Unexpected Plans

The cafeteria buzzed with students talking, gossiping, and enjoying their meals. Sasaki, as usual, sat alone at a table, a solitary figure in the midst of the bustling crowd. He was mostly left to his own devices, only ever approached when someone needed something or the teachers called for him. But today was different.

"Here, I brought everything they had on the menu today," Richard said, setting down three trays filled with food. It was an unusual sight, one of the school's most renowned yet infamous students sitting down to eat with him and even buying him lunch. Sasaki examined the trays filled with food and noted, "This is an excessive amount of food."

Richard leaned back, a wry grin on his face. "This is as close to gourmet as I could get at school. So, tell me more about your... species? Is that what I should call you?" While Richard had joined Sasaki for lunch, it was not for free.

Sasaki picked up some utensils and began eating a piece of cake from one of the trays, savoring the sweetness, while Richard tried to wait patiently. He absolutely did not lose his impulsive mind, as he watched someone else eat the meal he had bought and brought to them.

After finishing the cake, Sasaki finally began to speak. "Species sounds appropriate, although I'm not sure if all of us would agree on that term." Richard leaned in closer, hanging onto every word Sasaki uttered.

"So, how does it all work? How did you discover that you're one of these Monsters of Humanity? Did you know from birth?" Richard inquired as Sasaki continued his meal, taking a bite of an onigiri.

Sasaki took a moment to chew his food before responding, "I became aware of my uniqueness at around the age of 5. But when you ask about how it all works, could you be a bit more specific?"

Richard pondered for a moment and then asked, "Alright, let's focus on last night. Your abilities seemed vastly different from the other guy's. What's the reason for that?" Sasaki took a sip of the soda Richard had bought before explaining, "The answer is quite simple. He and I are different monsters."

Seeking more clarity, Richard inquired, "Could you elaborate on what makes you a different kind of monster compared to that other guy?" Sasaki calmly continued his meal, eating the rice as he contemplated how to respond.

Sasaki explained, "Basically, we are monsters that are born into human bodies rather than the ones we are meant to be born into, but we still retain the abilities of our original monster forms." Richard absorbed this information and followed up with a question, "But why are you born into human bodies rather then your own?"

In response, Sasaki threw a question back at him, "Why are you so calm hearing about this?" Richard waved him off, saying, "How about you just answer my question?" Sasaki shrugged before elaborating, "We don't know, but it's been happening since the beginning of humanity, apparently." Perplexed, Richard pressed for clarification, "What do you mean apparently? Don't you have any concrete answers?"

Sasaki took a sip of his soup and replied, "No, everything I told you is secondhand knowledge I learned from someone else."

Richard, sounding a bit annoyed, asked, "Alright, but can you at least confirm that the source you learned this from is trustworthy?" Sasaki replied, "I think he's trustworthy, but I don't know for sure."

With a hint of irritation, Richard let out a sigh and said, "Whatever, tell me how your abilities work." Sasaki, after swallowing a bite of salad, remarked, "That seems like more of a order rather than a question."

Raising an eyebrow, Richard asserted, "I bought you all that food so I can talk to you however I want." Sasaki tilted his head, and Richard thought to himself, *He sure does that a lot.* Sasaki then stated, "I'm not going to be eating all this food, though."

Hearing this, Richard shrugged and said, "I still bought it, so it doesn't matter if you're going to eat it all or not." Sasaki rested his hand on his chin, as if thinking something, before responding, "Shouldn't I decide that?" To this, Richard replied matter-of-factly, "No."

"Oh, okay, I didn't realize that's how it worked," Sasaki said, and Richard couldn't help but think, *Is he playing along or is he just stupid?* as he didn't expect that simple response to work.

Richard probed further, "Well, then, let's start with what kind of monster you are." Sasaki, after finishing his soda, began to explain, "I don't know the name of my monster species, and the same goes for most others. But based on what I've learned, my species possesses the agility to manipulate a deep black metallic substance that grows inside us. They use it for hunting, building dens, crafting basic weapons, and tools."

Now fully engaged, Richard asked, "So that's what I saw last night?" Sasaki nodded in confirmation. Eager for more details, Richard continued, "How much of your body can be coated in this metallic substance?" Richard asked as Sasaki finally finished one of the trays of food. Sasaki responded, "Only my hands so far."

"Only your hands, huh? And how long have you been able to do this?" Richard asked with a touch of curiosity. 

"Now this feels more like a job interview, but I've been able to do this for around 6 months," Sasaki answered.

Richard expressed his surprise, "Wow, that isn't nearly as long as I thought it would be." Sasaki couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Richard momentarily puzzled over Sasaki's reaction but then realized he might have set himself up for an immature joke. "Grow up, you're a second-year in high school. You can't be laughing at dick jokes," he chided.

Sasaki burst into an odd, creepy laugh. "Heh heh heh heh."

"Dude, do you realize how creepy your laugh sounds!?" Richard exclaimed.

Sasaki abruptly stopped laughing, pondering Richard's words. "Does it? I've never laughed in front of anyone except my family members, and they told me it's cute," he explained while looking at the remaining two trays of food Richard had brought.

Richard replied, "Yeah, it does. You sound like a serial killer." Sasaki didn't seem bothered and got up from the table.

In a somewhat annoyed tone, Richard asked, "Wait, where are you going? You still have two trays of food left."

Sasaki calmly responded, "Like I said, I won't be able to eat all of that, and I'm returning to class."

Richard also got up from his seat and reached out, grabbing Sasaki's shoulder. "I still have more questions."

Sasaki shook off Richard's hand and replied, "Not right now. Maybe later, I'll tell you more." He walked away, presumably back to the classroom. Richard muttered to himself, "I didn't even get to ask about the body."

Richard let out a sigh before he went back to the table, picked up the two trays of food, and looked around the cafeteria to see if he could give them to anyone. However, he found that everyone was either done eating or were still eating their meals. He thought, *Sigh, I'll just return it,* and made his way to the food counter, where he handed back the trays. They couldn't re-serve the food, so he didn't get his money back, not that it mattered much to Richard, as he had plenty of money to spare.

As Richard headed back to the classroom, in the hallway, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. "Tch, what do you want, Hajime?" Richard said before he turned to see Hajime standing there. "What do I want? I told you we'd talk during lunchtime, but you ignored me, man," Hajime replied, sounding a bit peeved.

Richard glared down at Hajime with a threatening tone. "Really? Then tell me, Hajime, why the fuck should I listen to you?" he said sternly, making Hajime visibly nervous with a bead of sweat running down his face. "Did you forget what we're supposed to do today?" Hajime reminded Richard, hoping to jog his memory.

Richard paused, squinting for a moment as he recalled the details. "Oh, yeah, that," he muttered under his breath. "I'll go, but you, Hajime, can piss off. I'll do whatever I want." With that, Richard shoved Hajime, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Hajime sat up, rubbing his head where he had landed. He watched Richard walk away without looking back, and a grin began to spread across his face. *You're in for it today, Richard. We're finally going to beat you,* he thought to himself. Getting back on his feet, he took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and dialed a person named Takeda Yuu. After a few rings, Takeda Yuu picked up, and Hajime wasted no time. "Yo, Takeda-san, yeah, it's me. Richard's showing up today, and he's already injured. This is our chance to win."