Chapter 2: A Fateful Encounter

"Aoki-kun, May I ask what are you doing here?", Said Misao-kun to the person with a black hoodie and cloak by shadows casually, Whilst signaling both Sora and Kei to get ready for a fight with a faint finger snap with they surprisingly noticed and act accordingly.

With the air filled with tension between the monster-like human that's name Aoki, and Misao. Both students are staring glaringly to each other's eyes, like one is waiting for the other to act first.

Whilst this was happening, I, still shooked from the voice that just came to me, seconds ago, can't even think of an escape route even though I know if I don't, I would trap myself in the fights of insane people with probably zero percent of escape.

But before I could have time to think, Misao open his mouth and ask:

"What are you really waiting for, Aoki-kun? You're the one that comes to us, right? Are you really that scared to fight us?"

.....

Not even a single word was uttered by that monster that shapes like a human, name Aoki, with pure silentness fills the air and the situation is getting more and more tense, with both of them still staring at each other's eyes and straight to their souls, with not even a single one blinks.

I know that I need to go from here as quickly as possible to even have a shot to get out of this situation alive.

"Aoki-kun, did you finally notice that you're weaker than us three combine, did you just realize that just no-", Taunts Misao when it suddenly stops out abruptly by something that's probably not even expected by him.

After that, I felt a sting sensation on my left cheek, in which, reflexly, I try touching it and it's gotten worse than what I felt seconds ago.

But before I even have the time think what's this sensation is, a sound, that I feel is right beside my left ear, says to me with a whispery and calm voice:

"I suggest you to run before I accidentally kill you, Izu-san"

Right after that, I look at where the source of the sound is, and thinking, "𝘏-𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?". With the revelation that Aoki is right besides me and just scratch my cheek, my mind is scrambling for one question that I can't answer which is: "𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦?".

With the feeling that I want to faint at any moment just because the fear that's enveloping me at that point.

I'm getting myself ready and run away from the sitting position that I was in and continue to run as quickly with the energy that I still have, with the sounds of clashing sword and bow heard from my back as I make distance from that area.

As I sprint, I heard blood curdling screams everywhere of a boy or a girl in the dorm with a sinister laugh right behind it which also came from the both gender.

I tried to close my ears, but it's no use, the screams still traveled it ways to my head and my eyes started watering from the nightmares and worst possible scenarios all playing in my head, and with me beginning to hope that all of this was just a bad dream.

Until I finally lean on one of the walls and try to catch my breath.

"Huff...That was close..." I said to myself after I had calmed down just for a bit while my hand on top of my chest, checking for my heartbeat,

"Looks like it's almost night time...I better find some form of food before I starve myself."

With that objective in my mind, I started to walk again, searching for at least something or someone that's less intense than those four people that I met earlier. With that, I peek on someone right at the corner just because I heard the sounds of footsteps, to which I almost find myself puking to the sight that I see.

"𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥...𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦...?", I think when I saw an unsightly view of walls and roads that's covered in a splat of Red substance, that I tried to think of as not blood, but failed in the process when I saw a pile of corpse that's just lying cold there.

"I...feel I want to puke...Ugh", while I try to hold my urge to puke with my hands holding my mouth and my stomach, I try to walk past the pile of corpses of the past students that lived an hour ago, and accidentally step into a pool of blood.

My body froze after I heard a splash that originated from my feet, after that I try to look at my shoe and there you have a separated finger that's somehow still fresh.

After that, I freak out and scream for a second, and only stop just because someone is on my back, closing my mouth with its bloody right hand.

My eyes, at this points, are glaring with fright and thinking to myself.

"𝘈𝘮...𝘐 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦...?"

That's the only thing that pass through my mind while my eyes blacking in and out from either the smell of blood or the feeling of starvation.

"There's so much things...That I need to do before this..."

I said to myself with tears running down my face, and trying to hold the pain of a knife that will probably come and thrust my body at some point.

But that knife, it never came, and instead a whisper was heard behind my neck followed by a warm breath of air from someone's breathing.

"Sssst, Don't scream you idiot"

"𝘚-𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮?", For a little moment there, I was perplexed by those words that comes out of a seemingly boy's mouth, after a moment, I calmed down and he finally let go of his hand from my mouth. Promptly, I slap that boy's hand and ask:"Is that even necesarry?".

