Resignation

A few days have gone since the incident. Today's school day is a bit unusual. Except for Fulvius, everyone submitted their resignation from the club. Mitsuko and Emiko are giggling about something, and Hideki is standing next to Emiko, attempting to catch her attention. Fulvius is still swollen up but apparently, he is the reason they quit the club. They stated that they do not want such a violet individual as a clubmate.

It has now been revealed that Mitsuko-san, who is presumably behind everything, is working along with Hideki-kun and Emiko-san. The class president is in a better mood than I've ever seen her, therefore something is fishy.

"Why are they so focused on you, Fulvius? What exactly happened?" I query in wonder.
"They were working together since the beginning. Actually, I'm relieved they left the club," he said.

"That does not answer my question. I will repeat it again: Why do they seem so intent on you?" I enquire as my patience wanes.
"I guess it has to do with those rumours about my past. They must believe I was involved in a street brawl after seeing my messed-up face." Fulvius muttered, his eyes glued to the ground.
"That makes sense," I respond.

Due to pain in his jaw, Fulvius avoids eating anything hard to chew. We are sitting in the school canteen and he is eating bean soup while I am eating noodles. There are not many students around so we can talk freely. I don't want anyone finding out about the plant.

"Don't you think we should go check on the plant?" I ask.

"Why? Only a few days have passed, and I am too weak to use it wisely at this point." Fulvius remarks while scratching his ear.

"I'm getting a nasty feeling about this. The plant appears in my nightmares. In my dreams, it got away and is now running wild through the city." I tell him with a concerned look on my face.
"I see. We can check it out after school," he suggests.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me." I reply.

"While we are at it, why don’t we feed it?" Fulvius asks.
"Yes, we can feed it. We will need to purchase some insects to use as food. These are available in the pet store," I smile as I respond.

As we are exiting the school canteen we pass by the class president and her two assistants who are coming inside. Fulvius and Hideki exchange a stern look, and Fulvius frowns. They each take a drink and then take a seat at the table.

Homeroom class begins. All the time, even when Chisaka-sensei is speaking, all I can think about is my dream. The lengthy, dull discussion about grades and absences is not something I am interested in. I keep having visions of the scene from my dream.

The full moon's brightness gives the leaves the silver glow. There is a dreadful energy emerging from the forest. I immediately feel something was wrong. There is a place where leaves are scattered around and not fully covering forest floor. Upon looking closely, I notice the small pits in the ground that seem random at the first glance. I am intrigued by that sight but still I have that awful foreboding feeling inside me. I can’t help myself and I have to follow strange small pits on the ground. The holes got deeper and bigger as I walk farther into the forest. With each step I take, I notice the slashes in the earth become more violent. My impression is that they are carried out by someone or something who harboured considerable resentment and hatred. The forest begins to look more familiar to me. I believe I have been here before.

"Could it be?" I thought to myself.

The ritual came to my mind and the monster that we brought to life. Suddenly I see a puddle of green liquid spreading beneath me. I hear some faint cracking noises. Destroyed chain links are scattered around. When I link the sound to the image, I see that the noise is being made by the shackles slamming onto the ground. Once I arrive at the sight, there are huge craters on the ground. The bushes that were once there are gone. Everything is slashed and annihilated apart from the exact spot where the plant once was. That spot alone is lit up by the moonlight.

The school bell wakes me from my daydream.

"Hinata and Fulvius could you stay after the class. I would like a few words with you," Chisaka-sensei exclaimed. We are waiting for everyone to exit the classroom.
"Is there something wrong?" Fulvius asks the teacher.

"I was just wondering what is the reason behind Emiko-san and Hideki-kun sudden resignation from your club," Chisaka-sensei asked.

"It seems they are not interested in the botany anymore," I answer shrugging my shoulders.
"I see. That's a shame. I thought you were getting along quite nicely," the teacher replies with a disappointed tone in her voice.

"Pff, is that all teacher? Could we please leave now?" Fulvius asks.
"Yes. That would be all. You are free to leave now," she replies.
As we walk out of the classroom Chisaka-sensei is looking at us with a sad yet worried expression.

Fulvius and I are now walking hand by hand in the direction of the school's front door. We go to a pet store to buy insects, and then we go to a bakery to get snacks that we will eat later when we get hungry. Then, we stop by Fulvius place to leave backpacks and we decide to watch a movie to unwind a little after the long school day. Next, we finally go to the forest.

The spot where plant was constrained has been damaged beyond recognition. The shackles are all broken up, and the green liquid is spreading between them. My chest starts to tighten, and I start to feel lightheaded. The plant monster is no longer there. There are only enormous craters and little pits, just as there were in my dream.