Senpai, you scripted my day?

"What?"

"You know well what I mean." Muraoka dropped her.

Considering they were the same height, the fall was less than 12 centimetres. Her feet touched the ground instantly.

"Yes, I do. It was an involuntary reaction because I was shocked."

"No one in the room believes you if you say it in a deadpan tone."

Miteki Bless didn't fight back. The issue, as nauseam, was suicide. She never forgot to give them her daily prep talks, it was respectual not to bring up someone's suicidal thoughts when they themselves were keeping quiet about it. The best course of action was to stand by their side or walk behind them, ready at any moment to catch their fall.

Miteki Bless quickly did the calculations in her head. The twins were here earlier, and assuming more than five minutes didn't pass by while she was zoning out, so were Uyehara-senpai and Hosoo-senpai. Something urgent needed to be spoken about this morning and she was involved as well. There was a cake for the entire council, which Muraoka would never eat with the excuse of dieting and strict calorie control. Being such good friends, Uyehara Eme wouldn't get treats that excluded Muraoka Rii. It all fell back onto Rii, who commanded things.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" She had understood that this was all Muraoka Rii's doing. It rested on Rii to explain herself and steer her plan to light.

"Hihi, you're calm as a biscuit." Muraoka skillfully vaulted over her desk, nestled in the inners of the room.

She gracefully integrated into her spinning chair. "What do you want to know? You can wait until I'm done explaining the plans for today."

Miteki Bless decided to stay in her place. Reciting, patience is my virtue.

"First, I want to announce, I'm demoting the entirety of you."

Miteki's first instinct was to protest and say, "You can't do that!" She did not mean it emotionally but logically. The faculty would not allow that.

She realized who she was looking at and who those words belong to.

"Ah…" She said under her breath.

"Except, I'm promoting Bless-chan."

"…?"

The reactions of the girls didn't appear to be surprised. They all expected it. This was completely out of the blue to Miteki… her brain had taken enough hits this dawn.

"You're vice-president."

A completely normal sentence. For some reason, it ringed as odd to Miteki. She felt that it should be, "You're my vice president."

Out of respect, she let Muraoka Rii continue speaking.

"The three classes for today are forensics, culinaries and… an election for the new president."

The rare peace Miteki Bless felt ended abruptly. "What… what do you mean?"

The burning within her started slowly.

A match sparking.

"I'm… resigning from the council."

I'm resigning from life.

"Are you crazy?"

"You should be happy. Vice-president."

Miteki Bless violently looked around the room. Expecting multiple types of snarky responses and jabs at her character.

All the council members were indeed strangers to her, leisurely reclining in their spots.

She stood isolated in the middle of the room.

The middle… the middle.

I'm always in the middle of everything.

When mother is gone, I stand in the middle of the mirrors.

When I'm in the courtyard, I stand in the middle of the frogs and the crickets and the dragon flies and the cattails.

When I step into the playground, the sand and the swings are between me and the wind.

When I step into the village, it's my feet and the paths… the villagers avoiding me.

The cranes would rather spend time with the treehouse than me.

The train, everyone would enjoy to leave me standing.

In school, the only place I believed I could belong to is trying to leave behind.

The burn sparked again.

A vehement flare from within.

"Do I have to choke you?" She said, as her surrounding disappeared.

The room turned a dark, dark black hole.

The girls floated around her.

This was not her imagination, this was the realization of her focus.

The emotions pouring out of her, she yelled, clutching her hands to her chest. "Do I have to choke you all, to tell you how much I want you all to live?"

She disregarded all the rehearsing she did this morning.

"I don't know why you all seem so different today!"

The coffee&tea bags flew out of her pockets and sounded like popping rocks when they landed on the floor.

