious manner as she tilts her head cutely and she also still doing the exercise without stopping.

Kōga turns his head to Kazuko and try to explain it to her, "You know, a thing? Like that kind of thing, you know...?"

"Huh?"

"...Huh?"

The two idiots now are looking at each other as if they both don't know what they're talking about right now.

At least for Kazuko, she really doesn't know what Kōga was talking about.

And because he doesn't expected that Kazuko doesn't know what he means, Kōga become confused as well on what he's talking about.

Yōta and the other thugs are facepalming at the same time upon witnessing that.

"Who cares anyway!!" Kōga suddenly yelled as he stomps the ground in anger, "I've been given an order to bring you both back with me, so would you like to stay and play with us for a bit?"

"No, I don't want to. You're not my friend." Yōta cooly retorted Kōga while still doing the same exercise as well.

"Could you both like stop doing that stupid thing while I'm talking here!?" Kōga once again angrily yelled at Yōta and Kazuko.

In response to that the two of them simply tilt their head confusedly at the same time and ignore Kōga.

It ignites him as he explodes in anger.

"DIE!!!"

Kōga charges at Yōta and throws an upwards kick at him, but the Nagakura simply steps backward to avoid the kick.

Yōta then dodges every Kōga's kick and also the thugs who's trying to sneak attack him from behind at the same time.

Kazuko on the other side also avoid the thugs who's trying to catch and attack her.

Everytime Kōga was about to deliver a kick, Yōta would step his other foot to makes Kōga off balance for a second and miss his target.

His kick would always landed on the thugs nearby.

"Stop moving around!"

"Why should I? You're not my friend."

"Gah!! Stop saying that!!"

"I don't want to. You're not my friend."

"Are you making fun of me!?"

"No, I'm not. You're not my friend."

"RAAAGGGHHH!!!"

Kōga once again charges at Yōta and perform a spinning kick in rage.

In response to that, Yōta kicks the ground to propel himself backward to avoid the kick and another sneak attack from one of the thugs.

While moving backward, Yōta casually push the thug who's trying to sneak attack him earlier with his foot, and it results in Kōga's spinning kick landed on the thug's head.

It's powerful enough to blow him far into the river.

"Wow, nice kick, man."

"Heh. I'm Kōga the Kicker, of course my kick is good!" Kōga rubs the bridge of his nose proudly before he realizes something, "...Waitaminute! You just make me kick my underling!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, man. Are you high or something? You know, you shouldn't do drugs. That's not good for your health."

"Goddamn you!"

As Yōta was having fun on playing Kōga this entire time, Kazuko on the other hand masterfully dodged every thugs' attack and counterattacking them with a swift punch while doing her exercise.

She can feel her punch is getting faster when she throws it to the thug nearby.

This exercise indeed useful as a fundamental for her upper body and arms' muscles. It gives her the explosive power to deliver a sharp and fast punch.

Yōta is certainly know how to train people.

She then smiles brightly as she starts to pick up her pace in her footstep.

While utilizing Color of Observation, she easily dodges every attacks that the thugs throw at her and delivers a devastating counter attack.

She already defeated 13 thugs by now, she doesn't even need to use her naginata against these bums.

Meanwhile Kōgais still angrily attacking Yōta in the background, he's currently being blinded by anger as he doesn't realize that he already kicked the shit out of all of his underlings accidentally by now.

Yōta all of this time had been guiding Kōga to attack his own underlings by using his rage to the Nagakura's advantage.

It's always easy to manipulate someone who can't control their emotions properly like this and misguide them to do whatever you wanted.

It's not take that long until Kōga realized that he's the only one left right now, as all of his underlings are either unconscious or dragged down somewhere by the river.

"What?" Kōga voiced out his confusion when he looks around.

Yōta and Kazuko doesn't waste the chance and jumps at Kōga at the same time, delivering a super combination combo at him.

They both punches and kicks him in every place they could, not missing anything, even his crotch is not safe at all.

They then finished him off with double roundhouse kicks that blows him far into the sky.

"What an idiot." Yōta murmured under his breath before he turns to Kazuko, "Okay, Kazuko-chan. Let's continue our exercise."

Now that no one will disturb their time anymore, Yōta resumes his lessons to his favorite student.

"Yes, Sensei!"

"We'll run around the town like this now. Let's go!"

"Aye aye!"

As they were about to start their jog, Kazuko looks down on the unconscious thugs that's lying around the riverbank with confused manner, "Anyway, who are these people again, Yōkkun?"

Yōta hummed and shrugs his shoulders, "Dunno. But that Kicker-Giggity said he was given an order to bring both of us back with him, so there must be someone behind this."

"I wonder what they want from us?" Kazuko tilts her head curiously.

"Meh, I think they just want to invite us to their group or something." Yōta replied with a sour face, "You know, thug's life? They beat the rival gangs, gaining a respect for that and they can recruit more new members."

"Is that how it works?"

"Yeah. Grand Theft Auto taught me that."

"Ooooh~"

And just with that, both of them leave the unconscious thugs behind in the river bank as they start to jog around the town.