Chapter Text
7:20 AM
The delinquents definitely felt a shift ever since Ayano joined their gang yesterday. The vibes hadn't change in the span of one night but an unfamiliar feeling was hanging over them. For as long as they've been the delinquents, it was just them. Those five. Growing to six when Osoro was around, but she wasn't right now. Now there was an extra body that nobody understood yet. It wasn't enough to make the delinquents uncomfortable but still just enough to notice whenever Ayano wasn't around.
The one thing that made her stand out compared to the others (besides the fact that she was a girl... but Osoro was one, too) was that she had no visible weapon to carry, or at least not one that was as physically imposing as the other delinquents. She was a newbie after all, initiation hasn't truly started for her yet. Umeji decided to ask anyway what she was going to do anyway. "Ayano."
The new delinquent, behind her mask, turned her head. It was already hard to tell what emotion she was expressing at any given time, but now it felt impossible when that mask covered her face.
"...You don't have a weapon. Like us."
"I'll find one."
"You sure?" Umeji raised his eyebrow. "Because it's gotta be big, like ours. Not like that knife you got from yesterday. That's pussy shit." Umeji meant no shade to Hokuto, but anyone could steal a knife. Sure, they were sharp, but almost nobody had the balls to use them as a weapon. "What're you gonna do about it?"
"Do you doubt me?" Ayano tilted her head slightly.
The motion unsettled Umeji for a small moment, before he shook it off. "I didn't say that."
"Then I'll be fine."
"...Alright," he shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so. But find one fast." Umeji ended the conversation there, as the delinquents walked through the school gates. Always the last group of students to enter the academy building. There was no inherent shame as class started at 8:30, but to arrive later than everyone else when you had no reason to? It did nothing but lower their reputation.
The delinquents entered the locker room and parted ways for a moment, all changing into their indoor shoes. Once that was done they regrouped, and walked themselves to the incinerator. Where they would hang out, do whatever they wanted before class time would begin.
The usual riffing, complaining, arguing that the delinquents said to each other was really no different today. The only oddity that Umeji felt was Ayano. Not to say that she didn't belong with them, because she proved to them that she deserves to. The thing that was just a bit noticeable to him was that Ayano is just simply existing beside the boys. She didn't talk much, or provide anything new to conversations. She didn't contribute to arguments between them, didn't joke around. She was just there... most of the time.
The delinquents excused themselves from the collective group whenever they needed to. So when one of them had to use the bathroom, had to talk to someone alone, whatever private business they needed to get done, nobody said anything. This leeway was given to Ayano as well, and Umeji had a feeling that the others had already forgot that she existed. Hayanari beginning to make a joke had snapped Umeji out of his thoughts.
"You know, I figured out why the guidance counsellor keeps calling me into her office."
"Because you're a pain in the ass?" Hokuto replied.
"Nah. She's secretly writing a biography about me."
Dairoku scoffed. "A biography?"
"Yeah. Tragic young hero. Misunderstood by society. Betrayed by vending machines."
At least a smile was the common reaction to Hayanari's jest. Gaku chuckled in response, shaking his head slightly. But again, behind that mask, nobody could decipher if Ayano laughed, smiled, hated, or even reacted to the joke at all. Her eyes didn't say anything, just empty irises of black. Umeji felt like they were dragging some sort of intern along for the ride, and they don't exactly know what they're doing yet. Except he had a feeling that Ayano actually does, or she just doesn't feel shit like how the rest of them do. Umeji watched her walk off after a moment or two... he supposed that she was just going to do something they didn't need to care for.
Five minutes passed by and the conversation had already gone to something unrelated to Hayanari's joke. This topic, was about students that were starting to get a little curious about their activities... until Ayano stepped forward. She held out something in her hand, and it appeared to be... a notepad.
The fuck? Hayanari thought to himself, at first. Then he remembered the jest that he made earlier. A biography... He took the notepad from her hand and started to flip through the pages like a scrapbook. The entire thing was blank, no proof of a previous owner. "Huh... nice." He slipped the object into his pocket instead of handing it back to Ayano.
"What's that for?" Dairoku asked.
In response, Hayanari jerked his thumb towards Ayano and said "Research materials."
"For the biography?" Dairoku groaned. "You can't be serious."
Seeing the interaction, it proved to Umeji that Ayano was at least listening to them even if she wasn't saying much or anything. That was useful... compared to the others, she would probably be the one with the best ear. Perhaps better than himself in Osoro's eyes. This made him wonder... what would it have been like as a whole, if Ayano had joined before Osoro got expelled?