"Why are you all leaving me behind? I know in life, I serve nothing. I try my hardest to make those around me happy, even those who hate me… I never succeed. I never appease them, they never get happy, I never contribute to their dreams. My mistakes always seem to stand above my successes, I'm a person known only for my failures and not my achievements… So, why? Why do you think a good for nothing like me deserves to live over magnificent people like you all? People who can change the world, who can do more things than I'd ever do if I was given 200 years to live… why disregard your lives? You're all beautiful. I don't know how else to describe you all. Beautiful… beautiful… beautiful… Your actions, your voices, your words, the fact you are alive, the fact that… you are loved."

"I'm tired, okay? End this scheme, please. I'd do anything." She had been trying for months.

Persistent, intermittent, the grudges of the smudges against her character and well-being endured by trying to be their friend leaked out. "I'll kill all of you."

Muraoka Rii smiled attentively at some specific words.

I'd do anything… She knew this would happen, and she came prepared.

"Make me coffee jelly."

"You…" Bless was getting angrier.

The words in her mind kept running by, aggressively and shakingly. She couldn't grab them.

Easily beaten, her words were pushed aside by Muraoka's voice.

"You say you'd do anything?"

Miteki Bless dumbly nodded.

"Remember that you are God."

"Do not."

"Please don't joke with me." Miteki Bless' surroundings reappeared, the black fading into tangible outlines and items.

She took a step forward, her hand on her chest, the other spread out wide to prove her case. A coffee&tea bag crackled under her shoe. "I'm serious, and I want you to be serious with me too."

Muraoka Rii royally covered her mouth, giggling at Miteki's face. "Is that your attempt at a scowl? Please!"

She slapped her knee hard, unable to resist the laughter. "Never express yourself again! Pahahaha!"

"… Is this bully Bless Miteki day!?" As a result, her scowl faded, but the feelings boiling made it seem as if it had intensified.

Her emotions were back to not showing themselves. "Listen, I don't know why everyone hates me. I'm sorry that everyone hates me. Just stop joking around… please."

"I don't want you dead, stop joking about it."

She quietly added, mumbling under her breath and looking down insecurely. "The one thing I can be sure of is that you all want to commit suicide."

"But I am serious?"

"…"

"Remember that you are God, and none of us will die."

The way Muraoka Rii said this so casually made Miteki Bless feel as if ants were gnawing at her eyeballs.

She blinked them without stop, trying harshly to get rid of the pain.

She took a couple steps back, unable to open her eyes. "If… if… if I follow along with your plans for today… n-none of you will attempt?"

"Yes, that is the plan. Yes."

Muraoka Rii felt the conversation was getting too tiring. She stirred the others up to take a break from the talking she was doing. "Does anyone have any questions?"

They were in on the plan from the beginning and every single puzzle connected to the information they needed to know. What questions would they have?

Despite that, Ketsukira said, "I do."

Muraoka Rii hummed in acknowledgment.

"Ask away."

But the question wasn't for her.

"Bless-chan," she never called her that. "What exactly do you know about us?"

Miteki Bless sniffled. "A-All of you?"

"Yeah yeah, give me something as simple as food."

Miteki Bless shook her head, assuming Ketsuhiko was telling her to be simple for her own sake. Advising her to stay simple so it could be easier for her to reply.

She was no person to take the easy way out. She can't consider herself human, if she took easy way out.

"The Ketsukira I know gets bored fast. You want to do everything but end up doing nothing. When things are consistent, you try your best to disrupt the flow and come out unscathed. You hate being hurt and its hard for you to trust people. Your favorite food is omurice. Your favorite drink was the iced tea you had in the americas, you don't know the name of it and you're glad you don't. Because you want it to be a one time experience."

"You...!" Kamiya Ketsukira stared at Kamiya Ketsuhiko as if to say, "you're hearing this, right?"

"Fine, I admit… you're right."

"Ketsuhiko-san… the one I know. Has a bit of a superiority complex and helps people because she believes those with power should be there for those who are weaker. However, she is a bit of a sadist and shares personality traits with Ketsukira… I believe it is because of synchrony. She repeats things at least 100 times to believe she is at least mediocre and finally at the starting point before she can finally fully commit. I do not know her favorite drink or food. I know she has a passion for baking."