I'm now looking at him dead in the eye, and analyzing every feature that I see on his clothes and face. This boy is wearing an orange T-shirt with a burning flame picture integrated into the the clothes with blood stains all over it, and also wearing a brown short jeans and a pair of red sneakers.

Looking closer to his face, he has an eye of a raging flame like with brown colour eyes and chaotic orange hair with a lone bangs at the middle of the eye crossed with the dye. I presumed that he's currently wearing an orange dye on his hair.

At first, this boy looked at me in confusion, but after that, he quickly ask me with:"Still not thankful that I saved you from certain death?".

"What's that supposed to even mean?", I retorted to that ridiculous answer.

"Good thing he didn't show up when you're here", responded the boy.

"Huh?", With this ambiguous and also baffling answer, I pressed forward.

"Who's this 'he' that you're talking about?", I ask him.

"It's not your concern, but what are you doing here?".

I notice that he's trying to shift this conversation to a topic that he's more comfortable with, with this, I tried to get more information and ask him.

"Did you perhaps...kill all of the…" I gulp, "students?". With this question, I expect him to either ignore my question or try to switch topics agai-.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" Says the boy to me

"W-What?", I didn't even predict that he's going to be honest about it. Most people would just lie about it if they were asked if they murdered a person or not when they actually murdered a person, but no, he's straight up being honest about it.

After I react like that, he notices that there's something's up with me and ask:

"Are you perhaps new to this type of surroundings?"

With this, I quickly froze and shut my mouth tight. Seeing my reaction, the boy continues:

"I see, so you're that new student that everyone's talking about, I didn't even think that it would be possible to see a new student on this day".

With this, I'm surprised that his gut thinking is quick enough to connect the dots that I'm a new student just based on my reaction, with this, I quickly nod.

And then out of nowhere, he materializes a cup of ramen noodles from the air, with me watching every process of it with sparkling eyes.

"H-How can you even do that" I asked the boy.

Quickly, he scoffed it off with a smug smile and said:"This is the only thing I could do for you, Sorry that I can't help you more", He said as he sent me off to walk alone again on the now night cold streets.

Awkwardly, I walk, continuing the path where I should be going while he's going the opposite way and where I walk earlier before I met him, and after awhile, my mind is left with one question:"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦?".

***

After it feels like a couple of minutes, I finally hide inside a tall building with three floors for shelter in which I'm on the third floor and it's a top floor without a roof.

I sat down and leaned onto one of the walls and ate my ramen noodles quietly, while seeing the night stars.

As I ate the noodles, I found a piece of paper that had the name on it."From Akio Raika" it says. While reading that, I heard footsteps walking behind the door.

With that, I tried to be as silent as possible, with me, even holding my breath to not produce any single sound.

"You've relaxed already?", Said a voice that saved me from a certain danger before this. And before long, he opened the door and I tried to sneak away slowly, but he saw me first.

The boy that open the door has a turned down brown hair with no strain of hair between the eyes and all of the hair slide down to one side of the face side, with a slight oval shaped face, and also has a brown soothing eyes, with wearing a white t-shirt with a black tuxedo and a black trousers and a pair of black sneakers.

"Hello...What you got there?", Ask the boy with a dark voice

"A smoothie?"

I respond as I stop, while placing my ramen cup on the floor, "What do you want?" I asked nicely while I was sweating, fearing that he would do something to me for the payment just because he helped me ten minutes before this.

In which, the boy changed to an apathetic face and said:"In that case, you're clearly lying, and by the way, I've never seen your face before."

After I heard his response, I decided to say:"Y-Yes, I'm a new student here...". With these words, I notice that he doesn't look as surprised as the boy that's called Akio from before, and he replies with.

"Figured", as he swings around a weapon of his that looks like a glock and a knife hybrid, while I cowered in fear, hoping that he doesn't shoot or slash me with it.

And after he's done swinging his weapon with his hand, he finally continues and says:"I thought nobody would be that dumb to fight five students alone without any gadget or help."

"S-So, what do you want from me then?, Keeping me here" I ask him.

"All I want is to help you, that's all", Answer him,"Is there something wrong about helping people in need?"

"No...Not at all", I said, while I tried to calm down just for a bit.

"I heard that you want to explain the 'rules' to me, can you tell me anything about it", I continued with a little bit of a pitiful tone.

With this, he finally remembers and tries to explain it all to me.