Who is this chick?

The last school bell rang. “Time to go home!” Sakura leaped from her seat.

“Sakura, seat down. We need to still talk about chore division, your class president will take care of the rest.” Bald—the English teacher Murasaki-sensei said.

“But, but, I’ve got places to be!”

Murasaki-sensei, also their homeroom teacher, leaned on his desk, “where would that be?”

“Karaoke!”

“Seat down!”

Sakura promptly clicked her tongue, grumbling beneath her breath how she doesn’t get to do anything she wants. Murasaki-sensei shook his head, “anyways, I’ll leave it to your class president, Shoda-san. I’ll be going now,”

“Bald—I mean, sensei!” Sakura shouted again.

“What were you just about to say? Bal--?”

“My bb-gun, sensei, can I get it back? It’s a one in a dime. Modelled after the real-life assault rifle with 30 rounds and a reserve of 60, the muzzle helps improve recoil control and keeps the bullet velocity at max 30 meters the accurate shots with a Mhott 910MM—” Sakura rambled on, her eyes wide with abundant knowledge.

“Stop! Why did you even bring it to school in the first place?” he asked.

Sakura held her tongue for a few second before answering, “to hunt…?”

“Why are you asking as if it’s a question?”

Hana rose up, “sensei, I’ll make sure she stays put.” Sakura cleared her throat, looking out the window.

Murasaki-sensei nodded happily, “that would be helpful. Anyway, see you kids tomorrow. Sakura just come to my office once you’re done to come get your bb-gun, don’t bring it again or you’ll never see it.”

The class bid him goodbye, and Hana took the stage as class president. The chore list was divided equally, and Sakura had nowhere to go under the strict dictatorship of Hana Shoda. During that time Sakura didn’t have much thought in her head, instead, she wondered if she should bring her desert eagle or her M192 machine gun.

Sakura head battled between the two options so profoundly that when she finally concluded which she wanted Hana had asked her a question on if she’s fine on being on today’s garbage duty. “Is that okay, Sakura?”

“Yes!” she replied strongly.

“I didn’t know you liked garbage duty this much…” Tsuga said, his seat beside Sakura.

Sakura blinked, “garbage? Incinerator! No!”

“Too late! Maybe next time, you pay attention.” Hana wrote her name on the board.

“You’re too stingy Hana!” Sakura retorted.

“Stingy my ass! And it’s class president to you, right now!”

Sakura clicked her tongue. “Hana, calm down. Someone come hold her down,” Misao wrapped her hands on Hana to hold her down, and some other classmates came to help.

“Lemme just get my hands on her, I’ll smack some reality back into that empty brain of hers.”

“Let’s all calm down!”

In the class next door, Miki was getting ready to leave with his friends to go Karaoke. “Did you get that coupon for karaoke? We need to save on our spending as much as possible,” Manabu said.

“Even though you look so classy, how are you so cheap?” Yoshi added.

Manabu stopped in his tracks, “ch-cheap! You dare call me cheap? It’s called budgeting you spendthrifting buffoons, not like anyone of you know the spirit of saving our money to buy things of good quality. Or the art of creating charts—”

“Look what you’ve made him do,” Miki whispered to Yoshi who groaned.

“Okay, okay, stop. My head’s about to burst from all your talking.” Yoshi palmed his forehead. “I shouldn’t have opened my mouth. Let’s just go karaoke, I wanna sing my broken heart out.”

“Huh, did you get dumped?” Miki asked.

Yoshi’s eyes looked melancholic. “Uwaa, even when you’re sad, you still look funny,” Hide said.

“What! How am I anywhere near funny right now, my eyes are watering! Don’t you see the tears?” Yoshi pointed to his eyes, that were indeed watering with tears. “Karin-chan broke up with me, she was the perfect beauty. Perfect I tell you!” he shook Hide by the collar.

“You don’t like her for any other reason but her face?” Hide asked. “Trash.”

Yoshi gasped. “You of all people seriously have no right!” he shook Hide even more vigorously.

“Miki-chan—” Manabu started.

“Don’t call me -chan—”

“You wanna take the train with us?”

Miki’s face dropped. “The train? Hell no, why do I have to take that stinky transport. People are all up in your business, rubbing your body from head to toe, breathing down your neck—” Miki shivered. “Absolutely not, I’ll take taxi. The first person—”

“Me!” the boys rose their hands.

“You’ll have to do rock paper scissors.”

Hide won. “I’ll see you guys at karaoke taking, Miki-chan let’s go.”

“What should I do for you lot to stop adding -chan to my name.”

“10 million yen,” Hide asked, his hand open for money.

“Even I don’t have that kind of money!”

“Live with it then.”

Miki clicked his tongue.

Something about the beginning of a new term makes some people awkward, for some it’s just another day and for others it’s one to remember. You reunite with friends, you laugh, you cry, and everything just feels to be in balance. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone. For some, school life is just a miserable experience. The sun, previously high in the sky, edged the horizon as he rode up the hill. Summer was leaving, and the fall was taking over. Soon the nights would be longer, and the days would be shorter.