At the same time, however... there was no telling if she understood the joke earlier or if she was responding to information that she overheard. As Umeji shot one more glance at Ayano, he wondered why she was even wearing the mask in the first place. The others occasionally wore masks, but only when doing criminal things. Of which were outside of school.
1:05 PM
The sound of food being chewed, swallowed, and usual delinquent conversation filled Umeji's ears. Lunch was only around 1/4 of the way finished and so far nothing eventful has happened so far. It's just been the usual ribbing that they gave to one another, and the usual complaining Hayanari was going through.
"And then, she says that I need to work on my attitude."
Gaku scoffed at him. "Didn't you punch a desk?"
Dairoku fought the urge to burst out laughing. "A desk?!"
"The desk started it. Plus, the work was too boring."
"You mean too hard?" Umeji side-eyed Hayanari. "Rikitake-sensei is like, the most easy going faculty member here. Surely, you can't be fucking up that bad..."
"Not to mention..." Gaku continued, "...it was a desk."
Dairoku didn't burst out cackling, but a chuckle escaped from his lips. "A desk!"
Although Umeji was talking to his comrades in arms, he was only paying half attention to their conversations. Ever since Ayano had joined she hadn't changed much about them, around them... anything. She stood around, and listened. Occasionally she'd disappear, then come back with something that nobody asked for, but wasn't useless. Information, an object... no harm in not turning it down. The things were varied, too.
Ever since yesterday, and today, Ayano got things done silently. When a teacher was looking for one of them, she'd tell them. When the guidance counsellor started asking questions, Ayano suggested the possibility of moving around to a new spot or laying low. They hadn't yet, but it was something to look out for. Even when one of the bullies spread a nasty rumour about her joining yesterday, Umeji was notified.
These were useful things to be told. But at the same time, a bit strange considering that she was almost secretly doing a lot. Especially for someone who had just joined their posse 24 hours ago. Some of the things she was doing now? Hayanari wouldn't have even done in an entire week. But strangely, so far... she hadn't shown up to eat lunch with them.
"Gaku," Umeji turned to his comrade to ask, "have you seen Ayano?"
"New blood?" Gaku shrugged. "I'm in the same class as her but I'm just as lost as you are."
"Who cares?" Hayanari leaned against the wall.
"Isn't that her?" Hokuto's head nodded to the side. The rest of the delinquents followed his gaze, seeing... a familiar blonde ponytail appearing around the corner. In the flesh, Ayano approached them like she was summoned by their words. On her back rested a bag that was like theirs, big enough to conceal a weapon inside it. And there most definitely was a weapon being housed. "What the hell is that?" Hokuto felt inclined to ask.
"A weapon." The answer immediately left her covered mouth.
The delinquents exchanged glances at her non-hesitant, explanation-lacking answer. Hayanari snorted, then saying "No shit..."
Ayano stared at her new club mates for a moment, before she took off her bag off her shoulders. The bag rested on the ground, the handle of the weapon pointing directly towards her chin. Conversation slowed as the weapon's handle was something unfamiliar to them, and as she began to pull her weapon out of her back, they then saw something that was a dead giveaway.
Polished metal fittings.
"No shot..." Gaku said under his breath. For what he and the rest of the delinquents saw... was a katana. Not some plastic shit that you'd find at Spirit Halloween or a wooden imitation made for arts and crafts. Something real, and much deadlier than any of their own weapons.
A real, physical katana. This revelation had shut their conversations down in an instant, and around ten seconds had gone by before Hayanari had regained the bravado to say something. "What in the absolute fuck," he tried laughing the revelation away. Still, he sounded confused at how Ayano was able to... do such a thing.
Umeji stood up from the bench. He knew that he was the one who told Ayano to get with the program, but he almost didn't believe her. "Seriously? Lemme see." He intended to step forward and unsheathe it slightly, just to see if there was real steel, but Ayano had a different way of proving the authenticity.
SHHIIINNG!
From where Ayano stood, she unsheathed the sword without effort. The motion was easy, smooth, and methodical... like she had used the damn thing before, or at least was familiar with long, sharp ass metal... the flash of the blade reflected sunlight across their stunned faces. Instinctively, Umeji stepped back. Although he knew that Ayano had no intention of harming them, the way that she lifted the blade out of it's sheath without so much as a care had startled him slightly.
The smile that was on Hayanari's face had disappeared instantaneously when the metal reflected the sun rays. "Ain't no way. Ain't no fucking way."
"No..." Hokuto said next to him. Gaku, and Dairoku said nothing but now they were most surely paying attention. "Where'd you get it?"
"The headmaster's office."