Kamiya Ketsuhiko was fascinated. If she could get her right, then it wouldn't be too surprising if she got the rest of the room right. Secretly, Ketsuhiko cheered for Miteki Bless.

Unfortunately, regardless of how well she did, there would be a shredded trap waiting for her. Ketsuhiko was looking forward for that as well.

How cruel Kira-chan was. There was no way out of this. "I don't know any of you at all," and Kira-chan would grind into her. Halfly succeed, halfly fail and Kira-chan would grind into her. Get them all right and Kira-chan would…

"Uyehara Eme. You are shy beneath your confident, adventure-seeking self. I don't mean to expose your pressures but you are closer to everyone in this room than you are to me, surely they know. You put yourself in situations you know you can't go backwards in to make sure you climb up the success ladder. You want to be sure you accomplish things. Your favorite color is pale king's blue and your favorite food is whatever your auntie cooks."

"You sure know a lot about me." Uyehara Eme dully replied, instantly confirming Miteki's point.

She was internally freaking out while bolstering a confident, unperturbed cute look on her face.

What the hell? Do I talk that much around her? What would mom think knowing a little girl knows so much about me? She'd laugh at me so so so so hard. Oh my god, I need to keep this a secret. What if she exposes me to my aunt? They're going to say I have so many pursuers when its one person! … Ahhhhhhh, Mite-chan has enough energy to be more than one person… They would freak out even more knowing the person who's pursuing me is god inside a middle school girl's body! But she's not actually pursuing me, mommy, auntie!

Back to reality, Hosoo Higura held her hand to comfort her. "It's okay," she whispered. "Sh, sh, sh… breathe, oooooneeeee… twoooooo… three."

"Thank you."

"Good." Was all Higura said. A low opacity tugging of her lips carrying on.

"I'm sorry." Miteki Bless bowed in the middle of the room. "This must feel court jester-like."

She cleared her throat. "The words about Hosoo-senpai, Muraoka-senpai… they don't come clearly but very well, I will try my best."

"You can do it." Opportunistic, Kamiya Ketsuhiko spoke up. The need for entertainment was evidently gluttonous.

Where nobody could see, Muraoka Rii glared at Ketsuhiko for stealing her line. She cursed within her heart. "I was meant to encourage her, not you!"

The present was Muraoka Rii's weakness.

She won't break down here.

She almost wanted to call Ketsuhiko a pawn, but the real pawn was Miteki Bless. There was nothing that could change that. Not even the draining clouds, that would bring about storms and otherworldly sparks striking down from the heavens, scarring earth with electrocuting scorches.

"Hosoo-senpai, I find myself gushing over you a lot. You are quiet but you are kind. You're considerate in the smallest of ways and don't go out of your way to make gestures that are too grand unless there's an occasion. I know you don't try and make a statement out of yourself… I wish I was like that, but I'm the kind to make sure my presence is the loudest. Your favorite food… if I had to guess, you don't have one with how much you eat."

"I don't have a favorite." Because Hosoo Higura said this, Miteki Bless knew she had been right and that Hosoo Higura was trying to be helpful, indirectly verifying everything.

It was Muroaka Rii's turn.

The nerves.

Her hands desperately itched on her school attire. Her eyes blinked too much. Her mouth would open and close without saying anything, watering as air wouldn't even come out.

What kind of song was this? Where the singing wouldn't even register?

The instrumentals were put all the way down, the frequencies changed so only the dogs could hear it.

Miteki Bless felt that her voice would be heard only if she grovelled.

Yet, that was something she could not do.

Perhaps, if she wasn't heard here, then she was not meant to be heard.

She would stay this way, and try her best until failure was all she could see. And even better, until success was all she could reap.

"Muraoka Rii, you were named by your parents."

Most people were named by their parents. But everyone in the room understood what she was getting at.

