Blooming villain

Marie swung open the door to the Student Council lounge. Her clothes had changed because of the rain and the damage Masami caused to her jacket. A towel dangled from her neck, draping over her shoulders. She brought a couple more towels for her companions. Her gaze briefly landed on the frightened Aki and Haru at the back. Sunlight poured through the windows, casting a warm glow in the room. Takenomiya turned her attention to her companions, who were prepared for any further actions from the twins.

‘I’ve informed the others, well, those I could find. They’ll be here shortly.’ Marie announced as she passed the towels to her companions. Sae grabbed one and started rubbing her hair, while Risa dried her face.

‘Those you could locate?’ Sae seemed puzzled.

‘Kurihara and Shirohime are missing, and no one knows anything about Miss Sawari.’ The blonde girl replied. The twins looked alarmed upon hearing Yumiko’s last name, recalling the horrifying incident. Marie sighed irritably and turned to Risa.

‘Just to be sure. Do you know where they are?’ Marie showed suspicion towards Risa, who took offense.

‘How rude you are, Takenomiya!’ she confronted her. ‘Why would I know?’ she reiterated, locking eyes with Marie.

‘Do I have to remind you of what happened earlier?’ Sae looked at her friends, confused by the current situation.

‘I know nothing!’ Risa tried to intimidate Marie with an aggressive tone. ‘Are you looking for a fight, blondie?’ She put on an exaggerated banchou tone. Ignoring that, the blonde girl turned her attention back to the twins, and a sinister smile crept onto her face.

‘Did you think we had forgotten about you two? I think it’s time for you to share what happened with the group.’ Takenomiya paused in front of the table. ‘Well?’

‘We know nothing...’ Haruna’s voice seemed like it could break at any moment. The sisters appeared uncomfortable during the interrogation. The spokesperson of the student council slammed the table hard, making the two sisters tremble.

‘How? We all know you’re lying. Why?’ Marie narrowed her eyes. ‘I’m sure you have a fascinating story to tell us.’ She slid her gaze from one sister to the other. ‘Your expulsion can wait a couple of hours.’ The two sisters gasped in fear when Marie finished speaking.

‘Expulsion?’ Akina looked horrified at her sister, who mirrored the same expression.

‘Did you believe you would only be warned? I apologise if anyone gave you false hopes. But don’t worry, you won’t be left alone; our friend Sakai will also be expelled once we find out that they’ve caught her.’ Marie snickered in a villainous manner, enjoying the situation.

‘I wouldn't want to be among them.’ Sae was quite distressed. ‘Sometimes, Takenomiya is truly terrifying.’ The blonde girl put her left hand into the inner pocket of her jacket.

‘If you don’t want to talk nicely... I have more imaginative methods to make you sing.’ A malicious smile crossed her face as she felt the fear in the room.

‘I’m sure there’s also an article against torture!’ Haruna tried to remain firm.

‘Articl...’ Risa tried to mention something. Marie turned towards them, and the brunette girl fell silent, avoiding direct eye contact with Takenomiya.

‘You’re supposed to look out for the students!’ Haruna was indignant at that attitude.

‘A almost feel sorry for them. I should try to stop Takenomiya, but when she goes into her psychotic mode...’ Sae could see that the situation was getting worse.

‘I refuse to handle this. Takenomiya is scary when she becomes sadistic, so I don’t like to confront her.’ Risa didn’t dare to look at them; fear outweighed guilt.

‘What kind of student council are you!?’ Haru reacted angrily, standing up. The redhead stepped back as Marie turned around, still wearing a malevolent smile.

‘What do you say?’ The gloomy tone of the blonde girl reflected her dark intentions. Haruna and Akina trembled as they clung to each other, seeking some comfort. They noticed Marie placing several paper talismans on the table. ‘It seems there’s no one willing to intervene for you. So, you better start talking, or we’ll start playing a very entertaining game.’ Marie’s eyes emitted a faint glow. Her face took on a sadistic expression. Aki stammered.

‘Pl-Play...?’ Sae directed her gaze towards the terrified twins.

‘She’s going too far... Maybe I should stop her after all.’ Takenomiya glanced at Akina as she slid the tips of two fingers over the first talisman. But she was interrupted by voices in the hallway.

‘Our day was ruined by two idiots fighting. I hope Takenomiya doesn’t hold back. I didn’t even have time to finish my pancakes because of her... You’re lucky it wasn’t me who caught you.’ The twins looked confused, recognising that voice.

‘That was your fourth plate of pancakes, Shiina. You’ve had more than enough breakfast; in fact, take better care of your diet, or you’ll end up with diabetes at this rate.’ The twins hugged in fear as a girl resembling the student council president entered the room.

‘The demon president!! She’s here for us, Haru!’ Aki screamed. This caught the attention of that girl and Marie.

‘Demon President?’ Asuka was confused. Takenomiya only looked at them suspiciously. Another girl arrived and seemed annoyed.

‘What are you saying, Asuka!? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and sugar...’ The sentence was cut short. Shiina blanked out upon reaching the scene; she was a girl with red hair and blue eyes, looking similar to the twins. Asuka turned to Shiina.

‘These are the fighting idiots, right? Don’t they remind you of someone, Shiina?’ Asuka’s tone was mocking. Shiina got angry and started shouting.

‘What the hell are you doing here?! Didn’t I tell you not to embarrass me? It’s only been a day, and you’ve already done it, you idiots! And to top it off, you’ve ruined my breakfast!’ The others observed them. Haruna was startled and shouted back.

‘Can you be a good big sister for a change and lend us a hand!?’ Aki also raised her voice.

‘You’re the worst sister anyone could have!’

‘You got yourselves into this mess! I should just leave you to deal with it, you morons!’

‘As you always do, abandoning us!’ Akina reproached.

‘We don’t need a selfish older sister!’ Haruna, angry, pointed at Shiina. ‘For me, I only have one sister, my little sister, Aki...!’

‘That’s right, we only have each o…’ Aki realised what Haru said and turned to her, annoyed. ‘Wait, what do you mean by my little sister? I’m the big sis!’ Both sisters glared at each other and playfully grabbed each other’s cheeks, pulling with force.

‘Do you think this is the right time to act like this, Aki?’ Haru had difficulty vocalising because of Aki gripping her cheeks, and vice versa.

‘I could say the same about you! You’re taking advantage, Haru, trying to assume the role of the older sister in this situation! You’re just as selfish and stupid as Shiina!’ Shiina quickly approached them and pulled both of them by their ears.

‘Can you stop embarrassing me and stop saying nonsense!?’ The three sisters confronted each other, while the others watched with unease. Asuka, blushing from the awkward scene, coughed uncomfortably, causing Shiina to turn towards them. She blushed as well before facing her companions with a ridiculous smile on her face.

‘I’m sorry. Please forgive them. They’re just my stupid little sisters!’ Shiina forced them to bow in apology, but they remained looking at each other angrily. Marie opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she was startled by flashes in the sky. Everyone looked in astonishment at Serizawa’s Phoenix flames. Takenomiya sighed and covered her face with her hand, irritated.

‘Shirohime and Miss Sawari disappear for a day, and it’s the apocalypse. Let’s finish this... Tsukihime, Miura, come with me. Mukoda, Shiraki, you can go change.’ Marie walked towards the exit. Shiina turned to her sisters and glared at them angrily.

‘This isn’t over; I’ll catch you later...’ Haruna and Akina simply stuck out their tongues at her threat as Shiina turned around to follow Marie. The twins breathed a sigh of relief when alone in the room.