A beat went by in the air before... odd laughs came from the delinquents. Hayanari laughed her off again, and Hokuto did as well. Dairoku did the same in order to not be left out. Umeji stepped back and sat down on the bench, while Gaku looked up at Ayano like she had done something impossible.
"Good one!" Came Hayanari.
"Almost got me..." Hokuto.
Dairoku chewed off a piece of a carrot. "Not a bad joke..."
Gaku didn't find anything funny, as he knew that she wasn't kidding about where she got it. He looked at her, and the way she had stayed motionless. "...You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yes."
The silence that came now was deeper than the last one, as the other delinquents came to the conclusion that Gaku had already arrived at. When Ayano sheathed the katana back into it's sheath... again, the delinquents saw how effortless her motions were. It almost looked practised.
"Gaku... the headmaster had a katana?" Hokuto looked at him.
He nodded. "Yep... I saw it when I smelled alcohol on him last week."
"And you..." Hokuto turned to Ayano. "Got into his office?"
"He always leaves the building during lunch."
Gaku interrupted Hokuto's thought process. "But isn't it locked in a—"
"I found the key."
"Where—"
"Next to his laptop." Ayano's answers left her lips in the exact same tone every time. Direct, and unchanging.
Dairoku shook his head. "Why?"
This time, Umeji answered for him. "Because we all have weapons."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I told her this morning. We all had weapons, she didn't... I asked her what she was going to do about it." Umeji's gaze didn't leave the katana until Ayano put it in her weapon bag and threw it over her shoulder. "She did something about it."
Hayanari tried to laugh the situation away again, as he noticed that Umeji's tone had grown rather... wary. Cautious. "Okay... that's actually kinda funny."
But Umeji shot that attempt down. "It isn't." The other delinquents looked at him, and he was looking straight at Ayano. "You broke into the headmaster's office."
"Yes."
"..." Hokuto let a silent moment in the air go by, unsure if he should be saying this. "Yo... Umeji, we never really liked the guy."
"We never did." Umeji didn't look at Hokuto, still looking at Ayano. "You realize that's a problem, right?"
"Nobody saw me."
Umeji almost scoffed at that answer, as it bothered him more than it should have. Admittedly he never would have expected her to apologize, or promise that she won't do shit like that again. He would've expected her to gloat, saying something like 'worth it.' But she didn't say any of those things. She just said those words, like the only thing that was on her mind was the possibility of getting caught. Sarcastically, Umeji said: "Awesome. Now what're you gonna do when he sees that his prized possession was stolen from him?"
"It sat in his office for thirty seven years. He's too old to care."
Umeji furrowed his brow at her words. "And how'd you know that?"
"My mother used it before."
If the delinquents weren't already confused before, then they sure as hell were now. They wanted to know if Ayano was speaking literally, metaphorically, or just saying things randomly as some sort of internal bit for herself. Maybe even speaking just for shock value. "Your mother used the katana?"
"Yes."
"For what? Why?"
"It was important to someone once."
"...The hell does that even mean?" Gaku asked.
Ayano tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, not needing him to ask any more questions. "It means... it was important to someone once."
The delinquents were not only getting confused, but a bit annoyed at her crypticism. This answer only generated more questions than answers, as they understood the individual words that she said. Yet the meaning of said words didn't embed itself into their brains. If she was trying to make a point then she wasn't doing a good job conveying it. The delinquents exchanged glances at each other, trying to see if anyone understood. After seeing that nobody did, Hayanari gave up on trying to understand first. "Gutsy."
"Or no survival instinct," Dairoku said. "How did nobody see you?"
"They were occupied."
"Occupied with what?"
"...Other things."
"..." Hayanari snickered. "You're weird." The delinquents, save Ayano and Umeji, laughed away at the nigh alarming behaviour Ayano was exhibiting.
Umeji looked at the handle of the katana, sticking up from behind Ayano while it rested in her weapon bag. Then his gaze went to Ayano... then it kept flickering between the two. There was something about this whole thing that was sitting wrong with him. Not particularly the sword, or the theft itself. The katana was undoubtedly the most deadly weapon out of any weapon they had. It was impossible to block with bare fists alone, unless if you didn't mind getting cut.
The theft itself? While bold and perhaps foolhardy, she got away scot free. If it was done by any of them then they probably would've gotten caught. Osoro probably had it in her to escape unscathed, but Ayano had done it all in five minutes. That's quick.
The thing that had put Umeji off the most... was the fact that Ayano seemed incapable of understanding why her feat was unusual. A small part of his mind, hidden in the deep recesses of his brain, wondered if bringing her into the group was a mistake. Before Ayano had even gotten the chance to meet Osoro, Umeji had an inkling feeling that told him that this was a bad idea.