"Your grandparents named you and your sister otherwise."

Ketsukira's eyes widened. She didn't know that, and accidentally rolled her eyes. The deprecation was at herself.

"You love coffee jelly."

"Yesu."

"Your favorite animal are bunnies. You hate being on stage but you love the feeling of sweating… Do I need to say more?"

Muraoka Rii crossed her legs, "Say one more thing."

"I love your names, and your home country."

"Mhm—" Kamiya Ketsukira cut her off with a loud slam.

Skin against wooden desk echoed in the expressive club room atmosphere.

Her voice broadcasted into all grounded present ears. "Exactly!"

"You know so much about us. But do we know anything about you at all?"

Kamiya Ketsukira is enacting her trap.

"Are you trying to… hurt me?" Miteki Bless was openly confused and everyone could tell not by what was on her cold-gazing face, but what was the tilting of her heard and her head-on stare.

I'm right. What are you punishing me for?

Everyone simultaneously leaned back in their seats preparing for a fight.

"That's not the response I was expecting." Ketsukira sighed.

"What were you expecting?"

"You to fall down on your knees and breakdown?"

"… I'm truly confused."

"My point, we don't know anything about you while you know too much about us."

"..?"

Ketsukira sighed even harder and raised her voice. "We know nothing about you, so your thoughts about us don't matter! You're nobody to us! Which is why nothing you say matters! You don't matter!"

"Oh, okay. I've heard worse, sorry senpai."

"For ruining your moment," she added as an afterthought.

"Die-chan, can you just give her the deal already!?" Kamiya Ketsukira inferred right there and now that taking her chances with a deity would be stupid. A small attempt at being on the deity's good side.

"… You heard our girl, Mite-chan." Muraoka Rii paused.

When you say it like, it creeps me out. Miteki Bless thought.

Everything you've said today has creeped me out.

Nobody is acting like a real person.

It's like they scripted—

Oh.

Muraoka-san, you're too sly?

It is actually mess with me day.

That cake, rancid cake is celebrating mess with me day!

They scripted everything!

It's all so unnatural!

"Mite-chan." Muraoka Rii said. She liked the way it rolled off her tongue. Copying Eme-chan's term of enderment seemed to prove a good idea. "Mite-chan."

"Mite-chan, did you hear me?" She asked, searching for an excuse to say the name more.

"What is this deal?" Miteki Bless figured she'd lean into a certain persona. If she didn't say it directly from her lips, then she felt good about being disingenuous. She was lying, she was taking advantage of their misunderstandings.

Her 'they were being genuine now, after she listed their traits perfectly' persona didn't need to be crafted.

She had to be herself, modifying intently listening to subjects moderately.

"Remember that you are God by following everything on this piece of paper."

Okay. They are joking. "Be serious."

"Okay, let me rephrase."

"O.K."

"Create a cult using the instructions on this paper and I promise you, we won't die."

"… I…" Miteki Bless decided to take a risk. "Swear on my life."

"I can't do that!" Muraoka Rii happily answered, crossing her arms into a playful, chubby X.

"Your life?"

"I solemnly swear on my life."

Miteki Bless would've preferred a full sentence but this was fine.

I don't think I can feel good about a suicidal person swearing on her life.

Their actions do speak louder than words.

"O.K. I have to roleplay what's on this paper with real people?"

"Yes, simple right?"

Muraoka Rii impatiently wanted to see what Miteki's face would look like once she read what was on the paper.

Would it contort pitifully?

Would she laugh?

Would it remain that same, face injected with dead parasites serving as its muscles?

She hurriedly ushered the paper into Miteki's arms.

It read like a video game, slothlike with its tutorial.

Objective: REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE GOD.

The rules were lacking.

【Perform the role given to you.】

【Convince others.】

【Impart your wisdom to grow.】

【Don't die.】

【Have fun!】

The world has decided to omit the rest from the reader.

Live in suspense.