Resignation

— Oi, look at that stupid bitch. She thinks doing well in school will grant her a place in life.

— A place in hell, that is!

The bully girls laugh. One of them take a doll from their purse. It looked slightly similar to the girl they were making fun of. The girl holding it pulled its arm.

— Look, this is you, dipshit!

Yuuwaku sighed, more disappointed than angry.

Yuuwaku: "I wish that doll would work... It's been a while since I felt pain."

A tall man grabbed the doll from their hands and walked away

Yuuwaku: "Michi... I don't even know how I got to be his girlfriend, since he's always so distant from everyone... but I'm very grateful for that."

— What are you doing, asshole?! Give it back!

Michi ignored them and left the classroom. Yuuwaku did the same, instinctively. She followed him, curious to know what he would do with the doll.

As she turned the corner, Michi pushed her against the wall.

Michi: "What are you looking for? Are you a spy?"

Yuuwaku: "Kind of."

He approached her and whispered:

Michi: "You know I need to keep up appearances. If they know I love you, they might use you as a hostage."

He punched the voodoo doll in the head. Yuuwaku feigned pain.

Yuuwaku: "Ouch! If you keep doing this, I'm not gonna resist..."

She held her own face and looked at him passionately, drooling a little. He looked a bit uncomfortable.

Yuuwaku: "I'm sorry."

Michi: "Let's go somewhere secluded."

They went to an empty classroom and hugged each other.

Yuuwaku: "You're always so paranoid... Why can't we just be a normal couple?"

Michi: "There's no shortage of people wanting my head."

Yuuwaku: "It can't be that bad, right? You said your father protects you."

Michi: "Blood or emotional ties are a pain in the ass. They can always kidnap someone you love and do whatever they want with you."

Yuuwaku: "I've never been kidnapped."

Michi: "Thanks to my paranoia."

Yuuwaku: "Maybe they fear you?"

Michi: "Who, the mob bosses? There's always a bigger fish. Better not to play with fire."

Yuuwaku: "What about my fire?"

Michi: "I can't leave my DNA in you for said reason."

Yuuwaku: "And your fingerprints, footprints...?"

Michi: "I don't want to feel too suppressed."

Yuuwaku: "Then take me to your place! Maybe they'll see me as the queen. They call you Zafkiel, right? What should my title be?"

Zafkiel: "I'm not good with nicknames, that's why I choose angels or mythological beings. I don't know, Caliel?"

Caliel: "That's amazing!"

They went to the school parking lot and got into his car.

Caliel: "This is the first time I've seen the inside of your car!"

Zafkiel: "I always keep all the windows tinted."

Caliel: "Even the front window? Isn't that illegal?"

Zafkiel: "The police can stop me, but it's a good way to avoid other gangs. Besides, I have a few solutions for every problem."

Caliel: "Non-legal solutions, I presume..."

Zafkiel: "Yeah, but they work regardless. I'll use them if we encounter anything dangerous."

Caliel: "I feel like I'm already tapping on something dangerous..."

Zafkiel: "That's why I haven't started the car yet. Are you really sure you want this? As I said, I can always find a way out, but you don't have to put yourself in danger."

Caliel: "Are you really asking me if I want to know more about you? Bring it on, I won't back down!"

Zafkiel: "Your choice. If you want to leave the car, ask before we're too far from the city."

He started the car and drove away from the school.

Caliel: "Where are we going?"

Zafkiel: "It's not exactly one of my hideouts. It's a hobby."

Caliel: "Out of town?"

Zafkiel: "It has to be. Since it's not a well-supervised establishment, we can hunt for all sorts of treasure there."

Caliel: "I'm so excited!"

They arrive at the place. Caliel's smile turned into a confused frown.

Caliel: "What is this place? It smells bad..."

Zafkiel: "It sure does. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' is what they say, right? This is a landfill."

Caliel: "A landfill?! What kind of treasure could we find here, a gold nugget?"

Zafkiel: "It's way more disguised than that, and searching for it can take a long time. Thanks to technology, we can find useful information, like bank accounts, more easily."

Caliel: "But then what would be the point of a landfill? Can't we just hack into their accounts?"

Zafkiel: "Some outdated people and companies still use physical mail. And when they discard documents that contain crucial information about them, they forget to shred them."

Caliel: "Wait, is that why my mom taught me to destroy physical evidence of purchases after they're no longer needed?"

Zafkiel: "And these landfills outside the city are also outdated and unregulated. So we can snoop around without breaking the law."

Caliel: "I don't want to stink after leaving this place..."

Zafkiel: "Don't worry, we won't be here for long. Like I said, technology is on our side."

Caliel: "What kind of tool do you have? A mail detector?"

Zafkiel: "Sort of. I don't understand how it works. Technology is like magic."

They got out of the car and approached the entrance. He signaled for her to stop and looked around the corner. He whispered:

Zafkiel: "Someone discovered this place."

Caliel: "Isn't it public?"

Zafkiel: "They're not here for the same reason we are. They're not mobs."

Caliel: "The police?"

Zafkiel: "And not just low-ranking. They've been watching this place for a while now. If they scan my fingerprints..."

Caliel: "If they haven't done that yet, why should we bother?"

Zafkiel: "Do you Ria, the top one police officer and one of the strongest heroes? These soldiers are probably competing with her. But even if they are under her control, they will still do everything they can to search for criminals like me.

Caliel: "Well, I do know a way of making them leave... forcefully."

Zafkiel: "Really? What is it? I'll do anything to erase my tracks."

Caliel: "Well... this is a landfill, right? The garbage emits metane, a highly flammable gas. If we throw a fire from here, it will explode."

Zafkiel: "That's genius, Yuu-... Caliel! Thanks for paying attention in class."

Caliel: "This is just an awful coincidence... How can we start a fire, and why would we do that? Killing innocent people for nothing... There's another way out, isn't there?"

Zafkiel: "Nothing that wouldn't put you and me in danger. I have a lighter with me, but I can't throw it very far. Come on, I have a gadget in my car for just that kind of situation."

They went to the car and he took out an advanced slingshot.

Caliel: "Are you sure about this? What if we get arrested?"

Zafkiel: "My dad can take us out of prison. But remember, if they ask you about this incident, you were just a witness and I did everything.

Caliel: "I'm not going to frame you. Either we stay out of trouble, or we both go to jail."

Zafkiel: "That's your choice. You can still go back to your normal life. If not, do you want to do the honors?"

He held out his hands holding the slingshot and lighter. Caliel hesitated for a moment.

Caliel: "What would I gain by returning to that school? Nobody likes me, not even myself. I want to be someone truly remarkable. I want to leave a mark on this world before I move on to the next dimension. I want to feel... alive."

She looked into his eyes, determined.

Caliel: "I'm with you, always."

She picked up the slingshot, placed the lit lighter on it, and aimed high into the air. There was a crosshair highlighting the trajectory of the projectile. She brought her eye closer to the reticle to see more clearly.

Zafkiel hugged her from behind to steady her aim.

Zafkiel: "Take your time. We're lucky there are no guards outside. Otherwise, we would have to use a more abrasive method."

She took a deep breath and released the lighter. As it fell onto the landfill, it exploded, causing the walls to shatter and produce a very loud sound.

Zafkiel: "Come on, that's what I was talking about!"

He held out his hand for a high-five. She slapped it, smiling proudly.

Zafkiel: "Now let's get out of here, quick!"

They got into the car and left.