The group of boys enjoyed themselves in town at the karaoke. They sang songs for themselves and for Yoshi whose heart is broken. By the time it’s all over the sun has set and night has blackened the sky.

“Alright guys it’s time to go home. I’ll see you punks tomorrow,” Miki said.

“Are you going with that girl who gave you, her number?” Manabu asked Miki.

“Mm, I dunno. Why, you jealous?” Miki grinned.

“I’m not!”

“Good, don’t be.”

“Something about the way you just said that kinda pisses me off,” Manabu sneered. “I mean, until now you’ve been hanging out with us to barbeque places. For once!” Manabu started. “I want to go to a lavish place, a famous restaurant where the chandelier is high, and the people are fancy. Maybe I can find a rich mama there,”

“With such impure thoughts, why should I take you anywhere!”

“What, why not!” Manabu grabbed Miki’s shoulders.

“Why should I! Those places are my sacred grounds!”

“Invite this peasant then, stingy! It was only yesterday you even began taking the train because you thought it smelled and was hot ad stuffy, and you hated touching other people!”

“When did I say I’m okay with taking the train, and I only took it once!”

“You must have been desperate,” Hide said.

“Poor you Miki,” Manabu added.

“Right! My hygiene was impeded after taking the train. I’ve never smelled so strongly of sweat since yesterday. Yoshi stop crying in the corner and go home, is it that big of a deal that you can’t just get another girlfriend?” Yoshi sat weeping on the ground next to the karaoke building.

“Of course, it’s a big deal! I’m not like you who can just get another girlfriend willy nilly. I loved Karin-chan. I may say I like this and that’s my type, but—” Yoshi stopped crying for a moment, his shirt wrinkled and soaked in tears. “When you love someone, it’s doesn’t matter what they look like in the end. It’s something I guess you don’t know about, Miki.”

Miki clenched his fist in his pocket. “I guess not. I mean, it’s just better to not be too in love. Y’know,” Miki laughed. “But seriously dude, do something about the snot coming out your nose you’re beginning to scare me.”

Yoshi cried even more. “Karin! I miss you!”

“Someone please, follow him home,”

Miki finally said goodbye to his friends, taking a different train back home. He’d usually take his bike, but it was at school. Guess, I’ll have to walk to school tomorrow. He liked riding his bike. It was an old bike. An old gift from his grandmother. He cherished it. Miki hoped his father wasn’t home. Or his mother. Not like either one was home at the same time. It’s fine, I’m used to it.

However, to Miki it felt like he was a responsibility that was transferred to a different hand, a different person. Almost like clockwork. He thought to himself of what he should cook once he gets home. Knowing that nobody would be home it didn’t matter for how many people he cooked for. “I guess I’ll be eating alone today.” That was fine.

The walk back home from the train was rather long and there was a hill, but the distance, Miki like the distance. It made him enjoy a solitary walk where it was just him and nature. Trash, huh?

“That sounds about right.”

Up the side of the hill the land flattens out. There were fewer houses here, and the land they occupied was larger. To the side Miki noticed a carton box, in it was a small dog. The dog looked weak and frail. Must be the runt of the litter, he thought. This wasn’t uncommon. Miki saw abandoned dogs quite often. But he never liked taking them home. He thought dogs, though great companions, died before him. Miki was the type who cherished his things.

He brought his hand to the dog’s mouth; the dog weakly sniffed and licked it. “Sorry, I can’t take you home with me.” Miki noticed something move in the corner of his eye. What was that. He stood up, looking about. The dog, though weak, barked at a shadow that kicked Miki into an alleyway where another person was. That person grabbed him by the mouth and pushed him to the ground.

Then, a voice called. “Mayday, mayday! Man down!” Miki lifted his head. The person in front of him was grabbed by throat with a gun straddled up jugular, choking the man till he collapsed. The other person, startled, reached for the attacker but she threw the gun, aiming accurately for his head. The second guy hissed, but he was distracted, the girl, Miki came to find out, kicked the guy in the groin and manuvered her body on him to break his arm and proceeded to choke him till he fainted.

Satisfied she stood tall, wiping her forehead “I called the police; they should be here soon. Are you okay?” the girl asked. Miki took her hand and stood, he nodded. He feels he has seen her before. One thing was for sure. He glanced at the bodies on the ground. She could kick a grown-man’s butt. He knew he was not to mess with her. The first guy she’d choked groaned, lifting himself up. The girl kicked him in the head, and he fainted again.

“I’m Sakura,” she said. The name sounded familiar to Miki. He’d definitely heard that name before, but where? “And my favourite weapon is the SR-26 PR M-LOK!”

Miki couldn’t help but sigh. He’d just met and interacted with the school’s eccentric. “Crap.”